House of Maxwell Productions
Presents
Samurai Banzai RELOAD
Volume 2 - Danger in Paradise (Chapters 6 - 10)
Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai
Copyright 2004 Briana Higgins
Written by
Elite Plushie
Chapter Six
A Whisper in the Storm
>>>Night - May 1, 1583
"It's just not fair." Yuki pouted. "I spend eight years looking for that creep, and when I finally catch up with him, its all 'I've never met the girl' and 'she's freakin' crazy'." She sighed heavily into the blue lakewater. "Somebody needs to give me my eight years back."
A full moon shone down over the lake, casting bright rays upon the water that reflected back onto the surrounding trees in shimmering blue cascades of light. The body of water was almost completely encircled by an impregnable wall of forest, with the exception of the south end where the tree cover thinned out into what could almost pass for a small patch of marshland that led up to a pockmarked grassy slope. A set of small streams fed the lake from the north side, their slow trickling sounds echoing across the area with a soothing natural melody. Several relatively flat-topped rocks protruded from the center of the lake, one of which Megumi had adopted as a temporary lounging spot. She laid completely bereft of clothing with her back to the top of the stone, her head hanging upside down off of the edge and staring at Yuki.
"That is really weird." she commented. "Just what was your relationship with Takashi like all those years ago? Was he this mean to you back then?"
Yuki rose out of the lake, water running down her young and slender form as she finished rinsing her strikingly white hair. "Mean? Well, Taka-kun was kind of a trickster, but I wouldn't say that he ever intentionally hurt someone's feelings. As for our relationship . . . how would I put it?"
Noriko had submerged herself in the water up to her shoulders, her sharp black hair tied up in a knot to let it dry. She had remained that way ever since arriving at the lake, almost as if chained to the bottom. "It's strange for a human and a demon to have any kind of peaceful relationship at all. Still, you call him 'Taka-kun' all the time; you must have been close."
"Close friends, maybe." Yuki responded as if lost in thought. Noriko noticed that her cheeks were beginning to blush. "Nothing more than that though. I mean, we were kids back then!"
Noriko gave the catgirl a quizzical look. "I never said anything to that effect."
Yuki blushed more heavily and put her hands to her face in embarrassment. "Of course! I knew that."
Megumi rolled over on top of the rock and folded her arms underneath her chin. "So, what're you going to do now?"
"Well," Yuki began. "I suppose I'll just stick with Takashi until he feels like talking to me."
"That's problematic." Noriko stated. "Putting aside the fact that I don't normally trust demons, Takashi has promised his aid to me."
"Yeah," Megumi chimed in. "He's helping Noriko find the man that killed her father. Until he's done with that, it's gonna be kind of dangerous to tag along with us."
Noticing Yuki's now downcast face, Noriko interceded. "Can you defend yourself at all?"
The catgirl's hand extended straight up towards the moonlight just before she shouted a single word into the night sky. "Kamikaze-ken!"
Silence pervaded over the lake for several moments before a curious whistling sound began to echo throughout the air. A gleaming sword burst out of the tree cover, rocketed toward Yuki, and assumed a hovering position directly above the girl's extended right hand. Yuki took hold of the blade and displayed it to her shocked bathing partners. The weapon resembled a western short sword, but the actual blade seemed to have been forged out of a curious metal that shone with a pale green color. The hilt was a decidedly simple affair consisting of a pair of brass cross-guards; the handle was wrapped in red leather and ended with a quartz pommel stone set in a comparatively ornate brass receptacle.
Yuki smiled widely as the two girls stared at the curiously western blade. "You think I traveled alone for all those years and didn't learn how to defend myself? I'll just have to show you the skills I picked up along the way sometime."
"I guess I shouldn't have expected any less." Noriko surmised just before inadvertently rising out of the water. She continued to speak despite the fact something had rendered the other two girls slack-jawed. "Well, I'll let you come along with us as long as you don't . . . interfere with . . . What's the matter with you two?"
Upon realizing that she had revealed the entirety of her body, Noriko quickly plunged back into the lakewater with a shriek, this time nearly up to her nose. "You didn't see that." she gurgled.
Yuki recovered the quickest and pointed an accusatory finger in the general direction of Noriko's chest. "Sweet bean curd! Noriko, you are stacked!"
The swordswoman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Am not."
"What are you talking about?" Yuki gasped while attempting to find the right kind of facial expression for the situation and failing miserably. "Do you ever look in the mirror? Heck, you wouldn't even have to with those cannons; just look down!"
Noriko blushed heavily and attempted to sink further without submerging her nose. "Shut up."
"That is just so weird!" Yuki continued, ignoring the embarrassment of the shrinking violet before her. "You'd never guess the size of those things by all that stuff you wear over them, and the rest of your figure is impressive too! What's your secret? Diet, exercise, what?"
Noriko's face had turned completely red before she turned to the other girl. "Come on, Megumi; back me up here! They're not that impressive, right?"
Megumi seemed honestly lost in thought for a moment before answering. "Actually, I've seen smaller melons."
The swordswoman let out another uncharacteristic shriek and turned away from the girls. "That's it! I'm cutting them off, and that's the end of it!"
Genuine fear seemed to strike Yuki and Megumi's faces at the same time.
"Don't do that, Nori-chan!" Megumi cried. "That would hurt a lot, and we'd have to find a doctor, right?"
"Why do you think I wear so much clothing all the time anyway?" Noriko retorted as she began shaking her head. "I hate these things! I hate 'em, I hate 'em, I hate 'em!"
Yuki smiled mischievously and turned to Megumi. "You know, there's only one thing we can do now."
Noriko seemed to freeze visibly as Megumi adopted a hopeful pose with her arms held to front of her chest. "Honto? What do you mean?"
Yuki grinned even wider. "We'll just have to tickle her into submission!"
Noriko's face almost broke in half with shock. "What the hell!"
Before the swordswoman could respond further, Yuki made a diving tackle that sent them both below the lakewater. Noriko surfaced first with a gasp and promptly yelped when two slender arms rose up after her and assaulted the girl's midsection. The dignified swordswoman giggled like mad while making vain attempts to stave off her persistent attacker.
"It's over!" Yuki shouted, her face finally resurfacing as she made another tackling move. "Surrender if you value your diaphragm!"
Noriko found it hard to reply amidst laughing fits. "Never! I'll- Ahahahaha! I'll never surrender-er-rahahahaha!"
Yuki's assault forced the swordswoman back into the water face-first. "Megumi! Get her feet!" the catgirl called to the giggling former kunoichi just before diving after the retreating target.
There was another brief underwater struggle before Noriko and Yuki again broke the surface of the lake. The swordswoman made a desperate attempt to keep the catgirl at bay long enough to utter a clear sentence.
"No, Megu! Don't you dare!"
The girl to whom the order had been addressed was in Noriko's face before the woman even finished her statement.
The former kunoichi smiled widely. "Gomen nasai,Nori-chan!"
Noriko's laughs turned into full-force screams as Megumi latched onto the swordswoman's ankles and fiendishly tickled the girl while at the same time holding her helpless in coordination with Yuki's efforts.
Amazingly, Noriko managed to shout threats at the attacking pair despite the treatment she was receiving. "You're both dead, you hear me! Hahahaha! I'll kill you! No, I'll kill you twice!"
"Harder!" Yuki exclaimed with great relish.
"Yokai!" Megumi responded just before applying the necessary force.
Had the girls not been so involved with torturing and threatening each other, they might have noticed a glint of reflected moonlight from the sloping southern marsh banks followed by a telltale rustle in the tall grass that covered them.
>>>
"Fuji! Fuji, wake up!"
The apprentice responded to the urgent whispers and opened his eyes toward the sky. Night had fallen, and twinkling stars dotted the heavens alongside an exceedingly bright full moon. Fuji turned slightly to the right and noticed Takashi kneeling over him, fully dressed.
"You awake?" the ronin questioned.
"What's going on?" Fuji replied while sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Are the girls done at the lake?"
"Not really." Takashi mentioned as if distracted by something of greater impotance. "Listen, you're interested in learning the Jeffy-Yaen style, right?"
Fuji yawned heavily. "Haven't we done enough for today? Besides, I thought you were still bent out of shape over that thing with Yuki."
Takashi put a hand to his head in exasperation. "Look, there's something going on right now that forces me to completely disregard such trivial matters. I would normally take this task on by myself, but I figured you could use the experience."
Fuji was still doubtful. "What are you talking about anyway?"
"Come on." Takashi muttered as he rose from a kneeling position. "We don't have a big window of opportunity here."
Suddenly overcome by an inexplicable wave of curiosity, Fuji willed his tired body to get up and accompany Takashi beyond the edge of the campsite. As the foliage became thicker and the going subsequently slower, the apprentice's mind took advantage of his body's precise movements to move closer to that state called "fully awake". Questions popped into his mind that had not seemed apparent a few minutes earlier.
"Takashi-san, why is this so important?"
The ronin sighed as he pushed forward into the dark underbrush. "For starters, it's important because we're late; Jeffy-sensei woke up before me and he's probably already hard at work. Second, this kind of training situation is not only very rare, but also worth its weight in gold to a hot-blooded male."
A light clicked on in Fuji's previously foggy head. "Wait, you're going to spy on the girls, aren't you?" Receiving no notable response from Takashi, the apprentice stopped in his tracks. "I won't participate in that kind of behavior! It's indecent, and very inconsiderate to boot!"
Takashi immediately halted his forward advance and turned to Fuji with a very serious expression stapled across his face. "What kind of talk is that? I think you're afraid."
Fuji felt genuinely insulted. "This isn't about fear, it's about doing what's right."
Takashi looked all the more serious as he leaned in toward the apprentice. "What's right, eh? Didn't you say you would try hard to master the Jeffy-Yaen style?"
"Yes," Fuji responded. "But that-"
"The Jeffy-Yaen style is neither precise nor artistic." Takashi ruthlessly interrupted. "However, it will not tolerate weakness in body or in mind. Tell me, Fuji, are you uncomfortable with the thought of looking at a naked woman?"
"Uncomfortable?" Fuji replied even as he felt his face flush. "I guess, but-"
Takashi grinned ever so slightly. "Have you ever even seen a naked woman?"
Fuji looked at the ronin sheepishly. "No."
Takashi assumed an authoritative standing position, arms folded across his muscular chest in an imperial manner. "So, if you were to fight against a female combatant and she were suddenly to strip naked, you would lose your cool and probably your life in the same instant."
Fuji could find no suitable reply to the ronin's evaluation. That did indeed sound realistic and quite possible.
"So," Takashi continued, apparently needing no response to his previous statement. "In order to iron out that weakness in your combative abilities, it is necessary for you to be exposed at least once to the bare essentials of womanhood. Wouldn't you agree?"
Fuji found it difficult to answer. On one hand, he had been brought up in the strict value system of the Ise shrine and had not even been allowed to think of women lest they corrupt his spirit. On the other hand, however, was the fact that if he adhered strictly to that principle, the effort to do so might not only cause harm to Noriko-san's mission but also cost Fuji his life.
The apprentice was about to opt for the morally correct choice when Takashi administered the coup de grace.
"Student, are you willing to abide by weakness and forsake your vow to Noriko-san?"
The answer left Fuji's mouth before he could stop it. "No."
"Then come on!" Takashi exclaimed, grabbing the apprentice's arm and pulling him forward. "We've got some babe-watching to do!"
"I'm still not okay with this." Fuji commented, even as he felt his feet moving toward a once-forbidden task. "Just one peek, and that's it for me. You can stay there all day and enjoy lecherous activities, but I am here strictly for the educational-"
The apprentice found his sentence cut short by a signal for silence from Takashi. The ronin pushed forward past one last layer of trees into what appeared to be a very steep grassy marsh bank. Fuji heard the sound of raucous laughter to his left and immediately turned his gaze as far to the right as possible. Just one glance, enough to know the facts, and that was it. Just one, no more.
It was slow, quiet going as the ronin and the apprentice crawled through the tall grass on hands and knees. Fuji in particular made every effort to keep his movements soundless, for he simply did not want to imagine the consequences of being caught in this act. He was still a Shinto apprentice in the eyes of the world, after all. Word could conceivably spread about the event, and his already tarnished reputation would be forever . . .
Fuji's train of thought suddenly derailed as he felt a rock shift and fall off of the small overhang that his left leg had found support on. Both he and Takashi froze for one brief, agonizing moment before the rock descended into the lakewater with a near-silent plop rather than a resounding splash.
The apprentice's relief quickly disappeared as Jeffy burst from cover, grabbed him by the fabric of his gi, and pulled him into a secluded area of even taller grass just under the highest rung of the bank. "Listen, Fuji," he uttered in a harsh breath. "I don't care who you are back in the world. You give away my position one more time, and I'll bleed you, real quiet, and leave your ass here to die, got it?"
Fuji nodded vigorously. "Got it!"
"Not so loud, baka." Takashi mumbled as he joined both teacher and student in the overhanging area that, not surprisingly, sported a great, if distant view of the entire lake. "So, what have we got, sensei?"
Jeffy released Fuji with the utmost care and ventured forth, careful not to expose one centimeter of his body beyond the cover of the grass. The sword master's right hand moved to a small brass periscope stored within his red obi, soundlessly withdrew it, and extended it in the same movement.
"Oh, Takashi." he said with genuine awe. "This is indeed a welcome sight to old and tired eyes."
"Don't get too carried away." Takashi chided. "We've still got a newb to instruct over here."
"Wait a minute." Fuji commented. "Why does Jeffy-sensei have that instrument? Were you two thinking about doing this from the very beginning?"
Takashi sighed as Jeffy continued to gawk visibly. "Not really, at least, not in any active way. But a great lesson of the Jeffy-Yaen style can be learned from this." The ronin made sure to pose an authoritative finger at Fuji before continuing. "A real man must always be prepared."
"Okay, you two," Jeffy whispered while handing the periscope to Takashi. "Have at it, and be sure to check out 'Ms. Silent and Stoic' herself. How that rack remained hidden for this long is a mystery I can't even begin to figure out."
"Holy crap!" Takashi almost yelled but managed to whisper after the first syllable. "That's . . . That's just unreal!"
Fuji shifted uncomfortably. It would obviously be his turn to peer through the looking glass next. The apprentice felt his heart beating at twice, even three times its normal pace. His face was already thoroughly flushed, and the blood, having nowhere else to go, now seemed to be rushing straight to his head. Fuji suddenly found it very hard to maintain a sitting position, almost as if his center of balance was off. Could he actually go through with this?
"Well," Takashi began after an extended period of drool-time. "Let's see how our honored guest will react to what's beneath the robes of our traveling companions." He extended the periscope toward Fuji. "Go get 'em, tiger."
The apprentice slowly took hold of the instrument and ventured very cautiously to the front of the overhang where the grass was thin enough to get a clear view of the lake. He couldn't help himself from gulping loudly. There was no turning back now; one way or another, Fuji had to go through with it. The periscope slowly approached the apprentice's right eye. Just a few more inches of willpower . . .
And Fuji saw nothing. He was looking through the instrument all right, and it was aimed correctly, but all the apprentice saw was obscure blackness. Was the thing broken? Fuji removed the periscope from his eye to inspect it for damage, but the blackness did not go away. Ah, that's it, Fuji thought as the swelling in his head suddenly overpowered his brain with a warm, fluidic sensation. So this is what it feels like to pass out.
Takashi and Jeffy, intently focused as they were on the actions of the girls below, failed to notice the two streams of blood that began to trickle from Fuji's nose. They immediately reacted, however, when the apprentice suddenly pitched forward and began to slide down the marsh bank.
"Shit!" Takashi and Jeffy exclaimed simultaneously as they both made a last ditch attempt to grab hold of the descending Fuji. They succeeded in that particular effort, but instead of stopping the apprentice, they found themselves pulled into his forward momentum. Three bodies suddenly and, at least from the girls' perspective, unexpectedly plummeted with great clamor down the marsh bank and landed with a humongous splash in the lakewater below.
Jeffy was the first to surface in a very calm manner, followed quickly by a gasping Takashi making his best effort at hauling the unconscious Fuji onto dry land.
"Hey!" Takashi shouted at the drenched apprentice. "You alright, Fuji? Is that blood coming out of your nose! Jeez, man, wake up!"
"Takashi . . ." a very calm and level voice uttered.
The ronin froze, not daring to look back. "Um, yes?"
A very angry-looking Noriko used one arm to cover her chest and the other to wield her grooved katana. "What is the meaning of this?"
Jeffy smiled widely and stood as if to walk away. "You just wouldn't believe this guy, Noriko-san. He dragged both Fuji and I into the act of spying on you girls. I apologize on his behalf."
Takashi shot a fierce glare at his teacher. "You rat-bastard!"
"Takashi," Noriko growled. "I've warned you about this kind of activity in the past, and not only have you ignored my warning, but you've also dragged an innocent boy into your depravity!"
The ronin made as if to reply, but was quickly cut off by the steel-edged voice of the swordswoman.
"Tell you what, Takashi. I'm a fair woman; I'll give you a four-second head start. If you think you can gain enough distance from me in four seconds to make my aim with this sword inaccurate, you're welcome to try."
The ronin's face nearly turned white. He knew full well what happened when someone tried to run from Noriko's sword. "That's a death sentence, Noriko! I'm really sorry, okay? I'll never do it ag-"
"One." the swordswoman began, already preparing to throw the sword.
"Son of a bitch!" Takashi swore, scrambling toward the cover of the forest.
Yuki appeared behind Noriko with an expression of shock. "When did you start using language like that, Taka-kun? Shame on you!"
"Two." Noriko grinned, making a move for her discarded clothing.
Jeffy chose to quietly make his way back toward the campsite.
Megumi piped up cheerfully next to Yuki. "Run for it, Takashi-san! Ganbatte!"
"Three."
Takashi ran full-tilt for the tree cover. "Oh shit-oh shit-oh shit-oh shit!" Just a few more yards to go . . .
Noriko's katana buried half of its gleaming blade into an unfortunate tree just inches from Takashi's head with a sharp thud. The ronin froze in surprise before turning around slowly.
"What . . . What happened to 'four'?" he whimpered.
Noriko smiled with great malice as she finished putting on her kimono and hakama. "Who told you to stop running!"
Takashi screamed and bolted into the forest as Noriko dashed after him, pulling her sword out of the tree to further torment the ronin. Yuki recovered her own clothing and joined in the chase as well.
Megumi dressed in a slower manner than the other girls who quickly disappeared amongst the foliage in pursuit of Takashi. Having fully arranged her clothing, she knelt beside the still unconscious Fuji, looking over his drenched form with great curiosity. Just what was so interesting about the female body anyway?
After a few moments of silent contemplation, the former kunoichi raised a tentative hand to her right breast. Her bosom was nowhere near as large as Noriko's, but nonetheless ample in its own right. Megumi seemed to sink even deeper in thought, examining her breasts as if for the first time. Was this what attracted human men? Were these objects capable of driving even a Shinto apprentice to acts of lechery?
The girl's right hand departed from her chest and began to smooth out the frayed locks of blonde hair from Fuji's face. Something was different now. Something that Megumi felt on the inside, not just when she looked at Fuji, but Takashi as well. It was pleasant in a way, but also sad. The girl's faint smile threatened to disappear as she gazed at the apprentice. The feeling was sad because it could never be realized.
A sharp screeching noise echoed from the north end of the lake. Megumi's entire body reacted at once to the clamor. The pupils of her eyes narrowed in fear just before she almost instinctively darted into the underbrush.
Yamamoto Fuji awoke several minutes later to Takashi's desperate cries for help that emanated from the general direction of the campsite. The apprentice rose wordlessly from the wet ground and jogged toward the disturbance, attempting to clean off the back of his gi as he went, and totally unaware that Megumi had been kneeling over him just a few moments before.
>>>
At the very northern tip of the wooden area, a dark shadow lingered out of place in the moonlight. The tall pine trees cast their shadows to the southwest, but a patch of darkness remained on the north side. Furthermore, this shadow possessed a human shape. It stood with its back against a tree, silent head bowed down, and strong arms crossed over a muscular chest. The only hint of color on the creature was a dark crimson scarf that wrapped itself around the shadow's neck and trailed down to its waist.
"Kumo?" a whispered voice called from the dark.
Shisho Kumo, an Iga ninja of exceedingly high repute, responded in voice only; not a single inch of his body betrayed recognition of the voice. "I am here as planned, Megumi. You, however, are late."
"Sorry, I got held up." the voice from within the darkness of the trees replied. "This group doesn't calm down even after the sun sets."
"Despicable." Kumo almost spat. "To think that Izumi fell in battle to these buffoons."
"Not 'these'," the voice corrected. "Only one of them is responsible for my sister's death, and it is that much more of an insult." A pair of bright yellow eyes gleamed from among the branches of an especially ancient pine tree. "This 'Takashi' will pay dearly for his crime, but what of Mt. Gozaisho? I trust you have already completed your investigations."
Kumo's eyes narrowed behind a black cloth mask that covered everything but his field of vision. "The situation at Mt. Gozaisho is steadily declining. It is has become unsuitable for the plan."
Surprise made its way into the voice from the darkness. "Unsuitable?"
"Another party has taken the shrine." Kumo explained. "They have eyes that even one such as I barely managed to avoid. If you are going to complete the mission, you must take action before they pass through Komo Town."
The disembodied voice sighed. "Very well then; we shall expedite the plan. Are you prepared?"
Kumo fondled the hilt of a meticulously sharpened tanto. "Always."
The voice emitted a dry chuckle. "Together, Kumo, we will reclaim the honor of the Iga clan and avenge my sister upon that blithering ronin." The next sentence sent chills even through the normally steel-nerved Kumo. "Takashi, you will beg for death before I am done with you."
(End Chapter Six)
Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):
Kamikaze-ken - translates as "Sword of Divine Wind".
honto - translates as "Really?"
gomen nasai - translates as "I'm very sorry."
yokai - basically, a signal of affirmation, like "Roger!".
baka - loosely translates as "idiot".
ganbatte - means "do your best", but is often used in the same context as the English phrase, "Good luck!".
