Day I — Deluge

Third Year of the Bunkyū Era (October 24, 1863)

Despite the rain, the city of Kyoto remained bustling: colorful umbrellas bobbed back and forth beneath her window, their wielders sloshing through puddles with a clack-clack of geta clogs and chatting cheerfully. Rain dribbled from the eaves of the buildings and filled the road with puddles, and the sun shone its watery light through the clouds. The market was busy as always, the sound of arguments and bargaining and the distinct jingle of coins wafting up into the air.

Her room, on the other hand, was quiet. The walls of her room were clean but dingy, with frayed tatami mats and a water stain on the ceiling. In one corner where the plaster was crumbling, a large pack, a sedge hat, and a folded traveling haori rested. Her staff lay by her side, as usual. The elegant shamisen in her lap and even her simple kimono seemed to be sharp contrasts with her dismal surroundings.

She bowed her head slightly, black hair falling in front of her blurred eyes as she picked up the tortoiseshell plectrum. With a skilled motion, she struck the three strings; the notes began to float out into the drizzling rain. Then after a few seconds, her voice followed, reverberating and clear.

"He waits for her in the downpour,

His hair is wet and his umbrella torn,

But alas, where is his loved one

Who vowed to wait forever for him

As she cried under the cruel rain?"

As she sang, she inclined her head, closing her eyes. The tiny bell dangling from the pin in her hair chimed softly with that motion.

Night fell, and with it the sky. As darkness descended on Kyoto the heavens opened up so that the morning drizzle became a total storm. Sheets of rain poured down to blur the edges of the buildings, thickening the darkness and swelling the puddles until they resembled a sea. No one was out and about now, having rushed for shelter when the storm broke. The restaurants were clearly benefiting from this: warm golden light filtered out from the shuttered windows, along with the sound of laughter and sake cups clicking.

Of course this grated on his nerves like nothing else. His straw zori sandals were soaked — to say nothing of his tabi socks — as he and the others waded through the puddles. This was unfair; the other captains had not had to patrol during the storm! He cursed under his breath the fact that he had the last shift.

The patrol division was unmistakable. Sometimes when they passed by a restaurant, customers who'd gone outside to cool down from drinking would see them, recognize the light blue uniforms, and stalk back inside at once. Not that he cared. If he could serve the Shinsengumi well, that was all that mattered.

"Though hot tea and cakes would be great right about now," he couldn't help growling under his breath. A tickle rose up in his throat and he lifted his fist to cough violently. "Damn cold," he muttered, then cast a glance backwards at his men. They all wore sedge hats as meager defense against the rain, rainwater streaming from the edges to partially obscure his vision. However, despite the cold and the wet, their faces were set and focused. His lips quirked slightly. He had no doubt that they were probably shivering in their haori.

At that moment a piercing scream shattered the dark. His head snapped around immediately; already a grin was spreading across his face. Finally! Something interesting, hm? He turned to his men who had stiffened in surprise. "Welp, I'll see you guys back at headquarters!" With that and a jaunty wave, he spun on his heel and ran off.

"A-Ah, wait…! Captain!"

He ignored their startled calls and soon disappeared into the storm. His excitement was palpable; it wouldn't have been a surprise if he actually started humming. Still, it was rather deceiving: his hand gripped the hilt of his sword subtly, and there remained a sharpness in his enthusiastic gaze.

It wasn't all too hard to find the source of the cry. In a narrow alley, the metallic smell of blood hit him at once. Wrinkling his nose, he went in anyway to find the body of a young woman. She was facedown in a murky puddle, and when he turned her over he wasn't surprised to see that her throat had been torn out completely. Blood was everywhere, staining the front of her kimono, draining with the rain, splattered over her face. He glanced her over again then stood, sighing.

"What a mess, what a mess." He smirked widely as he spoke. "San'nan-san is going to be upset. Isn't he keeping an eye on you?" This time he laughed and turned, a slow grin on his face. "Well, I'm not really complaining. You just saved me from a terribly boring night."

Eyes peered at him from the dark, glowing bright crimson. Tongues lolled out from between sharp teeth and they panted like wolves — it was made especially disconcerting by the fact they wore the Shinsengumi's uniform.

"Four of you, huh? So then," he said cheerily. However, he was leaning back into a samurai stance, reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Which one of you wants to try me first?"

Snowy white hair flashed in the blackness as they all charged. He snickered and drew his sword in the same moment a blade lashed out. He swung his sword upwards to block it, then shoved it aside to thrust his blade forward. It caught in the creature's chest and it let out a gurgled shriek as its knees crumpled. However, he simply ripped his sword out and struck at another of the creatures. This one was able to block his attack and attempted to slash him across the shoulder. But he dodged and spun around to slash a creature that had been charging up from behind him. Turning on his heel to complete the spin, he raised his sword and sliced downwards on the second foe. His blade bit deep into its chest and kept slicing down, slashing open its stomach and chest. It collapsed to the ground where it twitched pathetically for a few seconds, before it finally stilled. The last creature shrieked to see its comrades felled. A dull fear lit in its feral eyes, and he chuckled to see that.

By the time it raised its sword, he had dashed forward and blood was now spurting from the gaping wound in its throat. With a shocked expression, it fell forward, mouth open as it released a weak, dying screech that soon faded to silence.

Okita Sōji turned to survey the bloody scene. His quick eyes took in the sight of the mutilated bodies and he made a sound that was half-sigh and half-huff. A handkerchief was tugged out from his kimono and he wiped off his blade before sheathing it. Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted, he thought with a roll of his eyes, running a hand through his hair. Guess I better go find the others. I hate clean-up work. Okita sighed again and then turned to leave.

The soft chime of a bell made him freeze. Slowly, he glanced back around.

There was a woman standing at the edge of the carnage. She had on a traveling haori, a heavy pack on her shoulders as well as a cloth-wrapped object that was evidently a shamisen. Worn zori sandals shod her feet. A sedge hat like the one Okita wore shaded her features, dribbling rainwater around her. In one hand was a wooden staff, the end planted firmly in the mud. Her kimono was simple but lovely, black with a spray of russet leaves at its hem and accented with a bright red collar.

The kimono was also splattered with blood, as was her blank face. She stared at him with eyes completely void of emotion, perhaps far too shocked.

How?! How did I not notice her there?! Thoughts chased one another in his mind and panic began to rise. However, Okita quickly tamped it down and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Okay, okay. Think rationally now. Rationally. She shouldn't have seen all of this. So she's seen too much. Way too much.

I can't allow her to live after this.

His shoulders relaxed and, with the utmost casualness, Okita began to walk towards her. Making a final decision apparently set his mind at ease; he wore a friendly smile as he approached. His sandals splashed loudly through the dirty puddles, and he noticed a flicker in her eyes when he came closer — and when he drew his sword. Okita grinned not-very-ruefully and lifted the blade to her neck. She inhaled sharply when he put the slightest pressure on the sword so it cut. A bead of blood started its way down her skin.

"Sorry," said Okita, sounding not sorry in the least. "But you weren't supposed to see that."

The rain continued to pour down around them, diluting the unpleasant tang of blood and soaking them both. A chill was in the air, and not just temperature-wise. Her lips parted.

"You…"

Okita's hand twitched slightly at the sound of her voice and he frowned. Her voice was quiet, soft, but certainly not afraid. That bothered him.

"You smell of blood…"

A heartbeat passed and her eyes fell closed. Okita sucked in a breath when she began to fall forward and his arms snapped out to catch her. She slumped against him, unconscious, her staff slipping from her fingers to clatter onto the drenched ground. Okita watched it fall, and in that moment he realized something vital.

Of course.

"Dammit… Where could he be?"

"Haha, don't be so worried, Toshi. Sōji's more than capable of taking care of himself! He probably has a good reason for returning late. Let's just give him a few more minutes, all right, Toshi?"

"Kondō-san, you are too lenient with him! And I am not worried!" The man Hijikata Toshizō crossed his arms, however, resigning himself to wait further albeit with obvious reluctance. If Hijikata was a man of discipline, then tardiness was the bane of his existence. But Kondō Isami was not only the leader of the Shinsengumi but his close friend as well, hence his grudging compliance.

"Heh, I bet you anything that Sōji just ditched and went to the red-light district! Watch him come back with a girl on his arm," Nagakura Shinpachi snickered, punching the arm of his friend Sano, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Harada Sanosuke sighed and rolled his eyes at Shinpachi. Though Shinpachi could be debated to be the stronger of the two, Sano could be considered the more sensible and agile one. To some degree. "You know Hijikata would kill him if he did."

"That's what I'm hoping for!" Shinpachi grinned gleefully and Sano had to groan.

A younger boy sat beside the two; it was Tōdō Heisuke, captain of the Shinsengumi's eighth unit and the last member of the trio. He leaned back on his hands and laughed. "That'll be more than you ever get, Shinpat-san!" he snickered.

"Why you little—! I could get a hundred more girls than you, twerp!"

"Sure, old man! That's definitely why that geiko in Shimabara slapped you for touching her!"

"I told you I was drunk! It wasn't my fault!"

This started a heated argument between the two that escalated in volume until Hijikata, whose forehead had been twitching in growing irritation, finally slammed a powerful hand on the floor. Immediately the room went silent.

"Both of you be quiet. You're giving me a migraine," the vice-commander snarled. He lifted his hand to rub his temple, sighing.

"Easy there, Hijikata-san," chuckled Yamanami Keisuke (or "San'nan," as they all called him), the general commander of the Shinsengumi. "I'm sure Okita-kun will be here any sec—"

"Oi!" The door slid open to reveal Okita's grinning face. "Talking about me behind my back, are you now?"

Yamanami lifted his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Why, speak of the devil," he remarked.

Hijikata, however, was much less amused. "You are late, Sōji," he said, frowning darkly. "I hope you have a very good reason for abandoning your men like that and running off!"

Okita scratched his head in an embarrassed manner, though perhaps his smile was more wolfish than sheepish. "Actually, I do. I was taking care of a few of our 'fallen ones,' see."

At that, a grave expression fell over San'nan's features. "Is that…right… How many?"

"Just four. They were easy enough to deal with."

"I see… They must have escaped without my knowing. I seem to have been overly careless. I apologize, Hijikata-san, Kondō-san. Forgive me." The bespectacled samurai turned to bow deeply to the commanders, his expression regretful. The vice-commander simply gave a curt nod.

"No matter, San'nan-san. Just be sure it does not happen again."

"I understand." The general commander let out a tired sigh and straightened to take off his spectacles. "Thank you, Okita-kun."

"Though that's not really all." A sly grin was spreading fast over the young man's face, one that spoke nothing but trouble. He lifted up one hand to reveal he was holding a rope. "I caught this one as well." And with a dramatic flourish, he pushed the door open to step into the room, tugging on the rope so that the woman came in after him. Her wrists were bound before her, and she hesitated on the threshold, her long bangs shadowing her eyes.

While Shinpachi assumed an expression that clearly said, So you did go to the red-light district, the three commanders had different reactions. Kondō looked back and forth between Okita and the strange woman with concern. Hijikata's expression was so taut it looked as though he might snap any second; Yamanami's unreadable face could be interpreted a million different ways — and none of them good. And their faces only darkened when they saw the blood splattered over her face and kimono.

"Come in, both of you, and close the door. Then we'll talk," said Hijikata in a low tone. His violet-tinted eyes were narrowed and his shoulders rigid. Only when Kondō placed a hand on his shoulder did he glance over, then relax minutely.

Okita cheerfully obliged, pulling the woman into the room before going to flop down right in front of Hijikata (an extremely daring move on his part). The woman, on the other hand, knelt on her knees to slide the door closed quietly, then she turned and pulled herself over to sit beside Okita, her head inclined. All eyes were on her, gazes either curious or sharply scrutinizing. It was obvious that next to her, Okita was feeling very pleased to have brought in an object of such attention.

She was a beauty, that was beyond doubt. Her skin was fair and pale which made a fine contrast to her dark hair. A black-lacquered pin held up her locks in a bun, from which the rest of her hair flowed down over one shoulder; a small, silver bell dangled from the pin by a white-and-red string. Long eyelashes shaded deep brown eyes, and she had a certain delicacy to her facial features, framed by her bangs. In spite of the condition of her clothes, she sat with her bound hands in her lap, silent and composed.

Looking at her askance, Okita found her rather suspicious himself.

"Now then, Sōji, how about telling us what happened? Leave out no details." Hijikata folded his arms into his sleeves and leveled both of them with a stern glare. But Okita merely grinned and shrugged, his mien nonchalant.

"Since you asked so nicely. It started off with me wishing for the heavens to open up and rain down hot tea and sweet bean cakes instead—"

"Sōji!"

"—but then I heard a woman scream and when I went to investigate, four of them attacked." With the woman sitting by him, he did not elaborate who was them. The commanders understood either way.

"I took care of them easily, no big deal. Unfortunately, she happened to be there when I did," he said and tilted his head towards the young woman.

"So then why exactly…" Hijikata ground out between gritted teeth. His eye was twitching from strain with the effort of reining in his irritation. "…did you bring her here?"

"Ahh, well, I figured you'd know better what to do about her!"

"'What to'—!" The vice-commander stopped and breathed deeply, exhaling in an annoyed huff. Okita watched him with delighted amusement.

Kondō smiled at his old friend, patting him on the back. "Now, now, Toshi! Let's not be hasty about this." He looked over at the young woman with a kind face. "Hello, young miss, it's nice to meet you. What is your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

When he addressed her, she lifted her head slightly, though not quite looking at him in the eye. It was a moment before she answered. "…Asuka. My name is Mōri Asuka." She spoke in a soft tone that was barely above a murmur; Kondō smiled, relieved she was willing to talk.

"An honor then, Asuka-san. I am Kondō Isami, the leader of the Shinsengumi. Beside me with the scary face is Toshi— er, I mean, Hijikata Toshizō, the vice-commander. This is Yamanami Keisuke, our general commander, and the young man beside you is Okita Sōji. Then over there is—"

"Kondō-san," interrupted Hijikata, in an utterly exasperated tone. "Why are you disclosing so much information to her?"

"E-Eh? Well, I just thought…" The older man blinked, clearly surprised at the objection.

Shinpachi snickered behind his hand. "Heheh, leave it to Kondō-san to introduce us to a prisoner!" he said, laughing. "You're way too polite, Kyokuchō."

"Ah…well…" Kondō's protest trailed off with a helpless gesture apparently supposed to mean She's a woman. Shinpachi, Sano, and Heisuke just laughed.

"It doesn't matter," Hijikata broke in, glaring at Okita pointedly. "Sōji, I'm going to ask you one more time: Why. Is. She. Here?"

Okita rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. He might as well tell them now, since they haven't seemed to figure it out yet. Although the way Asuka kept her head low like that probably didn't help. "Mm, well… How would you deal with a blind woman, Hijikata-san?" He smirked, glancing up from under his eyelashes to watch their reactions.

Hijikata stiffened. Yamanami raised his eyebrows. Kondō gaped in utter shock. "B-Bl—" The commander looked at the young woman again; it was as if they suddenly all saw the milkiness of her eyes, the way she never looked at them directly. "Oh… I am a fool!" Kondō covered his face with his hand, closing his eyes in total embarrassment. "To think that I did not realize something as important as that…!"

"It's pretty obvious she's blind, though, isn't it?" Okita said (rather unhelpfully and a tad smugly).

"Still! Ahh, forgive me, Asuka-san, for not realizing it sooner," Kondō apologized, bowing to the woman with a flustered expression.

"Oh… No, it's nothing to apologize for," she replied, looking surprised. He nodded but looked ashamed nonetheless.

During this whole exchange, the man named Saitō Hajime had sat silently by. Taciturn by nature, he had not spoken once but had surreptitiously scrutinized the young woman Asuka, his sharp eyes narrowed. Now, however, he spoke, and when he did the entire room fell quiet.

"You there," he said. "You are a hanare goze, aren't you?"

Asuka's eyes seemed to flicker and she turned towards the direction of his voice. Her face was carefully blank as she nodded. "Yes. I am."

"'Goze'?" Heisuke echoed, cocking his head in confusion.

"Blind women who travel and perform music in exchange for alms," Saitō elaborated, not taking his eyes off Asuka while he did. "I have never met one myself, however. I've only heard of them."

Asuka did not respond to this.

"But regardless, Okita is right," said Yamanami then, ever the analytical one. He reached up to adjust his glasses; his expression was serious. "We're in a difficult position now with that fact. Asuka-san." The young woman raised her head. "Tell us, how much exactly did you...hear?"

She was silent at first. Then, very softly: "I heard their screams."

A tense silence encompassed the room. The expressions on the men's faces were grave and no one said anything more for several minutes. In the quiet, Okita glanced sideways at the goze to see her face suddenly smooth over, expression blank and careful. His green eyes narrowed but nothing more gave her away.

"I apologize, but I must ask you something important." Her voice was what broke the tension. The men looked over at her, curious. Asuka lifted her head so that this time, her eyes were visible to all of them; the blurriness of her cataracts could be seen. "I have come to Kyoto to look for someone, a samurai. His name is Hisakawa Katashi. Might you know him at all?"

"Hisakawa Katashi…? Hmm…" Kondō frowned and looked thoughtful for a while, but finally sighed and shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm sorry. I don't think I know anyone by that name."

"I see… Then please forgive my impudence, but…" She placed her hands on the floor in front of her and bowed low, her forehead nearly touching the tatami mats. "Please, will you allow me to stay here in your headquarters to continue looking for that man?"

There was stunned silence from everyone. Okita was the first to recover. "Hahaha! You're a pretty gutsy woman, aren't you? What makes you think you're in a position to be asking favors from us? Besides…" His grin became a slow smirk, a distinctly suggestive note to it. "What would you give us in return?"

"Sōji!" Kondō scolded, appalled.

Asuka straightened, sightless eyes cast downwards. "I know that it is not my place to be requesting such a thing from you right now, but I have to find this man. I don't expect that you will let me stay here for nothing — I will work for it. I cannot see but I can cook and clean. And…" She bowed her head. A lock of hair slipped to frame her face alluringly. "I can please as well, if that is what you wish."

"T-That will be enough of that!" Kondō stammered and waved a frantic hand. He then had to clear his throat several times to regain his composure. "You are brave to offer yourself in such a way, my dear, but we are not the sort of men to take advantage of a young woman like that." (Okita lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.)

Hijikata heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Even so, San'nan-san is correct that we're in a difficult position. This is the first time anyone has witnessed us dispatching the 'fallen ones,' let alone a woman, and a blind one at that."

"Guess you're saying we can't just kill her then?" Okita said with a shrug and a cheery grin. "Hm, in that case, why not have her stay here? Maybe she can be someone's servant. Or maybe mistress! I bet you two would look cute together, Hijikata-san!"

Violet eyes slitted and a muscle under Hijikata's eye twitched irritably. "Or maybe you can take that job, Sōji. The one who makes the proposition should assume responsibility."

This time, it was Okita's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, that is a good idea. It would be a perfectly valid cover for a captain to have his mistress in the compound. Even more so if she helps out with the cooking and cleaning." Yamanami nodded as he spoke, smiling guilelessly in response to the chilly glare Okita aimed at him.

"Very true! Although I suppose we'll have to continue discussing the details. But in the meantime, it's gotten late, and you should be getting off to bed," Kondō said with twinkling eyes. "Ah, there's still the issue of where Asuka-san will sleep, though…"

"No matter." Hijikata crossed his arms; Okita narrowed his eyes, swearing there was an air of smugness around the man. "She will sleep in Okita's room."

"Are you serious?" Okita threw his hands up, exasperated. "I can't even keep my room?!"

The vice-commander gave him a look. "You'd be killing two birds with one stone this way," he said sharply. "You'll be able to keep watch over her during the night, at the same time keeping up the guise that she is your mistress. We can't let the other men know who she truly is." Okita groaned and muttered something under his breath, scowling.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one upset about the arrangements: Shinpachi gave a very loud complaint. "Hey, that's no fair! How come Sōji gets to have a cute girl in the compound and I don't?!"

"'Cause no girl wants to stick around that long with ya, Shinpat-san!" Heisuke snickered.

"Shut up, you brat!"

Yamanami and Kondō both laughed, the latter bowing slightly to Asuka. "Take good care of Okita-kun, Asuka-san," the commander chuckled. She dipped her head in reply, the corners of her lips quirking a bit.

Okita groaned again and glowered at the vice-commander. "Hijikata-san, I'll get you back for this!"

"You can dream." The man merely lifted an eyebrow. "As if we will ever have another woman in the Shinsengumi compound."

Asuka and Okita were dismissed after another minute, and after they left, the room was thoughtfully quiet. Saitō gazed at the closed door with a pensive air before looking over at Hijikata. "Fukuchō-san, are you sure that was the wisest decision?"

The man glanced back. "It's funny that you should ask. I was wondering the same thing."

"You don't trust her, Toshi? I thought Asuka-san was a rather nice girl," remarked Kondō; however, his face was solemn, understanding Hijikata's suspicion.

Hijikata only frowned and fell quiet. When he spoke again, it was not to Kondō but to Saitō. "Saitō-san, you said she is a goze, didn't you?" The samurai nodded, and Hijikata continued, "What did you mean by she is a hanare goze?"

The man lapsed into thought, his face composed as he sifted through the information in his head. It took a few minutes for him to respond. "As I said, I have limited knowledge on goze, but I believe that there are certain rules within their society that leads to expulsion from the group if broken. The members who are banished are called hanare goze."

"So she is alone?" Yamanami asked. When Saitō nodded again, Hijikata's eyes narrowed.

"I see… That's convenient."

"What? You think she's a spy or something?" Shinpachi piped in, glancing over from his observation of Sano and Heisuke's thumb-wrestling match.

The vice-commander made a dismissive noise. "I just don't like it. We know next to nothing about her, and just… She was able to get in. That bothers me most. She simply happened to be there when Sōji dispatched the fallen warriors. All the circumstances combined would have led to her being brought into our compound, no matter what. It seems too much of a coincidence to me."

Eventually, he sighed and began to stand up. "In any case, her request to stay here was surprising, but ultimately more convenient. Otherwise we would have had to hold her here against her will — or even kill her. Still…" He looked at the trio and Saitō. "Saitō, Sano, I want you two and Sōji to watch her. Don't let her out of your sight."

"Understood, Hijikata-san."

"Dammit, Hijikata-san," Okita muttered crossly as he untied Asuka's hands. "A mistress, right. I'm never going to live this down with Shinpat-san." He huffed and tossed the rope aside. Asuka rubbed her wrists wordlessly while Okita turned to open the closet, pulling out blankets and a futon and continuing to grumble. The goze turned her head when she heard the sound of rustling cloth.

"Ah… Here, please let me. I can do that myself," she said. She stood and carefully came over to take the blankets from Okita's arms. Okita let her do so, watching her kneel to spread out the futon with keen interest. However, as he watched, he noticed quite a few things. Mainly, he noticed that the red collar of her kimono was loose and slipped so that he could glimpse her collarbone and the shapely curve of her breasts. He smirked. Small but not too small... Not bad.

That wasn't all he noticed. Her fingers were callused but slender. Her figure was graceful. When she bent to smooth out the covers, her hair fell lightly over her eyes in an attractive way. Also, minutes earlier he had decided to be gracious and give her a few minutes to wash off the blood on her face and kimono. That had certainly been a good decision, considering how much better she looked. He chuckled softly before stepping over. Asuka looked up at his approach but suddenly, before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and shoved her back, sitting on top of her. She gasped faintly, which only served to incite a chuckle from him.

"You do know, right?" he said in a soft, seductive tone. "What goes on between a man and his mistress?" His hand reached up to slip the pin out from her hair, locks of her black hair spilling around her shoulders. The silver bell rang mutedly when Okita set it aside, and he leaned down to put his lips to her neck. She sucked in a sharp breath, and he chuckled against her skin, his lips moving up her throat to her ear. His breath stirred her hair and she was still as he began to whisper in her ear.

"Listen carefully now," he said in a friendly tone. "Just a little warning in case you're not what you make yourself out to be — but try anything funny and I'll kill you. So run away or attack us or try anything against us, and I'll be very happy to slit your throat open. Understand?" He waited until she nodded, and then he pulled away with a cheerful smile. "Haha, good! Well then, you go on to sleep first, all right? I'll be back in a bit, I'm just gonna go wash off first" With that, he got up and waved over his shoulder happily as he left the room. The door slid closed behind him with a loud clack.

Asuka lay there for a moment longer, listening to his footsteps fade, her eyes closed. Then they opened blearily and she lifted herself up. Slowly, her sensitive hands started to move over the tatami mats, searching carefully. At last her fingers brushed against the lacquered pin and she closed them around it, picking it up to hear the familiar ring of the bell. She clutched it against her chest and her sightless eyes fell partially closed. Her expression was mournful.

"…Katashi-san…"