It has been a long week and the team was almost to Kanna Village.
You, Kanbei, Roji, Hei, Shichiroji, Rikichi and the rest were resting at the edge of the desert.
Avoiding- or at least trying to avoid Nobuseri; keeping Katsushiro out of trouble and taking down the odd thug attack (poor thieves didn t know what hit them) was more than enough for one week.
You stretched out as you walked to the spot where Komachi and Kiku were. Both were sound asleep at least, it sounded like that. Kiku was snoring a bit. You took off your scabbards and held them in your right hand as you walked over to the table. Walking over to Komachi you sat down and put your swords down on your side. It was obvious Kanbei and Shichiroji were discussing your loyalty to the cause. It was understandable; you ve only been in their group for a week.
It happened quite awkwardly, how you had come to join them.. Katsushiro had accidently walked into you as they left the city. Just as you had your hand on the handle of your sword you felt a metal scabbard pushing on your hand. The boy didn t mean any harm a tall man with grey hair had said. Unrelenting, you took hold of his scabbard with your right hand and thrust it towards him, sending him off balance. He staggered back a bit, surprised a young petite girl could wield such power. You bent your knees, drew your sword and charged him. Usually you weren t aggressive at all, but right before Katsu had walked into you, you had a vicious fight with the Nobuseri. You were still on full alert. As you lounged forward a red blur flashed in front of your eyes and your blade was stopped by another before it hit Kanbei. Both of your blades let of a spark as your golden eyes met that of your old friend, Kyuzo. Nobody may kill him. He s my opponent Kyuzo said in his low voice. A smirk crossed his face as you both lowered your swords.
The fighting style and record you ve accumulated the past year was unprecedented.
No-one had heard of you until the start of winter. It was autumn right now, but already it was well known well throughout the area that you were an expert sword wielder and student of war. It was like you had risen from the underworld to claim your rightful place on earth. The Tachi s you used were a legend in themselves. It was during the Mongol Invasions that it was shown there were some weaknesses in the tachi sword which led to the development of the Katana.[ Katanas were shorter and less curved and therefore less awkward to use on foot, wereas the tachi were ideal for cavalry. It is very rare to see anyone with such a blade. Tachi is the hardest sword to weild due to it s length and the angle. You didn t care though; it was much easier for you to handle than katanas in anyway. You had trained with Kyuzo since you were born; he was about two years older than you. He taught you all his techniques and taught you how to weild your Tachi s effectively. Due to the longer blade and the curvature of the sword the angle of attack needed to be altered from the style you d use for a katana. With a Tachi you would use the Pa Kua style of martial arts. Moving constantly in circles and using close quarters to your advantage. You usually used the lower edge of the blade to attack with instead of the Kissaki as with a katana. Although the point of your blade just as formed as the Katana s Kissaki, with a stabbing motion your Tachi was quite useless. That worked for you though, you knew your strength enough to know not to use a weak attack. Since you re a woman you know that you aren t exactly as strong as a man, but you still had flexibility, agility and your skill. This made you a more effective and deadly advisory. A man may have brute strength, but honestly, when you re dancing around him and slashing him to pieces, how does brute strength count as an advantage? Your Tachi s were worn with the cutting edge faced down, instead of upward as in a katana, this made drawing your sword even easier, it was always ready for a quick attack. Your one sword had a red handle and the other had a black handle. You always used your red sword in your right hand. It was just part of your technique. In battle the colour draws your opponents attention and gets so distracted that, when your second blade hits, they are taken out.
To the end of your handles you had tied several white and silver satin ribbons. The ribbons were a gift to you from Heihachi after you had helped him. When the explosion had gone off in the first battle of Kanna, you had helped him. After removing the shrapnel you checked the wound over. Luckily it was only a cut, but it was deep. You opened the pouch on your arm and took out several dried yellow petals. C-Cheiko san.. what are those for? he asked, breathing heavily. It ll help you answered with a soft smile. You put the petals over the wound and quickly bandaged it. Sure enough, a week later the injury had completely healed. Being a traveller for so long has made you into a skilled herbalist as well, you always had to take care of yourself in anyway.
Cheiko-san Kanbei called.
Standing up, you picked up your swords and headed over to where they sat. Kirara had taken them tea. You sat down next to Shichiroji and waited. Kanbei . What is our plan of attack? Shichiroji asked. Silence filled the area. Guess this the final battle then Kanbei s done you thought with a sigh. I have no plan, Shichiroji. This time we are heading towards our deaths he answered. The look in his eyes gave him away. He s been waiting for this for some time now. Kirara -who had just offered Hei some tea- almost dropped her tray. Hei and Roji sat with shocked expressions on their faces. You laughed quietly, And to our deaths we run brazenly you added and laid down. Shichiroji have a small encouraging smile as Kirara bowed slightly and left. Rikichi we need you to take the women back to the village safely Kanbei ordered and readied to sleep. You loosened your belt and took in a deep breath to centre yourself. It seemed like you weren t the only one who was always on guard. Kyuzo was settled near a rock, holding his swords as a shield in front of him, ready for a attack. You smiled at that. He was always there. Always ready. Looking around camp once more it was obvious only the Samurai were going to be sleeping soundly tonight.
The next day you woke up with the sound of Komachi crying. Oh yes. PERFECT way to start a day you think to yourself sarcastically.
You stood up and yawned. The little girl was in tears over Kikuchiyo. It was affecting Kirara and Kiku.. you could tell it was also affecting Kanbei by the way he looked away. Komachi, he will be coming back! you could hear Kirara sooth over the distance. The cruiser was taking off to Kanna with Komachi, Saena, Kirara and Rikichi. All the women safely to Kanna. Tch. What are you then? Chop liver?
With a laugh you held your Tachi s to your side as you tied your sash around your waist. Your white kimono was styled so it was much shorter than a normal kimono. It came up to the middle of your thighs and the ends were lined with a metal mesh. You wore a pair of grey short pants that ended below your knees. Your black sandals and fingerless gloves were a harsh contradiction to the silvery glow of the rest of your outfit, but they were comfortable. The inside of both the pants and your kimono was lined with a layer of that same metal mesh and over that was a layer of satin. The Egyptian satin worked as a shield as well, the fibers were woven tightly together, so tight in fact that it could protect you from a slash of a knife. You tied your belt tightly around your waist and fashioned it into a bow at the back. Kanbei looked over to you and motioned for you to join them on the other cruiser. All of you climbed on board and the engines roared to life. Time to live forever, Kanbei you yelled over the wind with a smirk. He looked back to you with a sceptical look but said nothing. Roji laughed heartedly and kept steering towards the Honmaru. Shichiroji.. Keep a straight course Kanbei ordered. Roji glanced at him, Are you sure there aren t any plans, Kanbei-sama... or did you just say that to make her give up on you? he asked. You walked a bit closer and frowned. You ve always known. It was obvious to you how she madly she was in love with the older Samurai who now looked at you with a pained expression in his eyes. Yes.. It was on purpose Kanbei concluded softly. His gruff voice suddenly seemed not so decisive as it usually was. "You're heartless, Kanbei. She would ve given up everything just to be with you" Roji said angrily, but kept his eyes on the course, steering the cruiser effectively through the mountainous area. Kanbei snapped his eyes to the Honmaru, That s enough idle talk he growled.
The cruiser was heading right for the massive Honmaru. Kyuzo and Kiku had taken up the front and were blocking the shots fired at the group while Kanbei was deflecting the rest. You and Shichiroji were readying to board the ship. HEY!! you heard Kiku yell. Hands on your swords you turned to him, ready to help, only to see them both still blocking the Honmaru s attacks. Kyutaro is pretty good! he yelled happily and sent a shot ricocheting against his sword back to the Honmaru. Kyuzo was moving his swords in the circular infinity pattern to parry the shots. It was just a stalling technique, but it still did damage, the ricocheting missiles were spluttering against the Honmaru causing dents to the ship s outer layer. The response of the robots are different now.. Kyuzo said. It was true. Kanbei nodded, They are now spiritless puppets..Shichiroji, pass them . The cruiser quickly passed the now exploding- robots and kept heading for the main ship. Suddenly there was a metal crunch and the main cannon s hatch opened. Roji-san... Kanbei yelled. Roji rides the blast, while poor Kiku hangs on for dear life at the side of the cruiser. Eventually the samurai descend onto the floating capital, and Roji pulled Kiku back on the cruiser with his arm cable.
He s going to Kanna, Kanbei... he s desperate to win. At any cost you told him. Kanbei nodded. He understood what you meant. The capital was speeding to Kanna village and you knew that you had little time left to end this fight. You jumped up on the platform below the main cannon and dealt with the guards as Kanbei went to rescue the women. A metal flash caught your eye. Below you could see the Heihachi and Katsushiro had landed on the Capital. Hey, Cheiko-san!! Heihachi yelled up with a cheery smile. You sent a guard flying over the railing and waved back, Hey, Heihachi! Good Luck!! you answered. You too you heard him yelling. You couldn t see him anymore. Good. He s planting the bombs you thought. You could hear Katsu s sword clashing against the Nobuseri who were on the engine deck, but you weren t really worried. Katsu has found his Samurai Spirit. Suddenly you heard Katsu scream. Finishing off the last guard on the platform you were on, you jumped down to the engine deck. Don t worry about me, keep going you hear Heihachi say. He must be hit.
You joined Katsushiro in taking out the remaining Nobuseri. Just as you slashed your last opponent you heard the sound of metal giving. You turned around and saw Katsushiro yelling, trying to help Heihachi who was pinned to the side of the ship with a Nobuseri sword. That s too heavy, it ll never move you realised and raced towards Katsu. Katsushiro.. this is battle. Leave me already Heihachi said and pressed the detonator. Katsushiro!! you screamed, wrapped your arm around his waist and pulled him to the side, out of harm s way. The bomb exploded and the engine starts to fall. NO!! Heihachi-dono!! Katsushiro screamed, extending his arm in vain. You held him firmly, making sure he didn t suffer the same fate. Don t look, Katsu. You said firmly and pulled him out of view. He growled and looked away. This is war. Stop wailing like a girl you snapped and put a hand on his cheek, It s going to be ok . He looked up and nodded. You needed him to be alert and ready for the rest of this battle. He was now going to be. Let s go get the others you said and started to run to the upper decks. As you reached the first door it suddenly swung open before you.
You were ready to defend, but stopped.
It was Kyuzo.
Cheiko-hime... are you alright? his husky voice asked. Even with bullets flying everywhere, a gash on your arm and the loss of a friend.
he just made the world seem alright.
A calm floated over you as you nodded.
He smiled a faint smile.
Kanbei is in the upper deck he said. His dark eyes met yours. He drew his twin blades from their scabbards. You unsheathed your swords from your saya as well. As you three ran to the upper deck, guards ran down the stairs meeting you. You sidestepped the guard slashed him with your left blade and as you spun around finished the move with a second slash from your right sword. The guard split in two and blood splattered on your sandal. The sound of blood was that of war. Like a melody to the ears of those who have heard it since birth. Kyuzo stabbed the next guard and sent him flying over head. An array of bullets were fired down the stairs, ricocheting all around you. Katsushiro ducked, but you and Kyuzo didn t even bother. You knew that if you ducked or not it wouldn t matter. Instead you and Kyuzo both charged up the stairs. You dove between the two guards, slashing them on their midriffs. Kyuzo jumped over them and slashed them across their necks. Both guard fell to the ground, dead.
The red cape Kyuzo was wearing was slightly torn by the bullet shower, but he still looked good. He had landed right over you, you could tell the boots were his. You flipped over and held your swords up expectantly. Kyuzo let out a low chuckle and hooked his handles in with yours and pulled you up. I m going he said and ran off to the side. You nodded and ran to the main hall to get to the rest of the team. Just as you entered the main station the hallway s wall exploded. Kyuzo stood there with the remains of their plane. You watched as he charged straight to Tessai and stabs him. I m the one who will kill him Kyuzo warned as the lifeless Tessai fell to the ground. You ran up to Roji and helped him up, Are you alright? you demanded as you looked at his shoulder. Yes came the whispered reply. Your eyes met Kiku s body, What happened to you? you asked with a smirk. A small steam cloud rose from Kiku s neck, Shut up he yelled and coughed. You laughed a bit in relief. His mechanical body was badly shot up, but atleast he was still there. You headed towards Kanbei but just as you reached him you heard Katsushiro coming. Ah. The dreamer awakes you said sarcastically. Kyuzo walked over to Kanbei and nodded. You smile softly.
Click.
Shit! No!! you yelled.
A guard was standing at the hole in the hallway wall, pointing a rifle towards Kanbei. You quickly stepped in front of them, grabbed both Kyuzo and Kanbei s jackets and yank them down. The gunfire erupted and you felt a bullet rip through your right side. Katsushiro!!? Kanbei yelled. The guard fell to the ground in a pool of blood and Katsushiro came into few behind the guard. C-Cheiko-sama?! Katsushiro screamed and dropped the ground. You looked down to your white kimono. It was staining red with alarming speed. Oh.. great you said through clenched teeth and held your side with your one hand. Katsushiro ran to your side, but just stood there, trembling. The whole room seemed to be enveloped in silence. No explosions or yells were heard from outside. It seemed like the the battlefield was put on mute. Kiku screamed and Roji just stood there with his eyes widened. Kanbei and Kyuzo slowly got up. You felt your hands start to tremble. Sensei!! What should we do?!! Katsushiro yelled in panic. Kanbei looked at your wound and up to your eyes. It s right through her lung... he whispered softly, earning a gasp from Roji. You shook your head, No. It s fine. Let s keep going you said firmly. Kanbei nodded and headed to the side of the ship, Roji and Kikuchiyo following. Kyuzo... It s getting dark.. infront of my eyes you said softly. Kyuzo bit his lip a bit but didn t say anything. You lightly put your one arm over his shoulder. Cheiko-hime. Hold still he said and put his arm around your waist. The last thing you heard before your world went black was Kikuchiyo yelling your name.
Later......
You felt your body, but it was so numb and cold.
Only muffled sounds and voices reached your ear, everything sounded so muddled.
You could feel someone holding you, but you couldn't make out who.
You tried to open your eyes but nothing happened.
"Cheiko" you heard someone whisper.
A voice.
It was so soft, you weren't even sure you actually heard someone say it or whether it just was your imagination.
"Cheiko" you heard the voice again, but louder this time.
You tried to answer but your body didn't respond.
"Cheiko-hime!! Answer me!" you heard the voice called again. That was Kyuzo's voice. Only Kyuzo calls you 'hime'.
Suddenly a sharp pain shot through your chest. Your eyes opened and you yelled as you rolled over to avoid the pain.
Arms wrapped around you and slowly turned you back. Kyuzo was holding on to you with a worried but relieved expression on his normally placid face.
"Kyuzo" you tried to say but it only came out as a moan. You were laid down on your back outside the Honmaru. Fires were burning all around you and the smoke made it hard to breathe. The Capital was in pieces. Good. The battle is won. Kanbei, Katsushiro and Roji were standing in a group not too far from you. No doubt they were discussing plans for the rebuilding of Kanna. Kyuzo looked up and motioned for Kanbei. The old Samurai walked over to you, followed by Katsushiro, and knelt down beside you. He lifted your hand from your chest where the wound was. It had almost stopped bleeding. "The bullet was a hollow-point. You're lucky to be alive" he said and placed your hand back to where it was holding the wound. Katsu had a bright red mark on his cheek and a bruise was forming beneath it. 'That must be Kyuzo's work..' you thought and slightly blushed at the thought. It was a wonder that Kyuzo hadn t just killed him. It was true. He has changed. "How are you feeling" he asked softly. You groaned as you lifted your arm. Kyuzo reached out his hand to hold you down but stopped as he saw what you did. You had thrown Katsu a thumbs-up with a lopsided encouraging smirk. Katsushiro laughed a bit and took a deep breath. Kanbei put his hand on your forehead, "You don't have a fever.. there isn't any infection to that" he added and took hold of your hand. He received a glare from Kyuzo. You, on the other hand, just didn't find enough energy to really care that Kyuzo was about two steps away from slashing at Kanbei. Suddenly Kanbei applied pressure to the point between your first finger and thumb and a light yelp escaped your lips. The next thing you saw was Kyuzo's sword angling in front of Kanbei's neck and Kanbei looking a bit irritated at that. "I was testing her awareness, Kyuzo" Kanbei informed and put your hand back down to the ground. You growled but only came out as a moan. With that, Kanbei stood up and smiled softly, "You should rest, Cheiko-san. The battle is over" he said and walked off, pulling Katsushiro with him. Kyuzo looked back at you and put his swords down, "How are you feeling?" he asked. It actually sounded more like a statement, but you could tell it was a question. You've known him long enough to notice such slight differences. "I-I'm alright" you managed and took in a deep breath. The wind carried the scent of burning metal and more wood, then a thought hit you.
Kikuchiyo.
He had called for you before you had went out cold.
'I haven't seen him anywhere...' you thought with sudden alarm. What if he was lost? What if he was hurt? Looking around, you tried to spot him. A red dot caught your eye. It was slightly on the left side of you, next to where Kyuzo was sitting. Both Komachi and Kirara were standing over something. 'No' was the only thought that ran through your mind. You could see Kiku's boots. He must've slowed the Capital's landing by the way the skid marks where burnt into the ground. Smoke still rose from it. You sighed and coughed a bit. You tasted nickel. You knew your body was trying to heal itself by forcing blood to pump faster through your veins. It started to cloud your vision a bit and you could feel the tempreture rise. Noticing your state, Kyuzo took a sack of water and helped you drink by lifting your head slightly. You finished and layed back down. He took off his jacket, exposing his vest underneath. He gently dropped it over you and moved the hair away from your face. You slightly tilted your head and smiled at him. He returned it with a small, quiet smile of his own. He moved to stand, but you quickly latched onto his arm.
"Can you just.. for a few minutes?" you asked softly.
It had hurt to sit up like that. He grunted and helped you back down to the ground. He didn't say anything. You waited expectantly. Kyuzo took off his double scabbard with his swords and dropped it at your feet. "K-Kyuzo... your swords" you whispered in shock. He never took his swords off for anything. His eyes shone as he gave you another smile. He laid down on your right side, brushing a bit of his blonde hair away from his eyes. "Thank you, Kyuzo" you said and took in a deep breath. He rolled onto his side to look at you, "Cheiko. You are my Peace" he said. You could see his face was lightly lined with a blush. His dark eyes were shining. You sat up slightly and rolled a bit to face him, and propped up your right elbow to steady you. You smiled and leaned in a bit. He took in a shaky breath. Kyuzo was nervous. It almost made you giggle until you felt his lips on yours. You closed your eyes and leaned towards him. He was taken aback by your move but lightly touched your hair with his free arm, stroking it softly. Unfortunately your body didn't like it's current position and you fell back down to your mat. He followed you down, never letting his own lips leave yours. A smile touched your lips and he broke off.
You slightly wince at the fact that your chest was now stinging in pain and grabbed hold of the place where the bullet had ripped through. Kyuzo growled, you could tell he felt your pain. He leaned over you and reached into the front pocket of his red jacket. He sat back. He'd pulled a small silver container from his jacket and opened it. "Here" he said and held out a small tablet. You cracked open an eye to inspect his offer. It was a relatively small tablet in size. You took the tablet and popped it in our mouth a swallowed. The bitter taste almost made you retch but Kyuzo handed you more water to rid yourself of the taste. "What was that?" you asked. You wanted to keep talking to stay awake. The pain was clouding your mind, you just needed him close. "A tablet.. Sicklewort. Hops" he answered and laid back down to the ground. 'Who knew? Kyuzo-dono, herbalist supreme' you thought with a laugh. Sicklewort helps the coagulation of blood and accelerates the mitosis of a body's tissues.. Hops, a sedative.. You looked over to him. He gave a chuckle, you could tell he was thinking the same thing. You were so impressed he's actually remembered what you had told him that one time. He had cut his finger with a knife as child and you used Sicklewort on the cut -even though he repeatedly tried to swat your hands away. "I'm glad you're here with me" you said sleepily. The herbs were taking effect already. Kyuzo took hold of your hand and squeezed it. "Where else can I be?" he said in his husky voice that made you tremble slightly. The sun started to set over the field. It was late. Kanbei, Shichiroji and Katsushiro walked towards you. "Cheiko-sama... " Katsushiro called softly. You moaned slightly in your sleep as an answer. Kyuzo stood up and nodded. They all helped to carry you to the cruiser and went back to the village.
Spring arrived in Kanna Village.
Up on the hills stood three swords lined up now by height: Heihachi's, Gorobei's, and Kikuchiyo's. Komachi sniffles and prays in front of Kiku's. Kanbei walked with Roji towards the hill where Katsushiro stood. Are you leaving, Katsushiro? Kanbei asked softly. Katsushiro took in a deep breath, I ve thought often about why you chose me as the fifth samurai.. every scar I got brought me close to the answer. I ve been in a war without receiving a reward. We risked our lives. That s what a samurai should be, and now I can stand in my future battlefield because of that.. like you, Sensei he answered. Kanbei handed Katsushiro his sword. Thank you, Sensei.. goodbye he said and bowed. "What about me, you idiot?" you yelled and slapped him behind the head. Katsu s eyes watered a bit as he smiled and bowed, "Goodbye" . You slightly bowed, it was still a rather painful wound, but it was healing quickly. You had been tying a bandage with Comfrey over the injury and it was working. He turned around and walked off. Kyuzo was standing right behind you now , holding your waist, "You're leaving" he stated. You could tell by the sound of his voice that he was talking about Kambei. You knew Kyuzo so well that, even though his voice was low and he barely spoke, by his slight tone you could tell who he was talking to and about. "Yes" came Kanbei s reply.
You sighed and shook your head, "Could you two settle your fight first then?" you asked. They both looked at your with surprised expressions. What? you asked sheepishly, I ll just go cook some rice... call me when one of you win . You smirked as you turned around and walked back to your house. You already knew what they re going to do. Kyuzo looked at Kambei and brushed through his blonde hair." Later" they both stated at the same time.
Kyuzo was just a tad.. Maybe a bit more.. okay, very adamant to stay in Kanna with you, forever.