The Hinomoto Rebellion (43 page)

It didn’t take long for the pain in Andrea’s head to get so bad that she actually attempted to scream. It came out as a low, muffled strangling noise that was barely audible over the sound of fists hitting flesh.

Andrea’s cry of pain was more than Kunota could bear. “
STOP!
Stop it!” he screamed with a sob, putting his hands up to his face. Foxfire immediately turned to look over his shoulder, relief across his tear stained face, “I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t hurt anyone anymore.. Please...”

Through the pain that was making her ears ring, Andrea heard Kunota’s words. Her eyes fluttered open, causing blood to run into the right one and make it burn.
No... You have to stand up to him. You have to make it possible... Don’t give in. Have a spine, dammit!

“Very good,” purred Yasakuto, “I knew you would see things my way. Foxfire,” he looked down at the two
ronin
on the floor, “Get Andrea up.”

With tears still pouring down his cheeks, Foxfire grabbed the side of the chair that Andrea was lashed to and pulled it back upright. Her head was hanging limply, her bangs in her face and her shoulders slumped as blood trickled down onto the floor. Dull pain coursed through her whole body.
He broke his promise,
she thought.

“Well then, with that out of the way, you really should get ready for the conference, my dear Shogun. Aki, stay with our
guest
, would you? The rest of us will go with Shogun Kunota.”

Below the streets and on the rooftops,
Kemono
waited for their opportunity to strike. In the throng of people waiting to see the press conference, four Aka Ryuu mingled with what could have been countless
ronin
or regular citizens of Hinomoto while reporters recorded every detail of the scene in anticipation of the Shogun’s big announcement.

And inside the building that all of them were gathered around, a broken Andrea “The Tiger” was still tied to her chair, though her wounds had stopped bleeding. Aki was sitting on the Shogun’s desk behind her and would make a comment every once in awhile that Andrea ignored. She had managed to brush back most of the pain that she was in, though the ropes were still cutting into her skin and making her wrists and ankles raw. She was silently hoping that the Shogun had been lying when he’d conceded to Yasakuto’s threats.
Maybe he was just saying that to save me. That has to be it. He’s still going to reveal Yasakuto, I know it. He has to... He has to, for Hinomoto.

On the steps of the Capitol, technicians had completed setting up and testing the microphone system for the conference. The podium was in place, the crowd of people behind the seats of reporters had grown to be so large that the street could no longer contain it. People were now standing in the spaces between buildings across the road. Concern among police security had grown so much that they’d actually put up guards and barricades between the reporters’ seats. They pushed the rest of the crowd back a few feet just so that the journalists wouldn’t get crushed by the push of people trying to see the Shogun and hear the voting results.

There was excitement in the air as the crowd milled and chatted behind the line of policemen. Children were hoisted onto their parent’s shoulders so they could see over the audience. And looming behind the capitol building the clock tower’s hands moved closer and closer to twelve o’clock as gray clouds gathered on the horizon.

As though on cue, the clock tower in the distance chimed. The crowd of citizens fell silent and stared at the podium in anticipation. The journalists poised their styluses over the touch-sensitive screens of their digital notepads, ready to jot down every detail of the conference for their articles later. Several of them had digital voice recorders ready to capture every nuance of the Shogun’s speech as well as the reporter’s personal notes. The anticipation in the air was thick.

Inside the building Shogun Kunota stood behind a line of Daimyo who had come to see the conference as well. Standing directly next to him was Yasakuto, and behind the two of them were the three men that had been with Yasakuto in the Shogun’s office. Kunota found that he was extremely glad he’d left Shinsetsu the note that morning to tell her not to come to the press conference. He was relieved that his wife had listened to him for a change.

The doors in front of the gathering of Daimyo began to swing open, and Yasakuto squeezed the Shogun’s arm. “Just remember, do what you’re told,” he hissed, a malicious grin across his face.

Kunota gulped nervously, his throat suddenly dry. His tongue felt like it was made out of leather as the doors opened and the congregation of Daimyo headed out into the daylight. After a moment’s hesitation, he started walking forward with Yasakuto keeping step beside him. Bear, Foxfire, and Ryoku held back, ready to be on call if they were needed. Foxfire was staring at the floor more than anything else, almost seeming to be in his own world.

Outside, cameras whirred and thousands of eyes eagerly watched as a grouping came out of the front doors and stood to either side on the porch. A few moments after they exited, Shogun Kunota came out of the doors with Daimyo Yasakuto walking beside him. While the rest of the crowd let out a cheer, the Aka Ryuu in the crowd gasped. Instantly, they all thought the worst for their plan. Any attack without the Shogun revealing Yasakuto’s corruption could be seen as a random terrorist attack by the
ronin
. They needed Shogun Kunota to come forward before they could do anything.

Okay, this could mean nothing. Maybe they just walked out together. That has to be it. We’ll still have our chance,
Kanjou thought, his eyes narrowing.

Daimyo Yasakuto stopped just outside the door while Kunota walked toward the podium. He had his eyes down for a second or two before he looked up at the crowd and into the television cameras. Purely out of habit he put a smile across his face for the people. He paused for a moment, waiting for the crowd to quiet down. On top of the podium was a sealed envelope with the voting results inside of it. He popped the seal while waiting and pulled the paper far enough out of the envelope that he could see the results printed on it. His eyes quickly skimmed over the printed page, then he sighed as he pushed the paper back down into the envelope.

“Good morning, everyone. I would first like to personally thank the Daimyo, the members of the press, and, of course, the citizens of Hinomoto for coming today,” Shogun Kunota forced a smile across his face as he spoke, “In just a moment I am going to announce the results of the referendum vote that happened this past weekend. But, before I do that, I would just like to say that, no matter what the results are, we must always remember where we have come from. This country has survived for thousands of years. We have come through wars, nuclear bombings, and even the cataclysm that destroyed technology and killed millions. Our past may not be malleable, but it is the best thing we have to study and make decisions for the future.”

Kunota paused for a moment, looking down at the envelope he was fidgeting with. His thoughts were racing a mile a minute and he felt like he was about to throw up. He choked back his feelings and forced another smile across his face. “And now, the moment I know everyone’s waiting for. The results of the voting are as follows.”

The huge crowd was utterly silent except for the gentle whirring of the television cameras that were digitally capturing every moment of the conference. The anticipation of the mass of citizens was almost as clear as a smell of cooking from a restaurant or the feel of an electric storm in the air before it starts. The clock tower in the distance only counted off a few seconds before the Shogun spoke again, but to most it felt like an eternity had passed.

Just do what you’re told,
he thought before he continued speaking. Yasakuto and Shinrai’s words were battling in his head for supremacy. “And you, the people of Hinomoto, have decided...” He opened the envelope and looked down at the paper again. Across the top of the page were the words “Should the ban on the study and practice of martial arts be lifted?” Directly underneath it was “78% YES, 22% NO” Kunota blinked once and then continued. “That the ban on the study and use of Martial Arts...” he paused again, aware that the crowd was watching his every move. His tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth and his throat felt like he’d just eaten half of a desert.

“The ban on martial arts will stay in effect, with seventy-eight percent against and twenty-two percent in favor,” Kunota let the lie spill out of his mouth, unable to keep the mental image of thousands of dead people littering the streets of every city in Hinomoto out of his head. Yasakuto’s cruelty had overcome Shinrai’s friendship and support. His shoulders slumped as there was a general gasp from the gathered crowd behind the journalists’ seats. “Thank you all for coming,” the Shogun said as he started to turn away from the podium. He paused though for a second, his thoughts racing again between Shinrai and Yasakuto.

Andrea entered into the battle between his conflicting thoughts, shoving Shinrai and Yasakuto aside. He remembered her wonder at seeing the little red-leafed tree in his office.

“I got that on my first diplomatic assignment. Two countries had been at war for over two-hundred years, and finally they wanted to set up talks for peace. I was sent to mediate the treaty. I was terrified at the time, since I’d never done it before. I didn’t want to botch the discussions and send these two countries back into war, but I did the best I could. When the talks were done, and both sides had terms that were agreeable, they presented me with that tree as a gift. It’s leaves are naturally red like that. They have been bred that way for hundreds of years. It’s very rare for someone outside of those countries to even be allowed to see one of those trees, much less own one. I’ve had it with me ever since, to remind me that I can do anything, even if I’m afraid of it at first.”

Kunota paused for another moment longer, then looked back at the crowd.
I can do anything, even if I’m afraid of it at first. I made her a promise, and I made Shinrai a promise. My friend is more important than my enemy!

“I’m sorry, I did have one more announcement to make,” Kunota said, speaking before he could stop himself. “While no government is ever perfect, I do have one thing to say about the government of Hinomoto,” he took a deep breath, imagining that he could feel Yasakuto on the verge of exploding into rage behind him, “Daimyo Ran Yasakuto is corrupt and
evil
! He has been black mailing me and threatening to kill my family for the past year! He purposely stirs up discord between the underground community of martial artists and the regular citizens of Hinomoto so he can continue his illegal rule of this country through fear!”

Shogun Kunota suddenly turned and ran back toward the doors just as all Hell broke loose in front of the Capitol building. The Aka Ryuu were pushing toward the barrier between them and the seats of journalists as the police surrounding the area moved in toward the Capitol Building. The police that were standing behind the barrier between the journalists and the approaching
ronin
were reaching for their guns.

How are they seeing us through the crowd?
D thought as he watched the police grab their firearms. It was only then that he realized that he was doing less pushing through the crowd than he had been. Most of the crowd was coming forward with them, pulling knives, nunchaku, and other small weapons from hiding places.
Ronin! Most of the crowd are ronin!

“Come on, D!” Roni grabbed D’s hand and pulled him to the right, snapping him out of his thoughts. They had to make it to the manhole in the middle of the street three meters away and open it for 26 and the
Kemono
.

Kunota raced for the door, ignoring the sounds of insanity breaking out behind him. The civilians in the gathered crowd were screaming and trying to get away from the violence that was about to unfold. Some of the police were screaming for the charging
ronin
to freeze, others were shouting for their fellow officers to open fire. The only thing that Kunota was concerned with was the enraged Daimyo that had stepped in his path.

Yasakuto had put himself between the Shogun and the open door as soon as Kunota had turned to run. Now he was pulling a pistol out of his inside jacket pocket as the Shogun charged at him. Too late, Daimyo Yasakuto realized he wasn’t going to be able to get the gun out in time– and just then Shogun Kunota rammed in to him with his shoulder, sending Yasakuto tumbling in Kunota’s wake.