CHAPTER XIII
A Journey to the Beginning
Standard Disclaimer Applies.
"Why you, devil!" Daira cried. "How could you hurt the children?!"
"Rats, you mean." Their assailant sneered menacingly.
"Evil bastard!"
The large man laughed showing his equally large teeth. His canine teeth were one could compare that of a dog. His narrow face added to his beastly features.
"I know I am and I'm paid for that."
Daira's face contorted with disgust and despair.
"Where is that piece of scum Takatori?" he asked pointing the tip of his weapon at Daira's face.
"Do you really think I would tell?" Daira answered with half defiance.
"Ahh… you're half a challenger, are you? Lemme' measure that defiance with this girl's head."
He shifted his katana to point directly above the still unconscious child.
"Don't!" She cried.
"Then where?" He growled.
With a her last ounce of defiance and desperate attempt to save the children, Daira felt for the only weapon she could find, the dagger tucked inside her obi. She swung with every intention to stab the large man.
Her act however became fruitless when the motion of the stab was blocked by his large arm sending the dagger flying and clanged noisily at the cold floor.
A loud slap on her cheek followed the sound of her failed attempt. She landed face down atop her son.
"Fool!!! You intend to kill me with that toy!!! You wrench!!! I'll kill you and these little vermin!"
"Stop!!! I can tell you where Takatori is!" Toshiki cried fearfully.
"Toshiki!!!" Daira called the child's attention unbelievingly and clamped her hand over his mouth. "You will NEVER betray the Takatoris," she reprimanded him with cold, rigid words.
"But…"
"NEVER," Daira said again.
"Now, now… Was there something you wanted to tell me, boy? Or have you forgotten you have tongue?" The assailant stood towering above him and Daira.
"Should I remind you then?" The tip of his katana was poised above them.
"Run," she whispered to him. "As fast as you can."
"Kaasan," Toshiki's wide terrified eyes began to water.
"Save yourself. Promise me you will live until you will be with the Takatoris."
Her eyes on him were fierce, commanding yet gentle, full of love a mother could give. And yet, Toshiki could sense a faint regret within her gaze. A hint of apology and maybe, guilt? What for?
Daira wasn't thinking anymore of the impending danger. The moment was too late anyway to do anything else.
"Oh Kami, save the children, save them. Hisana-…Onee-sama…why? The children have nothing to do with all these… Nothing at all! Can't you spare them?"
The second her teardrop came falling to land Toshiki's cheek, the enemy's katana came piercing through Daira's heart and the space between her and Toshiki. The tip of the weapon amazingly stopped less than a centimeter away from scratching the skin of his chest.
Another teardrop from Daira's dying eyes fell at Toshiki's other cheek. She smiled at him, thick blood oozed out from her mouth.
"Save… your…s-self… Taka-to-ri…." Another teardrop and then her eyes went dull.
Any other thought fled from Toshiki's consciousness. There was nothing, his whole body was in a state of void. There was nothing, not even the tiniest spark to summon a scream, a tear, a bitter pain or even a shock. He was waiting, actually waiting for the inevitable. For the katana that killed Daira to pierce his flesh too. Yet, there was nothing. Only when his eyes rose to find his father in the place of his mother's killer did he realized why the inevitable hadn't come for him. His father was able to save him at the very exact second.
Kazuo knew, too, that if he had been a second later, Toshiki would have been killed. And that thought would forever remind him, too, that he was a second too late to saving Daira.
"Tou…san," Toshiki uttered almost inaudibly.
It took Kazuo a few more moments to find his words.
"Move." His voice was hollow. He lifted Daira's lifeless form and gently pressed his forehead to hers.
Toshiki watched how his father hadn't spilled a tear but his eyes was dull and cold which equaled that of Daira's dead stare. Slowly, Kazuo closed her eyes and ever so gently made her lean at the wall as if her lifeless body was that of a glass. Fragile and cold.
"I'll come back." Kazuo whispered in her ear, hoping that somehow she's still capable of hearing. He stared at her face long enough to memorize her features, for the last time.
His gaze shifted to the unconscious children and then to Toshiki.
"Are you alright?"
Toshiki nodded. "B-But K-Keishi-s-sama was h-hurt. H-Hime-chan, too." He was stammering and Toshiki couldn't understand why tears had yet to fill his eyes.
Kazuo moved to take Keishi's pulse.
Still breathing, slow but steady, he thought to himself. Then he placed two fingers at the little girl's delicate neck. Her pulse is irregular. She wasn't attacked like her brother yet her condition seemed worse then Keishi. Kazuo couldn't be sure what damage the girl acquired.
"Umehara-san."
A breathless Minamoto followed by Otsuki came to Kazuo's side.
"We heard a girl's cry. We came down here to find it." Minamoto's stare moved around to see the scenario and found the lifeless body of Umehara Daira leaned at the wall, a katana still in its position where it killed her.
"Umehara-san, gomen…."
Kazuo closed his eyes and heaved a ragged sigh in response. When he opened his eyes, he was already on his feet.
"Let's get moving."
"The enemy had already penetrated the lobby. They're everywhere inside the upper portion of the mansion," Otsuki informed.
"Then we can't afford to be delayed. The young lord needed medical attention the soonest." As he said this, he lifted Keishi carefully. "Minamoto-san, take the little. She's fainted but her pulse is irregular."
"Yes, sir."
"Otsuki-san, guard our back."
"Yes, sir."
"Toshiki, stay beside me."
Toshiki, amazed at his father's self imposed discipline, could barely nod a response. He looked at his mother one last time.
"Kaasan…"
"This can't be!" Otsuki uttered in horror. "Somebody else has gone before us."
"The lord is in danger," Minamoto finished.
"Let's not waste time. They could be needing us now. Riku-san's a good swordsman but he can't stand so long outnumbered. Just be careful, they could be around."
"Prepare for an ambush attack, you mean," Minamoto suggested.
"Whatever happens, go ahead and save the children. They can't die here." Kazuo's eyes found Toshiki's blank stare. The boy's still in a state of shock but hadn't realized it yet. His heart felt a tiny pinch at the fact that Toshiki wasn't even given enough time to understand the grief he was feeling.
"I'll go first, then." Kazuo said finally.
"Be careful, Umehara-san."
They had traced the narrow passage cautiously. Toshiki's scared eyes scanned every corner of the darkened way until a small light came in view ahead of them.
"We are near the mouth of th cave. Prepare yourselves." Kazuo's grip on his sword tightened and his eyes strayed a watchful gaze at Toshiki for a second.
As soon as they had emerged, they had been confronted with shock finding their fallen comrades. Akira Riku was the only one left standing beside the Takatori lord who had already taken up sword to fight.
"How could this number of them came before us?!" Otsuki exclaimed in disbelief.
"This is no time to be astounded. Minamoto-san, secure the children. Otsuki, take lady Akina away from the crossfire first."
"Hai."
"What about you?" Minamoto asked.
Kazuo's gaze dropped to meet Toshiki's eyes bearing the same question Minamoto uttered.
"I'll relieve the lord and open a way for him to escape with you. Riku-san and I will restrain the enemies' advance to buy you time for escape. I trust you two to bring the family out from here.
"Understood."
Kazuo found Toshiki's wary eyes again.
"Bear with me, Toshiki. You must go. Don't waste your life after Daira just died for it. Live on."
Toshiki's eyes finally started to fill with unshed tears. But then, he was startled to hear his father's firm command.
"Go."
And they all went their separate ways. Toshiki glanced back at his father who had already drawn out his second sword approaching the crowd that had surround Takatori Tanjirou.
"I won't be looking back anymore if I were you, kid."
He looked up hearing Minamoto's words. Toshiki stared up at him who had his arms full of the two unconscious Takatori children.
"I'd rather remember him giving those encouraging words than…."
Minamoto purposely trailed off. And Toshiki understood. Understood too well. But what suppose to be his father's encouraging words, were also a horrible reminder of how his mother met her end in front his very eyes.
"Kazuo-san, hang in there. We are almost near."
Akira Riku looked worriedly at his comrade whose weight he was supporting.
"Aa. I hope they made it."
"I'm sure they did. We haven't met enemies this far."
After long minutes of following the trail, they finally arrived at the opening.
"We're here. You go up first, Kazuo-san. I'll support you."
"Aa."
Both were surprised when two hands extended to him from above the opening.
"Minamoto! Otsuki!"
"Took you so long," Otsuki grinned at them.
"I'm glad you made it, Umehara-san." Minamoto on cue from the other man hauled their leader up after securing a tight grip on his arms.
Akira followed out of the opening with the same helped from the two.
"The lord?" Kazuo asked, coughing out blood just by the smallest effort.
"Man, you sure are a worrier. They are fine, you are not."
"How about the children?"
"The young lord's cut was deep but he'll make it through, although he would take long to recover. What's worrying the doctors is the girl."
"What about her?" Kazuo prodded.
"Kazuo-san, let us take you first for medication before anything else." Riku offered.
"Aa."
"She's still unconscious." Minamoto supplied. "If she merely fainted then she should have awaken by now but she's not. And her heartbeat's still irregular. The doctors said she still needs to be watched over for several days. They couldn't grasp yet what's happening with her."
"Umehara-san! Akira-san!" Takatori Tanjirou met them at the station's entrance.
"Forgive me, Takatori-sama, I failed you. The children were hurt because of my delay."
Kazuo fell to his knees despite being supported by his comrades.
"No, my friend, you did well. We're safe now."
Takatori Tanjirou, despite being the lord, had always considered Umehara Kazuo an older brother who is five years his senior and a year older than his own brother.
Tanjirou's brother, who have gone his own way to pursue the medical field rather than succeeding the family despite serious disagreement with their father, can only help him where family matters are concerned. It was Umehara's advice Tanjirou sought when it comes to political concerns.
"Bring him in quickly," Tanjirou ordered. The others led the two wounded men to a small quarter provided by the station for them.
Upon entering the hall, they heard a ruckus behind them and turned to find one of the assasins standing among the fallen police guards.
"Found you." The sinister grin crossed his mouth as he threw his katana flying straight to his target.
In a matter of second, without much thought and despite his ebbing strength, Kazuo lunged himself in front Tanjirou, catching that fatal blow with his own body.
The moment stood still until Toshiki's stammering call broke the ice that had frozen time.
"T-tou-s-san…" was all the boy could mutter with eyes dilated in disbelief and shock.
In rage, Otsuki and Akira went after the assassin despite Tanjirou's forbidding order.
Akina, hearing the commotion outside the quarter, set out only to find his husband on his knees, supporting a dying Umehara Kazuo. Her eyes found a shock-stricken Toshiki just beside the door. At the sight of the boy looking at his dying father, Akina's heart was broken instantly that the first thing she did was to engulf the boy in her arms and closed his eyes with her palm to block the sight of horror in front him. He had seen enough, no, too much in a single day. Her children were lucky because despite their present condition, they are safe and their unconscious state save them from witnessing the terrible things that had happened. And they would have to wake up with their parents still beside them.
But this boy, he was consciously aware that he just lost everything and even witnessed how he lost his everything.
"Takatori-sama…" Kazuo's words were merely a breath.
"Hai."
"This… isn't over y-yet." Kazuo coughed more blood.
"Don't say anything anymore," Tanjirou muttered.
"Listen... it's not over yet..." The dying man in his arms insisted.
"I don't understand, Kazuo."
"Be strong. Protect them. Someone vengeful…" The dying man's breathing had become ragged now.
"What do you mean, Kazuo?" Tanjirou was more confused.
"Find out… the truth…" Kazuo's dying gaze shifted to settle at the boy in Akina's arms. His eyes then met Akina's and regarded her for a moment before they came to stare back at the boy.
"T-taka-t-to-ri…" was Kazuo's last word before his breath became even until it was nothing.
Akina found her husband's eyes staring at her with the same puzzle as her own. But through the haze of confusion, she could never mistake what she saw in Kazuo at the moment their eyes met. He had tried to silently communicate his thoughts to her. And she was able to read through his death-veiled eyes. Relief. Guilt. Apology.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A/N : Sorry for the delay guys. I'm quite tied up with work right now. I wanted to thank those who have added me and my fic to their favorites. Thank you so much!!! Domo arigatou gozaimasu. Maraming Salamat po. Daghang Salamat. (^.~)