(Original Thursday Prompt: Past)

Those Days (ft. Okita Souji)


He was dying.

He could feel his life trickling away, slipping through his fingers just as water would if he tried to scoop it up in his frail, bony hands.

He shuffled slightly in his futon as he turned to look out into the little garden that was attached to the spacious room he was in; the lotuses were starting to bloom, he noticed. He should ask to be let out to the veranda one of these days, he thought, smiling to himself as he admired the vibrant pink amidst the greens, it would be lovely if he could see those flowers up close.

He was dying, and there was nothing he could do but wait. The days, which he had spent taking long walks with Saizo around town before enjoying steaming hot tea with dangoat that cozy teahouse by the river, were no more; the days where he played catch with the children of Mibu, and where he had Saito's sparring matches to look forward to, bygone.

What he would give to have those days back.

The soft, wistful chuckle that escaped his throat quickly turned into a loud, hacking cough, and his elder sister, Mitsu, came running almost immediately, brows furrowed in worry as she flung the thin sliding door aside, causing it to rattle noisily.

She fussed over him for a while, sitting him up and patting him on the back, patiently waiting for the coughing fit to subside. It took everything she had to fight back tears when he suddenly retched, spilling deep red from his lips and onto the hand he held over his mouth.

And meaningless as it was, he spat out those words over and over again in a bid to ease his sister's fears: it'll be okay, I'll be okay.

The blood was quickly cleaned with practiced hands, and he was given warm tea to soothe his irritated throat. When he was finally settled back into his futon, with the covers drawn up to his shoulders to keep the chill away, and when Mitsu finally withdrew from the room, he closed his eyes and let out a forlorn sigh.

What he would give to see his comrades once more.

He missed them. He missed the time they had spent together back at the Shieikan, where they had plenty of fun, and little to worry about; he missed the jokes Shinpachi, Heisuke and Sanosuke would crack, Kondo's jolly laughter, and the smell of Hijikata's tobacco. He missed the quiet, thoughtful conversations with Susumu and Tatsunosuke, and the ruckus Tetsunosuke would cause around their headquarters in Kyoto as he went about his daily chores in his own clumsy, cheerful manner.

As his aching body relaxed, and as he found himself gradually drifting to sleep, he wondered where they were, and how they were doing.

How nice it would be, he thought as he slipped into peaceful slumber, if they were all healthy and well, and if they could all pull through this war. And how nice it would be if they could all sit around a table, and share some drinks with a warm, home-cooked meal again...

How nice it would be, if those days could once more be in their future.


END