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 27, 2006


Chapter Thirty-Three

"Kikuchiyo-sama? Kikuchiyo-sama?" Kanbei wandered around the Royal Stables, frowning, as he looked for the mechanical samurai. "That's strange. He's usually here at this time. I wonder where he could be?"

Walking behind the concubine was Moeru. The imperious little colt had his head lifted, not even bothering to look at the other horses and colts. To their credit, the royal equines chose to pay no mind to their snooty diminutive relative.

Seeing the airs that Moeru was putting, Kanbei grimaced. "Moeru? Humility is not a part of your vocabulary, is it?"

Human and horse searched for the missing cyborg for a few more minutes, but they could not find him anywhere.

"It looks like Kikuchiyo-sama is not here, Moeru," the whoremaster told the colt. "Let's go back inside the Palace. He might be eating in the kitchen. Come on! I know a shortcut."

Kanbei's shortcut led them near the grazing field where small hills of hay were stacked. As usual, Moeru had his chin raised, eliciting snorts of disgust from the veteran war steeds. Nearing one haystack, the concubine did not notice the soft rustling within it as he passed by.

However, when the snooty colt was about to trot by the same haystack, a large, hideous figure jumped out with arms raised above his head.

"WAAAAAAH!" it roared aloud, causing Kanbei to nearly jump out of his skin. For a moment, the whoremaster thought it was the Odalisk, running amuck.

The same could not be said for Moeru. The colt let out an ear-piercing shriek of terror. As the concubine gaped in shock, Moeru fell over on his back, legs raised stiffly in the air, in a dead faint.

"MOERU!" Kanbei cried worriedly, rushing towards the colt, afraid that his beloved pet had died from the shock. Pressing his ear to Moeru's chest, he was relieved to hear a strong, yet very rapid, heartbeat.

"OOPS!" a sheepish voice declared from the haystack. "It looks like I overdid it!"

The whoremaster whirled around to see a chuckling Kikuchiyo scratching his head, a Japanese demon mask in his hand.

"KIKUCHIYO-SAMA!" Kanbei growled menacingly.

To his even greater surprise, the cyborg stumbled out of the haystack and ran towards the unconscious colt with a rule stick in his hand, measuring Moeru from hoof to back.

"DRAT!" Kikuchiyo clucked his tongue in dismay. "I thought it would work!"

"'What' would work?" asked the concubine suspiciously, giving the Horseman a 'this-had-better-be-good' look.

"It's been said that a good scare could make someone taller," the mechanical samurai grinned guiltily. "This wee midget needs a good inch or two."

"Send him to the grave is more like it!" Kanbei retorted angrily. "For a samurai of your great stature, the least I expected was for you to believe in old wives' tales."

"I may be great in stature but I'm lacking in brains. I could spare a couple of my inches to this dwarf."

"Don't say that you're stupid!" Kanbei hastily scolded him.

Kikuchiyo shrugged, already accustomed to being thought of as an idiot to begin with. "Well, anyway, at least the runt isn't dead. Maybe I should try those Chinese growth balls. They're great for midgets."

"Would you please stop calling Moeru a 'runt' and a 'midget'? He doesn't like to be teased about his height."

"Then, perhaps I should call him by the more distinguished sobriquet, 'miniature horse'."

A pout formed on the concubine's lips. "It's the same thing. It just sounds nicer."

The cyborg said mischievously. "I love it when you're angry."

Before Kanbei knew what was happening, Kikuchiyo had swept him off his feet and carried him towards the far pile of hay under the date palm. The two men laughed as they tumbled onto the sweet-smelling hay. With a pleased sigh, Kanbei wrapped his arms around Kikuchiyo's neck as the mechanical samurai bent down to peel off his caftan.

As he loosened his trousers, the cyborg's iron member popped out of his groin with a noisy vibration of the spring.

Kikuchiyo mumbled in embarrassment, "I really should do something about this. The way it pops out like this, it makes me look like an eager pervert."

"And aren't you that?" Kanbei asked teasingly.

"A pervert?"

"No, eager."

With no hesitation, the mechanical samurai plunged it inside the concubine's wanting channel. Kanbei's body bucked at that sudden penetration. With soft moans, he
met the cyborg's awkward thrusts with graceful jerks of his hips.

An hour later, their ebbing passions found the two men lying naked, arm in arm, on the hay. Kanbei ran tender fingers through Kikuchiyo's shaggy orange mane while the cyborg tweaked his nipples.

Kikuchiyo raised a finger and traced the concubine's flushed lips. "Why were you looking for me, Little Taisho? Surely it's not about the runt."

To this query, Kanbei answered, "News travels fast in the Palace. If you did not know that I would be coming to you, you would not have been able to pull that surprise on Moeru."

"Touché," Kikuchiyo mumbled before falling silent.

After a lengthy silence, the whoremaster asked quietly, "Well?"

"My desires are no different from Ukyo's actually," the mechanical samurai replied. "Like him, I want the whole world in my hands."

"But why? Why are all of you so obsessed with conquest?"

"Each of us has our own reasons. I know you've talked to Hyogo, and I seriously doubt if you got the answer you wanted from him. He's not exactly...sane."

"Yes, I know. What about you, Kikuchiyo-sama? What's your reason?"

The cyborg sighed. "Even before I became what I am, I never liked
people. In the farming village where I was born, I was considered useless buffoon who got in everyone's way. One day, I could no longer take the ridicule, so I left the village and became an outcast living in the mountains. The only friends I had were the
animals -- dogs, cats, wolves, bears. Years later, I would discover that I had a special affinity for horses. When the war broke out, I thought here was my opportunity to show to everyone what I'm capable of. I gave up my human body for a cyborg's frame. I even went so far as to procure a fake family tree so that I could boast that I was a samurai. When I joined your squadron, I thought I could easily rise up in the ranks of the warriors and amass wealth, property, power and, of course, the respect that has long been denied me. But things didn't go exactly the way I planned…because I met you and Shichiroji."

"What do you mean?" Kanbei asked curiously.

If it were possible for the mechanical samurai to blush, he would have. Instead, he scratched his head sheepishly. "You see, I've always admired the two of you. In my eyes, you were true warriors – not caring at all about material prosperity. You valued human life and the safety of your men. Lord knows how many times you advised me to…'return to the life you are suited for'." He aped his beloved leader's words. "I should've known you'd find out that I was once a farmer. But, the more you told me that, the more I chose to stay. I wanted to be like you, Kanbei, even if I knew it was impossible for a bumbling country bumpkin like me. As the time passed, my admiration for you turned into something much more." A moment's pause. "I knew of the intimate relationship that you and Shichiroji had. I must admit I was very jealous of Shichiroji, even if he showed me nothing but kindness. I desired you, Kanbei, and I wanted nothing more than to have you for myself.

"When we were captured by the Amanushi's troops, Ukyo made me an offer I could not refuse – to be his left hand, and he will, as my reward, give me riches, power…and you. When Shichiroji escaped and abandoned you, I thought I would heal your broken heart and make you fall in love with me. But it was never my intent to see your spirit broken. The guilt tore at my heart to witness your abuse at the hands of Ukyo and his men, and I too had been an eager participant to your defilement. That is why I swore an oath that I would never leave you, as Shichiroji had done."

The concubine patted the cyborg's hand. "And you were always at my side. You made certain that good men accompanied me during my travels. The Sultan told me that it was you who asked for Gorobei's aid. For that, I thank you, Kikuchiyo-sama."

"There's nothing to thank me for. I never told you this," Kikuchiyo reluctantly confessed, "but I've had my men monitor Shichiroji's activities during the fifteen years that you've been apart."

Hesitantly, Kanbei queried, "Shichiroji...What became of him?"

"He was a ruthless killer," Kikuchiyo stated point blank. "We both shared the same dislike for humanity, but because of the things he had gone through, Shichiroji's hate ran deeper. That's why he became known as the 'Shinigami.' His blade was always drenched with the blood of both his adversaries and innocents."

It was Kanbei's turn to fall into deep thought. After what Kikuchiyo had told him, he wondered if he had made a big mistake in forgiving and giving his heart so quickly to the ancient.

Noting his silence, the Immortal continued, "But he's changed a lot, you know. The change began when he met the geisha Yukino." Kikuchiyo smiled knowingly. "Strange thing it was. I was expecting him to seek his revenge upon his lover who had supposedly betrayed him. All those battles, duels he was in were in preparation for the time that he would face you. The next thing I heard, he married Yukino. There were times I wondered if Shichinoji was unconsciously trying to start a family to regain that which he had lost. That's what I believed."

At that remark, the more the concubine found that he could not speak.

"I still envy Shichiroji up to now, you know," Kikuchiyo admitted. "The world aside, if I
were permitted to ask for a second wish, I would like to have a family of my own. To adopt a son and a lovely daughter..." He gazed into Kanbei's gentle eyes. "Maybe have you for my spouse."

A blush rose on the whoremaster's cheeks. There was no need to ask Kikuchiyo his second question. Despite his professed desire for world domination, he could see it in the cyborg's demeanor that he would willingly give up his first wish for the second. Kanbei had to admit that the thought of a small cottage in the mountains, having children was very appealing to him...although, if he were to be truly honest with himself, it was Shichiroji whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Still, Kikuchiyo was also a man worthy of his affections.

As if reading his thoughts, the mechanical samurai mumbled, "Then again, I know for a fact that your heart already belongs to another. But I hope you would consider me as worthy of you."

Kanbei kissed the crown of Kikuchiyo's head. "I promise you I'll think about it, Kikuchiyo-sama."

Laying his head on the concubine's chest, a chuckle escaped the cyborg's lips.

"What's so funny?" the whoremaster asked curiously, noting the warrior's mirth.

"I just realized that we don't have to adopt a son," Kikuchiyo giggled merrily. "We already have a youngling we could call our own."

Kanbei thought deeply, but he still could not guess who the mechanical samurai was talking about. Giving up, he asked directly, "Who?"

"Who else?" Kikuchiyo burst into raucous laughter. "That little runt you call a horse -- MINI MOE!"

There was a loud crunch, then a crack followed by a heartbreaking cry of pain. Kanbei looked down in alarm to find Moeru in tears, a bloody tooth at his hoof. The naughty colt had tried to get retribution by biting a hunk of the cyborg's right buttock.

Kikuchiyo burst into laughter, pointing at the poor colt. "Serves you right! Why'd you even think you could take a bite out of a man of metal like me?! Not only are you a runt, you're now toothless! NYA HA HA HA HA!"

Moeru's angry eyes focused upon the mechanical samurai's phallus, in particular, the tiny blinking light of the sensor. The colt did not think twice. Opening his mouth wide, he sank his teeth into Kikuchiyo's member.

The concubine laughed uproariously, tears trickling from his eyes, as Kikuchiyo started to run around the field, as naked as a jaybird, with a furious colt hanging from his cock.

Between giggles, Kanbei whispered, "Two down, two to go."


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