(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Chapter 197: Sakura is a great Captain

Sakura hated being out of the loop. The worst part? It usually wasn’t anyone else’s fault but her own if she ever was.

Sakura didn’t think she was a difficult person to get along with. She was nice, bubbly even, confident and pretty too. She worked very, very hard to be the most pretty and perfect woman out there.

Her hair dye wasn’t cheap, especially since it had to be good enough for not just any Esper, but an S Class Esper. Her beauty was expensive.

Why did that matter? Well, because of her regimens that she had to keep to stay beautiful, it took her longer to get places, then there was the fact that the Peach Guild, the silly Guild she had taken over after the previous Captain had asked her to, was a lot more fucking work then she thought.

The Peach Guild, despite its pretty name, was anything but. It was more like a poisoned fruit. Glossy and ripe-looking on the outside, but rotten to the core. Sakura had thought she would have an easy time running the Guild, but thought that she was finally getting a grasp for the hell she had been handed when Kellen had suddenly asked her to take in one man and the whole future of her Guild had changed.

Prior to the Peach Guild becoming an underground supplier of all things poison and detoxifying agents, they had been just an information Guild. A simple one, without much status behind their name.

Sakura had been working hard to change their image when she took over, and then when Carlos arrived, that aspect of the Guild had shifted. They hadn’t lost the whole branch when Carlos arrived, but they instead used most of that side of the Guild to put their information into the right hands.

Sakura’s people had slowly twisted, all of her pretty, lovely ladies getting a little twisted in the process. What was supposed to be a haven for women did become a haven for women, but it also became a place where women could explore their more...devious sides.

Sakura would have liked it more if it had become a sex dungeon, but that wasn’t what she got. Instead, she had to worry about whether she was nurturing psychopaths and sociopaths who hid behind pretty faces.

That was probably why Rhys and the others trusted her to keep the E.A.G. members. Sakura didn’t mind. Her girls weren’t about to let anyone who fucked with their city get away safely, and it was made even more egregious when it was found out that the main antagonist was a fellow woman.

Sakura did find that part funny. It was fine if they were mean and cruel, but other women weren’t allowed? Her people were hypocrites alright.

What Sakura did not find funny was the fact that after Captain Thatcher and his Lieutenant Miro had brought over the top brass of the E.A.G., she hadn’t been of much use to them. Carlos, who was on a long stint at the Saturn Guild had even returned and declared it was poison, sucked it out of her like she was a milkshake, and then had left.

It had been a while since he had done that, and Sakura was a bit disappointed that their enemy number one hadn’t woken up yet.

"Any news?" Sakura asked, shuffling through some papers on her desk in the dim light of her office. She had two strategically placed lamps in the room so that it was just bright enough to work late at night, but not too bright that it made her feel a little loopy.

The office’s warm cream tones blended into a cool lighting after the sun had set. This room was one of Sakura’s favourite places, perfect to watch the sunset over the city. It lit up with every sunset, making it a kaleidoscope of colour.

Unfortunately, she was well past those hours, her head throbbing as she continued to review documents. While she was glad that Kellen was going away, she was disgruntled about all the work she was going to have to take on in the absence of the other two Captains. If only other cities could keep their hands to themselves and not steal the competent workers from their city, Sakura might actually be able to catch up on her rest.

The soft, gentle sigh from the woman nearby had Sakura glancing at her briefly, hoping beyond hope that she didn’t hear how quickly her heart beat hearing that sound.

"Nothing yet, Sye. The guards are keeping a rather careful watch of her. We aren’t sure what her powers are since she isn’t awake and we can’t test her yet, but with the information that Captain Thatcher gave us...well, we’re being careful." Her competent and lovely Lieutenant, Veronica Spencer, told her.

Sakura nodded, glancing at the pretty woman who was sitting at her own desk doing her own paperwork.

Was it normal for one Lieutenant to join her in her office to do her work? Absolutely not. Was it a breach of some kind of code of ethics? Probably. Sakura didn’t care though. Veronica had said yes to it when Sakura had asked, and Sakura hadn’t looked back for a moment.

Veronica had come with the Guild.

That was something strange to say, but honestly, she had been a very big selling point to Sakura taking over for the previous Captain. Not often were Guilds surrendered to another Captain. Usually they were dissolved, but the previous Captain hadn’t wanted that to happen. She had begged, pleaded, and offered Sakura anything she could want.

Then, Veronica had walked into the room in the middle of negotiations and Sakura’s jaw had dropped.

Sakura had never seen such a pretty woman in all of her life. Most Espers and Guides were built for efficiency. They were strong, powerful people, but Espers were normally on the thinner, more muscular side. Guides were allowed to be soft, sweet and welcoming. Espers...tended not to be.

Veronica was different.

She was all curves, her hips wide, her bust ample, and her skin had this glow to it that made Sakura’s mouth water just to see a hint of a shoulder. She also didn’t show it off. She wore a full uniform, completely proper. She even chose to wear the uniform that had pants instead of a skirt because that was what she preferred, but that hid nothing. She had big, soulful brown eyes that in the sunlight looked like they were on fire. She also had long, strawberry blond hair that she sometimes wore up, sometimes wore down.

The previous Captain had seen Sakura’s reaction and had offered Veronica up on a silver platter. Sakura had felt terribly guilty about it all, but Veronica hadn’t minded. She’d been a Lieutenant previously and was delighted that she wouldn’t have to prove herself in the Guild once Sakura took over.

Sakura realised shortly what that meant. Despite her soft looks, and her gentle smile, Veronica was a very powerful A Class Esper. Not only that, she was an Elemental Esper like Sakura, and together they were a very dangerous force.

She was a Fire Esper, and Sakura was a Wind Esper. Sakura often wondered what kind of powers their children would have if they ever had them.

Not that they were dating. Oh no. Sakura was too scared to cross that boundary. Not that it hadn’t gotten close over the years. Sakura had asked Veronica out on plenty of dates, and she’d agreed. Sakura had been so excited when she had gone out on a few of them with her, only to be put in her place later by the chattering of Veronica with a few of the other Lieutenants.

They hadn’t known at the time that Sakura’s hearing was even more heightened because subconsciously Sakura’s powers reached out to carry important news to her.

She heard from Veronica’s own lips that she was doing this to curry favor with her because she didn’t want to lose her spot. Veronica wasn’t power-hungry, but she didn’t want anyone else to take the top position in the Guild from her. She was comfortable where she was, so going on a few dates with ’the Captain’ wasn’t an issue.

It had gutted Sakura at the time. She’d been young, foolish, and coming out of a complicated relationship with Kellen. Not a romantic one, but one that had still left her confused. It had really messed with Sakura’s mind at the time, but as the months passed, Sakura began to understand what Veronica meant.

She was good at her job. She was like the heart of the Guild. She was kind and warm to anyone and everyone that came to her, not just Sakura. Sakura had just been greedy when she had wanted to keep Veronica all to herself. Now Sakura was more mature, and tragically more in love with Veronica than ever before.

She wouldn’t act on it though. Sakura wouldn’t force anyone to go on dates with her if they didn’t want to. She was the Captain, after all. Very few people would feel comfortable turning her down. She knew how the others saw her in the Guild. She was practically perfect in their eyes, like she was some kind of god.

It was uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem like anything Sakura did changed their opinion of her. So, Sakura stopped asking anyone out for dates, gave up on love matches, and just focused on making sure she didn’t make her Guides uncomfortable, her body was always in good condition, and no one had any complaints about her.

It had been years of this at this point. There were just some...small things that Sakura allowed herself. Like Veronica working with her in her office. It wasn’t like she was harassing the other woman, she just really liked the company. Plus, Sakura had heard a rumour recently that Veronica was going out with others recently.

Maybe she was thinking it was time to settle down, start a family. Sakura would be the last person to get in the way of the person she loved finding happiness. She knew it wasn’t very ’S Class’ of her, but she wasn’t like the others. She was Sakura Willows, a self-made woman, the Captain of the Peach Guild, and one of the few people in possession of an E.A.G. member.

"I have no doubt that you are. I was just checking that everything was going smoothly." Sakura sighed. "I can’t believe I’m saying it, but it’ll be good when Carlos comes back." Sakura said. Veronica raised her gaze, her reading glasses sitting low on the bridge of her nose. She smiled.

"I never thought I’d ever see the day." She teased, and Sakura grinned. She sighed dramatically, putting on a show.

"I know. We never truly see eye to eye, but sometimes he’s useful. Especially when it comes to...situations like this." Sakura was grateful that Captain Thatcher had come to visit the other day too. His powers were helpful, and they were able to get a few more clues thanks to his help, but not enough. Things would be better once the bitch finally woke up.

"Uh, Sye? I know this is a little inappropriate but...can I speak to you about something personal?" Veronica asked and Sakura felt like her heart stopped. Veronica wanted to speak to her about something personal? What the fuck was it?

Be cool, be so fucking cool Sakura. You’ve got this.

Sakura plastered on the best smile she could muster.

"Of course, V. What is it? You know I’m always happy to lend an ear." Sakura said.