Hey ho they love the way I do it
Hey ho there's really nothing to it

I got the moon I got the cheese
I got the whole damn nation on my knees
I got the rooster I got the crow
I got the hill I got the flow

I got the sizzle not the steak
I got the boat not the lake
I got the sheets not the bed
I got the jam not the bread
But hey I'm big in Japan I'm big in Japan
I'm big in Japan I'm big, I'm big in Japan!

Chapter Four: Exit

The sun was setting slowly. Kenji, armed with his sword, slowly headed for the Kurou Mansion. Something was bothering him, though. Something was eating inside of him that had never been there before. Guilt. Memories of the time he spent in Rokkotsu Pass kept on playing inside his head. Not bothering to save Suzu the first time, leaving Chelsea for dead, and worst of all, killing poor old Kurikichi, who was once a great and powerful samurai. This was not right. Kenji was actually feeling remorse for his actions. Now was the time to redeem himself. He was really going to save Suzu.

Just then, Kitcho ran after Kenji.

"Chelsea and Dojima are fighting troops back at the station!" He informed Kenji.
"I'm going back to the Kurou mansion. There's a girl there. She needs to be rescued." Kenji said triumphantly.
"That's commendable," Kitcho said slowly. "But insane! You can't do it alone. You'll be killed."
"You should see me with this sword. Too bad Shiretoko's dead. He could've testified on my side."
"I don't care. I'm coming with you."

An army of troops approached the two men.

"Stand down!" One of them said.
"Never!" Kitcho shouted.

Kitcho drew his sword and the fight began. Every man at one time or another ended up feeling the cold blade against their warm blood. Kenji and Kitcho killed every single one without batting an eye. In the end, there were four neatly stacked piles of corpses under the trees. Some of them were missing arms, ears, limbs, even a few heads. This was truly an embarrassment to the Meiji government.

The two quietly sheathed their swords.

"That should be all of them," Kitcho began. "I must say, you are good with that sword. We could've used you."
"I fight with no one." Kenji replied.
"I hope Chelsea and Dojima are--"

BOOM! The sound of a canon. Kitcho was left with a massive hole in his chest. He fell to the ground, dead. Kenji neatly placed him next to one of the piles of corpses, drew his sword, and charged up the hill. Was he insane? Yes, very much so. He barely missed several cannonballs flying right past him. While one was reloading, Kenji jumped on the canon and stabbed the soldier in the throat and stole his pistol. The other soldiers began to draw their pistols, but Kenji, who had never fired a gun in his life, killed them all before they got the chance. One was still alive. Kenji gave him the pistol, held his sword to the man's neck, and told him to commit suicide. The man slowly, and with tears in his eyes, put the pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger. With all the men dead, Kenji headed for the Kurou mansion.

"NO!" Chelsea discovered Kitcho's dead body. "WHY? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? I LOVED HIM SO MUCH!"

Dojima arrived only to discover Chelsea in this horrible state.

"What is wrong?" He asked gently.
"Kitcho... he's dead!" She cried.
"I'm so sorry, Chelsea."
"I loved him... I truly loved him... bastards!" She drew her sword. "They will pay for this!"

"It's a shame we have to kill her so soon." General Tamagawa laughed. He stood above Suzu, whose arms and legs were tied to two oxen.
"Don't you think we should ravish her a bit first?" One soldier asked.
"Not a bad idea," Tamagawa replied.
"Very well. After the ceremony, we will ravish her until she can be ravished no more."
"It's especially fun when she's a virgin!" One of the more perverted soldiers cackled. Tamagawa let out a hearty laugh. The others followed.

Just outside the mansion, every soldier outside had been brutally slaughtered. Kenji headed for the mansion itself. Dojima and Chelsea arrived.

"Stay here and make sure nobody enters or leaves." Kenji instructed them.
"No," Chelsea said firmly. "I'm coming with you. I want to kill the bastards who killed Kitcho."
"Alright," Dojima replied. "I'll stay here then."

Kenji and Chelsea entered the mansion through the secret passage that Toyoko informed him of just the day before. As they entered the mansion, darkness. The moon had risen at last. Upon entering, they discovered a most interesting site. Tsubohachi was lying face down in a puddle of blood. Kenji kicked Tsubohachi to see if he was still alive. He very much was.

"What are you... YOU!"
"Shut up. Listen, they've kidnapped Suzu." Kenji shouted.
"Suzu!"
"Yes. They most likely will have ravished her by now!"
"Bastards! I was supposed to do that first! Right, I'm gonna save her." "Not without our help, you're not. This is Chelsea of the Akadama Clan."
"Charmed." Chelsea said, a bit repulsed.
"She's not Japanese!"
"Look, it doesn't matter. Are you going to help us or not?" Kenji was getting very irritated.
"Yes."
"Good."

Tsubohachi got up and the three approached the soldiers slowly. They arrived just before they got the chance to do anything to Suzu.

"I can't sustain my anger any longer," Tsubohachi cried. "I'm going in!"

Tsubohachi charged towards General Tamagawa. Just as he reached the General, he was brutally axed in the chest as other soldiers ran towards him with their swords out, skinning and chopping up poor Tsubohachi. They headed for Kenji and Chelsea next. The fighting began. Killing the soldiers was easy. The hard part was killing them as they multiplied by the second. There were just too many of them. And then, just as Kenji was about to gut one of the soldiers, the two swords clanged against each other and Kenji's sword was shattered. In the nick of time, Kenji grabbed the soldier's wrist and began slashing at the man's chest repeatedly. One soldier slowly approached Kenji as he was doing this. Kenji quickly grabbed the man's arm, flipped him over, and slit the man's throat.

Every soldier in the mansion was dead. That is, except for Tamagawa. Chelsea and Kenji charged for the General.

"I've had enough," Tamagawa cried. "I'll finish you. And I'll even do it using your old, out dated ways!"

Kenji grabbed a Dull sword and the fighting resumed. Tamagawa slashed Chelsea across the chest. She was not yet dead, but was in severe pain. Kenji wouldn't give up.

"Fool! The days of the samurai are gone. You should know that by now."
"Nonsense!"
"Is that so? Well, we've wiped out all the samurai here, all the samurai elsewhere in Japan are dead, there's just you and the girl left! What do you say to that?"
"I say... death to you!"

Kenji stabbed Tamagawa in the gut. He raised his sword to behead the General when...

"Wait! Don't kill me just yet. I'll make you a member of the government. You'll be one of the most powerful. Wouldn't you like that?"
"No, but I'll take that sword from you."
"Oh."

The sword went across Tamagawa's neck. He felt his head slowly dismember from his body. The head rolled next to Suzu, who was crying uncontrollably. Kenji, who once tried to kill her, slowly approached her.

"It's okay," he said softly. "You're safe now."
"You're not going to hurt me?"
"I would never do that to a girl."

Dojima ran into the mansion.

"There are too many soldiers, Kenji! We're surrounded!"

Just then, the fighting ceased. Tamagawa slowly approached Kenji.

Kenji looked around. He saw one soldier in every direction with a sword at his neck. He noticed Chelsea bleeding to death on the ground. He noticed Dojima and several dozen troops lined up behind him. He noticed poor Suzu, tied to two oxen and on death's door. He looked inside the mansion and noticed the bodies of the Kurou family all over the floor and their blood streaked all over the walls. He noticed the chest full of money in the center of the room. He noticed that he was standing right outside of that room.

"That's it! Have your fun! I'm going to Tokyo!"

Kenji sheathed his new sword, grabbed the chest, and headed for the exit. Chelsea, with her last ounce of strength, looked up in horror at this act of greed. Suzu started crying again. Dojima was amazed yet furious at the same time. Realizing that the same man killed their beloved General stood aside.

Kenji headed for the railroad with a sardonic smile streaked across his face. Samurai normally practiced the ways of justice and honor, but those ideas clearly didn't work for Kenji. He just wanted to see blood spill.

End of Chapter Four.

Realizationby Alan Springfield
Story conceived by Liam Henderson & John Reeler
Revisions by Noah Redfield
Excerpts from "Big in Japan" written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan

"It's only rock 'n' roll but I like it."