While the Kiheitai is busy with the plans to sabotage the Gorilla Star Embassy, their leader is relatively free comparatively. He is playing his shamisen as usual on one of the couches within the ship. He is used to leaving most of the details to his men; leader only makes the decisions and it is those under him who does the work. Pretty enough for Takasugi at the moment. Bansai and Henpeita will suffice for negotiations most of the time; if the situation warrants his presence, then Takasugi might appear. Well, or if he is interested in taking a part within the operations, why not?

If not, the man is quite contented with lazing around drinking, smoking kiseru and playing shamisen. While planning for destruction.

Harusame's top dogs had been trying to get hold of him. He knew it but he refuses to lower his value by appearing on request. If they want him to pay Harusame a visit, at least send someone over with a formal invite. Or else, talk to Bansai. He could not be bothered with taking orders from any Amanto like those Bakufu dogs. However, rumor has it that one of their young captains* had defeated the fearsome founder of the Seventh Division of Harusame. They are inviting Takasugi over as a guest for the 'celebration' of crowning the said captain as the new Overlord of Yoshiwara.

Well, just this morning (or is it evening? It is really difficult to make out the time when you are traveling in a spaceship) Harusame did send someone over with a formal invite. Their meeting is scheduled to be in three days' time with the Admiral of Harusame. It might be fun to see how stupid those Amanto are.

'And what of Kaguya-hime now?' he wondered, recalling he has an outsider, albeit a beautiful one, aboard. She is a strange creature. Behaving prim and proper yet he could sense ambition beneath her velvet glove. Interesting little creature. He wonders what sort of thoughts and what kind of monster lurks beneath the beautiful exterior and what kind of stories lies beneath the seemingly perfect skin. That skin.

For one, Takasugi knew from that exchange with her that day that she is no pretty princess.

"Knowing that you will leave one day, yet there is nothing keeping me from chasing after your trails. Kaguya-hime." he chuckled, striking another note on his shamisen. "What happened to me?" he laughed again, with another higher note from the instrument in his hands.

'You are more than falling for a pretty face, Takasugi Shinsuke.' he smirked playing random notes on the shamisen. It might be fun to pay Mika a visit.

He found the lady in the cafeteria area alone. She seems to be pretty bored as indicated by her playing with the cup of coffee in front of her. The entire area is empty and she looked like she is waiting for her knight to arrive in avail. Takasugi wasted no time and took the seat opposite hers with the shamisen. His presence shocked the lady as she dropped the stirrer into the cup of coffee while staring at him with her wide green eyes.

This must be some kind of joke; her thoughts at the very moment he appeared had been on him.

"Hi." the man greeted with that usual insane grin, playing a note off his instrument.

"Hello, Takasugi-san." Creepy. This man is creepy.

"Enlighten me on what's going on in your mind, Kaguya-hime?" he asked with his eyes looking somewhere far away. Mika did not know how to react; his presence had disrupted her train of thoughts. She did not know what to say. Not after that stupid little exchange which almost got her into trouble.

Her usually clear mind is thrown into frenzy when he appeared in front of her. She almost thought that she had lost her voice when he talked to her. This is freaking her out. There must be some reason behind this. It is not possible for her to be shocked by the presence of a mere person; not even Naruto in his Sage Mode could have incurred such reaction from her. There is some kind of anxiety mixed with fear and some sort of embarrassment within her whenever he calls her 'Kaguya-hime'.

In fact, she loses her ability to think properly when he is near.

"Takasugi-san, I'm afraid that my name is not Kaguya-hime." she wonders what happened to her. Where did all the guts to slap him the other day went to?

"You are a piece of work you know?" he chuckled, still strumming his shamisen, still not looking at her. She wonders if he needs a doctor.

"I'm afraid that you are a piece of work too, Takasugi-san." Is that all she can say?! Seriously!

For once, he looks at her in the eye.

Then the man breaks into peals of laughter when he saw Mika's expression. She looks as if she is going to faint any moment.

She could feel butterflies in her stomach when Takasugi laughed. She had no idea why he is capable of making her feel this way. This is frustrating to her. This man seems to enjoy making her nervous and push her limits whenever they are alone in a room. This is not the first time. He actually cornered her at one of the ship's corridors and she lost control of herself and almost slaps him in the face. His very presence is making her more uncomfortable as minutes went by. Not good.

"We are not heading back to Earth so soon. We have a meeting with Harusame."

"Takasgui-san, I believe that you should not be giving such information to a person who is not part of Kiheitai. You should be aware of the possible consequences if I happen to be a spy of some sorts." She tells the man, regaining some of her brain functions slowly.

As the leader of Kiheitai, she thinks that he looks really free compared to the rest. Not to mention, slightly off in the head too.

He chuckles once more while strumming his shamisen. This man. Is seriously a piece of work. When Mika was about to drink the poor cup of coffee, Takasugi grabs the cup she is holding to and looks at her up close. Their noses are almost touching. His action did not incur her trained response as a ninja (she used to throw kunais at men who get this close). The lack of distance is making her entire body freeze and she saw something else beneath the monster within his eye.

She sees something broken beneath that monster residing within his eye for a split second.

Insane? At that moment, she does not think so. This man is not as insane as he thought him to be.

"Anybody who boards this ship is mine. Including you, Kaguya-hime." He murmured before leaving.

'That's so hot. Wait, what happened to me?'

Fine. That settles it; Takasugi Shinsuke is insane.

*You know who I'm talking about *smirks*