I hold no claim to any of the original characters!
Chapter Seven
The Friend
"AHH!"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
"Well, it hurts!"
"I know it does, Aito, but please." Aina begged her brother.
They were currently hiding in the city right now. The others were talking as the sisters took care of their brother's wound. Matoko watched in interest as Akahana took her blade and pressed it against the wound again. He held his cry in this time, pounding the side of his fist into the ground. Matoko knew the pain, having gone through it once or twice herself, but what she wanted to know was how they had gotten the blade hot without fire.
"Anyone got any ideas?" Gorobei asked, turning his own face away from the event beside him.
"Why don't we fight our way out?" Katsushiro offered.
"We can't wage war on empty stomachs," Heihachi replied, holding his own as it decided to growl.
"I know we're hungry but as we fled the city I left the rice behind." Rikichi hung his head. "I'm sorry."
Heihachi waved a hand. "That's not what I meant."
"It's time we called on old allies and lay low for a while," Kambei voiced.
"You got someone special in mind?" Gorobei asked.
"The only one I trust is my former wife."
Aina glanced at him. "You're former wife?"
"You were married?" Katsushiro asked.
"Yeah, to a man, maybe." Aito winced as he sat up to let Akahana wrap a bandage around him. "No woman in her right mind would be able to stand being married to that asshole."
Kambei ignored them all. "I'm not quite sure if that's still an option." He paused. "We'll leave here at sunset. Everyone rest up until then."
It was easier to move at night. Kambei ended up leading them to the Firefly Inn.
"Ah, alcohol!" Aito smiled happily as he walked towards the steps. "I can't wait to-"
"You," Akahana's voice made her brother pause and open his eyes. He followed her gaze up the steps to the form that stood before them.
"Oh lord, not you again!" Aito cried. "What part of 'stay away' do you not understand?!"
Shichiroji gave a laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "My apologies. It seems that fate has plans for us. Besides, you are the ones that came here."
"You have met before?" Kambei asked.
"Uh…yeah. We came here a few days before we met you guys and, well, there was a misunderstanding." Aina replied, a blush rising on her face.
"No, this idiot was just too drunk to realize that Aina wasn't his girlfriend!"
"I told you that I was sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!"
Matoko let out a laugh. "Apologies don't work on brothers over things like that, I'm afraid."
The new man rubbed the back of his head. "No they do not."
Shichiroji was tall with blond hair in a strange arrangement and brown eyes. His left arm was metal as he was dressed in purple, gold, and red.
"Keep your brother calm," Kambei told Akahana.
She glared at him but stayed silent. Now was not the time to get into an argument about giving orders. Aito glared at the blond man the entire night, but he didn't move. He made sure to keep Aina as far away from him, though.
"I would like for you to meet my old mate, Shichiroji."
Katsushiro gave a blush and bowed to the woman but Kambei told him that he was speaking about the blond man sitting beside him.
"Ha! I told you he was gay." Aito grinned; the others all laughed, even Shichiroji. Akahana just slapped a hand over her face.
"He and I shared the thrills and sorrows of war for many years." Kambei announced as he rubbed his chin.
"Oh, I get it." Katsushiro sighed.
"So the young lady is?" Gorobei began.
"I'm Yukino." She answered with a smile.
"Shichiroji, you lucky dog! To have such a beautiful wife!"
"And here we go," Akahana leaned backwards on the floor. "Let me know when this crap is over with." Kambei let a small smile spread across his lips, ignoring the others for a moment as he watched the other woman.
"So, you got Ayamaro after you." Shichiroji asked.
"Yeah," Gorobei answered. "For some reason that guy's really got it in for us."
"I heard than an Envoy was murdered."
"Convenient excuse for a samurai hunt." Kambei commented.
"They've been looking for one." The blond told him.
"Suppose the Magistrate's men were to come here, to Firefly House. How long could we hold them off?"
"Not long, if even at all."
"Please, we'd have no trouble!" Aito commented. "Just let me and my sisters take care of them."
"We're not trying to kill people, Aito," Aina hissed. "That would just cause more trouble."
"We're not samurai, so who cares?"
"Stuff it, you two." Akahana growled from her position on the floor, listening to the info on the escape route.
"Why? Has that been a problem in the past?" Gorobei asked.
"Not sure. No one's ever made it back to let me know."
"Be kind to remember that there is a child here," Matoko growled, crossing her arms. "She's scared enough already, ok?"
Shichiroji gave a smiled. "My apologies." Komachi turned and buried her face into Rikichi's shirt.
"That's enough scary-talk for the evening." Yukino clapped her hands and women began to bring in food and alcohol. "I want all of you to have a full experience of the Firefly."
"I don't want women in here, trying to flirt with us," Akahana told the woman as she sat up. "So don't even bother with them."
"Of course," Yukino smiled. "Trust me, I remember your orders from the last time you were here."
"You leave quite the impression," Gorobei smiled as the food was brought to them. "No matter where you go."
"That's how Akahana's always been," Aina smiled as she took a drink.
"I'm surprised that you're not married yet!" Matoko grinned.
Akahana was still, just for a moment, as Aito buried his face in his rice and Aina looked away. "Yes, well, things like that aren't something that I look for. A man wouldn't be able to handle such…such fire."
"Indeed." Matoko smiled.
She had clearly missed it, but Kambei hadn't. The events like this all had something to do with that Almoth Tragedy that Aina had mentioned a few days ago. He hadn't had time to find out what it was but he knew, without a doubt, that it was…bad.
The talk had turned to the village and then Kirara had made a comment about not wanting to eat while it starved. Akahana was gonna make a comment when Shichiroji pulled out some music and dancers.
"Wow! I love this place!" Heihachi cried. He had grabbed Matoko and pulled her up with him to dance. Aina gave a laugh and joined them. Akahana smiled, watching in enjoyment.
That night, Aina couldn't sleep. Kambei and Shichiroji were catching up over the five years they had parted and she didn't feel like sitting there and listening to them and so went for a walk around the grounds. The night was quite peaceful and calm; until she turned a corner and rammed right into a form.
"Ah, I'm sorry," she rubbed her face and looked up. "I didn't mean to-" Her voice caught. "Oh dear."
Kyuzo stared down at the young woman in silence for a moment. "You."
"And I'm gone," she turned back around the corner without another sound and ran down the hall, jumping into the first door around the next corner.
"Hey! What are you-Aina!" Aina jumped at the sound of the Kikuchiyo's voice behind her in the room and waved her hands, telling him to shut up, but he wouldn't listen to her. "I'm so glad I found you! I was worried that," He paused as his room was invaded by more people. Aina was gone and out the back door in seconds as Kyuzo entered in and sent the cyborg flying after her and straight into the room the others were staying in.
"Hey! I've been looking all over for you guys!" Kikuchiyo chuckled as he spotted the others standing before him. "Why are you all frowning? Well, whatever it is, rest assured, now that I'm back everything will be alright!"
"Everything will be alright!" Komachi repeated.
"Kirara! Aina! Oh, I found you!"
"Oh, not this guy again." Aina hung her head as the man continued to talk.
"Who is this?" Akahana asked.
"Meet our sister's kidnapper," Aito replied, rubbing his temples; he had apparently drunk too much.
Akahana turned her eyes to Ukyo. "What the fuck is all over your face?" She asked him. "What are you, some damn doll?"
Ukyo looked taken aback. "How dare you! I…" He was caught off-guard, hearts in his eyes. "Well, look at you! You didn't tell me that you had a sister, Aina!"
"Alright, you asked for it!" Kikuchiyo growled. "I'm gonna smash you flat!"
"Hold on," Shichiroji stepped in. "This is the village of respite, where the use of swords is forbidden. I can't have you breaking the rules."
"All right then, no swords!" Aito had already prepared his wind and fired it, knocking the entire enemy squad out of the room and into the garden. "Aina!"
"On it!" Shoving her fingers to her temples, Aina's lips began to glow blue as she muttered something under her breath. They all watched as the water in the garden formed a large cage-like object around the enemy.
"Let's get out of here before it breaks!" Akahana growled.
"Follow me!" Shichiroji told her, pulling up a secret passage from the floor. It led them to a boat.
"Aina, are you all right?" Aito asked. He pulled a face when she didn't answer. "Aina?"
"Leave her alone," Akahana told her brother. "She's in lala land over pretty-boy."
"Ukyo?"
"No, Kyuzo."
"Where!" Aina asked, turning her head. She then flushed. "That's not funny."
"Oh lord," Aito shook his head. "I was expecting you to have a thing for blondie, Akahana, not her."
"I have no need for games such as that anymore, Aito." The eldest sister told him. She glanced to the side, watching as Shichiroji said goodbye to his girlfriend.
"So, a fourth samurai, huh? And with a staff, no less." Aina asked.
"Yeah, a staff." Akahana lost herself in the pain she saw in Yukino's face. It made her think of her own past. Of Kisuke…
"It was a nice dream I was having," Shichiroji began. "But we all have to wake up some time." They came across a large cave but from behind there was a strange noise and they turned to see the enemy coming with a motorboat.
"We got company!" Heihachi announced.
"Any idea?" Matoko turned to Akahana.
"Several," She replied, standing up. She turned and glanced above the cave and let out a smile. "Aito, if you would."
"On it!" Her brother grinned, grabbing his wind techniques again. The force of the wind pushed the boat along faster, leaving the others to just follow behind them and take sight of the dead bodies hanging from the ceiling.
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