They sat in the hall, strangely quiet. The seat at the platform where the saniwa usually sat in was still empty. She had yet to return. Souza glance around the room. They have all donned on their battle outfits. Kousetsu and Sayo were sitting by his sides, their faces solemn.
A little further sat Ichigo Hitofuri and a few of his brothers, the face of Honebami beside Namazuo was hard to read. Gokotai and Akita both look terrified as they clung onto Ichigo who was looking rather confused himself. Far off, is that Yagen sitting between them?
The Kunihiro brothers were there too, with Yamanbagiri hiding his face beneath his cloak as usual. Yamabushi was for once, silent and Horikawa kept stealing glances at the group sitting beside him, Izuminokami Kanesada, Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Yamato no kami Yasusada who were all looking equally uncomfortable.
Behind them, Nagasone Koutetsu was shifting uneasily with his two brothers beside him, Hachisuka looking rather unamused and Urashima solemnly staring at the tatami floor below him.
Souza doesn't blame them. He gulps to calm himself down as he recalled what his brother had told them yesterday.
Every year they will select a dozen or more swords to be put in the arena. The swords will then proceed to battle it out...to the death. Only one will survive the game.
Souza was sick to the stomach when he heard about this. They were kept out of the games since they arrived as they had nothing to do with it, with only a few of the higher class swords aware of it. The games were usually executed by the saniwa's executioner, the grey-haired man that Souza had met yesterday. It has all started a few years ago when there were too many swords in the citadel.
It was all the master's sick idea for entertainment as well as to clear up the citadel for more space. To weed out the weak. Even Oda Nobunaga was better than this.
"Souza," he heard the soft whisper of his brother's voice, alerting him. The saniwa has entered the hall and was making her way toward the seat on the platform. Her face was covered, as usual, and behind her, led by the executioner and Heshikiri Hasebe was a few other high-class swords. They all looked solemn, some with obvious dislike on their face and some with hard to read expressions. Some even looked uninterested. As soon as the master was seated, the rest of the sword spread out around the side of the hall, with Hasebe and the executioner staying by the saniwa's side.
Gokotai had broken into soft sobs by now and Souza turn to notice that Ichigo had his hand on the small sword's back, trying to calm him down. Akita was no different, putting on a brave front even though his face was already as pale as a sheet.
Souza turns to look at his own brother. Sayo was unmoved, looking only blankly ahead, his brow already knotted into a frown.
"You all know why you are gathered here," The saniwa's smile could be seen under her veil, "all of you will be fighting to the death in the arena and the last one alive will win the game and have the chance to stay in the citadel."
"However, there are a few rules to be observed." She turns to the executioner who nodded and step forward, the amusement on his face obvious as he glances across the room first.
"There cannot be any suicide. If you try to take your life, another life will also be taken." He begins "The game will not end until there is only 1 sword left alive. Any method of murder is allowed, this includes stabbing, slashing, poison, assassination and many more. The game will be limited only within the old citadel, where no one other than the participants may enter. You may not leave the citadel until the game has ended. There cannot be any outside help." He paused, looking to the other swords standing around the hall. Some of them shifted uncomfortably. "That is all. Happy killing." He smiled.
The old Citadel was a run down area much smaller than the current citadel. They had been escorted here and the doors were locked shut as soon as the last one of them entered the gates. The executioner's words have been echoing in their heads when they journeyed here. "Happy Killing."
There was nothing happy about this.
"Do we have to fight each other?" It was Gokotai, looking up at the bigger swords. He was clinging timidly to Ichigo, his knuckles white as a sheet.
"We don't have to play this game," Kashuu muttered, looking rather angered. He pulls his sword closer towards him. "They can keep us here and no one would die,"
"It's not as simple as that," Nagasone muttered, walking over to them. He looks over to the old building. Urashima had already made his way into the place. It was rundown and un-kept, but still alright to live in. "There's not much food here," he announced to the others.
Yamanbagiri made his way there too, checking the refrigerator that was surprisingly still functioning. "There's food, but not enough to last for more than a week, judging from how many of us are here." He turns to look at the others.
"The master must've placed this here for the game," Horikawa reasoned.
"We either kill each other and be let out or starve to death a week later," Kanesada muttered, hands against his chin.
"Or we can grow more food?" Yamabushi reasoned, his voice regaining the usual chirp but Kosetsu simply shook his head. "The reason why we moved to the new citadel is that this land grows no crops." He reminded them.
"Besides, the crops will not grow in time for us to harvest before we starve to death," Hachisuka added. "The master has seemed to have considered this very thoroughly."
They fell into silent momentarily. How can the master do something like this to them? Even now, it was hard to believe. Souza looks at his brothers. They were here only because they tried to protect him. Even Ichigo's brothers. The poor sword had been looking blankly and forlorn the whole time, clutching onto his little brothers as if for dear life. Souza understood his reaction. It must've felt like the master had betrayed them.
"It's your fault," The executioner had laughed at them that morning "Your brotherly bond had given the master an idea. She will send swords with strong bonds into the arena, your little brother included." "The games this year will be extremely entertaining,"
Kousetsu had received the news calmly but the thought of Sayo in this was excruciating as well. Souza would rather stand in this arena alone.
"Let's rest first," Nagasone suggested to them. "We will reassemble tomorrow and discuss how we should go on from here. It must've been a rough day for everyone." The swords hesitantly muttered an agreement before dispersing, all going their own ways to settle down.
"We'll meet here tomorrow, as soon as the sun is up!" Nagasone shouted after them, turning back to his own brothers shortly after. The Shinsengumi swords were still there as well, looking uneasily at each other.
"Well, let's go find a place to settle down too," Nagasone ushered them but Hachisuka simply frowned, walking ahead, displease.
"Are we...being abandoned again?" Kashuu asked silently, loud enough for only Yasusada to hear. The other sword frowned, quickly turning to his partner. "Of course not!" He replied back quickly. "I'm sure the master has a good reason why she did this…." He trailed away. Kashuu remained silent, looking down at his feet as they made their way through the dusty halls.
Yasusada didn't know what to say either so they continued in silence.
The first ray of sun had peeked through the mountains visible from the old citadel. Nagasone and the rest of the Shinsengumi swords have already long gathered in the front of the citadel, together with the Kunihiro brothers.
The Samonji brothers shuffled in shortly after, their robes looking as heavy as how they felt. Their silent greetings were drowned out by the obvious despair in their eyes.
"Where is the Awataguchi?" Hachisuka asked, frowning. His golden armor was still glowing brightly in the morning rays that Sayo thought if there came a time when he had to fight the Uchigatana, he would need sunglasses as a precaution.
"I last saw them in the bigger hall," Yamabushi laughed. Strange how he could still laugh at this situation.
Nagasone frowned a little, waiting for a while more before deciding they were too long.
Leading the way, he led the others to where the Awataguchi was last seen.
The room the brothers had settled in was a little bigger. As recalled by Kousetsu, it used to be one of the study rooms before they move to the new citadel. Ichigo sat in the corner with the two smaller swords leaning against him when Nagasone barged in.
Yagen, Namazuo, and Honebami were in the middle of the room, deep in discussion.
"You guys were taking too damn long!" Nagasone yelled at them but was shushed by Ichigo who put a finger to his lips. "You'll wake them up." He pointed to the two swords leaning beside him.
Nagasone frowned, thundering across the room as he paced towards Ichigo. But Honebami and Namazuo were quick on their feet, stopping the Kotetsu midway.
This only made Nagasone even more irritated. "Do you understand the situation we are in now?!" He bellowed.
Ichigo look up at him and then sideways. "The master is only joking. To kill off her swords like that, it can only be a joke." Ichigo smiled back at them. "She will open the gates and let us out, you'll see."
"Ichi-nii…" Yagen muttered, his fist balling.
"Alas, this is not a joke, Ichigo, and you know that," It was Kousetsu who said that. "As much as I long for peace, you and I have both watched the last game," He reminded him "The master will keep her words."
Ichigo fell into silent. Akita and Gokotai were both awake by now, rubbing their eyes and looking up at the others in confusion.
"Let's not fight here," Yamanbagiri mumbled "you will be doing exactly what they want us to do,"
With that, Nagasone relaxed and move away from the other two, though he was still obviously fuming.
Suddenly, a noise cracks in the air, tearing their silence into pieces.
"Eh eh-" It sounded like the executioner's voice. They ran out into the courtyard, looking for the source of the noise only to find megaphones planted in the middle of the garden. "12 hours has gone by yet nothing happened," The voice announced, "You guys are boring!"
"We won't play your game!" Kanesada shouted back at the speaker and was replied with an amused chuckle.
"Yeah yeah, they always say that," The executioner replied, "Until they start drawing first blood."
"Well anyway, you are boring the saniwa to death so we are going to come up with an incentive for the first death."
"If there is no death occurring by sunrise tomorrow, we will kill Ichigo Hitofuri."
The eyes that turned to the eldest brother of the awataguchi were full of shock and surprise. Ichigo himself didn't fare so well. His pupils were wide as he look up at the megaphone almost beggingly. "This is a joke," He muttered, "Master will never do this- that gentle master!" He started, shouting up to the speaker.
"Hmm, nope." The executioner replied "Not a joke. Happy Killing!" With that, the noise died and the silence that followed were almost deafening.
Ichigo fell to his knees in disbelief, his brothers rushing to his side. "Is Ichi-nii going to be killed…?" Akita asks, looking up at the others. Gokotai was frantic, his little tiger cubs sensing his fear. They were running around his small legs while his eyes brim with tears.
Yamabushi approach the two who were obviously in panic. "It's alright, no one will hurt your brother," He assured them, keeping up his usual smile as he ruffled their hair.
The others only look on in silent, aware of the danger that lurks upon them. The master has thought this through very well. They eyed the other 3 brothers who were solemnly watching the scene. They will surely do anything to protect Ichigo.