A nondescript businessman walked up to a small stand where herbs were sold
and left a parcel.
As he walked away, content that he had done his duty and would be rewarded, he had no idea that as he disappeared back into the crowd, another series of orders were being dispensed through various middlemen that it would be his last day free. His last day alive.
After all, there was a murder up in Aizu that was still unresolved. The authorities would be more than glad to find the body of this man, upon which would be found a number of items linking him back to the brutal assault on a community pillar. They would not care all that much to look further into the death of a disgusting criminal.
This sudden death was to be his reward from his leader. The reward for making mistakes.
He was a liability anyways. He alone knew that the herbs and bottles he had stolen from the Takani home were valuable. And that in itself was dangerous knowledge.
The man who wanted them, after all, didn't want anyone else to know what they were.
It wasn't the herbs that he coveted. He wanted the books and scrolls of knowledge that were mixed in with these various bottles and sachets. These were the last legacies of Kenichi Takani, the genius who had been the tool of the Meiji government.
He had wanted to exploit Kenichi's genius and then subsequently destroy him, but he was deprived of that pleasure when Kenichi cheated and died.
But the reappearance of Megumi Takani in Japan some time after his untimely death had presented him with an unexpected opportunity. She had inherited the Takani genius that her brother had also possessed, and just as easily could be used and then discarded.
Back in Japan, unprotected and unaware of his men's scrutiny on her, it was very easy to take her.
He narrowed his eyes as he considered the one mistake that had been made that required him to intervene. He was so careful to not have any involvement with plans once he had set them in motion and delivered his orders through his various channels. But the mistake that was made required him to actually forego his normal solitude and order another set of plans to be made. This was the reason his servant was to be executed.
This man had failed to see to that the other Megumi Takani also was taken. He had wanted both of them within his control, and the clinic searched and then it to appear as if the two had simply left for whereabouts unknown. Takani-sensei was known for her odd ways. No one would look all that hard for her and her niece if they had decided to wander off.
But the child did not appear to be there, and the men had instead retrieved the wrong items. While the doctor was easily subdued with, ironically, one of her brother's creations and placed unconscious into a wooden crate that was driven off under the cover of night - the child and the items he so wanted were not taken.
And so, the rest - well, the rest was improvised, but was ingenious.
Clothes could always be taken or copied, and a foolish prostitute easily conned into wearing them for a meaningless sum of money. He didn't know which of his various men killed the woman whose only merit was that she resembled the doctor in height and coloring, but it was enough to know that the body ended up where it needed to be placed and was later found and accepted as the doctor's.
The police of Aizu were clearly ignorant. And those who considered themselves close to the doctor were naïve.
In fact, everything was proceeding as if in fact Megumi Takani had really died. There was no reason to suspect anything - for the woman had no living enemies, not since that idiot Kanryuu had killed himself.
The ruse of a shocking, but overly mundane crime worked very well.
No one would suspect that she was now drugged up in one of his safehouses, hidden in the seedier side of the jewel of Japan. No one looked for dead women.
The drugs were nothing much, mostly things that kept her quiet and unable to determine her whereabouts. She likely had no idea that she was even locked up. For a while perhaps, she wouldn't have any idea who she was either. He preferred to keep her that way, at least until he had everything he needed in his possession and had need of her mind in order to put the final pieces together of her brother's work and to give him what he wanted.
And that was the series of drugs that Kenichi had been trying to create - a cadre of drugs which he hoped would give him the ultimate power. Not the sort of power where he quietly killed off government officials or anything of that sort. He had no need for assassins or assassinations. He'd rather have people alive long enough, long enough for them to be made into his puppets.
He wanted to control them, every last word, action, and feeling. The thought excited him immensely.
And all of that he could ensure once he had the other Takani and the rest of Kenichi's things in his possession.
= = = = = = = = = = =
Aoshi sat under one of the trees on the quieter side of the Aoiya. Tea and then dinner had come and gone, and the residents of the Aoiya were slowly making their preparations for bed.
He was sitting in the dark outside, alone for the first time that day. Okon had taken Megumi-chan out of his arms after dinner to put her to sleep. Okina had ordered it - particularly after Megumi-chan had started to ask again about her aunt.
He had simply frozen up, not knowing what to say but aware of everyone's eyes upon him waiting for him to make that decision to do so.
He told himself that he was simply waiting until matters were resolved with the doctor's friends regarding his decision to take the young child in before he hurt her with the news about her aunt. But when he slipped away and found himself holding the letter from her aunt in his hands again, he briefly contemplated that that wasn't the entire truth.
Something about her letter, hearing that she had all but decided to come to Kyoto made him ache, with something like regret. She could have already been here, bantering and teasing Okina at dinner, making Okon and Omasu laugh like silly girls, and sitting across from him on this very bench simply enjoying this evening.
That is -if nothing had happened to her. If he had understood that Saitou had meant for him to defy what was 'safe' and simply leave here for Aizu. That was the true intent of enclosing this other letter.
Megumi Takani had shown that she had come to trust him and his friendship. And the voice in the back of his mind told him also that perhaps in time . . .
He caught that voice and silenced it. It was pointless to think of such things. Not when it made him feel something he didn't want to.
"Aoshi-san," Okon's voice sounded worried. "I don't mean to bother you. I know how hard today has been for you. But, I -"
"What is it?" Aoshi stood up out of habit.
"It might be nothing, but I didn't want to leave these things with Meg- chan's other things. They're not toys. but her papers, other things which should be kept safe."
He took the large box and bundle that was pressed into his hands.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to give it to you like this, but I thought you be able to keep them for her -- until she's old enough to figure out what they are. Also, there appears to some boxes that appear to have been mixed in. They belong to - belonged to Megumi-san."
"I see."
"I've put them in your study. I hope you don't mind."
"That's fine. Thank you, Okon." He forced his voice to remain impassive. He did not want her to notice that it in fact, he did mind. "Is that all?"
"Yes, Aoshi-san." She bowed again.
He bowed. "Good night and sleep well, Okon."
"Good night and sleep well, Aoshi-san."
He turned away staring at the box absently while she quietly shuffled away.
And then almost reluctantly, he turned back and slowly walked back, drawn towards the office and reminders of someone that he -- that he missed more than she would ever know.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Okay. I thought of dragging this "what the heck" out further, but you know, there is still SO MUCH ground to cover that I wanted to just get this off my chest.
As for Aoshi -- Aoshi is pretty stubborn. Despite my attempts to threaten him, he won't use that four letter word the A/Mers want to hear. Threaten him a bit more. I think in hmm, like seven chapters we can get it out of him.
Now a question. How well does Cho know Megumi? I know the anime pits them in Kyoto at least at the same time once, but what about the manga? Need that info, as Cho needs to make a cameo now .
Anyways read and review.as usual, your comments alone are worth all this sleep deprivation!
As he walked away, content that he had done his duty and would be rewarded, he had no idea that as he disappeared back into the crowd, another series of orders were being dispensed through various middlemen that it would be his last day free. His last day alive.
After all, there was a murder up in Aizu that was still unresolved. The authorities would be more than glad to find the body of this man, upon which would be found a number of items linking him back to the brutal assault on a community pillar. They would not care all that much to look further into the death of a disgusting criminal.
This sudden death was to be his reward from his leader. The reward for making mistakes.
He was a liability anyways. He alone knew that the herbs and bottles he had stolen from the Takani home were valuable. And that in itself was dangerous knowledge.
The man who wanted them, after all, didn't want anyone else to know what they were.
It wasn't the herbs that he coveted. He wanted the books and scrolls of knowledge that were mixed in with these various bottles and sachets. These were the last legacies of Kenichi Takani, the genius who had been the tool of the Meiji government.
He had wanted to exploit Kenichi's genius and then subsequently destroy him, but he was deprived of that pleasure when Kenichi cheated and died.
But the reappearance of Megumi Takani in Japan some time after his untimely death had presented him with an unexpected opportunity. She had inherited the Takani genius that her brother had also possessed, and just as easily could be used and then discarded.
Back in Japan, unprotected and unaware of his men's scrutiny on her, it was very easy to take her.
He narrowed his eyes as he considered the one mistake that had been made that required him to intervene. He was so careful to not have any involvement with plans once he had set them in motion and delivered his orders through his various channels. But the mistake that was made required him to actually forego his normal solitude and order another set of plans to be made. This was the reason his servant was to be executed.
This man had failed to see to that the other Megumi Takani also was taken. He had wanted both of them within his control, and the clinic searched and then it to appear as if the two had simply left for whereabouts unknown. Takani-sensei was known for her odd ways. No one would look all that hard for her and her niece if they had decided to wander off.
But the child did not appear to be there, and the men had instead retrieved the wrong items. While the doctor was easily subdued with, ironically, one of her brother's creations and placed unconscious into a wooden crate that was driven off under the cover of night - the child and the items he so wanted were not taken.
And so, the rest - well, the rest was improvised, but was ingenious.
Clothes could always be taken or copied, and a foolish prostitute easily conned into wearing them for a meaningless sum of money. He didn't know which of his various men killed the woman whose only merit was that she resembled the doctor in height and coloring, but it was enough to know that the body ended up where it needed to be placed and was later found and accepted as the doctor's.
The police of Aizu were clearly ignorant. And those who considered themselves close to the doctor were naïve.
In fact, everything was proceeding as if in fact Megumi Takani had really died. There was no reason to suspect anything - for the woman had no living enemies, not since that idiot Kanryuu had killed himself.
The ruse of a shocking, but overly mundane crime worked very well.
No one would suspect that she was now drugged up in one of his safehouses, hidden in the seedier side of the jewel of Japan. No one looked for dead women.
The drugs were nothing much, mostly things that kept her quiet and unable to determine her whereabouts. She likely had no idea that she was even locked up. For a while perhaps, she wouldn't have any idea who she was either. He preferred to keep her that way, at least until he had everything he needed in his possession and had need of her mind in order to put the final pieces together of her brother's work and to give him what he wanted.
And that was the series of drugs that Kenichi had been trying to create - a cadre of drugs which he hoped would give him the ultimate power. Not the sort of power where he quietly killed off government officials or anything of that sort. He had no need for assassins or assassinations. He'd rather have people alive long enough, long enough for them to be made into his puppets.
He wanted to control them, every last word, action, and feeling. The thought excited him immensely.
And all of that he could ensure once he had the other Takani and the rest of Kenichi's things in his possession.
= = = = = = = = = = =
Aoshi sat under one of the trees on the quieter side of the Aoiya. Tea and then dinner had come and gone, and the residents of the Aoiya were slowly making their preparations for bed.
He was sitting in the dark outside, alone for the first time that day. Okon had taken Megumi-chan out of his arms after dinner to put her to sleep. Okina had ordered it - particularly after Megumi-chan had started to ask again about her aunt.
He had simply frozen up, not knowing what to say but aware of everyone's eyes upon him waiting for him to make that decision to do so.
He told himself that he was simply waiting until matters were resolved with the doctor's friends regarding his decision to take the young child in before he hurt her with the news about her aunt. But when he slipped away and found himself holding the letter from her aunt in his hands again, he briefly contemplated that that wasn't the entire truth.
Something about her letter, hearing that she had all but decided to come to Kyoto made him ache, with something like regret. She could have already been here, bantering and teasing Okina at dinner, making Okon and Omasu laugh like silly girls, and sitting across from him on this very bench simply enjoying this evening.
That is -if nothing had happened to her. If he had understood that Saitou had meant for him to defy what was 'safe' and simply leave here for Aizu. That was the true intent of enclosing this other letter.
Megumi Takani had shown that she had come to trust him and his friendship. And the voice in the back of his mind told him also that perhaps in time . . .
He caught that voice and silenced it. It was pointless to think of such things. Not when it made him feel something he didn't want to.
"Aoshi-san," Okon's voice sounded worried. "I don't mean to bother you. I know how hard today has been for you. But, I -"
"What is it?" Aoshi stood up out of habit.
"It might be nothing, but I didn't want to leave these things with Meg- chan's other things. They're not toys. but her papers, other things which should be kept safe."
He took the large box and bundle that was pressed into his hands.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to give it to you like this, but I thought you be able to keep them for her -- until she's old enough to figure out what they are. Also, there appears to some boxes that appear to have been mixed in. They belong to - belonged to Megumi-san."
"I see."
"I've put them in your study. I hope you don't mind."
"That's fine. Thank you, Okon." He forced his voice to remain impassive. He did not want her to notice that it in fact, he did mind. "Is that all?"
"Yes, Aoshi-san." She bowed again.
He bowed. "Good night and sleep well, Okon."
"Good night and sleep well, Aoshi-san."
He turned away staring at the box absently while she quietly shuffled away.
And then almost reluctantly, he turned back and slowly walked back, drawn towards the office and reminders of someone that he -- that he missed more than she would ever know.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Okay. I thought of dragging this "what the heck" out further, but you know, there is still SO MUCH ground to cover that I wanted to just get this off my chest.
As for Aoshi -- Aoshi is pretty stubborn. Despite my attempts to threaten him, he won't use that four letter word the A/Mers want to hear. Threaten him a bit more. I think in hmm, like seven chapters we can get it out of him.
Now a question. How well does Cho know Megumi? I know the anime pits them in Kyoto at least at the same time once, but what about the manga? Need that info, as Cho needs to make a cameo now .
Anyways read and review.as usual, your comments alone are worth all this sleep deprivation!
