Verse Eight: Iyokan
--Strange Feeling—
"To be with you would be foolish, foolish.
Yes, I'd say I'm an amazing fool…"
--Kobayashi Yumiko; "Akujo ni Naritai no"--
Morning at Reikaku found the young bandit Satsuki scrambling up the hillside, crying out for any Reikaku members on watch to awaken their leaders. Tasuki and Koji emerged moments later, still rubbing sleep from their eyes – though neither looked particularly well-rested – and demanded to know the cause of the commotion. Satsuki's report was short but frightening:
"I was coming back from town, boss – I'd been down there for, uh, y'know, for a little fun, right? – and as I was heading up I hear sorta this rustling over by where you'd said the Akutsuki headquarters was," he paused for a breath, gulping down the water Genji had brought him. "So I went to go see what was going on, and outside their stronghold I see this group of thirty, maybe forty armed bandits, and they were starting to head this way! I ran back as soon as I could to tell you—"
"Good job, Satsuki-kun!" Tasuki interrupted, clapping the young man on the shoulder. "Real good job. Genji-kun, take care-a this kid, all right? Get him the best breakfast ya can, don't skimp on anything. Once that's done, come inta the meetin' room. We're gonna want yer input in this, too."
"Input?" Genji asked, wide-eyed and trembling. Satsuki mirrored the look of alarm. "What do you need my input for?"
Tasuki opened his mouth to explain, but Koji picked up the narrative, already heading back towards headquarters. "'Cause thanks t'Satsuki we have some time t'actually make a plan, Genji-kun, an' we're gonna use that time t'it's full advantage. We only got an hour 'r so t'get set up, though, so we need t'hurry!"
The youth nodded and scurried off, a breathless Satsuki in tow. Tasuki jogged beside his limping companion, murmuring quietly: "I'll get Soshu 'n' Ken, an' we'll see what we c'n put t'gether. An Arrow Sweep might be th' best idea, considerin' where they're comin' from."
"Mm," Koji agreed quietly, grabbing at his side and trying to hide his grimace. Damn winter air, he thought as he paused to rest at the door. "We'll talk more once everyone's t'gether. I'll go—"
"Wait in th' meetin' room," Tasuki finished.
"But I should—"
"Rest," the bandit leader interrupted again, shooting his friend a glance that wasn't meant to be disobeyed. "I'll be there in five minutes, tops." Koji tried to protest again, but Tasuki cut him off with a grin and a light punch to the shoulder. "Yer genius brain ain't gonna be much use if ya can't think through th' pain, right?"
The co-leader scowled but nodded and trotted off to Reikaku's makeshift meeting room. Once he'd disappeared around the corner, Tasuki heaved a sigh and ran to grab the other gang's campaigners. They were going to need all the help they could get if they expected to win this battle on such short notice.
---
Koji paced up and down the small Reikaku meeting room, ignoring Genji's whimpered protests that he "really ought to rest (te kanjii)." His mind raced back and forth, mentally skimming both Satsuki's information and his own knowledge of the mountain as he tried to formulate a fast and effective attack plan. He barely noticed when Tasuki, Ken and Soshu walked into the room, and didn't even look up when Ken coughed lightly and closed the door behind him.
Tasuki opened his mouth to speak, but Koji cut him off behind he could squeak out a word. "We don't have much time t'set up, so we gotta do this close t'Reikaku. An' we need t'leave at least ten men 'r so behind, just in case some-a th' Akutsuki sneak past our defense an' get t' the stronghold. That'll give us forty men, so we'll be about evenly matched, maybe a little outnumbered but we've got th' talent. Genrou," he jerked around sharply on his heel, winced, and continued without missing a beat, "y'know that crest just t'the south-a th' stronghold? The one ya hit right before th' drop-off an' the river?" Tasuki nodded, but Koji was already moving on. "We're gonna use that t'guard our backs. There was a rockslide at th' bottom of th' pass not too long ago, so we c'n use th' debris t'hide behind t'wait fer 'em. We'll hide some archers 'round th' east side of the pass an' move in sometime durin' the battle t'fire over our boys' heads, an' th' Akutsuki won't know what happened 'till they're runnin' back t'their base. Everyone got that?"
Soshu raised his hand.
"Hai?" Koji queried, placing his trembling palms on the large meeting table. "Ideas? Somethin' I ferget?"
"No, it sounds fine, Aniki," Soshu agreed. "I was jus' wonderin', er..." he smiled sheepishly. "What are we makin' plans for, exactly?"
The Reikaku co-leader face-vaulted. Tasuki chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I was kinda in a hurry t'get 'em in here, didn't really mention the reason..." He cocked an eyebrow at his companion, almost as if to ask why Koji hadn't let him speak first, as was custom. The seishi grinned, but there was a definite edge to his voice when he said, "Want me t'handle this part, or d'ya think you can breeze 'em through it, too?"
The tiniest instant of silence filled the room. Tension hummed between the two friends. A miniature power struggle raged. But then, as quickly as it had begun, the moment passed. Koji executed an elaborate bow to his superior, waving for him to take the floor. The two bandits looked at one another, laughing, and the others soon followed suit. Koji took a quiet seat next to Genji, wiping at the thin line of sweat that had appeared along his forehead. The co-leader's hands shook visibly with every jerky movement; eventually he had to clasp them in his lap to still the quivering. Genji noticed the actions and frowned, but didn't say anything. He knew Koji would ignore his concerns anyway.
Tasuki explained the situation as briskly as possible, then sent Soshu to alert the other veterans of the battle plan, and to prepare the younger bandits for combat. Genji went with him, shooting his mentors one last frightened look before he left. "Ano... I'll see you later, I guess..." then he was gone, bouncing nervously on his heels as he followed Soshu out the door.
Ken bowed to his superiors. "I suppose I should go with them, then? I need to prepare myself for the fight, and—"
"Yer stayin' here." It was a simple command, but for some reason Koji's voice snapped it like a whip. Ken jerked back as if he'd been struck, giving the co-leader a chance to explain. "It ain't that I don't know you'd do a good job, it's jus' that after that last battle..." he gestured to the stub that remained of the young man's left hand. "An' I'd really prefer t'keep you back here, t'help th' men if some-a th' Akutsuki boys get through our line—"
Ken's jaw tightened. "Left behind for an injury? Then I suppose you're staying back as well, Koji-san?"
"No chance!" Koji snapped, at the same time Tasuki said: "'Course he is!"
The two whirled on one another, sparks flying between their eyes. Koji didn't need an invitation to speak. "Forty Akutsuki members 'r comin' up that ridge an' you think I'll stay behind?"
"No," Tasuki retorted. "I know you'll stay behind, even if I gotta tie ya down t'get ya t'do it."
"Genrou, I ain't—"
"Yer still strugglin' with that injury, anyone c'n see that—"
"I think I know my own limits—"
"Hikaru seems t'think otherwise—"
"You think she knows me better'n I do?"
"She certainly knows what's healthier fer ya, since last time I checked she was yer doctor!"
"I thought up th' damn plan—"
"An' ya've helped train plenty-a bandits that c'n pull it off jus' fine."
"D'you really think you c'n win this without me?"
"I don't care one way or th' other, the point is I ain't risking yer life out there!"
"So ya'd rather jus' risk th' whole gang instead, is that it?" Tasuki paused, mouth open, staring at Koji with open fear pouring from his eyes. Koji took a step back, hearing the leader's unspoken answer. "Dear gods, you would..." he muttered. Tasuki looked at him helplessly, at a loss for an argument. A surge of sympathy swept across the bandit co-leader, and he opened his mouth to utter an apology, to promise his friend that he'd stay behind and stay safe.
But then Tasuki uttered two desperate words. "Koji... please..."
And in that moment Koji knew that he'd won, and all sympathy drained from him until all that was left was a glowing sensation of victory. He had his ace. He'd called Tasuki's bluff, found his weakness. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before! How could he have been so blind? How could he have missed all those frantic looks, those worried glances, those tiny little protests these past few weeks? How could he ignore something so painfully obvious?
His ace, all along, had been Koji himself.
A surge of triumph rushed through his body, but the bandit composed himself. He softened his tone, speaking to Tasuki as if he were a stubborn younger brother who needed to feel like he had reached a bargain with his older, wiser sibling. His older sibling who had, for the first time, won the game.
"I won't be runnin' 'round whackin' Akutsuki heads off," the co-leader assured him. "I ain't that stupid. But I wanna be there t'help out if things get outta hand, y'know? Jus' in case ya need me fer some last minute plan changes 'n' all." He flashed a thumbs-up with his free hand. "An' c'mon, when've ya known me t'be stupid enough t'get myself killed?"
The seishi bandit smiled weakly. "Ya been pretty damn close, ahou," he grumbled under his breath. He hardened his face in a weak attempt to put on a show of leadership for Ken, who was still hovering by the door and watching their argument with almost morbid fascination. "Oh, fine, you c'n come along! But yer stayin' with th' archers, ya understand? I'm keepin' suicidal idiots like you as far away from th' line-a fire as possible."
Koji threw a teasing salute, still glowing from his sudden and unexpected victory. "Yer word is law, O Fearless Leader!"
Tasuki chuckled as leader and co-leader turned to exit the meeting room. Their eyes landed on Ken and both frowned. The new bandit raised his chin stubbornly, a slight fire burning behind his gaze. "I know the terrain, and you know that I think well on my feet."
"Ken, it ain't—"
"I've always lacked skill. I've known that. You've known that," he continued, voice soft but firm. "But you didn't accept me into the gang for my skills with a sword. I'm not a doctor, but I sincerely doubt that this," he tapped the side of his head with his remaining hand, flashing a tiny smile, "will be very much affected by how many fingers I have."
Koji opened his mouth to argue again, but Tasuki cut him off with a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine, we don't have time t'deal with this, so have it yer way!" he threw up his hands, pushing past the new bandit and stomping off down the hallway. "Damned young bandits, Hakurou never had t'deal with all this insubordination..."
Ken chuckled, his gaze just barely meeting Koji's as he followed the Reikaku leader towards the Main Hall. "See you on the battlefield, Koji-san."
Once the pair disappeared around the corner, the co-leader staggered over to the meeting room wall, leaning hard against the cracked wood. His breath came out in short gasps, partly from the pain of his recent movements and partly from the elation of his recent discoveries. He felt Doro chuckle, and allowed a muffled laugh to escape into the empty room.
You know what this means, don't you?
Koji knew. Oh, gods did he ever know. "I have somethin' on him," he whispered aloud. "For th' first time ever..." he put a hand to his forehead, an almost hysterical giggle escaping his throat. "I always knew he worried about me, but t'sacrifice th' rest of th' stronghold... I never knew he was so weak."
You can destroy him.
The co-leader jerked upright, all mirth disappearing from his features. "No," he said, giving his head a sharp shake. "Genrou hasn't given me a reason t'do anythin' like that."
But—
"Nope." Koji pushed himself away from the wall, swaying a bit on his feet but managing to keep his balance. He limped to the door and down the hallway, whispering once again at the gleeful voice within: "Not. One. Reason. I'm a lotta things, Doro-kun, but a traitor ain't on th' list."
His strange companion grew quiet again, though Koji could feel him half-sulking at the back of his mind. The co-leader ignored it and headed to the main hall. By the time he grabbed his light armor and weapons, fought off another dizzy spell, and pushed his way through the crowded corridors, the Reikaku bandits were almost ready to leave. Koji, weaving his way through the milling bandits, reached the entrance of the stronghold just in time to hear Tasuki's cry of, "Absolutely not!"
The co-leader peered over a shorter bandit's shoulder, eyes widening as he watched Asatenshi Hikaru clench her fists and glare down the seishi. "There's no use arguing about it, Tasuki, I'm going with you and that's final."
"No, no, no!" Tasuki shouted, though his voice just barely reached Koji over the murmur of the other bandits. "There ain't no reason fer ya t'risk yer life out there! You ain't a fighter, an' we'll need ya back here t'take care-a th' injured. We can't let our only real doctor get hurt..."
"I have no intention of 'risking my life.' I am fully capable of handling myself in a battle." Hikaru held up a hand, allowing a ball of emerald energy to glow in her palm. Her gentle eyes never once wavered, and for a moment she bore a striking resemblance to her inflexible sister. "I may not show it off as often as Nee-san, but I learned the same spells that she did, and I know how to use them." She let the ball of light fade, but kept talking. "Besides, if I'm at the battle I'll be able to reach the injured quicker. I might be able to save more men."
"Hikaru—"
"Please, Tasuki," the Asatenshi sister said quietly. "I haven't done anything to repay you for your kindness. Let me feel useful for once. Please?"
The seishi opened his mouth to argue, then closed it and turned away, scuffing at the ground with one boot. "You don't have t'do anythin' to repay us..." he muttered. Tasuki shrugged and tried to brush the argument off. "Go get yer supplies, or whatever yer gonna need. We won't wait long."
Hikaru's mouth split into a smile. "Arigatou, Tasuki!" she squeaked. She jumped forward as if to embrace him, but seemed to think better of it. Flashing the bandit another grateful smile, she brushed past Koji and dashed off down the corridor.
Koji's jaw tightened as he tried to explain away her coldness. She probably just hadn't seen him. That was all. He struggled past a couple of bandits, though he shoved these aside with a bit more brutality, and was just about to hail Tasuki when another female voice broke through the crowd of bandits. "Someone should have told me we were having a party."
Leader and co-leader's heads whirled to face Shuu, who managed to wriggle her way through a pair of bandits nearly twice her size. Her hair still fell haphazardly in front of her face, and her sleeping robe hung loosely about her shoulders. She had the distinct look of someone who had just gotten out of bed, though it was hard to tell if her irritation came from begin awoken, or from not being awoken sooner.
"What now?" Koji grumbled, sneaking up to stand behind his companion.
"Good morning to you, too," Shuu snapped. She ignored the co-leader and turned to face Tasuki. "So there's a battle or something, huh? Thanks for letting me know. Now I hardly have any time to prepare."
Tasuki blinked. "You wanna come too?"
"Brilliant deduction, O Genius Leader. Do you want me up front flinging magic, or in the back? I'm not picky, so long as I can fry something."
"Up front," Koji grumbled. "She's more likely t'get hit."
Shuu shot him a warning glare but didn't respond. The two had been on tense terms ever since their midnight argument and neither seemed willing to make up just yet – if ever. Asatenshi turned towards Tasuki, her voice oddly civil. "So what's the verdict, leader? And don't tell me I can't go – you know you can't stop me."
"You wanna test that theory?" Koji snapped, fists clenching. "You've got a lotta nerve jus' assumin' we need yer help in this battle, y'know that?"
Hikaru came bustling back through the crowd, a small satchel looped over one shoulder, but pulled to a sudden halt just behind Tasuki. Her gaze jumped from Shuu to Koji, then back to Shuu, surprised by the anger pouring from each set of eyes. "Ano..."
The younger sister ripped her emerald glare away from the bandit co-leader, turning it instead onto Tasuki. Her posture and tone relaxed as she waited for his answer. "Well?"
Tasuki shrugged. "I don't see th' harm in havin' another magic-user around, 'specially since we don't know what kinda weapons the Akutsuki have. Go ahead an' come, I'll find a place for ya, Shuu-san."
Hikaru's eyes widened at Tasuki's sudden politeness, but her jaw nearly dropped when Shuu offered him a curt bow and a "Domo, Tasuki-san." The young Asatenshi woman straightened again, brushing her unruly hair away from her face. "I need to find Genji-kun, see if I can borrow some of his clothes. No way am I fighting in this," she fingered her long robes, grimacing. "Any idea where he might be?"
Koji jumped in again, anger welling in his chest to the point where he thought he might burst. Anger at Hikaru for barely noticing him, anger at Shuu for her insolence, anger at Tasuki for never once consulting him, and anger at himself for his lack of power. Always, always his damned lack of power! "Genji-kun's busy gettin' everyone ready. He's prob'ly outside by now."
"Okay then, I'll look for him there."
"We don't have time for that," the co-leader said. He tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn't stop a slight snarl from spreading across his face. "By th' time you tracked him down an' went back to his room... we have t'leave soon, and we can't wait around jus' fer you t'get comfortable."
"So what do you intend to have me do, co-leader?" Shuu growled, taking a jerky step towards him. "Run around out there tripping over my skirts?"
"Yer sister doesn't seem t'mind it," Koji reminded her coolly.
"My sister won't be—"
"You c'n always stay behind," the co-leader offered, a victorious smirk on his lips. Shuu opened her mouth to snap one of her infamous replies, but this time the bandit beat her to it. "At any rate, I've got more important things t'do than argue 'bout yer picky habits. In case you haven't noticed, there is a gang of bandits comin' our way." He offered a mock bow to the young woman, then turned on his heel and marched through the doors, calling for Tasuki to hurry up.
Shuu turned to Tasuki, who shrugged. "He is right. We don't have a lotta time."
"Oh, you're useless!" the Asatenshi woman cried, flinging up her arms and storming back off through the crowd. "Guess I'd better get dressed then... maybe I have time to slice off the bottom inch of one of my skirts, or perhaps that would take too much of your precious time as well... useless... whipped... stupid..."
Hikaru giggled nervously. "Well, at least she sounds more like herself now. I never thought I'd hear Shuu-chan go three sentences without ridiculing you... it's a welcome change, I suppose." She touched a hand to his arm and gave it a light squeeze. "Regardless of how it happened, I thank you for cooperating with her. You'll have to tell me the story someday."
Tasuki jerked out of her hold, rubbed the back of his head and muttered something about "getting ready," then hurried off to join Koji. Hikaru chuckled and followed, her bag of medical supplies swinging at her hip.
---
A small river flowed about a quarter of a li from the Reikaku stronghold, winding its way from the higher mountain peaks and into a valley lake somewhere to the far south of Konan. A natural disaster ages before had created a miniature canyon on the northern side of the river, where a seven-foot cliff face rose above the water. The bandits had beaten a narrow path down to the water's edge, but the area was still strewn with boulders and rubble, making it an ideal place to stake an ambush. Several years ago the bandit leader and co-leader had created an attack plan, known as the Arrow Sweep, specifically for this patch of Reikaku land. But now, as Koji glanced about the area, aching from the fast march and desperately wishing he could sit down, he realized that their favorite plan would need a drastic makeover, and in a hurry.
"Change in plans," he said to Tasuki, his eyes on the high cliff face above. "Akutsuki ain't gonna come in from th' north like we thought. They'll be heading down through th' east end, right on the rear of our archers."
"What d'you mean?" Tasuki inquired somewhat irritably. He had his hands full getting the ambushers into position, and was starting to grow a bit tired of Koji's unusual aggressiveness. "Anyone who comes here always—"
"From th' east," Koji said again. "Call it a hunch. Anyway, we're jus' movin' things around, okay? I'm gonna regroup th' archers at th' top of that," he pointed upwards, "cliff face. We'll fire down on th' enemy. Th' area's gonna be a little cramped, but if we put th' river at your backs we shouldn't have much problem. We'll rain hell on 'em from both sides. Perfect."
"How d'ya know—?"
But Koji had already turned his back on the bandit leader and proceeded to usher his group of ten archers up the path and towards the cliff face. He knew Tasuki wasn't happy, but he also knew the leader would follow his orders. Koji had used their lack of time to his advantage – Tasuki had to do as he said, or risk losing all preparation time. When it depends on quick action, I'm God on this mountain he remarked, or perhaps Doro had thought it. No matter.
Ken appeared at the co-leader's elbow. "Koji-san, where do you want me?"
"Back at th' stronghold," he said. "But since yer here I want ya t'stay with me unless I tell ya t'sneak a message down t'Genrou. Otherwise you don't leave my side, understand?"
"As you say, Koji-san," Ken glanced down at the milling bandits and frowned. "I thought we were going to set up with the cliff to our backs. Did I misunderstand the plans?"
"Nah, yer too smart t'do that. I jus' changed 'em around."
The new bandit fell into silence, which was fortunate because at that moment one of Reikaku's scouts dashed down the narrow path. He picked his way through the rubble until he stood at Tasuki's side. Koji watched, curious, as the youth gasped out his report to the bandit leader. Koji didn't have to hear the words to know what had been said: Tasuki's golden eyes glanced up the cliff face and met his friend's with honest surprise, then he turned and shouted for the thirty-odd bandits and two Asatenshi women to follow him to the riverside edge of the clearing. So, Koji thought with a touch of victory and a touch of worry, his hunch had been right after all.
"Everyone ready?" he muttered to his surrounding group. A muted rumble greeted him, and ten bowstrings hummed into position as they waited for the first Akutsuki head to poke its way around the eastern corner of the narrow passage. Koji's chest swelled with pride at the grim-faced warriors surrounding him. They were all young bandits – most had never seen a real battle with the gang – but all the same they were prepared to fight like hell against one of the most dangerous enemies in Reikaku history. He loved this gang with every ounce of his being, and trusted that these ten young men would never let him down. The co-leader pushed back the waves of fire racing from his abdomen, knocked an arrow to his bowstring, and readied himself for the battle. He'd have to make sure to never let them down, either.
---
Tasuki heard a stifled whimper to his right. He glanced over and found Genji standing nearby, sword in hand, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. The seishi sighed and wished Koji were here. "Somethin' wrong?"
"I was just thinking, Gen-sama," the youth whispered back. His eyes flicked up to where Koji's men were hiding, then over to the eastern side of the narrow pathway. "I was just thinking about the first bandit that pokes his head between those two big boulders, and about how Koji-sama has an arrow trained on that spot. Only that first bandit won't have any idea about it until he's dead, because Koji-sama never misses. And I was just thinking, how scared that first bandit is going to be, having to peek through into enemy territory like that, and how sad he'll be, when he realizes in the afterlife that he never even had a chance. And I was just thinking, Gen-sama, that I don't know what's going to happen either, and that I'm about as frightened as I've ever been. And I was just thinking that, you know, maybe that first Akutsuki and I have a few things in common." He sighed. "And I was just thinking that I wished I hadn't thought so much, because it makes this a lot harder... te kanjii."
Tasuki flashed a confident smile at the youth, the sort of smile that said he never questioned things like that, and that Genji shouldn't, either. "The Akutsuki're tryin' t'kill us, kid. We're jus' tryin' t'protect what's already ours. Focus on 'just thinking' about that fer a while." He gripped the youth's shoulder and pointed towards the far right flank. "Now if ya've got room in yer head fer some thinkin' of a different kind, I want ya t'lead over there with Shuu-san. I'll take the middle – Hikaru'll stay near me – an' I'll have Soshu leadin' the left. Think ya c'n do that, Genji-kun?"
Genji could only stare wide-eyed at his leader. "Y-you want me to...? You really think I can...?"
"Koji's had a lotta faith in ya from th' start, an' I'm startin' t'see why." An unspoken understanding passed between them: this was Genji's chance to prove himself in a real battle, and to his true leader, no less. Tasuki shrugged and looked away. "But, if ya don't want to..."
"I do, Gen-sama! And I won't let you down!" Genji jerked a clumsy bow and hurried to the right flank, sending a whisper through the ten-man contingent for them to get down and stay silent. Tasuki chuckled at his fluttery but certain movements; terrified as he was, he was handling it like a real warrior. The seishi turned to his men and readied them in the same fashion. The small Reikaku contingent ducked into hiding and waited for the signal... and there it was.
That first Akutsuki marched through the passageway, a thoroughly confused expression on his features. He glanced back over his shoulder at his unseen companions, crying out: "It's deserted – there ain't a bandit in si—!"
A feathered shaft took him straight through the neck, and he fell over backwards with a strangled yelp of alarm. Tasuki smiled from his position. Koji's aim was as true as ever.
A shout of fury rose from behind the boulders, and the Akutsuki gang poured through, forty strong and blazing with battle-lust. Eleven arrows flew down from the heights above, eight Akutsuki fell to the ground, and Tasuki's forces rose to their feet and charged. The fight had begun.
---
Koji slipped easily into the rhythmic pattern of firing and reloading, firing and reloading, which freed the rest of his senses to the tastes of the battle. The Akutsuki had been caught completely unawares, which had given Reikaku the immediate advantage, but the rival gang was strong and driven by a force that seemed almost like terror; they regrouped in a hurry and gave as good as they received. It soon became apparent, however, that Reikaku had three powerful weapons that the Akutsuki could never hope to match: the first was the superior positioning and talent of Koji's archers; the second and third were Shuu and Tasuki.
The Asatenshi woman, a short knife in one hand and a ball of emerald magic in the other, had wasted no time in diving into the fray. She now stood right in the thick of the battle, whirling left and right with surprising quickness while her blade slashed in-and-out with a skill Koji hadn't known she possessed. But it was her magic that truly made her frightening. Shuu's body hummed with power, and she used it willingly, blasting emerald holes through any who dared draw too close and creating hills of wounded and dying Akutsuki wherever she walked. The Akutsuki gave her a wide birth, but she came on relentlessly, a virtual tornado of magic and destruction.
But if Shuu was a whirlwind among the bandits, then Tasuki was an inferno. His sword flashed in lightning-fast arcs, slicing through flesh and bone as if it were cutting silk. And never mind that he couldn't use his tessen in such a small area; he wielded the small fan like a club and a shield, switching from one to the other almost unconsciously as he blocked, ducked, slashed and spun away to his next target. Koji even paused for a moment to admire the brilliant display, though he had a hard time following his friend's movements – from his position it looked like one bright flame spinning through a sea of grass, and wherever the fire raged those hapless stalks dropped to the earth in a blaze of blood and screams.
The co-leader allowed his eyes to slide back over the field: Genji was handling himself well, and Hikaru was moving through the back ranks, tending to the wounded and flinging magic whenever she had a good shot. All the bandits were performing at the top of their game, he realized, and another flare of intense pride flowed through his body at the thought. No reason to miss out on anymore of the fun, then – time to return to the job at hand.
Koji knocked another arrow to his bow and searched the field for a good shot; it was getting difficult to find a clear opening, what with the Reikaku bandits mingling so freely with the Akutsuki, but he kept his sharp eyes peeled for any Akutsuki who happened to stray too far from the battle, or any archer who happened to leave himself a bit too exposed behind the tall, eastern rubble. Gods, but this was annoying – why couldn't he be down on the field with the others instead of searching for—
There! Right on the edge of the river and away from the fight, a lone enemy stood knocking an arrow to his bow. The bandit was dressed in mottled grays and browns and had been almost impossible to see – an assassin, most likely – which was how he'd made it towards the back of the crowd without anyone noticing. Now, with his body just visible above the rocks, the assassin had a clear shot across the field, a perfect view of any Reikaku that he wished to destroy.
And he was aiming, Koji realized with a start, for the center of Tasuki's unguarded back.
"No more time t'admire th' strategy," the co-leader muttered. He knocked an arrow to his own bow and sighted down the shaft: it was a long shot, and the enemy was almost invisible in his camouflage colors, but the assassin's eyes glittered blue among the rock, and Koji had practiced far too long to miss a shining target like that. The assassin took care to aim, thinking he had all the time in the world; Koji pulled back his string, thinking that the assassin would be in for quite a surprise—
Are you really going to let such a perfect opportunity escape?
Koji halted, bow pulled taunt but the arrow still grasped firmly in his hand.
What if he just happens to fall? Who would tearfully take his position as leader, I wonder?
"Ridiculous," the bandit hissed aloud, his voice lost among the battle cries. But he couldn't quite release the arrow, even as the assassin pulled back his string, even as the perfect shot opened before him, even as he started to loosen his hold on his own bow...
A ball of green energy flew across the clearing and hit the assassin square in the chest. His sharp blue eyes opened wide, then rolled backward, and he tumbled to the ground without a sound – not that it would have been heard in the chaos around him, anyway.
Koji's eyes darted across the clearing. Hikaru stood a few meters away, standing over a wounded bandit with a bandage in one hand and a glowing sphere in the other. She breathed a sigh of relief, and Koji breathed with her – she hadn't seen him; perhaps she hadn't even known the arrow was meant for Tasuki. Either way, she'd saved the leader's life. That was all that mattered.
His eyes swept the clearing again and fell onto Shuu's glaring gaze. Koji felt his heart stop beating. The young Asatenshi woman was staring straight at him, and there was no mistaking the knowing, accusing look in that fierce face of hers. Half a second passed, maybe less, then she dove back into the battle and disappeared among the Akutsuki. But the time felt like a millennium, and the damage had been done.
"I... I wasn't gonna let Genrou die," Koji fumbled, though of course she couldn't hear him. "I—I jus' didn't have a good shot, is all... I couldn't get a good opening, what with all our boys down there, an' the distance was so great, an' I..."
Koji was glad the other bandits couldn't hear his weak excuses or Doro's loud, triumphant laughter ringing between his ears.
---
Tasuki dug his blade into an Akutsuki's stomach, twisted, and ripped upward with a bone-crushing amount of force. His weapon was made for powerful strikes; the steel tore a jagged line from the enemy's belly-button to his shoulder, nearly slicing him in two. He shrieked with surprise and pain, but the seishi didn't see that; he'd already turned his blade on another attacker, and by the time the first bandit hit the ground Tasuki had beheaded another two. Both his blade and clothes were drenched in blood – none of his own, of course – but he barely noticed that, or the other bandits fighting beside him, doing their best to stay out of his way. Tasuki was a dangerous fighter, but a careless one, and had a hard time distinguishing enemy from ally in the bloody melee of battle. The Reikaku boys knew to give him a wide berth.
Someone – a hardened female bandit, he realized – charged at him with a pair of rusted daggers; he batted them aside with his tessen and drove forward with his sword. She ducked and he followed, but she was quick and rolled up underneath the leader, kicking at his kneecap. Tasuki stumbled, if only for a moment, and the woman seized her chance to attack. She stood, lashing out as she did and neatly slashing at his shoulder. Blood stained the ripped cloth, but if Tasuki registered the wound he didn't show it; the bandit regained his footing and whirled, using his tessen to block her second dagger strike and his sword to dive in for the attack. She was fast. He was faster. The woman collapsed to the ground with a cry, not that she had much of a choice: Tasuki hadn't left her with anything to stand on.
The seishi turned to meet his next enemy, only to find that there were no other enemies. He blinked, rising back to reality and watching as the Akutsuki pulled back. Were they retreating? It seemed that way, but there was something on the remaining members' faces that made it look as if they hadn't lost, not yet anyway. Tasuki relaxed but kept his sword out, ready for a second wave. The other bandits followed his example, though they couldn't help but flash relieved smiles. Someone even raised a fist and shouted out: "Victory!"
"Unlikely," Shuu remarked. Tasuki looked over his shoulder to find both Asatenshi women picking their way through the wounded bandits towards the seishi. "Look at them; they don't have the feel of a beaten gang. At best they're regrouping, and at worst we've fallen into a very clever trap."
Tasuki nodded in agreement. He opened his mouth to order the Reikaku bandits to regroup, but Hikaru cut him off. The young woman had her face turned to the opening in the eastern wall, a look of concentration printed across her features. "Something's wrong... Shuu-chan, do you sense that as well?"
"Sense 'that'?"
"It feels like... like power, only twisted into something horrible. I've felt it all battle, but it feels closer, or stronger, now..." she strained in the direction of the "feeling" for another few moments, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she reached for the identity of the power... and then it hit her, and she went pale with fear, because she knew she was too late. "Oh, gods."
The earth erupted around them, covering the trio in debris and blinding them from the center of damage. Tasuki spit out mud and rock, scrubbing furiously at his eyes and peering through the drifts of dirt. "What th' hell was that?" he demanded, surprised to find Hikaru's slim fingers clasped in his hand.
"Maho," Hikaru gasped. "A user of dark magic. More than that, though. More disgusting than even that." She too strained to see through the settling dust, but her eyes peered towards the eastern ridge instead of the battlefield. "From... there!" A figure appeared on the edge of the opening, a young man cloaked in blacks and browns. Black flames crackled around his form, but before anyone could react he slipped back through the crevice and disappeared into the surrounding countryside. Hikaru's eyes narrowed and her fists tightened. "An abomination. A demon!"
She jerked her hand from Tasuki's grasp and darted through the veil of dust, dancing around the crater that now lay in the middle of the clearing with at least ten smoking Reikaku corpses littering its edges. The Asatenshi woman blasted two bandits out of her way and vanished through the fissure, on a direct course for the Akutsuki's sorcerer.
No. Not a sorcerer. A maho-user. A demon. And Hikaru was about to take him on. Alone.
Tasuki's heart caught in his throat and he sprinted after the young woman, leaving Shuu and the frightened remains of Reikaku's force to deal with the Akutsuki, who were charging back onto the battlefield with renewed vigor, now confident of at least a small victory.
---
"What th' hell is he doing?" Koji cried from his perch. He could only watch helplessly as Tasuki chased after Hikaru, anger and indignation rising in his chest. His eyes flitted back to the battle, where Soshu glanced about, trying to figure out the attack plan; but Tasuki had designated no leader, and the bandits had no idea who they should follow or what they should do. "That selfish, careless, brainless idiot..."
The co-leader punctuated each word with a flying arrow and managed to take down five Akutsuki before they collided again with Reikaku's forces. He picked off an Akutsuki whenever the opportunity arose, but the thin numbers – barely twenty on each side, he guessed, and many of those fighting with injuries – were tightly packed, and he had trouble getting a clear shot. Koji stared at the losing battle, at the Reikaku bandits – at his bandits – fighting with no plan, with no formation or even a decent idea of where they should attack. He gritted his teeth and set his bow on the ground. "No good. Takashi-kun, you're in charge," he barked to the bandit on his right. "I'm goin' down there. They'll all be dead if I don't."
Ken made a grab for Koji's sleeve. "But Koji-san, Leader said—"
"Yer 'Leader' deserted his men!" Koji roared, already drawing his daggers. "An' I'll be damned if I let that idiot be th' cause of-"
"Aniki!" Takashi called from nearby. The co-leader followed his pointing finger and stared in disbelief as a ripple of understanding passed through the battling Reikaku bandits. The group retreated away from the melee, reforming into a triangular pattern at their rallying point and around their newfound leader. A smile crept onto Koji's face as Genji led a final charge into the front line of the thinning Akutsuki forces, which finally broke under the ferocity of Reikaku's last attack. Takashi voiced everyone's amazed thoughts. "That little pipsqueak actually pulled it off..."
"Oi!" Koji snapped, grinning at the other bandits. "No one calls yer future leader a pipsqueak, y'got it? Leastways, not when I'm around." His eyes fell back to the battle, where the Akutsuki kept trying to retreat up the eastern crest. Reikaku's forces never once let up, though, and forced the Akutsuki to fight all the way to their escape. "C'mon boys!" the co-leader called, reaching for his bow again. "No sense in missin' th' winnin' part of the fight. Let's see if we can stop their remainin' men from reachin' that ridge."
Koji's eyes swept the battlefield a second time, surprised to see some Akutsuki still attacking with that same panicked ferocity. A few of them – insane with fear, Koji decided – even tried to take on Shuu, who slashed at any who dared get too close. The trio attempted to circle the young sorceress, but she pivoted easily, blocking their attacks and dealing out some damage of her own. Koji paused to watch the display for a moment, almost pitying the poor fools who thought they could take on an Asatenshi sister...
...And let out a shout of alarm as Shuu whirled to meet a man wielding a club, caught her foot on the edge of her skirt, stumbled, and received a vicious blow to the back of her skull. The Asatenshi sister forced the bandits back with a sharp blast of magic, took two tottering steps forward, and collapsed.
Koji didn't hear the rest of the bandits' excited cries as they slowly drove the Akutsuki off the battlefield. He barely heard his own command for Takashi to take charge of the archers. All he could hear as he slid down the cliff towards the injured Asatenshi sister was a soft thudding in his ears and his own taunting, stubborn voice.
"We have t'leave soon, and we can't wait around jus' fer you t'get comfortable."
"Idiot... idiot... idiot..." he shouted with each step, his side aching, his daggers drawn, his eyes focused on those Akutsuki leaping for Shuu, and all because of him, all because of him...
---
Shuu forced herself to her knees, peering through a veil of blood and dirt at the three Akutsuki bearing down on her. They were wary of her magic, which bought her a small amount of time, but whether she had three seconds or three hours, it wouldn't make any difference. The young woman knew her limitations. She readied her knife, wondering how she'd managed to hang onto it through the pounding in her head and the sudden shakiness racing through her body. Wondering if she even had the strength to wield it, now.
The Akutsuki closed in. Shuu gritted her teeth to stop the world from spinning, fighting to stand, fighting to ignore the sound of the bandit behind her screaming—
What?
Shuu whirled in time to see the third Akutsuki thud to the ground next to her. His hands grappled furiously with the hilt of a throwing knife that protruded from his throat, and even through her growing daze she recognized that smooth mahogany handle.
The young woman's remaining strength deserted her and she collapsed to the ground with a tired sigh. She managed to glance up through her bloody black bangs, just slightly, at the tanned bandit fighting tooth-and-claw with a pair of daggers, delivering death to any Akutsuki foolish enough to attack his injured female companion. For a moment Shuu had the image of a snarling wolf in her mind, standing over a pack mate, ready to die to protect its charge. Ready to die for her?
"Idiot," she muttered, and faded into darkness.
---
Tasuki could not remember ever running this fast or this desperately, and he still couldn't catch sight of Hikaru. The Asatenshi sister had followed the sorcerer, no doubt using that "feeling" of hers to track him through the woods. Tasuki did not have such a luxury, and had to pause every so often during his sprint to look for a clue as to where she'd gone. To the right, then the left – oh, that Akutsuki was leading her on a merry little chase – and finally in a loop back towards the river. The path didn't waver this time, and Tasuki became a blur. His feet hit the earth in a flurry too quick to follow, his arms pumped at his sides, and he pushed his seishi abilities to their absolute limit. He felt that his lungs would surely burst in a moment, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind the forest fell away and he found himself in a small clearing on the edge of the river. And there, with a ball of emerald energy glowing in her palms, Hikaru stood against the grinning Akutsuki sorcerer.
"...needed more help, and so we made a little 'deal,'" the sorcerer was saying, though the seishi didn't know or care what he meant by that. Tasuki took a step towards the young woman, one hand on his sheathed sword, but never had a chance to use it. The enemy – a dark-haired man with eyes the color of blood – saw the bandit out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "Not very sporting of you to send for help," he called to the young woman across from him.
Hikaru jerked her eyes away from her enemy for just a moment, open surprise flashing across her face at the sight of Tasuki, sword drawn, hovering at the edge of the clearing. "Tasuki, what—?"
The sorcerer seized his chance and plunged a fist into the soft earth, muttering under his breath. A moment later a wall of black flame rose from the ground and careened across the clearing, on a direct course for the Asatenshi sister. Hikaru whirled back around and brought up her hands, but before she could utter a spell Tasuki raced forward and knocked the young woman to the ground, the wall of black fire missing them by a hairsbreadth. Tasuki pressed Hikaru tightly to the earth, and for the tiniest insant their eyes met, their hearts pounded, and the young woman saw something in those bright amber orbs that made her breath catch, if only for a moment. Tasuki sprang to his feet as soon as the smoke cleared, glaring at his new enemy. He had sheathed his sword again, but a new, deadlier weapon now sat comfortably in his palm, and he didn't plan on waiting to use it. Tasuki had never been one for bantering during a battle, anyway.
"REKKA SHIN'EN!"
A wall of shadows sprang up before the enemy sorcerer, protecting him – though just barely – from the stream of fire that Tasuki unleashed on the clearing. The red-eyed man chuckled. "An intriguing weapon. I'd love to stay around and test its strength, but I have orders to follow, and two-on-one is hardly fair game. So... I'll be seeing you later." Tasuki could have sworn the remark had been directed at him, though the sorcerer faced Hikaru the entire time. The bandit took a step towards his opponent, but the man raised his cloak over his head and uttered another set of deep, guttural words. When the cloak fell, the man was gone.
Tasuki heaved a frustrated sigh and turned to face Hikaru, who had just risen to her feet. The Asatenshi sister gripped her arm but held herself steadily, either too proud or too angry to admit she'd been hurt. "Your timing is horrid," she said. "He was strong, but my magic was more than a match for that proud fool. And if I had beaten him, I could have found out the Akutsuki's next plans, how many men and sorcerers they had in their ranks, even their leader's name and appearance before I sent him back to whatever Hell he arrived from—"
"IDIOT!"
Hikaru froze mid-sentence, struck dumb by the ferocity in the bandit's outburst. More shocking still, though, was that look of fierce protectiveness in his eyes, and something else, something deep and powerful. Something that made her breath catch in her throat again, if only for a moment.
"What the hell difference does it make what you might have gotten outta him?" Tasuki barked. "What the hell difference does all th' possible information in the world make if there's also a chance that y'might die tryin' t'get it?"
"I just wanted to—"
"Jus' wanted t'what? T'help out Reikaku by havin' us lose our best Healer an' sorceress! T'help out Chichiri by havin' him lose his best hope fer survival! T'help out me, by havin' me lose...!" he shook his head, ending that train of horrified thought. "Enlighten me, Hikaru: how was yer death gonna do Reikaku any good?"
"I wasn't going to die. I had the upperhand."
"Really? 'Cause that burn on yer arm suggests otherwise."
Hikaru clapped her hand tighter across the blackened wound; she winced but refused to cry out. She met the bandit stare for stare, as unwilling to give up this fight as he was. "I'm going to have to risk my life if I want to be of some use around here, Tasuki. And I do want to be of some use. I want to repay you for your kindness. I want to..." But the sister's strength deserted her, and as the deep burn in her arm pulsed with a dark power she buckled slowly towards the ground, still struggling to keep her gaze on the bandit even as his face blurred and swam in the rush of pain. "I... I want to..."
Soft arms caught her before she hit the ground. The bandit pushed her black bangs away from her face, whistling as he felt the fever bubbling up under her smooth skin. "Shit. That guy's magic must be somethin' else."
"I was winning," Hikaru grumbled into his sleeve. "But demons... that filth doesn't fight fair..."
"You gonna be okay?" For a moment his voice read real terror.
"Mm. Temporary paralysis. A dirty trick. Nothing fatal." Tasuki hefted her up onto his back, but the motion was so swift and gentle that he was certain Hikaru could barely feel it. She managed to wrap her arms around his neck and scramble up into a slightly more comfortable position before relaxing against his shoulders. "I was still winning, though. Had him on the run. I could've done something useful for a change around here, destroying something like that..."
Tasuki flashed a crooked smile. "'Done something useful' huh? And what, if I may ask, d'you call what you've done fer me 'n' Chichiri 'n' th' boys so far?"
"What have I ever done for you, Tasuki?"
The bandit kept his eyes forward. Faintly, he could hear the sounds of the Reikaku bandits' shouts of victory. They were close to the battlefield, then, and the Akutsuki must have been driven from the site. Not that Tasuki was surprised, of course; he never went into a battle without expecting a full and total victory. He never worried about anything when he was on that field. He fought, and he killed, and he never gave a second thought about anyone because his bandits would take care of themselves and win. His bandits always took care of themselves, and they always found a way to win.
So why had his heart jumped so violently when he'd seen Hikaru run off on her own?
Hikaru gave the bandit a soft squeeze, and the breath from her mouth tickled at his neck as she murmured: "Ne, Tasuki, did you hear me?"
Tasuki turned his head towards the forest floor, chuckling weakly. "You really are an idiot, y'know that?"
---
Rallying. Charging. Fleeing. Attacking. Someone behind! – damn, her skirts – look up, quick, no, too late! Something heavy. Crash. Fire. Falling. Dizzy... too late, again, always, too late. Leaping. Screaming. Knives. Blood.
"Koji...?"
Shuu sat up with a start, lashing out with her fist at an unseen enemy. She grappled with her sheets for a moment, gasping to find her breath and save herself from the Akutsuki onslaught. The Asatenshi woman blinked, suddenly aware of her surroundings – and, more importantly, of the dull ache at the back of her head. She massaged her bandaged temples to quell the pounding, then turned her emerald eyes upwards to take in her surroundings. She was in a room on Reikaku – her room, she realized after a few confused moments – with soft light pouring onto the chipped walls and chilly wooden floor. Dawn. How long had she been unconscious? It couldn't have been more than one evening, though it was almost impossible to know for certain. Shuu noticed a shadow across her sunlit floor, and turned her head towards the nearby window. Koji leaned against the sill, his back to the young woman and his eyes on the golden disc poking above the Reikaku tree line. Dark circles lined his eyes, and his hands shook almost uncontrollably. Another sleepless night.
"Didn't I tell you to stop brooding and get some rest?"
Koji jerked around at her voice, neatly smacking his head against the top of the window sill. The bandit let out a curse of alarm, scowling at the Asatenshi sister from across the room. She met him with the same look, though hers was a bit softer than usual. "A nice 'Ohayou, moron,' would've been fine," he grumbled. "I would've been expectin' that..."
"Ohayou, moron," Shuu supplied with a sarcastic smile. "Does that make you feel better?"
"Not a bit."
"Then stop complaining. Did we win?"
"Of course."
"How long was I out?"
"Jus' fer one night. You mumble in yer sleep, by th' way. Who's Marcus?"
"How should I know?" Shuu's scowl deepened. "And no one asked you to hover by my bedside, pervert."
"Is that th' thanks I get fer savin' yer sorry ass from those bandits?"
"No one asked you to do that, either," Shuu snapped right back. "And if I recall correctly, it was your impatience that led to my injury in the first place."
"If you'd jus' listened t'me an' stayed behind—" Koji stopped short, leaning against the window again. He rubbed hurriedly at his temples and shook his head, muttering something under his breath as if he were conversing with an unknown speaker. After a few moments he spoke again, though he wouldn't quite meet Asatenshi's gaze. "No. Yer right. It was my fault, from th' start. I'm sorry about that. I really am." He glanced up again, flashing the young woman an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about snappin' at ya, too." She couldn't tell if he meant for snapping at her just then, or the other evening. Maybe both. "It's been a rough couple-a days. Guess I'm a little on edge. That ain't much of an excuse, though."
Shuu grumbled something and looked away. Koji chuckled. "Is that an 'I fergive you' that I just heard?"
"I don't forgive. Ever." She shrugged as if it didn't make any difference one way or the other. "Every once and a while, however, I do manage to forget. Maybe that hit on the head is altering my memory a bit."
"Thank Suzaku fer yer merciful memory, then." Koji rose shakily to his feet, unable to hide the grimace that passed across his face. Once he had turned to fully face the Asatenshi woman, Shuu noticed that his red jacket lay open in the front and his undershirt was missing. She almost snapped out a comment about his "dress code among women," but as he shoved himself to his feet she saw the heavy bandaging on the left side of his abdomen – and the blood that had stained through the wrappings. Koji must have sensed her eyes on the injury, because he chuckled and patted gingerly at his side. "Yeah, it broke open again. That's what I get fer not listenin' t'everyone's warnings, I guess."
"When did that happen?" Shuu demanded, her face tight with anxiety. He shrugged and waved a hand. The Asatenshi woman persisted. "Koji, when did you reopen that?"
"Hey, you called me Koji," he said with a chuckle. "Not 'moron' or 'stupid bandit' or even 'stubborn idiot.' I'm touched." He frowned at a series of sounds from the hallway. "Sounds like the boys're wakin' up, an' that means it's time t'get t'work. I better go..."
Shuu swung her legs off the end of her bed and snatched at the bandit's wrist, pulling him to an abrupt halt. She jerked him back half a step and snapped into his surprised face: "Damned bandit, answer my question! You reopened that when you decided to play 'hero' and slid down that cliff like an idiot to help me, didn't you?"
"Now there's th' Shuu I remember," he grumbled. Koji shrugged and tried to wriggle from her hold, but the woman's grip was strong. "Yeah, I hurt it runnin' around out there, jus' like Hikaru-san said I would. It ain't that big of a deal, Shuu-san."
"How bad is it?"
"Not that bad—"
"How bad, damn you!"
Koji held up his free hand as if to ward off an attack. "Why d'you care, anyway?" The only answer she offered was a stubborn glare. The bandit sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "It tore up th' whole thing, okay? Stitchin' an everythin'. Real messy, worse'n before, or so Hikaru-san said." He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. Trying to calm down Shuu's sudden anger, though he couldn't understand why she was so upset. "I got it pretty bad from yer sister an' the boys, so ya don't gotta add too many of yer own comments. I prob'ly shoulda stayed behind, I shouldn't-a strained myself, blah, blah, blah... ain't nothin' I haven't heard already."
"What did Nee-san say about it?"
"Eh? Oh, nothin' much. Jus' told me I can't be runnin' around much fer the next couple-a weeks, not that that's gonna happen, there's way too much t'get done, an' that she's gonna need to change th' bandagin' regularly fer a few days, 'till it heals better, then give it one last stitch-up." His face darkened for a moment, but the look disappeared so fast that Shuu thought she might have imagined it. Except she knew by his next sentence, and by the stab of guilt in her chest, that it was all perfectly real. "Hikaru-san said I'll probably feel this fer th' rest-a my life, an' even if I don't I'll have a limp t'remember it by." He shrugged. "Well, y'know, y'get messed up like this an' don't take care-a yerself, there'll be some long-term problems. I saw it comin' an' I didn't think too much of it. It's my own fault."
"It's your own fault," Shuu repeated, voice expressionless and head turned downwards.
"Hey, c'mon, don't look like that!" Koji laughed, and the Asatenshi woman glanced up, eyes wide with surprise. "Look, ya can be as mad as ya want at me, you usually are anyway, so I won't hold that against ya." Shuu marveled at his ability to completely miss the mark. "If you wanna call me a moron, then go ahead and get it outta yer system, I'm ready fer that treatment. But it ain't gonna change a thing, y'know. I'd do it again, a thousand times over, an' I'd laugh about it each time." He winked and grinned to hide his embarrassment. "What c'n I say? I've got a flare fer th' dramatic."
Shuu's hand tightened, just slightly, on his wrist. "You..."
Another muffled shout drifted through the young woman's door. Koji jerked his head towards the noise and sighed, his entire body sagging against the bed. "Duty calls."
"Baka. Anyone can see you're on the verge of collapsing," Shuu said. "What good will you do them if you pass out in the hallway?"
"I might be able t'do 'em some good before I pass out in the hallway," he responded with a smile. "Besides, there's no rest fer th' fools, wouldn't ya say?" Koji reached back with one hand and patted Shuu on the head in a gesture that was almost affectionate. "Stop pretendin' you care an' get some rest. Y'got whacked pretty good out there, so we'll be lenient an' give ya th' day off. I'd hate t'see someone I worked so hard t'save kill themselves tryin' t'move around, after all, an'—"
Shuu's voice rose to a shriek. "Idiot!" She reached out and grabbed his other wrist with her free hand, jerking back and pulling him down on top of her. Koji gasped for breath as her knee came into contact with his injured side; the bandit fell limp in her hold, wheezing for air as he fought the fire racing along his abdomen. Shuu took that moment to adjust her hold on his wrist and shove herself out from under the bandit, flipping him over onto his back so his pain-stricken face stared right into hers. The Asatenshi sister straddled the bandit on the bed, her hands digging into his forearms as she glared down at him with pure loathing on her sweat-lined face.
"You just love all this attention, don't you? You lap up all these so-called tongue-lashings people are giving you, because behind those cries of 'baka' are those adoring looks from your little fan squad because you did something heroic." She lifted her grip and tore the bandage away from his side. Koji tried to fight her off, but the young woman held him firmly with one hand and ripped at his stitches with the other. The bandit writhed beneath her, fighting against the icy needles lancing across his side, but Shuu went on as if she didn't hear his strangled curses. "They all think you're so brave and selfless, but they don't know a damn thing. You only do these idiotic things for the sake of the glory, to swell your fat ego. And you know goddam well that they're idiotic, but you can't stop yourself because you adore the attention!" Her fingernails dug into the wound and slashed out the last bloody stitch. Koji gasped for air, almost unconscious with pain now, but Shuu wasn't done yet. She held her free hand in front of her face, watching as a globe of emerald energy crackled in her palm, growing in size and intensity until it nearly blinded her. But she was still able to meet his frightened eyes in the bright room, and snarl out her last words. "Sometimes you're such an arrogant little prick, the most selfish idiot I've ever met, and I absolutely hate you for that, you know that? I absolutely fucking hate you!"
Shuu slammed her hand against his injury, allowing the emerald light to encompass the bleeding wound, his body, her body, the room, the universe... everything was awash in that crackling glow. Shuu wanted to look away from the pale-faced bandit below her, pure terror finally showing on that smiling mug of his, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. She had to see this through to the end. She couldn't turn away from this anymore than he could. The light in the room flashed and snapped, Koji let out a cry of torment, or perhaps she had screamed that noise, that noise like an animal having its heart rent from its chest...
And then it was all over. The magic in her palms disappeared. Koji collapsed against the bed, pale with pain and truly asleep for the first time in almost weeks. Shuu dropped her head to look at the bandit's body. One shaky hand brushed away the blood on his injury to reveal nothing but a thin, pale line of scar tissue where the deep wound had been only moments before. Her fingers fell away from his skin and came to rest on the soft comforter of her bed. Shuu's entire being trembled. Her skull beat out a thumping rhythm, almost in unison with her heaving chest. The Asatenshi sister kept her head down to fight off a wave of nausea, her sweat-drenched hair hanging limply to either side of her face.
"But it's the other times..." she said in between her gasps for air. "When you act... like this..." Something wet rolled off the end of her nose and dripped onto the bandit's cheek. But it couldn't have been a tear. Asatenshi Shuu did not know tears. "Yes. It's those other times... that I hate you the most."
---
Hikaru woke up in Tasuki's bed and had no idea how she'd gotten there. Her last clear memory had been of staggering down the hallway after healing a series of injured fighters – including her sister and the bandit co-leader – her body almost numb from the magical and physical exertion of the day. She thought she remembered stumbling, and maybe leaning against the wall to rest for a moment, just to catch her breath and realign her thoughts...
"Mornin' sunshine."
The Asatenshi sister sat up with a start, whirling to face the doorway. Tasuki stood in the frame, grinning down at the young woman. "Glad t'see yer finally up, though everyone else's goin' t'bed again. Considerin' th' shape y'were in last night, you could prob'ly do with some more sleep anyway."
"Is everyone all right? I mean, the ones I helped..."
"They're all doin' fine, though Shuu-san's been in a foul mood since breakfast an' I ain't seen Koji all day." He shrugged. "Injuries'll do both-a those to ya, though. How ya feelin'? That poison all worked outta yer system yet? Feel up fer some dinner?"
Hikaru's stomach churned at the thought. "No food, thank you. The strength of that poison doesn't last long, but its aftereffects tend to hang on for a while. Magic can be like that." Tasuki nodded as if he knew what she was talking about and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "So how did I get in here?"
"Me. I saw ya asleep in th' hallway about one room down from mine. Figgered it'd be easier t'cart ya in here than t'yer own room." He leaned back against the nearby wall, making himself comfortable. "Besides, I wanted t'keep an eye on ya. Make sure ya didn't go runnin' off again, tryin' t'cure th' plague 'r somethin' t'make yerself useful."
She giggled. "I don't think I'm that foolish, at least not yet anyway." She stood and stifled a yawn. "Mm, I think you're right though. Another night's rest will do me a world of good, though I suppose I'll enjoy this one in the comfort of my own room."
"Well..." Tasuki shifted on his bed and tried not to look at the young woman. "Ya don't gotta go right now, if ya don't want to."
Hikaru's face lit up at his roundabout invitation. "I'd be happy to keep you company. Though..." she sweatdropped as the bandit stretched out on his bed, fluffing his pillow and curling up for sleep. "It looks like you're about to pass out anyway."
"Nah, I got some talkin' left in me, an' when I'm done with that I c'n listen." He looked up at her through half-closed lids. "Girls like t'talk, right?"
"That is the rumor," she agreed.
The young woman took a seat on the floor by the bandit's bed and listened attentively as he explained all that had occurred that day. None of it was particularly spectacular – the gang had eaten three enormous "victory meals" and half the bandits had been drunk by noon, but those that weren't had gone back to the battlegrounds to visit the dead. The seventeen fallen bandits had been buried the day before, but it was Reikaku custom to visit them the next day, and provide each with a final drink of sake for their passage into the next world. Once Tasuki had finished, Hikaru picked up the conversation and told a few stories from back home, many relating to wars similar to the one fought by Reikaku. Tasuki puffed up a bit at the thought of battles at Holy Shrines being similar to battles at bandit strongholds, and Hikaru had a hard time stifling her laughter.
Eventually Tasuki's eyes closed and his replies to her stories grew more and more mumbled. The Asatenshi woman fell silent. She leaned her head in against the bandit's side, and the two sat like that for a while, taking solace in the others' presence. A comfortable silence drifted over the room, sinking the bandit further towards slumber. Hikaru felt her eyelids drooping, but forced herself stay awake. She had to ignore her physical condition for the moment. There were far more important things to think about. Like that demon. The Weaver had placed a new pawn in the game, and a powerful one at that. But what was his purpose? Even she couldn't figure it out.
Not that she was trying very hard. There were other issues on her mind. Certain issues that weren't the black-and-white she was accustomed to. Certain complications that she hadn't quite foreseen.
Hikaru buried her cheek in the soft fabric of Tasuki's sheets, breathing in the sweet mix of pine and freshly burned wood that made up the scent of the seishi lying beside her. Two smells she had grown to recognize. Two smells she had grown to enjoy.
"Ne, Tasuki... do you really think I've done some good around here?"
" 'Course. Ain't I already told'ja that?"
"Even for you?"
"Especially fer me. Helpin' out around th' stronghold, or givin' me some confidence about 'Chiri... or, hell, jus' hangin' out in here like this, when I'm too worn down t'hold it back, when it all piles in an' I don't really wanna be alone." Hikaru blinked; she hadn't thought Tasuki would ever admit that, not to her or anyone else. Was he really that exhausted? Or was it something else? And why did that "something else" make her breath catch in her throat for the third time that day? "I mean, you've done all sorts-a things like that. What would I do without ya, 'Karu?" the seishi yawned and rolled over, muttering into his pillow, "It's hard t'imagine not havin' ya around, now that yer here... don't really wanna imagine it, t'be honest... hah, never thought I'd say that to a woman... 's kinda funny, ain't it, how it happened like that?"
She ran a hand through his flame-red hair, a sad smile tracing her features. "Yes. I suppose it is."
---
Silver light brushed across Reikaku's landscape, painting even the battered ground of the former battlefield in a blanket of soft, muted color. The nearby trees shifted in the tiniest of breezes, rustling their leaves together in the quiet song of the night. An owl hooted from a nearby tree, disrupted from its perch by the snapping of twigs on the ground below. The night bird took off, though it almost seemed to glare at the intruder for a brief moment before disappearing across the river and into the twilight. Hikaru glanced up at the bird but didn't seem to truly see it. Her attention was on her sister, who sat with her back to the battlefield and her face to the river, on the big rock where Hikaru had killed a bandit the day before.
Shuu sensed the other's presence. "Did you get him?"
Hikaru's eyes widened. "Him?"
"That demon scum you were after."
"Oh," Hikaru relaxed, though she couldn't stop the distaste from showing in her voice. "No. That thing got away, and a grand lot of knowledge I gained from following it."
"Another web in the Weaver's ever-thickening pattern."
"I suppose you knew about it?"
"Did you?" Shuu countered. Hikaru shook her head, and her sister went on. "There is a lot that neither of us knows, I think. But I assumed, and I'm certain that you did, too. We've both been around long enough, played this game long enough, to know that the Weaver never puts all his cards on the table. Not even the gods or the Mother can guess at his thoughts, when he truly gets to work. No doubt he's woven the Akutsuki into his plans – no doubt he wove them in long ago, before Reikaku ever heard of this rival gang." She stood, her emerald eyes staring hard across the river, as if she meant to pierce the darkness with her gaze alone. "What those plans are, and how he intends to put them into motion... if they involve demons, I'm not even sure I want to know."
"Something is happening," Hikaru said suddenly, tiredly. "Something I don't like. What is it, Nee-san?"
Shuu cocked her head over one shoulder, flashing a crooked smile at her sister. "I imagine that it is something very foolish. Something our mother would have warned us about when we were alive – assuming we were alive once, and assuming we had a mother to tell us such things."
"Do you understand it?"
"It's not my place to say one way or the other. Nor is it yours. You know that, Nee-san."
"No. We do not talk of such things, do we?" Hikaru walked silently across the open beach – she had never thought of it that way before, but the ground was soft enough that it almost passed as one – until she stood next to her sister at the edge of the shore, watching the far coast with an intensity and confusion she hadn't felt in ages. "There are many such things that we do not speak about anymore, Nee-san."
Almost simultaneously the two young women collapsed wearily to the ground, leaning back to back and using the other for support. Hikaru's right hand clasped at Shuu's left, and Shuu's right did the same to Hikaru's left, until the two sisters were connected as tightly as they could be, in such a way that neither had felt in centuries. Yet they were still miles away from each other, and both knew it, and while they supported one another they guarded themselves, always wary of the other's thoughts and plans. Never quite knowing where to step, even in this darkness where all they could trust was the other's presence. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Years. Eons. Then, echoing faintly across the water:
"You could quit."
"Never," Asatenshi snapped. "I am a loyal servant of Genbu-sama, now and forever. I will not have something as precious as my purpose in this world destroyed by weak-willed humans. That is all they are, and all they will ever be to me. I am stronger than that – and I am stronger than you."
"If that is what you want to believe, then I won't try to change your mind."
"That is what I believe, and what I shall always believe. All mortal creatures are pathetic in their weaknesses, and so easily exploited when you find their wounds. I shall never feel sympathy for something that cannot fight its own darkness. And I will do everything in my power to defeat you. I will see my Master's wishes fulfilled." Her voice was full of conviction and belief, but in the same breath she whispered, "Please promise me something, Nee-san."
"Mm?"
"Promise me that you will do everything in your power to defeat me. Promise me that you will do everything you possibly can to tear apart each and every thread in the Weaver's pattern."
"Is this a trick?"
"Perhaps it may have been, at one time. But now... well, what do you think?"
Another millennium passed between them. Finally, firmly, "I promise you, Nee-san. On my life and honor as one of the Chosen, I promise that I will not rest until every last one of his webs is ripped to shreds."
The other Asatenshi allowed a tiny smile to appear on her exhausted face. "I knew you would. The two of us, now... we have one thing in common, don't we?"
"Mother would have warned us, indeed."
---
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Author's Mundane Ramblings: October 23, 2005; 7:43 PM
Ni-hao, minna-san!
Sorry for the extreme lateness of this update, though I get the feeling I'll be saying that a lot now that school has started. I purposely held off editing this for a while because I knew I wouldn't be getting a lot of new chapters written... but then I got even busier than I expected, and the short delay turned into a gi-normous one. A million apologies to all of you. (Bows profusely)
Random Chapter Comments While I don't mean to toot my own horn... I'm about to. I loved this chapter. I loved writing it, I loved reading it, I loved editing it... there was nothing about this that I didn't love. Even its length didn't bother me (much). I'm terribly proud of it, too, and I don't mind admitting that right now. The Asatenshi sisters have grown so far past what I originally had planned for them, and this verse is the pinnacle of their surprising character development. I just hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. :)
Oh! And here's a fun little fact: this chapter marks the very first time in "Rhapsody" that Tasuki has actually used the "Rekka Shin'en" spell. I just thought that was kinda exciting.
Reviews Hm... there weren't really any questions to answer this time, though I would like to welcome Fallen Angel Akane-san to the group! I know you're only on the early chapters right now, but I hope you'll stick around and get up to this "welcome aboard" message soon! Though, considering how slowly RFS moves, you may have already reached this Verse... (sweatdrop)
Quote of the Moment: "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."
Verse Preview? Remember when I said "the shiznit hits the fizan" back in the First Movement? Yeah, here we go again. (wince) Oh, and just to let you know, there won't be an author's note at the end of the next verse. I think it would destroy the impact of the chapter, so I'll chat with you again during the "Interlude" that follows Verse Nine. Enjoy, and I'll see you again in a few months!
Your Oh-So-Busy (But Still Dedicated!) Authoress – Dee ;)