Um... Little Heaven
Blood. It was all he saw, drank or ate. It filled everything and all of his senses. But by the gods, he hated it. The one scene where he had accidentally killed Tomoe replayed incessantly over and over to the finest detail. Why? Why! Why did it have to be her?
He could sense the ki of the others moving about the camp as the Choshu got ready for another assault. More minor than others, but just as important for them to win. He just sat, waiting for the battle to begin, half-asleep with his katana clenched in his grasp.
It had been one year after that incident, when the pure white snow was washed in the red of Tomoe's life blood. The anniversary of her death was near, and his eating and sleeping habits where dropping… again. He only slept and ate when he felt it absolutely necessary. It was as if he was punishing himself for what he did to her; he couldn't save her, not even from his own bloody blade.
Unconscious fingers grabbed at the fabric around his neck feeling the slight stiffness where the blood still stained the material, one year after. It no longer smelled of white plum, but of blood, her blood.
Katsura Kogoro, leader of the Ishin Shishi Choshu forces, passed by him on one of his little inspections. The Choshu lord's features softened a hint, but not enough that he seemed out of character for the…well…Katsura-like man he was.
Katsura let his gaze rest on his former top hitokiri for a few moments longer. The poor boy. Still only so young and already had seen too much.
"Himura-san," he waited patiently for a response and was glad the response was near immediate.
"Your sulking does no one any good. Sitting around moping for months on end will not do a thing to help. I have a job for you. Come with me."
With no further words he walked away knowing full well Kenshin would listen and follow him back to his tent. When he turned back to the front of his spacious tent, sure enough the boy had followed.
"I have heard rumors and have had my suspicions that the outpost, Anoukoten, has been training Choshu recruits for its own causes for a rebellion. This post is disguised as a Shogunate training grounds. Therefore making it easy to just send recruits back to the Shinsengumi instead of, in actuality to us. Your job will be to spy on them."
Katsura paused then continued, "I'm sending you for your blade skills and ability to hide things, despite the fact of how bad a liar you are."
Kenshin made a weird face at the comment but said nothing.
"Now remember you will be a spy therefore you'll need to make some adjustments. I recommend our own Choshu spies to help you."
"Hai, Katsura-san," Kenshin bowed and left.
Kenshin walked over to where the spies and ninja normally hung out at. They slightly stiffened as he came nearer. But then they all breathed a sigh of relief, remembering that Kenshin did not know who they really were, considering they were all disguised at the moment for various reasons.
"Hello, Himura-san. What are you doing here?" asked one of them, clearly male from his tone of voice.
"Katsura-sama sent me to you for help. I think he wants you to disguise me for my next job."
A whisper of female voices arose in the crowd and several rushed forward taking Kenshin by the arm and leading him to the back. The door shut behind them with, what sounded to Kenshin, the click of doom.
The men outside were cringing as they heard the faint giggles and comments from the females inside (including one command that Battousai close his eyes) and almost the entire time the grumblings of Kenshin. When Kenshin next came out his eyes were closed and he was dressed in a frilly pink kimono and his hair was done up with a nice, if not kawaii, hair ribbon.
"Whoa. Where did you pick this one up from? She's hot!" said one very forgetful man.
The muttering approvals of men and the giggling of the females unnerved Kenshin. Finally he was given his swords back and once one was in his belt, he pulled the blade of the other and looked at himself in the reflection, after he'd been told he was allowed to open his eyes.
For the first time everyone in the camp heard Kenshin cry out in horror. Several ran to comfort him still thinking he was female despite his cry out from the way he looked. Katsura walked up to them, "What is going... on? Himura-san? What are you doing?"
The man who had taken to holding Kenshin's hands and muttering that he was sorry and a whole lot of other random things looked about himself, "Himura? Where?"
With a growl and in a low voice Kenshin replied, "In front of you, ahou." The other scrambled away when this was said, he also gulped when Kenshin pulled the blade out the rest of the way then suddenly sheathed it mere inches from the man's nose.
The girls eeped and apologized saying they would make it better. They took him back inside and fixed him up. When he reemerged it was still slightly easy to tell that this un-scarred, black haired man was the scarred, red haired Himura.
As he passed Katsura on his way out he growled, "Don't ever send me to them again." Katsura only smirked at him while the female shinobi waved happily.
As Kenshin went to the docks to arrange a ship for Anoukoten one of the Choshu spy girls ran up to him.
"Gomen Himura-san. Um, the girls and I also wanted to give you hints on how to be a spy. The trick is to not be who you are, but different. We were thinking since, well, you're a little, well, silent…and, uh, anti-social we thought that the best personality for you would be a kind person who gets along with everyone. Also in order to fit this personality you could use a different speech pattern."
She handed him a note then rushed back to the others. He looked at it then looked back up to where she'd disappeared to. With a shrug he pocketed it into his gi and continued talking to the other man.
Katsura watched from afar. Yes this would help Himura-san greatly.
The boat ride from Kyoto to Osaka was short as normal though it did seem to take longer then normal for Kenshin. He sighed and headed up the hill towards Anoukoten.
Anoukoten was surrounded by plains and from the Northish and Westish was water from the river that he had traveled on and of course the waters between here and Tokushima. It had started up small during the first years of the Bakumastu before Kenshin ever entered the war. Later they built up on it, though the job was done hastily.
(AN: OOO! Wireless keyboard! Back to the story...)
As he walled up the path, Kenshin tried not to cringe as he felt the full strength of the sun on his back. It was rare that he ever ventured outside during the day due to his unique looks and profession, so doing so now, even though he was in disguise unnerved him. And it certainly didn't help that he could feel the ki of about eighty men in the walls of Anoukoten, each of them in various stages of skill.
The guards at the gate of the fort stopped him when he reached it. When they had told him to stop it had slightly made Kenshin jump. Paranoia his worst enemy was buzzing in his mind. What if they found out who he was before he could find out information for Katsura or the Shinsengumi came? He really needed to calm down.
"State name and your reason for being here."
Kenshin paused, "Aa... Shinta and ano, I need to see your commanders on official duty." (AN: Take me to your leader! Um yeah.. back to the story...)
The guards looked down at Kenshin frowning slightly, showing their doubt at Kenshin's words. "Aa, sure kiddo Taiki-sama is in."
They led him around the main building and Kenshin looked around him oddly. Wouldn't they be going to the main building to meet the commanders? When he next looked in front of himself he was at another gate.
"Here you go kiddo. The way out."
Kenshin looked back at them. Hey... wait a minute. The gate closed locking and leaving Kenshin outside Anoukoten. He twitched for a moment then sighed.
"Fine, you want to play like that? I'll make my own rules," he muttered his eyes flashing gold at the now bolted door.
Later that night, watching several patrols around the fort go inside, Kenshin made his assessment of the defenses. Weak, weak, weak! How they were still alive was beyond the redheaded hitokiri. A five-year-old shogunate supporter could get through these defenses so easily! If any of the Shinsengumi saw this they would roll around on the ground laughing their asses off, then proceed in killing every single man in that bloody weak structure they dare call a "fort"!
He got up and shook his head clearing it of these thoughts, but not forgetting them. Oh no! He was going to have a talk with this Taiki-sama about this. Another shake of the head, and he was jumping on top of the fort's wall and over the other side. With a quick look and no Patrols around he preceeded into the main building.
Inside he had no clue where to start to find anyone. Though the last people he wanted to find were any guards. Stretching out his senses, Kenshin began feeling for any nearby presences. Walking down the hall and then turning right, Kenshin entered a room where a solitary ki rested.
"Taiki-sama, I presume?" Kenshin said dryly as he faced the lone figure siting at a writing desk.
"Who are you?" the man, Taiki asked sharply, standing to his feet.
"You may call me Shinta," Kenshin replied, walking over to the leader of Anoukoten and pulling out the letter Katsura had given him, "Katsura-sama sent me."
"Oh?" Taiki raised an eyebrow, quickly scanning the paper Katsura sent, "It says here that you're supposed to be training with us for awhile, sharpening your skills."
"That's right."
"How old are you, boy?" Taiki asked, still skeptical. Inwardly, Kenshin twitched at someone (again!) calling him a child, but answered anyway.
"I'm sixteen, sir. I'll be seventeen in four months."
"Like hell!" Taiki scoffed, "You couldn't be more than twelve! Katsura must be mad to allow a child like you participate in this war!"
"I am sixteen, sir," Kenshin said tightly, his eyes glimmering amber under his dyed bangs, "I am old enough and experienced enough to meet your standards."
"I see," Taiki murmured, "Katsura trusts you?"
"I should hope."
"Katsura is still mad to send someone as young as you to learn how to be a killer," Taiki muttered, "But orders are orders...You can stay here, but if I determine that you're not up to the job, you will be sent back, orders or no."
Author Note: Yay! OMG first chapter . +squee+ This is really hard for me and all I have to say is THANK YOU A-CHAN! She was an awsome helper and beta so enjoy and hopefully the next chapter won't be as hard!
Few Notes
Anoukoten roughly means Um.. Little Heaven so thats where the title comes from. Odd thing is when I chose that name I had no clue what it meant but for some reason it fits the story.
Look for the main story "Chaotic End" and the other side story which is a joint fic between me and Author-chan "Kunoichi AKA The only thing Battousai ever feared."
