Chapter Two: Fuel to the Fire of Curiosity
A man in Shinsengumi regalia stands near a gateway with a bundle in his arms. His eyes are tired and sorrowful as he hands the bundle to a rough-looking man.
"Please take care of him, Seta-san. This is the only time I will ask something like this of you." The man said, with beseeching in his voice and immense sadness in his eyes as he watched the rough man cradle the bundle in one arm.
"I'll do that. But what should I say to my wife?" the rough man asked, as the bundle gave a soft cry at being disturbed.
"I don't know. I'm sure you'll think of something. But I don't want my son to die at the hands of the Ishin Shishi. Please take care of him till I return for him." The man said, as he gently brushed aside the rough blanket, and touched the face of the toddler tucked inside of it.
"I promise, Soshi-kun. I'll watch over him." The rough man promised, gruffly. With much reluctance, the Shinsengumi departed; casting a final glance over his shoulder as he went.
Sojiro awoke to find himself still within the hut. With a shake of his head, he shook off the disorientation he'd felt upon awakening and checked on Saito. He was dismayed when he found that the fever was still there.
"He's still feverish. I'll have to go into town soon to find a doctor if it doesn't break on its own." Sojiro thought, even though common sense told him not to. There was no one else to watch over Saito if he went into Kyoto, and he could get caught between here and there by either the police (who were out looking for Juppongatana members) or the remaining Juppongatana members themselves.
"And I'm not exactly in any shape to fight either. I got hit by Himura-san's ultimate attack, so I am sure I have a few cracked ribs to add to my already large collection of bruises, past and present." Sojiro thought, with some sarcasm on his part. Then the memory of the dream he'd just had returned; he'd recognized the 'gruff man' from the dream as being his father, but who had the Shinsengumi and the toddler been?
"Had Oto-san taken in anyone else's child before I arrived there? I don't remember them saying anything about another child that was not their own before me. But, then again, it was a long time ago………………maybe it was something mentioned when I wasn't around?" Sojiro mused, looking down when Saito shifted slightly, then started mumbling under his breath. As before, the name Okita was one of the words he heard Saito use, but this time the image of the Shinsengumi warrior from the dream lingered in Sojiro's mind.
"But why is that man's face so clear to me? And why had Oto-san called him 'Soshi-kun'? It couldn't have been the same Soshi that was the leader of the Shinsengumi-s First Unit!………………….Could it?" Sojiro wondered, looking down and finding to his shock that Saito's eyes were open and gazing blankly at him.
"Saito-san?" Sojiro asked, hoping against hope that the older man's fever had broken.
"Okita-kun, what are the orders from Hijikata? Do we move out tonight?" Saito asked, making it very apparent that he was delirious from the fever. Sojiro could have been knocked over with a feather; Saito, in his illness, had just mistaken him for Okita Soshi!
"N-no. Not tonight, Saito-san. We have a night to rest, for once." Sojiro said, shaken to the very marrow of his bones by this, for some reason yet unknown to him. Saito sighed in frustration.
"Everything seems too quiet………the calm before the storm, perhaps?" Saito mumbled.
"I hope not." Sojiro silently answered, but said instead, "I don't know."
"Hmph. We'll find out soon enough. Any word on that son of yours?" Saito asked, conversationally. The color drained from Sojiro's face for a moment, then he collected himself and shook his head.
"Iie. Not a thing." Sojiro replied, shakily.
"Well, one can only hope for the best…………..Wake me when it's time for my watch." Saito muttered, before finally settling back into fevered slumber. Sojiro could only sit where he was and stare at the Wolf, thoroughly shaken by the conversation that had just taken place. True, Saito's mind had been dominated by the fever, but what he'd said only deepened Sojiro's curiosity as to why he reminded the Wolf of Okita.
"I guess I will have to ask him when he's in his right mind." Sojiro thought, as he dipped a rag into a pale of cold water and placed it on Saito's brow. He was unaware that someone was watching them from the shadows of the forest, with only evil on its mind for the two wounded swordsmen.
Pain was the first thing Saito became aware of when he next regained consciousness. His whole body was sore, and seemed to throb in time with his heartbeat.
"I hate to admit it, but I feel horrible." Saito thought, as he opened his eyes and looked at Sojiro. The boy swordsman was leaned against the wall, gazing quietly at the falling rain. From what he could tell, it was daylight once again, since gray light filtered in through the gaps in the makeshift cloth door.
"Still no sign of any trouble?" Saito asked, barely suppressing a smirk when Sojiro jumped and whirled around to face him.
"No trouble as of yet, Saito-san. Yet it's still too soon to tell. I think we both know that this isn't going to be resolved overnight." Sojiro replied, logically. Saito sighed; he knew that all too well.
"Nothing from the Bakumatsu has been totally resolved yet. It'll take the time beyond our lifetimes to actually see it completely finished." Saito stated, noticing with some confusion and irritation when Sojiro sighed in what sounded like relief. He glared at the youth to let him know this.
"Gomen, Saito-san." Sojiro said, then added, "I don't suppose anything from the Bakumatsu is resolved yet, since some ghosts take longer to exorcise than others." Saito agreed, wholeheartedly. Shishio had proven to be quite a challenge to get rid of; and it had nearly cost him, Himura, Sagara, and Shinomori their lives. But he wasn't about to admit that; the pride of being a Wolf of Mibu prevented it.
"By the way, Saito-san, how do you feel? I should have asked you that first off." Sojiro said, as concern filled his deep blue eyes.
"I've felt better." Saito reluctantly admitted. He quirked up an eyebrow when Sojiro's expression changed into an ironic one.
"As have I. Himura-san's final attack isn't something to be mocked, I'll tell you that much." Sojiro said, wincing when he leaned back against the wall. Saito growled.
"Then neither of us is in any shape to repulse an attack if one comes. How far are we from Kyoto?" Saito asked.
"A little over three miles. Not very far, but far enough to make walking painful. In the state you're in, you can't walk at all." Sojiro pointed out, receiving a rather caustic glare from the Wolf in response. Then, before anything more could be said, something burst into the hut, swinging a blade as it went.
"For the glory of Shishio-sama!" the man screamed, as he dove at Saito and Sojiro. With a move that was almost as fast as Kenshin's Hiten Mitserugi, Sojiro grabbed his sword, unsheathed it, and blocked a blow that was aimed at his head. Sojiro could hear when Saito loosed his blade, and, much to his dismay, stood to face their enemy.
"Aku Soku Zan……….." Saito snarled, before launching into a Gatotsu that sent the man, and two others that had just arrived, flying.
"Aku Soku Zan……………….The code of the Shinsengumi and the Ishin Shishi……….Is this what those who'd burned Shishio-san were thinking?" Sojiro wondered, as he and Saito fought side by side.
"I think you know the answer, Sojiro." A male voice murmured, at the back of Sojiro's mind. Sojiro froze; just whose voice had that been just now?!
"Never mind that. Just get yourself and Saito-san to safety. Protect your life and his to the best of your ability. That is all a Wolf of Mibu can do for now." The voice commanded, softly. Almost, Sojiro noticed, with fatherly authority.
"I'll think about this later. For now…………." Sojiro thought, then shouted, "Saito-san, follow me!" Sojiro cried, as he led the way out. Without a single word of argument, the older man followed; knowing he was far too weak to fight for an extended period of time.
"I hope you know what you are doing, Tenken!" Saito muttered, as they both flew through the woods at breakneck speed, trying to escape their pursuers.
"Please trust me, Saito-san! I'll get us out of this somehow!" Sojiro replied. He didn't notice when Saito let slip a slight smile.
"So much like you, Okita-kun. Too much so. But we'll soon see how much of you he got later." Saito thought, as they ran through the forest, disappearing into the gloom like two ghosts.
Author's Note!
I know that some things may be off, but please, keep an open mind. More to come, I promise!