title: seppuku
author: nil from hell
fandom: peacemaker kurogane
pairings: none
note: set february, 1865
Souji paused outside the door for a moment, but only a moment. He had heard the voices on the other side of it as he was passing. Hijikata-san speaking with Kondo-san. It wasn't anything unusual, of course. It shouldn't have been. But he caught a few words of their conversation, just in passing.
He slid open the door, looking between the two of them. Hijikata-san didn't look up at him, but Kondo-san met his eyes for a moment, looking somewhat ashamed before lowering his head.
"Ahh, Souji... Yes, you should probably hear this," he said, unwiling to raise his gaze.
Souji looked to Hijikata-san, though, who still hadn't moved a muscle. There was a letter on the low table between the two of them.
"Close that," Hijikata-san finally grunted. Souji's heart sank a bit, but he slid the door closed and seated himself at Hijikata-san's side, but neither Hijikata-san nor Kondo-san spoke.
"Where is he?" Souji demanded quietly. "He's left, hasn't he?"
"He's deserted. That damned fool."
"Now, Toshi..." Kondou-san hedged.
"Ah, I suppose you're right. I shouldn't speak of a dead man with disrespect."
Souji grabbed Hijikata-san's arm, finally making him look Souji in the eye, but only for a moment. "Already?"
The price for dissertion... Of course Souji knew. However...
"As far as we know, he's still alive," Kondou-san told him, pushing the letter across the table. Souji snatched it up. "However..."
"I know," Souji said, a bit coldly. He couldn't even pretend to smile now as he read over the page. They should have seen this coming. In ways, they had, but even Souji didn't think he would go this far.
"We'll have to hunt him down," Hijikata-san said flatly, but Souji could tell... It wasn't what he wanted. But of course...
The rules were absolute. The code made no exceptions.
Souji put the letter down on the table, and stood.
"I'll do it," he told them quietly. They wouldn't argue with him on this. Neither of them would.
Yamanami-san made it clear from his letter that he knew they would come after him. It wasn't a notice of desertion. It was a suicide note. He was a vice-captain, after all. He knew the rules as well as any of them did.
Souji hadn't been this far from headquarters since before they came to the capital. He didn't remember the last time he had traveled alone, either, although he had no reason to be afraid; he was traveling with his katana.
Even without it, he was a demon. There was no reason to be afraid.
Certainly only a demon would be hunting down one of his closest companions in order to take him to his death.
Souji caught up to him on the banks of Lake Biwa. The sun would soon set, but Souji approached Yamanami-san, who was kneeling near the water, watching the fish.
"I thought I might find you here, Yamanami-san," Souji said gently, smiling. He didn't wait for an invitation, but sat down next to his friend.
"You found me more quickly than I thought," Yamanami-san admitted, but he was smiling, albeit sadly. "I suppose that is to be expected from someone of your skill, Souji-kun."
Souji looked down into the water. "You have the same old habit."
"It's not quite the same. Although, I think the fish here are much more similar to me. That's right... It must have been this way all along."
Souji said nothing, but for just a moment, he put his hand down over Yamanami-san's. This was a person he had always greatly admired. This was a man who would leave this world soon.
"That woman isn't with you?" Souji asked after a long period of silence. Yamanami-san, though, seemed slightly surprised, but then he smiled.
"She's on a boat now. But, she's free."
Souji nodded, and briefly, he squeezed his fingers around Yamanami-san's hand before pulling his own hand away entirely.
"I'm glad, Yamanami-san," he murmured.
He sat at Yamanami-san's side until the last fiery orange remnants of the sunset were swallowed up by night. Then, Souji finally stood.
"Shall we go back now, Yamanami-san?"
"I guess it is about time," Yamanami-san agreed quietly. Souji held out out his hand for him as he got to his feet.
They began to walk back from the lake and into the town. Perhaps there was more Souji should have said. Yamanami-san... Souji was only leading him to his death. It was Yamanami-san who broke the silence, though.
"Souji-kun... You'll be my second, won't you?"
Souji stopped in his tracks, and closed his eyes. It shouldn't have been, but he was still struggling over this. All of this.
He took a deep breath.
"Of course."
Yamanami-san was dying by demons' rules. It was fitting, then, to die by a demon's hands.