Part 6

Heihachi moved silently through the burned remains of the woods, careful to put his feet down where they wouldn't snap any charred branches or stir puffs of ashes into the air to reveal him. Stealth wasn't his specialty, but he was good enough at it when he had to be.

There were other parts of the island that were more damaged than this, but not many. Though there had been only a few huts out this far from the main village, the bandits hadn't overlooked them. The tiny forest - hardly even worthy of being called a forest - that sheltered them and provided the wood for the village had caught fire along with the buildings.

The rebuilding efforts thus far had been concentrated on the bridge, which was halfway across to the mainland again, and on the houses in the main village. Nobody had been out this far yet, but one of the villagers Kambei had assigned to scout the perimeters of the island had come running back that evening, reporting the sound of screaming out this way.

Heihachi had been the only one of the six remaining samurai nearby when the report came in, so he'd headed out immediately to investigate. Kambei and Shichirouji were closeted with the village Elder, working on the reconstruction plans and drawing up various methods of defence that could be incorporated into the rebuilding efforts to help stave off any future bandit attacks. Kikuchiyo had been happily playing games with the village children off somewhere on the other side of the island, the ever mysterious Kyuuzou had vanished as he was wont to do in his spare time, and Heihachi thought Katsushiro might be up at the Mikumari shrine with Kirara.

His first thought had actually been that it might be a survivor, but he dismissed it almost as quickly. Everyone had been pulled in from the outer regions days before the attack, and even if someone had been foolish enough to return to their house, if they had been trapped there they'd have died days ago from starvation and dehydration. They certainly wouldn't still be screaming.

There wasn't any screaming now as he approached the remains of one of the burned-out houses. There was still most of two walls standing, forming a corner that blocked the other side from his view. As he silently neared it, he thought he could hear something from the other side, though.

Peering around the corner, exposing as little of himself as possible, Heihachi's eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Kyuuzou's pale hair and lithe form were unmistakable, even without the distinctive red jacket swirling around him. The slender samurai was standing with his back to the wall, braced with his legs slightly apart, his clothes in a puddle of fabric beside him.

At first Heihachi thought the dark form bent over him was one of the villagers, and that would have brought enough problems on its own. Kyuuzou's hand was wound tightly in the soft, unbound hair, holding his lover tight against his body, and the soft noises Heihachi had been hearing were coming from the smaller form, tiny choking sounds as the unidentified person tried not to gag on the flesh deep in their mouth.

Well, Kyuuzou wouldn't have been the first samurai to seduce a village wench after saving her, Heihachi reflected. Though the reports of screaming and that tight hand in her hair indicated it might not have been entirely mutual. But he was starting to withdraw, figuring it would be better to confront Kyuuzou about it later and save the poor girl her dignity, when he saw the swords.

Kyuuzou's double saya was leaning against the wall in easy reach, of course. But beside it was another, smaller saya - and there was only one person it could belong to.

Katsushiro! Heihachi realized, and now he could see that the slender form kneeling before Kyuuzou was indeed male. The youngest samurai was so delicate that it wasn't the first time he'd been mistaken for a girl. Oh, hells, this is BAD... I have to tell Kambei! We have to do something!

As careful as he'd been to be quiet on the way in, he was doubly careful as he moved back towards the village again. He waited to start running until he was well out of earshot - then, remembering Kyuuzou's unnaturally sharp ears, he waited longer still. Only when he was absolutely certain he was out of hearing did he break into a sprint, ignoring the pull of half-healed muscles around the wound in his gut.

"Kambei!" He burst into the Elder's hut, panting for air and doubling up around his wound in pain. Three startled pairs of eyes turned on him, but he couldn't quite seem to catch his breath to explain. "Kambei! Trouble... need to... talk to you..." he gasped out.

Kambei rose to his feet immediately, his hand going for his sword. "What is it, Heihachi?" he asked. For the other samurai to be this distraught, it had to be another attack.

Seeing the panicked look in the Elder's eyes and the way Kambei and Shichirouji were reaching for their weapons, Heihachi hastily waved his hand. "No, no, it's not the bandits, nobody's under attack," he assured them, starting to catch his breath. Wincing, he straightened, one hand on his stomach. "It's, uh... samurai stuff," he concluded lamely to the Elder. Turning to their leader, he added, "Kambei, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I really need to talk to you. Alone. Like, right now."

Samurai stuff? Kambei gave Heihachi a confused look, but nodded. He bowed to the elder. "Please, excuse us a moment," he said, then turned and followed Heihachi outside. "What is it?" he asked the moment they were out of earshot of any of the people milling about.

"We have a problem," Heihachi told him, as if that wasn't already obvious. There was no hint of the redhead's usual laughter, either in his voice or his eyes. "It's Kyuuzou... one of the village scouts reported hearing someone screaming out in the woods, so I went to investigate. I found him out there... with Katsushiro."

Kambei's eyes widened. "What did you see, Heihachi?" he demanded.

Heihachi gave him a grim look. "The kid was on his knees, with Kyuuzou in his mouth," he admitted. "It didn't look entirely consensual, either. He sounded more than a little panicked, and Kyuuzou was holding him in place." Shifting uncomfortably, he added defensively, "I'd have tried to stop it, but... hells, Kambei, I'm no match for Kyuuzou even if I wasn't injured. He could've killed me and claimed a stray bandit got me, and nobody would be the wiser."

Kambei didn't question Heihachi's interpretation of what he'd seen. He was quite certain of Katsushiro's innocence in the area of sex, given his reaction to Kirara, and he also trusted the other samurai's judgement. Despite his red hair, and his strong convictions, Heihachi wasn't given to acting rashly, or jumping to conclusions.

"Get Shichirouji and meet me there," he said, turning and heading in the direction of the shack. "I might need your help," he called over his shoulder.

"Will do!" Heihachi acknowledged, tossing off a salute. Spinning on his heel, the redhead darted back into the Elder's hut.

"Everything's fine, there's absolutely nothing for you to worry about," Heihachi assured the Elder once more as he gestured for Shichirouji to join him. He knew the platitudes would seem a bit hollow, given the sudden activity on the part of the samurai, but he wasn't sure what else to do. This was none of the villagers' business, frankly, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

He filled Shichirouji in quickly as they hurried to catch up to Kambei, and the blonde also had an uncharacteristically grim expression by the time they reached their leader, about half way to the hut. "So, what's the plan?" the naginata-wielder asked Kambei as he fell into step just behind and to one side of him, where he could best provide support.

"We find them, and find out what's happening," Kambei said, his voice as grim as though he were going into battle - which, if Heihachi was correct, he was. "And most of all, we make sure that Katsushiro is safe."

Shichirouji twirled his staff, making sure the mechanism was working properly. "You think this is the first time?" he wondered. "I'd like to say I don't think we could have missed something like this, but with all the chaos of the battle, it wouldn't have been that hard."

"They were alone a long time," Kambei said. "We'll have to asked Rikichi if he saw anything odd." He put out a hand, then, as the shack came into view. "Now, quiet. If he hears us, he might have time to hide what he's doing." Slowing just enough to silence his approach, he darted towards the shack.

Kyuuzou did hear them, but not soon enough. They had been resting against one wall, his arms cinched around Katsushiro's nude body as they cuddled post-coitus. He could tell the boy hadn't thoroughly enjoyed the oral sex, but he insisted that he'd enjoyed it enough to want to continue.

When he heard the sounds of someone approaching he jumped to his feet, grabbing his katana. "Hide," he hissed, moving towards the door.

Katsushiro couldn't hear anything, but he'd learned not to question Kyuuzou's abilities. He snatched up his katana and outer jacket, shrugging into the garment quickly so he wasn't completely naked and vulnerable. He felt exposed without his armoured chest plate, but it was better than nothing.

Unfortunately, there werne't many places to hide in the burned out shell. He pressed back into the shadows of the corner, hand tight on the hilt of his katana. He didn't draw yet - the light would reflect off the blade and give away his position. He strained his senses, trying to hear what Kyuuzou had.

Kyuuzou stepped out of the shell in time to meet the other three samurai as they ran up. He directed his gaze to Kambei immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked, ensuring that he stood in such a way that they would have to get past him to see Katsushiro.

"You tell us," Kambei replied. "Tell us what - WHO - you're hiding in there."

Kyuuzou blinked. What?

Katsushiro stiffened, his mouth dropping open in a silent gasp. They know? he thought, panicked. How can they know? We've managed to hide it from them all this time... why now?

Shichirouji stayed quiet, though his support of Kambei might as well have been writing in blazing letters of fire over his head. "There's no point in trying to hide it," Heihachi put in his two yen. "You were heard - and seen."

Kyuuzou stared at them, his expression unchanging. This was what he had feared would happen, this exactly. They saw something, saw that he and Katsushiro were together, and immediately they assumed the worst.

His eyes frosted over. "What we do is none of your concern," he said, and turned to re-enter the shack, hoping Katsushiro had had the presence of mind to finish getting dressed in the meantime.

Kambei's hand went out to grab Kyuuzou's shoulder. "It's our concern if you are hurting hi--"

It was a mistake.

"Don't touch me!" Drawing both katana, Kyuuzou whipped around, the deadly blades flashing out towards Kambei's throat.

Instantly Heihachi's sword was drawn, and with a twist of his wrist Shichirouji released the metal blade from the end of his staff, turning it into a deadly naginata. A quick step forward and to one side, and the blade of the naginata was resting across the back of Kyuuzou's neck. Not as ideal as having it across the front, Shichirouji acknowledged to himself, but it would do the job.

Katsushiro, now fully dressed and hovering just on the other side of the screening, was horrified. He could tell by the sounds roughly what was happening, and he knew his lover's volatile nature well enough by now to know that touching him was the worst thing Kambei could have done. Half of him wanted to rush out there and protest their innocence, but he wasn't sure Kyuuzou would thank him for the interference.

Kambei back-pedalled instantly, drawing his katana, though he knew he'd never get them up in time. Kyuuzou froze instantly as Shichirouji's Naginata pressed against the back of his neck, rage flashing in his eyes. His swords were crossed, a few millimetres further and they would have sliced right through Kambei's neck.

The tableau froze for a timeless moment, and then Kyuuzou dropped his katana until the points rested on the ground. He held Kambei's gaze, the fury nearly a palpable thing, though his expression didn't shift.

Kambei, now safely out of range and katana in hand, glanced to Heihachi and then raised his sword. "Kyuuzou, I'm still willing to let you defend yourself against this charge. Tell me this was mutual between the two of you. Tell me that you didn't rape him."

Kyuuzou's eyes flashed, but he said nothing. How dare he...?

"WHAT?" Katsushiro couldn't help himself, the exclamation burst out of him before he could censor it. Wincing at his own idiocy in revealing himself, he nevertheless stepped out of hiding, figuring there was no point in trying to stay silent any longer.

He stared at the four of them, at Kambei in particular, completely floored. "Who's accusing him of that?" he demanded, brow furrowed angrily. "How dare they?"

Heihachi gave him a sympathetic look. He's got the poor kid worked over but good, the redhead thought to himself. He'd seen it before... how easy it was for an older, stronger man to take a boy's hero worship and twist it, and convince the boy it was what he'd wanted all along.

Kambei's eyes shifted to Katsushiro, and then back to Kyuuzou. "Is he saying the truth, or did you scare him into this, Kyuuzou?" he growled. "Answer me."

Kyuuzou glared at Kambei for another long moment. I will NOT stoop to defend myself against that ridiculous question, he thought. How dare he even ask me that. "If that is what you believe, I will not bother denying it," he said, allowing the katana to fall from his hands to clatter on the ground. "Do what you like," he said, his words a blatant challenge.

"Kyuuzou!" Katsushiro stared at his lover, horrified. The blonde might as well be 'admitting' to raping Katsushiro. Damn it, the man had the most annoying habit of being stubborn at exactly the wrong moments!

"Sensei, this is ridiculous," he pleaded with Kambei's sense of logic. "You know he'd never do something like that!"

"Katsushiro, I saw you," Heihachi informed him gravely. "If he wasn't forcing you, he was doing a damn good impression of it... you were choking and obviously not enjoying yourself."

"I... he... that is..." Katsushiro stammered, caught off guard by the knowledge that one of their companions had been watching them. And he didn't have to guess to know exactly what he'd seen, either. Nor did Katsushiro particularly want to explain why he'd been having such problems giving his lover oral pleasure, or why he'd been so insistent on doing it anyway.

Kyuuzou glanced at Katsushiro. Damnit. Even if he were of a mind to lower himself to pleading his innocence, there was no way to explain this without revealing Katsushiro's secret.

Kambei followed Kyuuzou's gaze, resisting the urge to strangle the man just to keep him from defiling Katsushiro even further. "Katsushiro," he said. "Come with me. You can tell me what happened." He glanced at Heihachi and Shichirouji, raising an eyebrow. "Make sure he's put somewhere safe, where he can't betray us." Inwardly he cursed the timing, and the necessity to waste manpower on something like this, when there could be an attack at any time.

With one last reluctant look in Kyuuzou's direction, Katsushiro begged him with his eyes. Please don't do anything to provoke them! he thought as hard as he could at his lover, willing the emotions to appear in such a way that Kyuuzou would understand them. I need you in one piece, damn it!

When he saw that at least the blonde had no immediate intentions of fighting his accusers, Katsushiro turned to follow Kambei. "Sensei..." he trailed off, not even sure where to start. How had they gotten into this mess, anyway?

"It's all right, Katsushiro," Kambei said softly. "I'm sure it's complicated. It's obvious to me that you're quite...devoted to him. Will you please explain the sequence of events, as you see them?"

Rubbing at his face with one hand, Katsushiro scowled. "Why?" he demanded in a rare show of disobedience to his 'sensei'. "If it were... Heihachi, or Shichirouji, they wouldn't have to explain themselves! Apparent popular opinion to the contrary, I am old enough to make this sort of decision by myself!"

Kambei gave Katsushiro a look. "The issue is not your age," he said firmly. "The issue is why him, why now, and why was he forcing you earlier today?"

Katsushiro tried not to grind his teeth, knowing that would be noted by the older man. If it were anyone but Kambei, he'd have told him to mind his own damn business... but as Katsushiro's 'sensei', it WAS actually his business. "He didn't force me," he said heatedly. "He's NEVER forced me, and he NEVER would! I was... I was scared," he admitted reluctantly. "And I guess Heihachi saw that, but the only one forcing me was ME."

"Why would you do it if you were scared?" Kambei asked, trying to keep his voice gentle when the boy's words were making him seethe.

Katsushiro gave him a look like it should have been obvious. "Because I wanted to stop being scared," he replied wearily. "Because I'm tired of him giving so much to me, and me not being able to give half of it back because all I can think of if I try is..." Realizing he was saying to much, he stumbled to a halt and this time he DID grind his teeth.

Kambei blinked, and focussed his gaze on Katsushiro. "All you can think of is what?" he asked sharply.

"I..." Katsushiro swallowed hard, and tried desperately to think of a way out of this. "It's... it's got nothing to do with Kyuuzou, all right?" he tried to sidestep the issue.

Kambei eyed him for a moment. Classic. He really is trying to protect him. He doesn't see how he only damns him by doing so. He must be so afraid. "Very well. I hope you change your mind, Katsushiro. You might want to rethink in whom you place your trust."

This much, at least, Katsushiro could answer with conviction and without hesitation. "I'd trust any of you with my life, Sensei," he said quietly. "But I trust Kyuuzou with far more than that."

Kambei gazed at him searchingly. COULD this be healthy? Is it possible that Kyuuzou loves the boy as much as Katsushiro thinks he loves him? He remembered the look of rage and violence in the blonde's eyes. If he was so angry, why didn't he deny it? Or was he angry simply because he was caught?

"Try to get some rest, Katsushiro," he said finally. "I'm sure Kirara would be glad to see you, as well." He reached out and laid a hand on Katsushiro's shoulder. "Please, if you can't talk to me, talk to someone," he pleaded quietly, then turned and headed down the path.

Frustrated, Katsushiro watched him go, hands clenched in fists at his sides. Why won't he believe me? he wondered. What am I saying wrong, or NOT saying right, that makes him think I'm just... what? Protecting my rapist? Why would I do that? If it were just a matter of me being scared, I would have gone to Kambei-dono!

Helplessly, he wondered what he should do now. His first thought, of course, was to go talk to Kyuuzou... but they'd undoubtedly be keeping them separate.

"All right," he muttered aloud, resolute. "I'll just have to convince him somehow."

|Part 1| |Part 2| |Part 3| |Part 4| |Part 5| |Part 6| |Part 7| |Part 8|

Return to Miscellaneous Page

Return to the Main Index

Email Miko no da
Email Chichiri no da