The news of the second Battle for Kanna-mura spread throughout the country by the next morning.

When he got the news, Shigeo was sitting in his throne, fine-tuning his mechanical arm. Toshiki, his second-in-command and one of the only other humans in his army, walked in. He could immediately tell that something was wrong. "Speak."

The younger man hung his head, staring at the polished steel floor. "My lord…the attack force that was sent to Kanna was destroyed. Your…Shinji-sama was among those slain." Shigeo's eyes widened in horror. "No…Leave me! Get out of my sight!" Obeying his lord, Toshiki nearly scrambled out of the room.

Shigeo slumped in his chair, staring off into space. My brother…Shinji is dead! To his shock, he felt tears gather in the corners of his eyes. Little brother…I swear I'll make Kanna-mura pay with blood for your death. But how to lure that man to me…He felt a smile forming, remembering a certain choice piece of information he had heard from his spies. The Mikumari.


It was a lovely morning in early summer, and the Ryugujo School of Houtedo was opening for business. It was situated in a large, traditional-style estate, with red tile roofs and a grand courtyard. However, the huge buildings showed signs of wear.

This peaceful scene was shattered by a boy in his late teens, who picked up a copy of the Daily News, scanned the headlines, and turned to yell, "Okaasan! Mail's here! And Ukyo-san's in it!" His mother stepped out onto the porch, buckling her gun belt.

Tatsuko Amami was in her mid-forties, tall and no longer very thin after giving birth to three children. She had blue-green hair with gray streaks pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes matched the streaks in her hair. Her voice trembled as she answered her son. "Ukyo-kun? But…but he…he died, didn't he?"

At the sound of her son Tatsuro's yell, her other children had scrambled out of the house, and now they crowded around their mother. Tatsumi, the youngest and the only girl, leaned over her mother's shoulder and read out loud. "The village of Kanna was attacked by a band of Nobuseri yesterday. Working with the peasants, a young man by the name of Ukyo drove them back. Hey…they wrote his name wrong! (1.) Okaasan, what's the matter?"

Tatsuko had started to shake, murmuring, "He's alive…" She thought back to the first time she had seen him, a shy boy of twelve who loved shooting. He had begged her to teach him; impressed by his enthusiasm, she had agreed. And then her face lit up. "Kids, I'm going to go see him. Tatsumi-chan, keep an eye on your brothers while I'm gone, okay?" Face glowing with the realization of responsibility, she nodded, while her elder brothers grumbled about why did their little sister have to watch them.


In Kurume-mura, Kyoichi hummed a marching tune to himself as he climbed into his Yakan unit, waving goodbye to his girlfriend Kohaku before pulling the lid down. He had gotten the news that morning. Let's see what Ukyo-san's been up to. He pulled out the map he had brought with him. Okay…Kanna is…that way. I think. (2.)


Kirara walked through the fields, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face and thinking about Ukyo. That morning, he had offered to teach her how to shoot. I appreciate the gesture, but…I'm a little scared. She thought of Ukyo's hands. Years of shooting had left him with scars on his fingers and large calluses on the heels of his hands. I don't really want to put myself through that…but I also want to be useful to Ukyo-san.

A blur of motion in the distance caused her to spin around, suddenly nervous. Then there was a stinging sensation in her shoulder, and her world went dark.

When she came to, her first horrible sensation was of being cramped. She was in a dark place, and there was barely any room to move. A voice very close to her ear snapped, "Girl. Don't move a muscle." As her eyes focused, she saw that she was inside a Yakan unit, and the pilot was glaring at her.

"Why—why did you kidnap me?" He sighed, reaching over her to pull a lever. "My name is Toshiki. I work for Shigeo Hirosegawa-dono. Your boyfriend killed Hirosegawa-dono's brother. You're the bait we're going to use to draw him out. Can you push that button for me?" Numbly, she did as he asked.

"Ukyo-san will save me, you know." He grinned, and in the dark she shivered. "That's what we're hoping for, girl."


"Ukyo-niisan! Katsunoji!" A breathless Komachi ran into the village meeting-house, waving a scrap of paper. Gisaku looked up, annoyed, from the meeting he had been presiding over. "Mikumari-sama, what's the matter?" As an answer, she wailed, "Oneesama…she's been kidnapped! Look, look at the note…" As she threw it into the air, it fluttered to land in Ukyo's lap.

As the young Mikumari sobbed in a stunned Akemi's arms, Ukyo read the note out loud, voice shaking with each word. "We have the Mikumari. If you want her back, you send the man with the scarred face to the land once called Matsugakure…and he will go alone." When he stopped reading, he stared at the note for a few moments before shredding it into pieces.

Akemi yelped in surprise at this. He added, "Well, it's obvious what we have to do. Which way to Aichi province?" Grabbing her brother's arm as he made to stand up, she protested in a small voice, "You—you're not going there alone, are you?" He turned to her and smiled. "Did you really think I'd leave you behind again, Akemi?"

She mock-glared. "Well, you might…" Next to her, Katsushiro got up and bowed to Gisaku. "I'm going to prepare for the trip. Please stay safe."


"Bullets?"

"Check. And before you ask, Mei-chan—yes, I remembered my GPS. Otherwise we'd never make it there in one piece."

They were standing outside Kanna-mura, and the sun was setting. Katsushiro checked his sword belt for the hundredth time. "Are you ready yet?" Ukyo glared at him. "Don't complain. You took longer to sharpen that oversized steak knife you call a sword than either of us took to get our things together!" Akemi sighed, holding up her hands. "Guys, don't fight now…save it for Hirosegawa!" But the samurai wasn't listening to her; he was staring off down the road, where Shino was standing.

"Katsushiro-sama…you'll come back, won't you?" Everything else in her field of vision seemed to fade away as the one she loved smiled at her. "Of course. I promise I won't be gone long." A yell sounded from Shino's house—her father calling her in to make dinner. She smiled sadly back. "I have to go." As she left, he turned back to the others with a faint grin. They smirked, causing him to blush.

"…Shut up." In response, Akemi burst into song, belting out a popular and rather risqué love song. As they walked down the road together, Ukyo flung his head back and laughed. I wonder…was I ever like this boy? Young and in love…well, I suppose I'm like that now. Kirara…I'll save you this time. Nobody will ever call me a coward again.

They had barely been walking for half an hour when a distant cry of "Ukyo-kun!" reached their ears. Ukyo turned at the sound of his name, squinting through the gloom to see a face he hadn't seen for a long time. "Amami-sensei!" Katsushiro frowned, studying this woman who had run up to them from the direction of Kanna, and was now doubled over gasping for breath while Ukyo filled her in on the recent happenings.

She had gray eyes and blue-green hair so like his own that he wondered briefly if they were related, and was wearing a man's white yukata and gray hakama. Underneath her kimono she was wearing a white shirt emblazoned with characters reading "Ryugujo". Instead of a sword, she had two ancient revolvers strapped to her side. Well, I guess she would, if Ukyo addresses her as "sensei".

Getting her breath back, she straightened up, and Akemi made the introductions, "Amami-sensei, this is Katsushiro Okamoto-kun. Katsu-kun, this is my sensei, Tatsuko Amami-dono." He bowed. "It's very nice to meet you." The older woman grinned. "I heard about your victory in the news. I just had to come see you. A nice girl at your village told me you went this way. Now that I'm here, I suppose I might as well help you." She hefted a large bag. "I brought food! And tons of spare ammo for your handguns."

Grateful, Ukyo nodded before scanning the horizon. A Yakan hovered into view, and Akemi reached for her guns. Ukyo held out a hand to stop her. "Wait. I think I know that one." Sure enough, the lid popped open to reveal Kyoichi's grinning face. He leaned his elbows on the edge, waving at them. "Heeeey, Ukyo-san! How've you been? What're you doing out on the road at this time of night?"

Sighing, Ukyo turned to his companions, "Mei-chan, this is Kyoichi Sanada, the guy I told you about. Kyoichi-kun, this is Katsushiro-kun, my sister Akemi, and my old teacher Tatsuko Amami-dono." Akemi looked from her brother to this new arrival. Hmmm…they kind of look alike. Maybe…She shook her head slightly, dismissing the idea. Can't be.

Kyoichi grinned hugely. "Oh, it's nice to meet all of you! So what are you guys doing?" The younger man groaned. "It's a long story…Let's walk and talk at the same time."


The next morning, after a very uncomfortable night spent sleeping on the ground, they were on their way again. Katsushiro was in the lead, using Ukyo's GPS to determine the route. In the back, Akemi and Kyoichi (who had slept in his Yakan) were trading stories of their lives. And, between them and the samurai, Ukyo was walking alongside his old teacher.

"Amami-sensei…have you ever been there? To Uken-mura, I mean." She frowned, trying to remember. "I believe so. It was…wow, it must have been before you were born. It was so beautiful there…you could see why they called it Matsugakure. It was in this valley, and there was a forest so thick you could barely see the village." She sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Nobuseri have destroyed the trees now."

The general mood of depression that hung over the pair was broken by a shriek of laughter from Akemi at something Kyoichi had said. Ukyo spun around. "You better not be laughing about me! I swear I'll…" His sister just snorted, dissolving into a fit of giggles. "T-the look on your face!" Seeing her doubled over holding onto her stomach, Kyoichi raised an eyebrow. "She always like this?" Ukyo nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, guys? You might want to look at this." Ahead of them, Katsushiro had stopped, indicating the area in front of him. Or, more accurately, he indicated the large swamp which was blocking their way. A collective groan rose up from the group. "Damn it…" "Mosquitoes. I hate mosquitoes." "Can't we just go around it or something?" Only Kyoichi was calm. After all, in his Yakan he would never need to step foot in the sludge.


Meanwhile, Kirara had endured an extremely cramped and painful overnight journey in Toshiki's Yakan. Finally, they ground to a halt, and he hopped out, stretching, before reaching in and roughly pulling her to her feet. "Come on. Hirosegawa-dono will want to see you."

Obediently, she shuffled along behind him, his hand on her wrist. She hadn't slept at all, and her muscles were incredibly stiff. And then she saw the fortress, and she gasped. It resembled the old capital in every way except size, for it was much smaller. As she got closer, she realized that it had crashed into the ground so long ago that moss grew on the walls. A door slid open, and they entered; he helped her up.

As they walked through huge echoing steel halls, Toshiki explained, "This army is mostly Nobuseri. I'm one of the few humans who haven't gotten mechanized yet—even Hirosegawa-dono's got a mechanical left arm." They reached a huge steel door etched with a family crest that Kirara didn't recognize. He knocked, and it slid open with a hiss of hydraulics. "Enter."

And then she saw Shigeo Hirosegawa for the first time. He was a man in his early fifties, with rapidly thinning hair, beard, and moustache that was mostly gray, although she could see it had once been blond. His eyes were dark blue and so cold that she shivered. Her trembling increased when he addressed Toshiki.

"Is this the girl?"

"Yes, my lord. I left the message there as you ordered."

"Excellent. Kill her."

Kirara gasped both in terror—He's going to kill me—and at the way Toshiki's hand tightened around her wrist, squeezing it painfully. Calmly he questioned, "My lord…if you really want to make that man Ukyo suffer, why not keep the girl alive until he comes, and then kill her in front of him. Much more dramatic."

Shigeo leaned back, studying his prisoner. She was very young, and plainly terrified. She was also obviously untrained in any of the ways of self-defense. "Hmmm…I suppose you have a point. Very well. She will be in your care until then. Do what you will with her. You are dismissed."

Toshiki bowed deeply. "Many thanks, my lord." Once they were back in the hall, Kirara turned to him. "You…" He interrupted her smoothly. "…Just saved your life, thank you." Her eyes widened. "Why? Why would you intervene on my behalf?" He reached out and ruffled her hair, knocking her headdress off. "I had a daughter once. She would have been around your age." (3.)


Ukyo had been slogging through the swamp and its ankle-deep slime for hours, with no end in sight. He swatted a bug, glad that the only skin he was exposing was his face and ears. Akemi, in her capri pants and elbow-length sleeves, wasn't so lucky. He could hear her cursing and complaining loudly as she slapped mosquitoes. Ahead of them, the two samurai forged onwards.

Katsushiro squinted through the gloom. "Tatsuko-dono, do you see that? It looks like we might have reached the end of this." The older woman sighed. "I hope so. These bugs are fierce!" She scratched a bite on her neck.

From behind, he heard Ukyo yell, "Please tell me you found a way out and that we're not just wandering in circles!" followed by Akemi's snide retort of, "Who do you think he is? You? We'll be fine. Ouch! You didn't have to hit me…"

"Well, stop making fun of me!"

Kyoichi stuck his head out of the Yakan again. "Kids…act your age. We're almost out, see?" Indeed, they had reached the other side of the swamp. Ukyo nearly collapsed, glad to be on dry ground once again.

Katsushiro consulted the GPS. "Let's see…We just crossed the border into Aichi province. It should only take us about…a week to get to Uken." Akemi groaned something, resting her head against her brother's back. He sputtered, "A week? But in that time, Kirara-kun could…" He grabbed the electronic device out of the young samurai's hand, punching buttons furiously. "Let me see that! There must be a faster way…Ah, found it!"

He held it up, and the others crowded around the screen. There was a pass through the mountains a few miles away. "See? This should cut travel time by a few days. What were you planning to do, Katsu-kun, go around it?" Kyoichi hopped out of the Yakan, inspecting the screen. His face fell.

"Ukyo-kun…this mountain pass is very dangerous. If we go through here, we might not make it out in one piece." Annoyed, Ukyo straightened up. "I don't care. If it will help us rescue Kirara-kun, I'll go there."

The samurai growled, "Hey, who made you the leader?" Tatsuko sighed, rubbing her temples to ward off a headache. Here we go again… "Kids, last time I checked, rescuing Ukyo's girlfriend was our top priority. Let's just see if we can make it to the pass before nightfall, okay?"


By a stroke of good fortune, they made it to the foot of the mountains, and there was a small inn there. The old proprietors, a man and his wife, eagerly welcomed their customers.

Ukyo nearly staggered into the house. "Please, please tell me you've got indoor plumbing. I need a bath…" As the old man nodded, Akemi swerved around her brother, with Tatsuko in tow. "I called it! Boys, stay out!" The men looked at each other with a single thought running through their heads. Damn.

Gathered around a low table, they stared at each other in silence for a few moments. A fly buzzed around their heads. Kyoichi gazed around at the plain wooden walls. Finally, Ukyo cleared his throat.

"So, anyone know how to play poker?"


"So, how've you been?"

Tatsuko shrugged, squeezing excess water out of her hair. "Ryugujo's been doing well. I think you guys were my good-luck charm—I've been getting students regularly ever since I taught you. I think Tatsumi-chan's following in your footsteps—look out for her next time you compete."

Akemi snorted, toweling herself dry. "Sensei, just because she's your daughter doesn't mean she'll be able to beat me. Oh, thank Benzaiten!" She had spotted the hair dryer. "I didn't think they would have one!" She started to dry her hair, blowing most of it into her face. As she spat black strands out of her mouth, her former teacher giggled.

"Having trouble? Here, let me help." Matter-of-factly, she took the machine from Akemi's hand and started the job, ignoring the girl's protests. "Hey, I'm just out of practice! Kirara-chan's house barely had plumbing, never mind electricity. I spent the last eight months towel-drying my hair!"

"Yeah, okay. What's this Kirara like, anyway? I want to make sure she's a good match for my student."

Akemi raised her voice slightly to be heard over the sound of the hair dryer. "Trust me; she's got the Akemi Seal of Approval. She's my oniichan's complete opposite—compassionate, serious, and selfless. Only thing is, though, she's too serious, she can be kind of mean and inconsiderate sometimes, and she has this annoying tendency to make hasty judgements about people. Other than that, she's okay."

Turning off the hair dryer, Tatsuko shrugged on the yukata that the inn had provided. "Good to hear." The sound of revelry reached their ears, and the older woman pushed the door open, looking around with Akemi on her heels.

In the main room, a poker game was in full swing. Katsushiro was gazing at his hand with a doubtful expression on his face, while Kyoichi and Ukyo were arguing vehemently.

"Four of a kind does not beat a full house!"

"What the hell--are you crazy? Of course it does! Look, see?" Kyoichi grabbed the younger man's arm, indicating the cards. Seeing a potential fight, Akemi reached over and swatted both of them in the back of the head. "Stop it, you testosterone-poisoned psychopaths."

Seeing his sister and Tatsuko clean and dressed, Ukyo breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm gonna go take a bath. Katsu-kun, you owe me 300 yen."

There was a brief scuffle, as the others had the same plan. Tatsuko solved it by shoving all of them into the bath and locking the door, ignoring their complaints. "Men are so silly sometimes."


That night, following a hearty dinner and what would later become known as "The Great Ping-Pong War of Ishigaki Pass", Ukyo lay on his futon, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the snores of his companions, all of who had been forced into a single room. Mindlessly, he drummed his fingers on the scar on his stomach.

Kirara-kun…she could be dead or worse by now! I want to go to her…but if I tried to leave now, I'd never make it. Sitting up, he took his GPS out of his bag and turned it on, lighting his face with the green glow. Maybe I can find out more about that man.

"Oniichan…?" Next to him, Akemi stirred, rubbing her eyes. "You shouldn't be awake this late. It's..." She peered at her watch, squinting in the gloom. "My god, it's past midnight. Put that thing away and go to sleep." He sighed, muttering, "I can't help it. I'm so worried about Kirara-kun…and I can't do anything!"

She laid a hand on his arm. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. Now, get some sleep—you won't be able to help her if you pass out from exhaustion."


The next morning, freshly bathed, in clean clothes, and loaded down with food and supplies, they left. Ishigaki Pass was waiting.

Ukyo gazed up at it in shock. The road ascended steeply before disappearing into the fog that, according to the GPS, pervaded this area year-round. From what he could make out, the path was rocky and uneven. Next to him, Akemi sighed unhappily at the prospect of falling flat on her face. He squared his shoulders.

"Right. Let's get going."


Author's Notes

1. The newspaper wrote Ukyo's name in kanji, rather than katakana. As a side note, the name of the school Tatsuko runs, Ryugujo, is taken from Japanese mythology. It was an undersea palace of the Dragon King, therefore it makes sense that Tatsuko's children all have "dragonish" names—Tatsuro (dragon son), Tatsuya (become dragon), and Tatsumi (dragon beauty).

2. Beside the obvious physical resemblance, all of the Amanushi's clones have one other thing in common--they have zero sense of direction. Without his GPS, Ukyo might never have found Kanna-mura, even with a map.

3. Was Kirara even wearing that thing at the end of the series? I can't remember. Toshiki's daughter was married at a young age to a man very much like Ukyo was before this fic. She and her firstborn son died in childbirth, and Toshiki never forgave his son-in-law. This is also why he personally hates Ukyo, because he can see his daughter's fate threatening Kirara.

Next Chapter

Ukyo and the others brave the treacherous Ishigaki Pass to reach Kirara, and find a surprise waiting for them at the other side! Let the Battle of Uken-mura begin!