Hi! Back again...I get the feeling that this chapter's going to contain lots
of angst, but whatever...we'll see...
Standard Disclaimer, blah blah blah...you know what I mean.
* * *
"Hey what's this? Oops." Yahiko poked a vase, making it fall off the table. Luckily, nothing broke, thanks to Soujiro's speed.
"Why can't you keep still for once?" Misao yelled, irritated.
"Make me." Yahiko teased.
In an instant, Misao took out her kunai. "Watch me." Misao was about to attack, when she realized that someone had grabbed her arm.
"Um...Misao, I don't think Saitou-san will appreciate having holes in his walls." Soujiro reminded her, sweat-dropping.
"All right, I suppose so." Misao sat back down, sulking.
"Pests." Saitou thought.
"Oi, what's going on around here?"
"No..." Saitou cursed. "Not him, not now..."
"Chou!" Everyone yelled.
"Did you throw a party without me Saitou-san?" Chou sat down, making himself at home. "That's a shame cause I happen to have a lot of sake stashed away."
"Sake?" Sano's eyes brightened.
Saitou groaned. He looked around the room—a rooster, a weasel, a raccoon, a crazy broom-head clown...his house was turning into a zoo.
* * *
"Look at those butterflies, aren't they pretty?" Tokio pointed.
"And she married Saitou?" Sonami was on the verge of sweat-dropping. "So how have you been doing all these years?"
"Oh, I don't know, just doing this and that, I suppose. Nothing much of importance."
"And getting married?" Sonami quirked an eyebrow.
"Well, yes, um...that..."
"You get married to someone almost twice your age and you didn't even write to your best friend about it?" Sonami teased.
"Well, I wasn't exactly sure..." Tokio stammered, feeling a bit guilty.
"It's okay Tokio. I know you were concerned about the safety of your husband, so you thought it better than to write to me. Letters are the easiest things to intercept after all." She reassured her. "By the way, you don't have to lie to me you know." Sonami took on a more serious tone. "I know that things hasn't been easy for you. Not for any of us."
Tokio smiled weakly. Yes, nothing had ever been easy. Perhaps that was why she hid her sadness behind all the pretentious happiness. But isn't she happy now? Yes, in certain ways she was. But other things never went away.
"So how did you end up marrying him?" Sonami teased, trying to brighten her up. "You didn't happen to..."
"No!" Tokio reacted. "You know that I wouldn't use trickery like that for..."
"Well, last time I checked you were quite masterful when it came to hypnosis. You could have convinced almost anyone to jump off a cliff."
"But I wouldn't..." Tokio protested, alarmed.
Sonami started to laugh. "You know I was only joking."
"Well, that wasn't very nice." Tokio pouted.
"Well, you should have known better...after all, the last time I checked, you were the one that's seven years older than me, not the other way around. I should be the naïve one." They both started laughing.
"You know," Tokio's eyes suddenly shinned mischievously. "Did I ever tell you that marrying Saitou-san was inevitable?"
"Huh?" Sonami turned around, puzzled.
This time, it was Tokio's turn to laugh. "Well..."
* * *
(flashback)
"Tokio, could you come into the kitchen please?"
"Yes mother." Strange, she thought. Her mother never called her into the kitchen. She herself was never in the kitchen. It was mostly the servants that did all the work.
"Where have you been all afternoon?" Her mother asked, all out of breath.
"With Sumi and Hirou. Where else?" She replied innocently.
"Well, we have a guest over right now, and I want you to serve tea." Tokio stood there puzzled. She never served tea before, much less been in a room where her father and his guests were having conversations.
"What are you doing, just standing there?" Her mother chided. "Hurry!" Tokio made haste towards the study, yet careful enough to not spill the tea. Hopefully, she wouldn't embarrass herself and her family.
"The war is not turning out the way we hoped." She heard her father say.
"It may be so, but one does not give up so easily." She heard another voice reply.
Her father, sensing her presence behind the door, said, "Come in."
Tokio shyly entered the room. The first thing Tokio noticed was the stranger, and his uniform. A Shinsengumi, she mused. She always wanted to see one of those soldiers, of whom her father always spoke so highly about. Now she satisfied her curiosity. She proceeded to pour the tea. Throughout the whole process, the two men stayed silent. When she was done, her father suddenly stated, "This is my daughter, Tokio." Then looking at Tokio, he continued "and this is Saitou Hajime, the captain of the third squad of Shinsengumi." Tokio gave a slight bow, and then started out the door. However, on the way out, she overheard her father say, "I would like to make a proposition with you Saitou-san." Tokio stopped. She knew it wasn't good to eavesdrop, but for some reason she seemed to be stuck there. "After the war, I would like you to take my daughter as your wife. It would be an honor to have you as my son-in-law."
* * *
Sonami looked at her incredulously. Tokio laughed. "I'm not making this up you know."
"Then why didn't you tell me this before?"
Tokio shrugged. "It never came up. Besides, I didn't want father to know that I eavesdropped on their conversation. Also, I never saw him again until much later."
"I see, so fate deemed that you two would be together."
"Hai." Tokio replied, still smiling.
Sonami's eyes clouded. "And fate deemed that I would be alone."
Realizing where this was leading to, Tokio let out a sigh. "You still remember him don't you?"
"Did you expect otherwise?"
"No." Tokio admitted. "But it has been seven years." With that, she continued to comfort her friend, who at the moment was still lost in the past.
* * *
"It's about time that we discuss the situation Battousai." Kenshin nodded. The two of them were in a room alone, away from prying ears, or so they thought...
"What are you guys doing?" Soujiro asked the group huddling against the door.
"Eek!" They all squealed, scared to their wits. Unfortunately for them at that precise moment, all their weights pressed towards the door, breaking it. All of them fell straight towards the floor, right it front of a confused Kenshin, and an extremely irritated Saitou.
"Oro?" Kenshin remarked. Then he glanced at Saitou, who looked murderous.
Fortunately, Saitou didn't draw his katana. Instead he motioned for them to sit. "You might as well be here listening, so that I don't have to answer any stupid questions later on." All of them meekly took a seat inside the room. Saitou sighed. He really was mellowing down with age.
Once everyone stopped scuttling about, Saitou started, "I think I should start first by informing you about the trade clans."
"Trade clans?" Sano quipped.
Completely ignoring Sano's comment, Saitou continued, "The trade clans were powerful families that basically controlled all of commerce in Japan and also between Japan and neighboring countries. The most famous, and most powerful of them was the Yutamuro clan." Some gasps were heard within the group. "They were even respected by the samurais and were also deemed as extremely dangerous. Their fighting techniques were integrations of various styles and weapons, which made it almost impossible to defeat them. Although of course, all of this is understandable, since most of the clans did have some samurai blood within them, and many samurais were their patrons."
"And knowing this, both sides in the Revolution tried to gain their alliance." Kenshin filled in.
"So they sided with the Ishin Shishi?" Kaoru asked.
"No." Saitou replied. "They decided to stay neutral." Why won't they be quiet and just listen? This was not a questions and answers period. "Actually, to be exact, the Yutamuro decided to stay neutral, and since they decided to do so, that was the general consensus amongst the rest of the clans as well."
"Oh." Everyone commented.
"Seiju Yutamuro was the last known head of the clan. Sonami's father no doubt."
"I see." Sano suddenly interrupted. "Well, I see what Sonami's up to. She's just seeing what's left of her clan. Nothing harmful. All right Chou, let's have some sake." With that he walked out of the room, dragging Chou along.
"We better go and make sure that they don't do anything stupid." With that, Kaoru and Misao left as well. The room now consisted only of Saitou, Kenshin, and Soujiro.
"There's more to it isn't there Saitou?" Kenshin stated, after some periods of silence.
Saitou made a grab for a cigarette, but decided against it, for Tokio hated him smoking inside the house. "I'm about to relate to you one of the tainted deeds of the Meiji government."
"We know up to a certain degree that all governments are corrupted Saitou, go on." Kenshin urged, while also acknowledging Soujiro.
"Although the trade clans had declared neutrality during the war, once the war was over, the Meiji government decided to destroy them. However, none of this was common knowledge, for the eradication was done in secret." Saitou's eyes glowed. "Many died upon "friendly" swords, ambushed, stabbed in the back, killed in their sleep...unnecessary to say, it was an extremely dishonorable maneuver." Three sighs simultaneously occurred. "Seiju Yutamuro was killed soon after the war." Eyes lit up. "Actually in this case, no one knows just how, or who committed the deed. Wouldn't be surprised thought if the government sent some assassin to do the job." Saitou snorted. "But then something peculiar happened after that incident. The trade clans started warring against each other."
"Against each other?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, against each other." Saitou repeated. "By this time, the once respected and honorable clans were the minority—barely existing in fact. The ones that were dominating were corrupt. In fact, as I later found out, they were toying with the new government. They had agreed to help destroy the rest of the clans in order for them to survive. Their corruption started to destroy Japan. And that's where I came in again."
Ah, yes, the creed of the Shinsengumi, Kenshin thought to himself. Saitou would never be left alone. He had to purge, and in this case he would have had no qualms, for his enemy, indeed, was evil. "However, their new leader was extremely elusive." Saitou started again. "I was close on his trail, but suddenly the whole operation seized. At seven years after Meiji, in fact. Seven years ago. No one knew what happened. So I ended up closing the case." Kenshin sensed the anger in Saitou. "And now, within the past few months, I noticed that the same traces of them started to appear again. And this time," Saitou clenched his hand into a fist, "I am not going to let them go unpunished."
"And this is why Sonami is useful." Kenshin said softly, reading Saitou's thoughts. "Sonami herself wasn't corrupt, for she was part of the Yutamuro clan. But she knows the truth behind all the maneuvers and the hidden facts. In fact, she is the only heiress of the once legendary clan, and the only key." Kenshin sighed. "She's barely twenty-one now. Imagine having to have gone through all of that while being a child. It's amazing that she didn't turn into a heartless killer. And Tokio..." Kenshin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is that why you married her?"
Saitou glanced up. "If you're insinuating that I only married her because I needed information, then that is not the case. I knew she was a samurai's daughter, fair enough, and may had even conjectured that her father might have been one of the patrons, but I had no idea about her connection to Yutamuro until all of you walked into my house today." The three men stayed silent after that, each trapped within his own thoughts.
* * *
"Hey, here comes Sonami and Tokio." Misao yelled.
"Ah, so this is the Sonami all of you have been talking about." Chou remarked. "Definitely pretty, but for my eccentric tastes, I prefer Tokio- san." Chou remarked jokingly, but first checking to make sure that Saitou was not behind him.
"Thank you for the flattery Chou-san." Tokio laughed. "But for your health I think it wise for you to refrain from such compliments with my husband around."
"Ok, enough Chou." Sano interrupted, impatient. "Where's the sake?"
"Oh, so Sano wants some sake, ne? I'll give you your sake. More than you can handle, in fact."
"Oh yea?" Sano started, flaring up. "I bet you can't even finish a bottle."
"Is that a challenge?" Chou mocked. "I'll take you up on that."
With that started the sake challenge between Sano and Chou. At first, all the women tried to stop them, but after seeing them drink, three, four, five bottles, they were fascinated by how much they could drink, and decided to teach them a lesson through the hangover that they were going to have the next day.
* * *
"I can't believe we have to carry this idiot back all the way to the dojo." Yahiko complained.
"Last time I checked Yahiko, it's Kenshin and Soujiro that's carrying Sano, not you." Kaoru said, giving Yahiko a smack in the head.
"Didn't I tell you to stop hitting me ugly?" Yahiko glared.
"What did you say, you..."
"All right, I want everyone quiet till we get to the dojo." Saitou ordered. "I got enough headaches for one day thanks to all of you and I don't wish to get another one." Seeing Saitou all worked up caused everyone to hush up.
They arrived at the door of the dojo when Sonami said, "Since everyone is here, I might as well tell what I'm going to do tomorrow." They became attentive. "I'm starting on a journey over Japan, in order to do what I came to do. So I wanted to tell everyone that I'm leaving tomorrow."
"What?!!!"
"But you can't, Sonami...you just came here..." Kaoru and Misao pleaded.
"I suppose I can't stop you." Kenshin smiled. "But you forget that Saitou and I promised your 'brother' to protect you. So that means that we would have to go with you as well."
"And of course," Tokio added, "if you're going, I have to go with you. After all, I was part of the situation." She ignored the curious looks everyone else was giving her.
"We want to go too." Misao and Kaoru yelled. "There is no way that you are leaving us out in this one."
"Don't forget me!" Yahiko shouted. "You guys always leave me out in everything. Well, not this time!"
Then all eyes fell on Soujiro. "Well, I'm a rurouni after all, and I wouldn't be a wanderer if I wasn't wandering with the rest of you." Soujiro smiled. "Well, that is of course, if you don't mind Sonami."
"Of course I don't." She answered. "But I have to warn you, my journey is anything but safe and easy."
"Bah." Yahiko replied. "We're used to that stuff."
"Ok, then." Sonami smiled. "Everyone be ready by tomorrow!"
* * *
Misao stayed outside, staring blankly into a dark space. Things were certainly getting interesting, and of course, she was enjoying herself. Then why was she still feeling empty? "Aoshi..."
Misao tried to get the image out of her mind. She had left for good, and there was no reason to look back. But it just wouldn't go away. Why was she still thinking about him? He didn't love her, at least not the way she wanted him to. So why? Because she still loved him.
Misao sighed one last time before retiring to her room. "Perhaps this journey will help clear my head."
* * *
"Why didn't you tell me!" Sano yelled.
"It's not our fault that you were dead drunk!" Misao reproached him.
"Ugh...I need to get ready quickly!" With that, Sano started to run out of the door, when...
"Hello, may I speak to someone?"
"Megumi?" Kaoru asked, puzzled.
"Ah, yes, sorry to bother everyone so early in the morning, but I have an urgent matter to discuss." Megumi explained.
"Come in Megumi, and tell us." Kenshin offered.
"Thank you." Megumi replied, ignoring dagger eyes from Kaoru. "According to Gensai-san, an epidemic hit the nearby villages, and they need medical assistance right away. However, it has been rumored that the roads to those villages have been unsafe lately, so I need someone to come with me to ensure safety."
Kenshin scratched his head. "I'm sorry Megumi-san, but most of us are already engaged in something else. But now that I think of it, Sano is probably free, so he could go with you."
"What?!!!" Both Sano and Megumi protested.
"But I'm going with you guys!" Sano shouted.
"Actually Sano, you never really told Sonami you were. You were knocked out, remember?" Misao corrected him.
"But, but..."
"She's right Sano." Kenshin tried to suppress his smile. "Technically you are not obligated like the rest of us."
"So you're the one going with Megumi!" Yahiko concluded.
"All right Sano, let's get this over with." Megumi stated, dragging Sano with her.
"One less annoyance." Saitou commented.
"Well, is everyone ready to go now?" Sonami asked.
"Yup!" Misao replied.
"No she's not."
Everyone turned towards the door... "Aoshi Shinomori!"
* * *
"Aoshi?" Misao blinked.
"We're going back to Kyoto now." He flatly stated.
"You...you came to get me?"
"Hai."
"Why?" She received no response. "Well, Misao, isn't this what you wanted?" She said to herself. No, not quite. She wanted him to have a reason. A reason she wanted to hear from him. "Jiya told you to come and get me, didn't he? She pouted.
"No." He wanted to say. But he couldn't. "Yes."
"Then I'm not going." Misao declared stubbornly.
"Misao..."
"Besides, I'm obligated. I promised Sonami that I'll go with her."
"Misao, you don't have too..." Sonami protested, but was cut off by Misao.
"And you were the one Aoshi, that told me to always honor the promises I made."
"Where are you going?" He suddenly asked.
"Well, everywhere I suppose, but we're going to Nagasaki first." Sonami answered, a bit nervous.
Aoshi contemplated his situation. Kyoto was on the way to Nagasaki. He had enough time to persuade Misao on the way. "In that case, I'll come with you."
"Hm, suit yourself." Misao pouted while turning away from him. Yet somehow, she felt happy inside.
* * *
Yay! Long chapter done! Getting dizzy...staring at the computer for so long...lol. Anyways, comments...
Yea, like I said, a bit more angsty chapter. But I did put some humor into it...oh, and the whole sake thing between Sano and Chou was a bit too much...but I put it there anyways. Also, yes, I know that Tokio's character seems a bit off... Oh, and what about all the background stories? Did you like them? =)
Sano and Chou-seriously...putting them together is a riot.
Saitou-poor Saitou...having to deal with all of that in one day...=)
Misao and Aoshi-I sense conflict...
Megumi-well, ok, so maybe I sort of put her in randomly, but I needed to pair her and Sano off away from the rest of the group for a while. But don't worry, they'll be back! =) (too soon for some people actually! =) )
Soujiro-poor him, he had to make sure that no one was causing too much trouble throughout the day...must have been getting a headache almost as big as Saitou's.
Tokio-a lot of background info on her in this one. I hope it didn't sound too corny though. Oh, and I also sort of hinted at one of her abilities...
Sonami-So I started digging into her past a bit. It's going to get only more interesting from here on! =) (so, just what type of horrific ordeals did she have to go through? Hee...hee...) (oh, and did she know Soujiro before? (remember ch.2 on that?)) Overall, what's going on? Find out later! =)
Oh, and of course...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Thanks! =)
Standard Disclaimer, blah blah blah...you know what I mean.
* * *
"Hey what's this? Oops." Yahiko poked a vase, making it fall off the table. Luckily, nothing broke, thanks to Soujiro's speed.
"Why can't you keep still for once?" Misao yelled, irritated.
"Make me." Yahiko teased.
In an instant, Misao took out her kunai. "Watch me." Misao was about to attack, when she realized that someone had grabbed her arm.
"Um...Misao, I don't think Saitou-san will appreciate having holes in his walls." Soujiro reminded her, sweat-dropping.
"All right, I suppose so." Misao sat back down, sulking.
"Pests." Saitou thought.
"Oi, what's going on around here?"
"No..." Saitou cursed. "Not him, not now..."
"Chou!" Everyone yelled.
"Did you throw a party without me Saitou-san?" Chou sat down, making himself at home. "That's a shame cause I happen to have a lot of sake stashed away."
"Sake?" Sano's eyes brightened.
Saitou groaned. He looked around the room—a rooster, a weasel, a raccoon, a crazy broom-head clown...his house was turning into a zoo.
* * *
"Look at those butterflies, aren't they pretty?" Tokio pointed.
"And she married Saitou?" Sonami was on the verge of sweat-dropping. "So how have you been doing all these years?"
"Oh, I don't know, just doing this and that, I suppose. Nothing much of importance."
"And getting married?" Sonami quirked an eyebrow.
"Well, yes, um...that..."
"You get married to someone almost twice your age and you didn't even write to your best friend about it?" Sonami teased.
"Well, I wasn't exactly sure..." Tokio stammered, feeling a bit guilty.
"It's okay Tokio. I know you were concerned about the safety of your husband, so you thought it better than to write to me. Letters are the easiest things to intercept after all." She reassured her. "By the way, you don't have to lie to me you know." Sonami took on a more serious tone. "I know that things hasn't been easy for you. Not for any of us."
Tokio smiled weakly. Yes, nothing had ever been easy. Perhaps that was why she hid her sadness behind all the pretentious happiness. But isn't she happy now? Yes, in certain ways she was. But other things never went away.
"So how did you end up marrying him?" Sonami teased, trying to brighten her up. "You didn't happen to..."
"No!" Tokio reacted. "You know that I wouldn't use trickery like that for..."
"Well, last time I checked you were quite masterful when it came to hypnosis. You could have convinced almost anyone to jump off a cliff."
"But I wouldn't..." Tokio protested, alarmed.
Sonami started to laugh. "You know I was only joking."
"Well, that wasn't very nice." Tokio pouted.
"Well, you should have known better...after all, the last time I checked, you were the one that's seven years older than me, not the other way around. I should be the naïve one." They both started laughing.
"You know," Tokio's eyes suddenly shinned mischievously. "Did I ever tell you that marrying Saitou-san was inevitable?"
"Huh?" Sonami turned around, puzzled.
This time, it was Tokio's turn to laugh. "Well..."
* * *
(flashback)
"Tokio, could you come into the kitchen please?"
"Yes mother." Strange, she thought. Her mother never called her into the kitchen. She herself was never in the kitchen. It was mostly the servants that did all the work.
"Where have you been all afternoon?" Her mother asked, all out of breath.
"With Sumi and Hirou. Where else?" She replied innocently.
"Well, we have a guest over right now, and I want you to serve tea." Tokio stood there puzzled. She never served tea before, much less been in a room where her father and his guests were having conversations.
"What are you doing, just standing there?" Her mother chided. "Hurry!" Tokio made haste towards the study, yet careful enough to not spill the tea. Hopefully, she wouldn't embarrass herself and her family.
"The war is not turning out the way we hoped." She heard her father say.
"It may be so, but one does not give up so easily." She heard another voice reply.
Her father, sensing her presence behind the door, said, "Come in."
Tokio shyly entered the room. The first thing Tokio noticed was the stranger, and his uniform. A Shinsengumi, she mused. She always wanted to see one of those soldiers, of whom her father always spoke so highly about. Now she satisfied her curiosity. She proceeded to pour the tea. Throughout the whole process, the two men stayed silent. When she was done, her father suddenly stated, "This is my daughter, Tokio." Then looking at Tokio, he continued "and this is Saitou Hajime, the captain of the third squad of Shinsengumi." Tokio gave a slight bow, and then started out the door. However, on the way out, she overheard her father say, "I would like to make a proposition with you Saitou-san." Tokio stopped. She knew it wasn't good to eavesdrop, but for some reason she seemed to be stuck there. "After the war, I would like you to take my daughter as your wife. It would be an honor to have you as my son-in-law."
* * *
Sonami looked at her incredulously. Tokio laughed. "I'm not making this up you know."
"Then why didn't you tell me this before?"
Tokio shrugged. "It never came up. Besides, I didn't want father to know that I eavesdropped on their conversation. Also, I never saw him again until much later."
"I see, so fate deemed that you two would be together."
"Hai." Tokio replied, still smiling.
Sonami's eyes clouded. "And fate deemed that I would be alone."
Realizing where this was leading to, Tokio let out a sigh. "You still remember him don't you?"
"Did you expect otherwise?"
"No." Tokio admitted. "But it has been seven years." With that, she continued to comfort her friend, who at the moment was still lost in the past.
* * *
"It's about time that we discuss the situation Battousai." Kenshin nodded. The two of them were in a room alone, away from prying ears, or so they thought...
"What are you guys doing?" Soujiro asked the group huddling against the door.
"Eek!" They all squealed, scared to their wits. Unfortunately for them at that precise moment, all their weights pressed towards the door, breaking it. All of them fell straight towards the floor, right it front of a confused Kenshin, and an extremely irritated Saitou.
"Oro?" Kenshin remarked. Then he glanced at Saitou, who looked murderous.
Fortunately, Saitou didn't draw his katana. Instead he motioned for them to sit. "You might as well be here listening, so that I don't have to answer any stupid questions later on." All of them meekly took a seat inside the room. Saitou sighed. He really was mellowing down with age.
Once everyone stopped scuttling about, Saitou started, "I think I should start first by informing you about the trade clans."
"Trade clans?" Sano quipped.
Completely ignoring Sano's comment, Saitou continued, "The trade clans were powerful families that basically controlled all of commerce in Japan and also between Japan and neighboring countries. The most famous, and most powerful of them was the Yutamuro clan." Some gasps were heard within the group. "They were even respected by the samurais and were also deemed as extremely dangerous. Their fighting techniques were integrations of various styles and weapons, which made it almost impossible to defeat them. Although of course, all of this is understandable, since most of the clans did have some samurai blood within them, and many samurais were their patrons."
"And knowing this, both sides in the Revolution tried to gain their alliance." Kenshin filled in.
"So they sided with the Ishin Shishi?" Kaoru asked.
"No." Saitou replied. "They decided to stay neutral." Why won't they be quiet and just listen? This was not a questions and answers period. "Actually, to be exact, the Yutamuro decided to stay neutral, and since they decided to do so, that was the general consensus amongst the rest of the clans as well."
"Oh." Everyone commented.
"Seiju Yutamuro was the last known head of the clan. Sonami's father no doubt."
"I see." Sano suddenly interrupted. "Well, I see what Sonami's up to. She's just seeing what's left of her clan. Nothing harmful. All right Chou, let's have some sake." With that he walked out of the room, dragging Chou along.
"We better go and make sure that they don't do anything stupid." With that, Kaoru and Misao left as well. The room now consisted only of Saitou, Kenshin, and Soujiro.
"There's more to it isn't there Saitou?" Kenshin stated, after some periods of silence.
Saitou made a grab for a cigarette, but decided against it, for Tokio hated him smoking inside the house. "I'm about to relate to you one of the tainted deeds of the Meiji government."
"We know up to a certain degree that all governments are corrupted Saitou, go on." Kenshin urged, while also acknowledging Soujiro.
"Although the trade clans had declared neutrality during the war, once the war was over, the Meiji government decided to destroy them. However, none of this was common knowledge, for the eradication was done in secret." Saitou's eyes glowed. "Many died upon "friendly" swords, ambushed, stabbed in the back, killed in their sleep...unnecessary to say, it was an extremely dishonorable maneuver." Three sighs simultaneously occurred. "Seiju Yutamuro was killed soon after the war." Eyes lit up. "Actually in this case, no one knows just how, or who committed the deed. Wouldn't be surprised thought if the government sent some assassin to do the job." Saitou snorted. "But then something peculiar happened after that incident. The trade clans started warring against each other."
"Against each other?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, against each other." Saitou repeated. "By this time, the once respected and honorable clans were the minority—barely existing in fact. The ones that were dominating were corrupt. In fact, as I later found out, they were toying with the new government. They had agreed to help destroy the rest of the clans in order for them to survive. Their corruption started to destroy Japan. And that's where I came in again."
Ah, yes, the creed of the Shinsengumi, Kenshin thought to himself. Saitou would never be left alone. He had to purge, and in this case he would have had no qualms, for his enemy, indeed, was evil. "However, their new leader was extremely elusive." Saitou started again. "I was close on his trail, but suddenly the whole operation seized. At seven years after Meiji, in fact. Seven years ago. No one knew what happened. So I ended up closing the case." Kenshin sensed the anger in Saitou. "And now, within the past few months, I noticed that the same traces of them started to appear again. And this time," Saitou clenched his hand into a fist, "I am not going to let them go unpunished."
"And this is why Sonami is useful." Kenshin said softly, reading Saitou's thoughts. "Sonami herself wasn't corrupt, for she was part of the Yutamuro clan. But she knows the truth behind all the maneuvers and the hidden facts. In fact, she is the only heiress of the once legendary clan, and the only key." Kenshin sighed. "She's barely twenty-one now. Imagine having to have gone through all of that while being a child. It's amazing that she didn't turn into a heartless killer. And Tokio..." Kenshin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is that why you married her?"
Saitou glanced up. "If you're insinuating that I only married her because I needed information, then that is not the case. I knew she was a samurai's daughter, fair enough, and may had even conjectured that her father might have been one of the patrons, but I had no idea about her connection to Yutamuro until all of you walked into my house today." The three men stayed silent after that, each trapped within his own thoughts.
* * *
"Hey, here comes Sonami and Tokio." Misao yelled.
"Ah, so this is the Sonami all of you have been talking about." Chou remarked. "Definitely pretty, but for my eccentric tastes, I prefer Tokio- san." Chou remarked jokingly, but first checking to make sure that Saitou was not behind him.
"Thank you for the flattery Chou-san." Tokio laughed. "But for your health I think it wise for you to refrain from such compliments with my husband around."
"Ok, enough Chou." Sano interrupted, impatient. "Where's the sake?"
"Oh, so Sano wants some sake, ne? I'll give you your sake. More than you can handle, in fact."
"Oh yea?" Sano started, flaring up. "I bet you can't even finish a bottle."
"Is that a challenge?" Chou mocked. "I'll take you up on that."
With that started the sake challenge between Sano and Chou. At first, all the women tried to stop them, but after seeing them drink, three, four, five bottles, they were fascinated by how much they could drink, and decided to teach them a lesson through the hangover that they were going to have the next day.
* * *
"I can't believe we have to carry this idiot back all the way to the dojo." Yahiko complained.
"Last time I checked Yahiko, it's Kenshin and Soujiro that's carrying Sano, not you." Kaoru said, giving Yahiko a smack in the head.
"Didn't I tell you to stop hitting me ugly?" Yahiko glared.
"What did you say, you..."
"All right, I want everyone quiet till we get to the dojo." Saitou ordered. "I got enough headaches for one day thanks to all of you and I don't wish to get another one." Seeing Saitou all worked up caused everyone to hush up.
They arrived at the door of the dojo when Sonami said, "Since everyone is here, I might as well tell what I'm going to do tomorrow." They became attentive. "I'm starting on a journey over Japan, in order to do what I came to do. So I wanted to tell everyone that I'm leaving tomorrow."
"What?!!!"
"But you can't, Sonami...you just came here..." Kaoru and Misao pleaded.
"I suppose I can't stop you." Kenshin smiled. "But you forget that Saitou and I promised your 'brother' to protect you. So that means that we would have to go with you as well."
"And of course," Tokio added, "if you're going, I have to go with you. After all, I was part of the situation." She ignored the curious looks everyone else was giving her.
"We want to go too." Misao and Kaoru yelled. "There is no way that you are leaving us out in this one."
"Don't forget me!" Yahiko shouted. "You guys always leave me out in everything. Well, not this time!"
Then all eyes fell on Soujiro. "Well, I'm a rurouni after all, and I wouldn't be a wanderer if I wasn't wandering with the rest of you." Soujiro smiled. "Well, that is of course, if you don't mind Sonami."
"Of course I don't." She answered. "But I have to warn you, my journey is anything but safe and easy."
"Bah." Yahiko replied. "We're used to that stuff."
"Ok, then." Sonami smiled. "Everyone be ready by tomorrow!"
* * *
Misao stayed outside, staring blankly into a dark space. Things were certainly getting interesting, and of course, she was enjoying herself. Then why was she still feeling empty? "Aoshi..."
Misao tried to get the image out of her mind. She had left for good, and there was no reason to look back. But it just wouldn't go away. Why was she still thinking about him? He didn't love her, at least not the way she wanted him to. So why? Because she still loved him.
Misao sighed one last time before retiring to her room. "Perhaps this journey will help clear my head."
* * *
"Why didn't you tell me!" Sano yelled.
"It's not our fault that you were dead drunk!" Misao reproached him.
"Ugh...I need to get ready quickly!" With that, Sano started to run out of the door, when...
"Hello, may I speak to someone?"
"Megumi?" Kaoru asked, puzzled.
"Ah, yes, sorry to bother everyone so early in the morning, but I have an urgent matter to discuss." Megumi explained.
"Come in Megumi, and tell us." Kenshin offered.
"Thank you." Megumi replied, ignoring dagger eyes from Kaoru. "According to Gensai-san, an epidemic hit the nearby villages, and they need medical assistance right away. However, it has been rumored that the roads to those villages have been unsafe lately, so I need someone to come with me to ensure safety."
Kenshin scratched his head. "I'm sorry Megumi-san, but most of us are already engaged in something else. But now that I think of it, Sano is probably free, so he could go with you."
"What?!!!" Both Sano and Megumi protested.
"But I'm going with you guys!" Sano shouted.
"Actually Sano, you never really told Sonami you were. You were knocked out, remember?" Misao corrected him.
"But, but..."
"She's right Sano." Kenshin tried to suppress his smile. "Technically you are not obligated like the rest of us."
"So you're the one going with Megumi!" Yahiko concluded.
"All right Sano, let's get this over with." Megumi stated, dragging Sano with her.
"One less annoyance." Saitou commented.
"Well, is everyone ready to go now?" Sonami asked.
"Yup!" Misao replied.
"No she's not."
Everyone turned towards the door... "Aoshi Shinomori!"
* * *
"Aoshi?" Misao blinked.
"We're going back to Kyoto now." He flatly stated.
"You...you came to get me?"
"Hai."
"Why?" She received no response. "Well, Misao, isn't this what you wanted?" She said to herself. No, not quite. She wanted him to have a reason. A reason she wanted to hear from him. "Jiya told you to come and get me, didn't he? She pouted.
"No." He wanted to say. But he couldn't. "Yes."
"Then I'm not going." Misao declared stubbornly.
"Misao..."
"Besides, I'm obligated. I promised Sonami that I'll go with her."
"Misao, you don't have too..." Sonami protested, but was cut off by Misao.
"And you were the one Aoshi, that told me to always honor the promises I made."
"Where are you going?" He suddenly asked.
"Well, everywhere I suppose, but we're going to Nagasaki first." Sonami answered, a bit nervous.
Aoshi contemplated his situation. Kyoto was on the way to Nagasaki. He had enough time to persuade Misao on the way. "In that case, I'll come with you."
"Hm, suit yourself." Misao pouted while turning away from him. Yet somehow, she felt happy inside.
* * *
Yay! Long chapter done! Getting dizzy...staring at the computer for so long...lol. Anyways, comments...
Yea, like I said, a bit more angsty chapter. But I did put some humor into it...oh, and the whole sake thing between Sano and Chou was a bit too much...but I put it there anyways. Also, yes, I know that Tokio's character seems a bit off... Oh, and what about all the background stories? Did you like them? =)
Sano and Chou-seriously...putting them together is a riot.
Saitou-poor Saitou...having to deal with all of that in one day...=)
Misao and Aoshi-I sense conflict...
Megumi-well, ok, so maybe I sort of put her in randomly, but I needed to pair her and Sano off away from the rest of the group for a while. But don't worry, they'll be back! =) (too soon for some people actually! =) )
Soujiro-poor him, he had to make sure that no one was causing too much trouble throughout the day...must have been getting a headache almost as big as Saitou's.
Tokio-a lot of background info on her in this one. I hope it didn't sound too corny though. Oh, and I also sort of hinted at one of her abilities...
Sonami-So I started digging into her past a bit. It's going to get only more interesting from here on! =) (so, just what type of horrific ordeals did she have to go through? Hee...hee...) (oh, and did she know Soujiro before? (remember ch.2 on that?)) Overall, what's going on? Find out later! =)
Oh, and of course...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Thanks! =)