CHAPTER 8: The final night of the Bakumatsu
Tokio and Saito were sitting in a room in an inn in Kyoto. (Lots of in's. ^_^) Saito had almost recovered from the stab wound dealt to him by Battousai. It had left a terrible scar there that still pained his pride. She could still see it in his eyes whenever the name Battousai came up in a conversation, the bruise on his pride that Battousai had given to him. It had been a week since that day.
"Hajime?" Tokio asked. He was sitting at a desk, musing over some papers. He turned to look at her.
"Yes, Tokio?" he asked. She walked over to him and sat on his lap.
"What's going on?"
"What are you talking about, Tokio? Nothing's going on." he stroked her silky black hair.
"Something must be happening!" Tokio said, leaning against him. "Both you and Okita seem preoccupied, and whenever I ask Okita what's going on, he says the same thing! Really, what's going on?"
"Kaishu Katsu decided to suggest to the Tokugawas to surrender their palace. I think that we will probably lose this war because Kaishu is one of Tokugawa's trusted advisors." Saito sighed. He looked at her with a softer look in his eyes.
"And. what. will happen to you?" Tokio asked. "And the rest of the Shinsengumi?"
"I'm not sure, but if you're worried about the new government killing me, then you have nothing to worry about. I won't let some low-down Ishin Shishi government kill the Miburo off," Saito smiled a true smile and then brushed her off of his lap. "I'll think of something. You should go to sleep. I'm going to be working on this." And with that, he turned to his papers.
"What is it?" Tokio asked. She shouldered her way through to see the papers sprawled on the desk.
"Letters to the Shinsengumi from the Ishin Shishi. It's in a code that no one can figure out, but we believe that the letters might tell us when and where the Ishin Shishi plans to attack next." Saito gently pushed her away, but she just shouldered her way in again.
"Let me see. I'm good with codes!" Tokio said. She snatched a paper from the desk and jumped to the other side of the room before he could grab it from her hands. Tokio studied it for a little while. Saito sighed again and walked over to her.
"Tokio, please," Saito said, holding out a hand. Tokio turned.
"I think this word is 'we'." Tokio said, pointing. "And if we plug the letters in here, then I think that this word could be 'will'." She moved her finger to point at more of the coded writing. Saito stared at her.
"I doubt it," he said, yanking the paper from her grasp. He sat down at the desk again and began to study it yet again.
"Hajime, listen to me! I really think I'm onto something!" Tokio protested. She ran over to the desk and ran her hands down his back, peering over his shoulder. She picked up the brush that was lying on the desk, untouched, and dipped it in the ink pot. Then, she picked up a piece of paper and began to work her way through the code.
"Tokio, listen, you really can't expect to be successful after just one night." Saito said. He walked over to her and watched the writing form under her brush.
"There. That's what the message says," Tokio said. She tossed the brush onto the floor and gave the paper to him. He looked at it and took it back to his desk. Tokio sighed and changed from her Shinsengumi uniform into her nightclothes.
"Tokio," Saito said. "If this is really what it says then." He stopped.
"What?" Tokio asked, padding over to him. He jumped up and grabbed his two swords that were leaning against the wall.
"The deciding battle will be tonight!" Saito replied. "I have to inform Hijikata!" He gave her a kiss, then ran out the door.
"HAJIME!" Tokio called after him. She gave a groan and began to change again.
Okita was standing in Hijikata's office, waiting for orders. Harada, Takeda and Nagakura, the captains of the 5th, 10th, and 2nd squads. Just then, Saito ran into the door, holding two pieces of paper in his hand.
"Hijikata-dono! (A/N: I don't know what they would actually call their leader. let me know, please!)" Saito said, slamming the papers onto the desk.
"Saito-san?" Okita asked, walking over.
"There. This is what the letter said," Saito said, pointing to the paper that he had gotten from Tokio. Hijikata scanned the paper and then looked up, a fierce look in his eye.
"Assemble your men!" Hijikata ordered. Saito nodded and hurried out, followed by Okita and the others.
Saito walked down a hallway to where the troops were stationed. Tokio was waiting for him in the middle of the hallway.
"Hajime, I'm fighting with you!" she announced, laying a hand on the hilt of her katana.
"No," Saito replied. "Go back to the room. You'll be in too much danger."
"Hajime, I'd rather fight and die alongside you than to have you fight and die with out me, leaving me alone," Tokio said. Saito was caught off guard by her words. He grinned.
"Okay. Come, Tokio," Saito said. "You may be the most loyal ally that I have." He faced his men. "We are going to fight the Ishin Shishi in a battle that might decide the winner of this war!" Moments later, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 10th squads of the Shinsengumi were trickling into the heart of Kyoto.
Battousai crouched in the shadows. He glanced at where his fellow Ishin Shishi members were hiding.
This is it! He thought, setting a hand on the hilt of his sword. If the Shinsengumi come, we will fight to the death. If they do not, we will burn the city of Kyoto and win the war! Battousai watched through the leaves of the bush behind which he was hiding. Then, his eyes narrowed. The Shinsengumi were there.
Saito and his men followed Nagakura's squad. Okita's was in the front, taking the lead. Tokio clung to Saito's blue haori, listening for any signs of attackers. There was a slight movement in the bushes, and Saito signaled to his men to draw their swords.
"Hajime, what is it?" Tokio asked, unsheathing her katana.
"Shh." Saito slowly placed his hand over her mouth, drawing his sword. There was a yell from Okita's squad.
"The Ishin Shishi! They're here!" Saito heard Nagakura yell. Tokio ran after Saito into the fray. They were just in time to see Battousai attack Okita. He narrowly missed Okita's head, and charged for another attack. Tokio felt menacing ki behind her, and turned to look. Burning pain seared through her arm. She jumped backwards and landed next to Saito, who was fighting his way toward Okita. Yells of both the Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi alike could be heard throughout the city of Kyoto.
"Himura-san!" Okita grinned, pulling his sword up into the stance for the Hiratsuki. "I'm glad you could make it. It has been so long since we last fought!" Battousai nodded back.
"It has," Battousai replied. He sheathed his sword, ready to execute Battou- jutsu. (spelling?) There was a moment of pause while the chaos around the two fighters raged. Then, in an explosion of mud from the rain the night before, the leader of the 1st squad of the Shinsengumi and Himura the Battousai began their final duel.
A/N: Sorry about the delay! I'm back in school and homework calls! Kaishu Katsu was mentioned in some of the episodes in the RK anime, if anyone was wondering...
Tokio and Saito were sitting in a room in an inn in Kyoto. (Lots of in's. ^_^) Saito had almost recovered from the stab wound dealt to him by Battousai. It had left a terrible scar there that still pained his pride. She could still see it in his eyes whenever the name Battousai came up in a conversation, the bruise on his pride that Battousai had given to him. It had been a week since that day.
"Hajime?" Tokio asked. He was sitting at a desk, musing over some papers. He turned to look at her.
"Yes, Tokio?" he asked. She walked over to him and sat on his lap.
"What's going on?"
"What are you talking about, Tokio? Nothing's going on." he stroked her silky black hair.
"Something must be happening!" Tokio said, leaning against him. "Both you and Okita seem preoccupied, and whenever I ask Okita what's going on, he says the same thing! Really, what's going on?"
"Kaishu Katsu decided to suggest to the Tokugawas to surrender their palace. I think that we will probably lose this war because Kaishu is one of Tokugawa's trusted advisors." Saito sighed. He looked at her with a softer look in his eyes.
"And. what. will happen to you?" Tokio asked. "And the rest of the Shinsengumi?"
"I'm not sure, but if you're worried about the new government killing me, then you have nothing to worry about. I won't let some low-down Ishin Shishi government kill the Miburo off," Saito smiled a true smile and then brushed her off of his lap. "I'll think of something. You should go to sleep. I'm going to be working on this." And with that, he turned to his papers.
"What is it?" Tokio asked. She shouldered her way through to see the papers sprawled on the desk.
"Letters to the Shinsengumi from the Ishin Shishi. It's in a code that no one can figure out, but we believe that the letters might tell us when and where the Ishin Shishi plans to attack next." Saito gently pushed her away, but she just shouldered her way in again.
"Let me see. I'm good with codes!" Tokio said. She snatched a paper from the desk and jumped to the other side of the room before he could grab it from her hands. Tokio studied it for a little while. Saito sighed again and walked over to her.
"Tokio, please," Saito said, holding out a hand. Tokio turned.
"I think this word is 'we'." Tokio said, pointing. "And if we plug the letters in here, then I think that this word could be 'will'." She moved her finger to point at more of the coded writing. Saito stared at her.
"I doubt it," he said, yanking the paper from her grasp. He sat down at the desk again and began to study it yet again.
"Hajime, listen to me! I really think I'm onto something!" Tokio protested. She ran over to the desk and ran her hands down his back, peering over his shoulder. She picked up the brush that was lying on the desk, untouched, and dipped it in the ink pot. Then, she picked up a piece of paper and began to work her way through the code.
"Tokio, listen, you really can't expect to be successful after just one night." Saito said. He walked over to her and watched the writing form under her brush.
"There. That's what the message says," Tokio said. She tossed the brush onto the floor and gave the paper to him. He looked at it and took it back to his desk. Tokio sighed and changed from her Shinsengumi uniform into her nightclothes.
"Tokio," Saito said. "If this is really what it says then." He stopped.
"What?" Tokio asked, padding over to him. He jumped up and grabbed his two swords that were leaning against the wall.
"The deciding battle will be tonight!" Saito replied. "I have to inform Hijikata!" He gave her a kiss, then ran out the door.
"HAJIME!" Tokio called after him. She gave a groan and began to change again.
Okita was standing in Hijikata's office, waiting for orders. Harada, Takeda and Nagakura, the captains of the 5th, 10th, and 2nd squads. Just then, Saito ran into the door, holding two pieces of paper in his hand.
"Hijikata-dono! (A/N: I don't know what they would actually call their leader. let me know, please!)" Saito said, slamming the papers onto the desk.
"Saito-san?" Okita asked, walking over.
"There. This is what the letter said," Saito said, pointing to the paper that he had gotten from Tokio. Hijikata scanned the paper and then looked up, a fierce look in his eye.
"Assemble your men!" Hijikata ordered. Saito nodded and hurried out, followed by Okita and the others.
Saito walked down a hallway to where the troops were stationed. Tokio was waiting for him in the middle of the hallway.
"Hajime, I'm fighting with you!" she announced, laying a hand on the hilt of her katana.
"No," Saito replied. "Go back to the room. You'll be in too much danger."
"Hajime, I'd rather fight and die alongside you than to have you fight and die with out me, leaving me alone," Tokio said. Saito was caught off guard by her words. He grinned.
"Okay. Come, Tokio," Saito said. "You may be the most loyal ally that I have." He faced his men. "We are going to fight the Ishin Shishi in a battle that might decide the winner of this war!" Moments later, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 10th squads of the Shinsengumi were trickling into the heart of Kyoto.
Battousai crouched in the shadows. He glanced at where his fellow Ishin Shishi members were hiding.
This is it! He thought, setting a hand on the hilt of his sword. If the Shinsengumi come, we will fight to the death. If they do not, we will burn the city of Kyoto and win the war! Battousai watched through the leaves of the bush behind which he was hiding. Then, his eyes narrowed. The Shinsengumi were there.
Saito and his men followed Nagakura's squad. Okita's was in the front, taking the lead. Tokio clung to Saito's blue haori, listening for any signs of attackers. There was a slight movement in the bushes, and Saito signaled to his men to draw their swords.
"Hajime, what is it?" Tokio asked, unsheathing her katana.
"Shh." Saito slowly placed his hand over her mouth, drawing his sword. There was a yell from Okita's squad.
"The Ishin Shishi! They're here!" Saito heard Nagakura yell. Tokio ran after Saito into the fray. They were just in time to see Battousai attack Okita. He narrowly missed Okita's head, and charged for another attack. Tokio felt menacing ki behind her, and turned to look. Burning pain seared through her arm. She jumped backwards and landed next to Saito, who was fighting his way toward Okita. Yells of both the Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi alike could be heard throughout the city of Kyoto.
"Himura-san!" Okita grinned, pulling his sword up into the stance for the Hiratsuki. "I'm glad you could make it. It has been so long since we last fought!" Battousai nodded back.
"It has," Battousai replied. He sheathed his sword, ready to execute Battou- jutsu. (spelling?) There was a moment of pause while the chaos around the two fighters raged. Then, in an explosion of mud from the rain the night before, the leader of the 1st squad of the Shinsengumi and Himura the Battousai began their final duel.
A/N: Sorry about the delay! I'm back in school and homework calls! Kaishu Katsu was mentioned in some of the episodes in the RK anime, if anyone was wondering...
