Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: You know what? My dad told me that if you aren't accepting payment for writing something, then you don't even need a disclaimer. HA! My sanity is saved!!!
Please review. I need advice and all reviews are appreciated.
I like reviews, don't you?
Hi Calger-sama! Hi Colleen!
Hi Nina! Hi Krystal!! Hi Megan-chaaaaan!!!
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Chapter Eight
Kastura-san...
Himura eyes shot open; he sat up so sharply that he almost fell facefirst onto the floor. His vision cleared to reveal that he was on a futon in his old room.
Back at the inn.
He sighed in relief. They had made it back.
He tested himself before slowly rising to his feet.
Where was Haiyashii? The thought suddenly popped into his head. Had he been captured? Filed as a traitor?
The hitokiri grabbed his swords from his bedside and dashed out the door,
down the hall to see Katsura-san.
He just prayed that he hadn't missed something big.
~~~~~~~~~~
Haiyashii took a sip of his tea. Replacing it on the tray, he addressed Katsura.
"Gomen Katsura-san, kedo, might I see the boy now? It's been a while."
The man smiled. "He will awaken soon, I'm sure. When that happens he will come to me. Besides, Okami-san would never let anything happen to him. I do believe that is what troubles you?"
Haiyashii nodded.
"You are close to Himura," Katsura mused. "I think you are the first man I have ever known who referred to him as a boy."
"I feel pity for him," Haiyashii said quietly. "I didn't know how hard life had been for the boy. But when I first met him he reminded me so much of..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I just can't believe he can accomplish so much, and went through so much at his age."
"He was only fourteen when I first found him. I gave him his first assignment, gave him his place. Himura wanted to protect people, and I think he wanted to protect them so badly that he gave no thought to how it would affect him. He's changed over the past few years..."
"Sou. The kid is so much older than he appears," Haiyashii agreed. "If you don't mind, do you think I could--?"
"Accompany him on his missions?" The captain nodded. "I have no objections. You saved him once, maybe you can again..." Katsura took a small sip of his tea. "From himself, perhaps?"
Haiyashii stared at the other man blankly.
"Katsura-san! Katsura-san!!" The door was abruptly yanked aside, and the boy stumbled in.
He stood there breathing heavily. "Haiyashii..."
"Aa, ohayou gozaimasu, Himura. Would you like some food? It has been almost a week, you know." Katsura motioned for him to take a seat.
He stood there uncertainly.
Well, I guess there's nothing major going on.
Suddenly his stomach let out a loud rumble. Katsura smiled as Haiyashii let out a hearty laugh. "Maa, maa. I suppose you are hungry, then?"
Himura blushed. "Hai. Doomo."
He took his place beside Katsura, selecting a cup as the servant girl set a tray of rice, fish and egg before the men.
"Saa, shall I fill you in on the situation while we eat?"
"Hai, onegai." Himura lifted the bowl to his mouth with a short 'itadakimasu' under his breath and began eating quietly.
Haiyashii followed, his eyes never leaving the boy.
Katsura set down his tea. "Right then. Himura, I'll begin where you left off. The Shogunate believed you'd been killed, so they used this as a window of opportunity and conducted several attacks on our men. Many important hideouts were endangered. My life was jeopardized as well."
The hitokiri nearly choked on his rice. "Na-nani?"
Katsura smiled. "It didn't end up serious. Your friend Saitoh decided to pay us a visit, but then he said he couldn't kill me without you here. You know what he wants with you, ne?"
Himura gave a short nod.
"He told us that he would wait until he'd killed you to take care of me. So hey, I consider it lucky that you weren't here," Katsura said amusedly. "Don't worry too much about your absence. We didn't lose any men. Not ones that were key, anyway...
"The next front we have to win will need you to be there, so I suggest you build your strength. This will be one of the most deciding battles of the Bakumatsu. There are three other fronts that will be fought simultaneously to yours, and those along with your battle will decide if we win or lose. The Ishin will either rise or fall after the day is over."
"But hey, no pressure," Haiyashii said dryly.
Katsura smiled briefly, then continued with his information. "I have given you command of whichever troops you choose, but it will be up to you to handle the Shinsengumi. All of them. Or whomever shows up at your place of combat. The Shogunate will most likely send several of the Shinsengumi to each front as soon as they are aware of our presence. We have the element of surprise; that should help us somewhat. They will not be expecting us to make such an open, forward attack, and we are counting on that as well as your superior fighting ability to give us the winning edge."
Katsura's expression was grave. "We have many who will fight, many who will die. The casualties will be numerous on both sides. But it will be completely worth it if this is the last battle. We will make this last attack, and if it succeeds, you will be free."
Himura's features were a mask. He nodded, his face seemingly impassive.
"Ii da ne, Himura?" Haiyashii inquired. "You would be able to lead your own life, no killing or fighting, just being a normal person. Aren't you happy?"
Abruptly the boy stood and bowed. "Arigatou for the information, Katsura-san. I will make preparations immediately."
With that he turned and strode out the door without another word to the two men.
Haiyashii stared at the place where he'd been standing. He shook his head slowly. "I don't understand...what--?"
"This will be difficult for him," Katsura murmured. "Being a hitokiri is all he has known his entire life; kenjitsu, war...It will be hard for him to adjust. The new era has no place for a sword."
Haiyashii was deep in thought, brow furrowed. He hesitated. "Will he be alright, Katsura-san?"
"If he's still anything like the boy he was, he'll be just fine."
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Over......all...over?
...Is it even possible?
Himura sat crosslegged on the mat in his room, watching the drifting sky from his window.
It was so far, but always, always it looked as if he could touch it, grazing the clouds with his fingertips. So near, so far.
So metaphorical.
He sighed and leaned his head against the widowsill. The white-striped blue of the sky reflected clear and pure in his silver eyes, tinted a violet blue. His flame-colored hair streamed out in a soft wind, and he breathed deeply, taking in the sweet scent of sakura blossoms, cool water, and freshly grown leaves, feeling the air all around him.
Was this also part of what it was to live?
Maybe he could actually lead his own life. The revolution would be over; when he fulfilled his promise...
No. It wasn't possible. Who was he fooling? Katsura-san was just being
optimistic. And fruitlessly too; they would lose many men from false
hopes. All this battle was going to bring forth was more death and misery.
I might as well get used to it. Perhaps this is what life will be like for
me...
"Oi, Himura? Kid?"
There was a soft rustle as the door was opened from the hall. The captain sat down next to him on the mat. They stayed watching the sky for a few minutes before Haiyashii finally spoke.
"So, kid. What are you going to do?"
"Hm?" the boy said absently.
"After the war. What are you going to do?" Himura seemed to shut down at this.
"I'm going to keep yet another promise that I made as my time in the Bakumatsu began," he answered evenly. "Then I can finally end this. End the killing."
"Have anywhere you plan to go?"
"I guess I'll be a wanderer. Maybe explore the rest of Japan."
"Sou da ne. Maybe I'll go with you," he said thoughtfully. "It might be fun to see more of the country than just battlefields and government buildings."
"...Yeah....well, let's go gather some good men for the attack against the Shogunate. We'll need to choose carefully."
The captain sighed. "Hai, this should take a while. Get ready for a boring five hours."
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And a boring five hours it was.
There was virtually no one that either warrior could see fighting a
Shinsengumi member, and only a few who would actually last long enough
to make a difference. "Let's get some food," Haiyashii told him. "We need
nourishment if it's going to keep up like this."
Himura nodded and followed him into the mess hall.
Heads turned at the sound of the noren being pulled aside and the soft 'irasshaimase' of the waiter. The silence lasted for only a few moments.
Whispers started again as Haiyashii was seen entering with the Battousai at his side. They chose a table and Himura ordered some rice and green tea for the two of them.
He turned to the captain as the waiter bowed and left. "I think we should begin practicing again. I think I might be getting rusty, what with all the goings on."
"Fine. I'll train too," Haiyashii agreed. "I want to see you work, and you'll need someone there to help out if you need it. Just in case," he added quickly.
The boy had only been standing for a straight half-hour out of the five, but he was still so weak that Haiyashii had almost had to catch him as he walked to the table. Himura didn't look too happy at that.
How do you expect to do anything unless you get it together, baka? he asked himself silently. Yare yare...
"The battle will most likely be involving Saitoh Hajime, and I'm pretty sure he'll want to see you," the captain remarked. "Best to be in good shape for our guest, ne?"
Himura almost smiled. Almost. "Aa. I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right...Mostly I just want to see him dead and out of my way."
The conversation around them died down a little at that.
"Douzo," the waiter said quickly, and backed away. Haiyashii called back a 'doomo'. Himura didn't bother to answer. They were all afraid of him anyway, it didn't matter whether he thanked them or not. Most likely they'd just stare at him uncertainly and scurry off as though they had some other guests waiting.
Even when he was the only one in the room.
Why was it that he never was able to speak to anyone? All of a sudden the man called Haiyashii entered his life and wanted to be his friend and protected him like he was his own. He'd sure as hell never gotten that kind of treatment from anyone before. But then he'd never needed it before, either. He found himself opening up to this man, as if he was a person who'd known him all his life.
Almost like Hiko. This guy wasn't as skilled as he was, of course. But...
No. Stop thinking like that.
Hadn't everyone he'd ever gotten close to been torn from him almost immediately? And all of them, almost all of their deaths had been his fault, or so he saw it. His parents, 'nee-chan...
...Tomoe.
It was better if he just stayed away. One could survive alone, one could live their life without endangering anyone by caring for them, loving them...
But he needed them so badly! The people around him, the villagers, men and women, sweet, wonderful little children. All of them smiling, laughing, joyful; living a life that he could never have, but one that he so desperately wanted.
Needed.
"Himura? You okay?"
He realized that he'd been thinking for almost five minutes, not saying a word. The captain had watched as the furrows in his brow grew deeper and deeper, his grip on his cup of ocha tighening.
"Is something wrong?" Haiyashii said, concern written on his features.
"...I'm fine." The hitokiri gulped down the remainder of his tea and rose from his seat, taking his katana. He headed for the door.
"Oi! Himura! Where are you going?"
"...Practice."
The silence was filled with tension as the hitokiri left the room.
The captain studied him as he walked away. There was a stiffness in the boy's frame that he could not read.
Laying a few coins down on the table he gathered up his things and followed him out of the room.
Himura looked at the captain as he approached from behind. "What is it?"
"Nothing. I just want to watch you practice, that's all."
The boy looked uneasy at this, but nodded and resumed his pace. Haiyashii
followed as the hitokiri led him through numerous bamboo forests and
fields of swaying grass to a crescent shaped pond that surrounded a small
clearing. There were many large boulders and thick-trunked trees
surrounding the area, and it was extremely secluded.
This must be where the kid goes to get some time to himself, the captain
thought. Well, Kenji, you wanted to see what he looked like in battle...
Himura unsheathed his sword, glancing at Haiyashii uncertainly.
He nodded. "Go on. I won't interfere. You said you wanted a practice session, right?"
A brief nod.
Then out of nowhere a small grove of trees across the pond and clearing were shattered into splinters, the water shooting almost twenty feet above their heads.
As Haiyashii felt the water droplets shower him from above and slide down his face, a pair of boulders suddenly exploded from the ground and flew throught the air into a sand bank with a roar like that of an angry lion. He abruptly realized that Himura was standing over fifty feet away from both him and the ruined rocks.
"Dou ryu sen!" There was yet another eruption from the ground as the boy ran forward at lighning speed to crush the stones into sand with three quick sword slashes. The air was filled with dust and debris, and as it cleared he could see Himura shaking his head, sheathing his sword in its saya. "No," he muttered. "Not good enough."
"Ha!" With an earth-shattering blast of ki and smoke the pebbles from beneath the water's surface were made completely visible as they were scattered on the shore, and Himura sheathed the katana again to drop into the stance for Battoujutsu. The boy's eyes were tense, focused directly on the grove of trees to his right.
WHAM!!
The captain could've sworn someone had set off three tons of gunpowder.
The entire grove was cleared out as though it had been plowed over, the
only debris being a few leaves that floated down to rest on the
hard-packed soil.
"Whoa," the captain said faintly.
Himura strode to where Haiyashii had seated himself. The man's face was grey-white from shock and boulder dust. He stared at the boy. He returned his look with one of frustration.
"If Shishou were here he'd have my hide," he said abruptly. "I'm going to have to do a lot better than that if I want to beat Saitoh. Look." He pointed to the pile of kindling that had once been twenty yards of forest. "See that boulder to the side there? I was aiming for that. There's barely a chip out of it. If that had been a real battle I'd be dead."
The captain saw he was right. If the rock had been a person he could have slashed at the hitokiri's back as he passed, maybe even beheaded him.
"W...well," he said shakily, "I guess we'll need to practice, huh?"
"Yes. We'll definitely need to practice."
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I'm sorry, I can't take it anymore:
I LIKE WRITING THIS.
As long as I'm writing this fic, I just can't focus on Pay Attention. I've decided to finish this one before continuing P.A.,C. So that when I write it, I can focus on it completely.
I don't feel I've been doing my best on that one.
(PLEEEEEEZE don't kill me!!!!)
Saa....Okita, eh? Maybe. We'll see.
I've got almost everything planned out for this fic's ending, and the middle chapters won't have much room for him, especially since I don't know too much about him.
BUT...If I can make it just vague enough from what I've seen of him so far...