"INTRUDER!"
The shout exploded through the narrow corridor, ricocheting off the damp stone walls beneath Kyoto Fortress.
Everything happened in a single heartbeat.
Akira didn't wait for a second warning. His blade was already out of its sheath before the drunken guard could even lift his sake flask. The first strike sliced through the air and tore into the man's shoulder. Blood sprayed; drunken laughter twisted into a shriek of panic.
Hyuga moved on the right, swift, precise, merciless. Yuna was no less agile. Despite the bandages still wrapped around her shoulder, she slipped between the bulky bodies of the guards, using the tight space to her advantage.
"Quick. Don't let them shout again," Hyuga ordered, low but firm.
Too late.
Footsteps thundered from another corridor.
"Over here! Intruders!"
One of Hyuga's men, Daichi, rushed in from behind. "Boss! More guards are coming!"
Hyuga shot him a glance. "Take the others. Break through!"
The nine bandits immediately formed a line, forcing their way forward while cutting down anyone who tried to block their path. Akira, Yuna, and Hyuga fought as they retreated, holding back the growing tide of soldiers.
Steel clashed against steel. Shouts, grunts, ragged breaths, all blended into chaos.
"Akira, left!" Yuna shouted.
"I see him!"
He parried a sudden strike from the shadows.
The underground corridor turned into a disturbed hornet's nest. From above, emergency bells rang again and again.
"We can't hold here!" Hyuga barked. "Run!"
They turned and sprinted without direction, following whichever passage seemed the least crowded. They took sharp turns, kicked doors open, descended and climbed staircases without knowing exactly where they were.
"Dead end!" one of the bandits cried.
"Right!" Akira pointed toward a sloping corridor.
They rushed up a narrow stone staircase, breath burning in their lungs. At the top, a brighter hallway greeted them.
Daichi peeked around the corner. "This is… a prison."
Iron-barred cells lined the walls.
They slipped inside and hid behind a thick stone pillar.
From behind the bars, a deep voice echoed, familiar.
"AKIRA?!"
Akira froze.
Inside one of the cells, hands bound and face bruised, Ryuma Odawara stared at him wide-eyed.
"Uncle Ryuma!" Akira ran forward.
Ryuma narrowed his eyes, then his face hardened. "You idiot."
Akira let out a faint laugh, hardly believing he was seeing his mentor again. "Good to see you too, Uncle."
"Good? You call this good? What are you doing here?!"
Yuna was already kneeling before the cell door, pulling a thin metal pick from her kimono.
"Yuna!" Ryuma growled. "Why are you following this fool?"
She gave a small smile without looking up. "Because if I don't, he'll die faster."
"And you think you can prevent that?" Ryuma scoffed. "You two are truly..."
"Ahem." Hyuga interrupted quietly. "Perhaps not so loud. The guards may return."
Ryuma finally noticed the others. He squinted. "And who are you?"
"Hyuga," he answered shortly. "And nine other fools who decided to help your student."
"A pack of fools following a bigger fool," Ryuma muttered, but there was the faintest trace of pride beneath it. "You could all die."
"We know," Akira replied lightly.
Click.
The cell door swung open.
Yuna stood and brushed dust from her kimono. "Save the lecture. We need to leave."
Ryuma grumbled. "I hadn't even managed a decent nap…"
"Uncle. Focus," Akira cut in.
One of the bandits pointed upward. "There's an air vent at the far end."
A small opening near the ceiling looked barely wide enough for a person, if widened.
They stacked wooden crates and old benches. Hyuga climbed first and struck the stone edges with the hilt of his sword.
"Fragile," he said. "We can break it."
After several blows, the stone cracked and partially collapsed.
"Quick, before they come!" Yuna urged.
One by one, they climbed. Daichi pushed from below. Ryuma, exhausted though he was, insisted on climbing himself.
"Still strong?" Akira whispered as he helped pull him up.
Ryuma snorted. "Don't underestimate old men."
They emerged into another narrow corridor above.
"Where now?" a bandit asked, breathing hard.
"We find an exit," Hyuga replied. "Follow the quietest path."
They moved swiftly, freezing whenever footsteps echoed nearby.
But just as they turned toward a large door that seemed to lead outside, a squad of guards rounded the opposite corner.
"There!"
The chase erupted again.
They sprinted with everything left in their bodies and burst through the door into the courtyard.
Cool afternoon wind struck their faces.
Then they stopped.
Outside, dozens of guards had formed a circle. Spears and bows were aimed directly at them.
An officer stepped forward, expression cold.
"Drop your weapons. Now."
Hyuga glanced around. "Numbers?"
"More than enough to bury us," Daichi muttered.
Akira looked at Ryuma.
Ryuma exhaled slowly. "This time… obey."
Swords fell to the ground one by one.
Their hands were bound. Their feet chained.
They were marched back into the fortress under heavy guard.
---
In a larger cell, security was doubled. Outside the door, the sound of guards rotating shifts echoed at intervals.
Ryuma leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
"I should've been sleeping peacefully tonight," he muttered. "Because of your foolishness, I ended up running like a hunted dog."
Akira smiled faintly. "At least I tried."
"We knew the risks," Yuna added.
"If you knew," Ryuma looked at her, "why do it anyway? A woman like you should be smarter than Akira."
Yuna chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, I chose the wrong friend."
Hyuga laughed under his breath. "If we're punished for this, it's the first time I'll feel proud."
Daichi nodded. "At least it looked impressive."
"If it were impressive," Ryuma said dryly, "you'd have escaped. Not been caught."
Akira leaned against him. "At least you're not sleeping alone tonight."
Ryuma turned, then let out a small, tired but sincere laugh. "Idiot."
---
The next morning, they were brought to the judgment hall.
Upon the throne sat Emperor Emperor Go-Horikawa, gazing at them one by one with cold disdain.
"So these are the brave ones," he said icily. "Disturbing order in Ogura. Attacking Kyoto Fortress."
His gaze settled on Akira. "And you. Nephew of Ryuma Odawara."
Akira lowered his head without a word.
The name written in the reports was Akira Odawara.
No one in that hall knew he was Kageyori.
"This afternoon," the Emperor continued, "Ryuma Odawara will be hanged in the public square. You will watch. Consider it a lesson."
Yuna clenched her jaw.
"And after that," his voice hardened, "all of you will be executed."
No one answered.
They were returned to their cells, this time separated from Ryuma.
---
That afternoon, Kyoto's square was filled with citizens.
On a wooden platform stood Ryuma Odawara, hands bound behind his back. Two executioners tightened the rope around his neck.
Akira, Yuna, Hyuga, and the nine bandits stood several steps from the platform, hands and feet restrained.
Unable to move.
The Emperor stood tall, his robes fluttering slightly in the wind.
"Ryuma Odawara," his voice boomed, "is an example of a traitor who defied imperial command and incited unrest. Death is his punishment."
Ryuma stared straight ahead.
The wooden floor beneath his feet was ready to drop.
He turned slightly toward Akira.
His gaze was calm.
No regret.
"CARRY IT OUT!" the Emperor shouted.
The executioner pulled the lever.
The floor gave way.
Ryuma's body plunged.
"UNCLEEE!"