CHAPTER 3- TRAINING TO KILL
And so, Hotaru settled into life at the inn as a treasured "granddaughter" to the innkeeper Okami-san. Meanwhile, Idzuka, one of Kogoro's men, called her "Tokaji's Pet", which earned him the youth's death glare.
"Hey, hey easy!" Idzuka would tell him. "You look as formidable as Himura when you frown like that!"
Tokaji's eyes would narrow even more. "Yeah well, soon enough I will be THAT formidable."
Hotaru, as talkative and bubbly as she was, still stayed well out of the way of the others. She knew she'd have to work to earn her keep, so she was pretty much all about business. She helped Okami-san clean the rooms, cook, and even run errands to the market by day. Never was she allowed out at night.
"It used to be safe to travel about at night in the city," Tokaji told her. "But now, not even a woman or child dare to venture out."
"How come?" Hotaru asked. Back in the country, everyone went about as they pleased at any time.
"Because of it being the Bakumatsu and all." Tokaji explained. "Himura's the only one of us out there in the late hours. And that's so he---
She cocked her head at his sudden pause. "What's the matter? What does Himura-san do?"
He shook his head. "No, you don't need to know that now."
The conversation was left at that, but Hotaru's curiosity remained. What happened at night in Kyoto that made everyone so morbid?
Then, one night, just as Hotaru was finishing her chores, she heard the shoji door slide open. Falling silent, she listened as light footsteps hurried down the hall, right towards her! Unsure of what to do, she just stood still.
In came Himura, his ponytail hanging over his head, his clothes dark and stained. His narrowed amber eyes immediately fell upon her and widened slightly. Apparently, he didn't expect her to be there.
"Hotaru,"
But her eyes had focused on the stains on his gray hakama. They were spatters of sorts and crimson in color. Suddenly, it registered.
Her face went pale. "You're a."
Himura closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Aa."
So that was the reason for the daisho. Himura was an assassin. He went out at night to kill.
"I.I." she didn't know what to say.
Himura walked out slowly, his shoulders sagging a little. To the young girl, he seemed to be saying, 'Don't look at me. Don't ever look at me.'
She tried to wipe that moment out of her head. She didn't want to think that the people Tokaji brought her to were killers.
Then, one afternoon, Okami-san summoned Hotaru to the kitchen. "Here," she said, handing her a small package. "Take this to Tokaji. He's just down the road outside of the city. He'll be near the sakura trees."
"Yes ma'am." She scurried outdoors into the hot air. Summer still cast its almost unbearable rays down upon Kyoto. Hotaru decided to head to the barn and saddle up old Sora. If she ran all the way out to the countryside, she'd probably faint.
The ride took a good twenty minutes or so. Bouncing in the saddle, Hotaru searched the trees for Tokaji. "Okami-san said he'd be near the sakura trees. Where are the sakura trees?"
"HAH! HYAH!"
VSH! CRASH! All of a sudden, a massive tree came thundering down in front of the trotting mare!
"AHHH!" Hotaru struggled with the reins to pull Sora up, but they were traveling too fast. The horse gathered herself and leapt. She cleared the downed tree, but the shock for the inexperienced rider was too great. Shaken from the saddle, she fell to earth. "AAAAAHHHHH!"
"HOTARU!"
A hand clamped around her foot. She was stopped from the fall, her face just a few inches from the ground. Tokaji had caught her!
Panting, he placed her down. "Are you okay?"
Blinking to orient herself, Hotaru looked up at him. "Oh, I'm okay."
Just then, she saw something in his other hand, something that made her eyes widen and her cheeks pale. "Tokaji-san, why are you out here with that sword?"
It was a katana, one of the swords she had seen Himura carrying.
Tokaji sighed and reached into his gi. "I have something to show you." He pulled out a black envelope!
Hotaru gasped. Whenever Himura was given one of those, he would go out at night. Someone was to die and his name was written within the black envelope!
"Why do you have it?" she asked in a whisper.
"Tonight, it will be my turn." He told her. "My turn to be a Hitokiri."
Hotaru's world spun. She hadn't lived at the inn for more than a few weeks now and she never imagined Tokaji would be ordered to kill. Not the cheerful, overeating, jokester Tokaji she knew!
He read the terror in her expression and smiled sadly. "I know. I don't really want to do it either. But with every Shogun that Himura and I kill, the sooner this war will end."
"But Tokaji-san! Killing's wrong!" she protested, grabbing hold of his gi in the process.
"I know. I know it's wrong," he said calmly. "But there's no way around it. Father told me my skills are polished enough for me to begin working with Himura. I plan to follow through."
Silence.
Then, Tokaji noticed the package tied over her shoulder. "What's that there?"
"Hm? Oh, I think Okami-san made you lunch." Hotaru declared, taking it off and handing it over.
Tokaji licked his lips hungrily. "Damn, that Okami-san spoils me."
That night, in the cover of the shadows, Katsura Tokaji made his first kill.
............
And so, Hotaru settled into life at the inn as a treasured "granddaughter" to the innkeeper Okami-san. Meanwhile, Idzuka, one of Kogoro's men, called her "Tokaji's Pet", which earned him the youth's death glare.
"Hey, hey easy!" Idzuka would tell him. "You look as formidable as Himura when you frown like that!"
Tokaji's eyes would narrow even more. "Yeah well, soon enough I will be THAT formidable."
Hotaru, as talkative and bubbly as she was, still stayed well out of the way of the others. She knew she'd have to work to earn her keep, so she was pretty much all about business. She helped Okami-san clean the rooms, cook, and even run errands to the market by day. Never was she allowed out at night.
"It used to be safe to travel about at night in the city," Tokaji told her. "But now, not even a woman or child dare to venture out."
"How come?" Hotaru asked. Back in the country, everyone went about as they pleased at any time.
"Because of it being the Bakumatsu and all." Tokaji explained. "Himura's the only one of us out there in the late hours. And that's so he---
She cocked her head at his sudden pause. "What's the matter? What does Himura-san do?"
He shook his head. "No, you don't need to know that now."
The conversation was left at that, but Hotaru's curiosity remained. What happened at night in Kyoto that made everyone so morbid?
Then, one night, just as Hotaru was finishing her chores, she heard the shoji door slide open. Falling silent, she listened as light footsteps hurried down the hall, right towards her! Unsure of what to do, she just stood still.
In came Himura, his ponytail hanging over his head, his clothes dark and stained. His narrowed amber eyes immediately fell upon her and widened slightly. Apparently, he didn't expect her to be there.
"Hotaru,"
But her eyes had focused on the stains on his gray hakama. They were spatters of sorts and crimson in color. Suddenly, it registered.
Her face went pale. "You're a."
Himura closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Aa."
So that was the reason for the daisho. Himura was an assassin. He went out at night to kill.
"I.I." she didn't know what to say.
Himura walked out slowly, his shoulders sagging a little. To the young girl, he seemed to be saying, 'Don't look at me. Don't ever look at me.'
She tried to wipe that moment out of her head. She didn't want to think that the people Tokaji brought her to were killers.
Then, one afternoon, Okami-san summoned Hotaru to the kitchen. "Here," she said, handing her a small package. "Take this to Tokaji. He's just down the road outside of the city. He'll be near the sakura trees."
"Yes ma'am." She scurried outdoors into the hot air. Summer still cast its almost unbearable rays down upon Kyoto. Hotaru decided to head to the barn and saddle up old Sora. If she ran all the way out to the countryside, she'd probably faint.
The ride took a good twenty minutes or so. Bouncing in the saddle, Hotaru searched the trees for Tokaji. "Okami-san said he'd be near the sakura trees. Where are the sakura trees?"
"HAH! HYAH!"
VSH! CRASH! All of a sudden, a massive tree came thundering down in front of the trotting mare!
"AHHH!" Hotaru struggled with the reins to pull Sora up, but they were traveling too fast. The horse gathered herself and leapt. She cleared the downed tree, but the shock for the inexperienced rider was too great. Shaken from the saddle, she fell to earth. "AAAAAHHHHH!"
"HOTARU!"
A hand clamped around her foot. She was stopped from the fall, her face just a few inches from the ground. Tokaji had caught her!
Panting, he placed her down. "Are you okay?"
Blinking to orient herself, Hotaru looked up at him. "Oh, I'm okay."
Just then, she saw something in his other hand, something that made her eyes widen and her cheeks pale. "Tokaji-san, why are you out here with that sword?"
It was a katana, one of the swords she had seen Himura carrying.
Tokaji sighed and reached into his gi. "I have something to show you." He pulled out a black envelope!
Hotaru gasped. Whenever Himura was given one of those, he would go out at night. Someone was to die and his name was written within the black envelope!
"Why do you have it?" she asked in a whisper.
"Tonight, it will be my turn." He told her. "My turn to be a Hitokiri."
Hotaru's world spun. She hadn't lived at the inn for more than a few weeks now and she never imagined Tokaji would be ordered to kill. Not the cheerful, overeating, jokester Tokaji she knew!
He read the terror in her expression and smiled sadly. "I know. I don't really want to do it either. But with every Shogun that Himura and I kill, the sooner this war will end."
"But Tokaji-san! Killing's wrong!" she protested, grabbing hold of his gi in the process.
"I know. I know it's wrong," he said calmly. "But there's no way around it. Father told me my skills are polished enough for me to begin working with Himura. I plan to follow through."
Silence.
Then, Tokaji noticed the package tied over her shoulder. "What's that there?"
"Hm? Oh, I think Okami-san made you lunch." Hotaru declared, taking it off and handing it over.
Tokaji licked his lips hungrily. "Damn, that Okami-san spoils me."
That night, in the cover of the shadows, Katsura Tokaji made his first kill.
............
