* * * * * *
A Possible Spy
* * *
"Even their bones have been broken," Okita Souji whispered.
Three bodies lay on the ground at his feet. They wore the same blue uniform as Okita was wearing.
"Who did this?" Nagakura Shinpachi, second captain of the Shinsengumi asked in a low voice. He, too, was inspecting the bodies.
"Someone quite amazing and skillful," a tall man wearing the same uniform said as he walked onto the street. "The other two men are in the same situation," Saitoh Hajime said as he looked down on the bodies. "Our information was bad. We should have been here ourselves."
"Do you think that the hitokiri was behind this?" Okita quietly asked.
"I am sure of it," the taller man answered confidently.
Okita did not respond, but only gazed at the rising sun in the distance. The black clouds of the night seemed intent on also blocking the light of day.
Or was it because the sun refused to come out?
* * *
The dining hall of the Shinsengumi was unusually quiet that morning.
Iyoko frowned slightly as she served second helpings of rice. Something was wrong... no one spoke a word. Even the usual 'domo' for the bowls of rice sounded strained, or was not heard at all.
Iyoko gazed across the room at Reiji, who was also serving food. Reiji also seemed slightly uncomfortable over the atmosphere. Did something happen?
"Iyoko-san?" Iyoko's attention snapped back to the man sitting before her. "For how long will you be holding that bowl of rice?" he asked, not unkindly.
"Oh," she said quickly, "simon," set down the bowl of rice on his table, and proceeded to the next man. After serving the men, Iyoko and Reiji left the dining hall.
Iyoko looked at Reiji questioningly as they walked away. Reiji hesitated, hating to gossip, but stated, "I heard that something horrible happened to several of the men last night." However, before Iyoko could respond, Reiji quickly said, "I need to hang the laundry. You must wash the dishes. I'll talk to you later," and left in another direction.
Reiji walked to the small courtyard. Standing beside the basket of clothes another girl had washed in the morning, she began to adeptly hang the wet clothes on the clothesline.
She heard a small cough behind her, under the tree the clothesline was tied to. Reiji turned, but immediately relaxed. "Okita-san, shouldn't you be having breakfast?"
"I just wasn't up for a second helping," Okita said distantly. He looked up. "Besides, this tree has beautiful flowers during springtime, doesn't it?"
Reiji nodded, and hung up another kimono. "Did the food taste bad?" Reiji asked after a moment.
"Oh no!" Okita laughed. "I'm just tired. You cooked the soup, right?"
Reiji could not help but smile as she hung up the next kimono. She hesitated, but asked, "Did something happen last night?"
Okita's smile disappeared as he picked up a pink flower on the ground beside him. "Iyabe-san, Naruda-san, Mikage-san, Ojuka-san, Yutegai-san, and Hirasabe-kun have been dead since last night."
Reiji froze and turned to face Okita, a hakama half hung. "All of them... Why?"
Okita sighed, and continued gravely, "Iyabe-san and Naruda-san were supposed to bring back some information about a spy among us, supposedly. When they were late, I sent the other three. They must have found the bodies and tracked down the killer or maybe another Ishin Shishi..." Okita stopped.
Reiji remained looking at Okita, her eyes sad. "A spy... did you receive any reports back?" she asked.
"No. They must have thought they would lose a valuable opportunity to catch an Ishin Shishi if they came back," Okita said, still examining the pink flower. "I shouldn't have sent them... it's my fault."
"No, no, it's not," Reiji quickly supplied.
Okita stood up. "Yes it is," he said, "But I can't change what has already passed. Hirasabe-kun was your age... fifteen, isn't it?"
"How did you know...?"
"Records, background checks," Okita interrupted her, waving the question off. "Just reminds us all of our mortality, doesn't it?"
Though that the warm smile had returned, Reiji thought she saw a hint of sadness in his pleasant expression. But it quickly disappeared as he walked up to her and handed her the flower he was holding.
"No stars last night, and the sun can barely be seen today, but at least there flowers. This one fell early, for some reason. The stem is still on it," Okita spoke quietly, as Reiji looked at the flower in her hand. Then he said lightly, "Rei-san, isn't a new girl arriving today?"
Reiji's eyes widened. "Oh no!" she exclaimed as she flung the half-hung hakama in the basket. "Excuse me," Reiji said and left the courtyard, flower in hand.
Okita watched her leave. Suddenly, he gave a small laugh. "Did I just give her a flower? How dense," and walked away for the late morning patrol.
The Shinsengumi had a spy to uncover.
* * *
I believe 'domo' means thanks, and 'simon' means sorry, both rather informal. (Watching too many fansubs ^_;)
Many people think that Okita should be coughing to death by now, but this is set three years before the beginning of the Meiji Era, and Okita died of tuberculosis in the first year of the Meiji. So his condition still has some time to totally spiral downwards, eh? And many say that he coughed up massive amounts of blood and fainted during Ikeda-ya, due to the supposed exertion and the cold night air. Er, except Ikeda-ya occurred during the summer... So, I don't know.
Um, for some reason this fic did not show up on the fanfiction.net util several days after I posted it. And with the deluge of new fics, who has time to turn to page 8 to find a fic? Hmmm...
*sigh* There are NO reviews, and I'm bored already because of that, so I'll probably just just stop this story and just keep on reading other people's fics ^_^
A Possible Spy
* * *
"Even their bones have been broken," Okita Souji whispered.
Three bodies lay on the ground at his feet. They wore the same blue uniform as Okita was wearing.
"Who did this?" Nagakura Shinpachi, second captain of the Shinsengumi asked in a low voice. He, too, was inspecting the bodies.
"Someone quite amazing and skillful," a tall man wearing the same uniform said as he walked onto the street. "The other two men are in the same situation," Saitoh Hajime said as he looked down on the bodies. "Our information was bad. We should have been here ourselves."
"Do you think that the hitokiri was behind this?" Okita quietly asked.
"I am sure of it," the taller man answered confidently.
Okita did not respond, but only gazed at the rising sun in the distance. The black clouds of the night seemed intent on also blocking the light of day.
Or was it because the sun refused to come out?
* * *
The dining hall of the Shinsengumi was unusually quiet that morning.
Iyoko frowned slightly as she served second helpings of rice. Something was wrong... no one spoke a word. Even the usual 'domo' for the bowls of rice sounded strained, or was not heard at all.
Iyoko gazed across the room at Reiji, who was also serving food. Reiji also seemed slightly uncomfortable over the atmosphere. Did something happen?
"Iyoko-san?" Iyoko's attention snapped back to the man sitting before her. "For how long will you be holding that bowl of rice?" he asked, not unkindly.
"Oh," she said quickly, "simon," set down the bowl of rice on his table, and proceeded to the next man. After serving the men, Iyoko and Reiji left the dining hall.
Iyoko looked at Reiji questioningly as they walked away. Reiji hesitated, hating to gossip, but stated, "I heard that something horrible happened to several of the men last night." However, before Iyoko could respond, Reiji quickly said, "I need to hang the laundry. You must wash the dishes. I'll talk to you later," and left in another direction.
Reiji walked to the small courtyard. Standing beside the basket of clothes another girl had washed in the morning, she began to adeptly hang the wet clothes on the clothesline.
She heard a small cough behind her, under the tree the clothesline was tied to. Reiji turned, but immediately relaxed. "Okita-san, shouldn't you be having breakfast?"
"I just wasn't up for a second helping," Okita said distantly. He looked up. "Besides, this tree has beautiful flowers during springtime, doesn't it?"
Reiji nodded, and hung up another kimono. "Did the food taste bad?" Reiji asked after a moment.
"Oh no!" Okita laughed. "I'm just tired. You cooked the soup, right?"
Reiji could not help but smile as she hung up the next kimono. She hesitated, but asked, "Did something happen last night?"
Okita's smile disappeared as he picked up a pink flower on the ground beside him. "Iyabe-san, Naruda-san, Mikage-san, Ojuka-san, Yutegai-san, and Hirasabe-kun have been dead since last night."
Reiji froze and turned to face Okita, a hakama half hung. "All of them... Why?"
Okita sighed, and continued gravely, "Iyabe-san and Naruda-san were supposed to bring back some information about a spy among us, supposedly. When they were late, I sent the other three. They must have found the bodies and tracked down the killer or maybe another Ishin Shishi..." Okita stopped.
Reiji remained looking at Okita, her eyes sad. "A spy... did you receive any reports back?" she asked.
"No. They must have thought they would lose a valuable opportunity to catch an Ishin Shishi if they came back," Okita said, still examining the pink flower. "I shouldn't have sent them... it's my fault."
"No, no, it's not," Reiji quickly supplied.
Okita stood up. "Yes it is," he said, "But I can't change what has already passed. Hirasabe-kun was your age... fifteen, isn't it?"
"How did you know...?"
"Records, background checks," Okita interrupted her, waving the question off. "Just reminds us all of our mortality, doesn't it?"
Though that the warm smile had returned, Reiji thought she saw a hint of sadness in his pleasant expression. But it quickly disappeared as he walked up to her and handed her the flower he was holding.
"No stars last night, and the sun can barely be seen today, but at least there flowers. This one fell early, for some reason. The stem is still on it," Okita spoke quietly, as Reiji looked at the flower in her hand. Then he said lightly, "Rei-san, isn't a new girl arriving today?"
Reiji's eyes widened. "Oh no!" she exclaimed as she flung the half-hung hakama in the basket. "Excuse me," Reiji said and left the courtyard, flower in hand.
Okita watched her leave. Suddenly, he gave a small laugh. "Did I just give her a flower? How dense," and walked away for the late morning patrol.
The Shinsengumi had a spy to uncover.
* * *
I believe 'domo' means thanks, and 'simon' means sorry, both rather informal. (Watching too many fansubs ^_;)
Many people think that Okita should be coughing to death by now, but this is set three years before the beginning of the Meiji Era, and Okita died of tuberculosis in the first year of the Meiji. So his condition still has some time to totally spiral downwards, eh? And many say that he coughed up massive amounts of blood and fainted during Ikeda-ya, due to the supposed exertion and the cold night air. Er, except Ikeda-ya occurred during the summer... So, I don't know.
Um, for some reason this fic did not show up on the fanfiction.net util several days after I posted it. And with the deluge of new fics, who has time to turn to page 8 to find a fic? Hmmm...
*sigh* There are NO reviews, and I'm bored already because of that, so I'll probably just just stop this story and just keep on reading other people's fics ^_^