Chapter Eight: Edo
A/N: Two things to be addressed: 1st: I suppose I need to explain the drinking comment. *sheepish smile * Things that make sense in my mind may not always make sense in someone else's, I suppose... Saitou Hajime was a heavy drinker through his days in the Shinsengumi. He was ordering yet another round of sake (after they had been there a while) while telling Okita and Sei that he had "posed" as a drunk while undercover. He was known to get quite drunk. I found it funny.. I'm easily amused though, according to my math teacher.. _ I was freaking out about some dresses that looked like the Elegant Gothic Lolita style and she thought that was funny.. @_@ Oh well.. Second: I'm skipping over an section of history. *hides * gomen! I'm actually trying to wrap this up and I just don't know enough about the incident since I've only read about it on one site. I will refer to it and here is the site () if you'd like to go check it out. Domo ^^
Sei stared out the window dejectedly. "We're down to so few." she whispered.
"The last battles have been hard on everyone," Okita answered softly from his place leaning against the wall.
Sei turned dark eyes toward him. He'd been so weak lately. The fact that he'd been forced to show it told her that things were getting much worse very quickly. Fear gripped her heart as she watched him struggle to keep his breathing steady. "It's not going to last much longer, is it, Okita?" she whispered.
"What isn't?"
"Everything. The government we've been fighting for, our causes, the Shinsengumi's down to only forty some odd members now. Your health is going quickly, Okita. Everyone can see it. I think most have figured it out. I know Saitou knows. He just won't ask because he doesn't WANT to believe it."
"Stop it, Sei," Okita managed roughly. "Please."
Sei collapsed to the floor in a fit of tears. "It's all going to end. I didn't even get revenge. What am I going to do without you, Okita?"
Okita pushed himself away from the wall and over toward the weeping girl. "Daijoubu, Sei-chan. Everything's going to be all right."
"It's not! Don't lie!"
Okita stopped for a moment. "No, you're right. Everything's not going to be all right. I'm going to die. Many others are going to die. Wives and children will be left to fend for themselves and this country may have to go to hell and back to get what the people really want, but isn't that what we've been fighting for? The people? Does any of it matter if they're happy? What does one man's death from consumption matter to all of them who we've been defending?"
Sei sat shocked for a moment. "I'll care! I'll miss you! I don't want to live with out you, Okita!"
He cupped her face. "You're going to have to someday, Sei-chan. That day's approached faster than either of us would like. Promise me you won't cry?"
"I can't. I'll miss you too much, Souji."
Okita stared for a moment and then stood. This was it. It was time to leave. He'd put people like Sei and others that were close to him in jeopardy for far too long all ready.
"You'll leave then?" she whispered.
"Kondou-san said when the time came that he would let me go to a hospital. When it became too much. Hajikata said it wasn't running away. I still can't see that, but that's what he said."
"Then.. I'll come with you."
"No. You have a chance out here. You won't there."
"Then what about you?!"
"I don't have a chance wherever I am!"
Sei stared. She'd never heard the elder swordsman speak so negatively about the future, or lack there of that he had. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," he answered, equally as quiet. "That's why I want you safe." That said, he turned and left the room and a crying Sei.
Saitou Hajime stood outside the paper walls. "She's been loyal to you these years."
Okita's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"Of course. I also know that you're dying of consumption, my friend, and have been for a long time."
Okita nodded. "I should have told you, but."
"Don't bother apologizing for what you're not sorry for."
"All right."
The two men stood in silence a moment. "Will you take care of her?"
"Yes," the golden eyed Mibiro said.
"Arigatou."
"Doutashimashte."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3 Months Later in the TB Hospital of Edo
Okita Souji coughed violently into his cupped hands and he felt the nurse place a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. He pulled his pale hands away and wiped the blood from his lips. "Is there any news today?"
The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry, Okita-san, demo."
It was the same every day that he asked. Okita simply smiled. "Arigatou."
She smiled back and stood. "There is a new nurse in today, though. She was asking for you."
"Excuse me?"
"Her name is Sei."
Okita's eyes widened. "She's an old. friend."
"Ah," the nurse responded. "I'll show her in if you'd like."
"Yes please."
The young woman walked out and returned with the young swordswoman who was dressed in a nurse's outfit. Her eyes were dimmer than they had been, obviously for seeing too much bloodshed on the battlefield. Her hair on the top of her head had grown back and she looked much more feminine. "I had to see you again," she whispered.
"Sei-chan." Okita stood on shaky legs and she ran to him. He embraced her and allowed her to cry into his shoulder. "Tell me what you know, Sei-chan, please? They won't tell me a thing here! How is Kondou- san? Hajikata-san? Saitou-san? Everyone?"
"Have you not heard?" she whispered.
"Eh?"
"Kondou was beheaded over a month ago."
Okita's eyes grew wide and he paled more, if possible. "No. No, it can't be true. I can't." A coughing fit wracked his body and he fell to his knees. Several nurses ran in and began screaming orders to one another.
Sei stood back in shock. "Is he all right?!"
The nurse shook her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry dear." she whispered.
Sei broke down as she fell to the floor, sobbing. She clung tightly to Okita's still form and her tears fell against his pale face. "I'll miss you," she whispered.
A/N: Two things to be addressed: 1st: I suppose I need to explain the drinking comment. *sheepish smile * Things that make sense in my mind may not always make sense in someone else's, I suppose... Saitou Hajime was a heavy drinker through his days in the Shinsengumi. He was ordering yet another round of sake (after they had been there a while) while telling Okita and Sei that he had "posed" as a drunk while undercover. He was known to get quite drunk. I found it funny.. I'm easily amused though, according to my math teacher.. _ I was freaking out about some dresses that looked like the Elegant Gothic Lolita style and she thought that was funny.. @_@ Oh well.. Second: I'm skipping over an section of history. *hides * gomen! I'm actually trying to wrap this up and I just don't know enough about the incident since I've only read about it on one site. I will refer to it and here is the site () if you'd like to go check it out. Domo ^^
Sei stared out the window dejectedly. "We're down to so few." she whispered.
"The last battles have been hard on everyone," Okita answered softly from his place leaning against the wall.
Sei turned dark eyes toward him. He'd been so weak lately. The fact that he'd been forced to show it told her that things were getting much worse very quickly. Fear gripped her heart as she watched him struggle to keep his breathing steady. "It's not going to last much longer, is it, Okita?" she whispered.
"What isn't?"
"Everything. The government we've been fighting for, our causes, the Shinsengumi's down to only forty some odd members now. Your health is going quickly, Okita. Everyone can see it. I think most have figured it out. I know Saitou knows. He just won't ask because he doesn't WANT to believe it."
"Stop it, Sei," Okita managed roughly. "Please."
Sei collapsed to the floor in a fit of tears. "It's all going to end. I didn't even get revenge. What am I going to do without you, Okita?"
Okita pushed himself away from the wall and over toward the weeping girl. "Daijoubu, Sei-chan. Everything's going to be all right."
"It's not! Don't lie!"
Okita stopped for a moment. "No, you're right. Everything's not going to be all right. I'm going to die. Many others are going to die. Wives and children will be left to fend for themselves and this country may have to go to hell and back to get what the people really want, but isn't that what we've been fighting for? The people? Does any of it matter if they're happy? What does one man's death from consumption matter to all of them who we've been defending?"
Sei sat shocked for a moment. "I'll care! I'll miss you! I don't want to live with out you, Okita!"
He cupped her face. "You're going to have to someday, Sei-chan. That day's approached faster than either of us would like. Promise me you won't cry?"
"I can't. I'll miss you too much, Souji."
Okita stared for a moment and then stood. This was it. It was time to leave. He'd put people like Sei and others that were close to him in jeopardy for far too long all ready.
"You'll leave then?" she whispered.
"Kondou-san said when the time came that he would let me go to a hospital. When it became too much. Hajikata said it wasn't running away. I still can't see that, but that's what he said."
"Then.. I'll come with you."
"No. You have a chance out here. You won't there."
"Then what about you?!"
"I don't have a chance wherever I am!"
Sei stared. She'd never heard the elder swordsman speak so negatively about the future, or lack there of that he had. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," he answered, equally as quiet. "That's why I want you safe." That said, he turned and left the room and a crying Sei.
Saitou Hajime stood outside the paper walls. "She's been loyal to you these years."
Okita's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"Of course. I also know that you're dying of consumption, my friend, and have been for a long time."
Okita nodded. "I should have told you, but."
"Don't bother apologizing for what you're not sorry for."
"All right."
The two men stood in silence a moment. "Will you take care of her?"
"Yes," the golden eyed Mibiro said.
"Arigatou."
"Doutashimashte."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3 Months Later in the TB Hospital of Edo
Okita Souji coughed violently into his cupped hands and he felt the nurse place a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. He pulled his pale hands away and wiped the blood from his lips. "Is there any news today?"
The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry, Okita-san, demo."
It was the same every day that he asked. Okita simply smiled. "Arigatou."
She smiled back and stood. "There is a new nurse in today, though. She was asking for you."
"Excuse me?"
"Her name is Sei."
Okita's eyes widened. "She's an old. friend."
"Ah," the nurse responded. "I'll show her in if you'd like."
"Yes please."
The young woman walked out and returned with the young swordswoman who was dressed in a nurse's outfit. Her eyes were dimmer than they had been, obviously for seeing too much bloodshed on the battlefield. Her hair on the top of her head had grown back and she looked much more feminine. "I had to see you again," she whispered.
"Sei-chan." Okita stood on shaky legs and she ran to him. He embraced her and allowed her to cry into his shoulder. "Tell me what you know, Sei-chan, please? They won't tell me a thing here! How is Kondou- san? Hajikata-san? Saitou-san? Everyone?"
"Have you not heard?" she whispered.
"Eh?"
"Kondou was beheaded over a month ago."
Okita's eyes grew wide and he paled more, if possible. "No. No, it can't be true. I can't." A coughing fit wracked his body and he fell to his knees. Several nurses ran in and began screaming orders to one another.
Sei stood back in shock. "Is he all right?!"
The nurse shook her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry dear." she whispered.
Sei broke down as she fell to the floor, sobbing. She clung tightly to Okita's still form and her tears fell against his pale face. "I'll miss you," she whispered.