Shinku Raikou (Crimson Lightning)

-Chapter Eleven-

This time the music was slow and peaceful, just what she needed. A calm soul to soothe her raging one. Needed someone who could make her forget for now all the problems and troubles she would have to face. She moved this through her music, calling out to someone who she needed at the time. Earlier she had needed company which was why Kambei had come; she wondered who fit her description through her music. The notes trailed through the air, carried by the breezes and even the fireflies seemed to sway in time with the music. Then thoughts of Tanomo filled her mind changing the shape of her music.


In the room below where Maro sat eating, the samurai sat patiently, all except Kikuchi, when Akane's music seemed to float in. Kirara walked in slowly, a small smile on her face at the music.

"You can tell what her music means?" asked Masamune from his seat.

Kirara nodded, "she's angry, filled with too many thoughts but trying to calm down," then the music suddenly changed and Kirara frowned, "now she's even angrier, sad even..."

Before Kambei could think to stand, Kyuzo was already up and leaving to the roof. The older samurai watched him go with jealousy in his heart but chained up the jealous demon and let his mind relax. He wasn't meant for love otherwise he would have found it by now.


Kyuzo leapt up onto the roof with ease, and looked forwards to see Akane slowly calming her song down to its previous tune before ending.

"It seems my music really does bring those I need when I need them," she spoke quietly as he moved to sit beside her.

She leant sideways, resting her head against his shoulder and his arms automatically wrapped round her.

"Tell me."

She sighed quietly but moved to speak again, "back in the Great War, I made quiet a few friends, more than just Kambei and Shichiroji...one of them was called...Tanomo," she was silent for a moment, relishing in the soothing warmth that Kyuzo seemed to radiate, "he was a human samurai back then and we were fast friends but...he turned traitor to the Nobuseri."

Without a thought he pulled her into his lap and stroked her hair gently as she carried on her story, her eyes clouded with images of her past.

"I was also a part assassin and the higher ups wanted me to find the traitor and kill them...so I cut down anything in my way until I found the traitor," she shivered, "and he turned round, asked me to wait before revealing himself as Tanomo...I was so angry at his betrayal that I killed him before he could even blink...like back then with Gorobei...I did the same to him as I did to that Raiden," tears rose to her eyes before she brushed them away and took a deep breath, "I thought I'd killed him and lived with the guilt at having killed a friend with that attack so I never used it again...I refused to even use my swords and started a new life in Kanna but one of the Raiden that attack Kanna warned us that if I continued to fight them they would send in their leader, Tanomo...I was so angry that I killed the Raiden without a thought...if he knows I'm still alive and live in Kanna...he'll not only come after me but he'll destroy everything to get to me."

Kyuzo stroked her cheek with his thumb, looking into her teary eyes and kissed her lightly, "he will never know."

"Thank you," she whispered with closed eyes.

He sat there for a while longer, Akane asleep in his arms before slowly standing, carrying Akane bridal style before leaping down. Turning, he asked Yukino where her room was. Yukino looked momentarily shocked before smiling warmly and motioned for him to follow.

"I take it you are one of those that Akane-chan loves deeply," Yukino smiled as Kyuzo lay Akane gently on her futon and tucked her in.

His silence was enough of an answer to her question. Yukino rest a hand on his arm.

"Keep her safe Kyuzo-sama."

He looked at her with an unreadable face before nodding.

Yukino left and slowly shut the sliding door but Kyuzo noticed Kambei behind her in another room across from Akane's, the samurai's eyes meeting his before the door shut. Kyuzo looked down at Akane with a soft expression that no one would ever see before laying his double-katana sheathe down gently and tugging off his coat and shirt, boots already kicked off, before laying down beside her. He pulled the blanket round him also as it was cold. Kyuzo's arms wrapped round her again and, even though she was fast asleep, Akane nestled back into him. He almost moaned at her being so close. Despite being only apart a day or so it felt much longer to him; he needed her just as much as she needed him. As he slipped into a relatively deep sleep for once, he recalled Kambei's earlier face as the door had closed. The burn of jealousy in the older samurai's eyes.

'Akane told me she and Kambei had been close,' he thought, 'but I will not let her go again,' he unconsciously drew her close to him, 'even if I have to fight everyone for her.'


(A/N: Here's a LEMON scene coming up now so if you don't like it skip past to the end of the warning! My first LEMON so meh...)

Morning dawned the next day with a fresh start. Birds sand outside in the trees, the faint trickling of water adding to the blissful paradise. Akane stirred slowly, the warmth threatening to send her back to slumber but the persistent light streaming in from the window decided it for her. Akane made to sit up but two arms tightened round her waist and she smiled softly. Looking back, her eyes met crimson as Kyuzo opened his eyes. Turning in his arms until she was facing him, she smiled warmly at him, "thanks for keeping me company last night."
"I want payback," he muttered huskily.

Akane giggled as he rolled them until she was on her back and he was over her. Their lips caught in a passionate kiss until his nimble fingers worked at her clothes. They seemed to fall away from her body leaving her pale skin to gleam in the sun light. Scars lined her torso, one stretching from her stomach to her right hip, another long scar from her right collarbone curving to the base of her neck while there were stab and bullet scars here and there. Kyuzo didn't care; they made her look even more beautiful.

Kyuzo slowly kissed his way down her neck, sucking on her heating skin lightly until he reached a scar, tracing it with his lips to her collarbone and sucking once again, eliciting a delicious moan from the woman beneath him. Akane's hands roamed across his bare torso where he had his fair share of scars. One in particular close to his heart in a cross shape. Another that caught her eye came from his left shoulder, crossing to his right side. She ran her fingers gently over the scars making him shiver lightly and kiss her more passionately, more hungrily. Both were slowly losing themselves to temptation that they had succumbed to a few days ago in the Shikimoribito's cave. Akane's hands tugged at his pants, breathless as he continued his path of tracing her skin with his lips.

"Kyuzo....please...." she practically begged.

He smirked against her skin before removing the last of his clothing, his need in plain sight. Lust shone in their eyes as he teased himself at her entrance causing her to moan, her hands scrabbling against his back and to his hair, unconscious rambling for him to enter her. And he did. There was no pain like the first time, just unlimited pleasure making them moan in perfect timing.

Akane's legs wrapped round his waist, drawing him in deeper as she arched her back with his pace, pumping into her with slow but deliberately deep thrusts. Still, he couldn't keep that pace for long and was soon letting the lust take him over. He captured her lips in an almost hurried kiss, just to remind himself that it was her he was making love to. Not some geisha but Akane, his Akane. They tried to keep their moans quiet for fear of being heard, muted by each other's lips until they came with an almost exploding force that shook their bodies. Akane's wild scream was swallowed by him, Kyuzo fighting every urge to scream himself. He had never felt so much for anyone but her.

(A/N: LEMON over! It was short after all :P )

Slipping out of her, he rolled to his side, bringing her sweaty body to his, both breathing harshly but a smile on their faces. Kyuzo had never been so happy in his life, never felt such a love for someone. His eyes widened at the thought.

'Love....'

His eyes moved down to Akane who was resting her cheek against his rising and falling chest.

Akane had her eyes closed, savouring her time with Kyuzo, her mind slowly climbing back from its high perch in heaven. Only he seemed to make her reach the skies in such a passionate moment. It was not an unknown thought when her mind ran over three words.

'I love him...'

But did she have the courage to tell him?


A few hours later, both managed to part themselves from each other and dress. Kyuzo watched silently as Akane dressed into different clothing than usual. This time she wore black breeches not unlike his own and black boots. Her shirt was white with long, baggy sleeves that hung over her hands and trailed down from her wrist, a red and gold obi wrapped round her middle and swords strapped either side of her hips like usual. She turned and smiled at him.

"I believe Shichiroji, Heihachi and Rikichi have finally arrived!"

The two left to Sanae's room to find them all outside, Rikichi inside with Sanae, both crying, parted from each other by themselves. Akane sighed quietly and shook her head as Kambei turned his head and left. She looked up at Kyuzo who was already looking at her with a strange look in his eyes.

Kambei stood outside when his old friend Shichi followed.

"So painful..." he sighed, leaning back against the wooden banister separating the Inn from the garden.

"The surprise in her eyes...I'll never forget," Kambei spoke quietly, his eyes out across the koi pond.

"That sounds unlike you," Shichi remarked looking up at him.

"After looking at those eyes...there was nothing I could do, I'm still a novice," he closed his eyes, hiding the pain that had escaped there, and it wasn't from Sanae and Rikichi.

Shichiroji sighed, "the weather brings back memories...anyways its a sign of old age when we keep talking about the past."

Kambei was silent when Shichi looked at him closely.

"You're not thinking about Sanae-dono anymore..." he stood up tall and put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "you're thinking of Akane-chan."

Kambei opened his eyes and looked at him tiredly, "you know me too well..." before looking down at the koi pond, "it is the same...when she and Kyuzo returned earlier, I could see it in her eyes, the light of life she had lost before...I could never take that from her."

"Even at the cost of your heart?" Shichi asked gently.

"She is worth more than this old, frail heart," the old samurai closed his eyes again.


Later that day, the sun was high in the sky by now. Kikuchi, Kambei and Heihachi were tending to the boat and Yakan body for their departure. Maro was helping out and Kyuzo walked past them, his and Kambei's eyes meeting before the older samurai nodded to him. Kyuzo nodded back lightly before carrying on his way. Akane stood a way off with both blades drawn and her eyes closed, slowly dancing through unheard music with her katanas. She slowly sped up until she was but a blur of movement before suddenly stopping. Both katanas were held backwards, pointed at Maro who had tried to sneak up on her. He squeaked in fear making her smirk before sheathing her swords.

"You should know better than sneaking up on samurai," she turned and stood over him, hands on her hips, "what?"

"I-I came to apologise for yesterday," he looked nervous but his eyes were true.

Akane sighed and relaxed her stance, nodding her head, "you are forgiven...and I'm sorry for blowing a fuse."

Maro smiled slightly and nodded his small head in acceptance.

Returning to her self meditation, this time she sat down with crossed legs, closing her eyes and 'feeling' her surroundings. Everything down to the birds in the trees and the heartbeats of the gathering people could be heard through her ears. Her two swords either side of her sang their song for only her to her, dancing in their sheathes, humming to her soul's song.

"Akane-chan! Are you coming too?!" shouted Komachi as the samurai, Kirara, Mizuki, Sanae, Rikichi and Komachi were in the boat already.

Akane smiled and vanished suddenly appearing with Komachi on her shoulders, "you kidding? I wouldn't miss the downfall of the Capital for the world!"

As they sailed through the Shikimoribito cave Heihachi commented that the Shiki were always hanging round.

"You'd think the blood would rush to their heads," muttered Akane making Komachi and Mizuki giggle.

They stopped at the rice land and climbed out, Akane beamed as she shouted.

"HONOKA!! LOOK WHO WE GOT!!"

Honoka came running, Mizuki running out to greet her and both embraced. Akane smiled warmly and sat back in the boat. That's when the Shiki suddenly dropped down to their level and Komachi gasped.

"We left those Shikimoribito clothes back at the capital!"

"Oh!" Kikuchi remembered.

Kirara looked at them all, "sorry!"

Akane was too busy laughing at the three.


The three were bowed to the Shiki, everyone else outside the circle of Shiki.

"You shall be in out debt," the leader spoke.

"Debt?" asked Kikuchi.

"Until the capital is destroyed, you may prepare for war here."


Riding on one of the huge Shiki cargo ships, Kikuchi ran around with Komachi on his shoulders, giggling loudly to herself. Each time Kikuchi ran to each side the ship tilted. The others didn't seem dissuaded at all. All except Akane.

"Kikuchiyo..." she mumbled, half hanging over the side, "please stop...."

Kambei, Shichi and Kyuzo looked over to her, "are you okay Akane-chan?"

She raised a hand until the ship tilted again and she covered her mouth, "bad move!"

Leaning over the side she threw up as Kambei told Kikuchi to stop. Komachi pouted until she saw Akane being sick.

"Oh! We're sorry Akane-chan!!!"

Kikuchi jumped, "ack! We're sorry!!"

Kyuzo patted Akane's back gently and she stood back up, leaning back against him with a sigh of content.

"I feel horrible..."

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, aware of all eyes on them.

"Nothing...motion sickness," Akane laughed lightly, "I'll be fine as long as those two don't start again," she glared at Kikuchi who gulped.

Once things were calm again, Akane pulled Kirara aside.

"Kirara, I want to ask you to do something for me but you can't tell anyone," she whispered.

The water maiden looked shocked before nodding, "I'll do anything for you Akane-sama."

Akane smiled and thanked her before telling her what to do. Once done Kirara looked at her shocked.

"Positive..."

Akane smiled warmly, "I thought so...I just hope I live long enough..."

Kirara held the older woman's hands, "you will, and you will see a new future."

"Thank you."