Title: Mibu no Monogatari A Mibu Story - Shieikan Chapter 4
Series: Peacemaker Kurogane/Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker
Although it is listed as a PMK fic, it's a historical fan fiction with a combination of elements from PMK, Shinsengumi, and other literature with an interpretation leaning towards that seen in PMK. Also, this is FICTION, which means that it's not necessarily true.
Rating: PG-13 Mild-language and implied sexual situations
Disclaimer: The characters by no means belong to me--they are who they are, but if they must be credited, they would most resemble Nanae Kurono's creations.
Summary: Continuation of the story in which nine year-old Okita Soujirou comes to the Shieikan dojo as a servant (page). For what reasons does Hijikata not stay at Shieikan? Now without his sister's family around, what will Souji do when Hijikata also leaves? May cover events up to almost the beginning of SI Peacemaker manga/anime.
"Hijikata-san, why don't you train at the dojo?"
Hijikata stopped swinging and stared at the boy. He looked almost thoughtful for a moment, but then the expression on his face hardened, and he barked back sharply.
"Don't just stand there. Come at me with all you've got!"
Soujirou blinked, and within that eye span, Hijikata had already assumed the attack position. Before the boy could do anything else, Hijikata struck at him full force with his wooden sword. Soujirou was barely able to dodge the blow when the next one came.
"Hijikata-san!" Soujirou cried desparately, "You're not cutting me any slack!!"
Hijikata, without pausing, swung at the boy again, "Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a kid! Too slow!!"
The sword stopped just inches away from Soujirou's slender throat. The younger boy gulped nervously. Hijikata grumbled, and lowered his sword. He closed the gap between them, and adjusted Soujirou's fingering on the hilt.
"You idiot! How can you defend in that position?"
"Um, but you didn't even give me time to think."
"Well, then you'll have to think much faster than that, you slow poke! Now do it again, and do it right!"
"Um...hai!"
The sparring continued in a patch of dry ground behind the main dojo where the grass had thinned, and Hijikata continued to attack Soujirou without mercy. Even though the older boy kept berating Soujirou for his mistakes, only stopping short of injury, he was intent on drilling proper technique into the younger child.
Why...? Hijikata wondered to himself. Why was this child a samurai's son, and no matter how much I practice, how much better I get, I'll never be...
Suddenly, the younger boy gave a loud cry of pain, and Hijikata's eyes widened in shock. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he had not stopped himself in time--the younger boy had blocked the attack, but because Hijikata had put too much force into the swing, he not only knocked the sword out of Soujirou's hand, but he had also sent the boy tumbling off his feet and hitting his head on the hardened dirt crust.
"Souji!!" He quickly rushed to the boy's side, but even as he cradled the boy's head in his arms, Soujirou's violet eyes were already glazing over and closing.
"Hiji...ka...ta....san..." Soujirou mumbled and struggled to keep his mind from blurring just before he fell unconscious.
The first thing he felt was pain--a sharp but throbbing pain on the side of his head. He tried to roll over into a more comfortable position, but somehow, it was difficult to--something was restraining his body.
"Don't move!"
A familiar voice...Hijikata-san?
Soujirou blinked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the soft light of the lamp in the room. He was lying on a futon and indoors--that much he could tell from the low wooden ceiling and the supple wooden beams that spanned across the room in a cross-work weave. However, the chest of drawers in the corner and a higher shelf containing an old tea set were not familiar to him. Had he seen this room before? It had to still be the Kondou residence, because he could sense from his surroundings that it wasn't his home in Hino.
Soujirou tried to sit up, but a rough calloused hand quickly pushed him back into a reclining position. Suddenly, Hijikata's familiar face came into view--those sharp sculpted features, narrow yet attractive eyes, and long dark bangs that graced the side of the young man's face--yet he saw something else in those features. Was it concern? Geniune relief flashed itself across Hijikata's face...but as the eyes focused upon his own, a cold expressionless mask slid back in place.
"I told you not to move, kid!" The hands readjusted the compress on the side of the boy's head.
"Hijikata-san..."
"You're so troublesome! I don't remember telling you to fall asleep on your feet."
Soujirou smiled weakly. "I'm sorry." He knew that despite Hijikata's gruff words, he had been truly worried about him. Hijikata heaved an irritated sigh.
"Since this is the special medicine that my family makes, the swelling should go down by tomorrow morning."
"Hijikata-san," Soujirou began again, turning his face just slightly to face the older boy, "Why don't you train in the Shieikan dojo with Isami and the other students?"
"Kids shouldn't stick their noses into others' business," Hijikata responded gruffly.
"But--! Hijikata-san is my friend too. I want to know about Hijikata-san--"
"SHUT UP!" Hijikata yelled angrily, a vein throbbing on his forehead, "A kid like you would never understand."
Soujirou lowered his eyes in shame, "I'm very sorry. Please excuse my rudeness."
Hijikata snorted in annoyance, uncrossed his legs, and drew one knee up towards his body as he turned to look out towards the shogi doors facing the porch. They were slightly ajar, and the setting sun was barely visible through the crack--the sky had started to fade into an inky violet with bloodshot clouds.
"Souji," he began in a calmer tone of voice, "Your father was a samurai?"
"Yes."
"And he died on duty?"
"No, he died of illness." Soujirou replied, "Mother had to bring us back to her village Hino, and ane-ue married a samurai in order to take care of me. Now mother is sick, and ane-ue and Rintarou-san can't care for me."
"So that's why you are a page here, huh?" Soujirou nodded, and Hijikata continued, "Souji, you are a samurai's son. Someday, you can become a warrior like your father and not have to depend on your family anymore. For that reason, you will be strong, right?"
Soujirou nodded, slightly confused. Was Hijikata trying to say something to him?
"Remember always--no matter what, you are the son of a samurai. That's what you were born to be, and that's what you will always be."
Soujirou smiled in response. He did not quite understand what Hijikata was trying to tell him, and even though the pain had subsided, he was starting to feel drowsy again. Maybe it was the medicine--but for whatever reason, Soujirou closed his eyes. As the boy's breathing evened out in deep sleep, Hijikata watched over him, and in his mind, he saw once again the green fields of Tama.
The shogi doors slid open all the way, and Hijikata looked up to see his friend Kondou Isami standing at the doorway. Isami stepped inside and slid the doors shut behind them. One moth managed to flutter inside just before the doors slammed shut.
"Ka-chan, what are you doing here?"
"Toshi, I thought you didn't like kids," Isami quickly changed the subject, a smile already teasing the edge of his mouth. This only caused a spot just above Hijikata's left eyebrow to twitch. He finished tucking the blankets over Soujirou, then fixed his attention upon the smiling face of his friend. Even though they were only a year apart--Isami was 18 while Hijikata was 17--Isami always looked much more mature. Unlike Hijikata, he was a humble and respectable young man with slightly squarish features and a wide mouth that could either smile benevolently or frown sternly. And like the male members of the Miyagawa family he was born into, he could fully fit his fist into his mouth.
"I'm leaving now, but I'll be back in three days." Hijikata stated, inclining his head to the row of luggage and his medicine chest which were now packed and neatly stacked beside him.
"Is it okay?" Isami nodded in the sleeping boy's direction, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to him?"
Hijikata shook his head, "No. It's better this way."
"Well then, I shouldn't keep you around much longer. Have a safe journey, and send Satou-san my regards." Isami stepped aside as Hijikata tied the bags in place and began to shift them in a comfortable position upon his back.
"I will." He reached out and extinguished the light from the lamp just before the moth could dive itself into the flames. "See you in three days."
Sunlight filtered through the thin paper screens of the shogi doors and Soujirou blinked, then sat up. He was still in the strange room, and he could still feel a faint throbbing in his head but the pain had mostly subsided. He gingerly touched the side of his head and was surprised not to find any swelling. Suddenly, memory of the previous evening flooded back into his mind. He quickly turned his head around, hoping to catch a sign of somebody...
Sliding the door open and stepping outside, he quickly put up a hand over his face to shield his eyes until they began to grow accustomed to the morning sunlight. He slipped on a pair of clogs and wandered about the back side of the dojo just outside the room. Where was Hijikata-san?
"Hijikata-san!" Soujirou cried out, and pushed aside some of the laundry that had been hanging since yesterday. Hijikata was not there, where he had been whittling when he heard the boy's sigh. He quickly dashed to the rear of the dojo, hoping to catch a glimpse of the young man practicing his swings. Still no sign of Hijikata. Soujirou noticed the practice sword that Hijikata had made for him, lying carelessly on the ground where they had left it yesterday. He quickly picked it up and hugged it tightly to his chest as he continued his search.
He dashed into the main hall, still looking bed-ridden and disheveled with his hair untied and tumbling down past his shoulders. Fude was not in the main hall today, which was unusual but also a relief to Soujirou. There was no sign of Hijikata--and breakfast had already been cleared away from the table. He peeked his head in the kitchen. No Hijikata--but for that matter, no sign of anyone either. It was an unusually quiet morning.
Soujirou rushed to the main dojo, and panting from his exertion, he slid open the main door and leaned against the door frame. Some of the students that were practicing inside looked up when they saw the young boy staring at them. Soujirou could not pick out Hijikata among them. Sighing hopelessly, he stepped back outside and sat down in front of the dojo with his feet dangling off the edge of the porch. The door behind him slid open, and he heard footsteps upon the wood. Soujirou turned around, his face suddenly lighting up into a grin.
"Hijikata-sa--" before he could finish, he was staring at a pair of worn hakama. Hijikata did not wear a hakama. He realized that the person standing behind him was not Hijikata, and the smile immediately faded.
"Ara, Soujirou, are you sulking?" Kondou Shusuke's kindly voice sounded from behind. The man who was Isami's adopted father knelt down beside him. He was a middle-aged man whose hair had started to thin along the sides of his face and tufts of white began to show at the roots. "Fude is currently out right now paying a visit to her friend's house. She doesn't have anything for you to do today, so just enjoy the sunshine."
"Kondou-san." Soujirou answered, but the young boy still looked troubled.
"Why the long face, Soujirou? It's wonderful to be young."
Soujirou nodded, and a managed a meagre smile.
"You look like you've lost something and you can't find it."
"Anou...Kondou-san," Soujirou began hesitantly, "Did Hijikata-san leave this morning?"
"Yes he did. He had to return to his relative's house in Hino. But, he did say he would be back in three days."
"He will?" Soujirou sighed inwardly with relief, but it didn't make that awful feeling in his chest go away.
"Well, I have to go back inside now and check on my students. As a father, I have to keep my son out of trouble too." Shusuke winked at Soujirou, then headed back into the dojo.
End of Chapter 4
TBC
Notes: Once again, I cannot fit everything into this chapter, so there's still at least one more chapter of the Shieikan arc. ; I had hoped to finish up the Shieikan arc in three chapters, and beginning on the "The Three Longest Days" arc, but now it looks like I will have to do it in five. Btw, notice the tea set in the room from the previous chapter? Yep...you know who's room that was now, and whose bed Soujirou was sleeping in. Thank you so much to all the readers who have been keeping up with Mibu no Monogatari, and putting up with this bad butchering of history. ;
Special thanks to:
cindyg, who was the first to read my story and comment on them. This is dedicated to you, fellow NHK Shinsengumi fan!! XD
enmao, for your helpful suggestions! I have tried to add more detail in this chapter without getting too wordy, but it's hard to strike a good balance. :/
milk, for your wonderful words of encouragement!
an anonymous poster, for reading and commenting and enjoying it.
arugentine, for your positive words and feedback! i actually am trying to portray all the characters in a way that is believable, yet consistent with their PMK personality, more or less. ;
fujis, because she is my mei-mei, and she's just TOOO cute, and always plants evil ideas inside my mind. Fufufufufu...
And every other reader out there who hasn't posted, I hope you enjoyed the story so far and will continue to enjoy it.