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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
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

© September 12, 2005 By
Rory V. Pascual

CHAPTER FOUR: Regroup!
"Kyuzo-dono!" Shichiroji called out
to the somber figure walking swiftly and stiffly ahead of them through
the fog. "Slow down, will you? Kanna Village is not going anywhere!"
To this, the crimson samurai simply
waved without looking back at his companions. "You continue at your own
pace. I'm in a hurry."
Katsushiro inched close to the blond
warrior and mumbled, "I can't believe he was created from the cells of
Kyuzo-dono. The original Kyuzo rarely spoke."
"Maybe something malfunctioned as
he was being cloned," Shichiroji offered, grinning wickedly.
There was the soft hiss of two sharp
swords being partially pulled out. "I heard that!"
The two men rolled their eyes upwards
and snickered conspiratorially. To avoid any more annoyances, Kyuzo walked
further away from them.
"So, Katsu-kun," Shichiroji began,
a look of expectation on his handsome face. "How are things between you
and Kirara-dono? I had hoped you two would be married by now."
The blood rushed up Katsushiro's
cheeks at that query. "Uh�no. Actually, we're just friends."
"Are you serious?" the blond exclaimed
in disbelief. "But I thought you and she would�after Kanbei-sama had�"
Katsushiro turned sharply to the
older man. "What about Kanbei-sama? Did he do something to her?"
Shichiroji quickly shook his head.
He had completely forgotten that the young samurai viewed his mentor as
a rival for the affections of the former Mikumari. "No, it's not what you
think." Seeing that the look of suspicion remained on the boy's face, he
sighed in defeat. "We all thought that Kirara-dono had feelings for you,
but as it turned out she was in love with Kanbei-sama, and he knew about
it. Before we returned to Kanna Village for the final battle, she was going
to confess her love for him. Kanbei-sama never gave her a chance. He turned
her down."
"That's cruel of Sensei to do that!
He could be so blunt sometimes. How could he break a poor girl's heart
like that?"
"You don't know Kanbei-sama like
I do," Shichiroji patiently explained to him. "He had lost everyone he
loved and cared about in the war. You cannot blame him if he prefers to
distance himself emotionally from close friends and potential lovers. The
pain of loss can be a very difficult thing to bear."
Hesitantly, Katsushiro started to
inquire, "Did Kanbei-sama�"
"Have a lover?" Shichiroji finished
Katsushiro's question for him. "I know he had a wife and daughter, but
I heard they were among the war casualties. Kanbei-sama never talked about
his private life. But I think he loved Kirara-dono in a way, like she was
the daughter he had lost. Certainly not, however, in any romantic sense."
Katsushiro lowered his head, reflecting
on what the elder samurai had told him. "I never realized Kanbei-sama led
such a lonely life."
"Lesser men would have crumbled from
the loneliness and heartbreak, but Kanbei-sama is strong," Shichiroji said
confidently. "It would take something truly catastrophic to break him."
"Oh, how little you know�" Kyuzo
spoke softly through the thickening mist.
"Did you say something, Kyuzo-dono?"
asked Katsushiro, batting away the white wisps with his hands. "Where are
you anyway?"
Before the two men could take another
step forward, Kyuzo appeared from out of nowhere and blocked their path.
Shichiroji nearly jumped out of his
skin. "Damn it, Kyuzo-dono! You nearly scared me to death! I thought my
heart stopped!"
"I think dying from heart failure
would be a better alternative to falling off a cliff," was Kyuzo's rebuttal.
Sure enough, the three men were facing
a sheer drop. Even on a clear day, the bottom of the cliff could not be
seen. Not too far from them, they could hear the roar of the waterfall.
"I don't understand," Katsushiro
said in confusion. "What happened to the bridge?"
Shichiroji bent down to inspect the
wooden platform at the cliff's edge. "Well, it definitely hasn't been destroyed.
The old foot bridge had been changed into a drawbridge."
"But why? How are we�"
"LOOK OUT!"
Kyuzo shoved his comrades back. From
where they stood, two arrows were deeply embedded in the ground.
"Who's firing at us?" cried Katsushiro
as they ducked behind some rocks. "Is it a spy?"
"No," Shichiroji answered grimly
as he trained his gaze towards the hazy outline of the watchtower in the
thick mist. "Those arrows came from across the chasm."
"From Kanna? But why�" Katsushiro
made to stand and call out to the villagers on the other side, but another
arrow whizzed past his ear.
"Keep your head down, fool!" Kyuzo
hissed angrily. "Shichi-dono, do you think you can get me across?"
Shichiroji made a quick calculation
inside his head. Grinning, he readied his spear. "Piece of cake!"
Before Katsushiro could offer a dissenting
opinion, the two elder samurai dashed towards the edge of the cliff, easily
evading the arrows that were fired at them. They gripped the spear at the
same time as it was thrust down into the ground, and they vaulted through
the air. To Katsushiro's horror, he saw that they wouldn't be able to make
it to the opposite side. But then, Shichiroji fired a long cable directly
at the watchtower from his metal hand, coiling around a support, and they
swung towards the tall wooden fence. Kyuzo used the momentum to carry him
up the tower, nimbly scaling the supports. Jumping into the sentry box,
he pulled out his sword and cut through the string of their attacker's
bow.
Kyuzo pointed his katana menacingly
at the archer, who was staring wide-eyed at him in shock.
"KYUZO-SAMA!" Kirara exclaimed in
disbelief. "This is impossible! You can't be alive!"
To this, Kyuzo remarked dryly, "Since
when did a little girl like you learn to use a bow?"

~~~~~~~~~~
Kirara fell to her knees and pressed
her forehead to the floor. "I am so sorry for shooting arrows at you. I
thought you were an enemy."
"You surprised me, Kirara-dono,"
Shichiroji admitted with a reassuring smile. "I never knew you could handle
a bow so well. Katsushiro here never told us about it."
But Katsushiro was just as amazed.
"To be honest, this is the first time I found out about it myself."
Komachi, who was Kanna's current
Mikumari, brought over some tea that she had boiled on her stove. The child
who had joined Kirara and Rikichi on the samurai quest had blossomed into
a beautiful young woman.
Beaming proudly at her older sister,
she said, "Actually, Nee-sama is better with a crossbow."
At that moment, Rikichi burst through
the doorway, panting for breath. "So it is true! You're here!" He looked
at the somber samurai, who was carefully honing his precious katanas he
had retrieved from the original Kyuzo's grave. "And�Kyuzo-dono?"
"I'm his clone," Kyuzo said wearily.
He ran a strand of his hair over the blade, smiling in satisfaction as
the hair was instantly cut in two. "I must stress, however, that I am just
as good as the original, and I also possess some of his memories. So, forget
that I'm his clone, and just consider me as the same Kyuzo you had known."
"Except for the fact that he talks
more than the old one," Shichiroji couldn't resist saying, causing the
crimson warrior to growl in irritation.
"Why the tight security here?" Katsushiro
couldn't help but ask. "Is there another threat on Kanna Village?"
Rikichi sat down and joined them.
"We've heard stories that other villages have been attacked by the Nobuseri.
Kanna is pretty much isolated so we haven't confirmed these reports. However,
two months ago, one dark midnight, we were awakened by the rumbling noise
of machinery. We never saw them pass through our village, but that noise,
without a doubt, it was the Nobuseri."
Someone suddenly spoke from the doorway.
"Unfortunately, the villagers seemed to have a deeply ingrained fear of
the Nobuseri, even after you had defeated them. It had been particularly
difficult to shut up Manzo-san. In the end, it took all four of us to mobilize
the entire village to fortify the defenses."
The three men gaped at the newcomer
standing before them. At first glance, they thought he was Hayashida Heihachi,
but on closer inspection, he was much taller than their fallen comrade,
and he has long, wavy red hair that reached down to his shoulder blades.
It was a blushing Komachi who made
the introduction. "My friends, I would like you to meet my husband, Kikuchiyo."
Katsushiro and Shichiroji blurted
out in unison. "KIKUCHIYO?" Even Kyuzo was blinking his crimson eyes in
surprise.
Astonishingly, the young man placed
his hands on his waist and burst into raucous laughter, reminiscent of
their former mechanical comrade. "Make no mistake, I'm the real
Kikuchiyo! I was searching for that fool tenant of ours Tagomaru who stole
my family tree from me."
The three samurai vaguely remembered
a funny story that Gorobei told them about Kikuchiyo's flaunting a stolen
family tree as "proof" of being a warrior.
Kyuzo's eyebrows knitted together
in a dark frown. "You chased after Tago-san for seven years just to retrieve
a stupid family tree? Unbelievable!"
Kikuchiyo plopped down on the floor
beside his wife. "Actually, no. My parents had a new one made. For the
past seven years, I've been learning the skills of merchants, but I wanted
to become a samurai. It was a dream that I shared with Tago-san. I decided
to go after him six months ago, and my travels brought me here. I'm so
proud that he died an honorable warrior in the end. He was more like a
father to me than my own was."
"Kikuchiyo-sama's parents made a
big mistake in training him to be a merchant," Rikichi put in. "He's a
brilliant architect and engineer, just like Heihachi-sama. He even made
some improvisations in the weapons we used during the battle. It was he
who designed Kirara-sama's rapid-firing crossbow. He even converted one
of the Nobuseri guns into a weapon I could easily."
"Ah, but a weapon can only be effective
depending upon the person using it," Kikuchiyo pointed out. "Both Kirara-sama
and Rikichi-sama proved themselves well and able to wield the weapons I
created for them."
"Although I cannot understand why
you would still need a gun, Rikichi," Komachi remarked. "You don't know
this but our timid farmer has turned out to be quite a swordsman."
At these words, Rikichi prostrated
himself before the warriors. "Please don't be angry with me. I've been
using Gorobei-sama's sword."
"Why should we be angry?" asked Shichiroji.
"If Gorobei-sama were still alive, I'm sure he would have entrusted his
sword to you."
The farmer brightened at that answer.
"Thank you, Shichiroji-sama!"
Grim-faced, the blond samurai finally
revealed, "You are right to take these vigilant measures. The Nobuseri
have indeed returned. Not only that, there's a new Amanushi leading them."
Everyone's jaws dropped. "How could
that be?" Kikuchiyo asked in shock. "I thought all of the Amanushi clones
had been destroyed?"
"It's either we missed one or there's
a new pretender to the throne. This Amanushi has been ordering the Nobuseri
to pillage the farming villages, demanding more rice than what the previous
ruler asked for. I've received appeals from the villages of Akame, Hiroyama
and Mikamichi within the span of a week alone."
"We've heard that Karuna and Hiresa
villages had been attacked as well," Kirara added.
"What truly disturbs us," Shichiroji
said, "is the rumor that the Amanushi is searching for Shimada Kanbei.
For what reason, we don't know. Worse, we don't know where Kanbei-sama
is, so we can't warn him about this threat."
"I take it you'll be searching for
Kanbei-sama," Kirara at once concluded. "Let me go with you. You've done
so much for our village. Let me help by joining you in your quest. I promise
I won't be a burden this time."
"Is it your intention to search for
him or are you planning to get in my way?" Kyuzo asked bluntly, causing
the young woman to turn red. "I know how attracted you are to Kanbei. Up
to now, I still couldn't believe that Katsu-kun was so dense as to not
notice that you were in love with Kanbei and not him."
Katsushiro was outraged. "Kyuzo-dono!
This isn't the time or place for such discussions!"
Kirara, however, could be just as
derisive. "You know? I think I like the original Kyuzo better. He was quiet,
not like you."
"Seven years inside a cloning chamber
building up an irritation towards certain people can loosen up one's tongue.
Don't get between me and Shimada Kanbei, little girl, or you'll regret
it."
"I'm throwing the same warning to
you, Kyuzo-sama. Harm Kanbei-sama and I will kill you."
The two were about to exchange more
barbs when a light tap at the window drew their attention. Kyuzo beheld
the grinning face of Okara.
"The messenger arrived," she announced,
handing the crimson samurai an official-looking scroll and a small note
addressed to him. Secretly, she also pressed a small box into the warrior's
hand before leaving.
"If you don't mind," Kikuchiyo began,
as Kyuzo read through the contents of the note, "I would like to join you
as well. I've always wanted to meet the great Shimada Kanbei. Besides,
I think my skills would come in handy."
"I'm coming too," Rikichi hastily
offered. "If it wasn't because of Kanbei-sama, I would never have been
reunited with Sanae."
Shichiroji and Katsushiro smiled.
This was better than they had hoped. To embark on an adventure with friends�
"It's just like old times," Katsushiro
commented in enthusiasm. "All we have to do is find Sensei and we'll be
seven samurai once more."
"The question is," Komachi began,
"where are you going to look for him?"
Kyuzo's face darkened as he read
the scroll. "We won't have to look very far. Shimada Kanbei is in Kougakyo."
"How do you know that?" Shichiroji
asked. "Are those letters from Maro-sama?"
"I should have realized it sooner,"
the crimson samurai muttered with a shake of his head. "Akame, Hirayama,
Mikamichi, Karuna and Hiresa�all follow a straight path heading for Kougakyo.
Kanna lies between Hirayama and Mikamichi, and yet this village was by
passed by the Nobuseri. Why attack these villages and spare Kanna?" He
tossed the scroll into Shichiroji's hands. "Here's your answer."
The blond warrior opened up the scroll
as the others gathered around him.
"Curse those Nobuseri!" Rikichi exclaimed
in fury. "They're demanding that we give them a share of our harvest!"
"Yes," Kyuzo confirmed, "but in case
you haven't noticed, they are asking for the same quota of rice you used
to give to the former Amanushi. This village is being protected."
"Kanna? Protected?" Komachi asked,
truly perplexed. "By who?"
"Oh my God! This can't be!" Shichiroji
gasped aloud. With a trembling finger, he pointed to the bottom of the
scroll.
Two signatures were affixed under
the official seal. The first belonged to the new Amanushi. It was the second
signature, however, that stunned them all.
Above the title of "Royal Adviser"
was the signature of Shimada Kanbei.
A small note fluttered to the floor
before them. Written in Ayamaro's utilitarian scroll was: "Kyuzo, Return
to Kougakyo immediately. The Amanushi is coming here. Ayamaro."
Samurai and farmer alike turned to
the crimson samurai.
Kyuzo gripped the two leather wristbands
that Okara had made for him tightly in his hand. The sun and moon crystals
that the young woman had fastened onto the bands were like warm embers
in his palm.
"We're too late," Kyuzo hissed angrily.
"The Amanushi has captured Shimada Kanbei."

* * * * * * * * * *
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Crimson Hearts