Oh no! Moshiwake arimasen! (Bowing profusely and lowering self to floor) I
am so sorry. I passed by a bookstore today, and I realized that I have been
sorely mistaken. "The Time Machine" was written by H.G. Wells, who also
wrote "The Invisible Man", "War of the Worlds" and "The Island of Dr.
Moreau". Now it's quite impossible that Daigoro read it, since Mr. Wells
got known as an author only around the 1940's. ^_^ But I'm this far
into my story, and I'm not changing it any more for anything but tenses!
And I still say that it's quite feasible that Daigoro think up such a
fantastic thing as a time machine.
If you've come here because of Chiki, thank her for liking this fic immensely. I still don't understand, especially considering that VAST difference between the quality of Seven Days and The Past is the Present (which I recommend in turn. It's in my faves list!). I still say she's the better writer. ^_^ Thank you always for the support.
Naomi-san, I can definitely relate to you. It's even worse when you see the manga panels. My writing can show you how affected I still am by that initial reaction to the manga panels.
Hi, Crystal and Nena! Glad you're back!
Thanks for waiting. And thank you for the 20 reviews! This took several days to write. Let's go!
..................
DAY SIX
With less than 24 hours before the fateful parade began, Kenshin was understandably uneasy. Yes, it helped that Daigoro now knew and understood. Still, he was alone with his secret, and unless Sayama Hiruki could be persuaded to stop the operation, his secret would still be a reality within the next 24 hours.
Kenshin was indeed at the river yesterday afternoon, remembering the agreement between the men to meet on Friday. The paper that Sayama handed over to the stocky man, was the itinerary for Saturday and Sunday, along with a small sketch of the parade route. Sayama pointed out important pieces of information, noted valuable outposts. The sinister man beside him was impressed and gave him a hard thwap on the back. He had sped away to the nearby woods to catch where Sayama's accomplice would go next. Unfortunately, the man knew he was followed and took precautions. Kenshin lost him.
Kenshin had been trying to use what influence he had in the police force to gain more information. All tracks ran cold. Saitou did not offer any new leads. He had tried the local newspapers and gossip grapevines. Nothing. Sayama's accomplice was part of a very secretive organization, one that took care of informants very effectively. The former Battousai admired the way this group was run and how it was trained, but he was getting nowhere fast, and time was running out.
But he had a job to do, and do it he must.
He rapped on the door of the ambassador's hotel room very early. Six o'clock in the morning, as a matter of fact. He slept lightly that night, still worried about Sayama and the ambassador. And Kaoru.
As the ambassador was still asleep, Kenshin was allowed to look over the room, and to determine his safety while there. He judged the distance of the nearest building to the window, the possibilities of hiding a person behind objects in the room, the dangers of hiding a small hole for a pistol. So far, so good. Obviously Sayama only had control over the parade itself, and did not have a hand in his overall security. Thank you, Kami-sama.
He commended the security team in the room for the good protection in general. He suggested a few changes here and there, taken from his experiences as the Hitokiri Battousai. He recalled the deterrents that he found then were hardest to break, and recommended these to the guards.
Those were only a few words. He assessed that everything was in order. He took a chair in a corner of the receiving area and napped away the remaining hour that he had to wait for the ambassador.
"Kenshin!"
"Kaoru-dono! What are you doing here?"
"Keep quiet, Kenshin! Keep your head down and listen...."
"Where have YOU been yesterday? Where were you midnight yesterday? Someone else came to me then...."
"Mou, Kenshin! I didn't have to. You had the real me there with you the other night."
"..........."
"Now listen. Don't agree to anything that Sayama tells you. Even the most mundane little thing. You understand?"
"You have not answered me, Kaoru-dono. What happened then?"
"I told you, SHE was there with you. I mean, me, I mean------AAACK, I don't know what I mean! Now don't be so stubborn, my rurouni. Don't listen to Sayama! And wake up, the ambassador is stirring....."
Kenshin quickly snapped to attention and ironed out creases.
The ambassador appeared at the door of the bedroom, dressed in a sharp, brown Western suit and black shoes. His interpreter also wore a Western suit from the same expensive material. There was only a difference of a few inches between the heights of the ambassador and the interpreter, and the interpreter was only 4 inches taller than Kenshin. The ambassador greeted his bodyguard with a smile and a halting "Ohayou gozaimasu".
The interpreter approached the bodyguard and briefly gave him the schedule for the day. They would visit major government offices, see the largest shrines, take a trip to the palace. They would take a respite for two hours, then attend a traditional Japanese play that evening. Kenshin listened attentively and carefully. Any threats to the ambassador's life may depend on his remembering the itinerary. He only wished it would change a bit, so the plans of the assassins would be foiled.
The morning was uneventful, which to a bodyguard is a good thing. It meant that so far, the ambassador was safe, and that so far, Kenshin kept all his disturbed thoughts to himself. The palace was well-guarded, the government buildings were full of people and prevented an attack. The shrines were peaceful and deserted. While he had kept his wits about him the whole morning, he was relieved that it had all been in vain. Whatever Sayama's accomplices were planning, they did not attack today. Tomorrow. That would be another matter. Another matter.
Lunch was wonderful, too. Upon the interpreter's suggestion, they ate at the most luxurious Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. Ah, if only I could get enough money out of this job to treat Kaoru-dono here, Kenshin dreamed.
Kaoru-dono. I would bring her here. If she stays alive long enough.......
"Something is troubling you, Himura-san?" the ambassador asked in English. Kenshin only understood that he was being addressed, so he waited for the translation, and slowly nodded. Then the ambassador again spoke in English to him.
"He asks if it is about the little lady you brought along yesterday," the interpreter translated. He added himself, "Kamiya-san, yes?"
"Yes, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin respectfully replied, looking at his lunch.
The ambassador and the interpreter conferred for a few minutes, then looked at him again.
"Himura-san," the interpreter asked, "how would you feel if I said, Kamiya- san can be with you at the parade tomorrow?"
Kenshin looked at the two men like they were sent from Heaven. He stood up and bowed respectfully before the ambassador. "I shall be eternally grateful for your kindness, sir! Um, anou, sankyuu (thank you) de gozaru yo!" The ambassador understood the thank-you, and nodded with a big smile.
Kenshin felt like a ton of bricks was removed from on top of his heart. Kaoru-dono would be close beside him. He could protect her as well. Like Kaoru-dono said, it will not happen. She will not die on him. Angel on earth or angel in heaven, he was not sure who said it. But she held his face in her hands and told him. It will not happen.
After lunch, the party made their way back to the hotel for the well- deserved two-hour break.
As Kenshin closed the door of the bedroom behind him, he found himself face to face with Commander Sayama Hiruki. He had waited at the hotel for them to return.
"What do you want, Sayama-dono?" Kenshin asked, surprised at the harshness in his voice.
Sayama spoke pleadingly, "I want your help, Himura-san. Help me eliminate the foreigners from this country."
"Beginning with the American ambassador." He finished sternly. "Am I not right, Sayama-dono?"
"How did you know?!" Sayama asked nervously. Then he composed himself. "That's correct. Himura-san, I've heard in the police force that you used to be allianced with the Isshinshishi. Do YOU want Japan to be overrun by these foreigners, who take away our businesses for their own selfish motives?"
"I don't want that as much as you, Sayama-dono, but this is not the way to do it. I think that is why the ambassador is here."
"I do not ask for much, Himura-san. I just want you to say a few words to the security during the parade. Say it's from you. Avoid a few areas where some people will be." He was already desperately pointing at a few key areas on a map.
"But isn't that your job, Sayama-dono?"
"My task was to organize the parade, ensure the peace and order of the populace. Guarding the ambassador is your job and Inspector Fujita's. You only have to add a few words to the guards, keep them from a few important places, and the operation will be a success."
Kenshin remembered the guardian angel's words, and folded his arms. "No, Sayama-dono. Not this way."
"Please, I beg you! They will KILL me if I do not kill him!"
"Who will kill you?"
Sayama sat in a nearby chair and leaned his head in his hands. "A faction to the west of the Ishinshishi, now a radical activist group. They heard about my family's problems with the gaijin and got me to help them...."
"Your family.....?"
"My family once had the most successful trading company in the ports of Tokyo. Everyone respected us and used our services. Until this gaijin came along. He used a few townspeople to spread maligning words about us, and soon business began to drop fast. We went bankrupt. I only got to the police force because a few relatives took it upon themselves to take care of my expenses while in the military academy. That's even the reason why I chose to join the police. To eventually get at the foreigners who stole our livelihood....."
"But, Sayama-dono...."
"And that is not where the irony ends. This foreigner, the ambassador, is a brother to that slanderer! I WILL have his life!"
"But he's not the one who did you wrong...."
"Stop trying to talk me out of it, Himura-san! Either he dies or I die. There is no other way!"
"I WILL keep trying to talk you out of it, Sayama-dono. If you do this, more than one person will die, and you may be one of them...."
Sayama waved his hand, and kept the map that he showed him back into a pocket. "It's no use talking to you. The operation will proceed whether you choose to help us or not. Maybe it's better that you know, anyway, so you can take the necessary precautions for yourself. I just do not know how you can live with yourself, knowing that you are no longer being a royalist patriot..."
"You are not the first man to tell me that, Sayama-dono. Back out, before it is too late....."
"It IS too late....sayonara, Himura-san. Tomorrow, then." And Sayama Hiruki exits the hotel room.
The guardian angel materialized slowly in front of Kenshin. "You tried your best, Kenshin."
"Those are the same words you used, right after I came from Saitou, Kaoru- dono," Kenshin replied bitterly. "Isn't there anything else? Any better assurance than that?!"
"I'm sorry," she bowed her head. "But Kami-sama does not help me. He would not give any more information about the future. And tomorrow, Kami-sama forbids me to interfere at all.....What happens.....happens....."
"Thank you for all the help, then, Kaoru-dono. I've failed you, I'm terribly sorry. I'll see you after a few years......"
"Do not lose hope yet. Kami-sama wants to tell you this: 'Believe in your friends. Do not do this alone.' And from me, before I leave: I believe in you, Kenshin. I also have, and I always will."
She wrapped her arms around Kenshin and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Kenshin. Take care of Kaoru." And she was gone.
Just then the interpreter appeared at the bedroom door. "Would you like some tea before we go, Himura-san?" Kenshin nodded but still looked concerned.
"Kamiya-san again, hm? Don't worry too much about your friend, Himura-san. She looks to me like a rather capable young woman. I would admire and worry about her as much as you, if I knew her like you do."
"Thank you, sir."
"And wasn't Commander Sayama here just now?"
"Yes, but he has left."
"Alright. The ambassador is calling you in for tea."
After tea, the three of them were escorted into a heavily gilded carriage and brought to the theater in the utmost style. Left and right the ambassador was greeted with bows and curtsies and wide smiles. Kenshin was kept busy, moving his eyes back and forth and up and down among the crowd. But danger wasn't to be found in the theater, either. The ambassador enjoyed a wonderful play. Kenshin, on the other hand, was miserable. He kept seeing suspicious characters in the shadows, behind the posts, around blind spots, on stage, smiling at the ambassador.
If he was this worried tonight, how worried would he be tomorrow?
He got home to the dojo a few minutes before midnight. Kaoru was waiting at the door. Kenshin gave her a sad smile.
"Dress your best tomorrow, Kaoru-dono. The ambassador wants you to join the parade with me."
"Really, Kenshin?! Such an honor! I'll wear that kimono I've been saving....and that ribbon you like so much!"
That kimono......and that ribbon.......
"And I'll make sure you wear your best clothes tomorrow, Kenshin!"
Kaoru-dono. Always worrying about how I look......who will worry about me......after tomorrow?
"You have that sad look on your face again, Kenshin," Kaoru smiled at him. "Tomorrow is a big day, I won't let you be sad tomorrow. I won't let you have bad dreams tonight."
Out of one hand she showed him her blanket. "I'll stay at your room tonight. Separate futons this time, but you can keep the blanket."
"Thank you, Kaoru-dono."
10 hours were left before the fateful parade began.
............
Ah, sorry for the long read. ^_^ We're back to where we started, so pray that I pull it off right. Ja ne!
If you've come here because of Chiki, thank her for liking this fic immensely. I still don't understand, especially considering that VAST difference between the quality of Seven Days and The Past is the Present (which I recommend in turn. It's in my faves list!). I still say she's the better writer. ^_^ Thank you always for the support.
Naomi-san, I can definitely relate to you. It's even worse when you see the manga panels. My writing can show you how affected I still am by that initial reaction to the manga panels.
Hi, Crystal and Nena! Glad you're back!
Thanks for waiting. And thank you for the 20 reviews! This took several days to write. Let's go!
..................
DAY SIX
With less than 24 hours before the fateful parade began, Kenshin was understandably uneasy. Yes, it helped that Daigoro now knew and understood. Still, he was alone with his secret, and unless Sayama Hiruki could be persuaded to stop the operation, his secret would still be a reality within the next 24 hours.
Kenshin was indeed at the river yesterday afternoon, remembering the agreement between the men to meet on Friday. The paper that Sayama handed over to the stocky man, was the itinerary for Saturday and Sunday, along with a small sketch of the parade route. Sayama pointed out important pieces of information, noted valuable outposts. The sinister man beside him was impressed and gave him a hard thwap on the back. He had sped away to the nearby woods to catch where Sayama's accomplice would go next. Unfortunately, the man knew he was followed and took precautions. Kenshin lost him.
Kenshin had been trying to use what influence he had in the police force to gain more information. All tracks ran cold. Saitou did not offer any new leads. He had tried the local newspapers and gossip grapevines. Nothing. Sayama's accomplice was part of a very secretive organization, one that took care of informants very effectively. The former Battousai admired the way this group was run and how it was trained, but he was getting nowhere fast, and time was running out.
But he had a job to do, and do it he must.
He rapped on the door of the ambassador's hotel room very early. Six o'clock in the morning, as a matter of fact. He slept lightly that night, still worried about Sayama and the ambassador. And Kaoru.
As the ambassador was still asleep, Kenshin was allowed to look over the room, and to determine his safety while there. He judged the distance of the nearest building to the window, the possibilities of hiding a person behind objects in the room, the dangers of hiding a small hole for a pistol. So far, so good. Obviously Sayama only had control over the parade itself, and did not have a hand in his overall security. Thank you, Kami-sama.
He commended the security team in the room for the good protection in general. He suggested a few changes here and there, taken from his experiences as the Hitokiri Battousai. He recalled the deterrents that he found then were hardest to break, and recommended these to the guards.
Those were only a few words. He assessed that everything was in order. He took a chair in a corner of the receiving area and napped away the remaining hour that he had to wait for the ambassador.
"Kenshin!"
"Kaoru-dono! What are you doing here?"
"Keep quiet, Kenshin! Keep your head down and listen...."
"Where have YOU been yesterday? Where were you midnight yesterday? Someone else came to me then...."
"Mou, Kenshin! I didn't have to. You had the real me there with you the other night."
"..........."
"Now listen. Don't agree to anything that Sayama tells you. Even the most mundane little thing. You understand?"
"You have not answered me, Kaoru-dono. What happened then?"
"I told you, SHE was there with you. I mean, me, I mean------AAACK, I don't know what I mean! Now don't be so stubborn, my rurouni. Don't listen to Sayama! And wake up, the ambassador is stirring....."
Kenshin quickly snapped to attention and ironed out creases.
The ambassador appeared at the door of the bedroom, dressed in a sharp, brown Western suit and black shoes. His interpreter also wore a Western suit from the same expensive material. There was only a difference of a few inches between the heights of the ambassador and the interpreter, and the interpreter was only 4 inches taller than Kenshin. The ambassador greeted his bodyguard with a smile and a halting "Ohayou gozaimasu".
The interpreter approached the bodyguard and briefly gave him the schedule for the day. They would visit major government offices, see the largest shrines, take a trip to the palace. They would take a respite for two hours, then attend a traditional Japanese play that evening. Kenshin listened attentively and carefully. Any threats to the ambassador's life may depend on his remembering the itinerary. He only wished it would change a bit, so the plans of the assassins would be foiled.
The morning was uneventful, which to a bodyguard is a good thing. It meant that so far, the ambassador was safe, and that so far, Kenshin kept all his disturbed thoughts to himself. The palace was well-guarded, the government buildings were full of people and prevented an attack. The shrines were peaceful and deserted. While he had kept his wits about him the whole morning, he was relieved that it had all been in vain. Whatever Sayama's accomplices were planning, they did not attack today. Tomorrow. That would be another matter. Another matter.
Lunch was wonderful, too. Upon the interpreter's suggestion, they ate at the most luxurious Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. Ah, if only I could get enough money out of this job to treat Kaoru-dono here, Kenshin dreamed.
Kaoru-dono. I would bring her here. If she stays alive long enough.......
"Something is troubling you, Himura-san?" the ambassador asked in English. Kenshin only understood that he was being addressed, so he waited for the translation, and slowly nodded. Then the ambassador again spoke in English to him.
"He asks if it is about the little lady you brought along yesterday," the interpreter translated. He added himself, "Kamiya-san, yes?"
"Yes, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin respectfully replied, looking at his lunch.
The ambassador and the interpreter conferred for a few minutes, then looked at him again.
"Himura-san," the interpreter asked, "how would you feel if I said, Kamiya- san can be with you at the parade tomorrow?"
Kenshin looked at the two men like they were sent from Heaven. He stood up and bowed respectfully before the ambassador. "I shall be eternally grateful for your kindness, sir! Um, anou, sankyuu (thank you) de gozaru yo!" The ambassador understood the thank-you, and nodded with a big smile.
Kenshin felt like a ton of bricks was removed from on top of his heart. Kaoru-dono would be close beside him. He could protect her as well. Like Kaoru-dono said, it will not happen. She will not die on him. Angel on earth or angel in heaven, he was not sure who said it. But she held his face in her hands and told him. It will not happen.
After lunch, the party made their way back to the hotel for the well- deserved two-hour break.
As Kenshin closed the door of the bedroom behind him, he found himself face to face with Commander Sayama Hiruki. He had waited at the hotel for them to return.
"What do you want, Sayama-dono?" Kenshin asked, surprised at the harshness in his voice.
Sayama spoke pleadingly, "I want your help, Himura-san. Help me eliminate the foreigners from this country."
"Beginning with the American ambassador." He finished sternly. "Am I not right, Sayama-dono?"
"How did you know?!" Sayama asked nervously. Then he composed himself. "That's correct. Himura-san, I've heard in the police force that you used to be allianced with the Isshinshishi. Do YOU want Japan to be overrun by these foreigners, who take away our businesses for their own selfish motives?"
"I don't want that as much as you, Sayama-dono, but this is not the way to do it. I think that is why the ambassador is here."
"I do not ask for much, Himura-san. I just want you to say a few words to the security during the parade. Say it's from you. Avoid a few areas where some people will be." He was already desperately pointing at a few key areas on a map.
"But isn't that your job, Sayama-dono?"
"My task was to organize the parade, ensure the peace and order of the populace. Guarding the ambassador is your job and Inspector Fujita's. You only have to add a few words to the guards, keep them from a few important places, and the operation will be a success."
Kenshin remembered the guardian angel's words, and folded his arms. "No, Sayama-dono. Not this way."
"Please, I beg you! They will KILL me if I do not kill him!"
"Who will kill you?"
Sayama sat in a nearby chair and leaned his head in his hands. "A faction to the west of the Ishinshishi, now a radical activist group. They heard about my family's problems with the gaijin and got me to help them...."
"Your family.....?"
"My family once had the most successful trading company in the ports of Tokyo. Everyone respected us and used our services. Until this gaijin came along. He used a few townspeople to spread maligning words about us, and soon business began to drop fast. We went bankrupt. I only got to the police force because a few relatives took it upon themselves to take care of my expenses while in the military academy. That's even the reason why I chose to join the police. To eventually get at the foreigners who stole our livelihood....."
"But, Sayama-dono...."
"And that is not where the irony ends. This foreigner, the ambassador, is a brother to that slanderer! I WILL have his life!"
"But he's not the one who did you wrong...."
"Stop trying to talk me out of it, Himura-san! Either he dies or I die. There is no other way!"
"I WILL keep trying to talk you out of it, Sayama-dono. If you do this, more than one person will die, and you may be one of them...."
Sayama waved his hand, and kept the map that he showed him back into a pocket. "It's no use talking to you. The operation will proceed whether you choose to help us or not. Maybe it's better that you know, anyway, so you can take the necessary precautions for yourself. I just do not know how you can live with yourself, knowing that you are no longer being a royalist patriot..."
"You are not the first man to tell me that, Sayama-dono. Back out, before it is too late....."
"It IS too late....sayonara, Himura-san. Tomorrow, then." And Sayama Hiruki exits the hotel room.
The guardian angel materialized slowly in front of Kenshin. "You tried your best, Kenshin."
"Those are the same words you used, right after I came from Saitou, Kaoru- dono," Kenshin replied bitterly. "Isn't there anything else? Any better assurance than that?!"
"I'm sorry," she bowed her head. "But Kami-sama does not help me. He would not give any more information about the future. And tomorrow, Kami-sama forbids me to interfere at all.....What happens.....happens....."
"Thank you for all the help, then, Kaoru-dono. I've failed you, I'm terribly sorry. I'll see you after a few years......"
"Do not lose hope yet. Kami-sama wants to tell you this: 'Believe in your friends. Do not do this alone.' And from me, before I leave: I believe in you, Kenshin. I also have, and I always will."
She wrapped her arms around Kenshin and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Kenshin. Take care of Kaoru." And she was gone.
Just then the interpreter appeared at the bedroom door. "Would you like some tea before we go, Himura-san?" Kenshin nodded but still looked concerned.
"Kamiya-san again, hm? Don't worry too much about your friend, Himura-san. She looks to me like a rather capable young woman. I would admire and worry about her as much as you, if I knew her like you do."
"Thank you, sir."
"And wasn't Commander Sayama here just now?"
"Yes, but he has left."
"Alright. The ambassador is calling you in for tea."
After tea, the three of them were escorted into a heavily gilded carriage and brought to the theater in the utmost style. Left and right the ambassador was greeted with bows and curtsies and wide smiles. Kenshin was kept busy, moving his eyes back and forth and up and down among the crowd. But danger wasn't to be found in the theater, either. The ambassador enjoyed a wonderful play. Kenshin, on the other hand, was miserable. He kept seeing suspicious characters in the shadows, behind the posts, around blind spots, on stage, smiling at the ambassador.
If he was this worried tonight, how worried would he be tomorrow?
He got home to the dojo a few minutes before midnight. Kaoru was waiting at the door. Kenshin gave her a sad smile.
"Dress your best tomorrow, Kaoru-dono. The ambassador wants you to join the parade with me."
"Really, Kenshin?! Such an honor! I'll wear that kimono I've been saving....and that ribbon you like so much!"
That kimono......and that ribbon.......
"And I'll make sure you wear your best clothes tomorrow, Kenshin!"
Kaoru-dono. Always worrying about how I look......who will worry about me......after tomorrow?
"You have that sad look on your face again, Kenshin," Kaoru smiled at him. "Tomorrow is a big day, I won't let you be sad tomorrow. I won't let you have bad dreams tonight."
Out of one hand she showed him her blanket. "I'll stay at your room tonight. Separate futons this time, but you can keep the blanket."
"Thank you, Kaoru-dono."
10 hours were left before the fateful parade began.
............
Ah, sorry for the long read. ^_^ We're back to where we started, so pray that I pull it off right. Ja ne!