Sorry this took a while to materialize. Chapter 11 is already done, for
some reason. But chapter 9 refused to be a chapter for some time, and I
was busy. Severe case of lack of inspiration. It had to take a whole large
dose of Meteor Garden 2 to get me going again. Watching a handsome Chinese
amnesiac CAN get to you, you know, especially if you write an amnesia fic.
On to the story.
.........
It's her.
Her hair was raised in a beautiful bun. Her eyes, were as green as precious jade. Her kimono was a blue sky lined with cherry blossoms. And her smile, was for me.
Who is she?
.........
"She's gone, finally," the tall man spoke in relief. Enishi smiled slightly and nodded.
Enishi now found himself inside a decent-sized inn, the Aioya. The young woman with him, the one who claimed to be his fiancée, entered with ease and greeted everyone. She happily presented the snowhaired man to a comrade, a tall and silent man wearing a simple house kimono.
"Shinomori Aoshi," the man introduced himself. He looked afar at Enishi's mademoiselle, making her way with a hop and skip to the kitchen. He was tense beside Enishi, and Enishi felt it.
"Ah, the Aoshi-sama she fondly speaks of," he smirked. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Come this way."
Aoshi led him to a small room deep inside the inn. He ensured that the young lady was nowhere in sight, then closed the screen door behind them.
Within the small room, Enishi finally found his blue companion, smiling gratefully. "I suddenly lost you in the crowd, Yukishiro-san. Where have you been?"
"Mademoiselle is hard to contradict, especially when she is pulling you all over the city," he rolled his eyes as he answered.
The young lady had literally bombarded him with information, all while she walked him up and down and streets and alleys of Kyoto. The inn was getting a paint job, after five years. They had hired a new cook, and he was very good. More customers were coming in every month. A certain Jiya had a haircut, finally. Her Aoshi-sama still had work and support from the local police. Her other friends had bought her things, in preparation for her wedding. Every five minutes, she pointed out a change in this building, a new baby in that house, a new manager for this store. Poor Enishi not only had to piece together vague recollections of Kyoto both then and now; he also had to make sense of everything this woman was saying, a woman he positively did not recall where he met.
As it was, he was quite close to fainting again, partly from exhaustion, and partly from the pain in his head.
"That's Misao, alright," Soujirou nodded.
"Who?"
"So you still don't remember," Aoshi commented. "Let me update you on what you have forgotten. This memory loss will soon get you killed if we do not do anything."
"KILLED?!"
The man did not answer. He opened a drawer, and took out a box. He then presented it before Enishi.
"Look in the box, Yukishiro," Aoshi answered, slightly irritated. "All legitimate police files. I suppose you have seen similar files in Tokyo. As we here are directly involved in your mission, the Kyoto police have been kind enough to provide us with copies."
"Mission...MY mission? I know of the Tokyo files you speak of, but why do I have files in Kyoto? What are you talking about?"
"You ask too many questions." Aoshi snorted and exited the room. "Seta, you talk to him," he ordered from behind the closed screen door, as his shadow disappeared.
"You must forgive Shinomori-san, Yukishiro-san," Soujirou apologized. "You did manage to steal Misao's heart from him. And now you've come back to claim her."
"Sacre bleu, what in the name of heaven--------Steal her heart from him? What is all this, Seta? And why did you not tell me sooner?!" He was quite ready to grab the young man by the neck.
"What's happening in there, you two?" the young lady poked her head in. She had changed into a looser and shorter garment, completely black, and reaching only to her knees.
"He was just getting mad at me, Misao-san," the younger man answered.
"What for?"
"He was about to tell me," the older one replied with a hiss.
The lady shrugged, and left them to continue.
Now Enishi definitely grabbed him by the front of his gi. "Talk, Seta!"
"Calm down, Yukishiro-san!"
Soujirou brushed himself off, and opened the box. He took out a set of files from the top of the box, and showed it to him.
"As Shinomori-san said, these are files of the Kyoto police related to your mission," he began. "I suggest you start reading through them now before I do any more explaining."
Enishi hmphed, and opened the first folder.
Similar to the Tokyo police records, the main files were in Chinese and were then translated into Japanese. Enishi grabbed for the rest of the files, reading directly and easily from the Chinese text. He read with the keen interest.....of one familiar with intelligence reports and spy records.
Enishi was quite astounded at the high level of intelligence the files provided. With the collected information before him, a person could infiltrate the highest ranks of one of the largest criminal triads in Shanghai. Names of heads, number of people below them, even the location of some residences. Having been informed from Tokyo, he was not surprised when he found his own name among the ranks of the second to the highest leaders.
Most of the documents, however, pertained to a branch of the triad concerned with weapons trade, legal and illegal. Unsigned and unidentified documents they all were; the material could not be traced to anyone inside or outside of Japan. Any postal markings gave a misleading or confusing clue about its source. Some of the information was already in Japanese, if the information involved illegal international weapons trade. Shanghai police sometimes provided copies of the information regarding trade within the mainland.
"Impressive, very impressive," Enishi commended. "Systematic work from an operative. Who supplied this information?"
Soujirou replied, "You did."
Enishi's eyes opened just a little wider.
"As you might or might not recall, you were involved in a frameup a year ago," Soujirou explained. "Because of Shinomori Aoshi, the police agreed to take your side, clear your name and arrest those who framed you. But, clearing your name involved your making yourself known to the police as a former smuggler. Therefore, in exchange for not serving prison time, you consented to bring down your triad branch for good. That was your mission when you left here last year. And clearly, you had fulfilled it."
Several copies of Japanese and Chinese newspapers were also included in the box. Issues were dated over the span of the previous year.
From last fall, reports of a successful buy-bust operation, conducted on one of the main ports, disabling a good portion of trade into Hong Kong. Over the winter, a direct elimination operation with numerous arrests had several policemen decorated with new medals. During the spring, an important tip to the police helped them take down an important weapons exchange link between Formosa and Tokyo. By the time summer had arrived, the weapons exchange branch of the triad was almost good as dead.
But that was when all documentation also ceased.
At the bottom of the box was a newspaper clipping from Tokyo.
"The young man was first brought to the national hospital a month ago, more dead than alive from severe loss of blood. He had suffered massive blows to the head and showed signs of prolonged asphyxiation......However, while the man has completely regained his physical capabilities, he continues to suffer from a mental gap. He has full use of language and movement, but he cannot seem to remember anything about his past......The young man is known only as Shinichi, and aged approximately 25 to 30 years......He is most recognized by his snow-white hair...."
This was the first time the aforementioned young man had seen an article on himself. All newspaper articles concerning his case had been hidden from him, for some reason or another. He had heard the story told of how he was discovered, but it was only now that he believed them.
So this was why he was brought here. The two men wanted to remind him about the events of the last months. He was grateful, of course. He did not have to go far for the information he sought. However, he still thought the young lady's actions were rather odd, in the light of the information readily available to her.
"I take it, from the way mademoiselle has been treating me, that no one has told her, but you and Shinomori know about my case?"
"Hai. We did not want to worry her needlessly."
"You are being unfair to mademoiselle."
"Yes, we do realize that, but we don't know what else to do. Misao will panic if she knew, worry herself sick about you, travel all of Japan looking for you."
"I still say you are being unfair. I would rather she knew the truth than be blissfully ignorant."
"Well, then, Yukishiro-san," Seta said, "you tell her."
"No way!" he jumped back.
Soujirou smiled back sweetly. "Do you see what I mean?"
"No, no, that is not it, Seta!" he fumbled. "The woman will only feel sorry for me. I will not have anyone feeling sorry for me. And personally, I will not impose myself on someone I could not remember!"
"So you really could not remember Misao?"
"Give me a reason to remember the young lady, then!"
"Calm down, I will tell you."
Enishi's head was beginning to pound, anyway, so he sat on the floor and prepared to listen.
"Misao is not pulling your leg. You are indeed engaged to her."
Enishi could only hold his head with both hands, and wonder what a fine mess he had gotten himself into.
"You were friends for a year, you loved her, and she learned to love you. After the events concerning the frameup, you and Shinomori-san made her choose, and she chose you. But since you had promised to help the police, you swore that you would come back for her after a year, and marry her. That is how things stand.
"During the time that you were away, Misao continued to stay here at the Aioya, but has kept some distance between herself and Shinomori-san. He is still her Aoshi-sama, and her liveliest conversations are still with him. However, most of the conversation of late has been about you. Quite understandably, it rather pains the okashira to hear it."
Enishi listened with arms akimbo and eyebrows raised. "You must have the wrong man, Seta. I might have indeed conducted those missions in China, as you say. But I would NOT initiate a relationship with a woman! Isn't my sister enough for me?"
But suddenly he remembered his sister's words.
Someone is waiting for you to return. Go back to her. Try to remember, Enishi, and go back to her.
Somewhere in the cobwebs of his mind, he recalled a pretty young lady. She wore a beautiful blue kimono, for the cherry blossom festival. She laughed and smiled, as they walked through the crowded Kyoto streets. They eventually ate dinner.....somewhere, he could not recall.....then.....maybe they stayed at his house. He brought her home in a carriage, and put her to bed.
If only he could remember who the pretty lady was.
How was she connected to him, this pretty lady in his head, and the feisty young lady he had met? Were they one and the same? Did she just look uncannily similar? Was it possible that everyone related to the woman mistook him for someone else? Was it probable that they were taking advantage of his amnesia, to brainwash him?
The okashira's dark shadow loomed behind the screen door. "Are you done?"
"Hai, Shinomori-san, more or less," Soujirou answered for them.
"Good. You will hear from me should your presence be required again," Aoshi said to Enishi, and began to walk away.
"A....Shinomori-san..." Enishi interrupted.
"Hm?"
"About mademoiselle .....if what Seta says is true, you should have courted her, you know."
The okashira stopped and just stood with his back to the snowhaired man. After a long silence, he faced Enishi, and walked to where he stood. Then the men stood eye to eye, Aoshi's searching for something in the turquoise eyes, Enishi's wondering what they were. The man's face was at the iciest Enishi had seen so far, and he did not know what to make of it. Finally, without saying a word, Shinomori Aoshi walked away, slowly and stately.
Clearly, Shinomori still admired the mademoiselle, Enishi mused. Why then was the young woman imposing herself on Enishi, then? And why did the man not make a move on the young lady? He definitely did not understand.
"By the way, Yukishiro-san, have you thought about where you will stay for the night?" Soujirou interrupted his thoughts as they exited the Aoiya.
"What?"
Soujirou grinned, and tried again. "Where will you sleep tonight?"
In reply, Enishi scratched his snowy head. He looked at Soujirou as if the question were unimportant, but suddenly WAS important.
The younger man shook his head good-naturedly. "You can share my room here for tonight...."
"HERE?!"
"They will be having dinner shortly," Soujirou continued. "They make a good yakiudon here, so I suggest you take me on the offer."
"He doesn't have to share a room with you, Sou-chan!" the young lady passed by and overheard the last of the conversation. She came near to Enishi, and hooked him onto an arm. "He's staying with me! He has to keep me up tonight with all the stories about China!"
"But, mademoiselle......"
"No buts, good sir!" she answered happily.
"But......there's nothing I can tell you!" he replied with supreme dread.
Soujirou came close and whispered into his ear. "You've read the files, right, Yukishiro-san? Work with what you DO know right now. Remember, she knows most of what is in that box, but not all."
Enishi nodded.
Soujirou then said aloud, "Well, then, it's settled, Misao-san! Enjoy your evening!"
Misao tightened her hold on her fiancée's arm.
"Seta, you traitor...." Enishi murmured under his breath.
...........
EGAD! Watson, no game is afoot, egad! Lack of inspiration, not a good thing, not good!! ^^
.........
It's her.
Her hair was raised in a beautiful bun. Her eyes, were as green as precious jade. Her kimono was a blue sky lined with cherry blossoms. And her smile, was for me.
Who is she?
.........
"She's gone, finally," the tall man spoke in relief. Enishi smiled slightly and nodded.
Enishi now found himself inside a decent-sized inn, the Aioya. The young woman with him, the one who claimed to be his fiancée, entered with ease and greeted everyone. She happily presented the snowhaired man to a comrade, a tall and silent man wearing a simple house kimono.
"Shinomori Aoshi," the man introduced himself. He looked afar at Enishi's mademoiselle, making her way with a hop and skip to the kitchen. He was tense beside Enishi, and Enishi felt it.
"Ah, the Aoshi-sama she fondly speaks of," he smirked. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Come this way."
Aoshi led him to a small room deep inside the inn. He ensured that the young lady was nowhere in sight, then closed the screen door behind them.
Within the small room, Enishi finally found his blue companion, smiling gratefully. "I suddenly lost you in the crowd, Yukishiro-san. Where have you been?"
"Mademoiselle is hard to contradict, especially when she is pulling you all over the city," he rolled his eyes as he answered.
The young lady had literally bombarded him with information, all while she walked him up and down and streets and alleys of Kyoto. The inn was getting a paint job, after five years. They had hired a new cook, and he was very good. More customers were coming in every month. A certain Jiya had a haircut, finally. Her Aoshi-sama still had work and support from the local police. Her other friends had bought her things, in preparation for her wedding. Every five minutes, she pointed out a change in this building, a new baby in that house, a new manager for this store. Poor Enishi not only had to piece together vague recollections of Kyoto both then and now; he also had to make sense of everything this woman was saying, a woman he positively did not recall where he met.
As it was, he was quite close to fainting again, partly from exhaustion, and partly from the pain in his head.
"That's Misao, alright," Soujirou nodded.
"Who?"
"So you still don't remember," Aoshi commented. "Let me update you on what you have forgotten. This memory loss will soon get you killed if we do not do anything."
"KILLED?!"
The man did not answer. He opened a drawer, and took out a box. He then presented it before Enishi.
"Look in the box, Yukishiro," Aoshi answered, slightly irritated. "All legitimate police files. I suppose you have seen similar files in Tokyo. As we here are directly involved in your mission, the Kyoto police have been kind enough to provide us with copies."
"Mission...MY mission? I know of the Tokyo files you speak of, but why do I have files in Kyoto? What are you talking about?"
"You ask too many questions." Aoshi snorted and exited the room. "Seta, you talk to him," he ordered from behind the closed screen door, as his shadow disappeared.
"You must forgive Shinomori-san, Yukishiro-san," Soujirou apologized. "You did manage to steal Misao's heart from him. And now you've come back to claim her."
"Sacre bleu, what in the name of heaven--------Steal her heart from him? What is all this, Seta? And why did you not tell me sooner?!" He was quite ready to grab the young man by the neck.
"What's happening in there, you two?" the young lady poked her head in. She had changed into a looser and shorter garment, completely black, and reaching only to her knees.
"He was just getting mad at me, Misao-san," the younger man answered.
"What for?"
"He was about to tell me," the older one replied with a hiss.
The lady shrugged, and left them to continue.
Now Enishi definitely grabbed him by the front of his gi. "Talk, Seta!"
"Calm down, Yukishiro-san!"
Soujirou brushed himself off, and opened the box. He took out a set of files from the top of the box, and showed it to him.
"As Shinomori-san said, these are files of the Kyoto police related to your mission," he began. "I suggest you start reading through them now before I do any more explaining."
Enishi hmphed, and opened the first folder.
Similar to the Tokyo police records, the main files were in Chinese and were then translated into Japanese. Enishi grabbed for the rest of the files, reading directly and easily from the Chinese text. He read with the keen interest.....of one familiar with intelligence reports and spy records.
Enishi was quite astounded at the high level of intelligence the files provided. With the collected information before him, a person could infiltrate the highest ranks of one of the largest criminal triads in Shanghai. Names of heads, number of people below them, even the location of some residences. Having been informed from Tokyo, he was not surprised when he found his own name among the ranks of the second to the highest leaders.
Most of the documents, however, pertained to a branch of the triad concerned with weapons trade, legal and illegal. Unsigned and unidentified documents they all were; the material could not be traced to anyone inside or outside of Japan. Any postal markings gave a misleading or confusing clue about its source. Some of the information was already in Japanese, if the information involved illegal international weapons trade. Shanghai police sometimes provided copies of the information regarding trade within the mainland.
"Impressive, very impressive," Enishi commended. "Systematic work from an operative. Who supplied this information?"
Soujirou replied, "You did."
Enishi's eyes opened just a little wider.
"As you might or might not recall, you were involved in a frameup a year ago," Soujirou explained. "Because of Shinomori Aoshi, the police agreed to take your side, clear your name and arrest those who framed you. But, clearing your name involved your making yourself known to the police as a former smuggler. Therefore, in exchange for not serving prison time, you consented to bring down your triad branch for good. That was your mission when you left here last year. And clearly, you had fulfilled it."
Several copies of Japanese and Chinese newspapers were also included in the box. Issues were dated over the span of the previous year.
From last fall, reports of a successful buy-bust operation, conducted on one of the main ports, disabling a good portion of trade into Hong Kong. Over the winter, a direct elimination operation with numerous arrests had several policemen decorated with new medals. During the spring, an important tip to the police helped them take down an important weapons exchange link between Formosa and Tokyo. By the time summer had arrived, the weapons exchange branch of the triad was almost good as dead.
But that was when all documentation also ceased.
At the bottom of the box was a newspaper clipping from Tokyo.
"The young man was first brought to the national hospital a month ago, more dead than alive from severe loss of blood. He had suffered massive blows to the head and showed signs of prolonged asphyxiation......However, while the man has completely regained his physical capabilities, he continues to suffer from a mental gap. He has full use of language and movement, but he cannot seem to remember anything about his past......The young man is known only as Shinichi, and aged approximately 25 to 30 years......He is most recognized by his snow-white hair...."
This was the first time the aforementioned young man had seen an article on himself. All newspaper articles concerning his case had been hidden from him, for some reason or another. He had heard the story told of how he was discovered, but it was only now that he believed them.
So this was why he was brought here. The two men wanted to remind him about the events of the last months. He was grateful, of course. He did not have to go far for the information he sought. However, he still thought the young lady's actions were rather odd, in the light of the information readily available to her.
"I take it, from the way mademoiselle has been treating me, that no one has told her, but you and Shinomori know about my case?"
"Hai. We did not want to worry her needlessly."
"You are being unfair to mademoiselle."
"Yes, we do realize that, but we don't know what else to do. Misao will panic if she knew, worry herself sick about you, travel all of Japan looking for you."
"I still say you are being unfair. I would rather she knew the truth than be blissfully ignorant."
"Well, then, Yukishiro-san," Seta said, "you tell her."
"No way!" he jumped back.
Soujirou smiled back sweetly. "Do you see what I mean?"
"No, no, that is not it, Seta!" he fumbled. "The woman will only feel sorry for me. I will not have anyone feeling sorry for me. And personally, I will not impose myself on someone I could not remember!"
"So you really could not remember Misao?"
"Give me a reason to remember the young lady, then!"
"Calm down, I will tell you."
Enishi's head was beginning to pound, anyway, so he sat on the floor and prepared to listen.
"Misao is not pulling your leg. You are indeed engaged to her."
Enishi could only hold his head with both hands, and wonder what a fine mess he had gotten himself into.
"You were friends for a year, you loved her, and she learned to love you. After the events concerning the frameup, you and Shinomori-san made her choose, and she chose you. But since you had promised to help the police, you swore that you would come back for her after a year, and marry her. That is how things stand.
"During the time that you were away, Misao continued to stay here at the Aioya, but has kept some distance between herself and Shinomori-san. He is still her Aoshi-sama, and her liveliest conversations are still with him. However, most of the conversation of late has been about you. Quite understandably, it rather pains the okashira to hear it."
Enishi listened with arms akimbo and eyebrows raised. "You must have the wrong man, Seta. I might have indeed conducted those missions in China, as you say. But I would NOT initiate a relationship with a woman! Isn't my sister enough for me?"
But suddenly he remembered his sister's words.
Someone is waiting for you to return. Go back to her. Try to remember, Enishi, and go back to her.
Somewhere in the cobwebs of his mind, he recalled a pretty young lady. She wore a beautiful blue kimono, for the cherry blossom festival. She laughed and smiled, as they walked through the crowded Kyoto streets. They eventually ate dinner.....somewhere, he could not recall.....then.....maybe they stayed at his house. He brought her home in a carriage, and put her to bed.
If only he could remember who the pretty lady was.
How was she connected to him, this pretty lady in his head, and the feisty young lady he had met? Were they one and the same? Did she just look uncannily similar? Was it possible that everyone related to the woman mistook him for someone else? Was it probable that they were taking advantage of his amnesia, to brainwash him?
The okashira's dark shadow loomed behind the screen door. "Are you done?"
"Hai, Shinomori-san, more or less," Soujirou answered for them.
"Good. You will hear from me should your presence be required again," Aoshi said to Enishi, and began to walk away.
"A....Shinomori-san..." Enishi interrupted.
"Hm?"
"About mademoiselle .....if what Seta says is true, you should have courted her, you know."
The okashira stopped and just stood with his back to the snowhaired man. After a long silence, he faced Enishi, and walked to where he stood. Then the men stood eye to eye, Aoshi's searching for something in the turquoise eyes, Enishi's wondering what they were. The man's face was at the iciest Enishi had seen so far, and he did not know what to make of it. Finally, without saying a word, Shinomori Aoshi walked away, slowly and stately.
Clearly, Shinomori still admired the mademoiselle, Enishi mused. Why then was the young woman imposing herself on Enishi, then? And why did the man not make a move on the young lady? He definitely did not understand.
"By the way, Yukishiro-san, have you thought about where you will stay for the night?" Soujirou interrupted his thoughts as they exited the Aoiya.
"What?"
Soujirou grinned, and tried again. "Where will you sleep tonight?"
In reply, Enishi scratched his snowy head. He looked at Soujirou as if the question were unimportant, but suddenly WAS important.
The younger man shook his head good-naturedly. "You can share my room here for tonight...."
"HERE?!"
"They will be having dinner shortly," Soujirou continued. "They make a good yakiudon here, so I suggest you take me on the offer."
"He doesn't have to share a room with you, Sou-chan!" the young lady passed by and overheard the last of the conversation. She came near to Enishi, and hooked him onto an arm. "He's staying with me! He has to keep me up tonight with all the stories about China!"
"But, mademoiselle......"
"No buts, good sir!" she answered happily.
"But......there's nothing I can tell you!" he replied with supreme dread.
Soujirou came close and whispered into his ear. "You've read the files, right, Yukishiro-san? Work with what you DO know right now. Remember, she knows most of what is in that box, but not all."
Enishi nodded.
Soujirou then said aloud, "Well, then, it's settled, Misao-san! Enjoy your evening!"
Misao tightened her hold on her fiancée's arm.
"Seta, you traitor...." Enishi murmured under his breath.
...........
EGAD! Watson, no game is afoot, egad! Lack of inspiration, not a good thing, not good!! ^^