Disclaimer: I have no clue why cleaning out the gutter with a pitchfork is forbidden.
Rating: PG-15Protagonist: Ichimura Tetsunosuke X Saya (Married).
Antagonist: Kitamura Suzu
Genre: Drama
A/N: My first Peacemaker Kurogane fiction. Post series as you can tell with the Protagonist list. I have decided to go along with the Anime canon, since I have read only three of the manga books and manga way too depressing. I hope you enjoy. Expect some OOCs, not rampant OOCs like Tetsu acts like Hijikata Touzou, but time has passed so characters change.
"Aya! It is too damn hot in here." One of the police officers exclaimed, fanning himself with his paperwork. "Only June, and it is blazing outside."
"You better not let Lt. Saitou hear you, or your going to have to patrol in that weather." Another answered for him.
As the two police officers set to clear the air around them, hoping a cool breeze would brush away the stifling air. They did not see their adjutant lieutenant creep behind them with the stealth that would have made a shinobu proud.
"You two do complain a lot." Tetsunosuke said, thrusting his head between their drooping heads. Being around his superior a lot, Tetsunosuke had picked up several of Saitou's idiosyncrasies.
The commotion left in the awake of his speech, left the two hunched over, grasping their racing hearts. "Adjutant Lt. Tetsunosuke!" Both shot up, and saluted the short man.
"Hm. Imai-kun, Ganzo-kun." Tetsu acknowledged their salutes with a simple nod of his head and sat down at his desk.
"Tetsunosuke-san." One called Imai Yudai, asked, "I thought your vacation wasn't over for another week…"
"Lt. Saitou is going to be swamped with work with the Choshu Colonel coming here, so I decided to end my vacation prematurely." Tetsu raised an eyebrow at the looks the two men were giving him. "Not like I am the one giving birth, that is my wife."
Vacations were rare as ice crystals in this summer heat, and yet their adjutant lieutenant had come back without squandering of the time allotted just mystified the two men. While they pondered such worthless thoughts, they deserved another 'moment' to preen themselves.
"You two are really lazy." This time the master of scary tactics, said in his stoicism.
"Lt. Saitou!" They leaped nearly out of their skins.
"Oh, Tetsu-kun you are here?" Saitou ignored the two men trembling.
"Yes Captain Saitou." Tetsu answered, still using Saitou's title in the Shinsengumi. "I heard you were to greet a Choshu Colonel and be his bodyguard while he is here. I thought I might have been an assistance."
"It is Lt. Saitou or just Saitou-san." Saitou gently reprimanded Tetsu, "What about your wife? I thought she was going to give birth soon."
Tetsu's brows twitched. "She is fine Saitou-san. Not like -"
"Yes yes, we have heard it many times." Saitou interrupted Tetsu before he said his line about not giving birth. "I do have a task for you. I need you to patrol the western district of the city, there has been ronin causing trouble in that sector. Take these two lazy bums with you."
"Yes sir. Come on you two." Tetsu shoved a katana into belt and walked out of the station.
To the chagrin of the two poor men, their deep regret came true. They were walking outside in the heat.
-X-
"I am going to die in this heat." Ganzo Uhahera said in inescapable defeat. They had not gone 1/3 of the route around the western district. Imai just nodded, he was too hot to even answer.
Tetsu did not notice the uncomfortable temperature as his subordinates. While they wore the Prussian stock Police uniforms, the dark navy colors almost the same as wearing all black; Tetsu wore his usual white Gi, and Hakama. He marched on without too much trouble.
The years had done little to change his appearance. He was still shorter than most of the officers in station, but he was no longer the 'shrimp' he was at the Shinsengumi. His spiky- orange hair was still present, the same length as before. But he had changed since that fateful night during the raid. His demeanor had changed; he was no longer a child.
"If you two don't pick up the pace, I am going to make you two run." Tetsu glanced back at the gap between him and his subordinates. Even though the temperature was not as stifling to him, it was his own volition that he would like to finish this uneventful round quickly.
The men did pick up their tempo so it was just yards between them and their lieutenant and not miles.
They passed men and women walking to and fro from shops to stores. The Meji Restoration made brought not only foreigners to Japan, but also foreign goods. So that greater amount of traffic occurred in the streets of Kyoto as of late.
"Aie!" a woman's voice echo in from a store in front of them.
Tetsu broke into a run, and so did Imai and Ganzo. They caught five ronin in the act of harassing a woman and her friends that accidentally bumped into them.
"You bitch." One of the ronin shouted, he looked to be leader of the bunch. He stood in the middle. "Look what you done to my yukata." He swung his hand and struck the woman so that she crumpled to the ground.
"Stop!" Tetsu cried. "You call yourselves men. Striking helpless women who had done little offense?"
"Who is the smart guy?" The leader leered at Tetsu, then at two police officers that panted behind him. "A fool and two worthless police corp. Not even worthy of taking out my sword."
"Take these three women, they will pay their price for ruining my yukata by entertaining us." The leader ordered his men.
If the ronin had known the ramifications of ignoring Tetsu, he would put off Tetsu as threat. Pushed to the limits of his countenance, Tetsu pulled out his sword and charged.
"W-wh-" The leader could not believe his eyes. The 'fool' disappeared from his sight and when he appeared, the first man in his group was struck down. A gaping, but non-fatal wound to the right shoulder. The man was now deprived of his right arm; he was no longer a swordsman.
One by one, the men went down to the lightening attacks of Tetsu's sword until only the leader was left alone.
"What are you?" He screamed, waving his sword in unceremonious fashion for the former samurai. His brows fell drops of sweat as they painfully rolled into his bleary eyes. He dare not rub his eyes, lest Tetsu strike him down in his momentary lack of defense.
"A man who would not see harm to those who cannot defend themselves." Tetsu answered, keeping his sword leveled at his opponent's throat like how Okita Souji taught him. By now, the fighting had brought a crowd watch in incredulity that ronin was so quickly defeated by one man.
"I will kill you!" the man charged, with his sword raised far above his head aiming for a speedy delivery, about to cut Tetsu in half.
'Too slow.' Tetsu saw what he was going to do; he sidestepped the incoming blow and impaling his blade again into the right shoulder once more.
The man fell. His momentum hitting a proverbial wall that was Tetsu's blade impacting into his shoulder. He tried to get up and swing once more, but Imai and Ganzo who finally moved from their astonishment at their adjutant lieutenant, held in place the raging man.
Tetsu flicked off the minuscule amount of blood that specked his sword with swoosh of his blade. He had made sure no one was killed, his promise to Saya he was going to keep.
"I think these men learned their lesson, but bring the leader in to be detained." Tetsu said, and his men complied, "Yes Adjutant Lieutenant Tetsunosuke!" The pride in their lieutenant was evident. Tetsu embarrassed by the extravagant salute, slowly made way to the women still on the ground. "Are you two alright?" Tetsu extended his hands.
The women looked frightened to be addressed by the men who had taken down their tormenters. But his kindly look told them to trust him. The one struck took hold of Tetsu's outstretched hands and with his help, stood up. "Thank you." She said meekly, and with Tetsu's help, picked her friend off the ground as well.
"No problem. Glad to have been at your service." He then obeisance before them and took his leave but not before collecting all the swords from the fallen.
After Tetsu left to complete the trek on his own, the bruised woman spoke to her friend, "He was courteous, and he saved his our lives just like that." The significant other nodded, "We should tell our lord about him." In agreement, both headed toward their destination.
-X-
"I heard you defeated five men without ease. Play the hero again?" Saitou mused in front of Tetsu.
"It was nothing, the men were careless with their sword techniques. Even Imai and Ganzo would not have much trouble with them. They shouldn't have been wearing swords anyways, if I saw them with swords, I would had to fight anyways for they were breaking the sword ban."
"True, how true."
Saitou had changed into his formal suit to greet the Colonel and had order to the despondent Tetsu to do the same. If he was going to suffer, he was surely not let Tetsu get away with just Gi and Hakama. Misery loves company.
"Ack, sticky." Tetsu pulled at his navy suit.
"I see the carriage." Saitou said. Raise his cap onto his head; Tetsu wondered how the man didn't sweat, like he was lacking sweat glands all together.
The carriage pulled by two horses and a driver pulled at the reigns to stop the carriage. It stopped in front of the station and two officers went to the open the carriage door. Shrouded in curtains, the man was all but invisible to Tetsu and he began to wonder what kind of man he was.
"Sir." One of the policemen bowed as he extended the door fully. And out stepped colonel.
"No… c-can't be…" Tetsu whispered, his knees buckling. Only by his will did he remain upright.
"Tetsu-kun?" Saitou said quietly out of the corner of his mouth. "What's wrong?"
"Hello Tetsunosuke Ichimura." The Colonel said with his silvery voice. The venom in the voice was unmistakable.
The white haired man wearing the colonel uniform smiled at the corner of his lips, his eyes shone amusement, "We have lots of to talk about, my old friend."
-Fin Chapter 1-