Chapter 2: It begins...
The cool night breeze caresses the mountain side as nature begins to prepare for the cold months ahead. A dark figure, moving quietly through the mountain, does not seem to notice as he skirts the strange village in the valley below. He has spent several hours observing the village that has been appearing to him in his strange, tormented dreams for the last eight nights.
During that time, he found that he was not the only one watching, and waiting. Likely, the other observer had spotted him, as well. At least, it was safest to assume so.
With that assumption in mind, he begins to move with expert silence towards the distant watcher and notices that the other was doing the same.
As they neared, the two recognized each other.
"Saitou Hajime." It was an observation, not a question.
Saitou's lips twitched upward slightly, knowing the voice immediately.
"Shinomori Aoshi." the inspector says, in way of greeting.
"Why are you here?" Aoshi asks softly.
Saitou bristles at the question, the same one that has been tormenting him in his sleep for the last eight nights. Aoshi notices the reaction and merely nods. He, too, has been having dreams of this place, been haunted by that question. That is, in fact, why he asked, hoping for the same reaction. In his own way, he has just told the inspector and former Shinsen Gumi that they were there for the same reason. Saitou calms quickly and returns the nod.
"How long have you been here?" Saitou asks.
"Since this time yesterday."
"Aa. I have only been here a few hours. What have you seen?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Che! These dreams are going to drive me nuts!"
The voice rips through the Kamiya Dojo.
"Maa, maa. Calm down, Sanosuke." Kenshin says, hoping to calm his large friend. "We have been having the dreams, too."
Kaoru nods as Megumi brings tea, mixed with herbs to try to calm the large Sanosuke.
"I know, Jou-chan. That does not make it easier!"
"What do you think, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asks the woman doctor.
"I'm not sure." she answers. "I have heard of fighters, especially those who have faced things like you all have, having these dreams. They are usually your conscious trying to make you see something. Demo..." she hesitates for am moment. "All of you having similar dreams at the same time?"
"Hai. Do we know we are the only ones?" Kaoru asks.
"Hai, tanuki-onna. At least in Tokyo that I have found."
"Why us?" Kaoru asks, before realizing what Megumi called her. "Raccoon-woman?!"
"Dame!"
Kenshin's voice rings through the dojo. The two woman turn, shocked at Kenshin's outburst.
"We need to find out why we are having these dreams. We can fight later."
Kenshin was right, of course, and the others realize it.
"Hai, Megumi-san. What do you think?"
Megumi cups her chin in her hand as she thinks.
"Medicine of the mind is not my strong point, but.." she closes her eyes, remembering back to when she was growing up around medicine, soaking up anything she could.
"Shishio was the last battle you fought, iie?" Everybody nods.
"Chikusho! I knew it! That bastard found a way to haunt us!"
Kaoru chuckles softly at Sanosuke's conclusion, remembering the train ride to Kyoto they all took a few years ago. "Sano, we know you are... superstitious, but ghosts?"
"Aa. Stop laughing, kisama!"
Megumi forces herself not to laugh at Sanosuke's beliefs. She is a doctor, after all, and Sanosuke is a patient.. sort of..
"I think it is more like your mind playing through things you saw, or thought you saw, during that battle. It was a very trying time for everyone."
"Iie. Then what about the village?" Sanosuke asks, a gleam of victory in his eyes.
"Village? Tell me about it."
The look of victory fades slightly from his eyes, but Sanosuke sits down on the dojo floor.
"I am in this strange village, wondering aimlessly. It is in a valley in the middle of no-where. Suddenly, there is Jou-chan and Yahiko-chan in front of me. They insult me, taunt me, like Kenshin, Aoshi, and Saitou do in the other dream. But, when I am in the village, I have the power to destroy everyone. Saitou, Aoshi, even Kenshin. I can feel it."
The superior look returns to his face. "Explain that, fox-lady."
Megumi keeps her eyes closed through Sanosuke's entire explanation, ignoring the slight barb at the end.
"Ken-san's sword was broken in a small village, iie?"
"Aa. Demo, I was not there for that."
"Which is why the village seems strange to you." Megumi replies quickly. "It is likely that it is just many small villages you have been in during your life. Your mind put them together to represent the village Kenshin's sword was destroyed in."
"But, why would I dream about it?"
"You feel guilty for not being there. You think that you could have done something that Saitou either could not have done, or did not do."
"Kuso! That cannot be it!" Sanosuke stands quickly and walks out of Kamiya Dojo, intent on finding some sake to help him sleep the night away.
They watch quietly as Sanosuke leaves, then Kenshin turns to Megumi.
"Do you really think that is it, Megumi-dono?" he asks.
She looks down, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know. I can explain the dreams away all you want, but I can't explain why you three are having them at the same time." She cups her chin in her hand again. "Who else was there?"
Kenshin begins to count off who all was there. "Myself, Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke-san, Yahiko-chan, Saitou-san, Aoshi-san, and Misao-chan."
"Have you spoken to any of the others about it?"
"Iie, just Yahiko-chan. He has not had any of the dreams."
"Perhaps you should. There may be something there."
"You mean you think Sanosuke's right?" Kaoru was surprised by this. "I never thought I would see you two agree on anything."
Megumi could only shrug, at a loss for answers.
"Aa." Kenshin says, standing. "I will go to talk to Saitou."
"Iie, Kenshin." Kaoru pleads. "Your wounds still haven't healed from the battles with Shishio."
"I must." Kenshin begins walking out of Kamiya Dojo.
"Kaoru-san." Megumi puts her hand gently on Kaoru's shoulder. "Go with him. I will write Misao-chan."
The cool night breeze caresses the mountain side as nature begins to prepare for the cold months ahead. A dark figure, moving quietly through the mountain, does not seem to notice as he skirts the strange village in the valley below. He has spent several hours observing the village that has been appearing to him in his strange, tormented dreams for the last eight nights.
During that time, he found that he was not the only one watching, and waiting. Likely, the other observer had spotted him, as well. At least, it was safest to assume so.
With that assumption in mind, he begins to move with expert silence towards the distant watcher and notices that the other was doing the same.
As they neared, the two recognized each other.
"Saitou Hajime." It was an observation, not a question.
Saitou's lips twitched upward slightly, knowing the voice immediately.
"Shinomori Aoshi." the inspector says, in way of greeting.
"Why are you here?" Aoshi asks softly.
Saitou bristles at the question, the same one that has been tormenting him in his sleep for the last eight nights. Aoshi notices the reaction and merely nods. He, too, has been having dreams of this place, been haunted by that question. That is, in fact, why he asked, hoping for the same reaction. In his own way, he has just told the inspector and former Shinsen Gumi that they were there for the same reason. Saitou calms quickly and returns the nod.
"How long have you been here?" Saitou asks.
"Since this time yesterday."
"Aa. I have only been here a few hours. What have you seen?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Che! These dreams are going to drive me nuts!"
The voice rips through the Kamiya Dojo.
"Maa, maa. Calm down, Sanosuke." Kenshin says, hoping to calm his large friend. "We have been having the dreams, too."
Kaoru nods as Megumi brings tea, mixed with herbs to try to calm the large Sanosuke.
"I know, Jou-chan. That does not make it easier!"
"What do you think, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asks the woman doctor.
"I'm not sure." she answers. "I have heard of fighters, especially those who have faced things like you all have, having these dreams. They are usually your conscious trying to make you see something. Demo..." she hesitates for am moment. "All of you having similar dreams at the same time?"
"Hai. Do we know we are the only ones?" Kaoru asks.
"Hai, tanuki-onna. At least in Tokyo that I have found."
"Why us?" Kaoru asks, before realizing what Megumi called her. "Raccoon-woman?!"
"Dame!"
Kenshin's voice rings through the dojo. The two woman turn, shocked at Kenshin's outburst.
"We need to find out why we are having these dreams. We can fight later."
Kenshin was right, of course, and the others realize it.
"Hai, Megumi-san. What do you think?"
Megumi cups her chin in her hand as she thinks.
"Medicine of the mind is not my strong point, but.." she closes her eyes, remembering back to when she was growing up around medicine, soaking up anything she could.
"Shishio was the last battle you fought, iie?" Everybody nods.
"Chikusho! I knew it! That bastard found a way to haunt us!"
Kaoru chuckles softly at Sanosuke's conclusion, remembering the train ride to Kyoto they all took a few years ago. "Sano, we know you are... superstitious, but ghosts?"
"Aa. Stop laughing, kisama!"
Megumi forces herself not to laugh at Sanosuke's beliefs. She is a doctor, after all, and Sanosuke is a patient.. sort of..
"I think it is more like your mind playing through things you saw, or thought you saw, during that battle. It was a very trying time for everyone."
"Iie. Then what about the village?" Sanosuke asks, a gleam of victory in his eyes.
"Village? Tell me about it."
The look of victory fades slightly from his eyes, but Sanosuke sits down on the dojo floor.
"I am in this strange village, wondering aimlessly. It is in a valley in the middle of no-where. Suddenly, there is Jou-chan and Yahiko-chan in front of me. They insult me, taunt me, like Kenshin, Aoshi, and Saitou do in the other dream. But, when I am in the village, I have the power to destroy everyone. Saitou, Aoshi, even Kenshin. I can feel it."
The superior look returns to his face. "Explain that, fox-lady."
Megumi keeps her eyes closed through Sanosuke's entire explanation, ignoring the slight barb at the end.
"Ken-san's sword was broken in a small village, iie?"
"Aa. Demo, I was not there for that."
"Which is why the village seems strange to you." Megumi replies quickly. "It is likely that it is just many small villages you have been in during your life. Your mind put them together to represent the village Kenshin's sword was destroyed in."
"But, why would I dream about it?"
"You feel guilty for not being there. You think that you could have done something that Saitou either could not have done, or did not do."
"Kuso! That cannot be it!" Sanosuke stands quickly and walks out of Kamiya Dojo, intent on finding some sake to help him sleep the night away.
They watch quietly as Sanosuke leaves, then Kenshin turns to Megumi.
"Do you really think that is it, Megumi-dono?" he asks.
She looks down, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know. I can explain the dreams away all you want, but I can't explain why you three are having them at the same time." She cups her chin in her hand again. "Who else was there?"
Kenshin begins to count off who all was there. "Myself, Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke-san, Yahiko-chan, Saitou-san, Aoshi-san, and Misao-chan."
"Have you spoken to any of the others about it?"
"Iie, just Yahiko-chan. He has not had any of the dreams."
"Perhaps you should. There may be something there."
"You mean you think Sanosuke's right?" Kaoru was surprised by this. "I never thought I would see you two agree on anything."
Megumi could only shrug, at a loss for answers.
"Aa." Kenshin says, standing. "I will go to talk to Saitou."
"Iie, Kenshin." Kaoru pleads. "Your wounds still haven't healed from the battles with Shishio."
"I must." Kenshin begins walking out of Kamiya Dojo.
"Kaoru-san." Megumi puts her hand gently on Kaoru's shoulder. "Go with him. I will write Misao-chan."