* * * * * *
The Hitokiri's Return
* * *
Okita Souji sat on the courtyard steps. He watched as the last of the candles inside the living quarters were blown out. "No," he whispered to himself as he felt something well up in his chest again. Okita began another series of quiet, hacking coughs.
A young woman holding a tray appeared in the courtyard. She walked up to the coughing Okita, her steady hands quickly setting down the tray on the steps beside him. Okita looked down. A teapot and teacup were placed on the tray. The girl bowed benignly and began walking away.
Okita managed to stop coughing. "You're up late tonight, Reiji-san," he called to her dark figure.
Reiji turned her head. "Iyoko wasn't feeling well this evening, so I finished her chores," she told him.
"Being the leader of the serving girls isn't easy, is it?" Okita smiled at her.
Reiji turned to face him, smiling softly. "I doubt the Shinsengumi first captain would have it any easier."
"No, I suppose not," Okita chuckled quietly.
Reiji thought he seemed on edge. "What's wrong?" she gently asked.
Okita looked up at her, surprised at her bluntness. He paused. "It might not mean anything, but Iyabe-san and Naruda-san are late. I sent out three men to find them, but now they haven't returned, either," Okita answered simply.
"There are many who stay out late, the least of them the late-night patrol." Okita nodded at her statement. Reiji gave a smile. "Maybe they found them at a brothel."
Okita looked into the distance and shook his head. "No, they should report back." Okita paused. "Saitoh-san thinks that..." Reiji looked at Okita questioningly. "No, it doesn't matter."
Reiji was about to question further, but a tall man walked into the courtyard. "Okita-kun is correct," he said. "Speculation will lead nowhere." Reiji looked up at the confident and slightly intimidating, man. She gave the third captain of the Shinsengumi a small bow. "You're still awake," he stated simply.
Reiji hesitated, but spoke quietly, "I heard Okita-san coughing, so I made some herbal tea while in the kitchen."
Okita picked up the teacup and sipped. "It's good. Domo," he stated.
Saitoh did not respond, but looked up at the night sky. He narrowed his eyes. "It's a dark night when black clouds block stars."
"Sometimes I wonder," Reiji whispered. The two men turned to her. She said more loudly, "I wonder if the clouds are really blocking the stars, or if the stars refuse to come out from behind them."
Saitoh looked hard at Reiji, and then decided, "It's late. You should get to bed before some men get any unwelcome ideas."
"Hai," Reiji replied. "Excuse me," she said, bowed once more, and left the courtyard.
"Interesting," Okita simply said after she left.
Saitoh only replied, "There is no reason to stay awake all night to wait for the men. We might as well have gone ourselves."
"I wonder if that is what we should have done," Okita sighed.
Saitoh did not respond, but said, "Get a good good night's sleep. We'll all need it to find out what's happening tomorrow morning," and walked away.
"After I finish the tea," Okita waved after him. Holding the teacup, he asked himself quietly, "Where are they?"
* * *
The blade arched toward Hondo's neck.
"We are the protectors of Kyoto!" Hondo heard someone yell.
Hondo's reflexes brought his hand to the hilt of his katana, but the attack was much too sudden. He did not have enough time to draw his sword.
Hondo realized that he could not survive this.
Suddenly, he felt himself violently shoved aside. As Hondo skidded to the ground, he saw that a young man with red hair and a cross scar now stood in his former spot.
Hondo watched as the hitokiri swiftly draw his katana and bring his blade ringing onto the attacker's incoming sword. Then, in a burst a power, the young man forced the opponent's katana aside and thrust his sword in the attacker's chest.
Two more men stood behind the first. They rushed forward to both sides of the hitokiri, their katanas held above their heads, attempting to attack simultaneously on both the left and the right. But the hitokiri was prepared. In a single circular motion, he swiftly swung his katana in a horizontal arc.
They, too, fell.
Hondo slowly stood up, his hand tightly clutching his katana, and gazed at the three bodies that lay in a pool of blood at his feet. Those blue haori's -- they had white triangles on the sleeves.
"Shinsengumi," Hondo whispered. He could not keep his voice from quivering. He then turned to their killer, who was wiping his bloody katana with a few pieces of white paper. "How did you...?"
"I heard their footsteps behind you," the young man quietly stated, sheathing his katana. He sounded distracted. "There might be more of them. Let's go."
Still in shock, Hondo asked unthinkingly, "Didn't you have somewhere to go?"
"These streets are dangerous," the young man said simply. He did not answer the question. When Hondo still did not move, the hitokiri turned and quietly repeated, "Let's go, Hondo-san."
The young man led Hondo quickly down the streets of Kyoto. Hondo watched the hitokiri striding before him. The hitokiri -- this personality confused Hondo.
The infamous Hitokiri Battousai sounded genuinely concerned for the well being of a man whom he had met only moments ago and was leading him to safety. Hondo contemplated to himself as he looked up at the starless night.
Could the cold-blooded assassin have a heart?
But he had watched as the hitokiri strike down three men as if they were dolls. And the line between these men and Hondo was paper thin; they differed only in the organization they had decided to join upon reaching Kyoto.
Hondo shook his head. No. It wasn't possible.
* * *
'Domo' is an informal version of thanks.
I figured anywhere there were lots of guys, there needed to be women to cook and clean, like how Tomoe was hired where Kenshin was staying.
Well, hello again! You can tell that I like short chapters, not only because I am lazy, but also because I'm mostly a fanfic reader, and I hate scrolling down LONG chapters... I lose my place if I want to reread a section.
The Hitokiri's Return
* * *
Okita Souji sat on the courtyard steps. He watched as the last of the candles inside the living quarters were blown out. "No," he whispered to himself as he felt something well up in his chest again. Okita began another series of quiet, hacking coughs.
A young woman holding a tray appeared in the courtyard. She walked up to the coughing Okita, her steady hands quickly setting down the tray on the steps beside him. Okita looked down. A teapot and teacup were placed on the tray. The girl bowed benignly and began walking away.
Okita managed to stop coughing. "You're up late tonight, Reiji-san," he called to her dark figure.
Reiji turned her head. "Iyoko wasn't feeling well this evening, so I finished her chores," she told him.
"Being the leader of the serving girls isn't easy, is it?" Okita smiled at her.
Reiji turned to face him, smiling softly. "I doubt the Shinsengumi first captain would have it any easier."
"No, I suppose not," Okita chuckled quietly.
Reiji thought he seemed on edge. "What's wrong?" she gently asked.
Okita looked up at her, surprised at her bluntness. He paused. "It might not mean anything, but Iyabe-san and Naruda-san are late. I sent out three men to find them, but now they haven't returned, either," Okita answered simply.
"There are many who stay out late, the least of them the late-night patrol." Okita nodded at her statement. Reiji gave a smile. "Maybe they found them at a brothel."
Okita looked into the distance and shook his head. "No, they should report back." Okita paused. "Saitoh-san thinks that..." Reiji looked at Okita questioningly. "No, it doesn't matter."
Reiji was about to question further, but a tall man walked into the courtyard. "Okita-kun is correct," he said. "Speculation will lead nowhere." Reiji looked up at the confident and slightly intimidating, man. She gave the third captain of the Shinsengumi a small bow. "You're still awake," he stated simply.
Reiji hesitated, but spoke quietly, "I heard Okita-san coughing, so I made some herbal tea while in the kitchen."
Okita picked up the teacup and sipped. "It's good. Domo," he stated.
Saitoh did not respond, but looked up at the night sky. He narrowed his eyes. "It's a dark night when black clouds block stars."
"Sometimes I wonder," Reiji whispered. The two men turned to her. She said more loudly, "I wonder if the clouds are really blocking the stars, or if the stars refuse to come out from behind them."
Saitoh looked hard at Reiji, and then decided, "It's late. You should get to bed before some men get any unwelcome ideas."
"Hai," Reiji replied. "Excuse me," she said, bowed once more, and left the courtyard.
"Interesting," Okita simply said after she left.
Saitoh only replied, "There is no reason to stay awake all night to wait for the men. We might as well have gone ourselves."
"I wonder if that is what we should have done," Okita sighed.
Saitoh did not respond, but said, "Get a good good night's sleep. We'll all need it to find out what's happening tomorrow morning," and walked away.
"After I finish the tea," Okita waved after him. Holding the teacup, he asked himself quietly, "Where are they?"
* * *
The blade arched toward Hondo's neck.
"We are the protectors of Kyoto!" Hondo heard someone yell.
Hondo's reflexes brought his hand to the hilt of his katana, but the attack was much too sudden. He did not have enough time to draw his sword.
Hondo realized that he could not survive this.
Suddenly, he felt himself violently shoved aside. As Hondo skidded to the ground, he saw that a young man with red hair and a cross scar now stood in his former spot.
Hondo watched as the hitokiri swiftly draw his katana and bring his blade ringing onto the attacker's incoming sword. Then, in a burst a power, the young man forced the opponent's katana aside and thrust his sword in the attacker's chest.
Two more men stood behind the first. They rushed forward to both sides of the hitokiri, their katanas held above their heads, attempting to attack simultaneously on both the left and the right. But the hitokiri was prepared. In a single circular motion, he swiftly swung his katana in a horizontal arc.
They, too, fell.
Hondo slowly stood up, his hand tightly clutching his katana, and gazed at the three bodies that lay in a pool of blood at his feet. Those blue haori's -- they had white triangles on the sleeves.
"Shinsengumi," Hondo whispered. He could not keep his voice from quivering. He then turned to their killer, who was wiping his bloody katana with a few pieces of white paper. "How did you...?"
"I heard their footsteps behind you," the young man quietly stated, sheathing his katana. He sounded distracted. "There might be more of them. Let's go."
Still in shock, Hondo asked unthinkingly, "Didn't you have somewhere to go?"
"These streets are dangerous," the young man said simply. He did not answer the question. When Hondo still did not move, the hitokiri turned and quietly repeated, "Let's go, Hondo-san."
The young man led Hondo quickly down the streets of Kyoto. Hondo watched the hitokiri striding before him. The hitokiri -- this personality confused Hondo.
The infamous Hitokiri Battousai sounded genuinely concerned for the well being of a man whom he had met only moments ago and was leading him to safety. Hondo contemplated to himself as he looked up at the starless night.
Could the cold-blooded assassin have a heart?
But he had watched as the hitokiri strike down three men as if they were dolls. And the line between these men and Hondo was paper thin; they differed only in the organization they had decided to join upon reaching Kyoto.
Hondo shook his head. No. It wasn't possible.
* * *
'Domo' is an informal version of thanks.
I figured anywhere there were lots of guys, there needed to be women to cook and clean, like how Tomoe was hired where Kenshin was staying.
Well, hello again! You can tell that I like short chapters, not only because I am lazy, but also because I'm mostly a fanfic reader, and I hate scrolling down LONG chapters... I lose my place if I want to reread a section.