Blade of the Immortal :
Chapter Six:Recovery…
Hyakurin reached for the girl moving a strand of the girls silky raven hair from her face. Sobs escaped the blonds lips as she looked at the lifeless child, this isn't what she wanted. Not only did she lost her two children, yet she was loosing this one as well.
"Tata?" The name came out of her mouth easily, like she had called him by that name a million times before, yet in reality this was the first. "Tell me she'll be okay," she paused "even if it's a lie..." her chocolate eyes never moved from the small girl laying there at her feet. Moving herself so she could lay with the child the woman held the girl as close to her as she could.
Though she was a warrior, to some extent she still only wanted to be a mother. Losing her own children had hit her hard, now this child, not more than eight years was she here. Now Hyakurin had feared she lost this child as well.
"I know she's in a better place, and she'll be well taken care of, after all she's got your kids to play with her and my sister and her husband to care for her. And she won't have to suffer anymore, or be alone anymore, so please don't cry anymore. I know she'd hate it if she were still here." Then Manji paused as he worked to suppress the emotions welling up inside.
"Y'know, I've been around so much death for so long that I've hardly had to think about it anymore. It was almost automatic, simply kill or be killed, I almost hate it when I have to think about it like this... not since... my sister. Haha, and when something like this happens all I can think is that I wanna butcher the bastards who did it... but Shira's dead and I still feel pissed! So tell me then, what am I supposed to do? What can I do, Hyakurin? Tell me!", he said as he collapsed at her feet.
Hyakurin's eyes were filled with tear's, "That's when you put you mask on and hide everything that you fell." Hyakurin stood up only to fall once again. Her body had reached it's limit, looking up at Magatsu "Can you help me bury her? I don't want a shallow grave." the battered woman looked at Manji resting her body on him once again she held the man.
She held the man that she had taken care of, the man that she has asked to help them, the man that she though didn't care about much other than the little girl that he was to care for. Yet now, now he too his emotions were broken. It seemed only as if the glass wall he had built up had now shattered. "Even though Shira's dead I want his head."
Picking himself up, Manji walked over to Shira's corpse, and picking up Shira's own sword he sawed through the meaty cords of his neck and finally through the spinal column. Holding up the grisly prize by it's hair he placed it before Hyakurin. "Do with it as you will", he said. And then kneeling down he plunged his hand into the hard-packed earth tearing out a handful of dirt, and then another. Without a word Magatsu knelt beside him to do the same. Manji thought to stop him, to say, "You aren't immortal, you won't heal like I will, where are your bloodworms?" but, looking at Magatsu's face he saw how the man sought refuge in this physical pain from the more persistent demons that haunted him as he relived not only this death, but that of another dear one taken from him by Shira before he had a chance to tell her how he really felt... And at the end of it a pair of men with bloodied and torn hands stood by as the girl's "mother" gently laid her corpse in the hole they'd dug with their blood and tears, before they finally covered her with earth and large stones so that her corpse would remain undisturbed. "Tentou ni imasu", was the brief message they wrote in Kanji roughly carved with on a simple wooden grave marker.
Hyakurin spit on Shira's head as it was placed before her, she stood as they took the child from her. Kissing the girl's forehead she fell to her knees. She watched the men bury her 'child' "Thank you both..." she said making her way to Shira's head plunging his saw like sword though his skull she placed the sword into the ground having his head pinned to the earth.
"Were too now?" She asked as she reached up for a helping hand. "If I make it to the next town I can find Giichi and be out of your hair, or you can drag me along I may be of some use." Looking at Magatsu she tried to smile thought she succeed it was a sad, empty smile.
"Huh? Yeah, we should move on." said Manji shaking himself out of a daze. It was hard to move away as much as it hurt to stay, but that little girl had wanted them to live and it was up to them to live for her. They just kept walking and one step after another gradually it became easier. There a town came up on the horizon, Hyakurin fallowed behind them her tears still falling. She didn't know what she'd tell Giichi, only that he needed to be there with her at this time. Knowing that her time with Magatsu and Manji may be coming to an end. She stopped leaning against a tree, her new Kimono blood soaked. "Tata?" She questioned "are you alright?"
"I'm fine", he said tersely. His hands were clasped behind his back, clenching tightly and opening again as the blood coursed unheeded down his hands to drip to the thirsty dirt road. They walked into town and headed straight for the nearest place of refreshment where they could wash some of the road dust from their throats and eat something besides cold traveling rations. As they sat down, a waitress hurried over to shoo them away, after all they looked pretty bad. But, coming closer a look of pity came into her eyes, as she saw that some heavy cloud hung over this trio of weary travelers like a pall. She brought over several flasks of cold sake without even being asked, "Freshly iced from the winter's ice in the cellar", she said putting them down. "Anything else?" she asked with a concerned glance at Magatsu's and Hyakurin's injuries.
Hyakurin drank the sake quickly as she rested her head on Magatsu's shoulder. She stared at Manji's cup and then reached for it drinking it as well, "You want me to wrap that?" She asked Magatsu looking at the fresh blood from his wound.
He held out his hands as if seeing them for the first time. They were a bloody sticky mess with bits of dirt and wood lodged in the flesh. "Tch, how could you do such a stupid thing?" Manji asked, "After all those hands are your livelihood and you're not exactly smart enough to make a living off anything but your sword work. Here." He handed a flask of sake to Hyakurin for her to wash out the wounds and disinfect 'em a little. "Though, I think Magatsu is getting a little preferential treatment..." he muttered. "It's not as if we're all full of worms!" retorted Magatsu rising to the bait. "Haha, laughed Manji, it's good to see some of the old fire back in you. After all we can't stay sad forever." he said suddenly somber.
Hyakurin raised a brow as she heard Manji speak as she took the sake to clean Magatsu's wounds "Though, I think Magatsu is getting a little preferential treatment..." he muttered. She went to speak but finally heard Magatsu's voice "It's not as if we're all full of worms!" retorted Magatsu rising to the bait. "Haha, laughed Manji, it's good to see some of the old fire back in you. After all we can't stay sad forever." he said suddenly somber.
Hyakurin pored the sake over the mans wounds and watched the expression on his face. A group of samurai walked in then. "Hey, what're you punks doing here?" one of them asked rudely pointing at Manji and the rest. "You filthy pigs are stinking up our favorite restaurant." So, I think you'd better get out before things get serious, eh?" he said, lifting his sword and flashing an inch of steel from it's scabbard.
A sigh escaped the woman's lips as she looked at the men. "You really just need to move on boy's us lady's and gentlemen don't have time for your petty games." she replied as she went back to bandaging Magatsu.
The men found her ignorance to be more than playful, drawing his sword completely he stood there "Apologies." his voice boomed as he demanded. "Your staring to bore me." The blonds voice replied with a yawn "Onna, hold your tong." again he demanded her "Hold yours." Hyakurin's voice hissed.
"Oryaa!!" he roared drawing his sword. "Shall I?" Magatsu and Manji asked Hyakurin with a look. She nodded letting the boy's do as they wanted with the men that had started running their mouths to the wrong people. Yet if Manji and Magatsu didn't act on the offer she'd be more than willing to kill the men herself, it's release some of the anger, the angst.
Elsewhere
Giichi sat there as a young man ran into the room bowing and apologizing for interrupting him in any way. "Shira's been killed, Miss Hyakurin's hurt she's in a village about two days from here..." the man couldn't fish before Giichi adjusted his shades and made his way out of the room.
Back at the Restaurant
Manji dusted off his hands as the young punks ran off with most of their limbs intact. He'd been feeling merciful. Either that or just too damn tired. "As if the road here wasn't tiring enough", he said belting down a cup of sake. "I guess I can wait 'till your pal Giichi gets here, you're in no shape to be alone." Magatsu said, "I will wait as well. Now that Shira's dead, I'm not sure what to do."
Hyakurin smiled as she rested her head on Magatsu's shoulder, she had drank her fair share of Sake while Manji took care of the punks. Closing her eyes she snuggled to the wounded man, at least she had the curtsey to finish bandaging him before she got drunk.
Magatsu coughs gently. He might be injured, but he was still a man after all and she was getting awfully close to him. He tried to gently untangle himself from her, but she evidently had a grip like a barnacle when she was drinking. He shot a glance at Manji to say "Help me out here, man!" But, Manji pretended he didn't see. They could both use a chance to move on from their respective grief's, and this seemed a good way as any, so he just drank his sake and feigned ignorance.
Hyakurin's mumbles were nothing more than drunken mutters of nonsense. Yet the words that were clear was the name of her son "Matsuhiko.." The name wasn't more than a whisper yet the warm breath off the blonds brushed ever so gently against Magatsu's ear.
Magatsu sighed. Nothing cools the ardor of a young man quicker than hearing the object of his affections speak the name of another man. Gently picking her up, entanglements and all, he took her to the local inn and placed her gently in a bed, carefully locking it behind him to make sure she'd remain undisturbed. Not that she wouldn't make anything that disturbed her regret the hell out of it if they woke her up. Going back to the restaurant he felt up to that sake now. Together alone Magatsu and Manji took refuge in a few cold cups.
Hyakurin's screamed as she sat up, sweat and blood covered her body as her blood curdling screams could be heard from the buildings next to were she had lay there resting. The man standing over her looking at her spread open Kimono, her scared bare chest was exposed. Reaching for one of her darts she stabbed the man in the leg easily, laying back she closed her Kimono and crawled over to the small basin and began to wipe herself off. Not knowing were Magatsu had went, let alone Manji.
The two burst into the room only bare seconds after they'd heard Hyakurin's scream. They saw the poisoned and paralyzed fellow lying on the floor his face caught in a rectos of pain, she must've caught him in a major artery, and then they saw her bathing herself at the nearby basin. "Um... we just heard the screams... and we came as soon as we could..." Manji kicked Magatsu before he could blather on anymore. "We'll just get outta your hair and take this piece of trash when we go. We'll be waiting outside when you're done." Magatsu said recovering smoothly. Why did trouble seem to follow them so intently the two wondered in the privacy of their own thoughts.
She opened the door covered in an under kimono, looking at the men she smiled, still tipsy. "Hay." she muted the words as she looked at Magatsu, "Sorry bout this..." she said grabbing the mans arm leading him into the room and sat down, "I guess it's sort of embarrassing having to carry me here. Why did you leave me anyways?"
"Well, you seemed tired", Magatsu said. Clearly not feeling right about where this seemed to be going. "Thanks for bandaging my hands by the way", he said holding up his hands to show the wrappings that stopped the bleeding but limited mobility to a minimum and kept his fingers separate instead of stuck together, which would allow him to still fight, it showed the mark of a veteran of many a fight. "Is there something I could help you with?" he said again assuming the mask that ever presently hid just under his face, even if this was the one that didn't show.
Hyakurin reached up for his mask, "The name, I said his name didn't I?"
she asked slightly aware of what her mind was thinking. "What did I
say."
"It was, um-- Matsuhiko I think you said. Was that-- the name of someone important to you?" he asked her. It was probably the name of her husband or something. But, where was he now then? He wondered, but didn't truly have the courage to ask. It was a little different from the courage a warrior usually required.
"Matsuhiko was my son, eight years..." Hyakurin pushed, "His sister was killed at birth, my husband had no time to raise girl's. Ha then again he couldn't raise any children. But now I don't ever have to worry about that again." she laid her head back on Magatsu. "Stay with me till Giichi arrives, even then you don't have to leave do you? Shira's dead, you can stay awhile right?"
"I--", Magatsu paused to think. He hadn't really taken the time to do that in a while. He had just been so focused on Shira that he never really thought of what to do after he'd accomplished that, it had just seemed so far off... He couldn't really go back to the Itto-Ryu though, could he...? That life just seemed so far off now. But then what else would he do, make sandals for the rest of his life? That wasn't what he was cut out for. All those thoughts flickered in and out in an instant as he suddenly decided... "I'll stay, even if just for a little while. I'll stay." he said more gently than his gruff exterior usually let show.
Authors Note
Okay this is the Sixth chapter. I DO NOT OWN Blade of the Immortal, Hiroaki Samura and Dark Horse comics own it I'm just barrowing it. This is also based after the 12th book Fall Frost. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, and Please also note that I am not the only writer of this story, a friend (Joel) also helps write it. He writes for Manji and Magatsu, and I write for Hyakurin and Giichi. Anyone else we've both used. Thanks for reading
Chapter Six:Recovery…
Hyakurin reached for the girl moving a strand of the girls silky raven hair from her face. Sobs escaped the blonds lips as she looked at the lifeless child, this isn't what she wanted. Not only did she lost her two children, yet she was loosing this one as well.
"Tata?" The name came out of her mouth easily, like she had called him by that name a million times before, yet in reality this was the first. "Tell me she'll be okay," she paused "even if it's a lie..." her chocolate eyes never moved from the small girl laying there at her feet. Moving herself so she could lay with the child the woman held the girl as close to her as she could.
Though she was a warrior, to some extent she still only wanted to be a mother. Losing her own children had hit her hard, now this child, not more than eight years was she here. Now Hyakurin had feared she lost this child as well.
"I know she's in a better place, and she'll be well taken care of, after all she's got your kids to play with her and my sister and her husband to care for her. And she won't have to suffer anymore, or be alone anymore, so please don't cry anymore. I know she'd hate it if she were still here." Then Manji paused as he worked to suppress the emotions welling up inside.
"Y'know, I've been around so much death for so long that I've hardly had to think about it anymore. It was almost automatic, simply kill or be killed, I almost hate it when I have to think about it like this... not since... my sister. Haha, and when something like this happens all I can think is that I wanna butcher the bastards who did it... but Shira's dead and I still feel pissed! So tell me then, what am I supposed to do? What can I do, Hyakurin? Tell me!", he said as he collapsed at her feet.
Hyakurin's eyes were filled with tear's, "That's when you put you mask on and hide everything that you fell." Hyakurin stood up only to fall once again. Her body had reached it's limit, looking up at Magatsu "Can you help me bury her? I don't want a shallow grave." the battered woman looked at Manji resting her body on him once again she held the man.
She held the man that she had taken care of, the man that she has asked to help them, the man that she though didn't care about much other than the little girl that he was to care for. Yet now, now he too his emotions were broken. It seemed only as if the glass wall he had built up had now shattered. "Even though Shira's dead I want his head."
Picking himself up, Manji walked over to Shira's corpse, and picking up Shira's own sword he sawed through the meaty cords of his neck and finally through the spinal column. Holding up the grisly prize by it's hair he placed it before Hyakurin. "Do with it as you will", he said. And then kneeling down he plunged his hand into the hard-packed earth tearing out a handful of dirt, and then another. Without a word Magatsu knelt beside him to do the same. Manji thought to stop him, to say, "You aren't immortal, you won't heal like I will, where are your bloodworms?" but, looking at Magatsu's face he saw how the man sought refuge in this physical pain from the more persistent demons that haunted him as he relived not only this death, but that of another dear one taken from him by Shira before he had a chance to tell her how he really felt... And at the end of it a pair of men with bloodied and torn hands stood by as the girl's "mother" gently laid her corpse in the hole they'd dug with their blood and tears, before they finally covered her with earth and large stones so that her corpse would remain undisturbed. "Tentou ni imasu", was the brief message they wrote in Kanji roughly carved with on a simple wooden grave marker.
Hyakurin spit on Shira's head as it was placed before her, she stood as they took the child from her. Kissing the girl's forehead she fell to her knees. She watched the men bury her 'child' "Thank you both..." she said making her way to Shira's head plunging his saw like sword though his skull she placed the sword into the ground having his head pinned to the earth.
"Were too now?" She asked as she reached up for a helping hand. "If I make it to the next town I can find Giichi and be out of your hair, or you can drag me along I may be of some use." Looking at Magatsu she tried to smile thought she succeed it was a sad, empty smile.
"Huh? Yeah, we should move on." said Manji shaking himself out of a daze. It was hard to move away as much as it hurt to stay, but that little girl had wanted them to live and it was up to them to live for her. They just kept walking and one step after another gradually it became easier. There a town came up on the horizon, Hyakurin fallowed behind them her tears still falling. She didn't know what she'd tell Giichi, only that he needed to be there with her at this time. Knowing that her time with Magatsu and Manji may be coming to an end. She stopped leaning against a tree, her new Kimono blood soaked. "Tata?" She questioned "are you alright?"
"I'm fine", he said tersely. His hands were clasped behind his back, clenching tightly and opening again as the blood coursed unheeded down his hands to drip to the thirsty dirt road. They walked into town and headed straight for the nearest place of refreshment where they could wash some of the road dust from their throats and eat something besides cold traveling rations. As they sat down, a waitress hurried over to shoo them away, after all they looked pretty bad. But, coming closer a look of pity came into her eyes, as she saw that some heavy cloud hung over this trio of weary travelers like a pall. She brought over several flasks of cold sake without even being asked, "Freshly iced from the winter's ice in the cellar", she said putting them down. "Anything else?" she asked with a concerned glance at Magatsu's and Hyakurin's injuries.
Hyakurin drank the sake quickly as she rested her head on Magatsu's shoulder. She stared at Manji's cup and then reached for it drinking it as well, "You want me to wrap that?" She asked Magatsu looking at the fresh blood from his wound.
He held out his hands as if seeing them for the first time. They were a bloody sticky mess with bits of dirt and wood lodged in the flesh. "Tch, how could you do such a stupid thing?" Manji asked, "After all those hands are your livelihood and you're not exactly smart enough to make a living off anything but your sword work. Here." He handed a flask of sake to Hyakurin for her to wash out the wounds and disinfect 'em a little. "Though, I think Magatsu is getting a little preferential treatment..." he muttered. "It's not as if we're all full of worms!" retorted Magatsu rising to the bait. "Haha, laughed Manji, it's good to see some of the old fire back in you. After all we can't stay sad forever." he said suddenly somber.
Hyakurin raised a brow as she heard Manji speak as she took the sake to clean Magatsu's wounds "Though, I think Magatsu is getting a little preferential treatment..." he muttered. She went to speak but finally heard Magatsu's voice "It's not as if we're all full of worms!" retorted Magatsu rising to the bait. "Haha, laughed Manji, it's good to see some of the old fire back in you. After all we can't stay sad forever." he said suddenly somber.
Hyakurin pored the sake over the mans wounds and watched the expression on his face. A group of samurai walked in then. "Hey, what're you punks doing here?" one of them asked rudely pointing at Manji and the rest. "You filthy pigs are stinking up our favorite restaurant." So, I think you'd better get out before things get serious, eh?" he said, lifting his sword and flashing an inch of steel from it's scabbard.
A sigh escaped the woman's lips as she looked at the men. "You really just need to move on boy's us lady's and gentlemen don't have time for your petty games." she replied as she went back to bandaging Magatsu.
The men found her ignorance to be more than playful, drawing his sword completely he stood there "Apologies." his voice boomed as he demanded. "Your staring to bore me." The blonds voice replied with a yawn "Onna, hold your tong." again he demanded her "Hold yours." Hyakurin's voice hissed.
"Oryaa!!" he roared drawing his sword. "Shall I?" Magatsu and Manji asked Hyakurin with a look. She nodded letting the boy's do as they wanted with the men that had started running their mouths to the wrong people. Yet if Manji and Magatsu didn't act on the offer she'd be more than willing to kill the men herself, it's release some of the anger, the angst.
Elsewhere
Giichi sat there as a young man ran into the room bowing and apologizing for interrupting him in any way. "Shira's been killed, Miss Hyakurin's hurt she's in a village about two days from here..." the man couldn't fish before Giichi adjusted his shades and made his way out of the room.
Back at the Restaurant
Manji dusted off his hands as the young punks ran off with most of their limbs intact. He'd been feeling merciful. Either that or just too damn tired. "As if the road here wasn't tiring enough", he said belting down a cup of sake. "I guess I can wait 'till your pal Giichi gets here, you're in no shape to be alone." Magatsu said, "I will wait as well. Now that Shira's dead, I'm not sure what to do."
Hyakurin smiled as she rested her head on Magatsu's shoulder, she had drank her fair share of Sake while Manji took care of the punks. Closing her eyes she snuggled to the wounded man, at least she had the curtsey to finish bandaging him before she got drunk.
Magatsu coughs gently. He might be injured, but he was still a man after all and she was getting awfully close to him. He tried to gently untangle himself from her, but she evidently had a grip like a barnacle when she was drinking. He shot a glance at Manji to say "Help me out here, man!" But, Manji pretended he didn't see. They could both use a chance to move on from their respective grief's, and this seemed a good way as any, so he just drank his sake and feigned ignorance.
Hyakurin's mumbles were nothing more than drunken mutters of nonsense. Yet the words that were clear was the name of her son "Matsuhiko.." The name wasn't more than a whisper yet the warm breath off the blonds brushed ever so gently against Magatsu's ear.
Magatsu sighed. Nothing cools the ardor of a young man quicker than hearing the object of his affections speak the name of another man. Gently picking her up, entanglements and all, he took her to the local inn and placed her gently in a bed, carefully locking it behind him to make sure she'd remain undisturbed. Not that she wouldn't make anything that disturbed her regret the hell out of it if they woke her up. Going back to the restaurant he felt up to that sake now. Together alone Magatsu and Manji took refuge in a few cold cups.
Hyakurin's screamed as she sat up, sweat and blood covered her body as her blood curdling screams could be heard from the buildings next to were she had lay there resting. The man standing over her looking at her spread open Kimono, her scared bare chest was exposed. Reaching for one of her darts she stabbed the man in the leg easily, laying back she closed her Kimono and crawled over to the small basin and began to wipe herself off. Not knowing were Magatsu had went, let alone Manji.
The two burst into the room only bare seconds after they'd heard Hyakurin's scream. They saw the poisoned and paralyzed fellow lying on the floor his face caught in a rectos of pain, she must've caught him in a major artery, and then they saw her bathing herself at the nearby basin. "Um... we just heard the screams... and we came as soon as we could..." Manji kicked Magatsu before he could blather on anymore. "We'll just get outta your hair and take this piece of trash when we go. We'll be waiting outside when you're done." Magatsu said recovering smoothly. Why did trouble seem to follow them so intently the two wondered in the privacy of their own thoughts.
She opened the door covered in an under kimono, looking at the men she smiled, still tipsy. "Hay." she muted the words as she looked at Magatsu, "Sorry bout this..." she said grabbing the mans arm leading him into the room and sat down, "I guess it's sort of embarrassing having to carry me here. Why did you leave me anyways?"
"Well, you seemed tired", Magatsu said. Clearly not feeling right about where this seemed to be going. "Thanks for bandaging my hands by the way", he said holding up his hands to show the wrappings that stopped the bleeding but limited mobility to a minimum and kept his fingers separate instead of stuck together, which would allow him to still fight, it showed the mark of a veteran of many a fight. "Is there something I could help you with?" he said again assuming the mask that ever presently hid just under his face, even if this was the one that didn't show.
Hyakurin reached up for his mask, "The name, I said his name didn't I?"
she asked slightly aware of what her mind was thinking. "What did I
say."
"It was, um-- Matsuhiko I think you said. Was that-- the name of someone important to you?" he asked her. It was probably the name of her husband or something. But, where was he now then? He wondered, but didn't truly have the courage to ask. It was a little different from the courage a warrior usually required.
"Matsuhiko was my son, eight years..." Hyakurin pushed, "His sister was killed at birth, my husband had no time to raise girl's. Ha then again he couldn't raise any children. But now I don't ever have to worry about that again." she laid her head back on Magatsu. "Stay with me till Giichi arrives, even then you don't have to leave do you? Shira's dead, you can stay awhile right?"
"I--", Magatsu paused to think. He hadn't really taken the time to do that in a while. He had just been so focused on Shira that he never really thought of what to do after he'd accomplished that, it had just seemed so far off... He couldn't really go back to the Itto-Ryu though, could he...? That life just seemed so far off now. But then what else would he do, make sandals for the rest of his life? That wasn't what he was cut out for. All those thoughts flickered in and out in an instant as he suddenly decided... "I'll stay, even if just for a little while. I'll stay." he said more gently than his gruff exterior usually let show.
Authors Note
Okay this is the Sixth chapter. I DO NOT OWN Blade of the Immortal, Hiroaki Samura and Dark Horse comics own it I'm just barrowing it. This is also based after the 12th book Fall Frost. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, and Please also note that I am not the only writer of this story, a friend (Joel) also helps write it. He writes for Manji and Magatsu, and I write for Hyakurin and Giichi. Anyone else we've both used. Thanks for reading