Hello everyone!
I suppose almost everyone has heard a Japanese person speaking in fluent English (not affected English, like Owari Kai from Shin Hakkenden does). It has a distinct accent and way to it that tells you where the speaker comes from. That's the effect I'm driving at in this chapter. ^^ For some reason, people in my country can learn to assimilate foreign accents and manners of speaking fairly well.
Everything in italics is supposed to be English. Everything else is supposed to be Nihonggo. ^^
………………………………
The okashira of a few months listened to the okashira of a few years, as if life depended on it. She had no idea if Okina even reminded the present okashira of who took over in his momentary absence. Either out of familiarity or out of love, neither man took her very seriously, and always made sure that she was safe from danger. Did they not remember, that she had capably traveled the expanse of Japan, alone, at 15 and 16, to find Aoshi? That she stood up as a leader—and was respected as such?
Maybe this was jealousy on his part, and this was his way of showing it. But why was he taking it out on HER? It was not fair to her, it was not fair to him, his white-haired---rival? She had done nothing wrong; she only became a friend to someone who needed her. He had done nothing wrong either—at least, not by his word and not by her knowledge.
She would show him. He was wrong, he was dead wrong about him, and she would prove it.
She had the okashira's word that the police would not mobilize earlier than midnight. By reports, the exchange would occur then. The Oniwabanshuu would be in place by 10 o'clock, and begin surveillance. The members assigned to the factory and the mansion would be in place at 9 o'clock. Misao had a gap of three hours to work with.
Misao lost no time, and ran to the factory, as fast as her legs could take her. Before anyone else could mobilize, she had to warn her friend about his impending arrest.
Upon reaching the huge building, she waited for no courtesies, forcefully opened the main door, and headed straight for the general manager's office. She did not wait to be showed in by the secretary, and quickly opened the door.
Fortunately the manager was alone at that moment, reading an American newspaper from behind the desk. Misao locked the door behind her and presented herself in front of the desk.
"Good afternoon, Makimachi!" he greeted in lightly accented English, from behind the newspaper. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked easily with a smile.
If not for the obviously Japanese and Chinese touch in the speech, the man could be mistaken for a foreigner. He was tall enough, a few inches under six feet, and he wore contemporary Western business clothes, from the smart tie to the polished leather pumps.
"Enishi-san, the police are going to arrest you! For illegal weapons trade!" Misao hastily announced in a whisper.
"Yes, I know," he answered without lowering the newspaper.
"They have the Oniwabanshuu's assistance on this, and they'll have all the exit points covered!" she continued.
"I would expect that," he replied nonchalantly. "I met you a few hours ago."
Misao however, could not make out any of his words, and scratched her head. "Enishi-san, listen to me! They plan to arrest you……….tonight."
He fell silent for half a minute. Then he folded the newspaper with full compsure. "Tonight? Really? So soon………….Could you please ask them to wait a week? I do not have all the documents ready yet." The manager had not lost any of his calm, and was making this entreaty in the most businesslike air.
Misao, on the other hand, was utterly confused. "Wakarimasen, Enishi-san."
"What do you mean, you do not understand?"
"Atashi wa Eigo ga wakarimasen!!" Misao protested.
"You do not understand English? But I have been talking to you in……English?…….Oh………." he ran his hands through his snowy head, and laughed at himself. He then continued in his native language, "Shitsurei shimashita, Misao. I got carried away by the newspaper. I suppose I was more worried than I thought, and more worried than I wanted to show you."
"That makes two of us," Misao nervously replied with a grin. "What were you trying to tell me a while ago?"
"I would have been ready for those bastards, a week from now," he began to pace the room. "All my papers and documents would have arrived here by then. Nobody would have anything to show against me, because the documents would prove me innocent. I know about the weapons exchange tonight. Someone from inside the factory is the mastermind, but I don't know who. I have tried everything to stop it, but it seems this person knows what I've been doing, and circumvented my obstacles."
"So you have sent people out to get your documents?"
"Yes, but a report came that one of them has been killed by a gang, on the way to Tokyo," he stared out the window of his office. "That makes the wait longer." He paused again, and looked at her with a very odd smile. "Do you realize, Misao, that this is the first time I have showed someone else my anxiety about anything? If I did this kind of thing back in Shanghai……….well, I will not be here talking to you."
Misao could not believe that the succeeding words came out of her mouth. "Um, anything I could do to help?"
Have you flipped, Misao? She mentally reprimanded herself. You chose gray---stay there! Just give him enough warning and enough time to escape somewhere! And leave! Take your post where Aoshi-sama wants you!
Enishi continued to stare out the window at the setting sun, thinking about his options dwindling as the sun disappeared. He had one card left. He drew it.
"Could you possibly go to Tokyo, tonight, on the train? By my calculations, if you get to Tokyo tomorrow, and get the documents, you will be back here in a week."
Tokyo? Well, at least Tokyo was nearer…….it was still in her country………….it was half-familiar territory………and she figured she could get to Tokyo alone, without Aoshi-sama………and it WAS a mission, wasn't it? It could clear her friend, and hopefully get him in good terms with the okashira again………..And she wanted nothing better than to make friends out of the two gentlemen in her life. It was a good offer.
"But what about………….Aoshi-sama?" she faltered.
He looked at her from the window with sinister eyes. He returned to the desk, and pounded it in desperate anger. He showed her his blazing blue-gray eyes. Misao could have sworn she saw the beginnings of the dreaded nerves of insanity.
"I have other informants, then and now. I never paid attention to you then, but I have kept tabs on all eight of you. And I know how he has been treating you. Does he take you for who you really are? Does he see what I see? Does he know what I know? Does he see beyond a little girl he grew up with………..does he appreciate the little girl he taught……..who grew up into the indomitable woman I see? Well?"
She bowed her head.
"Does he love you?"
"I don't know."
"My point exactly," he ended in English.
He sat down, took out his glasses from a pocket and cocked them over his eyes. "I love you……….when will you accept that……..accept ME?"
"Nani?"
However, Misao thought she understood three words……….and blushed profusely.
He brushed his words aside. "Nothing, nothing." He stepped to where Misao sat, and took up her hand. "I have nothing much to offer, Misao. Money, power…….I know that isn't much to you. But, I have always been a man of my word. Trust me, please."
There was no time to think, and there was no turning back.
Misao agreed, with a single nod of the head.
He went to his safe, hidden behind a painting, and retrieved a set of papers, written half in Chinese and half in Japanese.
"In one of the papers is a map to my private island----you know the one, I'm sure. There are directions to the island in another paper. Another one has the layout of the resthouse at the peak of the island. It has directions on where to get the documents I am looking for."
"So this is the duplicate of the one you gave the man who got killed…….."
"No, the ones he carried were the duplicates, and not all the information in them is correct. These papers I am giving you are the only ones I have left. I am giving them to you, because I know I can trust you, and I know you can get back here in time."
"But who do I give them to?"
He enumerated a few key people that he knew in Tokyo…………none of which Misao was remotely acquainted with. The Oni was familiar with government officials, powerful businessmen, rich politicians. Shady characters for the most part did not move in the same world as Aoshi did.
"I have no choice, then," he concluded with a sigh. "I never thought the time would come………but it has………………." Another long pause, then he handed the papers to her. "Give them to Battousai……no, I mean, Himura."
"Himura?" Misao could not believe it either. "We DO know the same Himura, right? Small, redhaired guy---what am I saying, yes, we do know the same little guy---But are you sure?"
"Yes," he assured her, as his face expressed problematic hope and confused insecurity. "I understand he is still connected informally with the police, so he would have contacts there, but would not have to make them involved in my case. Tell him the situation, and get his help. Tell him there is no motive behind it. If he chooses not to help his brother-in-law, he has nothing to fear from me. However, if that happens, find, in any way you can, the other people I mentioned.."
From the safe, he also took out a small box, and opened it before her. Inside the box was a beautiful gold ring, simple, not very large, but elegant like the owner. The center did not hold a stone, but a small yin-yang symbol, made out of a white and a black pearl.
He directed her attention to a small mechanism, similar to those found in pocket watches, at one side of the circle. It partially loosened the circle from the ring. He inverted the circle, and revealed a raised character inscribed in reverse. His complicated name character. He then replaced the circle into the holder, and eyed the ring thoughtfully.
"I used this ring to seal documents years ago," he explained. "With this, the leaders were assured that they were dealing with me personally. This is the only thing I kept with me from those days." He held her hand again, and slowly slipped the ring into her finger. "I'm giving it to you, for your protection. And to remind you of me."
He was serious, deadly serious, about risking a huge enterprise, not to mention his life and freedom, into her hands. This was even scarier than having to singlehandedly---deliver him to the police.
"I can't do this, Enishi-san," she pleaded. "Too much is at stake, just to give it to me………"
"I believe in you, Misao," he convinced. "You are only the second person I have fully trusted and believed, the first being my sister. I believe in what you can do."
If only Aoshi-sama believed in me as much as you do, Misao mused.
But she returned to practicalities. "What about clothes? I can't go back to the Aioya now………….they'll be mobilizing in one or two hours."
He pointed to a far corner of the office. The two trunks from the night of the sakura festival were stacked, one on top of the other. He spoke with confidence again. "I will not bother to explain why they are there. Get as many clothes as you need. It's a complete wardrobe, I can assure you. None of that uniform of yours, though. A lot of those absurd petticoats you women wear." He directed her attention to an adjacent dressing room and nodded.
Misao took a deep breath, opened the trunk, took out the green traveling frock from the top of it as well as a few underthings, and resolutely marched toward the dressing room. She had observed women who wore these kind of things, so while she had some trouble, she got every important piece in the proper place, in the record time of fifteen minutes. She did not forget that time was still running out on her rather generous friend.
As she appeared before him again, he chucked in admiration. She looked even better than he imagined at her first try. He rebuttoned the blouse from the back and ruffled the petticoat somewhat. He then topped the ensemble with a matching green hat with a few flowers decorating the side.
She gave the impression of a well-travelled woman of nobility, her long braid completing the picture. She seemed like one of Manet's portraits, come to life, to grace Enishi's lonely abode.
"Perfect! You are a sight to behold, and you will buy us a little more time," he praised. "And, you dress a lot faster than most women I know."
Misao sweatdropped at the slight jab on her less than womanly ways.
"Now, there is a carriage at back. TRY to walk there as……..well………..as ladylike as you can…………and tell the driver to take you to the train station. Tell him I said so."
As a final touch, he took from the trunk the purse that accompanied the dress. He filled it with some paper bills and coins, and handed it to her along with the documents. "The money should be enough for the train tickets and some expenses. I suggest you keep the papers in your dress, and not in the purse, just in case the purse gets stolen."
Misao was astounded. Less than an hour ago, he had lost all hope. Now, he was again completely in control of the situation. Surely, it was this leadership that made Yukishiro Enishi possibly the youngest mafia boss in recent history, and currently one of the youngest businessmen in Japan.
She had one final question before this new operation took effect. "Enishi-san………….aren't you coming with me? I am giving you the perfect chance to escape. Take it!"
He continued to gaze upon the beauty, partly his creation, and held her cheek lovingly. He said with a sad smile. "No, I am staying. I will see this case to the end. I have no reason to run. I remember what a certain young lady said to me. A gentleman does not run away from his problems. A gentleman faces them with an honorable mind and a brave heart. A gentleman does not force a situation to run his way. A gentleman uses each situation that comes his way to his best advantage."
She recognized her words with some embarrassment, but admired the courage he showed her. As she had seen the foreign ladies do, she spread out her skirt as she bowed, giving her version of a curtsy. "It will be a pleasure to serve a gentleman such as yourself, Yukishiro-san," she said with a happy smile.
"To reiterate your mission, my dear lady," he summarized, "Take my carriage and get to the train station as quickly as possible. Get into the train to Tokyo. Find Himura, and get his help. If you run into any trouble, use the ring to your advantage. Get to the island and retrieve my papers, then come back here. We will prove to them then what they refuse to believe."
"Understood."
"Take care, and do your best, Misao. I believe in you. Now go."
Misao hobbled to the office door and unlocked it.
"Ah………anou, Misao………."
"Hai?"
"Aishiteiru."
She looked behind her, at the handsome young man smiling quietly.
She did not know a lot of English, but this much she knew.
"I……..love………you."
As the carriage clattered away, two men hid in the shadows and watched it disappear.
"The boss' new woman," one of them remarked. "The one who actually got his attention."
The other nodded.
"She is one of the reasons why he has stayed out of the 'business' for so long. We're about to change that. We're going to get the boss back."
"Very good, sir," the listener commented.
"Wire Tokyo," the man ordered. "Be on the lookout for a woman wearing green Western clothes."
"Yes, sir."
"She is to be………..eliminated."
"Yes, sir."
…………………..
To settle any questions here and now………no, it's not Heishin. ^^
Aishiteiru—As a verb, the act of loving, present progressive form. Never mind…….the usual translation as "I love you" is right.
Nani—what?
Shitsurei shimashita—Forgive my rudeness; I apologize
The ones early in the chapter have direct translations in the text.
On to reviews:
Midori—thanks for reviewing Passenger Seat! I sure hope you still get to see this reply here!
Sabbie—In reply concerning Aoshi……….I'm singing again: "He's a brick, and I'm drowning slowly………Off the coast and I'm heading nowhere……….." ^^ As for the Vandread fic……update maybe next week. My brain can't process for Bart Garsus just yet. ^_^
Firuze-nee-san—Thanks again for putting into words what I only know in my subconscious. Yes, you got it, about Enishi possibly taking Misao who-in-the-world-knows-where, that's why I put in that last statement at the end of chap 7. We do have to remember though that Okina knows Enishi only by reports, not personally, and he gets reports only from Aoshi or Misao. So if his viewpoint is still a bit twisted…….Aoshi is to blame? ^^ You have the whole 28-volume RK canon, right? To know Aoshi that well, too. I only have the Jinchuu arc and the end of the Kyoto arc, and the rest I only have the anime to go by.
Ro-chan—Get it on?! Um, I can't write like that, sorry. ^^ ;; Thanks for liking the chap!
CardMistressSakura—Ok, please stop crying………..I can't believe you're still reading this! Thanks for the support all the same!
BittersweetKandy—Thanks for the support! Enishi IS cool, when you get out of the stereotypical thinking and really understand him!
Chitchat—Thanks for liking that last chap. Essentially, though, the "black" part is really for Misao, and not Aoshi. ^^
Tiian—By now you know that Misao has left straddling the fence. ^^
Tesuka-chan—I suppose nobody can stay in the gray for long, ne?
See you all again!