It was true that Tsubasa Miryu was born of samurai blood, true that she was a samurai warrior, feared and loved by all, but she swung her sword for those whose lives were ignored by those of power, samurai or not, and this time, it would not matter. She would fight alongside the men she still considered her brothers, her uncles and her fathers, if the call needed it, and she knew that if all goes wrong, she would just die beside them… Deep in her heart, she knew that there would be a chance that Algren would return to America, he would just want to get away from everything that would happen, and she knew that it would be a wise decision. What fool would fight for a foreign country, and die for a lost cause there? And if he would leave, she would stay and fight, and have no regrets, because she had his love, and she had lived according to the principles of the Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryuu…
Deep in her thoughts, she did not notice that they were being led into Omura's office… The Prime Minister had held several meetings with foreign dignitaries, and they were but another one. Once they were inside, she instinctively let go of Algren's hand, lest his scarred bodyguard found out anything between them. With sapphire eyes of fire, she looked at the man she once saw as her comrade, and found nothing else, but hatred and contempt towards the others who he had once fought with, and continued to stare him down silently. In that room, she was but a bodyguard, but Omura knew the significance of it, and he knew it well. She was the voice of the people, as Battousai had been their protector, and now, she was practically protecting not only Algren, but the remnants of the Samurai as well.
Tired of meeting the woman's defiant gaze, Omura turned to Algren and said, "Captain Algren, it seems that you have endured your captivity with little ill-effect." To that, Algren replied that he was not ill-treated, and watched him closely. Indeed, Miryu's influence had rubbed off too much onto him, the Prime Minister spat in his mind, and the Ambassador… the man would not stop pressing him that the agreement be signed! Could he not see that he needed clarification from one who had seen Katsumoto's forces, and one who had been among them for months on end? Once more, Omura asked Algren, "Will these weapons be sufficient to defeat the rebels?"
Judging by Miryu's reaction but a few hours ago, Algren already knew the answer. Katsumoto and his men would not stand a chance against those weapons, and a genius would not be needed to know that it was true. He could feel the anger in Miryu's heart, for her usually calm demeanor had been replaced by one that bordered upon hostility… "Sufficient… Oh, I think so," he replied casually, secretly wishing that there could be a way to comfort Miryu somehow.
"I am eager to know how many samurai have joined Katsumoto," Omura added. What were a few hundred men against thousands of modern-trained soldiers with guns to kill men more than their numbers? Why would he need to know? And although he had spent months with them, Algren really did not know how many of them would fight. There would be roughly a few hundred, but there could be more, as the village was closed off by the mountains in the winter. Giving the honest answer that he did not know, Bagley inquired further, stating that he and Miryu had spent the winter in Katsumoto's encampment.
Miryu would have spoken, but she knew that Bagley disliked her too much to consider her existence and Omura disregarded her because of her current station. There would be a high possibility that she would join Katsumoto as well, the Prime Minster knew, and she would be a deadly enemy, as she had been a powerful ally. Algren just looked at his superior and responded, "As you said, Colonel, they are savages with bows and arrows." She chuckled softly, and subtly laid her hand on his shoulder.
What ensued moments later, was not a battle of tongues, but a plead, by the Ambassador to be heard. For him, this was not a duel of ideals, or a question of how much wealth was to be gained as a result of the extinction of the samurai, it was a simple matter. So long he could procure the Emperor's signature for the trade agreement; he would have his job as Ambassador… Omura quickly commented that if he could not wait, there would be other countries that would be more than willing to supply arms to Japan. Defeated, the Ambassador left the draft of the agreement on Omura's desk and left, swallowing his building rage. Quickly, Omura made a move to dismiss the others, save for Algren.
"This is not a conversation for a woman to hear," Omura then said to Miryu, who said nothing but walked behind Algren's chair in defiance. "You do not have the authority to stay here, or the right to…" He had enough of her, this foundling child who claimed the heart of not only the Emperor. Oh, he knew of she and Algren, his spies were already reporting that they were caught alone together ever since the American came to Kyoto with Katsumoto's men… It was strange for them to fall for one another, and their union would highly dangerous to him…
Algren looked at Omura and said, "With all due respect, Mr Omura, she is my bodyguard, by the Emperor's orders. I think that she would not be in a comfortable position if she is discovered not doing her job." He had said those words as if it was the smallest issue ever, insignificant, and he knew that the Prime Minister did not enjoy it at all.
Omura gave one quick glare at Miryu and made to offer Algren some whiskey. And for the first time, he realized that the Captain's hands no longer shook, and he refused the offer of alcohol. It was most extraordinary… If he had been kept a prisoner, nothing of this sort would have happened, and the look of triumph on the young woman's face, it certainly confirmed his doubts. "Katsumoto is an extraordinary man, is he not?" he asked the American, almost casually.
"He is a tribal leader," Algren answered simply. "I have known many." That was the truth, and no one could deny it. But Omura knew better. He told Algren that none of the tribal leaders the American knew were samurai, whose ways have great appeal. He had been a student of modern warfare, a son of a merchant. And like all merchants, his father had been oppressed by the samurai, leading to his extreme dislike towards them, but like all Japanese, he was quite familiar of their ways. The samurai had honor, they had compassion, loyalty, no matter how much he hated to admit it… It was unfortunate that those were not values that Japan needed any longer. Without financial strength, foreign powers would take control of Japan, with their economies. "But that does not concern me."
Omura pressed further, unrelenting. "But now we are ready. If Katsumoto is allowed to attract more samurai to his cause, we will have ten years of rebellion. It is something that I will not allow," he said, waving his cigar. "Either I will stop him today at the Council, or you will lead my army against them. And our new weapons will crush him." He had made the words "crush" as audible to Miryu as possible, which did almost nothing to intimidate her. Algren replied that he appreciated the offer, but he said that it was not an offer.
Algren knew the outcome if Omura was allowed to force him into a position where fighting against Katsumoto's forces: He would have to face Miryu on the battlefield, and they would have to kill one another. This is something that he could not allow, and he would not give in easily. Even if he had a chance against her in hand-to-hand combat, he would be able to do anything to hurt her… But Omura could not know this… "Mr Omura, my contract with you was to train your army…"
"Then we would make a new contract," Omura stated. "One that would recognize your extraordinary contribution to the Emperor... Do we understand each other?" If he agreed, the Prime Minster reasoned, Miryu would be broken and shattered, and at least, Katsumoto would have lost his trump card. Deep within his mind, he knew that he was lucky that Himura Kenshin had resufed to take part in any of this, or he would have trouble dealing with the best warriors of Japan against his army, warriors that even Western guns were no match for.
Algren took a deep breath and said, "We understand one another perfectly." When Omura stood, and said that he was pleased, both he and Miryu knew that the meeting had come to an end. The moment they were out of the doors, he pulled her into an empty corridor and kissed her senseless. "Miryu, if I leave here, would you go with me?" he asked her, in between kisses, looking into her sapphire eyes, searching for an answer, any answer from her.
"I will always love you," she replied, falling into his arms. There was nothing else that she could say, nothing else that could be said. "My place here, now, is with my people. As a student of the Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryuu, I have to defend them, for they can do nothing else but fight…"
He held her tight in her arms, and said, "If that is your decision, that I'm staying." He could not bear to part with her, not after she had given him so much peace and happiness. If she would leave him one way or another, he would rather die than just live the empty life he had before he met her. Sure, it was corny, but his choice was already made. "And you'll have no choice but to be close to me."
Chuckling, she kissed him once again. There would be no doubt that the man she loved was a stubborn man. "Come, Algren, I have a plan…" she said, taking him by the hand as they walked towards the main entrance of the building. "We just need another player… a particular translator we know and love…"
Algren knew who she was talking about: Simon Graham.