Readers--Okay people, here we are, the final chapter of Renegade! *cheers* Okay, about last chapter, I know everyone hates me cuz I broke up my main characters, but come on! You all have to know that I'll make them get back together! I just needed a little edge! Bumps in the road! *sigh* Don't hate me! *throws self at your mercy* Please read my sequel!
Disclaimer: Don't own him...wish I did...but alas, I do not.
Chapter 10: All's Fair In Love and War
Soujiro had ran for hours, ignoring the burning in his lungs and the pain in his wounds. All that was on his mind was the pain in his heart. 'If I'm dead,' he wondered as he ran. 'Then shouldn't I stop feeling pain? Shouldn't I stop caring?'
But the real question was: could he stop? And the answer to that one was simple: no. No because he had fallen in love and that was something that never went away. Love was something that never died. He had never loved anyone before, and once he got a taste of it, he didn't want to stop. It didn't matter that Akio didn't love him back. It didn't matter that she no longer wanted him. As long as he still loved her, then he could still live on, right? Right?
Soujiro felt the tears falling down his face and looked down, hair shielding his shame from whatever part of the world cared to look on him. No God should have to see such a sight, such a spectacle. His insides were a mess. Half of him was disgusted with himself for allowing this to happen, for 'wanting' it to happen. Another part of him wanted to turn around, march right back into that house, and demand for her to explain why he couldn't stay with her. But the biggest part of him, the one that he was listening to, was the part that thought it was wrong to be angry. So he was miserable instead.
It took Soujiro a while to calm himself down enough to realize that he was lost, without a weapon, and going down a mountain in plain view where he could be ambushed any second. He first cursed his stupidity, something that also tied in to his luck with women, and then went to the side of the road.
It was just his luck that a few minutes after hiding, voices could be heard coming up the mountain path, heading toward Renko Village. Soujiro crouched down in the underbrush, pressing his body down as far as he could go, sorely missing his destroyed weapon. His breath caught in his throat when he saw who the voices had belonged to.
A platoon of men, fifty at least, were marching haphazardly up the path, laughing and joking with one another. They were dirty and roughly clothes. All looked like men from the rougher city streets. They looked out of place in such a rural setting. All of them were equipped with a weapon, and all of them had a pack over their shoulder. Like wayward travelers. The three men in the led stopped near the shrubs not far from Soujiro's hiding place.
"We should stop for rest of the night," one of them said to the others. "We have to rest up for tomorrow."
"Yes," one of the others seconded. "We want the men to be strong and rested when we continue at the next nightfall."
"I'll tell the men to hunker down," the third said as he left the circle to inform the men that they would be resting there until the next afternoon.
"There can't be more then five miles between us and that Renko Village place," the first commented to the second. Soujiro froze, his blood running cold. He focused all of his energy into eavesdropping now.
"I don't think so. We just have to wait until dusk tomorrow before we attack it. If we go to soon, there are supposed to be a group of guardians or something. They carry rifles. The watch switches at dusk, when we hit."
The first man laughed. "Yeah, then we burn the place to the ground and piss in the ashes!" The second joined in his laughter. Soujiro had stopped listening as they continued to talk about what they'd do after they receive payment for the job and retire to their favorite whore houses in the city. All his body was screaming was to turn around and run back up the mountain.
'Akio,' he thought to himself. A vision of her face flashed before his mind's eye and his heart twisted painfully. It didn't matter what she did or did not feel. All that mattered was him being able to save her life. But the men who were to destroy Renko Village had settled in for the night. It was too late for him to make a break up the mountain without being seen. And being seen running away from a camp of would-be killers--that is to say that they weren't killers already--would not be a smart thing for an unarmed swordsman. He had no choice, he had to wait out the night, and pray that he was fast enough to get to Akio before the platoon did.
Akio had cried herself to sleep on her grandmother's old futon. When she blinked awake the next morning, she didn't recognize her surroundings at first, until she remembered what had transpired the night before. All that did was bring a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. God, it hurt. Hurt worse then a shot through the heart. Hurt worse then the beatings the villagers used to give her. Hurt worse then the time she had broken her ankle after falling from a tree while putting a baby bird back in it's nest out in the garden, and she had to crawl home because no one heard her calls. It hurt worse than any mortal wound. That was because her soul was the thing that was hurt.
After the morning wasted away into afternoon, Akio finally pulled herself to her feet. She had to work in the village today, not that it mattered. Ryu and the guardians hadn't come, not that it mattered. She didn't eat anything all day, not that it mattered. She dressed and she brushed her hair. Then she walked out to Takeda's pen.
He greeted her with his usual amount of love and affection. Akio felt her eyes brimming at just the small gesture made to her by a pet. But she had no more tears to cry. They had all been spilt. Akio didn't feel like walking to town alone today, so she placed the rope leader around Tekeda and had him walk with her. She was fearful that the guardians would leap at her and attack the house at any given second, ready to kill her and find Soujiro. But Soujiro was long gone by now and a small part of her rejoiced. At least he was safe from the villagers' wrath, even if she was not.
It became obvious in an instant that Ryu had not told anyone about Soujiro as Akio came into town. No new rumors were being spread, no new looks of fear graced the faces of the men and women she passed. They still spoke of the incident at the restaurant days earlier. Akio didn't know whether she should be wary, or thankful. Either way, she was on her guard.
She passed the forges and the smithies, looking at the new merchandise that was up for sale. That was when something in the window of a shop caught her eye. There, hanging in the window, was a beautifully carved wooden sword. The hilt had been wrapped with leather cloth, to give the handle an excellent grip, and the blade-portion was sanded smooth. It was made of a hard wood, the kind that grew only in the highest portion of the mountains. That kind of wood was said to be as strong as metal, strong enough to break weakened steel. Akio was in love with it.
Tying Tekeda to the waiting post outside the store, she walked right in and up to the sword smith. "I want to by the sword," she said, pointing to the wooden sword she was eyeing.
"But that's only a wooden frame!" the smith objected. "It's not that good of a piece, and it's only a mold for the actual swords."
"I don't care," Akio said. Her voice was not touchy or angry, but rather monotone, like she had not energy for arguments. She just wanted the sword. "I want it anyway. What do you want for it?"
The smith clearly thought she was mad, but he sold it to her for a relatively high price. Akio paid and took the sword with her as she left the sword. She gripped it in her hands, wishing she could have given it to Soujiro before he left. He was weaponless now. It would be all her fault if he were hurt because of her rash desire to do a good deed. Pain bit deep and hard, but Akio wouldn't cry any more. She only strapped the wooden sword to Takeda's side and continued down to the restaurant.
She was stopped before she got there.
The platoon rested long hours into the night and morning. Soujiro had made himself slightly more comfortable on the ground, leaning against a tree to prop himself as he drifted in and out of lucid dreams. He was happy that he didn't snore; Akio had informed him of that. He did however, talk in his sleep. But he didn't fall deep enough as to where the sound of his own voice wouldn't have awakened him.
For the sixth time that day, Soujiro fell back into dreams. The dreams attacked his senses with the smell and sight and taste of blood. Metallic and coppery, it burned his nostrils and tongue. He wanted to scream, but he didn't. A cool hand brushed lightly down his face, the touch calming him. The smell of blood lessened until it vanished. The red in his eyes left a blurry vision of light, and a mussed figure of a person. The blood in his mouth was gone, replaced by a sweet and spicy taste, one that he loved more than anything. He could smell her scent, taste her, hear her voice. Even in his dreams, he could never escape her. But he would rather dream of her than anything else.
Suddenly, a sound from the bushes beyond woke him up. Soujiro shook his head, throwing off the drunken effects of sleep. He pulled himself into a stiff sitting position, looking at the platoon of men as they lazed about. Only they weren't lazing about anymore.
"Alright men, the sun sets in about two hours, we want to get up there as dark falls," the commander said. He hefted his sword and pointed up the path. "Let's move out!"
All the men grumbled and complained, pulling their packs over their shoulders and trudging on up the road toward the town beyond. This was his chance. Soujiro shuffled to his feet silently, and waited until all the men were out of sight and earshot. Then he was up and off like a bang, racing off throw the foliage as fast as his legs could carry him.
His heart was pounding, his mind screaming to move faster. Every second counted when it was Akio's life on the line. He had to save her. He had to do anything within his power to save her, even at the cost of his own life. He would do anything to save her. But sacrifice was not an immediate issue. All he needed to do was warn her.
The small deer tracks the criss-crossed the mountain side were easy to follow. Akio had told him that the deer mark the mountainside better then the humans. He trusted her word and followed the tracks as far as he could, as fast as he could. Soujiro trusted his senses and instincts to guide him. He was in unknown territory and he needed to find his way back to her.
It was then, when least expected, that Soujiro was caught. It brought to mind the old words 'how the proud hath fallen' because love makes a fool out of the best of people. And for Soujiro, his love made him careless and reckless. He had been solely focused on getting to Akio that he neglected to look out for himself.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice came from beside him. Soujiro skidded to a stop before colliding with two tall, beefy men. Another came up behind him. Without a weapon, there was little Soujiro could do as the three men were upon him.
But Seta Soujiro was not the kind to give up without a fight. He bit, he clawed, he kicked and punched. But the men holding his were bigger and stronger then he was. Soon they had him restrained and on his feet. One pulled his hair so that he head was up, and facing the fourth man of their squad.
"Ah, you must be the outsider!" this man said in glee, his eyes shining sadistically. "Master Ryu told me to find and detain you until he could come kill you himself." This man nodded for emphasis and walked toward Soujiro, grinned menacingly. Suddenly, without warning, he punched Soujrio across the face.
Soujiro spat out a line of blood. "Who are you?" he asked when he head was yanked back up.
"Forgive my manners!" the offender said mockingly. "I am Kymo, of the Renko Village. I'm the one who gave you that--" he said, when punching Soujiro in the side. Just like when Akio had hit him, pain launched through his body. Soujiro bit his bottom lip until it bled, not giving Kymo the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. "No voice? Pity," Kymo said before hitting him again. "Master Ryu wants to hear you scream in agony when he kills you. Just like the little whore."
Suddenly, Soujiro's fogged mind cleared. Ryu...the one Akio had spoken to and of. The one she left with...and when she returned had told him to leave. The bruise on her face, how she was holding her side...Ryu had beaten her. Beaten her for being with him. This is why she told him to leave, so this Ryu person wouldn't get him. Not while he was defenseless. His heart wrenched, finally understanding Akio's motives. It only resolved his determination to find her. He had to find her. He had to warn her about the men coming to attack her village. And he had to tell her something else as well. But the first step was getting away from these men.
Ryu grabbed her from the side, hauling her away from the village street. Akio was too terrified to fight him. Her hand tightened on Tekeda's leader and the deer blindly followed his mistress as she was led away. There were two other men--men Akio did not recognize--following them as they left the town. Akio soon realized her was leading her back to her house.
"Where are we going Ryu?" she asked when her courage had rebounded.
"Home Akio, I'm taking you home," he responded, not looking at her. Akio attempted to pull away only once, but that only caused Ryu's grip to tighten on her arm until it was painful. She shivered as they continued in silence. Tekeda sensed her fear and trotted beside her, nuzzling her neck.
"Why are you doing this Ryu?" she whispered as they were almost to her house.
"Because you should have been with me Akio," he said in return, finally looking her in the eye. "And now I'll make you understand why."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, scared when he released her arm.
"You're outsider is already getting his punishment as we speak," he continued lightly, nodding toward one of the other men.
"What?" Soujiro...
Akio watched as one of the two men walked toward the front of her house and took something from a small bag at his side. She recognized a kerosene lamp. He broke it, then lit it, and tossed it inside. "No!" she screamed, racing to stop the fire. The second man grabbed her from behind.
Akio struggled wildly, thrashing about, and broke free. The man yelped when she had stomped down on his foot. Ryu grabbed her around the waist, stopping her from getting too close. "So it is done," he whispered in her ear. The front of the house was already being eaten away by the fire.
"No! Please! God, no!" Akio screamed and cried. Her house. The only thing in the world she owned, the place that was dearer to her then her own life, was being destroyed before her own eyes. "NO!" Akio shouted with every ounce of her resolve. She ramped her elbow back hard into Ryu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He loosened his hold just enough for Akio to make a mad dash for the burning house.
"Akio, don't do it! That's suicide!" he yelled after her, but she was inside before he could catch up, and Mori Ryu wouldn't risk his life without a just cause. Akio wasn't good enough any more.
Akio rushed through the entrance room, grabbing her grandfather's sword off the wall and quickly slinging it over her shoulder. The room was filled with flames and smoke. She covered her face with her sleeve as she ran into the kitchen and then to her grandmother's room. The fire was just beginning to crawl in there. There was only enough time to save one more thing.
Akio went to the wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Fire licked at the lid and side. Without a moment's hesitation, Akio kicked the lid of the trunk and it flew open. She got to her hands and knees and drug through the contents until her hands connected with a leather bag. Akio quickly pulled it out and hugged it to her chest. The small sack held everything she had ever had of her father. The dearest thing in the world to her, along with the sword already on her person.
She turned back to the inner rooms of the house, but there were engulfed in flame and smoke. Her room, the entrance room, and the kitchen were gone beyond all help and reckoning. Akio shed bitter tears for the loss of her home. The only home she had ever known. But now was not the time for tears. She had to get out of there, and fast. She looked around for an escape, and zeroed in on a small window in the corner of the room. Taking a running leap, Akio burst through the window and rolled across the ground, coughing madly.
She saw that Ryu and his two thugs were converging on Tekeda. The deer was backing further toward his pen, bucking at them madly, scared of the flames in the house and the absence of his mistress. Akio assumed that the three men thought her dead. This was a good thing.
A high pitched whistle came from Akio's mouth when she pressed two fingers between her lips. Tekeda looked up at his mistress. She was calling from the other side of the house. He would answer. Tekeda bucked once more at the three weird men around him before making a running leap over the smallest one and making a be-line for his mistress. Akio didn't even slow him down as she grabbed the lead rope around his neck and leap on to his back.
The deer ran as fast as an deer could run from danger with a girl on its back. He abandoned trails, preferring the open forest. Akio winced as branches and twigs cut into her face and left welts on her body. But pain was nonexistent. All she knew was that she had to get to Soujiro, and before Ryu. He had to be nearby, there was no other explanation. Her sword was slung over her shoulder, the leather bag with her possessions slung criss-crossed over that. Akio felt around Tekeda's side before she found the wooden sword she had bought that morning. A gift for Soujiro. It was fate.
Soujiro had taken a few more blows, but he was good at taking pain. He had taken pain all his life, and was used to it. Beatings didn't hurt him anymore. All he was thinking about was a plan of escape. But he really didn't need to have thought about one. He knew he needed a distraction, but what?
How about a girl riding into the throng, astride a deer? That's exactly what he got. Akio and Tekeda leapt right into the midst of the fight. Akio blazed like a warrior goddess, pulling a sword from her back and holding a wooden sword in her free hand. She leapt from her mount, knocking the offending Kymo over the head with the wooden sword. He ate dirt, and damn hard too.
Soujiro took the distraction as an opportunity of escape. He stamped on the foot of his stunned captor, then elbowed the other. The third was tripped and clobbered by Akio. "Soujiro, here!" she called, tossing him the wooden sword. Soujiro caught it with ease, loving the feel of it in his hands. "Take them down!" she called as her own opponent began to rise again.
Soujiro did just that. He hopped from one foot to another for a few seconds, then blasted forward with such speed, that in the span of an eyeblink, both of his opponents were down for the count, bleeding from wounds to the head and chest. There weren't dead, but he messed them up something awful.
He turned to see Akio pull a stunning maneuver, knocking her opponent from his feet, then knocking him out with the butt of her hilt. He fell to the ground in a heap. Akio panted, wiping her brow with her sleeve. She was smudged with black soot, her clothes looked singed. She looked exhausted and he saw her body trembling. But she met his gaze, her green eyes sparkling.
"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively.
"Are you?" he countered. She gave him a brilliant smile, the smile he feared he might never seen again. The wooden sword was dropped and forgotten as she ran at him, grabbing the front of his shirt and holding on for dear life.
"I didn't want to do it!" she said desperately. "Ryu hit me and said that he'd kill you if he ever found you."
"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, circling his arms around her.
"Yeah right. If I came out and said 'Soujiro, my friend is going to kill you so you'd better run away', would you have left?" Soujiro smiled and shook his head. "I didn't think so," she responded, then pulled him down and kissed him firmly on the mouth. Soujiro was only too happy to reply with a kiss of his own. And all was right with the world, for a split second. Then Soujiro pulled away.
"There is a patrol of at least fifty men coming up the road. They're going to attack the village!" Akio paled and stared at him. She remembered something Ryu had told her. 'After tomorrow, nothing will matter anymore.'
"Oh God," she whispered, a hand covering her mouth. "Ryu's going to destroy the village. We have to stop him!" Soujiro took her hand in his, picking up his new wooden sword and tucking it into his belt line.
"We'd better go then." She nodded, and they raced off together.
When they neared the trekking band of pillagers, Soujiro signaled for Akio to stop and they hid in the bushes to watch...and wait. There was really nothing else they could do until they came up with a better plan of action. Two against fifty was not good odds, even if they were both highly skilled. Soujiro was still not at his best, and Akio could only do so much. The men walked slowly, sluggishly, obviously not in any kind of hurry. They joked amongst themselves, talking about looting and women. Akio shivered.
"Don't worry, we'll stop them," Soujiro whispered reassuringly to her. She looked back up at him, green eyes full of gratitude, but then filling with dismay. She reached up and trailed her always-cold fingers down the side of his rapidly bruising face. His bottom lip had been bloodied, along with his nose, both of which had stopped bleeding, but were caked with the dry, red liquid. He looked a mess, but not in much pain.
"I'm sorry," she whispered with remorse. Soujiro caught her hand and kissed the palm. Then he gave her his most charming smile.
"You didn't hit me, but I'm sure you would have bruised me worse if it had been you." She covered her mouth to stop the laugh. Her eyes gave thanks and Soujiro felt suddenly better. "We could warn the guardians," he suggested. "Even if it's only a few against them, your people are very skilled."
Akio shook her head. "They'd never believe me, and Ryu has probably turned many of them. Whatever we do, we have to do it alone." This was not a good thing. Both of them darkened, deep in thought. "I could raise the alarm in the town," Akio said after a pause. "Suika would believe me. And what she says goes."
"Then you better go do it," Soujiro said, nodding for her to slip off.
"What about you?" she asked, readying to back into the forest once more, like a phantom tree dweller.
"I'll stall them as long as I can," he told her with a smile. Akio bit her bottom lip. She looked ready to protest, but knew there was no lother way. She leaned forward just enough to give him a quick, hard kiss, but was mindful of his hurt lip.
"If you die, I'll kill you," she threatened, her mouth a breath away from his and her emerald eyes burning with seriousness.
"You can be quite scary," Soujiro teased. Akio grinned, then disappeared. Now he was alone, against a troop of fifty men. 'How do I get myself into these situations?' he thought sadly, but took up his wooden sword and followed the platoon's movements in silence.
Akio raced down a deer track, but knew that she needed to get there faster then she ever could run. Takeda had run off when the battle broke out with Soujiro's capture. She only prayed that he was close enough to hear her. Akio whistled loudly, as she had done before, still racing down the path to the village. There was the sound of trampling foliage to her left, and she looked to see Tekeda racing alongside her. Akio thanked her lucky star as she swung on to his back.
"Come on baby, we have to get to the village, and fast!" The buck seemed to understand every word because he ran faster then any deer had ever run on the mountain, lame as he was.
In a fraction of the time it would have taken her to run, Akio reached the village astride Tekeda. She jumped off of him, stumbled, then took off like a shot toward the restaurant. "Mistress Suika!" she yelled when she entered, staggering inside. The woman was behind the counter, but seeing the frantic look on Akio's face, came to her side.
"Akio, what's the matter? What happened?"
"Oh Mistress Suika!" Akio cried, grabbing the woman's arm tightly. "The village is under attack! I saw them, fifty men are heading toward the village this very moment! All of them are carrying weapons. They'll be upon us by sundown." Suika paled at her employee's words.
"Are you sure?" she asked, grasping Akio by the shoulders. "You have to be sure."
"I'm positive! I saw them with my own eyes! Please, you have to call up the alarm, we have to warn the village!" Suika nodded, rushing toward the door. Outside of the entrance there hung a large bell. Suika grabbed the wooden spoon from her belt and whacked it against the large bell at a frantic pace. People from all over the village poked their heads out from shops and houses, looking toward the woman ringing the bell.
"Suika? Are you mad girl? What's the matter?" a few of the villagers yelled, coming to investigate.
"The village is under attack. Men from down the mountain are coming, armed to the teeth. They'll be at the village by sundown, we must evacuate!"
"Says who?" asked a haughty voice. Lord Mori passed through the crowd, coming to stand in front of the younger, and taller, woman. Suika's grip tightened on her wooden spoon. There was bad blood between the Mori family and Suika's.
"I do," Suika said, matching his tone. "A witness of the men told me. If we don't leave now, we'll all be killed!"
"That's a lie," Lord Mori denied. He stomped his cane on the ground, causing a few people to jump.
"I tell no lies," Suika yelled, looking to the villagers. "You all know me. I never lie, especially when it's important. Please, we must escape!"
"What is the meaning of this Suika? Have you no proof to back up your claim?"
"I need no proof!" she cried desperately. "There is not time!"
"It doesn't matter, mistress," Akio said, stepping outside. "Lord Mori knows all about the platoon that will attack us. It was Ryu who hired them." This sent murmurs through the surrounding crowd, all of them looking from the two women back to the old man.
"You lying little bastard! What proof do you have?"
"The proof that he destroyed my home!" Akio screamed at him. "My house was burnt to the ground before my eyes and Ryu tried to kill me! Believe what you want about me, but know that if we don't leave this place as fast as we can we'll all die." With that she turned from the group and started running back toward the forest. "Suika, please get them out!"
"Be careful Akio!" Suika called after her. Then she rounded on the crowd. "You heard the girl. I know what you all think of her, and I know what you all think of me, but she would not lie when there are lives on the line. And neither do I. Stay if you want, then you can die, but I for one, want to live!" With that Suika went back into her restaurant, immerging a few moments later with a small satchel over her shoulder. Without a word, she promptly turned on her heel and marched away. Many other villagers scrambled to do the same. Lord Mori was in an uproar, but he could do nothing to stop them.
Soujiro had finally come up with a plan. As he watched them, he noticed that the men on the move had little idea of where they were going, only their destination. Renko Village. None of them had ever been there. So all they knew was to follow the road and the signs, just like he had. But there was a turn, half a mile ahead of them, that would take them to Akio's bridge, or straight to the village. If he could change the sign, he could detour the platoon long enough for Akio to evacuate the village.
Scurrying like the best rabbit or squirrel, Soujiro surged through the trees and came to the marker a few minutes ahead of the others. A quick as he could, he moved the wooden arrow marker to point in the opposite direction from Renko Village. The sign told them now to cross the bridge.
He let out a small sigh. Hopefully that would be enough for right now. He was caught off guard by a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and whirled around to see Akio behind him. "What did you do?" she asked, looking from him to the sign.
"If they go the other way, it should be enough time for the village to escape, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose," she mused. "But the path past my home leads no where, wouldn't they notice they were going in the wrong direction?"
"None of them know where the village is. They'll all from the city, they have no idea."
"But what about Ryu? Surely he will come to them for the attack."
"I don't know," Soujiro admitted. But they were interrupted by voices from around the ridge. Soujiro grabbed Akio and pulled her off the road with him, pressing her and himself against the nearest tree. They both held their breath as the men came up and read Soujiro's 'improved' sign.
"Alright, this way men!" the leader said, pointing in the direction of the bridge. All the men followed, leaving the real track. Both people in hiding let out a sigh of relief as the last person passed them.
"That was close," Akio whispered into Soujiro's ear.
"Tell me about it," he responded, backing away from the tree, but still having his arm around her. "What do we do now?" Akio darkened.
"Now, I find Ryu."
Mori Ryu had had the perfect plan. But now everything was slipping through his fingers. First had been his plan of action, to take control of the village by means of force, and then blaming it upon the government. Everyone hated the government anyway. But it had been foiled by Akio, when she had attempted heroic actions and killed his men. Then Akio, the beauty herself, had fallen in love with another man instead of him. It wasn't right, it wasn't 'fair'! And now, now his perfectly engineered plan of action to destroy Renko Village once and for all, and to reap the benefits of it's demise, were lost. The village was deserted, evacuated by some unknown personage for some unknown reason.
When he had found his father, Lord Mori had said that Akio had come to Suika with news about the attack, and then Suika had convinced the rest of the village to leave. Even when Ryu had bit his dagger deep and hard into his father's chest, it didn't take away the biting disappointment of failure. Even as he watched the old man slowly die in a pool of his own blood. All that he felt the was anger rising at Akio, who had for the third time, gone against him.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, the one slung to his hip. His hired force still hadn't arrived, but even if they got here, it would be of no use. His plan was ruined. It had to be Akio, there was no other explanation for it. When he found her...the pain he would inflict upon her...he'd kill her with his own hands.
It seemed that the Gods were on his side, because just as he was thinking that, the girl in question was seen walking calmly down the empty street of the village. Her head was high, her grandfather's sword drawn in her hand. She was picturesque and serene as she came toward him. Alone.
"Ryu," she said evenly. "We have unfinished business."
Ryu's hand tightened on his sword. "Yes, we do," he replied in a voice dripping with anger and disdain. "I hope you know that I mean to kill you Akio."
"I hope you know that I mean the same, Ryu."
That said, their duel began. Ryu rushed her, hoping to use the sheer size of his body and power in his frame against the smaller female. Akio proved to be far more cunning then he had expected, slipping away from him at the last second, rolling to the ground and getting up in time to place a kick square in his back. Ryu went face first into the ground, but he quickly rolled on to his back and flipped up to his feet. They circled each other warily.
"How could you Ryu?" Akio asked. "Your own people!"
"All is fair in love and war, my dear," he said simply, thrusting forward and back, causing her to jump over the blade and land awkwardly. Ryu used this moment to knock her down, preparing to stab her in the side. Akio predicted this maneuver. She quickly moved her sword to knock his blade away, it coming down harmlessly wide of her chest. Then she brought a leg around to connect with the side of his face.
Ryu stumbled back, but then the two combatants became locked in a deadly battle of slashes and wild movements. Ryu was stronger, but Akio was faster. Her hits were not strong enough to bring him down, but a slash here, a shallow cut there, was bleeding Ryu out. He had only managed to slice her cheek open, and stab shallowly in her thigh. Akio had the advantage.
The blood loss was beginning to make him dizzy. A good swordsman was one who knew his limits, and understood the difference between a time to fight and a time to retreat. Ryu made a final blow at Akio, forcing her to back up a few steps. He couldn't kill her now, so he turned to escape.
Only to come face to face with the mysterious man who he had seen in Akio's house. He was smaller, but the glint in his gray eyes was enough to make even Ryu afraid. The wooden sword in his hand was menacing. "I do believe that the lady isn't done yet," he commented lightly, smiling.
"I don't believe you've met Soujiro," Akio said from behind him. "The Tenken really is overprotective, don't you think?" Soujiro moved his sword in a small gesture, signally Ryu to go back and fight Akio. He turned, ready to face the woman taking yet another stance meant for death. "I want to end this," she growled, leveling her blade. "I'm sorry for what you are Ryu, and I hope your soul finds peace."
With those final words, Akio charged forward. Ryu parried the blow meant for his heart, but Akio swung around faster then he could dodge, and buried her blade up to the hilt in his stomach. Ryu coughed, a faint blood film coating his lips. Akio pulled her sword from his flesh with a sickening sound. Ryu pressed his hand to his stomach, then brought up his fingers to see the blood that coated them. She'd stabbed him. He fell to his knees, looking up at the girl with the green eyes, then he fell forward on the ground in a rapidly growing pool of blood.
Akio washed her sword off on the riverbed. Soujiro was up by where he house had once stood, shifting through anything that could be saved. She wasn't hopeful. She had everything savable with her. Her bag, and her sword. Akio said cross-legged on the back, running a lazy hand in the water.
Tekeda was gone. She hoped that wherever he had run off to, it was a better place then here. She wished him happiness and a long life, the same she knew he'd wish for her. She looked at her hand in the water. The hand that had ended the life of Mori Ryu, her one-time friend. The blood of Ryu would never fully wash away, she knew that. But she wasn't sorry for what she had done. He would have only killed again. And although no one had the right to take the life of another, she wanted to protect the lives of the people who had always hated and shunned her. Maybe they didn't deserve her rescue, but she knew that they did.
Soujiro came up behind her, sitting next to her on the bank. He didn't need words, she could feel the question emanating from him. Are you okay? She leaned against him, her forehead resting on his chest so that she didn't have to meet his eyes. His arms came up around her, holding her close. She had lost everything she once held dear. Her home, her place, her friend...all of it was gone and never coming back. And yet, she had found some things that were worth so much more. She had found Soujiro, the love of a person she had never had before, and she had found a way to forgive herself through forgiving him. Maybe one day he could forgive himself, and she'd be there to watch that.
"Soujiro," she whispered.
"Yes Akio?"
"I no longer have a home," she began, leaning back to look into his eyes. "I no longer have a place." He nodded, sorrow in his features. "Would it be alright...could I wander with you?"
He was taken back by the question, but then ease filled his features. Soujiro tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would be honored to have your company." Akio leaned forward more, wrapping her arms around him.
"If you had said no, I would have kicked you," she smiled. Soujiro laughed into her ear.
"Like I could refuse you anything." He took a deep breath, then whispered, "I love you Akio."
Akio sighed and smiled. It was strange, but she had known it all along. Every look he gave her, every kiss, and every movement had told the truth long ago. She only leaned into him more. "I love you too," she returned, feeling him relax. She would have to work on him trusting more, or at least trusting her. But they had all the time in the world. "So where shall we go?"
"Anywhere," he replied, getting to his feet and pulling her with him. "We have nothing holding us down."
Akio smiled shyly. "I guess I can finally start looking for my father then." Soujiro looked interested.
"You were able to save those clues?" She nodded, patting the small leather bag.
"Everything I have of him is in here." Akio reached in a hand and pulled out a few things. One was a folded piece of paper that she handed to him. "My mother drew him. Handsome, isn't he?" she prodded as he opened the paper. It was a charcoal drawing of a young man with short black hair and a red band around his forehead, the same red band that was in Akio's hand. Seeing his eyes shot from the page to the band, she tied it around her own forehead. "It was a mark of his army. He left this one with my mother, so now it's mine. If I can find the army members who wore the band, they might know who my father was."
Soujiro nodded, looking again at the drawing. He saw similarities between the man's features and that of Akio's. The eyes were the same, and although he could not tell the color from the drawing, he bet they had been green like hers. "Well, we'll just have to look as we go."
Akio grinned and took the paper back from him, tucking it away in her small bag with a few other priceless treasures. On her shoulder, she sheathed her sword again. Soujiro's own wooden sword was tucked into his belt line. Akio took one last look at the river, he beloved river, before picking a small flower from the bed and tossing it into the water. She whispered a small prayer as she watched it float away, a prayer to her grandmother and mother. Then, taking Soujiro's hand in her own, Akio left all she had known for a new life. The mountain, Renko Village, and all who called it home, were now of the past. Only a memory.
Seta Akio had been reborn.
~~The End~~
Well, that's it! Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed this fic, I love you all! You gave me the confidence to finish this story in record breaking time! I know it's kind of short, but the sequel will be coming. Keep an eye out for Wanderers, which is what I'm calling it.
Special Thanks to:
Pen D. Fox
pruningshears
Curlsofserenity
EEevee
Kenshin44
Hoshii-sama
Brittany67
ya sure
Ken
Your #1 Fan
caljay123
Angel
and, last but not least, WAHHH!!
For your reviews, this story is all for you guys! Well, I hope to see all of you reviewing the sequel or my other works, thanks again!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~
Disclaimer: Don't own him...wish I did...but alas, I do not.
Chapter 10: All's Fair In Love and War
Soujiro had ran for hours, ignoring the burning in his lungs and the pain in his wounds. All that was on his mind was the pain in his heart. 'If I'm dead,' he wondered as he ran. 'Then shouldn't I stop feeling pain? Shouldn't I stop caring?'
But the real question was: could he stop? And the answer to that one was simple: no. No because he had fallen in love and that was something that never went away. Love was something that never died. He had never loved anyone before, and once he got a taste of it, he didn't want to stop. It didn't matter that Akio didn't love him back. It didn't matter that she no longer wanted him. As long as he still loved her, then he could still live on, right? Right?
Soujiro felt the tears falling down his face and looked down, hair shielding his shame from whatever part of the world cared to look on him. No God should have to see such a sight, such a spectacle. His insides were a mess. Half of him was disgusted with himself for allowing this to happen, for 'wanting' it to happen. Another part of him wanted to turn around, march right back into that house, and demand for her to explain why he couldn't stay with her. But the biggest part of him, the one that he was listening to, was the part that thought it was wrong to be angry. So he was miserable instead.
It took Soujiro a while to calm himself down enough to realize that he was lost, without a weapon, and going down a mountain in plain view where he could be ambushed any second. He first cursed his stupidity, something that also tied in to his luck with women, and then went to the side of the road.
It was just his luck that a few minutes after hiding, voices could be heard coming up the mountain path, heading toward Renko Village. Soujiro crouched down in the underbrush, pressing his body down as far as he could go, sorely missing his destroyed weapon. His breath caught in his throat when he saw who the voices had belonged to.
A platoon of men, fifty at least, were marching haphazardly up the path, laughing and joking with one another. They were dirty and roughly clothes. All looked like men from the rougher city streets. They looked out of place in such a rural setting. All of them were equipped with a weapon, and all of them had a pack over their shoulder. Like wayward travelers. The three men in the led stopped near the shrubs not far from Soujiro's hiding place.
"We should stop for rest of the night," one of them said to the others. "We have to rest up for tomorrow."
"Yes," one of the others seconded. "We want the men to be strong and rested when we continue at the next nightfall."
"I'll tell the men to hunker down," the third said as he left the circle to inform the men that they would be resting there until the next afternoon.
"There can't be more then five miles between us and that Renko Village place," the first commented to the second. Soujiro froze, his blood running cold. He focused all of his energy into eavesdropping now.
"I don't think so. We just have to wait until dusk tomorrow before we attack it. If we go to soon, there are supposed to be a group of guardians or something. They carry rifles. The watch switches at dusk, when we hit."
The first man laughed. "Yeah, then we burn the place to the ground and piss in the ashes!" The second joined in his laughter. Soujiro had stopped listening as they continued to talk about what they'd do after they receive payment for the job and retire to their favorite whore houses in the city. All his body was screaming was to turn around and run back up the mountain.
'Akio,' he thought to himself. A vision of her face flashed before his mind's eye and his heart twisted painfully. It didn't matter what she did or did not feel. All that mattered was him being able to save her life. But the men who were to destroy Renko Village had settled in for the night. It was too late for him to make a break up the mountain without being seen. And being seen running away from a camp of would-be killers--that is to say that they weren't killers already--would not be a smart thing for an unarmed swordsman. He had no choice, he had to wait out the night, and pray that he was fast enough to get to Akio before the platoon did.
Akio had cried herself to sleep on her grandmother's old futon. When she blinked awake the next morning, she didn't recognize her surroundings at first, until she remembered what had transpired the night before. All that did was bring a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. God, it hurt. Hurt worse then a shot through the heart. Hurt worse then the beatings the villagers used to give her. Hurt worse then the time she had broken her ankle after falling from a tree while putting a baby bird back in it's nest out in the garden, and she had to crawl home because no one heard her calls. It hurt worse than any mortal wound. That was because her soul was the thing that was hurt.
After the morning wasted away into afternoon, Akio finally pulled herself to her feet. She had to work in the village today, not that it mattered. Ryu and the guardians hadn't come, not that it mattered. She didn't eat anything all day, not that it mattered. She dressed and she brushed her hair. Then she walked out to Takeda's pen.
He greeted her with his usual amount of love and affection. Akio felt her eyes brimming at just the small gesture made to her by a pet. But she had no more tears to cry. They had all been spilt. Akio didn't feel like walking to town alone today, so she placed the rope leader around Tekeda and had him walk with her. She was fearful that the guardians would leap at her and attack the house at any given second, ready to kill her and find Soujiro. But Soujiro was long gone by now and a small part of her rejoiced. At least he was safe from the villagers' wrath, even if she was not.
It became obvious in an instant that Ryu had not told anyone about Soujiro as Akio came into town. No new rumors were being spread, no new looks of fear graced the faces of the men and women she passed. They still spoke of the incident at the restaurant days earlier. Akio didn't know whether she should be wary, or thankful. Either way, she was on her guard.
She passed the forges and the smithies, looking at the new merchandise that was up for sale. That was when something in the window of a shop caught her eye. There, hanging in the window, was a beautifully carved wooden sword. The hilt had been wrapped with leather cloth, to give the handle an excellent grip, and the blade-portion was sanded smooth. It was made of a hard wood, the kind that grew only in the highest portion of the mountains. That kind of wood was said to be as strong as metal, strong enough to break weakened steel. Akio was in love with it.
Tying Tekeda to the waiting post outside the store, she walked right in and up to the sword smith. "I want to by the sword," she said, pointing to the wooden sword she was eyeing.
"But that's only a wooden frame!" the smith objected. "It's not that good of a piece, and it's only a mold for the actual swords."
"I don't care," Akio said. Her voice was not touchy or angry, but rather monotone, like she had not energy for arguments. She just wanted the sword. "I want it anyway. What do you want for it?"
The smith clearly thought she was mad, but he sold it to her for a relatively high price. Akio paid and took the sword with her as she left the sword. She gripped it in her hands, wishing she could have given it to Soujiro before he left. He was weaponless now. It would be all her fault if he were hurt because of her rash desire to do a good deed. Pain bit deep and hard, but Akio wouldn't cry any more. She only strapped the wooden sword to Takeda's side and continued down to the restaurant.
She was stopped before she got there.
The platoon rested long hours into the night and morning. Soujiro had made himself slightly more comfortable on the ground, leaning against a tree to prop himself as he drifted in and out of lucid dreams. He was happy that he didn't snore; Akio had informed him of that. He did however, talk in his sleep. But he didn't fall deep enough as to where the sound of his own voice wouldn't have awakened him.
For the sixth time that day, Soujiro fell back into dreams. The dreams attacked his senses with the smell and sight and taste of blood. Metallic and coppery, it burned his nostrils and tongue. He wanted to scream, but he didn't. A cool hand brushed lightly down his face, the touch calming him. The smell of blood lessened until it vanished. The red in his eyes left a blurry vision of light, and a mussed figure of a person. The blood in his mouth was gone, replaced by a sweet and spicy taste, one that he loved more than anything. He could smell her scent, taste her, hear her voice. Even in his dreams, he could never escape her. But he would rather dream of her than anything else.
Suddenly, a sound from the bushes beyond woke him up. Soujiro shook his head, throwing off the drunken effects of sleep. He pulled himself into a stiff sitting position, looking at the platoon of men as they lazed about. Only they weren't lazing about anymore.
"Alright men, the sun sets in about two hours, we want to get up there as dark falls," the commander said. He hefted his sword and pointed up the path. "Let's move out!"
All the men grumbled and complained, pulling their packs over their shoulders and trudging on up the road toward the town beyond. This was his chance. Soujiro shuffled to his feet silently, and waited until all the men were out of sight and earshot. Then he was up and off like a bang, racing off throw the foliage as fast as his legs could carry him.
His heart was pounding, his mind screaming to move faster. Every second counted when it was Akio's life on the line. He had to save her. He had to do anything within his power to save her, even at the cost of his own life. He would do anything to save her. But sacrifice was not an immediate issue. All he needed to do was warn her.
The small deer tracks the criss-crossed the mountain side were easy to follow. Akio had told him that the deer mark the mountainside better then the humans. He trusted her word and followed the tracks as far as he could, as fast as he could. Soujiro trusted his senses and instincts to guide him. He was in unknown territory and he needed to find his way back to her.
It was then, when least expected, that Soujiro was caught. It brought to mind the old words 'how the proud hath fallen' because love makes a fool out of the best of people. And for Soujiro, his love made him careless and reckless. He had been solely focused on getting to Akio that he neglected to look out for himself.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice came from beside him. Soujiro skidded to a stop before colliding with two tall, beefy men. Another came up behind him. Without a weapon, there was little Soujiro could do as the three men were upon him.
But Seta Soujiro was not the kind to give up without a fight. He bit, he clawed, he kicked and punched. But the men holding his were bigger and stronger then he was. Soon they had him restrained and on his feet. One pulled his hair so that he head was up, and facing the fourth man of their squad.
"Ah, you must be the outsider!" this man said in glee, his eyes shining sadistically. "Master Ryu told me to find and detain you until he could come kill you himself." This man nodded for emphasis and walked toward Soujiro, grinned menacingly. Suddenly, without warning, he punched Soujrio across the face.
Soujiro spat out a line of blood. "Who are you?" he asked when he head was yanked back up.
"Forgive my manners!" the offender said mockingly. "I am Kymo, of the Renko Village. I'm the one who gave you that--" he said, when punching Soujiro in the side. Just like when Akio had hit him, pain launched through his body. Soujiro bit his bottom lip until it bled, not giving Kymo the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. "No voice? Pity," Kymo said before hitting him again. "Master Ryu wants to hear you scream in agony when he kills you. Just like the little whore."
Suddenly, Soujiro's fogged mind cleared. Ryu...the one Akio had spoken to and of. The one she left with...and when she returned had told him to leave. The bruise on her face, how she was holding her side...Ryu had beaten her. Beaten her for being with him. This is why she told him to leave, so this Ryu person wouldn't get him. Not while he was defenseless. His heart wrenched, finally understanding Akio's motives. It only resolved his determination to find her. He had to find her. He had to warn her about the men coming to attack her village. And he had to tell her something else as well. But the first step was getting away from these men.
Ryu grabbed her from the side, hauling her away from the village street. Akio was too terrified to fight him. Her hand tightened on Tekeda's leader and the deer blindly followed his mistress as she was led away. There were two other men--men Akio did not recognize--following them as they left the town. Akio soon realized her was leading her back to her house.
"Where are we going Ryu?" she asked when her courage had rebounded.
"Home Akio, I'm taking you home," he responded, not looking at her. Akio attempted to pull away only once, but that only caused Ryu's grip to tighten on her arm until it was painful. She shivered as they continued in silence. Tekeda sensed her fear and trotted beside her, nuzzling her neck.
"Why are you doing this Ryu?" she whispered as they were almost to her house.
"Because you should have been with me Akio," he said in return, finally looking her in the eye. "And now I'll make you understand why."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, scared when he released her arm.
"You're outsider is already getting his punishment as we speak," he continued lightly, nodding toward one of the other men.
"What?" Soujiro...
Akio watched as one of the two men walked toward the front of her house and took something from a small bag at his side. She recognized a kerosene lamp. He broke it, then lit it, and tossed it inside. "No!" she screamed, racing to stop the fire. The second man grabbed her from behind.
Akio struggled wildly, thrashing about, and broke free. The man yelped when she had stomped down on his foot. Ryu grabbed her around the waist, stopping her from getting too close. "So it is done," he whispered in her ear. The front of the house was already being eaten away by the fire.
"No! Please! God, no!" Akio screamed and cried. Her house. The only thing in the world she owned, the place that was dearer to her then her own life, was being destroyed before her own eyes. "NO!" Akio shouted with every ounce of her resolve. She ramped her elbow back hard into Ryu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He loosened his hold just enough for Akio to make a mad dash for the burning house.
"Akio, don't do it! That's suicide!" he yelled after her, but she was inside before he could catch up, and Mori Ryu wouldn't risk his life without a just cause. Akio wasn't good enough any more.
Akio rushed through the entrance room, grabbing her grandfather's sword off the wall and quickly slinging it over her shoulder. The room was filled with flames and smoke. She covered her face with her sleeve as she ran into the kitchen and then to her grandmother's room. The fire was just beginning to crawl in there. There was only enough time to save one more thing.
Akio went to the wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Fire licked at the lid and side. Without a moment's hesitation, Akio kicked the lid of the trunk and it flew open. She got to her hands and knees and drug through the contents until her hands connected with a leather bag. Akio quickly pulled it out and hugged it to her chest. The small sack held everything she had ever had of her father. The dearest thing in the world to her, along with the sword already on her person.
She turned back to the inner rooms of the house, but there were engulfed in flame and smoke. Her room, the entrance room, and the kitchen were gone beyond all help and reckoning. Akio shed bitter tears for the loss of her home. The only home she had ever known. But now was not the time for tears. She had to get out of there, and fast. She looked around for an escape, and zeroed in on a small window in the corner of the room. Taking a running leap, Akio burst through the window and rolled across the ground, coughing madly.
She saw that Ryu and his two thugs were converging on Tekeda. The deer was backing further toward his pen, bucking at them madly, scared of the flames in the house and the absence of his mistress. Akio assumed that the three men thought her dead. This was a good thing.
A high pitched whistle came from Akio's mouth when she pressed two fingers between her lips. Tekeda looked up at his mistress. She was calling from the other side of the house. He would answer. Tekeda bucked once more at the three weird men around him before making a running leap over the smallest one and making a be-line for his mistress. Akio didn't even slow him down as she grabbed the lead rope around his neck and leap on to his back.
The deer ran as fast as an deer could run from danger with a girl on its back. He abandoned trails, preferring the open forest. Akio winced as branches and twigs cut into her face and left welts on her body. But pain was nonexistent. All she knew was that she had to get to Soujiro, and before Ryu. He had to be nearby, there was no other explanation. Her sword was slung over her shoulder, the leather bag with her possessions slung criss-crossed over that. Akio felt around Tekeda's side before she found the wooden sword she had bought that morning. A gift for Soujiro. It was fate.
Soujiro had taken a few more blows, but he was good at taking pain. He had taken pain all his life, and was used to it. Beatings didn't hurt him anymore. All he was thinking about was a plan of escape. But he really didn't need to have thought about one. He knew he needed a distraction, but what?
How about a girl riding into the throng, astride a deer? That's exactly what he got. Akio and Tekeda leapt right into the midst of the fight. Akio blazed like a warrior goddess, pulling a sword from her back and holding a wooden sword in her free hand. She leapt from her mount, knocking the offending Kymo over the head with the wooden sword. He ate dirt, and damn hard too.
Soujiro took the distraction as an opportunity of escape. He stamped on the foot of his stunned captor, then elbowed the other. The third was tripped and clobbered by Akio. "Soujiro, here!" she called, tossing him the wooden sword. Soujiro caught it with ease, loving the feel of it in his hands. "Take them down!" she called as her own opponent began to rise again.
Soujiro did just that. He hopped from one foot to another for a few seconds, then blasted forward with such speed, that in the span of an eyeblink, both of his opponents were down for the count, bleeding from wounds to the head and chest. There weren't dead, but he messed them up something awful.
He turned to see Akio pull a stunning maneuver, knocking her opponent from his feet, then knocking him out with the butt of her hilt. He fell to the ground in a heap. Akio panted, wiping her brow with her sleeve. She was smudged with black soot, her clothes looked singed. She looked exhausted and he saw her body trembling. But she met his gaze, her green eyes sparkling.
"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively.
"Are you?" he countered. She gave him a brilliant smile, the smile he feared he might never seen again. The wooden sword was dropped and forgotten as she ran at him, grabbing the front of his shirt and holding on for dear life.
"I didn't want to do it!" she said desperately. "Ryu hit me and said that he'd kill you if he ever found you."
"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, circling his arms around her.
"Yeah right. If I came out and said 'Soujiro, my friend is going to kill you so you'd better run away', would you have left?" Soujiro smiled and shook his head. "I didn't think so," she responded, then pulled him down and kissed him firmly on the mouth. Soujiro was only too happy to reply with a kiss of his own. And all was right with the world, for a split second. Then Soujiro pulled away.
"There is a patrol of at least fifty men coming up the road. They're going to attack the village!" Akio paled and stared at him. She remembered something Ryu had told her. 'After tomorrow, nothing will matter anymore.'
"Oh God," she whispered, a hand covering her mouth. "Ryu's going to destroy the village. We have to stop him!" Soujiro took her hand in his, picking up his new wooden sword and tucking it into his belt line.
"We'd better go then." She nodded, and they raced off together.
When they neared the trekking band of pillagers, Soujiro signaled for Akio to stop and they hid in the bushes to watch...and wait. There was really nothing else they could do until they came up with a better plan of action. Two against fifty was not good odds, even if they were both highly skilled. Soujiro was still not at his best, and Akio could only do so much. The men walked slowly, sluggishly, obviously not in any kind of hurry. They joked amongst themselves, talking about looting and women. Akio shivered.
"Don't worry, we'll stop them," Soujiro whispered reassuringly to her. She looked back up at him, green eyes full of gratitude, but then filling with dismay. She reached up and trailed her always-cold fingers down the side of his rapidly bruising face. His bottom lip had been bloodied, along with his nose, both of which had stopped bleeding, but were caked with the dry, red liquid. He looked a mess, but not in much pain.
"I'm sorry," she whispered with remorse. Soujiro caught her hand and kissed the palm. Then he gave her his most charming smile.
"You didn't hit me, but I'm sure you would have bruised me worse if it had been you." She covered her mouth to stop the laugh. Her eyes gave thanks and Soujiro felt suddenly better. "We could warn the guardians," he suggested. "Even if it's only a few against them, your people are very skilled."
Akio shook her head. "They'd never believe me, and Ryu has probably turned many of them. Whatever we do, we have to do it alone." This was not a good thing. Both of them darkened, deep in thought. "I could raise the alarm in the town," Akio said after a pause. "Suika would believe me. And what she says goes."
"Then you better go do it," Soujiro said, nodding for her to slip off.
"What about you?" she asked, readying to back into the forest once more, like a phantom tree dweller.
"I'll stall them as long as I can," he told her with a smile. Akio bit her bottom lip. She looked ready to protest, but knew there was no lother way. She leaned forward just enough to give him a quick, hard kiss, but was mindful of his hurt lip.
"If you die, I'll kill you," she threatened, her mouth a breath away from his and her emerald eyes burning with seriousness.
"You can be quite scary," Soujiro teased. Akio grinned, then disappeared. Now he was alone, against a troop of fifty men. 'How do I get myself into these situations?' he thought sadly, but took up his wooden sword and followed the platoon's movements in silence.
Akio raced down a deer track, but knew that she needed to get there faster then she ever could run. Takeda had run off when the battle broke out with Soujiro's capture. She only prayed that he was close enough to hear her. Akio whistled loudly, as she had done before, still racing down the path to the village. There was the sound of trampling foliage to her left, and she looked to see Tekeda racing alongside her. Akio thanked her lucky star as she swung on to his back.
"Come on baby, we have to get to the village, and fast!" The buck seemed to understand every word because he ran faster then any deer had ever run on the mountain, lame as he was.
In a fraction of the time it would have taken her to run, Akio reached the village astride Tekeda. She jumped off of him, stumbled, then took off like a shot toward the restaurant. "Mistress Suika!" she yelled when she entered, staggering inside. The woman was behind the counter, but seeing the frantic look on Akio's face, came to her side.
"Akio, what's the matter? What happened?"
"Oh Mistress Suika!" Akio cried, grabbing the woman's arm tightly. "The village is under attack! I saw them, fifty men are heading toward the village this very moment! All of them are carrying weapons. They'll be upon us by sundown." Suika paled at her employee's words.
"Are you sure?" she asked, grasping Akio by the shoulders. "You have to be sure."
"I'm positive! I saw them with my own eyes! Please, you have to call up the alarm, we have to warn the village!" Suika nodded, rushing toward the door. Outside of the entrance there hung a large bell. Suika grabbed the wooden spoon from her belt and whacked it against the large bell at a frantic pace. People from all over the village poked their heads out from shops and houses, looking toward the woman ringing the bell.
"Suika? Are you mad girl? What's the matter?" a few of the villagers yelled, coming to investigate.
"The village is under attack. Men from down the mountain are coming, armed to the teeth. They'll be at the village by sundown, we must evacuate!"
"Says who?" asked a haughty voice. Lord Mori passed through the crowd, coming to stand in front of the younger, and taller, woman. Suika's grip tightened on her wooden spoon. There was bad blood between the Mori family and Suika's.
"I do," Suika said, matching his tone. "A witness of the men told me. If we don't leave now, we'll all be killed!"
"That's a lie," Lord Mori denied. He stomped his cane on the ground, causing a few people to jump.
"I tell no lies," Suika yelled, looking to the villagers. "You all know me. I never lie, especially when it's important. Please, we must escape!"
"What is the meaning of this Suika? Have you no proof to back up your claim?"
"I need no proof!" she cried desperately. "There is not time!"
"It doesn't matter, mistress," Akio said, stepping outside. "Lord Mori knows all about the platoon that will attack us. It was Ryu who hired them." This sent murmurs through the surrounding crowd, all of them looking from the two women back to the old man.
"You lying little bastard! What proof do you have?"
"The proof that he destroyed my home!" Akio screamed at him. "My house was burnt to the ground before my eyes and Ryu tried to kill me! Believe what you want about me, but know that if we don't leave this place as fast as we can we'll all die." With that she turned from the group and started running back toward the forest. "Suika, please get them out!"
"Be careful Akio!" Suika called after her. Then she rounded on the crowd. "You heard the girl. I know what you all think of her, and I know what you all think of me, but she would not lie when there are lives on the line. And neither do I. Stay if you want, then you can die, but I for one, want to live!" With that Suika went back into her restaurant, immerging a few moments later with a small satchel over her shoulder. Without a word, she promptly turned on her heel and marched away. Many other villagers scrambled to do the same. Lord Mori was in an uproar, but he could do nothing to stop them.
Soujiro had finally come up with a plan. As he watched them, he noticed that the men on the move had little idea of where they were going, only their destination. Renko Village. None of them had ever been there. So all they knew was to follow the road and the signs, just like he had. But there was a turn, half a mile ahead of them, that would take them to Akio's bridge, or straight to the village. If he could change the sign, he could detour the platoon long enough for Akio to evacuate the village.
Scurrying like the best rabbit or squirrel, Soujiro surged through the trees and came to the marker a few minutes ahead of the others. A quick as he could, he moved the wooden arrow marker to point in the opposite direction from Renko Village. The sign told them now to cross the bridge.
He let out a small sigh. Hopefully that would be enough for right now. He was caught off guard by a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and whirled around to see Akio behind him. "What did you do?" she asked, looking from him to the sign.
"If they go the other way, it should be enough time for the village to escape, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose," she mused. "But the path past my home leads no where, wouldn't they notice they were going in the wrong direction?"
"None of them know where the village is. They'll all from the city, they have no idea."
"But what about Ryu? Surely he will come to them for the attack."
"I don't know," Soujiro admitted. But they were interrupted by voices from around the ridge. Soujiro grabbed Akio and pulled her off the road with him, pressing her and himself against the nearest tree. They both held their breath as the men came up and read Soujiro's 'improved' sign.
"Alright, this way men!" the leader said, pointing in the direction of the bridge. All the men followed, leaving the real track. Both people in hiding let out a sigh of relief as the last person passed them.
"That was close," Akio whispered into Soujiro's ear.
"Tell me about it," he responded, backing away from the tree, but still having his arm around her. "What do we do now?" Akio darkened.
"Now, I find Ryu."
Mori Ryu had had the perfect plan. But now everything was slipping through his fingers. First had been his plan of action, to take control of the village by means of force, and then blaming it upon the government. Everyone hated the government anyway. But it had been foiled by Akio, when she had attempted heroic actions and killed his men. Then Akio, the beauty herself, had fallen in love with another man instead of him. It wasn't right, it wasn't 'fair'! And now, now his perfectly engineered plan of action to destroy Renko Village once and for all, and to reap the benefits of it's demise, were lost. The village was deserted, evacuated by some unknown personage for some unknown reason.
When he had found his father, Lord Mori had said that Akio had come to Suika with news about the attack, and then Suika had convinced the rest of the village to leave. Even when Ryu had bit his dagger deep and hard into his father's chest, it didn't take away the biting disappointment of failure. Even as he watched the old man slowly die in a pool of his own blood. All that he felt the was anger rising at Akio, who had for the third time, gone against him.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, the one slung to his hip. His hired force still hadn't arrived, but even if they got here, it would be of no use. His plan was ruined. It had to be Akio, there was no other explanation for it. When he found her...the pain he would inflict upon her...he'd kill her with his own hands.
It seemed that the Gods were on his side, because just as he was thinking that, the girl in question was seen walking calmly down the empty street of the village. Her head was high, her grandfather's sword drawn in her hand. She was picturesque and serene as she came toward him. Alone.
"Ryu," she said evenly. "We have unfinished business."
Ryu's hand tightened on his sword. "Yes, we do," he replied in a voice dripping with anger and disdain. "I hope you know that I mean to kill you Akio."
"I hope you know that I mean the same, Ryu."
That said, their duel began. Ryu rushed her, hoping to use the sheer size of his body and power in his frame against the smaller female. Akio proved to be far more cunning then he had expected, slipping away from him at the last second, rolling to the ground and getting up in time to place a kick square in his back. Ryu went face first into the ground, but he quickly rolled on to his back and flipped up to his feet. They circled each other warily.
"How could you Ryu?" Akio asked. "Your own people!"
"All is fair in love and war, my dear," he said simply, thrusting forward and back, causing her to jump over the blade and land awkwardly. Ryu used this moment to knock her down, preparing to stab her in the side. Akio predicted this maneuver. She quickly moved her sword to knock his blade away, it coming down harmlessly wide of her chest. Then she brought a leg around to connect with the side of his face.
Ryu stumbled back, but then the two combatants became locked in a deadly battle of slashes and wild movements. Ryu was stronger, but Akio was faster. Her hits were not strong enough to bring him down, but a slash here, a shallow cut there, was bleeding Ryu out. He had only managed to slice her cheek open, and stab shallowly in her thigh. Akio had the advantage.
The blood loss was beginning to make him dizzy. A good swordsman was one who knew his limits, and understood the difference between a time to fight and a time to retreat. Ryu made a final blow at Akio, forcing her to back up a few steps. He couldn't kill her now, so he turned to escape.
Only to come face to face with the mysterious man who he had seen in Akio's house. He was smaller, but the glint in his gray eyes was enough to make even Ryu afraid. The wooden sword in his hand was menacing. "I do believe that the lady isn't done yet," he commented lightly, smiling.
"I don't believe you've met Soujiro," Akio said from behind him. "The Tenken really is overprotective, don't you think?" Soujiro moved his sword in a small gesture, signally Ryu to go back and fight Akio. He turned, ready to face the woman taking yet another stance meant for death. "I want to end this," she growled, leveling her blade. "I'm sorry for what you are Ryu, and I hope your soul finds peace."
With those final words, Akio charged forward. Ryu parried the blow meant for his heart, but Akio swung around faster then he could dodge, and buried her blade up to the hilt in his stomach. Ryu coughed, a faint blood film coating his lips. Akio pulled her sword from his flesh with a sickening sound. Ryu pressed his hand to his stomach, then brought up his fingers to see the blood that coated them. She'd stabbed him. He fell to his knees, looking up at the girl with the green eyes, then he fell forward on the ground in a rapidly growing pool of blood.
Akio washed her sword off on the riverbed. Soujiro was up by where he house had once stood, shifting through anything that could be saved. She wasn't hopeful. She had everything savable with her. Her bag, and her sword. Akio said cross-legged on the back, running a lazy hand in the water.
Tekeda was gone. She hoped that wherever he had run off to, it was a better place then here. She wished him happiness and a long life, the same she knew he'd wish for her. She looked at her hand in the water. The hand that had ended the life of Mori Ryu, her one-time friend. The blood of Ryu would never fully wash away, she knew that. But she wasn't sorry for what she had done. He would have only killed again. And although no one had the right to take the life of another, she wanted to protect the lives of the people who had always hated and shunned her. Maybe they didn't deserve her rescue, but she knew that they did.
Soujiro came up behind her, sitting next to her on the bank. He didn't need words, she could feel the question emanating from him. Are you okay? She leaned against him, her forehead resting on his chest so that she didn't have to meet his eyes. His arms came up around her, holding her close. She had lost everything she once held dear. Her home, her place, her friend...all of it was gone and never coming back. And yet, she had found some things that were worth so much more. She had found Soujiro, the love of a person she had never had before, and she had found a way to forgive herself through forgiving him. Maybe one day he could forgive himself, and she'd be there to watch that.
"Soujiro," she whispered.
"Yes Akio?"
"I no longer have a home," she began, leaning back to look into his eyes. "I no longer have a place." He nodded, sorrow in his features. "Would it be alright...could I wander with you?"
He was taken back by the question, but then ease filled his features. Soujiro tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would be honored to have your company." Akio leaned forward more, wrapping her arms around him.
"If you had said no, I would have kicked you," she smiled. Soujiro laughed into her ear.
"Like I could refuse you anything." He took a deep breath, then whispered, "I love you Akio."
Akio sighed and smiled. It was strange, but she had known it all along. Every look he gave her, every kiss, and every movement had told the truth long ago. She only leaned into him more. "I love you too," she returned, feeling him relax. She would have to work on him trusting more, or at least trusting her. But they had all the time in the world. "So where shall we go?"
"Anywhere," he replied, getting to his feet and pulling her with him. "We have nothing holding us down."
Akio smiled shyly. "I guess I can finally start looking for my father then." Soujiro looked interested.
"You were able to save those clues?" She nodded, patting the small leather bag.
"Everything I have of him is in here." Akio reached in a hand and pulled out a few things. One was a folded piece of paper that she handed to him. "My mother drew him. Handsome, isn't he?" she prodded as he opened the paper. It was a charcoal drawing of a young man with short black hair and a red band around his forehead, the same red band that was in Akio's hand. Seeing his eyes shot from the page to the band, she tied it around her own forehead. "It was a mark of his army. He left this one with my mother, so now it's mine. If I can find the army members who wore the band, they might know who my father was."
Soujiro nodded, looking again at the drawing. He saw similarities between the man's features and that of Akio's. The eyes were the same, and although he could not tell the color from the drawing, he bet they had been green like hers. "Well, we'll just have to look as we go."
Akio grinned and took the paper back from him, tucking it away in her small bag with a few other priceless treasures. On her shoulder, she sheathed her sword again. Soujiro's own wooden sword was tucked into his belt line. Akio took one last look at the river, he beloved river, before picking a small flower from the bed and tossing it into the water. She whispered a small prayer as she watched it float away, a prayer to her grandmother and mother. Then, taking Soujiro's hand in her own, Akio left all she had known for a new life. The mountain, Renko Village, and all who called it home, were now of the past. Only a memory.
Seta Akio had been reborn.
~~The End~~
Well, that's it! Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed this fic, I love you all! You gave me the confidence to finish this story in record breaking time! I know it's kind of short, but the sequel will be coming. Keep an eye out for Wanderers, which is what I'm calling it.
Special Thanks to:
Pen D. Fox
pruningshears
Curlsofserenity
EEevee
Kenshin44
Hoshii-sama
Brittany67
ya sure
Ken
Your #1 Fan
caljay123
Angel
and, last but not least, WAHHH!!
For your reviews, this story is all for you guys! Well, I hope to see all of you reviewing the sequel or my other works, thanks again!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~