Elvengirl10: Wow...where have I been? Not here, clearly. I've been far to busy for my own good. The last time I had time to update was way back in January. Sorry about that. I realised that I messed up and skipped a chapter, that had to be typed.
Again, I'm really sorry. I'll try to be more frequent. Not as much is going on now.
Disclaimer: Don't own Kenshin or Fire Emblem.
"You are too nice!" Leila shouted at Karel.
"Oro?" Karel gave Leila a blank look, a pair of chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
"The guy was weak! We could forced him to make you a new sword!"
"No. Seiku-dono's life need not be overturned for this one's ends," Karel replied, putting his chopsticks down.
"Like I said, too nice," Leila snapped, sitting down abrubtly in a corner. It appeared that she was shunning Karel.
"Even if we forced him to make it, what sort of sword would it be without the smith's heart. Since Seta Ewan has already defeated the reverse-blade wo dao, for Himura-kun to go up against him or even Kishuna, would mean death. No, the new sword must not be a just a reverse blade in shape alone. It must be superior to the blade as well. If you couldn't figure that out, Leila," Canas sighed, "Then I've raised a stupid girl."
"What was that?" Leila snapped, whipping around, a glare on her face. She lunged at Canas, who blocked her attack.
Karel sighed, thinking of the Arai family. If Seiku made him a new sword, Kishuna's men would never stop hounding the peaceful family. He smiled, thinking of Iori and how cheerful he was. If he truly believed in his ideals, he couldn't involve them, or his new friends. Ex-Oniwabanshu they may be, they were still at risk with him around. 'Once this is all settled,' Karel decided, 'This one will leave.'
"Can't you at least listen tio us while we talk about you!" Leila yelled, kicked Karel across the face. The force sent Karel out the open window.
"O-"
"Himura!"
"-ro..."
"Kyoto flourishing all around us and we're stuck underground," Sonia sighed. She and Kishuna walked under several red arches, heading towards a temple-like door at the base of a mountain.
"There's no need to complain, with it being so well-built inside. It will only be for two or three more months, my dear. Be tough." They entered through the doors to meet a reception of soldiers all dressed in grey, standing shoulder to shoulder on either side of the room. There was a seven-foot gap between the shoulders. A young man with shoulder-length white hair, and wearing a long, brown overcoat stood in the center.
"Welcome back, Kishuna-sama." He bowed low.
"Quite an extravagant welcome you've prepared, Lyon. Have you completed your tasks?" Kishuna asked, entering the room.
"Yes. The fire arms have been secured. My lord, where is Ewan?"
"I sent him to gather the Juppongattana in the east...those that are hard to find, like Geitz. The rest I have sent personal notice to."
"Then..."
"Yes. As soon as the Juppongattana arrive, we will being the conquest of this nation."
The crowd of soldiers began to cheer, the sound reverberating around the room, making it vibrate.
"Comrades, do you hear! The Revolution is nigh!" Lyon yelled, "Let each one of you be prepared!"
"Kishuna-sama! Kishuna-sama! Kishuna-sama!"
"'Comrades, do you hear?' That was a tad dramatic," Kishuna commented, after they left room of cheering soldiers.
"It sound right for 'loyal man number two,'" Lyon replied, "I'll send word to our men, all over Japan."
"Wait, there's more to the story. With this long reign of peace, the Juppongattana will be thirsty for blood, and it will no doubt take them awhile to get here. To get them worked up for the conquest, they shall quench their thirst on the Sword Demon."
"So that's why you asked us to watch his movements. Kishuna-sama, I am against this!" Lyon protested, "The Juppongattana is meant to help with the conquest of this country. It's idiocy to use them like pawns agianst the Sword Demon!"
"I told you he'd get mad," Sonia smiled.
Kishuna smiled back. "I was expecting this, but the Juppongattana aren't that fragile, Lyon."
"Sister Sonia's right," came a voice from behind them, "The Juppongattana ain't gonna lose to just one ex-hitokiri, no matter how legendary he is."
"That was quick, Sain," Kishuna commented to the new arrival. Sain was tall and lanky. He was dressed in a red kimono, with a black fire design around the sleeves. Various swords hung off his back and waist. His brown hair was spiked up, giving him the appearence of a broom.
"Well, I live in Osaka, y'know," Sain replied, "And I wanted to show off my pretty swords as soon as I could."
"At least wait until two or three more get here, alright? Lyon, what are the Sword Demon's movements thus far?"
"His location remains unknown. Yesterday he was seen contacting Arai Seiku, the son of the swordsman Arai Shakku."
"He must be trying to get a replacement for the sword that Ewan broke."
"Seiku refused to recreate a sword, but there was talk of a sword Shakku left behind. That was not given to the Sword Demon either."
A shiver ran up Sain's spine.
"So, Arai Shakku, legendary swordsmith of the Bakumatsu left one last sword, did he? I had no idea...well well..."
"It's almost our moment of glory. Don't cause to much trouble."
"Mm," Sain replied, with a salute. He headed for the door.
"You can see the change in his eyes, whenever swords are mentioned," Sonia smiled, "Now, I'm going to wash off my sweat."
"Fine," Kishuna replied, watching her go.
"Kishuna-sama, I am still against this," Lyon persisted, "Though he may be weakened now, the Sword Demon is still a legend. If the Juppongattana should awaken him, it could spell disaster for our greater goal."
"That's true, and if that becomes the case, then at least I'll have fun killing the true Sword Demon. Not that it's likely with Ewan and Valter amoung the Juppongattana. I'll be happy with whatever way this goes, for either way, the only obsticle is eliminated." With those words, Kishuna broke into a fit of crazed laughter, which echoed through the halls and chilled Lyon to the bone.
"This man, can truly not be measured,' he thought with a shudder.
"Spin...spin..." Iori smiled happily, as he watched a small top spinning on the ground in front of the store. He looked up when he heard some footsteps, that caused the top to stop.
"Broom...broom," he chirped.
"Aren't you a funny boy," Sain laughed, "Now, where's your dad?"
"Welcome," said Seiku, "Are you looking for something?"
"Shakku's last sword. Got it?"
"Himura...please don't die," Leila cried, as she knelt beside Karel, who was lying, unmoving, on the street.
"Ow..." he groaned.
"Are you alright, Himura-kun?" Canas asked, once they had dragged Karel back inside the Aoiya.
"Fine. Thanks," Karel replied, rubbing his sore head.
"Now Leila, you have got to stop fooling around like this. It's bad, and dangerous."
"However, this one was also caught off gaurd," Karel laughed, nervously. He didn't want Leila to get in to much trouble, because he'd zoned out.
"Anyways, give up on Seiku making the sword," Canas sighed.
"But..."
"No buts."
Leila sulked back to the corner. It just wasn't fair.
"F-father's last sword..." Seiku gasped.
"Mm-hmm. I heard a little something about it. The last sword of the legendary Arai Shakku. Can I see it please?"
Seiku took a step back. That sword...how had this man found out?
"I...I know nothing about it. Most of the locations for my father's swords are unknown to me. None are currently in my possession."
"Is that right?" Sain replied, sarcastic shock dripping from his voice. "I'm awefully sorry to hear that. Y'see, I became a swordsman so I could swing every kind of sword I could." Sain removed a sword, sheath and all, from the array of weapons on his person. Skillfully, he picked Iori up on the end of it.
"What are you-" Seiku protested, but was cut off.
"Just watch," Sain said, calmly, a smile on his face. Pushing his arm up, he forced the sheath off the sword, along with Iori. Seiku's wife came around the corner.
"Iori!" She screamed.
The sheath came down, sliding onto the blade as if it were drawn and being put back.
"It's called mid-ari reverse sheathing. Not many swordsmen can do it. What do you think?"
Seiku made no reply.
"I'm shocked to hear that the last sword isn't here. Shakku's swords are some of my favorites. Yes indeed, I might just mess up the second time I'm so shocked."
"Iori," Seiku ran, panicked, towards his son. Sain forced him to the ground with another of his swords.
"It's rare that I do the same trick twice for people, so watch closely..."
"Wait!" shouted Seiku's wife, kneeling down beside her husband, "The last sword isn't here. It was offered to the Hakusan shrine as a God-sword."
"Is that so? Good, it exists. That was cruel of you, lieing to me like that. So I'm gonna take a look, and I'm gonna take the boy with me, as insurance." Sain picked up Iori with his sheath and slung him over his back. He began to walk away, then stopped and turned to look back. "Don't tell the police about this. I'm not afraid or anything, mind you, but Kishuna-sama told me not to cause trouble. I don't need to tell you what will happen if you do." Sain left, Iori screaming and crying for his parents.
"I dont' care what Canas or Himura say. I'm going to make Seiku forge a new reverse blade wo dao," Leila promised herself, as she walked down the street towards the Arai's shop. A new sword was what Himura needed to win, and maybe if she got it for him, he'd tell her about the Oniwabanshu and Jaffar-sama.
"All I need to do is give him one more push and -"
"Why did you tell him?!" Leila heard Seiku sob. She rounded the corner and found him sitting helplessly on the ground, his wife nearby. "That sword is a godsword. Since it was offered immediatly after being forged, it hasn't been drawn, making it the only one of my father's blade's not to be stained by blood. If that man gets his hands on it, my father's legacy will eternally be as a maker of tools of death."
"But what of Iori? I know your father's pride means alot, but Iori's life..."
"Fool. Didn't you see his eyes? They didn't say 'I love swords.' They said 'I love to kill with swords.' He'll want to test the blade on whoever's closest."
"Iori..."
"I quit making swords in this time of peace. Why can't the world just leave me in peace?"
"Tell me the details," said Leila, from behind Seiku, "Please. Hurry and tell me."
Leila bolted to a nearby tea shop.
"Auntie Oshige!" She yelled, in a desperate tone.
"Oh, Leila," said the old woman, Oshinge, with a smile, "You're back in Kyoto,"
"There's no time for talk, Auntie. Get me Lu. Number one."
Karel and Canas sat talking in the other room, wondering what the cheapest way was to fix the broken wall. Thinking he heard something, Karel turned to look out the hole in the wall, only to have an extremely fast bird fly into his already injured forehead.
"Oro!" he cried, clutching a nearby hankerchief to his head, to stop the bleeding.
"This is Lu. Number one from Oshije," Canas said, taking the bird.
"Oro?" It was a question.
"The note's from Leila..." Canas looked up, gravely, "It appearst that Seiku's son has been taken captive by one of Kishuna's men."
Karel's eyes widened. Then, without warning, he snatched the message from Canas and lept out of the broken wall.
"Stop Himura-kun!" Canas protested, "You don't stand a chance with your broken sword! Come back!"
"Sheesh...Kyoto roads are so confusing," Sain muttered, over the the crying of Iori. "Still, I wonder what sort of killing masterpiece Shakku's last sword is - " Sain stopped abruptly. Karel blocked his way. Sain's eyes strayed to the sword at Karel's waist.
"I'm guessing you ain't no pilgrim to the shrine. Who are you?"
Karel removed his bandage, revealing his scar. Sain grinned.
"A cross-shaped scar..."
"Let the boy go."
"You must be the famous Sword Demon. I keep hearing about you. You're smaller than I thought, and rather girlish to..." Sain paused, considering this. "If you really are the Sword Demon, you must be after Shakku's last blade as well."
"No. This one seeks a different blade. If you want Shakku's last blade so dearly, then take it. But let the boy go first." Karel's voice cut like a knife. It was threatening to say the least.
"Trying to avoid a fight? I can see why. What that broken sword of yours, you don't stand a chance against me. However, I don't see much fun in beating up a guy who can't fight back, and Kishuna-sama said that when I met an enemy, I either kill him or die. And..." Sain used his mid-air sheathing technique to hand Iori from a tree branch, "Even when I do get the sword, there's no fun in not testing the edge on something. I honestly can't think of anything I've wanted to cut more. So, sorry. Request denied. A fair fight?"
"You know of this one's handica, plus you take a hostage and you call that fair? You're a twisted man." Karel's grip on his sheath tightened.
"Oh, I'm not so twisted," Sain replied, raising his unsheathed sword, " I just..." he slashed. Karel blocked. "...Have a sense of humour." He lunged. Karel sidestepped and pivoted.
"If you're going to lunge at me, come with something faster than Ephidel's gatotsu!" As he pivoted, he drew his sheath, slamming it into Sain's back. The Ryukansen. The swords on Sain's back shattered.
"Man, that woulda been ugly if not for those beloved swords of mine," Sain said, getting off the ground and shaking himself off. He gripped a pair of swords, one in each hand.
"And they came at a very high price." Swiftly, Sain removed half the hilt for each sword and fit the parts with the blades together. The product was a sword with one hilt and two blades.
"Renbato, repeater," Sain explained, "An early sword of Shakku's. Two wounds close together are hard to stich up. So, even if I miss a vital spot, I'll leave a wound that festers until disease kills ya!
Sain attempted another charge. Karel followed suit, sliding his sheath into the space between the blades. Gripping both ends of the sheath, he twisted it, shattering the Renbato.
"Is this all you are?" Using the ryushosen, Karel slammed his sword into the pit of Sain's stomach. Sain landed a few feet away.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Iori. You'll be down in a minute." Karel smiled up at the child, who smiled back.
"Well, guess I was underestimating you," Sain muttered, struggling to his feet. Karel glaned back at him. 'I hit the sugetsu pressure point. How is he still standing?'
"Sorry Iori. This may take longer than I thought."
"Stop talking to that stupid kid! Look at me while we're fighting! Else I'll slice him in half!"
Karel turned around, his eyes narrowed into a deathglare.
"So...you have a gameface to, huh? You know, I wouldn't have held back if you showed it t'me straight off." Sain tossed off his cloak. Steel was wrapped around his abdomen.
"That's what stopped the ryushosen...those steel belts."
"Indeed, but it's much more than a belt."
"Gramps! You just got here?" Leila yelled at Canas, who was coming up the other way. They stopped at the foot of the temple stairs, the Arai family in tow. "Where's Himura?"
"He ran out as soon he read the letter. I couldn't catch up."
"But his sword's broken! I was counting on you!"
"Don't get mad," Cansa started up the stairs, "Just hurry."
"Damn! The battle's already started," Leila muttered, when they reached the top. Though it had lasped into a staring contest.
"He can be suprisingly short-tempered, Himura can," Leila noted.
"Though, I believe him to be the calmer of the two right now," Canas remarked.
Seiku on the other hand, was anything but calm. He had immediatly tensed when he saw Sain's belt, and now he was certain why.
"Himura! Be careful! That's a sword he has about his waist! It's one that my father made at the pinicle of his skill!"
"What?!" Leila and Canas both exclaimed.
"I am called "Sword Hunter" Sain," Sain boasted, "And now you'll see why."
His hands moved quickly. Karel didn't catch them. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Karel caught movement. A long flash of silver.
"This is my favorite sword of all. Hakujin - The Thin one."
Sain had unravelled the sword from his abdoment and had sent the end shooting towards the back of Karel's head.
"Don't get to close!" Seiku yelled. Karel pivoted, avoiding the initial attack. Sain grinned and flicked his wrist. The sword twisted and doubled back on itself, burrowing itself in Karel's thigh.
"There. Now you can't dance around anymore," Sain smiled, catching the sword.
"Hakujin was forged as thin as possible without losing any strength. The user is then able to switch the direction of the sword at a moment's notice. It's impossible to avoid the sudden changes of the blade with that injury." Seiku's explaination made it sound like Karel had already lost. Sain's grin widened.
"Been awhile since I had an audience. Guess I'll take this to the climax. Let's see how you handle the Orochi pose." Sain thrust the sword up in the air before pulling back with both hands. The sword tore along the ground in waves. Karel pulled out his sheath, blocking the attack, but sacrificing the bottom half.
"Not bad," Sain nodded, "But there's more."
The sword sped towards Karel's head, coming off the crest of the wave. Karel pushed off the ground, but his leg prevented a proper evasion. Karel rolled over his shoulder, a large hole in his wake. Karel glared at Sain, his breath coming in large, heavy, gasps.
Seiku watched with hard eyes. Karel didn't stand a chance. His wife looked at him, concerned.
"Let's give him Father's sword," Seiku said finally. "We'll give him the sword, save Iori, and leave the battlefield. With the Osakan distracted, we can use this time to save Iori."
"And use Himura as bait," Canas concluded.
"Look, Himura knows that without his sword, he's not much, but he's here to save your son regardless," Leila snapped.
"I never asked him to," Seiku replied. "He fights on his own."
"Seiku-san, I have raised this girl like a father," Canas sighed, restraining Leila, "I understand that children come first. But can you understand why Himura-kun fights on his own?"
They watched as Karel evaded another strike, just as closely as the first.
"Would you give up already?!" Sain yelled, frustrated, "This is starting to bore me."
Karel's only response was his intense glare.
"Your eyes are starting to bother me. This game should be over now, but you hang on persistantly. Why would someone like you sacrifice himself for one little child anyway?"
"Many lives were taken by this one, years ago," Karel said slowly.
"So, you're bragging now? It was in the past. No one cares anymore."
"So many battles and bloodshed, all leading up to this new era. For the moment, we have peace, and children do not have to grow up knowing those battles or bloodshed. Though worthless to you, this child is of an age that must not be destroyed. Even if it costs this one's life, Iori will be returned to Seiku-dono and his wife." Karel looked Seiku, who drew in a sharp breath. He knew what Karel was planning. He was to rescue Iori, while Karel distracted Sain.
"Why..." Seiku whispered, earning himself a funny look from his wife.
"You act like some kinda hero, making me look like the bad guy. Now I really am annoyed," Sain nodded, "So let's end this now. I'll be the one making a new era with my sword, and under Kishuna-sama."
"No you will not," Karel replied. "An era is not created by swords, but by those who wield them."
Next time: The Battle Concludes. A New Sword is Found
Will come soon, I promise