Chapter 10: Self Proclaimed Fugitive
"Ayasaki-san, where are we headed?"
"Just keep walking straight ahead out of Sendai. We will be heading back to Tokyo."
"Hai."
With that confirmation, Soujiro unquestioningly marches on quietly grinning and enjoying the natural surroundings. By contrast, Katsuya, with a determined look on his face, plagues his mind with suspicions on what Soujiro can possibly be scheming in his little head. Not only that, a nagging empty feeling pesters his thoughts endlessly. Upon acceptance of this mission to capture the renowned right hand man of Shishio, the one whose skills is said to be blessed by the heavens, Katsuya has expected a true challenge in his pursuit. However, the arrest came too easily, without even a fight. This sickens Katsuya, who enjoys the thrill of the chase. The chase is what make the criminal all the guiltier; To see Soujiro, the Tenken, submit to him so easily and happily is not only disconcerting, it's insulting! Watching Soujiro enjoying his detention and looking all too happy as he makes his way is quite disturbing. Never has Katsuya seen any criminal so innocent...an innocent criminal? That is preposterous! Repulsed by this mission so far, Katsuya halts in his path. They have traveled quite a distance and are currently standing in a town called Fukushima. (Katsuya has a lot of patience and control ne? to be able to travel so far and control his anguish?) Soujiro, noticing Katsuya's stillness, turns around in wonderment.
"We are out of your supporter's view." Katsuya serenely declares. "You have done well in making yourself look like the good guy and I the bad. Now show yourself. You should realize that... 'Uso wa ato kara hageru (Lit. Lies afterward fade.).' Tell me your motives! Do you honestly believe that they will help alleviate your punishment? If so, I am telling you right now that your efforts at feigning innocence are futile."
"I don't understand what you mean," testifies Soujiro ingenuously.
Flicking his katana out a notch, Katsuya retorts, "Make your move!"
"Move?" Soujiro steps forward, while scratching the back of his head. "Is this what you mean?"
Aggravated by Soujiro's simplicity, Katsuya's hand tightens into a fist. "Is this Soujiro for real? Or could he be making a mockery of me?" ponders Katsuya, before asking suspiciously, "Are you, the Tenken, head of the Juppon Gatana, former right hand man of Shishio Makoto going to just surrender to me so simply?"
"That's what I intended," answers Soujiro without hesitation.
"This is the worst! No challenge at all! Not even a chase and capture! How insulting!" broods Katsuya, relaxing his hands and letting his katana slide back in its saya, before muttering, "You are not the Tenken." Katsuya begins to walk away.
"I am, well I'm a rurouni now, but, I was the Tenken...and still am...I think," insists Soujiro.
"Prove it!" challenges Katsuya turning abruptly around to face Soujiro. "Fight me!" Katsuya muses in his head, "If he fights me, then that means resistance, and criminal resistance thrill. I will not feel bad for capturing him anymore."
"I wouldn't want to do that. You are my benefactor. It would be unethical of me to do so," reasons Soujiro.
"Unethical? Benefactor? I arrested you Baka!" Katsuya's calm exterior slightly fades.
"But you are about to release me."
"That is beside the point!"
"What is the point, Inspector? I seem to have mis..."
"Confounded! Confounded!" His calm exterior crumbles. "There is no point!"
"Then why..."
Resolving not to let anger make its move, Katsuya closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm down.
"Seta-san, Forget it. I could arrest you for toying with an officer, but I am not. Arresting you, Sir, will lend me little or no pleasure at the moment." Katsuya raises his fingers to his forehead as he shakes his head in defeat.
"But, I am Seta Soujiro. Shishio-sama's former assassin. I killed lord Okubo. You have to arrest me, don't you?"
"I do not HAVE to do anything." states Ayasaki. After a brief glance, he continues in an uncompromising tone, "You may look like the Tenken, I grant you that, and you may even choose to call yourself Seta Soujiro, but your claim of being Shishio's merciless right hand man and killer of lord Okubo is at best questionable; such circumstances must render the necessity for further verification. You may go, self proclaimed fugitive."
"But I am who I say I am... Inspector Ayasaki."
"Sure, sure...whatever. Now be gone." Katsuya's eyes catch a nearby criminal act just carried out; a thief has just stolen some money from a street peddler. "I have work to do." The inspector flips away from Soujiro towards a more thrilling prospect. The feeble peddler strives to catch up to the thief loping away through the market streets. Laughing at the frail old man behind him, the thief fails to notice that Katsuya has glided above his head and is now standing four feet in front of him. Katsuya kicks the peddler's moneybox out of the thief's greedy hands; the thief turns his head and sees him. The moneybox falls down into Katsuya's outstretched left-hand, as he withdraws his blade in the other and points it at the awe-struck thief, who falls to his knees. The peddler soon arrives at the scene with a couple of town guards.
"That's him. That's the guy!" The peddler points at the now petrified thief.
Katsuya tosses the moneybox over to the peddler, and comments, "Be careful next time." Turning to the police, who by now have arrived at the scene, he continues, "Book him. I assume that you could at least do that much, gentlemen?"
Having met with Katsuya a few months prior, the police officers recognizes him as a high ranking official, who at the time was on a mission for the Meiji Emperor to retrieve a priceless artifact. This is the same mission where, Katsuya, on his return journey to Tokyo, meets with Soujiro for the very first time and relieves him of his peach grove troubles.
"Yes, sir!" The officers obediently raise their right hand to their forehead, and salute the inspector, sending an outburst of chatter among the crowds.
"That must be the Bishousen of Prince Iwakura."
"He's so young and handsome!"
"Wow, what a skilled young fellow. Too bad we didn't get to see his sword skills."
"He looks so impassive. No wonder they call him the 'Fuyuken (Winter Sword)'"
"Oh...he is so dashing!"
"Is he looking at me?"
Ignoring all the comments from the crowd, Katsuya walks away from the scene as he thinks of where he should go. Looking up at the orange pink colored sky, Katsuya from prior experiences deduces that a blizzard will be arriving soon in Fukushima. Lifting his hand, Katsuya fixes his juban collar-line and notices a pair of cheery eyes looking at him from the corner of the street. Gasp! Those eyes belong to none other than the baka Soujiro. Did he not get the hint that Katsuya is purposely letting him get away?
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Katsuya smacks his forehead in utter disbelief.
Author's Notes:
Tadaimasu! Hoi! Hoi! Spring Break hurray! Ah readers! I am so glad I still have readers after my long absence from writing. sniffles I finally dug my way out of a very deep workload. Yippee yay! Anyway, I hope my writing hasn't rusted. I am pretty bad at describing fighting scenes so please don't flame me for that. Thank you all my reviewers Moguera, Angelique, Valanice, Takuya, and DustyFall for giving such wonderful reviews for chapter 9. I hope Chapter 10 will be just as enjoyable as 9; however, after all this time away from my story...I really need to refresh myself on what's going on in my story. I mean, I am the writer and I have forgotten what's going on in my story? That's pretty bad ne? I blame it all on the academic papers I had to write and other classes too. But don't worry, I haven't quit yet...Eto...Mada Mada Dane :) Katsuya is not so perfect ne? Well, please read and review as usual.
Kiriakis
Next chappie: Katsuya x Winter Storm x Soujiro (Got this styling from Yoshihiro's Hunter x Hunter series. A new series I recently watched.)