Bitch Heiress X Samurai Butler

by KuroKoneko Kamen

  Katsumi let out a breath of relief, “I’m okay, I’m okay. No worries peeps!”

  Ranmaru had transformed back into his human form and sword in hand had come up beside the girls intent on protecting them from the apparently dangerous potted plants. Ranmaru pointed his sword in the direction of the pink plants and glared at them threateningly, a serious expression on his face.

  “Oh brother,” Kusanagi sighed while tucking a stray hair behind her ear, “Katsumi don’t touch anything. Mou! These plants could be dangerous. At any rate...these must be the plants that HANABI is being harvested from. We need to think of a way to destroy them.”

  Before Kusanagi could say more however- THUD, THUD, THUD

  The whole greenhouse was suddenly vibrating. Kusanagi suddenly felt like she was in some crappy action/horror movie like Jurassic Park.

  “W-what’s that?” Katsumi looked around frightfully.

  “It’s coming.” Kusanagi declared getting into a fighting stance.

  From the back room of the greenhouse a giant, monstrous creature that was both human and plant-like emerged. He was at least three times the size of a normal man. His skin was leathery looking and green-tinged, and was stretched tightly over his bulging muscles. He had a mane of wild black hair and menacing red eyes. He had two green horns coming out on either side of his head and similarly curved spikes or thorns were emerging from his shoulders and places on his arms. There also seemed to be

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  vines mixed in with his hair and wrapping around parts of his body.

  And there totally looking out of place and seated on his shoulder was a little girl. She looked to be about ten to twelveyears-old. She was wearing a pretty white sundress with a matching white sunhat that had a large blue bow tied around it and that had the long ends of it hanging down. But that wasn’t what was so unusual about her. Kusanagi noticed she had pale green skin, pointed ears, and long blue hair that was shielding the expression on her face in a creepy manner. She was most definitely a yokai, but still a child. She was swinging her feet, which were clad in bright red, patent leather shoes back and forth idly as they approached.

  “A little girl...” Katsumi blinked up at the strange sight.

  “Who dares to come and disturb my greenhouse?” The girl demanded in an imperious tone.

  Kusanagi stepped forward, “So, you’re the yokai the Kuroneko Clan hired to manu-err, grow them HANABI huh?”

  The girl seemed pleased, “That would be me.”

  “You have to stop this - HANABI is poisonous, especially to humans! They’ll all die because of you!” Kusanagi put out her hands in a beseeching gesture.

  The girl narrowed her blue eyes at Kusanagi. “And how do you know this, human?”

  Kusanagi’s eyes flickered towards Katsumi, and to the Grim Reaper’s shadow that was still behind her. “Call it a hunch. But I know that the people that use HANABI will die.”

  The girl shrugged, “If they can’t handle taking more than they should take that’s really not my problem now is it? Besides, I’m getting paid quite a bit for this job so I have no intention of stopping. Thorn! Kill them!”

  The girl leapt off of the beast’s shoulder and back flipped through the air to land on her feet perfectly on the floor of the greenhouse.

  Kusanagi raised an eyebrow at the name, “Thorn?”

  The yokai plant-girl frowned, “Shut up! It’s a good name!

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  I came up with it all by myself.” The girl placed her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at Kusanagi.

  What a selfish, annoying little brat. She’s putting all these people in danger and she doesn’t even care. I need to knock some sense into her I think. Kusanagi decided as she started to move forward while cracking her knuckles. But before Kusanagi could take another step forward Ranmaru moved to stand in front of her and stood in her path protectively. He unsheathed his sword Kuroki Ryu and again that powerful red aura began to flare around him and his sword. Then he attacked-Thorn let out an animalistic roar and beat his chest much like a gorilla before he moved forward to attack Ranmaru. As the creature moved forward, his feet making loud thumps on the floor, he reached up to one of his shoulders and pulled out one of the long, thorny spikes that had been embedded in his own flesh there, and then brought it down to hold it before him like a sword.

  Ranmaru raised his own sword and brought it forward so that it clashed with the giant spike the creature was battling him with.

  Meanwhile, Kusanagi was taking matters into her own hands and was picking up potted plants to then smash them on the floor. The plants were crying out in pain and what appeared to be green blood was oozing out from their broken stems. Kusanagi shivered.

  “Nooo~! ” The yokai plant girl cried out, “My friends!

  How could you do that? Ooo How dare you! You’ll pay for that you bitch! Thorn! KILL HER!”

  Thorn ignored Ranmaru at the girl’s command and turned to rush towards Kusanagi instead. Kusanagi turned to watch as these sharp, bone-like, spikes began to emerge from Thorn’s body much like the spines or quills of a porcupine or the spikes on a puffer fish. Uh oh. Kusanagi had a bad feeling about this as she watched Thorn’s body begin to puff up slightly. Kusanagi took a step back but found there was a table behind her and so realized she had nowhere to go. She was trapped. Shit. The spikes emerged more and more from out of Thorn’s body until they suddenly exploded outwards and headed towards Kusanagi-Bitch

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  “Kusanagi!” Katsumi cried out.

  “Oujo-sama! ” Ranmaru yelled.

  Ranmaru used his yokai speed to get in front of Kusanagi and pushed her to the ground while shielding her body from the deadly thorns with his own. The thorns stabbed all the way through Ranmaru’s body repeatedly, and blood gushed out from his wounds profusely and tricked down onto Kusanagi who lay below him. Kusanagi watched in horror as blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

  Ranmaru looked down at Kusanagi calmly, “Are you alright, Oujo-sama? ”

  Kusanagi’s eyes were wide and she was trembling at the sight before her - of Ranmaru, bloody, broken, impaled by several vicious thorns, near dead and all for her sake. Then somehow she managed to compose herself. “BAKA! Why did you do that? Just...look at you! You’re...” Kusanagi willed the tears in her eyes to go away. Going to die! No...please...not again...I can’t lose anyone else for my sake again... Ranmaru blinked. “Because you’re my Master. And I will protect you because I am your Samurai Butler.” He explained simply.

  Ranmaru noticed there was a slight scratch on Kusanagi’s cheek and frowned. He used his thumb to wipe the blood from her face and then leaned over to lick it quickly before Kusanagi could react. The wound needed to be disinfected after all. He hadn’t been curious about the taste of her delicious, err, perfectly normal blood. Nope, not at all.

  When Ranmaru had pulled away Kusanagi had an odd look on her face and appeared to be slightly flushed.

  “Ranmaru...? ”

  Ranmaru pushed himself off of Kusanagi and began to pull the long thorns out of his body one by one to then toss them aside. Already his body was regenerating. He cracked his neck from side to side and picked up his katana seemingly unfazed by having been turned into a pincushion, and ready to face Thorn once more. Though the blood that was still gushing out of his 94

  open wounds seemed to say otherwise. However, Ranmaru turned and raised his sword before him, the long katana blade was glowing crimson.

  “You will pay for hurting, Oujo-sama.” Ranmaru growled in a low voice before that same fierce red-tinged aura began to form around Ranmaru and his sword. It was like fire, Kusanagi realized and watched as Ranmaru let out a roar as he swung his sword forward and unleashed a fiery energy attack that blasted through Thorn’s upraised spike and then hit his body. Thorn cried out in pain as his body began to catch fire and become engulfed in the magi
cal fox-fire.

  “Fox-fire? Noooo! Thorn! You...you people! Just who are you guys? How could you do this to me?” The girl’s lower lip trembled and her eyes watered since she was on the verge of tears. She clenched her small fists angrily at her sides. But Ranmaru had his sights set on her next. Ranmaru’s eyes were glowing red and he growled, showing off his incisors as he pointed his sword in the girl’s direction and charged-The girl squeaked in surprise as she quickly summoned up some vines to lift her up off the ground and towards the domed ceiling. However, Ranmaru leapt up into the air and brought his sword sideways ready to slice her in two-Kusanagi’s eyes widened in shock, Ranmaru was really about to cut the little girl into pieces. How could he do something like that! “No! Ranmaru STOP! DON’T KILL HER!” Kusanagi ordered but then realized that even though Ranmaru’s eyes seemed to clear at the sound of her voice and become golden, he was still in a position in midair where it would be completely impossible to stop his attack even if he had wanted to. Shit. Kusanagi rushed towards him. “I said STOP YOU BAKA!”

  Kusanagi leapt up into the air and executed a flying sidekick that hit Ranmaru in his side and sent him flying along with herself as her foot connected. Kusanagi landed hard on top of Ranmaru.

  “Ugh, my head.” Kusanagi looked down to realize the position she was in with her breasts pushed up against Ranmaru’s hard chest and blushed scarlet. “Argh! You pervert! Get the hell off of me!” She began to hit Ranmaru - who alas was beneath her and pinned down by her and so was currently unable to move even if he had wanted to comply with his Mistress’ wishes. Bitch 95

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  “Uh...Kusanagi...you’re the one on top...” Katsumi felt it best to point this out.

  Ksuanagi’s eyes widened when she realized this was indeed true. Cough. Kusanagi calmly got up off of Ranmaru and dusted herself off while trying to regain her senses, err, her cool. It’s alright, never happened. Never happened. Smooth, Kusanagi, real smooth.

  Ranmaru was sporting another black eye and split lip from Kusanagi’s powerful punches as he pushed himself up off the ground. Thank god, for his yokai regeneration abilities or he probably wouldn’t have lasted long as Kusanagi’s Samurai Butler he mused.

  The yokai girl watched their antics with a look of disbelief on her face, “You all are crazy! But fox-fire and plants don’t mix well so there’s no way I’m sticking around! I’ll cya later, losers!

  And don’t think this is the last you’ve seen of me - the Lady Tsukushi! I will get payback for Thorn.”

  “Lady?” Kusanagi looked around curiously, “What lady?

  All I see is a spoiled yokai brat.”

  Tsukushi turned red at Kusanagi’s words. “I am not a brat! I’m a lady! And you’ll be seeing me really soon, bitch!”

  “Little girls shouldn’t use bad words.” Kusanagi clucked her tongue at her. “I might just have to wash your mouth out with soap.” Kusanagi threatened as she cracked her knuckles. The girl gave Kusanagi a wary look before she used her vines to pull herself up to the very top of the ceiling of the greenhouse. She then used her vines to break through the glass and escape also using her control on the plant vines to form a blockade over her escape route so that none of them would be able to follow her if they had wanted to.

  Kusanagi frowned, like anyone would want to waste their valuable time pursuing some brat. Ha! Katsumi was still throwing potted plants down on the floor and stomping down on the plants enthusiastically when Kusanagi looked around to realize that the greenhouse was beginning to catch on fire due to Ranmaru’s foxfire attacks. Shit. Kusanagi rushed over and grabbed her arm. 96

  “Come on, bubble-head. Time to go!”

  Ranmaru cleared a path for the girls with a wave of his sword and the three of them made their escape out of the burning warehouse.

  The shrill sound of the plants being burned alive and reduced to ashes was heard from the outside. A creepy Eeeeeaaaa sort of sound.

  It caused Kusanagi to shiver slightly and for Ranmaru to give her a concerned look. Space, that boy needed to learn a thing or two about personal space. Kusanagi took two steps away from Ranmaru in case he decided to try something stupid like hug her again or something. Anyhow, she turned to look at Katsumi to inspect her shadow, and was relieved to see that the Grim Reaper’s shadow was no longer behind the girl. Phew. “It’s gone.” Kusanagi breathed, a smile forming on her lips.

  “What?” Katsumi asked, quirking her head at Kusanagi.

  “Oh nothing.” Kusanagi was still smiling and Ranmaru was giving her a thoughtful look while wondering what it was that had made his Mistress smile so beautifully.

  ***

  The next day at school, Kusanagi had forgotten to ask Ranmaru to pack her a lunch since with everything that had happened she was still feeling a bit scatterbrained, and so had decided to grab something in the cafeteria, which was unusual for her since she absolutely hated going there and avoided the place like the plague under normal circumstances.

  She made the lunch line and quickly set a ramen soup on her tray before then turning around and searching for a table that had a free spot. But that’s when she felt the heavy glares of her fellow classmates, those eyes - they were all focused on her and full of so much hate. More so than usual. But why?

  Kusanagi realized that they must know of her involvement with taking out the Kuroneko Clan at the Tsuki Hana Club, which had in turn managed to draw the attention of the police to the fact that HANABI had been trafficked there, and which had caused the club to be shut down. They probably even knew about her involvement with the fiery destruction of the greenhouse where the drug HANABI had been grown. One thing was for sure by the looks they were giving her. They all blamed Bitch 97

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  her for their current lack of HANABI. She noticed that a lot of the students were suffering from withdrawal symptoms, dark shadows were under their eyes, their hands were shaking, and strained expressions were on their faces. Everyone was giving Kusanagi the ‘silent treatment’ as if she didn’t exist. She didn’t know what was worse - to be picked on and have to beat people up or...this. The silent, accusing, hateful stares that seemed to bore into her. Kusanagi bit her bottom lip and her eyes stung, but no she wouldn’t break down in front of them. She couldn’t let them see how much their behavior was really affecting her. She didn’t care about them. Kusanagi’s back straightened, and she raised her nose into the air looking over at the various cafeteria tables, a haughty expression on her face, which then turned to slight disgust. Hmph! The idiots weren’t fit to grace her presence at the table anyways! And so Kusanagi gave them a superior smirk and nod before taking her tray and leaving the cafeteria. She ran into Ranmaru in his “borrowed” school uniform and Katsumi who were both just entering the cafeteria as she was leaving.

  But Kusanagi just shoved her way past them and didn’t even acknowledge their presence.

  “Hey Kusanagi!” Katsumi greeted enthusiastically, “Hey wait! Where are you going?” Katsumi called after her, her expression falling.

  “Oujo-sama. ” Ranmaru said in a low voice as he watched her leave, an emotionless expression on his face. But Kusanagi didn’t look back and kept on walking down the hall until she finally exited the school building and found a place to be alone. She then set her food tray down on the ground and knelt down on the grass. Once she was sure there was no one around to see her she allowed herself to break down and cry into her hands. Her mask shattering.

  It hurt. Their rejection and their hate...it hurt... No matter how much Kusanagi pretended it didn’t matter. That she didn’t care. No matter how much she tried to deny it. 98

  That was a lie. Sometimes it was so hard to pretend that they didn’t matter, that she didn’t care, that their opinion of her didn’t affect her. But they were her classmates and whether they cared about her or not, she cared about them. And she would continue to try and protect them from the Grim Reaper even if they hated her for it.

 
Sure, they absolutely hated her and thought she was a bitch.

  But-The Grim Reaper’s shadow was no longer plaguing any of them and so she found that even though she was sad because of their opinion of her she couldn’t help but feel happy that she had actually succeeded in saving all of them this time. I did it. I beat the Grim Reaper. Kusanagi laughed while tears streamed down her face at the same time. Who cares if they hated her for what she did? At least she wouldn’t have to watch the Grim Reaper harvesting their souls with his giant scythe in her dreams. At least they would live. That’s all that really mattered.

  ***

  Tears.

  Ranmaru’s keen nose had caught the scent of tears as Kusanagi had hurried past him and Katsumi. But what had made Kusanagi cry? Ranmaru turned his attention towards the cafeteria

  - Oh. The intense, hate-filled glares that had followed Kusanagi’s exit must have been a part of it.

  At first, Ranmaru thought he should just beat them all up for making Kusanagi, his Mistress, cry. But then he got a better, a more devious idea. If he was anyone else but Ranmaru a sinister smile would have formed on his face - instead his face remained outwardly blank.

  Ranmaru strode into the cafeteria nonchalant, but no matter how casual he acted all eyes were immediately drawn to him.

  Katsumi, who had assumed he would have turned around to run after Kusanagi, was surprised but found herself following him anyways, “Ranmaru- senpai? Hey, wait up!” Katsumi skipped after Ranmaru as he took a seat at one of the cafeteria tables calmly - not saying anything. Katsumi took a seat directly Bitch 99

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  across from him wondering what he was up to. And then - in a matter of seconds a gaggle of schoolgirls had surrounded the mysterious Ranmaru to corner him and try to talk to him.

  “Eeee~ It’s Ranmaru! Come on girls!” “Hi Ranmaru, how are you today?” “Um, hi, my name is Kyoko, my blood type is AB and-” Ranmaru had to tune them out.