AN: Hi-Diddily, Do-Diddily! Apologies for the late update, but my job has really been sucking the creative juices from my brain recently. Plus, I'm not really happy with the way this chapter turned out, so I was delaying its release. I'm still not happy with it now, but I'll let you guys decide.
I have as much rage as you have
I have as much pain as you do
I've lived as much hell as you have
And I've kept mine bubbling under for you
- Alanis Morissette "Sympathetic Character"
"AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!!!" Kitsune screamed out loud. She then ducked down low, as Liu swung her sword, just barely missing Kistune by mere inches.
Sailing past her. Liu somersaulted in mid-air, and landed gently on both feet with all the grace of an Olympic acrobat.
"You were lucky that time," Liu said softly, "But lets see how long that lasts! HIIIYAAAAAAHHHH!" She raised the sword above her head, and leapt at Kistune once more.
Kitsune screamed out loud, and covered her face, as Liu drew closer. Then, Liu brought the sword down on Kitsune's head.
Or so she tried.
When she brought her sword down, all she brought down were her arms. The sword was missing. "Wha--!?" She cried out, forgetting that she was still airborne. Not paying attention to where she was going slammed face first into the side of the house.
"Liu," her grandmother snapped, "That's enough of this. Settle down this instant!" She held Liu's sword up high, then threw it away where it landed a few feet away, sticking into the ground.
"Wow," Keitaro muttered, "How did she do that?"
"That's a long held family secret, young man," she replied. Liu groaned loudly, as she picked herself up of the ground, rubbing her bruised face.
"Humph!" Kitsune glared at Liu, as she crossed her arms. "Serves you right!"
"And as for you, young lady," Granny said pointing at Kitsune, "Explain yourself at once!"
"Yeah," Keitaro said, getting up of the ground. "What's with that whole business of being my lover?"
"I was try'n to get you away from here, Keitaro," she said.
"It's okay, Kistune," Keitaro said, "I'm fine, these people have been very nice to me."
"Then why the hell did you come rushing up to me and screaming in that way?"
"I was just happy to see you, that's all." Keitaro said.
"Really, you were?" Kitsune said. She smiled, and put one around Keitaro's shoulder. "Now that Naru's gone, you know, we can still be lovers, hon."
"Excuse me!" Liu stepped in between them. "Kindly keep your hands off him!"
"Liu, calm down please," Keitaro tried to pull her away.
"Yeah," Kitsune teased, "Down girl, sit! Staaaaay!"
"GRRRRRRRR!" Liu's face began to boil over red.
"Kitsune!" Ketiaro warned, as he quickly stepped in between the two near combatants.
"Stop this, all of you!" Liu's grandmother warned. "Liu calm down, and you too, Missy!" There was a five second silence. "Very good," she said in a sweet voice. "See, you can behave like normal adults."
"So, Keitaro," Kitsune said, "How did you survive? I thought you were dead. I mean, the plague killed all the men. How come you're still around?"
"I don't know the answer to that question, Kistune," Keitaro said. "But what on earth are you doing all the way out here?"
"Oh, try'n to make a live'n in the world these days."
"I would hardly call what you are selling, young missy, a living." Liu's grandmother said.
"Huh? What are you selling?" Keitaro asked, looking up at Kitsune's wagon, "And where did you get the horses?"
"Oh these girls," Kitsune patted the closest horse. "I found these poor things, in some ladies stables, just doing nothing much."
"You stole them!?!" Keitaro was dumbfounded, and then quickly wised up, as a sweat droplet ran down his forehead. "Oh wait, something like this is normal for you."
"And as for what I'm sell'n!" She reached into the back of the wagon, and pulled out a few magazines.
Naughty magazines. Naughty magazines for girls. Naughty magazines for girls by the boat load.
"I'm not even going to ask where you got those!" Keitaro said, turning away from the image on the covers.
"You know, these things are worth their weight in gold these days. You'd be surprised how many women will trade food items for just one of these babies!"
"Really?" Liu had gone from angry to curious. She was staring at the muscle bound man on the cover with an itty-bitty lion-cloth.
"Uh-huh!" Kitsune said, handing one to Liu. "These go like hot cakes to the girls who don't get accepted into the re-population program." She opened one up and let a three-page centrefold, fold out.
"Really?" Liu's eyes widened, and tilted her head to one side.
"Liu!" Her grandmother snapped. "You don't need to pollute your mind with such garbage."
Liu blinked in surprised, and looked back over at Keitaro, who was looking very overshadowed, and ashamed by the handsome men in the magazines.
"Oh, I'm sorry Keitaro," Liu quickly said, zooming to his side. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You still look very handsome to me." She then gave him a quick kiss on the check.
"Even with nearly all the men dead, I still get humiliated by girls. Maybe my life hasn't changed at all."
"Same old Keitaro," Kitsune said, tossing the mags over her shoulder. "Say, you never told me, what the Sam hell are you do'n all the way out here?"
Before Keitaro could answer, a whistling sound suddenly began to pierce the evening air.
"Oh my," Granny said, "That's the alarm, which means, that dinner is ready!"
"Oh shame," Liu said with a sly smile, "I guess that means this conversation is over, and we're going inside, and you can leave now."
"Liu!" Granny snapped. "This young lady is a friend of Keitaro's, and they obviously haven't seen each other in a long time. You can't just send her of like that!"
"Yes I can, grandmother," she said sweetly, but through her clenched teeth.
"Besides," granny said with a smile, "We have plenty to go around." She then turned to Kitsune, "Would you like to join us for dinner, young missy?"
"She doesn't have the time," Liu said stepping between Kitsune and her grandmother, She then hugged Kitsune in an arm lock that cut of the flow of oxygen. "Don't you!?!"
"Ack!" Kitsune gasped out.
"See!" Liu quickly answered.
"LIU!!!" Granny gave her a stare that made her sweet face sag. She then let go of Kitsune who fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Oh please, won't you join us for dinner," Liu said in dull boredom, as she turned around, and headed back inside, grabbing Keitaro by the arm, and dragging him back inside with her. "Come Keitaro!"
"Woah!" He cried out, before he was pulled inside, and the door slammed shut behind them, making the whole house shake.
"Humph!" Kitsune crossed her arms. "What's her problem?"
"She just doesn't want Keitaro to leave her, that's all!"
"Huh?" Kitsune looked surprised. "Then why were you just acting like you were against it?"
"Keitaro already has his heart pledged to another woman," she answered.
"Naru." Kitsune said.
"Yes, that was her name." Granny said.
"Hey, wait a sec!" Kitsune said, rubbing her head in thought. "How come you're trying to prevent your granddaughter from getting Keitaro?"
"A journey of incredible odds, through hostile territory, just to reach the woman he loves," she whipped away a tear from her eye as she spoke. "During the second world war, my late husband did exactly the same thing."
"Huh?"
"During the final days of the war, when the Americans were bombing the main land, my husband deserted his post as a prison guard, and made his way back home across Chin, through Korea, and Japan, looking for me."
"Wow!" Kitsune whispered. "How romantic."
"Of cause, we weren't married then, but he risked life and limb to try and find me, even when I thought he was dead, he kept looking for me. Eventually he found me, and we were married."
"Oh, I see," Kitsune said, turning to face the front door. "So you understand the exact same problem Keitaro is facing."
"Yes," she said, "And true love that strong must never be broken. That is why I want Keitaro to find his love."
"So," Kitsune asked, turning back to Granny, "Dose he know where Naru is?"
She shook her head. "He never got a chance to find out, before he was captured by the military. Now, he has no leads, and every day, my granddaughter batters down his defences. Pretty soon, he will forget about her and spend the rest of his life with Liu."
"Wait a second," Kitsune said, "You want me to take him wit me when I leave!?!" Granny simply smiled.
"Hang on a second there, Granny!" She said, waving her arms about in panic. "There are a few major problems with that. One, I barely make enough food a day to feed myself. Two, Your granddaughter will have my head before she will let me take him away, and Three, You can get shot these days for harbouring a living man!"
"Would you rather Keitaro end up with Naru, or my granddaughter?"
"Well…"
"Excellent," she said, heading for the front door, "The two of you will leave the first thing in the morning."
"But…!" The door banged shut, leaving Kitsune standing all alone in the evening air. She paused, and then quickly looked about. Nobody was watching. She then placed a finger to her bottom lip and giggled. "Heh he! I did it. I fooled them!"
Giggling, she then headed over to the front door, and went inside.
***
Dinner was deathly quite that night. Only the sounds of chirping crickets and the sounds the diners made when they ate their soup could be heard.
Liu was constantly shifting her gaze from Kitsune to her Grandmother. Giving them both death stares. Her grandmother just ignored her, while Kitsune made flirting passes at Keitaro, who would turn red with embarrassment.
It was then a new noise entered the background. The sound of grating teeth. Coming from Liu, as she glared at Kitsune.
"Ummm," Keitaro said, trying to ease the hostile atmosphere, "This is some great soup, Granny!"
"Yes…!" Liu said through her teeth, as she glared at Kitsune who busy waving a free hand over her panting tongue. However, she was leaning just far forward enough to expose a good portion of her cleavage to Keitaro. "Nice…! SOUP!!!" She clenched her hand, and broke the spoon in her grip.
The two halves spun up into the air, before landing back down on the table. Kitsune picked up one half, and held it before Liu.
"Is this yours?" She asked with a mischievous grin.
"Damn it, grandmother!" Liu snapped, as she snatched the broke spoon from Kitsune. "Why the hell dose SHE have to be here!?!"
"We can't turn her away now that it's night time, granddaughter," Granny replied. "What kind of people would we be?"
"That's not the reason!" She cried out. "It's all because of the experience you had with Grandfather, isn't it!?!"
"Young lady, you behave yourself, this instant!" Granny snapped. "You have been trying to get Keitaro to forget about the woman he is truly in love with for your own selfish gains!"
"Huh?" Keitaro looked from Granny to Liu.
Liu was on the brink of tears. "Grandmother, how could you!" she chocked out. "Why did you have to tell him that?"
"I believe in destiny, Liu. Keitaro was destined to be with Naru, and you are trying to destroy that destiny. No Liu, how dare you! How dare you try to destroy true love."
"You just don't understand!" Liu burst out into tears. "You never did!" She then ran from the room, crying.
"Liu!" Keitaro called out. He paused, and then turned to Granny. "Ma'am, wasn't that a bit hash?"
"Keitaro," She replied. "You can not stay here any longer."
"What?" He cried out. "Why?"
"Your destiny lies with Naru, not with Liu. Believe it or not, I once went through the experience that your Naru went through. I thought my husband was dead, but he risked life and limb to cross three countries to find me. Love that strong can not be broken, and should never be broken."
"I…!" Keitaro was silent. He felt torn. Torn between Liu and Naru.
"Keitaro," granny said, "You must find Naru, so you two can be happy for ever. It is your destiny!"
"You're…!" He paused. Looking up at the hall Liu had disappeared down. "You're right, granny! But I don't know where to start looking for her."
"Kitsune will take you from here," Granny said, "She will help you." Keitaro glanced over at Kitsune who winked at him.
"Are you sure? This is Kitsune we're talking about."
"Hey!"
"Have faith Keitaro!" Granny said, taking hold of his hand. "You will find your true destiny in the end."
"Thankyou." Keitaro said with a warm smile. "Thankyou very much."
Elsewhere, down the hall, out of sight, Liu had hung just around the other side of the hall, listening to everything that was going on. When she heard that Keitaro was planning to leave, she turned about, and fled, tears trailing as she left.
***
It was roughly some time just past mid-night when Keitaro woke up. He was desperate and need to make a quick trip to the bathroom. Quietly, he tiptoed down the hall, and to the bathroom. He closed the door, unzipped his pants and went about his business.
He glanced out the window at the night sky. The moon shone down on the farm with an eerie glow, lighting up most of the surrounding foliage, but only as black silhouettes.
Strangely, there was a lone human shaped one, just standing up on the very hill he'd had his accident on earlier the other day.
He frowned as he peered closer at it. It looked strangely like…
"Liu!" he cried out, then quickly covered his mouth. She was too far away to hear him, but he was more afraid of waking up others. What was she doing out there? Probably sulking.
Quickly, as he finished his business, he cleaned up, and hurried out the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door.
Liu was still standing on the hilltop by herself, as he approached her from behind. He could here her crying as he drew nearer.
"Liu?" He called out softly. She turned around. Her face was wet with tears. Her eyes were puffy, and her hair was a mess.
"Keitaro!" She sobbed out, and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him.
"Hey," Keitaro exclaimed, her action surprising him because she had never initiated contact this forceful between them before. His first reaction was to pull away, but found himself giving in, putting his arms around her and hugging her back.
"Please, Keitaro, I beg you, stay here with me!"
Keitaro remained silent. What should he do? Stay, or look for Naru. Whatever the decision, he would have to put up with its consequences.
"Keitaro?"
If he went looking for Naru, he would risk capture again, and imprisonment. However, he'd made his promise to Naru. After everything he'd been through, it would be too easy to give up now.
However, on the other hand, Liu had been very kind to him. She'd looked after him, cared for him, and wanted only love in return. Nothing else. She was truly in love with him, and she could offer him a normal life again.
His the discission, his the reward. And his, the risk.
Suddenly, he grabbed her arms and held them tight, surprising Liu. She whimpered slightly, looking deep into his eyes. He looked back without feeling, until…
"Yes," Keitaro said softly, as his eyes changed to a more calm, almost loving state.
Then, he bent down, and kissed Liu of the lips. He felt her go limp in his arms as their lips touched, sending almost an electric shock through his system.
Finally, he broke away, leaning back up. Liu looked totally mesmerised. "Keitaro…" she whispered softly.
"You're right, Liu," he whispered back to her. "Thank you. Thank you for you offer." He let go of her, and stood up straight and tall. "And I'd like to ac… YAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHH!"
"Wat'cha do'n out here, hon?" Kitsune asked, as she wrapped her arms around him. As she did so, she slipped a hand inside his shirt, to lightly draw her fingertips across his chest.
"Kistune!?!" Keitaro cried out in both alarm and surprise, "What on earth are you doing out here!?!"
"I could ask you two the same question," she hugged Keitaro a little tighter, "Speak'n of which, what are you two do'n out here?"
"That's none of your concern, Kitsune," Keitaro hastily replied.
"Aww, come on!" Kitsune tickled Keitaro, making him squirm in his grasp, and making Liu growl with anger and a vein throb of her forehead. "You can tell your friend!"
"Liu and I have to sort some things out, Kitsune," Keitaro replied, trying to dislodge Kitsune's grip. "Do you mind?"
"Yeah," Liu said, thrusting her furious face into Kitsune's vision. "So take a hike!"
"But Keitaro," Kitsune said, suddenly spinning around, to place Keitaro between her and Liu, "What about Naru? Or don't you care about her anymore?"
Silently, Keitaro screamed at her. Naru. Why'd she have to bring her up again? Why was he wishing she hadn't? Why was he ready to accept Liu's offer for a better life?
Damn it, things where just too frustrating!
"Keitaro?" Liu cried out.
"Well, decide already, huh!" Kitsune snapped back.
Finally, it was too much to bare, and it all snapped, like a wound up rubber band. "Enough!" Keitaro cried out, ripping free from Kitsune's grasp. "Both of you, shut up!"
The two girls starred back at him in stunned silence.
"Wow," Kitsune muttered, "You've developed a backbone. I didn't think you had one."
"Honestly, Kitsune, what is your angle here? Huh? You always have an alternate angle!"
"There's none, I swear!" Kitsune hastily said, waving one hand in front of her. No one noticed that her other hand snaked behind her back, where she crossed two fingers.
Keitaro turned about so he didn't face any of the girls, and sighed. "Keitaro?" Liu asked, placing a worried hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"No," he answered honestly. "I'm not." He glanced up at the moon. "It's funny isn't it?"
"What?"
"This! All of this. Guys talk about being surrounded by hordes of beautiful women, about being the centre of attention. Now I see it for what that really is. But what's funny, is how reality has a way of screwing up a fantasy." He closed his eyes. "Or a dream."
"What are you saying, Keitaro?" Liu asked.
"I fed up, that's what I'm saying," Keitaro said. "I'm fed up being me. I'm fed up being perhaps the only guy in the world. I'm fed up being the object of everyone's attention. Fed up of all the chasing. But most of all, I'm fed up being fought over like some God, Damned, PRIZE!!!" He shouted out the finally word, and it echoed all around.
The silence that followed seemed like hours.
"Wow," Kistune said, placing one hand up to her face. "I've never seen you this open before. It kinda makes you attractive…"
"Oh, can it Kitsune!" Keitaro spat out, as he spun around to face the two girls. "Ever since I came here, I've been forced to decide decisions no one should ever be forced to. All you've been thinking about are your selves."
Liu stifled a tear. "T-that's not true, Keitaro!" She cried out.
"Is it?" He said. "What about me? What about MY feelings? Or don't they count!?!" He threw his hands up over his head, and gripped it tightly in frustration. "God, I can't believe I ever thought about living here with you!"
Liu suddenly cried out in alarm. "Keitaro! I didn't mean to… to…!" She voice trailed out in a sad squeak, as her eyes began to fill up with tears.
"To what!?!" He demanded. "Ever since I arrived here, you've been throwing your self all over me like some floozy! Trying to make me forget about Naru! The TRUE girl I love."
That was it. The final straw that broken the camels back. The End sentence. Call it what you like. It sent Liu into tears. Keitaro's face didn't even flicker.
"Why, Keitaro?" She cried out. "I loved you! Why? I thought you loved me?"
Keitaro screwed his eyes shut. His the discission, his the reward. And his, the risk. "No." He said.
It shot through Liu like a thunderclap. She screamed out loud, and ran back into the house crying. Keitaro stood there, shaking like a leaf, before spinning around, and punching the ground as hard as he could, causing a small mushroom cloud of dirt to rise, and the earth to splinter ever so slightly.
"FUCK!!!" He roared, frightening even Kitsune. His cry echoed, and re-echoed off the hills around. Finally he collapsed to his knees, tears leaking through his clenched eyelids.
"Ummm," Kitsune said taking a step back, "I'll, Uhh, I'll go get the cart."
From the upstairs window, Liu's grandmother sighed as she turned away from the window. She'd seen the entire scene unfold. "Good-byes are never easy." She said, as she walked away back to her bed.
"Why?" Keitaro choked. "Why did I have to say that? Why was I forced to say those things? WHY!?!" His cry this time startled some birds, and they took to the night squawking like made.
Suddenly he felt more alone than he'd ever felt before. He began to envy the dead. All those men who'd died during the plague. The millions who'd perished. How he wanted to join them. Just to open his arms, and welcome sweet, sweet oblivion.
It would be soooooo easy. The pull of a trigger. The sip of poison. The slashing of steel.
Naru.
All that remained was her. She was his reason for this journey, the reason he was here.
"Hey?" He didn't bother to look up. "Are you ready to go?" Slowly, he opened his eyes, and turning his head, he looked past the tears that blurred his vision, to see Kitsune waiting, not far from where he was standing.
"After everything you put me through, do you honestly expect me to just leave with you!?!" Keitaro said through his teeth.
"Well," Kitsune said, exaggerating a thinker's pose. "Let's look at it like this. You've just told the girl who lives here that you don't love her, and broken her hart…"
"No thanks to you!" Keitaro shouted back at her.
"…And," she said, interrupting him before he could continue. "You are obviously striking out to go look for Naru, even though you have no previsions, no mode of transport, or no idea on where to start looking for her."
Keitaro's fists tightened. He then let out a frustrated grunt, and collapsed on the ground, resting on his fists.
"Let's go," he muttered through his teeth. Kitsune turned around, and headed back down to the cart, while Keitaro, slowly got to his feet, and followed her.
The air was cold and clammy, as Keitaro climbed up into the back of the wagon, while Kitsune climbed up into the front. "Be sure not to mess up the merchandise back there, Sugar!" She called out.
Keitaro didn't answer her. Instead, he drew his legs up and hugged them to his chest, while he waited for Kitsune to get started. He didn't wait long. She cracked the whips, and together, they both began to leave.
As they pulled away, he quickly climbed over to the back, and looked out, one last time, at the farmhouse. He wished he hadn't. He caught one last look at Liu's despairing face, watching from the upstairs window. Screwing his eyes shut, he gritted his teeth, then looked back up.
Liu was no longer there.
He lightly banged his fist on the side of the wagon, then let the covers fall back, as he leaned back in the wagon, and tried to go to sleep.
Kitsune glanced over her shoulder, watching Keitaro doze off, until he finally began to snore.
"Sleep tight, Keitaro," she whispered with a suppressed snicker. "Tomorrow morn'n, you're going to need all the strength you've got." She chuckled silently, as they drove off into the night.
NORTHERN ALPS OF JAPAN: That Very Moment…
The horses galloped along at high speed, kicking up a combination of snow and frozen mud, as they travelled along. The two riders were cloaked, obscuring their faces, as they made their way through the forests. From the woods themselves, only the wolves, out hunting saw these two women as they tore up the narrow muddy track. They paid them little heed.
The forest grew thick around them, as they rode one behind the other, turning sharp corners, and nearly losing control. Dead tree branches scraped at their heavy woollen cloaks, threatening to tear them off. This did not despair the riders.
Then, with a burst of light, they broke out of the entangled forest, and shot out into an open snowy plane. High above them, the full moon shone down with an eerie glow, making the white snow, seem to shine with a light of it's own.
The riders did not slow down, as they tore across the field. They only increased their speed. Of in the distance, loomed an ancient fortress from the days of Shoguns, when their armies marched north to secure this land. It was old, crumpling and forbidding, and as the riders drew near, torchlight sprang up on the castle battlements.
The guard looked down at them, as the two riders screeched to a shuddering halt before the castle drawbridge.
"Who goes there?" She called out.
The lead rider reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small gold medallion. She then reached back, and threw the object up the guard. She caught it, and held it before her torchlight. A few seconds passed, before the guard tossed the medallion back down to the rider. She then disappeared from view.
A minute later, there was a loud click, followed by the sound of rusty metal gears whining as the drawbridge slowly lowered it's self down.
It landed with a muffled thump that seemed to echo all around the empty frozen plane. The lead rider spurred her horse, and the two of them, raced into the castle's courtyard.
The lead rider pulled hard on her horse's rains, and the horse protested loudly, nearly throwing its rider. Her companion, trotted up from behind and both riders dismounted with a quick leap, their wooden sandals echoing on the stone courtyard.
From the second floor, two guards in exactly the same cloaks made their way down the stone stairs, towards the riders, each one of them carrying an oil lantern. They walked over to the newly arrived guests. The guards looked almost identical, wearing the wide straw hats, and the cloaks that concealed their bodies. Only the lead guard, who carried a samurai sword, prevented the two of them looking like mirror images.
No words were spoken, as the lead guard and raider just nodded at each other, then the lead guard spoke.
"The Clan elders are waiting for you both." The lead rider nodded again, and turned to her companion, and motioned with a gloved hand.
"Come," she said, "We best not keep them waiting." They followed the guards up the stairs, and into a dimly lit hallway. It was cramped in this corridor, as there was barely enough room for the women to walk one behind the other.
Then, they came to a sliding door. The lead guard motioned for all to stop, then walked up to the door, and opened it. She then turned around, and nodded. The rest of the group, walked inside.
Three old ladies sat on cushions, meditating. Or what looked like it. Beside them, lay a few more cushions that counted up to twelve. All of them were empty.
The two riders entered the room, and the guard quickly closed the door. Burning torches light the room, five in all, casting flickering shadows all around.
The riders walked up to the three old women, and bowed before them. "Please," one of them said, "Be seated."
The two of them, then kneeled down on the floor, before the old ladies. "I wish to thank you, clan elders, for the honour you have bestowed upon my self, and my sister! It is all together, too kind."
"Your praises are welcomed, warrior," another elder said, "but inappropriate. For it is your sister that must fulfil the task we have set at hand." She then paused, to look at the other cloaked rider. "Are you prepared for the task, young warrior?"
"Indeed I am, elders!" She said. "I have my mission, and know what I must do."
"Then all is acceptable." The third elder spoke. "Previsions, and equipment has been prepared for your journey, young warrior. For alone, you must travel, if you are to be successful. For only you, have had sufficient contact with our objective, in order to complete the quest we have assigned you."
"Yes, I am." She replied. "And I accept my mission with honour and dignity."
"You do understand the importance of your mission. Should you fail, the future of our clan, as we know it, will cease to exist."
"I understand the gravity of my mission." The young rider replied. "But I'm up to the challenge, and more than capable of achieving our goal."
"Then rest, young warrior," the first elder said. "For tomorrow, you leave. Alone."
The young rider bowed, and then rose to her feet. "I will not fail you, my elders. Good night." The other rider, bowed, then rose to her feet, and together, they left through the same door they entered.
THE NEXT MORNING…
Keitaro yawned, and cracked open one eye. The only thing that greeted him was the washboard abs of some muscle man.
He screamed, before jumping up, and realised, that someone had covered his face with one of those dirty girls magazines of Kitsune's.
"Rise and shine, Keitaro!" Kitsune's voice floated in from outside somewhere.
"Very funny, Kitsune," Keitaro muttered, as he tossed the magazine aside.
"I assume you're talking about the centrefold?" Kitsune asked. "Well, you were sleeping so peacefully, I decided to cover your eyes with something so the morning light wouldn't wake you up."
"What's wrong with a blanket?" Keitaro asked.
"It wouldn't have been as funny as your reaction to the magazine." Kitsune replied with a grin.
Keitaro just grumbled something unpleasant, as he pushed aside the wagon covers, and squinted into the morning sunlight. He ended up rasing an arm in order to see. Not that there was much to see, just a lone tall tree, a few bushes near the bas of the tree, a grassy area around the tree, that lead to a small sandy beach by a river. No signs of life here.
But what signs of life there were, made his jaw drop.
Kitsune was completely nude, bathing in the river, sitting down near the sandy bank, one leg gracefully up into the air, while rubbing some soap up it. Her breasts were fully exposed above the water line, and glistened in the morning sun.
"Enjoying the view, Keitaro?" Kitsune asked with her trademark predatory wink.
"GAH!!!" Keitaro cried out, covering up his nose as blood began to gush out. "Kistune!?! What the hell are you doing!?!"
"Taking a bath, of cause," she answered, lowering that leg, and rasing the other. "You don't honestly expect me to walk around all day smelling like a wild bore?"
"Point taken," Ketiaro answered, rasing his hand in front of his face, and spreading his fingers, so that they covered up all of Kitsune's exposed naughty bits. "But could you at least try to stay as clothed as possible around me? After what I went through last night, I really don't need any more women flashing their goodies at me."
"OOOOHHH!!!" With lighting speed, Kitsune was at Keitaro's side. "You cheated on Naru? Tell me all about it!"
"WAAAGGGGGHHHH!?!" Keitaro's eyes bulged as he saw Kitsune for all she was worth. He covered his eyes. "Please, Kitsune," he groaned, "Liu and I didn't do anything, and for the love of God, please, stop reminding me of Liu!"
"Awww, come on," Kitsune said, hugging him around the neck, and rubbing his head, with her knuckles. "You can tell me. What did the two of you get up to before I arrived."
"We didn't do anything!" Keitaro protested, trying to break Kitsune's grip. "Now please, stop talking about Liu!"
"Did you two go to bed?"
"I SAID KNOCK IT OFF!!!" Kitsune was blown away by the force of Keitaro's anger as he leapt into the air and screamed at her. He stood there, his eyes bulging, his face red, his teeth clenched, and breathing heavily.
"Wow!" Kitsune moaned, as she lay of the ground in a tangle of limbs. Exposing her nether regions to Keitaro, who immediately cried out in alarm, before blood began to rush forth from his nose, and he quickly vanished back inside the wagon. "Well," Kitsune said, getting up, "You may have developed a back bone, but that part of your personality hasn't changed. You're still the perverted Ronin you were before the plague."
"And you're still the scheming two-timing floozy, Kitsune," Keitaro's voice floated out from the depths of the wagon. "So let's just get this over and done with before anything else rotten happens to screw up my life." There was a long pause. Then he asked, "Hey, were are you going, anyway?"
"Oh, not very far, just to the city north of here. Noda. I'm going to sell some more magazines. Wanna help? I'll deal you in on the profits."
"Kitsune," Keitaro said. "I can't exactly walk around in public anymore, in case you haven't noticed."
"Oh, I've got that covered." She reached into the wagon, and pulled Keitaro out. "Come on, I've got something you can wear!"
"Hey!" Keitaro protested as he was dragged along the ground. "At least put something on!"
Within seconds, Keitaro was dressed in head to toe, in an Arab cloak with head covering. Big dark shades covered his eyes, while the headpiece covered the rest of his face.
"Ummm," Keitaro said, looking down at himself, "I want to look inconspicuous, not ridiculous! Don't you have anything else?"
"Sorry, Sugar," Kitsune replied. "That's all I've got that'll hide you from the public eye."
He then turned to Kitsune, and asked, "Where on earth did you get this getup from? And while where at it, what were you doing with my prescription shades in the first place?"
"Just in case I needed them," Kitsune said. "I raided your cupboard for a lot of things before I left the Hinata Apartments."
Keitaro froze. Then, slowly asked, "Did you take my photo book?"
"That thing, hell no, originally, I wanted too, but that was already gone by the time I left." Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief. So it was Naru who took it. "You're not angry I raided your room, and stole some of your personal things?"
"I can't," he said, "I'm still angry at you for showing up and forcing me to chose between Naru and Liu."
"Oh, so you where going to give up on Naru? After all the time you spent together, you're just going to ball up those memories and throw them away like a used tissue paper?"
"No!" Keitaro cried out. "Kitsune, it's not like that…!"
"That's the way it seemed to me, Keitaro," she replied, crossing her arms. "You were so crazy over that girl, and even you told me that you went off looking for her. Then, some cute girl comes along, and tries to get you to fall for her, and you're ready to give up," she snapped her fingers just inches from under his nose. "Just like that!?!"
"Kitsune, please," Keitaro moaned, covering his face, trying to force out the bitter memories that had resurfaced. "I don't want to be reminded."
"You can't blame me for what happened. Heck, looking back on it all, I've been try'n to get you and Naru together ever since you first came here. What happened last night was the same old Kitsune, back in action, try'n to make you remember what started this whole journey in the first place. Are you just going to be the same three-year Ronin you once were, too afraid to admit your own feelings, and just running away from all hard problems? Or are you going to buckle down, and conquer your problems and face the truth like a man. What happened last night was for your own good Keitaro. Trust me."
There was a five-minute silence, in which tumbleweed rolled past. Kitsune raised an eyebrow at this. "Now where the Sam Heck did that come from?"
"Let's just get out of here," Keitaro grumbled.
"All right then," Kitsune said as she dramatically pointed north. "Noda City, here we come!"
***
Liu walked down the stairs, in an almost zombie like state. Her eyes were puffy from crying all night long. Her hair was up in the air, and her mouth had that ashtray taste to it.
Her grandmother said nothing as she came into the kitchen. She just sat down at the table, and had her breakfast. The two of them, sitting at opposite ends of the table, not saying a word to each other.
"You're just acting like a spoil child, Liu," her grandmother finally said, without looking at her. "Keitaro would've left eventually, if not sooner. So there's no use in getting all upset and blaming me."
"But I do blame you!" Liu shot back, as she stood up from the table. "Damn it, why did you have to go and ruin everything!?!"
"I refused to stand by and watch you destroy some other girls dreams, for the sake of your own, Liu," her grandmother replied. "Now, is that fair?"
"But I was in love with Keitaro, Grandmother!" She cried back. "Really, I was in love with him! All I wanted was some happiness."
"Stop right there!" Her grandmother pointed a finger at her. "See? You said it your self. 'I.' What about Keitaro? What about his feelings? All you really cared about was yourself, not him, just yourself."
"No!" Liu cried out. "You're wrong!"
"Am I?" Granny replied. "If I recall, you wanted Keitaro to forget all about the other woman, and focus on you!"
"Because I LOVED him!" Liu shot back. "Can't you understand!?!"
"All I understand is that he loved the other girl, not you."
"Damn it all, grandmother!" Liu cried out. "Were you aware of what happened between Keitaro and I last night? All before that other floozy stepped in, he was ready to admit his love to me! He was really to tell me that I was the one for him!" She then banged a fist down on the table. "AND SHE SCREWED IT UP!!!"
She paused, looking down at the large crack that now spread across the table from the impact point.
"You need to calm down, Liu," granny said.
"What I need is a plan!" Liu answered. "That girl, she was the reason he left me! She forced Keitaro to say those things, the things he never wanted to say. She forced him to leave!"
"Liu!" Granny replied sharply. "You're thinking irrationally! You're letting your anger cloud your reasoning! There was nothing you could do to prevent Keitaro from leaving. His feelings for his true love, the girl you wanted him to forget, would've forced him to leave!"
"No!" Liu cried out, shaking her head. "Lies! Keitaro would never have left me!"
"Liu!"
"Shut up!" She cried out, clamping her hands over her ears. "Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" She then ran from the room, crying.
"Oh, Liu," Granny said with a sigh. "You're just as fanatical as your grandfather."
Liu ran upstairs, and to her room, slamming the door behind her. She then threw herself onto the bed, and burst into tears once more.
"Oh, Keitaro," she sobbed, "If only you'd been able to confess your true feelings, before… before…!" She trailed off. Slowly, her crying drifted off, until she was deadly silent. She raised her head of the bed, revealing her eyes.
They were filled with hatred. Rage. Revenge.
"That woman!" She growled. "It was all HER fault! She stole Keitaro away from me. She forced him to say those things about me. He would still be here, and all mine, if not for her!"
Suddenly, she was standing upright and tall. Her brows furrowed in thought. Her clenched fists quivered, her mouth was twisted.
Slowly, her head turned towards the window. Keitaro and Kitsune had left only last night, and she was heading towards Noda City. That wasn't very far away.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. Then it was decided. She raised her fits and shook it at the window. "I'll get you, Kitsune!" She said through clenched teeth. "I swear, if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will make you pay for all the pain you've caused me! I swear!"
She then reached under the bed, and whipped out the samurai sword, and levelled it at the window. Then brought it across in a lighting quick slash.
***
From the cover of the wooded ridge Keitaro looked down onto the town lying on the crossroads below. It sure wasn't Tokyo, or Hinata City. The river that was there, wound blue and serene between hills. And the beautiful countryside of Japan was all around, verdant and vibrant green, even if the city that was there lacked quite a lot of the modern day necessaries.
Smoke curled from the chimneys of the wooden buildings below, nothing larger than two stories high. Afternoon sunlight glinted off the glass windows of some of the buildings, the rest all boasted wooden shutters. The entire town was arranged around a large square and it looked like it was market day.
Females scuttled through the streets and amongst the brightly coloured stalls in the square. The 4x power magnification of binoculars Keitaro held was enough to let him pick out the various colours of the inhabitants' clothes.
"Why would you need these army issued binoculars anyway, Kitsune?" Keitaro asked, as he lowered the binoculars, and handed back to Kitsune.
"You never know when you need anything, Keitaro," Kitsune said, tossing back into the wagon. "Besides, we need to scout out the area for the military. They've been cracking down on looting everywhere these days, most cities are under martial law."
"Say, Kitsune," Keitaro asked, "Where exactly are you going?"
"Oh, nowhere in particular," she replied with a shrug. "I'm just try'n to make a living in this new world now, and Gambling sports seems to have died along with the male population."
"Figures," Keitaro said. "And what are you going to do once you run out of naughty magazines?"
"Hopefully, I'll have enough food and supplies to last the rest of my life, and live in luxury!" She gave the 'V' sign to Keitaro, who just shook his head.
Instead, he asked, "So, what are we going to do, here?"
"It's market day, silly," Kitsune replied, pointing to the brightly coloured tents. "Sell'n stuff here should be a piece of cake, after all, there are farmers here, sell'n their stuff!"
"I'll keep out of sight as much as possible," Keitaro said, hopping into the back of the wagon, "Let's just this over and done with. Being surrounded by ladies is making me nervous!"
"So what else is new," Kitsune asked with a wink. "You were like that back at the Hinata Apartments."
"Don't remind me," Keitaro replied, pulling on the gear Kitsune had given him in order to disguise himself. "However, instead of worrying about being maimed, I have to worry about being raped."
"Oh come now," Kitsune said, "You honestly think that's going to happen?"
"Excuse me, but have you seen all those screaming women at rock consorts?"
"Good point," Kitsune said. "So, let's keep you outta sight."
So they entered the town with Keitaro riding in the back of the wagon, hidden under some of the rugs. As they rode along, Keitaro couldn't help but lift the rugs he hid under, to observe the city he was now entering.
First there were the small farms: Small clusters of buildings surrounded by their fields. Cattle - deer, bison, and goats - roamed everywhere.
On the outskirts of the town lay the manors: the homes of the affluent, set among shady, stately trees and grass: not manicured lawns but long, wild grasses that stirred languidly in the heavy breeze. They were beautiful, those estates: white walls with exposed beams stained lamp black – Tudor. Big, rambling affairs with glass in the mullioned windows.
Just outside the city were the rundown piles of lumber that the lowest classes called home. They had their own streets; dusty little alleys branching off everywhere. Inside the city were the rest, the ones who fell into the middle class, traders, dealers, hawkers, along with business of all kinds crammed into the walls.
Small, narrow streets laid out to no set plan, just placed according to whim and need. Noise: that was everywhere.
A modern city is has its own pulse: the beat of traffic, sirens, bustling humanity, shouting, engines, planes, and music. In the night halogen and neon lights beckon while spires of reinforced concrete create their own skyline with uncounted millions of illuminated windows. The streets throb to the subway hurtling beneath them and humanity is a never-ending flow and ebb, like the tides, regular as the night and day: Vendors, salesmen, loners, delinquents, businessmen, punks, mavericks, pimps, fat-rich countesses, hookers, winos, teenagers, actors, children, queens, losers, writers, dreamers, drifters... A true city can be a representational cross-section of humanity. It was an exhilarating, terrifying experience to an out-of-towner, but just everyday life to the city born.
Now, all that was gone. No electricity showed it's self anywhere. There were a few lights, but they were powered in special places, like the hospital, and the police stations. Instead of the usual sights, there were women everywhere, much like when he'd gone into Kyoto. Here and there, cars lay abandoned, rusting in the mid morning sun. People were travelling by horse and cart, bicycles, even roller skates.
Keitaro almost laughed. This city was alive in its own way. The shouting of pedlars, hawkers, and merchants competing with the bass rumble of heavy wheels and the clamouring of animals. The scene almost reminded Keitaro of a mixture of ancient Feudal Japan, with the modern 21st century.
Kitsune seemed to know where she was going, slipping into the halting flow of creaking, rattling animal-drawn vehicles, shouting out abuse at other wagoners and pedestrians.
It wasn't long, before she pulled off the street and into a gateway leading to a small cobbled court surrounded by doorways with wooden gates blocking off the lower half.
A strong animal smell permeated the air and various animal heads poked out of the stalls; Keitaro recognised the horses. Must be a stable.
"We're here!" Kitsune said into the back of the wagon. "Now, just stay out of sight, until I call for you." Then she was gone. It was quite some time before she returned.
"You can come out now." Keitaro punched and kicked his way out from under the rug piles, and – for what felt like an eternity – stood and stretched his muscles. "Come on!" She urged, looking around nervously.
Keitaro had no choice but the follow.
It was a two-storey building with a picture of what looked like a white coloured, wolf hung above the door. The sign also had a line of that text: done in black paint, that called this place, the 'White Fang' Inn.
Keitaro quickly wrapped himself up in the garb that Kitsune had given him in order to disguise himself, and put on the shades. Kitsune then grabbed the huge door handles, and yanked it open. "Come on," she said, grabbing Keitaro by his collar and yanking him inside as well.
They descended a dark staircase, which was lit by candlelight, and as the reached the bottom; oil lamps, hanging form the ceiling, lighted the lights. There were women everywhere down here. They all sat around circular tables, talking, eating, and drinking. To the left, was a bar, and to the right, were private booths, where women were conducting business of some sorts.
Keitaro swallowed nervously, and moved closer to Kitsune. Kitsune on the other hand, walked over to the far side of the room, where a woman sat behind a desk that was protected by what looked like bulletproof glass.
The woman on the other side was reading a book, and smoking a cigarette. She didn't even flinch as Kitsune banged a fist on the counter top to get her attention. Instead, she just rolled a lazy eye up, and asked, "Yes?"
"One room please, for my partner and I."
"It's two cans of food per person for one week," the woman replied, sliding her vision back to her book.
"Here," Kitsune said, reaching into her coat, and pulling out four cans of food, and placing them down on the counter. "Anything else?"
"Sign here." She slid a book out from under the glass, and a pen. Kitsune signed her name in, and then passed it to Keitaro.
"Ummm," Keitaro hesitated.
"Just sign a false name," Kitsune whispered to him.
"Okay," Keitaro said, and signed in his name as 'Naru Narusegawa,' then slid it back under the glass. The woman gave it a side-glance, before sliding a key under the glass.
"Second floor, 2G." Was all she said, and nothing more.
"Come on, Naru," Kitsune said, dragging Keitaro along.
As they walked up the stairs, Keitrao wasn't aware that they were being watched. From the dark corners of the room, a shadowy figure watched from the safety of a private booth.
The figure stared long and hard at the two, as they walked up the stairs, and out of sight. She then turned to face the other woman, hidden in the darkest corner of the booth.
"That's a man, alright," she said in a low voice, as not to be heard. "The fox-woman was right. She IS travelling with a living man."
"I really didn't believe her at first, but are you sure, it really is a man?"
"The physic is all wrong, to be a woman. If you look right at him, and for a long enough period, you can tell." She looked back to the staircase Keitaro had taken. "So, what are we going to do?"
"We wait," the other woman replied. "Let this Kitsune, person come back to us with her demands. Then we'll act."
***