Note from author: Hullo faithful fans.... Heh I said faithful... ARGH! I just watched Pirates of the Caribbean.... Not that you needed to know that. Anyway... when we last left Zi, she was going home correct? Well here's the next morning I suppose.
The next morning I woke up around five. I said I was going to be there bright and early, and I meant it. I got to the dojo around 5:30, and Sagara wasn't there. What had I expected? I waited for about an hour before getting bored, and deciding to check out the crime scene. Was I taking this seriously? I think I was. Maybe it was the lack of energy. Waking up early was definitely not my style. I walked through the gates of the dojo, and over to the tree where Sagara had buried his sake stash. Every occupant of the dojo was surely asleep. I had no fear of being found as long as I was quiet. They trusted me anyway.
I walked up to the tree, and re-examined it. It was a good-sized tree, nothing really special about it. Japanese maple I believe. I looked up it, and down it, looking for perhaps a clue I had overlooked earlier. Nothing. I looked again at the drag marks I had made. If only I hadn't, the case would have been solver earlier, but I didn't know that at the time. I was right about one thing though. Some one had been digging at that spot. I needed to do the same. Perhaps there were some clues hidden beneath the ground. Perhaps Sagara's sake stash had never been moved in the first place. Perhaps this was all just some big understanding that I got dinner out of. Perhaps not. One thing was for sure; I would have to dig it up for answers.
Another thing was for sure; I needed a shovel to dig up the alleged sake spot. I knew Karou would keep a shovel somewhere around the dojo, so I went to look for one. I went over to where I imagined she would keep her tools. Was this stealing? I found myself thinking. "Not if I plan to give it back," I whispered to myself. Was I answering myself? I had less sleep than I thought. I snuck into the dojo. They were so trusting. They didn't even have the doors locked. Now I really felt like a thief. I snuck over to where I had seen Karou take out a broom for Kenshin to sweep with, thinking maybe there would be a shovel in there. I opened the door, and found nothing. I sighed. No such luck for Zi. I closed the door and slowly turned around. I froze. There was a dark figure standing right in front of me.
Note from author: Boy do I love cliffhangers... Is it just me, or was that my most serious chapter yet? What ever shall I do?