Night had become my favorite time of day.
Perched on the edge of a rooftop, I looked out over the sleeping town bathed in moonlight. It was deceivingly peaceful. Off, not too far in the distance, I knew bloodshed and war burned the land. I cared little for the ongoing struggle of power between shogun and emperor, but sometimes, when I was savoring a quiet moment to myself, I thought of the Shinsengumi. I thought of Okita.
He probably thought me dead. And it was probably better that way. I know he hated to see me locked up as a prostitute, but at least that was legal. If he encountered me as a criminal, it was his duty to execute justice and he would have no choice but to condemn me.
The warm summer breeze kissed my face and I closed my eyes against it. In the darkness of my closed eyelids, his face was perfectly preserved. Kind grey eyes, a pointed nose, the Shinsengumi headband beneath his black bangs. I had it so well memorized I could've painted a portrait without ever looking at the canvas.
As I was daydreaming about where he could be at this very moment, the roof shingles behind me clinked. Without looking, I knew it was Taisuke. It was a miracle the man had survived this long as a bandit; he was as graceful as an ox.
"Well, well, look at you. A fully fledged thief. I have to admit, even though I prefer my women in kimonos, that outfit does suit you."
I grinned tiredly. "Thanks, Taisuke."
My attire was nothing more than a black kimono and black hakama to match. The only weapons I carried were two small knives belted to my waist. There was a worn pair of sandals on my feet and one leather vambrace encircled around my forearm. On my other arm, I liked to keep a piece of black cloth tied in a knot around my wrist. I used it for everything; as a mask, as rope, and at times, as a tourniquet.
Taisuke threw a coin up into the air with a metallic ping before catching it back in his hand again.
"You know, Kiyoshi's going to make you pay for that scratch you gave him."
"So be it," I said, still perched like a gargoyle. "I'm no stranger to his retaliations."
Ping. Ping.
"Why'd you do it then?" he asked.
" 'Cause he said something stupid. He irritates me. I wanted him to shut up. Pick one."
Taisuke chuckled. "You've got a lot of spirit, Sekushi. I bet you made one hell of a courtesan." I rolled my eyes and stood. "And I mean that in the best way possible."
"Sure."
I snatched his coin out of the air and he slyly grinned. He was in his late thirties and like many samurai, had his head shaved except for the topknot bundled atop his skull. As his plump figure suggested, his favorite thing to steal was food and sake. Or money to buy them. I used to think he was the harmless one out of all the thieves I had befriended, until I watched him slit a throat for a few yen.
"I'll wager all my coin that I can get there before you."
He raised an eyebrow. "There's no way your skinny ass could outrun mine for that long of a distance. You're made of straw."
I smiled. "Purse for purse, then?"
"Deal."
I tossed his coin back to him, the unofficial cue, and we both bolted across the rooftops.
Running in the night air was intoxicating and each lungful of summer wind fueled my every step. I sprinted across the shingles, unable to prevent the smile stretching across my face. For nine years I had been locked in a caged world, confined to the seams of an unforgiving kimono and breathing the stench of the underworld. Now, to run freely and feel the wind whistling past and know that my world was boundless...it was something I would never surrender again for as long as I lived.
Taisuke leapt to the ground and dashed out across the moonlit fields, towards the forest that bordered the small town. After I jumped a gap between two rooftops, I slowed my pace and crept along until I spotted the paddock.
Looking down into the muddy little corral, I saw two pigs curled against the fence and several goats pacing the perimeter. My true quarry was hidden from view.
I nimbly lowered myself to the ground, praying the animals would keep quiet as I worked. The large, black horse was backed into the corner of the pen, still saddled from the ride earlier today when I had first spotted him. Unlike the other livestock, he looked healthy and strong.
Without thinking, I swiftly climbed up onto his back and held fast as the stallion danced to the side and nickered. It took a moment of nervous prancing before he responded to the calm tones of my voice. Once in control, I jumped him across the fence and tore off across the fields, the thundering of his hooves echoing my pounding heart. With the stars streaming overhead and the grasses hissing at our feet, it was hard not to shout for joy. For being alive.
Up ahead I could see Taisuke's stout figure leaving a trail in the grass behind him. Lying low on the stallion's neck, I galloped hard and laughed as we flashed by. In the whirling dark I heard him swear.
A moment later and I slowed the horse to a walk, patting his broad neck and uttering praise for his performance. I could hear Taisuke panting in the distance. When he reappeared, the moon was making the sweat on his neck glitter. His face was scrunched in pain and annoyance, which did nothing to help the smile growing on my face.
I reached down to him. "Hand it over."
"No fucking way," he huffed and proceeded to throw a handful of dirt at me.
The horse flinched. I only chuckled and gently steered away, into the dark forest where the moonlight did not reach. The thick grove of trees eventually opened up into a small forest meadow where several dark silhouettes had gathered. Beneath the silvery beam of moonlight illuminating the clearing, I picked out Tamotsu's hardened face.
"What's the meaning of this, Sekushi?" he growled upon seeing the stallion.
"A parting gift from the villagers," I said dryly, then frowned, realizing there were only three of us. "Where are the others?"
He shrugged, crossing his massive forearms in front of his chest. "Hell if I know. If they're not here soon, we're leaving their sorry asses behind."
I could tell he was annoyed. Every man was free to come and go as he pleases, but insubordination was something Tamotsu didn't tolerate well. And it was something Kiyoshi was very good at.
We waited in the forest meadow, surrounded by the chorus of crickets and owls and the occasional snort from the stallion. Deeper into the darkness, between the trunks of the trees, I could see faint yellow lights flitting in midair. Fireflies.
I caught the quick flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye; the stallion's ears perked forward, honed in on some unseen threat. There was rumbling laughter and the sound of heavy footsteps crunching their way through the forest. As I had expected, the three men staggered into the clearing, the scent of sake reeking from their very pores. Yet there was another stench lingering about them—a sweeter, sickly smell.
Blood.
The bright red stain on Kiyoshi's kimono glimmered eerily in the moonlight; it was still wet.
"Kiyoshi." Tamotsu's voice was so deep I barely heard it.
"Ah, don' worry. I brough' y'some, too." He handed the leader a half-empty mug of sake, stumbling slightly. In one swift move, Tamotsu grabbed the ceramic jar and slammed it into the side of Kiyoshi's head, sending the man to the ground with streams of blood oozing from his temple.
"Dammit, Kiyoshi! I've had it with you and your damn habits! Who was it this time?"
Kiyoshi rolled onto his back, one hand holding his bleeding eyebrow. "Just some ol' farmer…and his wife."
The ghost of a grin crossed his lips and I felt my blood curdle.
"One of these days your bloodlust will be the ruin of us all," Tamotsu growled. The moonlight did not touch his cold, dead eyes. "I should just put an end to you and be done with it."
"You should."
It was eerie how calm his voice was, how he simply looked up at Tamotsu, almost daring him to do it. Several long minutes passed, until he finally stepped around the fallen man, his face an unreadable mask of stone, and began walking into the forest.
"The next time you do something like this, at least have the decency to wash your hands."
I looked over at Kiyoshi, wondering how I could've missed the shimmering red color of his hands. The other men followed silently, leaving he and I alone in the meadow for a brief moment. As he started to stand, Kiyoshi glanced up at me and grinned crookedly from behind the rivers of blood on his face.
With a harsh jerk of the reins, I turned away and rode after the others, into the black night. Away from one darkness and into another.
A/N: I know, I know. We'll get back to the Shinsengumi in a few chapters here. Bear with me!