"Shin No Ippo 19" by Brandon ´Red´ Christ

Shin No Ippo XIX

            Jay kicked a clump of dirt over the red coals, stopping the fire. The rest had already gone inside, from sleepiness and full stomachs. Jay had eaten, but had declined on the liquor, as he always did. It seemed that Jay was against drinking, but he wasn’t. He simply decided not to, and as he picked up the bottles that had been left outside, he regarded them neither with scorn or envy. As he set them in a pile, next to the door, he glanced back at the fire. It was gone completely, and he nodded in satisfaction. He found a bench, and laid himself down in it, as the others had done. As he wiggled himself into a good position, he thought back on the day’s events. A small, confident grin cut across his face. I did it… I stopped Stefan. For the first time, I won. Marisa, Garcia, Hawking… don’t worry about me. I’ve got things covered.

.  .  .

            “Morning,” Owens opened the door, and stepped outside. There was a chill in the air, and it caught him off-guard, as he clearly noticed it.

            “I know,” Jay nodded, “Hard to believe fall’s coming, huh? And it’s barely through September, too.”

            “Silfortha usually does get fall and winter earlier, but still…” Owens shrugged, “Maybe it’s going to be a cold snap.”

            “I’ve been watching the clouds lately,” Rayne pointed to the sky, “They’ve all been heading southerly, so it’s likely a cold wind from the North is coming down. Don’t plan on fall yet.”

            “Nonetheless, October’s coming,” Zordos took out the map, “It would be best to take care of any points that are supposed to be in the north. So far, we have the one we’re heading to, and Mai’s suspicion, so those are the only two we have any evidence of. After those two, we’ll head south, and search there until spring.”

            “Well, it sounds like a plan; Gargas is barely tolerable during winter, and if we try during the summer, we’ll die in the heat,” Mai concluded.

            “Well, north it is,” Jay nodded, “Zordos, are there any roads on that map?”

            “There’s one here…” Zordos studied it, “It heads in the right direction. I’d say it’s our best bet, seeing as there aren’t too many roads on this map.”

            “Well, let’s get going,” Jay stood up, and pushed dirt over the fire pit. The rest stood up, stretched, and they continued on their mission.

.  .  .

            “Looks like a town,” Owens looked down the hill, and the rest caught up.

            “Looks like half a town, maybe,” Zordos replied. They had been on the road for two weeks, and so far, it had been smooth. The shamble of houses below them was dark, and uninviting. Several were completely caved in, and the rest were beginning to fall, most of them slanting or beginning to rot. At one point, it had been a beautiful place, one could tell, but everything had fallen into disrepair. When they appeared over the hill, the villagers scattered to the standing houses, and doors and shutters were drawn tight.

            “The hell is this?” Jay asked, squinting. He walked down the road, cautiously, and kept his hands away from his blade. He had seen people lock up their houses before, but not with the blatant fear and disturbing efficiency that he had just seen. He rose his hands up, and as the rest followed, they did as well. Something was horribly wrong, and they could sense it. The silence was deafening, and there wasn’t any sign of life in an already desolate place. When Jay moved closer to the village, he began to see the real extent of the damage; doors had holes in them, the windows were bare, save the shutters, which were made of wood from the fallen houses, there were cracks covering the homes, and even the road seemed to have taken a battering. Jay had never seen this kind of desolation before, and something in him shuddered and writhed, and he tightened at the sights. The worst sight he saw was a row of unfilled graves, with coffins next to them, prepared for the dead. When he saw this, he stopped, and his arms shook in rage. His breath shook, and the clouds of steam that poured from gritted teeth wrapped around him, swirling in the still air.

            “WHAT IS THIS!?” he yelled, turning to the houses, “What is this place!?” Jay turned, and looked back to the road. His friends backed away, not quite understanding his anger. After a few moments, a door slowly creaked open, and an old man walked out, his granddaughter trying to hold him back. He pushed her away with his cane, and slowly walked over to Jay. Jay walked towards him, as well, and the two stood, silently staring at each other. The old man’s squinted, hard eyes were met by a pair that were just as hard, and for what seemed like hours, they silently gazed towards each other.

            “Jay,” the old man broke the silence. He stood, motionless, and kept gazing upward.

            “Old man,” Jay replied. He continued to keep eye contact, and his only movement was his breath.

            “She’s gone, then,” the old man stated, more than asked.

            “I didn’t realize we were coming this way. If I knew, I would’ve gone around,” Jay closed his eyes, “I wish I could say otherwise.”

            “It’s alright; most never did expect her to come back. She was attached to you, despite your attempts to push her away,” the old man had the faintest hint of a smile, “You two were quite a pair.”

            “The bandits came back,” Jay glanced around the village.

            “With a vengeance,” the old man replied, “Let’s go inside. It’s too chilled outside to stand around.”

            “So, how many, old man?” Jay sat down, across the fire. His friends sat around the fire, as well, trying to be as unnoticeable as they could be.

            “If I were to guess… fifty, maybe,” the old man poked at the fire with his cane, and flicked it on the dirt floor when it caught fire.

            “Fifty… there were barely a dozen last time,” Jay watched the fire as attentively as the old man, and they never made eye contact.

            “The bandit groups merged into a whole clan when they heard that their comrades were killed. They’ve been tearing apart this village since. The young men were slaughtered, and the women were taken away. Only the old and the children were left, and only if we hid well enough. They come once a week for half of what we own. If we don’t pay…” He twitched his head to a fallen house outside, “They take everything from you.”

            “Those bastards…” Jay muttered, “Those dirty bastards.” Jay paused, and then asked, “When will they come?”

            “Jay, you know how strong these northern bandits are. A dozen was almost too much before, and they’ve only gotten stronger. Leave, and move on. Marisa would want that,” the old man finished.

            “I’ll wait for them, no matter what you say, old man,” Jay glared, “I remember, back those… what was it, three years ago? I remember how you people were, and it’s only gotten worse… and it’s because of my actions. This time, I won’t just hit the hive; I’ll burn the entire thing to ashes. I won’t let a single one escape from my reach.”

            “Jay… whatever happened over those three years, it made you twice the man you were then. I’ll leave it in your hands; we’ll let them take something, and you can follow them to their camp. Then, you’ll have them all in one place. Two days, after tonight. You’re welcome to sleep in my home, as well as your new comrades,” the old man turned, “I don’t believe I remember them.”

            “This is Owens, Zordos, Mai and Rayne,” Jay started, motioning to them in turn, “And this is Lyn.”

            “Lyn… you have that same blade as Jay,” the old man thought aloud, “You must be from Jay’s homeland. He said there were few survivors.”

            “There weren’t too many…” She looked down, “Both of us lost our fathers, but my mother managed to survive. She re-married, but she never seemed quite the same.”

            “May Hell itself swallow the people who would put such a burden on young children such as yourselves. Such things aren’t meant for people of your age,” the old man shook his head, and shakily stood up, “Come, I’ll show you to your rooms. Sleep is of the essence, if you do plan to fight.”

.  .  .

            “Jay?” Owens asked, staring at the ceiling. They had decided to sleep on their blankets, to provide some padding from the floor.

            “I know…” Jay muttered, “Yeah, she’s the same girl as before, that we were talking about.”

            “How’d you two meet, exactly?” Owens asked, trying to be quiet.

            “I was going through this way, about three years ago. I remember stumbling on this village, in the middle of a raid from those bandits. I managed to kill them, and the girl joined me. I guess she liked me or something. I couldn’t really tell you why,” Jay rolled onto his stomach, and folded his arms under his head.

            “Well, I’ll accept that,” Owens shrugged, “But you better explain it to Lyn. Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I’d think you’d better explain a previous woman in your life.”

            “Why do you think I need to explain it? We’re friends, she’ll understand,” Jay pulled the edges of the covers around himself, making a cocoon of fabric.

            “I’m just saying, put a little thought in it, is all,” Owens replied, “Women are women, like it or not. And based on my own experiences, you need to give out those little details like they’re the secrets to life.”

            “Well, I guess I’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Jay muttered, “Goodnight, Owens.”

            “Night, Jay,” Owens replied, and the two went to sleep.

.  .  .

            Jay opened his eyes, and glanced around. He sat up, and crept out of the room, trying to keep Owens from waking up.

            “Hhhaaaaahhhhh…” Owens rumbled, his snores shaking out of him. The low rumble wasn’t as loud as usual, and Jay decided to thank the cold air. He left the room, and saw Lyn and Rayne, already awake.

            “Did I sleep in?” Jay asked, settling on the floor.

            “No, you just managed to get used to that racket,” Rayne grimaced, “He sounds like an earthquake, and he flails around like a fish out of water.”

            “Well, he’s not as loud as he can be,” Jay shrugged, “On the water and when it’s cold, that noise seems to go down.”

            “It only goes down on the water because I plug his nose with wax,” Rayne muttered, and the other two laughed.

            “Really?” Jay asked, “Why didn’t you wake me? I would’ve loved to see that.”

            “Because, if you laughed, you would have woke him up,” Rayne shrugged, “It’s not hard to do, when you’re quiet. Besides, didn’t you notice him blowing his nose all morning long?”

            “That’s true, I just never suspected wax…” Lyn smiled, “Smart, though.”

            “Well, now we know,” Rayne smiled, and then grew serious, “But, now for the real talk. What are the plans?”

            “We’ll go by ear,” Jay carefully set another log on the fire, “If they’re anything like last time, then they’ll rely on chaos and discord. I doubt they’ve gotten any more organized over the years, but I don’t want to take that chance.”

            “Well, alright. What exactly happened last time?” Lyn asked, “So we’ll know.”

            “Huh…” Jay paused, “Well, they were strong as individuals, but they didn’t have much teamwork. They never needed any, because they never had any opposition, and they weren’t extremely skilled in combat because they didn’t get much practice. But if they learned anything from our last fight, they’ll be much better.”

            “Alright,” Rayne shrugged, “So what’s your connection here, anyway?”

            “Huh…” Jay shrugged, “I used to travel with a friend from here, who I met during a previous attack. She… passed a few years ago.”

            “Sorry,” Rayne stood up, “I’m going out, to get a look around here. A map of this area wouldn’t hurt.” She slipped out the door, and Jay turned to Lyn.

            “She was a good friend,” Jay smiled, “You two would have gotten along pretty well.”

            “Uh huh?” Lyn asked.

            “Yeah, she was kind of quiet, but once she opened up, she was nice. Probably the only reason I haven’t gotten myself killed yet. She was always keeping me in line, like an older sister or something.” Jay laughed, “I remember one time, I was going to jump into this pond, and she stopped me when she saw this snapping turtle in there.”

            “Hard to think of you getting hurt by an animal,” Lyn shrugged, smiling, “I guess she took care of you while we couldn’t.”

            “She really did help me out,” Jay nodded, and turned to the fire.

            “…” Lyn paused, “I don’t suppose you want to talk about it.”

            “… Not yet, at least,” Jay shook his head, “Not yet. It’s still something I’d rather not think about.”

            “Fair enough,” Lyn replied, “I’m always listening, if you need to talk.”

            “Thanks,” Jay nodded, “You’re a good person, Lyn,” Jay stood up, “I’m going out. Maybe I can help someone cut wood or something.”

            “Alright, be careful,” Lyn replied, and Jay was gone.

            “Huh…” Jay looked at the town, now in more acceptance of its appearance. His rage was still boiling, but he had much more restraint, and memories flashed across his mind of what used to be a decent little village. Now, what was standing was rotting, and what wasn’t rotting was going to be stolen. Jay wandered through the town, until he came to a small cottage, barely standing. One side had started to cave in, and the roof was sagging heavily. However, it was still in one piece for the most part, and despite the shingles and door being looted, it wasn’t in too bad shape. Jay stood at the doorway, and set his hand on the worn doorway, thinking. He walked inside apprehensively, his feet seeming to move on their own. He stopped in front of a small table, and picked up a small, glass vase, and was amazed to see it still there. A wilted flower sat within it, dry and dark from a lack of water.

            “What are you doing here?” A young man asked. He couldn’t have been much older than Jay, but a long pair of sideburns and hard eyes suggested otherwise.

            “I don’t know, and if I did, I’d tell you,” Jay set the vase back down.

            “Every week, I’d go into the woods, to find those flowers, so when Marisa would come back, she’d be greeted by at least something nice in her home. Every week, I’d wait for her to come home,” The young man’s fists shook, “First you took her away, and then you let her die. I don’t care what anyone says, you aren’t worth anything. Get out of here; you’re not welcome in this house.”

            “…” Jay’s silence was almost as piercing as his words, “She died in my arms. She bled to death, and there was nothing I could do but watch. Died in my god-damned arms, and all I could do was wait for her to go. I never loved her, but she was the only true friend I had, back then. Don’t you preach to me. Don’t you ever think that you can preach to me about pain. You may have loved her, but at least you didn’t have to watch.” Jay picked up the flower, “She needs a proper grave here, so let’s do it together, in her honor. I think she’d like that. A friend and a loved one… that’d be nice.”

            “…Only for her sake. I’m still going to make you suffer for what you did, someday,” He glared at Jay, and watched Jay reach into one of his pockets. He drew out his knife, and the boy recognized it immediately.

            “She wanted me to give this to you,” Jay put his knife in the young man’s hands, “I remember, she said ‘Take care of the flowers for me’ to you when we left. I guess you kept your promise.”

            “I… I gave this to her, when she left,” The young man’s eyes welled up, “God… I kept my promise, Marisa. I kept it and I’m going to keep it for the rest of my life.”

            “Can you use a weapon?” Jay asked, “Anything at all? I’m going to kill those bandits tomorrow; I think it’s only appropriate that you along fight with us.”

            “I can use a bow, but I’ve only hunted game before… a little deer and one time a small bear, but not much else…” The young man shook his head.

            “If you can sneak up on a deer, then you can sneak up on a person,” Jay flicked his sword open, and closed it, “Tomorrow, you, me and my friends will do this. Just us. That’ll be ample strength.”

            “ Alright…” He paused, “…What did she say? Her last words?”

            “She said…” Jay thought back, “To live a long, healthy life. To live in peace. I guess I haven’t done that yet, but… there are still lots of things that have to be settled.”

            “To live a long life in peace…” the young man gripped the knife tightly, “For Marisa, I’ll do it, but first, we finish this. I’m counting on you.”

            “So am I,” Jay extended his hand, and they shook.

.  .  .

            “Selena,” Joshiro walked towards the stable, where she was feeding her horse, “You know there are servants for that, don’t you?”

            “A horse obeys whoever feeds it and cares for it,” Selena turned around, “But that’s not why you’re here.”

            “Of course not,” Joshiro smiled, “Do I look like I ride a horse? I can’t stand the beasts, personally. They’re just too scared around me to be useful.” Joshiro glanced at the horse, and it made no movement, “Except for that one. I don’t’ know why, but it isn’t afraid of me.”

            “He’s from Gargas, near Arasha,” Selena replied, “They’re bred for speed and combat, so they never get scared, unless they can tell they’ll lose.”

            “Such a useful beast. Maybe I should get one, for fun. I know that it isn’t nimble enough to follow my technique, but still… it might be interesting enough,” Joshiro reached forward, and put his hand on the horse’s head. It shied away at first, but settled down quickly, after realizing he wasn’t in any state of danger.

            “Lord Joshiro… what’s going on? The invasion of Silfortha was a dangerous gamble, no matter what the prize,” She turned to him, “Was St. Alexander’s blade truly worth it? Or was there another reason?”

            “St. Alexander’s blade would have been a nice bonus, but it wasn’t the initial idea,” Joshiro smiled, “Stefan wanted to gauge Silfortha’s strength and response by attacking one of its lesser countries. True, it’s not like we attacked one of its influential countries, but nonetheless, we attacked their nation, and besides Roland’s troops, there was almost no retaliation. Stefan has plans, to possibly invade Silfortha, especially if their ‘parliament’ is such a slow-moving system. The rules and systems get in the way of the nation’s needs. We could take the capitol in six months, if we caught them off guard from the north. And even with all the land to cross, we’d still move much faster than their troops.”

            “Lord Joshiro…” Selena stared, “Invading Silfortha could result in the entire known world falling into chaos.”

            “My fair Selena, surely you don’t think Stefan doesn’t realize that?” Joshiro stepped closer, “Stefan’s hoping for a World War. Kitohasu not only has the strongest army in the world, but it has the greatest technological advancements. Within years of the war’s beginning, we could take over the entire civilized world, never mind what little of Gargas that’s worth anything.” He put his hands on her shoulders, “Selena, Great Knight of the Grand Generals, will you join Kitohasu in its new regime of power?”

            “What will King Marcus say?” She asked.

            “King Marcus is nothing. Our actions are beyond Kitohasu’s… figurehead,” Joshiro turned her to the castle, “They sent me out to tell you dinner was ready. I guess I told you more than that.”

.  .  .

            Jay woke up, and quietly shifted to his feet He rubbed his eyes, and spotted the sun, barely over the tree line. He took slow, short steps, and walked out of the house, leaning against the wall. He didn’t put his weight on it, for fear of breaking it, so he pulled a log over to lean on. He took his sword from his belt, and leaned on the hilt, thinking back. He set it on his lap, drawing and sheathing the blade. He stared at it blankly, and as he thought, his face became harder, sharper, and his brows slowly crept down his face. After a few minutes, he stood up, and slashed the log in half. He sheathed his sword, and turned to his friends, who were all equally serious.

            “I’m ready.”