Guy's Night Out
Chapter 15
(AN: I'm having a really crappy day, gentle readers, so bear with me. I hope this is coherent. Maybe Aoshi-sama's arrival will calm me down, ne? It seems to work for Misao when she's freaking out. I know that Aoshi-sama isn't funny, but he makes a good straight man.)
Sano and Kenshin arrived at the dojo not long after their unexpected encounter with Shinomura Aoshi. As they opened the gate, Kenshin discerned the barely discernible outline of the former omnitsu leader waiting for them on the front porch.
"How'd he beat us here?" wondered Sano aloud.
"I haven't a clue, that I do not," answered Kenshin.
They approached in silence, and Kenshin wordlessly beckoned their guest inside, so as not to awake the household.
After removing their shoes and accouterments, they sat facing each other in the guest area.
"So," said Kenshin, spoke first, "You are involved in this as well. I see the hand of Saitou reaches further than I expected. Or should I say, Inspector Fujita Gorou."
"He asked me five days ago in Kyoto to assist you," Aoshi stated. There was no indication upon his impassively handsome face as to what he felt about this request.
"In the simple matter of following a Yakuza errand boy to his destination?" Kenshin asked in a politely disbelieving tone.
"No."
"Aoshi at his most monosyllabic," thought Kenshin, slightly irritated.
"Whaddya mean, 'No'?" blurted Sano. "What kind of no answer is that?"
"I mean, it is not a simple matter, not anymore," Aoshi said.
"How has it become complicated?" asked Kenshin, feeling as though extracting the man's teeth one by one with chopsticks would be easier. He realized that Aoshi had been trained to thoroughly resist interrogation since childhood, but this was ridiculous! He was not the enemy, at least, not anymore, he sincerely hoped.
"It became complicated when I discovered that Kageboushi is responsible for the deaths of three of the Oniwaban group in Yokohama," the stony man said quietly.
"I see," said Kenshin, slowly.
"I'll make tea," he said, getting up to relieve the sudden tension in the room.
"Chikuso!" said Sano quietly, finding a quicker route to tension relief in swearing.
"Saitou-san suggested that I become personally involved in settling the matter," said Aoshi.
"Maa, a whole damned sentence actually volunteered. Will wonders never cease?" Sano said with heavy sarcasm.
Aoshi's only response was one barely lifted eyebrow from under his long bangs. He stared coolly and levelly at Sano, which had the desired effect of prohibiting further comment.
Fortunately, Kenshin soon arrived with tea and cakes before the staring contest turned into something else, at least on Sano's part.
(AN: I don't know about nowadays, but its traditionally terrible manners to not offer a guest at least tea and a nosh, regardless of why they're there, so the middle of the night isn't an odd time to have tea, there is no 'odd' time for good manners.)
"Origato gozaimasu," Aoshi said formally, accepting the cup from Kenshin that he had carefully poured.
"I know you only drink green tea, Shimomura-san" said Kenshin, equally polite.
"That explains a lot," commented Sano dryly.
Aoshi, as usual, ignored him and sipped the pleasantly bitter drink in silence.
Kenshin knew there'd be no pushing the ninja until he was ready, so he also focused on the soothing effect of the beverage and gathered his thoughts.
Sanosuke distracted himself with sponge cake. (AN: Also one of my favorite forms of TM: Twinkie Meditation. ()
Three cups of tea later, Aoshi was apparently lubricated enough to speak.
"I've been collecting information for the Kyoto police in the matter of the opium trade between Tokyo and Yokohama for the past six months." Aoshi continued.
"Yokohama is where much of the outsider smuggling operations are located, nearly everyone knows that," Commented Sano.
"Everyone that used to be associated with the Yakuza," commented Aoshi dryly.
"Or former ninja assassins for the Shogun," Sanosuke retorted.
"One point for Sano," thought Kenshin, grinning faintly behind his teacup.
"To continue," said Aoshi, clearing his throat softly for attention, "three and a half weeks ago, I received word that three of my best men in Yokohama had been murdered by the Yakuza. The name 'Kageboushi' came up in the course of my interrogation of one of the men I discovered was responsible."
Sanosuke gulped a little tea to cure his suddenly dry mouth. He had little doubt what the "interrogation" had entailed. Sometimes, he thought, having a vivid imagination could be a curse.
"You turned him over to the police, I hope, Shinomura-san" said Kenshin, frowning. "Why, so Saitou could introduce the murdering bastard to his philosophy of "Aku, Soku, Zan"?
Aoshi raised his eyebrows questioningly at Kenshin, daring him to protest again.
Kenshin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I recall once asking you not to kill any more than necessary."
"It was necessary," said Aoshi in a cold steely voice.
Kenshin knew that Aoshi's strict code of honor could not abide a murderer of his Oniwaban brethren escaping his grasp once caught. He had no arguments against that would seem in the least reasonable to Shinomura Aoshi.
"If the Yakuza has bought themselves dirty cops in Yokohama and Kyoto too," said Sanosuke, "then handing the man over to the cops is a death sentence anyway."
"So, the rusty wheels do grind occasionally," said Aoshi with faint sarcasm.
"Not all of my thinking originates below the waist, Shinomura," shot back Sano.
"Ah, you anticipated my next thought, Sagara, there may be hope for you yet." Aoshi countered in his deep monotone.
Kenshin held up a hand. "Enough. We need to discuss our next course of action."
"For the two of you, there is no more 'action' to take."
"This is now my concern," said the former Oniwaban ninja leader, rising in a smooth motion from his half lotus position on the tatami matting.
"Very well, Shinomura, my involvement is this matter is finished. I'll give you the location of the home that the police officer's contact went into."
"I already know it," Aoshi told him.
"Well, then, it seems that our involvement was unnecessary from the beginning."
"No," said Aoshi, "your involvement ensured my own efforts would go completely undetected. You and Sagara may be warriors in your own right, but as spies you could be bested by my most inexperienced omnitsu."
"So, we were decoys," said Sano, beginning to look pissed off.
"Aa."
"I feel so used," said Sano.
"
Chapter 15
(AN: I'm having a really crappy day, gentle readers, so bear with me. I hope this is coherent. Maybe Aoshi-sama's arrival will calm me down, ne? It seems to work for Misao when she's freaking out. I know that Aoshi-sama isn't funny, but he makes a good straight man.)
Sano and Kenshin arrived at the dojo not long after their unexpected encounter with Shinomura Aoshi. As they opened the gate, Kenshin discerned the barely discernible outline of the former omnitsu leader waiting for them on the front porch.
"How'd he beat us here?" wondered Sano aloud.
"I haven't a clue, that I do not," answered Kenshin.
They approached in silence, and Kenshin wordlessly beckoned their guest inside, so as not to awake the household.
After removing their shoes and accouterments, they sat facing each other in the guest area.
"So," said Kenshin, spoke first, "You are involved in this as well. I see the hand of Saitou reaches further than I expected. Or should I say, Inspector Fujita Gorou."
"He asked me five days ago in Kyoto to assist you," Aoshi stated. There was no indication upon his impassively handsome face as to what he felt about this request.
"In the simple matter of following a Yakuza errand boy to his destination?" Kenshin asked in a politely disbelieving tone.
"No."
"Aoshi at his most monosyllabic," thought Kenshin, slightly irritated.
"Whaddya mean, 'No'?" blurted Sano. "What kind of no answer is that?"
"I mean, it is not a simple matter, not anymore," Aoshi said.
"How has it become complicated?" asked Kenshin, feeling as though extracting the man's teeth one by one with chopsticks would be easier. He realized that Aoshi had been trained to thoroughly resist interrogation since childhood, but this was ridiculous! He was not the enemy, at least, not anymore, he sincerely hoped.
"It became complicated when I discovered that Kageboushi is responsible for the deaths of three of the Oniwaban group in Yokohama," the stony man said quietly.
"I see," said Kenshin, slowly.
"I'll make tea," he said, getting up to relieve the sudden tension in the room.
"Chikuso!" said Sano quietly, finding a quicker route to tension relief in swearing.
"Saitou-san suggested that I become personally involved in settling the matter," said Aoshi.
"Maa, a whole damned sentence actually volunteered. Will wonders never cease?" Sano said with heavy sarcasm.
Aoshi's only response was one barely lifted eyebrow from under his long bangs. He stared coolly and levelly at Sano, which had the desired effect of prohibiting further comment.
Fortunately, Kenshin soon arrived with tea and cakes before the staring contest turned into something else, at least on Sano's part.
(AN: I don't know about nowadays, but its traditionally terrible manners to not offer a guest at least tea and a nosh, regardless of why they're there, so the middle of the night isn't an odd time to have tea, there is no 'odd' time for good manners.)
"Origato gozaimasu," Aoshi said formally, accepting the cup from Kenshin that he had carefully poured.
"I know you only drink green tea, Shimomura-san" said Kenshin, equally polite.
"That explains a lot," commented Sano dryly.
Aoshi, as usual, ignored him and sipped the pleasantly bitter drink in silence.
Kenshin knew there'd be no pushing the ninja until he was ready, so he also focused on the soothing effect of the beverage and gathered his thoughts.
Sanosuke distracted himself with sponge cake. (AN: Also one of my favorite forms of TM: Twinkie Meditation. ()
Three cups of tea later, Aoshi was apparently lubricated enough to speak.
"I've been collecting information for the Kyoto police in the matter of the opium trade between Tokyo and Yokohama for the past six months." Aoshi continued.
"Yokohama is where much of the outsider smuggling operations are located, nearly everyone knows that," Commented Sano.
"Everyone that used to be associated with the Yakuza," commented Aoshi dryly.
"Or former ninja assassins for the Shogun," Sanosuke retorted.
"One point for Sano," thought Kenshin, grinning faintly behind his teacup.
"To continue," said Aoshi, clearing his throat softly for attention, "three and a half weeks ago, I received word that three of my best men in Yokohama had been murdered by the Yakuza. The name 'Kageboushi' came up in the course of my interrogation of one of the men I discovered was responsible."
Sanosuke gulped a little tea to cure his suddenly dry mouth. He had little doubt what the "interrogation" had entailed. Sometimes, he thought, having a vivid imagination could be a curse.
"You turned him over to the police, I hope, Shinomura-san" said Kenshin, frowning. "Why, so Saitou could introduce the murdering bastard to his philosophy of "Aku, Soku, Zan"?
Aoshi raised his eyebrows questioningly at Kenshin, daring him to protest again.
Kenshin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I recall once asking you not to kill any more than necessary."
"It was necessary," said Aoshi in a cold steely voice.
Kenshin knew that Aoshi's strict code of honor could not abide a murderer of his Oniwaban brethren escaping his grasp once caught. He had no arguments against that would seem in the least reasonable to Shinomura Aoshi.
"If the Yakuza has bought themselves dirty cops in Yokohama and Kyoto too," said Sanosuke, "then handing the man over to the cops is a death sentence anyway."
"So, the rusty wheels do grind occasionally," said Aoshi with faint sarcasm.
"Not all of my thinking originates below the waist, Shinomura," shot back Sano.
"Ah, you anticipated my next thought, Sagara, there may be hope for you yet." Aoshi countered in his deep monotone.
Kenshin held up a hand. "Enough. We need to discuss our next course of action."
"For the two of you, there is no more 'action' to take."
"This is now my concern," said the former Oniwaban ninja leader, rising in a smooth motion from his half lotus position on the tatami matting.
"Very well, Shinomura, my involvement is this matter is finished. I'll give you the location of the home that the police officer's contact went into."
"I already know it," Aoshi told him.
"Well, then, it seems that our involvement was unnecessary from the beginning."
"No," said Aoshi, "your involvement ensured my own efforts would go completely undetected. You and Sagara may be warriors in your own right, but as spies you could be bested by my most inexperienced omnitsu."
"So, we were decoys," said Sano, beginning to look pissed off.
"Aa."
"I feel so used," said Sano.
"
