Retribution
Chapter 15: Return To Kougakyo
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Author: Jun-I
Synopsis: Kyuuzou's POV on the return to Kougakyo
Warnings and Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Kyuu POV:
I wrote a letter to each of my sisters telling them briefly about the Kanna Project, just so that they could rest their hearts that I was finally on 'the right path'. Women and their social justice obsession – I don't quite get it yet. But anyway, I had more selfish motives for getting in touch with Third Sister. The villagers were feeding us nothing except rice in Kanna, and this low-protein-high-carbohydrate diet made me sluggish. Fortunately, I had a supply of soy protein tablets on me when I left Kougakyo. I'd been steadily rationing these out to myself, but now I was running low. (Ever wonder why I moved faster than the other samurai? The secret is soy supplements vs pure rice diet.)
As to where I got the soy tablets from, Ayame sent them to me in a care package many months ago, together with the red dress. She in turn received the soy as a gift from her vegetarian samurai friend whose name I don't even remember, so used we were to calling her "I-kill-people-but-I-won't-eat-animals"-dono. Anyway, whenever Third Sister received foods she did not like to eat, she would pass them to me, and in turn I would give them to the next unfortunate mecha with no taste buds who happened to come along. But fortunately, I kept the soy as an emergency supply. Now, I had to swallow my pride and ask Ayame for more soy protein tablets. I went to the post office in the next village to mail the letters to her and Haruko.
I was returning to Kanna when I ran into Mr. No-Fashion-Sense. Shichiroji told me that Kanbei had left the evening before, right after Gorobei's funeral. That ojisan did not bother to let anyone know except Shichi. This lack of transparency in Kanbei's leadership style is so annoying! The rest of us were supposed to work on reconstructing the village until our wise leader returned at an unspecified date.
Shichi said Shimada Kanbei was going to the Capital to rescue Rikichi's wife and the other kidnapped peasants. And like everyone else, Kanbei hadn't a clue as to where the Capital was!!! That city could be flying about anywhere! Smart huh? To set out on a trip without any directions.
I asked Shichi what Kanbei's plan was. Shimada's faithful aide said he did not know the details. Kanbei was somehow supposed to miraculously infiltrate the Amanushi's heavily-guarded palace and get the kidnapped women out – all by himself. This was going to be pure suicide! That is, assuming that he could even find the Capital without using GPS.
I decided to leave the village to go look for Shimada Kanbei. That guy had no right to get himself killed. Not until I'd gotten some answers out of him. How I was going to find him, I did not know exactly. He had more than half a day's head start. I followed his tracks down the mountain, but when I got to the desert, they had been lost in the shifting sand.
Then I said to myself, "I have to start thinking like that shifty old guy. What would Kanbei do?" He would probably go finagle information out of someone who knew the way to the Capital. Hmm… he just might have gone to try his luck with the Shikimori people.
I got to Shikimori territory and entered the caverns just in time to see Kanbei leave with some Shikimori folks on an amphibian cruiser. Well, it seemed that unshaven ronin really had it in him to bend people to his will. I was hoping some amphibian taxi would come by just at that moment so I could hail the cab, hop in and say, "Follow that vehicle!" just like they do in movies. But I had no such luck. I had to follow their trail on foot.
Well, it was just as well that I did not get to hail a cab. I didn't know if I could pay for it. I still had my credit card but chances were Kougakyo City had frozen my account after I quit Ayamaro without giving notice.
The Shikimori cruiser was long out of sight but I could pick up its trail. I ran after it on and off for a few days. Like my sisters, I was conditioned to go without food and water for an inhumanly long time, but this extended trip was starting to cut into the little that remained of my valuable soy supply.
Finally the Capital appeared in the distance. Now the question was how I could get into an airborne city with nothing except my two feet. Ah well, I guessed I'd just have to follow it and wait for my chance.
The thing was flying quite slowly, fortunately. I followed after it for another day or so. I was starting to tire. How long could I keep this up? In case you folks haven't figured it out already, I am NOT a god or an immortal. Just as I was cursing Kanbei for making me run so much, Kougakyo City came into sight in the distance. The Capital came to a stop over Kougakyo and set down its anchor. So it seemed the problem just solved itself for me.
It took me the better part of the day to reach Kougakyo. I entered the city. Everyone was talking about the dark ronin who tried to assassinate the Amanushi and got arrested instead. The Capital was there so that the people of Kougakyo could see his execution, which was starting in fifteen minutes! This was not good news! I made my way towards the execution site as fast as I could, but it seemed I was late! I got there just in time to see the Capital take off right before my very eyes. Which could only mean the execution was over. Kanbei's corpse was nowhere to be seen.
For a moment, my heart sank. That ojisan had ultimately escaped me without giving me any answers. Now the people who had been there to watch the public spectacle were leaving en masse. I overheard them talking about how the Amanushi had pardoned the assassin. So Kanbei still lived! Hope came alive again in my heart.
I tried to sense Shimada's current location, and following my instincts, I walked through the streets of Kougakyo. But instead of finding Kanbei, I found Ayamaro first. My ex-boss was in a back alley, cowering before three henchmen. This didn't look right. Weren't those people supposed to be working for him? One of them raised his sword to strike Ayamaro down. I jumped in and finished all three of them off, very cleanly if I might add. I hope this settled whatever grievances Ayamaro might have held against me. Sure, I decimated a tiny percentage of his workforce, but with the exception of Hyogo, those were all contractors and not employees. My previous actions might have cost Ayamaro some money in life insurance payouts to Hyogo's family, but now that I'd saved his life, I think that we're even.
I was going to head out on my own, but Ayamaro insisted on tagging along. I really did not want to play babysitter, but I guess I'm just too softhearted. Ayamaro told me the details about Kanbei's arrival at the Capital and his failed assassination attempt on the Amanushi. That was interesting gossip. My former employer also filled me in on how Ukyo became the new Amanushi and how Kanbei broke free of his restraints at his execution and tried to kill Ukyo. Then Shimada's plans were ruined when Ukyo 'pardoned' him and released him. Told you that ojisan was going to get himself into trouble. Rushing blindly into one physical confrontation after another – that's exactly the kind of behavior my sisters refer to as 'testosterone poisoning'. Sigh.
Anyway, it was getting late, and I wanted to find a place to rest before I started hunting that Kanbei again. With me alone, it would have been easy. But now I had to locate decent lodgings to put up my pampered charge for the night. Made it clear to Ayamaro he was the one who would be paying though.
We found ourselves in Iyashi No Sato, Kougakyo's entertainment district, looking for a discount inn. I saw Katsushiro pass by in the crowd. Ah, Kanbei and the rest of the gang might be somewhere close by. Let me guess. Would it be the House of the Fireflies again? But even if I had not seen Katsu, I think I might have located Kanbei on my own anyway. I could feel his presence somewhere not so far off. And I could sense danger.
But don't think I have something for that guy just because I could sense his location. We don't have a special connection or anything like that. Ayame and I don't even like each other, and yet she has the extra-sensory ability to find my location within a certain distance, a sixth sense which she put to annoying use on the battlefield. It was always "Third Sister to the rescue!" Stop hogging the action and let a guy fight his own battles for a change, dang it!
Anyway, Ayamaro and I reached the front court of House of the Fireflies just in time to find 8 crab claw mechas about to burn the place. I swear that Kanbei is a trouble magnet if I've ever met one. Had my second workout of the day by slicing up all the robots. It was only after I was done that Kiku and Kanbei arrived on the scene. Those guys are so clueless.
Kanbei came up to me and said, "You came at a good time." That man just had to state the obvious. He couldn't come up with anything else to say, I guess. But I had no time for awkward small talk.
I kept my back to Kanbei. Told him that those assassins were sent by Ukyo to kill them, so I had to finish them off. Kiku, who always had such a bad sense of humor, said I must really love the Kanna gang to act this way, even if I would not admit it. I had to correct him. I was only waiting for this seemingly interminable project to end so that Kanbei and I could get on with personal business.
That was when Kikuchiyo caught sight of my charge. Ayamaro was hiding behind a tree, trying his best to be unobtrusive. Which was totally not working since he was like three times the width of the tree.
End Kyuu POV
Kanbei was not quite expecting Kyuuzou to find him in Kougakyo, but then he had not been expecting Katsushiro, Kikuchiyo and Kirara to follow him to the Capital either. The tall dark warrior noticed with some disappointment that Kyuuzou had reverted to his previous coldness, that aloof iciness he reserved specially for Shimada Kanbei. It was as if that stolen kiss in the forest had never happened.
The seasoned veteran could not understand Kyuuzou. Was the enigmatic androgyne playing with him? The idea vaguely upset Kanbei. After a moment of awkward silence, Kanbei invited the two new arrivals to join them in the House of the Fireflies.
Author's Comment:
This chapter was inspired by my friend who watched S7 with me and remarked that the samurai must have a serious protein and vitamin deficiency if they were eating nothing except rice. I myself had been on a high carb low protein diet before (not on purpose, but because I was too lazy to go out to buy food before eating up my existing food supplies) so I do know firsthand that the Vitamin B and protein deficiency can make a human feel quite horrible.