{"sf1_id":13321,"sf2_id":"nGE06r5e","title":"Chapter Five: Complications","author":"The Roseblack Dragon","words":3603,"posted_at":"2006-09-12T20:52:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Feudal Japan","Fighting","Fox","Lizard","Plot Development"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/13321-chapter-five-complications","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/nGE06r5e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/f7/c7/f7c762fe-0b8d-4a78-ba91-39a8404671e7","description":"#6 of Tales of Ippon","content":"_The weakest link will always break..._  \n  \n  \n  \nRain came with the dawn, coating the smoldering remains of Eizu in a gray ashen  \nsludge. Nezujin Samurai in the black armor of Gasara skulked through the once-streets of  \nthe city's remains, shepherding muddy and injured women of young and middle-ages back  \nthrough the remains of the gate the Gasaran Army had stormed through.  \n  \nThe head of Yuiji Sokanomi glared in enraged shock at the scene, the samurai's body a  \ngood twelve feet away from the head. A black sandaled foot rolled the head back ad red  \neyes stared at the expression with a slight glimmer of mirth, wrapped in annoyance. \"Did  \nyou find them?\" He snarled, kicking the head away into a mud puddle.  \n  \n\"No sir. They... They escaped.\"  \n  \n\"Escaped? How?\"  \n  \nThe Samurai bowed and knelt in the mire of the city's ruined street, \"we think it was  \nsome sort of explosive sir. They blew out the East Gate and trampled the small guard we  \nhad stationed there.\"  \n  \n\"I have a report that Kajikuro was wounded,\" the Lead Samurai growled hoarsely, \"he  \nwill slow them down; Send out a pursuit group at once.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The ash-mud on the street squelched as a leather boot stopped next to the Lead  \nSamurai's sandal, \"Lord Gonji, may I suggest you let me handle them?\"  \n  \n\"And what do you think you could do better than we, Gul'brekh?\" The samurai snarled,  \nhating the foreigner.  \n  \n\"My Ahikis can track them down faster and muck more effectively than chasing them on  \nfoot or mount,\" the nobleman chortled.  \n  \n\"You and your beasts... Do as you will then... I shall inform Lord Gasara that you are  \nassuming responsibilities for them.\"  \n  \nGul'brekh was a tall foreign man, Feline in features, with tan fur and a firm build. He  \nturned and barked orders at the nezujin underlings behind him, and they scrambled back to  \na trio of large cages that contained a large snarling mass of fur and leathered hide.  \nCautiously they opened the locks and scrambled away as two of the beasts leapt from the  \ncages and ran out the East Gate before anyone could get a really good look at them. The  \nthird paused a moment after leaving the cage to lash out with a massive maw of dagger-like  \nteeth, biting one of the nezujin handlers in half at the waist and then swallowing the  \nthrashing upper torso whole.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Gul'brekh grinned and snarled something incoherent at the thing, and it dashed off after  \nits companions, chasing the refugees down.  \n  \n  \n  \n\"How is he?\" One of the maids asked, looking over the unconscious Aritseru.  \n  \nShuji sighed, \"He's in trouble. It's not surprising, but the blade he was cut with was  \npoisoned. Honestly, I'm impressed he's survived this long. Usually Gasaran poisons are  \nparticularly lethal. He's got a great willpower to stay alive.\"  \n  \nUsuyami mumbled tersely, \"He is simply too stubborn to die.\"  \n  \nAritseru coughed, \"Hardly, Shidomori-san...\" He smirked weakly, breath rasping, \"I  \ncannot die until I have fulfilled my goal.\"  \n  \nAoi looked over, \"His goal?\"  \n  \nUsuyami hissed and walked off to patrol the path they had traveled.  \n  \nSummer looked over to Aritseru and blinked, \"What goal?\"  \n  \nAritseru smiled more, hacking a little and grimacing at the pain in his side, \"I will see  \nher with my child... before I die...\" He gave a startled grunt as Aoi jumped up, 'accidentally'  \nkicking the Lord of Eizu in the head.  \n  \n\"Oops... I didn't mean to do that.\" She said apologetically, seeming completely sincere.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji laughed a little, \"Jealous, Yanagi-dono?\"  \n  \nAoi bit her lip and looked away.  \n  \nSummer looked confused and then heard a groan from Magura's cart.  \n  \nHer Foreign companion sat up wincing, and muttering weakly in English. Summer was  \non her feet, and in motion, as was Shuji and the others. Summer looked at him, conversing  \nin English with him for a moment, though only Magura was able to catch some of the  \nconversation.  \n  \n  \n  \nJames, the Foreign Kyujin, stared at the samurai surrounding him and reached at where he  \nhad kept his pistol, \"Christ! Summer, get behind me!\"  \n  \n\"You git! Calm down! They saved our lives,\" She glared angrily at him.  \n  \n\"But that one attacked us! They're savages!\"  \n  \nShe hissed, \"You're being an ass and making us look bad, now calm down before I have  \nthem knock you out again!\"  \n  \nJames took that moment to notice summer's clothing, \"Wh-what are you wearing?!\"  \n  \nShe smiled and nodded, \"When they took us in, The Lord Shuji bought me these so I  \nwould not stand out as much.  \n  \n\"Good god, put some real clothes on! It's indecent! I'll not have you-\" James was cut off  \nas a glimmering katana came to rest on his shoulder near his neck and a soft voice hissed in  \nIpponese in his ear...  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\"Tell him if he does not silence himself, I will do it for him,\" Usuyami sneered at the  \nrather loud Kyujin man, \"We're being followed, and he's attracting too much attention with all  \nthat shouting.\"  \n  \nSummer bowed and spoke softly to James, the tone of warning in her voice obvious.  \nThe Fox nodded weakly, cowed by the proximity of steel on his neck.  \n  \n\"Better, and if you can spare some time to teach him how to say some basics, that  \nwould serve him well,\" Usuyami looked at the prone Lord of Eizu. \"What happened to him?\"  \n  \n\"Yanagi-dono took offense to a comment of his and dealt with it accordingly,\" Shuji  \nsmirked.  \n  \nUsuyami looked to her friend, \"You kicked him in the head?\"  \n  \nAoi nodded shyly.  \n  \nUsuyami laughed, but kept herself quieted, \"I wonder how long you've been dreaming  \nof that moment.\"  \n  \nShuji joined the laughing for a moment and then nodded to Summer, \"Ask your friend if  \nhe thinks he can walk, and we'll get Kajikuro-san on the cart so we can make good time.\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"The Shijito border is just over the next ridge, maybe half a day.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji raised an eyebrow, \"You're not leading us to Tetsumo?\"  \n  \nShe shook her head, \"We are hunted... if I return to Tetsumo, they will lay siege to it.  \nAnd while I do not doubt my city's ability to hold them back, I would rather not risk my  \npeople at the moment.\"  \n  \n\"That is wise,\" Magura Kibotani smiled, \"you would make an excellent merchant,  \nShidomori-sama.\"  \n  \nUsuyami smirked, \"Part of being the lord of a smithing town is being a merchant,  \nKibotani-san. If I do not turn a profit from my steel, my people will go hungry.\"  \n  \nShuji nodded, one of the maids whispering to him, \"Kajikuro's on the cart... we should  \nleave.\"  \n  \n  \n  \nSummer had been trying to translate to James, and he gawked at her, \"Wait... we're  \nbeing chased, and they're planning on traveling at night? Are they insane? We'll be  \nambushed.\"  \n  \nSummer glared at him, \"Will you stop? You've never been in a real fight in your entire  \nlife...\"  \n  \n\"I won that fight with that Panther that time,\" James puffed out his sore chest.  \n  \nSummer hissed, \"You punched him in the back of the neck when he wasn't looking, and  \nthen ran away when he got back up.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji stepped over and smiled, \"Natsumi-chan, Ikimasho...\"  \n  \nSummer smiled back and bowed, \"Hai.\" She turned to James who was glaring at  \nShuji, \"Come on, we're leaving.\"  \n  \n\"I don't like how he smiles at you,\" James said.  \n  \nSummer sighed, \"Well tough, he smiles because he's polite.\"  \n  \n\"It's not right,\" James said, following with a cloud over him. \"It's not right for you to let  \nhim smile like that. You're my Wife...\"  \n  \nSummer rolled her eyes and continued walking, her mind going back to the morning  \nafter that night with Shuji.  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\"I don't understand what you mean,\" Shuji blinked.  \n  \nSummer looked down, \"James...\" she pointed to the room where James was still  \nunconscious, \"together, me.\"  \n  \nAll of a sudden Shuji's expression shifted to one of understanding, \"Oh... understand...\"  \nHe looked to be in serious thought.  \n  \nSummer shook her head and put her hand on Shuji's, looking at his eyes, \"No love...\"  \nshe nodded and pointed to where her husband was again, \"coward, fool... No love...\"  \n  \nShuji blinked, his confusion even greater now. Had she been forced to marry him? If he  \nwas a coward and a fool, then how could he have gained enough standing to have an  \narranged marriage? The Rokkotsu Lord's head swam, trying to work out the situation on his  \nown, and only adding to his confusion.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Summer saw him thinking and put her soft fingers on his cheeks, smiling, \"Shuji-sama...  \nLove.\" She looked down a little, blushing.  \n  \nShuji blinked, astounded. This woman was married to another, and she had feelings for  \nhim? Such things ended badly... and he knew that from experience... \"Understand...\" he  \nsmiled softly, putting his thoughts aside and running his fingers over her hair and ears,  \nadmiring the beauty in her uniqueness. No one in Ippon was like her, and as such, she was  \nstrangely beautiful to him.  \n  \n\"What think?\" she asked, leaning in and resting against his chest.  \n  \nShuji smiled, forgetting her lack of words and spoke softly, \"I'm thinking that you are  \nthe most beautiful creature I have had the honor to lay eyes on...\"  \n  \nSummer looked up and nuzzled him, \"Not understand.\"  \n  \n\"Someday you will...\" he smiled and met her nuzzle, giving her a soft kiss...  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\"Across this chasm is Shijito, and then about a Ri beyond is Hagoni,\" Usuyami  \nnodded, \"If we can get across the bridge and then drop it, we'll be safe.\"  \n  \n\"You propose to destroy the bridge?\" Shuji blinked, \"We used all the explosives in the  \nescape.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami nodded, \"Aoi can handle leveling the bridge.\"  \n  \nEveryone looked to Aoi, who blushed and nodded, \"I'll have Dozou ready...\"  \n  \nShuji nodded, remembering the Earth Fan, and smiled, \"All right then, let's cross the  \nBridge.\"  \n  \nNo sooner had he said this, than Usuyami whipped up her bow and shot an arrow right  \npast James' head, the bladed tip of the arrow nipping off a lock of his hair. He screamed and  \nfell over, but the arrow lodged in the black mass of hair that had been towering behind him.  \nHe rolled and crawled away, and the small band scrambled into motion as Usuyami sank two  \nmore arrows into the thing.  \n  \n\"What is that?!\" Magura wailed, taking off after his group.  \n  \nShuji swung his spear to the ready and snarled, \"I don't know, but it's not getting past  \nme! Shidomori! Lead them on!\"  \n  \nUsuyami did not argue, she knew better. She let three more arrows fly in rapid  \nsuccession at the massive thing, shouting at her people and the others to get them in  \nmotion. Each arrow sank in all the way to the fletching, and that worried her, but she kept  \nthe group moving.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji stared at the mass, and bristled, his scales clattering softly against themselves as  \nhe sized it up. \"And now the slowest dance begins...\" He mumbled to himself and the  \ncreature, not caring if it understood him or not.  \n  \nAs if on cue, the thing lurched forward, arrows jutting out of it as the black mass of hair  \nopened into a massive maw of uncountable teeth and the reek of a thousand rotting corpses.  \nShuji felt his stomach turn, but he used it to plant his feet and Lash out and upward with his  \nspear, stabbing through the upper portion of the mouth as it threatened to close around him.  \nThe creature slowed to a snarling halt, as the weight of it leaned on Shuji. He paused, the  \nbattle-haze clearing and making him blink. He was stuck. If he pulled the spear out, he  \nwould be crushed and minced under the weight of the thing, held captive in its dead maw.  \nBut He did not want to lose his spear. The spear had been a gift from his master, and it was  \nthe last Spear the great weaponsmith Yusuke Shajitaki had crafted.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Yarimoto-sama!\" Aoi yelled from the far side of the bridge, \"Please hurry!\"  \n  \nShuji hissed and pushed with all his might, heaving the creature up for a moment as he  \nlet the spear go and leapt aside, the beast crashing onto the bridge and snapping his spear  \nunder the weight. He shed a mental tear for the loss, and got to his feet, dashing for the far  \nside of the bridge as Aoi pulled the yellow fan from her sleeve. Shuji leapt and landed behind  \nher as she closed her eyes and gave the fan a slow, dance-like wave. Shuji felt the ground  \nshiver, and for a moment the native terror of earthquakes rose in him.  \n  \nAoi pushed her own fear down as she carefully controlled the fan, the chasm slowly  \nwidening as the bridge's supports lost their grip on the opening ravine, the whole bridge  \ntipping and falling down into the mists of the bottom of the ravine, the crash at the chasm  \nfloor taking a full twenty seconds to be heard.  \n  \n\"We made it,\" Shuji sighed.  \n  \nAoi nodded and smiled in relief as the tremors stopped once her fan was tucked  \naway, \"But, you lost your spear.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji shook his head, \"Spears and bridges can be replaced. Lives cannot.\"  \n  \nAoi nodded at the truth of that and sighed, \"We should hurry and catch up.\"  \n  \n\"Indeed...\"  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nGul'brekh clenched his fist and snarled at the small shambling mass of hair before him.  \n  \n\"So... They escaped your creatures?\" Gonji Rakamura smirked, reading the foreigner's  \nexpression.  \n  \n\"It seems they have some formidable prowess to their group,\" Gul'brekh sighed. But  \ninwardly, he smiled at the message the Watcher Ahiki had brought. There were two  \nEuropans with the group, a woman and a man, and the man was not happy traveling there.  \n  \n\"The Lord will not be pleased when he hears of your failure,\" Gonji crooned.  \n  \nGul'brekh smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets, \"I have not failed yet, Samurai.  \nThey are headed for the farming village of Hagoni.\"  \n  \n\"How do you know this?\" Gonji stared, stunned.  \n  \n\"I told you... my Ahikis are effective... even at gathering information,\" the feline smiled  \nvenomously, \"I will retrieve them, do not worry... and even if not, I will have something of  \nvalue to them... so they will come to us.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n  \n  \nShuji lay on the futon, sighing. His spear was lost, and the woman he had feelings for  \ncould not stay with him while they stayed at Hagoni. She was down the hall of the inn in the  \nroom with her husband. In the back of his mind, he wondered what kind of conversation they  \nwere having...  \n  \n  \n  \n\"You WHAT?!\" James stared, shocked.  \n  \nSummer looked away, \"I'm not going back to Europa.\"  \n  \nJames blinked, \"What craziness are you talking about, you can't stay here! You saw  \nwhat's going on.\"  \n  \nShe huffed, \"I don't care. I like it here.\"  \n  \nJames was stunned, \"You LIKE having your life threatened?\"  \n  \n\"It's better than having to be around your arrogant arse!\" she snarled.  \n  \nJames backed up, shocked, \"What the hell does that mean?\"  \n  \nSummer took a breath and stared him down, \"It means I can't remember why I  \nmarried you in the first place. It means I don't love you at all anymore, and it means that  \nI'm disappointed that that Rat-samurai didn't manage to cut you in half!\" she stood and  \nstormed out of the room.  \n  \nJames got to his feet and broke the sliding door off its rail, causing several inn-workers  \nto scramble over and yell at him for breaking it, \"Summer! Come back here!\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \nShuji lifted his head at the commotion and saw someone stalk past his room and  \noutside. He stood slowly and adjusted his yukata, stepping out into the garden and seeing  \nSummer standing near the fountain, crying. He hurried over and stopped a few feet away,  \nleaning forward to look at her and raising an eyeridge, \"Natsumi-chan?\"  \n  \nSummer perked up and looked over with sad eyes, blinking, \"Sh-shuji-sama?\"  \n  \nHe nodded and smiled, walking closer, \"a fight?\"  \n  \nShe nodded and sniffled, \"I want stay...\"  \n  \nHe smiled and nodded, \"Understand... always welcome to stay.\"  \n  \nShe smiled a little and leaned against him.  \n  \nJames' voice snapped the two of them to attention as the fox-foreigner stood at the  \ngarden, glaring at Shuji.  \n  \n\"James, don't,\" Summer said pleadingly.  \n  \n\"Be silent, woman!\" James snarled, his pistol held tightly in his hand.  \n  \nShuji eyed the thing and knew it was a weapon, like the 'cannon' he had read about on  \nforeign ships, but made to be used by a man. He nodded and stared back at James,  \nspeaking softly to Summer, \"Ask him if he knows what he does...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Summer inhaled sharply, seeing the stares and biting her lip, \"James... he wants me to  \nask if you know what you're doing...\"  \n  \nJames glared more, \"Of course I know! He's stained my honor and you've thrown yours  \naway! I'm going to kill him!\"  \n  \nSummer gasped and looked to Shuji, \"He... he say kill you...\"  \n  \nShuji smirked and held his arms out, in a gesture to show he was weaponless. Summer  \nsaw it and looked to James, \"You'd shoot an unarmed man?\"  \n  \nJames bristled and spat, \"Fine. Let him arm himself.\" He stepped aside form the door  \nand looked away impatiently.  \n  \nShuji smiled more and walked into his room calmly, picking up his Katana and stepping  \nback toward the garden. Usuyami and Aoi had heard the ruckus and came to see as well.  \n  \n\"Yarimoto-sama, what is he doing?\" Usuyami blinked at the foreign fox.  \n  \nShuji sighed, \"He is Natsumi's husband, it seems, and his honor has been insulted  \nbecause she does not love him... But she cares for me.\"  \n  \nUsuyami blinked, stunned, \"Oh dear...\"  \n  \nShuji nodded and bowed to James, \"Whenever you are ready...\" He turned a bit and  \nspread his feet, tail adjusting for balance as he held the scabbard for his blade in one hand,  \nand the grip in the other, ready to draw the blade.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Aoi blinked, whispering to Usuyami, \"Did you know he practiced Iaido?\"  \n  \nUsuyami shook her head and watched the duel... it would be over in an instant.  \n  \nJames stared and raised the pistol, taking careful aim. Summer wrung her hands and  \nwatched, fear in her eyes.  \n  \nShuji kept his eyes glued on his opponent, and his smirk never left his face. James saw  \nthe smirk and growled, his anger getting the better of him as he fired. With an ear-splitting  \ncrack that made Aoi and Summer duck, the gun went off, but Shuji was already in motion,  \nhaving closed half the distance between them with the bullet skipping off a shoulder scale  \nalmost harmlessly. James backed up a step and fired again, the gun holding six rounds. The  \nsecond shot was barely evaded again, Shuji's cheek getting grazed as he was still closing,  \nmoving with unmatched reptilian speed. James fired again, this time landing a hit as the  \nbullet tore through Shuji's upper left arm, but it was too late for a fourth shot.  \n  \nShuji grunted as he struck out, not even noticing he'd been hit as he pushed the arm  \nholding the gun away, his sword coming out of the scabbard silently as he knocked James off  \nbalance and brought the sword down, stopping just before the edge made contact with  \nJames' right eye and cheek. Shuji stared and breathed heavily, barely restraining himself.  \nSummer looked up and blinked.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Natsumi,\" Shuji spoke shortly and stiffly, \"Tell him I stopped because you would be  \nupset by his death.\"  \n  \nSummer took a moment to find the words and looked at James, \"He stopped because  \nhe thinks that you dying would make me sad.\"  \n  \nShuji heard the English and did not wait for a response, \"Tell him that if he attacks me  \nonce more, I will end his life.\"  \n  \nSummer blinked and translated as fast as she could, \"And if you want to die, you can  \nattack him again.\"  \n  \nJames held as still as he could, knowing that if he moved, the blade would split his  \ncheek. Shuji nodded and pulled the katana back, slipping it back into the scabbard slowly  \nand turning away.  \n  \nJames took his first breath in almost a minute and shook his head, snarling and raising  \nthe pistol again, \"ARGH! DIE!\" He pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't go off.  \n  \nShuji sheathed the sword again and stared over his shoulder, \"You were warned...\" He  \ngrimaced as his left shoulder ached.  \n  \nJames felt the gun slip from his grip as his fingers fell off, cut cleanly on the first  \nknuckle, leaving him with four bleeding stumps. He yelped in pain and dropped to his knees  \nas Shuji turned and assumed his ready stance again, eyes locked on James' neck as he took  \naim.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Summer stared, shocked by the ferocity of Shuji's action. James looked up, terror in his  \neyes as the sword came out. But the stroke never landed on his neck, as four pairs of  \ntaloned hands, gripped the prostrate fox, and lifted him into the sky.  \n  \n\"What in?!\" Usuyami hissed as the giant black creature spread its bat-like wings and few  \noff, carrying the fox into the night.  \n  \nShuji blinked and sheathed his blade, \"I've never seen anything like that...\" He shook  \nhis head and wavered, the pain in his shoulder starting to affect him.  \n  \n\"Shuji-sama!\" Summer darted over and hugged him, almost knocking the light-headed  \nsamurai on his rear.  \n  \n\"Whoa... Calm down... I'm not dead...\" He winced at his shoulder and blinked, \"I just  \nneed to sit down...\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"Aoi, get Yuri... have her bring her kit.\"  \n  \n\"Yes.\" Aoi hurried off.  \n  \nShuji sighed, holding summer softly with his right arm, \"I think things are getting  \nworse...\"  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Tales of Ippon","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/13306-chapter-four-revelation.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/17115-chapter-six-loss.json"}}