Author's note: I don't own any thing. No songs, no historical people, no anime series. Not my fault I was born poor. Now let's get on with the story.
Makoto no Hata (The Flag of Truth)
Two: Those who Stand
(written to the tune of "Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan!" and "Youkoso Gekijou E!")
Tokyo
Genbukan Dojo
Two days later
Sakura sat on her haunches in the small waiting room, doing just that. Waiting. Sure enough, Nagakura-sensei had arrived, but as he was a renowned master, many had come to seek his advice. She would just have to wait her turn…
As she sat, Sakura's thoughts took their usual turn. Ichi— er, Oogami-san, appeared in her mind's eye and smiled to her. Her heart leapt, ached, and bled at the same time. It felt like only yesterday that she'd gone to Ueno Park to meet the new captain, with not even so much as a photo to guide her…and there, under the flowering cherry that was her namesake, she'd seen him. Not so much seen with her eyes as seen—the kind of seeing she normally did when meditating or training.
Oogami-san…the—
"The sensei will see you now."
Sakura blinked confusedly before realizing that one of the assistant instructors was staring at her vacant smile.
"Oh! Thank you."
"Right this way."
The assistant slid open the doors to the main training hall and bowed. At the head of the room, a balding, elderly man sat in quiet meditation. Everything about him seemed utterly peaceful and refined. Sakura knew his true story, though. Back in the 1860s, he was a captain of the feared Shinsengumi police force in Kyoto. The Shinsengumi were renowned as great swordsmen, and protected Kyoto from the Western dissident samurai by the strength of their arms. But the tides of war that had favored them and their sponsors, the Tokugawa shogunate, suddenly turned, and by 1869, the last of the Shogunate's supporters up north in Hokkaido were destroyed. That was when Sakura's family had taken Nagakura-sensei in, while he was hiding from the wrath of the former rebels who had become the new government…
"Shinguuji Sakura-san here to see you, sensei."
"Thank you Koroku-kun. You may leave."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant bowed and quickly left the premises, leaving Sakura rather awkwardly alone with her old teacher.
"Well, Sakura-kun, don't just stand there…please do have a seat."
"Oh…thank you, sensei." She bowed, closing the gap and sitting a respectful distance away. "It's an honor to see you again."
"The honor is mine, Sakura-kun. Now then…how are things? Your mother told me about…what it is that you do here. I must say I'm impressed. It would seem that the swordsmanship of the past does have more of a place in today's world than as a mere sport…"
"I'm…I'm doing well, sir. And you do flatter me…I just fight with my heart, that's all."
Nagakura nodded, scratching his short beard in thought.
"I must be honest with you, Sakura-kun. You're the reason I'm here."
Sakura suddenly straightened up, casting a confused glance at her old instructor. What did he mean? Why would he come all that way just for her when he could have easily written?
"Sensei?"
Nagakura pensively folded his arms across his chest. "Do you remember the story of July 7, 1864?"
"The day you were in the raid on that inn in Kyoto…Ikedaya, wasn't it?"
"Yes…there was a rebel we killed there…Miyabe Teizou…as you know, he and his men wanted to burn Kyoto down….said it'd solve all their problems. They were going to kidnap the Emperor in the ensuing carnage and use him to eliminate the Shogun's legitimacy."
"I believe it was something like that…but…"
Their eyes met, and for a moment, Sakura felt the old warrior in Nagakura stir…and she was utterly mesmerized and terrified at the same time.
"I took Miyabe's head...and found this on his body…"
Nagakura pulled an old, tattered sheet of paper from his sleeve.
"That looks like a…a paper talisman from a Shinto shrine…"
"No. Look closely…"
There were swirling, interlocking dark patterns on the yellowed paper…seemingly just an esoteric design. Something caught Sakura's eye on the paper...and her eyes went wide in shock as she realized that they were letters, written in a highly fluid form of calligraphy known as "grass," where the brush wouldn't even be lifted once…
"Read it."
Sakura swallowed hard, and read the letters as best she could in a trembling voice.
I curse this land and all the fools who live in it. I curse their blindness at not following Heaven's path…nay, I curse the Gods for not stepping down from their paradise and smiting the fools. When demons arise, and the foreigners prey upon this land, then I shall return and smite the fools who proclaim themselves followers of the 'Emperor'…nay, I shall smite their 'Emperor' himself…This I swear by… Sakura's voice dropped to a whisper.
This I swear by the Dark Lord, Tenkai…
"I see you know what he's talking about," Nagakura murmured. Sakura could barely nod. "Go tell your commanders about this. I would give you this paper, but I fear that would only attract… 'unwanted attention,' shall we say."
"Yes, sensei…and thank you."
"Don't thank me. I should be apologizing to you…after all, you're going to end up having to finish what I couldn't…"
"Don't blame yourself, sensei. You couldn't have known."
"I don't blame anyone, Sakura-kun. I only lament the folly of war…"
"Forgive me, sensei. I should get going."
"Yes, Sakura-kun. Stay well."
"And you, sensei."
