Bitch Heiress X Samurai Butler

by KuroKoneko Kamen

  sword, “I’ve won.”

  But Ranmaru’s blank expression turned haughty and bemused, “Won? Just because my sword broke? I don’t think so. This battle is far from over! You only managed to defeat my sword not me. And now, how about I return the favor?” A cocky smirk on his face Ranmaru rushed forward, with his fists raised. Kogarashi blinked in surprise, “What are you crazy? You can’t face a Cursed Sword with your bare hands!”

  But Ranmaru paid his words no heed as he raised his balled up fist and let it fly forward towards Kogarashi and his sword.

  “The fool.” Kogarashi had no choice but to raise his sword and block the attack. Ranmaru’s fist connected with the flat of the blade of Kogarashi’s sword and Kogarashi was surprisingly pushed back-Ranmaru didn’t stop there however and brought his fist back to then bring it forward again - and again - and again. Until he was using both fists to punch the sword and fight against Kogarashi’s sword attacks with his bare hands alone. Ranmaru’s hands became torn and bloody, and the skin was peeling off his knuckles as he continued to attack. But there was also a fierce aura of yokai energy surrounding Ranmaru’s body and fists that resembled red flames.

  Kogarashi looked back at Ranmaru stunned that he was able to hold his own like that against a Cursed Sword. And throughout it all Ranmaru was smiling. Ranmaru was having one hell of a time and enjoying every second of this impossible battle. This was why he had fought so hard to gain more power - for moments just like this! It was pure bliss. Ah, this must be why I fight. For moments like these. Until-Ranmaru gathered the last of his yokai power and brought his fist that was enveloped in red flames forward, one last time-“Kitsune-bi, fox-fire.” Kogarashi gasped as Ranmaru’s fist connected with the blade of his sword and then Kogarashi’s sword shattered. Kogarashi looked down at the broken half of his sword that was in his hand in shock. And then Ranmaru punched him hard across the face while he was still distracted. Kogarashi went flying backwards from the force of the blow.

  ZOOM

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  And Kogarashi didn’t stop until his back hit a tree. Kogarashi slid down the tree trunk and looked up at the sky and realized that he didn’t even have the strength left to move. Ranmaru slowly walked over towards Kogarashi and looked down at him, still smiling. “Who’s going to kill who?”

  Ranmaru straddled Kogarashi and pinning him down brought his fist back, prepared to finish Kogarashi off. “You’re about a million years too early to defeat me!” Ranmaru brought his fist forward and Kogarashi closed his eyes knowing that Ranmaru would smash his skull to pieces.

  But-The blow never came.

  Kogarashi opened his eyes and saw that Ranmaru’s fist was mere inches away from his nose. He blinked. Ranmaru seemed to be just as surprised and confused by his own actions as Kogarashi - he was looking down at his fist with an odd, perplexed expression on his face. He then pulled his fist back and looked down at Kogarashi, a quizzical expression on his face.

  Kogarashi was baffled. This was the Celestial War General, Ranmaru - Kogarashi had heard stories about this guy. He was a living legend in Heaven and on Earth. He was a killing machine, who knew neither mercy nor compassion. He had never spared someone’s life - before now. “Why?” He croaked. Ranmaru shook his head. “I do not know. However, this suddenly isn’t fun for me anymore. And I had a lot of fun fighting you.” Ranmaru suddenly smirked as he stood up and got off of Kogarashi. “I want to fight with you again.” Ranmaru was decided.

  Kogarashi’s jaw dropped, “That’s it? You’re actually sparring my life? Impossible...unforgivable! Kill me! You have won the fight! Do not leave me with this dishonor! My pride...my pride won’t stand for this!”

  “No,” Ranmaru shook his head still smiling, and put his hands behind his head in a careless gesture, “For some reason killing you just doesn’t seem fun to me right now. Become 334

  stronger Kogarashi and find a better sword. Your true sword. And then we shall face each other once more to the death. I look forward to that day...” That being said Ranmaru turned and walked away without looking back.

  Kogarashi tried to stand, “Oi! Wait you bastard! I don’t accept this! Wait! That asshole doesn’t he realize the wound he has caused to my pride as a Celestial Warrior. I’m shamed...how can I go back and face Izanami? Surely, I should commit seppuku...but...” Ranmaru’s words rang in his mind: Become stronger Kogarashi and find a better sword. Your true sword. And then we shall face each other once more to the death.

  A resigned expression formed on Kogarashi’s face, a steely look in his eyes as he clenched his fists. “So be it. I’ll pay him back big time for this insult. One day I will kill you. Count on it, Ranmaru!”

  ***

  Ranmaru was now without a sword, a partner, and so traveled both Heaven and Earth in search of a new Cursed Katana...

  Until one day...

  Yo...that’s some intense bloodlust you have there...I think I like you, asshole. Come and find me if you can, you bastard. I want to speak with you... An insolent voice sounded in Ranmaru’s head.

  ‘It’ was calling him and so Ranmaru followed the voice until he arrived at the entrance to a cave. There was o-fuda on the entrance to the cave on a rope that was hanging from one end to the other. Ranmaru could sense an evil presence from deep within. Something incredibly evil had been sealed within this cave...

  Ranmaru’s interest was immediately peaked. Ranmaru entered the cave, breaking the seal simultaneously, the o-fuda being burned up instantly by his fox-fire as he merely walked past. He then traveled deeper and deeper within the cave until he reached a large chamber and there in the center of the cave was a long katana, which was trapped and suspended within a giant icicle of enchanted ice.

  The sword began to glow with a dark aura in response to Bitch 335

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  Ranmaru’s presence. Yo, what’s up asshole? Glad you could make it. So...you’re the powerful yokai I sensed earlier. Hmm, you’re a Celestial fox too aren’t you? One of Inari’s dogs…

  I am no dog. Ranmaru shot back with his mind, his eye twitching. A sword with a bad attitude, go figure. And one with a dirty mouth as well. Could this day get any more tedious?

  Ranmaru sighed.

  Yea, yea, you foxes and your ‘dog complexes’. Anyways, I sense you’re pretty powerful so why don’t you break this seal and release me, you bastard...

  Ranmaru reached his senses out towards the sword - it was indeed a very powerful presence, or spirit that had been attached to this sword but...it was also extremely unstable. The power was leaking, spiraling out - madness. Ranmaru realized. The mind of the spirit had been broken. And probably with its last bit of true conscious will had tied itself to the katana before him now...

  What is it you want? Ranmaru was curious about the spirit’s unfinished business.

  What I want? It let loose a cackling laugh. Blood. Ranmaru raised an eyebrow. Anyone’s blood in particular?

  Izanami’s blood...and the blood of her minions...of her army...

  Ranmaru smirked. It seems we have something in common after all, you bastard sword.

  So you’ll free me, asshole?

  Ranmaru shrugged carelessly, “Sure, what the hell.” If anything, this will be interesting. And I’ve been so bored as of late...

  Gotcha. The sword inwardly smiled to himself victoriously.

  Ranmaru stepped forward and reached his hand out towards the enchanted ice and summoned his fox-fire. In seconds, the ice had melted and the sword was free. Ranmaru picked up the fallen sword and tucked it inside his belt. He then 336

  unsheathed the sword in one fluid motion, it was an extremely long katana and the move had been hard to execute as perfectly as Ranmaru had managed to do. A less skilled swordmaster would not have been able to do it.

  Almost immediately the sword tried to take over Ranmaru’s mind and spirit. I’m free! I’m actually free! You actually fell for it, you frickin id
iot! Now your body, mind and soul will all be mine! Buwhahaha! The sword laughed in gleeful hysteria. Ranmaru watched as the sword’s soul became visible as it oozed out of the sword in a cloud of black smoke and then slowly began to materialize as a clawed hand reached out and grabbed Ranmaru’s shoulder. The spirit coiled around Ranmaru’s body like a snake, and he saw that it had turned into a black, oriental dragon with golden eyes. Ranmaru could feel the dragon’s claws digging savagely into his flesh.

  “How amusing.” Ranmaru grinned, “Is that the best you can do? Oh come on, you must be able to do better than that. Try and take over my mind again. And this time put everything you have into it. Come on, you can do it. Too much for you? A pity.”

  Ranmaru chuckled as he let loose his own yokai energy. Purifying red flames immediately wrapped around his body protecting him from the dragon’s corrupting touch, and from being consumed by the darkness of the sword. The dragon sword yelped and pulled away from Ranmaru as if he had been burned – well, which he had been.

  “Impossible...I had my claws imbedded in your soul...how did you manage to repel me? How could your spirit be so strong?

  Just who are you, asshole?”

  Ranmaru smirked smugly, cocky grin on his face, “I’m too powerful to be controlled by the likes of you. Although I sense you once had great power when you were alive...your mind has been broken. You will obey me now.”

  “To hell with you, you bastard!” The sword spat, “Obey you? Ha! Never! Blood! I need more blood!” The sword cried out as it tried to challenge Ranmaru once more.

  “And blood you shall have, my temperamental, bastard sword,” Ranmaru chuckled good-naturedly finding the entire situation to be quite amusing, “That is if you decide to join me. The Goddess of Famine otherwise known as Izanami and her Bitch 337

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  minions are currently my enemies as well. Together we shall destroy all of them. Sounds fun doesn’t it?” Ranmaru smiled at the thought of getting to try out his new sword’s sharpness against Izanami’s greatest warriors. Would there be someone as strong as Kogarashi again? Ranmaru just couldn’t wait, excitement was bubbling up inside of him at the thought. And he couldn’t help but remember his recent battle against Kogarashi. That had been one of the best fights he’d ever had. It had been so much fun!

  The sword felt Ranmaru’s excitement combined with his bloodlust . Blood...yes...blood! I can feel your excitement and bloodlust Ranmaru! You’re just like me. You too crave blood. You want to kill them all and we shall. You love fighting too don’t you? You live for it. You are only truly alive in the very heat of battle. The sword searched the surface of Ranmaru’s soul and saw all this. Yes, you’re a beast, a Destroyer just like me. A beast? A Destroyer? Is that what I am? Ranmaru shrugged, not really caring. Maybe I am. Oh yes...your soul is as clear as day to me. Cursed Swords like me can See souls you know. And I can clearly see yours. And from what I can see, feel, and read - it’s your instinct that drives you to fight. It’s the instinct in you to kill and seek power. The power needed to fight...fighting to gain power. Yes, this is the path you’ve chosen. Power for the sake of power. I understand you.

  Ranmaru nodded, slightly surprised by the sword’s insight, “Yes, I believe you. I do love to fight...in fact it’s all I truly live for.”

  Yes, the sword purred, you fight to become the most powerful.

  The most powerful? Ranmaru shrugged. Maybe, I don’t really know myself.

  Trust me, that is why you fight. You’re a Destroyer. And together we’ll destroy everything...we will bathe everything in blood, sounds fun right, asshole?

  Ranmaru nodded in agreement. “Fun.” Did this bastard 338

  sword have the answer Ranmaru had been searching for? Was seeking power merely for the sake of power really why Ranmaru continued to fight? Was Ranmaru a Destroyer? Perhaps. “Bastard sword, tell me, what is your name?” Ranmaru ordered.

  “It is Kuroki Ryu, my Master.” The sword sneered insolently.

  “Kuroki Ryu, Black Dragon.” Ranmaru intoned and then smirked. Yep, things were about to get interesting.

  ***

  Ranmaru had always loved fighting, battle, and swords. When he had been Inari’s War General he had always been smiling. But then something inside of him had begun to change when he met her, Nagi. What had it been? What was the answer he had discovered because of Nagi? Ranmaru couldn’t remember.

  Instead, what Ranmaru did manage to remember was his time after Nagi when he had become a Spell-Collared yokai through some trap of Kagura’s and so had become her slave. For a few hundred years or so, Kagura had had fun toying with him - body, mind and soul. She had had fun breaking him, both mentally and sexually. Breaking his spirit, his mind, his body. And when she got bored of him she had sold him off to someone else on a whim. And then for a time, Ranmaru had a new Master...

  This next Master had had no interest in Ranmaru physically but he did have an interest in Ranmaru’s incredible battle power, his strength as a warrior and swordmaster. And so he had Ranmaru kill for him. Anyone that got in the way of his ambitions he would have Ranmaru simply cut down. At first, they were powerful people; dangerous evil people and Ranmaru had inwardly enjoyed getting to fight again and to kill. However, his new Master had also deemed his target’s families and friends a threat due to his paranoia and had Ranmaru kill them as well. Ranmaru had been ordered to kill defenseless people, people who weren’t fighters or combatants or warriors - innocent women and children.

  And Ranmaru found that this kind of fight was not fun. There was no honor, no challenge in a fight like that. It was simply senseless slaughter. That wasn’t a real battle at all. Bitch 339

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  Ranmaru found that he had trouble sleeping at night after this and couldn’t understand why. After that Ranmaru had tried to resist his Master when he had been ordered to kill an innocent family again and had been punished severely for it until his mind finally broke from the continued torture. And then Kuroki Ryu saw his chance to take Ranmaru over.

  But-Ranmaru didn’t bother to fight Kuroki Ryu. In fact, he welcomed Kuroki Ryu taking control of him during these

  ‘missions’, welcomed the ‘oblivion’, the ‘not knowing’, that Kuroki Ryu provided for him. He could remain blissfully unaware, and could if even for a few moments escape his own reality...

  But sometimes just to poke at Ranmaru, Kuroki Ryu intentionally let Ranmaru See and Feel what he was doing and then there was no escape...or was there?

  In a desperate attempt to save what was left of his mind when he had been trapped in Kagura’s clutches Ranmaru had learned early on how to ‘escape’, to run away to a place deep inside of himself, a fortress within his mind that was entirely made of ice. There he would bury his emotions and hide from Kagura, and the horrible things that she was doing to him in his present reality...

  This was how he had learned to bury and repress his emotions.

  And so Ranmaru did the same now with his new Master and buried his emotions deep inside of himself and hid while he was forced to kill the innocent and let Kuroki Ryu have complete control of his body.

  Ranmaru had finally become the perfect emotionless killing machine...

  Or at least so his Master and Kuroki Ryu had both thought.

  END OF FLASHBACK

  Ranmaru awoke, a silent scream on his lips, drenched in sweat, his whole body thrumming with pain...but why?

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  Ryoga was at his side, “Hey, what’s wrong? You were having a nightmare buddy...” He put a hand on Ranmaru’s shoulder.

  Ranmaru shook his head, a nightmare? No, Ranmaru’s eyes widened when he realized, they had been memories. Ryoga brought his hand back and stared at it in shock because it was now covered in red blood. His eyes widened in horror, “You’re hurt!”

  Ranmaru blinked, “I’m not...” He murmured.

  Ryoga didn’t listen and stripped Ranmaru of his shirt before he could begin to res
ist and began to inspect the damage. Scars that had almost faded over the past hundred years or so now stood out stark white against Ranmaru’s tan skin. Scars...that had oddly enough begun to bleed...

  Ranmaru’s back was a mess and it looked like he’d been recently whipped when in reality those wounds were hundreds of years old.

  Ryoga gasped, “Your back...those wounds...”

  Ranmaru suddenly felt self-conscious for some reason and pulled his shirt back to his chest. “Don’t look...” Conflicting memories swarmed in Ranmaru’s head of just how he had gotten those wounds. They had been presents from HER. Ryoga shook his head. “Let me a least treat your wounds first, please.” Ryoga insisted.

  Ranmaru reluctantly nodded and lowered his shirt again. Flinching when Ryoga put a damp cloth to his back. The pain was so achingly familiar...more memories began to rise to the surface...of HER touch. Ranmaru began to tremble in fear and felt ashamed. “I’m sorry...” He murmured. What the hell was wrong with him? Even he knew that he was acting strangely. Ryoga shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t your fault. You’re the victim in all this. We understand you better than anyone. You’re not alone, Ranmaru.”

  “We?” Ranmaru looked up and saw the sympathetic faces of his fellow prisoners. He noticed the collars around some of their necks. Yes. They understood his pain, only too well. He was not alone.

  ***

  Meanwhile, at the Kimamura mansion, Kusanagi was in Bitch 341

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  the kitchen trying to make dinner for herself. She pushed her sleeves back and got ready to cook herself something simple.

  “Yosha! How hard can it be?” Where the heck is Roze anyway?

  And why the hell did I fire our spare chef again. Mou! Sigh. Roze was walking past the kitchen in search of Kusanagi when a sudden explosion rocked the mansion. Roze’s eyes widened in panic. Were they under attack? Was it the Shiro Tsubaki Clan? Roze rushed to her room and got out her trusty Magnum and rushed back downstairs with it.