Chapter 5
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers ^^;;*
I am in the kitchen holding my tanto when I felt someone behind me and hid it inside my obi. I waited until the person greeted me to turn around.
"Sorry to bother you at night." Katsura-san... what would have he wanted with me so late at night?
"Katsura-san..." I turned around.
"You don't have to wake anyone. I came to speak to you." He said, and I felt my heart froze. Is it because he found out I was a traitor? Did he find something suspicious? Or is this just a normal chat? I hoped it was the latter, which it was. I sighed instantly. I served him sake while he spoke.
"Letting a child wield a weapon?" I asked, I still held my mask on, but beneath, I was boiling mad. They dare let a child weild a weapon and kill so many? Though I was secretly thankful that Himura-san hasn't gotten a black envelope for the last few days.
He ignored me and continued, "In my homeland, there's a man named Takasugi. He's a good man but sometimes he has a tendency to enjoy behaving wildly. But he has a good woman who controls his behavior like a sheath holds a sword. Her name is Uno." What did this have to do with me?
"A sheath?"
"Will you become a sheath?" At this time, I didn't know what to say, to become a sheath for a man. And that man wasn't Kiyosato? "The sheath to hold the blade Himura." I felt my eyes widen a bit, but I think enough for Katsura-san to see. The sheath for Himura-san... Does this mean... Iizuka- san's plan is working? I know I should be happy, but... I'm not. It feels like the floor has swallowed me up. I'm confused. I want to revenge my fiancée, but I feel bad about it. I really hate myself sometimes.
"Why me...?" I asked, I was confused.
"I don't want to get in his way. Sometimes a believer causes tragedy. He needs a good sheath to hold him back." He then stood up and left me in that sitting position, thinking everything over again.
'June 18, 1864
'I don't know what to make of this... He hasn't gotten a black envelope for a few nights, and I can't help but feel relieved. It's definitely nothing to do with someone else dying... It has to do with this, child, washing himself and scrubbing his hands raw after each assassination. I can't stand and watch him like this. Like last time... On May 4, he came back from an assassination. I had to stop it. It was scary seeing his eyes so dull.
Katsura-san has offered me to be Himura-san's sheath. I don't know if I can't do it. He says someone has to hold the Battousai in, and I am able to do that. I don't know, I'm confused, I was suppose to be on a mission to kill this man. But... I can't anymore, I had plenty of chances, when he sleeps. I could've killed him and left. But... why can't I do that?'
* * * * *
Today was no different, I was doing chores. Helping around the kitchen, sweeping the floors. Not that I hated it... It was a way to kill time. I was still pondering over what Katsura-san told me a whole month ago... A sheath... for the blade Himura. I heard the shoji roll open. "I'll be finished soon." I said.
"I appreciate it." I heard Himura-san say.
I shrugged a little, "It's my job. I am one of Okami-san's housekeeper." I said calmly. "What is it?" I asked, usually he wouldn't talk to me even though I was here sweeping the floor.
"Nothing." He said, as he stood next to me.
I stopped the things I was doing and kept my face calm, wondering how I should say this. I had time from Okami-san and I wanted to go out. Going out by myself would be very boring anyhow... "If you don't mind, would you go out with me tonight?" There, I said it. Now I needed to hear his response. Instead I heard an 'eh?' from him. I snorted inwardly, great job Himura-san. "I got some time off from Okami-san. Sometimes... I want to relax outside..." I paused. "...but it's lonely by myself." It was true... I didn't mind being alone, since I was alone ever since I was born, but sometimes, I think it's nice to have someone else's company.
"I see..." I heard you say. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Damn me, he just said he was going out with me for one night. Probably pitied me because I didn't have any friends. It was true, the only person I talked to was him... I haven't talked to Iizuka-san for a while, I hated even seeing him. I don't think I felt too good about the whole Killing-Himura thing, not anymore anyhow. Everytime I saw Iizuka-san, he would give me this smirk I hated so much. He really wanted Himura-san dead... And so do I... right? I hated having doubts...
After finishing my chores, I changed from the violet kimonos into my usual plain white kimono with my light blue, almost purple shawl. I met Himura- san at the entrance of the inn and went to the place where I had, for the first time been so close to him. We both stepped in, it was brighter than the last time I came in, or maybe it was just my mood. I was slightly happier than last time. It was festival time after all. He ordered two bottles of sake and talked for a little while before it arrived.
He tasted the sake and made some sound, sounded as if he was thinking, and he looked at the sake weirdly. "Something wrong?" I asked, then refilled his cup.
"It's been a while since sake has tasted good." He told me. Maybe he didn't go to good restaurant to drink sake. Or maybe it was because he didn't like sake and started liking just now, or maybe it was festival time?
"Because it's festival time." I said. The other two didn't really sound right. First was already crossed off, he came here last time I saw him. Second was crossed off too, a hitokiri usually knew how to drink sake. I'm thinking too much sometimes. Who cares why he doesn't think sake tastes great?
...I do. I'm an idiot, I know.
"I guess so." I heard him said. Well, I'm right then, aren't I? Even he said so.
"I'm opposite from you... I don't drink as much as I do." While people drink more and more, I've been drinking less and less.
He refilled our cups and looked up, "Has the alcohol lost its taste?"
I smiled a bitter smile and shook my head, "No, unlike before, I've just lost the strength to put up with alcohol." ...After the incident with Kiyosato...
"Put up with?" I heard him ask, a bit curious.
I wanted to change the subject so much... to change the subject to something that didn't pain me as much, and I saw his scar, "Has the wound on your cheek stopped bleeding?" I asked, not much help. Kiyosato did, after all created that line.
"I'd forgotten about it." He said, coldly. I can't help but think that everything I talked about the scar, you would become a bit more cold.
"So your wound has healed." I said.
"It's only stopped bleeding." He did have a point, after all. My heart stopped bleeding, but it was still hurting, and I don't think it was healed yet. Even though as much as I deny it, the child sitting across me has slowly helped me heal it, even though he had no idea of it.
"Everything I see that cut, I wonder what the person who injured you saw." What Kiyosato saw when he was killed. "You say you kill people to make them happy..." Yet... I don't think that's what he thinks. I refilled the cups, waiting for his answer.
He looked up, "What?"
"I don't know how happiness can be attained by killing..." I said, looking at him straight in the eyes.
He shrugged, "Everyday, people die for many different reasons." He paused, "I don't randomly kill people without reason."
I think I got mad because when he said that, I saw Kiyosato in my head, "So you judge people's right to live. But you even leave that up to others. You just do as you're told!" I said, losing my calm.
He looked down at his cup of sake, "If I know a lot about the other person, I'll have doubts. I do it to change the world. That's all the justification I need." But didn't you know that you can't change the world with a single sword and hitokiri? Did you? Before I could say anything...
Iizuka-san came running in here, "Get out of here now!"
Himura-san looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"Katsura-san's in danger." Himura-san stood up immediately and I looked at Iizuka-san. We payed immediately and ran all the way with Himura-san holding my hand and leading me through all the crowds. It was the Gion Festival anyhow. As we were passing through the crowds, I heard Iizuka-san say, "Late tonight, Miyabe plans on setting Kyoto on fire."
"What?" I heard Himura-san say.
"He wants to overthrow the emperor. He's broken off all ties with Katsura- san. What's worse is this has probably been leaked to the Shinsengumi." Then we stopped, "I'll get help. You go to the meeting." Iizuka-san then ran off.
"Where is it?" Himura-san shouted, Iizuka-san turned around.
"Kawaramachi Sanjo. The Ikeda house." We then ran there without a word and then ran into a dark alley with five torches lit.
"I see him. That's got to be him." I heard a Shinsengumi say.
He stood in front of me, "Run the way we came." I heard him say, he was getting ready to kill right now, but I wasn't scared...
I walked forward and held his hand, "Don't you know, a sword needs a sheath." I looked at him.
"What are you saying?" He asked me, irritated, I think. He sounded irritated to me. You'd think I give a damn, but I didn't.
"How much longer will you continue killing people? I want to see with my own eyes..." I looked at him, "...My very own eyes." I said, making it sound more real. I didn't want to see him kill people. I knew how he acted after killing. Sometimes, I don't know what to think. Seriously. Like a little while ago, I would be mad, but after a while, like now, I would pity him. My head is screwed up. My head was once again cleared the moment he pushed me away and started fighting.
"Stupid fools." I heard him say. "You're in my way. Move!" He held his sword high.
I heard one of the Shinsengumi say, "Charge north! My name is Heibo Shinosuke!" I frowned a bit, what did your name have to do with any of this? You're about to get killed, and I doubt that the Hitokiri Battousai would remember your name. Little did I know, I was wrong.
"Your name means nothing to me!" Himura-san shouted, then ran forward, stabbed the person on his left throught the neck, then slashed the person on the right's neck. He then stabbed through one's stomach and the last one, stabbed through his neck to the wall where he then pulled the sword out from the wall and the neck.
He ran to the corner and saw some Shinsengumi, when he was about to go, I held on his sword and shoke my head. I saw his eyes widen slightly.
"Katsura's not here." Himura-san's eyebrow lifted a bit at the Shinsengumi talking.
"Miyabe and Okuno committed suicide.
I then pulled him away, since Katsura-san wasn't there, we should be heading back to the inn...
Yui Shinomori - Thanks for the review!
XenoMark - Yup, taking my time slowly ^^ Nice 'Crimson String' chapter!
DiaBLo - Thanks!
AnimeFreak - It's on my favorite's list, I'll give you the names. 25. To Hold You Again 26. Dominating Fate And there's also 'The Black Raven' They're all from fanfiction.net. I'll try to find some from other places tonight.
Tomoe Ayanami - I'll be looking for some tonight, I'll post them up next time!
Author's Notes: I'm also taking a little break from 'The Difference Between Rain and Tears' for a week due to planning. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers ^^;;*
I am in the kitchen holding my tanto when I felt someone behind me and hid it inside my obi. I waited until the person greeted me to turn around.
"Sorry to bother you at night." Katsura-san... what would have he wanted with me so late at night?
"Katsura-san..." I turned around.
"You don't have to wake anyone. I came to speak to you." He said, and I felt my heart froze. Is it because he found out I was a traitor? Did he find something suspicious? Or is this just a normal chat? I hoped it was the latter, which it was. I sighed instantly. I served him sake while he spoke.
"Letting a child wield a weapon?" I asked, I still held my mask on, but beneath, I was boiling mad. They dare let a child weild a weapon and kill so many? Though I was secretly thankful that Himura-san hasn't gotten a black envelope for the last few days.
He ignored me and continued, "In my homeland, there's a man named Takasugi. He's a good man but sometimes he has a tendency to enjoy behaving wildly. But he has a good woman who controls his behavior like a sheath holds a sword. Her name is Uno." What did this have to do with me?
"A sheath?"
"Will you become a sheath?" At this time, I didn't know what to say, to become a sheath for a man. And that man wasn't Kiyosato? "The sheath to hold the blade Himura." I felt my eyes widen a bit, but I think enough for Katsura-san to see. The sheath for Himura-san... Does this mean... Iizuka- san's plan is working? I know I should be happy, but... I'm not. It feels like the floor has swallowed me up. I'm confused. I want to revenge my fiancée, but I feel bad about it. I really hate myself sometimes.
"Why me...?" I asked, I was confused.
"I don't want to get in his way. Sometimes a believer causes tragedy. He needs a good sheath to hold him back." He then stood up and left me in that sitting position, thinking everything over again.
'June 18, 1864
'I don't know what to make of this... He hasn't gotten a black envelope for a few nights, and I can't help but feel relieved. It's definitely nothing to do with someone else dying... It has to do with this, child, washing himself and scrubbing his hands raw after each assassination. I can't stand and watch him like this. Like last time... On May 4, he came back from an assassination. I had to stop it. It was scary seeing his eyes so dull.
Katsura-san has offered me to be Himura-san's sheath. I don't know if I can't do it. He says someone has to hold the Battousai in, and I am able to do that. I don't know, I'm confused, I was suppose to be on a mission to kill this man. But... I can't anymore, I had plenty of chances, when he sleeps. I could've killed him and left. But... why can't I do that?'
* * * * *
Today was no different, I was doing chores. Helping around the kitchen, sweeping the floors. Not that I hated it... It was a way to kill time. I was still pondering over what Katsura-san told me a whole month ago... A sheath... for the blade Himura. I heard the shoji roll open. "I'll be finished soon." I said.
"I appreciate it." I heard Himura-san say.
I shrugged a little, "It's my job. I am one of Okami-san's housekeeper." I said calmly. "What is it?" I asked, usually he wouldn't talk to me even though I was here sweeping the floor.
"Nothing." He said, as he stood next to me.
I stopped the things I was doing and kept my face calm, wondering how I should say this. I had time from Okami-san and I wanted to go out. Going out by myself would be very boring anyhow... "If you don't mind, would you go out with me tonight?" There, I said it. Now I needed to hear his response. Instead I heard an 'eh?' from him. I snorted inwardly, great job Himura-san. "I got some time off from Okami-san. Sometimes... I want to relax outside..." I paused. "...but it's lonely by myself." It was true... I didn't mind being alone, since I was alone ever since I was born, but sometimes, I think it's nice to have someone else's company.
"I see..." I heard you say. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Damn me, he just said he was going out with me for one night. Probably pitied me because I didn't have any friends. It was true, the only person I talked to was him... I haven't talked to Iizuka-san for a while, I hated even seeing him. I don't think I felt too good about the whole Killing-Himura thing, not anymore anyhow. Everytime I saw Iizuka-san, he would give me this smirk I hated so much. He really wanted Himura-san dead... And so do I... right? I hated having doubts...
After finishing my chores, I changed from the violet kimonos into my usual plain white kimono with my light blue, almost purple shawl. I met Himura- san at the entrance of the inn and went to the place where I had, for the first time been so close to him. We both stepped in, it was brighter than the last time I came in, or maybe it was just my mood. I was slightly happier than last time. It was festival time after all. He ordered two bottles of sake and talked for a little while before it arrived.
He tasted the sake and made some sound, sounded as if he was thinking, and he looked at the sake weirdly. "Something wrong?" I asked, then refilled his cup.
"It's been a while since sake has tasted good." He told me. Maybe he didn't go to good restaurant to drink sake. Or maybe it was because he didn't like sake and started liking just now, or maybe it was festival time?
"Because it's festival time." I said. The other two didn't really sound right. First was already crossed off, he came here last time I saw him. Second was crossed off too, a hitokiri usually knew how to drink sake. I'm thinking too much sometimes. Who cares why he doesn't think sake tastes great?
...I do. I'm an idiot, I know.
"I guess so." I heard him said. Well, I'm right then, aren't I? Even he said so.
"I'm opposite from you... I don't drink as much as I do." While people drink more and more, I've been drinking less and less.
He refilled our cups and looked up, "Has the alcohol lost its taste?"
I smiled a bitter smile and shook my head, "No, unlike before, I've just lost the strength to put up with alcohol." ...After the incident with Kiyosato...
"Put up with?" I heard him ask, a bit curious.
I wanted to change the subject so much... to change the subject to something that didn't pain me as much, and I saw his scar, "Has the wound on your cheek stopped bleeding?" I asked, not much help. Kiyosato did, after all created that line.
"I'd forgotten about it." He said, coldly. I can't help but think that everything I talked about the scar, you would become a bit more cold.
"So your wound has healed." I said.
"It's only stopped bleeding." He did have a point, after all. My heart stopped bleeding, but it was still hurting, and I don't think it was healed yet. Even though as much as I deny it, the child sitting across me has slowly helped me heal it, even though he had no idea of it.
"Everything I see that cut, I wonder what the person who injured you saw." What Kiyosato saw when he was killed. "You say you kill people to make them happy..." Yet... I don't think that's what he thinks. I refilled the cups, waiting for his answer.
He looked up, "What?"
"I don't know how happiness can be attained by killing..." I said, looking at him straight in the eyes.
He shrugged, "Everyday, people die for many different reasons." He paused, "I don't randomly kill people without reason."
I think I got mad because when he said that, I saw Kiyosato in my head, "So you judge people's right to live. But you even leave that up to others. You just do as you're told!" I said, losing my calm.
He looked down at his cup of sake, "If I know a lot about the other person, I'll have doubts. I do it to change the world. That's all the justification I need." But didn't you know that you can't change the world with a single sword and hitokiri? Did you? Before I could say anything...
Iizuka-san came running in here, "Get out of here now!"
Himura-san looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"Katsura-san's in danger." Himura-san stood up immediately and I looked at Iizuka-san. We payed immediately and ran all the way with Himura-san holding my hand and leading me through all the crowds. It was the Gion Festival anyhow. As we were passing through the crowds, I heard Iizuka-san say, "Late tonight, Miyabe plans on setting Kyoto on fire."
"What?" I heard Himura-san say.
"He wants to overthrow the emperor. He's broken off all ties with Katsura- san. What's worse is this has probably been leaked to the Shinsengumi." Then we stopped, "I'll get help. You go to the meeting." Iizuka-san then ran off.
"Where is it?" Himura-san shouted, Iizuka-san turned around.
"Kawaramachi Sanjo. The Ikeda house." We then ran there without a word and then ran into a dark alley with five torches lit.
"I see him. That's got to be him." I heard a Shinsengumi say.
He stood in front of me, "Run the way we came." I heard him say, he was getting ready to kill right now, but I wasn't scared...
I walked forward and held his hand, "Don't you know, a sword needs a sheath." I looked at him.
"What are you saying?" He asked me, irritated, I think. He sounded irritated to me. You'd think I give a damn, but I didn't.
"How much longer will you continue killing people? I want to see with my own eyes..." I looked at him, "...My very own eyes." I said, making it sound more real. I didn't want to see him kill people. I knew how he acted after killing. Sometimes, I don't know what to think. Seriously. Like a little while ago, I would be mad, but after a while, like now, I would pity him. My head is screwed up. My head was once again cleared the moment he pushed me away and started fighting.
"Stupid fools." I heard him say. "You're in my way. Move!" He held his sword high.
I heard one of the Shinsengumi say, "Charge north! My name is Heibo Shinosuke!" I frowned a bit, what did your name have to do with any of this? You're about to get killed, and I doubt that the Hitokiri Battousai would remember your name. Little did I know, I was wrong.
"Your name means nothing to me!" Himura-san shouted, then ran forward, stabbed the person on his left throught the neck, then slashed the person on the right's neck. He then stabbed through one's stomach and the last one, stabbed through his neck to the wall where he then pulled the sword out from the wall and the neck.
He ran to the corner and saw some Shinsengumi, when he was about to go, I held on his sword and shoke my head. I saw his eyes widen slightly.
"Katsura's not here." Himura-san's eyebrow lifted a bit at the Shinsengumi talking.
"Miyabe and Okuno committed suicide.
I then pulled him away, since Katsura-san wasn't there, we should be heading back to the inn...
Yui Shinomori - Thanks for the review!
XenoMark - Yup, taking my time slowly ^^ Nice 'Crimson String' chapter!
DiaBLo - Thanks!
AnimeFreak - It's on my favorite's list, I'll give you the names. 25. To Hold You Again 26. Dominating Fate And there's also 'The Black Raven' They're all from fanfiction.net. I'll try to find some from other places tonight.
Tomoe Ayanami - I'll be looking for some tonight, I'll post them up next time!
Author's Notes: I'm also taking a little break from 'The Difference Between Rain and Tears' for a week due to planning. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!