It has been a while since the last incident, but it seems that the experiments on the Water of Life are proceeding quickly, because we soon catch wind of another Fury running loose. And unfortunately, despite all of us converging on the scene of the disturbance from different directions, we all arrive too late to apprehend him.
I manage to arrive in time to see Ryunosuke pointing Heisuke in the direction that the Fury headed in, and I start giving chase, along with Heisuke, Ryunosuke, Shinpachi, Saito and Sano. Hijikata, Sannan and Souji stay behind to investigate the scene. And once we get outside the headquarters, we split up to search.
I race through the city, running across rooftops as I travel west. But my path yields no results for the Fury, despite the precision with which I conduct my search, and I return to the headquarters hours later. And we are all summoned to another meeting to discuss the escaped Fury. It's dawn, and none of us have slept, so we're all worn out and exhausted.
Heisuke sits in front of Hijikata, his head hung in shame, and gives his report on the Fury. Hijikata isn't very pleased. "At any rate, he's not able to move about during the day. He should be in hiding out there, somewhere. Continue your patrols throughout the day, like normal. Do not let other members catch on."
Sannan goes ahead and makes a good point. "The true race will begin once the sun sets. I shall join you all in the hunt this evening."
Heisuke presses his head to the floor in a gesture of regret and shame. "Hijikata-san, I'm sorry!" And before Ryunosuke can get more than a handful of words out, Heisuke spills everything. "I hesitated, sir! Even though he's a monster, he was once a person! He wasn't someone I would have originally killed." Heisuke is hurting, badly. But this is the life he signed up for, and now he's having trouble coming to terms with that. Not that I would wish this life on anyone. But we all chose it, no matter what we say. On the other hand, I've trailed so much blood behind me that I shouldn't even be able to sympathize. But despite that, I'm not heartless, I can feel pain over the death of someone who doesn't necessarily deserve to die.
Hijikata is grim and stern. "You do realize that hesitation could lead to even more victims? Heisuke, there will not be a second time." The warning is calm, but all the more deadly because of it. Heisuke can't fail again.
Heisuke isn't on patrols, so before he goes to get some rest, he finds me sitting out in the sun. He sits next to me and I open my eyes, glancing at him. He looks angry, and sad, and guilty. And that's not a good combination to see on his face.
He stares sullenly at the ground. "Ciara…how do you do it?" I stay silent, forcing him to address me more directly. He looks at me, pain in his eyes. "How can you kill so easily? That other Fury, you took him down in an instant. And your face was just blank, like you didn't feel anything about killing him and cutting his head off. How is it that you don't hesitate?"
I sigh and close my eyes. "I don't hesitate, because I was trained not to. I was trained to kill instantly on command, and to feel no sympathy or remorse for my victims. I was conditioned to be able to shut off all emotions that guide the conscience. I felt nothing except disgust when I killed the Fury."
"Don't you feel anything for them!?" Now, he sounds desperate for a real answer. "I know that you kill people, but you can't possibly be that heartless! You can't be…"
"That's because I'm not." I open my eyes and sit up, sighing with exasperation. I fix my gaze on him seriously. "I kill monsters. People so vile that they don't deserve to live. They've committed atrocious crimes, and would have continued to do so if it weren't for me. Getting paid was a bonus. I justify every kill like that. The world is better off without them. Less people get hurt. More innocents stay alive. I do not kill the innocent. And because of that, I can kill my enemies without mercy, while still retaining a human heart. I can hurt, I can love, I can hate, and I can care. But after years of practice, as well as my upbringing, I can suppress those emotions when it comes down to getting the job done. I am not heartless. But that does not mean that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I guard it carefully, as carefully as I guard those I care about. And that, Heisuke, is how I can kill without mercy or hesitation."
With my tirade over, his wide eyes narrow just a little. "I see…so that's it…" He becomes uncharacteristically quiet, then gets to his feet. "Thanks…" He walks away without another word, which worries me a little, but I brush it aside. I need to sleep and regain energy for the hunt tonight.
Once the sun starts setting, we head out on patrol to try to track down this rogue Fury. And I decide to hang back a little. Ryunosuke comes out of the gates, panting. "Heisuke! Please take me with you!"
Heisuke looks startled. "Ryunosuke…"
"I'm partly responsible for letting that monster get away! And couldn't you use an extra pair of eyes to help you look?"
"Yeah, but…" Heisuke is hesitant to take Ryunosuke along, and while I don't blame him, I think this is a good idea. "Got it. But in exchange, please follow my instructions. No matter what, don't do anything risky."
So, I look back at the two of them. "You two coming? That Fury isn't going to just sit around and wait for us."
Heisuke frowns. "Ciara? Shouldn't you be running around with Hajime-kun or Sano-san?"
I shake my head. "No way. You're the one who let the Fury get away, so you feel like you need to redeem yourself for that. I'm not an idiot, I know how people think, it's part of my job. So, I'm coming along to help you with that."
The scream of a woman echoes through the night air, giving us a direction to sprint in, since it's likely that she's either in trouble with men, or more likely, being attacked by our rogue Fury. I easily keep pace with Heisuke, and Ryunosuke does his best to keep up with the two of us. We run into the alleyway, and the woman is unconscious on the ground, while the Fury is standing on the roof.
"Ryunosuke, look after that lady!" Heisuke draws his sword and engages the Fury while Ryunosuke takes care of the Fury's victim. I take a position further back, in case the Fury tries to run. But there is no need, because Heisuke strikes him down, and with very little hesitation, drives a sword through the Fury's heart. The woman is alive, but unconscious. And Heisuke has blood all over him, which must be traumatic, since this is his first kill.
Ryunosuke props the woman against the wall and gets to his feet. "Heisuke, you okay?"
Heisuke pulls his sword out of the Fury and nods. "Yeah, how's the lady?"
"She just passed out." And Ryunosuke's words seem to comfort Heisuke somewhat.
"Thank god." Heisuke relaxes a little, and looks at his blood-covered hands. "Ryunosuke…I chose to walk the way of the warrior. And in doing so, I will cut down any and all who stand against my beliefs. So I'm going to continue to kill, and kill, and kill forever." He sounds like he's about to break down and cry, but he manages to keep it together. "But I'll never be able…to grow accustomed to it." I approve of his last words, but it hurts me to see him make his first kill. The first is always the hardest.
I walk over to Heisuke and pat him on the shoulder. "We should get back, the others are going to be expecting a report on the state of the Fury. We should tell them that there were no extra fatalities tonight."
He nods. "Yeah…and I need to wash all this blood off…"
I sigh sadly, feeling bad for him. "You did what you had to. I would have killed it instead, but your pride would never have recovered. I decided to allow you to get that blood on your hands for the sake of your pride. But if I had seen another way, I would have spared you this memory."
"Thanks…" He becomes quiet and solemn, and remains that way the whole way back to headquarters. And I don't blame him, this was a difficult night for everyone.
