The Blazing Tempest
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Category:
+S to Z › Samurai 7
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
52
Views:
3,111
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Samurai 7, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Thirty
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 26, 2006
CHAPTER THIRTY:
If Shichiroji thought that the concubine would at last attain a new height of rebelliousness, as was his intent, he was gravely mistaken. As the days wore on, Kanbei had undergone a startling transformation. Gone was the stubborn whoremaster he used to know. In his place was the 'Little Taisho' Takeru -- timid, submissive, all hope lost.
Shichiroji abhorred the perversions Ukyo and Hyogo inflicted upon the poor concubine. He and Kikuchiyo tried to be gentle with Kanbei, to ease his sufferings any way that they could. However, the depraved Amanushi always made certain that they too participated in the older man's debauchery. Dismay, regret and guilt never failed to rise inside the Samurai's heart whenever he peered into Kanbei's face as he was taking the whoremaster. Nothing but a blank; devoid of all emotion. There wasn't even a glimmer of tears in those beautiful brown eyes.
During that first night, Kikuchiyo had noticed the change in the concubine, and the mechanical samurai was unable to contain his fury. The next morning, Kikuchiyo
had confronted the Samurai, demanding, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO
HIM!"
"Ukyo caught me by surprise," Shichiroji had answered in despair. "I lied when I told you that I didn't know who he was. If it were not for the corrections that Katsushiro left in my journal, I would never have known that the Amanushi's precious whore was, in truth, my loving spouse whom I had cherished and, soon after, learned to hate. That he was Shimada Kanbei. But nothing could have prepared me for the reality when Ukyo revealed his identity to me."
The Warrior had leaned against the wall, clutching his aching head. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I dread to imagine the terrible fate that is waiting for him here. If he were to learn how to hate once more, perhaps Kanbei would find the will to resist Ukyo's plans for him. But I never expected this."
"You, Shichiroji, are an idiot! I told you this before. Kanbei's love for you is much stronger than his hate. Don't you see what you've done? You've successfully broken his spirit as well as his heart. With his present state of mind, he'll do everything that Ukyo will command him to!"
"Kanbei will never do that!"
At that denial, an angry Kikuchiyo raised an iron fist and struck Shichiroji in the face, sending him sprawling to the floor.
The cyborg's clenched fist shook as he looked down at his former comrade. "You're supposed to be our second-in-command and, yet, you know nothing! Have you been so blinded with hate that you cannot see your own faults? Damn you, Shichiroji! You've already destroyed Kanbei's life! Should you be the cause of his death as well? Should you be the one to send his soul into perdition?" Kikuchiyo gritted his teeth. He turned on his heels and started to walk away. "You don't deserve him, Shichiroji," the mechanical samurai spat out in disgust.
Kikuchiyo was already gone, but the Samurai was still on his hands and knees, the blood from his mouth, dripping to the floor.
"You don't deserve him, Brother."
As his tears mixed with his blood, Shichiroji muttered, "Do you think I don't know that? But I must try, Kikuchiyo. I must try to be deserving of him."
This was why, a week and a half later, the Warrior found himself standing in the middle of the salle, waiting. His hand tightened and loosened around the hilt of his sword, timing the movement with the increasing pace of his heart. There was a nagging fear inside him that the concubine would not come. Then again, he had asked a favor of someone to fetch Kanbei, and Shichiroji knew that this was someone who would never take 'No' for an answer.
Sure enough, outside, the Samurai heard insistent whinnying. The door opened a crack and Moeru pushed Kanbei, stumbling, inside the salle. Shichiroji was dismayed by the absence of expression on the older man's face. Yet, at the sight of the Warrior, Kanbei stopped near the door. Undaunted, Moeru gently butted the concubine in the butt, nudging him forward until the two men were face to face. The colt gave Shichiroji a conniving wink and trotted a safe distance away to watch them spar.
Casually, Shichiroji bent down and picked up Kanbei's katana, which lay at his feet. Handing it hilt first to the concubine, he said, "It's time for us to begin our training once more, Kanbei."
No response. Not even the blink of an eye.
From the corner, the Samurai heard Moeru give him an encouraging whinny. Nodding to the colt, Shichiroji approached the whoremaster. Taking Kanbei's right hand, he pried open those cold fingers and laid the sword into his open palm. The Warrior then closed those same fingers around the katana's hilt.
Smiling up into that handsome face, Shichiroji declared with good cheer, "There you go! Perhaps now we could get started."
But then, as the Warrior released the concubine, the katana fell out of Kanbei's grasp, his lovely ash brown eyes staring blankly at a point on the floor. The emptiness in those exquisite orbs was something Shichiroji could not take. Letting out a frustrated cry, he
stormed towards the older man.
As Moeru looked on in shock, the Samurai grabbed Kanbei by the upper arms and began shaking him roughly.
"Kanbei? KANBEI!" roared Shichiroji. "Damn it! Wake up! I've never known you to be a quitter! Do you want to be a whore for the rest of your life? Do you want to play catamite to a minion from Hell? You know what your destiny is -- to become a great warrior! Have you forgotten your dream?"
The concubine, however, remained unresponsive, like a limp rag doll in the Warrior's hands.
"GOD DAMN IT, KANBEI! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Shichiroji raised his hand and gave the whoremaster a fierce slap on the cheek.
At the instant that Kanbei hit the floor, Shichiroji felt teeth sink into his butt. With a howl of pain, he craned his neck back to find Moeru gnawing viciously on his rump.
"MOERU, LET GO!" shouted the Warrior, moving his butt from side to side, hoping to dislodge the angry colt. "THAT HURTS, DAMN IT!"
Surprisingly, the colt did as he was told...only to lower his head and deliver a headbutt to Shichiroji's behind, sending him sprawling towards the earthen pots and vases. Before the Samurai could check his fall, his head was popped inside a pot. Roaring in fury, Shichiroji struggled to remove the pot that was stuck tight to his head. In the end, he broke the pot by slamming his stuck cranium onto the wall. As he cleared away the cobwebs, he heard soft giggles.
Growling, the Warrior turned to the colt. "So you think that's funny, eh, Moeru? You won't be laughing once I get my hands..."
Shichiroji paused, seeing the stunned expression on Moeru's face. Slowly, he gazed at the concubine.
It was Kanbei who was giggling, holding his belly as he did so, unmindful of the darkening bruise on his cheek. His giggles soon transformed into a full laughing fit, his whole body shaking with his mirth. The older man's laughter was so contagious that both Shichiroji and Moeru found themselves laughing and whinnying along.
Suddenly, however, the quality of Kanbei's laughter changed, becoming slower, different in character. His body gave a violent heave, his handsome face scrunching up, as tears started to pour from his eyes. From mirthful giggles, it transformed into a keening wail that echoed throughout the salle.
Shichiroji rushed towards the older man and embraced him. Instead of the expected struggle for freedom, Kanbei just sagged into his arms, his body hitching with the force of his weeping.
"No more! NO MORE!" Kanbei wailed in utter desolation. "I don't want to live like this anymore! I just want to die! Oh, please let me die!"
Tears were pouring from the Samurai's eyes as well. His jaw hardening, he cupped concubine's face in his hands, bidding the older man to look into his anguished eyes. "Kanbei, stop crying! Please, no more tears! And please stop saying that you want your life to end! If you die, I'll follow you because I cannot live without you! There's still hope for you. FOR US! Please don't give up! I swear I'll find a way to get you out of this! You must be strong, Kanbei! If you can't do this for me, then do it for those who care about you -- like Masamune, Gorobei, Heihachi and Kyuzo! And little Moeru...who's going to take care of him when you're gone?"
At the mention of the colt's name, Kanbei slowly raised his head to find a teary-eyed Moeru peeking over Shichiroji's shoulder. Reaching out to him, the concubine included Moeru in their warm embrace. The two men and the colt wept in companionable silence, sharing between them their love and the fear of the unknown destiny awaiting them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Three days later, Kanbei was sitting on his bed. Moeru was sleeping with his head on the young man's lap. The concubine was listlessly plucking at the tuft of white hair on top of the cold's head. He had just come from Ukyo's chamber. A tear rolling down his bruised cheek and stinging the cut on the corner of his full lips, he tried to block out the memory of the sex games that the Amanushi had subjected him to. But the squelching of fluids within him, the ache in his lower belly, as well as the crustiness of dried blood between his thighs only served to remind him of his true status.
"There's still hope for you, Kanbei. FOR US! Please don't give up!"
"How could you still believe in me, Shichiroji?" Kanbei whispered. "After everything that's happened to us, even now that you know who I truly am, how could I still believe in your promises?"
"Maybe it's because he really means it now," a voice answered from the doorway.
The concubine turned to find Masamune closing the door. In his arms, the scribe carried some old scrolls and a worn journal.
Seeing that his ward was about to lapse into silence once more, Masamune said firmly, "Don't. What good is it going to do you to isolate yourself like this?"
"It's not isolation, Masamune," said Kanbei, his voice flat. "It's called acceptance."
"Do you accept what is being done to you?"
"I don't have a choice now, do I."
"Shichiroji does not accept it. He is doing everything he can to find a way to get you out of here."
The concubine looked at the scribe, despair mirrored in his eyes. "I'm so confused. I don't know if I should believe him anymore. First, Shichiroji tells me he loves me. Then, he breaks my heart. I don't understand!"
"Because, like you, Shichiroji didn't have a choice but to act contrary to the dictates of his heart. That first time, he was forced to hurt you, fearing that Tessai might turn his jealous rage upon you. At that time, Shichiroji was aware of how obsessed Tessai was with you. This second time, with Ukyo, he wanted you to regain your hate for him."
"But why?"
"Ukyo has plans for you, Kanbei. Evil plans. He intends to use you as his key to world conquest. But you have to be willing for his plan to work. Apparently, and this is what Gorobei and I, including Kikuchiyo, believe, Ukyo wants to utilize your obvious affection for Shichiroji to his advantage. It may not seem like it, but Shichiroji IS his
hostage, his means of getting the one thing he wants from you."
"Ukyo already owns me. What more does he want?"
Masamune handed the scrolls and the journal to Kanbei. "The journal belongs to my predecessor. The answers to all your questions are in here. The scrolls are the plans to this Palace. Haven't you wondered how Shichiroji and I came to your chamber that night the Amanushi and Hyogo hurt you?"
"To be truthful, I never gave it much thought, hurt as I was at that time," the concubine replied. "But now that you mention it..."
"I give these to you because you deserve to know everything. Knowledge is also a power on its own." The scribe shrugged. "Besides, I wanted to show you that you could trust Shichiroji. His willingness to sacrifice his happiness just to see you free...it's proof enough that he loves you deeply. As I said, Shichiroji would rather lose your love than let himself be used in the destruction of your soul."
It took over an hour after Masamune left for Kanbei to get his courage up to pick up the journal and open it to the page the scribe had marked for him. As he read through the entries with growing alarm and terror, the concubine just as meticulously studied the plans. His fingers trembled when he located the two secret passages leading to his chamber. The goosebumps rose on his skin as he wondered for how long he was being observed by the creature hiding within the catacombs. Kanbei wondered if it was watching him now.
However, as time passed, Kanbei found himself staring more and more at the plans. At one large chamber in particular. Enrapt was he that he did not notice that the sun had already set.
Probably sensing his Master's disturbing interest, Moeru woke up with a start. His coal black eyes blinked owlishly at the concubine. What he saw on Kanbei's face caused the colt to shake his head in vehement objection.
But Kanbei had already made up his mind. Kissing Moeru on the nose, he stood up and lit the brazier. He took a torch and lighted it with the flame from the lamp.
The colt's eyes were wide in alarm, seeing the concubine open the secret passage behind the dresser. Moeru quickly leaped from the bed, hoping to catch up with his Master. The floor, however, was slippery that he stumbled. Before Moeru could get up, Kanbei had closed the door behind him, disappearing into the bowels of the Palace.
* * * * * * * * * *
THE BLAZING TEMPEST
By Rory V. Pascual (Edited by Saiyukihana)
© Original Version 2001; Samurai 7 Version June 26, 2006
CHAPTER THIRTY:
If Shichiroji thought that the concubine would at last attain a new height of rebelliousness, as was his intent, he was gravely mistaken. As the days wore on, Kanbei had undergone a startling transformation. Gone was the stubborn whoremaster he used to know. In his place was the 'Little Taisho' Takeru -- timid, submissive, all hope lost.
Shichiroji abhorred the perversions Ukyo and Hyogo inflicted upon the poor concubine. He and Kikuchiyo tried to be gentle with Kanbei, to ease his sufferings any way that they could. However, the depraved Amanushi always made certain that they too participated in the older man's debauchery. Dismay, regret and guilt never failed to rise inside the Samurai's heart whenever he peered into Kanbei's face as he was taking the whoremaster. Nothing but a blank; devoid of all emotion. There wasn't even a glimmer of tears in those beautiful brown eyes.
During that first night, Kikuchiyo had noticed the change in the concubine, and the mechanical samurai was unable to contain his fury. The next morning, Kikuchiyo
had confronted the Samurai, demanding, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO
HIM!"
"Ukyo caught me by surprise," Shichiroji had answered in despair. "I lied when I told you that I didn't know who he was. If it were not for the corrections that Katsushiro left in my journal, I would never have known that the Amanushi's precious whore was, in truth, my loving spouse whom I had cherished and, soon after, learned to hate. That he was Shimada Kanbei. But nothing could have prepared me for the reality when Ukyo revealed his identity to me."
The Warrior had leaned against the wall, clutching his aching head. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I dread to imagine the terrible fate that is waiting for him here. If he were to learn how to hate once more, perhaps Kanbei would find the will to resist Ukyo's plans for him. But I never expected this."
"You, Shichiroji, are an idiot! I told you this before. Kanbei's love for you is much stronger than his hate. Don't you see what you've done? You've successfully broken his spirit as well as his heart. With his present state of mind, he'll do everything that Ukyo will command him to!"
"Kanbei will never do that!"
At that denial, an angry Kikuchiyo raised an iron fist and struck Shichiroji in the face, sending him sprawling to the floor.
The cyborg's clenched fist shook as he looked down at his former comrade. "You're supposed to be our second-in-command and, yet, you know nothing! Have you been so blinded with hate that you cannot see your own faults? Damn you, Shichiroji! You've already destroyed Kanbei's life! Should you be the cause of his death as well? Should you be the one to send his soul into perdition?" Kikuchiyo gritted his teeth. He turned on his heels and started to walk away. "You don't deserve him, Shichiroji," the mechanical samurai spat out in disgust.
Kikuchiyo was already gone, but the Samurai was still on his hands and knees, the blood from his mouth, dripping to the floor.
"You don't deserve him, Brother."
As his tears mixed with his blood, Shichiroji muttered, "Do you think I don't know that? But I must try, Kikuchiyo. I must try to be deserving of him."
This was why, a week and a half later, the Warrior found himself standing in the middle of the salle, waiting. His hand tightened and loosened around the hilt of his sword, timing the movement with the increasing pace of his heart. There was a nagging fear inside him that the concubine would not come. Then again, he had asked a favor of someone to fetch Kanbei, and Shichiroji knew that this was someone who would never take 'No' for an answer.
Sure enough, outside, the Samurai heard insistent whinnying. The door opened a crack and Moeru pushed Kanbei, stumbling, inside the salle. Shichiroji was dismayed by the absence of expression on the older man's face. Yet, at the sight of the Warrior, Kanbei stopped near the door. Undaunted, Moeru gently butted the concubine in the butt, nudging him forward until the two men were face to face. The colt gave Shichiroji a conniving wink and trotted a safe distance away to watch them spar.
Casually, Shichiroji bent down and picked up Kanbei's katana, which lay at his feet. Handing it hilt first to the concubine, he said, "It's time for us to begin our training once more, Kanbei."
No response. Not even the blink of an eye.
From the corner, the Samurai heard Moeru give him an encouraging whinny. Nodding to the colt, Shichiroji approached the whoremaster. Taking Kanbei's right hand, he pried open those cold fingers and laid the sword into his open palm. The Warrior then closed those same fingers around the katana's hilt.
Smiling up into that handsome face, Shichiroji declared with good cheer, "There you go! Perhaps now we could get started."
But then, as the Warrior released the concubine, the katana fell out of Kanbei's grasp, his lovely ash brown eyes staring blankly at a point on the floor. The emptiness in those exquisite orbs was something Shichiroji could not take. Letting out a frustrated cry, he
stormed towards the older man.
As Moeru looked on in shock, the Samurai grabbed Kanbei by the upper arms and began shaking him roughly.
"Kanbei? KANBEI!" roared Shichiroji. "Damn it! Wake up! I've never known you to be a quitter! Do you want to be a whore for the rest of your life? Do you want to play catamite to a minion from Hell? You know what your destiny is -- to become a great warrior! Have you forgotten your dream?"
The concubine, however, remained unresponsive, like a limp rag doll in the Warrior's hands.
"GOD DAMN IT, KANBEI! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Shichiroji raised his hand and gave the whoremaster a fierce slap on the cheek.
At the instant that Kanbei hit the floor, Shichiroji felt teeth sink into his butt. With a howl of pain, he craned his neck back to find Moeru gnawing viciously on his rump.
"MOERU, LET GO!" shouted the Warrior, moving his butt from side to side, hoping to dislodge the angry colt. "THAT HURTS, DAMN IT!"
Surprisingly, the colt did as he was told...only to lower his head and deliver a headbutt to Shichiroji's behind, sending him sprawling towards the earthen pots and vases. Before the Samurai could check his fall, his head was popped inside a pot. Roaring in fury, Shichiroji struggled to remove the pot that was stuck tight to his head. In the end, he broke the pot by slamming his stuck cranium onto the wall. As he cleared away the cobwebs, he heard soft giggles.
Growling, the Warrior turned to the colt. "So you think that's funny, eh, Moeru? You won't be laughing once I get my hands..."
Shichiroji paused, seeing the stunned expression on Moeru's face. Slowly, he gazed at the concubine.
It was Kanbei who was giggling, holding his belly as he did so, unmindful of the darkening bruise on his cheek. His giggles soon transformed into a full laughing fit, his whole body shaking with his mirth. The older man's laughter was so contagious that both Shichiroji and Moeru found themselves laughing and whinnying along.
Suddenly, however, the quality of Kanbei's laughter changed, becoming slower, different in character. His body gave a violent heave, his handsome face scrunching up, as tears started to pour from his eyes. From mirthful giggles, it transformed into a keening wail that echoed throughout the salle.
Shichiroji rushed towards the older man and embraced him. Instead of the expected struggle for freedom, Kanbei just sagged into his arms, his body hitching with the force of his weeping.
"No more! NO MORE!" Kanbei wailed in utter desolation. "I don't want to live like this anymore! I just want to die! Oh, please let me die!"
Tears were pouring from the Samurai's eyes as well. His jaw hardening, he cupped concubine's face in his hands, bidding the older man to look into his anguished eyes. "Kanbei, stop crying! Please, no more tears! And please stop saying that you want your life to end! If you die, I'll follow you because I cannot live without you! There's still hope for you. FOR US! Please don't give up! I swear I'll find a way to get you out of this! You must be strong, Kanbei! If you can't do this for me, then do it for those who care about you -- like Masamune, Gorobei, Heihachi and Kyuzo! And little Moeru...who's going to take care of him when you're gone?"
At the mention of the colt's name, Kanbei slowly raised his head to find a teary-eyed Moeru peeking over Shichiroji's shoulder. Reaching out to him, the concubine included Moeru in their warm embrace. The two men and the colt wept in companionable silence, sharing between them their love and the fear of the unknown destiny awaiting them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Three days later, Kanbei was sitting on his bed. Moeru was sleeping with his head on the young man's lap. The concubine was listlessly plucking at the tuft of white hair on top of the cold's head. He had just come from Ukyo's chamber. A tear rolling down his bruised cheek and stinging the cut on the corner of his full lips, he tried to block out the memory of the sex games that the Amanushi had subjected him to. But the squelching of fluids within him, the ache in his lower belly, as well as the crustiness of dried blood between his thighs only served to remind him of his true status.
"There's still hope for you, Kanbei. FOR US! Please don't give up!"
"How could you still believe in me, Shichiroji?" Kanbei whispered. "After everything that's happened to us, even now that you know who I truly am, how could I still believe in your promises?"
"Maybe it's because he really means it now," a voice answered from the doorway.
The concubine turned to find Masamune closing the door. In his arms, the scribe carried some old scrolls and a worn journal.
Seeing that his ward was about to lapse into silence once more, Masamune said firmly, "Don't. What good is it going to do you to isolate yourself like this?"
"It's not isolation, Masamune," said Kanbei, his voice flat. "It's called acceptance."
"Do you accept what is being done to you?"
"I don't have a choice now, do I."
"Shichiroji does not accept it. He is doing everything he can to find a way to get you out of here."
The concubine looked at the scribe, despair mirrored in his eyes. "I'm so confused. I don't know if I should believe him anymore. First, Shichiroji tells me he loves me. Then, he breaks my heart. I don't understand!"
"Because, like you, Shichiroji didn't have a choice but to act contrary to the dictates of his heart. That first time, he was forced to hurt you, fearing that Tessai might turn his jealous rage upon you. At that time, Shichiroji was aware of how obsessed Tessai was with you. This second time, with Ukyo, he wanted you to regain your hate for him."
"But why?"
"Ukyo has plans for you, Kanbei. Evil plans. He intends to use you as his key to world conquest. But you have to be willing for his plan to work. Apparently, and this is what Gorobei and I, including Kikuchiyo, believe, Ukyo wants to utilize your obvious affection for Shichiroji to his advantage. It may not seem like it, but Shichiroji IS his
hostage, his means of getting the one thing he wants from you."
"Ukyo already owns me. What more does he want?"
Masamune handed the scrolls and the journal to Kanbei. "The journal belongs to my predecessor. The answers to all your questions are in here. The scrolls are the plans to this Palace. Haven't you wondered how Shichiroji and I came to your chamber that night the Amanushi and Hyogo hurt you?"
"To be truthful, I never gave it much thought, hurt as I was at that time," the concubine replied. "But now that you mention it..."
"I give these to you because you deserve to know everything. Knowledge is also a power on its own." The scribe shrugged. "Besides, I wanted to show you that you could trust Shichiroji. His willingness to sacrifice his happiness just to see you free...it's proof enough that he loves you deeply. As I said, Shichiroji would rather lose your love than let himself be used in the destruction of your soul."
It took over an hour after Masamune left for Kanbei to get his courage up to pick up the journal and open it to the page the scribe had marked for him. As he read through the entries with growing alarm and terror, the concubine just as meticulously studied the plans. His fingers trembled when he located the two secret passages leading to his chamber. The goosebumps rose on his skin as he wondered for how long he was being observed by the creature hiding within the catacombs. Kanbei wondered if it was watching him now.
However, as time passed, Kanbei found himself staring more and more at the plans. At one large chamber in particular. Enrapt was he that he did not notice that the sun had already set.
Probably sensing his Master's disturbing interest, Moeru woke up with a start. His coal black eyes blinked owlishly at the concubine. What he saw on Kanbei's face caused the colt to shake his head in vehement objection.
But Kanbei had already made up his mind. Kissing Moeru on the nose, he stood up and lit the brazier. He took a torch and lighted it with the flame from the lamp.
The colt's eyes were wide in alarm, seeing the concubine open the secret passage behind the dresser. Moeru quickly leaped from the bed, hoping to catch up with his Master. The floor, however, was slippery that he stumbled. Before Moeru could get up, Kanbei had closed the door behind him, disappearing into the bowels of the Palace.
* * * * * * * * * *