A cold December morning and three men rested infront of a small hut lined with rose vines around the perimeter. It's been two days since these travellers encountered a place well enough to stay.
Although, it isn't to say they hadn't their share of rough times before, but home-cooked food and a nice warm bed seem very welcoming. The shortest of the three walked through the withering and hopeless garden of would-be roses to knock on the door. Three times the charm and, as it calls, a young woman answered.
Fair-skinned with rosy lips and a pair of sapphire eyes met their stare but with deep-set worry lines about her face. She was probably in her early twenties but life has twisted time producing a wariness about the lady. Full of confusion and fear, she closed the door on them without a single word.
Of course, being the polite and respecting men they prided themselves to be, the strangers backed from the door but not without questions of their own. The eldest and tallest nodded in some sort of agreement with his two companions and walked out of the property and back to their journey.
The sun was setting nearer on the horizan, the wind was picking up not taking mercy on anyone who had their mind set to travel on foot or, for that matter, any kind of transportation. It seems nature decided to play with these poor people. It'd be wise to find another place to keep safe at, for whatever reason this occurence was happening, it seems common expectance from our characters. The strong winds blew the clouds into a frenzy and let its temper pour out literally with all its might.
"Soujiro, what do you think?" asked the brunette to the short man.
The man named Soujiro did not reply but looked to the third other who seemed in focus on a certain object afar due south.
"Hn, what's wrong with you two?" The brown head turned to see what all the commotion, so to speak, was about.
Soujiro faced the brunette who is known as, for our knowledge, Sanosuke. "Aoshi is sensing someone, at least I think he is..."
"You think he's just seeing things again? I mean he is getting o-"
"Don't say another word," Aoshi snapped, "I know what you're going to say and however true it is that I'm not getting any younger, I've still kept my senses and skills sharp."
Sano and Soujiro look at each other for it was not often Aoshi talked and when he did it was because it was necessary or he felt like he had to. The scene gets weirder by the moment.
Aoshi moved back to the direction of the hut they had formally visited. "Listen...we have to go back."
"Sorry, but that lady obviously does not appreciate our intruding her home earlier before."
Aoshi just walked on and by this time a storm blew about the place and it was not letting down. They knew they had no choice but do it Aoshi's way or no way at all. Once the tall man's mind was made, there was no going back.
"Unbelievable..."
They walked back and there they see the hut as they saw it before, only now it's being tested by the current condition...the roof hasn't fallen off yet... Aoshi marched up to the door this time and knocked loudly over the howling sky. And so this time, it was a surprise that someone else had answered the door.
A man with broad shoulders blocked stood in front, "What do we have here?" The burly man judged the strange travellers standing in his doorway head to toe. Suddenly he smiled and propped the door open a bit more as it would present an inviting manner towards his new-found guests.
Sanosuke stepped up infront of Aoshi and bowed accordingly to the hut's owner. "Excuse us, but my friend here," jesting to Aoshi, "seems to have a need for a place to stay, hopefully under your roof. How about it my good sir?"
A booming laugh erupted from their host, "Ha! Well, does it mean another mouth to feed then? I'll be frank 'sirs'," he replied with sarcasm on his last note, "but I don't think I'm gonna get anything out of this or do you have something on you for exchange of my kindness?"
The men agreed in their minds that this was one rude and nasty man they're dealing with; however, they have encountered people in the like. "Aha, I do have a ring here that's worth many a guinea. Do you agree to this?" Sano asked. He pulled out a golden band of a ring with a ruby fitted upon it. He showed it to the man who accepted it with a wide grin and stood back to let them enter the small room.
It looks like the house is built with two rooms, a tiny yet well-set up living area with a door to the left that ajoins to a, more than likely, bedroom. There's a stove in the right corner and next to it was a hand-made rocking chair. The atmosphere was filled with the scent of garlic, not exactly the homey feeling one gets from observing the house from outside.
Their host closes the door with a 'bang' and looked to the bedroom door for a moment. "Kaoru, we have company!" The door swung open to reveal the young lady the three encountered but now she held a face with something more than what they've seen before.
"Make sure our guests feel at home," he said with a smirk and held up the shining ring Sano gave him for her to see, "get dinner ready." With that he marched into the bedroom.
Kaoru timidly walked to the stove and took out a wooden spoon from her apron pocket to stir the contents of a boiling pot. The smell was pungent and sort of unpleasing as it tells the story of how much a sorry cook Kaoru must be. It isn't kind to think of but thoughts like these couldn't be helped but wondered. She produced four bowls from a nearby shelf and poured warm soup into them. Never making eye contact she carefully placed the bowls on a table, the only one in the room.
Of course it'd be quite impolite to refuse the meal but the suspicious surrounding heightened not the need for food but for answers the three are eager to find out. Sano and Soujiro took their bowl to their mouths for there was no spoon given to them, and it seems unlikely that Kaoru was going to do anything about it. The girl stood infront of them and finally gave a look to Aoshi.
"...Please...help me..."
A murmur was all that was heard from her but it was hard to comprehend. "What?" questioned Soujiro, with a surprised look on his face. Footsteps were heard coming their way from the bedroom and silence were upon them once again.
"I believe that the ring you gave me is worth much more than anything I've ever encountered before," stated the entering man, "by the way, the name's Garrick." He looked expectantly to Aoshi first and across at the lot of them.
"I'm Sanosuke Sagara."
"My name is Soujiro Seta and our friend here is Aoshi Shinamori. And who might this lovely lady be?" Soujiro waved his hand towards Kaoru who could not help but blush a bit.
"Introduce yourself," Garrick waited for Kaoru to respond but found no patience in one who would not willingly give an answer at the moment. "Well, it wouldn't matter for much of an introduction, you've heard her name, that's enough. She's a...my wife." Garrick indirectly stopped the conversation there.
There was only one chair in the room and it happened to be the rocking chair next to stove that was taken by Garrick. Soujiro opted to seat himself cross-legged on the floor and Sano followed. Aoshi, who still hadn't gathered his bowl, stayed standing up, this aroused Garrick's attention, "Something the matter Mr. Shinamori?"
"I would like to know where we would be sleeping tonight."
Garrick nodded slowly, "Of course, of course, as you can see there is only one bedroom and there is nowhere else for a guest to stay but here in the living room. Ah, I hope there is no a...what you may call it...an objection."
Aoshi nodded in understanding and he, too, settled on the floor. Still not eating, his eye wandered around the area to find feminine things scattered about randomly, for instance, a home-made curtain with daises printed upon it blocked off the two windows. A vase of withered flowers that had once looked beautiful lay on the shelf. The wife, he concluded, had probably tried her best to cope with the situation.
"...Help me..." Aoshi knew what she had asked for and thought about it. Garrick looks like a guy who trully did not care or love his wife in any way. He is obviously a greedy pig and wears an appearance of some intelligence in the presence of rich men who he could profit from.
Aoshi observed the man on the rocking chair, letting the old thing creak under his weight. Garrick had beady eyes that may stop a child in motion for fear. He does not seem likable and whatever manners he showed or showed the lack thereof, does not fool Aoshi.
Everyone in the hut was asleep. The storm died down somewhat. A man with icy eyes stared awake at the ceiling he was not familiar with. He stood from his place on the spot below the right window and silently found his way to the bedroom door.
When they had finished dinner, everyone decided to go to that one place of rest: their dreams. Aoshi was unnerved by what that girl Kaoru had said before and he planned to do something about it. It isn't like him to do these kinds of things but he felt that he had to for sake of the better hope of his consciousness and her life.
Slowly opening the door, he saw Garrick snoring and asleep on the bed but no Kaoru in sight. There was no sign of her anywhere.
Aoshi thought for a minute and exited the hut and not to his surprise there was Kaoru sitting on a stump nearby. He wondered if it would be alright to go to her, and he did. Making sure he doesn't startle her, he made an effort to let her know he was there with twigs breaking under his foot. She turned around suddenly and let out a gasp.
"You should be sleeping Mister Shinamori." There was a clear note to her voice then, unlike what he remembered before. She didn't move any further and stared at him.
"I apologize; however, I could not help but question your existance with that man."
She looked down to her feet and placed her hands behind her like a small child caught doing something bad. "I married him for father..."
He felt sympathy for her, what could he do? "What you said before, I think I will fulfill that request."
Kaoru's eyes lit up in excitement and then worry. "How? Garrick will find out and kill you!" She started to cry with no humilation infront of the kind stranger.
"You underestimate."
"No. He's done it before to many others...he's so selfish and full of sin."
"Please, tell me."
He patiently waited for for the woman to pull herself together. But there was only so much time to be had.
She tried to sober her sorrows, "When travellers come out here, I try to brush them away but other times Garrick comes and tells me to hush. He lures them like a hunter and kills them, selling their belongings in town. I know you and your friends have wealth." She looked up and talked more quietly just in case anyone unwanted might hear, "I don't know why he's kept you alive until now, you should be buried in the garden." She pointed to the rosebushes which refused to blossom.
Aoshi did not waste another second and went back in the house to wake up Soujiro and Sano. It took awhile for the two to fully awake but within twenty minutes, the three men with their new companion walked out into the night. Kaoru gathered most of the things she might need but had done so with shaky hands and cold sweat running down her face. She was afraid.
The moon shined down on them as they finished only twenty meters of the way from the hut. Suddenly, Kaoru stops and shakes her head frantically. "No, this is wrong. What am I going to do?" It seems she's gone into hysterics and looks as if she might go back the way they came from.
"Miss Kaoru, we've saved you from that man you call your husband, there's no turning back now." Soujiro was right. Although everything moved so swiftly, what's done is done. He thought about it now and he knew that this was what Aoshi had come back for, to save someone.
Aoshi Shinamori sensed these kinds of things and if he could help it, then let him help a wife to escape her home and spouse.
"Hey that's right missy, don't you want our help?"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." She marched forward like a zombie out of her mind.
Sano looked weirdly at her, Ooookay then.
Although Aoshi did not seem fazed at all by the interruption, Soujiro was unsettled by the manner and questioned Aoshi's purpose. It seems this new found burden doesn't prove much of a trouble to him.
Sano fell in step with Aoshi, who kept his eyes straight ahead at the woman, and whispered low so only the two of them can hear, "What if she's just crazy? Maybe she's exaggerating about that story of hers." Aoshi simply closed his eyes and gave a short shrug.
Meanwhile, Soujiro concluded that he would let all this slide for now, but surely he will have to find an answer. They just weren't journeying to bond with each other, and there were more important things that were on Soujiro's mind at the moment. Of course he, himself, does not mind helping a lady in need but...
Inconspiciously Soujiro turned to observe Aoshi's face and thought about the man's regular behavior. He was strict at times and he acted out of his own accord, but he did everything with conviction. Rash decisions were not so hastily made by such a person.
So why is he doing this?
The tall man led the way through the forest, and even though they had their sleep, all were still tired. Again, they find themselves in need of rest.
No one was exactly sure what time it was but they knew it's been long enough and they needed to rest, besides, if Garrick was to go after them they've already got a few hours head start.
They were walking beside a rocky wall of a mountain when they saw it, a cave. It was too dark inside to see if it's safe but Sano saved the trouble of suspicion as he jumped right in. The crazy fool. Since there were no screams of terror heard, the rest of the group followed suit.