Naoki at the Trappers' Camp
8 September 1998
by Ed Rubin

Spinning around, Naoki could see that the only ones remaining active were his companions and the remaining trappers and miners. The zombies had been stopped, and with only a minimum of loss of life on the defenders' side. The wounded were already being attended to.

He glanced at Kataji, and relived the relief he had experienced during the height of the battle, when, after he had cut down his opponent, he spun around to seek another and had seen the look that Kataji had on his face. It was mostly the one that Naoki remembered, the one that signaled Kataji's joy in the face of battle, though Naoki could also detect some of the pain and despair that had haunted Kataji since his return from the Shadowlands. Naoki hadn't paused in his inspection, because he had quickly seen some remaining zombies harassing a line of trappers.

Naoki had switched his katana to the other hand, because of the better angle of attack that grip would give him in his current approach to the enemy. His sensei had always stressed that Naoki's gift, equal ease of use of both hands, required not praise, nor gloating on his part, but rather extra training: Both sides must be equally trained, equally balanced, and in that way, advantages such as the one that Naoki was now trying to enact could be best achieved.

Approaching the enemy, Naoki noticed Jinjiro's glance, and, after he cut down the nearest zombie, was nearly overwhelmed by the strangeness, the inappropriateness of the look that Jinjiro had given him: His expression had screamed out, "I can do that, too!" Naoki couldn't comprehend why Jinjiro would need to affirm such a thing, in the middle of battle. After Naoki cut down the next zombie in line, he glanced up, and he once again noticed that Jinjiro's regard was on him again, saying this time, "I can make such a blow, perhaps even more prettily!" Naoki was annoyed, thinking, Now is the time for battle! After the zombies are destroyed, then we can gloat, then we can tell tall tales about ourselves. Not before then!

Now, seeing that the battle was over, Naoki's previous annoyance had faded. The young will ever be proud of themselves. A few years' worth of life will cure anyone of the mistake of thinking that there is no one better, nothing difficult. That thought brought his mind back to Kataji, who Naoki noticed was being bandaged, his arms holding Naoki's tetsubo above his head.

"Yes," Naoki affirmed, "everyone can learn their limits."

Without another thought on the subject, Naoki glanced around for Ishi, and was saddened to see him quite injured, and shouting for aid, "I'm bleeding all over the place, can't you see?" Why were people not quicker to aid him, after everything he does for them? He had stood up in the fight, he was pulling his own, and he was showing more courage than any other member of the group. And yet, people still... well. It's not worth worrying about, Naoki concluded. People will see through to the important, or they won't.