A/N:
Thank you for the reviews. I do love samurai-themed stories as well, which is why I used my favourite anime characters for it. Here's an early update because I'm off today due to a doctor's appointment. If it isn't up to expectations, I apologize because I'm typing this in a haze.
I'm using additional terms here to enhance the story in its Japanese setting. I'm also explaining a bit of the currency, for people who might be interested.
Neko - Cat
Unagi - Eel
Kuri - Chesnuts
Maguro - Tuna
Noren – Japanese fabric divers, you see those in Japanese restaurants
Hauringu Kaze – Howling Wind. Uses Qi (氣), in literal context it's air/wind. In Chinese culture, Qi is akin to the life/energy flow. The attack draws on a person's internal energies (氣), and releases it through a vacuum of air (氣). Does it make sense? I don't know, but it's a fanfic so I am excused?
Koban – Edo period currency.
For this fic I'm assuming (based on my reads):
Lowly (Foot soldiers/Rural samurais) would earn about 33 Kobans in annual stipends.
Mid-levels (Decently skilled) would earn about 100 Kobans in annual stipends.
1 Koban could feed a person for three meals a day for a full month. Basic staple food.
1 Koban could get you a decent meal for a family of four, with seafood or meat at a local restaurant.
Thus, for mid-level samurais, they get about 8 Kobans per month, which allows them to feed a family of four, plus some additional treats like heading out for dinner once every week, etc.
Chapter 2
Italics – Thoughts
Winter, 1859, Somewhere in the forests, near the Akita Domain.
The girl perched herself on a branch and smirked. She twittered a bird's chirp to her companion below the trees who had a large broadsword slung across her back, signaling that she was going in. She watched as her companion retreated back to camp before refocusing on the task at hand.
The target in sight had been trekking through the small dirt road. Though the figure carried kantanas, Nao doubted there would be much trouble. Besides, she had her ways to keep her prey tangled in her signature web attack. As she lay in wait for her target to approach her attacking radius, she tapped her chin, wondering how much she could sell the kantanas for in the town nearby. Her ears pricked at the soft footsteps coming her way and she struck swiftly, extending her right hand out as she shot miniature darts.
Her opponent was fast, Nao could give her that. The darts had hit the kantana instead of a neck, unlike what Nao had hoped. However, Nao wasn't finished. Licking her lips as it curled into a small grin, she grasped her hands into fists and pulled at the invisible string that was laced with the dart. She tugged her victim forward, causing her to stagger. Nao cackled from the treetops, certain that she had the upper hand. No matter, the next attack will tie her down, Nao grinned as she attacked again with the darts in her left hand, constricting her victim's upper torso. Nao hopped off the tree as her opponent fell sideways and crashed her right shoulder blade on the ground.
"Sorry about it, but I gotta eat." Nao said as she walked toward the prone figure, whose face was still hidden behind the straw hat. She squatted beside and slashed off the waist belt with her claws, revealing a small pouch of kobans. "Well, quite the little rich swordsman you are, eh? Let's see what else you got on you," she rubbed her hands in glee as she moved closer to inspect her bounty of the day. She stiffened as she felt cool metal pressed up against her chin.
"Untie me," the gruff voice commanded, a death threat laced between words.
Nao panicked, she wasn't ready to die. Damn it, how could I be so careless, she reprimanded herself. The damn sneaky bastard avoided my attack and pretended to fall to conceal her free hand! She glared angrily at the figure pressed against her and her eyes travelled down to her chin. She couldn't see the gun, but the scent of sulfur and gunpowder lingered. The voice didn't sound like it was kidding. How the fuck does she have guns from the West? No! I don't wanna die with my pretty face blasted into pieces! "Okay, fine. But you let me go. I'll return you the money and we go our separate ways," she bargained.
A grunt.
"What?" Nao frowned, "Is that a yes or no?!"
"… Yes."
"Okay I'm releasing you now. You better keep your damn word, you damn samurais. Always going on and on about honor and shit," she complained as she cut the binds open with her claws. She felt the barrel leave her throat and she rubbed it, scowling at the swordsman who had picked up the slashed waist belt and was staring at it.
Nao waved her hand nonchalantly, "Oh don't be such a sissy. It's just a waist belt. You have so much money; just buy a new one when you get into town!"
TWANGGGG!
Nao yelped at the sudden clash of blades, as the two figures dashed off into the forest, swords drawn.
"Damn it!" Nao cursed as she started to sprint off after them, but crashed into a figure that had appeared into front of her out of the blue. She hissed angrily as she rubbed her forehead. "Fuck, Reito, that's not even funny!"
The tall young man chuckled, "Nao-chan, you took a while to get back. You're lucky Mikoto got worried and left to find you. She told me she sensed that swordsman could be quite a handful."
"I was handling it fine on my own," Nao huffed and pushed past him, "Hurry, we need to catch up to them before they kill each other."
"Hai, hai." Reito shook his head in humor at her stubbornness and jogged after her.
XXX
Mikoto sprinted forward, deftly leaping backwards on a rock to avoid the blade coming in from her left. She balanced on the rock, squatting on her toes with both hands clutching the broad sword between her legs. Exhibiting extraordinary dexterity, she pushed herself off the rock with the balls of her feet, darting behind her opponent and brought her sword downwards.
Natsuki let out a huff as she intercepted the attack. The charcoal-haired girl was tiny, but she packed a punch. She was mildly surprised the tiny girl could lift a sword that huge and heavy, much less wield it with such ease. She pushed herself away and widened the distance between the younger girl, readying herself for her next attack, the Hauringu Kaze – a ranged attack. It was essentially an invisible attack that drew its power from the swordsman's qi and converts it into a vacuum attack, hence its name. She released three short blows toward the spiky haired girl.
Mikoto countered by drawing her blade in a full circle, effectively cutting two attacks down, but wasn't quick enough to block the third which and come from the side due to the size and weight of her sword. She dodged the last attack slightly, but it nicked her on her shoulder blade and the force of it sent her tumbling a few feet away before she managed to stabilize herself by lodging her sword in the ground. She hissed in pain as her shoulder slowly opened a small, straight wound. She was interrupted before she could get up and make the next attack.
"Mikoto-chan!" her brother cried as he appeared through the surrounding trees. His eyes widened as he saw her on the ground, her hand on the small wound, "Are you alright?"
Three of them turned to eye the bushes where slurs of vulgarities were headed their way. The predictable redhead emerged and eyed the scene in front of her. Angrily, she jabbed a finger at Mikoto. "You! Stop running so damn fast!" she crossed her arms and glared at Natsuki, "Who said you could hurt my Neko-chan?! We had a deal!"
A frustrated growl.
"Stop it! I can't understand all your weird noises! First it's a grunt, now it's a growl. Jeez what are you? A mutt?! Soon you'll be barking at me!"
"I didn't attack her," Natsuki replied evenly.
"I don't care. See, now she's injured. Now you owe us all the gold you have for medical treatment."
"…"
"Enough, Nao." Reito stood up to face Natsuki, "You hurt my sister."
"It was fought fairly," she replied with a shrug, "She wields a sword and she knows that every time we draw, there is a possibility of injury or even death," she looked straight into his gray eyes to drive her point home.
He studied her for a moment, before he threw his head back and laughed heartily, "I like you. Please, come with us back to camp. We don't have much, but I'm sure a hungry wanderer wouldn't pass up on some hot food. I promise you no ill intent."
"What?!" Nao shrieked, "We're gonna have a cat and a dog in the camp now?! I'll never get any sleep with them fighting all day!"
Natsuki looked at Nao's flustered face and felt a faint smile tug at her lips for the first time in days. She looked at the people in front of her again, before coming to a decision. Sheathing her sword, she nodded, "I accept your generous offer."
XXX
Almost a year later.
Autum, 1860, Somewhere in the forests, near the Akita Domain.
"Mutt! Mutt oh Mutt! Woof woof!" Nao hollered as she searched for her blue-haired friend. She spun around when she felt a presence behind her. She shoved Natsuki away, "Fuck you, stop scaring the shit out of me!"
"Hmpf. Stop calling me that," Natsuki narrowed her eyes while taking a bite out of her bun.
"Well, at least now we're progressing. That was five whole words! And it's been only a year!" Nao raised her fingers to count, "Wait if you take away that grunt at the beginning, I think it's only four words. Hmmm." Nao scratched her head in mock confusion. "You kno-"
Natsuki stuffed the bun in the redhead's open mouth and walked off.
Nao chomped on the bun, "Okay, okay, listen to me please!" she pleaded between mouthfuls, "I spotted some merchants headed our way from the lookout point. I need your help, it looks pretty guarded."
"No mutt?"
"Yes no mutt," Nao nodded rapidly.
"Okay," Natsuki walked off to prepare.
"Only for the next few hours anyway," Nao sniggered to herself. She knew Natsuki didn't agree just for the nicknames to stop. Though only a year had passed, the warrior that they had included in their ranks soon proved herself invaluable. The bandits were able to rake in more gold then they ever had, without many casualties. Natsuki was skilled, but she had refused to participate in any robberies, only engaging in battle when one of them required assistance or if the opponents were swordsmen themselves. Natsuki held little regard for defending the other bandits, whom she did not trust, at her maximum capacity but she tried half-heartedly, anyway, as her participation usually earned her a sizeable chunk of loot which she stashed away in saving. On her part, she had the food and lodging she required and it gave her access to single out Shogunate samurais who might have information on the First District.
A strange thing Nao noticed was that Natsuki behaved differently whenever the Shogunate's samurais were involved. Natsuki never killed them in a single blow, like how she usually would to other opponents.
Flashback (Nao) - A few months before.
Summer, 1860, Somewhere in the forests, near the Akita Domain.
They were robbing a passing tax collector that was accompanied by samurais from the Shogunate. Instead, Natsuki had pummeled one into a tree, lopping off his arms and picked up his sword. She stabbed the sword into his abdomen and leaned forward, muttering something that Nao couldn't really catch, since she had to pay more attention to the fight in front of her. Nao saw her green eyes harden, a flash of raw emotion cross her friend's usually stoic face that made Nao's blood run cold. It was then when Nao wondered if the usual apathetic face was just a controlled guise. Natsuki had picked off each and every samurai in a similar manner and by the time she was done, the ground was littered with severed limbs and she had blood dripping off her clothes. The rest of the bandits silently retreated with the loot, not wanting to cross the volatile girl.
"Kuga," Nao called out, but received no response, "I don't know what the fuck was all that, but if you wanna talk about it, I'm here."
Natsuki didn't reply.
Nao shook her head, before turning to walk away, "Well, I'll leave fresh clothes out for you."
Natsuki turned her head slightly at the retreating footsteps. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The air was saturated by the thick scent of iron. The samurais she slaughtered today didn't have a clue on what First District was. She was enraged – not at them but at herself. It had been exactly one year since the death of her family, she had questioned every shogunate samurai that had crossed this area, but she had been unable to get any new leads. Tonight was the anniversary, the anniversary of the end of her life as she knew it. Gripping her kantanas tightly, she unsheathed one and plunged it into the ground, before placing her pistols and hairclip she kept tucked away beside the kantana. The sixteen year old knelt down beside the last memories of her family and broke down.
XXX
At night.
"Nao," Natsuki addressed the redhead squatting by the fire. Nao didn't reply, but shoved a stick of barbequed fish in her hands and threw a pile of clothes at her, before standing up to leave. The campsite was deserted and everyone had turned in for the night.
Natsuki had reappeared in camp late in the night, to find Nao waiting for her return. Natsuki had calmed herself down, reigned and wrestled in her explosive emotions into submission before heading back. She had given thought to speak to Nao, and she felt like she owed her the truth. Despite her usual sharp wit and vulgar tongue, Natsuki could tell she had a heart of gold. Not that she would admit it, though. She furrowed her brows before speaking, "My family was betrayed."
Nao paused in her tracks.
"I found my mother's severed body in our dojo after I came back from the next town," Natsuki breathed slowly, struggling to keep her emotions in check while she revisited the memory, "I came home to find her body sprawled on the floor, her blood splattered on the walls and floor."
"They came back the next morning – searching for me. I heard them talking about First District and how they were out to get my family. I believed them, because we were so well hidden in that tiny village. My father and sister never left the house, even if they did; it was in the middle of the night or under heavy disguise. They never ventured into town, only into the mountains," Natsuki stared at the flickering flames, "My father and sister were taken to Nagasaki to be executed."
Natsuki scowled, "My family, they never did anything, they were innocent. We did everything to stay hidden, but we were sold out by First District to the Shogunate. I need to find out why, and who. Damn it. My sister, she was only eight." Natsuki gritted her teeth and clenched her hands. Hardening her tone, she said with finality, "All I know is that I will never trust another human again. It's everyone for themselves these days. I will find them one day and personally return the favor to Smith for selling us out. To do that, I need more information. These Shogunate samurais are the best source because of their status."
Nao glanced at her, "So, you're telling me this because you trust me?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow, "Hm."
"Hey! I'm loyal and you know it! I love the gold, but I won't sell out my friends!" Nao protested, "Besides, I trusted you enough to watch my back when we're out there! It's a privilege not extended to many, you know."
Natsuki snorted.
"But, I want to help you, so I'm going to introduce you to someone," Nao grinned, "It'll cost you your trust though."
"Explain."
"You'll know tomorrow night. Meet me at the local town bar at sundown, got it?" Nao called as she took her leave.
XXX
The next day.
Natsuki strolled past brightly lit shops along the main street, taking in the sights and smells of the town. It had been a while since she took a trip down from the mountains where the bandits resided and the permeating smells of barbequed unagi and roasted kuri were amplified. She passed by a sushi stand, picked up two pieces of maguro sushi and popped it into her mouth. Munching on the last piece, she brushed the Noren aside to step in, looking out for Nao. The said girl was hunched over a table, engaging a bespectacled man in vivid conversation.
"Nao," she nodded.
Nao turned and seeing who it was, she smirked, "Mutt! Here, sit." She shifted over to the next seat as Natsuki approached and sat down, "Good girl, she learns commands fast."
Natsuki smacked an incoming hand that was about to pat her head, "Get on with it."
"Right. Mutt, this is Yamada. Yamada, mutt." She chuckled to herself at the annoyed face of Natsuki. "You need information on your guys, he's the one to go to. At a price, of course. Well, I'll leave you two at it, see ya!" She leant forward towards Natsuki, "I've known him for years. I haven't told him anything and how you want to take it from here, it's your call," Nao muttered before patting Natsuki's shoulder and left.
XXX
Spring, 1861, Somewhere in the forests, near the Akita Domain.
A few months after the meeting with Yamada, Reito had come up to them with a proposition. Nao was lounging on top a tree branch while she gazed lazily at Mikoto and Natsuki engaged together in combat. Both of them had been sparring with each other since their first encounter and the training sessions not only bonded them, but also honed their skills in battle. Dueling outdoors made them better fighters then they already were, as they both gained expertise at exploiting their environment to change a tide of battle. As they concluded another round with no clear victor, Nao sat up and picked two apples from the tree and flung it hard at their heads.
"OW!" Mikoto cried as the apple made contact with her forehead, since she was facing Nao. She rubbed the reddening spot. The other apple had knocked Natsuki right at the back of her head. She turned around slowly, eyebrow twitching at the redhead who was doubling over in hysterical laughter.
"Ahahahaha! You two suckers. I don't see why you can sense attacks but not apples!" she guffawed, "Oh you should have seen your faces, you crazy animals."
"Hey!" a voice interrupted. They turned to see Reito jogging toward them. Mikoto's ears perked at her brother's voice and she quickly kept her sword, bounding toward the man.
"Nao, Natsuki, could you two follow me back? I have something I need to speak to you two about." Reito puffed, catching his breath. They consented and he flashed a grin before running back with Mikoto.
"Must be something big, Reito seldom acts like a nutcase," Nao shrugged as they strolled back to camp. Stepping into the crude straw hut, she plonked down beside Mikoto, who was gobbling a juicy persimmon.
"Want one? It's awesome!" Mikoto flashed a large smile at both of them, revealing her orange-stained teeth.
"Ugh, no!" Nao grumbled as she shoved Mikoto's head away.
Reito cleared his throat, "Stop bickering guys. I need to discuss this seriously with the four of you," He pulled out a piece of yellowed paper tucked in the folds of his kimono, before spreading it on a crude wooden makeshift table. "I have information that there will be a passing Shogunate ship that's carrying sixty thousand worth of kobans in tonight."
Nao gaped at him in disbelief, "Sixty thousand? And you want to rob that?! We'll get hanged if we got caught, which we obviously will, because it's DEFINITELY going to be heavily guarded. Wait, wait wait, we'll get tortured till we're half dead, paraded around town, before getting hanged." Nao corrected as she paced around the room, obviously vexed by the idea.
"No, hear me out," Reito pleaded. No one made a move to leave so he took it as consent, pulling out a crate under his bed and motioned them over. "These are bombs. Remember we found them in one of the passing merchant's stock? Well, these are perfect for the heist."
Natsuki shot him a skeptical look, an eyebrow slightly raised.
"My contact is a guard employed on board. The four of us will head onto a supply ship under disguise and he will allow Natsuki and Mikoto to head on board to load the goods. According to him, the gold is stashed below deck, which is near the cargo area. I need the two of you to dispatch the guards there quickly and silently so that they do not raise the alarm. You can stash the gold in the supply barrel and load it back on the ship."
"It sounds all well and good, but seriously, I'm sure many people have tried and failed. Besides, what make you think you can trust this contact? He could be laying a trap for goodness sake, just out to bait suckers like us to rob them so they can capture new torture toys."
Reito frowned at Nao, "You seem to fancy torture."
"I'm serious!" Nao crossed her arms on her hips.
"She's right," Natsuki said simply.
"That's what the bombs are for. We will all carry some. If we do get found out, we just have to throw them and it'll cause confusion on the ship and we can make our escape. We can hold our own against the remaining samurais."
"Yeah Reito, give me three or five to go up against, sure. But these are going to be far more skilled than your average swordsmen. And four of us against a ship full of them?" Nao shook her head.
"No, I'm not done yet. Apparently, it's the Captain's birthday and the guards would be headed back on shore for celebrations, leaving the ship with much lesser guards. We only have a short window of time, but I think it's enough to get it done. The only drawback is that they would be docking much farther from shore as an added precaution. But if we pull it off quietly without getting noticed, we could sail right under their noses."
"I don't know, it sounds great in theory but…" Nao looked at Natsuki, "What do you think?"
"I'm fine."
Nao looked at her, slightly bug-eyed at the hasty decision, "What?"
Natsuki shrugged, "All or nothing."
"That's the spirit!" Reito grinned. "Nao! Please join us! Fifteen thousand kobans each, it'll last us a whole lifetime! We'll never have to worry about anything again!"
"If she's in, I guess I'm in," Nao replied slowly, contemplating ways to give that girl a piece of her mind later. She wasn't going to let her friend die alone in a watery grave.
He clapped his hands in glee, "Great! I'll get everything else settled while the rest of you get ready."
"So you want to tell me what that was all about? It's not like you to agree to this so readily." Nao asked as they walked through camp.
"It will rain tonight." Natsuki stated.
"Huh?" Nao was lost.
Natsuki sniffed the air, "The plants, the wind, the clouds. You don't see the signs?"
Nao gave her an incredulous look, "You really are a dog? I knew it!"
"...Isn't it basic knowledge?"
Nao ignored her, "What does that have to do with agreeing to Reito? It's a crazy, fucked up plan!"
"Rain will give us cover."
Nao scrunched her face.
"It'll be dark and will make our job easier. It's harder for them to raise the alarm over the winds. Additional cover for escape too."
Nao crossed her arms, "To think you're such a master thief."
XXX
Night soon fell and as predicted, the torrential downpour battered down on the four figures on the lone ship sailing out of the bay. Visibility was extremely limited and one could barely see ten feet in front of them. Natsuki glanced down at her waist belt and adjusted it slightly. She didn't have a particularly good feeling about this whole thing and decided to pack extra ammunitions and weapons in case. The gamble was too high to pass up though. Her share of the loot would easily cover all her necessary expenses in her future journeys as well as paying off Yamada, her information broker.
They approached the large ship and, as agreed, their inside contact gestured them aboard. Mikoto and her hoisted the large barrel up and proceeded to head to the cargo area. There, eight samurais were stationed beside a large wooden gate that held their prize. She could feel their gaze as she and Mikoto pushed the barrel to the side. Viridian orbs locked with amber irises, and wordlessly, they struck, immediately taking out two guards. Still riding on the element of surprise, they moved on without a pause and clashed with the rest of the guards, careful not to allow one to escape through the doors behind them.
"Hhhhng.." the last guard groaned as Mikoto extinguished the life out of him. She dropped him on the floor and skulked towards the heavy gate. Inhaling, she brought her large sword back and slashed sideways, kicking at the middle to break the gate open. Natsuki was glad for the rain. The loud rumbles of thunder and splatter of raindrops gave them the ample cover they needed. Clearing about a quarter of the chests in the holding area, they headed back out in the pouring rain and loaded the first barrel on board without much trouble. There were only a handful of guards stationed out in the thunderstorm and they had no problem with the second and third barrels.
As Nao hopped up on the main ship to help them with the last and final barrel, Natsuki spun around, sensing a hostile presence behind them. Their inside contact had pulled out a dagger and pressed it against Nao's unsuspecting back. She jerked sharply at the prick of the pointed steel and hissed, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"They're here to rob the Shogun's ship! The barrels are full of the gold!" he cried aloud to the guards nearby, shoving Nao forward toward the armed soldiers, "I'll apprehend that guy on the ship! Get them!"
The guards sprang into action, drawing their swords and ran straight for Nao. Growling in anger, Natsuki leapt forward, as Nao attacked the nearest guard, sending him sprawling on the ground as her darts pierced through his calves. As Natsuki slashed at the rest of the guards, she spotted Reito struggling with Mikoto by the edge of the ship.
"Ani-ue! What are you doing?" Mikoto cried in protest as her brother pulled her on board their getaway ship and they started to drift off.
"Mikoto, just listen to me. We're going to get out of here!"
"Nao and Natsuki are still fighting! Why are you leaving? I need to go back and help them!" She looked at him in bewilderment.
"Mikoto-chan. Just listen to Ani-ue, everything's gonna be fine." Reito turned to the last person on board and threw him an oar, barking, "Paddle if you want to get the hell away with the gold!"
Mikoto crouched by the side, dumbfounded. Had Ani-ue just left Nao and Natsuki there? She glanced at the men paddling furiously and the pieces of the puzzle fit. Ani-ue had this all planned? He was going to betray them from the start? She bowed her head in anger, gritting her teeth and her hands trembling by her side. She pulled out her broad sword and attacked the man, sending him flying off the ship and into the water far away. Reito turned around in horror, barely blocking Mikoto's next attack with his own sword.
"Mikoto, what the hell do you think you're doing?! I'm Ani-ue!"
Mikoto shook her head sadly, "Please turn back ani-ue, they're our friends!"
"No! I've come too far to stop here. If you're not with me, you're against me, Mikoto! I'm giving you one last chance to follow me, so keep your blade!" Reito shouted over the wind. Their getaway ship was struggling against the winds and without any one paddling; they were drifting back slowly toward the Shogun's ship.
"This is wrong, Ani-ue! Please turn back!" she begged again.
Reito snarled, his face contorting into something Mikoto had never seen before in her thirteen years. She glanced into his enraged eyes and saw anger and greed. She blinked, registering the swing of his sword as he charged toward her. She felt as though time had come to a screeching halt. Watching her brother come toward her in slow motion, she looked up as the blade sliced down, poised at her neck. As she closed her eyes, she wondered at which point of time she lost beloved brother.