Wow... its been so long I'm so sorry TT-TT after all this time I realized I needed to get my behind in gear and finish this story! I have no excuses aside from having writer's block and being lazy... I pulled a George R.R Martin JK. Well here we go Chapter 13 Ps there is a lot of bad spelling sorry just bare with me i rushed to get this done.

Chapter 13: Recovery

Storming down the halls of a grand manner, following the events that had transpired at Kanana village, Takamasa walked into a room full of merchants. "I have great new s for you gentlemen!" he exclaimed as he took a seat along side them. " Kanana village is preparing for war."

"War what did you do you scoundrel?!" one of the merchants rose from his place to lecture him.

"Now now my lord please take your set, Takamasa only did as I instructed him too." At the far end of the seating sat the highest and most powerful of the merchants, Lord Makiyato. his power and influences was second to none, aside from that of the old Amanushi himself.

"But Makiyato. the capital fought against the samurai and that village and lost!" with his statement the rest of the merchant lords began to mumble among themselves in agreement to the standing lords words. But Lord Makiyato would have none of it.

"The capital fell at the hands of an overconfident child playing the role of Amuanushi!" in rage to the comment made he walked towards the lord who had created the seen. "how can we rise above the failures Ukiyo disgraced us with? The samurai and those villagers will now their place. this Age of merchants will not be diminished by the failure one clone!"

Takamasa sat listening to every word his lord spoke. He was not unaware that he himself was one of the Amanushi's clones. he did not care for the political aspects of the world. When he came to Makiyato years ago he only had one thing in mind and that was the urge to start chaos among the world. Unlike Ukiyo Takamasas resolve to plounge the world into his vision was not out of spit or the ideology of a better world, no his resolve was different. After all he was indeed just as cunning but far more wicked than Ukiyo, all events that seem to transpire the way the merchants envisioned was the trickery of takamasa. blaming kanna putting fear and power in a man with a means to go to war.

"If that is your case than should we not dispatch our alliance with one of the old Amanushi's clones?" Question Joro Minister of coin and wealth. " How much did war cost us in the past Makiyato?" He stood from his place. "Our Land, Our economy, our people, do you so wish to repeat the past so carelessly? what have you not learned, are you so quick to undo all the merchants have achieved for the sake of pride? those below us know our standing will will look to us as they have the past seven years. with war all and any samurai will stand with peasants to fight because this will be an unjust war lead by Fea-" before LOrd Joro finished his speech to convince all other lords put an end to a soon to be war one of takamasa's men silenced him with a dagger to the throat. All the merchants panicked in fear.

"M-makiyato-sama? Joro-sama has... has been..."

"He has been dispatched..." Makiyato walked towards the dying man, pulling the dagger from his neck. " The war will begin know and those of you who chose to leave please do so now..." with that a few for the merchants got up to leave the room but where also killed but takamasas men. those few stayed seated. " very well for those who stay you will be rewarded the the lands and wealth of the others."

"but how will we tell the people?"

"simple... the same way the war ukiyo created... it was a ronin samurai." takamasa smile wickedly. "unlike ukiyo we will get rid of the one to blame before any questions are asked."

"but how do you plan on doing that?" with a snap of his finger takamasa brought in a samurai unconscious, placing him in the center of the scene covering him in blood.

"put a face to the crime and let him run we are the witnesses to this heinous crime the saviors to tell what this samurai did. who will the people trust? The stain of the capital will be recovered by the fall of the samurai"

with that they left leaving the samurai to wake in a pool if blood and a crime he was unaware he committed.

...

Back in kanna Kirara lay in her bed fighting an illness still undisclosed to the seven samurai. Kambei stayed close only to leave when he was not need or amara would come to aid the former water prietest. Komachi also stayed using her dowsing crystal to help her sister. a day and night she sat with kambei and telling him the story of her sister. as kirara slowly came too the less and less Kambei came to her side giving her the space she needed to continue regaining her strength.

the me in the village worked day and night following the orders of the war torn 7 samurai. heihachi did what he could with the help of gorbei, making weapons and defenses. shiroji took command when ever kambei was away. kyuzo and katsushiro trained both samurai and peasants alike.

"you know you never told us what the high walls and gates around the village was for rickichi." roji came up to said man and waited for an answer.

with a sigh rickichi came and stood next to his old friend and commrade. "about 7 years ago we had a group of men come through the village. they were kind and generous with everyone... then" he paused taking his mind back to that place. "then one night while sanea and i were sleeping one of hem came into our room." he paused, shichiroji listened to his friends story and waited for him to continue. "our son was just born and seana wanted kirara to help wit hour son at the time. he was coming down with a fever so she would from time to time hold the crystal above him to help sooth him though the night. but this time when out son woke to crying kirara came just in time to save seana and myself." he paused and began to cry. "she didn't have to if she hadn't she wouldn't have felt so strongly about be coming a samurai herself. "

"rickichi!" roji grab his friend my she shoulders "it wasn't your fault rickichi.."

"but -" he had been cut off but before he could continue.

"She picked up the sword because she wanted too..." repeating the words that had been spoken to the young water priestess years ago kambei entered that conversation with his eyes down and a sorrow look across his face." the path she now walks is not for the faint of heart rickichi i sure you understand. but we need her more than ever either as a priestess or as a samurai."

entering the room came Katsushiro and kyuzo with the report on the training, having over heard his old sensei katsushiro voice is thought. "she shouldn't be fighting in the battle or even fighting at all sensei."

"sensei?' kambei questioned with a smile on his face " so you think she is unable to defend herself?"

"in her current state yes. but a woman shouldn't be carrying a sword she can barely use..."

Loud laughter erupted behind katsushiro and a large hand rested itself with all its weight on his shoulders. " well well boy is it me or have you never seen a female samurai in your life." the rest of the room chuckled. "why back in the great war there were many women fighting along side us. got my ass handed to me a few time though i will admit i was distracted but such beauty." goreobei pronounced

kambei and roji smiled as the recalled those times as well. " im not surprise thought katsushiro." shichiroji added on. " many of those woman that made it out of the war settaled down or just wondered. and found better work away from a war torn capital."

"look at the end of the day she is a samurai. " heihachi rolled into the room following goregobei.

"iI get that heihachi-dono. i just dont..."

"you just don't get why a priestess would want to become a samurai." Richichi chuckled befoe he comtinued. " she was back into a corner she only had one way out and that was through another person so save my family." everyone sat quietly as richihci put his head down. "from that day on kirara couldn't not hear the water spirits. her ability as a priestess was no more. for a time she simply lived with what she had done. but that day..."

silence filled the room. kambei closed his eyes and gave a simple statement. " Recovery is possible with time."

..