Plum Blossoms: Prologue
"What's wrong sir?"
"I thought I smelled plum blossoms."
"But it's summer."
"It must be blooming out of season."
His golden eyes caught the sight, a young man dragging a woman crossing a dark road heading for the alley. Saitou Hajime watched unaware that this will be the last time he will see the woman named Yukishiro Tomoe. Fighting an urge to go after them, he knew that the person was indeed the Hitokiri Battousai and the woman behind him was to be his downfall. A vendetta Saitou knew quite well even if the laws of the Shinsengumi, the "Hatto" forbade personal fights. Tomoe was not a Shinsengumi and he will wait for her until the time comes that she is ready.
"Find Katsura Kogoro! Search every inch if you have to." He shouted and proceeded to tie the Ishin whom they will keep as prisoner. The real fight has finally broken out, it was only a matter of time but at least for now they were victorious in keeping Kyoto safe from the works of Yoshida and Miyabe. The advocates of Sonnoi-joi failed and that was just fine for the amber eyed wolf.
They are a bunch of morons… To start a war that will tear this nation apart. They are mistaken if they think the Shinsengumi will stay back and just watch as they try to set the whole of Kyoto ablaze!
A dangerous glint in his eyes was the only hint of what he was thinking. The soul behind the eternally placid face was always hidden to everyone except to a few like Okita Souji.
"Saitou-san, we did it. We won." Souji smiled at the third Captain.
"How many times will I tell you Okita-kun to test your words to make sure they are palatable to the ears?" He turned once to Souji and narrowed his eyes before turning back to the prisoner.
"Take him away." He commanded to the recruits.
"Saitou-san, you really should try to be more optimistic." The young man got up and fixed his sleeves. "Maa… Look at this." He said pointing to his uniform, "and I was trying hard not to get any blood on it."
"Tch…" Saitou shook his head and left heading for the compound in Mibu, not bothering to join the parade as was instructed by Hijikata. He already knew that the Fukuchou will use this "success" to further the funding and name of the Shinsengumi, not only in Kyoto but in Aizu as well. As for himself, he refused to be used in such a manner. What he did now as part of the Shinsengumi, he did because he was a Samurai who followed the code of Shidou. Although, he did applaud Hijikata's mind with these matters, without funding and the favorable outlook of the Aizu Han they cannot support themselves in Kyoto. Still he had always walked his own path and for now his path lied parallel to them… And parallel to Aizu. It is no wonder he was still working as Matsudaira-sama's spy. He scowled, there is no one that can be trusted in this day and age. If the Daimyo of Aizu did not trust his own men then there is something very wrong with that, but he was here to prove the Daimyo wrong after all he had worked with the Shinsengumi for quite some time. Perhaps the organization was not perfect but the Fukuchou has instituted rules that made sense even if he was branded an "Oni' because of it and the Kyokuchou, Kondou Isami had kept the group together after the assassination of Serizawa Kamo.
Reaching the compound first, he decided to avoid the main gate and climb the wall at the back. They had left behind six men to make sure the compound was guarded just in case the Ishin's proved to be their treacherous self and attacked. But tonight, they did not… The Choshu house itself was surrounded, not only by the Shinsengumi but also by the Kyoto Shoshidai, particularly the Mimawarigumi.
Sliding the door to his quarters, he removed the bloodied uniform and tossed them to a corner. Blood… The smell to him as always been distinctive for many reasons, perhaps the main reason though was when his father committed seppuku for failing to live up to the Akashi-han. But the youngest son of Yamaguchi Yuusuke had promised himself that he will not fall like his father, even if, he was not of pure samurai lineage. Yamaguchi Hajime was no more and today, he was Saitou Hajime a follower of Bushidou, a strong man who walked his own path and always will.
These thoughts consumed him as he stood by the window taking a sip of the cold sake. He scowled slightly knowing that sake should be enjoyed when it is hot or at least warm. Lately the sake has been tasting quite bitter for himself but not the other night, when he shared it with Tomoe. The woman who's vendetta would put an end to the Ishin's most capable manslayer, the Hitokiri Battousai. If only she could've waited or put aside her grudge, then he can get rid of the Hitokiri with his own code. Taking another swig at the sake, he looked out the window above the shadow of the trees there was an eerie silence just like when he was out on patrol. The moon though seemed to turn a shade of red he noticed, a foreboding of things to come.
The war has started and we shall crush the Choshu-han. Aizu will be victorious if the Satsuma clan proves itself a true ally… And with the Hitokiri gone, the battle should be short and then I can go and look for Tomoe.
(Notes: This fic will be a companion to the OVA, so you'll see lines and similarities etc. etc. Again I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, the owners are Sony Corp and the writer Watsuki Sensei. No profit was made, I'm just a fan who likes to imagine things. Questions/Comments etc will be answered in my livejournal account: hajimenokizu
Sentences in italics are "thoughts")
