Chapter 21

The reunion between Rikichi and Sanae had to have been the single most awkward situation Shichiroji had ever witnessed. And that included the time his dad had walked in on him getting naked and naughty with the neighbor girl.

There had been a lot of pleading, sobbing and pained silence - both before and after Sanae locked herself in a guest room upstairs. Now all them, minus the broken couple, were gathered in one of the larger rooms used for entertainment on the first floor.

Despite that, i t was good to be home. The soft tatami floors, the warm lighting, the lingering scent of sake and perfume, and of course Yukino. She was currently tucked tightly against Shichiroji's side and he was reveling in the sweet smell of her. Of course he'd missed her while he'd been gone, but he hadn't really realized how much until now - caught up in the excitement of stepping back into the battlefield after five years as he was. But now, having her so close, her curvy, warm body pressed against his, her flowery fragrance and the way she looked at him, loving yet mischievous - it made him wonder how he'd gone without her for so long.

Kambei was sitting directly across from him, one leg folded beneath him and the other bent with an arm resting on his knee. He was smiling and talking with Honoka and Mizuki who were sitting to his right. The two sisters had had a joyful tear filled reunion - a pleasant scene after what had gone on between Rikichi and Sanae - and were currently holding hands as though they were afraid to let each other go. Heihachi sat to Kambei's left and munching quietly on a rice ball while occasionally joining the lighthearted conversation. The two other girls that had come with them had looked exhausted, so Yukino had sent them off with one of the girls that worked there to get something to eat and some rest.

The rude things that were coming out of Mizuki's mouth about the new emperor and the way her sister was chastising her for her language made Shichiroji laugh while he reached for another drink. As he was setting his glass back down, a light tapping came at the door and it slid open a few inches to reveal one of the hostesses beckoning to Yukino. Sighing slightly, she made a move to get up, but Shichiroji just tightened his grip on her. She shot him an exasperated look, but the twitching of her lips as she fought off a smile ruined the effect. He sighed dramatically before pulling her in for a quick kiss and then releasing her, turning back to the conversation as she stepped out into the hall.

"Oh, I borrowed this," Kambei was saying as he pulled out a decorative hair pin and handed it to Mizuki.

"My mother gave me this…" Mizuki said as she reached out and took the pin from Kambei.

"Her way of helping even from the afterlife," Honoka said with a sad smile as she took the pin from Mizuki and gently re placed it in the girls hair.

Mizuki smiled at her sister but then turned a playful look at Kambei. "I don't know, Kambei. I'm not getting a very good impression of samurai here. All sneaks, liars and thieves it seems like to me."

"I'll remember that moral high ground of yours the next time you need saved," Kambei said dryly though his eyes betrayed his amusement.

"Speaking of, isn't your blond friend going to join us? The one from the Capital?" Mizuki asked, her grin disappearing and being replaced by one of curiosity.

Shichiroji blinked in confusion and Kambei shot a look at him.

"Not him," Mizuki said with an eye roll. "The one that rescued us."

"You didn't rescue them?" Kambei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you did," Shichiroji replied in surprise. If Kambei hadn't sent the women to him, then who had?

"He said he was a friend of yours," Mizuki continued, looking between the two of them.

"And he had blond hair?" Kambei asked in bewilderment.

Shichiroji's breath skittered to a halt as the realization hit him a split second before Mizuki continued.

"Yeah, and a long red coat."

Shichiroji's eyes shot to Kambei, who's face went slack and pale. What the hell? What the fuck was Kyuzo doing in the Capital? Suddenly Kambei's eyes took on a distinctly accusatory glare and his jaw tightened. Shichiroji held his hands out and shook his head rapidly.

"I swear, he was there and fine and unconscious when we went through. And according to the Shikimoribito, he was supposed to stay that way until tomorrow or the day after," he said quickly before shooting a desperate look at the only one that could back his story. "Heihachi?"

"It's true. We both saw him. He was out like a light, man," Heihachi said, his brows furrowed.

"Where was he?" Kambei asked, his intensity as his attention swung back to Mizuki had the girl's eyes widening and Shichiroji had no doubt that if she'd been standing, she would have backed a few steps away from him.

"Well, he just appeared in our rooms - dropped out of a ceiling vent. Then he led us out, pointed out Shichiroji, said he'd help us, and that was the last we saw of him."

"Dammit," Kambei hissed, pulling himself suddenly to his feet. "You didn't see if he was headed back inside?"

"No," Mizuki shook her head. Then a thoughtful look came over her face, "But…"

Kambei, who had started pacing the floor, stopped and looked at her again, "But, what?"

"Well, a couple guards saw us when we were escaping. He killed them…" she paused, looking a little green, before continuing after a shake of her head. "Then he took the time to hide them. Hide them, like, really well."

Kambei and Shichiroji shared a look, both fully aware that if Kyuzo had no intention of returning to the Capital that he wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Apparently, Mizuki had pieced that together as well.

"Just because he went back, doesn't mean he's still there," Heihachi said reasonably, drawing their attention. "He didn't know we were planning on meeting here, right? So maybe he's just in the city somewhere."

Kambei seemed to weigh this options, the look on his face somewhere between pissed, scared, and thoughtful. Suddenly, he spun toward the door, jerking open with a vehemence that left Shichiroji surprised it didn't rip right off its tracks.

"Kambei? Where are you going?" He asked, images of his warm bed and a sweaty night with Yukino already dissipating like smoke.

"To find Kyuzo," he answered, long determined strides carrying him out of the room.

Kambei stalked toward the exit of the room, his mind a whirlwind of fury and worry. What was Kyuzo playing at?!

"Kambei? Where are you going?" He heard Shichiroji ask behind him, and from the resigned sound of his tone, he was sure his old friend already knew the answer to that question.

"To find Kyuzo," he answered, ripping the door open.

There was no way Kyuzo was well enough to be creeping around the Capital, executing rescue missions and dispatching guards. And weren't the Shikimoribito supposed to be keeping him sedated? Did they decide having him there was too big of a risk? Or did Kyuzo just wake up on his own and actually kill them all. Kambei's eyes widened a bit as he rounded a corner, realizing that was actually a possibility.

With his mind occupied as it was, he almost wasn't able to stop himself from running directly into Yukino. He opened his mouth to apologize when he took notice of the short round figure huddled nervously behind her.

Ayamaro… What's he doing here …

"What's he doing here?" Shichiroji asked, coming up behind Kambei and voicing the question aloud.

"Oh, so that's why he said I'd be safe here…" Ayamaro's quiet voice said as he eyed Kambei.

"Who said you'd be safe here?" Kambei asked.

"Why, Kyuzo, of course," he answered haughtily. "He saved me from some of Ukyo's thugs and told me to come here. Though it took me a little while, I got a bit turned around…"

"Wha- Kyu-" Kambei couldn't even form the words. Now he was running around fighting off "thugs" and saving former magistrates?!

"Uh… maybe we should go sit down and you can tell us what you know," Shichiroji stepped in, eyeing Kambei like he might explode any minute.

Kambei closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get his irritation under control as Yukino and Ayamaro walked past him to follow Shichiroji back into the room he'd just vacated.

"Kyuzo's far from helpless, you know," Heihachi's soft voice came from behind him. "It's understandable that you're worried about him, but there's no reason to think he's in any kind of trouble yet."

Kambei sighed and turned to face the shorter samurai who was leaning against the wall in the hallway looking back at him seriously.

"He's recovering from a serious injury. He should not be out-" Kambei waved his hand around, losing his words to his frustration again.

"He's been taking care of himself for a long time Kambei. And as sad of a fact as it may be, you're probably the only person that's ever cared for his wellbeing. Despite that, he's still here. I think we need to trust that he can at least handle himself until we can back him up."

Kambei stared at the young man in front of him, once again impressed with his insight and forthright way of speaking the truth.

"Let's just go see what information Ayamaro can give us, then we'll decide what to do next," Heihachi continued in that maddeningly calm tone.

Damn him for being so reasonable.

Kambei took a deep breath, then nodded before following Heihachi back into the room. As they entered, Yukino, Mizuki and Honoka were on there way out - they each offered him a smile, but he was unable to return the gesture. Shichiroji and Heihachi were both standing by the wall and Ayamaro was seated calmly on the floor, seemingly having regained his regal bearing.

"Where and when did you see Kyuzo and under what circumstances?" Kambei demanded immediately, realizing somewhere inside that he was drawing on his interrogation skills but not caring as he stalked toward the portly man and loomed over him.

Ayamaro paled as he looked up at him and Kambei wondered for a moment if the man would run from him. Not that he'd get far if he tried… he thought darkly. The former magistrate looked to Shichiroji, then to Heihachi, probably looking for help, but they both just stared back at him blankly. Swallowing hard, he turned back to Kambei, who was still towering over him.

"I-I'm not sure… Noon? Maybe a little b-before? I didn't think anyone had seen me leave but…" He paused and his protuberant eyes glazed with remembered fear. "I was cornered in an alley by two guards and a samurai. Th-they were going to kill me…"

"And then? Kambei prodded.

"Then Kyuzo showed up, killed them all, told me to come here and ran off," he said in a rush, obvious wanting the questioning to be over as soon as possible.

"That's it?" Kambei asked, disappointment flaring in his chest as Ayamaro nodded quickly.

Before he could push for more, the door slid open to reveal Yukino with a tray of food. He walked over to Shichiroji and Heihachi as she sat the tray down in front of Ayamaro.

"That was before the execution then. He'd yet to go to the Capital," Heihachi said.

"But what's he doing there? And why did he go back after saving the women?" Shichiroji asked, shooting an apologetic look to Yukino as she left the room again.

"I assume he's going to try and stop Ukyo from destroying that village you all just came from," Ayamaro said as he took a leisurely bite from the assortment of foods in front of him. He seemed to have forgotten all about his fear of the samurai at the sight of the delicacies.

"What? Destroy Kanna?" Heihachi asked in confusion.

"That's right," Kambei said softly, feeling like an idiot or having forgotten Ukyo's words to him. "Ukyo did make a threat towards Kanna while I was there."

"But why?" Shichiroji asked. "What's one village in the grand scheme of things?"

"While its convenient for Ukyo to put on a show as the new benevolent ruler by praising the actions of Kanna, in reality they are a threat. They've stood up to the Capital and won. He'll dispose of them," Ayamaro said offhandedly as he continued to pick at the food in front of him.

"So Kyuzo somehow realized what Ukyo was planning and… what? Decided to stick around and put a stop to it? Take down the Capital?" Heihachi asked with a tilted brow. "That's reaching in my opinion, we have no proof of that. We only know he intended on going back to the Capital after he left the women. We don't know that he's still there."

"Well, I'm not surprised," Ayamaro said, taking another bite, "given what the former Amanushi ordered him to do, he probably wants revenge. I actually thought this would have happened much earlier."

Kambei knew that was not the case, and from the skeptical look on Heihachi's face and Shichiroji's eye roll, he knew that they felt the same. Besides not really being the type for revenge trips, Kambei doubted that Kyuzo had ever cared about anything enough to consider it worth avenging. Not to mention the former Amanushi was dead, so there wasn't really anyone to get revenge on. Still, his curiosity was peaked. There was something about being offered another piece of the Kyuzo Puzzle that Kambei couldn't seem to ignore, no matter what the circumstances.

"Revenge for what exactly?" He heard himself asking.

"The execution order on his family, of course," Ayamaro answered before taking a delicate sip of sake.

"The Capital ordered Kyuzo's family to be killed?" Heihachi asked softly.

"Not precisely," Ayamaro answered, looking up from the tray of food with a serious expression. "The Emperor himself ordered Kyuzo to kill them all."

Kambei's breath cut off as his chest tightened.

"Tha- that's so fucked up," Shichiroji said and although he was right next to him, his voice sounded far away.

"It was necessary," Ayamaro answered.

Kambei's vision washed out in red and before he realized it, he was lunging toward the former magistrate and Shichiroji and Heihachi were trying to pull him away. Ayamaro flailed wildly away from the irate samurai, knocking the tray of food over in his haste.

"I-I don't mean that it's not horrible! But it was the end of the Great War! The house Kyuzo came from provided warriors to anyone for the right price. Anyone! What would be the point of finally attaining peace when any rebel group could attain a high level assassin like Kyuzo if they were able to scrape together the funds? And who better to kill such a threat than the best they'd ever produced?" He said in a rush.

Kambei finally stopped fighting against the grip Heihachi and Shichiroji had on him and allowed them to pull him to the other side of the room. He felt sick and dizzy, and as soon as they released him he sat down hard on the floor, his breath leaving him in a whoosh.

"Kambei?" Shichiroji's voice was soft as he laid a tentative hand on Kambei's shoulder. Kambei brushed the hand away in irritation and pressed his palms to his eyes.

Eighteen, Kambei's mind supplied, doing the math. After a brutal childhood Kyuzo joined the war at thirteen, then was ordered to kill his own family at eighteen. An unfamiliar heat was building behind his eyes as he fought to catch his breath.

He remembered what it was like, coming home after the war and finding the home he grew up in burnt to the ground. Finding the graves of his father and grandmother that the remaining villagers had been kind enough to dig for them. How would it feel had he been the one to do that? He mentally shook his head - the situation was not the same, he knew. He and Kyuzo were raised very differently. While Kambei couldn't even consider carrying out such an order, no matter what the circumstances, Kyuzo had probably taken it in stride. The thought didn't make him feel any better, in fact he could feel bile rising in his throat and he quickly lurched to his feet, shoving the door to the courtyard open and stumbling into the cool night air.

Leaning heavily on the railing, he gulped in the fresh air, willing himself not to throw up all over Yukino's lovely garden. Shichiroji's presence appeared next to him, his silent support a welcome addition. After a few more minutes, his head stopped swimming and he became more aware of his surroundings again - the faint sound of Heihachi and Ayamaro's voices inside, the clacking of the bamboo fountain, the soft plucking of a shamisen. The last one made his head cock to the side in confusion until he turned and saw Shichiroji, eyes closed and seated on the walkway with the instrument in his lap.

"You're not going to torture me with your abysmal singing again are you?" Kambei asked, a little surprised at the roughness of his voice.

"My singing's better than your planning," he shot back without opening his eyes.

Kambei huffed out a laugh in response and took a seat next to his old friend. Silence settled between them and Kambei was grateful for it. Shichiroji didn't offer any words of optimism or try and distract him with meaningless babble. He just let the new information settle, knowing there was nothing he could say that would make this new revelation any less horrific.

Kambei was finally feeling more like himself when Heihachi joined them.

"So, Ayamaro told me that Ukyo plans on visiting all the farming villages. Rub the fact that he's a great new Emperor all over them, I guess. Kanna's his last stop…"

Shichiroji plucked one last string before sitting the instrument off to the side. "So, a tour of benevolence followed by a massacre. Nice."

"Kambei, whether Kyuzo's there or not, the Capital is headed for Kanna and we need to stop it," Heihachi said, his serious gaze weighing on Kambei.

"I know," he answered quietly.

They'd taken off from Kougakyo not long after the non-execution, but not before Ukyo continued to make himself look like a hero in the people's eyes by handing out a great deal of rice. Rice that Kyuzo had come to learn was stock piled here in the Capital. Rice that farmers had bled, sweated, and cried over and then had it stolen by the bandits. Now Ukyo intended to use those farmers even further by using them to get rid of the Nobuseri. Sure, he was sending some half-assed samurai to help them, but Kyuzo had seen first hand the amount of work and sacrifice those villagers were willing to give to protect what was theirs. It was their lives that would be lost should things go badly, it was their homes that would be destroyed, their fields that would be burned. The cowardice of Ukyo's plan set Kyuzo on edge.

It hadn't taken Kyuzo long to figure out what Ukyo was up to. The new Emperor had a big mouth and no problems running it. As the night had drifted on and Kyuzo had crept through the Capital, picking up tidbits of information here and there, he'd had been a couple close calls with Tessai. So far he'd managed to stay off the man's radar though, and hopefully it would stay that way. He wanted to keep his presence a secret for at least another day. With any luck, the bodies he'd hidden would stay that way.

He estimated it would probably take Ukyo a day to visit the farming villages. The night was approaching its end already and from what he'd heard from the engine room, they'd be reaching the first village at dawn. Kyuzo would let Ukyo play his little game, give the people their hope, set the Nobuseri on their path of destruction. He didn't have much choice, he couldn't risk making a move where an innocent village would be caught in the mayhem. But as soon as the Capital started toward Kanna, as soon as it hit that barren stretch of land, he'd make his move. They'd worked to hard to save that village for it to fall now.

Earlier in the night, he'd considered just bailing and going to find Kambei. The image of the man in that ritual robe was burned into his mind and made him want him in a way he'd never wanted anything. Perhaps spending the night together and then returning to the village to launch a defense. But that was before he'd seen the new Nobuseri army and heard Ukyo's idea of having them activated without any samurai spirit. Just an unending supply of empty killing machines. Someone would have to destroy them from the inside, before they could be launched.

That's where he was now, tucked into a dark corner and resting up. He'd need it, he knew. He was about to take on the entire Capital by himself.

Kambei would be pissed.

As his tired eyes drifted closed, a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.

Author's Note: So sorry that it's late (again)! I really have no excuse this time other than a complete lack of focus. I get in these moods where as soon as I sit down to write, immediately ten other things I should/could be doing pop into my head. "What new music is out this week? I need to do laundry… Should I get a puppy? My car's dirty… Is it raining again? Where's my phone? Do butterflies have ears? I'm hungry…" It's like writing ADD. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new chapter! And thanks so much to all of you that are reviewing!