"By the way, Kei, can you stop by the town for some groceries? We seem to need more, since I think we finished it on yesterday's meal and now we have one extra mouth to feed." Machida Kisamatsu said over the morning meal.
"Hai," I said.
"Kichisaburo, follow her too. I have something that I want you to do there." Father added.
Kichisaburo nodded in reply.
"Where do you need to go?" I asked as we went down the dirt path leading to the town. Sunlight, filtered by the trees, shone here and there. Distantly, a bird chirped to it's partner. The chirp was soon returned.
"Some inn called Katsuya. I'm suppose to assassinate the shop owner there." His sword hung at his side, bouncing as we descended the unstable slope.
"I'll be passing that inn. You can return after you finish the job."
"No," Instictively, I turn my head to look at him behind me. His bangs caressed him face softly, a whisper against the smooth skin. He stared ahead as he continued.
"I think I'll stick around. There isn't anything to do around here in this forsaken mountain anyway." He seemingly grumbled.
"Suit yourself." I shrug.
It was only in the early afternoon, but the town road was already flocked by people. Antlike, they crawled all over the places, bargaining prices and crowding over small stalls at the side of the road. I pointed to one particular inn that looked like the rest, but had somehow a weird sense of attraction that had attracted a nearby killer.
"That's the inn you're looking for." Kichisaburo's gaze followed to where my finger pointed. He grin anticipately.
"My sword hasn't drank blood for sometime…" Violet eyes slanted down, resembling those of a cunning fox. With a small smirk, he went in.
I walked a distance, until I came to a small lane that I recognized from my nightly spying, lead to the back of the nearby shops. I entered it casually. There wasn't a soul in sight. Looking around catiously , I step back from a nearby wall and sprang. One sprang took me to half of the wall, and I leapt at the other adjacent wall to reach the roof with a soft tap. I ran lowly through the roofs, until I came to the Katsuya inn.
I could hear people bustling beneath me; voices shouted and cried.
Something smelled here. I sniffed the air; was it the smell of burning?
Then in the midst of it all, I heard a high-pitched scream.
"Due to certain circumstances, you must die today, old man." I carelessly said, unsheathing my sword.
The man sitting behind his low desk didn't even have time to scream before his head was chopped off. I watched in absolute fascination as blood spurted everywhere; it made a design on the shoji doors. It fell on my black yukata that I had borrowed temporarily from Machida-san. It didn't make any obvious stains on it, which was the main point. I studied the splattered shoji doors for a while, wiping my sword on the dead man's clothes and sheathing it. Then I backed up until the doors and surveyed my piece of art. I felt some wetness of my face, before realizing that it was blood. I wiped it on my sleeve and walked out through the door. The dead man's room was at the highest storey of all, and not many people passed by here.
I produced a box of matches from my waist band. Lighting one, I threw it into the center of the low desk. It flared up immediately, the dancing orange and red flames. I thought how nice it looked.
Just outside the room was a sort of window, the only source of light. Sliding it open, it revealed to be the back alley. The distance from up here to the ground wasn't far, I mentally calculated. With one feet propped on the sledge, I jumped.
I crouched as I hit the hard ground. My sound of landing echoed through the deserted alley. I straightened and casually walked.
I noticed the Kichisaburo only after the scream. The black yukata he was wearing almost blended in with the dark alley, making him harder to see. He was walking almost casually after doing his job.
Father will be pleased this time, I thought and ran lowly back to the way I came from. Wisps of smoke was emitting from one of the open window.
I spotted him squatting at one of the stalls while I was buying some flour. Curious, I neared him and peered above him at the objects laid on the cloth. I felt a moment of uncertainity and glanced from the elegant fans on the cloth to Kichiasaburo below me. What in the world was he looking at fans for??
"I already completed the job, Machida-san." He said without looking up. He pointed to one plain white fan and made a sign to the seller. He nodded and picked up the fan.
"30 yen, please." Money and fan exchanged hands.
Kichisaburo opened the fan gracefully and studied it. It was plain white inside too, with no design or markings of any kind.
"Are you finished yet, Machida-san?" In one swift movement, he closed it with a snap.
"Almost. I still need to get some spices."
Suddenly the noise of the busy crowd became quiet. The woman beside me started muttering in hushed tones to her partner. I didn't need to turn my head to knew that the familiar and light blue haori was flapping, nor the flag that wrote "Makoto" rose above the crowds heads. The people made way for the legendary Shisengumi to pass. What I didn't expect was the words that my trained ears heard from the hushed conversation of the lady's beside me.
"Did you know? A band of the Kyoto Patrol Officer's were killed a few night's ago. They say it was Okita Souji of the First Captain who did it."
"No! It wasn't Okita Souji who did it. My husband who has a friend in the Kyoto Patrol said it was an imposter who looked like Okita that did it. The Shisengumi had supposed to have killed him yesterday at the burned down house at the edge of the town."
"An imposter??—" the lady beside me exclaims softly. I no longer paid attention to them and focused on Kichisaburo.
An imposter who resembles The First Captain of Shisengumi?? The phrase evoked memories from that fateful day…
"You're mother was killed in the fight. She fought with a Shisengumi to defend me," said my father that night after returning. He was wrapping his bloodied arm with bandages in his room. In the low glow of the lantern beside, I saw the blood soaking through the layers.
I clenched my fists beside me and closed my eyes. I was falling into infinite blackness…Mother was gone. I felt a sort of emptiness inside me…the place where Okasan resided…was empty.
She was gone.
"…who was it?" I heard myself ask. My brain was numb; I was listening from the inside while my body operated. "Who was the man who killed her?"
Father sighs and finished bandaging his arm.
"She fought with a Captain, I judged by his moves. She didn't stand a chance at all. But still she went and did it." He seem to choke on emotions. I remain motionless as he took a deep breath to recollect himself.
"…they say the troop was lead by the First Company Captain," his voice had returned to it's normal coolness. I was relieved. If Father openly showed emotion, my hold over mine would have loosened and I did not want to cry, not now.
"The First Company Captain—"
"—Okita Souji," I whispered.
I was staring at the face similar to the man who killed my mother.
Narrowed eyes were directed at the blue uniformed people coming near. Kichisaburo's face was set in an angry mode and his lips pressed tightly down. I pulled at his sleeves urgently and he shifted his eyes. Still not letting go, I pulled him into the crowds and walked to the opposite direction. He resisted at first, then followed reluctantly. We turned left into another road and then turned right again.
Looking back to make sure the Shisengumi were not in sight, I let go off his sleeve. Some part's of my hand was covered with a thin layer of crimson substance.. Sou… my eyes traveled to his black yukata. The black hides the color the blood then.
Kichisaburo was staring at the direction where we came, looking angry.
I cleared my throat. "I think we won't be needing anymore spices. I just remembered we had some more in the cupboards."
He ignored my words. I sighed impatiently.
"It's about that night when I found you, right?" I asked casually.
Quick as lighting, Kichisaburo turned and his hand caught my neck. He dragged me to a nearby alley and pinned me to the wall, oblivious to the watching eyes of passer-bys.
"What do you know about that?" His face neared mine like on the night we meet, the smell of blood evident in my nose. I stared back at him unflinchingly.
"Before I found you," I said slowly. "I saw a band of Shisengumi and a girl came out of the house. The girl went in after the Shisengumi, and before I knew it the house was on fire." Kichisaburo watched me intently.
"After that I heard sounds when I went down to inspect and I found you, unconscious. That's all I know." I added. Lying was one of my specialties, and a useful skill for shinobi work. Now was to see whether he bought it.
I grew more impatient as seconds passed. Kichisaburo still did not let go of me. Passer-bys were staring with a worried look on their faces, and I was convinced that if this continued on, they would call whatever neighbouring force for help. The neighbouring force, however, would turn out to be the Shisengumi a few streets away.
Well, if that's the case…
I arched forward with his hand on my throat, closing the few inches between our face and meeting his lips in a kiss. His long side bangs tickled my chin softly when he jerked back. Stunned, his hand loosened and I flung both of my hands over his shoulders tightly, closing my eyes in fake passion.
Kichisaburo's eyes widened in shock, and he almost pulled away. His lips were closed tightly at first but in the midst of shock, it parted slightly and I entered, mouthing the words into his mouth. I only hoped he would not ruin the plan.
I know what I'm doing. Just go along with it.
Whether he understood or not, he did not pull away, but remained rigid. When the crowd saw what we were doing, most of them gasped and turned away in disgust. I heard one of the woman muttering under her breath as she departed. Soon enough, they dispersed quickly.
I let go of his soft lips and immediately, Kichisaburo pushed me away roughly.
"Do that again," he snarled, his finger pointing at my face. "And I will kill you."
I snorted and wiped my lips with the back of my hand. "You made me do it. Any longer and they would have brought the Shisengumi on us. You don't want that, do you?" I said as I arranged my clothes. Strangely, I did not find my clothes stained by blood. It must have dried up then.
Kichisaburo was silent. I went out of the alley and looked around. Home should be that way, I recognized the familiar route that lead to the dirt trail. I called back to him.
"I'm going home. Are you coming?" I received no reply. Kichisaburo sauntered up, not looking at me.
"Saa, let's go then." I said.
"Mission was accomplished, Machida-sama."
"…good. I'm sure my superior would be pleased to hear that. You are sure nobody saw you?"
"…If that is so, I'm willing to go on another mission."
A laugh. "No, that will not be needed. I'm confident of your skills. You may go now. Your next mission should be in a while."
The sound of doors being opened.
"Oh, Yogotoya-san!" the voice calls. The figure at the door stops.
"Was my daughter any problem to you?"
The figure is silent. The he chuckles.
"Not at all." He laughs, and the door closes.
Author Note: Just for details, Kei's mother is a shinobi too. Kei was trained under the two shinobi at Masuya's house and occasionally under her mother.