"tahomaru…. Tahomaru! Wake up!" Tahomaru awoke to Dororo's shouts and shaking him, before Tahomaru could even respond, Dororo shouted: "Its Aniki!..." and that was all Tahomaru needed to hear.
Tahomaru jumped to his feet before Dororo could finish, but the sharp pain in his stomach caused him to fall back down onto the bed.
"You have to be careful" Dororo reminded him with concern, "or your wounds will reopen" she then leaned closer to him and began to explain the situation; "they found Aniki last night, with lord Daigo"
"What!?" Tahomaru exclaimed with alarm, "Father was with him? What was he doing to him!?"
"I think" continued Dororo, seemingly not believing the words herself, "that Daigo was rescuing Aniki..."
"Rescuing him? Are you sure?"
"That's what Aniki said… although he didn't say much?"
"Hyakkimaru said…? then where is my father!?"
Dororo began these next words the way she would have ripped off a bandage: "He's dead Tahomaru… He..." Dororo began to trail off now, her voice became watery; "He died rescuing Aniki!"
Tahomaru's eyes widened, and he sat up straight in bed as he let this sink in… "Father… you..." He did not really know what to feel at this point, his lips formed into a smile, and tears began to roll down his cheeks. He was going to need some time to process all of this, but the current matter at hand; was the well-being of his brother.
He made a second attempt to get out of bed, this time, he did it slower, and more carefully.
Dororo now jumped to her feet, "Hey! Take it easy Tahomaru!"
Tahomaru got to his feet and wobbled a bit at first, but Dororo grabbed his elbow and provided support.
The two of them made their way down the hall, to the room where Hyakkimaru was recuperating, they found him there; his eyes still red, and nose still runny from crying, he was sitting upright on his bed as Jukai examined his fractured ribs, Hyakkimaru would let out a wince or a whimper whenever the Doctor touched a place where there was a break.
Tahomaru and Dororo both rushed in to see him, but to Tahomaru's shock, upon seeing his face, Hyakkimaru grabbed onto Jukai's cloak and buried his face into it.
Jukai looked at Tahomaru apologetically; "he is still in shock, please let him rest".
When they had returned to Tahomaru's room, they both sat down uneasily on his bed, "I don't think I've ever seen Aniki so weak, eh?.. Tahomaru…"
Dororo now noticed that Tahomaru was shaking like a leaf, his fist trembled, and his lips quivered, and his eyes were filled with anger, so much so, that Dororo jumped back at seeing them.
"Did you see him? Dororo" Tahomaru asked; his voice was calm, but strained with rage, "Did you see him!?" He asked again.
"Look Tahomaru, I don't want you to worry, Aniki is still strong, he will get through this"
"They did that… to my brother, and I…"
"Don't blame yourself for this!" Dororo cried now sensing where he was going with this.
"I was right there when they took him!" Tahomaru exploded, "I was there and I couldn't do a thing! Those bastards tortured my brother and I just ran away!" Tears of anger began to fall from his eyes.
"In the end" he continued, his voice breaking, "my father of all people had to do what I couldn't do, just like… just like he always had!"
"Stop it!" Dororo protested "Aniki wanted you to run! You said it yourself! Have you stayed you would have been killed or captured yourself! And then no one would have told us what happened in time! We might have been too late to save Aniki!"
But Tahomaru wasn't listening, he buried his face in his hands; "I'm so pathetic, I couldn't protect them and I couldn't protect my brother either, they all had to protect me."
"You mean Mutsu and Hyogo?"
Dororo regretted her question immediately after she asked it.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?"
Dororo started to back off, but then Tahomaru took his hands from his face and bald them into fists. "Dororo," he asked.
"How many demons did my brother have to fight to get his body back"
"I.. I can't remember exactly how many…" but then she noticed the look on Tahomaru's face yet again, he didn't have to say it, Hyakkimaru had fought, toiled, struggled and successfully taken back from the demons; his skin, his limbs, his spine, his ability to speak and all of his five senses except for his sight, Tahomaru already felt guilty about his life costing Hyakkimaru that; but now another demon had taken his brother's peace of mind.
He was determined to get it back.
Daigo Kagemitsu was cremated on the same hill as his ancestors, ever since they had established themselves in that part of Ishikawa province.
His death was very much like his life; formal, and cold. Nearly all of the attendees were other lords, allies, and strategic partners, who attended his funeral out of political necessity, none of them were his friends.
Other than these officials, diplomats, and the obligatory priest, the attendees consisted of Lady Nui, her servants, Dororo, Lord Daigo's two sons, and Dr. Jukai, who carried Hyakkimaru as he was still unable to walk properly with his injuries.
The funeral proceeded and concluded with the utmost formality. The priest chanted their Buddhist chants, and Daigo Kagemitsu's body was set ablaze inside his coffin, and when all had been done, everyone returned to their homes.
Only two people stayed behind as the glowing embers died; Lady Nui no Kato, and Tahomaru.
"Father didn't love my brother, did he mother?"
"No, Tahomaru, but in a way, it's relieving, your father was a stubborn man, he will not even consider that he had been mistaken, but now he has redeemed himself. He died to save the son he had wronged, I truly believe that your father's spirit will ascend to *Tengoku "
"Mother… did father, really love me"
"Of course he did, my son. Your father may not have always loved Hyakkimaru, I wasn't even sure whether or not he loved me, but he always loved you Tahomaru, that is beyond doubt"
"Mother…" he said the determination in his voice rising, "I am going to get revenge, I swear before you and before my father's grave that I am going to get revenge."
"How are you feeling today brother? Better?" asked Tahomaru by his brother's bedside.
"Better" he responded softly, his knees curled to his chest.
"Do you think… perhaps you want to talk about it?"
Hyakkimaru merely shut his eyes and shook his head before burying it into his knees.
"It's okay brother… It's okay, I am.. We are going to make them pay!"
Hyakkimaru sat up straight and stared at his brother… "Make them pay?... but they are already dead."
"Nimuru isn't, This was all his doing! And he is still alive!"
"But… He is gone, brother… He is gone and he took Jō with him"
Tahomaru now stood up, "Hyakkimaru! You have fought and defeated countless Demons! You were never afraid of anything before! Why are you scared now!?" only a split second after he had shouted did Tahomaru realize he was forgetting himself, Hyakkimaru was still rattled.
"Brother I am so sorry," he said, kneeling back down, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay Brother..." Hyakkimaru responded, "I just…"
"What is it, brother? You can tell me?"
"Why?... why aren't you angry at me?... why are you angry at the demon but not me?... It's my fault that you lost father… it's my fault that you lost-"
"Don't you even say it brother!" Tahomaru spoke firmly, he moved closer to Hyakkimaru and put eased him down onto his bead, "don't you dare blame yourself for anything thats happened, you are my brother, and I won't let Nimuru get away with what he has done, he is the only one left isn't he?"
Hyakkimaru did not respond.
"Just rest now brother, I'm going to make everything right. If you don't want to find Nimuru, and make him pay, then that's alright, you don't have to do anything, just leave it to me."
And with those words he left him there, Tahomaru walked out onto the porch where Dororo sat.
"You are still worried about my Brother?" Tahomaru asked.
"Of course I am! He was like a brother to me too ya'know"
"Well, he is doing better than he was yesterday, but still..." Tahomaru put his hand to his mending stomach; "while my wounds are only physical, Hyakkimaru's are deep within his soul… He's scared..." Tahomaru's fist shook, "Why does this happen to him!? Dororo, why does it seem like my brother always keeps getting the short end of the stick!?"
"Calm down Tahomaru, Aniki is stronger than you think! He made it through terrible things all the time!"
"'Terrible…. Things'?..." both Dororo and Tahomaru whirled around at the sound of Hyakkimaru's voice, he was holding himself up against the doorframe, his yukata hanging loosely on his battered body, his companions could now see just how much weight he had lost, (and neither of them thought he could have gotten any skinnier) but there was a fire in his eyes that wasn't there when Tahomaru had spoken to him only minutes before.
"'Terrible things'" he repeated, "a lot of 'terrible things happened', while I… couldn't know..."
Dororo seemed to understand what he had meant by that, Hyakkimaru having been without his senses most of his life, could not always understand the things that happened around him. Now that he could hear, he was beginning to better understand the world around him, its wrongs included.
"Brother," Tahomaru interjected, "you must go back inside and rest."
"I know now..." Hyakkimaru continued, "What was happening to Mio"
Tahomaru did not understand, but he did notice Dororo's reaction, and it was enough to terrify him.
Dororo clasped her hands to her mouth and her eyes widened in absolute shock. "Aniki..." she said trembling, "Is that?... Is that what they did to you?..."
"No," Hyakkimaru said, "but… almost… If father arrived just a minute later..." he shuttered at the thought, and lost his grip on the wooden door frame, but luckily, Tahomaru reacted quickly and caught him before he fell.
"Brother," Hyakkimaru continued, almost whispering to Tahomaru; "I want to go with you… I want to kill Nimuru with you, we can't let things like this-... things like what happened to Mio anymore..."
"Of course brother. We will kill him together."
Notes: *Tengoku is the Japanese Buddhist version of heaven.