Author's Note:
I'm afraid that haiku isn't mine. The poem in the last chapter was actually written in blood, by Serizawa, when he was in jail for murder. That was the best translation I could find of his jisei no ku.
Also, the word saya is the word for the sheath of the katana.
Chapter 8: Scattered Sakura Petals
"I will not repeat myself. Do you wish to die?"
Die?
She noticed that the man was probably no older than herself, perhaps even a year or so younger.
'A woman has no right to be on the battlefield. Especially if you only mean to hold us back as you did last night.'
Saitoh's words made up her mind for her. She would never give up. This was now her fight.
She forced her mind to empty itself. There was no thought. There wasn't even a chance to think. The man moved so quickly that she hadn't even managed to pull the full length of her sword free from the saya before she could hear the ring of metal striking metal.
The man's movements were so incredibly precise that she could barely keep up with him. Her every motion was strictly on the defense, but somehow she managed to keep his sword from slicing into her body.
Her arm ached from the injury she had sustained the night before, but she knew she couldn't give into the pain, the moment that she did she would be dead. This man was too skilled to let any false movement not end with her death.
"Did you hear that? I hear swords coming from over there!"
The sounds of even more footfalls on the street came in their direction, and the man paused for only a second, but that second was enough for her to attack.
Her blade ripped through the man's midsection. His blood sprayed across the dirt ground and much of it ended up staining Tokio's clothes. Her eyes were sharp and focused and her body was still at the ready, when she saw the men filling into the alleyway. It took a while for the fact that these men were her allies and not her enemies to be absorbed.
"The hotokiri is dead then?" Serizawa merely sat in the room sipping at his sake, while Tokio made her report. Shimada sat beside her silently.
"This will minimize the murders of our men for a while, at least until a replacement is found. You were not hurt?"
"No my lord."
"Well done my little Okita!" Serizawa raised his glass in salute. "The man no doubt thought that pretty little face of yours was that of a woman's so he held himself back! A true and tried tactic, my young friend, but if it works!" Serizawa laughed to himself. He knew his words were insulting but he didn't care Tokio was under his command.
Tokio's fists clenched tighter on her lap, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from saying anything insulting in return.
"Okita-san may indeed be handsome but no one would mistake his swordsmanship for that of a woman's Serizawa! Don't be so hard on the boy he did well tonight. That fish was not an easy one to catch, but yet he caught it and killed it!"
"Indeed my lord." Shimada nodded.
Yes the fish had died but that only meant that a new one would be released he could only hope that the next one would not be as brutal as this last one. Still Okita had proven his reputation to be accurate. He wasn't one to fight with lightly. Tonight it had almost seemed as though the boy had been inspired by something. It had been quite a sight. There was no doubt that word of tonight's mishap would be all over the compound by morning.
Still something seemed strange. Serizawa was normally rude and overbearing but the way in which he treated Okita was worse than any of the other men of the group, but what had really caught his attention was the small subtle signs as to how Okita reacted.
Okita was not pleased, of that Shimada was certain. Perhaps Okita wasn't in Serizawa's pocket. There cause could use someone as skilled as Okita had just proven to be.
Would Okita be willing to betray his master?
In the end it would be giri. Would Okita see it as the right thing to do? Shimada would have to watch, and report.
Okita would indeed definitely be a valuable asset if he were willing.
Saitoh leaned back against the wall and listened to the plans being made. He could only hope that the girl... whoever she was... was smart enough to leave befor they began. No one would be safe once it began. Especially, if you had any ties to Serizawa.
That fool was going to pay for his crimes with his very life, the only question was how and when. He just wished it could be done immediately. After all evil should always be destroyed immediately.
Chapter 9: to be continued
