Disclaimer: Not mine... **sobs**
Author's Note: Thought I was just gonna leave this one go, didn'tja??? I was have a few difficulties... but I got it worked out. Hope you enjoy the second chapter... **grin** Beware of umm... language. Eheh.
The Magnificent Seven
Chapter 2: I am a #($*&# Navajo!
--------
They rode hard and fast through the thicket of woods outside the town. Kishuku was in the lead, followed by Ryuuen and Saihitei. When Kishuku slowed just at the edge of the forest, Ryuuen pulled back hard on the reins and stopped beside him. Saihitei joined them a second later.
"What is it?" Saihitei asked.
"Two more steps and we'll be out of the forest. Nothing but open prairie from here," he sighed, turning a little in his saddle to glance behind them.
"Isn't this Sioux land?" Ryuuen inquired, pointing ahead of them.
"Yeah, that's just it. Sioux aren't very tolerant of white folk."
Saihitei narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. Navajo lands meet with Sioux lands just beyond that ridge. If we can get there without being killed, we'll be okay. Navajo are peaceful people."
Ryuuen looked at the ridge Saihitei indicated, then back to the man. "That's a long way off, Sai," he said. "How are we going to make it there without Souix warriors taking us off the map?"
Saihitei raised his shoulders in a small shrug. "I never said I knew how to get there... just if."
The two heard a thump and turned to see Kishuku dismount his horse. "Look," he said.
They dismounted and walked up behind him. "What?" Ryuuen asked.
Kishuku pointed to the left of where they stood. "A canyon. It looks like it runs all the way down to where that ridge starts. Maybe we can go through there without being seen."
"But then how in the world do we get out again?" Ryuuen questioned. "The canyon walls are most likely going to be steep, the horses might not be able to get out."
A gunshot sounded in the distance behind them. Ryuuen whirled around, felt a tremor of panic start it his throat. "They're coming," he said. His voice had a slight shake in it. Saihitei squeezed his shoulder.
"Guess we're taking the canyon. Come on, let's go."
The three jumped back on their horses and took off at a full gallop toward the canyon. Another gunshot was heard, and Saihitei was sure he felt a bullet whiz past his head. "Move!" he shouted.
Ryuuen reached the canyon first. He steered his horse down the steep side, leaned back as far as he could. The horse slid a little, but went down with little trouble. Kishuku was right behind, and nearly fell off his horse when it tripped. Saihitei came flying over the hill, expertly manuevering his horse down the slope.
Wow, thought Ryuuen. He's amazing... "Where did you learn to ride?"
Saihitei grinned at him. "I taught myself, actually. Been riding since I was seven years old."
"Let's go, you two," Kishuku called. "I think I remember seeing a place far ahead where we can rest for an hour or so."
They rode on, pushing their horses to the brink of exhaustion. When Ryuuen's finally stumbled and threw him, and after Saihitei made him ride with him, they reached the resting place. It was just before dusk.
"Do we dare a fire?" Saihitei asked.
Kishuku nodded. "I think we can risk a small one."
Ryuuen was unloading the horses, but dropped his saddlebag with a cry of pain. Saihitei looked at him, concern etched on his face. "Ryuu, are you all right?"
"My arm hurts," he explained. "It must have happened when my horse threw me."
"Let me see it," the larger man demanded. Ryuuen moved over the small fire that Kishuku had built, let Saihitei look at his arm.
"It's not broken, but you may have chipped the bone or just badly bruised it."
Ryuuen pulled his arm away. "It's fine. I can handle it."
Saihitei stared at him speculatively. "You can? Then why did you drop the saddlebag?"
"I – well, I – " Ryuuen sighed angrily. "Dammit! I'm fine, it's just a bruise." He turned away and went back to unloading the horses.
Kishuku chuckled. "Don't attempt to baby Ryuuen. He hates it."
Saihitei nodded. "I noticed. Does he always have to be the strong one?"
"Yes, he does. It's damned annoying, too." Kishuku was suddenly tackled from behind by Ryuuen, who secured his head in a headlock. "Gah! Ryuu!"
"What was that about annoying, Kish? Huh? I couldn't hear you!" Ryuuen laughed. Kishuku struggled in vain against the arm around his throat, then gave up, reached behind him, and poked Ryuuen right between the ribs. The smaller man let go of his head. "Aaah! I hate it when you do that!"
Kishuku burst out laughing. "You're too easy, Ryuuen. Just a little poke in the side and you turn into jelly."
Ryuuen responded by sticking his tongue out at Kishuku. Then man laughed again, then stood, stretched. "It's too dark for the sheriff and his men to continue searching, so I think it's safe to sleep here tonight. We'll leave before dawn tomorrow. I'm getting some shut-eye, and you two should, too."
Kishuku threw his bedroll out a safe distance from the fire, laid down. He put his hat over his face, and within minutes, was fast asleep.
The two remaining men sat by the fire in silence, listening to the sounds of the plains around them. Ryuuen looked up, captivated by the abundance of stars in the sky. How beautiful, he thought. I wish Kourin were here to see it. She'd be so happy to know I got out.
My God, he's beautiful, thought Saihitei. He stared at Ryuuen, at the slim, heart-shaped face that was bathed in shadow one moment, and lit by the orange glow of the fire the next. The light from the flames dance across his face, made his eyes seem to flash and shine. He was gazing up at the stars, a sad smile pulling at his lips. Suddenly, those rosy, wise eyes were on Saihitei, and he was talking.
"Sai, what brought you to Buckley Hell?"
He blinked. "Buckley... Hell?"
Ryuuen grinned at him. "Buckley Hill. It's the name Kourin and I came up with years ago."
"Oh, it's a long story," Saihitei replied. He looked back up at him, expecting him to shrug it off, but instead, there was simply a look of understanding. "You want to hear it?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay," he sighed. "My father is the owner of the First Commonwealth Bank of Philadelphia. I'm a typical rich man's son, and I hate it. He wouldn't let me do any "cowboy stuff," so I snuck out, and taught myself. When I hit eighteen, he found out some things about me that no father is supposed to know about his son, and disowned me. So, I took up the life of a wandering cowboy, and I've been wandering ever since."
Ryuuen was studying him hard. Whatever his father had found out about him, he wasn't ready to say. He hoped that some day, he'd tell him.
Saihitei was looking at him expectantly, probably waiting for him to ask.
"Sai, I'm not going to ask what your father found out about you."
The other man was surprised. "You're not?"
He shook his head. "No. But I will say this. Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll be there to listen."
Sahitei felt a tinge of guilt hit him. Ryuuen had spilled out his story with the openness of a child, and he had only been secretive. But what if I tell him and he hates me? He didn't think he could bear not seeing that beautiful, kind face anymore.
He shook his head emphatically. What was he thinking? He'd known Ryuuen for a day, and he was afraid of not ever seeing him again? Looking up, he saw Ryuuen studying him. There seemed to be a question on his lips, but he just grinned when Saihitei looked at him.
He's interested, Saihitei thought in surprise. He actually wants to know about me... but am I ready to tell him?
Ryuuen yawned, and Saihitei realized just how tired he felt. He nodded to Ryuuen. "Go ahead, I'll take first watch."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely," Saihitei said.
He watched as the smaller man lay down right where he was, his jacket serving as his pillow. "Wake me when you can't keep your eyes open anymore." Then, his eyes slid shut and he was asleep almost immediately.
With Kishuku and Ryuuen both lost in their dreams, Saihitei felt more like he did when he was traveling alone. The deep, steady breaths of Ryuuen reminded him that at last he wasn't by himself. He had friends now. His attention wandered back to Ryuuen. One of those friends he wanted to be so much more.
------------
Saihitei was lying on his back, staring at the midnight sky when he heard the noise. It wasn't much, just a stone that had been kicked up and skittered across the canyon floor. It was what kicked it up that had him worried. He reached for his gun without moving most of his body, and listened more intently. There was another sound, much like the first one, and closer. He quietly cocked his gun, letting it sit on his stomach where his hand lay.
Then he heard voices. Rough, cowboy voices.
"Come along you 'Nav-ee-ho.' We're gon git some good money fer you!"
A noise that sounded like a punch followed by a grunt and stumbling steps made Saihitei sit up. He reached over and shook Ryuuen, but the young man was fast asleep. Having no other choice, he pinched his nose and covered his mouth, cutting off all oxygen to Ryuuen's lungs. A few seconds passed, and Ryuuen's eyes flew open. Saihitei let go of his nose, but kept his hand clamped firmly over Ryuuen's mouth. He pointed in the direction the noises were coming from, then took his hand away.
Ryuuen took a deep breath, let it out through his nose. He listened intently, knowing Saihitei wouldn't wake him like that without a reason. The voices reached his ears then, almost as quickly as the first gunshot.
"Who goes there?" one of the men yelled.
Ryuuen's first instinct was to duck, but then he realized that the men were firing up into the air as warning shots.
Kishuku had jumped awake when the shot rang throughout the canyon. His guns were in his hands within seconds. "What the hell's going on?" he asked.
Saihitei nodded his head ahead of them. "Men, not sure how many. Sounded like traders to me."
"Traders?" Ryuuen turned a questioning look toward him. "What do you mean, traders?"
"More like sellers," he corrected himself. "They take whoever they can get their grubby hands on, and sell them as slaves for money."
"Bastards," Kishuku said through clenched teeth.
Another warning shot into the air. "I said who goes?" the voice came, irritated and tired.
"None of your damn business!" Ryuuen yelled back. He saw the look on Saihitei's face, before saying, "I am NOT letting them take anyone to be sold as long as I'm around."
He nodded in agreement. "All right, but what do we do? It's dark and we can't see them."
Another voice came over the distance, loud and incredibly pissed off. "These fuckers got me tied up! There are only two of the bas—" The voice was cut off by a loud thump and someone cried out.
"Shut up you retarded Injun!"
Saihitei had been listening to the voices, and when he turned back to ask Ryuuen what he was going to do, he saw that the violet-haired man was gone. He blinked, then looked at Kishuku. "Where'd he go?"
Kishuku shrugged, but a knowing smile was on his face. "Just wait."
"Wait? Wait for what?"
The other man sprung forward without another word, just as two dirty men came running from the other direction. Saihitei followed, not understanding what was going on, but knowing his help was needed.
Kishuku grabbed the first guy by an arm, flipping him easily over his shoulder. Saihitei ran into the other guy full-bodied, knocking him backward on the ground. He drew his gun and pointed it at the man's head. "Move, and you're dead."
Ryuuen came out of the darkness next, dusting his hands and clothes off. "Stupid, stupid people," he remarked, shaking his head.
Saihitei opened his mouth to ask Ryuuen what he had done, when a flash of red bolted past the smaller man.
"Ha fuckin' ha! Think you'd be able to sell me, didja?" The man who was being held by the men kicked the one in the side. "You assholes! I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!" As he spoke the last, a kick emphasized every word.
Finally, he stopped, looked up, and realized that there three other people staring at him. "What?" he asked.
"Umm," Ryuuen began, taking in the man's appearance. He looked to be about their own age, with flaming red hair. He was shirtless and wore only a pair of buckskin pants, boots, and was now pulling a sash covered in bone knives from the one man. He secured the sash over a shoulder, but not before giving that man another swift kick in the ribs. Then, he turned to Ryuuen, setting blazing amber eyes on him.
"I suppose I owe you my thanks. Well, thanks."
Ryuuen blinked. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Genrou," the man replied. "I belong to the Navajo."
Saihitei took a step forward. "You don't look Navajo."
The fiery-haired man rolled his eyes. "Well obviously I don't look fuckin' Navajo. That's because when I was eight, the woman who was supposed to be my mother abandoned me in a covered wagon and left me to fuckin' die! Luckily, my Navajo parents came along, found me, and raised me."
"Well, Genrou," Ryuuen said. "I'm Ryuuen, this is Saihitei, and that's Kishuku. You're welcome to share our fire and have some food if you'd like."
A huge grin, exposing two glittering white fangs, spread across the newcomer's face. He smacked his lips together and thumped down in front of the fire. "Great! I'm fuckin' starving."
Kishuku looked at Ryuuen, who gave him a wry grin, then to Saihitei who only shrugged. "You don't talk like a Navajo, either," he commented.
"Well excuse the fuckin' hell outta me!" the fiery-haired man said between bites of the leftover food the others had had. "Would it make it you feel better if I said 'How, white man', you like'um chickory tea?!' I don't fuckin' think so!"
"Okay, okay," conceded Kishuku, raising his hands in surrender. "I meant no disrespect."
Genrou narrowed his eyes at him, seeming to size him up. Then another fanged grin broke out on his face. "You're all right, Kishuku."
Ryuuen let out the breath he had been holding. He was sure Genrou was going to get up and beat the living daylights out of Kishuku. Walking over to the fire, he sat down beside the still eating Genrou. "So, Genrou, how'd you end up getting caught by those two guys?"
Genrou stopped mid-chew, gazed intently into the fire. "They caught me at a bad time," he whispered.
"Shun'u."
Shun'u knelt by the man who had become his father. Dancing Crow's long black hair was matted with his own blood, and his breath was coming in ragged wheezes.
"Yes, father..." Shun'u hastily wiped away the tears that spilled from his eyes.
"You must avenge us, my son. Avenge our people."
Shun'u cradled the dying man's head in his lap. "Father, don't leave me. Please! You can't!"
Dancing Crow allowed a small smile. "It's okay, my son. I will always be with you. You know the ways of our tribe... we will live on... through you..."
The other man felt Dancing Crow's life ebb away. "I love you, father..." he whispered, leaning down to kiss the Indian chief's forehead.
"And I love you, Shun'u, my son."
And then, Dancing Crow, Chief of the Northern Navajo, died.
"That's when those two guys came. I was fuckin' grieving over my family, and those two sons of bitches grabbed me and dragged me away." He turned to Ryuuen, hot tears streaming down his face. "I didn't even get to give them a proper fuckin' burial!"
Ryuuen put a supportive arm around Genrou's shoulders. "Who did that to your people?" he asked quietly.
"Some Hammond guy," he answered, a deadly edge in his voice.
"Charles Hammond?" Kishuku spoke up.
Genrou looked up at him. "Yeah, that's the fucker's name. You know him?"
Kishuku sighed heavily. "We all do, Genrou. We all do."
"I hate to interrupt," Saihitei said. "But we do we do with those two?"
Ryuuen started. He had completely forgotten about the two still-unconscious traders. "Tie them to a rock... or something..." he told Saihitei.
Genrou jumped up, and with lightening quick movements had a bone dagger in each hand. "Let's just kill the fuckers!"
"Whoa, whoa," Kishuku grabbed the redheaded man's arms. "We can't just kill them. We'll tie them up, and leave them here when we leave in the morning. The sheriff's men can take care of them."
"Sheriff's men?" Genrou's eyes narrowed. "Are you guy's fuckin' outlaws or somethin?"