Matters of the Heart pt. 10 Dying I Love You's
Days passed as more of the cherry blossoms began to fall. Megumi sat in her office coughing and watching the pink snow flutter by and through her windows. The wind blew in softly causing the beads in her cherry blossom hairpin to collide and jingle.
Watching, he stood in the doorway with sad eyes. She really loves that hairpin I gave her.. He thought longingly. Her condition is getting worse too.. Saizou sat frowning in his arms. Slowly, Okita walked away. Saizou glared up at him with a questioning look.
"I bet you're wondering why I'm like this aren't you?" he asked to the pig.
Saizou oinked and seemed to nod. A small depressed smile lit his pale face. He hugged the small pig.
"Oh, Saizou," he confided whimpering. "I don't think you could ever understand."
A hot tear dripped down the piglet's back. Curiously, Saizou oinked.
Ayumu sighed stirring a pot. Seishin wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Just thinking," she replied. "... About Megumi-chan and Okita-kun."
Seishin nodded.
"I know," he replied pecking her cheek. "I've got a feeling this will end in the most tragic way imaginable."
Ayumu nodded placing a hand on his wrapped arms.
"You..." she began worriedly. "Don't think anything like that would happen to us.. Do you?"
Seishin pulled away and gave her a look. Hopefully, he smiled.
"Nah," he replied. "I won't be that easy to get rid of. And I'll always protect you."
Ayumu smiled feeling a comforting feeling settling in her stomach.
The men sat patiently as Kondo paced in front of them. They listened. Tetsunosuke walked around serving tea.
"Boys we've found the Choshu hideout," he began sternly. "Knowing that they've been planning to set fire to the capital, we've decided it would be best to raid them before they could put any plan into motion."
Nods and whispers went through the tatami room in a wave.
"May I come this time?" Okita asked smiling.
"Of course, Okita-kun," Kondo grinned. "The more the merrier!"
Slowly, his grin faded. He let out a sigh his expression turning dark.
"Remember..." he commanded darkly. "If anyone doesn't cooperate, kill them without hesitation."
Yamanami and Hijikata stood walking up to Kondo's side.
"Now," Yamanami said kindly as he smiled and fixed his glasses. "Eat. Rest. Do what you must. We'll have a long night ahead of us."
The men nodded and slowly dispersed murmurings weaving through them. The compound training halls quickly came to life with the loud clacking and crashing of wood and bamboo swords and spears. A dark and demonic air surrounded them.
Megumi walked around the compound and peered into the training halls. The men are all busy tonight. Okita too.. She thought pulling the small bundle of clothing and hairpins close to her chest. I'll go.. One last trip to Shimabara. I just need a little more money... Quickly, she ran off leaving the compound behind.
As she walked inside the brothel door, she stopped.
"Where have you been!" scolded another geisha girl. "You and your apprentices were needed several minutes ago!"
"Huh?" she asked confused.
The girl sighed.
"Just get changed quickly, and go to this address with your girls," she commanded handing her a small slip of folded paper. "The men there are waiting. The others needed have already left."
"But what about Akesato-san?" she asked. "She and her girls are more popular with the men than I am."
"Akesato isn't available tonight," the other girl replied. "Now get going! Those men from Choshu won't serve themselves you know."
Choshu! She thought shocked.
She studied the small slip of paper and nodded quickly running off to change and gather her girls.
Kondo, Nagakura, Okita, Harada, Todou, Hijikata, and Yamanami stood outside the inn door their swords unsheathed and glimmering in the dim lantern and full moonlight. The troops waited with them.
Inside, Kagome and Yumi grinned as they served tea and sake in long flowing red and gold kimono. Sounds of a shamisen and a girl's singing filled the room. Tiredly, Megumi followed a man into a room slowly shutting the door behind her. Quickly and eagerly, the drunken man pushed her down on a futon and sloppily pulled her kimono open. She turned away suppressing the cough in her throat. The man continued to ravage her.
Then, Kondo slammed the door open he and the others rushing inside.
"THIS IS A RAID! THIS BUILDING IS UNDER SHINSENGUMI CONTROL FOR THE NIGHT!" he yelled as the men in the room glared. "ANYONE WHO DOESN'T COOPERATE WILL NOT TO TOLERATED AND SHALL BE KILLED IMMEDIATELY!"
The men charged quickly filling the inn with the sounds of clashing and clanging swords and screaming. Men fell to the ground at the Shinsengumi's feet. Screaming geisha girls ran as the men quickly cut them down. Waves of blood stained the white and paper walls.
They ran through the halls their hands intertwined in one another. Yumi slipped on her blood streaked kimono. Frightened, she sniffed tears suddenly running down her face.
"Kagome," she whimpered wiping her eyes. "What's happening? This never happens back in the brothel."
Kagome watched her sadly.
"I don't know," she replied worriedly. "But we gotta find Megumi-san.. She'll know what to do."
The soft shuffling of tatami sandals suddenly stopped behind them. They gasped a chill running down their spine. Slowly, they turned. A red-haired man with a bandage o his nose towered above them with a cold glare in his eyes. They whimpered clinging to each other. Nagakura smirked a cold smirk. He raised his sword as it glimmered crimson in the dim hallway. Kagome and Yumi screamed as the blood soaked blade fell.
A silence followed.
Megumi's eyes went wide as her client's blood splattered over her naked skin and the cherry blossom hairpin in her hair. His limp body collapsed onto her. She screamed managing to push him off. Covered with the drying blood, Harada smirked coldly down at her. Nagakura went flying through the door following the limp body of another Choshu member.
She gasped. Harada aimed. His stabbing spear went flying for her.
"HARADA-SAN YAMETE (Stop!)!" she screamed as recognition flashed in his eyes.
Harada stopped stumbling clumsily over. He stared. A jaw dropped. Nagakura turned and got a good look.
"Megumi?" Nagakura asked bewildered. "What are you doing here?"
Quickly, she dressed not fixing a disheveled kimono. Tears shined in her eyes and ran down her face.
"I was working," she whimpered rushing out of the room.
"Oi!" Harada cried.
"Wait!" Nagakura yelled rushing out to where the others were. "Guys! Megumi's here!"
"WHAT!" Okita worried, as he rushed in and sliced an enemy in half.
"Why!" Todou asked shocked.
"Yea!" Nagakura replied. "She said she was working."
A dark figure loomed over Nagakura's head. Quickly, Okita cut a deep gash into the figures chest. He screamed his blood flying. In the back of his mind, Okita hesitantly pushed his worries out of his way.
"This isn't over yet!" he commanded. "Don't lose focus!"
They glared the demons shining in their eyes. The other men surrounded them. They charged in the men quickly falling at their feet.
"KAGOME! YUMI!" Megumi called out desperately. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
She stumbled through the dark hallway. Leaning against the wall, she stopped. Harsh and unmerciful coughs escaped her. She winced in pain.
"KAGOME-CHAN! YUMI-CHAN!" she screamed. "ANSWER ME!"
She stumbled along coughing loudly. Then, she slipped. More dark and fresh blood soaked into her bloody kimono. She gasped. Two small girls laid drowning in a pool of blood at her feet. Rapids of tears flooded from her eyes as she let out a loud scream.
Okita turned.
"Shimatta!" he cursed running out of the room. "MEGUMI!"
She let out another cry as two Shinsengumi men grabbed her and restrained her. Another man prepared his blade and charged in.
"STOP!" Okita cried skidding on his blood soaked sandals.
"But, Okita-dono," a man said turning to him. "She's the last one!"
The demon took its place in Okita's eyes.
"I said to stop," he replied deathly calm.
"Take a good look boys," Nagakura said walking in slowly.
The men turned and stared at the blood covered woman. They gasped.
"Megumi-hakase!" (Author's note: '-hakase' is an ending attached to words meaning 'doctor' so basically they're saying 'Dr. Megumi!') the men cried quickly letting her go.
Tiredly, she groaned slumping onto the wooden floor. Okita sighed a bitter relief coming over him. Then, Hijikata, Yamanami, and Kondo walked it. Okita turned with the other captains slowly making their way to make reports. The subordinates began cleaning up the bloody scene. Shakily, Megumi stood. Hijikata, Kondo, and Yamanami stared with shocked looks on their faces. She smirked watching them out of the corner of her eye. The truth is out.. she thought quietly as she turned away ashamed.
Smiling a small, comforting smile, Okita took a step toward her.
A painful cough started. Wincing, she collapsed. The coughs wracked her body. Vomit spurted from her mouth.
"Oi!" Harada began worriedly. "Is she all right!"
"O-okita-kun," she coughed out.
Okita rushed to her side and pulled her close. As his eyes started shining with tears, he wiped the sweat away from her brow and the traces of bile and vomit from the corners of her mouth.
"Please be o.k. ..." he whispered the misty shine in his eyes glowing brighter.
She looked up to him. A small smile crept to her lips as she shook her head. Okita frowned. Then, the hard and violent coughs resumed. Her body thrashed his arms.
"Megumi?" he whimpered as a small tear cascaded down his cheek.
She continued coughing.
"J-just," she began her coughs interrupting her speech. "Just hold me.."
He pulled her into a tight and desperate embrace, tears falling blatantly from his eyes. A weak hand rested itself on his cheek as she buried her face into his neck. Her coughing grew worse. Weakly, her mouth moved to his ear.
"Ai-aishi--" she whispered struggling through her coughs. "Ter—u..."
Another set of coughs interrupted. She gasped burying her face back into his neck. Her eyes quietly closed. Her hand on his cheek fell limply to her side. Watching, the others in the room grew silent. Sadly, they lowered their heads. Slowly, Okita pulled away studying her limp form.
". . . Megumi-chan?" he whispered gently shaking her. "Megumi-chan?"
A flood of tears gushed from his eyes as he continued rocking and shaking her.
"Megumi-chan," he sobbed.
Slowly, the Jokers walked up to him. Nagakura placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Okita-kun," he comforted. "But.. She's dead."
"No..." he realized whimpering.
The room and Okita's head began to spin from the excitement. He groaned suddenly collapsing onto the tatami floor.
(Author's note: Well... I was trying to make it to the end in this chapter, but it didn't work.. So stay tuned! Next chapter! Okita's reaction! Everyone's reaction! And what's this? Revenge! Seppuku! Hope this leaves you curious! Oh, and Megumi's last words "Aishiteru" "I love you.")