{"sf1_id":106411,"sf2_id":"rn6jRE0n","title":"Chapter Fourteen: Redirection","author":"The Roseblack Dragon","words":3111,"posted_at":"2009-10-24T18:11:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Feudal Japan","Lizard","Plot Development","Rat","Violence (Not In Yiff)","Vixen"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/106411-chapter-fourteen-redirection","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn6jRE0n","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/ae/78/ae789ace-7a36-42da-b656-71eb6d9d51cc","description":"#15 of Tales of Ippon","content":"  \n_Change cannot be stopped, one must accept it, or suffer._   \n  \n===============================================  \n  \n\"Where are they going? The rest of the force is moving west,\" Aoi hissed softly,  \nlooking to Usuyami. The pair had heard the band of Gasaran samurai clattering along behind  \nthem before they were spotted, so they had time to find a spot to hide. With a bit of work,  \nthey got into a nearby tree overlooking the road. \"This road leads to Kifu, and then  \nTetsumo... do you think they're attacking there?\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"It's likely. We have enough people at home to defend for  \nmonths; they may be setting a siege.\"  \n  \nAoi frowned and looked to the tall trail of smoke that was the trademark of  \nTetsumo. The smoke from the forge could be seen for several Ri in every direction, and they  \nwere at least a half-day's march from getting there. She looked to Usuyami and  \nnodded, \"there's not too many of them, maybe we coul- AGH!\" Aoi's eyes went wide as the  \narrow that sprouted from her right knee made her topple out of the tree slowly.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami hissed as the string of her bow give its telltale snap, and one of the  \nGasaran archers died. She caught the Falling Aoi and drew her sword, staring down the  \ntwelve remaining Rats with a wild fury in her eyes. She set the injured Aoi down gently as the  \nRats moved around her, \"don't move, I'll deal with them.\" Aoi nodded, gritting her teeth  \nthrough the pain.  \n  \n\"Surrender, woman, and we'll spare your life long enough to enjoy us!\" the largest  \none snarled. He died a moment later as a throwing knife sprouted from his left eye.  \n  \nUsuyami's tail swung back behind her and she crouched low, \"Worry about your  \nown souls, if you have them, wastelings! You won't survive now even if you BEG!\" She  \ncharged the bunch, the lot of them startled by the ferocity that she tore into them with. First  \nto fall was the poor spearman right in front of her. Her blade swatted the spearhead away and  \nthen rode down the side of the haft, biting in at one point and splitting the wood of it. Without  \nhalting the followed through and snapped the sword around, taking his hands off at the wrists  \nand then his head. By the time he hit the ground the others were in motion. Her tail caught  \nthe one to her right as she continued her leftward spin, the knife held in the tip sticking in his  \nchest as she engaged the other. Two rings of steel on steel and his sword arm went flying,  \nremoved at the shoulder. A hard kick sent him falling backward into the next three, who  \nscattered to avoid being knocked over.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; An arrow zipped past her cheek and she rammed her sword through the middle of  \nthe rightmost of the three she now faced. With a grunt she pulled his stabbed bulk between  \nher and the archer that was behind them as he fired again, the arrow sticking into the back of  \nthe stabbed rat, killing him as well.  \n  \n\"Stop gawking and Kill her!\" one of them shouted as he pushed past the other  \nthree behind her and grabbed her lashing tail. Giving a yank he was more than astonished  \nwhen the rest of her followed at a much faster rate than he pulled. She twisted in midair  \ncatching his neck with her foot and pushing him to the ground. Her sword came around and  \nsplit the snout of the one to her right as her foot crushed the loud one's neck. Another snap  \nof her tail parried a stab from one of the others, while another fired arrow lodged in the base  \nof her fifth limb. She hissed but didn't stop. Switching hands she picked up one of the crude,  \nhard iron blades of the felled ones and shoved up into the crotch of the foremost Gasaran,  \nwho had decided to leap at her in an attempt to take her head off. Her left wrist flicked and  \nshe blindly parried the strike from the spearman to her left. Tuning quickly she gripped her  \nsword properly again and lunged, the arrow meant for her head streaking through her hair as  \nshe cut the spearman from collar to hip, turning to face the remaining three.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The archer took aim as she parried and dispatched one of the other two with a  \nclawed strike to his neck, tearing the front of his throat out. He screeched a curse as he fired  \nand then watched in horror as she caught the arrow in her offhand and crushed the other  \nswordsman's head in half with an overhand strike that cut cleanly through his lesser blade.  \nBefore he could nock another arrow she had her bow unslung and drawn, his own arrow on  \nthe string and aimed right at him. \"W-we were just following orders!\"  \n  \n\"Then you were ordered to die,\" she snarled and loosed the crude shaft into the  \nlast foe's head. Quickly she turned to Aoi who was struggling to sit up against the Tree. \"Aoi-  \nchan! Don't move,\" she slid into the dirt and quickly pulled out her knife, hacking the long end  \nof the arrow off and opening the hole in the fabric around it further.  \n  \n\"I... I'm all right, Usu-chi... I just... I should have been a better help.\" Aoi reached  \na bit and smiled sadly.  \n  \n\"Don't you dare,\" Usuyami scoffed at her, taking her hand as she eyed the shot.  \nBefore she did anything else, she tore a strip off her clothes and tied it tight around Aoi's leg,  \nabove the wound, in case the thing was poisoned. \"It's going to hurt,\" she nodded to her  \nfriend and love.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Aoi's ears were flat and she grimaced, \"It already hurts!\" She yelped as Usuyami  \nused a stick to twist the tourniquet tighter.  \n  \n\"We'll have the surgeons look at it when we get back,\" Usuyami nodded, \"don't try  \nto stand on it.\"  \n  \nAoi laughed through her pain a bit, \"I wouldn't, even if you hadn't dolt me not to.\"  \n  \n\"Serves the bitch right,\" the Gasaran who'd lost his arm snickered as he sat  \nup, \"Y-you're all going to die, and there's nothing you can do about it.\"  \n  \nUsuyami narrowed her eyes as she set Aoi's hand in her lap and stood, stalking  \nover to the Rat and snatching the front of his clothing up, dragging him to his feet. \"Perhaps.  \nBut you won't be around to see it, vermin.\"  \n  \nHe spat at her, \"do your worst, woman. You're still dead.\"  \n  \nShe bared sharp teeth and hissed, \"Not yet. And you can't imagine my worst.\"  \nShe threw him to the ground and pulled off the top of one of his accomplices wrapping it  \naround him and cinching it up tightly.  \n  \nAoi leaned up a bit, \"Usu-chi?! What are you doing?\"  \n  \nHe groaned and blinked, \"y-you're saving me?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"You won't die here, that much is certain,\" her reply was Icy as she went back to  \nAoi. Once she supported her, Aoi limping along on her good leg; Usuyami reached over,  \ngrabbing the Gasaran and dragging him through the dirt as they continued on to Tetsumo.  \n\n* * *\n  \n\"HALT!\" the Guard shouted from the lookout, \"Who goes there?\" Four archers  \naimed at the outsider standing at the gates of Tetsumo.  \n  \nShifting Aoi's weight on her shoulder a bit, she looked up, \"Gonji, Let me in. I've  \ngot a prisoner.\"  \n  \n\"Sh-Shidomori-sama?!\" he gasped, \"Open the gates! Do it now, you lot!\" within  \nmoments the large gate was swinging inward, pulled by twenty men as Usuyami dragged the  \nrat through the opening. In a moment, four armed guards had the rat on his feet, but she  \nstopped them, \"Don't kill him! Take him to the Cells, I'll be there later.\"  \n  \nThe guards nodded, Eager to slay the rat, but knowing better than to anger the  \nLady of Tetsumo. The guard captain stepped up, \"Shidomori-sama, someone arrived after  \nyou left that you must see to. We are all puzzled by her.\" He waved over some others, who  \nbrought a litter to carry the injured Aoi on.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami either ignored him, or was too focused on Aoi to respond, she gave her  \nfriend's hand a squeeze as Aoi smiled bravely, \"I'll deal with thing and come see you when  \nthey're done.\"  \n  \nAoi nodded and gave Usuyami's sleeve a tug. As Usuyami leaned in, Aoi lifted  \nher head and pressed her lips to her love's. The guards that were there blinked and gawked a  \nbit, some blushed. Usuyami blushed as well and tapped Aoi's nose when they broke the  \nkiss.  \n  \nGonji coughed a bit, and Usuyami nodded to him, \"I'll see to her after I see the  \nprisoner.\" He bowed in response as the Lady of Tetsumo walked through her city to the  \nprison. Soft cheers from the people sounded at her return, and her worry was buoyed by the  \nswell of pride she felt for her town.  \n\n* * *\n  \n\"it's about time,\" the Gasaran hissed venomously, \"I was waiting for someone to  \ntake care of my request and go get me a whore.\"  \n  \nUsuyami didn't reply, or even seem to bristle at the comment; she simply  \nunlocked his cell and stepped in, grabbing him by the severed shoulder and shoving him out.  \nHer vicious grip and handling make him wince and grit. She pushed and dragged him out of  \nthe prison, leading him to the forge. The assembled townsfolk all glared at him and he simply  \nsmirked. Usuyami gave him a shove, hissing sternly at him as she pushed him through the  \nmassive door that they brought the carts in through. He looked to her as he stumbled  \nalong, \"What? Hot irons? If you're going to torture me, you'll have to do worse than that...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Who said anything about torture?\" she shrugged, roughly slamming him against  \none of the thick pillars and tossing a length of rope around him and the pillar several times,  \nbinding his arm behind him.  \n  \nAt the possible mirth in her tone, the rat flattened his ears and regarded her  \ndifferently. He'd heard that tone before, from some of the Gasaran leaders before slaughtering  \nsomeone in their army. He knew firsthand that his leaders used fear and anger to keep the  \ntroops in line. He watched as she walked to a weapons rack and picked up a spear. He  \nmustered himself and scoffed, \"Hah, not even going to give me an honorable death?\"  \n  \nShe turned back, spear in hand as her eyes narrowed down and her opaline  \nscales seemed to almost darken for a moment, \"what makes you think that you deserve  \none?\"  \n  \nThe Rat's eyes went wide in fury, \"I am still samurai!\"  \n  \n\"Are you?\" she stepped closer, \"then what gives you and all the other Gasaran's  \nthe right to decide that everyone else should die?\"  \n  \n\"She same thing that gives all of you the right to treat us like trash!\" he spat, \"My  \nfamily was of the Akanti clan! When my father saved the head retainer's life, that same  \nretainer twisted the facts to make it so â€\"he- save my father! They branded my father a liar  \nand a coward, and he was cast out! Even now, all of you! You look at me like I'm some sort  \nof diseased creature, not worthy to shine your geta!\" he silenced himself as the spear hit  \nhome in the wood of the pillar right next to his ear.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami was glaring at him, \"They look at you as an enemy, because you have  \nattacked our home for years. You and your clans have killed brothers, sons, sisters,  \ndaughters... your companions injured my friend, my love. Yet when we send messengers  \nand emissaries to discuss things â€\"peacefully-, your leaders send their head back in buckets  \nof excrement.\" She glared and pulled the spear free, \"We treat you as you claim, because  \nthere is no civility, no remorse, and no consideration given by you. I have quite a few Nezujin  \nin my city, all of them weep as the town goes out of their way to see that they are not  \nmistreated, or downtrodden. They are fine citizens, and hard workers, and I am proud to say  \nthey are of Tetsumo.\"  \n  \nThe rat did not speak. His jaw clenched as he mulled over what she had said. He  \nlooked to her as she straightened.  \n  \n\"And now, your Clans have gathered to march on Ippon and destroy everyone...  \nwhy?\"  \n  \nHe bit his lip, knowing she was asking him for information as an enemy, knowing  \nwhat the leaders would do to him if they found out he had told her. He hung his head, \"I don't  \nknow why. The lords command and we follow. Those who question or rebel are slaughtered,  \nor worse.\" He looked off, ashamed.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; She nodded, \"I believe you.\" She sighed, \"What is your name.\"  \n  \n\"Seski,\" he muttered.  \n  \nShe took a slow breath, \"I will unbind you. And I will give you a choice.\" He looked  \nto her, astounded. \"Once you are unbound, you can walk out of this city, unmolested, no one  \nwill stop you. Or, you can swear yourself to this city and her safety, answering to my mercy  \nand judgment should you betray our trust.\"  \n  \nKomori Seski blinked in awe. She had not even scratched him, but he had  \nanswered all she asked honestly. He had only told two truths in his entire life, first when he  \nadmitted to stealing his father's sword to fight a rival when he was a boy; and the second  \nwhen he admitted to mating the retainer's wife under threat of death. As he went over his life  \nin his head, he noticed her untying him, and when the ropes hit the floor, his knees did as  \nwell.  \n  \n\"Lady of Tetsumo,\" he trembled, bracing himself with his one arm as he blinked  \ntears from his amazed eyes, \"I... I have never known one such as you.\" He swallowed,  \nunable to understand where his tears came from, or why. \"You spared me among my fellows.  \nWhy, I cannot imagine. But you have shown what a waste my life has been. Please accept  \nmy apologies for my actions. I... I don't know what's come over me. But I swear that I will  \nserve Tetsumo all the remainder of my days.\" He looked up timidly, expecting the spear, or a  \nlash, but he jumped as her hand touched his injured shoulder softly.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Thank you Seski-dono, I accept your apology and your fealty. You are welcome  \nhere.\" She smiled softly at him and nodded, \"come with me, we'll have the surgeons tend  \nyour shoulder.\"  \n  \n\"Yes, my lady.\" He bowed and stood, surprised that she helped him as well. He  \nfelt light, as if his body weighed nothing. A great darkness had been lifted from his back, and  \nhe straightened, his ears and the corners of his mouth pulling back into a giddy smile as he  \nwalked behind the Lady of Tetsumo, proud to follow her, even into the maw of Gasara himself.  \n\n* * *\n  \nAoi blinked at the Rat as he knelt before her. \"Please accept my apologies for  \nattacking you, my lady. I was following orders that I now fully regret.\"  \n  \nAoi looked to Usuyami who simply smiled broadly and nodded. She blinked and  \nrubbed her ear a bit, \"Ah... I accept your apology. You are...?\"  \n  \n\"Komori Seski, Miss.\" He spoke proudly, though he kept his head low.  \n  \nUsuyami patted his good shoulder, \"Thank you Seski, head around the corner,  \nYuutsui will see to your shoulder.\"  \n  \n\"Yes ma'am.\" He nodded and stepped swiftly.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Aoi boggled and shook her head, \"I know there's a story to that, but you can tell  \nme later.\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded and smiled, \"how are you feeling?\"  \n  \n\"My knee hurts,\" Aoi nodded, and then her face darkened a bit, \"they say that I'll  \nnever be able to walk on it again.\"  \n  \nUsuyami's heart dropped. She gave a saddened whine, \"Aoi-chan...\"  \n  \nAoi bit back tears and nodded, \"I will still be here, always for you. But... I can't go  \nwith you anymore.\" She gave a little groan as the two embraced, Usuyami clinging to her  \ntightly. \"We had... so many adventures...\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"We'll have plenty more...\"  \n  \n\"You're a horrible liar,\" Aoi leaned into her and sighed. She pushed Usuyami back  \nto look at her, \"Promise me... you'll be safe? Don't be so reckless?\"  \n  \nUsuyami gave a soft little laugh and nodded, kissing her love, \"I promise I will try.\"  \n  \n\"Good,\" Aoi nodded, \"because I'm sending someone with you in my place.\"  \n  \n\"What?\" Usuyami blinked. And turned to where Aoi looked.  \n  \nStanding in the door was one of Aoi's maids; the most noted one, in fact.  \nUsuyami had met her several times, and they'd had some conversation before. The cobalt-  \nfurred Kyujin maid bowed and smiled, \"It will be an honor to be of use to you, Shidomori-  \nsama.\" She smiled brightly, Aqua eyes shimmering.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami blinked, \"Kanohime?\"  \n  \nThe blue vixen nodded happily and stepped over, carrying a basket of items, \"Yes  \nma'am.\"  \n  \nAoi giggled a bit, \"Tsukino has my instructions to keep you safe and keep you  \nhappy.\"  \n  \nUsuyami blushed and glared at Aoi a bit, \"you don't mean... ‘Happy'... like...\"  \n  \n\"That is exactly what I mean,\" Aoi nodded.  \n  \nTsukino lowered her ears, \"Am I not acceptable to you, Shidomori-sama?\"  \n  \nUsuyami gasped, \"Ah! No! I... mean... you are! I just...\" she turned to Aoi and  \nhissed, \"This isn't just some wandering trip to visit another clan, you know!\"  \n  \n\"She knows,\" Aoi nodded, patting Usuyami's shoulder. \"She's an accomplished  \nfighter, and I've personally seen to it that she can handle almost any sort of trouble you can  \nget into.\"  \n  \nUsuyami growled a bit.  \n  \n\"As for the other part, I was going to explain that after you left to see the visitor we  \nhave,\" Aoi nodded.  \n  \n\"Visitor?\"  \n  \nTsukino nodded, \"Yes Ma'am She arrived a while ago, and they put her in the  \nguest room of your home. She is... Odd.\"  \n  \n\"What do you mean ‘Odd'?\" Usuyami tilted her head.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"You should see for yourself, my lady, it is really impossible to describe, I'm  \nsorry.\" The blue vixen bowed in apology.  \n  \n\"All right,\" Usuyami hissed a bit, \"But I'm going to have a long talk with you later  \non,\" she glared at Aoi a bit and pointed at her.  \n  \nAoi smiled and nodded, \"I understand, don't keep our guest waiting.\"  \n  \nUsuyami pointed at her more and wrinkled her lips, \"Mmm... you...\" she sighed  \nand shook her head, walking out and up the hill to her house...  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Tales of Ippon","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/92604-chapter-thirteen-discovery.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/109195-chapter-fifteen-additions.json"}}