Samurai 7 Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Hearts ❯ Explain! ( Chapter 7 )

CRIMSON HEARTS
© October 23, 2005 By Rory V. Pascual


CHAPTER SEVEN: Explain!

A wry grin rose at the corners of Kyuzo's mouth as he silently observed the man walking before him. Although he tried to conceal his movements through the voluminous sleeves of his robes, slight jerks at the elbows revealed to the crimson samurai how desperately Kanbei was trying to remove the band around his wrist.

Moving closer to the older man, Kyuzo mumbled, "You'd better give it up. It's never going to come off."

Kanbei flopped his arms wearily to his sides. The sun crystal on his wrist glowed brightly at his surrender. "I can't believe that you've returned from the grave once more to torment me. And I see that you've even brought company with you."

"Why?" Shichiroji asked, hearing that last remark. "Is our presence not welcome here?"

"If you had any sense, you would've stayed as far away from here as possible."

It was Kikuchiyo who spoke up next. "You cannot blame your friends for coming. When they heard that the Amanushi was seeking you out, they decided to search for you as well to warn you of the impending danger upon your life. When we learned that you were here, it was but natural for us to come to find out the truth."

Kanbei glanced at the red-haired young man behind him. "I believe we have not met, and yet you remind me of someone we had lost. Two people, in fact."

"Yes, I was told by the villagers at Kanna how much I resembled the late Heihachi-sama. As for my name, I am Kikuchiyo. Truth be told, the Kikuchiyo you had known was a dear friend and mentor to me."

"They were good men. Do them proud."

"I intend to, Kanbei-sama." Kikuchiyo discretely put in, "However, this…incident…leaves us with a lot of questions that we are hoping that you could answer."

It was Kirara who was unable to contain herself. "What is this all about, Kanbei-sama? Is it true what I just heard? Please tell me that you have not allied with that man, much more consented to be his consort."

Kanbei let out an exasperated sigh. "The hallway is not the place to talk of such matters. Come with me."

Their leader led them to a small greeting hall. It did not surprise Kyuzo to see Kanbei take his place at the platform, kneeling with great care on the plush cushion. The elder samurai still wanted to make it clear who was of higher rank among them.

"Kanbei-sama, please do not be angry that we have come to inquire about your well-being," Rikichi started the discussion.

"No, Rikichi," Kanbei said with a shake of his head. "I am not angry. I was merely surprised that all of you showed up."

"Tell us, Sensei," Katsushiro replied with grave concern. "Were you abducted by the Amanushi? How did you come to be in this place?"

"I was invited by the Amanushi to the Capital."

Kyuzo's right eyebrow raised a notch. He did not need the warmth of the crystal on his wrist to tell him that Kanbei was lying between his teeth.

That slight gesture did not escape the samurai's notice. Still, he continued, "After long talks with the Amanushi, he has convinced me that he only has good intentions for this land and its people. Because of this, I agreed to serve as his Royal Adviser."

"You call plundering the villages 'good intentions'?" Kirara asked, aghast. "People are starving because of these stringent laws that have been imposed upon them. You yourself authored these laws together with the Amanushi."

"It has to be done if we are to rebuild the nation. We all have to make sacrifices."

"It doesn't look like you've been making any sacrifices," Shichiroji pointed out the fact. "I must admit it distresses me to see you all decked up in finery like this. The Shimada Kanbei I had known was a very simple man, harboring no grand ambitions except to serve his lord and his people well. I am not surprised that the people of Kougakyo believe that you had betrayed them."

"Let them think what they will," said Kanbei firmly. "All this is for their best interests."

It is Kyuzo who spoke up then. "Is it in your best interests to accept Amanushi's proposal to become his Imperial Consort?"

"Kanbei-sama, did the Amanushi do anything to you?" Katsushiro interrupted. "I mean, you're not…in love…with him, are you?"

"Please do not be offended with our queries, Kanbei-sama," Rikichi hastily put in, "but I find it disturbing that you sound so much like my wife Sanae after she was kidnapped by Amanushi."

"My personal feelings are of no consequence in this matter," was Kanbei's curt reply. "I am a samurai, and it is my duty to obey my lord's commands. If he believes that I would serve him and this land better if I were to become his Imperial Consort, then so be it."

Kirara slammed her crossbow down on the floor. "No! I refuse to believe that you have allied yourself with that tyrant! The Amanushi must have brainwashed you or something. The Kanbei-sama that I know would never allow himself to become the Imperial Consort of a man like the Amanushi."

"Then it goes to show how little you know about me." Kanbei found this discussion too disturbing that he got to his feet. "Like I said earlier, I do not need any bodyguards. I can take care of myself. You are all free to leave if you so choose."

"Do you think I would abandon you now after all this time?" asked Shichiroji. "I'll stay here." His eyes narrowed at the older warrior in suspicion. "I think you are hiding something from us. It isn't like you to be acting this way. I intend to get to the bottom of this."

"I choose to stay as well," Rikichi said in sheer determination. "I know I am not a samurai like you are, but I have been practicing with both Gorobei-sama's sword and a bow. I want to protect you in any way I can. Besides, I won't allow that you become like Sanae."

Kanbei gave the brave farmer a wan smile. "Thank you, Rikichi, but even if I become the Amanushi's Imperial Consort, I do not love him. I only do this for the sake of the people."

"As you've said many times. Well, I am certainly not going anywhere," Kikuchiyo put in. "Komachi would not forgive me if I abandoned all of you. And, it's not every day that you get to be inside a great Honmaru battleship such as this. I've always wanted to see how such an aircraft works."

"Yes," the elder samurai gave him a meaningful smile that Kikuchiyo readily understood. "It would be good to have someone who knows the ins and outs of this particular battleship."

Katsushiro trained nervous green eyes at Kyuzo. The crimson warrior knew what the younger samurai wanted and, at first, he was reluctant to do so. In the end, he surrendered the sword he was carrying to Katsushiro.

Falling to his knees before his mentor, Katsushiro raised the katana to him in offering. "Kanbei-sama, you would need this to defend yourself."

Kanbei's frowned at the sight of his trusty sword. "But I gave it to you. It is yours."

"No, Sensei. In these three years that I have traveled, I realized that I am not worthy of this sword. I beg you to take it back. You have need for it now, much more than I do."

"Yes, you will have need for it," Kyuzo told the elder warrior bluntly. "Don't forget that you and I still have unfinished business."

With great hesitation, Kanbei gripped the hilt of his sheathed katana and slung it on his belt at his left hip. It felt strange to have his sword again. Quietly, he told the young samurai, "Thank you, Katsushiro. I will consider this merely borrowed from you. I shall return it once everything is settled."

Kyuzo gave an angry Kirara a sharp glare. "What about you, Kirara-dono? If you are not agreeable with this situation, then you are free to go."

"Do you think you can get rid of me that easily?" Kirara hissed. "The more I must stay here, not only to protect Kanbei-sama from a pervert like the Amanushi, but from a bloodthirsty killer like you as well."

"No," Kanbei quickly countered. "The Capital is no place for a young woman." He turned to Katsushiro. "You and Kirara-dono are to stay in Kougakyo, whether it be with Ayamaro or Masamune. But inform us of where you'll be."

"But, Sensei, we would rather stay with you."

"Do not contradict my wishes, please! Besides, I will not forbid you from coming. In fact, I want you to be here every day. If all of you are to serve as my bodyguards, I will have to train you myself. I am a hard taskmaster. I will only expect the best from you."

"Even from me?" Kyuzo asked wryly.

"Especially you, if you wish to fight me. Don't think I don't know that you are merely Kyuzo's clone. I've seen how you fought earlier and your moves are not as quick or as smooth as the original's. You need the training. I do not want my opponent to be in nothing less than his best form."

"I don't think that is wise, Kanbei-sama," interrupted Kirara. "If you train him, he will have an advantage over you. He will learn every skill that you know."

"And I, in turn, shall learn his skills as well, which would make our coming duel an even match, don't you think?"

Kanbei pulled on a bell rope, and a servant instantly appeared. Waving to Kyuzo, Shichiroji, Kikuchiyo and Rikichi, he commanded, "Please bring these four gentlemen to their quarters. They are my bodyguards whom Amanushi-sama had hired to protect me. As for this young man and woman, please have them escorted safely into Kougakyo. Give them a pass so that they may enter the Capital as they please."

The servant bowed obediently and did as he was told. However, Kyuzo gestured to the man with a raise of his hand. Shichiroji looked warily at the warrior, but did not say anything as they were escorted outside the meeting hall.

A heavy silence fell between the two men as they were finally left alone.

"You should go with them, Kyuzo."

"My place is at your side. For now, I will serve you as I had served Ayamaro-sama and all the other lords before him."

Kanbei whirled around to face the younger man, extending his right hand to him. The sun crystal glowed brightly on his wrist. "I command you take this off. You do not need this to guard me."

"Not to guard you, but for me to know where you are." Kyuzo took Kanbei's hand and clasped it tightly in his own, showing the moon crystal adorning his wrist as well. "I will not be separated from you ever again, not until that matter between us is over. I look forward to learning from a master samurai such as yourself."

"I told you this before, Kyuzo. I cannot defeat you. You are formidable adversary. I've seen your skills for yourself. I only said that I would train you because I could see that you are not in your usual form."

"I blame that on you. I have awakened from slumber too soon. I heard you call out my name. That's why I sought you out."

Kanbei looked at Kyuzo in confusion. "But I never called out to you. I admit that I had prayed for the redemption of your soul, as well as for eternal peace for Gorobei, Heihachi and Kikuchiyo. Not once did I call out your name."

"You probably wouldn't remember or you simply chose to forget. I believe you called out to me at that very moment when you were taken by the Nobuseri." Kyuzo felt Kanbei jerk back in surprise, but he refused to let go of the older man's hand. "I will not ask what happened to you after the Nobuseri brought you here to the Capital. Amanushi's intentions were all too obvious to me when he announced that you would become his Imperial Consort. Our comrades would readily believe what you had told them, not wanting to think that you are serving Amanushi in that capacity, most especially Kirara-dono. She is still madly in love with you, you know. It would be a painful thing to have her image of you shattered."

"I am protecting Kanna Village from the Amanushi," Kanbei hissed in his face. "How I do it is no one's business!"

"And so you destroy yourself, your dignity as a warrior with this noble sacrifice. But let me guess. Sometimes it wears on you, doesn't it? There are times when you want to do one thing or another." Kyuzo's right hand closed around the hilt of Kanbei's katana. "Perhaps I should take this back. I don't want you to do anything stupid."

"If you think that I'm going to kill Amanushi, you're wrong. I won't do anything so reckless."

"I didn't say that you were going to kill the Amanushi. I fear that you would try to kill yourself, and I certainly don't want that to happen. No matter what they say, I never considered seppuku an honorable death. I would rather that you die a warrior at my hands than a tainted samurai."

Saying this, Kyuzo pushed Kanbei against the wall and gave him a heated kiss that stole the older man's breath away. It took great effort for Kanbei to wrench his head away from those passionate lips.

"No!" Kanbei gasped out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You are not the Kyuzo that I had known. Prove yourself to me first before you could take such liberties upon me."

Kyuzo grinned in sarcasm. "Are you saying that if I become the Kyuzo that I had once been, you would allow what was between us to continue?"

"I am not saying that! Damn it! Your audacity appalls me! To bind yourself to me is an insult to the Amanushi! If you will only remove this accursed band… I cannot give you more, except my solemn oath that I will settle the score between us! Leave it at that!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." There was deep sorrow in the crimson samurai's eyes as he caressed the elder warrior's cheek. "As a samurai and as a man, I swore to myself that I would redeem you, and I shall."

Kanbei squeezed that hand that had touched his cheek. "You should have forgotten about me. I am too far gone to be redeemed."

"Have you gone to him willingly?"

"No. Never! But when I become his Imperial Consort…"

Kyuzo looked straight into Kanbei's brown eyes. "It is when you have completely surrendered to circumstance is the only time that I will give up on you." Kissing him one last time, he murmured, "Never surrender, Kanbei-sama. For all our sakes, never give up."

In silence, the crimson warrior walked out of the meeting hall, leaving a distraught Kanbei to mull on his determined words.

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