Chapter Nineteen
Realize

>>>Night - May 7, 1583

Pale blue moonlight shone brightly upon the forests of Mt. Gozaisho now that the clouds of early evening had parted, casting long shadows and illuminating the mist that continually enveloped the sloping land. The pounding noise of the waterfall echoed loudly in the sword cave, but Yuki had more or less tuned it out by now. The cooking fire burned slowly, still flickering a warm red light upon the sleeping figures gathered around its warmth. Yuki sat at the mouth of the cave, staring into the beautiful night sky that had continued to shine with a full moon for several days now. She shivered briefly just before Takashi draped his blanket around her shoulders. Yuki looked up toward the ronin in brief surprise as he moved to take a seat next to her.

Takashi grinned. "Can't sleep?"

The raiju pulled the cloak more tightly about her young form, her ears twitching left and right nervously. "Yeah, you could say that."

Takashi looked out toward the forest's many shades of aqua, giving a slight yawn in the process. "The summit can't be more than half a day's walk away. Can you believe that it's so close?"

Yuki looked toward the ronin strangely. "What? You mean the summit?"

Takashi shook his head, his black hair swaying in a slight breeze. "Everything will be settled tomorrow, one way or another. To be honest, I never thought I'd rid myself of the ghost of eight years ago. Now, I feel like I can face that part of me for the first time."

Yuki smiled. "I wonder what caused that change."

Takashi thought for a moment. "Good question. I guess its just how everyone's acted toward me lately. Fuji stood up for me, even when he found out what I'd done. I abandoned you and Hideaki eight years ago, and you still want to come with me." The ronin sighed. "I never thought I'd find people who can forgive someone's past so easily."

Yuki again glanced around uncomfortably.

Takashi took notice this time. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The raiju looked very downcast. "Taka-kun?"

The ronin gave off his brightest smile, which he often used to combat depression in others. "Yeah?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "Forgiving the past is one thing, but forgetting is impossible."

Takashi's hands went up in mock defense. "Hey, I wasn't saying that. I know that it would be too much to forget what happened . . ." Something occurred to the ronin. "Um, are you trying to say that you're still angry with me for running off back then?"

Yuki simply cast her gaze lower, burying the lower half of her face in arms crossed upon her raised knee.

Takashi's voice took a more serious tone. "It pisses me off so much sometimes, you know? When I think that I ran away and left my best friends to their fates, I can barely stomach it. It doesn't sound like me at all, not even back then. I wish I could say something, Yuki. I wish I at least knew why I did it, but I truly don't."

A tear made its way down Yuki's face that she quickly shook off. "I know, Taka-kun; that wasn't what I was talking about."

The ronin's eyebrows raised. "You weren't? What then?"

Yuki's voice became shaky upon her next statement. "How much do you remember about the night of the fire?"

Takashi looked upwards, his fists tightening at the memory. "I used to spend a lot of time thinking about it, trying to recall specifics, trying my hardest just to figure out what happened after what. Thing is, I can't remember anything beyond two facts; I caused the fire, and . . ."

Yuki gazed curiously at the ronin. "And?"

"You died." Takashi relented. "I was sure of it until you showed up on the way to Komo Town. I never could remember how, so I just assumed it was due to the fire. Still, I was certain about that much, at least, I thought I was." The ronin sighed heavily. "Doesn't seem to matter what I remember though; here you are just as you were on that night, appearance and all. I wonder if the world's gone crazy or if it's just me."

Yuki's face had taken on the utmost gravity. "Actually, you aren't far off when you say that I died."

"What?" Takashi questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

The ronin had never seen Yuki like this. Her entire body shifted with anxiety, her hands wringing constantly as if of their own accord. The raiju's soft white hair fell in locks over her reddening face as tears began to stream down her cheeks. To be honest, this was scaring Takashi. He could feel his skin crawling, almost as if he already knew what his friend was going to say.

"Yuki?" the ronin asked tentatively. "Is there something about that night you're not telling me?"

"I'm actually kind of jealous," the raiju tried to laugh. "How lucky would I be if I couldn't remember everything from that night?"

Takashi knew he would regret asking, but he strove onwards anyway. "What happened on the night of the fire, Yuki? What happened that I don't remember?"

Yuki calmed herself down a bit before answering. "When I got there, the town was already burning. Hideaki tried to keep me from getting hurt, telling me that you had gone insane or something, but I wouldn't listen." She cringed slightly, shivering despite the presence of the blanket. "You were near the center of the town, floating in midair."

Takashi recoiled visibly. "What the hell?"

Yuki continued, heedless of the ronin's surprise. "You were laughing at the top of your lungs, your eyes glowing a fiery red. There used to be days when I couldn't get that laugh out of my head; it sounded less like a laugh and more like the roar of a heartless beast. The Shinryo-ken was moving around you in circles, casting sheets of flame in every direction. The very air around you was burning with an intense red light; it was hard to even look at you straight."

"Can't be right . . ." Takashi mumbled with near incoherence. With Yuki's every word, memories began to flood back into his head like a tidal wave, even though they were more like nightmares. "It just can't be . . ."

"I tried to stop you." Yuki stated, her voice growing unstable. "I tried to call out to you, but you couldn't hear me. I tried everything I knew how to do, and then I tried to get you down."

The raiju fell deathly silent. Takashi wasn't sure he wanted to hear what happened next, but he asked regardless.

"What did I do when you tried to get me down?"

Yuki stood up, the moon outside casting a pale shade of blue across her young features. She dropped away the blanket that Takashi had given her and began to undo her obi. The ronin sat breathless as the Yuki turned away from him and let down the top part of her gi, revealing the smooth skin of her back. At least, most of it was smooth. A deep and jagged scar began at the top of her right shoulder and ran diagonally across to her lower left hip. This scar was by no means normal, however. There was evidence that the initial cut had never healed properly, resulting in a jagged furrow of white, deadened skin traced by deep red bruises that arced at strange angles, almost as if something or someone had been fighting desperately to close the wound, inflicting more damage in the process.

Tears sprung unbidden from Takashi's eyes as a heavy piece of his broken memory locked into place. "Oh no . . ." he moaned, terrified of himself, of what he had done. "No, no that can't be right. That's not . . . Why would I have . . ."

Yuki kneeled, bringing the wound of her back closer to the ronin. "I said the same thing," she sobbed. "Every day afterwards, all I could tell myself was how impossible that night was. Hideaki said that, even though I was half-demon, a wound like that should have killed me on the spot."

"That's why," Takashi continued, his voice breaking constantly. "That's why I left; I thought I had murdered you. What was there to return to? Who would take me in after that?" The ronin's eyes stretched wide as all the feelings he had locked away at that time burst forth. He clutched his sides and sobbed wildly, wishing with all his might that it was somehow untrue, that he wasn't the kind of monster that would do this to his friends.

Without turning around, Yuki took hold of Takashi's hand, guiding it to her back. The ronin recoiled for a moment, but Yuki did not let go.

"Trust me." she whispered.

The ronin allowed the girl to place his hand on the scar. He could feel the impression made by the blade, its deep cut still evident after all this time. The very sensation churned Takashi's insides with great ferocity, causing a heavy lump to form in the back of his throat as well.

"How could I, Yuki?" the ronin cried. "How could I do this!"

"You have to answer that question." Yuki replied. "Think about it; would you do this to me again? Would you take hold of the Shinryo-ken and-"

"Never!" Takashi interrupted. "I would sooner die!"

Yuki smiled through her tears. "Then you have your answer. If you are the same Takashi that was my friend eight years ago, then you couldn't have wounded me."

"What?" the ronin questioned. "That doesn't make sense; the scar is right here."

Yuki shook her head. "I know it's difficult to say, but nothing about what happened that night fits with who we both know you to be. It took time, but I came to that conclusion on my own long before I set off to find you again. The wound on my back is irrevocable; I know that it was inflicted by the Shinryo-ken. However, I also know that you would never do that to me. If both of these things are true, then only one solution remains; there was another factor involved."

"Another factor?" Takashi wondered, beginning to calm down at last. "There was no one else there; how could we even begin to find out-"

"Hideaki." Yuki interrupted, turning around after pulling her gi back into place. "He was there before me; he was there when the fire started. I couldn't get the truth out of him before he left to find High Yaen Master Raijin, but he knows exactly what happened to cause the fire of eight years ago. Tomorrow, we'll find out the whole truth, together."

"What if there's nothing to excuse what I did?" Takashi questioned. "What if I really am a monster?"

Yuki moved forward a bit, her motive unclear for just a moment before she took hold of the ronin, hugging him fiercely. "You can't doubt yourself like that, Taka-kun. Hold onto the truth, that you're the kind of person who would never do that to his friends. Hold onto that truth no matter what."

"I'm sorry," Takashi couldn't help but apologize. "I'm so sorry, Yuki . . ."

A loud yawn suddenly issued from the back of the cave. The ronin and the raiju split apart like lightning just as Fuji rose from his blanket and walked toward them.

"H-hey there, Fuji!" Takashi greeted with more cheer than was neccesary. "What's happening?"

The apprentice looked toward Takashi as if he were still half-asleep. "Gotta pee."

Yuki nearly busted out laughing as Takashi responded to the situation. "Well, heed nature's call there, good buddy. Plenty of woods to do you business in over thataway."

"Arigato." Fuji mumbled, shuffling his way past his companions and trudging off into the forest.

Takashi and Yuki watched him go for a few moments before Takashi stood up, stretching his arms. "Well, I'd better get some rest. Don't want to head into tomorrow the same way Fuji is now, eh?"

Yuki rose with him. "Be careful, Taka-kun. Don't let Hideaki use what happened eight years ago to defeat you. Remember that there will always be at least one person who still believes in the real you."

Takashi grinned widely, even though traces of tears still showed on his face. "Don't even worry about it; I'm the student of the great Jeffy-sensei! I have only to remember his greatest lesson: when you find yourself in doubt, drink sake until it all makes sense again!"

"Yeah," Yuki chided. "So where are you going to find any of that between here and the summit?"

>>>

Raijin turned back toward the steps leading to the Shinto shrine. "You'll understand, of course, if I find your request highly unusual. Why would one such as yourself wish to cooperate with us?"

Megumi grinned devilishly in the light cast by Hideaki's torch. "In the end, we want a lot of the same things. Take, for instance, your boy Hideaki over here. He wants Takashi dead, right?"

"More or less." the chain-wielder remarked offhandedly. "There is far more to it than that, however."

"Hey," Megumi interrupted, noting Kumo's uneasiness in the presence of these raiju. "I really don't care about what you guys' ultimate motives are. As far as I'm concerned, you can just keep that to yourself. The important thing right now is whether we can work together or not."

"I caution you, Megumi." Kumo stated. "This is not in alignment with the orders from the Ninja Master. We walk dangerous ground in asking for outside assistance."

Megumi waved a hand at her anxious partner. "I'm sure that Hikari would understand, Kumo. After all, to keep pace with an ever-changing battlefield, one must be willing to alter their strategy."

"So," Raijin resumed. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Simple," Megumi began. "You said that the greatest worry of this battle will be the Shinryo-ken in Ueda Takashi's possession. If that's the case, then we need to separate him from his companions and pull him into a trap. You still have that girl Tomoe, right?"

Hideaki simply nodded.

The kunoichi smiled. "Use her to force Takashi into battle; believe me, he'll be more than willing to fight alone for the sake of a hostage. In the meantime, Kumo and I will handle the ronin's entourage."

"What about Anakouji Jeffery?" Kumo questioned. "Even at our skill level, I don't think we'd be a match for his prowess."

"Not to worry." Raijin explained. "Hideaki has seen to a bit of insurance against our dear friend Jeffy and his incessant need to interfere with our battles."

"Even so," Kumo continued. "That leaves three combatants that Megumi and I must deal with."

"Combatants?" Megumi scoffed. "I can understand if you're talking about Itagaki Noriko and that Yuki girl, but Fuji is by no means a 'combatant'." The kunoichi flashed a pair of custom-made tantos, their blades tinted a dark shade of orange. "He will not even survive past the first few seconds; I'll make sure he doesn't even get the chance to use that damned fan of his."

"Very well." Raijin concluded. "We accept your assistance in this matter."

"Just remember," Megumi interjected. "When the time comes for the ronin to die, I must witness it."

Hideaki grasped his chain tightly. "No need to worry about that. The ronin's death will not come until he begs for it."

The two raiju moved back up the shrine steps as the ninjas made their way back toward the woodland. Kumo was the first to speak.

"This is madness, Megumi. These raiju are far from trustworthy; we cannot turn our backs to them once the battle begins. I sense that this Raijin is not one to simply let such cooperation go by without payment."

"Don't worry about it, Kumo." Megumi laughed. "We're of the Iga Clan, remember? We'll be long gone before that old geezer even has the chance to betray us."

Kumo looked toward the ground as Megumi continued in front of him. "You've changed, Megu. Revenge has blinded you to the truth." he mumbled.

Megumi turned back for a moment. "Hmm? You say something?"

Kumo shook his head. "Nothing, Megumi. Nothing at all."

>>>

Fuji was finally beginning to awaken fully as he made his way back to the cave. He had seen Takashi and Yuki talking, but only snatches of the conversation had made it through the fog enveloping the apprentice's brain. Something about that fire eight years ago, that was all Fuji could remember about that. Takashi had looked kind of upset, but Fuji figured it was best to leave that business between those who had experienced it.

Of greater import to the apprentice at the moment was remembering every detail of what he had dreamed under the waterfall. The visions that he had seen at the Grand Ise Shrine came back to him, and Fuji struggled dutifully to remember every detail. Not that they made any sense, even now. What in the world could a boy crying in the middle of a burning village with a great sword at his feet have anything to do with-

The apprentice stopped in midstride. Why hadn't this occurred to him before? A burning village, a boy, and a great broadsword?

"Takashi." Fuji muttered. "Ueda Takashi is the boy in my first vision!"

"What vision?" a voice asked from behind.

The apprentice turned quickly to identify the source of the voice. "Noriko?"

Fuji and the swordswoman stood face to face, an uncomfortable silence resting on the air.

"So," Noriko commented. "What were you talking about?"

Fuji cocked his head to the side as the raccoon dog emerged from the cave some distance away. "Never mind that; what are you doing here? In fact, where were you when we were attacked at the mansion?"

Noriko looked toward the ground. "I saw Ari's tombstone, but what was with that name? May Pilazzo?"

Fuji folded his arms akimbo. "May Pilazzo was her real name, just like mine is Rafael Pilazzo."

Noriko raised an eyebrow. "What? How do you have more than one name?"

Fuji sighed. "A lot happened while you were out on a field trip. Why've you come back, anyway? Thought you didn't want to have anything to do with a bunch of 'incompetent tagalongs'."

Noriko wrung her hands nervously. "Look, I didn't mean to leave you guys alone. Jiro showed up before dawn, and I chased him off into the woods. I didn't get the chance to return before-"

"Stop making excuses to me." Fuji interrupted. "You don't have to justify your actions to people you don't care about. Let me ask again, why are you here?"

Stress became evident in the swordswoman's voice. "I need your help with something."

Fuji raised an eyebrow as the raccoon dog came alongside him, nuzzling his left leg. "Our help? You need our help? That sure is interesting."

"I'm sorry, okay!" Noriko suddenly blurted out. "I was being a real bitch, just like you said. I took out my frustration at losing to Jiro on you guys, and you didn't deserve it, so I'm sorry, alright?"

Fuji smiled disarmingly. "Yeah, you pretty much summed it up."

Noriko shook her head and looked toward the ground again, her raven hair swaying left and right. "I understand if you don't want to help me. I've been downright ungrateful from the get-go. But this isn't about me, it's-"

Fuji placed a hand on Noriko's shoulder; the woman hadn't even seen him approach. "Hey, no worries, okay? You apologized, and that's that. So, what do you need our help with?"

Noriko looked strangely at the apprentice. "Huh? You'll forgive me just like that?"

Fuji again gave that oddly warm smile. "Of course. All you did was let your emotions get the better of you. If people never forgave me for all the times I've done that, I'd be fresh out of friends! Still, if you're going to ask for everyone's help, you might want to wait till morning; I think they may have gone to sleep."

"Actually," Noriko began to admit. "I don't need everyone's help. Just yours."

"Mine?" Fuji questioned. "What could you need me for?"

The swordswoman blushed. "I just . . . I need you to come with me, alright?"

"That might be a problem." Jeffy's voice called from just up the path.

"Jeffy-sensei?" Fuji wondered. "You're up too? What about Takashi and Yuki?"

Jeffy shrugged. "Falling asleep as I left, but their talking woke me up. By the way, it's good to see you alive and well, Noriko."

Noriko nodded. "Same here."

"Now," Jeffy began. "About taking Fuji away, I don't think that would be advisable at this time. I know that hormones run fierce through the blood of you young people, but there'll be plenty of time after-"

Noriko blushed even more profusely. "It's not like that, you dirty old man! I really need his assistance with something."

Jeffy raised an eyebrow. "What kind of something?"

The swordswoman's eyes narrowed. "Something that can help when we go up against Raijin and Hideaki tomorrow."

Jeffy folded his arms. "Sounds kind of suspicious; how long would it take?"

"I'm not exactly certain," Noriko responded. "But we'd be sure to meet up with you guys by noon tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Fuji questioned. "What could possibly take that long?"

"Just go along with me on this." Noriko pleaded. "I'm sure that I can help out with a little preparation."

Jeffy thought on it for a moment. "Well, I've been given no reason to mistrust your abilities thus far." He turned to address the apprentice. "Fuji, you should go with her. That is, as long as she knows where the shrine is."

"I do, actually." Noriko added. "Jiro told me how to get there."

"Jiro?" Jeffy questioned. "I thought he was with Raijin."

"So did I," Noriko replied. "Apparently though, not only did he not murder my father, but he's on our side. When you guys get to the shrine tomorrow, he'll be ready to take out Raijin himself."

"Whoa." Fuji commented. "Are you sure we can trust this guy?"

Noriko shrugged. "According to him, we don't have much of a choice. He's the only one who can even hold a candle to Raijin's skill."

"Probably true." Jeffy mused. "Looks like the better part of this battle will be riding on a lot of fragile trust."

"Better that than none," Noriko commented. "So, you ready to go, Fuji?"

The apprentice looked down at the purring raccoon dog. "Don't see any reason why not. Keep an eye on Takashi and Yuki for me, okay Jeffy-sensei?"

The old man grinned. "Won't be my first time babysitting."

"Let's get a move on, then." the swordswoman said, shouldering her travel sack and straightening her katana. "The sooner we get this done, the more certain we can be that, one way or another, we will win this fight."

(End Chapter Nineteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

arigato - basically, "thank you".