AN: Hi! Wow it's been years hasn't it? I'm so sorry, I never meant to let it go for this long. I've always knew what I wanted however finding creative timing wasn't the best. But I've figured out a good formula. Late nights, my Samurai 7 DVD's and silence. They've worked and I've gotten out a few long chapters. Hopefully it will keep up.

So I guess I've kept you waiting long enough. On with the story!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 9

The moments passed like a blur of panic, and she watched as the Grandmother Priestess ran in and out of the hut. Calling for water, bandages, and sharper knives. The rush to save Katsuchiro was as amazing as it was horrifying. The image of Katsuchiro falling face first into the dirt beneath him replayed over and over inside her head like a horrible nightmare.

Kambei was the first to act, ripping cloth from his robes and rushing over to the boy and began wrapping his wound. Kirara was behind him like a shadow, immediately calling for certain herbs and water. They quickly built a stretcher and immediately hauled him back to the village where they took him to the Priestess' hut, that was several hours ago and it was the same ever since. She was also quite surprised by the reaction of the villagers.

The entire village waited with her.

"Sino!"

Her head shot up and Kirara stood in front of her with blood covered clothes and cloths. "What are you doing?" Kirara asked.

Tears streaked down her face "I…I don't know what to do" she replied weakly.

"We need your help" Kirara told her sternly "Katsuchiro-sama needs your help. We need fresh cloths and more hot water. Do you remember my stream?"

The stream her and Kirara would travel to daily when they were younger. It eventually became Kirara's stream when she became priestess, the water called to her. Sino nodded "I remember."

"I need you to go there and fill as many vases with water…we're going to need the purest kind in order to clean the wound" Kirara said.

Another shock of panic spread through Sino "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Kiraras expression immediately turned concerned "The bullet had something in it" she replied "Like a poison. It's spreading fast, we're trying to get as much of it out but…but it's just spreading so fast."

The realization of Kirara's words sunk in, and immediately Sino knew she had to give everything she had despite her discomfort in the matter. Her face grew firm as her determination grew strong. She nodded and stood up "I'll help in anyway I can. I'll collect as many bandages and as possible and I'll fill the canisters with water."

"What?" Gozo asked

"Father forgive me for saying this" Sino told him "But if you're not going to help, then leave."

She then turned and ran out into the village to collect items.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In all the commotion it seemed that only Kyuzo remembered the problem at hand. He turned down and stared at the mist that surrounded the mountain. Scouts .They were there…lurking. They most likely heard Sino's scream and know that a Samurai has been hit.

The weakest link he told himself. Katsuchiro was young, brash, and arrogant in a foolish way. It was an inevitable action, and it was better to happen now, while the enemy were momentarily weakened, instead of later in the depth of battle.

"You're a strange person Kyuzo" Hiroko told him.

He didn't turn to face her, but she continued "You said you'd protect me, and then you asked me to take your back…why?"
"It is Suki that needs protection" Kyuzo replied "Not you."

She smirked "Yes it is not me that needs protection…and what of you Great Kyuzo? Have you ever needed…protection?"

He then turned and stared her in the eyes "Your suggesting that I need protection from you?" The corner turned up the side of his mouth and she couldn't help but feel…irritated by it.

"Don't be so arrogant" she said "Many men have looked at my body and thought that they could break it like a twig. And yet here I stand while they lay in the ground."

The corner didn't turn down, he just stared at her. "What is it you want?" he asked.

It was her turn now to smile "I want…Ukyo" she replied.

That seemed to surprise him "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The day this" she gestured to her body "Happened. I was in the middle of something with Ukyo. It seemed I'd gone a step too far and so I was taken and used a part of experiments. I want to finish what I'd started."

…. Experiment?

Kyuzo watched as the body was chained and lifted from the ground. "This for a simple body guard?"

"Not just any body guard" the man beside him replied "She was hand picked from birth to be a warrior. Training since before she could walk. The perfect warrior."

Kyuzo watched as they moved the body from sight, and couldn't help but think.

The perfect warrior.

His hands hovered over his sword.

"You were the one that tried to kill Ukyo."

"I let my guard down for a moment because I thought Tessai was gone and that we were alone" she replied "I paid for that…but it's not a mistake I will make again."

He then turned towards the cliff. "Are you ready samurai?" He asked,

Her green eyes flashed. "I'm ready for anything Great Kyuzo" she smiled reaching for the sword on her hip.

The two dove into the dense fog.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Lord Ukyo"

Ukyo turned lazily towards Tessai and the guards "Yes?" he demanded with nothing but bitterness in his voice.

"I think we found a trail" Tessai told him.

"Tessai" Ukyo said "We've been following your 'trails' for the past week. I'm sick of the hunting, now I want the catch! So when we actually FIND the vessel tell me."

"I think we found the remains of one of the vessels."

Ukyo turned his body in interests "But…didn't they already find three vessels?"

He walked over and peered down at the body laying on the ground, "It could be that this is just a dead body."

"Perhaps what we found, was a dead body. They've yet to be examined" Tessai told him "We'll send this back to the capital."

Ukyo grumbled under the intense heat, he pulled out a fan and began to relieve himself "I think this is a waist of time."

Tessai however wasn't listening to the prince's rumblings. He was thinking over the evidence collected so far. Three bodies found, all completely empty. And here was a forth, still empty…yet no sign of the souls that inhabited them. He scratched his chin, they began the program with a single body. A strong one, they needed a strong body in order to go through the process. And it had to be female. They'd tried it on males before, however the male human body was unequipped to house and create life that was a woman's job. So they found a woman. A strong one at that.

Perhaps too strong. She alone almost killed the young master, if it were up to Tessai she would've been killed immediately. However the Emperor was quite set on his experiments; he brushed her attempted assassination off like it was a leaf in the wind. Just passing by. Then he used her to house the souls.

"With this warrior we will no longer even need Nobuseri" said the Emperor "Imagine, beauty, strength, skill, power, the ability to destroy an entire army herself."

He'd remembered hearing the screams through the dungeon and into the city. He remembered on his daily walks how people would whisper of waking to the horrible screams. This began the rumors of a ghost in the city, one that had been murdered and continued to scream, looking for the ones that took her life.

This was no ghost though, he knew it, the Emperor knew it, and the young Master knew it. However they were the only ones, even Kyuzo and Hyuugo had been kept from that secret. Not that they cared, both had been genuine Samurai. Devoted to their cause, and did not question it.

And then there was the oracle. It was saved for last, to be downloaded lastly into the human body. However she was stolen before then, and supposedly dumped into the middle of the desert. That meant that the oracle was somewhere out there as well, however if they hadn't been cut short and the process was indeed finished then out there was the most dangerous samurai this world knew…and whomever they were didn't even know it. He shuttered to think

"Are you listening to me Tessai!" came the Ukyo's squeal "You're just standing there with your eyes in the wind!"

He turned with a surprised look "I'm sorry Young Master" he thought "I was just thinking over evidence."

"I swear Tessai, you're just like my father" Ukyo whined "You don't listen to me either."

Tessai went to argue when a guard ran up "Lord Ukyo, Tessai-sama" he said "We've discovered where the trail is leading!"

Tessai turned "Yes? Where?"

"To the village under siege" the guard told them "To Kanna-village!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pain was like a stab with a dull knife, continuously running it's dim blade through him. And when he breathed, it twisted and turned into a drill, swirling around his insides. He became numb to it a little after awhile, his body was going to into shock, too much pain. And it became worse when he felt it reaching out with black talons, into his lungs, and towards his heart, a fire had began inside of him, it's deep flames licked at his insides consuming whatever lay in his path. He tried to cry out however his voice was not obeying him, and the talons dug further into his bowels, slashing and hacking at his entrails. His arms felt cold; as if he lifted them they'd fall off, a painful cold, like there were buckets of ice around them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sino and Kirara worked quickly as they removed Katsuchiro's shirt, "We have to stop the poison before it gets to his heart" Kirara told Sino.

She looked over his chest that had tiny black lines along it, "It's not moving too quickly, and it's going down his arms and into his lungs first" Sino said "If we stop it before it consumes his heart then we should be able to save the rest."

"What are you going to do?" Komachi asked.

Neither paid attention to the young one, Sino reviewed the wound that was in Katsuchiro's throat…it' had almost closed. "I'm going to reopen this" she said "It may be the best way to suck the poison out."

"Grandmother do you have the medicine?" Kirara asked.

The old priestess nodded and waddled up with a bowl of liquid. "We need to get him to swallow this" she said.

Sino nodded "I'll suck as much of the poison out as possible."

"Mira, Mika" she called out to the twins who ran over quickly "I'm going to pock small wounds into these two points in his arms" she said as she pointed "When I do, suck as much poison out as you can. When you start sucking out blood. Stop."

"But…it's it mixing with his blood?" Mika asked.

Kirara shook her head "This type of poison was designed for Nobuseri, wires and oil not blood so it won't mix."

The two nodded their heads "When you've sucked out most of the poison, cover his wounds."

The two nodded, "Grandmother," Kirara spoke "Where is the oil?"

The eldest Priestess placed down three cups of oil. And then three empty cups. "There you go."

"Squish this around your mouth and spit the poison into the empty cups. Once most of the poison is out I'm going to force him to drink this medicine. You'll have to hold him down."

The girls seemed nervous, would they be able to rival the strength of a samurai? Even together?

Sino pulled out a large and wide pin, she took a breath "Be strong Katsuchiro-sama" she whispered.

She then reached down and thrust the sharp side in, Katsuchiro jerked however the moment the black paste began to ooze out of the wound Mika attached her lips to it, sucking then spiting the poison into the small cup beside her.

She then reached over and repeated the same action on the other side. Mira mimicked her sister.

She then breathed as she reached up to his neck, 'Careful' she told herself 'Don't make it too deep. Just deep enough.'

She dropped the pin and reached for her own knife, biting her lip she then punctured the closed wound, black cream oozed from the wound and she immediately attached herself to the wound.

Kirara watched as the three made quick effort to save the samurai. She prepared a long bamboo straw as the girls sucked the poison out. And then she turned and quickly fastened a small funnel together.

Mika then sat up, she spit the rest of the poison into the overflowing cup "Finished" she said.

Grandmother Priestess gave her a cup of hot water. Mira soon followed, and finally Sino.

"Quickly, place this in that hole" Kirara said.

Sino didn't question. She grabbed the straw and forced it in, Kirara then immediately poured the medicine into Katsuchiro's wound. Mira, and Mika had prepared and were currently holding Katsuchiro's legs and arms.

His body jumped as the straw was inserted, and fought harder when Kirara began pouring the medicine down his throat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kyuzo and Hiroki ducked behind a large stone "The fog is thick" Kyuzo stated "We'll have to go in blind."

Hiroki scuffed.

Let me take control

Get out of my head!

This mission is beyond you.

…what did you say?

You do not possess the foresight to see your enemy in this fog.

I do not need foresight I am samurai. I can sense everything around me.

"Sana"

"No"

Kyuzo turned as Hiroki's eyes faded into a deep sea blue. Her face became calm.

She then turned to him and gave a small nod "I'll go in first" she told him.

He nodded.

She then turned and closed her eyes, she focused on her hearing, and it pierced through the dense fog as if a lifting a curtain. "100 yards away" she whispered.

She could taste the metal on her tongue; she could smell the rust, "4 tobito, and three yokan."

There was something else…a small whistle in the distance. Her ears rang.

"Any Nobuseri?"

She shook her head then breathed deep as she rested her right hand on the ground, a booming sound, like a rumbling dragon began to form in her ears, the smell of rust, oil, and dried blood entered her nose "Another three" she replied "Not too far into the valley…it's best to remain as low the ground as possible."

"Is there more?"

She tried to concentrate…however the ringing. The ringing was getting louder and louder.

She turned and opened her eyes "There is always more" she replied.

"We should do a sweep around the entire area" Kyuzo told her.

Quality…Kyuzo….should be….think?

W-what?

Wha…with you-….oice?

With every word the voices were fading. But at the same time there was a faint ringing in her ears. She couldn't help but feel fear run down her spine as if water were being poured on her.

What's going on?

Don'…ow.

It seem…fading…for now….

Kyuzo watched as her eyes flickered. Not only with color, but emotion. Specks of panic, curiosity, fear, and as he watched the colors and emotions cover her eyes he saw panic begin to overtake them as a deep brown rippled through.

"Oh no" she whispered.

"What is it?" he asked his curiosity getting the better of him.

She looked up at him with chocolate eyes "They're gone" she said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AN: There's going to be some Kyuzo-Suki fluff coming up in the next chapter. I'll upload it too.

Also to my readers, I'm thinking of writing a lemon for an upcoming chapter, and I was wondering if you think that would be in good taste. So once you've read this, please review and tell me if you want me to upload the lemon onto this site after I get to that chapter, or not. If not I'm writing a few stories on and I'll upload it there.

Later!