Through the trees, Keiji followed at a ghost's distance a road that ran parallel to the forest and headed straight for Bandithaven. No doubt, Keiji decided, Kazuo's men themselves had created the road in the travels and probably somewhere along its length, a patrol rode its length. It was why he choose to stay within the forest. It had protected him all these years and he was at home, following the trails of the silent tracks and trail that only the trees themselves guarded and seemed to know of. This santuary of the world allowed him to think about what was coming next. He knew he couldn't ride straight through Kazuo's frontlines. At least a entire army of bandits lay between him and his goal and to ride straight end would be his end. He'd have to find a way into Bandithaven that would permit him to enter unnoticed. After that, he knew what to do and what happened after he defeated Kazuo mattered little to him.
A twig snapped sharpely in the forest and Keiji came to his full senses and his hand had just grasped the hilt of his katana when a arrows wicked tip suddenly found its sharp tip pointing at the weak link in his armor where it joined at the neck and helm. Silently cursing, he realized a little too late that he'd fallen into a trap. He permited himself the pleasure of glaring down at the archer. The man merely nuzzled the arrow closer so that it scraped the small space of exposed skin. Silently, Keiji made to unsheath his katana quickly and finish the archer off with a swift blow when Keiji became aware of a ring of archers who had wordlessly encircled him and he slumped, knowing no matter how quickly he drew the katana now, at least one arrow would find a target.
A shrowded rider emerged from the forest itself and rode up to the odd ring and Keiji and a soft chuckle escaped the boundaries of the hood that concealed its weariers face. "Well, well, who do we have here?" A old and oddly spoken voice demanded casually.
"Who are you?" Keiji returned, determined not to let this single rider gain the upper hand for his stupidity.
"I am the one asking the questions here, bandit, you will answere me or my men will prove how accurate their aim is." the rider replied angerly.
It was Keiji's turn to be angry as he spat back, "I am not a bandit! I am a samurai and as for who I am, I am Keiji, son of Maya and Masake! What relevance does who I am hold to you?"
"I do not believe you. Remove your helm, Keiji, and let me see your face." the rider replied, his voice strangely still.
Keiji made no move to remove the helm.
"I hold your life in the palm of my hand, boy. They will not fire unless I tell them to." the rider urged, his voice growing impatient.
This time, Keiji reached back and pulled the helm free. They sat regarding one another, Keiji blinking in the sun's weak rays and the rider regarding him silently across the ring of archers.
"Lower your bows," the rider commanded and at once the bows dropped, though the archers allowed their arrows to remain knocked and ready to be raised and fired within a moment's notice.
Then with a heavy grace Keiji had come to associate with the old and Juzo, the rider swung down from his saddle, strode through the circle of archers, and stopped by the head of Keiji's mount and there he pulled the hood aside.
"You are the very image of your grandfather, Kyoji, I hope you realize that." the rider said gently as greying blond bangs fell over his face and Keiji realized that he looked down upon a baisha, a foreigner.
"What would you know of my grandfather?" Keiji demanded, surprised by this development.
"A great deal actually, the man saved my life and your father, was almost a little brother to me. Long have I feared you dead! But I will explain later. Your father's men have been waiting for you." the rider replied, "Follow me."
A figure dropped from the trees into the stream before Risako as she reigned in her mount in surprise as as the figure stood up from the crouch he had assumed upon landing and found she was regarding Izo from across the stream's disturbed dephs.
"Izo?" She asked, her hand nervously reaching for the hilt of the twin katana, not certain of what Izo had meant by this sudden appearance and the fact that he was full armed meant something was amiss.
Instead, the old ninja smiled and replied, "I have choosen to follow the wishes of the daughter of the Makoto, to whatever ends you find me fit to meet. Unlike the others, I have not forgotten that Jotaro is nothing more than a regent till you could assume your father's place."
"Izo, go home. Where I ride, I am most certain I may never return. You have a family, grandchildren if I remember, all who will someday rise and become great ninjas for the Kinlan. I am exiled and the bonds that held you to my family and I are released. For the sake of my peace, Izo, go home." Risako sighed, knowing full well that the old ninja would indeed follow her into the heart of the coming battle. Yet his old age would work against him and beneath bandit fang's, he would perish with ease.
"Now really, Risako," a new voice added, a younger voice, but age still found its way in, "Izo is not the only one who remembers Makoto or you. When you left, I also declared myself exiled from Jotaro's Kinlan. I have nowhere to go and you, like it or not, are stuck with me."
Risako turned in the water to see that a group of twelve older Kinlan had slipped out of the forest besides the speaker, Kuma.
"This is ridiculous! Do you not understand, you will die and for what? A ghost line of the former Kinlan! Jotaro still preserves our ways and I am in disgrace, what good can you see in following me?" Risako cried in frustration.
How could they do this to her! She could ride off to this battle, where both the jaws of the Toscana and the bandits hinged wide open to suffacate her, knowing that what she was doing was for the hope of ending everything. Ending the reign of the bandits. Ending the chaos. Ending her own failures by making right of them.
"The answere is simple, Risako daughter of Makoto," Izo began, "We are the enemies of the Toscana. It is our sworn duty to see to it that their posion to this earth is removed. Jotaro has refused to do anyhing against them and that is not the way of the Kinlan. We are still Kinlan and with you, we see our chance to fullfill our duty. Did you not come back to find help against the Toscana? We hear your cry and answere, Risako! Will you not accept your fighting force?"
"Izo, please! I do not wish to see your blood or anyone present's blood shed for my failures! You are my oldest friends and you have known me since I was but a child in your arms. I don't wish to bury those same arms that held and protected me as a infant. Don't do this to me!" Risako answered, her heart defeated.
Yes in their eyes, she could see the soul of her people, but they all had been there for her in the hardest times of her life. She wasn't willing to throw them to death.
"Then you bury us by refusing Risako. My life has been dedicated to stopping the Toscana. Here is our chance and you send us away. Take your katana Risako, and strike me down if you are so determined to see us not follow you!" Izo answered as he lowered himself in the water's murky dephs and bared his throat to her.
She swung down from the saddle and walked up to Izo where he sat and knealt down beside him.
"I do not wish to see you dead, Izo. But if you are willing to go to this extreme, then come, all of you, but I pray to the halls of your ancestors that your lives are not claimed." Risako sighed.
"So, how do you know of my family?" Keiji asked as he and the rider rode side by side, the archers trailing behind.
"Once, I was what you are in a nation that feels almost as far away now as the moon does. I was a samurai of my people, I was I knight as they called me. I was thirsty for adventure and the title of knight could take you places no other title could take you, so I set out upon the sea, seeking adventure and glory that were destroyed the night my ship broke its back upon your shores during a heavy storm. I washed ashore more dead than alive and it was by the grace of some benevolent deity that it was your grandfather who found and nursed me back to health. His son, your father, was younger than I and despite the fact that in the beginning, neither of us could understand the other, we did somehow manage to forge a friendship. Between your father and grandfather, I slowly began to understand the world I had crashed into and allowed me to become apart of it. Your family has saved my life more than once, Keiji, and I am glad that I can finally see to it that you are returned to your rightful place. I give you the Ronin Army!" he replied as they entered a sheltered clearing in the forest and to Keiji's surprise, he found not a small group of resitance to Kazuo, but in fact a entire army settled within this single clearing.
"So, where were they the night my father died?" Keiji asked his voice oddly cold.
