A Reason For Living
	Part One: The Promise
	By: Yuugata Sui <angel_asuka@hotmail.com>
	    Zan <ong5mike@pworld.net.ph>


   Sui's worn out cart ricketed along through the main streets 
of Tokyo. Her brother, Hikike, sat beside her wrapped in a 
thick blanket to keep him away from the cold. His face was 
frail and his eyes only half open. The frail frame of his 
attracted the attention of many townsfolk as they passed by.
   "Hikike," Sui asked while ignoring the unwanted stares, 
"...You...haven't eaten anything since yesterday and it's 
almost noon..." Hikike sat still and didn't answer. Sui looked 
at him worriedly and whipped the horse, urging it to hurry.
   "It's not as if you have a choice, Kike-chan," she said 
sternly, "I'll force feed you if I have to!" As if to answer 
Sui's prayers, a bar quickly came into view. A beaming smile 
spread across her face and she hopped off the old cart with 
haste. While patting the horse, she turned to her brother. "I'm 
going to go inside and get you something to eat," Sui started
walking towards the door but turned around quickly before going 
inside, "Don't try anything shifty, Hikike!"

   While entering the bar, Sui noticed that she was the only 
woman inside. Her bright and happy face instantly changed dark 
and foreboding. She had a slight problem with men because of 
her experiences with them while travelling to Tokyo.
   She sat herself at the bar table and waited for the barman 
to serve her. While she waited, two rather disgusting men 
walked up and sat themselves beside her. "Hey girlie," one of 
the men said whilst pulling out some yen, "How about some fun, 
huh?" The other man laughed and tried to put his arm around 
Sui, but she pushed him away as she was deeply offended by 
being called 'girlie'. When Sui was ready to violently reply to 
their proposition, something interrupted them...

   Zan absent-mindedly chipped a tick off the battered hunk of 
wood that was his table, nursing a glass of water as he did. 
Several random lines, straight or crooked depending on the 
skill of the swordsman who had inflicted them, decorated the 
table top as did several bullet holes. "This table has seen 
more fights than the Apaches ever did with the whites." The 
Gaijin Swordsman sipped the water, let it wash the past hours' 
tension away.. He could well have ordered something with more 
flavour such as sake, "But as Sazuki Sensei once taught, 
'Spirits do nothing but cloud the mind, confuse the eyes, and 
make the wise an idiot'."
   He folded his arms and leaned back, brows furrowed in 
thought. Three murders in the past week, all of them 
shopkeepers. He was still no close to catching the killer, as 
almost no trace would be left behind in each crime scene. 
"Still though, ten thousand yen for a trip back to the States's 
worth it."
   Zan grimaced upon reckoning one of the latest words on the 
street. Rumours were circulating that among the newest weapons 
being smuggled in from America were semi-portable gatling guns. 
Most gatling guns used by the US Army were artillery pieces 
mounted on wheels, ideal for heated engagements in a battle but 
poor in the measurement of radius it could cover. These new 
ones, so said street scuttlebutt, could be carried around by 
one man and then deployed via tripod, giving the user a full 
360 degree field of fire. As far as Zan was concerned, that was 
one weapon that would do well to stay out of anarchists' hands. 
"Tokugawa fanatics' last attack on a French diplomat's home was 
bad enough with American explosives having been used."
   The Samurai Gunman yawned, cracked his knuckles, raised his 
hat to get a better look at the people around him. Same daily 
customers with none-too-good intentions. Though a few days with 
Zan frequenting the bar, and a number of the thugs' had either 
left or packed up to do business elsewhere. Those that did 
remain were behaving unusually well.
   "Now there's a new face." His blue eyes fell on a 
dark-haired brown eyed girl, looked to be early twenties, 
somewhat slim, and more than a little cute by his judgement. 
"And seems like some people want to do something about it."
   He spotted two men, one with an arm attempting to encircle 
the girl. She was clearly disgusted and was trying to avoid 
him, but the both of her tormentors had apparently had way to 
much to drink that night. "And don't look like they're going to 
give up that easily." He finished his glass, then pulled his 
chair back and made his way over to the girl and the two thugs. 
As he did, he mused, "Why is it that wherever I go, there's 
always a girl in trouble?"

   His lips curled in a smile, and his hands landed on the two 
men's shoulders. "Yeah? What do you want?" The expressions on 
their faces slid from sake-influenced playfulness  to 
irritation and all the way to horror.
"Th-th-th-th-at-at-at-at's..."
   Zan grinned, looked at the young woman. There was something 
about her eyes that took him in. He said, "I'm their best buddy 
in the whole world. Say boys, how about introducing me to your 
new friend?" 
   "Um-um-um-sssssss-ure, Gaijin Swordsman. My pleasure." Zan 
nodded, sat himself down in one of the chairs where the two had 
originally been seated, positively beamed at them. "Great! 
Would you mind getting the lady some food and a cold drink? 
There's an awful heat wave in here." His eyes stabbed them 
square to the iris, then he brushed a thumb on the 
Demonslayer's hilt. "And make it quick. Never keep a lady 
waiting." That was not only a threat for them to make haste, 
but also a threat of retribution should he ever catch them 
again.
   The two crooks backed off, bowing a little too much as they 
stumbled over to the bar, shaking in panic. They had all the 
reason to be afraid, due to the fact that a few days ago, their 
gang had decided to pick a fight with him. Zan had walked away. 
Save for the two survivors, the rest of the gang hadn't. "Then 
again, watching a man get skewered and perforated will scare
most anyone crapless."
   The Samurai Gunman redirected his attention to the girl, her 
brown eyes batting at him in wonder. He smiled again, touched 
the brim of his hat in greeting. "I'm sorry, ma'am. This place 
is full of cutthroats and crooks. It is not right for a woman 
like yourself to be here alone and unarmed." He paused for a 
while, spoke again and extended a brown-gloved hand. "The 
name's Zan."

   Sui looked at his hand suspiciously. Never had a man acted 
in such a way towards her in her life, other than her father 
and, sometimes, Hikike. Still, she shook his hand firmly and 
introduced herself with a slight bow. "And I am Yuugata Sui." 
As she straightened herself from her bow, she noticed something 
strange about this man. His features were different from what 
she was used to. He had blue eyes and blonde hair! Sui squinted 
and carefully looked over him again just to make sure her eyes 
weren't playing tricks on her but sure enough, they weren't. 
Maybe he's sick, she thought and so placed her hand on is 
forehead. "Are you feeling ok? You seem very sick...even your 
hair is getting pale!"
   Zan's eyes ascended to the ceiling, not knowing whether to 
laugh or to be a little vexed, as the girl's hand curiously 
brushed his forehead. Somehow, an impossibly large ball of 
sweat was creeping its' way down his forehead and over his 
cheek. "She must be one of those small town girls who rarely
ever leaves home, and when she does, she has little knowledge 
of the outside world and thus is headed for a culture shock." 
He coughed, as the girl continued to curiously feel for any
heat anomaly on his face. He gently pulled her hand away. 
"Er...ma'am? I'm perfectly alright."
   The girl's look was a quiziccal. "Her parents should've 
educated her a bit more on life outside whatever town she's 
from." Out loud, he said, "Miss Yuugata, Japan isn't the world. 
There are many other kinds of people outside this country. I'm 
one of them. I come from America, a land across the seas. The 
people there, at least most of them, look much like me." He
looked up as his two 'friends' staggered their way to his and 
the girl's table, their gait mixed with intoxication and fear. 
They upset quite a few of the other patron's drinks in the 
process, but finally plonked down a plate of food and a mug of 
sake before Sui.
   "Thanks boys. How much is that?" The shorter of the two 
thugs, shuddering uncontrollably, got the words out. 
"Fi-fi-fi-t-t-t-t-t-y yen, Gaijin Swordsman." Zan spotted the 
girl reaching into a pocket as if to withdraw some money, but 
he quickly pulled out the appropriate amount, slapped it into 
the hand of one of the two. "Here. Pay Akira and get lost. Ms. 
Yuugata here has better things to do than waste time looking at 
the likes of you."
   "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-e-e-e-e-e-e-s-s-s Zan" They stumbled away 
again, bowing more than once as they did, hicupping even more, 
and banging into several tables on their way out. Zan sighed, 
briefly took a glance at his remaining funds. Down to three 
hundred yen he was. "Still, I wouldn't have the heart to let 
that girl starve." When they were gone, the Gaijin Swordsman 
turned back to the girl, observed her. The expression on her 
face was a melange of amazement, relief, and a little worry.
   The fairly large red ribbon in her brown hair seemed to 
accentuate some sort of simple country girl beauty about her. 
"It's suicide for her to be so far from home." He snorted 
mentally. "Yeah, cowboy. Spoke for yourself."
   He gestured towards the plate of raw fish and seaweed. 
"Well, Ms. Yuugata. There you go. You must be a traveller, and 
have little in the way of money to spare. It's on me." Sui 
shook her head, pulled out fifty yen and placed it on the table 
in front of him. "This food isn't for myself, but for my
starving brother," she said in a soft and sorrowful tone. Sui 
stood up quickly and bowed politely. "Thank you for what you 
have done. I appreciate it, America-san but my brother is 
waiting for me outside. I'm afraid I can't stay much longer... 
he's very...sick..."

   With yet another bow, she picked up the plate and left the 
mug for Zan before exiting the door. Upon exiting, she noticed 
two officers standing behind the cart and looking through Sui's 
belongings. "Hey! What in the world are you doing? That's my 
property!" She shouted as she slammed the plate of food beside 
Hikike. The frail boy tried to turn around and see what was 
happening. He had fallen asleep while Sui was inside the bar. 
Sui walked up to one of the officers and pulled the cover down 
to prevent them from seeing what was inside the cart. She 
huffed and looked at them with a facade of hate. "Don't you 
know any better? What kind of policemen are you?"
   The officers ignored her remark and, with a slight grin, 
pulled out a small pistol. Sui stood her ground, not knowing 
what she was going to get herself into. "You shouldn't be 
afraid unless you have something to hide, young lady." The  
fatter of the officers said while pulling back the hammer, "Do 
you have something to hide?" 
   The taller thinner policeman walked over to the cart. Hikike 
struggled up, started eating to occupy himself and look busy. 
The officer frowned down at him, gestured down to the large 
irregularly shaped piece of cloth that Hikike was sitting on. 
"You, boy. What're you hiding there?"
   "Just my sister's belongings, sir." The policeman frowned, 
then lashed out,  grabbed him by the neck and flung him to 
the ground, upsetting the plate of food he had been eating onto 
the dirt road. "HIKIKE!" Sui screamed, rushed over to her 
fallen brother, glanced up with eyes of hate at the officer. 
She seemed about ready to rush him, but his compatriot merely
raised his gun. "I will shoot", he said calmly, but his 
revolver was aimed at Hikike.
   "You can't do this!", Sui yelled. Already, a crowd was 
gathering, whispering in wonder. The fat one sneered. "We have 
every right to dispose of those who get in the way of the law." 
Sui frowned, stroking her brother's head. "What law?"
   In response, the other policeman pulled back the sheet of 
cloth, and revealed the massive weapon beneath it. He looked at 
Sui. "You know, it is against the Emperor's laws to carry arms 
of any sort. And what with Tokugawa loyalists causing trouble, 
a girl wandering around with a weapon like this should not make 
us wonder more than merits suspicion." Sui's eyes widened. "I 
did not know that law! Honestly! I come from Sendai..." The fat
one shoved her aside, glanced down at Hikike. "Do you know what 
we do to collaborators? We use them for target practice!" He 
laughed and aimed the gray piece of metal at the boy, whose 
eyes were frozen in fear. Sui ran over, shielded her brother, 
yelled again. "You call yourselves officers of the law? You're 
supposed to protect not to abuse!"

   A loud clap of what sounded like thunder rang out. All in 
the area ducked instinctively, hands over their heads. Sui 
glanced about in wonder, and spotted the fat cop staring in 
wonder and confusion at an empty hand. A few meters away, was 
the gun that had been aiming for Hikike, with a fairly large 
hole through the bullet housing. No one would be firing it for 
a long while. 
   "I couldn't agree any less. The young lady has a point." All 
eyes turned to the entrance of the bar, as a figure stood 
there, calmly leaning against the door, smoke rising from a 
large revolver. Sui gasped, recognising the brown unfamiliar 
hat and the voice. "It's that Zan! Why...?"
   The Samurai Gunman stepped into the light, raised his hat 
with the barrel of the Johnny No More. "Some policemen you two 
make. This young lady lives in a place where they probably 
aren't even aware that the Tokugawa shogunate has fallen. It is 
not their fault that they are unaware. In addition, these are 
troubled times. It is somewhat the height of foolishness to 
prohibit weaponry when those same arms can protect oneself
or more importantly, the lives of others."
   The thin policeman smirked, seeing the American's weapons. 
"I see you have a katana and a gun. We could run you in as well 
for the same offence as this lady, except that you are gaijin 
and the not all of the laws of this country apply to your kind. 
Your being a gaijin protects you from the law on arms, but 
executing you for obstruction of the law does not." He showed
his teeth in a toothy grin. "Go away, far away, gaijin. and 
we'll forget you."
   "The only ones obstructing justice here are you." He jabbed 
a finger into the officer's chest. "You push a young woman and 
a boy around. This boy is sick, the girl is risking her life to 
save him. And what's that in your pocket?" The officer 
attempted to push Zan away, but he grabbed something
from the cops' belt. He tossed it to Sui and she caught it, and 
she glared. It was her money bag. The men who called themselves 
policemen were nothing more than thieves, abusers of that 
power. The crowd began to shout in anger, as Zan slowly smiled. 
"Not to mention stealing a women's possessions. If I were you, 
officer, I'd put myself under arrest." The Samurai Gunman 
turned, began to walk off. "How these lameducks ended up where 
they are now, I don't wanna know..."
   The skinny cop sneered as Zan turned and raised his gun 
while pulling back the hammer. "Stinking piece of trash." he 
muttered as he pressed the trigger. A loud bang echoed as the 
bullet shot through the air, only to fly straight past the 
gaijin's shoulder and into the door of the bar. Without a word, 
Zan quickly pulled out Johnny No More and shot both officers in 
the legs. They fell back in pain and agony as the ground became 
tainted in their thick red blood. The large group of curious 
bystanders screamed and ran into shops or went hiding behind 
nearby barrels.

   Hikike looked in amazement and awe at the precise aiming of 
the gaijin's shot. He started to blush a little as Zan walked 
towards them to make sure that both he and his sister were ok. 
"Are you both alright?" Zan asked. Hikike stared into the face 
of his newfound idol and nodded quickly. Unlike his sister, he 
had heard of gaijins and weren't at all surprised at Zan's
strange appearance. Hikike wanted to say something nice to him, 
but all the excitement had made him tired and almost weary to 
do anything. He wished he could be better again as he would
have liked to help the fair haired man with his battle, even 
though he might have gotten in the way.
   "We're fine..." Sui said, interrupting her brother's 
thoughts. "And thank you for your help... again" Sui pulled her 
brother to his feet, picked him up and placed him back onto the 
cart while quickly covering her Karashi-san. Now that she knew 
that it against the law to carry weapons around, Sui wanted to 
make sure that her Karashi-san wouldn't be seen. Just as she 
was about to hop onto the cart again, some more officers came 
onto the scene and completely surrounded the trio.
   "What happened here?" An officer said while looking down at 
his wounded comrade. The fatter officer got up and pointed at 
Zan accusingly. His voice was restrained from the pain as he 
talked. "H-h...him...he and the girl...they... they did this!"
   As the fatter officer lowered his arm, the reinforcements 
looked up in unison at the trio. Sui took a step forward and 
raised her fist towards the group of sneering officers. "Your 
men assaulted my brother and I! This man was just defending us! 
It is their fault!" But the other officers took no notice and 
all took out their guns.
   "Cohorts." Zan realized as he pulled out his Demonslayer. 
Were they under the command of a decent Meiji police officer, 
they'd have been arrested on the spot. Sui lowered her fist and 
turned to the gaijin. It was pointless arguing but all that 
was happening was stupid. Have the people of Japan really gone 
down to this sort of level? Sui looked at Zan, challenging him 
to go first but he simply bowed and took off his hat. "Ladies 
first," He said politely. Sui couldn't help but allow a cute 
smirk spread across her face.
   Without hesitation, Sui reached for her Karashi-San from 
under the cover Hikike was sitting on and spun it quickly in 
the air before settling it down in front of her. The spin 
caused a big gust of wind which sent most of the officer's hats 
away into the distance. All the officers, as well as Zan, 
blinked in astonishment at the size of her Karashi-San. After a 
couple of moments adjusting to the great contrast between Sui's
Karashi-San and herself, Zan lifted up his Demonslayer and 
shouted, "Lets get it on!" but something stopped them. It was 
the presence of a figure in the background walking towards them 
in a sly, yet proper manner.
   "Don't you know the law around here?" The figure asked. If 
was only a few moments before Sui finally realised who it was. 
She gasped and dropped her weapon which landed with a loud 
thud, making the ground rumble as it did. "N-Nukeru? Shirarete 
Nukeru???" She asked anxiously. Zan turned to Sui with a look 
of confusion, then looked back towards the dark blue haired 
man.
   The man narrowed his eyes a little. "Yes, I am Nukeru and 
who might you be, trouble maker?" Sui clasped her hands 
together on her chest and smiled sweetly, "Don't you remember? 
We used to play together as children. Please say you remember, 
Nuu-Chan" Despite the muffled sniggering coming from the 
officers behind him, the man's eyes softened as he remembered 
his childhood friend from long ago.
   "S-Sui?" Sui nodded quickly and took a step forward but was 
stopped by his sudden sad expression. "Nuu-chan... what's 
wrong...?" She asked softly. 
   Nukeru half turned to his side and paused for a while, then 
turned back to Sui with a sudden coldness in his deep yellow 
eyes. Sui couldn't understand what was going on with him during 
the short pause and wondered what had happened to him during 
those past ten years of separation.
   "Don't call me Nuu-chan any more. You will address me as Sir 
Shirarete as I now am the right hand man of Stephen Williams, 
adviser to the British Socialist Council" He said in a proud 
tone. Then he grabbed Sui by the arm, violently threw her to 
the ground and drew out his large gun. "Those who oppose the 
law will be punished...."
   "But...!" Sui cried, yet Nukeru still carried on.
   "... And as an example to all the people who dare to oppose 
the law, I will execute you right here, right now!"
   "WHAT?! You have no right!!!" Zan shouted but Nukeru just 
narrowed his eyes and pulled back the hammer."Watch," He said 
promptly as he pulled the trigger. 
   Sui's scream caused the birds in the distance to flutter and 
fly away. Hikike sat still with wide eyes and a face twisted in 
horror as he saw his sister's body lying face down on the 
ground in a pool of her blood.
   "Ms. Yuugata!" Nukeru laughed and gave Zan an insolent look, 
as the American rushed and knelt next to the girl. "That's what 
I think of you and your country, barbarian!" Zan felt nothing, 
only a burning rage. He glanced at where Sui had been shot, and 
sent a silent thanks to whatever God was listening.
   "Lucky that he's a lousy shot." The man had only hit her in 
the shoulder. Her face felt cold to the touch though and her 
forehead was beaded with cold sweat. Her breathing was coming 
out tattered, as her brother shook her, on the verge of tears. 
"Sui-chan! Sui-chan!" The boy seemed close to falling into a 
nervous breakdown. Nukeru glanced down, and piercing blue eyes 
from beneath the Western hat stabbed at him. "You're a coward. 
Pick your fights with me, not women and children."
   Before he knew it, Nukeru felt cold steel pressed against 
his neck, and the gaijin was before him, glowering in fury. 
With a mere twist of his blade, Zan could have slit his throat, 
but he heard the click of one of the policemen's guns. He 
turned slightly, and instead of staring down the barell of a 
revolver as he had expected, he now saw the boy with his cheek
to the ground, an officer's boot on his back and gun aimed at 
the back of his head. "Back off, hero.", said the officer. "We 
could end the boy's misery by reuniting him with his sister. 
Hands off the boss, and we'll do the same." The hammer was 
cocked, and the steely look in the cop's eyes told Zan that he 
meant it.
   Wordlessly, but still smouldering, Zan stepped away and 
sheathed his sword. "Don't think you've won this round, 
bastard." Nukeru turned his back, motioned for his bodyguards 
to follow, and they all laughed. "I already have, gaijin." Zan 
clenched his fist as the so-called Nukeru walked off down the 
road with his chest puffed out in false bravado. The police 
officers accompanied him as well, laughing and slapping each 
other on the back. Their chortles and guffaws were worse than a 
coyote's, and Zan noticed with sadistic delight that their rear 
ends made perfect targets...
   He shook his head. "Karma will catch up with him one day. 
Meanwhile, worry about those two." He cradled the body of the 
girl in his arms. "Ms. Yuugata? Say something." The Samurai 
Gunman could have added something else, but a loud wrack of 
uncontrollable coughing from the boy interrupted him. His face 
was set in the look of those who seemed on the verge of dying
from a heart attack. Was it Zan or had the boy just coughed up 
blood?

   Sui’s slowly opening eyes caught the attention of Zan. 
Hikike turned around and started to cough even more, even 
though he tried to stop it with all his might. The blood from 
his mouth splattered onto his sleeve and dripped onto the 
ground which caught the attention of his deeply wounded sister.
   "Hikike!" She cried as she tried to move over to him, but as 
she did, a sudden pain struck from her left arm to her chest. 
It was from the bullet Nukeru had shot earlier. With haste, Sui 
reached deep into her wound and struggled greatly to pull the 
darn thing out. Zan pulled her hand away quickly and looked at 
her worriedly. 
   "What are you doing to yourself?" He said sternly, "We’ve 
got to get you to a doctor, now!"
   Sui lowered her head, then slightly turned towards her 
brother, who had now finally stopped coughing. "I have to get 
better to help my brother!" She said out loud, "This bullet 
hurts me, but to see my brother suffering hurts me more!"
   Zan’s eyebrows slowly heightened as the words of her heart 
came running out of Sui’s mouth like water out of a fountain. 
Such rare emotions could only be found in a true warrior, but 
somehow, this rare emotion had found itself into the heart of a 
young country girl, Sui Yuugata. "I came here to help my 
brother, not myself!" She said as she pulled her hand from his 
and reached into the wound, "I don’t care what happens to me! I 
just want to help Hikike get better!"
   Before Sui could reach any deeper into the wound, Zan took 
her hand and gripped it firmly to reassure her. He grinned and 
pulled her gently to her feet, as well as Hikike. "To save your 
brother, you have to try and stay alive first," He said. Sui 
looked at him, then nodded with a smile. She reached over to 
Hikike and grabbed a hold of his hand.
   "I’ll take you both to a doctor I know who might be able to 
help you both."
   Zan hoisted them both over his shoulders, carefully laid 
them out comfortably on the cart's back. "Just hang on you 
two." He leaped onto the horse, dug his spurs into it's side. 
"Go long!" And the old cart nearly fell apart as the horse 
raced down the road.

   Dr. Koike tied the last knot in his patient's sling. "Just 
don't strain it for three weeks and come back here, alright?" 
The patient smiled and nodded. "Thank you, doctor. I will." The 
doctor waited until his patient vanished out the door, then 
sighed and dropped onto a futon. "I could a little more rest 
these days."
   He was busy preparing a cup of green tea, when the rattling 
of something made of wood down the road filled his ears, and 
people were making a commotion just to get out of its' way. The 
doctor stuck his head out the window, and recognised the man at 
the cart's helm.
   The cart slid to a stop in front of his clinic, and Zan 
leaped out, supporting a girl on his shoulder, and carrying a 
boy on his other. The doctor came forward. "What's happening, 
Zan-san?"
   "This girl's got a bullet wound above her shoulder." He 
looked down at Sui, pale but still holding up. "But my brother 
is very sick. Forget about treating me and please help him, 
sir!" The doctor looked at the boy, who was coughing up blood 
uncontrollably and seemed to be going into convulsions. Without 
wasting words, Doctor Koike scooped the boy up in his arms, 
laid him out on a mattress. "Everyone clear out of the room!" 
   Zan and Sui were shooed out the door by a number of 
attendants, and all they could hear next was Doctor Koike 
shouting orders to his assistants, like a sergeant to a fresh 
squad of rookies on the field.
   Zan looked at Sui, who had a morose look on her face despite 
the pain she must be feeling in her shoulder. "Ms. Yuugata, 
Doctor Koike is excellent. He'll take care of your brother 
well." He sighed, sat down beside her. "But right now, your 
brother isn't the only one who needs tending to." He turned 
slightly, scanned her wound. She clearly had to be in pain, but 
she was brave enough not to scream. Her face was white enough 
to look exactly like it was snowing. Zan withdrew a small 
pocket knife from his boot, leaned forward to Sui. "Just hold 
still, ma'am."
   Sui winced and grimaced as the knife twisted around in her 
wound, but in just a few seconds, she felt a great relief as 
Zan flipped out the bullet that had lodged itself in her skin. 
He grinned. "Pays to have a little training." He nonchalantly 
dumped the bloody slug out the window. He pulled out a large 
white cloth from his pockets. "Here. This ought to do for a
sling."
   Sui sighed as the strange man tied the cloth around her left 
arm. This man was not unlike the men she had met before, she 
thought to herself, He’s so much their exact opposite. She 
touched the sling Zan had just put on and smiled to herself. 
Sui was quite touched about the things he had done for him and 
was determined to do everything she could to pay it all back to 
the very cent. 
   Many minutes passed until either of them said anything else, 
during which one of the doctor's attendants came out to see to 
Sui, but was waved off upon being shown the bandage. Zan let 
out a cough and Sui shuffled in her seat, clearly wondering how 
her brother was faring. The sounds of passing people could be 
heard outside the window. They had calmed down quite quickly, 
considering what had happened just moments ago.
   "Sui..." Zan began. Sui turned to him with a look of 
curiosity on her face, "One thing I don’t understand about what 
just happened before. You don’t have to answer if you don’t 
want to but... What is the past which connects both you and 
this Nukeru?"
   Sui paused for a moment while closing her eyes. Childhood 
memories filled her mind for a second, and went away as soon as 
they had come. One she opened them again, Sui stared into the 
empty space in front of her and began to talk.
   "I’ll tell you everything, Zan," She said softly, "Because 
you have helped me become happy again, I’ll do my very best to 
keep you happy forever." Zan blinked and stared at Sui, not 
knowing what to say in return. It was the most bizarre 
proposition he had ever heard in is life. Forever? Was she
serious? But before he could say anything return, Sui continued 
to answer his question.
   "We were children together in Sendai and probably were the 
most happiest children alive. My mother always said that I 
smiled the most when I was around him but then, only ten years 
ago, he moved away to Edo, or as they now call it... Tokyo. 
Somehow... I don’t know what... but somehow he’s changed...
and... I don’t want him to... I know it’s selfish of me but..."
   Sui wiped a tear off her eye and looked down at the floor. 
She couldn’t speak now that she had started to cry. The thought 
of Nukeru acting like that to her broke her heart and shattered 
the images of him she had stored away in her mind for so long.
   Zan placed an assuring hand on her shoulder. "It’s not 
selfish to think like that. You want the best for him, right?" 
Sui nodded and breathed in heavily. "Well, then. What’s so 
selfish about that?" Sui stopped crying and looked up at her 
new friend. She smiled as she wiped away her last tear.
   "Thank you, America-san." Sui opened her mouth to say 
something else but Doctor Koike walked in, smiling happily.
   "Ms. Yuugata, Zan!" He said.
   Zan and Sui bolted out of their seats simultaneously. 
"WHAT?!" The white-clad doctor waved both hands, motioning them 
to sit down. He dropped into a seat before them, let out a 
breath of relief.
   "Alright, it's good news and bad news. The good news is, 
your brother is out of danger now." Sui sighed, clasped her 
hands before her but winced at the pain it brought. "Thank 
heavens!", the girl said. Zan grinned. "See. Told you he's 
great."
   Koike mirrored the Gaijin Swordsman's smile, albeit grimly. 
"Unfortunately, I'm not the best. I do not have the medical 
resources to TOTALLY cure Ms. Yuugata's brother. That's the bad 
news." He waved a hand to the cloth door behind him. "The 
disease still lives, the medicine I gave him is only just 
enough to keep it at bay. I have a supply here of that same 
medicine which he must take daily, but it's only good for three 
weeks before the disease reaches it's apex." He closed his eyes 
briefly. "Hikike's life is in his own hands, until then."
   Sui smiled amidst tear-filled eyes. "Thank you doctor." He 
nodded, patted her on her good shoulder. "He should be getting 
some rest now, but you may see him if you wish." He paused 
momentarily and added, "Ah yes. You may pay me for the rest of 
the medicine when you are ready."
   The joy on Sui's face froze, eyes widening. "Pay?"
   "Why yes, my dear. I make a livelihood curing people. It's 
how I get food on my table." The girl looked down, slowly 
spoke. "How much are we talking about here?" The doctor named a 
figure, and Sui felt her heart take a plunge. With that much 
money, she would have to spend a month or so at a temporary job 
somewhere in the city. "But by then, it might be too late..."
   Sui felt a tear slide down her cheek, but suddenly Zan held 
a hand up. "I object, Doc." Koike raised an eyebrow in wonder 
at him. "What do you mean by that, Zan-san? My business isn't 
too good as it is. I need that money."
   The Samurai Gunman wagged his head. "No you don't. The life 
of a boy far exceeds the value than any amount of money. Go 
easy on her, Doc. She and her brother are just passer-by. Don't 
charge her."
   Koike shook his head. "You ask too much, friend." Zan leaned 
against the wall, his blue eyes staring at the ground, then 
looked back into the doctor's.
   "Sometime ago, I saved your life and you said you would do 
whatever it would take to pay me back. I don't like to hold 
people in debt to me. For Ms. Yuugata, though, I'll make an 
exception."
   He thrust a finger into the older man's chest. "Do me a 
favour, Doctor Koike. Pay me back, just this once, by sparing 
her any expense." After a while he added, "Besides, what good 
you do will come back to you soon enough. And all by doing a 
minor good."
   A few seconds later, the doctor sighed, grey eyes conceding 
defeat. "Very well then. Young lady, feel fortunate to have met 
Zan." He ambled off, and when he was gone, Sui gaped at him. 
"What did you do? Why?"
   The Gaijin Swordsman shrugged. "Took one load off your 
shoulder, that's what. And why? Common decency." She just stood 
there, staring at him, until Zan motioned towards the piece of 
draping cloth that served as the door to the sickroom. "Why 
don't we see how your brother's doing?"
   Sui nodded in agreement and followed Zan inside the room. 
There was Hikike sitting up on the bed, smiling and looking as 
healthy as ever. Sui’s face gave a look of relief and happiness 
as she ran towards her little brother with arms wide. When she 
held him close to her, she started to cry out of happiness. 
Finally, her brother was almost well enough to regain the 
throne as the head of her family but it wasn’t over yet. She 
still had to find this Megumi Takani to fully cure her brother. 
Only then, was she able to go back home.
   "Hikike..." She said softly, not wanting to let go. Her 
brother hugged back for a brief moment, then noticed Zan 
happily watching them from afar and pushed his sister away 
quickly in a fit of embarrassment. Hikike felt guilty 
afterwards but he shook it off quickly.
   "Arigatou, Zan-sama," Hikike said smiling, "You’re really 
cool!"
   Zan scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say 
to the boy’s comment. "Ah... you shouldn’t be thanking me, 
thank your sister! She was the one who insisted that you should 
come here and she was the one who stood by you all this time!" 
   Sui turned towards the gaijin and shook her head while
wiping away her tears. She smiled at him and handed him some 
coins.
   "I can’t pay you back fully for what you have done for my 
family but this will be the first of my payments," But Zan 
pushed her hand away and shook his head.
   "No, I ask for nothing in return for my efforts in helping 
you," He said, then smiled brightly, "Seeing you both happy is 
enough for me. You need the money more than I do..."
   Before Sui could say anything, Zan walked up towards Hikike 
and ruffled his hair. The boy smiled brightly and clenched his 
fists in excitement. "When I grow up, I want to be just like 
you!" Hikike said with great enthusiasm. He had an image in his 
head of himself all grown up, wearing a cowboy’s outfit and 
both sword and gun in each hand with the sun setting in the 
background. Sui gave him a strange look from afar, but Hikike ignored it, as usual. He was better now, all thanks to this 
gaijin. "I want to be a gaijin too!"
   Zan rolled his eyes, grinned faintly. "Ah, kid. I wouldn't 
advise you on being one of my kind. We're pretty disliked 
enough as it is." His eyes centred back once more on the boy, 
whose eyes were shining at him in all the signs of hero 
worship. When he was younger and still the boy Johnny, he 
imagined that was how he looked to his father and the other 
lawmen and gunslingers he idolised. "Takes on a whole new 
perspective though... since I've gone from idoliser to 
idolised."
   Hikike clasped his brown-gloved hand. "Zan-sama...I want to 
be a hero...like you. To defend people and stand up for them!" 
The Samurai Gunman nodded. The fire in the boy's eyes was 
irresistible. "And that's a good choice. However, you can't be 
a good hero and all without getting well. Wouldn't do at all to 
fight a whole pessel of desperadoes and be coughing all over 
everyone, right?" The boy smiled, laughed weakly. 
   He gripped the boy's hands more firmly. "You CAN be a hero 
too. But you won't do anyone any good if you're sick. Do as 
your sister says and take your medicine. And once you get 
better, only then can you truly follow that dream. Promise me 
you'll do that?" The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I will, 
Zan-sama!"
   Zan turned away, but noticed the boy still held his hand. As 
he turned, Hikike said, "Please, Zan-sama. Give me something to 
remember you by. I don't want to forget my new hero!" The 
American pondered that for a second or two, then smiled and 
reached down to his belt, retrieved a bullet. He then tied it 
around an extra piece of string in his pocket and finally
placed it around the boy's neck. "Here you go. Now get some 
rest. That's just as important as taking your medicine."
   Hikike mumbled what sounded like thanks, closed his eyes 
with a smile on his face. His hands were still holding Zan's, 
so the Gaijin Swordsman quietly withdrew them, then turned to 
Sui. "Your brother has the spirit and the potential. Take care 
of him. The world needs more people like Hikike." 
   Sui held the gaijin's shoulder, eyes beginning to fill with 
tears but she quickly wiped them away. Her opinion of men was 
shattered forever. Never in her whole life had she ever met a 
man such as him. "I...cannot thank you enough."
   Zan shook his head. "Don't. It's what I do. Killing 
criminals isn't the only thing that makes a hero." He took the 
girl's hands, and Sui heard the tinkling of coins. The American 
grinned. "Take this. It's yours. And watch out now. There 
aren't enough heroes to look after everyone."
   "But... but..." Sui tried to say, but the gaijin shook his 
head and smiled. He tipped the rim of his hat upwards and 
nodded to her as he walked towards the door.
   "Say bye to Hikike when he’s awake," Zan said before he 
exited the door. Sui stood there for a few moments and tried to 
recollect what had happened. He, a total stranger, who had no 
real reason whatsoever in helping her get her brother to a 
doctor, where he could be treated. He even saved her life.
She knew that she would be forever in Zan’s debt and promised 
herself to forever pay him back, if she ever sees him again.

   Sui sighed and walked back into the patient’s room. She sat 
next to her sleeping brother. His hand gripped onto the bullet 
that Zan had given him with a smile on his face. For once in a 
long time, Hikike was truly happy and that, in return, made Sui 
happy as well. Then she remembered what Zan had left in her 
hand. Sui glanced down at the money that the gaijin had left.

   It was fifty yen.

			*	*	*
[End Part 1]