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Crimson Hearts	By : roryheadmav Category: +S to Z > Samurai 7 Views: 3229 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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DISCLAIMER: This story is a non-commercial
work of fiction based on the anime/manga Samurai 7. Original copyright
of Samurai 7 belongs to Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo
Oguni, Mico, EGDH, EGONZO. Absolutely no monetary gain has been made with
this work.
CRIMSON HEARTS

© August 18, 2005 By Rory
V. Pascual

CHAPTER ONE: Wake Up!
A young man floated in serene
slumber within a glass pod filled with regenerating fluid. Bubbles extruded
from the gas mask over his face that fed him with precious air. Tubes inserted
through vital blood vessels provided him with the needed parenteral nutrients.
Electrodes attached to his head programmed him with the pertinent information
needed to make him function optimally.
However, even with the new data
and the deletion of some old ones, there were certain memories that have
been permanently encoded into his genetic structure.
Memories of a man with long, flowing
brown hair and shadowed eyes�
Of a duel that ended in a stalemate�
A promise that was made but was
never fulfilled�
A sudden cry in the distance caused
electrical signals to course through his brain with jolting rapidity. His
body began to twitch, the movements becoming more pronounced, more violent.
He shook his head and the gas mask fell away, causing fluid to fill his
lungs. As he thrashed within the pod, a scar materialized on the left side
of his neck.
There was that cry again, possibly
a rippling echo of the first one, and he wrenched free from his life-support
systems. Blazing eyes snapped open.
There wasn't any doubt�
It was that man who had called
out his name�.

Ayamaro, the Governor of Kougakyo,
was never one to pass up an opportunity to make more money. With the aid
of the Shikimoribito, they had come up with a novel new source of power
� batteries and generators running on organic refuse such as rice husks,
which were in great abundance. It was a safer alternative to the old batteries.
Underneath those bulky work clothes, the Shikimoribito hid terrible scars
caused by the toxic chemicals and radiation being used in manufacturing
the old batteries, scars that were certainly not sustained in the wars
they had fought in when they were still samurai.
There was a broad smile on Ayamaro's
face as he completed the transaction with the Merchant Guild. With a gracious
bow, he exited the meeting chamber, his guards trailing behind him.
These guards� They were certainly
not as efficient as the two he had before. Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw one man yawn and pick his nose, tucking his spear in his armpit
as he walked. No, such carelessness could never be found in a samurai.
But then again, none of the samurai
who applied for the position of his personal bodyguard had passed his rigid
standards. So what was a vulnerable governor to do but to clone a new bodyguard
from an old one who had proven to be the most efficient of all?
Meeting the former Amanushi had given
him that idea. It had been easy to get the technology to do it; money can
buy a person anything after all. But, surprisingly, so too were the cells
needed in the clone's creation. All he had to do was ask the donor, and
blood was given to him in a sterile vial.
"This is my last act of service to
you, Ayamaro-sama. From here on, the life I live will be my own," the governor
remembered those last words very well, spoken during a moment of privacy
at the Firefly House. He also remembered how those sharp eyes lingered
on the stoic leader of their ragtag band of defenders.
The memory caused a chuckle to bubble
up Maro's throat, making his guards snap to alertness at that sound.
You were such a fool, my young
samurai, thought the governor in wry amusement. You said you desired
to settle the score, to slash him with your swords? The blood lust has
blinded you to the truth inside your heart. That you were enamored with
the man you were intending to kill.
It was that fascination with his
rival that Ayamaro was determined to purge from his clone. Human memories,
after all, could be such a burden. It was his hope that if he proved to
be successful with this procedure, he could create more clones from the
best samurai in Kougakyo and sell them to wealthy merchants who needed
protection.
"MARO-SAMA! MARO-SAMA!"
The governor was shaken out of his
thoughts by the frantic cries of one of his scientists running down the
hall to meet him. The man fell to his knees before him, panting heavily.
"What is it?" Ayamaro demanded. "What
happened?"
The scientist's answer chilled his
spine. "He escaped, my lord! The clone! He broke through the glass chamber
and fled! The guards and a few samurai managed to corner him at the gates,
but they are having trouble controlling him!"
"Damn it!" Ayamaro hiked up his robes
and hurried outside the palace.
True enough, at the gates, a naked
man was slashing his way through the guards and samurai with two rusty
katanas he had taken from the two bleeding warriors laying on the ground.
Determination was set on his handsome face, his strangely cut blond hair
not the least bit ruffled by the scuffle. His eyes were focused on the
gates.
"Wait!" Ayamaro called out, but the
clone ignored him as he bolted towards the five terrified guards blocking
his way to freedom.
"STOP! KYUZO!"
At the sound of his name, the clone
slowly turned to give him a smoldering glare.
Undaunted by that feral gaze, the
governor took one, two steps toward the rampaging clone. With hands raised
in entreaty, he asked, "Why are you doing this, Kyuzo? You're still not
well. You cannot leave this place in your condition."
Kyuzo, however, trained his eyes
toward the distant sky. To Ayamaro, the clone seemed to be listening for
something.
"I heard a voice."
"Huh?"
"He called out my name."
"Who, Kyuzo? Who called out to you?"
Then, the clone said a name, and
Ayamaro now realized that some memories could never be purged.
~~~~~~~~~~
The governor took the clone to the
chambers previously occupied by the original Kyuzo. Now dressed in his
favorite utilitarian red frock coat, Kyuzo sat before him, listening closely
as he recounted the events after their parting from the Firefly House.
There was a look of quiet incredulity
on the clone's face as he asked, "I�died?"
"Yes," Maro nodded sadly. "It was
quite�tragic actually. As I said, you were�"
"I heard. You don't need to repeat
it to me." A scowl darkened his handsome features as he hissed, "Impulsive
brat!"
"Don't blame it all on the boy. You
acted impulsively as well. You rushed forward to save him, and you were
caught in the gunfire. It was all accidental."
"I cannot forgive him!" Kyuzo's eyes
narrowed in suspicion as he looked at his former master. "If I'm dead,
then what am I doing here?" The answer came to him in an instant. "My blood!
You cloned me using the cells from my own blood!"
"This is the first time I've heard
you speak more than a few words," Ayamaro remarked with a grin.
"I could speak lengthily if choose
to, and now I demand answers. Why did you bring me back? Let me guess.
You needed me to be your bodyguard again."
The governor lapsed into guilty silence.
Kyuzo shook his head in disappointment.
"I told you I wanted to live my own life. When you decided to clone me,
you should've known that my will shall always prevail in the end."
"Your will�or your heart?"
"What foolishness is this? I have
no heart!"
Maro cocked an eyebrow up. "Really?
Then tell me how you managed to awaken with your memories intact? You told
me yourself. You heard his voice, calling out your name. A voice that only
you heard."
"I only seek to settle the fight
I have with him," Kyuzo replied, unaware that a becoming blush had risen
up his cheeks. "And that is how far my interest in him goes."
The governor couldn't help but be
amused, seeing the clone unconsciously touch the scar on the left side
of his neck, a scar that his so-called adversary also shared.
"You might have a problem with that,"
Ayamaro slowly began. "After the battle at Kanna village, he disappeared
without a trace. No one knows whether if he's still alive or dead."
"He's alive. I'm sure of it," Kyuzo
told the governor firmly. "I'll find him. You can mark my words on that."
At these words, the clone got to his feet with regal grace.
"Where are you going?" the governor
asked curiously.
"Back to Kanna village. I need to
retrieve what rightfully belongs to me." He pulled out the two swords he
had sheathed in his makeshift scabbard. "In the meantime, these swords
you had given me will suffice. I'll probably have to see a few old comrades
along the way."
"A wise decision, Kyuzo." As the
clone looked at him questioningly, Ayamaro explained, "There is a new Amanushi.
I have not met him yet, but I heard that he is exerting his control first
upon the poor farmers with the help of surviving Nobuseri. The samurai
that Ukyou had sent to protect the farming villages had all been wiped
out. And that's not the only thing I learned�"
"What else do you know?" Kyuzo inquired
with a hint of impatience.
"I heard that in all the villages
he plundered, Amanushi was searching for him. You have a formidable rival,
Kyuzo. If you are determined to locate him, take men you trust along with
you. On my end, I will try to gather as much information as I can and relay
them to you. Just keep in touch so I'll know where you are. It's the least
I could do to repay you for all the years that you've served me."
A ghost of a smile went up Kyuzo's
lips. "You've changed, Ayamaro-sama. It pleases me to see that you've become
a man of honor."
"I owe it all to you, and also to
him." Maro then said grimly, "I pray that you find Shimada Kanbei first,
Kyuzo. I do not wish to see him fall into the hands of a dissolute man
as the new Amanushi."
"Don't worry. I will find Kanbei."
Saying this, Kyuzo gave the Governor
of Kougakyo a gracious bow, and with firm resolve, marched out of the chamber
to pursue a long held promise.

* * * * * * * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED
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Crimson Hearts