Chapter 11

(A/N: It's good to be back! Thank you all for being so patient. This is the climax chapter, with many of the issues being resolved.)

Outside, in the forest outside of Kyoto, many samurai and people from all classes gathered around the arena (in reality a very large rock quarry) to watch the Shogun and Fenton Daniro fight to the death. And their respective ends of the quarry, each of the two combatants sat on their knees, mentally readying themselves for the battle. Near Danny's end, Sam stood next to Jazz.

"Jazz," said Sam fearfully, "Can Danny win this?" "Well," said Jazz hesitantly, "Danny is stronger and faster than Varada in his advancing age, but Vara has more than 20 years more combat experience, and his skill with a sword is almost legendary."

In the ring, Danny rose, mentally ready. His attendants had washed his hair with mother-of-pearl until it seemed to glow a bright silvery-white under the moon's glow. He had taken thin slivers of yellow glass and placed them on his iris', giving his eyes a green glow. His blue kimono had been replaced by a black one with the symbol for Phantom on the back in silver.

On the opposite side, Vara was also prepared. His attendants had styled his hair into horns and dyed it black with wood ash. His skin had been painted blue/green to give off a death-like color and sheets of ruby glass had been inserted into his eyes to give them a fiendish red appearance. His kimono was off-white with the ideogram for Blood on the back in black.

(A/N: Since Plasmius sounds like Plasma (a liquid component of blood), the ideogram for Blood seemed appropriate.)

At the top of the quarry, the Empress Ishiyama sat in a sedan chair covered with screens and surrounded by the Immortals. Suddenly, she held up her hand, and, illuminated by the light of paper lanterns, all fell silent.

"This duel shall be to the death," she said in a loud, imperial voice, "and the rules of engagement shall be explicitly followed, on pain of a dishonored death." At this, the Immortals drew arrows from their quivers and set them in their bows.

The Empress stood, and with a tone of finality (and a bit of regret) she said, "Fenton Daniro and Masutatsu Varada, may the Gods look with favor upon you both. BEGIN!!!!"

Both Danny and Vara assumed their stances faster than you could blink. Varada held his sword with his left hand and pointed it outward. Danny set his right foot forward and didn't even draw his sword. Both of them began to circle each other, seeking an opening. For many minutes, they went around and around, neither doing anything. Finally, Danny thought, It appears that I'll have to attack him and draw him. I'm not crazy about the idea, but it's the only way.

Running at Vara with inhuman speed, Danny drew his sword and went for Vara's right arm with multiple blows. However, Vara countered this with a feint, switching his sword from his left hand to his right behind his back and blocking Danny's blows, even taking the opportunity to give Danny a few cuts. Eventually, Vara crossed swords with Danny, preventing either of them from moving their blades.

"Impressive technique, Daniro," said Vara with a curt grin, "using the Ryusosen. You weren't prepared for my Haishato, though, were you?" Danny didn't reply, he simply pushed Vara away and jumped back, gaining valuable breathing room. Vara quickly raised his own sword and swung it with incredible strength, creating a vacuum with the blade as he lunged toward Danny. However, just as Vara brought his sword down (creating a very prease, deep cut in ground), Danny leapt into the air and brought a crushing blow down onto Vara's shoulder.

As Vara noted the deep (but fortunately for him, not deadly) wound in his right arm, he glanced at Danny and said, "You HAVE advanced, to be able to use the Ryutsuisen in the wake of my Matoi Izuna."

Vara's smooth-as-warm-oil voice concealed his growing alarm. This should have been an easy victory. This young punk had barely reached the point of physical maturity, and yet he was overpowering the head of the Shogunate! But Vara's fear was abated when he remembered his Deus ex Machina. In the meantime, why not show off his special skills a bit more?

Danny sheathed his sword and stood at ready. Vara was very good, perhaps the best that he'd ever fought. This wouldn't be an easy victory. Against his will, Danny couldn't help but grin wolfishly. He was tired of easy victories, and was exhilarated to finally fight an opponent that was truly worth the effort. Shaking his head vigorously, Danny forced himself to concentrate on the matters at hand.

Vara suddenly sheathed his sword and started staring hard at Danny. For a minute, Danny thought Vara was trying to psyche him out, and he strode forward easily. Suddenly, Danny stopped. He felt as though he were rooted in place and totally unable to move. His fear began to grow when he realized that his very lungs were freezing up. He couldn't breath!

Vara looked into his eyes (the only thing Danny could still move) and genially said, "That, my dear boy, is Shin no Ippo. A mental discipline utilizing a form of Isukumi, hypnosis. By channeling my will-power through my eyes, I have frozen you to the spot. You're a strong lad with excellent lung capacity, so you should be able to last for . . . about five minutes before you die from lack of air."

As if to prove his superiority, Vara took his sword and skillfully cut the ideograms for 1, 8, and 10 into Danny's kimono, leaving minor flesh wounds. Danny was terrified. He would die here, frozen. Suddenly, he remembered the mantra his sensei had taught him years ago:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has passed I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Danny closed his eyes and focused on this mantra, and forced his fear to leave his form. Suddenly, he found that his muscles were beginning to loosen . . .

Raising his sword, Vara prepared to use his second (and more deadly) Izuna technique, one that would kill Danny outright: the Tobi Izuna. Such a terrible shame, thought Varada as he gripped the hilt of his sword, that boy had such promise.

Swinging his sword with tremendous force, the vacuum created by the blade sent pressure waves flying at Danny, invisible to the untrained eye. Danny's eyes, however, were trained, and the pressure waves were as clear to him as if they were visible. Snapping out of his trance-like state, he leapt high into as if to perform the Ryutsuisen again. Anticipating this, Vara assumed the proper defensive stance. Suddenly, however, Danny switched from a slashing motion to a stabbing one, and his sword struck the ground with such force that he knocked Vara off his feet.

Startled by this, Vara quickly ducked into a barrel-roll and regained his footing a safe distance from Danny. I don't believe it, thought Vara with anger, he used the Ryutsuisen Zan! How can this young whelp have mastered such advanced fighting techniques at the mere age of 19?! Well, no matter. It is time to use my supreme weapon, the one given to me by my love for Maddi . . .

Vara called out to Danny, "Fenton Daniro, you have fought well. The best I've fought against in many years. But now is your time to die." Vara began to shake and shiver, as though changing from the inside out. Suddenly, his nerves became thick and bloated, showing through his skin like massive veins.

"What have you done to yourself, Vara?" asked Danny, for he had never seen anything like this before. "I? I have done nothing," said Vara, in a different tone of voice than before, "what you see is the result of my hatred for your father. You see, a person's mind and body rest while he sleeps. However, my hatred of your father for stealing my woman, which I cannot ever forget or forgive, makes my brain active even while I sleep! This has caused my nerves to overdevelop, and with training, my speed, strength, agility, and especially my reflexes, have been enhanced much farther than any normal person could train themselves. This is the Kyokei Myaku. The frenzied nerves."

Before Danny could take this all in, Vara sped toward him with inhuman speed, swinging his sword in wide arcs. Danny did his best to block them, and wouldn't have found it as hard earlier in the battle, but now that he was fatigued, he was hopelessly out-classed by Vara's speed and strength.

Vara pushed forward, straining his abilities to their uttermost. Victory was almost in his grasp. Finally, he saw that Danny had left an opening at his knees. Taking advantage, Vara slashed into Danny right knee, inhibiting his ability to walk. As Danny fell to the ground, Vara reached down with the tip of his blade and lifted Danny's chin. With a smug smile, he said, "You've fought well Daniro, so I'm going to give you once last chance. I will retreat to the other side of the quarry and charge at you. If you cannot stop my charge, than you will die."

Danny watched as Vara took his place several yards away. He tried to think of how he could save himself. After thinking hard, Danny knew what to do. His timing would have to be perfect, and even then he had small chance of success, but it was his only chance . . .

With difficulty due to his injured leg, Danny stood and drew his sword, focusing hard on what he had to do. Vara, on the side of the rock quarry, hefted his own sword and said, "Goodbye, Danny. I also knew you'd die by the sword."

Vara sped toward Danny like a freight train, his victory seemly assured. But just as Vara got close, Danny did a surprising thing: he placed his sword tip on the scabbard as if to sheath his sword. No, Vara thought with horror, it can't be. He can't possibly have mastered that technique!

Danny's reaction to Vara's charging form was quick and decisive. He sheathed his sword with all the power and speed he could possibly muster. The impact of his hand-guard against the top of the scabbard created a sonic-boom that Vara took in full force. The intense, high-pitched sound caused his frenzied nerves to literally explode, leaving a large, dead chunk of meat to fall to the ground.

The spectators roared with cheer as Danny's friends and family rushed into the ring. Sam was the first to wrap her arms around Danny's neck and kissed him with passion. When they pulled apart, she said to him, "Danny, are you okay?" "I'm fine," said Danny, breathing hard, "Will you marry me?"

For an instant Sam was shocked, but then she said, "Yes, Danny. I will!"

From above, hidden behind her cloth screens, the Empress Ishiyama said in a regal (and somewhat relieved) voice, "Congratulations, Fenton Daniro. You have won. And with your victory, I offer you Masutatsu Varada's place in the Shogunate."

"My Empress," said Danny in a calm voice, "I am truly touched by your generous offer, but it is one I cannot accept. The gaijin woman standing next to me is the love of my life, and when the ship that will take her back to England comes in a few days, I will be going with her."

This statement profoundly shocked everyone present. No nihonjin had left Japan permanently in decades! The Empress smiled wistfully and said, "I respect your decision, Fenton Daniro, but since you are leaving Japan, you must formally be separated from your samurai brethren. You know what must be done."

Without a word, Danny removed a dagger from his belt. Handing it to Katsumoto, he got down on his knees and folded his hands across his lap. Katsumoto, without a word, then proceeded to cut off Danny's sacred topknot, allowing the hair that he had never cut in his whole life to fall around the small of his back. He and Sam then left to discuss their lives together.

(A/N: Yeah, I know it's been way too long, and I promise that I should have out the next (and sadly final) chapter in less than a week.)

TO BE CONCLUDED.