Chapter 27: Payment and Betrayal
Aoshi stood up, trying to minimize the amount of movement it required. Even such a simple task seemed arduous.
He had examined his wounds as he was nursing them. She certainly had held back at the last moment. The attack he was hit with was one typical of all sword styles, targeting all nine vital points in one instant. She had restrained herself superbly, only hitting the ones above his torso. The damage had been mitigated to the exact point where he would collapse but not lose consciousness.
Really, an impressive feat.
A shadow blocked the light coming in from the hall. Aoshi looked up and recognized the tall figure.
"Well, well, looks like you got your ass kicked," he smirked.
"Saitou…Hajime."
"Hm. I thought you knew me by Fujita Goro."
"I heard from a man named Seta."
"Oh, well that explains something, since you've been here for so long."
"The others left already; you're a bit late."
His smirk widened. "Of course. Everything's going as I planned."
Saitou looked at the clock ticking on the wall.
"How long has it been since Sokusai left?"
"…Don't you call her by her name?"
"Ah, pardon me. I refrained from doing so in order not to arouse any tension."
Aoshi narrowed his eyes. "Meaning?"
"The issue of her name must cause some pressure on you, no? After all, someone like you who planned to betray her from the beginning would never address her by anything but her hitokiri title."
"…She told you all this?"
"Hah, definitely not. I can read people well."
Saitou lit a cigarette. "Thanks to you, Shishio and his men have diverted their attention from me to Battousai's party. It'll be easier for me to move in the shadows this way."
He threw a piece of paper at Aoshi. Aoshi caught it and unfolded it, surprised.
"This…is a map of the interior headquarters."
"While the Oniwabanshuu's information network is formidable, the government's network is the best in the country, which is one of the reasons I joined forces with it," Saitou explained. "If you're this far, that map should be enough to get you to Shishio."
Saitou prepared to leave.
"You're not going to ask?" Aoshi inquired.
"About what?"
"Sokusai."
Saitou scoffed. "Seeing you barely alive is enough to deduce that she held back at the last minute. Women," he added in disdain. "Nevertheless, it's a relief. Had she really killed you, who knows what I'd have to deal with afterwards."
"Are you the reason why she can't guarantee 'falling for' me again, as she put it?"
Saitou turned around, interested. "She said that?"
"Rather scathingly."
Saitou laughed. "She's too proud. But in answering your question, I'd best say perhaps."
Aoshi was skeptical. "I'd say 'perhaps' is an understatement."
"And I'd say you're overestimating me," Saitou said darkly. "Both of us know that we're dealing with an extremely complicated and arrogant woman. Not to say that she has no right to be arrogant, but being so prideful makes her one of the hardest people for me to read. Leaving you alive means that she harbors some affection for you. Saying that to you means that it's not as much as before. All in all, it's very hard to say."
Aoshi wanted to stop thinking about her. Her complex nature exhausted him, not to mention that his pride had taken a blow after the fight. Nevertheless, he continued to ask Saitou questions.
"How close are you two?"
"Let's just say I believe I have more rights to her than you do."
"Really?" Aoshi said, cynical. As much as Saitou had been complaining about Sokusai's pride, Saitou's own egotism was equally aggravating.
"I understand her more than you do," Saitou said simply. "I've known her since the Bakamatsu days, and I know how to address situations when she's suffering through her rather spontaneous mood swings."
"Mood swings? I wasn't aware she lost her composure easily."
"Probably because you caused them," Saitou said icily. "Your existence has caused me no little trouble with her. I promised to lay off of her until we finish the fight today. I wanted to let her clear her thoughts, to let her finish what she came to Kyoto for."
"And you thought after today she'd return to your side?" Aoshi said doubtfully.
"I'd say the chances are fifty-fifty, give or take," Saitou replied. "I might be at the advantage…did you wound her today?"
"What?"
"I mean did you attack her all out today?" Saitou repeated impatiently.
"…Yes."
"Well then, I'm probably at the advantage." He blew out a puff of smoke. "You're really a cold-hearted one. No reservations at all, eh?"
Saitou began to leave again. "But just letting you know…"
Aoshi strained to hear, he was speaking so quietly.
"If you hurt her again, I swear I'll kill you."
Aoshi didn't need to hear the last sentence. Saitou's murderous intent was enough.
*************
Slowly, slowly, lightly. No pressure. No haste.
Her legs hurt like hell.
It took her much longer than necessary to arrive at the next room. She could sense no one inside. Kenshin must have finished the fight already.
Kikome pushed open the doors.
The room was a mess. Evidence of Soujirou's amazing Shukuchi could been seen all around the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. Really, he had mastered horizontal and vertical speed.
She walked in and glanced around uneasily.
"Boo."
Kikome leaped forward in surprise, her hand on her hilt. Soujirou, beat-up and weary, smiled at her nonetheless.
"Soujirou-san," she said in relief, "you're all right."
"Surprisingly enough."
He followed her gaze to the doors leading once again into the narrow hallway beyond.
"Don't worry," he said. "Your companions left only a little earlier. Yumi-san left through a shortcut, which you can take later. I'd like to talk to you for a moment."
Kikome nodded. "Yes, that's probably appropriate."
He eyed her legs, aware of the cautious way she was standing.
"You mastered Shukuchi?" he asked.
"Hah, how did you know?"
"Because of your stance. The pain in your legs will be around for a while after you first master it. We should probably sit down so we don't strain them any further."
They sat side by side in an adjacent room.
"May I lay down on your lap?" he asked. "I'm feeling sort of nauseous."
Without hearing a word of assent, Soujirou slid down and laid his head on her lap.
Kikome patted Soujirou gently. "You look bad."
He laughed nervously. "Yeah, it was an intense fight."
She noticed the long scar across his chest.
"Ah. He hit you with Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki."
"Yeah."
"Painful?" she asked almost jokingly.
"Hurts like hell."
There was a slight pause as Soujirou collected his thoughts to speak.
"Nato-san…" he said slowly, "I'm going to leave here."
She nodded in agreement. "That'd be best. No need for you to get caught up in the fight afterwards."
"I am going to look for my own answer…maybe Shishio-san's philosophy will become my own way of thinking…maybe Himura-san's will…or maybe I'll find one entirely by myself. So I will leave and go wander around like they did, to find my answer."
"Good," Kikome smiled. "Good for you."
"Nato-san. Thank you."
"I didn't do anything."
"You don't think so. But being around you really made me feel like I had a relative I could rely on. During my fight with Himura-san, I kept thinking about what you said…and I unconsciously held back. I was waiting around for you to come through."
He sighed. "I don't really know what to think anymore."
"It's okay. You're still Soujirou, aren't you? Innocent face, congenial, I don't think Shishio made your personality. As long as you have identity, you'll be fine. As long as you have pride, you'll survive."
"I suppose."
He stood up. "You should probably go soon, Nato-san. Saitou already passed through."
Kikome hadn't noticed. Another wave of apprehension filled her heart. She stood up behind Soujirou, who wasn't facing her.
"You should go…I'll be fine alone," he said almost anxiously. "I've been that way for so long anyway, I—"
Kikome hugged him gently from behind, holding him like a mother would her child.
"You can stop playing it tough," she said softly. She could feel Soujirou's tears dampen her sleeve.
"You don't have to rely on yourself so much," she continued sentimentally. If it weren't Soujirou, these embarassing words would never be coming out of her mouth. "I'm here. Your nakama. Your sister."
Soujirou reached up and gripped her hand, shaking slightly. Kikome let his silence carry on, knowing that it had been the first time in many years since he had let his emotions take control of him.
"Thanks," he whispered, breaking away.
She smiled sadly, knowing he was going to depart from her without really opening up. "Don't worry about it. You just take care of yourself."
He caught her by surprise and hugged her tightly, pulling away from her after a few seconds. After walking a few steps, he stopped and turned around.
He was smiling while tears ran down his cheeks.
"Thank you so much…Nee-san."
Kikome laughed slightly, eyes soft. "Thank you as well, Soujirou. Be careful. Come see me soon."
"Sayonara."
Kikome watched with a mixture of emotions as she saw the brother that Okita couldn't be separate from her to forge his own future. Okita had saved her from the darkness of being a hitokiri. She had repaid the favor. Soujirou was going to walk away from the darkness that would have engulfed her ten years earlier.
*************
Shishio surveyed the scene in front of him. The three men that had come so bravely to challenge his authority, dispensed of in less than a quarter of an hour. He hadn't had so much fun in years.
Now then, where was Sokusai? Yumi had said that she had stayed behind with Shinomori Aoshi. Was she not coming then?
Shishio's passing thought was proved wrong. Sokusai's slim profile appeared at the entrance to the roof.
"Sokusai," Shishio greeted mockingly. "You're finally here. Well? How is the scene? Does it fit to your liking?"
She didn't reply; her gaze shifted from one body to another. Her crimson lips mouthed "What the hell?"
She saw Saitou last. Shishio observed her reaction keenly, knowing that their relationship was a peculiar one. How would she respond, seeing one of the proudest men in Japan dead on the ground?
Sokusai merely stiffened, and returned her gaze to Shishio.
"You did this?" she asked softly.
Shishio sneered. "Who else?"
She was silent, shifting on her feet uneasily. Shishio immediately tensed. Rightly so. Their swords clanged together immediately afterward.
"Excellent, Sokusai!" Shishio said in glee. "That was Shukuchi just now, wasn't it? Perfect."
She snarled in return.
Ryu Shou Sen! Shishio caught her blade one handed.
"Too bad, I've already seen that one," he said, eyes glinting. "Battousai and your techniques are the same, eh?"
She cut him off with a blow to his chin with her sheath. Shishio recoiled immediately for a counterattack, only to find her barely out of his reach. Sokusai was playing defensively. Attacking, then retreating immediately afterward to prevent against his counter.
Sokusai's beautiful stone eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
Shishio charged towards her, lighting his blade with his sheathe. Homura dama!
Her facial expression did not change upon seeing the flames, nor did she move from her spot. Shishio brought his sword down toward her chest, expecting her to finally dodge, as it was impossible to tell exactly where his blade was.
She stayed still, instead blocking the katana with her gloved hand. The lovely face winced as she felt the pain in her arm, but Shishio knew from the depth that he had not cut her. Only the flames had caught onto the sleeve of her right arm.
Shishio smirked. What could she do? Her sword was in the hand that was currently blocking him. He prepared for Guren Kaina; simply one blow of gunpowder, and she would be dead like Battousai.
As quick as lightning, Sokusai exchanged the blade to her left hand and brought it down across his chest. He leaped back, staggered. The cut was shallow, but deep enough to draw blood. Remarkable, nevertheless. She was the first to cause him to bleed.
"You're ambidextrous?" he said, impressed.
"What I am doesn't matter," she said in deadly calm. Sokusai altered her stance and transferred her sword back to her dominant hand, preparing for another onslaught.
"Sokusai, why do you fight me?"
She sheathed her blade. "I have no need to answer that question."
"Which death has affected you the most? Battousai's? Sagara Sanosuke's? No…is it Saitou Hajime's pathetic corpse that causes your ki to soar with a rage I have not felt in ten years?"
She appeared in front of him, swiping with her katana. Battoujutsu. Shishio already knew this attack, and blocked it effortlessly. She did not retract this time, instead pressing on with a series of offensive attacks.
"Ha ha! That's it, Sokusai! Fight me! Be the avenger that disappeared in the shadows of the Bakamatsu ten years ago! Revive her! And fight!"
"If you have enough time to talk," she said frigidly, "why don't you concentrate a bit more?"
Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryuu, Ryu Kan Sen!
Her blade caught him in the back of the neck, slicing almost to the spinal cord. Shishio leapt out of her range, no longer grinning.
Sokusai landed gracefully, watching him as he checked his wound cautiously.
"You're really the extraordinary one," he admitted. "You've been able to hit me thrice. The others couldn't land a hit at all."
"The others," Sokusai retorted, "were badly injured."
"Perhaps. But you too are not unscathed from your battle with Shinomori Aoshi. Ah," Shishio said, noticing another figure approach from the entrance that Saitou had made, "looks like another whipped dog is here."
Sokusai whirled around, and Shishio grasped his chance. This woman worried him, now that Battousai was dead on the ground, and Shishio didn't mind playing dirty to win.
He seized her from behind, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other holding his blade to her throat. Droplets of blood appeared in a thin line.
"Never show your back to your enemy," he crooned maliciously.
"You bastard," she hissed, "you'd do something as low as to fight me from behind?"
"An opening is an opening, Sokusai dear. Now then," Shishio addressed Aoshi, "Shinomori Aoshi, I'd advise you not to move from there."
Honorable people were so easy to manipulate. Shishio could easily bend Aoshi's actions to his will as long as Sokusai was in his hands.
"So what are you doing here?" Shishio questioned. "Here to help Sokusai? As you can see, your presence probably cost her some fair amount of concentration, and now I definitely have the upper hand. So what will you do?"
Shishio noticed Sokusai's pale hand move deftly, pushing her sheath to collide with his chin. He barely flinched, but it was enough to break his concentration.
Aoshi was flying towards them swiftly, kodachi out. Shishio did not loose his hold of Sokusai. There was nothing Aoshi could do; Aoshi would never hurt Sokusai to get to him.
So he thought.
Before either Shishio or Sokusai had time to register, Aoshi's kodachi had pierced through Sokusai's right shoulder, protruding into Shishio's chest. Blood spurted out immediately, slopping to the tiles on the floor.
Sokusai's blade dropped to the ground. A red stream of blood trickled from her sculptured lips as her dark eyes widened in shock.
Shishio loosened his grip around the feminine figure.
"Hah," he panted, "to think that even a whipped dog could cruelly attack a woman to get to his enemy."
With one kick, he sent Sokusai flying into the wall. She crumpled like a doll, lifeless as the scarlet color pooled around her body.
"I underestimated your personality," Shishio said in disdain. "Looks like I'll have to take this dog a bit more seriously."
*************
Pain. It hurt. Her body was burning up. Her life force was flowing out as quickly as a broken dam. It hurt. Why? She wanted to die.
*************
"Shit," Sagara breathed, "is she dead?"
"I don't know," Aoshi answered, tone worried.
He placed a warm hand on her wrist, then neck, then to her temple. A slight rhythm.
"I think I feel a pulse," he said.
Kikome's eyes snapped open. She stared at him, then bolted upright, standing up as fast as she could to get away from him.
"Don't touch me," she shrieked, gasping for air. "Don't you dare think you can—"
It was as if the pain hit her full force at that one moment.
She cut off mid-way through her sentence, grabbing her shoulder and stomach, doubling over in agony. A high-pitched scream sounded from her lips as the deep red color stained her marble-colored hands.
"Kikome!" Sagara cried, unable to run towards her due to his wounds.
She collapsed on her knees, coughing, clutching her stomach. Blood splattered from her mouth in front of her. She couldn't breathe, coughing and spewing out blood at the same time. Aoshi stared, uncertain of helping her or staying put like she had demanded.
A taller figure pushed past him, making his way to Kikome.
"Calm down," Saitou ordered, wrapping his arm around her waist. With his free hand, he forced her head upward. Her eyes looked glassy as she struggled to inhale.
"Breathe." Saitou stroked her throat, trying to clear her windpipe of the blood.
A few minutes passed until her breathing began to stabilize.
"Good girl," Saitou said soothingly, withdrawing his hand from her neck and adjusting her body so that she was laying heavily on his shoulder. "Stay this way for a while, it'll make it easier to breathe."
Kikome finally seemed to notice him.
"Saitou?" she said, scarcely whispering.
"It's me," he said, patting her cheek. "Don't talk."
"Shit," she said, shaking slightly. "Thank God…I thought you died…"
"Idiot," he said coolly. "Shut up and sit there."
Aoshi stiffened as Saitou's golden eyes met him. A chill ran down his spine. While no one had seen except for Shishio and his cronies, and Kikome had not told him, Aoshi felt that Saitou had known immediately who had injured her.
Even Aoshi didn't know what had caused him to attack so suddenly. He had seen her, in danger. Yet he had still seen the opportunity, and had taken it. Anything to defeat Shishio…to help Battousai.
Sokusai sat still by Saitou, left hand gripping her right shoulder tightly. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and her face was covered in perspiration. She seemed determined not to look at him, whether she was conscious or not.
*************
Pain.
Don't give second chances. People never change.
