Hitokiri, Okami, and Meokami

By Daimyo Shi [e-mail author here.]

Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of this series are used without his permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
This is my first attempt at the art of fanfiction. Please be gentle. Comments are greatly appreciated!!!



Chapter 3: the Wolf and the she-wolf met.

We parted from our baths with no further words. I returned to my room nice and clean as it was always. However I noted something that struck me and unusual, a folded piece of paper on the folded blankets, near my clean Kimono. "A letter for me? How? Why?" I asked myself. I opened the letter, the Calligraphy of the letter was flawless, artistic and flowing but still very readable. I read the letter and my heart skipped a beat, One of the girls at the Inn had written me a love letter. One of them was brazen enough to write me a love letter. I wonder for a moment where one of them would have gotten the idea but my mind shifted to who it could be, my mind raced through the several girls at the Inn but I could only dismiss Onako, the middle aged owner of this place since she was 25 years older than me. More correctly I hoped it wasn't Onako. I set up my Futon and despite the new discovery is still found sleep quickly.

The next morning I was despatched to take a message out of town to a Group allied with the Ishin shishi that was working in the country side. I met with Sagara-san only long enough to give him the sealed orders. His group seemed to be quite capable, despite the fact the two children that seemed to be with him. I didn't ask about them but it was impossible to not notice their loyalty for Sagara-san. I caught the name of only one of the boys name, Sanosuke. As I returned to Kyoto that I fought for all the children of Japan so that they could have a better future. I stopped a Shinto Shrine briefly when I return to Kyoto, where I prayed that the to boys with Sagara would be spared from the horrors of our fight.

Later, I turned down a familiar alley and saw two Shinsengumi members, I then turned around and saw three more come from the other end. I charged at the two at the end of the alley. They slashed their katana at me, the first one missed completely because he underestimated my speed, the second caught my left shoulder making a slight wound. Unfortunately for him my katana caught him in the belly with such force that he turned 90 degrees and fell against the wall. I lunged at the second man and he parried my counter attack. He then lunged at my with a thrust. I side stepped the attack and brought my Katana down beheading him. I turned to meet the quickly charging other three members. The First one slashes at me, which I parry with my Katana. He tries to over bear me so I kick him in the belly forcing him away from me. He raises his Katana over his head but I manage to get a very quick trust in that cuts into his Adam's apple causing him to drop his katana and try and make himself breath correctly, he turns way and collapses on the ground. I can hear him wheezing and see him clutching his throat. The other two members come to my attention. The first one charges at me caught me off guard, I tumble backwards, I manage to roll to my feet I slash at his head, he leaped back I still mange to cut his forehead. Good, the blood will flow in to his eyes he will either back off or be an easy target, I thought to myself. However I lost track of the other one, as I move back a katana meets mine and causes mine to fly out of my hands. A loud thunk informs me that it lodged in a wooden beam of the house behind me. I prepare myself to be cut down. I look directly at the Shinsengumi member that had disarmed me. His eyes flicker in a moment of recognition, I remember him, he was the Shinsengumi member that I had let go my first day here in Kyoto. I smiled "I never apologized for breaking your soul, I am very sorry." I bowed low.

"Go pick up you Katana and leave Samurai-san." said the man who had knocked my Katana away.

"What are you doing Miromoto-sama?" asked the one I had wounded in the forehead, he was now holding part of his kimono sleeve against his forehead to stem the bleeding. I could still hear the wheezing of the third member, so he wasn't dead yet.

"This man saved my life four months ago, he could of taken my life then, but he didn't even though Hitokiri Battousai was there. I will not stain my honour by not repaying that debt. Go samurai-sama."

"Thank you Miromoto-sama." I bowed low "Perhaps we were friends in a previous life, let us hope that we can be friends in our next one." I withdrew my Katana from the post, I bowed low again to Miromoto and he returned it. I sheathed My Katana in my saya and quickly retreated. A little ways away I bandaged my wound the best I could and then began the trip back to the inn. It took nearly an hour to get back to the inn because of the needed doubling back and the like to keep the Shinsengumi from finding it. At the Main entrance I didn't see any of the girls so I went to the dinning room. There were a couple Ishin shishi members having dinner. Within I saw three of the Girls that worked at the inn, Minko, Akane and Tsuko. Minko was the shy girl who had shown me to my room that first night here, Akane was Onako's daughter, and Tsuko was a head strong orphan that had been adopted into the family when she was ten, that was eight years ago I was told. "Akane where are the bandages?" I asked.

Both Akane and Minko turned to face me, Minko promptly dropped the tray she was carrying and ran towards me. Akane put down Taka's Sake bottle and came towards me and Tsuko got up from own meal. In a very concerned unison all three of them "Shiba-sama are you alright?" They surrounded me on all sides.

I smiled "I am alright it just a small wound." In my head however I was going "this is not helping me figure out who wrote that letter."

"Shiba-san, it looks your hands are full." said a cheerful Himura as he was coming down the hall.

"Yes, it would seem so." I began , I started to feel myself blush. Akane, Tsuko and Minko half lead, half dragged me to the staff store room. Akane when and found the bandages, while Minko removed my kimono sleeve with some scissors and Tsuko cleaned my wound with water first and then a form of alcohol. "I heard from one of the women in the market that treating a wound with alcohol prevents infection."

"I heard that somewhere too." I said with a slight smile.

Akane bandaged my wound with clean bandages.

"There we go Shiba-sama, all done." was the eerie unison of three female voices.

I started towards the dinning area, the three girls had rushed a head of me. I entered the dinning I saw Minko cleaning up the tray mess that she made when she had dropped the tray. Tsuko was very unladylike chugging back her now cold tea.. Akane was picking up the finished sake bottles. Himura waved me over to his table where Taka was sitting as well.

"Hello Himura-sensei, Taka-sama."

"Sit Shiba-san, tell us of the reason that you managed to get three girls to help you with such a small wound, leaving us all to fend for ourselves." said humour filled Taka.

Himura simply smiled and asked "How are you?"

"I am alright and Taka-sama I don't know, All I did was ask for the location of the bandages." I chuckled "are you jealous, Taka-sama?"

"Jealous, why would I be jealous? Such simple girls' attention doesn't interest me." said Taka "I prefer women much more skilled in the womanly arts, not such simple girls that can barely cook."

"I find it is much more important that a woman loves me, and I love her rather than her being skilled at being a wife. I rather have a woman that I loved that couldn't cook, doesn't have good calligraphy, and couldn't paint than to have the most refined wife in Japan that didn't love me." I looked at Himura to see what he was thinking, I saw a single tear fall from his left eye and begin to trace along his scar. His eyes were glazed over as if he was look at something that was not in this room.

"Ha! Only you would want something as transparent as love!" shot back Taka.

"It is one of the things we fight for Taka-sama, even it is not directly apparent to you." was my calm reply, inside part of me bristled at Taka's mockery of love.

"We fight to free Japan from the tyrannical Bakufu Government headed by the Shogun, not some idea of love."

"I like Shiba-sama's idea Taka-sama" came the meek reply from Minko who had brought me some chicken Raman and a bottle of sake. "Don't you Himura-sama?" she asked.

"Oro? Oh, yes of course Minko-chan." as Himura scratched his head with his eyes closed. Minko wandered off after his reply.

"Love is a very strong emotion Taka don't you forget that. Love is stronger than the finest Katana blade, more flexible than silk and more enduring than Fuji-Sama. Both Men and Women die for love more often than for anything else. Things that one would see as being impossible become possible through love." I said letting just a little of my boiling rage show through, giving just a slight edge to my voice.

"Funny that the only people to agree with you are small serving girl and Himura-sama, a Hitokiri."

"Yes, so perhaps they are the only two wise people here I sure that Tsuko and Akane where here they would agree with me as well." I said cooly.

"Yes, the two other the girls fawning over you I guess they would want to agree with you, Shiba-san. You are such a Bakayuro" laughed Taka.

"HE IS NOT!" shouted Minko who had come back to fill tea, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" She put down her pot and balled he hands into fists.

"No I won't what are you going to do about it!" laughed Takaat Minko

"Why you overgrown Mountain goblin. GRRRR." Growled Minko, all of the sudden I wondered if she was some how related to Saitou Hajime. The she did something no one expected she hit Taka in the jaw knocking down. He got up from his sitting position.

"Why you impudent wench!" shouted Taka he rased his hand to hit her, as she stood there defiant. I clicked my Katana out of its saya. Taka turned towards me.

"Don't even think about it." I said as I shook me head. My voice didn't even sound like mine own, I quickly wondered if my eyes had turned amber.

Everyone who had politely be ignoring our conversation was paying attention now.

"Shiba-sama, why are you doing this?" asked Taka who had lowered his hand a bit.

"I don't tolerate women getting hurt, I am charged with protecting the weak. Lay you hand on any woman or child and you shall find how fast this Katana can kill" I said with a voice as bitter as the north wind.

Taka finish lowering his hand, "I see you kill me for this?"

"Kenjutsu has no half way, either I kill you or I do nothing, and I am quite unwilling to do nothing."

Himura's eyes were wide with shock, perhaps because he recognized that I had pulled a Battousai on him and of course he never seen what he looked like when he changed.

"I think I am tired. Yes, I am very tired, I going to bed, good night." said Taka as he quickly retreated to his room. I clicked my katana back into its saya, everyone's attention when back to their own conversations.

"Thank you, Shiba-sama." said a more relaxed Minko

"Minko, How could you! You can't just go hitting people! Shouted Tsuko. "You are lucky that Shiba-sama didn't kill Taka-sama it would have been all your fault."

"I was mad, I just was boiling over I didn't have any control, I had to hit him! I going for a walk." said an agitated Minko.

"A walk you are crazy, BAKA! You can't go!" said Tsuko

"try and stop me!" screamed Minko.

I put my hand on Tsuko's shoulder "it will be alright, I will go with her." I got up and followed her, I quickened my pace so I would get closer to her. She had grabbed a lantern already and had walked out the main door.