if it means a lot to you [rika]

AND WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN,
TELL ME WHO YOU THINK IS THE MAN

- "Sorry Tamotsu.. I have to do this. I've never really been a smart person."

She really was stupid. He wanted to yell that but he couldn't find the words. Not at the sight of her tears. What the hell was she doing? Did she really mean to kill herself or something? Fighting these goons would definitely be considered a suicide mission for her. They were trained to handle urakata like him for a reason. Maybe she was just trying to prove she cared about him? Even then, how the fuck would that matter to him if she was dead and gone? He'd rather have her here and alive than dying for his sake. "Fucking idiot..." he muttered under his breath, angry that she could be so stupid. He could handle whatever they tossed his way. Sadly, he was all too used to the abuse. He was strong enough. She on the other hand, was not as far as he was concerned. But there really seemed like there was no way to convince her to just leave while she still could. That didn't stop him from trying though. He snarled at the thought, gripping the cage bars and shaking them furiously, hopelessly trying to pull them out of the way to save her, trying to ignore the prickling sensation from the collar.

It seemed his attempts at to turn their attention onto him backfired. It didn't help any that she followed suit and encouraged them to keep their focus on her. He growled loudly as the guard lifted her off the ground, unsure who he was more pissed off at at this point. Her being so fucking stupid or the guard going way too far. "I swear to god when I get out here I'm going to fucking tear you apart." he snarled, eyes glowing red once again, no longer concerned about sparing his own skin, obviously. If insults didn't work, maybe threats would. Of course, they were less threats and more promises. Words couldn't even describe how much he wanted to fucking kill these humans.

- "Take it out on me.. He's just a stupid urakata who is cranky. Aren't I a much easier target?"

He'd been interrupted by those words, his own threats getting caught in his throat. He knew she was only saying shit to piss them off, but to be honest part of him took that personally. Maybe it was lack of memory, but he couldn't ever recall her referring to him as an urakata. Frankly, the memories he did gather, she never seemed to treat him any differently. They were really close. So he supposed he had reason to be somewhat bothered by the comment. But being too pissed off by the current situation, he didn't think on it too much, regathering his composure, only to lose it once again when the guard had the audacity to slap her. Daggers. If the guard could have seen his expression, he might have shit himself. That was it. Slamming into the cage with enough force to make a bit of a dent, it was an understatement to say he was furious. He'd break out of this cage even if he broke every bone in body.

- "I know what I'm doing so now that you've had your fill, will you accept my payment to buy this urakata?"

Was she actually being smart about this? While a clever way for both of them to get out of here, the idea of being owned didn't appeal to him, even if it was her. Of course, if he had to choose, she would be the lesser of evils. He'd been silenced then though was still glaring at the man, hands gripping the bars so tight that his knuckles were turning white and his nails were cutting into his palms. But he was forced to ignore his anger when she was thrown forcefully into his cage. He knew it had to hurt, the force was even enough to knock him off balance a bit. "RIKA!" he yelled out, unable to control himself. He was worried, more so when she couldn't get up and the sounds of sobs hit his ears. He wanted blood. He slammed into the bars again, the iron giving way little by little. It hurt like hell, but he didn't seem willing to stop. Even one of the other guards took notice, becoming somewhat worried that he might actually break free.

- "If you can't handle this how do you ever hope to control something so aggressive?"

That made him stop, surprisingly. His bloody shoulder rested against the dented bars, the dragon panting slightly as the weakness settled in. He glared at Rika, mad at her for getting herself into this mess, then turned his attention back to the guard, finding him laughing at her. His eyes narrowed, fangs clenched tight as he tried to compose himself. "Don't you even dare compare me to your pathetic bitch ass." he snarled in distaste. "I'd never beat on a defenseless girl. I'd never hurt her." he growled, seeming quite upset that was even implied. "And I promise you, the moment I get out of here, I'm going to tear off your fucking arm. You'll regret fucking touching my-" he paused for a moment, seeming conflicted with his next word. "I'll kill you for hurting my master." he finished bitterly, not enjoying using the term in the slightest. But he'd play along if it were enough to get her out of here. Because obviously his usual tactics weren't working. "Maybe not now, maybe not today. But the moment you let your guard down, it will be your last." he said with an eerily calm voice. He truly meant it and anyone could tell he was deadly serious by that tone in his voice. He was a dragon looking for this fucker's blood and one way or another, he was determined to get it.

{{ ooo he mad. i'm so sorry lol }}

AND WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN,
TELL ME WHO YOU THINK IS THE MAN

He knew she meant well, even if she could have gone about this a different way. He really appreciated the fact she still cared for him, even after all these years. Enough so to put herself on the line. But he didn't want that. He didn't want to be the cause of her suffering. Little did he know he'd been one this entire time. He calmed slightly at her touch, however, looking down to her, that fury turning to concern quickly. But seeing what she was up to, he got the idea, choking back his worry for now as he continued to argue.

"YOU HERE ME YOU FUCKERS?! ONCE I'M OUT OF HERE I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" he roared, causing even a few of the other slaves to flinch. "THIS CAGE ISN'T GOING TO HOLD ME BACK FOREVER!" he warned, and on cue, the lock clattered onto the ground, catching the guard's attention as well as the raging dragon's. He smirked darkly. They were fucked now. Unfortunately, they weren't as stupid as he thought. And before he knew it, she was being pulled away, the guard using her as a shield. He really was that low.

Tamotsu growled at the sight as he made his way out of the cage. His body was sore from staying in a cramped position for far too long on top of all the struggling he had done moments ago. Once he was out though, he stretched out his wings to their full length, glaring at the man as he backed away, trying to keep his distance while still trying to look tough with his hostage. He really wanted nothing more than to kill him right now while he had the chance. But Rika was in the way, and no doubt would the guy try something if he made a wrong move. "Let her go. Now." he demanded, not at all concerned that it wasn't his position to make any sort of demands. To hell with being an obedient slave, though. He never was before, no fucking way he'd start now.

He'd cautiously make his way forward, sending a warning growl to anyone who tried to get close enough to subdue him. "Let her go before I really get angry." he continued. He could get worse? Yeah. And it wasn't a pretty sight. There was no way the human was getting out of this one. All he had to do was get Rika out of the way and he'd take care of him. Though even he wasn't sure how to get him to back down without threats. The guard was cowardly enough to use her against him.

AND WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN,
TELL ME WHO YOU THINK IS THE MAN

Helpless. That was pretty much the way he was feeling now. It was such an odd thing to experience, especially after being so unaffected by much of anything all this time. It seemed like they had no real way to break the disobedient urakata. But now Rika had come back into his life, he'd rediscovered his weakness. He was literally in their control as long as they threatened her. It was a scary feeling, and he wanted nothing more than to get her away from these horrible humans, no matter how angry he was with her earlier. The thought of her getting hurt any worse nearly killed him over then and there. It was all because of him. She was in pain because of him. Maybe it would have been better if they hadn't met at all. Despite how much he thought that, though. Now that she was back, he just couldn't bear the thought of being separated from her again. He'd do his best to protect her. Or die trying. As far as he was concerned, that was the only way he'd ever allow himself to lose her again, and that was simply because death was out of his control.

- "Leave him alone!"

It amazed Tamotsu, really. How much she was willing to go through for his sake. And it only served to piss him off more. He wasn't worth that much and the sooner she realized it, the better. "Shut up, Rika!" was what he wanted to yell, however his words were simply caught in his throat, instead released as another very angry growl. And he really wished he would have actually said it. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have been so stupid as to attack the guard again. Surely she should have known pissing him off wasn't going to help!

Before he could stop it, swoop in and save her with that small opening, the guard caught her in his grip once more. He snarled again, his teeth almost seeming to have grown, larger and much sharper, threatening to rip apart anything that got caught in his deadly grasp. "GOD DAMMIT!" he roared, deciding to fuck it all and go in. But before he could even make a move, someone else had stepped in to the rescue, the dragon going tense as he watched the human attack the guard. His attention quickly shifted, however when he noticed Rika was free to escape, the dragon quickly stepping in and shielding her with himself should anyone dare try to approach her again, blood red eyes darkened, glaring at the others as he carefully picked her up, arms wrapped around her protectively.

His eyes were particularly on the 'savior', however, something in his gut warning him to keep his distance. Instinct warned him that he was much more of a threat than the guards were. Savior or not, he was just as much a danger in the urakata's eyes. But even still, if he tried to get close, he'd meet the dragon's wrath as well. He had her now. His angel. And he wasn't about to let anyone try to tear her apart now. If they wanted her, they'd have to get through him first. "Are you alright?" he asked in a hushed tone, eyes flashing down to her and softening somewhat as he worriedly awaited her response. She certainly didn't look good. And again, he felt at fault for that. But once he'd gotten his answer, he'd turn to face the strange man again, backing away slowly as he carefully looked for an escape should things go wrong.