Samurai 7: Warriors Of Rock

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
© September 12, 2006 By Rory V. Pascual


CHAPTER TWO: Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)

Saturday mornings in the Shimada household were less frenetic compared to weekdays. The weekends were intended to be days of relaxation for their father. So Kirara and Komachi made certain that they finished all their chores and cooked the meals before leaving the house to hang out with friends.

Kirara had gone ahead, noting in the family schedule board that she was going to the Orphanage of St. Francis in Tokyo. Her class had a charity visitation to the orphanage five months ago. Since then, she always made it a point to drop by every week to help cook meals for the orphans.

Komachi, on the other hand, was supposed to have rehearsals with her classmates for the program, but she had a more pressing matter to attend to.

The little girl opened her father's bedroom door a crack and peeked inside.

Kanbei was seated at his wife's dresser, studying the mail that was piled up on the table. One particular envelope with a red diagonal stripe in the lower right hand corner caught his eye. When he opened it, he let out a groan of misery before propping up his elbows on the tabletop and burying his face in his hands. Komachi did not even have to guess what it was. Kirara had told her about those letters from the bank. Their father was late in his mortgage payments. Despite the fearful prospect of possibly losing their home, both girls agreed that they would rather lose their house than their father.

Seeing Kanbei in such a pitiful state was too much for Komachi to take. "Daddy?" she asked tentatively as she entered the bedroom.

Kanbei hastily wiped the tears away from his face, but it did not escape the child's notice that her father's eyes were bloodshot. Still, he gave his precious youngest daughter a warm smile.

"Oh, good morning, Komachi!" he greeted the little girl. "Has your sister left already?"

Komachi nodded. "She said she wanted to finish her work at the orphanage earlier so she could cook a fine lunch and dinner for us."

Kanbei eyed the shinai in its scabbard, which was strapped to her back. "Do you have kendo practice today? I thought you were having rehearsals for your class program?"

"Oh…I…uh…" Komachi scratched her head and grinned broadly. She was not going to tell her father what she was planning to do. "The rehearsals have been canceled, Daddy. Okara wanted me to teach her the new moves we learned in school. She missed a few classes, you see, because she had to take care of her baby sister."

"You brought your protective gear, I hope. Sometimes, you fight like a samurai in a battle. I don't want you or Okara to get hurt."

"Oh, Daddy! All the good and useful things about kendo I learned from you. Don't worry! I'm always careful." Komachi beamed, seeing her father's hair flowing freely down his back. "Daddy? Can I brush your hair?" Rather than wait for her father's reply, she took the pearl-handled brush that belonged to her mother. She then proceeded to brush his hair with gentle strokes.

Kanbei purred in contentment. "It feels so nice to be pampered by one's little girl. What did I do to deserve such an honor?" He cocked a knowing eyebrow up. "Let me guess. Need some money for your outing with Okara?"

Komachi playfully rapped her father on the head with the brush. "Daddy, you know I never ask money from you unless it's necessary." She held a length of that silken mane in her small hands. "I just love your hair, Daddy. It's so long and soft. I wish you'd let your hair down more often. Have you ever thought of wearing contact lenses? I don't like it whenever Uncle Gorobei calls you a 'dorky accountant'."

"Well, I certainly can't wear my hair like this in the office. My boss will have a fit."

"It's just not fair, Daddy," Komachi pouted. "People should see you when you're like this. You look very different, very handsome, in fact. When you're in 'accountant mode', you look really old and sad." She quietly added, "I don't want you looking sad, Daddy."

Before Kanbei could say anything, Komachi flung her arms around her father's neck. "Daddy, you know Kirara and I will do anything for you. Okara and her mom too. You don't have to work so hard for us. We can pitch in and help you."

Smiling, Kanbei patted his daughter's hand reassuringly. "No, what I want you girls to do is to study hard, have good grades, so you can have a nice future ahead of you."

"I'll study hard. I know my grades are not as good as Kirara's, but I promise I will give it my best." Komachi could no longer stop herself from saying, "Daddy, promise that you'll tell me if anyone's been hurting you. I don't want to see you cry. I swear I won't let anyone break your heart."

Kanbei was surprised by this unexpected outburst, and he wondered what prompted his daughter to say this. Seeing how determined Komachi was to defend his honor, and not wanting to prolong this uncomfortable exchange any longer, he simply kissed the little girl on the cheek and said, "I promise." Breaking the choking embrace, he exclaimed, "Now, you'd better get going. Okara is probably waiting for you by now. And tell her that if she wants help with her studies, she could just drop over. I'll be more than happy to tutor her."

Komachi gave her father a peck on the lips. "I will. I'll be home early, Daddy. Okara and I will just finish our little mission, and I'll be heading right back."

" 'Mission?' " A frown instantly creased Kanbei's brow.

Realizing that she almost revealed what she was planning to do, Komachi quickly backed up to the door. With a wave, she said, "See you later, Daddy!" and ran out the door before her father could ask her what she was up to.

The little girl hurried down the stairs and out the front door, rushing to meet her willing accomplice in the scheme she had planned.

// Just you wait, Daddy, // Komachi swore inside her mind. // I'll make that blond guy who made you cry pay for what he did to you! //

~~~~~~~~~~

"SUKIYAKI! SUKIYAKI! SUKIYAKI! SUKIYAKI!"

Brother Rikichi scratched his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Kirara-kun. But you know how these rascals are."

"It's quite all right, Rikichi-sama," Kirara said in reassurance, patting the plastic bags she held in her hands containing the groceries she had bought at the market. "I did promise that I'd cook them sukiyaki today. I'm so happy to see they are looking forward to it."

Inwardly, Kirara was preening. The children of the orphanage never failed to make her feel loved and appreciated. Not like Komachi who always had something nasty to say about her cooking…

Unknown to the beaming girl, the priest had turned pale. "Uhhh…Kirara-kun…it's not…"

As Kirara stopped before the kitchen doors, her smile turned into the darkest of frowns, hearing the children's cheers to be actually, "SUKI'S YUCKY! SUKI'S YUCCKY!!"

Rikichi's eyes widened in alarm, seeing that clenched fist. "So my sukiyaki's yucky, huh?" Kirara growled. Banging the door open, she declared, "DO YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS WITH MY COOKING?"

At her outburst, at once, little Saemi began to cry. "I told you to keep quiet," the girl sobbed. "Now, you've hurt Kirara-san's feelings!"

The boys who were making that bloodthirsty cheer turned white as ghosts. "Gomen nasai, Kirara-san," Hiroaki, the boisterous ringleader, apologized previously. "It's not that we have any complaints about your cooking but…"

"But what?" Kirara said grimly, her arms akimbo, grocery bags hanging from her wrists.

Then, a burly man dressed in a chef's uniform stepped forward in the boys' defense. Waving a ladle right in her face, he said in a faux French accent, "You do not know anything about cooking a balanced meal, Mademoiselle!"

Kirara's right eyebrow rose up sharply. "NANDATO?"

From behind the counter, a flustered Katsushiro ran to her side. "Now, now, Kirara-dono. There's nothing to get so angry about."

"What are you doing here, Katsushiro-sama?" the girl asked, surprised to see her schoolmate. Remembering the matter at hand, however, she gestured to the snorting chef and asked, "Who's this?"

"This is our family chef, Claude," Katsushiro introduced. "Claude, this is Kirara-dono."

"I wish I had the pleasure," Claude declared snootily.

"I share your sentiments," Kirara answered back just as hotly. "You certainly don't look French to me."

Katsushiro stammered an explanation. "His mother is French while his father is Japanese."

"It doesn't matter what my parentage is," the chef stated firmly. "What matters is my credentials as a world-class chef -- something that you, Mademoiselle, do not possess. Who has ever heard of sukiyaki without beef?"

Kirara's head snapped towards the children. "I put beef in the sukiyaki!"

"Yes," Hideki, a boy with orange dyed-hair put in, "but there are more vegetables than beef. You only give us one piece of beef each."

"You need more fiber in your diet. I told you that. And my father agrees with me."

Chef Claude snorted in disgust. "One piece of beef? Goodness! No wonder these poor children are so scrawny, like toothpicks! Unlike you, I will give these little angels a feast!" He thrust something before Hiroaki's face. "Here! Try this!"

Hiroaki blinked dubiously at the curled shell. "What's this?"

"Escargot!" Claude announced with much fanfare. "A prized dish among the French! You should consider yourself among the few to taste the juicy delicacy that is golden snail."

"SNAIL? You're feeding us snails?" The children were visibly appalled.

"Oui! Oui! But it is a dish that you must try. Wait a minute and I'll…"

SSSHLUUUUURRPPPPPPP!………..POP!

"HIRO-CHAN!" Kirara gasped. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?"

Grinning, Hiroaki licked the juices from the corner of his lip. "Hey, he's right! It's not so bad! It just slides down your throat!"

Katsushiro's mouth gaped open. "YOU SWALLOWED IT?"

"SACRE BLEU!" Chef Claude was outraged. "You use this to get the snail out of the shell!" He produced a tiny fork.

"Sacre whatsis?" asked Seki in bewilderment.

"I think it means 'Holy Shit'! Yep, that's what it means!" Hideki answered, nodding.

"HIDEKI" Brother Rikichi stared at the boy in shock. "There is nothing holy about shit!"

"Naaaah!" little Hiro told the chef with a brisk shake of his head. "Men slurp it in! Then you do this!"

Suddenly, there was a melodious "Pfffhhhht!" and a most noxious aroma filled the air. Everyone immediately pinched their noses, waving their hands frantically to dispel the smell.

"That's why I said you need more fiber in your diet than meat!" cried Kirara. "Hiro-kun, how long has it been since you moved your bowels?"

"Hmmm…Give or take five days," Hiroaki answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, not at all bothered by his bodily fumes.

"MERDE!" Chef Claude exclaimed, gagging. "I shall make all of you a good vegetable salad instead!"

What registered to the children's ears, however, was the first word. "He's going to MURDER us! RUN!!!" cried Hideki, as shrieking children began to panic.

"NO RUNNING!" Rikichi roared over the din. "SOMEONE OPEN THE DAMNED WINDOW!"

Saemi glared at the priest. "Brother Rikichi, a monk like you shouldn't be cursing. I'll tell Father Gisaku, you'll see!"

Kirara made to hurry to the window, but a firm hand seized her wrist. She looked up to behold Katsushiro's smiling blue green eyes.

"Let's go get some fresh air, Kirara-dono," he said invitingly.

Feeling giddy, and certainly not from the child's fart, Kirara could only nod and smile as her schoolmate led her away.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kirara and Katsushiro found themselves in the playground, seated side by side on the swing. For a long while, they just sat in companionable silence, not knowing what to say.

Unable to take the silence, Katsushiro decided to hit neutral ground. "Kirara-dono, how's your father?" He had to admit he was concerned with the way Kanbei reacted during the audition. Katsushiro was aching to ask if Kanbei had told her about what happened at the studio, but Kirara seemed unaware of it.

"Oh he's fine," Kirara replied. "He's at home right now. Komachi and I made sure that we finished all our chores before leaving so he could rest, but I'm sure he'll be doing something." Sadness crossed the girl's pretty face. "I didn't want to show him the bills."

Katsushiro knew about the financial difficulties they have been having. "It's that bad, huh?"

"Dad is late on the mortgage payments. The bank is threatening to take away our house."

"I'm sorry," Katsushiro said in all sincerity. "But…you should tell Kanbei-sama. If he needs any help, he should not hesitate to ask me. It's the least I could do…after he saved my life and…"

Kirara looked at the boy beside her meaningfully. "You really like my Daddy, don't you?"

Red color instantly went up Katsushiro's cheeks. There was no point in denying it. "Yes, I DO like Kanbei-sama…perhaps even more than my father. My father…he did not even lift a finger to help me."

Kirara remembered all too well what had happened that day. Katsushiro had been with his father at the bank when a kidnapping attempt took place. The kidnappers would have escaped with the boy if Kanbei had not had the presence of mind and courage to seize an unguarded moment and attack the thugs with a shinai. From what her father had told her, Katsushiro's father had been too stunned by what had happened to go to his only son's aid.

"Katsushiro-sama…I'm sure your father would've defended you, if he could and…" Kirara barely stifled her gasp to discover that Katsushiro had inched close to her.

"I would defend you with my life, Kirara-dono…you, your sister and your father," Katsushiro said determinedly. "That's how important you are to me. Please…if there's anything I could do for you, please just ask. I will not deny you anything."

"Katsushiro-sama…"

Before she knew what was happening, a gentle kiss was bestowed upon her lips. She could feel her heart pounding like thunder in her chest and her lungs were bursting for the demand for air. Even when Katsushiro drew back, she still could not bring herself to breath.

Katsushiro gave her a warm smile, extending his hand to her. "Shall we go back inside, Kirara-dono? I'm sure the air in the kitchen has been cleared up by now."

"Yes, of course," Kirara said, flustered, as she took Katsushiro's hand. As they ran back to the kitchen, she felt like a bird on a wing, or an angel caught up in the melodious notes of a love song.

// This must be what it's like to be in Heaven, // she mused as she allowed the gallant boy to lead her on.

~~~~~~~~~~

Okara curiously followed her best friend, who was walking down the busy avenue like a summer storm, ignoring the pointed glares being thrown at them by the motley crew of men and women who have lined up along the sidewalk.

She tugged the strap of her baby carrier over her shoulder before her baby sister could fall to the ground. It was difficult to say the least to be carrying both a baby and a kendo sword. But it could not be helped. Her mother was at work at the department store and there was no one to whom she could entrust Kaoru to. Besides, she most certainly could not leave Komachi while in that dark state.

If she didn't know better, Komachi looked like she was determined to kill someone.

"Hey, wait up!" Okara cried as she ran towards her best friend.

Komachi came to a halt, that dark frown still creasing her forehead. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I completely forgot you were behind me."

"What's going on anyway? Why are we going to this recording studio?" Okara asked the angry girl.

She remembered the call Komachi had earlier made to her Uncle Gorobei, demanding the address of the recording studio. Without a doubt, her gregarious friend was mad about something. If she weren't, Komachi would never have threatened her uncle on pain of death not to reveal to her father where she was headed.

"Oh, great! First, it's old guys! Now it's kids!"

"Do you think the guys in the band know what they're doing?"

"I'm starting to wonder whether I should actually still audition. I can't believe that the rapper position went to an old guy."

"I heard that the lead singer spot was supposed to go to another old guy, but Kyuzo was against it. That's the reason why they're still holding auditions."

"Yeah, but I heard that Shichiroji won't have any other singer except that guy. Man, with the way things are going, they're going to turn into a geriatric rock band. I mean, who needs another Rolling Stones?!"

Okara glanced at her friend beside her, whose face has become an indescribable mask of smoldering anger at those comments from a group of young men in the queue. "Komachi…" she asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

With an angry hiss of shinai being pulled out of its sheath, Komachi whirled towards the men. "Are you shitfaces talking about my Daddy? He's not old! I'll kill any man who dares call my Daddy old!"

To Okara's trepidation, Komachi started swinging her shinai at the offenders. It was truly a disturbing sight to say the least to find one little girl chasing off all the people who were queuing up for the auditions. By the time Komachi was through, the street was totally empty.

At that same moment, the doors of the recording studio swung open and the two guards came out, bearing a list tucked in a clipboard. They blinked in confusion to find that the queue had disappeared, leaving only two little girls, one of them breathless and livid, and a glaring baby in a papoose.

"Where did everyone go?" the guard asked quizzically, scratching his head.

"Hey, kid!" the other guard turned to Komachi and Okara. "Don't tell me you're here to audition too? We have an age limit, you know."

"No," said Komachi, visibly fuming. "I'm looking for that blond guy who made my Daddy cry!"

Okara stared aghast at her best friend. "Someone made Uncle Kanbei cry?" Knowing the reason now for Komachi's strange behavior, even her temper was riled up as well that she pulled out her shinai. She considered her Uncle Kanbei as the father she never had, and the thought that anyone would dare hurt him, enough to cause tears to flow, was unforgivable.

The two guards looked at each other for a moment. Then they stammered, "Girls, we're sorry but…"

But Komachi was furious. "WHERE'S THE BLOND GUY WHO MADE MY DADDY CRY? GET HIM OUT HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"What's all this commotion?"

The person who spoke was a young man with orange hair that reached down to his shoulder blades, munching on a rice ball as he peered over the guards' shoulders. But what the two girls focused on was the taller man behind him. A man with golden hair tied up into three ponytails.

"YOU!" Komachi growled hotly, pointing her shinai right at his face.

Confused blue eyes blinked back at her. "Who? Me?"

The two girls nodded to each other, realizing that they finally found their prey. Both Komachi and Okara readied their kendo swords. Darting past the surprised guards, they charged at the startled blond, shrieking, "KILL THE BLOND GUY!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Shichiroji had just had a fierce argument with Kyuzo over his, in the cranky bassist's own words, "questionable choice of a lead singer." Kyuzo would have out-debated him if he were in a congenial mood. Unfortunately, Shichiroji was not very happy with how the bass player treated Shimada Kanbei. He could never forget the tears in Kanbei's eyes as he fled outside the recording studio, just like Cinderella. If Kanbei had left his shoe, like the fairy tale heroine, he would have scoured the entire country until he found him. Instead, he settled for giving Kyuzo a piece of his mind and a view of his solid back when he walked out on him.

The blond lead guitarist groaned as he made his way to the lobby. // To think this is just the start of the day! Add auditions, I mean, could this day get any worse? //

That question, however, turned out to be fortuitous. As he reached the lobby, it was to find the two guards and a curious Heihachi looking at two very angry pint-sized pipsqueaks with kendo swords. Worse, the pipsqueaks in question had focused their glaring little eyes on HIM!

"YOU!" the cute child with dark bangs pointed her sword at him and growled.

Confused, all Shichiroji could do was point to himself and stammer, "Who? ME?"

Then, all hell literally broke loose as he found himself the target of two furious children, who shrieked with bloodthirsty fury, "KILL THE BLOND GUY!"

"Huh? What?" the stunned lead guitarist stuttered, frozen where he stood. "What did I do? What did I do?"

But seeing that the threat poised by those shinai was real, Shichiroji spun on his heels and ran. To his dismay, Heihachi just stood beside the shocked guards, grinning ear to ear.

"HEIHACHI, DO SOMETHING!" he shrieked in panic, as he leaped high as a kendo sword swiped at his leg.

The keyboard player shook his head and wagged his hands. "Sorry, my friend. But I swore to myself not to get involved in your messy love life. Those two are probably your kids from any of the women whose hearts you've broken."

"Don't you 'friend' me!" Shichiroji roared back at his band mate, dodging blows and thrusts as he ran for dear life. "You're no friend of mine!"

All over the recording studio, Shichiroji ran like the wind, ducking inside rooms, hiding behind shocked studio employees (one sound technician had the misfortune of getting in the way of a whacking shinai), and dashing through corridors. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not shake off the two children who were dogging him ruthlessly.

"Come back here!" the girl with the bangs shouted at him. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my Daddy!"

// Daddy? // Before the lead guitarist could ponder on the child's words, Kikuchiyo lumbered up at the end of the hallway. "KIKUCHIYO! HELP ME ,WILL YA?!"

"Huh?" the cyborg rumbled in curiosity.

Shichiroji sped past him with Komachi in hot pursuit. As Okara made to slip between the cyborg's massive legs, Kikuchiyo bent down and snagged her by the collar of her T-shirt.

"And what do you think you're doing, huh?" Kikuchiyo snarled at the now frightened little girl.

Unfortunately for Kikuchiyo, he never saw Okara's 'secret weapon' that was slung behind her back. Little Kaoru herself was armed with her own mini-shinai. Gurgling in glee, the baby brought the point of her tiny kendo sword up, striking the region between the cyborg's legs.

Kikuchiyo howled in pain as he dropped to his knees, his hands releasing the child and cupping his aching groin. Masamune, who had emerged from the sound room, stared at the cyborg in shock and disbelief.

"Kikunoji…" Masamune blurted out. "I never knew you had cotton balls!"

"Damn you, Masamune!" Kikuchiyo groaned as he fell face first on the floor. "You used defective parts again, didn't you?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?"

A very angry Kyuzo had stormed out of the musicians' lounge, having been disturbed from his song writing by the unholy racket coming from the hallways. His head whipped to the left then to the right then to the left again as Shichiroji zipped back and forth along the corridor, being chased by two girls.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP!" Shichiroji was screaming frantically, his arms raised in the air.

Crimson eyes narrowing, Kyuzo watched the chase. Like a cobra, he bent down and snatched both girls, lifting them up so that he could glare into their little eyes.

"Who let these cockroaches in here?" Kyuzo demanded as he stomped down the hall, heading for the lobby. "First it's old men, now it's hobbits! I'm of a mind to squash you under my heel or, better yet, tie you behind my bike and drag you through the streets of Tokyo!"

The idea of being squashed like pesky bugs registered in the minds of the frightened children, instead of the fact that the terrifying young man, who had them in his devilish clutches, had blond hair. Already, visions of themselves as roadkill in front of their favorite manga shop on Higashiikebukuro were flashing through their minds.

Only one was capable of standing up to the menace that was the bassist Kyuzo. With a happy chuckle, Kaoru twisted her big sister around, as they both dangled in Kyuzo's grasp, and sprinkled the bass player in the face with a smelly golden shower.

"YAAAAH!" Kyuzo shrieked in disgust as he ran back inside the lounge, dropping the girls right on top of Shichiroji, who was sneaking past them.

Realizing that they finally have captured their prey, Komachi and Okara started raining their fists down on him.

Beaten and sobbing, Shichiroji waved a white handkerchief in the air, calling out, "That's enough! I surrender! I surrender! Would you mind letting me up?"

The girls moved a bit so that Shichiroji could turn on his back, but Komachi knelt down on his chest.

"All right, all right, Ladies!" the lead guitarist panted for breath. "I get the point that you two are mad at me! But would you please tell me why? I think I deserve to know that at least."

Komachi's face scrunched up, as she struggled to hold back her tears. As the tears began to stream down her cheeks, she pounded Shichiroji hard on the chest.

"Why did you hurt my Daddy, damn you?!" Komachi cried as she wrung her knuckles over her eyes to stop the flow. "My Daddy is a good man! You shouldn't have made him cry!"

Shichiroji stared at the child sitting on his chest in astonishment. // Daddy? Cry? Don't tell me that this girl is… //

Suddenly, the door banged open to reveal a red-faced Kyuzo brandishing two razor sharp katanas. "NOBODY!" he began snarling. "I DO MEAN NOBODY PISSES ON ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"OH, SHIT!" Komachi tumbled into Shichiroji's arms as he swiftly stood up. Tossing Okara and her baby sister into a startled Heihachi's grasp, he yelled, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

Even Kikuchiyo was terrified at the sight of those two swords. Kyuzo himself looked intent on murder. He was about to hide inside the sound technician's room, but Masamune had darted back inside and locked the door irrevocably.

With nowhere else to go, the three musicians made a quick escape from the recording studio as Kyuzo gave chase. To Shichiroji's relief, the guards had the presence of mind to stop the infuriated bass player at the doorway.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Kyuzo was struggling to break free. "I WANT TO HAVE ROAST BABY FOR BREAKFAST!"

The guards cried in turn, "Calm down, Kyuzo-san! Please calm down!"

It certainly did not help any that Kaoru was sticking her tongue out at the angry bass player.

There was a resentful pout on Heihachi's face as he followed his band mate. "Why am I getting mixed up in your relationship problems?"

" 'Relationship problems'?" Kikuchiyo asked in shock. "Don't tell me these two kids are yours?!"

"Shut up, will you?" Shichiroji called back. "I'll treat you to a rice burger!"

The prospect of free food was too enticing for Heihachi to resist. "I'm right behind you, Shichiroji my pal!"

The lead guitarist blew a loose golden strand of hair from his brow. Grinning down at Komachi, he asked invitingly, "Care for a chocolate parfait on me?"

Komachi could only blink back at the smiling face above her.

~~~~~~~~~~

The eyes of Komachi, Okara and little Kaoru were as round as owls as they watched Kikuchiyo gobble down a heaping plate of hamburgers and French fries. To their shock, the cyborg even downed the porcelain plate before letting out a bassy belch of white steam.

"Kikuchiyo-dono…" Heihachi frowned at that shameless display of gluttony. "You should show some finesse while you're eating. These poor kids might think we're just like you. And you're not supposed to eat the plate, remember?"

"Shut up!" Kikuchiyo blustered back, as the waitress served him another steaming bunch of hamburgers, this time, on a paper plate. "I need the fiber!"

"Fiber glass is more like it!" Shichiroji snorted. Turning to the girls, he invited, "Go on, Ladies! Eat up! Your ice cream will melt!"

Okara looked at her best friend questioningly. Komachi folded her arms before her chest stubbornly, which was an eloquent enough answer.

"I'm not hungry!" Komachi declared, pouting,

Shichiroji cupped his chin on his left palm as he propped his elbow on the table to peer closely at the little girl. "Oh, come on now! I know you'll love it."

"I don't want to eat anything coming from you."

"I find this rather unfair, you know," the lead guitarist declared in sorrow. "You're very mad at me and I don't know the reason why. I deserve an explanation, don't you think, before I let you bash my brains in with a kendo sword."

"He's right, Komachi," Okara put in. "Even I don't know what happened to your Dad."

Komachi paused for a minute or two. Taking a deep breath, she began, "My Daddy came home late last night."

"Your Daddy being…" Kikuchiyo gently inquired between bites of hamburger.

"Shimada Kanbei. That's my Daddy's name."

"Isn't that…" Heihachi began, but Shichiroji stomped on his foot before he could continue.

"He came home last night after accompanying my Uncle Gorobei to the studio for the band auditions," Komachi continued. "I was getting a late snack when he arrived. I would've greeted him. But he just ran up the stairs and closed the door. I sneaked up to his room and I heard him crying, cursing 'that damned blond.' It hurt so much to hear my Daddy cry like that."

Shichiroji felt guilt lance through his heart. Although it had been Kyuzo who had hurt Kanbei's feelings, that incident would never have happened if he hadn't insisted that Kanbei sing for them.

Komachi stood up, banging her palms on the table, as she faced Shichiroji. "I demand to know why you hurt my Daddy. He's a good man. He's been working hard to provide and to take care of me and Kirara."

"What about your mother?" Heihachi asked.

It was Okara who supplied the answer. "She's dead, Sir. She passed away giving birth to Komachi."

Shichiroji made a quick mental calculation. If he guessed Komachi's age correctly, he was certain that her mother's dead occurred around the time that K had disappeared from the music scene.

"Why did you hurt my Daddy?" Komachi demanded. "I want to know your reason."

Kikuchiyo took a sip of his milk shake. "You've got it all wrong, kid. It wasn't Shichiroji here who…"

The lead guitarist stopped him with a raise of his hand. "I'm so sorry about what happened. It was never my intention to hurt your father. It was a very trying night and I ended up snapping at him and saying things I shouldn't have." He bowed his head low repentantly. "Please forgive me." Shichiroji then peered up at the little girl, gave her his patented 'Smile of Wicked Charm' that was sure to make the hardest of hearts melt and a sweet wink. "PUHLEEZE?!"

Okara nudged her friend. "Come on, Komachi. He sounds pretty sincere to me. Why don't you forgive him?"

It had taken Shichiroji all his willpower to control his handsome face from lighting up like a Christmas tree when Komachi gave him the opportunity he had been searching for.

Folding her arms over her chest, Komachi declared snootily, "It's not for me to forgive him. He should ask sorry from my Dad! If my Dad will forgive him, then I'll forgive him too!"

"I'll do it," the lead guitarist exclaimed, although with some restraint so as not to appear too eager. "Just please tell me where I could find your father so I could beg for his forgiveness."

~~~~~~~~~~

"You seem pretty happy with yourself," Kikuchiyo noted, eyeing his band mate walking in between him and Heihachi.

Shichiroji was grinning ear to ear. "Any reason why I shouldn't be? I found us the perfect lead vocalist, and there's absolutely nothing that Kyuzo can do about it."

"You sound so sure of yourself," Heihachi said thoughtfully. "How certain are you that K would agree to your plans? I think he made it perfectly clear last night that he did not want to join the band."

"It'll be all right, you'll see. My winning charms can do anything and…" the blond guitarist stopped at once. "What did you just call him?"

"K…" the keyboardist stated simply. "He is K, am I right?"

Kikuchiyo was flabbergasted. "Are you telling me THAT old man was the former lead singer of Flame? The one who went missing after their first major concert? You're kidding!"

But Heihachi was dead serious as he looked at Shichiroji. "Did you think you can hide it from me? I'm a Flame fan too. The moment he began to sing, I knew in an instant that Shimada Kanbei was K."

"So…" Shichiroji asked, scowling. "Are you going to vote against my decision too? Just like Kyuzo?"

"Frankly, I don't know what to think," Heihachi admitted. "Kanbei himself made it perfectly clear that he did not want to sing again. Whatever his reasons are, they must be very painful to him."

Kikuchiyo nodded in agreement. "Komachi said that Kanbei has been taking care of her and her sister after their mother passed away. If K chose to leave the music scene, it was most likely because of his children."

"So he has kids? So what?" argued Shichiroji in anger. "I've always remembered him to be so passionate about his music. Judging from what I heard last night, he still is. I cannot accept that he would easily forsake his dream for his family."

"But he did." The keyboard player breathed in deeply. "I know you, Shichiroji. You won't stop until you get what you want. This time, though, I advise you to think a hundred times before acting. Kanbei is not like those women you've been playing around with. There are two girls involved here. You also have to consider Kanbei's feelings as well."

"And don't forget Kyuzo. Do you think he recognized him? God, I hope not!" Kikuchiyo ruffled his hair and let out a groan. "You'll have big trouble if Kyuzo finds out that Kanbei is K. You know the…history…that Kyuzo has with Flame."

There was a grim expression on Shichiroji's face. "Yes, I know. But you don't know how long I've dreamed this. To have my own band. To sing with K. I can't let go of this dream. I just can't! I won't let Kyuzo destroy my dream all because of an old grudge."

Heihachi shook his head in defeat. He knew it was useless arguing with his band mate any further while in this state of mind. Shichiroji was just as pig-headed as Kyuzo.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Heihachi said, breathing in mild exasperation. "In the pursuit of your dream, I hope you don't destroy Shimada Kanbei in the process."

"I know what I'm doing, Heihachi," Shichiroji said firmly. "I am going to help Kanbei realize the dream that he thought he had lost."

~~~~~~~~~~

"HOW WAS YOUR DAY?"

Realizing that they had spoken at the same time, Kirara and Komachi stopped at the front door and burst into giggles.

"Why are you so red, Kirara?" asked Komachi. Her eyes narrowed in amused suspicion. "Let me guess. A boy kissed you, right?"

Kirara blushed even harder at that query. "Komachi! How could you suspect that of your older sister?" She turned the doorknob. "Let's see how Daddy's doing!"

Bursting through the door, they announced, "DADDY! TADAIMA!…OH!" The two girls fell silent, warm smiles forming on their faces.

Kanbei lay sleeping on the couch. Lightly turned to his side, he was hugging the huge cushion under his head, his long brown tresses fanned out on the satin cover like silk. His long, jeans-clad legs were stretched out on the couch. He looked so handsome and peaceful while in deep slumber. His stern mouth had softened into pillowy lips that quirked up into a small smile. It did not escape their notice, however, that there were tear tracks limning his high cheekbones.

Komachi looked at her older sister. "Kirara…is it…"

Kirara could only nod her head.

At that moment, Kanbei's eyes fluttered open. "Oh, you're home at last! Okaeri! And how was your day?"

"We had a fun time, Daddy!" Kirara answered. "And you? I hope you didn't work today again."

"No," he murmured sleepily. "I did not feel like working at all." Swinging his legs down to the floor, Kanbei said, "Let me fix lunch for you."

"No, Daddy. Let Kirara and I do it," Komachi countered, pushing her father back gently onto the couch. "You need to rest."

Kanbei shrugged. "If you say so."

Kirara dropped down to her knees beside her younger sister. "Daddy? Promise me you'll tell us if you have a problem. We'll do everything we can to help you, all right?"

"Now why are you saying this?" Kanbei said, laughing. "Everything's fine. You don't have to worry about anything."

The two girls suddenly embraced him tightly. He could feel their tears wetting his shirt.

"We don't want to lose you, Daddy!" Komachi cried. "I want us to always be together!"

Kanbei felt the tears welling up in his eyes as he hugged his beloved daughters. "We'll always be together, Kirara, Komachi! Nothing's going to tear us apart! I swear it!"


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