Disclaimer: I do not own RK. It belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, SONY etc...
Loyalty of a Heart
By: Tiian
Chapter 5.
~ Day 7 ~
-Part 2-
"Aoshi-sama."
Aoshi raised his head and turned his attention from the reports to Hannya. He had entered the room in his skilful fashion, but Aoshi could still detect him before he even entered the room. It had been a long time since someone had managed to surprise him. At least in this fashion.
"Our contacts reported to me that Seta Soujirou has returned to Kyoto." Hannya told quietly, his voice serious.
Aoshi's eyes sharpened at the name. Seta Soujirou was the right hand of Shishio Makoto and a man of unknown skill. He was good, they knew this much, but the exact level was still in shadows for them. Battousai had had a little spar with him and so they knew his level was well beyond even 'skilful' like Hannya. From what he had heard, the boy looked nice and good-natured, always smiling, but they all knew to look beyond that. He had never seen the boy himself, though he was the best known of Juppongatana. Aoshi left rarely the inn for 'normal' missions like information gathering.
"Were there people with him?" He asked, remembering that they had found out that he was gathering their members, making them stronger.
Hannya nodded. "He was seen with three men. One was small and his face was covered so we do not know of him. One was tall and very muscular with black linings around his eyes. The final one was medium in height, but was large in the middle. We are still trying to find out their identity, but I am fairly sure that they are all part of the Juppongatana."
"So, they are finally here." Aoshi muttered and leaned back against the backrest. Hannya was rarely wrong with his guesses and Aoshi had learned to lean on him during the years he had been the active leader. He meant no disrespect towards Makimachi, but it had really been a long time since he had done something actively. The last was the search for Misao, which still run. Though it was more like 'keeping eyes open' than actual active search. They had all slowly given up, especially since Ichikami Kyouryoku always managed to slip through their fingers and had finally managed to totally disappeared seven years ago. He was the only man who could tell what had happened to Misao, but he was also very dangerous and hard to approach. His ninjas were still very active and widely spread. Attacking him would start a new war, big enough to spread out all over Japan. That was the last thing they needed.
"Yes, based on previously gathered information we believe that those men are Henya, Anji and Iwanbou, but we will have to wait to verify it." Hannya continued waking Aoshi from his thoughts. They had more important matter at hand at the moment than a person that had disappeared.
Aoshi nodded and Hannya left the room. It was a clear sign that he had nothing more to add. Aoshi allowed him to leave since he had no new orders to give. For now it would be better if they remained as quiet and inactive as possible.
Sighing deep Aoshi pulled his attention back to the papers, or actually on one paper. It was a message from Okina he had received a little earlier. There had been a strange look on his face as he had entered and Aoshi didn't wonder anymore after he had handed the paper to him.
----
People with connections to Himura appeared here. A woman called Kamiya Kaoru and a boy named Myojin Yahiko. By their accent I would place them to Tokyo. They told me that Yoshigawa Karen told them where to find him. They seemed to be really his friends and so I told him where Himura went. I do not know if they are aware of the event happening at the moment.
----
*Yoshigawa Karen...*
For some strange reason the name refused to leave his head. He had only met her twice, but somehow he seemed to be unable to get rid of the woman. She seemed to pop out at every turn. Why? What was she after or was she after anything at all? Who was she?
He shook his head a little and placed the paper back among others. She would be dealt with in time if it were necessary. Now he would need to concentrate on Shishio Makoto and his actions. Battousai had dealt with Chou, so that was one problem less. But they still had to worry about the other members. The information about the people working for Shishio was seriously lacking.
The ones they knew for sure were Seta Soujirou, Komagata Yumi and Sadojima Hoji. The latest addition was Sawagejou Chou. These were people they knew by face and name. Of course they had the names of the others as well, but the information of them was lacking. Uonuma Usui, Yuukyuuzan Anji, Honjou Kamatari, Kariwa Henya, Iwanbou, Saizuchi and Fuji. Slowly they would all arrive here and then things would start moving again. Probably at Shishio's pace, but they couldn't help that. He was the one holding the strings of this scene.
He rose and took his kodachis. It had really been some time since he had practised. He didn't really fear his skill getting rusty, but it felt good to exercise once in a while. And what was better time than the current one? He would need to concentrate in the future and nothing centred him like practise.
He headed for the training hall stopping only to grab a towel from his room on the way.
* * * * * * *
"It seems that our spies have managed to lose Himura." Soujirou said with his trademark smile pasted on his face. Even though he smiled widely, he didn't seem happy. Actually it was hard to tell what he was actually feeling, if anything at all.
Hoji turned to him. "Lost him? How?!" He was clearly angry, but it didn't scare Soujirou at all. He knew that Hoji was the one with brains, not sword skills. Shishio seemed to appreciate his intelligence and loyalty, but Soujirou still felt that he was above this man.
"He seems to be too fast for them. It is clear that he has left the Aoiya now, but where he might be, they had no idea." The smile didn't change at all no matter what he was feeling.
Hoji hit the table and muttered angrily. "Shishio will not be pleased."
Soujirou smiled. *So true...*
Hoji started to space around the room muttering to himself and going through the possible courses of action in his head. They would need to find Himura quickly again and at the moment the only ones to know where he was, were the people at the inn Aoiya. But from what they had learned, that inn had served as Oniwabanshu base in the past and rumours said that it was still the same. Also Shinomori Aoshi would be there and he was listed as a powerful enemy if he would go against them. They knew he had spies among them, but he had yet to take an active stand against them.
The okashira of Oniwabanshu was someone named Makimachi, but no one knew much about him. Not even what his first name was. The one everyone seemed to point at with respect and fear was Shinomori Aoshi. They would need to be cautious of him. The others wouldn't be a problem.
"Soujirou! Summon the owls!" He yelled at the small smiling boy.
*They should be able to handle this as long as they remain cautious about Shinomori.* Hoji smiled a little, satisfied with the answer he had found.
* * * * * * *
The steady rhythm of his movements was calming him as he stepped from one stance to another with grace he had gained after training almost his entire life. Every movement was controlled, swift and beautiful. Like a dance.
Every thought and trouble seemed so far away. All the anger and frustration was gone. He was calm.
Then suddenly something new appeared and set off an alarm in his head. Aoshi paused his movements immediately and sought the new person out. The presence was familiar and the sense of alarm faded, but didn't disappear entirely. He swiftly sheathed his kodachis and then spoke. "Report."
A small man drifted from the shadows to the open. "Hannya asked me to inform you that the men who came with Seta Soujirou has been identified as Yuukyuuzan Anji, Kariwa Henya and Iwanbou. All members of Juppongatana." The man said, his eyes resting on the floor.
Aoshi nodded. "Then we have seven of them in Kyoto." It was nice to be certain of something for a change. This confirmed his other thoughts as well. Shishio Makoto was strengthening. Something had to be done soon, before he grew too strong.
"Yes." Beshimi said and at Aoshi's nod, left the room as quietly as he had entered it.
*Soon...* Aoshi took a stance and resumed his training, but the previous calm was overdriven by new anxiety, anticipation and excitement. *A change to prove the strength of Oniwabanshu is here!*
* * * * * * *
Tsunami sighed as she exited her father's room. It was an understatement to say that he was displeased with her interfering with Kaoru and her search for Himura. He had not yelled, but the look of disappointment was far worse. She hated that look on her father's face, especially since she saw it very rarely. If there was one person that could hurt her with a mere look it was her father. The power he held over her was very complex and so mighty that there was actually very little she was free to do. But she knew that it was power she had given to him herself.
He was her friend, father and Okashira.
She walked across the hallways directly to her own room ignoring her surroundings completely. It was not a good thing to do, but she knew there people watching her back and so didn't need to feel alert here like she had to outside. In her room she run directly to her huge western type bed and jumped on it. There she sighed and lay still, slowly calming down. The bedding was clean and smelled fresh.
She turned on her back and watched the ceiling noting few cracks. Her thoughts gradually slowed down to calm and peaceful pace. She allowed herself to relax all her muscles and thoughts until she felt a new presence. She smiled a little, but didn't bother to move for the presence was very familiar to her.
"There was no need for you to help them."
Tsunami sighed. Of course. Of all the things, Fumio just had to bring up that one. The one she didn't like talking about at all.
"I know." She said, trying to get the air of finality into her words to stop him from prying any further. Sometimes it seemed to her that he was taking her task of protecting her a little too seriously. Or rather he didn't stop at merely guarding her physically. He was always making her think about her words and actions in a way no one else did.
"So why?"
She grunted. Of course. He knew she didn't want to talk about it and that was why he was trying to force her into talking. So like him that she almost smiled despite her annoyance.
"I don't know." She said truthfully. She really didn't. When she had seen the poster, she had known that it would attract the wrong kind of attention. But why should she care? She had never met the person before, so why? Why had she been concerned?
Even more after meeting the woman.
They were strangers to her, she had no need to help them. There was nothing to gain, but something to lose. Still she had opened her mouth even when her brain said no. And she didn't regret it. There had been something about the woman that had pushed her into talking and helping them. Even knowing that her father would be less pleased.
It was true that if the girl were put in danger, Himura would interfere. And his interference would also disturb Aoshi, which was not what she wanted. But she knew that this was not what she had been thinking about at the time. This was merely the explanation she had came up with to present to her father.
Fumio was silent, but she knew he was still there. In the small space between the ceiling she saw and the next floor. There were spaces like that in every room of the house and since everything was well taken care off, no one had to worry about the roof falling on them.
"Perhaps you should try to find out." He said and Tsunami smiled a little, though her smile wasn't very happy one.
"Perhaps." She said and rolled over again. She frowned and started to gnaw her nails. This was very confusing to her. All had started after she had decided on that little game with Aoshi. After that she had started to do and feel things she normally didn't.
She had always looked up to her father and had naturally taken many of his habits as her own. He had taught her almost everything she knew and so she resembled him more than anyone. She had always been able to share everything with him and he had taught her the fun of playing games.
Her frown deepened.
She really liked playing and slowly the game had changed from hide-and-seek and board games to humans. She had never really even noticed, the change had been so gradual. She had always gotten pretty much everything she wanted and no matter what kind of prank she pulled, she could always laugh with father at the results.
To her surprise she noticed that she didn't really pay attention to other people after they became boring or useless. She didn't care about them in the least after the fun was over. There were very few people she was close to. Even here she always ordered people around always gaining herself, but never giving anything in return. Of course she thanked, her father had always stressed the importance of good manners, but she didn't really mean any of it. They were after all servants.
Everyone she met was a servant to her since she could always make them do what she wanted.
But somehow the woman had awakened a real and genuine want to help her. There was no way to see her as a servant and this confused her. The hope in the woman's eyes and the determination, which pushed her forward, had really impressed her. She had never met anyone like her in her entire life. Everyone she had met had always been so polite and distant, not to mention inferior, that she hadn't been impressed in the least. But now during this short time she had met many interesting people.
Shinomori Aoshi. Himura Battousai. Kamiya Kaoru. Myojin Yahiko.
Meeting them had changed her life and it bothered her. She was happy the way everything, including herself, was. Her life was good and there weren't any boring moments in it. She could do almost anything as long as her father approved and there was really nothing to worry about. So why?
She bit her lip and to her surprise felt something squeezing her chest, making it troublesome to breath. This was seriously becoming confusing, not to mention annoying!
Why? Why had she helped the woman? And why she couldn't force herself to regret it?!
She sat up with a huff and started to remove her clothes. Perhaps some physical work would help her to rid her of these strange feelings she was suddenly having.
* * * * * * *
The owls crept around the inn, preparing for their work, making sure everything was safe. In their opinion Hoji had been too worried. While they didn't really doubt him, he was no warrior and as such he was incapable of thinking like one. Shinomori Aoshi would probably be far weaker than the rumours said.
But they would still avoid him. There was after all a change that the rumours were correct and that he had earned his reputation. The leader gave a small sign with his hand and they jumped on the room one by one and then quietly moved inside.
"The old man is all we need. Killing the others is allowed and remember to be cautious of Shinomori." The voice was so quiet it could hardly be heard and most was backed up with hand-signs. They had been trained to move and act in silence and since this was a ninja-hideout, they would need to be extra careful.
The others nodded and prepared to move.
"Then attack!" The leader voiced and his hands moved to direct all to their previously decided directions.
They launched forward, two heading for the old man's room and other's to secure the place. Slowly they opened the shoji and entered the room. Very quietly they moved beside the bed and the one closer reached to move his blanket.
"Who are you?" The old man asked suddenly as his face came into full view and the man backed away. The look in the old man's eyes was more than a little scary. This was not what they had been anticipating.
The old man rose quickly from his bed and automatically the owl moved away. "Don't make me repeat myself." He said, his eyes steely. They were the eyes of a warrior and suddenly the owls came into a horrible realization. If he was not quieted soon, he would awaken the entire house!
The owl gathered himself and then launched an attack with a war cry. The older man blocked it easily. "Answer---" He moved swiftly and hit the man on the shoulder. "--my question!" He yelled.
The owl lay on the ground unable to do anything but twitch. "Huh? So soon?" The old man asked with genuine surprise. The other owl swore and took a blowpipe from his pocket to summon the others, but before he could do anything, a hand stopped him. As he turned his head, his eyes widened. *A demon!* Was his first thoughts as his eyes fell on the white mask of the man who had stopped him.
"Don't bother. Your friends are already taken care of." A voice colder than ice sounded in his ears and it was not from the man holding him. The man now standing next to him was very tall. His eyes were as cold as his voice. Black bangs shadowed his face so that he looked merciless.
It was then that he noted others as well. A man tall man with muscles that tried to break his clothes who was smiling. A man very small compared to his companions with slit calculating eyes. And then there were the people that worked at the inn, all of the looking very angry.
They had failed and that was an understatement. This was a disaster!
"I suppose Shishio is behind this." The man with the demon mask spoke. The cold-eyed man nodded.
"But for what reason?" The old man asked. Since all were pretty much looking at the cold man with expectation, the owl realized that that man was probably the one they had been warned about. Shinomori Aoshi. The man was watching him with cold and intelligent eyes and suddenly the owl realized that he was scared of the man.
"We can let you go if you answer our questions." One of the inn-women, the younger one, said.
As the last sign of defiance, the owl spit on her. He was a ninja! He would keep his honour! The woman backed away, a disgusted voice escaping his throat.
"Why you...!" The shorter and thinner of the men working at the inn was trying to approach him, but the old man stopped him. The owl laughed a little, but he noticed his voice wavering. He aimed for a defiant look as he stared at them. Inside he was ready the bolt at the slightest change.
"You are loyal to the code of the ninjas by keeping silent. But..." The old man left his word hanging threateningly in the air. He turned to the other woman, currently wiping the spit off of the face of the younger one.
"Okon! Bring me some large nails and candles." The woman looked startled but she moved to do as wished immediately.
Now the old man turned back to the owl. "You will soon find out why it is foolish to go against me, the most terrifying of the Oniwabanshu." His eyes were cold and scary. Suddenly he was just as scary as Shinomori Aoshi.
Silently the owl cursed Hoji for sending him here.
* * * * * * *
Author:
Again, so many things were happening that I had to make the chapter a bit jumpy.
As you can see, I chose to leave out the meeting between Kenshin, Yahiko and Kaoru. If you want to know what happened, all you need to do is read the manga, but drop out Misao. Not that she had a big role there to begin with. And since this fic is centred around Oniwabanshu, Tsunami and Aoshi, I tend to leave out things you can read from the manga for yourself. Or watch from the anime, whichever you prefer.
Since WesternInk was concerned about Tsunami's personality, I decided to do a little bit of explaining in this chapter. Hope this clears things up a little! I firmly believe that the way you raise children affects them greatly.
Working on this one was hard. I had to cut the day in two, but not much was left for this part as I came to realise. I just kept adding descriptions to make this chapter longer and so there isn't much action. Even so this remained somewhat short. ^^'
Now I am adding author's notes to make this reach the size I want... ^^''
Thank you for reviews!
Shiranai Seito: Thank you! I hope that this fic continues to please you!
JadeGoddess: Sore wa... himitsu desu! (Has been watching too many Xellos-episodes lately.) You'll see! *grin*
Western Ink: I got on someones favourites list! Yes! *Happy!* Speculate all you want! I love that kind of fics as well. Now then, I won't be answering your questions. You will just have to wait to get the answers. Sorry. ^^'
Loyalty of a Heart
By: Tiian
Chapter 5.
~ Day 7 ~
-Part 2-
"Aoshi-sama."
Aoshi raised his head and turned his attention from the reports to Hannya. He had entered the room in his skilful fashion, but Aoshi could still detect him before he even entered the room. It had been a long time since someone had managed to surprise him. At least in this fashion.
"Our contacts reported to me that Seta Soujirou has returned to Kyoto." Hannya told quietly, his voice serious.
Aoshi's eyes sharpened at the name. Seta Soujirou was the right hand of Shishio Makoto and a man of unknown skill. He was good, they knew this much, but the exact level was still in shadows for them. Battousai had had a little spar with him and so they knew his level was well beyond even 'skilful' like Hannya. From what he had heard, the boy looked nice and good-natured, always smiling, but they all knew to look beyond that. He had never seen the boy himself, though he was the best known of Juppongatana. Aoshi left rarely the inn for 'normal' missions like information gathering.
"Were there people with him?" He asked, remembering that they had found out that he was gathering their members, making them stronger.
Hannya nodded. "He was seen with three men. One was small and his face was covered so we do not know of him. One was tall and very muscular with black linings around his eyes. The final one was medium in height, but was large in the middle. We are still trying to find out their identity, but I am fairly sure that they are all part of the Juppongatana."
"So, they are finally here." Aoshi muttered and leaned back against the backrest. Hannya was rarely wrong with his guesses and Aoshi had learned to lean on him during the years he had been the active leader. He meant no disrespect towards Makimachi, but it had really been a long time since he had done something actively. The last was the search for Misao, which still run. Though it was more like 'keeping eyes open' than actual active search. They had all slowly given up, especially since Ichikami Kyouryoku always managed to slip through their fingers and had finally managed to totally disappeared seven years ago. He was the only man who could tell what had happened to Misao, but he was also very dangerous and hard to approach. His ninjas were still very active and widely spread. Attacking him would start a new war, big enough to spread out all over Japan. That was the last thing they needed.
"Yes, based on previously gathered information we believe that those men are Henya, Anji and Iwanbou, but we will have to wait to verify it." Hannya continued waking Aoshi from his thoughts. They had more important matter at hand at the moment than a person that had disappeared.
Aoshi nodded and Hannya left the room. It was a clear sign that he had nothing more to add. Aoshi allowed him to leave since he had no new orders to give. For now it would be better if they remained as quiet and inactive as possible.
Sighing deep Aoshi pulled his attention back to the papers, or actually on one paper. It was a message from Okina he had received a little earlier. There had been a strange look on his face as he had entered and Aoshi didn't wonder anymore after he had handed the paper to him.
----
People with connections to Himura appeared here. A woman called Kamiya Kaoru and a boy named Myojin Yahiko. By their accent I would place them to Tokyo. They told me that Yoshigawa Karen told them where to find him. They seemed to be really his friends and so I told him where Himura went. I do not know if they are aware of the event happening at the moment.
----
*Yoshigawa Karen...*
For some strange reason the name refused to leave his head. He had only met her twice, but somehow he seemed to be unable to get rid of the woman. She seemed to pop out at every turn. Why? What was she after or was she after anything at all? Who was she?
He shook his head a little and placed the paper back among others. She would be dealt with in time if it were necessary. Now he would need to concentrate on Shishio Makoto and his actions. Battousai had dealt with Chou, so that was one problem less. But they still had to worry about the other members. The information about the people working for Shishio was seriously lacking.
The ones they knew for sure were Seta Soujirou, Komagata Yumi and Sadojima Hoji. The latest addition was Sawagejou Chou. These were people they knew by face and name. Of course they had the names of the others as well, but the information of them was lacking. Uonuma Usui, Yuukyuuzan Anji, Honjou Kamatari, Kariwa Henya, Iwanbou, Saizuchi and Fuji. Slowly they would all arrive here and then things would start moving again. Probably at Shishio's pace, but they couldn't help that. He was the one holding the strings of this scene.
He rose and took his kodachis. It had really been some time since he had practised. He didn't really fear his skill getting rusty, but it felt good to exercise once in a while. And what was better time than the current one? He would need to concentrate in the future and nothing centred him like practise.
He headed for the training hall stopping only to grab a towel from his room on the way.
* * * * * * *
"It seems that our spies have managed to lose Himura." Soujirou said with his trademark smile pasted on his face. Even though he smiled widely, he didn't seem happy. Actually it was hard to tell what he was actually feeling, if anything at all.
Hoji turned to him. "Lost him? How?!" He was clearly angry, but it didn't scare Soujirou at all. He knew that Hoji was the one with brains, not sword skills. Shishio seemed to appreciate his intelligence and loyalty, but Soujirou still felt that he was above this man.
"He seems to be too fast for them. It is clear that he has left the Aoiya now, but where he might be, they had no idea." The smile didn't change at all no matter what he was feeling.
Hoji hit the table and muttered angrily. "Shishio will not be pleased."
Soujirou smiled. *So true...*
Hoji started to space around the room muttering to himself and going through the possible courses of action in his head. They would need to find Himura quickly again and at the moment the only ones to know where he was, were the people at the inn Aoiya. But from what they had learned, that inn had served as Oniwabanshu base in the past and rumours said that it was still the same. Also Shinomori Aoshi would be there and he was listed as a powerful enemy if he would go against them. They knew he had spies among them, but he had yet to take an active stand against them.
The okashira of Oniwabanshu was someone named Makimachi, but no one knew much about him. Not even what his first name was. The one everyone seemed to point at with respect and fear was Shinomori Aoshi. They would need to be cautious of him. The others wouldn't be a problem.
"Soujirou! Summon the owls!" He yelled at the small smiling boy.
*They should be able to handle this as long as they remain cautious about Shinomori.* Hoji smiled a little, satisfied with the answer he had found.
* * * * * * *
The steady rhythm of his movements was calming him as he stepped from one stance to another with grace he had gained after training almost his entire life. Every movement was controlled, swift and beautiful. Like a dance.
Every thought and trouble seemed so far away. All the anger and frustration was gone. He was calm.
Then suddenly something new appeared and set off an alarm in his head. Aoshi paused his movements immediately and sought the new person out. The presence was familiar and the sense of alarm faded, but didn't disappear entirely. He swiftly sheathed his kodachis and then spoke. "Report."
A small man drifted from the shadows to the open. "Hannya asked me to inform you that the men who came with Seta Soujirou has been identified as Yuukyuuzan Anji, Kariwa Henya and Iwanbou. All members of Juppongatana." The man said, his eyes resting on the floor.
Aoshi nodded. "Then we have seven of them in Kyoto." It was nice to be certain of something for a change. This confirmed his other thoughts as well. Shishio Makoto was strengthening. Something had to be done soon, before he grew too strong.
"Yes." Beshimi said and at Aoshi's nod, left the room as quietly as he had entered it.
*Soon...* Aoshi took a stance and resumed his training, but the previous calm was overdriven by new anxiety, anticipation and excitement. *A change to prove the strength of Oniwabanshu is here!*
* * * * * * *
Tsunami sighed as she exited her father's room. It was an understatement to say that he was displeased with her interfering with Kaoru and her search for Himura. He had not yelled, but the look of disappointment was far worse. She hated that look on her father's face, especially since she saw it very rarely. If there was one person that could hurt her with a mere look it was her father. The power he held over her was very complex and so mighty that there was actually very little she was free to do. But she knew that it was power she had given to him herself.
He was her friend, father and Okashira.
She walked across the hallways directly to her own room ignoring her surroundings completely. It was not a good thing to do, but she knew there people watching her back and so didn't need to feel alert here like she had to outside. In her room she run directly to her huge western type bed and jumped on it. There she sighed and lay still, slowly calming down. The bedding was clean and smelled fresh.
She turned on her back and watched the ceiling noting few cracks. Her thoughts gradually slowed down to calm and peaceful pace. She allowed herself to relax all her muscles and thoughts until she felt a new presence. She smiled a little, but didn't bother to move for the presence was very familiar to her.
"There was no need for you to help them."
Tsunami sighed. Of course. Of all the things, Fumio just had to bring up that one. The one she didn't like talking about at all.
"I know." She said, trying to get the air of finality into her words to stop him from prying any further. Sometimes it seemed to her that he was taking her task of protecting her a little too seriously. Or rather he didn't stop at merely guarding her physically. He was always making her think about her words and actions in a way no one else did.
"So why?"
She grunted. Of course. He knew she didn't want to talk about it and that was why he was trying to force her into talking. So like him that she almost smiled despite her annoyance.
"I don't know." She said truthfully. She really didn't. When she had seen the poster, she had known that it would attract the wrong kind of attention. But why should she care? She had never met the person before, so why? Why had she been concerned?
Even more after meeting the woman.
They were strangers to her, she had no need to help them. There was nothing to gain, but something to lose. Still she had opened her mouth even when her brain said no. And she didn't regret it. There had been something about the woman that had pushed her into talking and helping them. Even knowing that her father would be less pleased.
It was true that if the girl were put in danger, Himura would interfere. And his interference would also disturb Aoshi, which was not what she wanted. But she knew that this was not what she had been thinking about at the time. This was merely the explanation she had came up with to present to her father.
Fumio was silent, but she knew he was still there. In the small space between the ceiling she saw and the next floor. There were spaces like that in every room of the house and since everything was well taken care off, no one had to worry about the roof falling on them.
"Perhaps you should try to find out." He said and Tsunami smiled a little, though her smile wasn't very happy one.
"Perhaps." She said and rolled over again. She frowned and started to gnaw her nails. This was very confusing to her. All had started after she had decided on that little game with Aoshi. After that she had started to do and feel things she normally didn't.
She had always looked up to her father and had naturally taken many of his habits as her own. He had taught her almost everything she knew and so she resembled him more than anyone. She had always been able to share everything with him and he had taught her the fun of playing games.
Her frown deepened.
She really liked playing and slowly the game had changed from hide-and-seek and board games to humans. She had never really even noticed, the change had been so gradual. She had always gotten pretty much everything she wanted and no matter what kind of prank she pulled, she could always laugh with father at the results.
To her surprise she noticed that she didn't really pay attention to other people after they became boring or useless. She didn't care about them in the least after the fun was over. There were very few people she was close to. Even here she always ordered people around always gaining herself, but never giving anything in return. Of course she thanked, her father had always stressed the importance of good manners, but she didn't really mean any of it. They were after all servants.
Everyone she met was a servant to her since she could always make them do what she wanted.
But somehow the woman had awakened a real and genuine want to help her. There was no way to see her as a servant and this confused her. The hope in the woman's eyes and the determination, which pushed her forward, had really impressed her. She had never met anyone like her in her entire life. Everyone she had met had always been so polite and distant, not to mention inferior, that she hadn't been impressed in the least. But now during this short time she had met many interesting people.
Shinomori Aoshi. Himura Battousai. Kamiya Kaoru. Myojin Yahiko.
Meeting them had changed her life and it bothered her. She was happy the way everything, including herself, was. Her life was good and there weren't any boring moments in it. She could do almost anything as long as her father approved and there was really nothing to worry about. So why?
She bit her lip and to her surprise felt something squeezing her chest, making it troublesome to breath. This was seriously becoming confusing, not to mention annoying!
Why? Why had she helped the woman? And why she couldn't force herself to regret it?!
She sat up with a huff and started to remove her clothes. Perhaps some physical work would help her to rid her of these strange feelings she was suddenly having.
* * * * * * *
The owls crept around the inn, preparing for their work, making sure everything was safe. In their opinion Hoji had been too worried. While they didn't really doubt him, he was no warrior and as such he was incapable of thinking like one. Shinomori Aoshi would probably be far weaker than the rumours said.
But they would still avoid him. There was after all a change that the rumours were correct and that he had earned his reputation. The leader gave a small sign with his hand and they jumped on the room one by one and then quietly moved inside.
"The old man is all we need. Killing the others is allowed and remember to be cautious of Shinomori." The voice was so quiet it could hardly be heard and most was backed up with hand-signs. They had been trained to move and act in silence and since this was a ninja-hideout, they would need to be extra careful.
The others nodded and prepared to move.
"Then attack!" The leader voiced and his hands moved to direct all to their previously decided directions.
They launched forward, two heading for the old man's room and other's to secure the place. Slowly they opened the shoji and entered the room. Very quietly they moved beside the bed and the one closer reached to move his blanket.
"Who are you?" The old man asked suddenly as his face came into full view and the man backed away. The look in the old man's eyes was more than a little scary. This was not what they had been anticipating.
The old man rose quickly from his bed and automatically the owl moved away. "Don't make me repeat myself." He said, his eyes steely. They were the eyes of a warrior and suddenly the owls came into a horrible realization. If he was not quieted soon, he would awaken the entire house!
The owl gathered himself and then launched an attack with a war cry. The older man blocked it easily. "Answer---" He moved swiftly and hit the man on the shoulder. "--my question!" He yelled.
The owl lay on the ground unable to do anything but twitch. "Huh? So soon?" The old man asked with genuine surprise. The other owl swore and took a blowpipe from his pocket to summon the others, but before he could do anything, a hand stopped him. As he turned his head, his eyes widened. *A demon!* Was his first thoughts as his eyes fell on the white mask of the man who had stopped him.
"Don't bother. Your friends are already taken care of." A voice colder than ice sounded in his ears and it was not from the man holding him. The man now standing next to him was very tall. His eyes were as cold as his voice. Black bangs shadowed his face so that he looked merciless.
It was then that he noted others as well. A man tall man with muscles that tried to break his clothes who was smiling. A man very small compared to his companions with slit calculating eyes. And then there were the people that worked at the inn, all of the looking very angry.
They had failed and that was an understatement. This was a disaster!
"I suppose Shishio is behind this." The man with the demon mask spoke. The cold-eyed man nodded.
"But for what reason?" The old man asked. Since all were pretty much looking at the cold man with expectation, the owl realized that that man was probably the one they had been warned about. Shinomori Aoshi. The man was watching him with cold and intelligent eyes and suddenly the owl realized that he was scared of the man.
"We can let you go if you answer our questions." One of the inn-women, the younger one, said.
As the last sign of defiance, the owl spit on her. He was a ninja! He would keep his honour! The woman backed away, a disgusted voice escaping his throat.
"Why you...!" The shorter and thinner of the men working at the inn was trying to approach him, but the old man stopped him. The owl laughed a little, but he noticed his voice wavering. He aimed for a defiant look as he stared at them. Inside he was ready the bolt at the slightest change.
"You are loyal to the code of the ninjas by keeping silent. But..." The old man left his word hanging threateningly in the air. He turned to the other woman, currently wiping the spit off of the face of the younger one.
"Okon! Bring me some large nails and candles." The woman looked startled but she moved to do as wished immediately.
Now the old man turned back to the owl. "You will soon find out why it is foolish to go against me, the most terrifying of the Oniwabanshu." His eyes were cold and scary. Suddenly he was just as scary as Shinomori Aoshi.
Silently the owl cursed Hoji for sending him here.
* * * * * * *
Author:
Again, so many things were happening that I had to make the chapter a bit jumpy.
As you can see, I chose to leave out the meeting between Kenshin, Yahiko and Kaoru. If you want to know what happened, all you need to do is read the manga, but drop out Misao. Not that she had a big role there to begin with. And since this fic is centred around Oniwabanshu, Tsunami and Aoshi, I tend to leave out things you can read from the manga for yourself. Or watch from the anime, whichever you prefer.
Since WesternInk was concerned about Tsunami's personality, I decided to do a little bit of explaining in this chapter. Hope this clears things up a little! I firmly believe that the way you raise children affects them greatly.
Working on this one was hard. I had to cut the day in two, but not much was left for this part as I came to realise. I just kept adding descriptions to make this chapter longer and so there isn't much action. Even so this remained somewhat short. ^^'
Now I am adding author's notes to make this reach the size I want... ^^''
Thank you for reviews!
Shiranai Seito: Thank you! I hope that this fic continues to please you!
JadeGoddess: Sore wa... himitsu desu! (Has been watching too many Xellos-episodes lately.) You'll see! *grin*
Western Ink: I got on someones favourites list! Yes! *Happy!* Speculate all you want! I love that kind of fics as well. Now then, I won't be answering your questions. You will just have to wait to get the answers. Sorry. ^^'