As soon as Ayame's train left the station, Kyuuzou made his way briskly to Iyashi no Sato via the most direct route he knew.
--
Kanbei looked out of the upstairs window of the House of the Fireflies to see a familiar red figure standing in the courtyard, gazing up at him. He immediately went downstairs and stepped outside the inn to face his challenger.
"The time has come," Kyuuzou said simply.
"Here?" Kanbei asked. He would rather not engage in any activities that might result in damage to the property of his gracious hosts.
"No, not here," the red samurai replied.
"Where then?" the long-haired ronin said.
"Follow me," Kyuuzou said. But he remained motionless. His opponent was by now a little puzzled.
Kanbei took a few steps closer to Kyuuzou and gazed questioningly into those passionless red eyes. Kyuuzou finally spoke again, "Bring some food and water. We will take some days to get there."
"There? Where?" Kanbei raised his eyebrows.
"Where we will have our duel," the younger man replied in a tone of forced patience used to explain things to the not-very-bright.
"And where may that be?" the tall ronin asked.
"You'll see," came the cryptic reply. "Just follow me."
--
Katsushiro returned to his Kougakyo Self-Defense Corps barracks after finishing the day's boot camp training. He was looking forward to an evening of rest. In fact, he was so tired he was planning to fall into slumber the minute he reached his bed. But it turned out that his sleep would be delayed for a little longer.
The sentry told him he had someone waiting for him in the visitors' reception area. The tired young recruit made his way to the visiting room to find his old Sensei sitting there with a small travel bag.
"Sensei!" the boy exclaimed in surprise.
"I regret to say I have to borrow my old sword from you for a while," Kanbei said apologetically. "I hope this will not bring you any inconvenience."
"Sensei, it is your sword! You can have it anytime." Katsushiro exclaimed, "I have never regarded it as mine for I am not worthy. I merely consider myself to be holding it in safekeeping. So far, I've been using the military-issue sword. I'll bring your sword to you right away."
With that, the boy bowed and left the reception room. Shortly later, he returned with Kanbei's hooked tip scabbard.
"Thank you, Katsushiro," Kanbei nodded as he took up that old weapon, stained with the memories of so many battles and the blood of so many slain foes. "I will have it returned to you."
Katsushiro said to the tall ronin, "You don't have to, Sensei. It's your sword."
"No, I made a gift to you, and I don't intend to revoke it." The old man smiled. "But exceptional circumstances force me to take it up again. It will be returned to you shortly."
"Sensei, the Kougakyo Self-Defense Corps can certainly use more experienced veterans among its officers." The boy said earnestly. "If you are so inclined, there is work here for you. Many Great War veterans have been hired as officers and trainers. I am sure the Corps would love to have someone of your stature and experience."
Kanbei simply nodded, but he did not say anything in response. He was not sure if he would return. The young man walked his former leader to the gate. As he turned to leave, the old warrior said, "Farewell, and whatever battles the future may bring you, fight them well."
"Yes, Sensei," Katsushiro bowed in respect. But as he watched the departing figure of his former commander, he felt a sense of unease. There was something final in Kanbei's tone as he bade him farewell. More keenly than before, Katsushiro had the idea that he was looking at a dead man walking.
Then the green-haired boy wondered why Kanbei told him, "I will have the sword returned to you," instead of "I will return the sword to you."
Had it something to do with the strange reappearance of Kyuuzou?
--
There was a slender, almost ghostly red figure waiting for Kanbei outside the base of the Kougakyo Defense Corps. The tall ronin strode up to the slight figure. They stood facing each other in silence for a moment. Then, without exchanging a word, the two figures turned and walked away into the darkness of the twilight.
--
They left Kougakyo and crossed Chou River. Kyuuzou led Kanbei on a long walk that meandered through towns and villages. Kanbei still did not know where they were going, but he could tell they were generally heading in the southwest direction.
No words were exchanged between the two warriors, but each understood what needed to be done without speaking. When night came one slept while the other kept watch. Yet as Kanbei's eyes were closed in rest, he was keenly aware that Kyuuzou was a short distance away, practicing his sword work with more vengeance than a student cramming for a final exam. When daylight came, they would start walking again, with the younger samurai leading the way. Kanbei noticed that Kyuuzou seemed to get tired more easily than he used to, despite the young man's best attempts not to show his weariness.
Kyuuzou led Kanbei through Nankai Prefecture. Towards the north, Mount Kei'an loomed in the distance. But the silent samurai did not even turn his head to look upon the mountain where he had spent 6 years as a child, the place that held memories of people who had cared for him, people who would want him to choose life and not death. This was not the time to remember those moments of human kindness or to linger on the joys and sorrows of childhood. The scarlet-eyed warrior looked straight ahead, at the Gray Forest through which he must pass to enter Yoshin State, the place he once lived with his family.
--
They walked for day after day, taking their rest under the shelter of trees or in village shrines, whatever each night brought them. The two samurai entered the Gray Forest, crossing the border into Higashihara State. Bored with the days of silence, Kanbei made a couple of attempts at conversation, praising the beauty of the forest. Kyuuzou ignored him. It was through this forest that he wandered alone – as a terrified orphan - on his way from Shirase Village to Mount Kei'an sixteen years ago.
Finally, they passed the ruins of the old land Capital Nankyou that lay on the Yoshin-Higashihara border.
Once the odd pair had crossed into Yoshin State, Kanbei noticed Kyuuzou stopped walking ahead of him and began walking next to him. The slender blond was obliquely eyeing him, as if trying to read the passions written on his face. The old ronin wondered at this change in behavior. Once or twice, he allowed himself to fall behind Kyuuzou but the young man would wait for him to catch up.
Finally, they approached the village of Shirase. It looked the way Kyuuzou remembered it. Yet different. There were more houses now. Kyuuzou wondered if his old home, the two-level farmhouse on the outskirts of the main village, was still there. Newer, unsuspecting inhabitants had probably moved in by now. People who did not know the floors had once been stained with human blood. They probably tore the old house down anyway. Kyuuzou did not know if that thought made him sad or glad.
Now Kyuuzou turned his attention to Kanbei once more. The dark man was walking a little more slowly, looking keenly at the village with an unreadable expression on his face. "Perhaps it is a look of discomfort," the younger man thought. He fell into step beside his companion. "Does this place look familiar to you?" Kanbei was surprised when the previously silent Kyuuzou spoke suddenly.
"I don't recall ever seeing this view," the old ronin said almost hesitantly.
"Perhaps the village looks different from the air," the blond spoke in a passionless tone. "And it has changed in 16 years."
Kanbei's expression remained unchanged, but Kyuuzou was sure the dark man had turned a shade paler.
The silent samurai deliberately avoided walking down the main street of the village. They took the back road and passed the plot of land where his house once was. He guessed right. There was a new house there, but not in the exact same spot. 16 years was a long time. Things change. Then the two travelers came to a hillside just beyond the village. Behind it lay the simple cemetery where the peasants buried their dead. Kyuuzou rounded the hill, treading his way carefully through the grave markers. Kanbei followed. They passed two tiny shrines – one for the Earth God and one for the Forest Spirit.
Kanbei thought that the shrines marked the boundary of the graveyard, but apparently, there were more graves beyond. Past the shrines, there were two mounds of earth, but they shared one headstone. His young companion had come to a halt before these two mounds.
--
Kyuuzou noticed that Aunt Rumi's sword no longer marked the spot. Had it been stolen? Anger welled up in his heart. But he saw that a simple stone marker stood in its place. 'The grave of Shizuka and Rumi' it read. The pale young man gave a wry smile. So someone, in all likelihood some of their old neighbors, cared enough to erect a proper grave marker, something he could not afford to do as a 10 year old. Maybe there was still some goodness in human hearts after all.
Kanbei was standing next to Kyuuzou, staring at the tombstone. Long-suppressed memories came rushing back, coloring the old soldier's vision with blood-red scenes from a near-forgotten, distant past.
"Why did you bring me here?" The tall dark man suddenly turned to Kyuuzou. His voice was calm, but Kyuuzou noticed that Kanbei's clenched jaw was trembling ever so slightly. The skinny samurai's eyes narrowed. Then he put on a neutral expression and said slowly, "Because you reminded me of someone I saw sixteen years ago. I had not dared to hope I would be lucky enough to meet him again. But since the first day I saw you, you gave me hope."
Kyuuzou waited for a sign of confirmation from Kanbei, but the old ronin remained silent and motionless. He had turned his face back to the graves.
"I'm pretty sure it's him now! Why is he nervous if not for a guilty conscience?" Kyuuzou's anger begin to rise. "But I'll never get a confession out of the cunning bastard! I want to hear it from his own mouth!"
The two samurai stood quietly side by side without looking at each other, one stewing in suppressed rage, and the other suffocating in an oppressive sense of foreboding.
"After all this time in Kanna, I realize I do not know anything about who you really are or where you really came from," the old soldier mused as he finally turned his dark eyes back towards his slender companion. "Nevertheless, it has brought me great joy to see you in the world of the living again, though I don't know if it is any use to say these words now."
"Don't say them then!" Kyuuzou felt like retorting. But instead he said slowly, "Who you really are and where you really came from? I was about to ask you that question myself. I know nothing about the places you've been, the people you've killed."
Kanbei did not respond. Kyuuzou finally lost his patience. He had become a much more impatient man after inhabiting this new body. Maybe it was the effect of what Ayame called 'too much testosterone." But no matter. The fact was he wanted answers, and he wanted them now. The scarlet warrior broke the awkward silence, speaking with a tone of forced politeness. "So, what was it that you wanted to say to me before we settle this business of our duel?"
"I love you," Kanbei turned to him with a look that was mix of despair and resignation, "Surely you must have known. I loved you since the day I first saw you."
Kyuuzou compressed his lips into a taut thin line as he turned away from his older companion. He made no answer. "If this is a joke," he thought, "it is really not funny."
Kanbei sighed, "You don't have to answer me. I never expected you to return my regard. Though I must admit that I hoped you would."
The red-clad warrior thought that this must be a cruel trick that Heaven was playing on him. But outwardly, he showed no reaction. Kanbei stood staring at the young man's back for a few moments. Then he said, "Regardless of how I feel, I will not deny you our final duel."
Kyuuzou remained silent and unmoving. Kanbei took a step closer to him and asked. "So, what was it that you wanted to ask me before our match?"
"I should not have played games with you during the time we spent together. I have since learnt that life is too short for games." The slender androgyne finally turned to face Kanbei. "Now if you can forgive me for not being entirely honest before, will you now do me the honor of being completely honest with me?" Kyuuzou's pale face was expressionless.
Kanbei raised his eyebrows. He wondered what Kyuuzou was getting at, although he had a vague idea it had to do with the two graves before him. But he said to the young man, "I have never lied to you. And I will not start now."
"I am looking for a samurai who went to Shirase Village 16 years ago." Kyuuzou spoke bluntly, "He brought soldiers into a farmhouse. There a woman was forced to take her own life. There was another woman in the house. This samurai killed her and then cut off her head and her left hand. On her left hand was a tattoo like yours. Can you help me find that man?"
Shimada's eyes widened. Why would the scarlet warrior want to find this man? How did the person he loved come to know about these events? Who was Kyuuzou?
"Why are you asking this?" Kanbei managed to squeeze the words out. Kyuuzou's eyes narrowed as he saw sweat drops forming on the dark man's forehead.
"Answer my question." Kyuuzou said with deliberate calmness, but Kanbei noticed the willowy warrior was shaking slightly. The older man regarded the young samurai for a moment, then he said wearily, "You have found him. He stands before you."
Author's Comments:
- Kyuuzou's body is new and relatively unconditioned, so he doesn't quite have his old stamina, which took years of training to achieve.
- Also, his increased aggressiveness and irritability might be due to his new 'masculinity', as predicted by Ayame. ;-)