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 July 1, 2006


Chapter Forty-Five

So far, Masamune had been contented with his menial task of serving as runner for his superiors, passing on their commands to the respective generals of their troops. It was the least he could do. After all, he was the only one among them who has not had any battle experience in years. Still, he wished he could do more.

However, the scribe's blood suddenly gushed all over his body in an icy cold torrent, beholding the demon horde their brave men were fighting. He could not help his shudder, seeing that macabre warlord ride back and forth before the living cadavers of both men and horses, slashing through their mortal foe and rallying his troops to the grand cause of defending the infernal being that has now taken over Ain Mehira. To his dismay, judging from the concerned looks on the faces of the soldiers of their ragtag army, he knew that what meager confidence they possessed before was diminishing with every minute. All hope vanished at that telltale sign of the concubine's tragic demise.

Closing his eyes, Masamune offered one last prayer before they embarked on their suicide mission. "Dear Allah, please preserve us! Aid us in this battle ahead of us! I trust in you! I have faith in you! I know that you will not allow evil to triumph!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of soft giggles inside his head.

"WHAT THE..." the scribe exclaimed in shock.

"Don't be afraid, Masamune, my dear friend and mentor!" a soothing voice whispered in his mind. "All will be well! I promise you that!"

The Sultan had been staring out into the desert, and the great evil that they were battling against, when he heard the startled gasp of Masamune beside him. At once, a frown creased the monarch's brow, as he looked down at the diminutive old man. He knew that it was a name that the scribe had spoken.

"KANBEI?" was the name that Masamune had uttered.

~~~~~~~~~~


At first, Shichiroji could not move from where he knelt. All he did was stare at the handsome figure standing above him, holding back the equally stunned demon who was about to kill him earlier. The Samurai blinked several times, but the heroic vision did not fade away.

Slowly, a glorious smile formed on his lips, tears of joy clouding his eyes. "Kanbei's alive!" he muttered. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

The concubine granted his lover a glance over his shoulder, a hint of mild exasperation on his face. He then said wryly, "Now that you know I'm alive, Shichiroji, do you mind getting out of the way?"

At that remark, the Samurai remembered their precarious position. "Oops! Sorry!" Swiftly, he stood up, grabbing his spear at the same time.

As Shichiroji backed up, Kanbei used all his strength to shove the Odalisk a distance away. The six samurai, with weapons ready, took their places on either side of the whoremaster.

There was a confident smile on Kyuzo's face as he said, "I knew it would take more than that to kill you."

"What are you doing here, Kyuzo?" Kanbei asked, surprised. He looked at his other friends. "And you brought Gorobei and Heihachi with you."

"Why shouldn't I come here?" Gorobei crowed in glee. "Aren't I your bodyguard?"

Heihachi gave him that familiar grin. "I wished to fight at your side again. But this time, no more betrayal. I shall remain loyal to you for the rest of my life."

"They are not the only ones I brought with me," Kyuzo announced.

Kanbei could barely hold back his delighted cry, seeing those laughing green eyes peeking behind the Bandit Chief. "Katsushiro? Is it really you? I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Katsushiro concluded for him. "In truth, I was. But you brought me back, Kanbei-sama. And for that, I will forever be grateful. Let me fight with you. It would truly be an honor for me."

"Yes!" exclaimed Kikuchiyo, grinning broadly, as he waved his great sword above his head. "Let's send this thing back to Hell!"

To the surprise of the five warriors, Kanbei waved them back. "I thank you for your assist, gentlemen, but no. You will do nothing. This is my fight."

"Are you crazy?" Kikuchiyo asked in disbelief. "We could not defeat it alone! How could you succeed where we have failed?"

"To tell you the truth, I haven't figured out exactly how," the concubine admitted, much to everyone's dismay. Even Shichiroji could not speak at this reluctant revelation. But Kanbei granted his lover a reassuring smile. "Shichiroji, I think you know that I have to do this."

Kirara's prophecy came to his mind once more. The whoremaster was right. This was the moment he had been waiting for all his life -- the chance to prove himself worthy of being called a warrior again. Despite his apprehensions, how could he deny his lover this?

Nodding to Kanbei, Shichiroji gestured for the others to move back.

"Shichiroji, what do you think you're doing?" Kyuzo stared at the Samurai, aghast. "We can't!"

"We have to help him!" Heihachi put in as well.

"Damn it, man!" Kikuchiyo argued heatedly. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!

"I throw back to you the words you kept on telling me earlier. Trust him." The Samurai granted his beloved a meaningful look. "But if you should need our help, Kanbei, we're right here."

"I know," answered the concubine, smiling.

The warriors looked at the two men. Although it was against their better judgment, they allowed their comrade to lead them a short distance away.

Kanbei was about to turn to face the Odalisk, when he felt warm air being breathed upon his bare leg. With an impatient groan, he looked down to find Moeru peering up at him. There was something inside the colt's mouth, which he could not make out. Still, it was big enough to fill Moeru's oral cavity that his cheeks were puffed at the corners of his mouth. The colt was happily wagging his tail. Obviously, Moeru was eager to show his 'prize' to him. Unfortunately, he had more important things to do.

"Would you please excuse me for a minute?" Kanbei graciously asked the Odalisk.

The demon's two heads grinned and said, "Be our guest!"

Kanbei picked up the mumbling colt and carried him over to Katsushiro, laying him in the young samurai's arms. Tapping the colt's cold nose with his finger, he said, "I'll look at it later, all right, Moeru?"

"THIS is Moeru?" Katsushiro stared at the diminutive horse in his arms in shock. "You haven't grown an inch since I last saw you! And…what's wrong with your mouth?"

As the whoremaster went to face his adversary, the six warriors found themselves staring at the little horse's full mouth. Like a sweet, innocent angel, Moeru blinked up at them.

The concubine heard Kikuchiyo declare in utter revulsion, "Damn it, runt! Don't tell me you still have that thing?"

"Moeru, you're going to get it from Kanbei!" Shichiroji scolded the colt. "You can mark my words on that. Now, give it back."

There were struggles behind him. It was apparent to the whoremaster that the two samurai were trying to pry open Moeru's mouth and take his 'prize' from him.

"It's all right, gentlemen. Leave him alone," Kanbei reassured his friends. "Like I said, I'll look at it later."

"Believe me, Little Taisho!" Kikuchiyo retorted. "You don't want to see what this runt has inside his mouth!"

Sounds of more struggling. Then, Gorobei declared, "Well, well! Would you look at that?"

"And I thought he was hiding a rice ball," Heihachi remarked, just as awed.

"Hei-san…" Gorobei growled. "With that shape, I wouldn't think it's a ball at all!"

Katsushiro exclaimed in utter revulsion, "GOD, THAT IS SO GROSS! Sensei, you can't believe what he's got inside his mouth! It's even got a mole!"

"Don't say anything more!" Kyuzo spat back in disgust. "I don't have to look at the damned thing to know that it belongs to Hyogo."

"Who's Hyogo?" Katsushiro inquired in suspicion, his voice tinged with jealousy. "And how did you know that…this…belongs to him?"

Despite the gravity of the battle before him, judging from their heated conversation, the concubine found himself intensely curious about Moeru's so-called 'prize.'

"Perhaps you would like to look, Little Prince," the Odalisk remarked with a chuckle. "We're willing to wait."

Kanbei smiled at the demon. "No, I won't let you wait. For centuries, that's all you've done. Now is the end of all those centuries of loneliness and torment. I'll set both of you free."

"Set us free, you say?" The Odalisk burst into laughter. "But we are free! Free to do whatever we wish! Free to destroy this miserable world and all who live in it, especially you filthy humans!"

"That is not you speaking, but the Evil that holds your souls captive!"

"Enough talk! Dare you stand in my way, Little Prince? This time, you shall truly die!"

Kanbei leaped out of the way as the demon's eight swords came crashing down on the floor, creating a large crater in the spot he had earlier stood. Seeing the concubine standing near the wall, the Odalisk charged at him. To avoid those sharp swords, Kanbei nimbly scaled the wall. When he was a safe distance away from those blades, he did a fluid somersault above the demon's head, landing behind it. Whirling, the Odalisk moved its four right arms, hoping to slash the whoremaster. But Kanbei deflected those swipes with his katana.

"Mithras! Devi Mari!" the concubine cried out. "For the love of Heaven, do not let him control you like this!"

The Odalisk, however, howled in fury and attacked. Gritting his teeth, Kanbei fought back, his katana clashing with those scimitars. But the demon had eight weapons while the whoremaster only had one. Still, Kanbei gave as good as he got, using his special skill in aerial acrobatics to get some leverage over his adversary.

"Kanbei!" the whoremaster heard Shichiroji call out his name.

A quick glance in the Samurai's direction revealed Shichiroji's spear flying towards him.

The six samurai watched with mouths agape as Kanbei did a graceful, upward corkscrewing movement, floating out the Odalisk's reach. He easily caught the spear in his left hand. Drifting back down, the concubine crossed his weapons like the blades of a pair of scissors before him, blocking the demon's thrust. With a strong side twist of his body, he succeeded in tearing out of the Odalisk's grasp four of its swords. Quickly, Gorobei and Heihachi gathered the fallen blades, throwing them away.

Seeing what the two warriors had done, the demon strode towards them, ready to vent its ire upon them with the four blades it has left. Brave little Moeru placed himself between the Odalisk and the two men, head raised proudly as though he were a valiant war steed. It did not surprise Kanbei to see the demon's features soften. Gently, it nudged the colt aside.

Moeru would have gone back to his defensive posture. However, his ears perked up at Kikuchiyo' crowing, "Well, look what we have here! Perhaps now I could get rid of this thing!"

As Kanbei positioned himself between his beloved pet and the demon, there was the sound of the rapid clip clop of galloping hooves behind him. This was immediately followed by Kikuchiyo's howl of pain. If the whoremaster had only stolen a glance back, he would have seen Moeru attached to the warrior's crotch once more, shaking his head furiously. Something flew out of Kikuchiyo's hand, which the colt easily caught in his mouth.

At that sight, Shichiroji slapped his hand to his forehead, "Moeru, you are impossible!"

The concubine smiled, seeing the uncharacteristic mirth in the Odalisk's two heads. "You spared Moeru's life and, now, you smile. Hope is not lost for you, my dear friends. Please! I cannot fight the Evil alone. For him to be defeated, you must reject him. I beg you! I know you can do it!"

One of the Odalisk's hands flew to the Stone on its chest. "I am past redemption. There is no hope for us."

"As I said, it's the Evil inside you that speaks thus. But goodness still exists inside you. I've seen it! You must believe me!"

Crushing pain seized the demon's heart, willing it to kill the warrior standing before it. The Odalisk took a step back, its two heads shaking. "We are cursed, Little Prince. Good cannot flourish in a heart that has been corrupted by evil."

"Then I challenge your claim." Kanbei let his swords slip out of his hands. "If you are indeed evil, then kill me now! I will not fight you. Pick up your swords and take my head!"

"Kanbei, no!" Shichiroji cried in despair. He made to run towards the older man, but Kikuchiyo held him back. "Kanbei, don't do this! If it takes your head, your death...this time, it will be forever!"

"KILL ME, I SAY!" the concubine taunted the demon. "GO AHEAD AND KILL ME NOW!"

At that dare, the Odalisk let out a deafening roar and swung its sword.

"NOOOO!" the Samurai screamed. Instinctively, he turned away, burying his face in Kikuchiyo's broad chest, not wanting to witness the death of his beloved.

But then, the mechanical warrior started shaking his shoulders. "Shichinoji! LOOK!"

Fearfully, Shichiroji raised his head and saw the shock and disbelief written on Kikuchiyo's face. He then turned to look at his lover and the demon, expecting the worse. He was not prepared for the sight that greeted him.

Kanbei stood stock still, tear-filled eyes focused on the Odalisk. The demon HAD swung its sword, but it had checked the fatal move that the blade hovered a mere inch at the side of the concubine's neck.

Realizing what it had almost done, the Odalisk hurled all its swords into the far wall, a clear defiance against the Evil that was forcing it to do his bidding. As it did so, however, pain ripped through its chest that an agonized scream was torn from the demon's throats. This was followed by an audible cracking sound. Kanbei was horrified to see that the Amesha Spenta Stone was breaking. The angry red mist he saw in his vision was trying to seal the crack, with much of its substance seeping out through the break in the demon's chest. As the seven samurai and the colt watched in increasing terror and fascination, the mist began to solidify, assuming a most fiercesome shape.

Huge bat wings unfolded from the fiery red cloud, flapping and flexing, dissipating the mist as it did so. That hideous outline straightened up until the ghoul itself stood at its true height, towering above the warriors. It twirled the large spear in its hand. Through blazing red eyes, the Lord of Demons glared particularly at the concubine, the ruby on its brow glowing with menacing red light.

~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the walls of Ain Mehira, a red mist billowed out of the sand at the feet of the Odalisk's ghastly defenders, shrouding them in a thick red cloud.

"What is happening?" the Sultan frowned, gazing at the unexpected sight before them.

So thick was that cloud that Masamune could not make out anything inside. "Well, whatever it is, this is definitely not good!"

Fearing for his troops, the Sultan roared out the command, "EVERYONE! PULL BACK!"

At that command and the blare of warning trumpets, the soldiers pulled back, just as an infernal cheer rose among the demon horde. Slowly, the mist faded away to reveal the terrible presence before them.

The men gaped in horror at the gigantic bat-winged demon that stood at the fore of the hellish army. In its right hand, it carried a huge spear. There wasn't any doubt in their minds that it was this gruesome creature, and not the Odalisk, that raised this battalion of evil.

"This is bad!" Masamune exclaimed, his face deathly pale. "This is very, very bad! I know that...that thing! It's the Demon Lord himself -- AHRIMAN!"

Hearing that name, with the notable exception of the Sultan who sat solemnly on his stallion, a collective gasp rose among the men.

One of the Sultan's generals asked, "How could we fight them? How could we defeat the Lord of Darkness himself?"

The Sultan, who had remained silent as the horrifying scene unfolded, at last spoke up. "We'll never know unless we try." Turning to Masamune, he commanded, "Tell the men to get ready. When they start to move, we shall attack again."

As the scribe hurried off to do the Sultan's bidding, Masamune lowered his head in prayer. "Allah, please help us in this terrible final battle that is ahead of us! I beg you to preserve our friends who are, right now, fighting against the Ultimate Evil within Ain Mehira!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"AHRIMAN!" Kanbei declared in seething fury. "LET MITHRAS AND DEVI MARI GO!"

The Zoroastrian God of Evil pointed its spear at the concubine. "Who do you think you are that you have the gall to order the Lord of Demons around like this?"

Without fear, the whoremaster picked up his katana and tapped the spear aside with it. "You tricked my friends into doing your bidding! To ensure their continued obedience, you yourself infected them with your evil. For centuries, you kept them in your thrall, poisoned them with your lies. The gods and magicians saw that goodness still existed inside the Odalisk's hearts and preserved it inside the Amesha Spenta Stone, delivering it to me for safekeeping, away from your corruption. Now, I have returned and restored my friends' consciences to them. This time, I will finish what the gods and magicians started centuries ago. I will free Mithras and Devi Mari, and I shall send you back to the depths of Hell where you belong!"

Ahriman bellowed with laughter at this strong declaration. "Your words mean nothing to me, whore! I created the Odalisk and I shall unmake it! You want your dear friends freed from eternal torment? Then, let me do it for you!"

Before the concubine could act, Ahriman thrust his clawed left hand right through the Odalisk's chest, his hand closing around the Amesha Spenta Stone. The Odalisk screamed in agony as thick red mist swirled all over its body, its acid bite burning and melting the demon's skin.

"NO! STOP IT!" Kanbei roared in outrage, lunging at the God of Darkness. "DON'T HURT MY FRIENDS!"

Like a fly, Ahriman swatted the concubine away with his spear. "WATCH, LITTLE WHORE!" With blood trickling from his lip, the whoremaster was horrified to see the glowing ball that was his friends' souls being crushed in Ahriman's hand. "WATCH AS I SNUFF OUT THE LIVES OF YOUR BELOVED MITHRAS AND DEVI MARI!"

"RELEASE THEM, YOU BASTARD!"

Kanbei was stunned to see Shichiroji rushing at the Demon Lord, Kikuchiyo, Heihachi and Gorobei following behind him. Together, they attacked Ahriman with spear and swords, determined to score hits against the God of Evil, who fought back with rapid swipes and twirls of his spear. Although he fought the four warriors one-handed, the Lord of Darkness soon had the upper hand. With a sweep of his arm, he swept Gorobei and Heihachi away. Twirling his spear in his hand, he knocked Kikuchiyo down to the floor with a solid blow to the back.

"KIKUCHIYO!" Shichiroji cried, seeing the mechanical samurai down.

Distracted, the Samurai failed to notice the spear's low swing. It hit him in the legs, causing him to fall flat on his back. With red eyes gleaming, Ahriman laid the spear's tip over Shichiroji's throat, nicking the skin that blood was drawn.

"YOU LOSE, SAMURAI!" Ahriman exclaimed triumphantly. "YOUR FRIENDS OUTSIDE THE CITY SHALL PERISH AT THE HANDS OF MY ARMY! MITHRAS AND DEVI MARI WILL BURN IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY! I WILL HAVE THE HEADS OF YOUR COMRADES ON MY PLATTER! YOUR RUNT OF A HORSE SHALL ROAST ON A SPIT AND I SHALL PARTAKE OF ITS JUICY FLESH! YOUR LOVER'S SOUL SHALL BE MINE TO TORMENT FOR ALLTIME!"

Before he could complete his wicked intent, there was a red blur, almost like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, the Demon Lord bellowed in pain. Kanbei's eyes flew wide at the sight of Moeru dangling from Ahriman's crotch, teeth clamped on the large member. Then, with fierce war cries, Kyuzo and Katsushiro leaped high into the air, their swords creating an X-shaped gash on Ahriman's torso.

But what startled the whoremaster the most was the name that the God of Darkness had called him.

It was the name given to the brave men of his homeland. Honorable warriors who fought for justice and protected the weak from all oppressors. A Samurai.

Kanbei stood up, katana held tightly in both hands, sending his chi into the sharp blade. Proudly, he announced, "YES, I AM INDEED THE SAMURAI SHIMADA KANBEI, AND IT IS YOU WHO SHALL DIE!"

With a roar of rage, Kanbei charged at Ahriman. The God of Darkness raised his spear, intending to drive its point into the concubine's belly. The whoremaster, however, suddenly leaped high, stepping on the spear, using it for leverage. Vaulting up into the air, he eased his sword back as he reached maximum height. Like an eagle he plummeted to the Demon Lord, extending his sword at the same time. Ahriman was expecting a slash to his head, that he lifted his spear arm to protect himself. But the concubine had a different target.

Before Ahriman knew what was happening, Kanbei's blade severed his hand that held the souls of the Odalisk. Another slash and he broke the Amesha Spenta Stone completely in two. The bright light that shone from the Stone blinded everyone in the room for a moment, but not before Shichiroji saw a bright shaft of white light shoot up through the ceiling and into the sky.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was Masamune who first saw the white light streak across the sky. "Oh, no!" the scribe groaned, the hope inside his heart diminishing with every minute. "Dear Allah, what now? Have you truly deserted us?"

But then, the light suddenly changed direction, bearing down on them.

"It's heading right toward us!" one soldier cried, his horse rearing up in panic.

"EVERYONE STAND YOUR GROUND!" the Sultan roared, rallying their men despite their imminent doom.

To everyone's shock, the light divided into two glowing balls. Instead of speeding up at the descent, they gradually began to slow down. One of the balls was heading straight for Masamune

The scribe closed his eyes, bracing himself for the collision. Instead, something warm settled before him, light seeping through his closed eyelids. To his even greater surprise, he was granted an enthusiastic hug. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the grinning face of a man he never expected to see again.

"Hello, Masamune!" Tessai greeted him cheerfully. "So nice to see you again!"

"Tessai?" Masamune stammered in shock. "Is it really you? But how…"

A pout formed on the lips of the Amanushi's former adviser. "Sometimes, Masamune, you can be so dense. We're here to help you!"

"You? Help US? But you're Ukyo's trusted adviser! Our enemy!"

"Not anymore. While we are still bound to this Earth, we shall serve a different master now."

"You said 'we', Tessai," the Sultan interrupted. "Who are you with?"

"Look there!" a general cried, pointing to the second light that landed before them, the light dimming to reveal a beautiful young woman.

The woman bowed to the monarch. "Kirara, my Lord, at your service. Do not be afraid. We are here to help you. Hyogo is here as well. We are just waiting for our Master to convince him to fight with us. Together, we shall defeat Ahriman."

Before Masamune could inquire as to the identity of their Master, a shining ball of light began to descend. Pristine white wings unfurled from it, revealing the crazed warrior Hyogo held in the gentle embrace of the handsome owner of those lovely wings. The man was naked, except for the shimmering robe that he wore. Daintily, he landed on the sand, his toe first touching the ground. Carefully, he laid Hyogo down, who fell to one knee.

There was a tear-filled, yet hopeful, expression on the samurai's face. "You'll help me find my cock? You promise?"

Smiling, the man caressed his cheek and nodded. Standing, he looked at the soldiers, his handsome features beaming with warmth, hope and encouragement, causing tears to well up in their eyes.

"KANBEI!" the Sultan happily called out to the ethereal essence of the concubine.

The whoremaster simply nodded to his friend. He waved to the three warriors who were now his allies. "TESSAI! KIRARA! HYOGO!"

As they watched, the four spirits took their places at the fore of the human army. Kirara, who stood at Tessai's left side, waved her right hand and a scimitar materialized in her grasp. At the right, Hyogo performed a similar gesture, his sword appearing in his hand. Between them, with great flourish, Tessai waved his hands wildly, letting gossamer threads to flow from his fingertips to trap several of the ghouls in its web. With a tug on those strings, the ghouls were sliced into pieces. When Tessai lowered his hands, he held his trusty blade. Standing a few paces before them, Kanbei simply opened his right hand, lightning streaking out, forming a taisenshatou.

Kanbei surveyed the formidable army before them. Noting his intense examination, Ahriman and his demon hordes jeered and taunted the concubine and his men, waving their weapons menacingly in the air.

Raising his sword above his head, Kanbei declared for all to hear, "REMEMBER MY WORDS! LET THIS BE THE ONLY THING ON YOUR MINDS! EVIL WILL NEVER TRIUMPH OVER GOOD! THE POWER OF GOOD SHALL ALWAYS PREVAIL!"

At that declaration, a great cry rose among the army of humans, their hopes raised by the presence of Allah's angel and his spirit companions in their midst. So great and so loud was their battle cry that their voices could have shattered the walls of Ain Mehira.


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