CHAPTER 2: A Wolf in Captivity
Saito woke up, warmth surrounding him. He opened his eyes and turned his head to see his surroundings. He was lying on a tall, western style bed. He was in a dark room with a single candle for light. The floor was covered with wood and the rice paper door was torn and dirty. Still, all of the furniture was warm and comforting even though it felt like the room was underground. He tried to sit up, but his injuries sent stabbing pains throughout his body. He lay down again.
"Yes, I'll be right there!" a girl's voice yelled from outside the room. It sounded oddly familiar. The girl opened the door and walked into the room.
"Where am I?" Saito asked her. She looked at him for a while and he recognized her as Gimmei. She had a bandage wrapped around her entire arm where he had cut her. However, she looked a lot different. She wasn't in a black cloak, and her hair was streaming down her shoulders in long, rich brown tendrils. Her eyes were a unique shade of green. She walked over and sat on the bed.
"You're at our hideout," Gimmei replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "We tended to your injuries." Saito looked at his ribs. They were indeed bandaged up, along with his shoulder. It was then that he realized that he had no clothes.
"Where'd you put my clothes?" Saito asked harshly. Gimmei giggled.
"No, I didn't take them off, I'm not that gross! They're over there," Gimmei pointed. "My brother took them off for you." Saito could have sighed with relief at that point.
"Why am I here?" Saito asked. He was feeling very confused.
"We're going to kill you eventually," Gimmei said, absentmindedly. "Because you killed our father." Saito didn't reply to that. Gimmei's eyes had a soft glow to them that made her look sad. A long, awkward silence passed before Gimmei stood from the bed.
"Where are you going?" Saito asked. Gimmei cast him a glance.
"Out. You'll stay here. We've given you all the freedom that we can. You can go anywhere that you want to, but we won't allow you to leave the hideout," Gimmei replied. "But since you're immobile for now, would you like anything? Tea, rice?" Gimmei looked at him. He gave her a look.
"What, are you going to poison it or something?" he asked. Gimmei frowned.
"No," Gimmei snapped. "We're being nice to you!"
"Okay, then, soba," Saito replied, turning his head away from her.
"Plain and hot? Or plain and cold?" Gimmei asked.
"Hot," Saito said. Gimmei flung the door open and ran out, slamming it behind her. As soon as she left, Saito stood from the bed and inched over to where his clothes were. They were still soaked from the rain. He walked over to the cabinet and pawed through the clothes in there until he found some clothes that were about his size. Quickly, he slipped them on. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Saito said, still looking around through the cabinet.
"I've got your so- what the heck are you doing?!" Gimmei's voice cried. She set the soba on the end table and ran over to him.
"What?" Saito asked, wincing as she shoved him away from the cabinet.
"This is MY room," Gimmei snapped, straightening her things.
"Why would you keep me in your room, ahou?" Saito bit back. Gimmei gave him a sharp glare, then tossed some more of her things into the cabinet.
"Because you're not even supposed to be here!" Gimmei said. "You're a cop. Cops aren't supposed to know about this place, especially ones of the Shinsengumi." She picked up more of her things and tossed them into the cabinet.
"Then why'd you bring me here anyway?" Saito asked, shifting his body into a more comfortable position. "You could've easily left me in the rain where I would've died most likely anyway." Gimmei stopped putting her clothes into the cabinet.
"Yes, I could've," Gimmei said weakly. She placed the last garment into the cabinet and slid the door shut. "Well, your soba's on the table if you want it." She walked out the door and down the hallway out of sight.
"I don't get her," Saito muttered, standing. He sat on the bed and picked up the bowl of soba, sniffing it suspiciously. Seeing that it was okay, he began to eat.
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"He's asking too many questions, Shiki," Gimmei said, chewing on her fish.
"What are you talking about?" Shiki asked. "He can't ask too many questions. He isn't going to live until the end of tomorrow. I'm planning to kill him tonight." He attacked the fish on his plate with the tips of his chopsticks.
"Tonight? Don't you think we should talk to him more?" Gimmei asked. Shiki shook his head, drinking his tea.
"No," Shiki said, placing the teacup back on the table and serving himself more rice.
"What are you talking about? We can't just kill him like that!" Gimmei protested. "We've wasted our kindness on him!"
"Kindness?" Shiki asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'd kill him now if I could." Gimmei gave him a look, then finished her rice and tea.
"You know," she said. "I don't think we should kill him. We should know what we're doing before we do it!" Shiki sighed.
"He killed Father. Besides, it's just another life that we're taking. There's nothing special about him is there? Hmmmm?" Shiki asked, cocking an eyebrow as he sipped his miso soup. "You're not connecting with the wolf, are you?"
"No, never!" Gimmei said, pulling back. She averted her gaze, then picked up her plate, bowl, and cup. Then, she walked out of the room, leaving Shiki alone.
"You don't understand, Gimmei," Shiki mumbled. "You didn't see the way he killed Father. You didn't see the blood fly, Mother's tears. You didn't see him drag Father's body into an alleyway and leave as if it never happened. You never saw Father."
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Saito placed his bowl back on the table and sat on the bed, staring at the wall. He hated this. Being captive was just about as bad as......... well, there wasn't really anything that it was better than. Suddenly the door was flung open and revealed Gimmei standing in the doorway, staring at Saito.
"What?" he asked. She had an odd look on her face.
"Did you kill my Father?" Gimmei asked, her voice quivering. Saito scowled. How was he supposed to remember?
"You know what, little girl?" Saito asked. "I don't know." She frowned at him. It made her look like a cat.
"How can you forget? He was my father!" Gimmei shouted at him.
"To me, he was just another nobody," Saito replied. "Look, Neko (Cat), I really don't memorize the people I kill."
"What's with the cat name?!" Gimmei shrieked angrily. She jumped up onto the bed and drove her fist into the blankets next to his leg. When he didn't answer, she turned her head away and crossed her arms across her chest.
"You said this is your room?" Saito asked after a long silence.
"Yes," Gimmei said. She turned her back to him, but remained on the bed.
"Don't you sleep here?"
"I can sleep in my brother's room," Gimmei said. She stood up. Saito didn't say anything, but he also stood and walked toward the door, sliding it open.
"HEY!" Gimmei yelled. "Where're you going?"
"To explore this rathole," he replied simply. "If you're going to keep me here, don't think you can keep me in a single room." He left.
"He really is a wolf," Gimmei grumbled. She followed him out.
A/N: My chapters will be getting shorter... and shorter... and shorter... and so on... I do know that I have 3 reviews, so thank you to those people (my current goal is 10 before... chapter 4), but I can't seem to get to read them. It's bugging me so much! I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO READ THEM!!! REALLY! But I can't because there's no e-mail alerts for some reason and there's no notice on the website itself so......... thank you to you three people, but I can't read and respond right now... sorry.
Saito woke up, warmth surrounding him. He opened his eyes and turned his head to see his surroundings. He was lying on a tall, western style bed. He was in a dark room with a single candle for light. The floor was covered with wood and the rice paper door was torn and dirty. Still, all of the furniture was warm and comforting even though it felt like the room was underground. He tried to sit up, but his injuries sent stabbing pains throughout his body. He lay down again.
"Yes, I'll be right there!" a girl's voice yelled from outside the room. It sounded oddly familiar. The girl opened the door and walked into the room.
"Where am I?" Saito asked her. She looked at him for a while and he recognized her as Gimmei. She had a bandage wrapped around her entire arm where he had cut her. However, she looked a lot different. She wasn't in a black cloak, and her hair was streaming down her shoulders in long, rich brown tendrils. Her eyes were a unique shade of green. She walked over and sat on the bed.
"You're at our hideout," Gimmei replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "We tended to your injuries." Saito looked at his ribs. They were indeed bandaged up, along with his shoulder. It was then that he realized that he had no clothes.
"Where'd you put my clothes?" Saito asked harshly. Gimmei giggled.
"No, I didn't take them off, I'm not that gross! They're over there," Gimmei pointed. "My brother took them off for you." Saito could have sighed with relief at that point.
"Why am I here?" Saito asked. He was feeling very confused.
"We're going to kill you eventually," Gimmei said, absentmindedly. "Because you killed our father." Saito didn't reply to that. Gimmei's eyes had a soft glow to them that made her look sad. A long, awkward silence passed before Gimmei stood from the bed.
"Where are you going?" Saito asked. Gimmei cast him a glance.
"Out. You'll stay here. We've given you all the freedom that we can. You can go anywhere that you want to, but we won't allow you to leave the hideout," Gimmei replied. "But since you're immobile for now, would you like anything? Tea, rice?" Gimmei looked at him. He gave her a look.
"What, are you going to poison it or something?" he asked. Gimmei frowned.
"No," Gimmei snapped. "We're being nice to you!"
"Okay, then, soba," Saito replied, turning his head away from her.
"Plain and hot? Or plain and cold?" Gimmei asked.
"Hot," Saito said. Gimmei flung the door open and ran out, slamming it behind her. As soon as she left, Saito stood from the bed and inched over to where his clothes were. They were still soaked from the rain. He walked over to the cabinet and pawed through the clothes in there until he found some clothes that were about his size. Quickly, he slipped them on. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Saito said, still looking around through the cabinet.
"I've got your so- what the heck are you doing?!" Gimmei's voice cried. She set the soba on the end table and ran over to him.
"What?" Saito asked, wincing as she shoved him away from the cabinet.
"This is MY room," Gimmei snapped, straightening her things.
"Why would you keep me in your room, ahou?" Saito bit back. Gimmei gave him a sharp glare, then tossed some more of her things into the cabinet.
"Because you're not even supposed to be here!" Gimmei said. "You're a cop. Cops aren't supposed to know about this place, especially ones of the Shinsengumi." She picked up more of her things and tossed them into the cabinet.
"Then why'd you bring me here anyway?" Saito asked, shifting his body into a more comfortable position. "You could've easily left me in the rain where I would've died most likely anyway." Gimmei stopped putting her clothes into the cabinet.
"Yes, I could've," Gimmei said weakly. She placed the last garment into the cabinet and slid the door shut. "Well, your soba's on the table if you want it." She walked out the door and down the hallway out of sight.
"I don't get her," Saito muttered, standing. He sat on the bed and picked up the bowl of soba, sniffing it suspiciously. Seeing that it was okay, he began to eat.
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- -
"He's asking too many questions, Shiki," Gimmei said, chewing on her fish.
"What are you talking about?" Shiki asked. "He can't ask too many questions. He isn't going to live until the end of tomorrow. I'm planning to kill him tonight." He attacked the fish on his plate with the tips of his chopsticks.
"Tonight? Don't you think we should talk to him more?" Gimmei asked. Shiki shook his head, drinking his tea.
"No," Shiki said, placing the teacup back on the table and serving himself more rice.
"What are you talking about? We can't just kill him like that!" Gimmei protested. "We've wasted our kindness on him!"
"Kindness?" Shiki asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'd kill him now if I could." Gimmei gave him a look, then finished her rice and tea.
"You know," she said. "I don't think we should kill him. We should know what we're doing before we do it!" Shiki sighed.
"He killed Father. Besides, it's just another life that we're taking. There's nothing special about him is there? Hmmmm?" Shiki asked, cocking an eyebrow as he sipped his miso soup. "You're not connecting with the wolf, are you?"
"No, never!" Gimmei said, pulling back. She averted her gaze, then picked up her plate, bowl, and cup. Then, she walked out of the room, leaving Shiki alone.
"You don't understand, Gimmei," Shiki mumbled. "You didn't see the way he killed Father. You didn't see the blood fly, Mother's tears. You didn't see him drag Father's body into an alleyway and leave as if it never happened. You never saw Father."
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Saito placed his bowl back on the table and sat on the bed, staring at the wall. He hated this. Being captive was just about as bad as......... well, there wasn't really anything that it was better than. Suddenly the door was flung open and revealed Gimmei standing in the doorway, staring at Saito.
"What?" he asked. She had an odd look on her face.
"Did you kill my Father?" Gimmei asked, her voice quivering. Saito scowled. How was he supposed to remember?
"You know what, little girl?" Saito asked. "I don't know." She frowned at him. It made her look like a cat.
"How can you forget? He was my father!" Gimmei shouted at him.
"To me, he was just another nobody," Saito replied. "Look, Neko (Cat), I really don't memorize the people I kill."
"What's with the cat name?!" Gimmei shrieked angrily. She jumped up onto the bed and drove her fist into the blankets next to his leg. When he didn't answer, she turned her head away and crossed her arms across her chest.
"You said this is your room?" Saito asked after a long silence.
"Yes," Gimmei said. She turned her back to him, but remained on the bed.
"Don't you sleep here?"
"I can sleep in my brother's room," Gimmei said. She stood up. Saito didn't say anything, but he also stood and walked toward the door, sliding it open.
"HEY!" Gimmei yelled. "Where're you going?"
"To explore this rathole," he replied simply. "If you're going to keep me here, don't think you can keep me in a single room." He left.
"He really is a wolf," Gimmei grumbled. She followed him out.
A/N: My chapters will be getting shorter... and shorter... and shorter... and so on... I do know that I have 3 reviews, so thank you to those people (my current goal is 10 before... chapter 4), but I can't seem to get to read them. It's bugging me so much! I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO READ THEM!!! REALLY! But I can't because there's no e-mail alerts for some reason and there's no notice on the website itself so......... thank you to you three people, but I can't read and respond right now... sorry.