Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the short story
Author's note: well I'm kinda out of ideas for poems for a bit… and hopefully I made a short story to pass the time… sorry for the delay… the very long delay…
"Through the jungle very softly flits a shadow and a sigh- He is Fear, O little Hunter, he is Fear!" - Rudyard Kipling, "The Song of the Little Hunter"
Chapter 1: Toba Fushimi
Chaos reigned upon the land as Shisengumi and Ishin Shishi battled upon the streets of Kyoto. This story is of one man's death… to the one known as Hitokiri Battosai. Our story goes back to the Battle of Toba Fushimi, in the chaotic days of the Bakufu. The Tenth Shisengumi unit under the leadership of Harada Sanosuke, came under attack by a group of Ishin Shishi.
"Harada-sama! The Ishin Shishi have divided our flanks and Saito's 3rd Unit has been attacked by the Battosai!" screamed a young man in utter madness. Sanosuke carefully lifted his spear from the bleeding corpse of an Ishin Shishi patriot long dead. Fire burned in his eyes as he simply yelled, "Dao, go bring the rest of the 10th Unit and tell them to meet me in Kyoto with Saito. I only hope we make it in time to save his hide."
With those last words… Harada Sanosuke ran into the ashen gates of Kyoto, brazenly running through the flames. Dao Ryoma was terrified. He could barely walk, yet alone run to gather his men, and aid his master. Slowly but carefully, however, each of his comrades came to him, demanding the whereabouts of their leader. Dao, still terrified, pointed at the smoldering city of Kyoto.
"Bastard… you left him there by himself?" with that utter of amazement, the 10th Unit Shisengumi marched through the gates of Kyoto, fearless of the peril ahead.
"Damn… this place is infested!" muttered Sanosuke, with blood trickling down his brow. He swiftly lifted his spear again and delivered a deadly blow to the unlucky patriot standing nearby. His blue-striped jacket wrinkled under the sudden bursts of wind. Blow after blow, another patriot would fall. Yet, Sanosuke was beginning to tire out, and unlike before, it has taken more energy to kill one man, when he could have killed two. He was beginning to slow down when suddenly, he saw Saito Hajime, the leader of the 3rd Unit Shisengumi taking up the form of his parallel thrust. Too preoccupied with the strength to the Wolf of Mibu, and an unknown opponent, he was unable to sense a man behind him. With that last second of seeing the parallel thrust, Harada Sanosuke fell to the ground… blood slowly seeping out of his body. By then he felt nothing, no sadness in the loved one's he left behind, or of the widow's he has made over the past years. Only utter anger and remorse to those who you experience death, and not telling others of it. With that… he slowly closed his eyes and slept.
Ryoma was still sobbing when he had found out who he had struck down. In all the confusion, he had not known it was him… this person he had loved and has grown up alongside, until politics drove them apart. He stared into the face, with tears pouring, trying to remember the contour of his face… For the face whom he was staring at, was none other than his brother's. Finally with a yelp… he collapsed, having five swords stab through his back. With one last mighty effort, he stood up. Blood flowing from his mortal wound, now soaked in scarlet. With a hard breath, he, Dao Ryoma of the 10th Unit Shisengumi, fell over one last time, never being able to get back up.
And so this tale has been told of the coward and the brave. Yet legend has it that Harada Sanosuke didn't die, but after the battle, sailed to China. If this is true or not, no one knows, but one thing is certain, every night on the anniversary of the Battle of Toba Fushimi, a ghost will stalk the roads, still bleeding scarlet, crying for his lost master and brother…