Chapter 10: The Other Hanzo

A sudden bump jolted Katsuragi's eyes open to a green canvas blanketing above her as the grumbling of a truck engine rang into her ears. She began pulling herself up into a sitting position until a sharp pain in her side made her fall back on the stretcher, the pillow cushioning her head. "Well look who's awake." Came the voice of Homura.

Looking over, Kat saw Homura, General Seimei, and her dog sitting across from her when Hikage got up from the same side Katsu was on. "Easy there, Katsy! It's gonna take a little time to heal until we can get back to the Academy." Hikage smiled down at Kat with a big toothy grin. "So how you feeling, Katty Watty?"

"Katty… watty? Do you always come up with nicknames for people?" Katsu asked.

"Sure do! Now I answered your question. So, you best be answering mine." Hikage continued to smile.

"A little sore." Katsuragi rubbed her arm, "What happened after my fight?"

"Murasame led the charge with the citizens, Hikage, and I and were able to take out a good deal of their forces. Good thing we grabbed you when we did, you were losing blood fast."

"Did… any of the citizens make it out alive?" Katsuragi asked. The truck went silent for a moment, when Homura let out a sigh.

"We were able to save some of them. But… of the 66 citizens who fought with us, only about 30 of them made it out with at least 1/3 of those 30 being wounded. At least they died fighting for their people." Homura's eyes drooped to the ground.

Kat's palm jingled the side of the metal stretcher as she slammed it down. "This isn't right! They shouldn't have to fight and die like that! And we shouldn't be fighting each other! That girl you killed was so afraid! I could see it!"

"I'm sorry, did you forget what WAR is in all your memory loss, Kat?! I don't know what game you're playing at, but this is reality! And since-…"

"I HATE IT! How crazy do you have to be that you'd kill yourself because of pride?" Katsu yelled out, confused and angry tears creating a layer over her vision.

"Listen, Katsuragi. The Gessenites and Shinozuka are zealots. Do not think that was just because of you." General Seimei spoke in a calm manner.

"Because of me!? Because of me, that ZEALOT said she'd rather die! And some girl would rather stay in prison because of me! And on top of everyone hating me there's all this DEATH and WAR!" Kat's voice box trembled as she placed an arm over her eyes.

Hikage placed a hand on her. "Katsuragi. Nobody likes war. Nobody likes death. But we-…"

"THEN WHY IS THERE ALL THIS BLOODSHED!?" Kat yelled, turning over on her side, softly sobbing. "Fighting is one thing… but this… this is murder." Silence befell the truck. Katsuragi tried going back to sleep, longing to wake up to the normal Hanzo Academy to be greeted by Asuka, Ikaruga, Yagyu, and Hibari or anyone she knew. But her core had been so shaken that sleep was like an ocean away, separated by each drop from her eyes.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but even when the truck finally stopped, she didn't flinch. Even as Hikage asked if she could walk, Kat found her legs moving on her own. Despite the lips of the others around her moving, she heard nothing. She felt not the ground beneath her feet nor the wind in her deadened eyes. Each step she took, heavy and downtrodden as though the iron in her boots had merged with her feet. And yet a ghostly emptiness filled her soul, making her wish she could fly away from the limbo she was already drifting on.

Trudging past the gate, she slowly followed the others through a set of glass doors before sitting down on the nearest bench. Everything around Katsuragi was a muffled blur, the events of recent molding into a blend of paralysis. Her eyes stayed unblinking, drying until instinct forced them closed only to repeat the cycle. A husk had formed such a heavy shell around her heart that she didn't even notice Hikage's hand waving in front of her or Homura's hand shaking her shoulder. Eventually Hikage, Homura, and the others left her in solitude.

Time seemed to pass her by, hours feeling like weeks, exhaustion slowly causing Katsuragi to slump back against the wall behind the bench. After a time, slow footsteps began to echo down the hallway, before stopping and forming the sounds of rustling cloth, someone situating themselves on the bench beside her. A clearing of her visitor's throat and she could make out that it was an older man but didn't even turn her head as though she had no muscles to turn.

"They… tell me you helped our people. That you've befriended our shinobi. And defended Fujieda." The man's voice definitely showed his age but was crisp and gentle. "Tell me… does that sound like something Katsuragi would do?"

"I… I don't know. I don't even know who I am or where I belong anymore. It's wrong… all of it, wrong." Katsuragi's voice was coated with a raspy upset, her eyes still locked dead to the floor.

"Wrong and right are never truly separate, are they? Good and bad co-exist in this world by nature… but it is up to us to balance it. So, the question isn't what does Katsuragi do with it. But what do you do with it?" A moment of silence followed, the old man's words seemingly perking a little life into her before he started to get up, "Ah well. I am sure you've heard enough of this old coot for one day. But If I were you, I wouldn't keep sitting on that bench for as long as you have. You'll get even more wrinkles than I have when you're my age."

As the man's echoing footsteps trailed, Katsuragi still sat lifeless, but the man's lingering words slowly began to refill her barren spirit. The more she thought of his words, the more his tone sounded familiar. Finally turning her sore neck, she looked down the hallway from where the man had came, the evening shade darkening the hallways. Katsuragi sat up, looking outside the glass doors, her mind beginning to wander on the old man's words. "What do I do with it?"

A bellowing call from Katsuragi's stomach caught her attention. "I guess I should get something to eat." With each step down the hallway, Kat's empty stomach continued yelling at her until she finally reached the cafeteria. Just within the doorway, Kat looked around for a light switch when a white, twin-tailed girl stood in her way, glaring at her with folded arms. Katsuragi raised her eye for a moment. "Oh, Yagyu. Hey, can I get by you he-…" Katsuragi tried to scoot by, but Yagyu moved in front of her again, this time with a near dangerous glare.

Katsuragi took a step back. "YEEP! I guess some things never change. Look, I'm just hungry. I haven't eaten in hour-…" Yagyu pointed to her side, giving a short grunt where Kat noticed a sign that said, 'Cafeteria closes at 9 in align with curfew hours.' "Oh, come on, Yagyu, please. I've had a long, stressing day. Can't you at least let a girl have a bag of chips or a candy bar or something?" Katsuragi moaned to which Yagyu gave her a sympathetic frown.

"I am sorry. I'm just doing my job." Yagyu spoke in a reserved manner.

"Please, Yagyu? Can't you sneak me a hotdog? A ramen? I won't tell anyone." Kat pleaded.

Yagyu closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why did I have to get so upset and lifeless earlier?" Katsuragi let out a sigh, leaning against the wall before opening one eye and grinning. "I suppose if option A doesn't work always go for option B. Distraction tactics! Squeezy squeezy." In her high-pitched laugh, Katsu began squishing Yagyu's bouncy beachballs, causing her to gasp. "Always play with unsuspecting guards! Eshishishishi!"

Suddenly Yagyu shoved herself away from Katsu, backing herself against the wall, looking like she was nearly to tears. Yagyu's vocal cords hyperventilated of fear, begging "No! Please stop. Please!"

"J-jeez, Yaggie. I-I was just joking. I didn't know you-…" Before Katsu could react, Yagyu went full circle, lunging at Katsu and pinning her against the wall with the point of a blade that came out the tip of her umbrella.

"Do not joke… like that!" Yagyu growled.

"What's going on here?" Came the voice of Homura.

Yagyu retracted her weapon, turning towards Homura with a bow. "Homura. She tried to get into the cafeteria after curfew."

"I appreciate it, Yagyu, but is that really necessary to pull a blade over her?" Homura asked.

"I mean… I guess I kinda upset her wi-…" Kat began to speak when Yagyu cut her off.

"Because I was already upset from other news earlier today. I went overboard when I shouldn't have." Yagyu gave Homura another, even lower bow. "But rules are rules, are they not, Miss Homura?"

"Of course, they are." Homura said, slowly walking towards Yagyu and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Which is why you were in the East Wing when this happened."

"But… the rules…" Yagyu began stuttering nervously.

"Can't report to Hibari what you don't see, now can you?" Homura said with a grin. "Don't worry. I'm making an exception for Kat here. If anyone gets in trouble, it'll be me and that's not your fault at all, Yagyu."

Yagyu quickly nodded, giving a final bow before swiftly taking off down the hallway. "She sure is an odd one." Kat remarked.

"Don't be too hard on her. The poor girl is basically Hibari's slave. Who knows what the brat's beaten into her. Anyways, let's get you some food."

"Eh?! But… won't you get in trouble?" Kat looked at Homura with surprise.

"Being an elite shinobi comes with a few privileges. Which include a bit of… rule bending. So, what do you want?" Homura winked.

Katsu sat down in the booth, across from her new friend with a tray of cut up sushi rolls, steaming ramen, and a bottle of orange ramune, thanking Homura, who's tone was warmer and friendlier. "No need to thank me. I had never seen you so disheartened. You sat there for hours and none of us could get your attention. I couldn't just let you go hungry like that."

"So, what made you change your mind? I know I'm not your favorite person. And did you really just bring me here to feed a girl ya don't like?" Katsuragi asked, slurping her ramen.

A moment of silence followed, Homura placing her hands under her chin. "Sharp; once again you've struck me surprised. Yes, I'm here with you not just because I don't let people starve. But you've fulfilled your part of the bargain with the assistance of Fujieda town, continuously proving my suspicions wrong. So, you deserve answers. Go ahead and ask any question your heart desires."

Katsuragi immediately swallowed the rest of the sushi roll she was chewing on, "Really!? I mean, jeez, I don't know where to begin. Anything?"

"Anything."

"Bra size?" Kat smirked.

"Anything within reason!" Homura's eyes whitened out as she angrily blushed.

Kat giggled slightly before clearing her throat. "Well, I guess the first thing I wanna know is… what's up with Yagyu? She seems so… unpredictable."

"Most of us don't know a lot about her. Only that she's like some kind of servant bodyguard for the brat as she's always by her side. They say she was adopted by Hibari's family, but what kind of family treats a girl like a slave? Still, they say she's a proficient fighter."

"If she's always by her side, then what was she doing out here?"

"Hibari lets Yagyu have the night hours to herself when she's in bed. Yagyu volunteered as one of the academy's night guards. I can't imagine having servitude beaten into you so much that the only free time you get, you volunteer for more work. But her initiative is respectable."

Katsu nearly spit her drink out. "Whoa, hold the phone!? So, you're saying Hibari abuses Yagyu?!"

"Do you really have to see it to tell? I mean, look at the way Yagyu acts around her. Reserved, completely obedient, quick to apologize for the smallest things. She looks miserable. And that's not even the worst of it." Homura leaned in towards Katsu. "They say the reason she wears that eyepatch is that Hibari tortured her to blindness. Cut her eye out."

"That's horrible! How does Hanzo let someone like that hang around?!"

"They've never found any proof. Yagyu's denied it several times, but when asked further about it, she refuses to show us her eye or even talk about it, instead acts terrified."

Katsuragi slammed her fist on the table. "I can't believe that Hibari! You know what, Second question; what is up with that Hibari?! I've only seen a little bit of her and I already can't stand her!"

"Oh, don't get me started too, Katsu. Basically, the brat's family is the Tenka clan: A very highly influential family in the northeastern part of Hanzoa Japan. Apparently, they came to Hanzo's aid during the Shinobi wars of 1953. Though Ken and Midori Tenka are both rich, powerful, and highly respected shinobi, even friends of Master Hanzo, they spoil their daughter rotten. She thinks she's a 'Patrician Shinobi'. I don't deny how much her family's done for Hanzo, but there's no such rank! It's just a stupid title she made up to make herself sound more important than the rest of us!"

"I'd wanna take her on in a match, but bet she'd deny it from us 'lesser' shinobi." Katsu huffed.

"Don't be fooled, Kat. Hibari may be many things, but the brat isn't to be underestimated. Her personal training sees to that." Kat looked up, noticing Homura's tone dipping with her last few sentences before picking up again, "But let's not dwell on her much. Any other questions you have?"

"So, who's all fighting in this war? And what does Hanzo fight for?"

"We fight for unity. For freedom. For a Japan that isn't dictated by the ideology of governments or religion. Where people are free to be people; a democracy like the very Americans we expelled before the fallout. As for who's fighting, well, you got the big three. Us, Gessen, and Hebijo. A couple of eastern crime-ridden factions I don't know that much about. There's Shinozuka Imperial and the Sakigei Royalists; two sides of the same coin if you ask me. Both revere the emperor and believe he's a god. But they're just different enough to be constantly warring with each other. Some weirdos to the far north called the Zodiacs I don't know much about and then there's the Senki Shu, a bunch of Kagura worshipping assholes largely in the north who wanna convert everyone into their cult."

"Kagura?"

"Some mythical doom bringer who eats yoma or something. Supposedly almost brought the world to its knees before being sealed away in the Everscroll or so they say."

"A doom bringer who eats yoma? And what is the Everscroll?" Kat put a finger on her chin, finishing the last sip of her orange ramune.

"They say the Everscroll can give any shinobi it touches the power to obtain a form beyond that of a normal shinobi, if they can survive, that is. Honestly, I can't tell you much more, Katsumi. I'm too much of a realist to be worried about religion or chasing superstition."

"So… nobody's ever seen Kagura?"

"Ha! Seen her? I think I'd sooner see Gessen and Hebijo negotiating peace treaties. People are dying out there, Kat. I don't have time for spiritual talk. I don't believe in Kagura. I don't believe in yoma. Now whether that Fubuki girl is somehow yoma related or just has a skin disorder, I have no idea."

Katsuragi looked up, "Speaking of Fubuki… you said she was a friend of mine, yes? What can you tell me about her? Or rather, about myself. The Katsuragi you know."

Homura inhaled, "There's… another reason I called you here. See, the reason we refused to answer your questions until you finished helping us was because we needed to confirm something. You had been acting so strange that some of us didn't think you were Katsumi at all. So we had some of our spies sniff out the location of key areas we usually see Katsu being active and lo and behold, they reported spotting her within Gessenite borders."

A light gasp escaped Katsuragi's mouth as her eyes now focused on Homura, who continued. "I didn't want to believe it. I went over the recent report again and again, double checking with the spies and yet, there you were; still sitting on the bench in Hanzo Academy."

Kat suddenly stood up in the booth. "Wh-where was she spotted!? I gotta go there now!"

"Easy, Katsumi-… er, Katsuragi. I wanted to talk to you about this earlier, but since you were in shock for so long, I think it's best you get some sleep and we'll talk about this tomorrow." Homura said, motioning with her hands.

"How can I sleep now!? You said I was spotted in Gessener… something. Dang, that sounds weird out loud." Katsuragi let out a yawn, holding her head.

"Easy, Kat. Easy. Look, I wanna get to the bottom of this as much as you, but we can't just go strolling into Gessenite territory and expect them to welcome us with open arms. Come on, I'll show you where the guests sleep." Homura patted Katsuragi on the back.

"You… consider me a guest?" Katsuragi asked.

"Better a guest than a pest, I say. Unless you wanna sleep on a hard bench."

"N-no! Hehe. Guest is fine." Katsu sweatdropped. Homura led Katsuragi down the hall and up a flight of stairs. Following her down more hallways, Kat was lead into a room with a fancy, red velvet bed with a luxurious canopy. A small marble table with gold outer plating situated itself in the center of the room, while similar gold plating decorated the wooden counter of a miniature bar in the corner. The view of it all stole Katsuragi's breath from her.

"Normally this room is for important guests and we send visitors over to the Crimson Phoenix Hotel. But just for tonight, you can sleep here. Oh, and before I forget, Haruka gave me this. It'll help you with your wounds. Just follow the directions and don't overdose." Homura then tossed Katsu a bottle of pills.

"Thank you… Homura." Katsuragi found herself shaking as she looked back at Homura.

"Just ring one of the intercoms on the wall if you need anything. We'll talk more tomorrow, Kat. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." As Homura closed the door behind her Katsuragi took a couple of the pills before looking around at the glaring radiance of the guest room.

Isolating yet welcoming, foreign yet familiar, for whatever reason, Katsuragi's eyes softly began to leak as she ran her hand against the ruby red sofa with it's gold, outer plating. Homura's kindness and the slow acceptance of her into this Hanzo made her feel warmly at home, yet the same warm feeling reminded her of a home she wanted back badly. Tears of joy and anguish mixed together as Katsuragi walked over to the velvet bed, lying down and gripping the sheets, nuzzling her head into the pillow, and allowing the past two days to drain from her as she drifted off into dreams.