(A\N: I'm sorry for the long wait everyone. :) I hope this chapter can continue to please. :D Most of the chapters will be named after episode in the actual anime, such as this one. Then there will be chapters that are in-between the actual episodes. As I said in the prologue, this chapter begins after they have spoken with Kambei but he refuses to join the group of Samurai. This is right after Kirara was captured by Ukyo and his men.)
Chapter 1
Episodes 2-3
Their breathing was labored as they ran, footsteps echoing across the stone steps. This part of the city was less inhabited—or perhaps all of its residents were merely at the markets. Either way, the streets were relatively empty. Because of this, no one noticed the two samurai running up the flights of stairs, breathing heavily, hands tightened around their sword hilts.
Kikuchiyo was ahead of Katsuhiro, waving his sword around, grumbling curses and threats under his breath about what he was going to do to the mercenaries and the Magistrate's son when they found him.
"Be careful!" Kastushiro called after Kikuchiyo, his gaze worried at the other man's—machine's—overzealous shouts. "We don't have any proof that she was taken!" I can only hope that Kirara-dono has merely wandered off. Perhaps she has found her way back already, while we were out looking for her.
His gaze merely darkened as he continued forward.
"Hey!" Kikuchiyo called back as he continued running. "This only happened because you weren't doing your job!"
Katsuhiro's steps faltered a bit at Kikuchiyo's words, and he blinked, looking down at his feet as he ran to keep up with the machine samurai in front of him.
He's right…I should have been paying more attention! He gritted his teeth in anger, directed at himself more than anyone else. Kirara-dono was right…I am no samurai. I could not even watch one girl. How would I ever help protect Kanna village?
He didn't have time to think about his failure, however, because at that moment they came upon a more populated landing—though it only held a scattering of people here and there. Katsuhiro stopped for a moment to catch his breath, before he let out a choked gasp as Kikuchiyo rushed towards an armored palanquin, sword raised.
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYYAAAAAAA!!" Kikuchiyo yelled as his sword tore through the palanquin's walls.
He could hurt Kirara-dono if she's inside! Katsushiro thought, panicking as he ran forward, just in time to see the palanquin's walls collapse—and caught sight of the young peasant girl sitting inside, eyes wide with fright. She was sitting beside an elegantly dressed man with a painted face and a samurai that he supposed was the man's bodyguard.
But Katsuhiro merely ran forward, sword still sheathed at his hip, even as Kikuchiyo swung his own blade around and pointed it at the men inside of the palanquin.
"Kirara-dono!" Katsuhiro picked her up, jumping away from the cart. "Quickly!"
Kikuchiyo stood in front of the cart, sword raised. "Come on! Let's see what you've got!" He yelled in challenge at Tosai, as Ukyo stared at him in shock.
"Quickly master." Tosai placed a hand on Ukyo's shoulder, directing him backwards towards the other side of the cliff-wall. As soon as Ukyo was safely behind it he called out, "Don't hurt the girl!" And several men ran out from behind it towards Kikuchiyo and Katsushiro.
Kirara stood behind Katsushiro, and she trembled slightly as she looked passed him towards the group of warriors that were advancing on them menacingly. She recognized the machine samurai that had cut off the top of the palanquin as the same one that Kambei had attacked and decapitated before.
One of the mercenaries lifted up a hand and it shot forward, grabbing onto Kikuchiyo's arm and ripping it off. Kikuchiyo let out a small yell of surprise as he took a step backwards, the force of the samurai's hit causing him to be pushed off balance.
"Get her to safety!" Kikuchiyo roared to Katsushiro as he lunged forward to attack the oncoming men.
"Kirara-dono, don't let go of my hand." Katsushiro whispered fiercely, pulling out his sword and holding it in front of them protectively. Kirara stared down at their entwined fingers.
Katsushiro…
"Hai." She merely nodded, tightening her hold.
Three of the men lunged over Kikuchiyo as he barreled towards them. They landed nimbly on the ground, running towards Katsuhiro and Kirara.
One of the men ducked low to the ground as he lunged, getting beneath Katsushiro's guard long enough to grab his sword. Katsushiro let out a grunt, before another man slammed into his back, sending him rolling forwards. He let out a pained gasp as he felt Kirara's hand being ripped violently from his own, before he placed both of his hands to the ground to catch himself. The pavement scraped against his palms, tearing the skin.
"Katsushiro-sama!" Kirara cried out, taking a step towards him, as if unsure of what to do. Katsushiro had fallen…was he hurt? What was going on?
"Damn!" Kikuchiyo hissed as he ducked a sword swipe from one of his own opponents.
Katsushiro finally pushed himself to his knees, breathing heavily as he looked up at Kirara. "Kirara-dono, run!"
Kirara blinked, scared by the look on Katsushiro's face. She hesitated, and in that moment one of the men grabbed her arm.
Katsushiro leaned forward and grabbed Kikuchiyo's severed arm just in time to block a sword swipe from one of the men. He pushed the other man backwards before leaping to his feet, throwing the arm at the man holding Kirara. The arm grabbed the man around the throat and Kirara let out a small cry of fright as she wriggled free of his grasp and ran to Katsushiro.
"Katsushiro-sama!"
She ran behind him as the man with the retractable arm shot it forward. It latched onto Katsushiro's neck and he let out a choked cry as he was slammed into the ground and dragged several feet. He felt the fabric of his shirt tear and the cement pavement scraped his bare shoulder. He could feel wet droplets of blood begin to form.
As the hand squeezed around his throat he managed to yell out, "Hurry Kirara-dono. Go!"
Kirara, who had slumped to her knees in fright as she watched Katsushiro be dragged along the ground hurriedly scrambled to her feet at Katsushiro's desperate plea. She looked frantically for an escape route and found one, hurrying down a ladder. As soon as her feet hit the ground she bounded down the flights of stairs as quickly as she could.
Two of the men ran after her. Kikuchiyo, who had been dealing rather effectively with the other men, grunted as he threw one of them to the ground. Another one flipped away from him and ran towards the ladder. As soon as his hand touched it Kikuchiyo kicked him in the stomach, and he let out a cry before landing at the bottom, sprawled motionlessly at the top of the stair landing.
Kikuchiyo couldn't help but let out a loud, "Ha!" Before giving a small yelp as one of the other men kicked him off of the ledge and onto the small landing as well. He rolled to the side, almost hitting the man he had kicked down earlier. The other men jumped down onto the landing, surrounding him.
Shit.
Katsushiro gave a small gasp as he tried to breath air in through his sore windpipes. The man had almost crushed them. As he stumbled to his feet he saw, in the distance, Kirara running into a large pipe-like tunnel with two of Ukyo's men right behind her.
Kirara-dono!
He jumped off of the ledge, landing behind the ground of men surrounding Kikuchiyo and began running towards where Kirara was. Suddenly the first man Kikuchiyo had kicked off of the landing slammed a wickedly curved blade into the wall in front of him, the edge almost slicing his neck.
Katushiro let out a small gasp.
Her lungs were screaming for air as she stumbled, but righted herself. The tunnel was so dark and she could barely see where she was going. But she had to keep running! If she didn't then Ukyo's men would catch her and then…she didn't want to think about what would happen then.
She saw a small offshoot of the tunnel begin to branch out and she swerved to the right, hoping that this would lead to a way out of the dreadfully dark place.
What if Katsushiro was hurt? And what about that machine samurai? What if they catch me? She blinked the frightened tears from her eyes, panting as she finally saw a flicker of light in the distance.
There!
Her eyes widened in hope and desperation as she ran towards the light with a happy cry. The light became blinding and she blinked furiously before she let out a scream, skidding to a halt, trying to get her body to stop.
The pipe had stopped, and she stood at the very edge, looking down at the expanse of darkness below her. She could see down the cliffsides, at the different levels of the city itself.
Her entire body shook as she unconsciously took a step back from the ledge. As she did so her sandal brushed against a pebble, and it slipped over the edge of the tunnel, falling down. She swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat.
"Come back over here, it's dangerous."
She whirled around, seeing the two men that had been chasing after her. They stood at the mouth of the pipe, the part that was still semi-hidden in darkness.
"Don't do anything stupid. It's a bottomless pit out there."
"If you come with Master Ukyo he'll make sure you get everything you want."
"Not a bad deal, is it?"
Kirara shook her head, looking back down at the ledges and walkways of the city below her.
The people walking on the overhanging bridges were so small…she almost couldn't make out their faces. The wind howled around her and she could only stay frozen in fear. She began to get lightheaded, her vision blurring.
I have to get out of here! I have to!
The men began walking towards her, even as she frantically searched for an escape.
And that was when she spotted him, walking on one of the street-like bridges, his light cloak making him stand out against the colorful garments of the city dwellers. She felt her heart swell with hope. He would save her.
Kambei!
She took a step towards the ledge.
"Hey! Wait!" One of the men saw her intentions and lunged for her, arms outstretched. At that exact moment she jumped off and he missed, his hand just brushing against the edges of her shirt.
The people below them spotted the falling girl. Some pointed, while others scream at the sight, knowing what would happen to the girl when she landed.
Kambei felt a strange rush of wind around him and turned, just as Kirara fell passed the bridge. His eyes widened before he muttered a silent curse in his head as he jumped off of the ledge, acting on instinct.
His heavier body weight made falling down to where she was easier than he had thought, even as the wind whipped past him, blowing his hair into his face and rustling his clothes. The roar it made in his ears made his head ache.
Finally he reached her, grabbing her hand. His eyes looked around for anything they could use to survive, anything they could grab onto.
There!
An elevator car was hurriedly shooting down one of the shafts. Kambei unsheathed his sword quickly and with one fluid movement he cut the cable and it flew off, narrowly missing the two. He and Kirara landed on the top of the elevator car. Kirara slumped to her knees, but Kambei's stance was steady and sure, a balanced crouch.
He looked to the quickly approaching ground and gritted his teeth. They were going too fast to survive the crash if they continued at this speed. The car itself would slam into the ground and they would both die.
He had to find some way to slow the car down.
He slammed his sword into the gears of the elevator car to try and slow it down.
There was a loud screeching noise as they continued downwards, until the sword jerked in Kambei's hands. Kambei gritted his teeth before the tip of the sword snapped off, throwing Kambei off balance as the car once again picked up speed.
Kambei knew they were going to die. He grabbed Kirara in his arms, wondering if he could jump and perhaps shield her from the wall when they landed. He grabbed a hold of his tantō and slammed it into the side of the elevator track wall, and they began falling down, a little slower than the elevator car beneath them. However, their descent was still too fast for any chance of them landing safely.
Kambei dug his tantō deeper into the metal, and the screeching sound that followed made Kirara place her hands over her ears, eyes clenched shut from her place in Kambei's arms. She didn't scream, because she knew, she knew that Kambei would save her.
Kambei let out a small grunt, his grip tightening on his blade's hilt. His arm burned as if on fire, his muscles aching for reprieve as he forced himself to keep holding on as they continued flying down the cliffside.
And then his hands unclenched and he stared in disbelief as his grip loosened and slipped—and he began falling. But it was only several inches before a hand grabbed his outstretched one and they lurched to a stop, dangling in mid-air.
Kambei felt something warm drip down onto his face and hair, and he saw a small red droplet fall onto his light cloak, staining it.
Blood.
He looked up to see the person standing above them, one foot braced against the wall, the other against his tantō's hilt. Their savoir was breathing heavily, their other hand holding onto a thin wire cord. The cord, wrapped around the hand several times, was cutting into the skin, making droplets of blood well up on the metal twine and drip down its length and onto Kambei's upturned face.
He had never seen this person before, as their red-tinted glasses slipped down their long aristocratic nose. The person gave a small grunt as Kirara shifted in Kambei's arms, making them swing a bit.
"Don't move." The person ordered in a soft voice, even if it was a bit strained as the cord continued to cut into his hand. "We're close enough to the ground to jump; can you do so with her in your arms?" Their savoir pointed the question at Kambei, and he only then noticed the soft lilting accent to the warrior's speech.
Kambei looked to the ground to see that it was a long fall, but not bad enough that he would be injured, if he landed correctly. He looked back up at his savoir just as his red-tinted glasses slipped off his nose and fell to the ground below.
He nodded, and the person let go of his hand. Kambei braced himself as the wind blew passed them, and he landed expertly on his feet in a crouch, still holding Kirara in his arms. He stood, placing her on her feet just as their savior landed on the ground in a nimble crouch beside them before standing straight.
Their savior was a samurai, if the long sword strapped to his back was any indication. He was rubbing his shoulder, and they saw him brace himself before pressing a hand to it, and they heard a soft pop. He looked up at their questioned gazes, even as he rolled his shoulder backwards, wincing at the pain the movement caused.
He probably dislocated it. The large jolt when he grabbed me would have been enough to pull it out of its socket. Kambei continued to stare at their savior once more before turning to Kirara, who hadn't taken her eyes off of the entrancing dark-haired samurai who had caught them.
"I told you to go home."
"I believed…I believed that you would save me for sure." Kirara smiled up at him, eyes shining.
Kambei didn't know what to say, as he turned to look at the other samurai, who had gone over to the crushed remains of the elevator car. He slowly pulled out Kambei's sword, and grabbed the shattered end as well, before walking back over to the other two.
He held out Kambei's broken sword, as well as his tantō. Kambei looked up to the cliff to see that there was a small hole where he had dug the blade into the cliff side. Apparently their savior had taken it out of the rock before jumping down to greet them.
Kambei took the weapons with a nod of his head. "Thank you."
The dark-haired samurai merely nodded with another grunt, giving a shrug and then wincing a bit at the twinge of pain in his shoulder.
"Honorable samurai, thank you so much for saving us." Kirara went forward and bowed low on the ground. Kambei saw the dark-haired one's eyes flicker before he crouched down, tilting Kirara's head up.
"Don't bow. I am no samurai."
"But you must be!" Kirara argued back, staring up into his face with a sincere smile. "You carry a sword, and you saved my life even when you did not know who I was. Only a great samurai would do something so selfless."
The man merely looked away, giving another pained shrug. Kirara only then seemed to notice his bleeding hand. "Honorable samurai!" She grabbed the pale appendage before the man could protest, and placed it in her lap, clucking sympathetically at the wounds. She also felt a bit guilty, knowing they had only been received in an attempt to save her. She hurriedly grabbed the edge of her skirt, ripping off a bit of the hem.
She then proceeded to wrap his hand carefully, wondering at the smoothness of his skin beneath her fingertips. They were rough, like those of any warrior, but they still felt soft, like silk. His fingers were long and elegant, just as she pictured a noble samurai's hands to look. And he was undeniably handsome, with a smooth, gentle looking face that made Kirara want to blush slightly.
"I can't clean it here, but please, allow me to treat your wound back where I am staying at the moment. It is the least I can do."
The samurai seemed hesitant, before nodding slowly. "Very well."
Kirara smiled brightly as she finished wrapping the man's bleeding hand.
The dark-haired samurai looked over to Kambei and their eyes locked for a moment. Kambei hadn't known he'd been staring at him till he'd been caught doing so, and he merely gave the other man a nod in greeting.
"I am Shimada Kambei."
"Shao Yanyu." The dark-haired samurai nodded in greeting, before his eyes drifted down to the shattered red lenses of his glasses. He gave a small sigh, picking up the remains and sticking them in his pocket.
"Please…Kambei-dono." Kirara turned to Kambei, "Will you return with us?"
Kambei sighed softly, "I will need to escort you back to the other peasants." He nodded slowly, "Let us go."
Rikichi and Komachi looked up suddenly when they heard soft footsteps. Rikichi stood abruptly, "Water priestess!"
"Oneesan!" Komachi yelled out, wrapping her small arms around her sister's waist as Kirara bent down to hug her as well. Then Komachi blinked, looking at the two samurai behind her sister.
"YOU!" She pointed at Yanyu. Yanyu merely gave her a small nod in acknowledgement.
"Where…is Katsushiro-sama?" Rikichi finally asked.
Kambei merely murmured, "This will be a good time for Katushiro to…reevaluate himself."
The only reaction made to his question was Rikichi's questioning gaze. And no one noticed Yanyu's darkened, thoughtful gaze, now that her glasses no longer hid her chocolate brown eyes.
Katsushiro let out another ragged breath, watching through blurry eyes as Kikuchiyo slammed his sword into the back of one of the mercenaries. He fought so valiantly, yelling out challenges and taunts as he wielded his large sword easily, as if it weight nothing.
All Katsushiro could do was watch, and berate himself for his own weakness.
I am no samurai. I am a fool and a weakling. I couldn't protect Kirara-dono…how…how do I expect to help save a village?
Useless.
Idiot.
He heard the loud, approaching footsteps but didn't feel like looking over at the figure whose shadow now loomed over him.
"Are you still alive?"
At the moment he really wished he wasn't. He was so pathetic. How dare he call himself a samurai?
And he slowly lifted up his hand to see that clutched tightly there was Kirara's necklace.
"You're alive. Let's get moving then." Kikuchiyo grunted out.
Even as he said that, however, he gave a grunt and his gears began groaning, steam pouring from the spall pipe above his mouth.
"Kikuchiyo-dono!" Katsuhiro called out, pushing himself into a sitting position.
Kikuchiyo only gave a loud curse. "Damn piece of junk!"
Katsushiro finally found enough strength to stand. "Kikuchiyo-dono, are you ok?"
"No, I'm not." Kikuchiyo grunted out as if it were perfectly obvious.
"Just as I thought! I expected something like this would happen." Came a call from their left. Both men turned to see an old man, who was smiling softly, tugging on his beard as he watched Kikuchiyo fidget and sparks emanate from his grinding gears.
"Hey there, old man Masamune." Kikuchiyo greeted him, but his voice was anything but cordial. "This thing stopped working again!"
"It's your body, so treat it with more care." Masamune lectured, one hand tucked into the pocket of his grease-stained apron.
"You are…?" Katsushiro began.
Masamune merely snorted, and pointed behind Katsushiro, "Kiddo, get that arm hanging behind you."
Katsushiro's brow furrowed a bit, before he looked behind him in surprise to see that Kikuchiyo's severed arm was hanging from a black wire, blowing rather humorously in the soft breeze.
Katsushiro slowly opened his hand as he walked, gazing down at the pendant he had seen Kirara hold so lovingly before.
"Hey Katsunoji!"
Katsushiro looked up in surprise, to where Kikuchiyo sat in the back of the large pull-wagon that Masamune was laboring behind.
"Quit brooding over that incident."
"Leave him alone for now." Masamune chided the machine samurai, his own voice a biy labored from all the pulling he'd been doing, carting Kikuchiyo's heavy body down the streets. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I think that's best for now."
Katsushiro merely lowered his hand, blocking his view of the crystal as he sighed softly.
"Hey you!"
A blink.
"You sir!"
Katsushiro looked towards the sound of the voice with a confused glance. A tall, dark-skinned man was pointing in his direction. He was covered in a myriad of scars, and his hair was a soft white. Katsushiro looked around, to see if the man was talking to someone beside him.
"Yes, you!" The man grinned, as Katsushiro pointed to himself, eyebrows knotted in confusion.
"Who's that?" Kikuchiyo asked from where he lay in the cart.
"I don't know, I've never seen him before." Masamune folded his arms in front of his chest, watching the scene curiously.
"Young man, you look gloomy." The scar-covered man began walking towards Katsushiro, a smile still in place. "You look quite gloomy." He was brandishing a folded fan in his hand as he moved closer, bending down a bit, as if to lower himself to Katsushiro's level—he was a good head or so taller than the young samurai.
Katsushiro reacted on instinct, crouching slightly and putting a hand to his sword, eyes narrowed a bit.
"Hey, hey, now, hold it!" The older man held up his hands, taking a small step back.
He grinned, "Pardon me for that." At this close of a proximity, Katsushiro could see that he had a large earring in one ear—a chain with a large fang on the end of it. And there was one scar on the bottom left side of his jaw. "It seems I have a habit of trying to catch a person's attention because I've been in the entertainment business for so long." And with that said, he slapped his fan into his other palm with a soft rapping sound.
"Forgive me."
Katsushiro eyed him for a moment, eyes still narrowed, hand still on his sword. "Who are you?"
The man unraveled his fan, "Pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Katayama Gorobei. Nice to make your acquaintance." And he gave a flourish-filled bow.
He was an entertainer alright, Katsushiro could tell. "And what does this Katayama person want from me?" His hand still rested on the hilt of his sword, because he knew better than to let his guard down, even in front of a street entertainer.
"Would you like to have fun for a little while?" Gorobei asked casually, his now once again folded fan in his right hand.
Katsushiro blinked, relaxing from his tense crouch. It was then that he noticed the bows and arrows at the side of the wall where Gorobei had originally been standing. Several swords were also placed there, increasing Katsushiro's curiosity.
"Although I may not look like one, I used to be a samurai." Gorobei walked towards the weapons and placed his hand on one of the swords. "And because of the times we live in, my sword is only good for performances. I use the skills I learned during the war to make a living now."
"Use your sword for performances?" Katsushiro asked in righteous anger, straightening completely, though one hand still rested at his hip, fingers brushing against the sword hilt.
"What kind of performance?" Kikuchiyo asked interestedly from the cart.
"Kikuchiyo-dono!" Katsushiro turned to look at the machine-samurai as if he were insulted that the other warrior would find such a thing amusing or worthwhile.
"Katsunoji, you're still brooding over the past, aren't you?" Masamune asked Katsushiro from where he stood beside the cart. "That's not good. You should just not think about anything, have fun, and clear your mind."
"I am not…" Katsushiro began, bristling in defense.
"Then what is that?" Masamune asked.
Katsushiro looked down at the pendant wrapped around his wrist. He was stopped from thinking overly much about it, however, as a loud gong resounded in the area. All three of them turned to see Gorobei banging a gong softly, as people in the street turned to look at where the noise had come from as well.
"Sir, you just said what I was about so say." Gorobei called out cheerfully. "He is right." He turned to the still affronted looking Katsushiro. "Would you like to make a bet with me?" And he placed the gong back inside a pack beside his weapons.
"A bet?" Katsushiro asked.
"Correct." Gorobei grinned, pulling out a red-fletched arrow from its quiver and hefting a bow from its place against the wall. "Do you have any experience with a bow?"
"Of course." Katsushiro seemed offended at the question. He was a samurai! Of course he knew how to use a bow!
"That 's good." Gorobei continued. "Then take this bow and aim here." He pointed to the middle of his forehead.
Katsushiro's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ha! I like this guy!" Kikuchiyo laughed.
Around this time, a good sized crowd had begun to form around the charismatic, scar-riddled samurai.
"I shall use my hand and snatch the arrow you shoot at me." Gorobei explained as he walked towards Katsushiro with the bow. "If I fail, my life ends here. That is the game." He gave a small smile. "If I lose, I die."
And then his smile grew a bit more. "If I win, you will treat me to a meal today. A simple thing. Here." And he handed the bow to a dazed and surprised Katsushiro.
But Katsuhiro merely nodded, his face becoming serious. "Very well," and he took the bow.
"He's an interesting man, and he says he's a samurai." Masamune murmured to Kikuchiyo, watching the scene with interest.
"Ha!" Kikuchiyo snorted. "A guy like that isn't a samurai anymore!"
"Oh?" Masamune chuckled.
At this point, Gorobei threw his arms out wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention if you please! This is a match where my life will be on the line! My life or death will be determined by luck."
The crowd seemed to grow as they all murmured excitedly.
"Now, young one, aim well. This is the spot." Gorobei walked back towards his stand and pointed to his forehead once more.
Katsushiro neatly strung his arrow on the bow, his form steady and smooth. His arm shook a bit at the tightness of the string—it was a large bow, bigger than he was used to.
Gorobei merely gave another small smile, lifting up a brush and painting a bright red half-circle on his forehead. "Here, this is the spot."
Katsushiro swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. What if he killed the man? This wasn't a game, it was just a stupid stunt. But he didn't let go of his hold on the bow, nor did he place down the arrow. Beads of sweat formed along his brow, one of them sliding down his cheek.
His green eyes narrowed in concentration as he pulled back tighter. Then he relaxed, shaking his head slightly. "This is idiotic. A samurai mustn't put his life on the line for fun."
"Don't think you can do it, young one?" And even if his voice was calm, there was a mischievous, taunting glint in his eyes.
"What? Do you mock me?" Katsushiro pulled the bow up again, arrow knocked on the string quickly.
"Okay, I'll get closer to you for a better shot." Gorobei grinned. "This is the spot." He teased, pointing to the red mark on his forehead.
The seconds stretched out as Katsushiro leveled his arrow, indecisions burning through his blood, making him wonder if he was doing this only because he had been riled. This was stupid and unbefitting of a samurai! He shouldn't—
"Shoot!"
And he loosed before he could stop himself, at the sound of Gorobei's rough shout.
The arrow flew, straight and fast, but was stopped a few centimeters from Gorobei's forehead by his hand. And then two small trickles of blood drifted down his face from where the prongs on either side of the arrowhead had dug slightly into his skin.
The crowd gasped in utter fascination, unsure if they should cheer or scream.
Katsushiro could only stare in shock at the sight. Oh god, what if he had killed him!?
"He actually did it." Kikuchiyo seemed more amused than surprised.
There was a long moment of silence before Gorobei pulled the arrow away, and a look of pure rapture contorted his face.
"Eh?" Katsushiro blinked, confused at the man's reaction.
"He's lost it." Kikuchiyo muttered.
"This is what makes samurai weird." Masamune muttered, putting his hands to his hips and sighing.
Kambei sat down in front of his small bowl or rice, as the peasants toyed with their own food, none of them really eating.
That was when Katsushiro slowly walked through the door, his gaze calm.
Komachi noticed him first, giving a small cry, before Kirara turned around and smiled brightly at the sight of him, "Katsushiro-sama!"
"Lady Kirara, you're safe!" Katsushiro looked shocked, but the shock quickly turned to relieved happiness. He blinked, just then noticing the older samurai sitting on the ground a few feet away. "Kambei-sama!"
"What? Kambei-dono?" Came a loud roar from behind Katsushiro. Kambei lifted one elegant eyebrow in question and turned to see Kikuchiyo sitting in a cart.
"Hey, shit samurai! What are you doing here?"
Kambei merely walked out towards him. "So it was you?'
"Get lost!"
Kambei leaned against the wall. "Don't lose that fighting spirit." There was a small hint of a smile on his lips. Then he began walking back inside.
"That doesn't make sense!" Kikuchiyo yelled at his retreating back angrily. "Hey! Wait!"
Kambei sat back down and Katsushiro looked up at him, his own gaze morose. "I just heard…you were the one who saved Lady Kirara?"
"Not alone." Kambei murmured. "And I was saved in the end as well."
"Yeah!" Komachi butted in. "In fact, the other samurai went out looking for you because sis was so worried!"
Before Katsushiro could question further, Kambei continued.
"It seems you had some difficulty with your first battle."
Katsushiro looked down at his lap guiltily, before picking up Kirara's pendant. He handed it to her with a small smile, and she gratefully returned the act, eyes glistening.
"Thank you."
And then Katsushiro bent forward, bowing as low to the ground as possible. "Kirara-dono, forgive me!"
"Katushiro-sama?"
"I could not protect you. I told you not to let go of my hand…but I let go. On top of that, Kikuchiyo-dono was the one who defeated those outlaws. I was defeated right after the battle started. It is miserable…I call myself samurai, but I am useless."
"It's ok, Katsushiro-sama." Kirara smiled softly. "Everyone was safe in the end."
Katsushiro sat up straight, shaking his head furiously. "It's just as Kambei-dono said…if I cannot even protect one person, how can I protect a village from Bandits?"
And then Kikuchiyo burst through the wooden wall, sword in hand. "That spirit won't do Katsunoji!"
Komachi had, at this time, jumped into Rikichi's lap. "He broke it!"
"Don't, Kikunoji." Masamune began.
"I have to give this shit samurai a piece of my mind!" Kikuchiyo bit back. He jumped forward, grabbing the bowl of rice from in front of Kambei. "Look, this is your meal. Do you know how much work these guys went through to make it? You don't, do you? You are a samurai, after all. They feed you rice, and they eat that!" And he waved his hand towards the gruel-filled bowls in front of the peasants.
"Go to the village. You saved the girl. Who cares if you've only fought losing battles? If you're still not going to go I'll kill you right here!" And he lifted up his sword before slamming it down just as quickly. Kirara let out a small cry of fright and Katsushiro's eyes widened.
And Kambei caught the blade between his palms.
"Hey! Let go!"
Kambei's eyes narrowed. "I have already made a decision."
"What are you talking about?"
"Who's the one who didn't give me time to get a word in?"
Kikuchiyo slowly withdrew his sword. "I see."
Kambei stood, taking the bowl of rice from Kikuchiyo's hand and walking over to the peasants. "Your determination has moved me. I will go to the village." At this, the others all smiled. "I will not think of this as a cheap meal while I eat."
Rikichi bowed low, as the others continued to stare at Kambei in wonder. "Thank you very much!"
Kirara bowed as well, and Komachi looked at the other two before hurriedly following suit.
Masamune grinned. "They've finally gotten hold of a samurai."
Masamune was oiling up Kikuchiyo's arm when Yanyu returned.
"How's that?" Masamune asked as Kikuchiyo began flexing his fingers.
"I feel like I can beat Kambei now." Kikuchiyo boasted.
"You can never beat that old man." Masamune teased.
"Shut up!"
"There is nothing to block off the enemy." Kambei murmured, staring down at the map of Kanna village that the peasants had offered to him. "Protecting the cliffs will be difficult."
"Sensei…" Katsushiro began uncertainly, "Perhaps we should obtain weapons and train the villagers…"
"This is battle, not a game." Kambei cut in sternly. "It is more difficult to defend than to attack."
"Yes, sensei!" Katsushiro acknowledged with a nod.
Kambei tugged at his beard in thought before looking over at Katsushiro. "Stop that. Why are you calling me sensei?"
"Even if I am not your student, you are still my teacher." Katsushiro answered back earnestly.
"Keep sucking up to him Katsunoji!" Kikuchiyo laughed.
"I'm just voicing my opinions honestly." Katsushiro defended hotly, sending a small glare Kikuchiyo's way.
"Stop."
"Yeah, stop." Komachi chimed in.
"Komachi." Kirara held up a hand to silence the little girl.
Komachi merely folded her arms in front of her chest. "Katsushiro-sama and Uncle are samurai who will come to our village. Don't fight."
"No, I will not take these two to the village." Kambei announced, closing his eyes.
"Sensei…" Katsushiro began, looking hurt.
"What did you say?" Kikuchiyo began angrily.
Kambei opened his eyes and spoke. "I need samurai."
"Then I suppose you will not need me." Came a soft voice from behind them all. Yanyu was leaning in the doorway, before the warrior walked over to Masamune. "Sir…could you perhaps fix these for me?" And he held out his pair of sunglasses, their shattered lenses cupped in the palm of his hand.
"Eh? Who are you?" Kikuchiyo roared, grabbing for his sword.
Katsushiro only stared. Whoever this person was, they were the most beautiful man he had ever seen, and a small blush dusted his cheeks. He didn't know that men could look...well...like that.
"This is Yanyu-dono!" Komachi chirped out. "He went to go and find you, Katsushiro-sama, but he couldn't find you so he's back now!"
Yanyu merely raised on eyebrow as Komachi spoke, before giving a small grunt that they weren't sure was agreement or not.
"I can fix these." Masamune finally answered back. "Don't worry." And he took the items from Yanyu, who merely sat down gracefully beside Kambei, before looking down at the map in front of him of Kanna village.
"Is this the village that needs protecting?" Yanyu questioned softly, and Katsushiro couldn't help but think that there was something strange about the man's accent.
"I'm going to bed." Kikuchiyo muttered, hunkering down against one wall and turning his back on all of them.
"Have you decided to help us then, Yanyu-dono?" Kirara asked hopefully.
"I have not yet decided. I am no samurai, so I doubt that my aid would be appreciated by some." Yanyu's eyes drifted to Kambei, and it almost seemed as if there was a teasing tone to the warrior's otherwise monotonous voice.
"I would greatly appreciate having you there to help fight." Kambei smiled back. "You have already saved my life once, after all."
"What?" Katsushiro bit out, leaning forward, and Kikuchiyo turned his head slightly in surprise.
"It is nothing." Yanyu murmured, before looking back down at the map.
Kambei had begun looking down at it again after Katsushiro had spoken, and gave a small sigh. "You said that there are about forty units in the main force of the bandits, correct?"
"Yes, that's about right." Rikichi nodded.
"If so, we must strengthen our forces." Kambei murmured. "Only those who have fought and survived a battle can fight them. "I want seven samurai, including me."
"And Yanyu-dono!" Komachi grinned. "So you only need five more!"
Yanyu merely shook his head. "No…I have agreed to nothing yet. It will be best to gain your seven without me."
Kambei looked disappointed in Yanyu's answer, but nodded.
"The elder said four." Rikichi murmured.
"Uncle won't do?" Komachi asked.
"We can't go against a samurai's decision." Rikichi answered back.
"If Kambei-sama says so, we must follow." Kirara spoke with determination.
Katsushiro merely looked down at his lap, hands tightening on the egdes of his pants. It seemed that no matter what, he would always be a burden. He should have known not to come back. Kambei did not want him here. Kirara did not want him here. No one did, save for the little girl.
"Now that we have decided, let us head to the city." Kirara stood. "We must find the remaining six."
"Water priestess, please stay here." Rikichi began.
"Why?"
"There still might be outlaws who are after you."
"Yeah!" Komachi cut in. "This city is a much more dangerous place than we thought! It's not a place to go sightseeing."
"We cannot protect the village if we are afraid." Kirara continued.
Yanyu's face became thoughtful. "I do not believe you truly understand what fear is, water priestess. There are different levels of fear, and some of them I do not believe you can handle."
There was silence, as Kirara could only stare at Yanyu in confusion.
Finally she stared defiantly at the warrior who had saved her life. "I am not afraid of death."
"Water priestess!" Rikichi gasped out, but was stopped as Yanyu spoke again.
"There are worst things than death,water priestess. You are not a warrior. You have not seen death or battle, and you have not been tainted by it. Do not believe that because you have read of battle in books that you know it."
There was a moment of stunned silence as Kirara could only stare, "How…how did you know that I…?"
Yanyu said nothing, merely stood. "I will be back later for my glasses." He nodded his head at Masamune. "I am sorry that I am being such an inconvenience."
"Please," Kirara bowed deeply, looking embarrassed. "Do not leave, great samurai. Have some rice and think over our offer."
Yanyu sighed. "My answer shall take time." And he seemed to tug at something inside of his cloak before walking to the door. "I shall stay outside."
"Great samurai—"
"I have done nothing to warrant such a title. Please refrain from it." And then Yanyu was gone.
"We need Yanyu-dono." Kirara said finally, as they all continued to stare at the door she had left through. "But before that, I must go and find us six more samurai."
"But…" Rikichi began.
"Be careful." Was Kambei's only response, his own gaze still on the empty doorway.
"Hai."
"Little girl." Masamune began, and the others turned to look at him. "Relax. If you need samurai, there's an interesting guy we know."
Everyone looked up at him, curious.
(A\N: Sorry this chapter took so long…and sorry that it isn't that great. I had been hoping for a more explosive chapter but my inspiration isn't that great right now. The next one should be better. And I call Yanyu 'he' in the story up to this point because no one knows that Yanyu is really a female yet. When they discover that, I'll begin mentioning her as such. Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you liked it. :)
Sincerely, Hanjimono)