Chapter five: Crossing border

They spent next three nights in the cave, but on the fourth day they headed out toward the mountains. The border ran through some peaks, but it was more of a natural boundary than an administrative one. They sold their elegant horses and bought more sturdy ones which belonged to local species. The animals had thicker fur and massive hooves perfectly adapted to harsh winters and rainy springs.

Their group was now bigger than before as Midori and Fujimon decided to join them. Souji wasn't happy about it but said nothing as he knew that they still needed the doctors to watch over Hotaru's state. There were eleven horses and thirteen riders and as before Souji was riding together with sleeping Hotaru, and Raynouske together with Youichi.

The closer they got to the mountains, the lower the temperature was. They could see horses breaths forming small puffs of steam and gradually there was more snow laying around. They were climbing up now and vegetation around them started to change as well. The trees changed into bushes, and the grass was hidden from their sights below a thick cover of never-melting snow. Everything around them seemed to be white or grey, and only from time to time a black trunk of a bigger tree could be seen in between the whiteness.

Souji sighed for the tenth time that day. He tightened his hold around Hotaru's waist and pulled her closer to his chest. He didn't want her to be cold and he easily convinced himself that it was the only reason for him clutching so desperately to her. Hijikata was watching him closely. It was strange to see that Souji could get attached so much to anyone beside Kondou and the rest of their pack. Indeed, they were like a pack of wolves and up until now Souji was the most ferocious one. And yet the moment they crossed paths with the young girl in boy's clothes was the moment something changed in Okita. Toshi couldn't wrap his mind around it at first but the more he observed the two of them the more he felt that Hotaru-chan had cast some sort of spell on the young man. If someone had told him a month ago that Okita Souji would go to such lengths just to keep one girl safe... That he would scowl like a wounded animal seeing her blood spilled all over the frozen ground... Well, Toshi would had never believed them. And he was pretty sure that Okita wouldn't as well, most likely he would cut the idiot claiming such preposterous thing down.

- What are you thinking about, Toshi? - Kondou's brimming voice stopped the train of his thoughts.

- I was thinking that Souji changed...

- Changed? In what sense?

- Don't you think that he did, Kondou-san? He is caring and passionate...

- Well, I think that he's always been this way – Hijikata looked surprised for a moment but then nodded with understanding.

- You may be right... It's just that he never showed any interest in anything that wasn't connected with the Shinsengumi and now he has his little kitten...

- Are you jealous, Hijikata-san? - Okita's teasing tone cut like a dagger.

Two commanders turned around rapidly just in time to see the smirk on his face. They didn't hear him coming but it wasn't that surprising taking into consideration that Okita was infamous for his stealth. Apparently, he could even make his horse sneak up to them without giving out any noise. Hijikata's eyes travelled from Souji's face down to Hotaru who was leaning against the man's chest. She was still quite pale, yet somehow she looked almost blissful when they rode the horse together. Toshi was convinced that it had something to do with the rhythm of Okita's heart that she must had been hearing all this time.

- Don't be ridiculous, Souji – Toshi hissed earning himself another amused look.

- Ridiculous? Come on, Hijikata-san! Tell me you love me and I will ditch any girl for you – the smug look on his face was driving Toshi crazy so without giving it a second thought he blurted out:

- Any girl yes but not your little kitten.

Something flickered in Souji's eyes and for a moment Hijikata thought that he would deny his words. Instead his gaze softened and he looked down so that he could see the girl's face.

- You know me too well, Hijikata-san. I wouldn't ditch my little kitten. For anyone – he pulled her even closer to his side and rode ahead.


The winter sun was about to set and so they had to look for a suitable place to camp. They had one big tent that they bought when they were still in the Middle Kingdom. Heiskue and Raynouske were working hard to put it up, while Shinpatchi and Harada were laughing at them.

- Girls, we need this tent ready today not in the next century – Shinpatchi cried out obviously enjoying the scene that was unfolding before his eyes.

- Shino is right, we will grow old here if you keep up working as you do now.

- You are old so no harm done.

- Oi, you punk! Don't start with that – Shinpatchi locked Heiskue's neck which caused the younger man to let out a long sigh. They sparred for a while but stopped when Hijikata reprimanded them.

Saitou was standing a couple of meters away ignoring the commotion. He looked at the sky and said to himself:

- The thunder is coming.

- Is it, Saitou-san? I would have never thought that you were interested in weather forecasting – Midori chuckled lightly.

Hajime gazed over at him, yet remained silent. He had no intention of getting into discussion with the doctor. Instead he observed Okita-san who was unpacking mats, furs and blankets. The clearing were they stood was surrounded by trees from three sides and behind them there was a wall of stone which formed a rock shelter. They were planning to use it as a support for the tent that youngsters were desperately trying to put up. With every passing hour it was getting colder and colder and on the horizon you could see steel-grey clouds piling up in an intimidating cascade. Hajime could see haste in Souji's moves as he also realised that the weather was about to change. A moment earlier he sat Hotaru down on a mat with her back leaning against one of the rocks that were abundant in this area. Hajime sighed. 'She looks like a doll... Lifeless doll' If he didn't know better he would had assumed that she was a mannequin of some sort. It really was hard to believe that several weeks ago she sparred with him and even made him sweat. Fate was a cruel thing after all.

- Isn't there any way to bring her back now? - despite promising himself to ignore Midori Hajime asked. The doctor looked at him for a while before he answered:

- Of course, there's a way... One can use venom of king's snake and with small dosage it does the trick shacking organism up. It's really effective and has wide application in medicine.

- Then why don't you use it?

- It is still a venom. So it's tricky to find the right dosage and there are reports of patients loosing their minds when they were suddenly dragged out from their slumber. That's why I think that we should give Hotaru some time and space...

- You think that she will wake up on her own, don't you?

- Well, I know that she will wake up on her own – Hajime shot him a curious look and Midori continued even though originally he didn't plan on giving up that information.

- She has certain unfinished businesses that she needs to see through. And that girl will go through hell and back to make it happen – small grin danced on the doctor's lips, still there was something in his look that made Hajime tensed.


The wind was scowling outside. Every once in a while a strong gust would hit their tent's walls making the small fire they kept in the middle of the space tremble. The light would go down, drowning the entire space in darkness for a moment and then it would surge back up. It was a long sleepless night during which nobody spoke a word. Each and everyone of them was immersed in their own thoughts so there was no need to break up the companionable silence.


Next day Souji woke up before anyone else. He didn't move at first and just took his time to watch Hotaru sleeping beside him. He was getting more and more impatient and it was harder and harder for him to fought the urge to just shake her up and make her wake up. Even now she was sleeping there peacefully with a slight blush on her cheeks nothing short of an angel. 'You will need to compensate me for every hour that I'm letting you spend laying like that, Ho-ta-ru-chan' He extended his hand to touch her forehead. Her skin was slightly warm, but it didn't feel hot against his so he assumed that she didn't have fever any more. Without a sound he got up and went outside. The landscape around was covered in snow and looked as if a fluffy duvet was thrown on the trees, rocks and bushes. Branches were covered in glittering frost that morphed into intricate lace. The scenery was stunning, yet something in his guts told him that his surroundings were nothing more but a false pretence. Years of fighting taught him never to ignore feelings like that, so he dove into the tent and spoke in decisive voice:

- We need to get going.

Immediately the guys opened up their eyes and without another word they started to pack their things up. And when he saw them like this a stupid thought crossed his mind that maybe, just maybe she will wake up as well. But she didn't move and he cursed under his breath. Yeap, Souji was in a foul mood yet again.


Fukuyama was hiding in the bushes carefully observing the small camp in front of him. Unpleasant smile crept up on his lips and stayed there when he realised that he and his troops managed to track down the infamous Shinsengumi. Lord Makishima would be pleased, but they needed to act quickly because he was sure that mahogany-haired guy's sixth sense had alerted him to their presence already. The grin on Fukuyama's face lit up even more. He might be able to feel their presence, yet in the end he wouldn't know what was that that had hit him.


- Why is it so quiet out here? - Raynouske was stepping from one leg to another. He was tired after sleepless night and ever since he heard Okita in the morning he came to a realisation that an impending doom was fast approaching. Heiskue shot him a nervous look but said nothing to make him feel better. And that was another sign that something unpleasant was about to happen. Merely an hour later they were back on the road riding on the horses and this time they rode in a specific formation. Hijikata and Kondou in front, Harada and Shinpachi at the back, Saitou and Heiskue guarding their flanks. Okita with Hotaru were in the middle together with Youichi, Midori, Fujimon and himself. It was clear that they were awaiting something, everyone prepared for the upcoming fight. Raynouske didn't like it at all. At all. With unconscious Hotaru, Youichi and him their group was full of useless creatures that would be nothing but a burden in a fight. Also, he wasn't sure if both doctors were any good in combat and there was no way to tell whether they would stick with them or betray them the moment they got the chance. Although it seemed that they genuinely cared for Hotaru-chan, he still couldn't bring himself to trust them. A sudden loud noise snapped him back from his reverie. Before he registered what was happening he hit the ground hard when his horse got spooked and pranced under him. He saw Okita jumping off his horse with Hotaru still in his arms. And then he noticed them, twenty or maybe thirty guys with guns and swords surrounding them from all sides.

- Guard her with your own life – Okita hissed almost throwing Hotaru at him.

Raynouske couldn't believe that she was so light... Like she wasn't there at all. He caught her and reached out to Youichi who was standing next to him. Raynouske pulled his hand and they dove in between some bushes that grew next to the road they were on. A second later and a bullet that hit the tree would have ended up stacked in his grey matter. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck' he cursed in his thoughts, but not surprisingly it didn't make him feel any better. He leaned from behind the tree just to see how the others were doing. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck' they weren't doing good at all. In fact it was clear that against that many guys armed with heavy guns there wasn't much they could do. He registered that Midori and Fujimon were fighting as well but it didn't make any difference in the end. After no more than half an hour they were all lined up and cuffed with their swords laying on the ground.

- You can come out boy – the guy with an ugly scar that stretched from his right ear to the left corner of his lips said.

There was something in his voice that made Rayonouske comply with his wish. He looked down at Youichi and smiled at him trying to comfort the kid. He grabbed his small hand even tighter and with Hotaru hanging over his left arm he walked out from the bushes. For a second his eyes locked with Okita's and Raynouske felt a cold shiver down his spine. Yeah, the green-eyed swordsman wasn't pleased with him.

- So who do we have here? - the scar face asked rhetorically – Searched them.

His men didn't need to be told twice. They started roaming around their pockets and jackets. The guys didn't flinch but the looks in their eyes... Well Rayonouske knew that the moment they saw a chance their captors would part with their lives in an abrupt manner.

- What's up with him? - one of the rascals asked pointing straight at Hotaru. Raynouske tensed.

- His sick and been like this for a while – for a second there he really believed that his explanation would be more than enough... Then the leader came closer with a dangerous smirk on his lips.

- I've seen this kid before – he said bending slowly to get a better look at Hotaru.

Instinctively Raynouske moved away trying to hide the girl's face from the one the others called Fukuyama.

- Boss? - one of his sidekicks asked. And then the silence was interrupted by a loud laugh that sounded more like a bark than a sound that could be made by a human.

- We are lucky today, boys – he said aloud when he finally calmed himself down.

- Really, Boss?

- Yes, for the sleeping boy is not a boy. It's a girl. The very one that left me with the scar on my face. The same one people call Shinigami.

When Raynouske looked at Fukuyama again he could see a promise in his eyes. A promise of retribution.


Souji felt an overwhelming rage. He was on his knees, gauged with some sort of linen as all of his friends. They were in a shed and in the middle of the room stood a big wooden table. He could only watch as Fukuyama's men took lifeless Hotaru and sat her on the table. Two of them tied her hands in front of her and then did the same with her legs. 'As if she could run, fucking bastards.' Then those two guys held her so that she didn't fall over, while Fukuyama approached her with a syringe in his hand. Souji could hear like Midori next to him threw himself forward in a desperate try to stop Fukuyama from whatever he was doing.

- I see that you know what it is – the awful smile that made Souji flinched – Yes, doctor. My men found it in your bag and as it happens it's a king's snake venom, isn't it? The best when you need to wake somebody up.

Souji shot an irritated look at Midori. 'This fucking lying bastard had such a medicine all this time and didn't give it to Hotaru?!' And then he saw the furious look in Midori's eyes and somehow he understood that there was a good reason for not administering the drug. Fukuyama laughed again.

- Don't worry doctor. I'm sure the Shinigami won't lose her mind from something like that.

Before Souji could do anything the silver needle tore apart Hotaru's skin and golden liquid was injected. They all froze in preparation for what was to come.


Hotaru felt threatened. For the first time since she collapsed in Okita-san's arms she felt terrified. She couldn't hear his heart beat, nor feel his warmth against her body. Instead she could smell the gunpowder and blood. And then she realised that the one holding her was Raynouske. The next thing she knew, she was dizzy and felt like throwing up. She heard a voice somewhere on her right and for a moment she thought that she must had heard this voice before. She opened her eyes and felt like the world was spinning around. Her stomach clenched and in the next moment she was vomiting and trembling against her own will. She felt poisoned, she felt sick but when she noticed all her friends tied up under a wall in front of her, she felt very very angry.


Souji was immensely happy and terrified at the same time. He saw Hotaru opened up her eyes and when their gazes locked he felt like the summer was back in town. And then he saw her face twitched in pain and she started vomiting. He shot a look over to Fukuyama and that was when a cold lump started to form in his throat. The man was smiling in the way that made Souji shiver.


- So we meet again, Shinigami-chan – Hotaru looked at the guy in front of her and noticed the scar on his face.

She closed her eyes for a moment remembering the move of her sword and the sensation when it tore his face in half. 'So he did survive that. Lucky bastard'. She said nothing aloud. She was well aware that her only chance was to pretend she had no recollection at all.

- Last time we saw each other you managed to disfigure my face, but you know what? I don't blame you. We all have things that we need to do for our commanders so I know that you were only doing your job... Exactly as I'm doing mine now.

He hit her with an open hand and she felt the skin on her cheek burning up. She let a small sigh but remained silent. His men were standing nearby and it seemed like they didn't plan to interfere. She bite her lips when he hit her again. And again. And again. She felt dizzy, she felt pain, and finally he asked her the questions she feared the most:

- Where's your commander's base? Where are his headquarters? How many troops does he have under his command? Tell me and the pain will stop.

She looked him straight into eye and then she coughed a little. She knew he busted her lip, because she could taste her own blood. And then she replied in indifferent voice the mantra she practised for thousands of hours while she was still in training:

- The name is Tachibana Hotaru. The rank is that of a captain. The code name is Shinigami.


Souji watched carefully each and every blow that landed on her body. He was furious and felt like killing somebody. And by somebody he meant Fukuyama. The guy was repeating his stupid questions over and over again and the only thing he earned in response were the words:

- The name is Tachibana Hotaru. The rank is that of a captain. The code name is Shinigami.

And Souji knew that she wouldn't say anything more no matter how many times Fukuyama would ask. It was clear to him that she would never betray her comrades. She would never betray him. He was so furious that he scowled against his better judgement when the next punch landed on her stomach. The moment he did that, was the moment Souji realised his mistake for Fukuyama looked back at him and smiled.

- Well, seems like you have some good friends here, Shinigami. What would you say if I broke up that bond between the two of you?


Hotaru flinched and looked at Okita-san. Even from the distance she could tell that he was furious. And then he made this noise even though it was muffled by the cloth in his mouth. Fukuyama was having the time of his life when he realised that Okita-san cared for her. So when he mentioned breaking the bond she and Okita shared she instinctively knew that it would be something bad.

Fukuyama nodded to his men, and two of them grabbed Okita-san by his arms and pulled him up. They pushed him in her direction, so that he stumbled a little but managed to came closer to her. She was still sitting on the table with legs and hands tied up in front of her. Okita stood in front of her so close that her knees were touching his thighs. Fukuyama broke the silence:

- You will take her, Mister Samurai. And when you finish each and everyone of you will take their turns. And by the end we will see if the feeling of camaraderie will suffice to heal such wounds – after he said that Fukuyama signalled to his men and they removed the cloth from Okita's mouth and untied him. The odds were against them and Hotaru knew it. With her still bound there was not much room for Okita to act. She gazed over at the other guys and saw the bloodlust. 'Fukuyama, you may not understand yet, but you're digging your own grave'. She looked at Okita-san and whispered so that only he could hear her:

- I don't mind, Okita-san. As long as it's you, I don't mind – she smiled weakly and leaned back to rest on her elbows.


Souji didn't say a word to her statement. From up close he could see that she was still pale and looked tired. The only thing he was sure of was that he couldn't let anyone lay a finger on her. Delicately he untied the ropes that were bounding her legs and Fukuyama didn't protest. Well, he wouldn't after all it's hard to have sex with a woman whose legs were bind together. Hotaru leaned back and she was observing him carefully but he registered with a relief that she didn't tense under his touch. Something in her gaze told him that she decided to trust him and play along with whatever plan he might come up with. If he was to be frank with himself it was proving a bit difficult to think of a plan and not about her. He unbuckled her belt and slide down her trousers caressing her bare skin with his fingertips at the same time. Finally he removed the unnecessary piece of clothing and gently spread her thighs so that he was now standing in-between her legs. He shot her a curious look when he noticed a small rose-shaped birth mark on the inside of her left thigh. The girl blushed under his gaze and he couldn't help but chuckle a little. He then leaned in for the kiss and when he pressed his lips against hers he could taste her blood. He deepened the kiss and as he did that he noticed that the thugs unconsciously came closer to the two of them. Souji was kissing her, his tongue intertwined with hers and it felt great when she kissed him back. 'There's no telling when I get the next chance like this so I may as well enjoy it for a moment' he thought to himself as he let his hands wandered around her entire body. He pulled her closer to himself and allowed his fingers to trace the trim of her underwear drawing circles around the birth mark. Then he went up to plant small pecks on her neck and when he leaned back to catch a breath, he tenderly stroke her cheeks and cupped her face in his hands demanding from her to look him straight in the eye. She pressed her forehead against his and then as if they planned this beforehand the two of them tore apart. She slid from the table landing smoothly on her feet and Souji moved in front of her so that he shielded her with his body. Before anybody could react he grabbed one of the man standing near him and hit him hard in the solar plexus. The guy coughed a little but Souji didn't give him time to recover. In one move he took the man's sword and stabbed his throat. The blood spilled all over the place and Souji was on the move again. He whirled around and covered the distance between him and the next thug in three steps. Again blood sprayed in the air covering everything around him in a thin layer of small droplets. In the corner of his eye he noticed a dark shape. Hajime got past him and slashed down three enemies, one per move. Souji noticed the steel-like look in his friend's eyes and it was clear that Saitou-san was out for blood tonight. Next thing Souji knew and all his comrades were fighting alongside him. Hotaru managed to cut down the ropes they were bound with and even two doctors were caught up in the fight. 'Speaking of which, where's Hotaru?' he glanced over the place and then he noticed her in the far corner of the shed standing in front of Fukuyama. Souji could see her profile and that was enough for him to realise that not only Saitou felt bloodlust.


Harada couldn't believe his own ears when he heard Fukuyama's words:

- You will take her, Mister Samurai. And when you finish each and everyone of you will take their turns. And by the end we will see if the feeling of camaraderie will suffice to heal such wounds.

He almost expected Okita to scream but the mahogany-haired swordsman remained silent. He didn't say a word when he approached Hotaru, yet Harada could swear that he saw the girl said something. He observed the two of them and once again was surprised to see Souji carefully removing Hotaru's trousers. It didn't escape his trained eyes that his comrade actually caressed the girl's naked skin, but the last straw was when he started to kiss her. The passion Sano saw in Souji's moves was not an act. On the contrary, Sano was sure that if not for the audience and less than convenient circumstances, Okita would had taken her as she was. That was enough to convince him that the infamous Okita Souji had found his match. And when he came to this conclusion, Harada-san smiled.


Hotaru was leaning back on the table and watching Okita-san carefully. She couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. It was a mixture of a relief that she awoke, concern with her health, but there was also something else. When he untied the ropes and started to undress her she could feel she was warming up under his touch. And the look he shot her when he noticed her birth mark – she couldn't believe that someone could combine the mischief and lust in one gaze especially taking into consideration that they were still in a tight spot. He was so close that she felt his hot breath against her skin and when he kissed her it was sweet and sour at the same time. She felt powerless under his touch almost as if he cast a spell on her. It felt good and she wanted more but at the same time she was terrified that it was all just an act on his part when she herself would do anything to stay like this forever. He cupped her face in his hands successfully making her look at him. She saw that he was determined and somehow she just knew what he wanted her to do. So she rolled over to her left side ignoring the pain in her arm ('Guess time doesn't heal all the wounds') and as Okita-san shielded her she sprinted towards the rest of their comrades. She untied Saitou-san and he just ruffled her hair as he passed by her rushing into Okita's direction. Next she freed Hijikata and Harada-san, then Shinpatchi who smiled brightly at her and then Heiskue who hugged her awkwardly and then ran to the rest of the group. Hotaru ordered Raynouske and Youichi to go outside the shed. At last she saw the man she was least expecting. Midori-san smiled at her and planted a peck on her forehead. It was such a delicate action that for a moment she thought that she had imagined it. But his words convinced her that it was a reality:

- Good to see you among living, Fiery Green. You nearly gave me a heart-attack.

He and Fujimon went ahead to back up the others but Hotaru stood motionless for a while. And then she saw the man she searched for. Fukuyama was in the far corner of the shed and she started walking into his direction. She wasn't in a hurry, on the contrary, she took her time observing him. Their eyes locked and she saw anger in his features. She grabbed a sword that someone dropped before her and stopped when they were only a couple of feet apart.

- Are you planning on killing me, Shinigami? - Fukuyama's voice was trembling a little but not from fear. It was hatred mixed with fury. Well, she could see where he was coming from. Hotaru scrutinized his face and let her gaze linger on his scar for some time.

- Obviously, if I had done my job properly the first time round, we wouldn't have been in this mess right now.

- You were younger then, mistakes like this can happen when you are a rookie.

- Yeah, but I promise that it won't happen again.

They both drew their swords like on a command and jumped at each other's throat. There could be heard a loud noise when the two blades collided and the sheer power of this action threw both the girl and the man away into opposite directions. Hotaru didn't hesitate even for a second swinging her sword from her right hip height as she simultaneously covered the distance between them. She attacked viciously not leaving even a moment for Fukuyama to recover. But he was good, and she was still flustered and dizzy from the venom that he'd injected her with. She would probably collapsed a long time ago if it wasn't for the pure anger that was driving her right now. He threatened her comrades in front of her, he bound them like cattle and then tried to break her into giving up her commander's secrets... The nerve to even think that she would give up her friends just because he messed her up a little... And then to add an insult to the injury, he made Okita-san touch her like that... How was she to recover when she just knew she would do anything to be held like this once more? And the thought that it was just an act somehow made her feel ashamed that she even dared to consider such a possibility. She could feel that she was loosing her cool, her vision slightly blurred because of the tears that welled up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and asked:

- Who sent you, Fukuyama? Was it Makishima? - an awful grimace bloomed on the man's face. The scar that she graced him with wasn't exactly adding charm to his not so pretty face.

- You will need to work more for that information – he replied but she knew she guessed right. It was obvious that after they ran away from Serikazawa, the king would take unhealthy interest in them. At this point there was no other option as to kill all the witnesses. She couldn't let them tell their lord that the infamous Shinigami was still alive.

- I see, fair enough.

They resumed their fight focused on one another, not paying any attention to their surroundings. Most likely because of that neither one of them noticed that the others had already slaughtered all of Fukuyama's men and were now watching their duel. With each stroke Hotaru was feeling better, it seemed that with passing time the venom's effects were wearing off. She was back in business and the feeling was great. So great in fact that she decided to stop playing and get serious. She hinted that she would attack Fukuyama from the right so naturally he braced himself for a blow from that direction. But it never came, instead the girl turned counter-clockwise and switched the sword from one hand to another. She twisted her upper body to gain momentum and cut from left to right mercilessly. Her blade ploughed through Fukuyama's chest and the man cried out loud in pain and anger. His blood spattered around effectively limiting Hotaru's vision for a moment until she wiped it off of her face. She took another swing and stabbed him right into abdomen pushing hard until he was pinned to the wall behind him. By now she realised the others were watching but she spared them no glance. Fukuyama was twisting before her trying hard to free himself. To no avail. He was bleeding heavily and she was panting.

- Please don't – he pleaded with her.

- You have to understand one thing – this time the fear could be seen on his face – I will not kill you because of what you did to me – she could see that he misunderstood, his eyes coloured with relief.

- I will kill you because you threatened my friends in front of me and I killed people for less – she gave him two more seconds and only when she was sure he had understood what she meant, she pulled out the sword and swung it again. It was a clean cut and they all watched in silence as Fukuyama's head rolled over his shoulders and onto the ground.