Chapter Eight
She could see Kyoto now. The city could not be missed from the place where she stood, overlooking the busy streets and market. As she came nearer her amazement only increased. /Kyoto is much larger than I imagined.// In front of her, people were rolling carts to and from the market, bargaining over the price of things and hurryingly going about their business. The streets were not as crowded as they must be during times of peace. The many people around her jostled and pushed her. The noise could be deafening at times. She had never liked being around so many people and turned into a quiet side road off the main street. Aisu opened the door to a small, jingling the bells hanging from the frame.
Sitting down in a corner, she ordered a cup of tea, relaxing herself. /I wonder what Kyoto must be like were this not the revolution. Commerce has surely been affected yet the streets are still crowded with people. I suppose everyone must make their living.// She took another sip of tea. /Odd, how a city that must receive the brunt of all militaristic action taken in the name of the revolution seems to be able to ignore it and get on with life.// Her cup was half empty now. Aisu stared into it. Why did I come here? On her travels she had heard much about Kyoto and just decided to go. She felt drawn to it but did not really know why.
Bells rang and several more people entered the shop. She was vaguely aware of them sitting down near her. Their talk was of the political situation, why the revolution had started and how it would end. She set her mind back to her own thought when something in their conversation caught her attention.
"I heard there was another assassination"
"Yeah, me too. They're commonplace these days."
"Of course, this is the revolution. But listen, this assassin must have been talented. Didn't even give his victim time to scream. They call him Hitokiri Battousai."
"There are so many assassins these days it's hard to believe one of them could distinguish himself from the others. I've heard of him too though. Overheard someone talking about him. His speed and precision is supposed to be unsurpassable, is what the guy said"
The conversation turned to other matters. /So they are aware of the dangers in Kyoto. I guess I knew they were but this is the first time I've heard anyone admit to it.// She drank some more tea. /I suppose all assassins have to have speed and precision to be any good at their job. It's odd that those qualities describe the Hiten Mitsurugi style as well.// She stared at the wall thoughtfully. /Does every swordsman style revolve around these principles?// She did not know. The only type of swordsmanship she knew of was Hiten Mitsurugi. That was enough.
People came and people left. Aisu was still sitting in the corner lost in thought. She had ordered another cup of tea and had just drained it when the bells rang again. This time her head snapped up. She could not see the door from where she was sitting but whoever had just walked in had a swordsman's ki, and a familiar one. Whoever it was seemed to have noticed her too. The tall man walked up to her and sat down across from Aisu.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Saitou," She greeted him.
"Business," Saitou shrugged, his eyes resting on the pendant he had given her, and then meeting her silver gray eyes. "May I ask what brings you to Kyoto?"
"I suppose there is no particular reason. My travels simply lead me here, so I am here."
"I see," Saitou replied in a tranquil tone by his standards.
They talked about the revolution, events that had taken place since they last met and finally came to discussing their encounter with the mysterious gang of bandits.
"They dug up some of the ruins from warehouse and recovered the bodies, including the leader. He was never identified though." Saitou paused. "We made a good team, didn't we."
Aisu looked up from her hands to see Saitou hiding a grin.
"I don't say that often." /Why are you being so nice Saitou? What are you up to?//
"Can you tell me what style of swordsmanship you use now?" Saitou asked, bringing the conversation back to when they had last spoken/
"I cannot tell you. It was under rather. odd circumstances that I learned it," Aisu replied slowly, thinking of Seijuro and his refusal to teach her. Saitou paused again.
"Can you tell me who else uses this style of yours?" Saitou questioned.
"Why are you asking me this?"
"I am sure that you have heard of an assassin known as the Battousai." Aisu remembered the conversation that had taken place next to her and nodded.
"I have reason to believe he uses a style similar to yours, if not the same."
"I see" Aisu replied. /The same? There are only three people who know Hiten Mitsurugi: Seijuro Hiko, Himura Kenshin, and myself.//
"The same?" she repeated under her breath.
"Yes," Saitou pressed. "Is there something you can tell me?"
"No, you're mistaken," Aisu said quickly. /Kenshin had left in order to help people. He would, he could not have become an assassin.// "My style is not that of the Hitokiri Battousai."
"How can you be certain," Saitou pressed on, sensing that she wasn't telling him something.
"They are not the same," she repeated, convincing herself as much as Saitou.
"Very well," Saitou conceded for now.
"Are you here because of Battousai?" Aisu asked.
"Yes. We are on opposite sides, the Battousai and I. We fought several times once before, but the fights were inconclusive." Saitou stopped deciding that that was all she needed to know. "Where will you be staying in Kyoto?"
"I don't know where I'll be staying yet." Aisu's mind was still gleaning his words about the Battousai. /Saitou's one of the best when it comes to skill. If his fights with the Hitokiri were inconclusive this Battousai must he good.//
"I could offer you a room at our headquarters, if you like," Saitou suggested, jerking Aisu away from her thoughts.
"No, thank you," Aisu replied too quickly.
"Are you sure? The way you've been living you can't have enough money to rent a room at an Inn and you do need a place to stay for the night, don't you?"
"Nonsense. I'll just do what I've done since I started wandering; I'll find myself some place in the woods and sleep there." Aisu reasoned fervently.
"It's not exactly safe to just sleep in the middle of the woods with no protection. Are you certain you-"
"I will be fine." Aisu cut him off tersely.
/You think that after so much pressing I won't suspect something? You know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I won't let you watch my every step, Saitou, which is surely what you're after by asking me to stay at your headquarters. You suspect I am not telling you everything but you are hiding much as well. I suppose you know I will try to find this Battousai and you are right but if you think I will lead you to him you are wrong, because if the Battousai is.// She faltered. It could not be and she would prove it to herself by finding this Battousai.
"I should be going." Aisu said in a slightly softer tone.
Before she could give the money to the waiter. Saitou had paid him.
"If you need a place to stay just tell me," Saitou put on smile.
"I will, thank you." Aisu got up and left quickly.
Saitou's eyes were boring into her back as she all but ran out of the place.
She could see Kyoto now. The city could not be missed from the place where she stood, overlooking the busy streets and market. As she came nearer her amazement only increased. /Kyoto is much larger than I imagined.// In front of her, people were rolling carts to and from the market, bargaining over the price of things and hurryingly going about their business. The streets were not as crowded as they must be during times of peace. The many people around her jostled and pushed her. The noise could be deafening at times. She had never liked being around so many people and turned into a quiet side road off the main street. Aisu opened the door to a small, jingling the bells hanging from the frame.
Sitting down in a corner, she ordered a cup of tea, relaxing herself. /I wonder what Kyoto must be like were this not the revolution. Commerce has surely been affected yet the streets are still crowded with people. I suppose everyone must make their living.// She took another sip of tea. /Odd, how a city that must receive the brunt of all militaristic action taken in the name of the revolution seems to be able to ignore it and get on with life.// Her cup was half empty now. Aisu stared into it. Why did I come here? On her travels she had heard much about Kyoto and just decided to go. She felt drawn to it but did not really know why.
Bells rang and several more people entered the shop. She was vaguely aware of them sitting down near her. Their talk was of the political situation, why the revolution had started and how it would end. She set her mind back to her own thought when something in their conversation caught her attention.
"I heard there was another assassination"
"Yeah, me too. They're commonplace these days."
"Of course, this is the revolution. But listen, this assassin must have been talented. Didn't even give his victim time to scream. They call him Hitokiri Battousai."
"There are so many assassins these days it's hard to believe one of them could distinguish himself from the others. I've heard of him too though. Overheard someone talking about him. His speed and precision is supposed to be unsurpassable, is what the guy said"
The conversation turned to other matters. /So they are aware of the dangers in Kyoto. I guess I knew they were but this is the first time I've heard anyone admit to it.// She drank some more tea. /I suppose all assassins have to have speed and precision to be any good at their job. It's odd that those qualities describe the Hiten Mitsurugi style as well.// She stared at the wall thoughtfully. /Does every swordsman style revolve around these principles?// She did not know. The only type of swordsmanship she knew of was Hiten Mitsurugi. That was enough.
People came and people left. Aisu was still sitting in the corner lost in thought. She had ordered another cup of tea and had just drained it when the bells rang again. This time her head snapped up. She could not see the door from where she was sitting but whoever had just walked in had a swordsman's ki, and a familiar one. Whoever it was seemed to have noticed her too. The tall man walked up to her and sat down across from Aisu.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Saitou," She greeted him.
"Business," Saitou shrugged, his eyes resting on the pendant he had given her, and then meeting her silver gray eyes. "May I ask what brings you to Kyoto?"
"I suppose there is no particular reason. My travels simply lead me here, so I am here."
"I see," Saitou replied in a tranquil tone by his standards.
They talked about the revolution, events that had taken place since they last met and finally came to discussing their encounter with the mysterious gang of bandits.
"They dug up some of the ruins from warehouse and recovered the bodies, including the leader. He was never identified though." Saitou paused. "We made a good team, didn't we."
Aisu looked up from her hands to see Saitou hiding a grin.
"I don't say that often." /Why are you being so nice Saitou? What are you up to?//
"Can you tell me what style of swordsmanship you use now?" Saitou asked, bringing the conversation back to when they had last spoken/
"I cannot tell you. It was under rather. odd circumstances that I learned it," Aisu replied slowly, thinking of Seijuro and his refusal to teach her. Saitou paused again.
"Can you tell me who else uses this style of yours?" Saitou questioned.
"Why are you asking me this?"
"I am sure that you have heard of an assassin known as the Battousai." Aisu remembered the conversation that had taken place next to her and nodded.
"I have reason to believe he uses a style similar to yours, if not the same."
"I see" Aisu replied. /The same? There are only three people who know Hiten Mitsurugi: Seijuro Hiko, Himura Kenshin, and myself.//
"The same?" she repeated under her breath.
"Yes," Saitou pressed. "Is there something you can tell me?"
"No, you're mistaken," Aisu said quickly. /Kenshin had left in order to help people. He would, he could not have become an assassin.// "My style is not that of the Hitokiri Battousai."
"How can you be certain," Saitou pressed on, sensing that she wasn't telling him something.
"They are not the same," she repeated, convincing herself as much as Saitou.
"Very well," Saitou conceded for now.
"Are you here because of Battousai?" Aisu asked.
"Yes. We are on opposite sides, the Battousai and I. We fought several times once before, but the fights were inconclusive." Saitou stopped deciding that that was all she needed to know. "Where will you be staying in Kyoto?"
"I don't know where I'll be staying yet." Aisu's mind was still gleaning his words about the Battousai. /Saitou's one of the best when it comes to skill. If his fights with the Hitokiri were inconclusive this Battousai must he good.//
"I could offer you a room at our headquarters, if you like," Saitou suggested, jerking Aisu away from her thoughts.
"No, thank you," Aisu replied too quickly.
"Are you sure? The way you've been living you can't have enough money to rent a room at an Inn and you do need a place to stay for the night, don't you?"
"Nonsense. I'll just do what I've done since I started wandering; I'll find myself some place in the woods and sleep there." Aisu reasoned fervently.
"It's not exactly safe to just sleep in the middle of the woods with no protection. Are you certain you-"
"I will be fine." Aisu cut him off tersely.
/You think that after so much pressing I won't suspect something? You know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I won't let you watch my every step, Saitou, which is surely what you're after by asking me to stay at your headquarters. You suspect I am not telling you everything but you are hiding much as well. I suppose you know I will try to find this Battousai and you are right but if you think I will lead you to him you are wrong, because if the Battousai is.// She faltered. It could not be and she would prove it to herself by finding this Battousai.
"I should be going." Aisu said in a slightly softer tone.
Before she could give the money to the waiter. Saitou had paid him.
"If you need a place to stay just tell me," Saitou put on smile.
"I will, thank you." Aisu got up and left quickly.
Saitou's eyes were boring into her back as she all but ran out of the place.