Disclaimer: I do not own PMK or its characters.
Thanks for the all reviews. I've been busy with my other PMK ficcie, New Kyoto Post. It's a cross between RK & PMK. Seen from the Choushu's POV. Working on the advice column.
The bath incident already happened in chapter 8 when Shinpachi streaked through the changing rooms...
Yep, I can be cruel. But the missing trio are alive, for now... BTW, wolves are extinct in modern Japan. You only get wild dogs. To allay any fears of the boys being dog-bait, read on.
Chapter 13: Out on a Ledge
"Ow…" Tetsu spat out his gag and groaned as he wriggled out of his sack. His sack had been torn open on a jagged rock. The boy now used the same rock to saw through his bindings. It seemed an eternity before he got his chafed hands free.
He scanned the snowy surroundings for any sign of Okita or Suzu. By some fluke, he had landed on a narrow ledge just twenty feet or so below the cliff. Too high to climb up, but a lot better than the full sixty-foot drop into the ravine. In addition, the new snow had cushioned his fall.
He blinked and strained to see in the night. His brown eyes caught sight of a sack caught on a branch a few yards off to his right. He cautiously inched his way to the sack, hauled it onto the ledge and loosened it. A white-haired boy tumbled out into the equally white snow.
"Suzu?" Tetsu could not hide his disappointment. The moon had risen and it was bright enough for the boys to recognize the other by. Where's Okita-san?
Muttering angrily, Suzu tore his hands free from his ropes and spat out his gag. Then he happened to look over the edge of their ledge at the sheer drop below. All the color fled from his tan face.
"Help!" Suzu squeaked. Tetsu blinked in surprise as a shaking Suzu gripped onto him tightly.
"Kitamura… I still need to breathe…" Tetsu gasped. Suzu was holding him so tightly. "Whasup?" Of course, Suzu preferred having his fingernails torn out one by one and being slowly boiled in oil than admitting his weakness to Tetsu-baka. The thought occurred to Tetsu. The redhead grinned wickedly.
"Kitamura, by any chance are you sacred of heights?"
"Am not!" Suzu released him and denied fiercely.
"Then help me look for Okita-san!" Tetsu peered into the darkness around them. He prayed Okita was safe somehow.
"There!" Suzu pointed at another sack some distance off. Tetsu crawled along the ledge to it. Okita was barely breathing when they undid his sack. Suzu eased the sack and blanket from the man's body. He took out his penlight from his pocket. It helped to be prepared like that especially when Makoto has a fondness for sending him out into the unlit storehouse at night.
Don't think about the sixty-foot drop! Suzu forced himself to concentrate on Okita's injuries. Tetsu was near-hysterical as the light caught the blood oozing from the wound. "He's dying! Okita-san!"
"Calm dwn!" Suzu slapped Tetsu hard enough to momentarily stun the boy. He ripped crude bandages from the blanket to tie the wound with. Hopefully, it will slow the bleeding. The man gave a weak groan as he yanked the bandages tight. .
"Suzu! You're hurting him!" Suzu found himself under attack by an angry redhead. Both boys grappled on the narrow ledge. Suzu's penlight sailed over the edge into the ravine. "Quit it! You knock us all off!" Suzu growled as he wrestled with Tetsu. He succeeded in pinning the smaller boy down.
"T-Tetsu-kun, I'm alright," Okita said weakly. He had pulled himself into a sitting position after regaining his senses. Their perch was already precarious enough. He found a sheltered niche in the rock. They'll be safer if they stuck together.
"Tetsu-kun, Suzu-kun? Can you come here, please?" Both boys felt their way along in the dark guided only by Okita's voice. The moon had gone behind a cloud and the snow was starting to fall again.
They were helpless in the dark and snow. Maybe at sunrise, they'd be able to find a way out. The cold crept into their bodies. They were dressed lightly for indoors and the sacking and blanket offered little warmth. Okita shifted his weight slightly. They must stay awake. He knew instinctively that surrendering to sleep would be a prelude to death from exposure.
A small pebble bounced off the ledge into the darkness. Hearing the ominous echoes as it fell, Suzu buried his face into his kneecaps and gasped in fear. He was surprised when Okita's arm encircled his shoulder and pulled him close.
"Suzu-kun? You'll be warmer if you join us." It was true. Sitting with the young man next to him was warmer than sitting alone.
"Teacher's Pet's scared of heights," Tetsu mocked as he blew into his nearly frozen hands to warm them. The bleeding from Okita-san's wound had slowed considerably. But Okita had lost a considerable amount of blood.
"Tetsu-kun, please be nice…" Okita's grip on Tetsu's arm was weak. At least the boys were unhurt discounting scarps and bruises from their tumble.
"Okita-san, gomen. I messed things up for you…"
"It wasn't your fault I'm lousy at undercover stuff…" A hand ruffled his hair.
On reflection, it was ridiculous. He was under the same roof as Toshi, Hajime and the others. Maybe he should have got Toshi's help. Did they even know what happened to him and the boys?
"I wanna be home with Tatsu-nii… even if he nags me over the chores…" Tetsu sobbed softly into Okita's sleeve.
"I wish I were back in Kyoto with Master Yoshida…"
"I miss my pet pig, my neesan and my best friend. And we're all going to see them again, right?" Okita tried to reassure the boys. They must hold out until rescue comes…
Akesato was very surprised when she returned to the onsen to get some warm drinks for San-nan and found the place a hive of activity. Aunt Makoto filled her in on what happened during her absence from the onsen. Ryouma and his gal were equally surprised on their return to the inn. The two missing boys were nowhere to be seen.
In a small room in the onsen, Hijikata was interrogating Kichisaburo as to Okita's whereabouts. They expect HQ to send someone to pick up the suspected terrorists once the weather eased up. Saitou had managed to bag some very incriminating evidence against them.
Still, they needed something more to make the charges stick, and find Okita... Saitou entered the interrogation room. He noticed that blood was seeping through the makeshift bandage on Hijikata's wounded shoulder. They really oughta get a doctor to treat it even if it isn't life-threatening…
"Maro refuses to talk without his lawyer. The Trio's questioning the others. No results so far. And Makoto-san asks that you keep the noise down." He winced as Hijikata grabbed Kichi by his hair and slammed his face onto the tabletop. "Our hostess also asks that we go easy on the furniture."
Author's Notes:
Looks like the boys are in for a rough night. Suzu afraid of heights? Maybe I juz want an excuse for Suzu to hug Tetsu... I know it's kinda unlikely that will happen in the manga given the way things are progressing.