The Blazing Tempest

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.


THE BLAZING TEMPEST
By Rory V. Pascual (Edited by Saiyukihana)
© Original Version 2001; Samurai 7 Version June 22, 2006


Chapter Eighteen

Kyuzo stared at the concubine in stunned disbelief. "My student asked you WHAT?"

"I need not repeat myself again, Kyuzo-sama," Kanbei said with a hint of irritation. The last thing he wanted was to discuss this delicate matter with the man who raped him the previous night. However, he was still Katsushiro's teacher, and he had to know about the boon his student had asked of him. That was why he decided to talk to Kyuzo in the meeting tent, which was a neutral place. "Katsushiro saw us last night and he became...curious."

The Bandit Chief pounded his fist on the tent post. "No! I won't allow it! Katsushiro is just a child!"

"A child, you say? Have you gotten a good look at your student you call 'child'? He is no longer the street urchin you plucked out of the gutter in Kougakyo," the whoremaster pointedly reminded Kyuzo. "Please be realistic! You know you can't keep him sheltered...and innocent...for too long. One way or another, he would know about it. You're not even aware of the fact that your student is very observant. Do you think he hasn't seen the animals doing it in their pens?"

"Don't be crude! This is different! We're talking about human beings here!"

"Did you not fuck me like an animal last night?" Kanbei declared hotly. "That was one of the things he asked me last night -- if you were supposed to do that to me."

Kyuzo turned away in guilt. He had to hand it to the concubine. He knew how to stick barbs into a guilty man's conscience.

Kanbei immediately noticed the change in the Bandit Chief's demeanor. "I apologize for my rudeness. It's not my place to speak thus. After all, that is...the service...required of me."

"And now you would give this service to my student." Kyuzo turned to give the older man a level glare, and he found himself asking the same question that Shichiroji had asked him before. "Why should I trust you? How do I know if you're not just using my student so you could escape?"

"Is that how low you think of me now? Why should you judge me in this manner when you have done the greater wrong to me?"

Kanbei turned his back to the younger man, head lowered. "You ask why I would give this service to your student. Because I WANT to. Better that I be the one to give him this instruction -- someone who does care for him -- than someone else. Someone who would not take advantage of his innocence. You should know this. You have seen what had happened to me fifteen years ago."

How could Kyuzo forget? "Yes, I know. You who were the greatest general of the enemy lord… Everyone believed you were the weakest leader because of the number of losses your troops had sustained. But I knew differently. You and your men were Kamikaze – the Divine Wind that crushed the might of the enemy, paving the way to victory for your main squadrons."

Kanbei nodded solemnly, remembering those difficult times of the Civil War in his homeland. "We all made a pact to survive – our symbol the blossom with six petals to remind us of that promise we made to each other. But how could that promise be kept in the middle of a war wherein the chances of survival are practically nil? Still, we did whatever we could, although it hurt me bitterly to see the men I cared for die one by one."

"How could one defeat an enemy that is seemingly not afraid of death?" Kyuzo continued. "I knew that if we were to defeat you, it was either we capture or kill you. I was fortunate enough to accomplish the former, capturing not only you but your trusted aide as well. But…" The Bandit Chief bit down on his lower lip. "I never realized what would come after."

"Surely, you KNEW what would become of me and my trusted aide," Kanbei said in sorrow. "The Amanushi was a depraved man. It was his belief that the best way to emasculate a proud samurai was through rape and torture. He did that to my aide – the man whom I loved dearly and called 'spouse' on the battlefield – in order to force the information of the location of our base out of me. You don't know how painful it was to see him battered and abused, and yet he still made me swear that I would never betray our comrades. That is, until the Amanushi made me an offer I could not refuse. No betrayal. No more rapes. He would set my lover free if I agreed to be his whore. Out of desperation, I believed him. I trusted that he would keep his word. And so I…"

The samurai's voice choked at the bitter memory of what happened to him afterwards. It had been his first time after all, and the Amanushi had used him abominably.

"But you never knew that someone else was being held captive," Kyuzo revealed to him. "Someone who loved you, who admired your greatness as a leader and as a warrior. He was made to witness your abuse. In the end, it was this man who betrayed you all."

The concubine shook his head. "I never blamed Heihachi for what happened. I was in the same position as he. Heihachi was young then. He still had a future ahead of him, unlike me. So I decided to shoulder the mark of betrayal, to spare him from the hatred.

"On that night that the Amanushi had taken my innocence, I went to the tower chamber where my lover was being held. It pained me to see him trembling from the pain of the rapes he had endured. Now, I was the same as he. I sought to comfort him. I don't remember everything that happened next. It happened to fast. It was all too confusing and frightening at the same time. The Amanushi found me in bed with him. We tried to escape, but a trap gate suddenly closed in the hallway. Not only were we separated, my lover had lost his left arm when the gate slammed shut on it. It was then that the Amanushi exposed me as a betrayer to my beloved. I could never forget the rage in his eyes. He said something to me, but because of the commotion, I didn't hear it, but I could never forget the anger on his face. He jumped out the window and disappeared into the moat below.

"The next few months were sheer hell for me. I became, as the Amanushi said I would be, a whore. All those endless nights of rape… It was only you Kyuzo who treated me with kindness and love. But you were only one man among animals. I would have killed myself; the shame was too unbearable. You and Heihachi, however, convinced me not to commit seppuku. Instead, you tried to help me escape in Kougakyo." Kanbei let out a wry laugh. "I'm sorry, Kyuzo. I had to save Katsushiro."

"The Amanushi wanted us executed," Kyuzo admitted to the concubine. "However, my friend convinced him to send the two of us into exile in this land. At Katsushiro's insistence, I decided to bring him along as my student. Since then, I never knew what happened to you. I feared that you had committed ritual suicide or that you had perished. That is, until I heard that the Amanushi was in this very country to establish his own realm here. When I was given the task to seize his precious concubine, I saw this as the opportunity for me to wreak revenge upon that evil man who had hurt the samurai I loved. How I was to know that the Amanushi's concubine was the very same warrior I was forced to leave behind fifteen years ago?"

"The Amanushi saw in me the potential of becoming a great whore, if not the best concubine in the whole world. That's why he decided to bring me along with him to the various corners of the Earth, so that I could get 'training' from the best whores. When we arrived in this country, he entrusted me to the Sultan, while he went off to Ain Mehira to establish his kingdom there. I was to be delivered back to him. But here I am in your camp instead."

"Fate has cruel way of playing tricks, don't you think? Of all the people the Amanushi chose to deliver you to him, it had to be Shichiroji."

The concubine slowly nodded.

"He doesn't know?"

"No, and I don't want him to find out that the evil lord he is seeking his vengeance upon still possesses his former lover whom he hates with all his heart, the very same man he is tasked to protect." Kanbei laughed in bitterness. "Shichiroji doesn't know that I aim to avenge my betrayal and abandonment upon him as well. Thankfully, I've met a few good men and women during my journey, people who saw in me still existing the skills of a warrior. They trained me in martial arts, taught me the art of the sword and weaponry in secrecy. I practice at every opportunity. I've even gone so far as to lead a double life as a thief and assassin. I stole from ruthless robbers and bandits, killed a number of them too, and gave their riches to the poor. As time passed, however, I realized that what I've learned wasn't enough. If I were to defeat a master of weapons who had learned his skills from me, I must train again with this same master. So, when I learned that the Amanushi has requested for Shichiroji to lead the caravan through the desert, I seized the opportunity to ask him to train me.

"Oh, it wasn't easy! It required a more elaborate deception. Knowing that he would never willingly teach martial arts to a whore, I pretended to be the Amanushi's ambitious whoremaster, Shinno. As Shinno, I appealed to his sense of greed. After all, as a whore and a thief, I have amassed quite a fortune during my travels. However, during our first conversation, I realized that gold was not enough as an enticement for him. That same night, to appeal to his sense of lust, I assumed a second identity, my REAL role, as the Amanushi's prized whore, Takeru. It worked well in the beginning -- after sword lessons with Shinno, he would bed the concubine Takeru. However, circumstances were against me. Shichiroji became suspicious. He suspected that Shinno and Takeru were one and the same person. I almost got away with this charade by having one of the servants disguise himself as Shinno, so that there were two of us around. But the man was a drunk and he became careless. It was through the malice of the Amanushi's adviser Tessai, who was my constant companion during my travels, that Shichiroji found out the truth."

Kyuzo noticed the change in the older man, deep hurt crossing his handsome features. "You sound disappointed."

"I must admit that, at first, Shichiroji treated me like dirt. It was expected, since he believed that I was the whore of his worst enemy. The way he abused me...although he hurt me, he made me want that kind of treatment." An unexpected smile formed on Kanbei's lips. "In a way, I am thankful to your assassin. After he tried to kill us, Shichiroji changed. He became the man I once knew -- protective, kind, loving. I lost myself to the man he once was." The concubine shook his head. "It was a mistake that nearly cost me everything."

"Then why did you go to him tonight? Is it because you still have feelings for him, perhaps?"

"No. I will not fall into that trap again. I've been hurt far too many times to believe in his promises." Kanbei brushed away the tears that were forming in his eyes. "I don't believe this! I'm here to talk to you about your student's boon. How did I end up telling you the story of my life?"

Kyuzo granted the whoremaster a kind, but sad, little smile. "Maybe it's because it's a story that needs to be told now. A soul needs to share its heavy burden with another."

"But why with you? After what you did to me last night…"

"Maybe, in your heart, you know that I regret what I did to you, not just last night but all the terrible things in the distant past, and, I sincerely hope, that you have already forgiven me."

"I don't know." The concubine smiled shyly as well. "Perhaps I have. Or maybe it's simply because of your student, because we have so much in common."

The Bandit Chief nodded thoughtfully. "If this is my student's request, I see no reason why I should not allow this. You are the best man I know to give him the instruction he seeks. Please? Be gentle with him."

Kanbei said reassuringly, "He's in good hands, Kyuzo-sama. I swear I will not hurt him."

"Yes, I know you will not."

There is much hesitation on the whoremaster's face. "I have…a boon…to ask of you as well, Kyuzo-sama. In exchange for the service that I will give to your student."

"Tell me what it is and I will grant it," Kyuzo urged him. "Consider it as my expiation for the crime I did to you last night."

"Kyuzo-sama…" Kanbei began haltingly. "I ask that you spare Shichiroji." The Bandit Chief was about to contradict, but the concubine went on speaking. "You know the reason for his anger. He was concerned for my welfare, and the life that I nearly lost to your assassin's arrow."

"I don't understand. After the terrible things he did to you, I am more convinced that the man deserves to be punished."

"But not by your hands. This is between him and me. Let me deal with Shichiroji in my own way."

The Bandit Chief stared suspiciously at the older man. Despite his earlier words, he could tell that the whoremaster still has deep feelings for Shichiroji. With a sigh, he said, "If that is your wish, very well. I will do as you request."

"I thank you, Kyuzo-sama, for your understanding," the concubine bowed in gratitude. "I will ensure that this unfortunate incident will not happen again."

As Kanbei gaped in surprise, the Bandit Chief fell to his knees and bowed before him. "It is a great honor for me, Kanbei-sama, to be in your presence once more. I swear, on my life, that your secret is safe with me, and that I will do all I can to protect you from those who would do you harm."

Kanbei was touched by the sincerity in the younger man's words. He gathered Kyuzo into his arms. "Please don't call me by that honorific. That was a long time ago and, now, I am just a whore."

"Never underestimate your worth, Kanbei. With your beauty, your indomitable will, the purity of your soul…you are a much greater threat to those who abused you and turned you into a whore."

"Me? A threat?" The whoremaster laughed. "How could I be a threat?"

"It's because you change people for the good. I mean, just look at what you did to me, Heihachi and my student."

"Kyuzo-sama, you are such a flatterer!" Kanbei leaned forward and kissed the Bandit Chief on the lips. "But I thank you so much for your kind words."

Kyuzo felt a gentle caress on his cheek, and then the whoremaster was gone. Outside, he heard his student's eager voice.

"What did he say? What did he say?" Katsushiro asked the concubine in all earnestness.

A squeal of delight followed. Katsushiro ran inside the tent and embraced his teacher. "Thank you, Sensei! Thank you!"

"A word of advice, my student," warned Kyuzo. "This is not a kind of play. Treat Shinno well. Love him."

Katsushiro winked. "I already do." Saying this, he skipped happily outside where Kanbei was waiting for him. He turned around one last time. Blushing, Katsushiro declared, "Don't worry, Sensei. I will show you the things I have learned some day."

Before Kyuzo could ask what he meant by that, his student walked away, hand in hand, with the concubine. Grim-faced, the former assassin swore an oath. Yes, he would protect Kanbei, with his life if necessary. He was thankful enough that his men were, at least, able to delay the arrival of the man who masterminded the whore's abduction. Now being the time of the sirocco, it would probably take him a few more days before he will reach the camp.

Suddenly, the Bandit Chief detected movement out of the corner of his eye. Shichiroji had emerged from the tent. Although the guards held him back, it was clear to him that the Samurai wanted to see Kanbei, perhaps even talk to him. However, the whoremaster's story entered his mind once more, his face hardening as a struggling Shichiroji was pushed back inside the tent.

With a discreet wave, Kyuzo summoned one of his men nearby.

"Gather twelve of our best men and tell them to get ready," he told the man firmly. "At my command, we shall take the prisoner into the desert and flog him to death."


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