Summary: In Meiji 26 (1891), the remaining Kenshingumi members reunite again. Now that Kenshin and Kaoru are gone, it's up to them the mission of protecting Japan. S+M, Y+T, A+M, and 15-year-old Kenji-kun, of course. After-Seisou Hen, OVA spoilers ahead!
Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin © 1997 by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
IV - Fight in the shade
- Oh, Takani-sensei, how is my son? - the poor woman still trembled from the shock, her skin pale and the eyes full of worry.
- He'll be fine - Megumi answered, releasing her hair. - But his arm movements might have been affected. The arrow was too close to the radial nerve, and it also damaged the shoulder articulation. Apart from that, he'll be ok.
- Thank God! - said the young mother, relieved. - I was so preoccupied, I thought my precious boy would die! Thank you, Takani-sensei, you saved his life! But I don't know how to pay for your services, we don't have much money... is there anything we could do for you?
- Don't worry about that, it's ok.
- Oh, but I insist! Maybe you need an assistant? I don't understand much about medicine, but I could help cleaning and making small curatives.
- Fine - the doctor gave a gentle laugh. - But let's talk about that later. Would you like to see him? He's still sleeping, but you may want to be nearby when he wakes up.
- Yes, I'll stay there. Thank you very much, doctor! - the woman said, leaving.
Now that the other was gone, Megumi allowed herself to slump on the nearest chair, sighing soundly. She looked at the others. Tsubame was wide-eyed, sitting on the long western stool; her face had a shade of blue, or green - no matter which color, it definitely didn't look very healthy. By her side, Yahiko seemed nervous, drumming his fingers on his thigh, trying to sort the events. Opposite them, Sano stood still, holding his chin with his right hand, deep in thought.
What happened, that was the question in everyone's mind.
Screaming in pain, the boy laid on the ground, a puddle of blood forming under his injured shoulder. The crowd soon surrounded him and his desperate mother, who cried for medical assistance. Releasing herself from Sanosuke's arms, Megumi pushed her way towards the child.
Sano didn't object. His gaze was fixed, pointing to the middle of the street. Near him, while holding a frightened Tsubame, Yahiko also stared. Right there, in front of the Akabeko, was a squad of females wearing weird armours, all of them on horseback. The one in the front, probably the head of the group, wore a bronze helmet and a white, short tunic which left one of her shoulders and the sides of her thighs uncovered. Armed with a great bow, she prepared to dart another arrow in their direction. Both men went alert, ordering the crowd to move on, ready to fight if necessary, when the arrow went piercing the air and got attached to the restaurant wall with a vibrating thud. Then, with loud yells to the other riders, the leader spurred her black horse and the group trotted away, disappearing as fast as they appeared.
The rest of the people, still stunned, went looking for the police or ran back to their houses. Apparently, only Sano and Yahiko had noted that the archer hasn't missed the second throw. Plucking the arrow off the wall, Yahiko noticed the yellowish paper linked to its butt. In the paper, it could be read:
'You'll get to fight in the shade.'
Now the paper laid unfolded over the desk, in front of Megumi, the words exposed for any of them to read.
- From the look upon your faces, you haven't come to a conclusion yet - Megumi sighed.
- You guessed - Sano mumbled.
- I haven't thought of anything either - said Yahiko. - I've made some suppositions, but none of them sounded really interesting. What did they mean by "fight in the shade"? Is it some sort of joke or something?
- No... there must be a meaning on that, you'll find out what it is. - Megumi commented, then turned to her younger friend. - But by now I'm worried with you, Tsubame-chan. You look pale. Are you sure you are alright?
- I'm fine, Megumi-san, don't worry - her tiny, faint whisper said otherwise. - I'm just a bit tired, that's all. It was a very disturbing noon, wasn't it? I don't know about the boys, but I'm not very accustomed yet to all that.
- Maybe you're right, but I'd like to talk to you tomorrow morning, ok? - the doctor winked discreetly.
- You should rest, koishii. - Yahiko whispered softly on his wife's ear, in a rare exhibition of sweetness. - Come on, I'll take you home.
- No, no, anata! - Tsubame said shaking her head, which made her feel dizzy again. - I'm also curious about this paper. Maybe I could be of some help if I stayed around, ne? Ah, and we should have already been back to the dojo. We left without talking to Kenji-kun, he must be very worried.
- What about you, Fox - Sano asked. - Are ya comin'?
- I can't, - she said - not at least until Satoru-kun wakes up. I must check if everything will be alright for him to go back home; and also, he might need some help to walk there due to the anesthetics.
- Then I'll stay around - the ex-gangster decided. - I help you with the boy, then we can go back to the dojo together.
- Well... we're going. See you guys later - finished Yahiko, holding Tsubame close to him while they left the clinic.
They found Kenji already by the dojo gates, looking nervous.
- Ah, there you are, finally! Where have you guys been? I was even considering going to the Akabeko to ask Tae your whereabouts! - Tsubame promptly went to his side, to try to calm him down.
- So sorry, Kenji-kun! We've had problems, and we--
- It's ok, it's ok - he interrupted her, closing the gates behind them. - I was just mad because Shinomori-san arrived here and there were all the chores to be done, and I couldn't-- this time, it was Yahiko who interrupted, astonished.
- Aoshi? Here?
- Yes, he and Misao-san. They got here about two hours ago. I thought you knew they were coming, wasn't it Tsubame-san who wrote them? Hey! - Yahiko didn't pay any attention, and was already running to the house, the mysterious message in his hand.
He broke in, euphoric, and found the impassive spy cross-legged, silently sipping a cup of green tea. His usually cheerful wife sat in front of him, gloomy and distant. They had reacted to Kenshin and Kaoru's deaths just as Yahiko had expected: Misao, getting depressed; Aoshi, being the ice statue he'd always been.
- We have received your wife's letter - the man said coldly. - We are here to express our grief. Their deaths meant a great loss to all of us at the Aoiya. It has deeply affected Misao, who was closer to them. - the young woman just nodded in response, the simple fact of being in Tokyo bringing her pain enough.
- I understand her feelings and admit it's a very sad reason for us to reunite again, - Yahiko said in a hurry - but I also believe your presence here will be of great help. Have you heard about what happened today?
- We have noticed some unusual movement in the city when we arrived here, - Misao finally opened her mouth - but we didn't find out what had caused it.
- The answer might be here - said the spiky-haired man, handing them the piece of paper. - Trouble is, we haven't been able to understand the message. Could you decipher it, Aoshi-san?
- Let me have a look on it - he said, bringing the paper close to his eyes. His forty-one years of age were beginning to show up, but the stubborn okashira refused to admit it, preferring to strain his eyes. After reflecting for a brief moment, he sighed. - Well, that reminds me of a Greek legend, but I can't see why someone would refer to it here in Japan.
- Oh, please, Aoshi-san, tell us anything that might be related to the message - Tsubame pleaded, anxious. - Your piece of information may clarify the few things we know, isn't it?
- Fine - he sighed. - The years I spent working for Kanryuu Takeda hadn't been a waste of my time. His mansion had a large library, full of both western and eastern literature and science books, as well as dictionaries, philosophical studies and world atlases. I used to visit it on a daily basis, since most of the time I didn't have much to do beside standing guard. That is where I learned almost everything I know about European cultures such as the Greek. There is a rather popular episode called "The Battle of Thermopylae":
In 480 BC, Xerxes (son of Darius, King of Persia) was in full preparation to invade Athens, the leader of the Greek city-states. King Leonidas of Sparta, another city-state, had agreed to help stop the invading Persians, and marched with 300 hand-picked troops to Thermopylae on the north coast of Greece. Thermopylae was the best of three possible defensive areas in which Xerxes' invading army had to advance. This mountain gap along the coast was about 60 feet wide, and was the best location for a blocking action. When Leonidas was preparing to make his stand, a Persian envoy arrived. The envoy explained to Leonidas the futility of trying to resist the advance of the huge Persian army.
"Our archers are so numerous," said the envoy, "that the flight of their arrows darkens the sun."
"So much the better," replied Leonidas, "for we shall fight them in the shade."
- I see - Yahiko breathed. - It makes sense. Because of the arrows, and also because the armour she was wearing definitely wasn't Japanese.
- "She"? - Aoshi inquired.
- Yes, she - added Tsubame. - That's also curious, they were all women. And their costumes were very unique, not to say scandalous. - she remembered, gesturing to her thighs to show where the tunic ended.
- Female warriors... - Aoshi pondered. - Were those women you saw on horseback?
- Yes.
- Strange... could they be...?
- Oi, Shinomori - called Sano from the doorway, Megumi and a very annoyed Kenji behind him. - Maybe this could help. - he handed the other man a new piece of paper. - That was by the clinic door when we left. But this one is worse than the other, I couldn't even read it this time. It doesn't look like English or French or anything I've ever seen.
Aoshi glanced over the paper, and his eyes lighted.
- Amazons - he read.
- So, - Sano said, not very interested - the chicks have a name.
The seven people now were sitting around the low table in the center of the main room. Two lampshades brought a dim light, barely enough for one to read, to the area where the group was; the rest of the room, as well as the dojo, was left in the dark. There were diverse reactions to Aoshi's discovery: he himself held the two messages, skimming from one to the other quickly, looking intrigued. By his side, even feeling still weakened by the loss of her dear friends, Misao tried as she could to follow her husband's line of thoughts. Megumi, in front of him, was curious to know who had harmed poor Satoru-kun, but she was able to control herself and waited patiently for the okashira's explanations. Yahiko, Tsubame and Kenji jumped up and down on their cushions, yearning to hear more about their attackers with the usual impatience of the young. Standing by the door, Sano was the only who seemed unconcerned with all the situation, even after the others had told him what had already been discussed when the ex-gangster and Megumi arrived there.
- Not only a name, but a philosophy - Aoshi corrected. - The Amazons are a famous Greek myth. It is said that those women created a matriarchy, a form of government ruled by females only. On their community lived very few men, who worked involuntarily on heavy duties-- in other words, slaves. The Amazons perpetuated and increased in number by having sexual relationships with outsiders: if the baby born was a boy, it was castrated, mutilated, blinded, and, if not eliminated, used for lower services. - those lines brought a couple of disgusted remarks from the men present in the reunion. - They venerated Artemis, the goddess of hunts, fields and women, and is also symbolized as the Crescent Moon. And, as their goddess, the Amazons broke away from the men's yoke, becoming known as brave warriors with great ability with the bow. Basically, they hated the males.
- I guess that's why they attacked the little boy at the Akabeko, isn't it? - commented Tsubame.
- Yeah, and that's also why they chose that story about the king Leo-something to introduce themselves. Y'know, the arrows thing. - Yahiko said.
- And I noticed something else! - added Kenji. - When they talk about "shade", they use this kanji which also means "yin", the female half in the Onmyoudou. They must have been referring to their female army. - he concluded, impressing everyone with his cleverness.
- Yes, that's also right - Aoshi half murmured, a cloud of worry over his eyes.
- Then why the big face, Shinomori? If they say we'll fight "in the shade", they mean we are like that all-mighty Leonides guy, don't they?
- Surely, and that's exactly the problem - the spy stated. - In the battle of Thermopylae, King Leonides and his powerful three hundred warriors were decimated to the man.
Sano and the rest of the group grew silent, reflecting on the meaning of The Amazons' words.
Author's Notes: This chapter wasn't that long, but hey, I'm f*cking tired and there's already homework to do > In the 'pré-vestibular', I've revised all the Physics I've had since March... in two hours! That's very enthusiastic. Really... and it usually gets worse in your last year of high school ^_^''
Anyway, I'm trying to keep a decent rhythm here. Bear with me. Oh boy, isn't Greek Mythology just cool? Ah, the character Kenji is talking about is "kage". Onmyoudou, according to Jeffrey's Japanese English Dictionary: 'Way of Yin and Yang; occult divination system based on the Taoist theory of the five elements'.
Love, Prudence-chan
Ah, and I'm not a Saint Seya fan.
Chapter V: The boys are ready to get into action. But what about the girls?
