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Disclaimer:
Hi! Another Jubei-chan fic for you! These characters do not belong to me, I'm just borrowing them, briefly! Akitaroh Daichi gets all the credit for the brain storm. ^_^ Good one!
The Final Act
"Yagyu Jubei, I challenge you!"
Across the table from her father Jubei-chan’s arms stopped in mid-motion, the toast poised, her mouth open. She could feel the color draining from her face as her mind tried to make sense of the last words spoken.
Sleepily he intoned again, "Yagyu Jubei…"
"Papa!" she cried, dropping the toast and reaching for his shirtsleeve. "Papa?!"
Sitting up straighter he turned his eyes on her, and she could see he was nearly asleep. As her lungs regrouped and her heart returned to her chest Jubei-chan smiled, weak with relief.
"Papa," she chided, "You’ve been working to late and to hard! You need some sleep!"
Bemused, Sai Nanohana looked at her. "I’m doing a new one," he whispered, reclaiming the coffee mug before him. He moved it close to his chest, hugging it protectively, "and Yagyu Jubei is one of the characters. I guess I was still thinking about it."
Jubei-chan rose, plate in hand. "You worried me, talking like that, silly." She bestowed a kiss on the top of his head and set her dishes in the sink. Gulping down the last of her juice she raced for her room, collected her books and ran from the house, calling over her shoulder that she was leaving.
From his place at the table Sai watched all of this with a warm smile on his lips. As the front door clicked close he rose, stretched luxuriously and headed for his office and the unfinished play.
Keji-san: "Yagyu Jubei, I challenge you!"
Scene is the same forest glen as the opening. The horses are off to the side and the retainers are with them. Keji-san and Yagyu-sama are facing each other, swords draw, stage left.
Yagyu-sama: "…"
Keji-san takes his stance and waits. Slowly, Yagyu-sama does the same…
Ryujoji Shiro glanced at the clock, at the teacher, and at the clock again. Would today never end? His eyes made the same circuit, twice more before he dropped them to the page before him. There was her name, written several dozen times, and he smiled at his handy work. He knew that writing it would magically make it so… make her love him. Mama had told him so many times. To punctuate the fact he wrote it again, carefully forming the letters.
"Nanohana Jiyu."
Shiro had been waiting for her in the bamboo forest that morning. He tried very hard to make it appear that he had actually just arrived. She had fallen in next to him as naturally as a puppy might follow its mother. He had asked her about classes, asked after her father and Koinosuke-san, and about the ‘New Student Flowers’ or whatever they where calling themselves today, and everything else on the list of paper in his pocket. He had spent several sleepless hours thinking up the questions, and then practicing them so that they sounded natural. He was pleased with the performance, and had left her at the door to her class with a promise to walk her home. Nanohana-kun has smiled at him as she entered the room, the promise left unanswered. Shiro knew he had to be there when she left. He had to. He would be there.
Keji-san rushes at Yagyu-sama. The battle rages for several minutes before they disengage. Action stays stage left.
Keji-san: breathless "Yagyu Jubei, I will make you suffer, as the Iwanami family has suffered! As I have suffered!"
Keji-san rushes Yagyu-sama, and the duel resumes. Action moves to center stage. Retainers and horses are removed. There needs to be about 10 minutes of good choreography here. As the battle begins to wind down Anju-san reenters the stage, near where the horses were. Battle can now use full stag; back, blue light on Anju-san.
As Jubei-chan slid the classroom door open Shoko Maruyama was close on her heels, with Sachi Toyama immediately behind her. The three young women headed towards the brilliant light of day that beckoned them from the beyond the closed doors of the school. Jubei-chan was anxious to leave the stuffy building and was looking forward to the trip home. With or without Shiro, it was all the same. Usually he was rather quiet, as if he was unsure what to say, but that suited her fine. She could talk when she wanted, but sometimes it was nice to just be quiet. Today… well, it was all the same. The little incident at the breakfast table had rattled her for a time, but Shiro had managed to take her mind off it long enough, in fact, for her to forget it entirely.
Shiro met her by the gate. As Jubei-chan said good-bye to her two classmates the kendo captain wordlessly fell in beside her. She smiled up at him, walking her bike, and saying nothing.
It wasn’t until they were well clear of the school that she began talking. Her bright chatter and laughter made Shiro smile, though he didn’t try to enter the one sided conversation. It was when they saw a form approaching them that he remembered himself. With a glance at the girl beside him, he saw that she had also seen the form and her happy banter faded. He reached for his shinai, trying to not let her see the action.
She did. But even as her smile dimmed, it was instantly renewed. Jubei-chan lifted her hand and waved wildly.
"Koinosuke-san!" she called with a child-like joy. The samurai quickened his pace and was swiftly at her side.
"Jiyu-dono," he began without preamble and reaching into his yukata removed a folded piece of paper. Jubei-chan appeared to shrink within herself; she didn’t need to ask what it meant. Setting her jaw the warrior reborn locked eyes with Shiro. He stood for a moment, then forced a smile and nodded. Turning as one the trio moved off.
Keji-san: panting, "Yagyu Jubei, I am your death…"
Yagyu-sama: "No, you lack the skills. You fight from hate; your mind is clouded to the way of the sword. You will not kill me. No one will kill me. There is no one alive with the knowledge to kill me."
Keji-san: "Arrogant! Prideful! You deserve death!"
Yagyu-sama: "Many deserve death, and not so many will be fortunate enough to meet it in their own time. You, you are one of the lucky ones, living and dieing by the sword, but you don’t understand."
The two men circle each other. Anju-san moves closer to the action. Fade blue light as she enters the center stage lighting. Neither man notices her.
The trio entered a clearing in the pine forest where two people stood, obviously waiting. The taller was a man, in his late twenties, the smaller, a woman who looked younger. The three new arrivals stopped and Jubei-chan stared for a moment. She was still confused about this whole thing, but even as she watched the man produced a sword. Throwing the saya off he took his stance facing her. Jubei-chan sighed. Reaching into her pocket she removed the Lovely-Eye Patch and glanced at the two men beside her. Sometimes she felt embarrassed by this seemingly silly act. But, shooting a look at the young man across the clearing from her, there was nothing for it. She wondered for a second if she was going to have to fight them both. Bringing her hands up she quickly tied the eye-patch on.
Immediately her stomach rolled as she felt her limbs extend, strengthen, and become competent. Her spine straightened as power surged through her body. Jubei-chan reflected again on her hair growing as the worst part of the transformation. She was sure she could hear it happen every time.
A hand, barely her own, reached for the sword Koinosuke-san offered up to her. Yagyu Jubei glanced at his retainer, and Jubei-chan tried to make Koinosuke-san see her, but Yagyu Jubei was already turning to face his opponent. Sunlight gleamed blindingly off the naked blade. Jubei-chan mentally closed her eyes. Watching him do this just made her sick. Yagyu Jubei moved so quickly that Jubei-chan often felt as if she were on a roller coaster, only worse.
Yagyu Jubei took his stance to the sounds of, "Yagyu Jubei, I challenge you in the name of the Ryujoji Shrinkage…"
Anju-san approaches the body of her fallen husband. Yagyu-sama does nothing to stop her. Turning he finds his retainer there. Giving over his sword he prepares to leave.
Anju-san: "You are a monster Yagyu Jubei."
Yagyu-sama: "No. If I was truly a monster I would kill you too."
Mounting his horse he exits stage right. Anju-san called for the retainers who gather their fallen master and together they leave, stage left. Four of the retainers linger, watching the lady and her dead master leave. They whisper furtively, and then move off after Yagyu-sama, stage right. Yagyu-sama reenters, stage left, and is over taken by the retainers. They challenge him, and a five man battle takes place.
Scene change: Return to the shrine in Herima Ward where Eimi-san is seen praying.
Eimi-san: "Anju-chan, please, please be careful. Think of your children, of your unborn child, and take care."
Enter Yagyu-sama, walking, alone. He makes for the shrine, but then stops when he sees Eimi-san. Eimi-san slowly rises and sees Yagyu-sama for the first time. Both bow.
Eimi-san: "It’s so beautiful, so peaceful. To much beauty can be a curse though."
Yagyu-sama: "…"
Eimi-san: "I was praying for my daughter, and her family. I think these are hard times and extra prayers can only help."
Eimi-san sits on the stone bench and invites Yagyu-sama to join her. He hesitates, then does. Stage lighting, main, fade; spot principles.
Eimi-san: "Do you have any children to pray for?"
Yagyu-sama: "I have no one to pray for."
Eimi-san, smiling: "Everyone has a mother."
Yagyu-sama: "I had a wife… but she won’t thank me for praying for her. She would call it a weakness."
Eimi-san: "She must have been a strong woman."
Drop spot to Yagyu-sama, sotto voce: "Not strong enough. Not strong enough." Rain of cherry blossom petal, scene fades.
"Yagyu Jubei is harder to put into a real voice than I expected, " Sai said, toying with the noodles on his plate. Jubei-chan noticed he wasn’t actually eating them and sighed to herself.
"Maybe you’re trying too hard," she suggested, taking his plate and placing it in the refrigerator. With luck he would eat it later. "Maybe you should just let it flow. He’s just a man after all."
Sai looked surprised at his daughter, then a smile brightened his face. "Maybe if he had had a daughter like you things would have been different."
Jubei-chan smiled at the complement, and knowing its double meaning she kissed the top of Sai’s head again.
"Baka."