Chapter 7 - Kanjincho

Megumi stood by the door of the dojo, her hair covered by a headscarf, her apron speckled with dark stains. She gave the men a tired smile.

"Murata-sensei is still with him but it's pretty much done," she said.

"How did it go?" asked Kenshin.

She shrugged.

"As good as surgery can go when performed on the floor of a dojo," she replied.

"Will he live?" asked Saito.

She glanced inside then back at them.

"There were no complications, so that's good. We did all we could but this isn't an operation room. If infection should set in…"

The policeman lifted his hand, interrupting her. He's seen enough wounds during the war to know what could happen.

"Can I go in?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yes, but you will have to stay back a little. I will come to check in on him from time to time, but you're not to touch him."

"Understood."

Saito took off his geta. Kenshin followed suit.

"I'll stay with him. I doubt I can sleep anyway," she said.

Megumi gave him a sad look. At least he wouldn't be alone, she thought. She couldn't possibly take care of him as well right now.

"Remember what I said; no touching."

As she said the words, Murata-sensei came out of the dojo. He looked exhausted. Saito bowed.

"Thank you, sensei. I will make arrangements for the payment."

The doctor waved his hand, annoyed.

"You can thank me if the man lives."

He turned to Megumi.

"I will forget tonight's events. Should you call on me like this again I will report you. Good night."

The man walked down the stairs, slipped on his shoes and walked away without even bothering to tie them up. Kaoru, who happened to be bringing a pail of water, insisted on walking him to the gate despite his protests.

"My apologies, Takani-san. I'm afraid I might have compromised your position," said Saito.

She stared at him with surprise for a second then smiled.

"Don't worry. The man is the best, but he knows it and that makes him a bit of a prick. Getting an apology from you was well worth the risk of losing his good opinion."

She winked.

"Ok, I'm off to bed. Sanosuke, wake me up in two hours."

"What?! I'm exhausted. I can't stay awake to wake you up."

She glared at him. His shoulders slumped.

"Alright, alright…"

"Good night, gentlemen," said Megumi as she walked away, Sanosuke in tow. "And remember, no touching!" She added, over her shoulder.

"You'd think she would trust us, knowing who we are," commented Saito.

"She knows exactly who we are," replied Kenshin," and that's why she doesn't trust us."

The dojo smelled of antiseptics and blood. It reminded Hajime of the morgue. In the middle room, on a futon surrounded by a few lanterns, lay Uchisada. He was covered to the neck by a thin white sheet. Saito walked up to him while maintaining more than an arm's length distance from his sleeping companion. He kneeled by his head. His skin was pale. Sweat pearled on his forehead. He longed to card his fingers through his long black hair.

Kenshin sat against the wall. Truth be told, he was feeling pretty tired. His episodes always left him drained and he would have given anything to go curl up in his futon with his wife and his son at his side. He yawned behind his hand.

He realised he must have fallen asleep when Saito slumped down next to him, startling him awake.

"You should go to bed," said the man. "I can stay here on my own."

Kenshin shook his head.

"It's fine. Plus I wouldn't mind hearing the rest of the story."

Saito gave him a weird look.

"Surely you don't mean…?"

Kenshin frowned.

"What?" His face suddenly expressed utter horror. "Gods, no! No. I don't mean that!"

"That's a relief," Saito chuckled.

He rested his gaze on Uchisada's sleeping form.

"There isn't that much to say. After that initial visit, I went back to that room several times. He gave me that key. As far as I know, he never invites anyone else there."

"So he does somewhere else?"

Hajime nodded.

"That one deal he had me walk in, it wasn't just for show. It seems that his father has his hands in many things. Young kabuki actors are a rare commodity. Ishigaki tells me it's been the way of their family for many generations."

Saito wasn't naive enough to believe that nothing went on between Uchidasa and those men. He didn't like it but he had to accept it. His companion's father had no qualms about selling his sons to the highest bidder but he knew would never accept one of them having a homosexual relationship.

"That isn't all. He is to be married soon. The only daughter of a rich merchant; she's meant to inherit a little fortune."

Kenshin suddenly felt closer to the actor. He had often felt he had no control on his life during the Bakumatsu. He had been at the beck and call of the Ishin for most of the war.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Saito sighed. More than the other men, this part bothered him the most.

"It was to be expected. Our kind is not looked upon favourably, especially in this new era."

Indeed, thought Kenshin, the West had not only brought technology and modernity to Japan.

"Anyway. He didn't wait long to tell me that having me wait for him all those times and making me walk on on that deal had all been a test. At first, he'd seen it as a game, a distraction from his previous flame, but he eventually grew serious. He became afraid that I would use him to get information for the police."

"I take it he doesn't only deal with the small fry?"

"Correct. His father's reach is quite impressive. He wanted to make sure he would be able to talk to me freely. Turns out that the man who died with his sister had been an operative for one of their clients. They'd try to double-cross his father and used Ishigaki as their way in. However, he eventually discovered what he was up to. The man, fearing for his life if he failed, kidnapped Ishigaki's sister and fled. Unfortunately, the patriarch had no love lost for his daughter and didn't pay the ransom. What was presented to the police as a love suicide turned out to be an execution. We still don't know if the client or the Ishigaki patriarch called the shot."

"That's quite an interesting position for a special agent to be in," remarked Kenshin.

Hajime rubbed his forehead.

"Tell me about it. Sometimes stuff ends up on my desk that I have to pretend to be surprised about when I know very well who pulls the strings. However, Ishigaki sometimes gives me permission to use my knowledge, which usually turns raids into a lot of fun."

"Aren't you afraid you're being used, too?" Kenshin asked.

"I thought about it. He did get that information about my past from someone. There is always a small possibility that this is all for someone's benefit. But after 4 years, I'm willing to take that risk."

They remained silent for a while.

"Did you figure out how he accessed your drawer?" Himura suddenly asked.

Saito chuckled.

"He never confessed, but I think he has someone at the precinct in his pocket. Someone had been giving him the keys."

Outside, a fine rain had started to fall. They'd left the window open to better hear the song of the river. The earthy smell of autumn had grown stronger in the dusk. On the table, the cards of their unfinished game of utagaruta remained untouched. Uchisada was asleep on his side, facing him. His thick hair was fanned across the pillow, as soft as silk. Hajime, propped on his elbow, looked at his lover's face. His features were so delicate yet the beard he had allowed to grow over the last few days gave him a more masculine figure.

For the first time, they'd managed to escape together for an entire week. The onsen wasn't luxurious and it was far from everything, but they were completely alone save for the owner. He presumed Uchisada had pulled some strings but the man had refused to tell him anything about it.

He leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. Uchisada opened his eyes and closed them again. He stretched.

"I was dreaming," he said sleepily.

"About what?"

"The Bakumatsu. I was a Shinsengumi member, under your orders. We had a lot of steamy sex." He smiled.

"We wouldn't have had much time for that," he replied.

"You're so unimaginative, Hajime."

He shrugged.

"My imagination saved my men countless times."

Uchisada peeked at his companion under heavy lids.

"You were much more fun in my dream," he teased.

"Is that so?" asked Hajime, getting closer to cuddle his lover.

He buried his nose in the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of his skin. Uchisada made it easier to forget that he had been on the losing side of the war.

Saito woke up with a start. Kenshin was shaking him.

"Wake up! Something's wrong!"

His eyes went to Uchisada. The man was moaning, turning his head left and right. Saito ran to his side. To Hell with the stay away directive! He touched his companion's forehead. It was burning.

"Get Takani!" he yelled.

Kenshin was already running down the stairs.