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 23, 2006


Chapter Twenty-Two

The hour stretched to two to three hours more. It was Kanbei himself who saw to the preparation of Katsushiro's body, carefully anointing his dear friend with oil and myrrh. Something fell out of the boy's pocket and he saw that it was a journal. Opening it, he saw the sketches inside, drawings that were obviously made, and with much love, by the Samurai.

When he saw the drawing of himself as a samurai, Kanbei felt tears stream from his eyes. "Oh, Shichiroji!" he whispered as he pressed the journal to his heart. He then gazed at Katsushiro's handsome face. "You're right, Katsushiro. No more lies. No more secrets." Saying this, he tore out some of the pages in the journal. When the deed was done, he laid it beside the boy's body.

With a heavy sigh, Kanbei finally wrapped Katsushiro up in a white shroud, but not before bestowing one last kiss upon those cold lips.

Kyuzo was beside himself with grief, weeping like a lost child. Heihachi, who was crying as well, could only embrace his comrade and friend, murmuring words of comfort. However, the Bandit Chief was inconsolable, unable to accept the death of his student.

When he was done, the concubine approached Kyuzo. For the first time since they entered the mourning tent, Heihachi saw the stern features of the whoremaster soften, his eyes misting with tears.

"Come, Kyuzo-sama," Kanbei offered gently. "Your beloved student awaits you."

Taking the Bandit Chief's arm, the concubine led him towards his pupil's body. Seeing Katsushiro's shrouded form, Kyuzo broke down completely. He leaned over, taking Katsushiro in his arms, wailing in sorrow. Seeing that no words could comfort the younger man, Kanbei helplessly clenched his fists.

Heihachi inched towards the whoremaster. Whispering, he advised, "Shinno-sama, please don't do this. I was given instructions by Shichiroji. I've already sent word to Masamune through my carrier hawk. He and your friend Gorobei will be arriving here with the caravan very soon. They intend to reach you before the Amanushi decides to come after you himself."

"I will not be swayed from my course," Kanbei said firmly as he made to leave the tent. "Because of me, Katsushiro's dead. I cannot rest until I've satisfied my desire for vengeance."

However, as he stepped outside, a voice declared, "Why am I not surprised that that would be your answer?"

Before the concubine could act, a sharp blow hit the back of his neck. He crumbled in Shichiroji's arms.

"Heihachi…" the Samurai called out to his former comrade, who hastened to his side. Handing the whoremaster over to him, Shichiroji requested, "Don't let him out of your sight! I'll take care of Tessai." The Warrior did not bother to wait for Heihachi's reply. Instead, he went straight in the direction of the training enclosure.

Tessai was already there, waiting. Seeing the Samurai, he smiled. "For awhile there, I thought I would be facing Shinno."

"Disappointed?" Shichiroji queried.

"In fact, I'm relieved. I wasn't looking forward to killing my Little Taisho. You, on the other hand, I intend to get rid of. I cannot tolerate a rival, especially one who is obviously loved by my sweet flower. You are a much greater threat to me than the Amanushi."

The Warrior pulled out his spear. "So what are you waiting for? Let's settle this right now!"

Tessai grinned wickedly. "Shichiroji, I'd be very happy to!"

Letting out fierce battle cries, the two warriors charged at each other. Meeting in the center of the training enclosure, their weapons clashed.

The sounds of fighting brought all the bandits running towards the enclosure. They watched as the two men battled, exchanged thrusts and swipes at each other. Shichiroji nimbly evaded an arching slash to his belly. Attempting a downward thrust with his spear, Tessai easily blocked it with his scimitar.

Suddenly, however, Kyuzo entered the enclosure, bearing the two sharp swords he had used when he was still an assassin. "HE'S MINE! HIS HEAD IS MINE!"

"NO!" cried Shichiroji, seeing Tessai ready his blade to strike at the grieving bandit.

Swiftly, the Samurai placed himself between the two men, pushing Kyuzo aside. He gasped in shock as Tessai's sword pierced his back. Falling to his knees, Shichiroji did not feel the Amanushi's adviser yank his spear out of his grasp. Kyuzo made to lunge at Tessai, but a silken cord shot out of his sleeve, wrapping around the two swords. With the Bandit Chief still not in good physical condition, Tessai was quick to disarm him. The evil adviser quickly kicked their weapons away.

The bandits gaped in horror at the vulnerable position of their leader and the Samurai. All were powerless to do anything.

Laughing in triumph, Tessai exclaimed, "This is goodbye, gentlemen." Slowly, he raised his sword, ready to deliver the killing slash.

There was a whistling sound that pierced the hushed, tense atmosphere. A flash of something sharp. Tessai hissed in pain as his hand was cut, forcing him to drop his sword. Sticking out of the sand was a shuriken. As one, the three men turned to stare at the lithe figure in black, standing perfectly balanced on top of a fence post, his long dark hair fluttering in the breeze behind him.

"This fight is between you and me, Tessai," that familiar baritone declared. "Not them!"

Tessai's eyes were wide with shock, recognizing that voice immediately. "Shinno! You! You are the ninja?"

"Did you think I was just your helpless Little Taisho?" Kanbei sneered at him. "I told you there are a lot of things that you don't know about me. You should have been more vigilant in guarding me."

"Shinno, don't!" cried Shichiroji, feeling pain with every breath. He was close to blacking out. "You're no match for him!"

"But I must try. For Katsushiro," the concubine said, the guilt obvious in his words. "I cannot forgive myself if I don't avenge his death."

"Avenging my student's death is my responsibility!" Kyuzo called out to the whoremaster. "Don't do this, Shinno!"

"As I told Heihachi, you cannot sway me from my course." Kanbei leaped high into the air, unsheathing his katana at the same time. "DRAW YOUR SWORD, TESSAI! FIGHT ME!"

Before his feet could even touch the ground, their swords met in a loud clash. If before Shichiroji had doubts about the whoremaster's prowess with a blade, all of it faded away when he saw Kanbei twirl around in mid-air like a top, nearly wrenching Tessai's blade from his grasp. Even the Indian was stunned by the concubine's move.

The next few minutes saw Kanbei deftly evading Tessai's swipes at him with graceful somersaults and other aerial acrobatics. So quick was the whoremaster that the Amanushi's adviser had difficulty in keeping up with his moves. Already, there were cuts on his cheek and arms and a slash over his chest.

Realizing that he could not score a hit with the concubine airborne, Tessai knew that he had to bring Kanbei back to earth and fast.

"SHINNO, LOOK OUT!" Shichiroji shouted in warning as the Indian threw the silken cord at the whoremaster, easily wrapping around Kanbei's ankle.

"YOU'RE MINE!" Tessai declared as he gave the cord a strong jerk, pulling the concubine closer and closer to him. For a moment, it seemed as if the whoremaster was trapped.

It was then that the Samurai noticed that Kanbei had tensed his legs. Before Tessai could swing his sword, the whoremaster brought his two feet together, kicking the Indian in the chest and using him for momentum. As Tessai staggered back, Kanbei did a somersault, letting his blade fly out. There was shock and disbelief on Tessai's face as his head was severed from his body, eyes blinking at the dark-clad whore who was sheathing his sword with much ceremony.

"It's finished, Katsushiro," said Kanbei in finality, the tears falling from his eyes. "It's finished."

Although it was impossible, cackling laughter issues from Tessai's severed head. "YOU'RE WRONG, WHORE! YOUR TRIALS ARE FAR FROM OVER!"

Those mad eyes met Shichiroji's horrified blue orbs, flooding the Samurai with terrible images that battered his mind and wrenched a scream from his throat.

Images of a magnificent palace, walking through its darkened hallways.

The room with its two doors, graven images carved on it. There were small holes on that door.

If he were to peer inside those holes, he would see blazing red eyes and sharp claws reaching out to grab him.

Shichiroji stepped back involuntarily, only to bump into someone behind him. Turning, he beheld the silk and satin bedecked form of the Amanushi, with his two trusted aides standing on either side of him.

Blinded by those terrifying visions, Shichiroji was knocked off his feet by a tremendous explosion.

Then chaos descended upon them like a sandstorm. Gigantic behemoths of metal swooped down from the heavens and attacked the camp. He did not see Kanbei standing before those giants' leader with arms outstretched, begging that the bandits be spared. The Samurai did not see the concubine disarmed by a smirking warrior with thick lips painted black, and lifted up by a huge metal hand, just as the helpless bandits were being cut down.

Shichiroji was jolted back to reality by the pain that pierced his body. Gazing down at himself, he saw an arrow embedded in his chest. There was mocking laughter as the leader of the invaders was lowered so that the poor Samurai could now see that grinning, white-painted face clearly. Behind him, Kanbei was held securely by a mechanical samurai with a shiny red chrome body and bright orange hair.

"It's been a long time, Shichiroji-kun," the Amanushi greeted him, saluting him with the crossbow in his hand. "Heal quickly, so that you could catch up with us!"

"UKYO!" the Samurai hissed in fury. To the mechanical samurai, he roared, "DAMN YOU, KIKUCHIYO! HAVE YOU BETRAYED US AS WELL?"

Kanbei reached out to him. "Shichiroji, please don't leave me! HELP ME!"

As Shichiroji surrendered to his injuries, the last thing he saw were the tears that glimmered in the concubine's lovely brown eyes as he was borne away by the Amanushi Ukyo and his Nobuseri hordes.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ragged inhalation and the onrush of desert air into his healing chest heralded Shichiroji's return to the land of the living at daybreak. As his vision cleared, his eyes focused on the three concerned faces staring down at him. One by one, he looked at each man, saying their names.

"Masamune! Gorobei! Heihachi!" The Samurai was assisted to his feet by the moor. "What hap…OH MY LORD!"

Shichiroji staggered around the devastation that was once the bandits' camp. Ululating cries rose through the smoke-blackened air as the women mourned their dead. Everywhere he turned, his eyes fell upon dead bodies on the ground and the smoldering remains of tents.

"NO!" the Warrior placed his hand over his eyes to block out the terrible sights, but it was forever etched in his memory. They merely intended to put Katsushiro's body on the funeral pyre this morn. The pyres will burn long and hard this day.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Forgive us," Gorobei said in deep sorrow. "We came as quickly as we could."

"We thought we would be first to reach you," added Masamune. "We never thought that the Amanushi would reach this place before we do."

"Of course he would beat you to this place!" Shichiroji snapped back. "The Amanushi is Ukyo! This…this massacre…this is the handiwork of the Nobuseri!"

The two men lapsed into guilty silence, lowering their gaze to a point between their toes.

Shichiroji shook his head in dismay. "This should never have happened if you told me the truth right from the start! Now, people are either dead or dying, and Shinno has fallen into Ukyo's hands! Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

Masamune and Gorobei looked at each other for a moment. They turned to Heihachi for support, but the former samurai quickly shook his hands in negation.

"Don't look at me like that!" Heihachi exclaimed. He glared resentfully at the three men. "Perhaps if you didn't come here, Katsushiro would still be alive!"

The haggard figure of the Bandit Chief slowly approached them. "If there's anyone to blame for all this, it would be me. When I accepted Tessai's money to have the Amanushi's concubine abducted, I brought this tragedy upon us all."

"You are not to blame," Shichiroji told him firmly. "It was Tessai who started this chain of events. I sincerely regret, that after the love and hospitality you've shown to Shinno, you had to suffer this great loss, especially that of your student."

"But it was Shinno who avenged Katsushiro's death, and I will be eternally grateful to him for what he has done. Shichiroji, I know you would be attempting to free him from Ukyo. If you should need my assistance, have your friend Masamune send a message to Heihachi. Wherever you may be, we shall go to you. Many of the desert tribes have no great love for the Amanushi. It would be easy to rally them to our cause."

The Samurai shook Kyuzo's hand. "Your help will be most welcome, Kyuzo-dono. Nothing would please me more than to have you at my side."

A tiny figure crept towards them, his round black eyes blinking hopefully at them.

Shichiroji gently ran his palm over Moeru's brow. "I would like to ask your permission if I could bring Moeru with me. I know he is Katsushiro's little friend…"

"As well as Shinno's," the Bandit Chief concluded for him. "I'm sure Katsushiro would want Moeru to be at Shinno's side." Kyuzo grinned down at the foal. "You would want that too, am I right, little one."

The foal nodded eagerly.

"Very well then. With Shichiroji, you shall go. Help him and Shinno, Moeru. Fight with them." Kyuzo gave the Samurai a meaningful look. "There is one last thing. I found this in the tent, beside Katsushiro's body." He reached within his robes and pulled something out. Shichiroji's jaw dropped, seeing his journal in the Bandit Chief's hands. Turning to Masamune and Gorobei, he said, "I understand how difficult this is for you, to keep this secret for so long."

"Secret?" the Warrior blurted out. "What secret?"

Kyuzo ignored the Samurai's queries. "Gentlemen, now is no longer the time for secrets. It was Katsushiro who showed me that the truth must be known now, before it's too late."

Masamune argued, "But we can't! We swore an oath to Shinno!"

"As did my student and I. However, it is an oath that MUST be broken. The concubine you call 'Shinno' is in grave danger, and the only man who can save him is the same person that he believes he hates with all his heart." The Bandit Chief offered the journal to the Samurai, smiling. "Katsushiro and I know differently. Here, Shichiroji. I believe my beloved student promised you this."

With trembling hands, Shichiroji took his journal from Kyuzo. His heart thudded in his chest as he flipped through the pages. He saw that his earlier attempts had been marked with X's over the features of the concubine's face that Katsushiro believed wrong -- the nose, lips, ears, the shape of his chin. Turning the pages, the Samurai saw that the Bandit Chief's student had torn out the other pages, probably in his frustration, leaving only the last two pages of the gallant samurai in the brown uniform. His heart immediately gave a lurch.

Again and again, he flipped through the corrected pages and back to the sketches of the samurai. The face of that very handsome warrior smiled up at him. Although in black and white, Shichiroji could still envision that beautiful face in the flesh -- expressive brown eyes capped by thick brows, long lashes, a fine nose, high cheekbones, full lips forming a rare, but loving smile. Shichiroji found himself staring at both sketches. Those beautiful, but sad eyes remained the same.

"NO!" Shichiroji gasped in disbelief. "It can't be! This isn't true!"

Gorobei softly interrupted, "Think about it, my friend. You were given two important clues as to his identity. 'Shinno'…'Takeru'…"

"The first means 'prince,'" the Samurai mumbled in shock. " 'Takeru' means 'warrior.' He was our great leader, a brave warrior who would rather sacrifice himself than the lives of his men."

With an anguished cry, Shichiroji dropped his journal and broke into a run. On and on he ran, his mind pummeling him with images of the past -- of his beloved general and husband who allowed himself to be abused in order to save his 'wife' from further depravities at the hands of the Amanushi.

An angry finger pointed at that innocent, tear-filled face. "You have betrayed me! I swear I will return to get my revenge on you!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as the images of a man peering down at him from a tower window and a captive concubine carried on a Nobuseri's hand began to overlap. Both had hands reaching out to him. Both had tears falling from their lovely doe eyes.

Both men cried out to him, "Shichiroji! Please don't leave me!"

As he reached the top of the sand dune, Shichiroji fell to his knees, his hands clutching and squeezing fistfuls of sand. Gripping the sides of his head, he muttered hoarsely, "What have I done? Good God, what have I done?!"

"KANBEI!" Shichiroji screamed the concubine's true name into the wide, merciless expanse of the Sahara.

~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day, the Samurai and his friends helped the bandits take care of their dead. Only Katsushiro remained, because it was Kyuzo's wish to see the boy buried as per the traditions of their home country.

"Shichiroji…" Kyuzo gazed up at Warrior, who was already seated on the saddle of his trusty stallion. Behind the Samurai, Masamune and Gorobei waited for his signal to leave. A small cart was secured to Denko, wherein little Moeru sat.

Shichiroji leaned over to shake the Bandit Chief's hand. "Yes, my friend. I promise I will summon you when I have need of your help."

"You can count on my assist as well," Heihachi declared. "I must make amends to our great leader."

"Thank you." The Samurai trained his weary blue eyes towards the tent where he knew the boy's body was interred. "Please offer an incense stick to Katsushiro for me."

Kyuzo smiled. "Yes, we shall do that."

With a wave of his hand, Shichiroji led his two friends and the tiny foal out into the desert, heading for the realm of the Amanushi.

In his haste, the Samurai did not notice the exhausted figure that stumbled out of the mourning tent. Neither did he hear the exalted cries from the Bandit Chief and his trusted comrade.

If he had only looked back, Shichiroji would have seen a boy with confused blue green eyes, muttering one name.

"Kanbei-sama…"


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