Summary: Lots and Lots of action in this chapter!
Tahomaru winced as the guns went off, several holes were blown through his horse, and pieces of the animal spattered onto him before he was thrown from the beast and onto the ground. Bruised, winded, and covered in dirt from the sudden impact, he barely had time to catch his breath before he heard the ground rumble with the footsteps of enemy soldiers as they charged at the shocked and terrified troops of Daigo, he looked up to see the hooves of enemy cavalry charging his way, he braced himself to be trampled, but instead, another horse galloped in front of him blocking their path, and it's rider immediately began to clash with the enemy riders keeping them at bay with a combination of skilled swordsmanship, and the feralness of a protective animal.
His older brother had saved him yet again.
Hyakkimaru fought fiercely against Nimuru's men, and Tahomaru was not about to let his brother fight alone while he could help it, not while he was right there, once had been more than enough for him! He jumped to his feet, and Hyakkimaru held out a hand to him, Tahomaru took it and mounted the same horse as his brother, and with a nod of thanks, he turned and lept from the horse onto the back of an enemy Rider, throwing him off and taking the reigns himself!
The situation was dire, the Arquebuses had not killed that many men, but they were effective in their shock value, and Nimuru's army had the upper hand, the soldiers of Daigo had barely managed to evade encirclement, and we're being pushed back, their line threatening to break at any moment, but Tahomaru cut his way through the thick walls of Tōshō soldiers, followed by Hyakkimaru, to the line!
He raised his sword and rallied his men; "don't give up men! Don't retreat! Hold the line!"
The sight of their commander who was half their average age fighting in front of them, with his face covered in dirt; filled these men with zeal! How could they even think about letting these Tōshō weasels break their line! The Tōshō advanced began to come to a halt, as the Daigo men planted their feet into the ground where they stood! Their fear of death now completely overtaken by the shame that they ever had such fears in the first place!
Spears and arrows flew, swords and halberds clashed, men and horses were cut down, and the smell of blood and spilled innards stank up the air, Tahomaru now finally understood why his late father had wanted to keep him from the battlefield, there was no glory here for him to find, there was nothing here for him to prove; the smell alone made him want to vomit.
But he kept his fear and disgust In check, Hyakkimaru who had been in battle before, felt the same way, and yet still fought like a soldier. He stuck to his brother's side, and the two of them fought where the fighting was thickest when one faced east, the other faced West, they had their backs to one another, When Tahomaru saw out of the corner of his eye; an enemy soldier with a Nagitana swung at Hyakkimaru! Hyakkimaru skillfully blocked the attack, but the force of the blow sent his light body flying from his horse!
He hit the ground with a thud and skidded across! The enemy grinned and rode his horse towards the boy to finish him off!
"No!" Tahomaru acted swiftly, his horse galloped towards the man, nearly colliding with the other horse! When the man's blade was merely a foot from Hyakkimaru's neck, Tahomaru kept from his horse and tackled the assailant to the ground!
The two of them struggled in the dirt, as the feet of friend and foe alike kicked and tripped over them! This man was larger than Tahomaru, and once he had gotten ahold of him, easily wrestled him off of him! The enemy stood up only to be knocked down again by Hyakkimaru!
Now Tahomaru was back on his feet, his back to his brother's back!
The tide of battle had turned to Daigo's favor, Nimuru's guns were now useless at close range, as the battle turned into a Melee, the Tōsho field commander cried out in an attempt to regain the momentum of his men.
"Don't let up! We still have the advantage! Keep fighting! Keep fighting" But it was in vain.
Despite their superior numbers, the Tōshō soldiers had lost their legitimate leader only days earlier and were now suddenly thrust into a new war at the orders of a new leader who had only come to their lands a few months ago, and suspiciously enough; been made their Shogun's heir only weeks before his death.
They just didn't have it in them.
The men of Daigo on the other hand, had their beloved Tahomaru whom they had known all of his life, and who now was reunited with his long lost brother, their long lost prince; fighting right in front of them, showing them that he was just as brave on the battlefield as he had been benevolent at home, and his brother Hyakkimaru was just the same, and as the two of them fought as a team, so did the rest of the men, they charged and pushed forward!
Once the momentum of the battle began to move in the other direction, the Tōshō line broke! The samurai officers did what they could to maintain order, but the largely citizen army retreated in an undisciplined and disorderly fashion. The battle between the lands of Ishikawa lead by the Daigo clan, and the lands of Kokurin lead by the Tōshō clan; had ended less than 20 minutes after the first shots were fired.
The men of Daigo cheered as the enemy fled, but Tahomaru did not stay to celebrate their victory. Grabbing Hyakkimaru by the wrist, he pulled him along towards where he saw the enemy's * Jinmaku.
"You see him there? Don't you brother?" He said to him, "you can see the Aura of Nimuru right? That bastard still hasn't fled"
"Yes, I can" replied Hyakkimaru, "but brother, please wait!"
Tahomaru stopped and turned towards his brother; "what is it" he asked.
Hyakkimaru looked down sadly at his feet; he desperately wanted to tell his brother something, but now he couldn't find the words to say it, they had just survived an intense battle, and both brothers we're in a state where their nerves still hadn't cooled down, but their enemy was right there in front of them, and Tahomaru was getting impatient.
"C'mon!" He said. "Let's go, you can tell me what you wanted to say later!" And he continued to lead towards the Jinmaku.
"That bastard Nimuru is going to get it" he muttered, as they continued on.
What Hyakkimaru had wanted to tell his brother was that he was scared, not only of facing the monsters that waited ahead of them but of his brother's state, he could see the anger rising in Tahomaru's soul, it was similar to what he had seen back at the burning palace when he began to wrestle with Ashura.
*Jinmaku is a sort of Japanese roofless tent where a commander would sit during this period.
The entrance was unguarded, only the white banners bearing the Tōshō crest lined the long circuitous entrance as Hyakkimaru and Tahomaru walked in, upon reaching the center, they saw what they had expected to see, their target Nimuru, sitting on his throne in human form, grinning at the two of them so menacingly, but there was also a tall and miserable-looking old man standing by his side, the man's Aura had been so faint, that Hyakkimaru hadn't been able to recognize it through the curtains, now that he stood there but he recognized him now.
Tahomaru looked at this old man, and did not recognize him, he was tall and carried a long sword, but he was completely bald except for some white tufts of hair on the sides of his head, had deep wrinkles in his skin, and stood hunched over Nimuru.
The Man's eyes looked like pits inside of his skull, Tahomaru did not know who he was, and he did not care until he looked over and saw Hyakkimaru.
Tahomaru gasped! Hyakkimaru's eyes were wide with terror! His knees buckled underneath him and he fell onto his hands, cold sweat dripped from his brow, his mouth was open as if he was gasping for air.
"Brother! What's wrong!?" Tahomaru rushed over to him, still keeping his eyes on Nimuru of course.
Tahomaru grabbed his brother's shoulders and tried to sway him out of his panic attack.
"Brother! Snap out of it!"
"With an older brother like that," Nimuru sneered, "I guess you don't need a little brother, do you Tahomaru?"
"Shut up!" he yelled back when he saw Hyakkimaru shakily lift up his hand, and point a trembling finger at the old man standing beside Nimuru.
"What is it brother? Do you recognize him?" Breathing heavily, Hyakkimaru answered him. "J- J-... JJō! " he stammered out.
Tahomaru whirled around in shock! He looked at the old man, that broken-down old man was the infamous Chijoku no Jō!?
"Oh him?" said Nimuru. "Don't worry about him, I've completely pacified him. Ol' Jojo here wouldn't hurt a fly without my say so, actually, he can't do anything without my specific orders… I remade him you see?" he said Darkly.
Tahomaru gulped, and Hyakkimaru flinched, he curled into a ball and covered his head with his hands.
"Jojo here can't talk anymore" Nimuru continued, "However, I did promise him that if he killed one of you… well, I would allow him to die"
At these words, Jō stiffened up, he appeared to now be standing on his toes.
"Well now Jō" Nimuru cooed, "why don't you go for the brat on his feet, you can finish your 'half-eaten meal' later"
Jō raised his ōdachi over his head and screamed an inaudible battle cry! He charged towards Tahomaru, slobber dripping from his open mouth!
Tahomaru blocked his first blow, but was still thrown backward by the force of the strike! Nimuru may have destroyed Jō's mind through torture, but his strikes were just as powerful as they had always been!
Tahomaru crashed into one of the Tōshō curtains that made up the walls of the Jinkamu! Jō was charging at him like an enraged animal! Swinging his sword wildly and screaming as if it hurt him just to move.
"Brother! On your feet! Quickly!" Tahomaru shouted to Hyakkimaru, but to no avail.
Hyakkimaru's mind sank to a dark place, to a dark memory that he could no longer suppress in Jō's presence, all of his life he had been blind, most of his life he had been deaf, his own handicap had sheltered him from some of the true horrors of this world, and he had lived his life in innocence.
While being Jō's captive; that innocence was nearly stolen from him, Jō had violated him, he had made him feel filthy, even though he had not succeeded in going all the way before Kagemitsu showed up to stop him; the experience had still traumatized him, it shook him to his core, and now, it was as if his ears had stopped working again, he could not respond to Tahomaru calling for him; his body was paralyzed, paralyzed in fear.
Tahomaru struggled to hold his own against Jō, he charged relentlessly, fighting like a man possessed, his eyes bulged out of his skull and he drooled like a dog! He seemed to be in pain every moment that Tahomaru was not dead.
Tahomaru continued to block his strikes, but each time he felt the shock of the sword, each time he was thrown back, each time his arms grew weaker, and his reaction slower, without Hyakkimaru fighting alongside him, Tahomaru could do nothing against Jō except to continue defending, which only seemed to be prolonging the inevitable.
"Brother help me!" he cried, as another swing from Jō's ōdachi sent him flying through the curtain walls of the Jinmaku, all while Numuru sat in his chair, like a king watching from his throne; observing all of this with a malicious smile on his face. Hyakkimaru stirred a little, and he took his hands from his head.
"Hyakkimaru! Help me!" Tahomaru shouted again, Hyakkimaru did not get up, he began to slowly raise his head, his lips and his fingers still trembling.
Jō made another animalistic noise and swung his sword so hard that Tahomaru was thrown through the air by the impact! His own sword broke in two and flew out of his hand! Tahomaru hit his back against the ground, and barely managed to dodge as Jō chopped at him with the ōdachi!
"Brother you have to snap out of it! I need your help!"
Hyakkimaru's hands trembled as he lifted them from the ground.
Tahomaru grunted as he felt Jō's heavy foot come down on his chest, pinning him in place. The disgusting man; now more animal than man swung his sword over his shoulder, and swung down again!
Tahomaru looked up at the blade in terror! "This is it! I am going to be decapitated!" he thought, but Jō's ōdachi did not make it that far.
Hyakkimaru raised one of his swords up high, right in the path of Jō's wrist...
The ōdachi fell to the ground, along with two meaty hands still clutching its handle.
Jō did not make a sound, he did not cry out in pain, he was now beyond that sensation, he merely brought his stumps closer to his face, and fell to his knees, tears began to fill his bulging eyes… his hope that Nimuru would release him… was lost.
But Tahomaru could not have cared less, he saw the sword in Hyakkimaru's hand fall to the ground before his brother fainted…
Tahomaru rushed to his brother's side, and caught him before his head hit the ground; he saw that his brother was still breathing, he was still fine, he was going to be fine; Hyakkimaru had done it! He had saved him yet again.
Fear is a factor of survival, but it is also a handicap, Hyakkimaru's fear of Chijoku no Jō transcended all logic and reason, the very presence of him paralyzed Hyakkimaru, and made him unable to see that Jō was now a pathetic husk of his former self, it made him blind to the fact that his motionlessness did nothing to protect him or Tahomaru. Tahomaru understood this; he understood this fear, and yet Hyakkimaru had acted anyways, he had moved just in time to save his brother.
Tahomaru allowed himself a slight smile; before a different matter demanded his attention.
-BANG!- the shot of an Arquebus rang out as Chijoku no Jō was blown away! Tahomaru turned his head to where Nimuru stood, holding the gun. Their eyes met, and Nimuru gave Tahomaru a mocking grin, before turning around, and running off into the forest.
As the sounds of the gunshot rang loudly in his ears; the indignation returned to Tahomaru! That was the demon responsible for causing this whole mess! Tahomaru sprang to his feet and chased after the demon! Without even stopping to grab a sword.
"Nimuru you bastard! Come back here! Come back and fight!" all he heard in response was Nimuru's awful laughter, as he disappeared.
Tahomaru stopped now, panting as he stood on the forest path, looking around him in every direction, where in the hell had Nimuru disappeared to? Suddenly, out of the bushes, Tahomaru saw it!
Flying at him; its fangs bared and its claws extended; was the white leopard!
It pounced on the disarmed Tahomaru! Pinning him and cutting into him with its claws! "You foolish boy!" chastised the demon! "What do you think you have done!? Did you really think you stood a chance without your weapons!?"
Tahomaru's struggling was futile, the demon bit down on his neck, ripping into his flesh! Tahomaru screamed in agony, as Nimuru went to work, chuckling with Tahomaru's flesh still in his mouth! Pain shot through the boy's body! his legs thrashed against the forest floor! When suddenly, the demon stopped attacking, and Tahomaru stopped screaming; he noticed standing beside him, was the old priest, Biwamaru, with his sword in the demon's back.
The white leopard fell over; defeated by Biwamaru's blade.
"Biwamaru San-" Tahomaru panted as he sat up, clutching the wounded side of his neck, "saved again-... thankyou.." Biwamaru only looked at him sadly.
"Kyahahahaha!" chuckled Nimuru as he lay bleeding on the floor. "I win!... you've been wounded by my fangs boy… what will you do now?... Biwamaru? Did you just save this brat only to have to kill him yourself? Hyahahaha! Better… do that now… before the venom… takes his soul..." and these were the final words of the sadistic demon, as the light left his eyes.
Tahomaru looked up at Biwamaru, the old Priest wore a tragic expression; Biwamaru did not need to say it, his face said it all, it said; "I am so sorry child."