DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted characters belong to their respective
owners. No money is being made out of this fanwork. Please do not
distribute without permission.
WARNING: Spoilers! If you don't know who Kenji is, please read at your own risk!
WITH DUE CREDIT: This fic was loosely spun off from two fics - "Over the Sting" by sasori and "Chronicles of a Rurouni", one of my earlier fics.
------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Shadow is Tomorrow's Twilight
------------------------------------------
Chapter 35: Unforgotten Past
"Ara?" Soujirou meeped, upon re-entering the meeting room he had left from that morning. "Where is Yukishiro-san and Himura-san?"
Okina immediately looked up from smoking his pipe with closed eyes. He was rather comfortable seated on his zabuton on the floor. It seems like he had not moved from his original position from the morning at all. Aoshi stepped away from staring out of the window, evidently having returned for quite a while already. They both glanced briefly at Soujirou, then at the door behind him.
The youngest member of the current group quickly and quietly closed the shouji door at the cue, noticing with slight anxiety that the aura in the air was none too comforting.
"They've gone to fetch your weapon," Okina responded plainly to Soujirou's earlier enquiry, when he likely felt sure there would be no one to overhear.
"My weapon?" The wanderer was instantly baffled. Then the light slowly dawned and he frowned. "From who?"
"From the same person you're going to go to now," Aoshi stepped forward and handed the younger person a piece of folded paper. "I got that from the shop. They are delivery address directions to the man who has legal trade links with the Yuugure." When Soujirou took the paper, Aoshi retracted his arms and folded them into his sleeves. "This is the man we've been trying to pinpoint for months." There was a brief bout of silence, as Soujirou read the address directions with clouded features. "Now do you see why we held this back from the police?"
The silence dragged.
"Since the both of you are the police's contacts," Aoshi continued, voice revealing nothing, "the Oniwabanshuu's duty is hereby done, now that the information is in your hands. You are free to do whatever you wish with it," his voice tapered off into a stern mumble. "But I would advise you to at least pay the man a visit first. Many things in this world are not what it seems to be on first glance." He paused. "Of course, I'm sure you already knew that."
Soujirou had hidden the paper in his sleeve by the time Aoshi was done. There was worry on his face, which was reflected in his voice, as he asked simply, "What about Saitou-san?"
There was a shrug. "I will inform him of the going-ons when I see him again this evening," was the equally simple answer from Aoshi. Soujirou could only blink in surprise at the tall ninja's silent offer to be answerable to the difficult police supervisor. Slowly, his surprise dissolved into a warm smile of genuine gratitude. He nodded with a slight bow.
"Thank you very much for your kind understanding," there was only sincerity in the words. "I have news too," Soujirou sobered up slightly, although his smile stayed. "I tracked the spy to the outskirts of Kyoto, but he disappeared into the throng of people at the 19th national train station. I don't think he was trying to get on a train though..." The wanderer paused. "... he mentioned 'Sacred Fushimi,' although I can only guess what he meant..."
"Guessing games lead to dead-ends, Soujirou," Aoshi remarked callously. "We don't act on incomplete or insufficient data. There will be answers waiting for you and for us once you get to the person in the address," he nodded generally at the door. "Answers, which you probably need more than we do. I hope you don't take too long, though. It is rather apparent that Saitou has his own plan of action lined up."
"I understand," Soujirou rose fluidly from the ground. "I will work things out from here. Thank you very much." With a soft smile and a quick bow, he departed as quietly as he came.
------------------------------------------
There was an air, Kenji noticed, of evident dissent in the little house.
The huge man had bundled them in after noticing that they brought sake. But the sake was forgotten as soon as Kenji placed them on the ground. The trio now sat on the floor around a pit where the sunken clay teapot rested, bubbling with a strange smell, silent with thoughts. There was something weighing heavily on the minds of the two older persons that preceded all other matters. Kenji found that he could only wait with abated breaths for what any one of them would say next.
Which, fortunately, did not prove to be too long a wait.
"So?" The larger man spoke first, leaning backwards resplendently. "You didn't come here just to send me a few bottles of quality sake, did you?" He pointed bluntly at the sack of wine bottles, which had been abandoned in a heap by the corner of the room. "Cut to the chase and tell me what you want now. If you have nothing to say then leave the sake behind and get lost. I'm busy enough as it is."
"Busy?" Enishi raised an eyebrow smoothly. He gave a long lingering thought to what he would say next, and settled for, "I think you should know why we're here for. In case your rusty memory has failed you, we're here for Soujirou's shinai, which the old man in the Oniwabanshuu said you offered to fix. The sake is compensation, or so the old man said." He narrowed his eyes at the person seated opposite him. "So you mean to say, that you were so busy, you actually had time to offer to fix Soujirou's shinai?" A pause. "Or did you finally find a job that could keep your genius complex sated enough to be able to give the excuse to visitors that you're busy?"
"Genius has nothing to do with it this time, greenhorn," the long-haired man scoffed, taking a swig from the sake bottle in his hand while he was at it. He finished his gulp and sighed. "And I'm sure Soujirou can come collect his toy by himself. He doesn't need you to babysit him. Where is the boy anyway? Did he finally have enough of your insensitive attitude and decide that there was a life outside wandering after all?"
From the corner of his eye, Kenji could see Enishi twitch bodily.
"All right, we're obviously going nowhere beating around the bush like that. Since we're both busy and impatient people, I /will/ cut to the chase," Enishi barked, slamming a palm onto the wooden floor. "Kakunoshin Niitsu- or should I say, Hiko Seijuurou. Have you been doing business with the Yuugure organisation? Answer me honestly!"
There was instant silence. The two adults descended into a long staring match.
Leaving Kenji to his own thoughts.
Hiko Seijuurou, the boy was thinking. Now why did that name sound so familiar?
"I don't see the need to answer that question, honestly or not," it was Hiko who broke the silence with a snort. He took another drink from his bottle. "It's none of your business who I sell my stuff to."
The white-haired man flared up, and his fist found the floor again. "It /IS/ when you're helping a secret society going up against the law!!"
Even Kenji was taken aback at the sudden accusation and temper flare - and he was one who would freely admit that he didn't know Enishi /that/ well. It was Hiko, though, who eventually voiced the unsaid question.
"Since when did you worry about going against the law?"
There was a stunned silence.
Noiselessly, the larger man rose to full height. He took his mantle from beside him and threw it on. "You only work for yourself, Enishi," he reminded the younger man sombrely. "You don't get angry if it doesn't concern you or the people around you. I think you know that better than I do. I would say, though," he continued smoothly, walking towards the exit of the house, "that my latest clients have indeed given me an interesting bit of information regarding their 'sentimental link' to this land. And you have most certainly confirmed it," he flicked the cloth on the door away calmly, not turning back to observe Enishi's reaction. "Young boy," he addressed Kenji suddenly, surprising him. "Come with me."
Without another word, Hiko whisked away from the house.
"O... okay," the redhead stumbled uneasily to his feet, shooting one final glimpse at the silenced Enishi before quickly trotting out of the house, happy to leave behind the strange tension lingering away in the little hut.
He sudden realised just how very little he knew about the people he trusted his life with.
------------------------------------------
At length, Kenji found the man at a steep outcrop overlooking the creek beneath. In the background, a thundering waterfall draped over the mountain top like a lush, aqua curtain, constantly flowing into the deep pool of blue beneath.
Hiko stood near the cliff edge, staring at the approaching boy. Kenji slowed down and stared back, wondering what he could possibly want. Eventually, the older person's lips tugged upwards wryly. He turned and sat on a large rock, facing the confused boy. "What's your name?" He asked.
"... Himura Kenji..." Kenji replied, nonplussed.
"And how old are you?"
"Fourteen... ?"
A laugh. "Exactly the same."
"Huh?"
Hiko ignored Kenji's look of absolute bewilderment. "Why are you hanging out with a dangerous criminal like Enishi anyway?"
The boy glanced away. "I ran away from home."
The older man's wry smile stretched. Before he could ask the next question, however, Kenji spoke up.
"Ojisan," the boy's tone was hesitant and almost shy. "Since you say that Enishi is a criminal, why is it that you appear to know him rather well?"
The long-haired master was silent for a while. Then he offered, "He is dangerous, but also quite harmless when unprovoked. And let's just say I wasn't the one who started the acquaintance." A pause. "Kenji," the voice was firm yet inviting, "what school of swordstyle are you trained under?"
The boy stiffened. They appeared to be getting nearer and nearer to the point, whatever it was. "I trained under the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu." He muttered, cautiously.
"And you know nothing else?"
"The Kamiya Style is all I know..." Kenji lied, frowning at the man's perception.
"Nobody likes lying children, Kenji," Hiko said, still smirking.
The boy jumped slightly and protested, "I'm not-"
"You are as easy to read as your father was."
The next few seconds of shock could be heard despite the echoes of the loud waterfall.
"I've heard, a long time ago, from your mother, about your talent in executing moves from mere descriptions and words," Hiko continued, nonchalant to the wide-eyed look of terror on Kenji's face. "It seems like you exhibit a flair my baka deshi took years to cultivate, and I must admit, as the Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, that I am interested in seeing if what your mother has said was true."
Kenji could really hear himself gulp this time. Hiko was slowly standing from the rock he had been seated on, making his intention to duel fairly obvious by pulling his longsword out from where he usually tucked it at the back of his belt.
So /this/ was the legendary Master of the Mitsurugi Style - the one Yahiko spent hours every week praising. No wonder Kenji found the name familiar. More importantly, though, something else struck at at him from his memories - more prominently than the others.
His father had been an abandoned peasant boy - and this was the man who had brought that boy up.
Kenji was suddenly very bothered about Hiko's opinion of himself.
"Come on, little brat," Hiko cheered, still with the smirk on his face. "You don't look like someone who could resist a good challenge."
Fingering his unfortunate weapon of a metal rod tightly, Kenji could feel every single muscle in him tensing at the taunt. Without so much as a word or warcry, he disappeared from his position and flashed forward in an attacking pose against the elder and more senior - despite the warning signals in his head.
The roar of the thundering wall of falling water slowly engulfed the area.
------------------------------------------
The sun was halfway to setting when Soujirou arrived at the clearing, warily glancing about himself for any signs of danger before stepping into view of the house.
As the area was new, he quickly mapped the area for escape routes. Although Hiko was unlikely to attack him, or anyone else for that matter - one could never be too sure what other abominations lurked behind the thick foliage. The air was clear, and the place gave off an amiable enough aura, after a brief check. Straightening himself, Soujirou approached the quaint looking house sitting near the edge of the other side of the clearing.
He didn't bother to knock, considering there was no solid, unmoving door in the first place. He had long figured out that Hiko only used cloth for doors because nobody, really, could ever dream of scratching the man in his sleep - door for protection or not. So with a casual flick of the cloth, Soujirou entered directly into the darkness within.
Only to immediately find his head nearly pinned to the wall behind, against the wrong side of Enishi's watou.
Soujirou's surprise was reflected in Enishi's eyes as well. The white-haired man was breathing heavily and wore a hassled look of primal fright and something akin to fear on his face - like a panicked animal caught in a trap. His eyes widened and he quickly pulled away when he saw who it was. Frowning deeply and holding a hand over his mouth, Enishi turned around violently and refused to give an explanation for his out-of-character act. Even Soujirou hadn't quite gotten out of the shock yet to ask.
They stood, washed over with a long, mutual silence in the shadows of the house.
Although Soujirou was smiling lightly, he could feel his heart slowly turning cold with dread.
When was the last time he saw that look on Enishi's face?
And more importantly.
What was the last thing anybody saw when someone decided to test his destiny by provoking the already harried gangster - at that point of time?
It was a very delicate situation. Though with Enishi, one hardly knew how to be delicate.
"Who did you come across this time, Yukishiro-san?"
The white-haired man tensed. He gave a low growl and turned around, stalking towards Soujirou menacingly. The younger warrior could hardly say he was surprised when Enishi slammed a fist into the wall beside his head, but he did jump slightly when the man leaned in predatorily towards his shoulder. "None of your business, Soujirou," Enishi whispered harshly into the younger person's ear. He then whisked past the stunned swordsman and exited the house out into the open.
Soujirou released the breath he had been holding when he could no longer feel Enishi under the same roof. He waited, then turned hesitantly to find himself casting long, lingering glances at the retreating figure of his long time companion. Enishi had stalked somewhere towards the direction of the workshop, weapon primed and muscles tensed, ready to strike and defend at any time. The taller man did not so much as glance back in apology or regret.
Soujirou thought that Enishi's trailing shadow seemed so much more longer than usual, that particular twilight.
... to be continued
--------------
29/7/04
tougenkyou . net / xd
a/n
the 19th national train station doesn't exist anymore - but it was the station right in front of the inari shrine in toba fushimi during meiji. now it's an exhibition hall called little house of lamps displaying olden artifacts like lamps and such.
Hitokiri of the Bloodless Moon
thank you! i'm proud that i managed to mix many genres! XD
Veleda
yes, patience is rewarded. XD more of hiko next chapter.
Koukeisha
i'm still waiting for your story! XD and i guess people like different things, so i can only say 'oh well!' to the romance-only readers out there!
misaoshiru
aaa!! i have found a longwinded buddy! i will most certainly read your fic after i get back from my vacation. thank you for telling me!
Sailor-Earth13
50 chapters is a rough estimate. with my longwindedness i'm guessing it'll shoot beyond that. XD
firuze
thank you!! i was surprised i got nominated x;; oh! yes, i have a lot to explain. XD are you still on msn? i can tell you stuff from there after i get back from my vacation. XD i missed you firuze! hugs
zeromaru
awww! don't forget this fic is drama first and foremost, THEN action/adventure! XD that means lots and lots of talking! some action next chapter though! watch out for it!
kajeth
mwahahah! let's pretend that they don't, then. XD
EEevee
i really wanted to write kenji as this super talented swordsboy who can beat the crap out of everybody in his path but things didn't turn out. XD
sasori
POST. BETTER. THAN. YOURS. NOWWWWWWWWWWW!!! XD
De Lazy Lime
your review really refreshed me! thank you for spending time on this fic. yes! another longwinded buddy!! MWAHAHA!
Fyyrrose
awww don't be so angry. anger leads to wrinkles, see. runs i'm a normal, average person so feel genius beside me!!! although beside hiko we'd all look small. T.Tx i saw pmk the first few eps, but i've always been reading the manga so i didn't quite follow the anime. alas, we all know what the fate of okita souji is, no matter how it is portrayed. T.Tx see you next chapter! :D
A. Krisis
i love hearing from new, intelligent readers like you! it is really a great honour to know that my little story can achieve things that affect people personally! i hope you stick on! :D onwards!! mwahaha!!
WARNING: Spoilers! If you don't know who Kenji is, please read at your own risk!
WITH DUE CREDIT: This fic was loosely spun off from two fics - "Over the Sting" by sasori and "Chronicles of a Rurouni", one of my earlier fics.
------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Shadow is Tomorrow's Twilight
------------------------------------------
Chapter 35: Unforgotten Past
"Ara?" Soujirou meeped, upon re-entering the meeting room he had left from that morning. "Where is Yukishiro-san and Himura-san?"
Okina immediately looked up from smoking his pipe with closed eyes. He was rather comfortable seated on his zabuton on the floor. It seems like he had not moved from his original position from the morning at all. Aoshi stepped away from staring out of the window, evidently having returned for quite a while already. They both glanced briefly at Soujirou, then at the door behind him.
The youngest member of the current group quickly and quietly closed the shouji door at the cue, noticing with slight anxiety that the aura in the air was none too comforting.
"They've gone to fetch your weapon," Okina responded plainly to Soujirou's earlier enquiry, when he likely felt sure there would be no one to overhear.
"My weapon?" The wanderer was instantly baffled. Then the light slowly dawned and he frowned. "From who?"
"From the same person you're going to go to now," Aoshi stepped forward and handed the younger person a piece of folded paper. "I got that from the shop. They are delivery address directions to the man who has legal trade links with the Yuugure." When Soujirou took the paper, Aoshi retracted his arms and folded them into his sleeves. "This is the man we've been trying to pinpoint for months." There was a brief bout of silence, as Soujirou read the address directions with clouded features. "Now do you see why we held this back from the police?"
The silence dragged.
"Since the both of you are the police's contacts," Aoshi continued, voice revealing nothing, "the Oniwabanshuu's duty is hereby done, now that the information is in your hands. You are free to do whatever you wish with it," his voice tapered off into a stern mumble. "But I would advise you to at least pay the man a visit first. Many things in this world are not what it seems to be on first glance." He paused. "Of course, I'm sure you already knew that."
Soujirou had hidden the paper in his sleeve by the time Aoshi was done. There was worry on his face, which was reflected in his voice, as he asked simply, "What about Saitou-san?"
There was a shrug. "I will inform him of the going-ons when I see him again this evening," was the equally simple answer from Aoshi. Soujirou could only blink in surprise at the tall ninja's silent offer to be answerable to the difficult police supervisor. Slowly, his surprise dissolved into a warm smile of genuine gratitude. He nodded with a slight bow.
"Thank you very much for your kind understanding," there was only sincerity in the words. "I have news too," Soujirou sobered up slightly, although his smile stayed. "I tracked the spy to the outskirts of Kyoto, but he disappeared into the throng of people at the 19th national train station. I don't think he was trying to get on a train though..." The wanderer paused. "... he mentioned 'Sacred Fushimi,' although I can only guess what he meant..."
"Guessing games lead to dead-ends, Soujirou," Aoshi remarked callously. "We don't act on incomplete or insufficient data. There will be answers waiting for you and for us once you get to the person in the address," he nodded generally at the door. "Answers, which you probably need more than we do. I hope you don't take too long, though. It is rather apparent that Saitou has his own plan of action lined up."
"I understand," Soujirou rose fluidly from the ground. "I will work things out from here. Thank you very much." With a soft smile and a quick bow, he departed as quietly as he came.
------------------------------------------
There was an air, Kenji noticed, of evident dissent in the little house.
The huge man had bundled them in after noticing that they brought sake. But the sake was forgotten as soon as Kenji placed them on the ground. The trio now sat on the floor around a pit where the sunken clay teapot rested, bubbling with a strange smell, silent with thoughts. There was something weighing heavily on the minds of the two older persons that preceded all other matters. Kenji found that he could only wait with abated breaths for what any one of them would say next.
Which, fortunately, did not prove to be too long a wait.
"So?" The larger man spoke first, leaning backwards resplendently. "You didn't come here just to send me a few bottles of quality sake, did you?" He pointed bluntly at the sack of wine bottles, which had been abandoned in a heap by the corner of the room. "Cut to the chase and tell me what you want now. If you have nothing to say then leave the sake behind and get lost. I'm busy enough as it is."
"Busy?" Enishi raised an eyebrow smoothly. He gave a long lingering thought to what he would say next, and settled for, "I think you should know why we're here for. In case your rusty memory has failed you, we're here for Soujirou's shinai, which the old man in the Oniwabanshuu said you offered to fix. The sake is compensation, or so the old man said." He narrowed his eyes at the person seated opposite him. "So you mean to say, that you were so busy, you actually had time to offer to fix Soujirou's shinai?" A pause. "Or did you finally find a job that could keep your genius complex sated enough to be able to give the excuse to visitors that you're busy?"
"Genius has nothing to do with it this time, greenhorn," the long-haired man scoffed, taking a swig from the sake bottle in his hand while he was at it. He finished his gulp and sighed. "And I'm sure Soujirou can come collect his toy by himself. He doesn't need you to babysit him. Where is the boy anyway? Did he finally have enough of your insensitive attitude and decide that there was a life outside wandering after all?"
From the corner of his eye, Kenji could see Enishi twitch bodily.
"All right, we're obviously going nowhere beating around the bush like that. Since we're both busy and impatient people, I /will/ cut to the chase," Enishi barked, slamming a palm onto the wooden floor. "Kakunoshin Niitsu- or should I say, Hiko Seijuurou. Have you been doing business with the Yuugure organisation? Answer me honestly!"
There was instant silence. The two adults descended into a long staring match.
Leaving Kenji to his own thoughts.
Hiko Seijuurou, the boy was thinking. Now why did that name sound so familiar?
"I don't see the need to answer that question, honestly or not," it was Hiko who broke the silence with a snort. He took another drink from his bottle. "It's none of your business who I sell my stuff to."
The white-haired man flared up, and his fist found the floor again. "It /IS/ when you're helping a secret society going up against the law!!"
Even Kenji was taken aback at the sudden accusation and temper flare - and he was one who would freely admit that he didn't know Enishi /that/ well. It was Hiko, though, who eventually voiced the unsaid question.
"Since when did you worry about going against the law?"
There was a stunned silence.
Noiselessly, the larger man rose to full height. He took his mantle from beside him and threw it on. "You only work for yourself, Enishi," he reminded the younger man sombrely. "You don't get angry if it doesn't concern you or the people around you. I think you know that better than I do. I would say, though," he continued smoothly, walking towards the exit of the house, "that my latest clients have indeed given me an interesting bit of information regarding their 'sentimental link' to this land. And you have most certainly confirmed it," he flicked the cloth on the door away calmly, not turning back to observe Enishi's reaction. "Young boy," he addressed Kenji suddenly, surprising him. "Come with me."
Without another word, Hiko whisked away from the house.
"O... okay," the redhead stumbled uneasily to his feet, shooting one final glimpse at the silenced Enishi before quickly trotting out of the house, happy to leave behind the strange tension lingering away in the little hut.
He sudden realised just how very little he knew about the people he trusted his life with.
------------------------------------------
At length, Kenji found the man at a steep outcrop overlooking the creek beneath. In the background, a thundering waterfall draped over the mountain top like a lush, aqua curtain, constantly flowing into the deep pool of blue beneath.
Hiko stood near the cliff edge, staring at the approaching boy. Kenji slowed down and stared back, wondering what he could possibly want. Eventually, the older person's lips tugged upwards wryly. He turned and sat on a large rock, facing the confused boy. "What's your name?" He asked.
"... Himura Kenji..." Kenji replied, nonplussed.
"And how old are you?"
"Fourteen... ?"
A laugh. "Exactly the same."
"Huh?"
Hiko ignored Kenji's look of absolute bewilderment. "Why are you hanging out with a dangerous criminal like Enishi anyway?"
The boy glanced away. "I ran away from home."
The older man's wry smile stretched. Before he could ask the next question, however, Kenji spoke up.
"Ojisan," the boy's tone was hesitant and almost shy. "Since you say that Enishi is a criminal, why is it that you appear to know him rather well?"
The long-haired master was silent for a while. Then he offered, "He is dangerous, but also quite harmless when unprovoked. And let's just say I wasn't the one who started the acquaintance." A pause. "Kenji," the voice was firm yet inviting, "what school of swordstyle are you trained under?"
The boy stiffened. They appeared to be getting nearer and nearer to the point, whatever it was. "I trained under the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu." He muttered, cautiously.
"And you know nothing else?"
"The Kamiya Style is all I know..." Kenji lied, frowning at the man's perception.
"Nobody likes lying children, Kenji," Hiko said, still smirking.
The boy jumped slightly and protested, "I'm not-"
"You are as easy to read as your father was."
The next few seconds of shock could be heard despite the echoes of the loud waterfall.
"I've heard, a long time ago, from your mother, about your talent in executing moves from mere descriptions and words," Hiko continued, nonchalant to the wide-eyed look of terror on Kenji's face. "It seems like you exhibit a flair my baka deshi took years to cultivate, and I must admit, as the Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, that I am interested in seeing if what your mother has said was true."
Kenji could really hear himself gulp this time. Hiko was slowly standing from the rock he had been seated on, making his intention to duel fairly obvious by pulling his longsword out from where he usually tucked it at the back of his belt.
So /this/ was the legendary Master of the Mitsurugi Style - the one Yahiko spent hours every week praising. No wonder Kenji found the name familiar. More importantly, though, something else struck at at him from his memories - more prominently than the others.
His father had been an abandoned peasant boy - and this was the man who had brought that boy up.
Kenji was suddenly very bothered about Hiko's opinion of himself.
"Come on, little brat," Hiko cheered, still with the smirk on his face. "You don't look like someone who could resist a good challenge."
Fingering his unfortunate weapon of a metal rod tightly, Kenji could feel every single muscle in him tensing at the taunt. Without so much as a word or warcry, he disappeared from his position and flashed forward in an attacking pose against the elder and more senior - despite the warning signals in his head.
The roar of the thundering wall of falling water slowly engulfed the area.
------------------------------------------
The sun was halfway to setting when Soujirou arrived at the clearing, warily glancing about himself for any signs of danger before stepping into view of the house.
As the area was new, he quickly mapped the area for escape routes. Although Hiko was unlikely to attack him, or anyone else for that matter - one could never be too sure what other abominations lurked behind the thick foliage. The air was clear, and the place gave off an amiable enough aura, after a brief check. Straightening himself, Soujirou approached the quaint looking house sitting near the edge of the other side of the clearing.
He didn't bother to knock, considering there was no solid, unmoving door in the first place. He had long figured out that Hiko only used cloth for doors because nobody, really, could ever dream of scratching the man in his sleep - door for protection or not. So with a casual flick of the cloth, Soujirou entered directly into the darkness within.
Only to immediately find his head nearly pinned to the wall behind, against the wrong side of Enishi's watou.
Soujirou's surprise was reflected in Enishi's eyes as well. The white-haired man was breathing heavily and wore a hassled look of primal fright and something akin to fear on his face - like a panicked animal caught in a trap. His eyes widened and he quickly pulled away when he saw who it was. Frowning deeply and holding a hand over his mouth, Enishi turned around violently and refused to give an explanation for his out-of-character act. Even Soujirou hadn't quite gotten out of the shock yet to ask.
They stood, washed over with a long, mutual silence in the shadows of the house.
Although Soujirou was smiling lightly, he could feel his heart slowly turning cold with dread.
When was the last time he saw that look on Enishi's face?
And more importantly.
What was the last thing anybody saw when someone decided to test his destiny by provoking the already harried gangster - at that point of time?
It was a very delicate situation. Though with Enishi, one hardly knew how to be delicate.
"Who did you come across this time, Yukishiro-san?"
The white-haired man tensed. He gave a low growl and turned around, stalking towards Soujirou menacingly. The younger warrior could hardly say he was surprised when Enishi slammed a fist into the wall beside his head, but he did jump slightly when the man leaned in predatorily towards his shoulder. "None of your business, Soujirou," Enishi whispered harshly into the younger person's ear. He then whisked past the stunned swordsman and exited the house out into the open.
Soujirou released the breath he had been holding when he could no longer feel Enishi under the same roof. He waited, then turned hesitantly to find himself casting long, lingering glances at the retreating figure of his long time companion. Enishi had stalked somewhere towards the direction of the workshop, weapon primed and muscles tensed, ready to strike and defend at any time. The taller man did not so much as glance back in apology or regret.
Soujirou thought that Enishi's trailing shadow seemed so much more longer than usual, that particular twilight.
... to be continued
--------------
29/7/04
tougenkyou . net / xd
a/n
the 19th national train station doesn't exist anymore - but it was the station right in front of the inari shrine in toba fushimi during meiji. now it's an exhibition hall called little house of lamps displaying olden artifacts like lamps and such.
Hitokiri of the Bloodless Moon
thank you! i'm proud that i managed to mix many genres! XD
Veleda
yes, patience is rewarded. XD more of hiko next chapter.
Koukeisha
i'm still waiting for your story! XD and i guess people like different things, so i can only say 'oh well!' to the romance-only readers out there!
misaoshiru
aaa!! i have found a longwinded buddy! i will most certainly read your fic after i get back from my vacation. thank you for telling me!
Sailor-Earth13
50 chapters is a rough estimate. with my longwindedness i'm guessing it'll shoot beyond that. XD
firuze
thank you!! i was surprised i got nominated x;; oh! yes, i have a lot to explain. XD are you still on msn? i can tell you stuff from there after i get back from my vacation. XD i missed you firuze! hugs
zeromaru
awww! don't forget this fic is drama first and foremost, THEN action/adventure! XD that means lots and lots of talking! some action next chapter though! watch out for it!
kajeth
mwahahah! let's pretend that they don't, then. XD
EEevee
i really wanted to write kenji as this super talented swordsboy who can beat the crap out of everybody in his path but things didn't turn out. XD
sasori
POST. BETTER. THAN. YOURS. NOWWWWWWWWWWW!!! XD
De Lazy Lime
your review really refreshed me! thank you for spending time on this fic. yes! another longwinded buddy!! MWAHAHA!
Fyyrrose
awww don't be so angry. anger leads to wrinkles, see. runs i'm a normal, average person so feel genius beside me!!! although beside hiko we'd all look small. T.Tx i saw pmk the first few eps, but i've always been reading the manga so i didn't quite follow the anime. alas, we all know what the fate of okita souji is, no matter how it is portrayed. T.Tx see you next chapter! :D
A. Krisis
i love hearing from new, intelligent readers like you! it is really a great honour to know that my little story can achieve things that affect people personally! i hope you stick on! :D onwards!! mwahaha!!