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All your Rurouni Kenshin base are belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shounen Jump, Sony and Anime Works.
The above general disclaimer applies to this page and all subsequent pages that follow this page, associatively, chronologically, spatially or by any other associations.
Loosely speaking, everyone mentioned up there and unmentioned right holders own alls the rights to the Rurouni Kenshin series.
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Suenagaku na Aki (Ever Stay Autumn)
Prolog
He ran toward the gate of his house as fast as he could. Never mind his lungs were burning for air. He had to reach home. Fast. Not bothering to stop to open the gate properly, he rammed into it, hurting his left shoulder in the process. The gate was not important, he thought to himself. A new one can be installed later after he made sure that everything was alright. The injured shoulder? What injured shoulder?
He quickly glanced around his house compound. Nothing seemed out of order. "Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid", he thought to himself. He stepped toward the front door. "Hanae, I am home", he called to his wife. But there was no answer. "Father?" There was still no answer. "Sakura?" His heart skipped a beat. What if something had happened to his family? Then he remembered something. His father did mention that he would be taking the rest of the family out into town today. He smiled as he remembered that the announcement was followed with a long-winded lecture on how to take care of his family. He admitted to himself, he hadn't been a good family man in these days. But who could be? The whole of Japan was still embroiled in a massive civil war and his father wanted him to take them out for lunch? But war or no war, tomorrow he will take them out to see the puppet theatre his daughter wanted to see so much.
He opened the door. The first thing he saw were the bloodied bodies. It seemed like an eternity as his brain tried to tell him about whom the bloodied bodies belong to. A savage scream shook the whole area. It was not unlike those of a wounded animal. Then he broke down and cried like a child, sobbing uncontrollably.
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"Master, the Ishin Shishi approached us for an alliance"
"An alliance?" He kept quiet for a few seconds, thinking, while glancing at the map on the wall. "They're winning, and the Tokugawa faction has made a grave mistake", he said quietly.
"Why do you say that, Master? The Bakufu only lost a few minor provinces" Shingo protested.
"To them, the provinces are of no geographical advantage, but that is another one of their mistake, which is to misjudge the importance of these places" The man turned toward Shingo. Shingo opened his mouth to say something but then he continued, "The provinces are located next to the pivotal provinces they wanted so much to keep. Plus, the lost provinces are actually easier to defend, and although they're not rich in minerals, they have an ample supply of manpower. Swords without people to wield them will not be useful, but people without swords will always try to make one" He continued looking at the map. "Tell them we agree to their request"
"But aren't we're supposed to be neutral? Hundred of years have passed by since your forefathers started this clan, with it only existing in the shadow of the government"
"Shingo, in this turbulent time, one can't choose to be neutral. Too much is at stake. I know of this through personal experience. History is being written, bonds and promises are being broken. We have the choice of whether to help write history or not" Another quiet minute passed before he spoke again. "Tell them we want full access to their intelligence, so that we can help them in the strategy planning. And tell our lowest-ranking agents to report to them"
"Yes, Master"
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He stood on top of the hill which overlooked the battlefield. Blood stench wafted through the area; buildings are burnings as what remains of the two clashing armies tried to finish each other. He heard a horse galloping from behind him. He knew who it was. "We managed to repulse the Tokugawa army, but at a terrible price", Shingo reported to him. "How many of the men died?"
"Our men or the combined force's men?"
"Both"
"146 of our men died while 431 were injured. As for the combined force, two thirds either died or injured"
"Very good"
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He sat idly by his koi pond feeding his carps, something he normally do to relax his mind. He looked heavenward, whispering a silent prayer.
"It is a beautiful night, isn't? I believe you don't mind dying on such a peaceful night such as this one" A female voice interrupted his stupor. Not many people has the ability to sneak up on him undetected. This woman is one of that few. He just smiled and look toward her kneeled form.
"Yes, I believe so. But not as beautiful as you. And to tell you the truth, I would prefer to die when I'm with you" Despite being train not to show emotions, the woman couldn't help blushing. He noticed it. "Ah, even you have minor problems now and them" He chuckled. His tone then turned serious. "Everything went as planned?"
"Yes. And as predicted by you, they will appoint Hitotsubashi Keiki as the next shogun tomorrow morning"
"Very good. He's a good man. But, pity he is on the other side. Nevertheless, I am sure he recognizes the danger of involving the foreigners in our country's problem. Now I need someone to convince him to step down"
"If I may suggest, we can enlist Tosa's lord to help persuade him to resign"
He clasped his hands together. "You're right! I will contact him tomorrow. As for you, I want you to find out how much information does our allies have on us"
"It will be done" In a flash the shadow disappeared and the man continued his musing.
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He stood quietly as he watched the principal lords are being briefed on the restoration of the Imperial rule. He knew that after that announcement, there will be another one on the transfer of Japan's capital from Kyoto to Edo. Among those present was Shingo who came as the 'leader' of his group. The Ishin Shishi didn't know the real leader behind the group that had helped them to achieve control of Japan. Not that he wanted them to know.
As he looked on, he noted that there were many people with powerful kenki present. Obviously they belong to the hidden guards the Ishin Shishi arranged to oversee the safety of the whole proceeding, or they belong to those with hostile intention of disrupting it. Then he felt one of the kenki disappeared. He smiled as he felt the ki of one of his men who was near to the one that had disappeared. One of the troublemakers has been dealt with, and he's sure the others will not be so keen to try now. As if on cue, Shingo nodded his head, signaling him. Another smile creased his face, this time an unreadable one.
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As he sat on a log near a river, he hummed to himself. Suddenly he smiled. "I think this is the first time I was able to detect you coming"
The shadow that was on a tree nodded her head. "I don't know whether I should be disappointed at myself or proud of you, my lord"
The man let out a small laugh. "Do not be hard on yourself. I saw your reflection in the river. Anyway, have you managed to find out who did it?"
"Yes" A slightly hesitant tone escaped from her.
"It was done by the Ishin Shishi, is it not?"
"Yes"
He put up his right hand to cover his face. A few seconds passed in silence. With his hand still on his face, he sighed. "Only after years passed by can I confirm my suspicions. And the assassins?"
"Local hoodlums hired by someone posing as Tokugawa agent with enough money for a week's visit at the local geisha house"
He coughed. "Very clever. As a Tokugawa agent, just in case I sought revenge at that time. How did you find out about this?"
"The agent may be willing to die for the Ishin Shishi, but he's unable to tolerate the torture being inflicted by our 'friendly' interrogator"
"And the hoodlums?"
"We managed to capture all of them; their families were left alone, just like you instructed. Our own geishas are giving them the 'entertainment' of their life right now. Would you like to see them?"
The right hand lowered from his face. "No. Just kill them after our people are through. And make sure to make it look like an accident or mishap" He began to leave the riverside.
"One of our men asked whether we can feed them alive to his dogs"
"Ahh. Ukyo's always wanted his dogs to have the best food. Sure, but I think the dogs will choke unless the pieces are small enough. And I wonder whether he would like his dogs to eat something so repulsive. They may get indigestion"
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"Congratulations, Master! You have achieved what you set up to do", Shingo congratulated him.
Shingo's congratulary message was received with a quizzical look. "What do you mean by 'set up to do', Shingo?," he questioned.
"Well, you did say that we can either choose to write history or not, and we have done it…" Shingo replied uncertainly.
He shook his head in incredulity. "You have a lot to learn. History is being written as long as there are living things. Of course there will be 'important history' or 'not important history'; but the point is, new history will be happening everyday. As for what I set out to do, I am afraid I have yet to achieve it"
"Eh? I...."
"I have yet to exact my revenge" The words were accompanied with hate so intense that it was the first time Shingo felt fear in front of his master. Sweat trickled down his cheeks as he tried to explain to himself what had happened that caused his master to be this angry. Then he recalled hearing about his master's family being slaughtered in cold blood. But, aside from stories from other people, he hasn't heard his master mention anything about it at all, not even once. He raised his head slowly, as if expecting it to be separated from his body. He only saw his master's eyes looking at him.
"Shingo, I am not as kind as you thought I am. That part of me died years ago when my family was murdered. Before that, I always believed that no matter how much the two opposing sides despised each other; they would never resort to something as cruel as this. But I was young and foolish. That foolishness cost me my family. And the irony of it is, at that time I was neutral. Every day I heard the two sides reminding themselves how it was necessary to be mad and crazy, so that a new era could be forged. A fallacy to make themselves feel right about what they were doing"
"The only thing that has kept me going through that turbulence time is to exact revenge on my family's murderers and those who are responsible. Now that I know who they are I have another goal to be accomplished, which is to undo everything they have done. I will take over Japan from those Ishin Shishi scums in front of their own eyes before killing them. Only then will my revenge be complete"
Despite being afraid a second ago, Shingo could not resist questioning him. "The Ishin Shishi? But why did you help them when you knew that they were behind the attack? We could have killed them all by ourselves"
"At that time I was not sure they had done it. Anyway, if we fought against them at that time, it will be harder to win. Surely the Bakufu would have taken advantage of the fight. We would have been like a wolf fighting with two ferocious tigers at the time. But now that one of the tigers is gone, and the other one has become weaker and complacent, it should be easier to win," He put his hand on Shingo's shoulder. "So, Shingo, I believe it is time for me to let you go. There is no need for you to get involved in this personal matter of mine. Just forget about your oath to serve me; I release you from it"
"Why do you say that? Do you think I will betray you?"
"No. You are my only family member," the reply was short, but deep in meaning.
Shingo clenched his hands. "Then…," he said emotionally, "let me join you in your fight to topple the Meiji government"
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"Shingo, A golden opportunity afforded us with a good chance to strike. Although we have managed to kill a few of them, now we will have a good opportunity to kill all of the Ishin Shishi's bastards. Their best swordsman, Himura Battousai, left the group years ago, and a large scale manhunt is being carried out to find his replacement, " he said with a satisfied smile.
"Shishio? But I thought he was killed"
"No. That news was merely something to pacify their lower ranking officers. Have you not seen the reward posters for a crazed killer on the run from the police? They wanted everybody to help them to catch Shishio without revealing who he was. Very cunning of them, don't you think? Anyway, I've already sent Ukyo to help in the search"
Shingo wondered what his master's plans were for by sending Ukyo, one of the powerful Kensais (Sword Saints) to help with the search. He admitted that Ukyo's dogs could help in the search, but why did his master want to help his enemies?. His questioning look was noticed.
"I am merely convincing them that we are loyal to them. After all, we are 'grateful' for the posts given to us"
Shingo's curiosity was satisfied with that statement. But then another question hit him. The absence of Battousai and his replacement Shishio will make his master's plan easier to execute, but it was still quite risky; his master was known as a man who thought of everything beforehand.
"It has come to my attention that Saigo Takamori, one of our former allies against the Bakufu, is going to launch a revolt in the Satsuma province. Thus, the government security force will be mobilized to put down the revolt. With Shishio running around, and Saigo leading a revolt, there will be fewer guards for the government's annual meeting in Tokyo this Sunday. The meeting is important in the sense that everybody will be attending, unlike those of the previous years. A decisive assassination of the government officials attending this meeting will be enough to cripple the government. We will send a team of 50 trained assassins to wipe them out. And I will personally lead them. After the assassination, the rest of 15 kensai will subjugate the government machineries"
"Master?"
"Yes, Shingo?"
"I would be honored if I'm given the chance to lead the assassination attack. I wouldn't want to see your hands bloodied when you take over the Japan. Anyway I think that you're inclined to agree that it will easier to control the people if you're free from bad reputation"
Upon hearing Shingo's request, the man's face changed a bit. After pondering on the request he replied, "Very well. I will wait for your good news"
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"What the hell happened?! Did the police manage to find out our plans?" He demanded while holding Shingo's gi.
"No. The plan was perfect. According to our spies, there were only twenty guards at the meeting, lead by Hajime Saitou…"
"But?"
"Please forgive me. It is my fault. Due to some matters concerning our preparation, I was five minutes late. Just as I reaching the place where all of us are supposed to meet, I felt a surge of powerful kenki. When I arrived, everybody was already dead. I tried to find out what happened, but less than a half hour later, Saitou arrived. I barely manage to hide myself"
The man released the grip on Shingo's gi. "I see. So, the powerful ki presence I detected yesterday was not something I imagined after all"
"No……, probably not", Shingo blurted out
"DAMN! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" A hole in the wall was created by the man's powerful punch. "HOW COULD SOMEONE EXERT KENKI SO POWERFUL THAT EVEN I CAN FEEL IT FROM HERE?! IMPOSSIBLE! NO HUMAN CAN DO THAT!" He punched the wall a few times to release his frustration. Finally he calmed himself and continued asking. "It was Saitou's?"
"No", Shingo answered. "He himself looked perplexed by the bodies. And somehow his ki is very different from the one I felt. When I felt the ki, I feel it contained so much killing intent, so much so that I was paralyzed by the feeling. But…"
"But what? Do not test my patience"
"There was… no evil in the ki?" Shingo said slowly, trying to line up his thought. "The ki's owner obviously wanted to kill them, but I believe the act of killing was carried out without any emotion that normally accompanies the killing intent, be it good or bad. Only the pure intent to kill"
The man thought on this information a bit. "Pure killing intention. This is something unheard of during the time of the Bakumatsu. And what did you find out about the bodies?"
"There are multiple slashes on each one of them. The slashes are not deep enough to damage any vital organs, but on one body I've managed to count about 70 slashes. I think all of them bleed to death.
The man mused even longer. "Strange. All of them died almost instaneously and from bleeding. There is no one I know of that can do this easily. Even the famed Mibu's Wolf would have problem defeating all of them at once, since their skills are almost equal to Saitou's Shinsengumi's members. And there are even a few ex-members of Shinsengumi in the group"
"Perhaps it was Himura Battousai who did it"
"Impossible," he said waving it off. "He was in Otaru at that time. And Shishio has been spotted in Saga province. Not that he will help the Meiji government who betrayed him". He kept quiet for a few seconds and then let out a roaring laugh.
Shingo watched quietly while he laughed. He still didn't quite understand his master after all these years he spent serving him. A minute ago his master was very angry, and now he was laughing maniacally. But he only opened his mouth to ask after the laugh subsided. "Why are you laughing, master?"
"Nothing, really. But I remembered some advice my deceased father imparted to me that I really did not understand until now. 'We will never know what was and what will be. Only what is'. Now I know. We can't really predict the future. Even if our plan is perfect, there will always be a chance that something unexpected will foil it. Just as the Mongols' attempts to invade Japan hundreds of years ago were repulsed by the mighty Kamikaze (Divine Wind), my plan is foiled"
Shingo raised his eyebrows. "Does that mean…"
The man sighed, somewhat disappointed. This was also the first time Shingo had seen him sigh disappointedly. "Don't worry, it just means that now we have to wait again. Surely the security will be tightened now to thwart any new attempt. It was a very good chance though. It is a pity that we don't even know who did it"
"I'm sorry"
"Don't be. It is like what my father said. Something unexpected. I myself should have predicted such thing happening. Shingo…"
"Yes, Master?"
"Direct every branch of our intelligence to find out who could have launched such a powerful attack. We need to know whether he is our enemy or not"
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"Master, our intelligence reports that Shishio's building up his army and they are poised to attack the Meiji government in a few months time"
"Oh", the man replied while sipping his tea. "And he is trying to find guns and ammunitions for his army?"
"Yes," Shingo answered.
"Good. Now tell our agents to leak the information about the weapons smugglers in Hong Kong and Shanghai. We will weaken Meiji government with its own knife"
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"Himura and Saitou defeated Shishio"
"I see. As predicted. Nevertheless, Shishio has managed to weaken Meiji government even further. And what of this rumor I heard about our main Shanghai supplier's disappearance?"
"Yukishiro's-san assistants took over from him, so our business relationship is unchanged. But someone spotted a young white-haired man at a Tokyo harbor a few days ago. Shall we go and invite him over?"
"No. He will know where to find me if he wants to. I believe he may have something to settle here. And as for our men inside the government, I want them to compile a list of corrupt officers. Pay particular attention to those whose accumulated wealth has increased tremendously within a short time while they held important positions"
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Shingo opened the sliding door to his master's room. "Sorry to be rude, master, but I believe this is important. Our men have found out that Yukoshiro is after Battousai. He has destroyed a few buildings in Tokyo. And an outside informer said that he will collaborate with the foreign powers to level Japan to dust"
"If I were you, I will behead that outside informer for spreading lies," a voice behind him replied, surprising him. "Don't you think so, Shingo?" Shingo turned around to see a white-haired man with spectacles looking at him, smiling dangerously. "Sure, I have my personal reason to kill Battousai, but to level Japan to dust? Your outside informer just wanted to earn more money at my expense"
"Ah, Yukishiro, you are punctual, as usual. Do have a seat. I have prepared the chess board for you"
"No need to be formal. Enishi is enough". Enishi casually walked toward the man and sat near the chess board, facing him. "I suppose today you will let me have the first move?"
"Yes, of course"
"Ah. Very good. For me, this game is going to be personal; I would like to give it my complete concentration" Enishi said, as if hinting at something else.
"Of course. Enishi. It is your game after all"
"Very good," Enishi smiled and made the first move.
"Shingo, please prepare tea for our distinguished guest. Afterwards, retire the informer permanently. He is a liability to the secrecy of our organization"
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"Master, Yukishiro's been defeated by Himura and was taken into custody"
"How about his business affiliates?" He asked while taking the report being handed to him by another agent.
"Their smuggling group is being destroyed even as we speak"
"No matter. We will get our weapons straight from the source" he said while flipping through the pages. Then his eyebrows knitted when he saw something in the report. "Interesting. Yukishiro has demonstrated something that I can use to my advantage" he said, putting down the report on the table.
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He stood by the graves looking at the names that were engraved on them. "Sakura", he whispered quietly, "Everyday when I wake up, the first thing I do is to think of you, your mother and your grandfather. How I wish that I hadn't wasted my time with other things. How I wish…" He sighed. "Today is the last time I will visit all of you. Farewell" He turned toward his trusted advisor.
"Shingo"
"Yes, Master?"
He began to walk away from the graves. "Tell our men to prepare for an all out attack. I want the information regarding their present counter intelligence capabilities submitted to me. While we are at it, increase the number of agents spying on the Oniwanshuu. I want to know the movements of every one of them, including the old goat Okina. And remind them to keep some distance from Aoshi while spying from him" He stopped and turned to look at the graves. Suddenly there was a powerful wind and the graves were destroyed. He sheathed his sword and turned to resume his walk.
"Now is time. The Meiji government is weaker than ever, and the people's trust in them is wavering. Japan will know of and bow to the Orochi's supreme might. Yes, the Serpent has come to quench his thirst for power. And he will sacrifice the blood of the Ishin Shishi killers to the souls of his family"
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Author's other disclaimers and comments
1) Although I use some Japanese words, I don't pretend to know the language. But I have a Pre-Windows 95 dictionary where I translate it by typing the word in English, view the hiragana wording, translate it into Romaji and then put it in my story. So if I made a mistake in translation, pretend that you don't see it. Or volunteer to translate it correctly. Why pretend that this story is a Japanese story? Frankly speaking, 'Kuzuryusen' sounds better than 'Nine headed dragon flash'. And of course some of the Japanese words have almost no equal in English. Or the usage is impractical. For example Japanese sometimes mention a word a few times like 'Hai hai' (hai-yes)' or 'Maa maa maa maa maa maa (maa maa-calm down)' Personally, I don't recall ever hearing people saying 'calm down calm down calm down' like that.
2) Let's face it, the plot where bad guys appeared and threaten the peace and freedom of the world is as common as bread. Everyone make them, or at least have some basic knowledge on how to do so. But, with bread having different flavor and texture, so must one strive not to accidentally or knowingly copy others' recipe without permission.
3) I tried to arrange the events according to the chronologically order based on RK Manga. But… (see no 4 and no 5).
4) Proper use of English is like icing on a cake. It makes for a better reading just like icing makes for better eating. However, I already have trouble baking the cake as it is. So…
5) Comments, replies, opinion, criticism (good and bad) and Co. to stories are similar to seasonings that are added to the food. Sometimes they make the food sweet, sometime bitter, sometime salty and so on. But one thing for sure, they will not make the food taste bland. Sure, I can say that I write this just for my entertainment. But if so, I can just write it and store it in some folders, right? No, I can't do that. I just hope people will R&R me. I don't mind people screaming obscenities and profanities in their input for me. Opps, I do mind, a little. Just remember to give a valid reason for doing so.
This chapter was checked by Fujifunmum