Kanbei opened his eyes slowly, and saw a bright blue sky above him, littered with puffy white clouds happily floating along, and could almost feel the light breeze the carried them in the sky. He felt his head was resting on something softer than the grass that played around his clothes, and wondered exactly what was happening.
"I wish every day was like this, don't you?"
Kanbei tilted his head back farther, startled by the voice. When he saw the face, he sat up abruptly, amusing his companion.
"You don't have to always be so wary."
"How can this be?" Kanbei asked softly, and found his voice was that of a much younger man.
"Silly man. What do you mean?"
"You died!"
"It must have been a dream, dear."
Kanbei looked around, and his heart ached. He remembered these hills, remembered the two small forms playing a ways down, the strings to their kites taut in the wind, and he remembered the woman sitting not to far from him. He could remember moments like this one, so fleeting in an era of war and chaos. He had cherished this peace, this time allowed to him to be with his wife and children.
"It was too real to be a dream. No. It made to much sense to be a dream."
"What makes sense to you might just sound absurd to me. Tell me this dream of yours, o Doomsayer of mine."
Kanbei started to tell what had happened after this moment he so craved; the war, her death, their children's death, him being shuttled around from battlefield to battlefield, about how the War ended, and was starting his tale of Kanna Village when he stopped on a single name, and trailed off.
"Dear? What's wrong?"
"That name...holds...too much meaning to be a dream."
"What? What do you mean?"
Kanbei looked at she who had been his wife, then slowly stood, and he aged before his wife's eyes, his hair going from a deep chestnut hue to a dull brown/grey, lines forming around his mouth and eyes, saw his clothing change, saw his eyes harden and grow sad.
"I'm sorry. I grieved for you for a long time, stayed true to your memory. I will carry you in my heart, always, but I cannot join you yet."
"Where are you going? another war? are you going to leave me alone again?"
Kanbei turned on his heel slowly, and walked away from his past, and towards the present, holding back the tears that threatened to choke him as his wife's pleas faded and then stopped.
The next time he opened his eyes, it was to stare out into bare, desolate surroundings, much harsher on the eye than the pleasing coutenance of she who had been his wife and the grassy meadow of his memories.
"Toshiyo-sama! He is awake."
Toshiyo entered, looking exhaultant and smug.
"Poor Shimada Kanbei. You picked the losing side again. Kyuuzou will come here for you, as he has sworn to do. You will witness his defeat, his torture, his shame, first at my hands...and then at the demon who created him as Kyuuzou is now. And without your Cursed sword, there is nothing you can do about it." Toshiyo rewarded the demon that had kept watch with something, Kanbei wasn't sure what, before turning his fanatical, overbright eyes on him again.
"I wonder what he sees in you, Kanbei. Why would he chose someone who he once fought against to serve? I suppose I'll draw that answer out of him, as I will many things, once he is here and beaten."
"You underestimate Kyuuzou."
"Oh, no. Not during today. Tell me, Kanbei. You slept through the night, and Kyuuzou, I've been informed, has been coming this way since a few hours after you were taken. What day is today?"
"Why should the date matter?" Kanbei demanded, even though he already knew the answer. He was simply trying to buy time for Kyuuzou to come here without having to worry about Toshiyo hovering over and waiting for his arrival.
"It's the summer solstice," Toshiyo hissed in pleasure. "The longest light of the year! Today is also fairly hot outside. Poor Kyuuzou," he purred no sympathy in his voice or eyes. "How he must be suffering in all that black and no place to hide."
Kanbei twitched, irked about what was happening. This guy was completly insane.
"Why bother going through all the trouble of this elaborate plan? Certainly there must be a simpler way."
"He killed my older brother! He defeated and shamed me in the face of my commrades, common people, and rulers! There is no simple way to finish this simply!"
"I can...think of a way."
Both men looked at the entrance of the cave where a figure was more leaning than standing against the cave entrance, his breath coming in gasps, clothing and hair stuck to his body.
"YOU. How did you get here without me knowing?"
"...no challenge."
Toshiyo twitched, then shook his head, regaining his composure.
"Welcome. How would you settle our...dispute?"
Kyuuzou held out a sword and pointed it at Toshiyo's chest, and Kanbei noticed it was his own sword. He hadn't realized he had dropped it and cursed himself for a fool.
"With your death."
Toshiyo laughed and drew his own sword, smiling maniaclly. Kyuuzou moved and Toshiyo stepped back, evading what Kyuuzou threw, only to realize that Kanbei's sword was now level with Kanbei's hands. Before Toshiyo could react to that, he was forced to block two swordstrokes, and was pushed away from where Kanbei was, Kyuuzou standing between him and Toshiyo, and Kanbei could see that those movements had cost him dearly.
"Come now, Kyuuzou. You will be no challenge in this state. You're so weak it's almost sad. Looked at you; just holding up your swords is almost more than you can handle."
Kanbei could see this as well, but could also tell that Kyuuzou was slowly regaining strength, since he was squarely in the deepest shadowed part of the cave, out of reach of the light.
'He plans well for some things, but even now Kyuuzou seems just a small step ahead.'
"Maybe." Kyuuzou replied to Toshiyo's taunts, but slipped into a guard stance, eyes cold. "But I will defeat you."
With a cross between a laugh and a yell, Toshiyo charged in again, and Kyuuzou blocked with more force this time, his repose lightning quick, Toshiyo avoiding gettnig his chest cut open only by demonluck. His tattered shirt pooled around his waist and wrists, and with an angry gesture, he threw it off. Kanbei could see a small bruise growing where Kyuuzou's sword had passed. Toshiyo drew a deep breath, and his posture calmed. The next time he attacked, it was with greater fluidity, and more concentrated strength than that of a man craving revenge. This was the warrior that laid beneath Toshiyo's skin, the one who had trained with assassins in his youth, never knowing exactly what they were, but absorbing the skills nonetheless.
Kyuuzou saw Genma in every strike, every technique Toshiyo used. Because of this, Kyuuzou knew how to draw Toshiyo into attacking, knew when to step aside, when to parry, what strikes would do the most damage.
However, he did not remain unmarred, as would have been the case had he been in normal shape. as it was, Toshiyo was impressed with how long Kyuuzou was lasting.
"Why...do you...insist on...protecting him?"
Kyuuzou did not answer. Rather, he could not,for he needed every breath he took. He stumbled into the sunlight, having been able to stick to the shadows mostly, and visibly winced. In that moment of hesitation, Toshiyo lunged in and pinned Kyuuzou to a wall with his sword through Kyuuzou's chest. Kyuuzou coughed, but swung a sword at Toshiyo, forcing him to step back, but his strength was waning fast, noon approaching quickly. Kyuuzou's mind was racing; how to get this out of his chest while not leaving himself vulnerable? The day grew hotter and brighter, and Kyuuzou's attempts to keep Toshiyo away became feeble and less often. Eventually, Kyuuzou was the only dark spot in a sea of light, and even then, he seemed insubstantial.
Through a haze, Kyuuzou saw Toshiyo approach, and his mind and reflexes knew he should be doing something to keep the man away, keep him distracted, keep him away from Kanbei. Yet he found himself paralyzed, drained, a sword inconviently driven through one of the bullet-holes in his chest.
So you're the one who's captured his heart.
Kyuuzou tensed, the voice echoing in the same place in his head that the demon's had...but this was not malicious, just...mildly exasperated, envious, and female.
Who're you?
Kyuuzou felt a presence next to him quite different from ones he was used to feeling, and looked out of the corner of his eye.
It was a woman, beautiful, yet sad, and the light seemed to want to gather around her, as it tried to flee from Kyuuzou.
Someone who cares for the same man you do. I tried to take him away from here while that demon-mad man was distracted with summonings, but instead of returning to me, he chose you. The woman looked at him with grey/green eyes that reflected the gold of the sun, eyes that saw more than Kyuuzou wanted her to, eyes that he was defenseless against. The woman sighed, disgusted and disheartened, and gave Kyuuzou a sullen look.
I don't approve of your or what you and Kanbei are doing. But...I will help you, since he cares for you, and you, no matter how much you try to say you only want to protect him, care for him too. The woman almost seemed to glide effortlessly in front of him and placed a hand on Toshiyo's sword. You lose, and I will make certain that your afterlife is not pleasent. He's already lost the people he cared about once; don't you dare put him through that again. Her voice became sad. He might not survive it this time.
With strength given by love and supernatural abilities, she who had been Kanbei's wife pulled the sword out of Kyuuzou's chest, and Kyuuzou dove immediatly into what shadows there were,surprising Toshiyo that he was even able to move. Kyuuzou stood in front of Kanbei who, over the course of the battle, had slowly been able to maneuver his hands so that he was grasping the charm at the hilt of the sword that was more than just decoration. He used Kyuuzou's body as cover to pick the lock on the chains, freeing his hands and arms. He reached out quickly and pulled Kyuuzou to him, holding him close, and he felt a strong tug on his senses, and realized that Kyuuzou had taken fully half of his ki. He wasn't defenseless, but it was still unnerving.
"If you lose this duel, I will never forgive you," Kanbei whispered in Kyuuzou's ear.
Kanbei felt the small smirk, and let Kyuuzou go, just in time for him to block an attack by Toshiyo.
Kyuuzou found that he was still alarmingly weak, but that his contact with Kanbei had renewed him significantly. He was quick on his feet again, even if his swordstrokes were not as forceful as he would have liked.
That doesn't matter. There's more than one way to win this.
Kyuuzou switched from the strategy he had been using, and instead of trying to immediatly kill Toshiyo he made quick, shallow cuts that bled sluggishly, seemingly only a minor annoyance to Toshiyo. While Toshiyo ignored the small biting pains, he did not switch his tactics, keeping Kyuuzou treading the thin line between darkness and light, keeping him as weak as possible, his swordwork impecable and forceful, aiming to maim and leave debilitating wounds on Kyuuzou. The day waned and Kyuuzou's strength became greater, and he watched as Toshiyo tired, even with demon-granted strength and stamina. He was still human, and so the darkness did not strengthen him, but rather limited him, for human nightvision could not compete with a demon's. Toshiyo's strokes became tired, slower, his strength worn down to the quick, while Kyuuzou had conserved what little energy he had managed to draw from the day, not responding to Toshiyo's threats, snears, and questions, and kept his movements light, small, and smooth. Kyuuzou finally hit the nerve he had been straining to get at for a solid hour, and, as the sun dissapeared beneath the horizon, he watched Toshiyo crumple before him, surprise on his face.
"What...have you done to me?"
Kyuuzou merely smiled faintly. "I will not make the same mistake."
With that, he plunged his sword into Toshiyo's heart, andripped it out with a flick of his sword, making sure that Toshiyo was very, very dead.
He found the keys to Kanbei's chains hidden in a corner of the cave, and unlocked him, only to drop the keys and slump against him, his breathing labored.
"I...won."
"Yes, you did," Kanbei whispered softly, and held the shaking demon to his chest, resting his chin on Kyuuzou's hair.
'But at what cost to yourself?'
He slowly felt Kyuuzou's shaking lessen, and the younger man pulled away, his eyes the only feature of him visible in the deepening darkness. He sheathed his swords, and watched as Kanbei did the same for his, before taking Kanbei's head and beginning to lead him out of the cave. Kanbei felt Kyuuzou's grip tighten almost painfully, and barely caught him in time to keep him from hitting the stone floor.
"Kyuuzou!"
Kanbei watched as the marks that branded Kyuuzou as a demon began to glow moreand more brightly until they seemed to be more substantial than Kyuuzou.
"no..." Kanbei heard the man in his arms moan softly.
"What's wrong?"
Kyuuzou turned to face the entrance of the cave and, with the gaping cavity in his chest, Toshiyo stood before them, and slowly, slowly, the human body twisted and contorted into something that made Kanbei shudder and Kyuuzou pale.
They were now going to meet the Demon who had brought Kyuuzou back to life.