AN: So here's another chapter. I've decided to treat you since I've been so bad the past few years. I hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter 10
Kyuzo understand the impact of the words, and then began to understand the panic. If more than ever, this was the time she needed them. The arrogant samurai Hiroko, the wise mystic Sana…they may have been a burden in her mind. However, they were a much needed one in a battle against bandits.
And now they were gone.
Forever?
But then why stay for this long?
Perhaps it was something else. However he knew that this was no time to panic, not that he did panic. And at the same time there was no time to bring her back to the village. And he found himself wanting more and more to protect her himself rather than any of the others. He reached out "You remember your training?"
She turned with watery eyes, more out of panic than anything "Yes" she replied.
"Then you'll have no choice but to continue on" he told her.
She nodded. Resolve entered her eyes.
"Take my back, and we'll go ahead."
He then positioned himself in front of her. The two then descended into the fog.
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Further ahead…
The solider lowered the device it was holding. He then turned.
Sobei nodded "You said you saw two figures dive into the fog?" he asked.
The soldier nodded "One held two swords, the other followed closely with only one sword."
"The vender uses no sword" Sobei said "To thin for the engineer, too quiet for the boy, and defiantly not the big stupid one. Looks as if we may get what we want anyways."
"What of Kanna fortress?"
Sobei turned "Contact the Capital" he ordered "Tell the emperor we've found the oracle and possibly subsided the sword and the heart. We'll await our orders."
The soldier nodded and then turned to hurry.
Sobei's mind wondered to the seven that opposed them. Specifically the one dressed in white rags "I want that one" he whispered "He had the eyes of a dead man."
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Kambei, Shichiroji, Gorobei, and Heihachi all stood along the ravine where the bridge once was. "Where do you think they will strike?" Heihachi asked.
"The only advantage they have now is the fog" Kambei replied "Other than that we can expect no less than a full 360 attack from land and air."
"Who knows how many soldiers and Yakan ships, and other Nobuseri they'll rein down on us this time" Shichiroji said with a sad sigh "I'm really out of shape. It's only the day after our first battle and I'm already exhausted."
"I hear you" Heihachi told him "it's the first sign of age. But we have to keep up for now."
"Kyuzo will tell us how many enemies there are surrounding us" Kambei said "After we've got that information we'll be able to form a more detailed strategy. For now it's best to double shifts. I want no chance of a sneak attack, now that we've go their attention their entire focus may be on us."
The other's nodded "With Katsuchiro out of action we're down to four" Gorobei added "This is the time to be extra careful. We'll have to relay that message to the men."
Heihachi smiled "I got some of their weapons while we were in that Yakan ship" he said "I may be able to replicate them for further use."
Kambei nodded "That is good…"
Suddenly a young man came running from the village "Great samurai!" he called.
The four turned as the lanky boy ran towards them "Great samurai!" he huffed "Lady Kirara sends for you!"
"Is something wrong with Katsuchiro?" Heihachi asked.
"I don't' know" replied the boy "I'm just the messenger."
The others turned to one another before heading towards the Priestess' hut.
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Kyuzo jumped from rock to rock as lightly as possible. As quickly as possible, as quietly as possible. He kept one sword unsheathed incase of an attack or a gunshot. Every once in a while he'd turn to make sure that Suki was still behind him.
Suki was trying her best not to think of the problem at hand. She's been trying not to think of how alone she suddenly felt. The burden of Sana and Hiroko had been somewhat maddening to a degree, to have three different souls fighting in one body. But now, when she needed them most. They were gone. Who knew what had happened to them, and what had been that faint ringing she'd heard before they'd disappeared? Would they come back? What if they didn't?
What would become of her? She'd been able to grasp within the time she'd spent with the samurai, some sense of self. Useful at the very least. What now?
She was at a loss. She didn't know who she was.
Where she came from.
How she got there.
She had no purpose.
The darkness surrounding her being was growing dimmer and dimmer by the seconds that every thought crossing her mind. What was she doing there? And did anyone really need her?
The samurai had kept her because they couldn't' bring themselves to leave an injured woman in the desert. But really, at this point what could she do?
Yes she had some fighting ability but it was even more pathetic than Katsuchiro or Kikuchiyo. At the very least Katsuchiro had years of training, and Kikuchiyo knew farming as well as possessed strength.
But her…she was not a farmer, she was not a samurai…she had no role.
Suddenly Kyuzo stopped.
He reached out and held her back, she stood with her back against a rock. She could hear the water fall. They seemed to be quite near to the shore, as she remembered there was a large cliff nearby. If the bandits were near, it could be a good place to ambush and push a few over.
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"What are our orders?" came a booming voice.
The sound of the voice stopped her strategizing. 'Sobei' the nobuseri's image entered her mind 'he survived' "In light of the new information we are to leave our posts at Kanna village" came another voice "he's instructed we use all our resources to locate and capture the oracle. Once we find it, we are to then return to the Capital."
"Then we are to abandon our attack on Kanna?" Sobei asked.
"Yes"
"Then the traitors mean nothing?"
"In light of this outcome it seems that the emperor has no interest what so ever in a petty village" replied the voice "If the villagers want let them grow their rice. Once we've gotten a hold of the oracle, this village will fall at her feet. No need to worry."
"So
we're not abandoning it completely?"
"Of course not! Merely
postponing it. By the time we're finished here they're going to
wish they'd let us bomb them."
"Good" a smile sounded in the booming voice.
Kyuzo's eyes turned to the girl beside him. "Ukyo" he said softly.
'Ukyo?'
'I want Ukyo' were Hiroko's words 'The day this, 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 an experiments. I want to finish what I'd started.'
She had felt Hiroko's as she spoke those words. Who was this Ukyo? She did not know him…however, in the deep reaches of her mind she heard a voice. A voice that spoke through the dark.
'Ukyo…this one is not for you.'
'I wasn't going to touch…not for long.'
'You have many women in your harem. Go entertain yourself with one of them…but not this one.'
The red…not a car. She was sure now, she was not hit by a red car. But darkness was followed by red.
"Young master if I may?"
"Yes?"
"Can we attack now?"
"Oh! By all means. Tessai and I will be going back to the Capital now. Call ahead with your report when you have them."
"Yes Young master. Attack."
Even before Kyuzo turned her senses went berserk. She kipped off the ground several meters, the soldier behind her was sliced into several pieces by Kyuzo's swords. She unsheathed her sword and then flipped off the side of the ravine. She then turned towards three oncoming tobito. The first she sliced down the middle before stabbing her sword in to the head of the next, she removed her short sword and took off it's arms. After that she turned towards the third however was met by a net. "Take her alive!" came a command.
She gritted her teeth. She couldn't leave Kyuzo alone in this ambush.
Her sword sliced through the net and she threw her short sword that flew through the tobito, she used momentum and dove upwards, the last tobito fell down to the bottom as she landed by her short sword for a moment then flipped back towards the bottom. Kyuzo was busy, he was surrounded by soldiers. "Kill the traitor!" Sobei demanded "Shoot him."
Soldiers pulled their guns out and then began shooting at the stoic samurai. Per usual no panic or emotion entered the samurai's eyes, his arms lifted and his swords danced through the air to swiftly that none of the soldiers could make out his movements. However as the sparks began to surround the samurai and the soldiers began to fall his movements began to make sense. The bullets bounced off the blades and back into the soldiers until only three stood.
Sobei watched with hatred "Traitor" he sneered.
The soldiers then turned and attacked the samurai.
Kyuzo flipped over then and moved towards the cliff. The cliff. An evil and simple plan formed into Sobei's mind. He then turned to see Suki was fighting off her own little band. And doing very well at it.
'The perfect warrior' is what they called her.
However, her movements were more erratic and less skilled then the last time he'd seen her. It seemed the horn had worked.
He turned once again to the red drenched warrior. If he could get rid of the traitor then she would be easy enough to capture. She was having trouble with three. She would fall at his feet.
Kyuzo was busy fighting off the five new tobito and four new soldiers that had shown up. An evil grin formed in Sobei's mind as he pointed his weapon at the samurai. "Traitor!" he cried.
Kyuzo's gaze turned up a moment, a moment was all that was needed. A tobito sliced at the samurai's torso. Kyuzo's eyes widened, a crack then sounded as a soldier behind him shot.
Suki turned as she heard the deep grunt. She then saw the deep crimson soaking through the bright red jacket. Her heart leapt into her throat, and was caught by her gasp. And as she saw another soldier behind him lift his sword Kyuzo's eyes fixated on her.
The next few moments were a blur. She flipped her sword in her hand then spun around holding the blade out, it sliced through every enemy surrounding her.
She then somehow crossed the hundred feet to Kyuzo's side. She sliced through the Tobito before she quickly resheathed her weapon and grabbed the blood drenched warrior. She then dove over the remaining soldiers and dove into the water falling further down the cliff.
As she fell through the thundering of the water she could swear she heard a blood curdling cry fading into the distance.
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Kambei looked on Katsuchiro, he was sleeping deeply. "How is he?"
"We've extracted most of the poison" Kirara told him "The tiny bit left is not life threatening. He will most likely catch a fever as a way of his body burning it out."
Kambei nodded "That is good news."
"How long before he's on his feet?" Gorobei asked.
"A few days unfortunately" Sino replied "He won't regain consciousness until tomorrow."
Heihachi nodded "Let's hope that the bandits don't attack until then."
The others agreed.
"Has Great Kyuzo returned?" Kirara asked.
Kambei shook his head.
Worry appeared on the faces around him and he gave them a reassuring smile "No need to worry" he said "if any of us is capable of caring for himself it's Kyuzo."
"Yeah" Heihachi nodded "You need to worry about the enemy. Not him."
The girls nodded.
Kambei then turned to the old priestess "May I ask for something?" he asked.
"Anything you wish great samurai" bowed the priestess.
"A pot of firefly gruel" replied the Leader.
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She coughed hard as the water was extracted from her lungs. She'd dragged herself and Kyuzo up the beach before collapsing. She gagged for a moment before taking a deep and rough breath. She then reached out and took a hold of her cargo. The samurai had fallen unconscious before they'd hit the water. She'd fought with all her might as the ocean's waves crashed against them, and threatened to drag them down. She'd refused to let go of the body.
"Kyuzo" she rasped.
He didn't respond.
"Kyuzo!" she leaned down, hovering her ear above his mouth.
Nothing.
She took a breath 'Don't panic' she told herself. She then lay him flat on his back and lifted his chin. She took a few deep breaths herself before leaning down and blowing air into his lungs. She quickly followed the breath by compressions on his chest. After she breathed another breath into him and followed by a few more compressions.
Water suddenly sprouted from his mouth. She turned him on his side as the water began to flood out. His eyes sprung open, she leaned down "Kyuzo."
He sputtered for a few moments "Suki" he rasped.
"We're on a beach" she told him, she then took her first look around "There's a cave in the distance. Can you move?"
He nodded.
"I'll help you" she said as she grabbed onto his arm and began to lift "it will provide enough shelter so that I can bind your wounds."
He made no protest as he climbed to his feet. The two then slowly made their way towards the cave.
Once there Suki lay him down gently "I'll need to remove your coat and clothes" she said "The water was quite cold. You may catch a fever."
The intense pain of his deep wounds made him bite his tongue. She carefully stripped off his coat and shirt before laying him down. She then reached into the pouch on her hip, she silently thanked Kirara for being proficient enough to think of medical supplies. But then again, travelling around with seven dangerous men, injuries were not strange, they were inevitable. First she examined the wound on his torso, she thanked what lucky stars he had that it wasn't too deep. "I'll be right back" she said.
She jumped up, and ran to the nearest stream. After testing the water to make sure it was clean she then unsheathed her sword and used the sheath as a bucket.
After she ran back to the cave. She quickly cleaned both wounds before beginning to stitch up Kyuzo's torso. "This medicine should help it to heal faster" she told him as she lathered a strange ointment on him.
Kyuzo said nothing, he just lay back and allowed her to patch him up. After the bullet hole was closed she then jumped up "Your clothes are wet so it would be more dangerous to put them on rather than keep them off" she told him "I'll build a fire to keep you warm."
She quickly hung his clothes then ran off.
Kyuzo watched her leave.
His eyes turned to the top of he cave.
That last move was careless. A samurai should never let anything distract him. A samurai must remain calm and collected at all times. A samurai must be aware of his surroundings….
However…
When he heard that gun cock, and even though he knew that the word 'Traitor' was for him. For a moment, just for a moment he thought Sobei meant.
It was the first time since the beginning of his training that he would allow himself to be caught off guard. That he left an opening in his stance. He knew that he was surrounded, and worse, that with a flick of his wrists the enemies surrounding him would be lying on the ground. And yet here he was, he was the one lying on the ground.
He allowed his stoic exterior slip for a moment as he let out a sigh causing a sharp pain.
And yet she saved him.
She'd been studying less than a week in the swordplay, and now she'd lost half her soul. The other two that embodied the samurai inside her were gone.
And yet she saved him.
She not only slew three of the enemies but she managed to lift him over the rest of the group. She then dragged him through current to the shore, and onto the beach. She hadn't rested since.
Impressive.
A strong woman.
A strong body.
"We need a strong vessel" That's what the emperor ordered "A vessel strong enough to withstand the implants. And the training. With this warrior we will no longer even need Nobuseri. Imagine, beauty, strength, skill, power, the ability to destroy an entire army herself."
She was the vessel.
Suki.
He had no doubt she had a samurai's ability. However her soul was not that of a warrior.
Her soul was pure, and strong. It was that of an innocent maiden.
Innocent.
How long since he had been…innocent?
He'd not thought about it since he'd picked up the sword. He traded his childhood for the samurai way, he'd traded his life for it.
Would he have her do the same? Could he allow her to continue to slay enemies if it meant dimming the light in her heart.
They say that when one kills another, the soul of that kill will follow him for the rest of time. Who knows how many hundreds, if not thousands of souls followed him? Weighing down his sword with blood, and blackening his very being.
He couldn't see her living that kind of life.
It made him almost want to take her away from anything that may try to lead her down that path. He could take her and leave the battle field, to a place where battle and war were mere stories from a far away land. He could keep that innocence.
But would he…could he abandon his sword so easily? And for another?
Could he lay down his samurai spirit?
No.
Eventually even if he did leave with her to that fairytale place, he'd have to return. The blood not only weighed him…it called to him.
He was a samurai.
And nothing else.
"Kyuzo-sama, your sweating."
But still…
"I think you may be getting a fever. I'll build the fire quickly."
Still…
"I've also gotten some food for us."
The thought alone was…
"This place seems to be rather neglected, wild berries and fruit and plants are plentiful."
Enticing to say the least.
She dipped a cloth in the bowl she'd fastened out of driftwood and leaves "We are blessed" she smiled as she patted his face down "We should be fine here until you are well enough to move again."
He nodded.
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AN: There was a bit of Kyuzo-Suki fluff, more thinking than really doing for the last bit. I wanted to show Suki's protective side a little as well. I wanted the two to have some intimate time together without any real distractions. This chapter provided that. And gave a little insight to Kyuzo's true feelings on Suki.
Review and you shall receive! Also remember to give an opinion on the upcoming lemon!
