Brothers In Arms

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.



BROTHERS IN ARMS

By Rory V. Pascual

© Original Version Sept. 9, 1999; Samurai 7 Version July 8, 2006





Part Three



Suddenly, there was a light, a light so bright that it seeped through the closed eyelids of the tin soldier.



Thinking he has arrived at the door to the afterlife, Shichiroji slowly opened his eyes, believing that he would behold the face of the Great Judge. Instead, he found himself staring at a very familiar face, smiling down upon him with pure joy.



"It's you! You're back!" Honoka exclaimed, setting the knife she had used to cut the fish open down on the table. She never expected to find her beloved toy inside the fish's belly. "My brave tin soldier has returned to us!"



She swiftly washed Shichiroji with sweet smelling soap, removing the stench from his body. Many times, Honoka would pause and break into little coughs. The tin soldier was startled as he got a good look at the mistress of the house. Honoka was deathly pale and there were dark shadows under her eyes. She seemed to have aged greatly.



"Oh, Shichiroji! When I saw you fall out the window, I looked for you in the street. Though it was raining, I searched high and low for you, but you were nowhere to be found. I would have continued looking, but I...I fell ill."



The tin soldier wanted to weep. // Sweet Honoka-sama! What have I done to you? Because of me, you're one step closer to your grave. I do not deserve your love! //



"You don't know how much I missed you! It's been three days since we lost you. I never thought I would see you again." Honoka kissed Shichiroji's face many times. "Heihachi will be so relieved. And the Noble Samurai...he'll be so thrilled to see you again!" Running out of the kitchen, she cried out excitedly, "Heihachi! HEIHACHI! Look who's come back to us!"



But as she entered the parlor, the cuckoo clock suddenly began to chime. Honoka's eyes widened in surprise and terror. Her grip tightened around the tin soldier, pressing him hard to her chest. Shichiroji could hear her breath coming out in labored gasps.



"HONOKA-SAMA!" he heard Kanbei scream. "UKYO, STOP IT! DON'T DO THIS TO HER!"



However, the clock continued to chime the death knell.



Suddenly, Honoka collapsed to the floor, the tin soldier falling out of her hand.



"Heihachi!" she gasped, her fingers trembling. "Heihachi, help me!" Honoka felt her vision slowly dimming.



"HONOKA-SAMA!" Shichiroji cried, seeing his beloved mistress lying before him.



Forcefully breaking the spell that immobilizes toys during the day, the tin soldier crawled desperately on the floor, going towards her.



"Shichiroji?" Kanbei muttered, seeing the tin soldier reaching out to their mistress. Instinct prompted the Noble Samurai to move as well, falling from the top shelf to the floor.



Honoka saw the toys moving, but she thought it was just a trick of her dazed mind...until she felt something hold her finger. For a moment, her vision cleared, and she beheld the tin soldier and the Noble Samurai clinging tightly to her finger, their tiny hands caressing the tip. Tears were streaming from their faces.



Before she succumbed to the darkness, Honoka heard Shichiroji whisper, "It's all right, Honoka-sama! We won't leave you!"



~~~~~~~~~~



That night, Shichiroji and Kanbei were standing on the small table beside the bed. Feeling very uncomfortable in one another's presence, not once had they spoken to each other. Instead, they focused all their attention on their beloved mistress, as the doctor examined her.



Heihachi stood near the headboard, waiting breathlessly for what the physician was going to say. Though he still dared to hope and pray, seeing the ghastly pallor of his wife's face, he knew that the worst has finally come.



When the doctor turned to Heihachi, he did not have to say anything at all. He just shook his head sadly. It was confirmation enough.



"No!" Shichiroji heard Kanbei whisper at his side. "No, my Lady! Please don't die!" The tin soldier felt the Noble Samurai pouring all his love and strength to the dying woman on the bed, but he knew it was futile. Still, he added his strength to Kanbei's.



At that connection, for one brief instant, the two toys looked at each other. Shichiroji saw the pain and anguish in the Noble Samurai's eyes. However, it was readily replaced by anger and loathing, and it was Kanbei who turned away. The tin soldier felt the bitter tears well up in his throat at that rejection.



"Thank you, doctor," Heihachi said softly as he escorted the physician out. Returning to his wife's side, he began hesitantly, "Honoka..."



"You don't have to tell me," she replied weakly. "I knew this was going to happen, but I never expected that it would be this soon."



"Honoka, the doctor could be wrong." At once, Heihachi burst into sobs. "Please, love! Don't leave Katsushiro and me! We need you!"



"Oh, Heihachi! Please don't weep!" she replied, kissing him on the lips. "Believe me, the last thing I want is to leave you and my son. But I'm so very tired. I want to go on."



"What are we going to do without you?"



Honoka cupped her husband's face in her hands. "You will live, Heihachi. Move forward. I know you can do it. For Katsushiro's sake, you must!"



Then, the door burst open and Katsushiro ran crying into his mother's arms. "Okasama! Okasama, please tell me what the doctor said! Please tell me you're going to be all right!"



But Honoka simply embraced her son, unable to find the words, her tears streaming down her cheeks.



Heihachi gently pulled Katsushiro away. "Come, my son. We need to talk."



The child gazed at his father in shock. "NO! NO, OKASAMA! PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE!"



Heihachi led the distraught boy out of the room, closing the door behind him.



When they were gone, Honoka reached for the two toys on the table, cradling them in her hands.



"It's just the three of us now," Honoka told the tin soldier and the Noble Samurai. "I know you can move. Please talk to me."



But the two toys remained still, in a quandary, not knowing if they should do what she asked.



"If you will not talk to me, then I shall speak with you." Honoka breathed in deeply as she looked at Kanbei. "My Noble Samurai, you have always been a joy to me. I know you've been giving me your strength, helping me to live, and I thank you so much for that. But lately, I feel a deep sadness in you. You haven't been your usual self. I've noticed that... Is there some enmity between you and Shichiroji?"



"It's nothing, Honoka-sama. Shichiroji and I... we just had a small misunderstanding, that's all," Kanbei at last found his voice. He pressed his whole body into her palm, caressing her hand, tears trickling down his cheeks. "Please, Honoka-sama! You must rest, so you can get well."



Honoka wiped the tears from the toy's face. "I will rest soon enough. The end is near for me, but not for both of you. Please tell me what happened."



"Honoka-sama, I..."



"Is it because of Kikuchiyo? And Gorobei?"



It was Shichiroji who then spoke up. "It was my fault, my Lady."



Honoka gazed sternly at the two toys. "I care not whose fault it is. Is it so difficult a thing to forgive? You are more than just friends. Can't you see that? Do not let anger and hatred destroy the good that exists between you. If you are going to allow these ill feelings to fester inside your hearts, you won't have any love to give. Who would I trust to take care of my family for me?"



"We'll take care of Heihachi-sama and Katsushiro for you, Honoka-sama," Shichiroji quickly assured her. "You can count on us."



"For you, we shall do anything," said Kanbei in turn. "We won't let anything happen to them, because we love them as much as we love you."



"I have no doubt of that." Honoka looked at them with grave concern. "But I'm worried about the two of you. I do not want to leave, knowing that there is much anger and bitterness between you. My dear Noble Samurai, my brave tin soldier, would you grant a wish to a dying woman?"



"Name it, my Lady!" Kanbei urged her.



"If it is in our power to grant," began Shichiroji, " we shall do it!"



Honoka sighed as she started to weep. "My beloved toys... Can you not find it in your hearts to love each other once more?"



~~~~~~~~~~



Three days have passed. A deep sadness had fallen upon the once happy home, and Yukino was an unwilling witness to it all.



Ever since Honoka died, Kanbei locked himself inside his room, wallowing in his grief and misery. There were times Yukino would hear him crying as she passed by his room at night.



On the other hand, Shichiroji has fallen into disfavor among his comrades. The poor, neglected toy was left to fend for himself. It nearly broke the lovely thief's heart to see the tin soldier all alone, gathering dust in his lonely position in the corner. Still, Shichiroji held himself with honor and pride, keeping a vigilant watch over the household. To fulfill his duty...that is the only thing he could do to keep his mind away from his sorrow and loneliness.



Yukino knew something had to be done.



When Heihachi and Katsushiro had left for the funeral, the thief headed straight to Kanbei's room and picked the lock, opening the door. The Noble Samurai was standing beside the window, lost in his thoughts.



"Kanbei, we must talk."



"What is there to talk about? Honoka-sama's dead. I failed her."



How empty Kanbei's voice sounded! For a moment, Yukino was afraid she had already lost her friend. But she had to try to bring him back. "You did everything you could. Like she said, it was her time."



"No, you don't understand!" Kanbei snapped at the thief. "None of this would have happened, if only I had given in."



Yukino stared at him incredulously. "My God, Kanbei! Surely you're not thinking..."



"There's been enough sorrow in this house," the Noble Samurai said firmly. "I know now what my true purpose is. I'm going to Ukyo."



"No! You can't!" the thief cried out at this announcement.



"I must do this, Yukino. Ukyo is a capricious being. Lord knows what he would do if I continue to resist him. If I give him what he wants, maybe he'll leave the household in peace."



"I won't allow you to do this!"



"Can you think of a better plan?"



Yukino fell silent, because she knew her friend was right. All the evil that had happened in this home resulted from Ukyo's desire to keep the Noble Samurai to himself, and Kanbei's unwillingness to surrender.



"I'm tired of fighting, Yukino," Kanbei admitted to her. "I've given all my strength and love to Honoka-sama, but I still lost her. It is my destiny to belong to the demon. I accept it now. I will not fight it any longer."



"And what about Shichiroji?" she asked in turn.



Kanbei looked at her quizzically. "What about Shichiroji? You know it's over between us."



"Are you happy that you lost a good friend?"



"Yukino, he ordered Kikuchiyo to be executed!"



"But Kikuchiyo murdered his friend Gorobei." Yukino went towards the Noble Samurai, placing her hands on his broad shoulders. "If you were in his place, what would you have done?"



"I begged him to show mercy!"



"Shichiroji did what he had to do! You know that. You just don't want to accept it!"



Kanbei could not look into Yukino's eyes. "Honoka-sama.... Before she died, she asked if it was a difficult thing to forgive."



"And the answer is?"



"That it really wasn't difficult," said the Noble Samurai. "When I thought Shichiroji was lost to us...to me, I knew in my heart that I had already forgiven him."



"Then why don't you tell him this?"



"I wouldn't know what to say!"



Yukino paused, breathing in deeply. "Right now, Shichiroji's soul is being consumed by guilt. He blames himself for Gorobei's destruction and Kikuchiyo's execution. Maybe even Honoka-sama's death. But the one thing that has hurt him the most was losing you for his friend. Shichiroji knew, that by not sparing Kikuchiyo's life, he has betrayed your friendship, and he could never forgive himself for that. Shichiroji may seem strong, but you just don't know how fragile he is." She gripped Kanbei's hands tightly. "I know Honoka-sama asked this of you. Would you also do this for me? Go see, Shichiroji. Kanbei, life is too short...for him."



Suddenly, the door banged open and Ukyo barged inside. "Kanbei won't be seeing anyone, not now, not ever. I've waited long enough. You're coming with me, my Noble Samurai."



Yukino blocked his path, but the demon sent her crashing to the wall with a sweep of his arm. As she sat up, she saw Ukyo carrying the helpless, submissive toy in his arms.



~~~~~~~~~~



Shichiroji heard the commotion inside the keep. He looked up to find Ukyo the demon, the Noble Samurai in his embrace.



"UKYO!" he shouted. "RELEASE HIM NOW!"



"He is mine now!" Ukyo declared possessively. "You cannot have him!"



"Shichiroji!" Kanbei called out to the tin soldier below. "Do not interfere! I choose to go with him!"



The tin soldier stated strongly, "I'll be damned if I allow this perversion of nature to take you!"



Suddenly, Katsushiro appeared at the doorway. The boy's eyes focused on the toy, burning with hatred.



"Look, Katsushiro!" Ukyo pointed to Shichiroji. "There's that miserable toy who killed your mother! Your mother even loved him more than you! Destroy him, Katsushiro, before he takes your father away from you too!" Waving his hand, the demon conjured up a blazing fire in the hearth. "Put him in the flames!"



"KATSUSHIRO, NO!" cried Kanbei as the boy grabbed the tin soldier.



"I HATE YOU!" Katsushiro yelled in Shichiroji's face. "I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"



Shichiroji, however, shook his head. "I know you do not like me, Katsushiro. But I know, that in your heart, you do not HATE me. You cannot hate what your mother loved. Katsushiro, the demon is using you. He is speaking through you. I love you, child. I've always loved you. You and your father. That's why I cannot allow Ukyo to destroy this family any longer!"



Saying this, the toy soldier took his spear and aimed at the demon. "YOU WANT ME DEAD, UKYO? I'LL TAKE YOU WITH ME!"



Shichiroji threw the spear, the weapon going through the demon's wing, tearing it. Startled, Katsushiro hurled the tin soldier into the inferno.



"SHICHIROJI!" Kanbei screamed in horror.



With Ukyo wounded, the Noble Samurai wrenched free from the demon's grasp. Taking his sword, he thrust the sharp point into Ukyo's belly. Then, without thinking twice, Kanbei leaped into the fire.



"NOOOO!" the demon shouted in rage and frustration.



The Noble Samurai braved the flames, ignoring the burning of his clothes and his beautiful dark brown tresses. Though he was slowly beginning to melt, Kanbei fought desperately to reach the tin soldier.



Kanbei found Shichiroji kneeling in the heart of the inferno, his arms wrapped around his body, head bowed low.



In his relief, Kanbei embraced the poor toy. "Shichiroji! Oh, Shichiroji!"



"Go, Kanbei!" cried the tin soldier, pushing the Noble Samurai away. "Leave me! Save yourself!"



But Kanbei held on tightly to him, refusing to let go. "I won't leave you, Shichiroji! Nothing's going to tear us apart ever again!"



"Kanbei, you don't deserve this!" Shichiroji sobbed. "I don't want you to die in this Hell with me!"



"If you die, we die together! I know now what my purpose is. I've finally found what I've been searching for."



"Kanbei, you're not..."



Then, Shichiroji felt it, a wave of pure love and forgiveness that healed his broken heart and turned away the searing agony of the flames. His hands moved on their own accord, embracing the Noble Samurai just as tight, offering the toy his relief, his joy and his devotion. Then, they pulled away for a moment to look into each other's eyes. Slowly, their faces met in a tender kiss.



As they slowly melted away, the tin soldier whispered, "I love you, Shimada Kanbei."



"And I love you, Shichiroji, my dearest brother and lover," the Noble Samurai answered in turn.



~~~~~~~~~~~



Ukyo was horrified to see his beloved toy being consumed by the flames of the hearth. He fluttered down to the floor, hoping to save the Noble Samurai.



However, Heihachi suddenly appeared, having heard his son's cry. In his haste, he did not see the gruesome creature writhing on the floor, and his heel crushed Ukyo to a pulp.



"Katsushiro! What's the matter, child?" Heihachi asked his weeping son.



"I'm sorry, Otosama!" Katsushiro stammered. "I didn't mean to do it! I'm so sorry!" In his fright, the boy quickly ran out of the room.



At last, the toymaker noticed the blazing fire in the fireplace. His eyes widened in shock, seeing his beloved Noble Samurai and the tin soldier in the hearth. He tried to reach into the flames, but it was too hot.



As Heihachi sat on his heels, watching helplessly as the fire destroyed the two toys, a strange sight unfolded before him. Maybe it was because of the melting process or a trick of the light cast by the flickering flames. But he was certain he saw the two toys on their knees, arms wrapped around each other in a loving embrace, their lips joined in a gentle kiss.



~~~~~~~~~



When the flames died down, Heihachi sifted through the soot and the ash of the fireplace, hoping to find some trace of the two toys. A broad smile formed on his face as his poker unearthed two things – a heart of tin and a silver earring. Taking his two precious finds, he brought them into his workroom.



Katsushiro was curious as to what his father was doing, especially when Heihachi requested that he bring the cuckoo clock to him.



"What are you making, Otosama?" he queried.



Heihachi answered cryptically, a hammer in his hand, "Something I'm sure your mother would have loved."



As Katsushiro left the workroom, there was a loud crash and one broken note. The boy did not have to go back inside to know what his father had done.



For four days and nights, Heihachi toiled inside his workroom, going out only to see to Katsushiro's needs. The boy should have been offended, but he knew, that whatever it was his father was making, it was very important to him, and that he will have Heihachi back soon enough.



At dawn of the fifth day, Katsushiro woke up to a happy tinkling melody. Quickly, the boy jumped out of bed and headed down the stairs to the living room. He found his father staring at the top of the cupboard, a satisfied smile on his face.



"Father? Is it finished?" Katsushiro queried, eager to see what his father has made.



Heihachi grinned at him. "Yes, it's finished." He then lifted Katsushiro in his arms.



What the toymaker built was a music box. A handsome young man with long blond hair in a brown uniform was playing a shamisen, his long legs spread apart. Happily dancing around him was an equally dashing Samurai dressed in the same brown uniform, except that he had a long flowing cloak behind him. Silver slivers for earrings adorned his ears and the pommel of his shiny sword.



"It's the Noble Samurai!" Katsushiro exclaimed. "You fixed him! But who's this other warrior?"



"Take a good look, son," Heihachi told the boy. "I'm sure you'll recognize him."



Katsushiro's eyes narrowed as he looked at the gentleman closely. A gasp escaped his lips. "Is…is that the tin soldier?"



"Yes, it is the tin soldier."



"But he has an arm now and his legs are fine."



"I made him an arm and a pair of new legs from the shattered remains of Gorobei and Kikuchiyo. I'm sure they would've wanted it this way."



"Otosama?" Katsushiro asked. "Why did you make Shichiroji and the Noble Samurai this way?"



Heihachi gazed fondly at the two toys. "Because they were always meant to be together. They're not just good friends, Katsushiro. They're brothers and lovers, never to be torn apart ever again. Your mother wanted it this way."



The child began hesitantly, "Have they forgiven me for what I've done?"



"I believe they have. It's not really a difficult thing to forgive." The toymaker carefully let his son down. "Now off you go to the kitchen. I've made a fine breakfast for both of us."



"I'll race you to the kitchen!" called Katsushiro as he dashed off.



Laughing, Heihachi was about to follow him when he heard the music stop. Looking back at the music box, he beheld a most astonishing sight.



The two toys stood facing each other, their legs a bit apart, holding each other's hands in the space between them. Both were leaning forward, faces close, warm smiles on their lips. To the toymaker, it seemed like the Noble Samurai and the tin soldier were about to kiss.



Heihachi scratched his head in wonder. When he created the mechanism of the music box from the parts of the cuckoo clock, he swore that the toys could not assume that loving pose.





* * * * * * * * * *