The Return of a Legend

[Kuzan POV]

I stayed with them for a week.

Seven days that I devoted completely to them. It was the most my heart could offer.

'She left.'

I woke up one day only to find her not sleeping in her room. She didn't even let me say goodbye, thinking it would motivate me more to come back.

'Cheap trick.'

There was no need for me to say my goodbyes; I had already sorted out the last few strings still holding me back.

'They'll survive.'

Aunt Elizabeth had Uncle Albert, Uncle Lander had Emily, and Xiao Li and Melissa had each other. They would be hurt, but they would heal.

'Diana...'

She had always been the one I was most worried about, the effect my leaving would have on her, the shadow it would cast on her soul.

I didn't know when I would be coming back, if that was even possible. But she would still be waiting for me here when I returned, frozen in time until I'm ready to thaw her out myself.

'I've waited long enough...'

[Unknown POV]

[A few hours ago...]

"Who are you people..."

The soul...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

was now inside...

"How did I end up back here?"

the way he moved...the way his heart beat...

"Please answer honestly..."

...

[2 hours later...]

It was a question-and-answer session that lasted longer than 2 hours, but no one thought about leaving...

Because it was right here and now...

Where all of them wanted to be.

And there was nothing...

more important than what was in front of them...

[Mitsunari Tokugawa POV]

"Mr. Miyamoto," I spoke to the man standing up from my seated position, walking closer to him before kneeling right in front of him, "There is still a lot more to talk about..."

"But you are you and that is more than sufficient..."

"'You are who you are', I do not expect anything other than that," sweat started leaking down my face, "I just want to see you fight."

The rest of the people present seemed to be shocked by my declaration, despite knowing full well why he had brought him back.

Finally, the samurai spoke as he should...

"Even if I were to agree," he explained while indicating the condition of his currently naked body, "it's not possible like this..."

Thankfully, we had already prepared for that...

"This is clothing custom made for you..."

The man tried on his new clothes, putting them on with familiarity and ease.

"It suits me well..." he gave his verdict still with a surprisingly relaxed look on his face.

'I shouldn't have expected anything less—'

"This is so much better,..." the man continued, breaking me out of my thoughts, "well then who would you have me fight...???"

[Kuzan POV]

"Sigh," I turned on the television attached to the back seat of my plane, unhappy at having been left out from all of the fun.

'Just look at him,' I couldn't help myself from feeling excitement, my heart ablaze and content with the decision that I had made.

'He's finally here.'

The old man had long told me of his 'arrival' into this corporeal plane of existence. This time, I had not stopped the man from his shenanigans, letting him bring in the 'great' 'Sabukyou Ichiro' to serve as Musashi's whetstone.

'Let him have his fun, especially when I can have my own.'

I recorded the man's movements, all of his 7 slashes that he imbued with his 'invisible' sword, proud of my genius for overcoming all odds once again.

'The first slash, exactly down the middle, splitting the man into two.'

'The second piercing the throat, the third a grandiose cut across the chest, the fourth splitting the body from the top, the fifth a splitting of a temple, the sixth the spreading of the cut, and the seventh...

separating the chest completely from the body.'

'To be able to cut without the convenience of a sword...'

'I think I'm finally getting it...'

"A sword in the right and the left hand...a long one and a short one..." the man was even kind enough to show me a demonstration by himself without even having to ask.

'Chee, at least it beats Yujiro's annoying attitude any day...'

"Uh...Mr. Miyamoto...won't you show us something?"

'I could kiss you, old man...'

Mr. Tokugawa continued his pleadings of wanting to see some 'action' from the man himself, despite knowing its danger...

"Well, I mean...you know...how should I say it..."

The man interrupted him, catching on to what the old man was asking, "You want to see one of my techniques...???"

"...yes, is that ok?" the already scared old man only continued to shake even more after the great swordsman's response to his request.

"To ask me to show you my skills...but it seems that only the two of you are here..."

"So I assume one of you wants to be cut?"

"Hahahaha" I couldn't help the tears of laughter coming out of my eyes at seeing the old man finally getting 'exactly what he wished for'.

Much to my dismay, both of the men shook their heads no with vigor not matching their age, as it seemed that I was the only one to find the man's 'joke' funny.

And what a demonstration of skills it was, not cutting the man but instead breaking his own swords at the handle with his little 'practice swing.'

"Really, Musashi," I spoke to myself after turning off the screen, "not even being able to swing a sword correctly..."

"and to think I considered you..."

Of course, I was only joking. I would never make the mistake of underestimating a man's skill, especially one who would soon become...

"my savior."

[Doppo Orochi POV]

[A few hours later...]

"What did you say, you bastard!!?"

"Dancing, huh!!?"

"Are you mad, Orochi-Dono?"

"It's ok...if it's a dance, or if it ain't..."

"would you like to see for yourself...?"

[Kuzan POV]

"Yaaaaawn," I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my yawn, having grown bored of watching the YouTube video that had been making the rounds on the web.

'Plane food sucks,' still, I was obligated as a member of the current generation to watch some videos online as I ate.

'It was certainly an interesting video at the start,' it was exhilarating the first time, to see that man take down 5 police officers as he was surrounded by them. It was interesting to compare the man's actions to my own at the Palace.

A modern barehanded fighter using a sword to take down guards, and an ancient legend using his bare hands to take down police officers, you just couldn't get more poetic than this.

'But now...'

As with anything, it had eventually become boring with repeated viewing, especially when I figured out the 'trick'.

'It's in the waist...'

[Katsumi POV]

"Orochi lost!!?" Retsu seemed shocked at my statement.

"Mmm....so he lost, huh....that's the gist of it...."

"A complete defeat...?"

[Kuzan POV]

I stretched my arms out in relaxation after having disembarked from the plane at Haneda Airport.

'I've really let myself go...'

It had been so long since I had been truly excited for a fight...

Having to deal with everything else that came with leaving had been exhausting, especially given the amount of time and care I had put into it.

I had waited, and waited, and waited...

Waited for that soul to arrive.

Waited for that man to arrive.

Waited for that moment to arrive...

And it was time...

For that Hail Mary...

...