II
It was just another day for an old woman like her. She wished to the heavens that she'd be granted a son so that she doesn't have to do all the hard work but she ended up without any offspring in the end. Her husband died long ago and so she had no choice but to do things like fetching water from the river herself.
Upon reaching the river she noticed something crawling out from the water. She almost screamed in fear that it might be some river demon but a second look made her realize that it was a man. He was without clothes and is drenched. The man dropped and laid face down; he was breathing hard and looked as if he was having spasms.
"Oh my! Are you alright?" the old lady called as she approached the man. Upon reaching him she turned him over only to reveal to her that she found a beautiful young man. "What on earth happened to you?" she inquired. The man slowly opened his eyes and opened his lips but wasn't able to say a thing. The old woman removed her shoal and covered up the man. "Please wait here, I'd be back with help."
~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~
"Baba-san, are you sure it's alright to let this stranger stay in your house" asked a young bald man.
"Yes, he looks like he needs help. Besides, with that face, I doubt he's a bad guy" the old woman laughed.
"If you say so. Just call me if you need anything, ok Baba-san?" the boy then left the old woman's house.
It has been almost a day before the young man regained his consciousness. He slowly got up and looked around him. He felt utterly confused and lost.
"Oh you're awake!" beamed the old lady.
"Huh?"
"I saw you on the riverside, I thought you were some monster." She laughed. "So what's your name young man? How'd you end up in the river?"
For a while he just stared at the old woman. "I don't know" he finally said staring blankly at her.
"How's that?" she said as she handed him a bowl of soup.
"I don't know" he muttered.
"What a poor boy…. Well you can stay here till you feel much better." She told him as she observed him. "Do you think anyone would come to find you?"
"I don't know" he replied still staring blankly while he ran his fingers on a scar on his stomach.
"You've got scars in your body…. Maybe you were a warrior?" said the old woman curiously. He then looked at his hands and clenched his fists.
"I don't know." He muttered. "But I feel like my heart's heavy" he said placing a hand over his heart.
"It's all right. You'd feel better." The old woman smiled warmly at him. "I'd have to go to town and visit a friend. I'd return this afternoon. I believe that you can take care of yourself." She stood and left leaving the man in his bed.
"I…..I don't know anything…. Who am I? Why am I here? I feel like I'm supposed to be somewhere else." He thought as he slowly got off the bed.
~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~
Chizuru sighed as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was able to secure a job as a blacksmith's helper. Basically she cleans up the place and ran errands for the old man. She found the old man the day after she arrived in Edo, which was almost a month ago. He was drunk and looked dead sitting in some alley. Chizuru helped him and when he regained consciousness, he thanked her from the bottom of his heart and asked her if he can do anything in return of her kind heartedness and so Chizuru asked for a job. She was also able to secure a place to stay in, the blacksmith's shop. The old man goes home in the evening and so the place is all hers at night. Sometimes it scares her that someone might break into the shop but she thinks to herself that she's been into much more difficult situations that a mere robbery.
She still hasn't got even a glimpse of Hijikata but she ain't losing hope. Sometimes she thinks that she's been scammed by that demon lord but she already made the deal so what more can she do. She hasn't even started with the 100 souls, truth be said, she doesn't want to start with it. Just the thought of killing someone makes her want to puke. She's been around so much death and thinks that she can't stand anymore of it.
"Where are you?" she thought as she peered up the skies.
~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~
"I did make a right decision to take you in Makoto." The old woman smiled as she watched the young man she rescued chop woods for her. "It has been almost a month right?"
Makoto just smiled at her in reply.
"Oh look at those women! Passing by here just to get a glimpse of you." The woman laughed as she noticed a group of ladies take a peek at Makoto. "I wonder if you already have a wife or a lover. If you have one then I bet she is worried sick about you"
Makoto stopped what he was doing and looked at the old woman. "If I did have one I hope she's doing just fine." He muttered. The old woman smiled at him and observed him. A warm breeze tousled his dark hair. His skin stayed a bit pale despite being exposed under the sun. His features were manly but beautiful and feminine. "He seems to be of a noble family, he's a perfect gentleman but at the same time there are times when he's got a scary air around him. There are times that when he's alone, he'd blankly stare into something with eyes that of a man who has seen many deaths."
"Makoto" she called the man's attention. "Can you go to town for me? My legs aren't feeling that up to walking. Just get a couple of radishes, carrots and onions."
"Alright" he replied.
~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~
It wasn't really his first time in town but it was his first alone. After buying what the old lady has asked him to pick up, he decided that it wouldn't be that much of a bad idea to look around.
"This all feels so nostalgic" he thought as he walked the streets of the town. His eyes taking every detail of the shops and landmarks he passes by.
Something up ahead caught his attention. It looks like there is trouble up ahead. He didn't even felt bothered about it and went forward. 3 men were holding an old man by his wrist.
"I said I don't want to make you weapons. You won't pay me anyway" said the old man pulling himself away from the man.
"You old shit! You'll make us weapons or I'll have to force you to doing it." The man said as he gripped the old man's wrist tighter and spat at him. The old man closed his eyes in pain but suddenly the pressure on his wrist was gone. When he opened his eyes the man holding him was on the floor.
"That's impolite of you to treat the old man like that" came a cold yet calm voice.
"We should teach you then not to mess up with best swordsmen in town" said another man. He was just about to pull out his wooden sword from his waist band but the man who struck his pal down already pulled it out from him. He was struck down by the man in one swift motion. The last man standing attacked with all he had but also didn't stand a chance.
The old man watched in awe as the man struck down each of his enemies as if they were just paper. "That stance and swordsmanship skills….can he be a samurai?" He thought. The old man lived at the time when samurai's can freely roam the streets and he did made a sword for a number of samurai's before. Today, most men claiming to be samurai's are just fake airheads.
"Are you alright old man?" The man said as he lend a hand to the old man. The old man took his hand and beamed at him.
"Thank you!" the old man replied as he watched the 3 men scramble up and ran off. "I'm Gosho by the way. Those men wanted me to make them swords but I won't be making any swords for those who smear the honorable code of the samurai. What's your name young man?"
"Makoto" he said.
"You've got skills. Tell me, by any chance that you're a swordsman of some sort?" the old man asked with a curious smile.
"I don't think I am"
"But the way you held the wooden sword and that flawless way you struck those men down….how could it be?"
"I'm not sure" Makoto replied as his eyes wandered at the sword of different sizes on the man's wall.
"I see you are interested with those" said the old man. "Come here, you can take a closer look at them" he said as he guided Makoto inside the shop.
Makoto looked at them with scrutiny. He doesn't understand it himself but he can judge if which of the swords would be a good one to wield. Out of the seven swords on the wall the one that caught his attention was the one with a more elegant scabbard. Somehow that one looks familiar.
"Is something the matter?" inquired the old man upon seeing the dash of curiosity on the man's face.
"This short sword, did you make it?" he asked as he lightly ran his hands over it as if to feel its aura. He knew he saw that short sword before and he somehow felt an attraction to it.
"No, but it is a nice piece eh?" the old man laughed "It's owned by a young woman who helps me around in the shop. She also stays here. I just came here one day and saw that short sword in there along with the other six. I guess she won't use it so she displayed it instead. What's a good sword like that today anyway?"
"Is that so?" Makoto stepped away from the sword and slightly bowed at the old man. "I shall be on my way"
"Oh, I would have loved to talk to you for a while longer. Anyway please do come visit me when you come around these parts ok?" said the old man. Makoto smiled at him in reply.
"You live around here don't you?" the old man required before Makoto completely stepped out the shop.
He nodded. "I live in the outskirts of town, to the north"
"Really? I know someone there, a wife of a dear friend. Everyone call her Baba-san, do you know her?"
"Yes, actually I am currently staying at her place" Makoto replied a bit surprised of the coincidence.
"Is that so? How is she doing?"
"She'll live to be a hundred or so" Makoto replied with a small smile. The old man laughed.
"Are you a relative of some sort?" the old man inquired
"No, she took me in after finding me in the river. She saved me and so I decided to stay a while and help her out a bit to repay her"
"Wow! Makoto, please tell her to come by my shop, this Friday afternoon would be great. I haven't seen her in a long while and I'd like us to have tea. Please do come with her Makoto." Said the old man
"Thank you. I will tell her that" Makoto then went on his way.
Moments later.
"Gosho-san! Sorry I was gone for quite some time but I'd be making you a nice meal that's for sure!' Chizuru said as she rushed into the shop and to the small kitchen in the back.
"You don't have to be so worried about me young lady. I'd get fat if you keep on cooking those delicious dishes for me" the old man laughed.
"You need to eat, so that you won't get sick."
"Oh Chizuru. You worry about me like a daughter I never had. You'll find a good man to marry for sure" said the old man as he begun to work.
Note: In case anyone is confused, Makoto is Hijikata :)) please review :)) hihi
