I know it's been nearly a month since the last chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but my muse was MIA for a while. And I just realized that my chapters are getting shorter and shorter as time goes on. Hmm…

Coming to a halt, Kyoichi leaned against a tree and shivered. The interrogation he had just undergone with Kambei Shimada had been one of the most intensely harrowing experiences of his life. For nearly an hour, under the guise of a friendly conversation, the samurai had questioned him about Ukyo, trying to find out everything Kyoichi knew. When he was done, the younger man had fled into the woods. I'm sorry, Ukyo. He's just…too scary. I wonder, would he really have killed me if I lied?

He slumped down into a sitting position, burying his head in his hands. What do I do now? I could go back home…Kohaku-san must really miss me by now. But if I do that, I'd be abandoning Ukyo-kun and Akemi-san to face that samurai. I can't do that. I have to stay here. He wondered what use Kanbei could make of the information he had received—after all, Kyoichi didn't know much about his companion. All I know is the way he fights…

Kambei knelt on the floor of Rikichi's home, pondering the information Kyoichi had given him. Ukyo's fighting style…he has apparently mastered several different styles of Houtedo. Dual handguns, sharpshooting…and from what I remember of our confrontation at the capital, he is skilled with rapid-fire weaponry as well. Defeating him…may require some…underhanded tactics. But sacrifices are necessary in times of war. Ukyo is a cancer that must be eradicated, for the good of the world.

He stood up, drawing his sword and inspecting the blade. Even if he wields the famed Orihime and Hikoboshi, there has never been a gun that can withstand samurai steel. Kyuuzo-dono…I will execute the man who caused your death. And if I fail…I'll see you in the afterlife. (1.)

Silently, he left the house and walked out into the summer sunshine. Deep in thought, he barely noticed when he arrived at Kirara's house, where her grandmother was sweeping the porch. He bowed politely.

"Good morning, Kaede-dono. Is Kirara-dono here?"

Kaede shook her head. "She ran off after breakfast…I don't know where she is now, great samurai. I think she may be at the waterfall."

Kambei nodded and continued down the road. I heard from Gisaku-dono that she and Ukyo are a couple. I can't believe she would have fallen for his tactics so easily…I must speak with her.

Restlessly, Ukyo paced the guard platform. "This is bad. This is very, very bad. What can we do?"

Akemi shrugged. After the first ten minutes, she had gathered up enough courage to move from the center of the guard platform to the edge closest to the tree, and was now leaned against the trunk, looking bored. "Well, let's see…the last time you tried to fight him, you almost died. The last time you tried to face a samurai head-on—although I'm not sure if Hirosegawa counted—you almost died. So…" She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

Ukyo frowned, leaning against the railing. "So..." And then realization dawned, and his face lit up. "That's it! Akemi-chan, you're a genius!"

Akemi blinked. "Um…you've lost me." Her brother hugged her fiercely, and she yelped; when he released her, Ukyo asked, "Do you remember that book by that gunslinger, Saya Minatsuki? (2.) She wrote about a special technique she had developed for fighting samurai—ricocheting bullets."

She grinned. "Ah, I remember now. But didn't she die at the hands of a samurai?" Ukyo glared at her. "That's beside the point. Do you think you can scrounge up some targets?"

"Well…I think if I ask around the village I can get some old junk or something. Fujiko-chan might have stuff. You know, this is a pretty dangerous technique. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ukyo nodded. "I don't particularly want to fight Shimada, but I'll have to be able to defend myself if he comes after me—nobody else will."

Akemi smacked him. "What am I, chopped liver?" He sighed, rubbing his arm. "If you and I gang up on him, you might actually wind up killing him—and I know you don't want Kirara-kun to hate you. And Katsu-kun isn't going to fight his sensei, especially to help a guy who, may I remind you, won the affections of a girl he used to have a crush on."

As he helped her down the ladder, she remarked, "You don't think he still…?"

Ukyo snorted. "Did you see him with Shino-san last night? He stuck to her like white on rice. He even tried to impress her father with stories of how he was fighting the Nobuseri."

She giggled, catching the end of the rope ladder and throwing it up to the guard platform, where it landed with a thud. "That takes guts. Most guys in the village are scared to death of Manzo—gutless wimps. Hmm…maybe Katsu isn't so useless after all."

As Kaede had predicted, Kirara was sitting by the waterfall, staring into the mist. The water crystal was tied to her wrist; in her hands, she held the small revolver Toshiki had given her, mindlessly running her fingers over the smooth metal. Her mind raced.

I…I killed someone…

He would have killed you and Ukyo if you hadn't pulled that trigger. He needed to die.

But still…but still, I… She felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyelids, and wiped them away with her fingers.

A twig snapped behind her, and she sprang to her feet, whirling around to meet the newcomer's gaze. "Kambei-sama!" He smiled faintly, but there was little warmth in it. "Kirara-dono…I've been meaning to talk to you about a rather important matter."

She watched him nervously as he continued. "Gisaku-dono told me a rather unusual story when I arrived yesterday. He told me that you had started a relationship of sorts with Ukyo. Now…was he telling the truth?"

Kirara's eyes widened. Yes…yes, I love Ukyo. I love him and there is nothing you can do to take him away from me. If I tell you that, you won't still try to kill him, will you? She smiled, her first smile since the day she killed Shigeo. "Yes."

Rage twisted the old samurai's features, and Kirara flinched back. "How could you?! After what he did—after what he was planning to do—how can you stand there and say you're with him?! I thought you had more sense!"

She gulped and trembled, staring at the ground. "I…I love him. I really do. He is kind and brave and intelligent. He may not be the most honorable of men, but I know he would never hurt me. Not now, not after he gave up his old life entirely to see me again."

Kambei growled. I don't believe her. Ukyo can't possibly have changed so much so quickly. "I'll be watching him. If he tries anything…" He turned on his heel and left, melting into the trees.

Kirara sat back down with a dull thud. This is dreadful. What can I do? If he gets the chance…he'll kill Ukyo. I…I can't let that happen. She looked down at the revolver she had dropped in the grass. It was quite pretty, with its engravings of clouds and waves. Hard to believe it was made to kill. If…if Kambei-sama goes after Ukyo…I might need to fight him as well. But…it's Kambei. I don't want… She began to cry, burying her face in her hands and sobbing helplessly. The water crystal on her wrist began to glow faintly.

What do I do? Great Inari-sama…Benzaiten…great kami, what do I do? Tell me! Please…if you haven't forsaken me, give me guidance.

Meanwhile, in another part of the woods, the air rang with the sounds of gunfire. Akemi had found enough junk to furnish a collection of acceptable targets, and Ukyo, outfitted in shooting glasses and earplugs, was attempting to get his shots to ricochet. He wasn't having much luck.

He swore loudly as another bullet thudded into a tin can and lodged there. "Dammit! It just isn't working…maybe I need to use lighter ammo. Akemi, can you—" He looked around, and realized that he was talking to thin air; his sister had left for the village some time ago.

His hands tightened around Hikoboshi. Right. Let's try this again. This time, he thought back to his lessons with Tatsuko, focusing his ki. (3.) The gun trembled in his hands as he dug his heels in. Much to his delight, the shot hit a piece of scrap metal and bounced, slamming into a tree trunk. Excellent. Okay, let's see, if I stand over here…

Several hours later, as the sun went down, Akemi rejoined him, standing well out of range of any stray bullets. She grinned as Ukyo lined up another shot.

The bullets bounced from tin can to tree stump to broken-down crate before lodging in a salvaged Nobuseri part. Akemi clapped wildly as Ukyo took his earplugs out, asking her, "That was good, right?"

"Excellent! I came to tell you that dinner is ready, by the way. You'd better wash up before you eat—you kinda smell like gunpowder. Oh, and Kyoichi is eating with us."

Dinner at Kirara's house was subdued that night. Kirara picked at her food, barely eating despite her grandmother's entreaties, while a ravenous Ukyo bickered with Komachi over the last of the rice.

Kyoichi stared at his plate without really seeing what he was eating, until Akemi elbowed him in the ribs. "Kyoichi-san, whassamatta? You're so quiet, and that's not like you." The man shuddered. I can't tell them. I can't…but I have to. Quietly, he replied, "I spoke to Kambei-sama this morning."

Ukyo paused, shoving the rice bowl over to Komachi. "So? What'd he do?"

Avoiding eye contact with the other inhabitants of the room, Kyoichi blurted out, "He threatened me…until I told him about you. I swear I didn't mean to! It just kind of spilled out…You do know how incredibly scary he is, right?"

Ukyo's eyes narrowed. "What, exactly, did you tell him?"

Kyoichi's head snapped up, looking at the younger man with wide, frightened eyes. "N-nothing! Just…I told him about the way you fight…"

"Oh, is that all?" Kyoichi blinked; Akemi sighed in relief as her brother clarified, "It doesn't matter if he knows my fighting style—I know the way he fights, and his method doesn't change. I've been developing a new technique which should help defeat him." Kirara shivered, and Ukyo wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm not going to kill him if I can help it; don't worry."

Kirara closed her eyes, leaning into Ukyo's touch. It's not Kambei-sama I'm worried about, Ukyo…it's you.

The next morning, Kambei walked down the dusty road to Kirara's house. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed. Katsushiro was trailing him at a safe distance, watching his movements carefully. He had heard from Shino that morning that the older samurai was planning to fight Ukyo, and Katsushiro wanted to be there to help—his old sensei or Ukyo, Katsushiro wasn't sure.

Kambei-dono is my sensei. I owe him my allegiance and my respect…and Ukyo is supposed to be my enemy! He's annoying and rude to me and I should want him dead, but…he is good to Kirara-dono and hasn't harmed her. I don't like or trust him…but I don't think he deserves to be killed.

Katsushiro flattened himself against the wall of a nearby house to watch as Kambei strode up to Kirara's house. As usual, Ukyo was sitting on the porch, cleaning his handguns. He stopped working, but did not look up when Kambei approached. The samurai snapped, "Duel me."

Ukyo met his gaze without fear. "Gladly…but only on my terms, which are these. If I win, you will leave Kanna-mura, and you will never attack me again. Do we have a deal?"

Kambei growled. "I don't make deals with dead men. Fight me!" And he attacked.

Ukyo barely had enough time to dodge, flinging himself sideways to avoid the swing. Grabbing Orihime, he fired three shots in rapid succession, only to have them blocked by Kambei. The gunslinger cursed as he scrambled out of the way of repeated blows, desperately trying to gain enough distance for a successful shot. Each wrong move left him with another scratch. Finally, he executed a backwards jump that put him yards away from the samurai. Focusing his ki, he fired a single shot.

Meanwhile, Kirara and Akemi hid inside the house, the gunslinger standing on a box to see out of the high window. As Ukyo fired, she grabbed Kirara, motioning to her to listen to what was going on. At the sound of gunfire, Kaede started to pray, head bowed.

Kambei snorted in derision as the shot went wide. "You—" He never finished his sentence, as the bullet Ukyo had just fired bounced off a fence to slam into his leg. As he stumbled, he saw Ukyo grinning. "Give up yet, Kambei-kun?" With a snarl, Kambei lunged. Ukyo sprang out of the way, firing rapidly. Most of them missed, but two more shots connected, and the samurai grunted in pain.

"Aaagh…" Kambei had been shot in the right arm twice, and wobbled on his feet, losing his grip on his sword. Through blurred vision, he saw Ukyo tremble, relaxing his grip on his guns. Excellent. Using his ki must have weakened him… Smirking, he spoke.

"You know, Ukyo…you cause destruction wherever you go. Everywhere…even Kirara-dono. I heard what happened to her…how she killed someone to save your worthless life. She can't use her water crystal now…She's corrupted, and it's all your fault, Ukyo!"

Ukyo steadied himself, focusing his vision and his ki. Through gritted teeth, he replied, "Kirara-kun…is not…corrupt." In a single, fluid motion, he fired with Orihime, and Kambei dropped.

Katsushiro gasped in shock, rushing from his hiding spot to assist his sensei. Ukyo gave him a dirty look. "Were you planning on stabbing me from behind, brat?" The young samurai glared at him.

The women hurried out of the house, Akemi catching her brother as his legs buckled. "Oniichan! Are you okay?" He glared at her, shaking her off and straightening up. "Why didn't you jump in and help me? That guy could have killed me!"

She looked at him incredulously and moved to help Kirara take Kambei into the house. "You have lost your mind. Those ricocheting bullets are dangerous! I coulda gotten hurt trying to help you do something you accomplished perfectly well on your own."

Ukyo smiled to himself as realization dawned. She's right. I…I did it. I defeated Kambei Shimada, and now he can never come back here to bother me again.

Kambei groaned in pain from where he laid on the futon the women had dragged out for him. Kirara knelt by his side, bandaging his shoulder.

"Kirara-san, why don't you use the water crystal? It would heal him much faster, and he could leave sooner." Kyoichi leaned against the far wall, watching the procedure with interest. Kirara smiled sadly. "I have been…corrupted. I can no longer heal people with the water crystal."

Ukyo snorted; Akemi caught her brother's eye and smirked, nodding her head towards the injured samurai. Under her breath, she added, "That'll teach him to say bad things about Kirara, huh?"

Kambei and Kyoichi left the next week.

As the villagers watched the samurai stride off into the distance, Akemi blew him a raspberry. "Take that, jerk!" Next to her, Kyoichi was loading his things into his Yakan. Calmly, he told her, "You're acting like a little kid, Akemi-san." Indeed, Komachi had done much the same thing.

Akemi grinned. "So? I'm allowed to act like a kid sometimes. Are you finally going home?"

Kyoichi nodded, climbing into the Yakan. From the porch, Ukyo called out, "Tell your girlfriend I said hi!" The villagers added their own well-wishes as the lid clanged shut, and Kyoichi zoomed away towards Kurume-mura.

Kirara walked out of the house to stand beside Ukyo, laying a hand on his arm. He turned to her with a knowing smirk. "You were lying about not being able to use your water crystal." She gazed at him innocently. "What are you talking about? I only rediscovered my healing powers recently…"

He flung his head back and laughed, hugging the mikumari to him. "Kirara, I love you."

The next day, a delivery turtle ran into the village, stopping in front of Kirara's house. The driver called, "Mail for…um…it says here "Akemi Sadomura." (4.) Akemi ambled out of the house barefoot, accepting the letter the driver thrust into her hands. She read the return address and gasped, nearly dropping it as she rushed back inside the house.

"Guys! Guys, check out this letter!"

Curious, they gathered around as she tore open the letter, carefully reading the first sentence out loud.

"As a returning champion…it is our pleasure and honor to extend to you an invitation to participate…in this year's Kanritsu Shageki Taikai! Yes!"

As she started to dance around the room in joy, Ukyo grabbed the letter out of her hands. "Let me see that! Oooh, listen—it's two weeks from now, and they're holding it…damn this small print…on the northern outskirts of Kougakyo! That's not too far from here! Who wants to go?"

Komachi sprang up. "Me, me! I want to go! Can we, oneesama?" Kirara smiled. "Well…I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to accompany Ukyo-san and Akemi-san." Akemi grinned. "That's great! Oh, you'll like it there. All these booths spring up—it's like a festival. There's food, and nice hotels, and stuff to buy…I can't wait!"

Kirara sighed. I'm still a little nervous…but I suppose now is a good time to ask. "Ukyo-san…may I speak to you? In private, please." He rose, following her into the kitchen. Once there, she pulled out a silver revolver. Ukyo blinked in surprise as she bowed to him.

"I want you to teach me how to use this."

Author's Notes

1. Yeah, Kambei still wants revenge for Kyuuzo. His attitude—that no mere gunslinger could possibly defeat a samurai—is common among the samurai class, who usually view Houshou (gunners—remember that term from chapter 3?) as dishonorable cowards.

2. Saya Minatsuki is a character from the manga Black Cat, a bounty hunter who used ricocheting bullets to bring down her targets. She was killed by a guy using a katana, but shot off the blade of his sword before succumbing to the wounds he gave her.

3. If samurai can use ki to deflect huge energy beams, gunners should also be able to. They don't put as much importance on using ki as samurai do, but it is useful for certain techniques. Also, shooting glasses—basically, think of sunglasses with yellow lenses, used to filter out glare. They are also shatterproof.

4. "Sadomura" is a false name, which means "sand village" (because Akemi is from Kougakyo, a city built on the edge of a desert). She uses a pseudonym to ensure that her opponents are not intimidated by her status, and to avoid trouble from any family enemies.

On a side note, Akemi's invitation to the tournament is highly unusual, a privilege extended only to last year's champions. (Ukyo fought last year too, winning the shotgun Denkomaru, but he didn't get an invitation because they think he's dead.) Normally, contestants must qualify by winning local or regional tournaments.

Next Chapter

After Kirara's surprising request, she works hard to master the gun. Then, Akemi, Ukyo, and the mikumari sisters are off to the Kanritsu Shageki Taikai, where the tournament winners will receive a cash prize and a one-of-a-kind gun! Ukyo re-registers (thanks to the fact that nearly everyone there knows him), but his chances of winning are jeopardized when he runs into an old girlfriend! Will he and his sister still be able to win? Find out next time!