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DAME DAME DAME.Chapter 3by The Fox LadyDAME DAME DAME ne ONNA wa mouSonna OTOKO ja kanji nai Itsu datte KURAKURA toki sou na hodo OTOKO ni natte choudai No, no, no, Women never feel enough from a man like you Be a man who can always calm a woman Dame! by Izumi Yo. The Aoiya was almost empty at eleven. But in a corner, a tall, handsome man with the looks of a warrior sipped sake, one eye covered with a parch with a tsuba. In the other corner, a fine lady and a young, ponytailed boy with a chinese outfit sat at her side finished their meal. And finally, a tall, finely built boy with a katana ate lonely a pot of natto. "Hey, girl." the eyepatched man hissed in a drunken voice. The lady kept eating, but the boy in her side shot a warning glare. "... you, cutie." grinned the tall man again. "Kuro, Shiro, seems it can be trouble." Omasu called to the boys in the kitchen, who looked worriedly to the man. He looked to have gone through at least two wars. "Shit." Kuro cursed. The man was almost as big as him, and had a odachi carelessly in the seat. "Should I call Aoshi-sama?" "He is gone to visit a friend. Seems we have to care ourselves. Where’s Misao?" A cry made them look horrified how the eye-patched swordsman had caught the lady in his arms and was clacking madly. The navy-blue young man had gone into the fight and other customers too. Suddenly they saw Misao jump, leap and direct a kick to the swordsman’s skull. The swordsman caught her foot and slammed her against a wall. "That girl is not worth a bag of wet mice like ninja." hissed Kiri to Yuri, who gave her a 'You’re so mean' stare before to hurry after her to jump into the Aoiya’s garden. sukuri in ni shizumu yuuhi sayonara to te wo furutta kimi wa anmonaito no sasayaki ni biru no sukima ni kiete yuku (As the sun set on the screen, you waved goodbye Like the whisper of an ammonite vanishing into a crevice in a building) "I’m happy you had come." Mariko said quietly as she put her teacup in the table. They both was enjoying after a dinner full of memories and calm laugh a cup of warm cha, as Omi and Kiku slept peacefully upstairs, in Mariko’s tiny Western house. "Has been a long time since our last peaceful chat." Aoshi nodded, his trenchcoat in a chair, dressed with his favorite dark blue outfit. He always relaxed with Mari: she has been a constant in his life for more than ten years. "I hadn’t been there since the birth of the babies." he agreed. "I’m happy to see them well. But, Mari..." Mariko stared at him, and Aoshi lowered his gaze. "Nothing, gomen ne." "Daijobu, tell me, please?" "You look worried." "It’s nothing, really! What were you going to say?" Aoshi took a sip. The place was so comfortable, so silent and fresh, smelling to lavender, as usually Mariko smells. The whole place was a part of her. But just of her... "Mari, you never feel alone?" Mariko looked to the ice blue eyes with a sigh. "I have my babies, and the Kagetai is a family for me. And you?" "You aren’t answering." "And you, Aoshi-kun?" Aoshi sighed. "Yes." he emptied his cup. "Everyday." "I thought you had your hands full with the young Misao." Mariko smiled, teasing him. Aoshi just gave her The Look and shrugged. "You and the kit helped me to change her diapers." "I don’t understand how can you feel alone with Okina and her. She lives worried for you." "Hai, I understand what you mean. But Mari, don’t you remember how happy we was in the Aoiya when younger..?" "Hai." Mariko lowered her head, suddenly her cheeks aflame, remembering something happened years ago... (RE MEMBER) moeru kusa no nioi (SIXTEEN) hajimete no kisu futari de kiita kaminari no youna kodou ((REMEMBER) the aroma of blooming herbs (SIXTEEN) our first kiss We listened to the beat of the thunder "You and Takashi had moved on. But I still live there, seeing the ghosts of my friends everyday..." Aoshi sighed. He looked so tired, and sad, that Mariko’s hands covered his. In that moment, an electric shock. The both had known that from their attraction from the days they were kids. But now, no gaijin, no war, and no Okashira duties are stopping them. Aoshi tilted his head and kissed her with force over the table, his hand gripping hers. When he parted, his eyes was burning pools of blue, so alike hers. "Aoshi..." she gasped. "I’ve thought you preferred Takashi in those years, do you know?" "Baka..." "And then you married that gaijin… I’ve would killed him..." "I loved him, but... I... I’ve loved him to forget you..." was the trembling whisper. Mariko threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. When Aoshi lifted her in his arms, she didn’t fight: she just cuddled closer to his heated body, her head resting in his shoulder. Aoshi felt something in the back of his mind, his sharp sixth sense trying to yell, but he yelled back to him to shut the hell up. He had dreamed this so much time. Nothing is going to stop him this time, no Okina surprising their first kiss behind a door, no Takashi looking at him with knowing eyes, no gaijin standing next to her. Just her... Mariko... "Aoshi..." mada nakushita wake ja nai n da ze hitamukina ano ai wo ochi konda toki wa kokoro no naka de itsumo omou REMEMBER 16 (I still don't know the reason we lost that all-consuming love The sad time deep within my heart, I'll always remember--REMEMBER 16 Kiri cursed as she ravaged a dorm. They had searched the Aoiya from ceiling to basement and nothing. Not a single incriminatory thing, fingernails mark in a shoji. Kiri felt her stomach twist as she touched the futon where the supposed Okashira slept. Just a drop of poison from her pocket. Just a drop and the bastard will be way down in hell... where he must be... "Ki-chan." Yuri was at the door, her shadow indistinct, her eyes the one shine in her black form. "Nothing." "Nothing." confirmed an enraged Kiri. "The bastard is hiding all too well!" she hissed. "So, we’ll go." "No! I’ll find it, even if I have to search alone!" "Kiri, listen to me!" "No! The hell I’ll let him get clean from this one!" "Kiri!" growled Yuri. "I’m at charge of this mission, and it’s ended! We’ll go back NOW!" "No! You’re covering that bastard just to don’t upset the guy who saved your life, neeh?!" she spat. Yuri frowned, and her eyes grew cold, like the ice over a winter’s black lagoon. "Kiri." she whispered. "It’s the LAST time I suggest to you to be careful with your words." "Psst, Yuri, Kiri!" came Yuu’s voice from the garden. "Time’s up! Hurry! Kazuo and the girls < giggle> can’t go on brawling too much more!" "We’re going." Yuri grabbed Kiri’s arm, who just stared at her, without moving. "I’ve never had believed such a thing from you." Takashi’s voice was hard, dense. Mariko looked at him, startled, blushing furiously from her leaning in Aoshi’s shoulder, the both sprawled over her bed. "Takashi..?" Aoshi’s voice was tense, hearing the undertones in the kit’s. "Dress yourself and follow me. I can’t lie to you. My first loyalty is for my brother, then to the Kagetai." he sighed, his eyes in cold resolution. "The Kagetai accused you of slave trading and they’re invading the Aoiya. Move." "Takashi! You’re betraying..." started Mariko, but Takashi’s eyes turned to her. "Please, Mariko." Aoshi was ready, his face pale and grim. When he put his trenchcoat on, Mariko tugged his sleeve. "Wait! You’re innocent, so explain all to them!" she yelled. "Aoshi, you just have to explain and they will believe you!" "You hold me here to let them in." was Aoshi’s cold reply, bangs hiding his eyes. "No! Believe me! How can you think that from..." Aoshi looked to Mariko to the eyes, his eyes frozen, emotionless. "I’m a slave trader. But is no way in hell your group is going to violate my home without a payback in blood." Mariko stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide. Then, she saw her two childhood friends disappear in the night, like two ghosts... no: a kitsune and a cat. She collapsed, sobbing for a second. But then she raises... ...combed her hair into a ponytail... ...dressed her gray hakama and the violet gi... ...grabbed her katana... ...and followed them into the darkness... First of all, before all, I’m KAGETAI. Aku. Soku Zan. The train from Kyushu arrived at eleven, and between the steam Soushi jumped to the ground with his long travel haori flowing. He was ready to go into a run to home, when between the crowd, he saw too familiar eyes staring at him. "Kuroyuki." he mouthed. The man advanced to him. But when he reached him, the tall, slender warrior put a hand over his half-drawn sword. "No time for this. The Aoiya is under ravaging." he whispered into his ear. When Aoshi stopped in the door of the garden, Takashi standing close at him, his face goes pale. Pale of fury. The night in the Aoiya’ shadowed garden was full of violence, shouts, and silver arches of death under the moon. Shiro was sprawled in the door, Yuu just sheathing his sword. Okon was over Yuri, the two kunoichis fighting hard, and Kuro fights against Kazuo, his heavy form hovering over the odachi-wielding warrior. Omasu is pinned to the wall under Ayumi, who retain her with just one arm. Misao, with a lump in her head, was fighting Kiri, who with a vicious, expert roll, send her to the floor and kicked her senseless, before to grab her tanto... "Kiri-san, yamerou!" cried Takashi. Too late. Aoshi lunged. When Kiri and Aoshi rolled in the floor like rabid cats, Takashi felt a tug. He looked to Yuri, who had sneaked to his side, face pale and tense: "We didn’t get out in time... stop him! We must go! Kiri found... proofs!" she said, a long cut from Okon’s hand in her arm bleeding, as the Oniwabanshuu older ninja was prone against the wall. "No." Takashi said, very low. "Nan...da?" Yuri looked at him, eyes wide. "Takashi-sama, you... can’t..." "This is between them." he said coldly, suddenly staring at her with his gray eyes steeled. "Don’t try to go between them, Yuri-san." "I will not let him harm Kiri!" Yuri snapped, her hand in her tanto. "If you don’t stop this, I’ll do!" The kitsune walked slowly, and his back to the fight between Kiri and Aoshi, where the both panted, staring one to each other, looked at Yuri with a calm, cold gaze. "Over me." Yuriko, her slender black form elastic against the shadows, looked at him with unbelieving eyes. Then she tightens her grip in her tanto, and giving a soft initial step, jumped over Takashi. "IKUUUZEEE!!!!" Yuu cursed. This is a major mess. Even if Kiri was right about her “proofs”, if the cops come, who surely will be in the goverment + Onis side, they would be in deep trouble. They had to get the hell out of there! "Kazuo!" he called. "Ayumi, we must go!" "I’m enjoying this way too much." Kazuo knocked Kuro out, and then, stared to Kiri’s fight, as she and Aoshi used flawless kempo in a blur "Get lost, cat-boy." "Damn it, someone stop them!" Ayumi growled, seeing how a deep spin kick made Kiri hit the wall hard. "Yuri, kit!!" Yuu’s jaw hung low when he saw Yuri charging over Takashi. She done an arch, and when Takashi dodged her, she let her hands hit the floor and gave him a sudden kick in the jaw. "Yuri?! TAKASHI?" Takashi stumbled backwards, and then, he took his sheathed sword in the left hand. When Yuri jumped again with a complete wheel, he let himself fall to the ground a leg extended, and then lifted an arm straight, the sword against his shoulder, making her connect hard with the saya against her stomach. She coughed. "TAKASHI, WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!" shrieked Kazuo. He ran to the battle, and suddenly, he was stopped for a shadow in front of him. Just reflexes trained in the Bakumatsu let him unsheathe at time and collide. A tall man, with a wavy ponytail, crossed in his path, and supported the odachi with a long katana, his face dark and menacing. "Get out of here. Now." he ordered, hissing over the crossed swords. "Kuroyuki. S*** never sink." Kazuo growled, looking to the eyes to Soushi’s old foe. Yuu looked the scene with disbelief. Not only a man appeared from nowhere is counterattacking Kazuo * against Kazuo, I mean, against the possible best sword of the group!* as Kiri and Aoshi tried to snatch each other’s guts out. And Takashi and Yuri were fighting... very seriously. Yuri had gave two hard kicks in Takashi’s body, but Takashi has hit her... has hit her with enough force to make her fall. Where is the kitsune who would rather die to kill an ant if it’s female?! They’re trying to kill each other! WHY? "Yuri..!" he cried, trying to run to stop that violent fight. But a shadow jumped from the garden’s wall at his feet, and he saw two very known eyes look at him. "What is happening here?!" asked Soushi, his face unreadable, serious, dark. Yuu blinked to the boy. He looked so different! "Soushi?" "Hai, Yuu-kun." Soushi’s voice softened, but when he looked to Takashi hit Yuri hard with his saya across the back his eyes widens. "What is happening here?!" "We have to go!" Yuu took his arms, his face pale. "We have to stop Kiri and them both! I don’t know what happens, but we can’t keep fighting there, this is going too far!" Ayumi cries suddenly, making them turn, looking her face grim, her katana stained with blood. She and the now-standing Shiro was in a middle of a hard fight, and Ayumi... ...Ayumi was laughing, her sword bloody, as she does battoujutsu over the fast ninja... "Soushi?!" asked Yuu, when he saw Soushi tense, quiet in his side. He seemed deep concentrated, his face shadowed. And then... ...He flew in Shuku-chi. "Kitsune!" he yelled as he run. Takashi’s eyes found his, and for a second, Yuu saw something there. The kitsune prepared the Yoko Nagi when Soushi and Yuri charged together over him. ...The sound of breaking bones... When the blur of two Shuku Chi – No: Rei Chi- vanishes, Soushi stopped some steps to the left: his metal saya in hand, his face shadowed, and Yuri tenderly let Takashi fell to the floor from her arms, leaving him resting, face up, the hair pooled under him. Unconscious. "Takashi!" Aoshi called. Kiri was bathed in blood, hers and Aoshi’s. The both had hurt each other roughly with kodachis, and some lack of equilibrium made them guess Kiri had poisoned her blades again. The both panted heavily. "Kiri, YAMEROU!" cried Soushi as the both charged for one last time. Kiri lifted a hand and cloud of smoke hide them. They saw Kiri’s frame using her trick to break her taller opponent’s legs, and then, a twist... Aoshi flying in the air, falling in his back, but Kiri being caught... And the sickening, thick noise of spilling blood... "KIRI NOOO!!" Yuri screamed, as Yuu run to the fight. Aoshi lifted a hand... And from his hand hung Kiri, his grasp in her throat going harder and harder... In a horrible moment, Soushi knew he would hear how Kiri’s neck break in pieces. He braced himself for a launch, a desperate attempt, and a futile one. "Let her go, Aoshi. You will not die for vengeance. You will die for justice." "Mariko-chan..?" Yuu’s hoarse voice comes from a tight throat. When Aoshi turned, he let Kiri fell, as a dark mask seems to fall over his face. Yuriko run and lifted Kiri in her arms, as Soushi and Yuu hovered close. When she saw Kiri’s lips stained with blood, she gave a sob. "Kiri, no" she pleaded, shaking the slender girl who she had seen with teary, blind, desperate eyes crying against her breast just some hours ago. A girl so full of life and energy... so dutiful and so hurt... "Mariko..?" asked Kazuo, from his fight with Kuroyuki, who make him pay expensive his distraction. Aoshi’s eyes were different. Soushi, who gone with Ginny to see Soujiroo in the Kuni-Tori days recognized his stare: not only cold, and emotionless; but also haunted. Something broken in the exquisite porcelain doll Aoshi’s was: something amiss in this lean, pale death he used to be. Something had snapped. Something was very wrong... "Mariko-san, no!" yelled when he saw Mariko, simply walking straight at the encounter of the Pale Death, who waited, with mad eyes. "Aku. Soku. Zan." said Mariko simply, before to unsheathe and charge over Aoshi. Even Kuroyoki and Kazuo’s fight stopped when Mariko charged. Her sword was a blur, the long katana in her hand being held for delicate, but strong hands. The sword made a spark, and then collided with two crossed kodachis that, with incredible speed appeared from nowhere and stopped the fine blade. The both jumped backwards, and then, Mariko grabbed her sword with both hands and used a version of battoujutsu enough heavy to make Aoshi jump backwards. The Okashira fell over his feet, and jumped back to her, his slow, curved movements of ninja against the strong, cold strokes of Mariko, her samurai heritage marking every one of her blows. They never took their eyes apart one from the other’s, and they panted as blood rained in the air: drops of blood of Mariko’s waist, where the kodachis bite her: blood of Aoshi, where Mariko’s katana slashed his back. The both fought with total calm, as the air turns gray, in the pale, disastrous time before dawn, when all turns foggy and dirty... "Kiri!" Yuri, who cradled Kiri in her arms, looked to Yuu in desperation. "She needs help! She isn’t breathing!" Yuu was shaking: everything looks like a nightmare. He howled for Ayumi’s help, but she was totally snapped, fighting teeth and nails with the Onis. Takashi, in the floor was pale like rice paper, his right arm gone to purple where the gi let it be seen, his face stained with blood. And Kazuo was back to his duel with Kuroyoki, his attention divided between his and Mariko’s fight, and paying for it... the white clothes, now stained with blood... "NOO!!" He cried, seeing Mariko cough blood after a kick in the gut from the flawless kempo from Aoshi. "Mariko, ONEGAI!!!" he begged. Trembling, not knowing what to say, he looked at Soushi in search for help. Soushi began breathing hard looking back and forth to the people fighting each other. Kazuo and Kuroyuki going at each other like rabid wolves. Misao on the ground spattered with blood, not knowing whether she was dead or not. His eyes widened as he shouted out for Mariko to stop. Mariko and Aoshi were going to kill each other! "Mariko! YAMEROU!" he screamed out desperately, not wanting to see his friend or the Okashira die. The noise and fighting began to overwhelm Soushi. He looked to his metal saya and the to his unconscious friend. The hit broke Takashi's bones... Ayumi was covered in Oniwabanshu blood. Kuroyuki was fighting to defend the people that spurned him. His Kagetai family is trying to kill his old family. Yuushirou, no, Meiki is looking at him with concern etched on her face. Too much going on, friend against friend! Oh god he hurt Takashi! Kagetai against kagetai, his friends against his other friends, everyone’s hurt! Must help, can't help! Can't choose a side, THEY'RE KILLING EACH OTHER! MY GOD WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?!? "IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Soushi screamed out as he held his head with pain. Shaking his head violently, tears coming from his eyes, he dropped his sword. Breathing raggedly, he glared about at everyone, his silver bloodshot eyes streaming tears. With a flicker he disappeared, striking down everyone holding a drawn weapon his saya. Throwing his saya to the ground, he looked to Yuushirou who remained untouched, with only a shred of sanity left in his eyes. "Tasukete!" he whispered to Yuushirou hoarsely, before he flickered out of sight with Shukuchi. "Soushi! MATTE!!" Yuu shrieked, as he vanished. He felt clearly as the hysteria started to send bilious to his stomach. What was he supposed to do? What he can do? He can’t understand what is going on! Why Kiri acted like a mad girl? Why Mariko fights with that detached dead expression? Why Takashi attacked Yuri? "Yuu!" cried Yuri, shaking Kiri in her arms, her face streaked with tears. "Kiri!! NOO!! KIRI!!" "Don’t shake her, she can have a broken neck!" was the calm order. Yuu lifted his gaze and the vision of Shinobu kneeling close to them made his heart sigh in relief. Shinobu will know what to do. She always knew. "Takashi-san!" shrieked Mitsuki’s voice suddenly, running after Shinobu. She kneeled close to Takashi, eyes wide, and the kitsune sat weakly, his face a mask of strain. "Takashi-san, who hurt you?" Mitsuki growled. "Daijoubu, Mitsuki-chan." Takashi breathes, and then, a bit shakily, he rose to his feet, Mitsuki in his side. His eyes scanned the whole place, a cold mask over his gentle features. Then, his eyes fixed in Yuri, who was still sat with tears in her cheeks, stained with Kiri’s blood, as Shinobu took the unconscious girl in her soft arms. "Onegai, Takashi, yamette." Yuri whispered. But Takashi turned, and then, walked again to Aoshi’ side. "Matte!" growled Yuri. "Aren’t you going to help us?! Kiri is hurt! And what... are you going to..." Yuri stopped herself when she saw Takashi unsheathe Meiuhime and look at Mariko with silver colored eyes, as Aoshi fell into his back, avoiding being slashed for Mariko’s long katana, but nor for the kempo fist that crossed his face. "MATTE!" Yuri, still bruised for the Yoko Nagi jumped to her feet, and unsheathing her tanto gone after Takashi. "You are not thinking! I’ll stop you, even if I have to hurt you again!" Takashi turned to confront her, his eyes cold, and for a second Yuri felt a tingle of fear. Not for the fear of what he can do to her, even with a broken arm: the Hana Midare Izuna was a killing technique, and she had seen it enough close for know what Takashi was able to do: but wasn’t that what made the fear grips her heart. Were his eyes. Eyes as dead and cold as Aoshi’s... Closing her eyes, and muttering a curse under her breath, she prepared, and lunged to attack with her tanto in hand, ready to break his spine if was necessary: because the Takashi she know would die before to hurt Mariko, or even her. And he will commit seppuku when he awakes from this madness if she let him go on. I’ll fight you, because I debt it to you. You saved me from horror a long time ago. Now is time to give your favor back... CLAAANG. Yuri’s tanto was held for a yari. She blinked. Looking up at her, teeth clenched for the effort, Mitsuki stopped her strike with both hands, the yari trembling under Yuri’s strength. "Yuri-san!" Mitsuki opened wide eyes, looking at her with her full of innocence, luminous blue eyes. "What are you doing? You can’t attack Kitsune-san!!" "Mitsuki, get out of my way!" Yuri’s voice was rougher that she wanted: the hysteria and the pain was catching at her. "Trust in me, and get away!" "No! Gomen ne, I can’t let you hurt Takashi!" Mitsuki raised her two little yaris, her soft hands grabbing them with decision. "I trust in his choices, and gomen ne, but I’ll defend him!" Her claim, as her back pressed against Takashi’s, made him to look at her with surprise and something akin at his old light in his eyes. "Mitsuki-chan..." he muttered, his sword still in his hand. She smiled at him, and nodded. "Do anything that you have to do, Takashi-san! I’ll cover your back, don’t worry!" she says eagerly. "I trust in you! I’ll be always protecting you!" she added, looking as fiery as she could. Yuri shook her head, feeling tears in her eyes. "Mitsuki, please! Stop this, we have to stop him, he is not…!!" Too late. Mitsuki had charged over her, and Yuri had to defend herself. With a last desperate look, Yuriko saw Takashi go into the Aoshi and Mariko’s fight sword in the Shinten Hiku guard. She cried his name, but was late: and then Mitsuki was in everywhere at once, blocking her way… Mariko lifted her sword over Aoshi, and he kicked it out of her reach letting himself to lean in his hands and lifting a leg straight like a beeline… Then was blood, as Takashi slashed Mariko in the back and Aoshi in the front. "Nooo!!" cried Yuu, who in shock was leaning in a wall. Even Ayumi’s glazed eyes got life again. And Yuri cried too. The one in not to cry was Mitsuki, who stayed cold, her eyes full of faith in the kitsune. When Mariko fell into Aoshi’s arms, he slowly knelt, and hugged her battered body against him. When Yuri finally reaches him and Takashi, she saw his shoulders shaking... "Oh Kamisama, Kiku, Omi..." Yuu sobbed at her side. And Yuri don’t knowing it was for the pain of her bruises, for the devastated look in Takashi’s eyes, the hysteria in Yuu’s, the disappearing of Soushi, the faithful eyes of Mitsuki or Kiri’s and Mariko’s still bodies, she covered her eyes with her hands and cried too... |