♦⊱ Chapter 18 - Unexpected Reunion ⊰♦

This chapter is dedicated to Flame_Core! Happy reading!

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Ruka pov:

"Where are you taking me? And why did you even kidnap me in the first place?!" I yelled and struggled despite knowing that my efforts would probably be useless.

"Shut up, b****! You're annoying!" the man holding me snapped, tightening his hold around my waist. I winced at it hurt but didn't quell my struggling.

"Calm down, Kento, there's no sense getting angry at her," another one said. He met my eyes calmly and said, "We're taking you to our hideout, the Red Eagle's headquarters. Since you were with Lord Kurai, we assume you're of some importance to him. When we reach our hideout, our Nii-sama will decide what to do with you."

"Red Eagle? What in the world is that?" I asked, anxious.

"You haven't heard of us?" the third man mused, raising his brow.

"Well, I wouldn't be asking if I did, would I?" I said smartly, only to regret it when I received a sharp look.

"We are an underground organization fighting against Lord Kurai, though we're better known as the rebel army," the third man continued. "That's all you need to know. Now, it would be best if you remain silent and not struggle, unless you want us to be rough."

His words filled me with queasy nervousness. I was close to Kichiro sama, so being in the custody of an enemy organization was definitely dangerous for me. What would they do to me when we reached their hideout? Would they torture me to get information on Kichiro sama? Would they kill me? I didn't want to die! I didn't want to go with these people!

I struggled in Kento's hold again, wanting to somehow slip out of his hold and escape. I didn't care even if I had to live in the wilderness for a few days before returning to Kichiro sama's side or begin afresh in some small village – I just didn't want to get caught by the wrong people and be either tortured or killed.

Kento got annoyed with my struggling though and pulled out his knife again to leave a bleeding wound on my arm. I yelped, immediately covering the wound that hurt quite a bit, hoping to stop the bleeding. I fell silent and stopped struggling at that, worried that Kento would actually kill me even before I got a chance to escape. Scoffing, he put his knife away and we continued to the Red Eagle's headquarters in silence.

When we arrived just outside a cave, I was let down to stand on my feet. Then Kento took a painfully tight grip on my, thankfully, uninjured upper arm and dragged me behind him into the cave. I stumbled through the labyrinth dimly lit by occasional fire torches. We took so many turns that confused me and diminished my hopes of escaping from here. Finally, after almost twenty minutes of walking, we stepped into a brightly lit room in the labyrinth.

I was thrown forward and hissed when my palms and knees were scraped by the rough floor of the cave. I sat up with a wince, looking over the bleeding scratches and the tender wound on my arm, the blood of which had clot wee enough now.

"We've brought Lord Kurai's little toy," Kento said and loud laughter echoed through the room.

Tensing, I looked at the people around me, all watching me with smirks of amuse. I felt queasy with nervousness bubbling in the pit of my stomach. I averted my eyes to the ground when I was made fun of and more laughter echoed through the room.

"What's all the commotion about?" a stern voice silenced the laughter and I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Nii sama, we've returned!" one of the men who had brought me here said. "We've scouted the capital as you instructed and, much to our surprise, got into fight against Lord Kurai too. He's really strong though and we barely escaped without him killing us. But we've brought back this girl who was with him, as a prize."

Expecting the worst, I looked up through my lashes at the one they had called Nii sama. However, my eyes went wide and my jaw went slack in surprise at the person I saw standing barely a few feet from me.

"Wah, look at her! I think she just fell in love with Nii sama! It's love at first sight!" someone from the crowd said making the others roar in laughter again.

I stood up slowly, not taking my eyes off him. In fact, tears were welling up in my eyes and my breathing had become raspy. Clenching my fists, I said ever so softly, "Tomo kun?"

He narrowed his eyes, his eyes that were so cold instead of how warm I remembered them to be before. I was sure it was him though – the brown hair, the green eyes, his very presence...it was all just as I remembered it to be. But...why was the expression in his eyes so dark? Why did he look so serious, stern and...intimidating?

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice and gaze sharp.

"Who do you think you are to call Nii sama by his name?! You wench!" Kento barked.

I didn't react to him though and didn't look away from Tomo kun. I stepped forward and several people around me tensed. I brought a fist to my chest and said, "It's me, Tomo kun, I'm Ruka."

He narrowed his eyes and frowned slightly. "Ruka chan? You...you're Ruka chan?"

I nodded, a smile coming to my lips and tears falling from my eyes. I sprinted towards him, ignoring the katanas that were unsheathed and the insults that were thrown at me. I threw my arms around Tomo kun's neck in a tight embrace, so happy and relieved to see him alive. Tomo kun tensed but relaxed soon enough and returned the embrace.

His embrace was tight and firm and he buried his face in my hair. I closed my eyes, letting more tears fall. When I let go of him, I held his shoulders and looked over his face with a smile through my tears. He looked happy to see me too but also seemed curious.

"You're alive, Tomo kun! It is really you, isn't it? But how? That day when you and Lady Kana...I-I thought...I-"

"Shh, calm down, Ruka chan," he said, cutting short my incoherent stuttering, "and yes, it's really me."

I let go of him and wiped the tears that refuse to stop. He stopped me though, taking a hold of my hands in his and wiping off the tears himself. He smiled and said, "I'm glad that you're so happy to see me alive."

"Of course, I'm happy," I said, blinking back a layer of tears. "I'm really happy."

Giving me another smile, Tomo kun then looked at all the people in the cave who had fallen silent, perhaps in surprise of what they were witnessing. "This is Ruka chan, my best friend who was kidnapped by that b****** when we were still in our village. But you have saved her today and she had returned to where she belongs!" he said.

I resisted from flinching at the way he addressed Kichiro sama. I knew he didn't quite support Kichiro sama and had even fought against his army in the war but his overly-harsh attitude came as a surprise.

The people in the cave had broken out into whispers and Tomo kun added, "She is to be treated like a queen while she is here, is that understood?"

Everyone cheered, welcoming me to the headquarters and saying that they were glad that I was unharmed even after being with a monster for so long.

Tomo kun then looked back to me with a smile, "I'm sorry that my men were so rough with you. We should have that wound and your scrapes taken care of."

I nodded with a halfhearted smile and followed him to get my wound taken care of. Just as we were about to sit down, I heard someone call to Tomo kun in a sing-song voice. Looking to the side, I spotted none other than Akari who's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets when she saw me.

"H-Hi," I said with a small wave.

"You?" she hissed, apparent displeasure in her voice. "What are you doing here? Why are you back?! Step away from my Tomo kun!"

She took a hold of my hand to yank me away from Tomo kun and I stumbled. She glared and lifted a hand to smack me. I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain of the slap I was about to receive. I heard a slap soon enough but didn't feel it. I opened my eyes only for them to widen when I saw Akari caressing her reddening cheek, a thin line of blood trickling down her chin from her busted lip. Tomo kun's hand was raised and he was glaring at Akari, making it obvious that he had just slapped her.

She whimpered, watching Tomo kun with wide, watering eyes. I touched her shoulder, shocked by what had just happened. "Oh my goodness, are you alright, Akari?" I asked and then looked at Tomo kun. "Why did you hit her, Tomo kun? You could have just stopped her from hitting me!"

I momentarily tensed at the pure rage in Tomo kun's eyes. He scoffed, looking away from Akari and said, "You can't be so soft to her when she tried to hit you. She got what she deserved."

"No, you didn't have to hit her!" I said but Akari shoved me away from her, glaring.

"I don't need your pity," she spat before running into one of the many tunnels that opened to this room.

"Don't worry about her – if she was more like you, I wouldn't have to be so harsh on her," Tomo kun said and took a hold of my wrist. "Why don't we have breakfast while the healer takes care of your wound?"

Just as he said that, my stomach growled. I blushed while he laughed, and followed him into one of the tunnels. We made it to another room of sorts that had many low height tables with pillows around them – it was a dining room. Tomo kun took a seat at one of the tables and the people who passed by us greeted me cheerily.

"It's great that you're safe, Nee sama!"

"Make yourself at home, Nee sama. We'll make sure that you have everything you'll ever need here!"

"We're glad to see Nii sama so happy because you're alright!"

I smiled awkwardly at them with words of thanks. When we were finally allowed to eat in peace, I was relieved. We ate silently while a healer wrapped up my wounds. I finally broke the silence when we were alone, "Hey, Tomo kun?"

"What is it, Ruka chan?" he asked, meeting my eyes. The tone of his voice was gentle but authoritative and made me a little uncomfortable.

"Well, I was wondering – what exactly do you do? I mean, I heard that you fight against Ki-Lord Kurai..."

"That's right, I lead this organization, the Red Eagle Organization which I began with the only intention of taking down that b****** Lord Kurai. After he attacked our village and kidnapped you, I thought I was going to die but the villagers were able to save me. It took me almost a month to fully recover from the wounds I had suffered from the war and from that beast...and it was during that time that I decided that I would overthrow Lord Kurai. I trained day and night to become stronger, to build up my physical strength and endurance and become even more skilled in kenjutsu. I gathered skilled fighters from all over the provinces, sending word through messengers. We met with our emperor and vowed to help him protect the remaining two provinces under his rule and get rid of Lord Kurai once and for all," he seethed, fury flaring in his eyes.

I cringed slightly but remained silent as he continued to tell me all that he had been doing in the past half year. Besides training and gathering strong allies, he had put his plans into action – stealing from rich officials was common and so was assassinating officials, generals, and foot soldiers of Kichiro sama's army. Every time he mentioned Kichiro sama with the dark title he was known by, intense rage laced his voice and reflected in his eyes.

It made me feel bad – sure, I knew that Kichiro sama's ruthlessness and methods to subdue those around him weren't appreciable but it was because he was just really strict as a ruler and didn't know how to show compassion or love. He didn't even know what those emotions were. All his life, he had been feared and hated by everyone around him, thriving on control, power, and oppression. He thought that being powerful, merciless, and oppressive was the only way to keep people in line, to rule them, to guide them, and the make them prosper.

Perhaps I was being overly hopeful but I wanted to help Kichiro sama understand that there were better ways to govern his empire. I wanted him to connect with his people, to gain their trust and allegiance with affection and gentleness. I'm sure helping that lost child had already made his mother see Kichiro sama in a new light and her words would stir positive thoughts in those she spoke to about the incident.

And I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be whatever support I could be for him. Perhaps there wouldn't be too much that I could do but he had begun to trust me just as he trusted Kijima san. I was honored to hold such a special place in his life and I wanted to uphold his trust in me. I wanted to be by his side...always.

"Ruka chan? Ruka?" I blinked, snapping out of my thought upon hearing my name. I met Tomo kun's narrow gaze and flexed my shoulder to resist a shiver from the sudden overwhelm I felt.

Tomo kun had really changed. Not only did he harbor so much hatred that it frightened me but he was no longer the kind boy I had known in the village. He was so cold and rude to even his comrades, speaking sharply to them when giving orders or expressing anger at the slightest gesture that he didn't like. I was almost tempted to think that he had become someone I didn't know.

Though, he seemed to treat me a bit too nicely than necessary. I had a feeling that there was something that I was missing...and it made me nervous.

"Are you alright? Perhaps I shouldn't mention Lord Kurai in front of you – just imagining how much you must have suffered because of that beast makes me want to kill him right now!" added Tomo kun.

My chest constricted but I didn't say anything to his comment. I averted my eyes to stare at the wood grains of the table. Hours went by in a flash and it was soon time for lunch. We ate with passing, light conversations. When we were done, a few people including Akari cleaned up the table while sparing me a glare in pure displeasure – I felt quite unwelcomed thanks to that.

"Let's go to the common area, shall we?" Tomo kun said as he stood, holding out a hand for me to take.

For some reason, I felt like I wasn't being given a choice in the matter. The expression on Tomo kun's face was as if he was commanding me to take his hand failing which he would snap at me in anger. So, halfheartedly, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to guide me out of the dining room to the common area of the hideout.

I didn't really like the feeling of holding hands with Tomo kun. It felt weird and...wrong. His hand was rough and callused compared to Kichiro sama's and wasn't as big and warm either. I was so used to Kichiro sama's large, warm hold that this felt so alien to me.

I sighed inaudibly at my thoughts before pushing them away. I didn't want to appear distracted in front of Tomo kun again and rouse any sort of suspicion. I couldn't stifle a yawn though or stop from rubbing my eyes that were tired and dry.

"Are you tired, Ruka?" Tomo kun asked and I met his eyes.

Him calling my name with the honorific '-chan' sounded odd. The only person to have called me by just my name was Kichiro sama and anyone else calling me freely didn't feel right. I said nothing about that though and smiled as I spoke, "A little. I'm kind of sleepy too."

Despite how dark and cold his eyes were, the smile he gave me was genuine. It made me wonder if I should trust what I saw in his eyes or his smile. I chose the latter for now as he took a turn in the tunnel and led me to a spacious room with a silk mattress spread out in the middle and a small table on one side with an oil lamp on it.

"I didn't know you could afford silk mattresses," I said, earning a short laugh from him.

"We didn't buy any silk mattresses – they're one of the many things we took from high ranking officials when we attacked their residences. I usually don't allow others to use them but you get one because you're special."

"Ah, thanks, I guess," I mumbled with an awkward smile.

Tomo kun let go of my hand only to bend to my level and place a kiss on my forehead. I tensed at that, my eyes going wide, for I hadn't expected the gesture. He then cupped my face with one hand to caress my cheek with his thumb.

Smiling almost lovingly, he said, "Rest up."

When he left, I rubbed the place he had kissed. It felt uncomfortable and I bit my lip at the only increasing nervousness in the pit of my stomach. Inhaling deeply, I shook off the uneasiness. I laid down on the mattress and brought the blanket till my neck. I stayed lying on my back while gazing at the dark roof of the cave I was in, suddenly feeling lonely and missing the soft bed in the palace. I also missed Kichiro sama, remembering that I woke up to him sleeping next to me every day in rather awkward positions – I'd be curled up against his back or chest often, though sometimes would have my leg carelessly thrown over his waist or my arm all the way across his chest or even holding his arm like it was a stuffed toy. I guess Kichiro sama didn't mind it – I mean, how could he? He probably knew that we'd end up waking in a weird position every morning anyway...

Knowing that I wouldn't wake up to seeing him first thing in the morning made me sad. I felt a painful twinge in my chest. I almost felt hollow.

My eyes stung slightly at the loneliness that pricked at me. I closed my eyes with a sigh, convincing myself that there was no point in getting depressed over this matter at the moment. I was tired and getting too emotional – a good rest would definitely clear my mind and help me think about what I had to do about this situation.

I relaxed and curled up under the blanket to reduce the missing warmth from Kichiro sama's usual presence. I couldn't fall asleep immediately but eventually fell into dreamless slumber.

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Welp. Ruka has been caught by Tomoki who seems to have changes into a rather harsh person. He's mentioning killing Kichiro sama in every sentence he speaks and Ruka isn't liking it.

Kichiro sama, where are you? You've got to save Ruka!!!

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