Disclaimer: The usual. I do not own PMK or its characters.
Okay, friends, an update. More suspense. Also did the update on the story settings.
Chapter 12: Raiding Party
While Hijikata was trying to gather his men and plan their next move, Master Maro had updated his inner circle on the plot to set off bombs at the Snow Festival. The meeting was brief. Soon, the others were back in their rooms leaving only their leader and Kichi.
"Poor Kichi, did they hurt you in there?" Maro noticed a bruise on Kichi's face. He took out some ointment.
"A guard whacked me with a nightstick. I nearly killed him for it," Kichi grinned wickedly as he sat down near the drying bloodstains. "Wonder what maintenance will make of this?" He poked a finger into the darkening liquid and proceeded to trace out patterns on the tatami.
Kichi winced as Maro touched his bruised cheek "DAMMIT! I'll do it myself!" He sat up. He was a hired mercenary. He has no loyalty to the Divine Truth cult except that he was paid for. Maro laughed.
Outside, Hijikata wondered where Saitou had gotten his undercover training as the duo crept along soundlessly. The man was good. Don't scare the snake, until you've got enough evidence to nail it to the door. In addition, Souji was with them. Saitou suggested a recon on the Divine Truth cult members.
Normally, they would have left such work to Susumu or Ayu-nee but Toshi had insisted on coming along. The Yamazaki siblings will be sideswiped out of the vice-chief's way if anything had happened.
Reaching Maro's room, Saitou repeated the trick he had learnt from an Oniwabanshu agent during the Zen retreat. He wetted his thumb and gently pressed it into the paper of the shoji. The rice paper disintegrated to form a decent peephole.
The other rooms did not yield much. Maro's men had mostly retired for the night. They did spot a few firearms, enough to haul their owners in on illegal firearm possession if they fail to produce their licenses. No sign of anti-bakufu plots yet. The light in Maro's room was still on. Muffled sounds came from within.
Saitou saw that 'Okita' was talking with Maro. He sensed there was something terribly wrong but he did not know what. "Hajime, what do you see?" Hijikata hissed. Failing to get an intelligible reply, he shoved Saitou aside.
"Hajime, I fear we're too late. That's not Souji," Hijikata's voice caught. He knew instinctively that it was the real Kichi with Maro.
Souji, please be alive… Silently as they have come, the pair from the Shinsengumi sneaked back to their command post.
They were surprised by Aunt Makoto on the way. "Two of my staff's missing. They are middle-school lads. Kitamura Suzu and Ichimura Tetsunosuke… I hope they didn't wander off in the snow…"
Did she say Ichimura Tetsunosuke? Saitou's eyebrow twitched. Hijikata let loose a string of expletives under his breath. Outside, the snow had ceased falling.
"Hijikata-san, you're proposing we charge in with guns blazing and demand they hand over Okita-san?" Saitou raised an eyebrow. His worry for Okita's safety was impairing Hijikata's judgment. How I wish San-nan was here… At least he is of equal rank with Toshi.
"Okita, undercover?" Nagakura and Harada were still reacting to the news that Okita was under the same roof as them and possibly in danger. The Yamazaki siblings took this news in their stride. Well, maybe Susumu was a bit mad with himself for failing to watch out for his friend.
"What do you propose we arrest them for? I understand your feelings but you can't rush in like that."
"Hajime! Are you suggesting we wait till Okita's body floats up somewhere?"
"If that Kichi's an escaped prisoner, we can nail Maro for sheltering a fugitive," Nagakura suggested.
"Wouldn't work, Kichisaburo was held under a false name to allow Okita-san to assume his identity," Saitou pointed out. "And we only have Toshizou's word that Okita's in danger..." He put some distance between him and Hijikata.
In frustration, the Shinsengumi Demon punched a fist through the flimsy partition wall and into the next room, which happened to be the Trio's. A child's wail sounded up.
"Hijikata! You frightened her!" Yoko had exhausted herself to sleep when a monster broke the wall by her bed. Nagakura rushed to comfort his child. He returned with a teary Yoko clinging onto him.
"Shinpattsan, you can't be serious taking her on a raid," Harada scolded.
"She wouldn't let go of me!" The short man retorted as he tried to pry her off his chest. She tore his shirt pocket and his wallet tumbled onto the tatami. Yoko surprisingly released her grip and slid to the floor, studying the snapshot that had fallen from the wallet.
"Daddy, Niichan in trouble," the girl insisted as she pointed at the picture. It was a picture of Shinpachi and friends taken during the previous year's vacation. Shinpachi gasped loudly as he saw who her chubby finger was pointing at. It was Okita Souji.
"Yoko, tell us what happened to Niichan."
"Don't wanna!" The child pouted stubbornly and kicked her father's shin. "Daddy don't believe Yoko!"
"Listen here, you sorry brat!" Hijikata gripped the frightened child's shoulders. "Tell us what happened, or I'll spank you so hard you wouldn't be able to sit for weeks!" Nagakura winced.
"They put him into a stinky sack when he was sleeping…" Yoko sobbed out. Hajime gave a groan. Hijikata leapt up.
"Move out! Dammit! I'll kill those bastards if they've harmed Souji!" Well, catching them off guard will reduce the chances of a shootout, Saitou mused as he followed Hijikata.
Maro and Kichi were both taken by surprise when three Shinsengumi officers kicked in their door. Kichi grabbed his gun and shot Hijikata in the shoulder before the latter shot it out of his hand. Saitou managed to subdue Maro.
Throughout the onsen, Shinsengumi officers arrested members of the Divine Truth cult as they busted into rooms and engaged in some cases, a shootout.
Aunt Makoto had earlier moved the other innocent guests and staff under her roof to the staff of another wing. She was not too pleased to find one of her waitresses in bed with a Shinsengumi man who should be involved in the raid. Toudou has a bit of explaining to do later…
Author's notes:
They've caught the bad guys. How about the missing boys? Hijikata must be running up a bill for damages at the onsen. Will they find the trio before it's too late?
Sakura-Shinguji: The long awaiting showdown between Yoko & Hijikata.