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Samurai 7: Warriors Of Rock	By : roryheadmav Category: +S to Z > Samurai 7 Views: 1999 -:- 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
- 1
- 2
- 3
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, GDH, GONZO. Absolutely
no monetary gain has been made with this work.
SAMURAI 7: WARRIORS OF ROCK

© April 18, 2006 By Rory
V. Pascual

CHAPTER TWO: Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Kanbei must have run for about a
mile, following the long line that crept up the length of the avenue, before
he finally found Gorobei.
"Hey, Gorobei!" he called out to
his friend. Stopping beside the older man, he bent over, panting for breath,
hugging his briefcase to his chest. "Sorry I'm late. I had to submit the
reports to Ayamaro first."
Gorobei gave Kanbei a reassuring
grin. "It's okay. At least you're here now."
"So what's been happening?"
"They gave out numbers earlier."
He proudly showed his friend his stub. "I'm No. 57. Almost broke my neck
during the crush to get them. A snot-nosed punk snatched the original ticket
that was in my hand. He's probably No. 200 plus 'coz he's way back there."
"Good for you! How about the audition?
Have they already started? Seen any of the band members yet?"
"The auditions started two hours
ago. No, I haven't seen the band yet. But I heard that their lead guitarist
and keyboard player were already in the studio before people started lining
up."
Kanbei remembered the long queue
he had followed in search of his friend. "Well, good luck. Looks like you've
got some tough competition."
"Don't worry, Kanbei! That rapper/mixer
position is right in the bag!" Gorobei burst into raucous laughter at that
boast. Clenching his fist in determination, he swore, "I won't let ma man
Kanye down!"
Previously ignored by his much younger
rivals, Gorobei's boisterous banter drew everyone's unwanted attention
towards them.
"Nee, Jichan," the young man in front
of them began, "I thought you were just saving a spot for your kid."
A smirking boy with a nose ring put
in, "You're going to audition, Ojisan? Better leave it to us youngsters
who have greater stamina. We don't want your heart conking out on you in
the middle of a song."
Someone tapped Kanbei's shoulder.
It was a girl with mixed amusement and concern in her almond eyes. "Are
you going to be auditioning too?"
Kanbei frantically wagged his hands.
"Oh no! I'm just here to offer moral support."
The girl breathed in relief. "Thank
goodness! For a while there, I was afraid you were going to sing 'My Way'
at the audition."
Kanbei almost choked. " 'My Way'?
Hey, I'm not THAT old!"
As everyone roared with laughter,
a flustered Kanbei noticed Gorobei staring at him with an indescribable
expression on his face.
"This is all your fault, Kanbei,"
Gorobei muttered in smoldering resentment.
Kanbei stared aghast at his friend.
"Huh? Me? Why is it my fault?"
"Dorky accountant! Why didn't you
change into something nicer before coming here? Now everyone thinks I'm
a prune like you!"
"Who're you calling a prune?" Kanbei
turned on his heels, ready to storm off. "I'm leaving before I get humiliated
any further!"
"NUMBER FIFTY-SEVEN!"
Gorobei perked up. "RIGHT HERE!"
Before Kanbei could make a single
departing step, Gorobei snagged him by his collar and dragged him along.
Stopping at the studio doors, they were met by two burly security guards,
who eyed them dubiously.
Smiling confidently, Gorobei presented
his stub. "No. 57 at your service!"
The two guards exchanged questioning
glances. One of them inquired, "Are you serious about doing this, Ojisan?"
Gorobei laughed at that query. Pointing
at Kanbei, he said, "He is the Ojisan, not me."
Kanbei bristled at his friend's reply.
"I'm no Ojisan! Damn it! You're older than I am!"
Shrugging, the other guard opened
the door. "Go right in!"
Gorobei turned his nose up at his
rivals and strutted inside the studio like a proud peacock. Kanbei was
about to follow, but the guards blocked his way.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Uh�I'm with him," Kanbei stuttered,
suddenly feeling intimidated.
The guards assumed formidable poses
that broached no disobedience. "Groupies aren't allowed inside."
That insult was worse than being
called an old man. "Hey, do I look like a groupie to you?"
Gorobei said sheepishly, "It's all
right, sir. He's my friend. My Maneki Neko!"
"Who're you calling a Maneki Neko?"
"Rules are rules! No groupies!"
"NO WAY AM I THAT GUY'S GROUPIE!"
Kanbei argued heatedly.
The sound of a car horn playing the
tune heralding the start of a horse race caught their attention, followed
by the shrieks of hysterical fan girls. A black Mercedes parked right in
front of the studio. A mustached man dressed in a fine black suit and wearing
dark glasses got down and opened the back seat door for a green-haired
teenager, still dressed in a very familiar school uniform.
"Have that car horn changed to something
less annoying, will you?" the boy ordered his bodyguard. "Really! My father
has such poor taste!" Noticing the aggressive positions of the studio's
security guards, his eyebrows joined to form a frown. "What's going on
here?"
"This man was trying to get into
the studio, Okamoto-san," the guards explained. "Says he's a friend of
one of the applicants, but we were given orders that�"
"Kanbei-sama! Is that you?"
Kanbei adjusted his glasses to peer
closely at the boy, his gray brow eyes widening as recognition set in.
"Katsushiro?"
The youngster ran towards him and
gave him a tight hug. "I don't believe it! It really is you!" To the guards,
he said sternly, "He's a good friend of mine, the father of my schoolmate.
Let him in." As they were finally permitted inside, Katsushiro inquired,
"What are you doing here, Kanbei-sama? Don't tell me that you're here to
audition!"
Kanbei quickly shook his head. "No!
It's not me!"
Katsushiro's cheeks colored as he
asked timidly, "Is it�Kirara-dono?"
"I'm afraid it's not Kirara. Sorry."
Kanbei could not suppress his smile. Unlike with Ukyo, he was quite fond
of this boy. "It's a friend of mine at the bank actually and�"
At that unintended cue, Gorobei sidled
over to them like a grinning cobra. "Katayama Gorobei's the name. Yoroshiku!"
Jerking Kanbei briefly aside, he hissed, "Why didn't you tell me you knew
Okamoto Katsushiro?"
"NUMBER 57! WE NEED YOU TO FILL UP
SOME FORMS HERE!"
"HOLD YOUR HORSES! I'M COMING!" Gorobei
yelled back, infuriated that his big introduction had been stymied. Turning
to Katsushiro, he begged, "Please be kind to me!" and ran into one of the
offices.
"Uh�" Katsushiro began hesitantly.
"You're friend� Isn't he a bit�old?"
"He is three years older than me
to be honest," Kanbei confessed. "But he's a big dreamer as you can see.
Please don't take his age against him and give him a chance."
"Well, you know I believe in giving
equal opportunity to everyone. However, the whole band is going to be here,
which means that�he�is going to be here as well."
Just as Katsushiro said this, the
glass doors of the studio burst open and a motorcycle roared inside at
full speed, heading straight for Kanbei.
"KANBEI-SAMA! LOOK OUT!"
Too stunned to act, Kanbei stood
frozen right in the bike's path.
With a twist of the gears, the black
clad biker skidded to a halt, his front tire brushing against Kanbei's
trousers. He took off his helmet to reveal a stunningly handsome young
man with fluffed up blond hair. What marred his good looks was the perpetual
scowl on his face and his sharp crimson eyes. Kanbei doubted if this young
man had smiled in ages.
Katsushiro was furious. "Kyuzo-dono!
You were told many times not to ride your bike in here! You almost ran
over my friend!"
"He wasn't in any danger, Katsushiro,"
Kyuzo said blandly as he got down from his motorcycle. He threw a disapproving
glare at the people outside. "I see we've got a bunch of 'no talents' again.
This is going to be a long night."
"How can you say that when you haven't
seen them perform yet?"
"I don't have to see them perform
to know that I'll just be wasting my time." Kyuzo trained his piercing
gaze towards Kanbei. "Hey, Oji! Don't tell me you're here to audition too?"
Oji? Kanbei met those sharp
eyes with an equally smoldering glare of his own. "No�I�"
"Good!" Kyuzo cut him abruptly as
he sauntered off to the audition room. "For a while there, I was afraid
we were going to turn into a geriatric rock band."
"Ge�ri�a�tric?" Kanbei snarled after
that arrogant figure.
"Now, now! Calm down, Kanbei-sama!"
Katsushiro placated his angry friend. "Kyuzo-dono's been always like that.
We pretty much ignore him most of the time. Only one man can counter his
acerbic streak. Speaking of which, I wonder where he is? He was supposed
to be here early. He has to be at the audition today or else this studio
will be flooded with tears." He nodded towards the corridor at the end
of the hallway. "The musicians lounge is over there. Just turn left at
the corridor. You can wait for Gorobei-dono there."
Kanbei nodded. "Okay! Thanks, Katsushiro!"
"See you later, Kanbei-sama!" Katsushiro
waved as he hurried after his band mate, just as Gorobei emerged from the
office.
"All those papers to sign just for
an audition?" Gorobei shuddered all over. "I thought I was back at the
bank." Seeing the dark expression on his friend's face, he asked, "What's
eating you?"
"Simon Cowell's in there."
"Huh?"
"A word of advice, Gorobei," Kanbei
said grimly. "Just make a brief introduction of yourself and perform. No
wise cracks or jokes. And, whatever you do, don't do that thing with the
lizard."
"How'd you� Why not? I think I should
liven things up a bit first and�"
"NO!"
Gorobei shrank back from Kanbei's
furious command. He almost did not hear his name called.
"KATAYAMA GOROBEI! YOU'RE UP!"
"Break a leg, Gorobei," Kanbei cheered
on the older man.
"Yeah, I will!" Gorobei said with
a thumbs-up as he entered the audition room.
Kanbei could have gone to the musicians
lounge, but for some reason, he was suddenly seized by apprehension. He
went up to the audition room door just in time to see Gorobei bow before
a panel consisting of Katsushiro, Kyuzo and a man in a gray suit, who was
obviously their manager.
"Katayama Gorobei's the name and
I'm here to blow your minds away with my groovy tunes!" Gorobei declared
exuberantly.
Kanbei's jaw dropped at once.
" 'Groovy'?" Kyuzo pounced on that
word with the grit of sandpaper. "Didn't that word vanish from the American
language with the incarceration of Charles Manson?"
Oh, no! Kanbei groaned. This
guy is worse than Simon Cowell! He's the Devil Incarnate!
When Gorobei reached into his jacket
pocket, Kanbei's heart was gripped by dread. No! Not that!
"I see you're all tired from a long,
hard day," Gorobei began, as he produced a cross-eyed lizard. "Let me entertain
you for a moment."
Kanbei knew what his friend was going
to do � pretend to swallow the lizard and then pull it out of his ear.
Having seen that trick so many times, he decided to observe the reactions
of the panel instead. The manager was laughing and clapping. Katsushiro
looked a little green. Only Kyuzo remained expressionless, elbow propped
on the table and hand cupping his chin.
"Gorobei-ojisan�" Kyuzo put emphasis
on the honorific. "I'm sure you're aware that swallowing lizards, eating
chickens' heads became passé with Ozzy Osbourne."
Kanbei slapped his hand to his forehead.
Gorobei, you fool! You never listen to me! You should have stuck to
your dream of becoming a Las Vegas showman.
Not wanting to witness his best friend's
downfall, he turned around to look for the musicians lounge when he bumped
into something large and hard, causing him to fall flat on his butt.
"Hey! You okay?" asked a deep voice
that was brassy in quality, almost metallic. Certainly not human.
Lifting his head, Kanbei gaped at
the sight of the robot towering above him. To his utter embarrassment,
the robot placed his large hands under his arms and lifted him to his feet
like a toddler.
Steam puffed out of the exhaust pipes
on both sides of the robot's head as it gave Kanbei a thorough look over.
"Nothing broken!" it announced with rambunctious cheer. "You're gonna survive,
Gramps!"
It was bad enough to be called 'ojisan.'
To hear himself be called that in its English equivalent burned his ears.
"Don't call me 'Gramps'!" Kanbei
exclaimed. "I'm not that old!" How many times have I said that?
To his trepidation, the robot gave
him three heavy pats on the head as if he were a troublesome dog. "Yeah,
yeah! Sure you're not! Now better stay out of the way, Jichan. People are
always running all over this place and I don't want you to get trampled."
Saying this, it went inside the audition room.
Kanbei was like a volcano waiting
to explode. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath as he marched off in
search of the lounge. "It's my dignity that's being trampled here!"
But as he turned left at the corridor,
what Kanbei nearly trampled was a shiny white Stratocaster leaning against
the wall. Worse, his shoe buckle got tangled on the guitar's strings.
Freeing his foot, Kanbei picked up
the guitar. Giving the strings a few plucks, he turned the knobs to re-tune
it.
"AAAAHHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Kanbei almost dropped the Stratocaster
at that outraged shriek. Before he could even blink, the guitar was snatched
out of his hand by a diminutive old man with a wispy mustache and a monocle
over one eye.
"Sorry. I almost kicked it," Kanbei
apologized sincerely to the old man who was carefully inspecting the guitar.
"I was just re-tuning it and�"
The manager threw Kanbei a sharp
look. "No one touches Shichiroji's Strat. Damn, and he just tuned this.
He's going to throttle me!"
"It's okay! I can tune it back."
"HANDS OFF!" the man wrapped his
arms protectively around the guitar. "You've done enough damage!" He then
looked up and down the corridor. "Now where did that walking clunker go?"
Walking away, he started yelling, "Kikunoji! KIKUNOJI! Where the hell are
you?"
Kanbei breathed in heavily. I've
got to find that lounge before I get into any more trouble.
As he turned around to face the hallway,
he was dismayed to find that there were six doors, three on either side
of the corridor. Kanbei walked down the hallway and stopped right in the
middle, arms akimbo.
"Eenie, meanie, miney, mo�" Kanbei
began the nursery rhyme, pointing one by one at the doors. He stopped at
the door to his left. Eager for some peace and quiet, Kanbei swung the
door wide open without bothering to knock. In an instant, the color drained
from his face.
Stretched out on the couch was a
handsome young blond, his hair tied uniquely into three short ponytails
that looked like propeller blades on the green cushion underneath his head.
A pretty brunette was bouncing up and down on his lap, her perky breasts
poking out of her open blouse. Her cries of "Oh! Oh! Oh!" were rising to
an impassioned crescendo.
Then, the man's eyelids fluttered
open, revealing misty blue orbs that snapped to alertness when it met shocked
gray brown ones.
Kanbei recovered at once. With a
stammered "Excuse me!" he fled back into the hallway and dashed into the
opposite room, closing the door.
Outside, he heard someone call out,
"Hey! Wait! Come back! We're not doing anything, I swear!"
"Who is it, love?" the girl inquired.
"Nothing, nothing. I thought I saw
someone�" And a door clicked close.
Kanbei snorted in disgust. "Not doing
anything, huh? I don't remember being that horny when I was his age." He
paused, as the memory of the backseat of a bus and a nubile dark-haired
beauty returned to him. Kanbei blushed hotly. "What am I thinking? That
was my wife!"
"Eee�ano�"
Kanbei could not get any redder,
seeing the young man sitting on the carpet amidst scattered music sheets.
He was wearing a World War I pilot's cap, his orange hair peeking from
underneath it. Although he was looking at his intruder with curiosity,
he continued to chew on his rice ball.
Embarrassed, Kanbei stuttered, "I�I'm
looking for the musicians lounge. Katsushiro�he told me to�"
"You found it!" the man said simply,
a smile going up the corners of his lips.
"Thank God!" Kanbei literally sagged
down onto a cushion in his relief.
Before he could relax completely,
there were three loud knocks that jolted him to his feet.
"Heihachi-san!" a man called from
outside. "Everyone's waiting for you!"
"Coming!" Standing, Heihachi laid
a bento half-filled with rice balls on Kanbei's lap. Cheerfully, he said,
"Have a little snack, Jichan! There's beer in the fridge," and he hurried
outside.
When he was finally alone, Kanbei
looked down at the bento in abject misery. "Jichan again, huh? Do I really
look that old?"
Sighting the large dress mirror,
he placed the lunch box on the cushion and went towards it. The image that
was reflected back at him was something he never expected to behold.
A sad, pitiful-looking man stared
back at Kanbei through tired, heavy-lidded brown eyes behind thick eyeglasses.
The tied back coffee-brown hair and beard had silver and gray strands mixed
in. Lips that had once known warm smiles were now tight, hard and pinched
from hidden pains and heartaches.
Kanbei remembered Gorobei's teasing
comments. How did I become this weary old man in the mirror? That�s
not me! It's not!
Abiding a rebellious urge, Kanbei
removed his glasses, tucking them in his jacket's breast pocket. With a
tug, he removed the ribbon and let his long hair fall free.
The transformation was astonishing.
True, the man in the mirror was still older, but now fire burned in his
eyes, and a youthful glow restored to his cheeks. Even his harsh mouth
had softened into a tentative smile. Great was the metamorphosis that Kanbei
touched the glass in awe.
"It's been a long time�K�" he whispered
the name of his reflection.
Then, through the mirror, Kanbei
saw the acoustic guitar propped against the couch. Taking the instrument,
he sat down, pouring through the music sheets spread out on the floor.
What caught his interest was an unfinished love song. He took the music
sheet and placed it on the table before him.
"Do you have any regrets, Daddy?"
Kanbei remembered his daughter asking him.
"I will not break my promise to
you or your mother," was his sworn oath.
But the song on the music sheet was
calling out to him, begging for its notes and words to be heard.
Just this once. Let me experience
that bliss�that happiness, one last time, Kanbei thought in fevered
desire, as he peeled off his gloves. No one will know. After this, I
swear I won't do it ever again!
Kanbei's left hand glided smoothly
over the guitar's fret board while his right hand strummed the opening
chords. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ow! Ow! Oww! Damn that girl! She
didn't have to hit me so hard!"
Shichiroji rubbed his smarting left
cheek, a parting gift from his little diversion. He could not recall her
name, the girl in question being one in a long line of love struck groupies
eager for a hot, passionate night with a rock star. That's why the girl
slapped him in the first place. He called her by a name that belonged to
another.
The blond lead guitar player could
only blame himself for being distracted by the prettiest, most expressive
brown eyes he had ever seen, even if it had belonged to a man who was twice
his age, perhaps even more.
"Oi! Shichiroji!"
Turning, Shichiroji beamed at the
sight of Masamune with his trusty Stratocaster.
"I've been looking all over for you."
The band's reluctant guitar tech thrust the electric guitar into his hands.
"Here! Take it! Some fool almost broke the damned thing!"
"WHAT?!" Shichiroji gave his precious
instrument a thorough inspection. Thankfully, there were no scratches on
its pristine white finish.
Masamune continued, "He said he was
re-tuning it. But it didn't look that way to me and�"
When the blond strummed each of the
strings, he gasped in shock. "I wouldn't call this just a simple re-tuning,
Masamune-dono. Listen." He played a simple melody. Even to Masamune's untrained
ears, the guitar sounded very different � fuller, more melodious. Shichiroji
explained, "Whoever did this, he tuned my guitar to perfect pitch. Even
I can't tune my guitar to perfection. Did you see if he used a tuning fork?"
"No, he didn't. He just fiddled with
the knobs. I had to stop him."
"And, yet, he was able to tune it
in such a short time. Amazing! What did he look like?"
"Old guy, with thick glasses and
a ponytail."
So it's the same guy, Shichiroji
mused. "I kind of bumped into him earlier. Must be new here."
Masamune gave the young man a suspicious
look. "You seem pretty interested in him, my boy."
Red color dotted Shichiroji's cheekbones.
"No! Absolutely not! It's not what you think!"
"I never figured you to be a pants
chaser as well. Better be careful. Guys hit harder than girls."
Shichiroji grimaced, "I just wanted
to ask him what his tuning technique is."
"Yeah, yeah! Keep saying that and
you'll convince yourself. Then again, it would be nice if you had a real
roadie. What do I know about musical instruments anyway? I'm a robotics
engineer. I only joined your little team because of Kikunoji. If there's
anyone who needs high maintenance, it's that fool. You should remind him
that his body is just a prototype."
"Yes, I'll do that, and I truly appreciate
the fact that you care so much about him. Speaking of that walking bucket
of bolts, where is he anyway?"
"In the audition room." Masamune
grinned wickedly. "You'd better get going. Kyuzo-dono looks like he's about
to pop an aneurysm."
With a snappy salute, Shichiroji
hurried to the audition room, arriving just in time to hear Kikuchiyo declare
loudly, "All in favor of Katayama Gorobei as our group's resident rapper
and mixer, say 'Aye'!"
"HOLD IT!" Kyuzo countered. "Who
said you can call a vote? Heihachi and Shichiroji haven't heard him yet!"
He shot daggers at their still eating keyboardist. "You! Stop eating that
rice ball and pay attention!"
"And who are you to order me around,
huh?" Heihachi asked dryly as he continued to chew thoughtfully on his
rice ball.
"What's all the fuss?" Shichiroji
gazed in sympathy at the poor man twitching in his seat before the squabbling
band members.
"Kyuzo-dono�" Katsushiro began, already
steamed. "You're biased because of Gorobei-dono's age. But you can't deny
how good he is."
"Plus," Kikuchiyo put in, "he's a
funny guy. He cracked me up with that lizard. This makes him a-okay in
my book."
"No! I won't have an old man in this
band!" Kyuzo stated adamantly. "He's a health hazard!"
"All in favor of Gorobei�" Kikuchiyo
repeated, raising his arm and one leg.
Katsushiro and Heihachi followed
suit. To Kyuzo's dismay, even Shichiroji raised his hand. The manager would
have done the same if Kyuzo had not hurled a low growl his way.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Kyuzo exclaimed in outrage to the lead guitarist.
Shichiroji answered casually, "Kikuchiyo
likes him. That's a good enough reason for me."
Seeing that he was outvoted, the
bass player let out a frustrated snarl. "I'm surrounded by fools!" His
head whipped in Gorobei's direction. "Hey, Ojisan! You better have life
insurance!"
Katsushiro approached his more level-headed
band mate. "Thanks, Shichiroji-dono. Things were getting out of hand."
"Is he really that good?" the lead
guitarist inquired from their youthful percussionist.
"He's fantastic! We should try out
Kyuzo-dono's new song with Gorobei-dono's input before we continue auditioning
for a vocalist. I'm sure it'll be amazing!"
"Yeah, why not?" Shichiroji cupped
inside his shirt pocket, only to find it empty. "Uh oh!
Katsushiro grinned slyly. "Missing
a guitar pick again? Seeing that you're wearing a fresh set of clothes,
and you've been here since noon, then that means�"
"I'LL BE BACK IN A FLASH!"
Shichiroji made a quick dash back
to the nap room. Damn that Katsushiro! he thought with a grimace.
Always a thorn in my love life!
Before he could open the door, however,
Shichiroji heard someone singing. At first, he thought it was coming from
one of the recording booths, but as he listened closely, he realized it
was coming from the musicians lounge. Curiosity getting the better of him,
Shichiroji turned the doorknob as quietly as possible and peeked inside.
The man who had stumbled upon his
passionate dalliance was sitting on the couch, his back slightly turned
to the door. With Kyuzo's acoustic guitar in his hands, he was singing
the ballad that the moody bassist had been agonizing over for days now.
As he watched, the man stopped when he reached a discordant note, scratching
his temple with a pen as he mulled over the melody. Then, a bright smile
lit up his handsome face as he hastily scribbled down the notes on the
music sheet.
Seeing those sparkling brown eyes,
Shichiroji wondered, Why did I ever think that he was old? He's not
that old at all!
Slowly, Shichiroji sneaked up on
the stranger and peered over his shoulder. To his amazement, he saw that
the song had been completed.
"One more time!" the man declared,
strumming the opening chords as he started to sing from the beginning.
What initially struck Shichiroji
was the power of the man's voice � pure and rich, at first deceptively
low but can soar to the higher range without effort. But as he listened
further, it slowly dawned on him where that wonderful voice's magic truly
lay.
Shichiroji was being pulled into
the melody and the lyrics, stirring emotions inside his heart. It was also
beckoning to him, a temptation that he was having difficulty resisting.
Sing with me, that magical
voice seemed to say. Come sing with me.
Before he realized he was doing so,
Shichiroji plugged the Stratocaster into the amp, slung its strap over
his shoulder, and joined the man in singing the love song.
At first, the man faltered, surprised
to find someone in the room with him. But Shichiroji nodded to him to continue.
With no other options left for him, the man went on singing.
Accompanying the man on second voice
and guitar, Shichiroji understood then what that voice was doing to him.
It was drawing out the power within his heart and soul, demanding that
it meet that voice � strength for strength, will for will, passion for
passion. It was almost like sex, but better, seeking the ultimate joining
that defied the limitations of the flesh. And Shichiroji met that challenge,
singing and playing as he had never done before until they were no longer
two voices but one.
When the song drew to a tremulous
close, neither man could speak. All they could do was stare into each other's
stunned eyes.
It was the man who returned to his
senses first. Turning his head away haughtily, he hugged the guitar and
muttered in disgust, "Ecchi!"
Shichiroji was taken aback by that
word. "You calling me a pervert?" he growled at that snooty figure. "I'm
of a mind to plant one of my famous smackers on those pouty lips of yours,
old man!"
"I will not be called an old man
by an ecchi like you!"
Shichiroji would have made good on
his threat � and he was practically dying to do so, until he saw the flower
tattoos on the back of the man's hands. No! It can't be! This guy couldn't
be�
There was only one way to find out.
Snatching the music sheets on the
table, Shichiroji grabbed the man's hand and hauled him to his feet. In
his haste to run out the door, he nearly tripped over his guitar's cable
if the stranger had not unplugged it from the amplifier.
"What're you doing?" the man demanded.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Stop asking questions and just come
with me, old man!" Shichiroji snapped back.
"Stop calling me an 'old man'. I�I
do have a name, you know."
"So what's your name?"
A hesitant pause. "It's Kanbei. Shimada
Kanbei."
Shichiroji smiled at that tentative
answer. "Well, Kanbei-sama, there are people I want you to meet."
In his excitement, Shichiroji practically
kicked the door of the recording booth open, causing his band mates to
stop in the middle of the song that they were rehearsing.
"It's about time you showed up."
Kyuzo's crimson eyes narrowed into slits. "And who is that?"
From the mixing console, Gorobei
gasped out, "Kanbei? Is that you? Where'd the dorky you go?"
Kanbei was flustered at that dubious
compliment. "I see you made it into the band, Gorobei. Congratulations!"
Shichiroji slapped the music sheets
on the glass of the overhead projector. "Everyone! Let's play this song.
Kikuchiyo, Katsushiro, give me a faster beat for this."
Kyuzo recognized the song projected
on the screen immediately. "Why, that's�"
"Did you finish it, Shichiroji?"
Heihachi inquired from behind his keyboard.
"No, it wasn't me," the lead guitarist
answered. He waved a hand to Kanbei. "It was him."
As everyone looked on, Shichiroji
pushed Kanbei towards the mic and clapped the headphones over his ears.
"Show them what you can do, Kanbei-sama," the guitarist said confidently,
giving him a wink.
Kanbei stared at the blond in shock.
"But I didn't come here to audition!"
Kikuchiyo tapped his drumsticks together.
"Let's do it!"
The band began to play. Shichiroji
saw Kanbei throw him a pleading glance, to which he mouthed only one word
� "SING!"
Trapped between a rock and a first
place, what choice did Kanbei have? Taking a deep breath to calm his quaking
nerves, the song just flowed out of his lips. In the end, he completely
surrendered himself to the music.
Shichiroji closely watched the older
man. He saw how Kanbei began to dance and sway to the lilting melody. When
he was feeling encumbered by the weight on his head and the long cord impeding
his arms movements, he took off the headphones and simply held it close
to his ear, a gesture that the lead guitarist had only seen in professional
singers.
I knew it! Shichiroji thought
excitedly. It really IS him!
Out of the corner of his eye, the
guitarist observed the stunned looks on his band mates' faces. You ain't
seen nothing yet!
To his delight, Kanbei went on to
exceed his expectations. With the magic of his voice, he pushed everyone
to play music as they had never played it before. Even an amateur like
Gorobei was subconsciously being coaxed into pitting his undeveloped talents
against seasoned musicians.
But there was one who stubbornly
resisted Kanbei's spell.
Deafening feedback from Kyuzo's bass
brought the song to an abrupt end.
"Kyuzo�" Sudden apprehension gripped
Shichiroji's heart as he watched the stern bass player stride towards Kanbei.
There was a questioning look on Kanbei's
face as he turned towards the younger man. Then, Kyuzo's right hand whipped
out and slapped him hard on the cheek.
Everyone was horrified by what Kyuzo
had done. Kanbei could only gape back at the angry figure, clutching his
darkening cheek.
"I don't want anyone messing around
with MY songs!" Kyuzo declared for all to hear. "Certainly not an old man
like you!"
"KYUZO-DONO!" Katsushiro was outraged.
"That man is a good friend of mine! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be
alive right now!"
"So you wish to sacrifice all our
hard work for the sake of friendship?"
Shichiroji stepped between Kanbei
and his irate band mate. "Knock it off, Kyuzo! You're not the only one
who has the privilege to make major decisions in this group! Shimada Kanbei
is going to be our lead vocalist, and there's nothing you can do about
it!"
Kyuzo laughed in derision. "You're
a fool, Shichiroji! This band is not an old folks' home!"
"Well, these 'old folks' have just
beaten the socks off their much younger rivals and they�"
"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT NOW!"
All whirled to see Kanbei shaking
in anger, hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"Ever since I came here," Kanbei
began ominously, "all I've been hearing are wise cracks about my age."
He faced Kyuzo in fury. "Okay, I'm old. So what? At least I know what love
is and I can put that tender emotion into a song. You, on the other hand,
will never be able to write a decent love song because your heart is as
cold as ice!"
He then looked at Shichiroji. "As
for you, I told you I didn't come here to audition. Just who are you anyway
to make decisions for me? I've lost someone I cared for deeply because
of the damned music. Now you're forcing me to return to a life I detest
and make me break my promise to my family? NEVER!"
Gorobei was shocked to see his best
friend's eyes cloud up with tears as Kanbei trained his anguished gaze
in his direction.
"I'm sorry, Gorobei," Kanbei told
the older man. "I shouldn't have come here."
"KANBEI-SAMA!" Shichiroji cried as
Kanbei fled from the recording booth, slamming the door behind him. The
guitar player quickly gave chase, but as he pushed through the studio's
front doors, he saw Kanbei jump into a taxi and ride away.
In his anger and frustration, Shichiroji
drove his fist into a lamppost. Kanbei�

~~~~~~~~~~

Kanbei quietly entered his dark home,
relieved that his two children did not wait up for him and were probably
asleep in bed. Rather than check on them as he usually did, he went straight
to his bedroom.
As he closed the door with a soft
click, he leaned against the door and slipped down to the floor, as the
tears began to fall from his eyes.
"That damned blond!" Kanbei cursed
under his breath. "Who the hell does the think he is, treating me like
shit! I'd put him in his right place if I were still�"
He did not finish what he was going
to say. How could he put Kyuzo in his proper place when he was just a dorky
accountant?
Kanbei buried his face in his knees
as he mumbled to the cruel gods, "I've learned my lesson. I won't think
about it ever again. That dream�it's no longer something an old man like
me could pursue. But why does it hurt so much? Why does it hurt so damned
much?"
Unknown to Kanbei, Komachi had seen
her father's surreptitious arrival, having been in the kitchen, getting
a midnight snack from the fridge. Having noticed how troubled her father
was, she had sneaked up to his room and had heard every word he said.
A blond, huh, Komachi's heart was
smoldering with anger at the mysterious stranger who had made her father
cry. I'll make you pay for what you did to my Daddy!

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Samurai 7: Warriors Of Rock