Disclaimer --- I don't own Samurai 7
Tomoe took in some deep cleansing breathes to steady herself. She had never seen so many Nobuserei. The anxiety of the villagers worsened as torches were passed down the line, to lit accelerant soaked arrows.
Tomoe stood next to Manzo for convenience; knowing the man would not stay at his post long enough to use all of his arrows. Tomoe waited, quiet and relaxed in the same fashion she did when she hunted; her mind reduced the Nobuserei to prey. When the machines reached the half way point, Kanbei ordered the first barrage. A river of fire besieged the intruders.
And when the first ship sank the farmers let out cheers of joy. However, the sounds of victory did not last long. The village set about preparing for phase two of he Kanbei's plan.
Tomoe tried to stay focus on her task, but the odd sensation of foreboding kept distracting her. She kept thinking about what if everything wrong, and she did not say good bye. She raced to the area where rice bundles were being prepped.
"Wait! I'll finish that one"
"But I am almost done", one of the village men was standing over the have packed rice bundle.
A capped head popped up "Hey Tomoe, come to wish me luck. Let her strap me if she wants"
Takashi stepped away to make way for the girl, who solemnly set about tying the bundle.
"What, no pep talk? I'm disappointed, Tomoe."
Tomoe exhaled deeply before looking down at him. "Don't make me waste my tears".
She closed the package not giving him any time to respond. Inside that bundle Heihachi had the biggest grin on his face. He could see the worry in her face, hear it in her voice, and found it oddly flattering to his ego.
Tomoe perched herself on a branch, will hidden in the tree line to watch the conspiracy unfold. The ship had taken off and paused just on the other side of the ravine. Tomoe jumped down and sprinted in the direction for the falling ship. Her eyes bulged as the ravine was illuminated by flames. Her legs went cold and numb with fear. Her eyes hastily scanned the surround area looking for any sign of life.
A small hand took her and tried to pulled her away, "It is not wise to stand a the edge, daughter"
"Why?"
"You don't know what may follow them up"
"I can cover their retreat better at this distant" She snapped back him, eyes filled with a jumble of anxiety and deadly zeal.
The elder's eyebrows twitched, at this sudden show of emotion.
"You worried, girl?"
The question made her shrink, and recover her flaccid persona, "isn't everyone?" she says plainly.
"So like your mother" the elder mumbled, "That samurai, he has feelings for you?"
"I don't know"
"You have feelings for him?"
"I don't know, and it doesn't matter."
"I think it would be good for you, if you find out." The elder said before leaving her at the cliff's edge.
Tomoe finally tore her eyes from the vacant scene and walk back to the village, until she the heard uproar.
"They're back, they're all back!"
Tomoe let out a sigh of relief.
Storm clouds rolled over head as the village made preparations for the finally battle. Without warning a clattering sound shook but the earth and sky. The storm made it hard to distinguish between the Nobuserei attack and the rolling thunder.
Tomoe and a few others has only had narrowly escaped the first shoot. The blast had destroyed Tomoe's equilibrium. Sitting in the mud she stared blankly at her surrounding, the ringing in her ears drowned out all sound. There where more flashes of light and the ground rumbled beneath her. Had it not been for the steady rain, keeping the numbness and desire sleep at bay, she would have missed the rest of the battle. There was another flash and more rumbling. Tomoe dragged herself up and began a haggard trek back to the village. Following the rivers path she encountered Kanna's besieged dam. Weaving through the debris Tomoe, spotted a pair of cracked goggles in the crowd; fighting the mud and sore muscles she ventured closer, to find that the sluggish creature had also been wounded.
"Hiyashida – dono, wait let me help you."
Heihachi paused to look behind him, "I'm okay, it's just a flesh wound. I got sloppy."
Tomoe gave him a scrutinizing glare, she could a barely make out his words over the buzzing in her head. They were a pitiful team, haphazardly killing the enemy as they neared the village.
Heihachi and Tomoe just cleared the main street before being attacked again,
"Tomoe get down" Heihachi ordered her, bringing down his sword on the head of the ambushing bandit. Using the dead weight of the unit, as a projectile, Heihachi sent it hurtling into its accomplice. A third bandit came at the samurai, sword drawn and ready to deal a deadly blow. Rendered off balance by his deteriorating condition the samurai was open to attack. Tomoe lurked forward tackling Heihachi to the ground. The assailant slid several yards away missing his target, only to be cut down by Gorebei.
"You've got to be kidding me, you're wounded and she's shell shocked"
"Could be worse, we could be dead," Heihachi joked; a joke that would become a reality, for the daredevil samurai.
It happened in the space of the mere moments. That scarred face that had loomed over the paired smiling, one moment was gone the next. The Nobuserei general had aimed his cannon at their leader. Without hesitation Gorebei stood in the missile's path, which split in the Samurai wake. However, not even Gorebei was able to dodge the fall out from the explosion.
Heihachi shook his fallen comrade; a futile attempt to bring him back from the grip of death.
"Gorebei-dono!? Gorebei, wake up?! Gorebei-dono?!"
There is a hand on his arm. It pulls at him, but he cannot let go. The hand pulls harder; he is too weak to resist. That hand belongs to a pair of intense red eyes.
Hypnotic red pools guided him away; away from the rain, death, blood and sorrow. There were voices saying things, but none of it matter. Warm hands were the only communicators he could comprehend, as they cleanse and dress his wounds. To weak to do anything other than lay there he let the warmth lull him to sleep.
The night changed to dawn, and Heihachi began to rouse from his tranquil slumber. Against the screaming agony of sore muscles and bruised flesh, his mind said it would be alright to move. However the stitches and bandages, beneath a koi covered yukata, commanded him otherwise.
There was a faint rustling in the room, causing the samurai to open his eyes. The house is warm and scarcely lit; the fire's embers illuminate the milky eyes of the village elder.
"How do you fell, great Samurai?"
"I am alive," Heihachi tries to sit up, but the elder gestures for him to stay put.
"I want to thank you."
"No need, just doing our job"
" 'Though I am grateful to you all for protecting Kanna, I am thanking you for whatever it is that you have done to my daughter"
That statement carried enough force to loose all the webs of sleep, "Huh?!"
The elder rose from his mat to leave, "I think she is smitten with you. If you want her, I have got no problems with it" he said gingerly exiting the house.
Heihachi could have gone the rest of his life without having some girl's father telling him that. He first chance for mental down time, had just been ruined. He lay there, unfocused for a moment and seriously contemplate what life would be like if he took the old man up on his offer.
Just as he was getting his mind back on track, he was ambushed. Several of Kanna's young and available had taken turns to come a visit the village hero. Heihachi patiently endured their accolades at first, but by the fifth one he was growing irritated. They were full of unnecessary flattery and chatter, just like the grandmas'. Yet he maintained his polite and benevolent composure, which encouraged the groupies to persist. In his mind he thought of them as rabbits. They had undoubtedly hidden during the battle, and now that it was safe, resurfaced to flaunt themselves. Although well aware that they would have been a useless hindrance, he could not stop the feeling of agitation. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he heard a familiar voice outside.
He pictured those intense eyes, and his smile broadened, saved. Unfortunately the girl next to him took his changed demeanor as something more and attempt to spoon fed the samurai.
"Treating him like a child is not going to get him to marry you Misao"
Misao frowned when she saw Tomoe enter the room. "As if you would know how to treat a wounded hero, besides, I'm sure the samurai would rather have me take care of him than an ugly old tree like you."
Tomoe sneered "This tree is the one who dragged him the battle, you twit."
Heihachi opened one eye curious as to if he would witness a catfight, and if he the strength to get out of the way.
Misao turned to Heihachi pouting, "You poor man, she forced you here, didn't she? Tomoe's always been a bully. You don't have to put up with that, if you stay at my house."
Tomo rolled her eyes, mumbling, "You idiot don't you get it, he's injured"
This senseless competition had to stop, and there was only one way to do that.
Tomoe knelt beside Heihachi, pulled his hand to cradle her chin. Once passive red eyes morphed into soft and admiring, "Heihachi, please tell her leave, or I will never be able to take care of you properly."
The pair was the picture perfect image of and adorning couple, which is exactly what Tomoe wanted.
Heihachi played along, "I'm sorry Misao, but Tomoe demands my undivided attention"
Misao was flabbergasted, and left the elder's house posthaste.
Tomoe exhaled, "You still look pale, are you cold?"
"Not right now," he hinted to the fact that she was still holding his hand.
She promptly pulled away her hand to pull back his comforter and yukata. Once the bandages were retracted, she examined the stitches. However, Tomoe observations included a through evaluation of her patient's pictorial and abdominal muscles. This liberal scan did not go unnoticed by the patient.
Heihachi decided to tease her a bit, "Your father says I can have you if I want,"
She tensed up for a moment, "You're too weak to be having anyone, great samurai."
"I should be able rise by tomorrow" He gave her devious grin.
"I know you like to stare at my legs, but I did not think you were a lecher", she said coyly
"If I were, lecherous, would it change you opinion of me? "
"Probably not", she said playfully.
"You know falling for a guy like me is a bad idea",
Tomoe put his covering back in order before addressing him.
"And just why would I fall for a sloppy Samurai like you, Heihachi?"
Heihachi lay there staring up at her, She thinking I'm kidding.
She started to laugh at his serious expression. "Don't fall for me, really Heihachi. We could be dead and buried just like Gorebei, and you're worried about being given your pick of village girls?"
"Tomoe, I'm serious. I can't be anything to you, not even a friend. "
Tomoe sobered into a smirk, and crawled under the comforter with him. It had been a long night, of worry, cleaning, nausea, headaches, and now this, exhaustion hit her like a Nobuserei ship.
"Tomoe what are you doing?" He started to protest, but when their eyes meet he was silenced. Those red pools were mocking him and his efforts. Indeed the girl beside him had changed.
"I trust you, Heihachi, no matter our relationship."
Heihachi stared back at her, trying to think of something else to say; anything to make her change back into the lackluster girl from the orphanage. But all that came out was: "So you're not mad?"
"Mad about what?"
"Me, looking"
"Baka, I m going to sleep"
The samurai watched her drift off, wondering how let himself get attached.