Chapter Seven: The Return of Saitou Hajime
"Okita!"
Okita stirred at the sound of his name being called and the shoji being opened. He blinked tiredly and looked up. "Ne, Sei-chan. It's early."
"You'll be happy with me once you hear what I have to say!" she exclaimed, eyes bright.
Okita sat up on his mat and stretched. "What could have you so excited this early in the morning?"
"Come see!" That said, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards the hallway, giggling as he stumbled behind. She pulled him until they reached the area of the inn where Kondou and Hajikata met on a regular basis to discuss business. They were inside, along with an old, yet familiar figure.
"Saitou-san!" Okita half yelled, no heed for the conversation they were having. "What on earth?!"
Hajikata allowed a small smile to appear across his lips. "I told you not to worry about it, Okita-kun. Saitou here was our spy against the late Itou."
"Anou.. You didn't betray us!"
Saitou chuckled slightly. "Slow down, Okita-kun."
"Demo."
Sei laughed. "Okita has been very worried about you, Saitou-san," she explained. "You should have told him before going and doing that to him!"
Saitou bowed his head slightly. "Gomen nasai, Okita-kun, but I couldn't let it get out."
"I understand."
Hajikata cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Everything went to plan?"
"Only a few escaped, sir," Saitou resumed. "Very few, I can assure you, but Itou Kashitarou, Hattori Takeo, and Toudou Heisuke were all killed in the battle."
"Good," Hajikata responded. "You do good work."
"Thank you, sir."
Okita took a sip of his sake as he and Sei listened to Saitou's story with much interest. "How did you ever trick them into believing that you were really with them?" Sei asked.
"I'm curious about that as well," Okita admitted. "I know you attended the meetings of his, but that couldn't have been enough."
Saitou flagged down the tavern owner and ordered another cup of sake. "I posed as a drunk," he said simply. (A/N: Okita and Sei-chan facefault here ^^)
"I wouldn't know how you might pull that one off." Okita muttered.
Sei grabbed the young woman who was bringing a new bottle of sake before she could place it before Saitou. "We've had enough, thank you."
The young woman bowed and went back to her other customers.
Saitou frowned. "Why on earth did you do that?"
"Because you're still in character from your long period of 'acting,'" the younger soldier deadpanned.
Okita laughed at this. "I believe Kamiya is right on this one, Saitou-san."
Saitou let out an annoyed sigh and pulled out his cigarettes, lighting one up. Seeing this, Okita stood with a smile. "I should get going."
Saitou raised an eyebrow. "We haven't been here all that long, Okita- kun."
"I know," the slightly younger man said, continuing to smile.
Sei took the hint as she looked at the cigarette in Saitou's hand and Okita's blue eyes staring warily at it. That was what he didn't need: something else to quicken his lungs' time of failing. "You should probably get back to, Saitou-kun," she advised. "You must have gotten in very late last night."
"Or early this morning, depending how you look at it," the golden eyed man responded with another puff of smoke. "You look ill, Okita."
"I believe I may have a cold."
"Hmm."
Okita smiled. "Ja ne, Saitou-san."
"He knows something is going on," Sei said finally.
"He doesn't know what, and I intend to keep it that way."
"Of course."
Okita stopped suddenly, eyes darting around the street. It was midmorning and people bustled about on their way to here and there, but something in the back of his trained mind told him someone was around that shouldn't be.
"Okita?" Sei asked, dark eyes staring up at him.
"Keep walking."
"What's the matter?"
"I'm not sure quite yet." His blue eyes scanned the crowd and he turned behind them. There. "Turn here, Kamiya."
"Okita? What's going on?"
"Just listen to me," he ordered as he took her by the arm and dragged her down the ally. He winced slightly as he realized the stupidity of the mistake.
"Mibiru." The word was said low, as if a curse.
Okita placed his hand on his sword's hilt. "Come out and show yourself," he growled.
"Who do you think you are to order me around, First Captain?" The man came from the darkness and Okita recognized him as one of the young men who followed Itou out of the camp.
"You are a fool for coming here."
"You have Saitou Hajime to blame for my presence here," he growled as he lunged forward, sword drawn.
Okita parried perfectly. "Mou mou," he muttered. "What a vengeful spirit."
The man pulled back and slashed again. "You people should have left us alone! We wanted out! You are nothing but a murderer and coward."
"I am nothing of the sort," Okita responded, meeting the next blow. "But you do know I will have to kill you now." A small smile crossed his face. "I am obliged to follow Hajikata-san's rules."
"Of course you are." The man slashed forward, running his blade across Okita's chest, only managing to draw a thin line of blood, but surprising the first captain nevertheless.
"Shi ne," Okita whispered as he lunged forward, his attack hitting each shoulder of his opponent and then slicing his head clean off.
Sei winced as she watched the blood flow. "Okita-kun.."
The blue-eyed man took a sharp breath and fell to his knees. He felt the young girl's arms encircle him and hold him close to her. "Take deep breaths," she whispered. "You'll be all right, just breathe normally."
The elder Mibiru took in a deep and shaky breath. "Daijoubu, Sei- chan," he whispered, rising to his feet and wiping blood from his lips.
"There you are! What happened?" Saitou's voice rang from the other end of the ally way.
"One of the men from Itou-san's group attacked us!" Sei exclaimed.
"Are you both all right?"
Okita nodded. "Much better off then he is," he answered, pointing back to the other man.
Saitou smiled slightly. "Quick about your work."
"Always."
"They will have gone after Hajikata and Kondou if they came after you and me."
"Are you all right?" Okita asked.
"Of course."
They returned to the headquarters to find that Kondou had been shot and that the men that had attacked them had been killed. Kondou insisted that the wound was nothing serious, he would merely not be able to use his left arm for the next couple of weeks.
Okita had taken this and believed it only half way. Things in the Shinsengumi seemed to be looking down if the men had gotten that far into the camp without being detected. He had a bad feeling about their future.
"Okita!"
Okita stirred at the sound of his name being called and the shoji being opened. He blinked tiredly and looked up. "Ne, Sei-chan. It's early."
"You'll be happy with me once you hear what I have to say!" she exclaimed, eyes bright.
Okita sat up on his mat and stretched. "What could have you so excited this early in the morning?"
"Come see!" That said, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards the hallway, giggling as he stumbled behind. She pulled him until they reached the area of the inn where Kondou and Hajikata met on a regular basis to discuss business. They were inside, along with an old, yet familiar figure.
"Saitou-san!" Okita half yelled, no heed for the conversation they were having. "What on earth?!"
Hajikata allowed a small smile to appear across his lips. "I told you not to worry about it, Okita-kun. Saitou here was our spy against the late Itou."
"Anou.. You didn't betray us!"
Saitou chuckled slightly. "Slow down, Okita-kun."
"Demo."
Sei laughed. "Okita has been very worried about you, Saitou-san," she explained. "You should have told him before going and doing that to him!"
Saitou bowed his head slightly. "Gomen nasai, Okita-kun, but I couldn't let it get out."
"I understand."
Hajikata cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Everything went to plan?"
"Only a few escaped, sir," Saitou resumed. "Very few, I can assure you, but Itou Kashitarou, Hattori Takeo, and Toudou Heisuke were all killed in the battle."
"Good," Hajikata responded. "You do good work."
"Thank you, sir."
Okita took a sip of his sake as he and Sei listened to Saitou's story with much interest. "How did you ever trick them into believing that you were really with them?" Sei asked.
"I'm curious about that as well," Okita admitted. "I know you attended the meetings of his, but that couldn't have been enough."
Saitou flagged down the tavern owner and ordered another cup of sake. "I posed as a drunk," he said simply. (A/N: Okita and Sei-chan facefault here ^^)
"I wouldn't know how you might pull that one off." Okita muttered.
Sei grabbed the young woman who was bringing a new bottle of sake before she could place it before Saitou. "We've had enough, thank you."
The young woman bowed and went back to her other customers.
Saitou frowned. "Why on earth did you do that?"
"Because you're still in character from your long period of 'acting,'" the younger soldier deadpanned.
Okita laughed at this. "I believe Kamiya is right on this one, Saitou-san."
Saitou let out an annoyed sigh and pulled out his cigarettes, lighting one up. Seeing this, Okita stood with a smile. "I should get going."
Saitou raised an eyebrow. "We haven't been here all that long, Okita- kun."
"I know," the slightly younger man said, continuing to smile.
Sei took the hint as she looked at the cigarette in Saitou's hand and Okita's blue eyes staring warily at it. That was what he didn't need: something else to quicken his lungs' time of failing. "You should probably get back to, Saitou-kun," she advised. "You must have gotten in very late last night."
"Or early this morning, depending how you look at it," the golden eyed man responded with another puff of smoke. "You look ill, Okita."
"I believe I may have a cold."
"Hmm."
Okita smiled. "Ja ne, Saitou-san."
"He knows something is going on," Sei said finally.
"He doesn't know what, and I intend to keep it that way."
"Of course."
Okita stopped suddenly, eyes darting around the street. It was midmorning and people bustled about on their way to here and there, but something in the back of his trained mind told him someone was around that shouldn't be.
"Okita?" Sei asked, dark eyes staring up at him.
"Keep walking."
"What's the matter?"
"I'm not sure quite yet." His blue eyes scanned the crowd and he turned behind them. There. "Turn here, Kamiya."
"Okita? What's going on?"
"Just listen to me," he ordered as he took her by the arm and dragged her down the ally. He winced slightly as he realized the stupidity of the mistake.
"Mibiru." The word was said low, as if a curse.
Okita placed his hand on his sword's hilt. "Come out and show yourself," he growled.
"Who do you think you are to order me around, First Captain?" The man came from the darkness and Okita recognized him as one of the young men who followed Itou out of the camp.
"You are a fool for coming here."
"You have Saitou Hajime to blame for my presence here," he growled as he lunged forward, sword drawn.
Okita parried perfectly. "Mou mou," he muttered. "What a vengeful spirit."
The man pulled back and slashed again. "You people should have left us alone! We wanted out! You are nothing but a murderer and coward."
"I am nothing of the sort," Okita responded, meeting the next blow. "But you do know I will have to kill you now." A small smile crossed his face. "I am obliged to follow Hajikata-san's rules."
"Of course you are." The man slashed forward, running his blade across Okita's chest, only managing to draw a thin line of blood, but surprising the first captain nevertheless.
"Shi ne," Okita whispered as he lunged forward, his attack hitting each shoulder of his opponent and then slicing his head clean off.
Sei winced as she watched the blood flow. "Okita-kun.."
The blue-eyed man took a sharp breath and fell to his knees. He felt the young girl's arms encircle him and hold him close to her. "Take deep breaths," she whispered. "You'll be all right, just breathe normally."
The elder Mibiru took in a deep and shaky breath. "Daijoubu, Sei- chan," he whispered, rising to his feet and wiping blood from his lips.
"There you are! What happened?" Saitou's voice rang from the other end of the ally way.
"One of the men from Itou-san's group attacked us!" Sei exclaimed.
"Are you both all right?"
Okita nodded. "Much better off then he is," he answered, pointing back to the other man.
Saitou smiled slightly. "Quick about your work."
"Always."
"They will have gone after Hajikata and Kondou if they came after you and me."
"Are you all right?" Okita asked.
"Of course."
They returned to the headquarters to find that Kondou had been shot and that the men that had attacked them had been killed. Kondou insisted that the wound was nothing serious, he would merely not be able to use his left arm for the next couple of weeks.
Okita had taken this and believed it only half way. Things in the Shinsengumi seemed to be looking down if the men had gotten that far into the camp without being detected. He had a bad feeling about their future.