Rays of early morning sunlight began to seep through the paper walls, casting a warm, yellowish glow throughout the room. Souji began to stir from his light, restless sleep. He was exhausted but hadn't the desire to try and go back to sleep. The previous night's tip had led him on a fruitless chase through the city, taking much longer than he had expected. He had returned so late that he hadn't even gotten to see Mikoto off to bed. He had considered sneaking into her room, but figured it was better to let her sleep after having woken her that morning. He sat up with a stretch, put his hair up and got to his feet. After stepping outside, he took a moment to appreciate the peace of the morning before starting towards Mikoto's room. As he was making his way there, he passed by Hajime. He wore an odd expression as his eyes met Souji's. He stopped, opening his mouth to speak, but Souji continued on, waving a dismissive hand. Whatever it was, it could wait.
"Souji…" Saito tried, clearly hesitant for some reason. The soft spoken captain was ignored, but followed behind the brunet regardless.
"Mikoto-chan!" Souji called cheerfully as he approached her room.
"Souji." Hajime was ignored again as Souji slid her door open.
"Good...morning..." As his gaze fell on her unoccupied, neatly made futon, his face fell and his arm dropped to his side. "She must already be up…" he murmured, almost doubting his own words as a pit began to form in his stomach. She usually wouldn't hesitate to wake him if she were up first. He turned to Saito. "She's in the common room, waiting on breakfast, right?" The man's face was grim. "Saito-san," he pushed, cold tendrils of dread beginning to travel up his spine.
"Souji, she didn't return last night," he finally stated, his tone as calm as ever. Souji felt his heart drop. He took Hajime roughly by his shoulders.
"What do you mean she didn't return?" he demanded, shaking the man. "Why wasn't I told sooner? Why are you here? Why are you not looking for her?" Hajime remained stoic in the face of Souji's panic. Of course he was worried as well, but he knew it would be better for everyone if he maintained a level head.
"I was just coming to tell you. Kondou has already divided the units up into shifts. Harada and Heisuke's units are already out, as well as the Watch," he explained. "Now is not the time to get frantic. She's a capable woman, she can handle herself until we find her." Hajime's attempt at reassurance did little to comfort Souji, but he let him go, realizing just how tightly he was gripping his friend.
"What do you mean shifts? She's part of my unit, I need to be out there looking until we find her." Hajime continued as if Souji hadn't spoken.
"Our shift is next, don't leave before then. Kondou doesn't want us wearing ourselves out. We're no good to her if we can't keep our energy up." He scowled but gave a nod of understanding. "We will find her," he assured him once more, before turning and leaving Souji on his own. He gritted his teeth and rested his forehead against one of the support posts, slamming the side of his fist against the wood.
"Damnit…" he hissed, the muscles in his jaw tightening. Rage and fear boiled up within him and it was all he could do to keep them contained. He couldn't help but feel responsible. If he hadn't told her to stay behind, she'd be with him now, safe. His mind was racing with everything horrible that could have possibly happened to her. There was no way he could just stand around waiting knowing that she was most likely in danger. "I'll find you, just hang on Mikoto…"
The first thing Mikoto noticed as she slowly came to, was that her head was pounding. It was a throbbing pain that resonated from a spot on the back of her head. She could hear voices, but they were muffled and distant. Her mouth and throat were uncomfortably dry, most likely thanks to the cloth gag that was stuffed in her mouth. She could feel the gag, which was tied far too tight, digging into the corners of her chapped lips. Her arms felt stiff and heavy as she tried to shift them, before realizing that her wrists were bound behind her back. The tattered rope with which she was restrained cut into her skin as she moved. She slowly, cautiously opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but after a moment she was able to begin to make out her surroundings. She glanced around, and realization set in. She was in her old room at the inn against the back corner. With a bit of relief, she also realized that she was alone, meaning she could get away. Her mind immediately went to the kaiken that was strapped to her upper arm, up under her sleeve. Souji had insisted that she have it if she wasn't planning on carrying her katana. She was just about to begin moving it down her arm when she heard footsteps and voices outside. She froze, going limp and closing her eyes once more just as her door slid open.
"This is the one." Her stomach churned at the sound of the familiar voice. It was the innkeeper's. "I have reason to believe she's involved with the Shinsengumi. A couple of months ago she disappeared after spending time with one of them. I lost a lot of money on this bitch."
"Looks like she's got a good body. Even if she can't give us any information to sell, we'll get our money's worth in other ways." She didn't recognize this second man's voice, but his words made her skin crawl. She could hear heavy footfalls as one of the men approached her. He stopped and she could feel his scrutinizing stare as he stood over her. She was tempted to take a peek, but didn't dare risk it.
"So, about my pay, Nasu-san?" the innkeeper inquired. The man examining her hummed thoughtfully.
"I'll have to test her out first, of course, but I think we'll be able to come to an agreement that you'll be satisfied with." After he spoke, the man walked back towards the doorway. Moments later both pairs of footsteps could be heard leaving and the door slid closed. Mikoto could hear that their conversation had continued, but couldn't make out the words any longer. She opened her eyes and wasted no time in taking advantage of her opportunity to escape. She began to rub her arm up against the wall behind her. Slowly, this caused the strap holding her dagger to slide down her arm. After a few moments, the strap was right at her elbow, and with a few more scrapes it fell easily down the rest of her arm. She caught the blade, ignoring the pain as it tore through the skin between her fingers. Carefully, she maneuvered it in her hands until she had a grip on the handle and the blade was up against the ropes that bound her. She sawed at the rope as best as she could, and gradually it loosened, fiber by fiber. Before long, she was far enough through the rope to snap it with a sharp yank. She brought her hands out in front of her, rubbing and shaking out her sore and bloodied wrists, trying to return circulation. She gave a small, victorious smile as she removed the gag from her mouth.
"Thank you, Souji…" she murmured to herself. She got shakily to her feet, tightening her grip on the kaiken. She took a few unsteady steps as her legs regained their function. Once she felt a little more sturdy, she made for the door. She slid it open ever so slightly, peeking down the hall in both directions to be sure it was clear. Feeling it was safe, she slipped out, heading for the back exit as swiftly and stealthily as she could. As she neared it, a door abruptly slid open behind her, startling her and causing her to jump. She continued, however, assuming it was just a guest leaving his room. She picked up her pace but tried to remain inconspicuous.
"Hey, you!" The man barked. "You look familiar." She kept her eyes forward, ignoring the man. Next thing she knew, a large hand had wrapped itself around her wrist. "Oi, Nasu!" he called out.
"Shit!" she hissed. This ronin was one of them. So much for getting out quietly. Thinking quickly, she whipped around and plunged her dagger into the side of the man's neck. Letting out a gargled scream, he pushed her aside, his hand flying to his neck in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. He collapsed to the ground, but she had been too slow. She could already hear several sets of footsteps pounding towards her. She turned on her heel and kicked off running.
"Stop her!" She wasn't sure how many men were after her, and she wasn't about to turn around to look. She was nearly there and she knew if she could get out, she could lose them in the crowd. She could make it, she was smaller and faster than any bumbling ronin off the streets. She grinned to herself as she reached for the door, then suddenly her back was hitting the wall with such force that the air left her lungs. A man had appeared from the last room in the hallway, hearing his allies, and slammed into her, holding her up against the wall. She struggled, but it was in vain. The entirety of his weight pinning her to the wall was too much. She did, however, manage to free her arm and lift the dagger, ready to deal out the same fatal wound she had given the other man. Before she could land the blow, the man grabbed her wrist and slammed it against the wall as well, causing the dagger to drop from her hand. He chuckled maliciously.
"I don't think so, sweetheart." She glared up at him, but could do nothing. It wasn't long before the other men reached them. There were three others, the innkeeper and the man she assumed was Nasu were two of them. Nasu stepped forward with a grin, his brown eyes glinting.
"You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?" She said nothing, only continued to hold her furious stare. He let out a laugh. "Like it or not, we're taking you to the Choshu domain first thing tomorrow morning. Whether it's with information or your body, you're going to line our pockets quite nicely."
"Go to hell!" she spat defiantly, refusing to show any fear.
"Let's get her back to her room, and make sure her restraints are more secure this time," he ordered. With that, she was pulled from the wall and shoved aggressively back in the direction from which she had come.