Cleansing: A Samurai 7 fanfiction

Author: Cal-Reflector

Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7 or the characters contained therein.

Chapter 4: Small Steps

Somewhere the neighborhood of the main village.

"Katsushirou-sama?"

On his way home to clean up from his morning exercise in the distant woods, Katushirou turned upon hearing the familiar voice. "Kirara-donno… Good morning, what can I do for you?"

The young samurai observed the young woman before him curiously, who appeared to experience difficulty iterating what was on her mind. An awkward moment's hesitation later, she unclasped her hands and began slowly smoothing out invisible creases in her tea-brown kimono. "I… was just wondering whether you were enjoying your stay here."

The young man smiled. "I am having a wonderful time. Everyone has been too kind to me, so much that I feel rather guilty for feeding off of their hospitality constantly."

"But you have done so much for us! It is only fair that we be allowed to repay you for your services…" Realizing from Katsushirou's startled expression that she had unconsciously raised her voice, Kirara quickly averted her eyes from his inquiring gaze, which only served to perplex him even more. Bringing her hands together once more, she continued in a tone just above a whisper. "Anyhow… I came to ask whether you might honor my house by having dinner with us this evening."

Katsushirou's eyes widened, just as a sudden gust of wind sent the first of several browning leaves swirling past the two standing in the middle of the street, signaling the gradual onset of autumn, and the beginning of a season's change.

-----

Hours later, as the setting sun illuminated the sky with the last brilliant embers of daylight, Kirara was in the kitchen of her home, filled with the smell of cooking smoke, steam, and sounds of crackling wood and boiling pots. The long sleeves of her dress were fastened above her elbows with a white ribbon, revealing her slender yet firm arms. Her flowing locks were similarly tied back to prevent them from getting in the way as she went about the necessary preparations for supper.

Presently, she knelt in front of the opening to the wood burning oven with a green length of hollow bamboo in her hands, and with deep breaths in between blew air through the tube to fan the flames, the effort turning her cheeks bright red. Wiping away the sheen of perspiration on her forehead with the back of her hand, she noted satisfactorily that everything was going well, and all the dishes would be ready soon. Kirara's grandmother ambled in slowly, a pleasantly wrinkled expression on her face as she watched her granddaughter work. "My… it all smells so wonderful. Do you need help with anything?"

Kirara smiled brightly as she straightened up, patting a bit of dust off from the front of her apron. "No, everything is fine. Could you ask Komachi to start setting the table, Grandmother? I expect that our guest will be here shortly."

The creases on the elder woman's face deepened with her smile. She continued to observe the young woman as she lifted the wooden cover off a pot. "You will surely make a lovely bride, Kirara." A wistful sigh escaped lips weathered with age. "I only wish I could live to see that day..."

Kirara laughed uneasily as she replaced the lid. "Are you still saying things like that, grandmother? Surely you will live to be one hundred and twenty, plenty of time to see Komachi married off."

"Kirara…" Grandmother's brows furrowed, that expression of concern all too familiar to the younger woman, who stirred the contents of the bubbling pot without further words; there were some things which just could not be helped, some things that could not be let go of, and Kirara had come to accept them as her due.

Reaching for a clean cloth to wipe her hands on, the younger woman put on a small smile for her grandmother and walked towards the doorway connecting the kitchen to the rest of the house. "Now, where has that sister of mine run off to…?"

At that moment, the enthusiastic voice of Kirara's young sibling rang out from the direction of the front yard. "Welcome, Katsunoji!" This was followed by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps down the hallway, as Komachi ran right into her sister who was heading outwards. "Nee-chan! Katsunoji's here!"

"And what poor manners of you to just leave him standing out there, hmm?" Chiding her unabashed sister thus, she walked out the open front door to see Katsushirou standing on the path leading to her house several paces away, his face lit yellow by the glow coming from within the house as the evening's waning light obscured the rest of his surroundings in a tint of blue-gray. The young samurai, dressed in a different garb than his usual, appeared a bit uneasy as he came forward, a cloth bound package held in one hand. "Umm… good evening, sorry to intrude upon you."

Kirara returned his bow with a smile. "Good evening Katsushirou-sama. I apologize for Komachi's bad manners and my poor appearance…" The young man looked on as Kirara, her face still aglow in pink with the kitchen's heat, began undoing the apron around her waist. "Dinner will be ready soon, so please come in and make yourself comfortable."

After leading him into the house, Kirara excused herself to the kitchen, and as the young samurai began removing his sandals on the front steps of the doorway, Kirara's grandmother came out to greet their guest after setting Komachi on the task of table setting. "Welcome, o-samurai-sama, we're honored to have you with us tonight."

Katsushirou stood up quickly and bowed to the senior of the household. "Thank you for having me over." Straightening, he smiled at the old lady who had been his host in the past, when Kanna village was in threat of arms. "I'm glad to see that you are still in good health and high spirits, Grandmother."

The elder lady smiled kindly at the handsome young man whom she, like everyone else, was tremendously fond of. Katsushirou bent down to pick up the parcel by his feet and presented it to her. "Knowing that it would be rude for me to come empty handed, Sanae-san gave me this." He placed the package before the kneeling elder lady. "It is youkan, perhaps you could serve it as dessert later."

"Sanae-san is too kind. She will spoil Komachi like this." The elder lady laughed dryly through a surprisingly toothy grin as she accepted the gift.

Lowering himself onto the tatami mats near the dinner table, Katsushirou could smell the aroma of cooking in the air and sounds of chatter from the kitchen, where Grandmother had joined Kirara. Taking in his surroundings, he observed that much had changed since his last visit to this home: Kirara's small library grew in size, and whereas in the past candles were used sparingly in evenings to conserve, the house was now cozily lit with several candle stands and steady burning wicker oil lamps encased in frames of origami paper. General décor was still sparse, but the presence of a few additional pieces of furniture reflected the good times that Kanna village was enjoying as a whole. His eyes caught sight of a set of wind chimes suspended in the doorway, whose bamboo clappers produced a string of clear and soothing notes.

A minute later, he found himself joined at the table by Komachi, who had plopped down wordlessly besides him. Resting her arms on the table, the young girl tilted her head sideways to look up at Katsushirou, studying the young samurai intensely through small narrowed eyes, all the while nodding her head intermittently and making various sounds of approval. Finally, at the end of the evaluation, she spoke in a serious tone like that of a wizened judge in human character. "I see that you've finally become a man, Katsunoji."

The effect of the diminutive girl's statement on Katsunoji was comical, and he found himself greatly amused. "You, Komachi, have not changed one bit."

She pouted in reply. "I did too! Sister says that I've grown taller. And besides…" Crossing her arms in front of herself, Komachi smiled proudly. "I am now the village's water maiden, and am responsible for all the important ceremonies."

"But still a kid…" Katsushirou suppressed a laugh when Komachi turned away, her cheeks puffed out in apparent displeasure, before Kirara's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Komachi, help me carry these plates out!"

"Coming…" Komachi made a face and stuck her tongue out at the smiling young man, before breaking into a wide grin and running off to her sister's aid.

-----

"… Delicious." Katsushirou remarked in a voice of wonder as he busied his teeth with the fish grilled on a stick in his hands.

"Thank you, I am glad it suits your tastes." Kirara smiled from across the table, genuinely relieved by Katsushirou's favorable reception of her cooking, which, as she realized now, had been a matter of grave concern that weighed upon her considerably during preparation.

"It certainly does complement the rice well." Lifting the bowl to his face, he pushed a mouthful of the fluffy white grains into his mouth with his chopsticks. "This is definitely the best cooking I have tasted in a long time."

"You flatter me, Katsushirou-sama. It is nothing but simple country fare…"

"Nee-chan spent almost all day preparing this meal." Komachi interjected nonchalantly as she reached for a platter of glazed yam, a grain of rice stuck by an upturned corner of her mouth.

"Komachi!" Kirara's cheeks reddened at her sister's imprudent remark, who shrugged even as her face took on an expression of bliss as she took a bite of the sugary dish.

Katsushirou scratched the back of his head and chuckled lightly. "You needn't have gone to such troubles for me, but..." His sharp eyes suddenly softened, a sight which filled Kirara with a spread of warmth. "… Thank you."

Grandmother looked approvingly upon the genial atmosphere. "Then eat up. Young men like you should eat a lot, plus…" the hunched-backed old lady glanced towards her granddaughter with something resembling mischief in her expression, "It really isn't often that Kirara works so hard to cook a meal."

"I… umm… Ah, we need more tea! I'll be right back." After Kirara hastily excused herself, Katsushirou, who was fairly oblivious to the entire sequence, soon followed Grandmother's advice on the food.

-----

After the table had been cleared and the after-meal tea served, the family and their young guest relaxed with the special treat Katsushirou had brought and idle conversation. Komachi pleaded with Katsushirou for stories of his adventures over the past three years, and while he claimed apologetically to the disappointed girl that he had no extraordinary exploits during his travels, Kirara, in her curiosity, also requested him to tell his tales. Reluctantly, the young samurai began his story. He started slowly, from the first town he arrived at after leaving Kanna village three years ago, but buoyed by the enthusiasm and attentiveness of his small audience, his confidence grew, and soon had the ball rolling, riveting the three women with personal accounts and events that had taken place outside of their remote village.

Komachi was thoroughly delighted by Katsushirou's stories, which made up for its lack in dramatic flair with thoroughness and detail, allowing her vivid imagination able to fill in the rest. Much later, after Katsushirou concluded the account of how he had driven off the pack of scoundrels who were leeching off a small town, she was bubbling over with excitement and questions. "So what happened after that? What happened after you got rid of the bandits who were extorting that merchant?"

Katsushirou took a sip from his cup to soothe his throat after the length narrative. "He was a very fine gentleman who traded fairly with the farmers he dealt with, and so wanted to give me a generous award, but it was something that I could not accept."

Komachi's eyes were aglow as she drew closer. "What was it? What was the reward?"

"Well…" A moment's hesitation passed as Katsushirou pondered whether it would be wise to reveal this information, but gave in to the younger girl's persistence in the end. "He offered to marry his daughter to me and for me to take up his business and assets."

"Wow! I never knew you had it in you, Katsunoji! Why didn't you accept?"

"That's because…"

"I know! She must have been too ugly huh?"

"On the contrary, she was quite pretty and brought up well in mind and manners."

Komachi looked confused as she cocked her head to one side. "So what was the problem then?"

"I…" As Katushirou turned away from Komachi to think of a response, his eyes met Kirara's, who was waiting intently for his response as well; he turned his gaze to the floor. "Well, I guess that I would not have been a suitable match for the merchant's fine daughter. She would not have favored me, as I am but a poor, unrefined samurai without status or property."

A deep frown formed on Kirara's face. "That is not true, Katsushirou-sama. I do not think she would have disliked you for something like that. After all, you have many other endearing qualities, such as your kindness, your strength, your…" Her words trailing off, Kirara felt heat come to her face as she became aware of how her words may come across as. "Oh, what am I saying…?"

Katsushirou, however, was moved by the gesture of encouragement his friend offered. "Thank you… for thinking so highly of me."

"It's… nothing..."

Komachi nodded sagely as she put in her two cents on top of Kirara's muted reply. "Even if Nee-chan was saying that just to make you feel better, at the very least you're not half-bad to look at."

The young samurai's loud laughter was soon joined by those surrounding him as any lingering trace of unease from moments ago became quickly forgotten, and the merriment at Kirara's house continued late into the night in the peaceful village.

Authors Notes: I wish thank all of you, those of you who read and those of you who commented as well. You are my source of motivation, and I hope in spite of my tedious college schedule, I will be able to continue to meet your expectations in the future. This chapter was a reversal from the previous ones in its lighter atmosphere. In the next chapter (or the one after), Katsushirou and Kirara try to lay to rest some ghosts from their pasts with a trip outdoors.