Author's Note: Well, here it is, the final chapter for "Crimson String Book I: A Rurouni's Path." I hope you readers enjoyed it, it was pretty hard for me to write.
Well, I won't waste anymore of your time, so let's get to the story.
Chapter 34: The Morning After
The sound of chirping was the first thing I heard as the darkness began to disappear from my eyes. The singing of birds, it felt like an eternity since I last heard their lullaby when I first awakened. Light began creasing through the darkness seconds later, and my muscles began moving once more. I told them to relax, but they wanted to rise. It had been a long time since I just wanted to lay in bed; the comfort of my futon back home, I never knew it could be so comfortable. Finally, I decided to rise, pushing the cotton blanket to my knees as the darkness slipped away from my eyes. It had been so long since I had felt that refreshed, so relaxed. My arms rose above my head, creaking as I stretched them. I rubbed my eyes soon after, removing the remaining seal that tried to keep them shut. I turned to the side of my mattress after, there lay the ribbon Shinta had given me and the short sword that matched my deserted katana. With a sigh, I took the sword onto my belt, taking my ribbon soon after as I walked toward the mirror on my wall.
"I look like hell," I told myself.
My hands took hold of both ends of the silk material, placing the middle underneath my hair, tying it so that it made a high ponytail. My attention then shifted toward my face, toward the mark before my left eye. It was a brownish-red mark in the shape of an "x," similar to the one on my brother's cheek. The blood that had flowed from the other night was now dry. Did I heal up, no, the blood only stopped flowing.
A grumble suddenly escaped my stomach, I hadn't eaten since noon yesterday. I made my way toward the kitchen and living room area, it was just how I left when I left home three years ago, only now there was no one at the table, no one at the stove, and no one working in the fields. I sighed again, walking toward the cupboards, opening each door looking for something to satisfy my hunger. Not a trace of food, Mother and I must've packed everything when we left for Kyoto. If I wanted to eat, there was only one place to go, the city.
I searched the rest of the house soon after, taking whatever supplies I could find, which wasn't very much. I found a few old kimonos, but I had already outgrown each of them. Still, I took them, cutting the material and sewing them together after to make a bag and using any remaining scraps of cloth as rags. I found a few cups I could use for a drinking, a thermos made of horse hide, and a few cut bamboo reeds that could serve as extra thermoses once I put a cork in the hole on one end. Taking those few supplies and my nearly empty bag, I began making my way into the city once more. I couldn't help but look back once more as I left, I swear I could see my parents smiling as I walked.
"Goodbye," I said, "I'll come back some day, I promise."
The city was crowded that very morning, it was full of life. Perhaps it was because the people no longer had to worry about the Shinsengumi interrogating them, or maybe it was because the people were no longer afraid of a fight starting in the middle of the street.
"Damn the Ishin Shishi!" I heard one of the spectators yell.
"We've lost everything!" I heard another.
Chills began to crawl down my spine as I heard the people's cries. All of them were cursing the new government, the regime I helped bring to power. I cringed at the thought of the Meiji Government, my hold on my bag tightening as I pushed away the image.
"Have I done the right thing?" I asked myself.
The Ishin Shishi had promised a new government for the people; cutting taxes, a less corrupt system, each of these were one of the few broken promises of the Meiji. I could tell just by walking down that street that the new government had not kept their word. Still, this new era was better than when the Tokugawa Shogunate was in control, right? Did I really help the people of Japan, or did I hinder them even more? I asked myself the entire time I walked down the street that day, stopping when the voice of a great man soon entered my ears.
"We meet again, Himura Mina-san," I stopped with the call of my name.
My eyes left the sight of the dirt road, turning upward to see who had spoken. It was a man I had spoken to before, he seemed like a nice person. His arms and legs were chiseled like rock, his face rather sharp and somewhat blocky. The smell of iron and soot was abundant on him, it was the great blacksmith Arai Shakku.
"Shakku-dono, we meet again," I bowed.
"I heard what happened," Shakku spoke, "what the Ishin Shishi did..."
"So do you plan on turning me in?" I began to reach for my short sword.
"No," he shook his head, "it would be wrong to turn you in after all you've done for this nation."
"Then what would you like with me?" I asked, returning my arm to my side.
"Please come with me," Shakku offered, "you look rather hungry."
He began to turn, yet I had stayed in place, fearing he might be lying. Shakku simply smiled and offered his hand to me, I couldn't help but take a step back after receiving the gesture.
"Please, Mina-san, I have no intention of harming you," he assured me.
The look in his eye and the tone of his voice, I knew he was telling the truth now. I simply shrugged and began following the man. We arrived at his house soon after, he led me into the kitchen and living room area. There was another young man at the table when we arrived, he looked about my age. He was rather tall and slender, his hair cut in the shape of a bowl and his nose rather sharp.
"Welcome home, Father," the young man greeted Shakku.
"Arigatou, Seikuu," Shakku bowed to the young man. "Seikuu, this young woman is a friend of mine, Himura Mina-san," Shakku introduced me after, "she'll be joining us for breakfast."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Himura-san," Seikuu bowed.
"I can say the same," I bowed.
"Please, take a seat," Shakku pushed me a chair.
Breakfast was a simple meal, it was a few pieces of chicken along with a bowl of rice. The meat was charred along the edges, but I didn't complain, it was a free meal after all.
"How is it?" Seikuu asked after bit into the burnt meat.
"Good," I lied.
"I spoke with your brother the other day," Shakku suddenly brought up.
Just the mention of Shinta lodged the piece of meat in my throat. Immediately I took a glass of water to free it from my throat. It was quite a shock to hear that Shakku had run into my brother.
"Nani, when?" I asked practically demanding for an answer.
"It was about two or three days ago," Shakku explained, "he was heading out of town when I ran into him."
"What did he say?!" I asked taking hold of his sleeve. "Did he mention where he was going?!"
"Settle down, Mina-san," Shakku ordered. "When I spoke with him, he said he was going to find a way to help the people of this new era without the use of his sword, but he didn't say where he was going exactly."
'So, he's pursuing our dream without me, huh?' I asked myself.
"Did he say anything else?" I asked.
"He said something about atoning for his actions during the war," Shakku continued, "and that he would do so without a sword. But then I told him that he could not do so without one, and so, I gave him a little going-away present."
"You gave my brother a sword?!" I yelled. "How could you, killing tortured him enough during this whole conflict and you have him wash the blood away from his hands with even more blood?! That's preposterous, Shakku!"
"Please, let me explain," Shakku held his hands in defense. "Seikuu, could you please give her your latest work?"
"Hai," Seikuu left the table soon after.
"You expect me to take the same path as my brother, don't you?!" I took hold of Shakku's collar. "Do you realize what nightmares I've had because of those damn tools you made?!"
"Mina-san, please let me explain!"
"Mina-san," Seikuu returned to the doorway with a gift in hand.
I took one good look at the device; it was a sword. It rested snugly in a dark violet scabbard, a blackish-grayish material wrapped around the hilt while a yellowish-brown material wrapped around the top part of the sheath. Just the sight of a sword brought disgust onto my face, I was tired of killing, I was tired of bringing ain onto others, I didn't want anything to do with swords any longer.
"How dare you present me such a device!" I snatched the blade away from the young man.
"Mina-san, please...," Seikuu tried to explain.
"I won't take it!" I yelled as I threw the katana to the floor.
It clattered to the floor suddenly, the blade had barely escaped the sheath upon impact. The anger in my body began to cool once my eye had caught a glimpse of the sword. The look on my face had become curiosity as I kneeled closer toward the blade. My hands slowly wrapped around the sword's hilt and sheath, prying the shimmering steel out of it's oak restraint.
"What is this?" I asked as my eyes focused on the shimmering edge of the outer curve. "The blade is on the wrong edge," I observed.
"That's a sakabatou," Shakku responded.
"Sakabatou?" I asked, puzzled.
I had heard of such weapons before; katanas with their blades on the outer curve instead of the inner. They were said to be weapons that could never spill blood unless their blades were flipped, I had never seen one until that point in my life. A sakabatou, during the Revolution I never did see any use for such non-violent weapons, but at that point, I began to see something.
"I gave your brother a similar sword when he left," Shakku explained.
"You gave my brother...a sakabatou?" I slid the reverse-blade back into it's case.
"He could atone for his sins with such a weapon and not spill any blood if he were to use violence to defend the people," Shakku explained.
"Atone for his sins," I repeated, glancing at the sakabatou once more.
"Mina-san, I believe you could do the same," Shakku continued.
"Nani?"
"You are just like your brother, it's only natural that you should follow the same path as him," Shakku said.
'Am I like him?' I asked myself. 'No, I only wanted to be with him, and yet, I still feel bad for all those who I've killed in the process. There's no way I'm like him, that there isn't.'
"Mina-san, I want you to take that sword," Shakku interrupted, "take it and follow the path of your brother."
"But I don't have enough money to pay for this device," I explained.
"Please, consider it a parting gift from Kyoto," Seikuu offered.
"A parting gift...," I slid the sword back into it's case yet again.
Shinta had been given a sakabatou, a sword that could save the people without destroying the people. This was his chance for redemption, his way to atone for his sins. Now I was given the same opportunity, a chance to follow his path.
"Arigatou, Shakku-dono, Seikuu-dono," I nodded, "I accept this sakabatou, that I do."
This was the first time I slid the sakabatou onto my belt, I remember how snug it felt as it slid down every inch of the fabric until it stopped before the guard. It felt different from having a regular sword on my belt; different, I'm not exactly sure how to explain, maybe because now I knew that I would never have to bring rain to the Sanzu any longer.
With the reverse-blade sword now in place, I began to take my leave.
"Where are you going, Mina-san?" I stopped at the sound of the blacksmith's voice.
"...I don't know," I answered.
"What will you do now?" he asked.
"...I don't know," I answered.
"So then why are you leaving?"
"...I don't know. All I know is that I want to see him again," I answered.
"See who?"
"The man I love," I answered.
"I don't know what's going on, but go, don't waste anymore time," he ordered.
"Hai," I nodded.
Not another second came to waste after that, I soon found my feet guiding me into the direction where I thought Shinta went. I remember how the wind pushed against my face, every crater I made with the push of my feet, and the passing of the clouds. How I wanted to see him, and I wouldn't let anything stop me.
"No, get away!" I heard a scream.
Well, almost anything wouldn't stop me. The scream had caught my attention, I couldn't ignore it. Immediately I changed my direction to the source of the cry, it came from a small alley. Just as I entered the poorly lit corridor, I found three individuals surrounding a single girl. All of them had some form of metal in their hands; one held a hatchet, another a knife, and the third a sword. I could barely catch a glimpse of the woman, all I see was her knees from the spaces between the men's legs, they were huddled against a corner. I could hear small sobs aside from the snickers from her attackers' mouths, she needed help, I had to do something.
"Let the girl go!" I ordered.
"Who's there?" the men turned around. "Who the hell are you?"
I could see the girl clearly now, her face a pale white shade, the color drained from fear. Her hair was rather shaggy, possibly from trying to escape from her attackers. It was down to her back, a torn material had kept part of her hair in place. Her eyes were of a sky blue shade, pupils dilated, they reminded me of someone I had killed a year ago, someone that helped me unmask Kensai's scheme.
"I'm only a rurouni, that I am," I answered for the very first time.
"Rurouni?" the one with the knife laughed as he began approaching me. "That another word for whore?" his fingers wrapped beneath my chin. "Not bad I must say."
"I'd remove that hand if I were you," I said calmly, "unless you like the taste of dirt."
"Why don't you watch your mouth you stupid bi..."
At that very instant, my left hand quickly took hold of my sword's hilt, pushing it outward until it met with the man's stomach. A few drops of saliva escaped his lips as he lurched forward, his eyes as wide as mochi when he hit the floor.
"I advise you to watch your language, that I do," I told the man as I slid my weapon back into it's sheath.
"You stupid...!" the other two men drew their weapons.
"I don't want anyone else to get hurt," I told the two calmly, "so just step aside and let the girl go, but if you want to taste the ground like your friend here, then feel free to attack."
"Just who do you think you are you..."
"Be quiet," I shoved my foot into the fallen man's abdomen.
"Now you're going to get it!" the man with the sword yelled.
The two remaining men were now charging forward, their weapons above their heads. With a sigh, I released the hold on my bag, replacing it by parting it an inch before the hilt of my new sakabatou.
"Well, here we go," I shut my eyes, preparing for my very first battle as a rurouni.
The sound of feet crushing pebbles entered my ears a second later, this was my cue to strike. My eyes quickly revealed my opponents, the man with the hatchet was just inches away, the man with the sword close behind. The axe came down quickly, creating a rather large crater in the ground as it met with the ground. I had evaded the attack, pressing my back against the west wall at the last moment. My feet then pressed against the surface, pushing the ground beneath my feet and my face into the clouds. The men were nothing more than mere specks for the seconds I had remained in the air, returning to their normal size when I landed behind them.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Sou-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed.
The reverse-blade quickly slid out of it's oak restraint, striking the man with the sword as fast as lightning. A loud thud echoed upon impact, my opponent's back bending backward as a result. My sheath met with the side of his skull after, striking him against the wall to the right. A translucent goo escaped his lips as his mouth met with the dirt, his eyes free of pupils, it was clear that he was unconscious but not dead.
"You bi...!" the remaining attacker readied his hatchet once more.
"Didn't I tell you to watch your language?!" I yelled before he could swear.
With a swerve of my right arm, my sakabatou's blunt edge swung inward. The steel curve met with the man's abdomen, filling the area with a crunch sound upon impact. His body bent inward as his legs suddenly began to grow limp, his arms beginning to dangle as his hatchet fell to the ground, a few inches away from his hands. Another crunch filled the area a moment later, this one resulting from the impact his nose made with the ground.
"My God," the man with the knife returned to his feet, "you didn't kill anyone, they're all just knocked out."
"Report your actions to the authorities and I won't have to deal you the same fate as your friends, is that clear?" I ordered the man with a glare in my eyes.
Immediately the man dropped his knife and began running. I sighed once more and brought my reverse-blade sword toward my face. Not a drop of blood lay on it's shimmering surface, this truly was a weapon for atonement. With another whip of the blade, I slid the sakabatou back into it's scabbard until the blade clicked in place.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" I turned back to the girl I saved.
"Thank you for helping me," the girl bowed.
"Don't mention it," I smiled as I took my bag off the ground. "Well, I suppose I should get going now," I began making my way out of the alley.
"Wait a minute," the girl's voice suddenly brought me to a halt. "Who are you?"
"I'm a rurouni, that I am," I turned to face her once more, "my name is Mina, and you are?"
"Yuki," the woman introduced herself, "Misaki Yuki. Mina-san, if it's all right, I'd like to formally thank you for helping me, my family owns a small store in town and I'd like to reward you with something."
"You flatter me, but I needn't any thanks, that I don't," I smiled.
"Please," she begged, "it's the least I can do for you saving me."
"All right," I nodded, "I'll take up on your offer, that I will, Yuki-dono."
Yuki brought me to a small general store at the edge of the city. I've never been to the store before, not that I really needed to. There were all sorts of nifty items for sale, well not really nifty, but essential for traveling. Dried fish, jerky, bread, umbrellas, tools, and some clothes were what was mainly sold at the shop, there wasn't much for Yuki to offer, not that I wanted an award or anything like that.
"Please, take some supplies," Yuki offered, "no charge."
"Are you sure?" I asked her. "I mean, won't it hurt your business a little?"
"No, please feel free and help yourself," she insisted.
I began treading down the aisles of the store, beginning with the rations. I took a few pieces of dried fish and jerky, along with half a loaf of bread. I went to the next aisle and grabbed a few tools; one hammer, a few nails, some stakes, and a few feet of rope. The last aisle was just a bunch of clothes, none of them seemed to fit my taste at first. I decided to take a look anyway, and it's a good thing did. There was design that caught my eye, it was white kimono with black lining. The black lining filled the entire upper back area, but it only outlined the shoulders down to the legs on the front of the kimono. It came with a fiery red belt, it wasn't as large as a normal woman's kimono, it only seemed to cover half the stomach area which was fine by me, I didn't like how normal women's kimonos had belts that covered the entire stomach and stopped below the bust. There was also a small pink sakura design on the bottom right half of the outfit, it was rather cute. It looked very nice, but how did it feel? My fingers began to slowly tread the material, the outside felt rather clean, it was pure cotton, but the inside was rather smooth and gentle, like silk.
"Yuki-dono, is it all right if I take this outfit as well?" I asked.
"Oh, go ahead," Yuki answered, "like I said, take some supplies, they're free of charge."
"Arigatou," I smiled as I placed the material before my cheek.
"We have some more kimonos with that design as well if you like," Yuki added.
"May I take two more of those then?" I asked.
"Hai," Yuki smiled.
I turned to the far wall in the store, there was a small shoji door there. The room behind it didn't seem very large, it must've been the changing area. With a shrug, I went behind the door, there was nothing behind it but a few inches of room. It was definitely the changing room, I just had to change out of my dirty old kimono and change into this new one. The material was so smooth against my skin, I could feel every inch of the material as it lay against my skin. White really was my color, it helped flesh out the color of my skin. The black on the upper back of the outfit matched as well, I swear, this kimono was made just for me. The white would represent my true persona, I really was just an innocent farm girl when I first met Shinta anyways. The black was sort of like a look into my life during the Revolution, dark and grim. The pink sakura, I'm not sure what that represents, but that doesn't matter, I guess it could show there's more to me than what you see.
"It looks good on you," Yuki complimented as I left the changing room.
"Arigatou," I answered.
"Here's the other ones," Yuki handed me two more kimonos with the very same design and feel. "Would you like some hamakas to go with those?"
"No," I answered, "I prefer not to, they limit my leg movement a little bit actually."
"Is that all you're going to take?" Yuki asked as I placed all my supplies into my bag.
"Hai," I nodded, "thanks for everything, Yuki-dono."
"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Mina-san," Yuki smiled.
"Oh and more thing," I turned to her once more. "The city is a dangerous place that it is, and I'm afraid I might not be around to help you the next time something like that happens, so I want you to take this," I removed the wakezashi on my belt.
"Mina-san, I can't take this," Yuki began to push the blade away.
"I want you to have it," I told her, "it will be my payment for the supplies and it will assure me that you're protected."
"...okay, I'll take it," she brought the short sword to her belt.
"I guess this is it for now," I told her as I began to leave the store.
"If you ever come back to Kyoto, you're always free to come back here," Yuki called as I began treading the roads once more.
"Arigatou," I called back.
The city of Kyoto, I left it shortly after that, heading to the north. The image of dying men and buildings burning were now just a passing memory, a memory that held good times and bad. My sword suckling the life out of men was part of that memory, meeting my brother was another. My parents dying was something I could not forget, neither was Shion's goodbye. Kyoto, a city that held my past, a city I would consider hell, and yet, my home. Little by little, the number of people I passed began to dwindle, the memories slowly fading until finally I found myself alone. It was just me and the fields, not a person in sight, not a memory resurfacing. I continued down the road until the sky became a red-orange hue, that was when I passed one more person.
"Baka-deshi," the man muttered as I walked passed him.
"Excuse me?" I called to him.
The man turned around with the call of my voice. He was a rather tall man, his form looked as hard as rock. He had hair as black as a raven, part of it was tied back in a low ponytail while the rest hung forward in front of his ears. He had rather narrow eyes, they looked like black peas. His nose was somewhat sharp, while his face was rather built like the rest of his body. He was carrying a large jar of sake in his left hand, you can barely see it as it hid inside that large white mantle he wore. The collar of his mantle was red, but the kimono he wore underneath was blue-green. The hamaka he wore was of a darkish violet shade that almost looked black, along with his shoes which also had a lining of yellow around the ankles. He looked rather young, though he gave me the impression that he was wise beyond his years. I could feel his ki as I stood before him, it was rather strong, it's aura felt somewhat familiar. The smell of blood was strong on him, but his demeanor gave me the feeling that he had no intention of harming me.
"Gomen," he apologized a second later, "you just look like someone I once knew."
"Oh, I see," I told the man.
"Farewell, traveler," the man waved and continued on his way.
I couldn't help but continuing watching that man until he disappeared into the setting sun.
'Who was he?' I thought to myself.
He looked somewhat sad, as if he failed someone not too long ago. He seemed like a descent swordsman, he was carrying one in the back of his belt, nearly hidden from view. What was it that was troubling that man? After a moment of thinking I finally realized who that man was.
'That was Shinta's...master,' I concluded as soon as the man disappeared.
I stared into the setting sun for a moment after realizing who I had just passed. I was thinking that maybe I should chase after the man, that perhaps he would know where my brother is. But then I told myself that he didn't know where Shinta was, that he must've felt guilty for letting his student go never to see him again. Again I sighed and turned back to the road.
I had not passed another individual after my brief encounter with Hiko Seijuro XIII, the only things I passed were even more fields and trees. I soon found myself staring into a fork in the road, the path had been split in three. I stood there for a moment, trying to look down each path, seeing where they lead. Nothing but more road was where each path lead, I could see nothing else before me.
'Which way should I go?' I asked myself.
"If you wish to be strong," my brother's voice began echoing in my ears once more.
'I will not regret which way I choose...,' I began to step forward.
"Be strong in your own way. That way you will become stronger than me."
'...because I know it is the right one.'
Chapter 34 Liner Notes
(Nothing to explain here.)
Author's Note: All right, hold your reviews until you read the epilogue and stuff, okay. This chapter was the second hardest one to write, the first being the last chapter. I hope it ended well, and don't think Mina's adventures are over yet, we still have two more "Crimson String" books to go. Well we've seen Mina's past in this entire book, so let's take a look at what's going on in the present in the next page, shall we?