Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

Chapter 4 – When the past comes back to haunt you

1867, three years later

In 1867, the Ishinshishi were once again ready for a showdown. One that they hope would be THE final showdown. They wouldn't get humiliated like last time, at Ikedaya. There were skilled fighters among them. They had gain support within the country and outside the country. To sum up, they were more organised and more ready to fight than they had been three years ago.

Maybe their shadow assassin, Makoto Shishio, was not as disciplined as his predecessor was, but that was only a detail... They were ready. They would win this war, no matter what.

Not only Ishinshishi, but fate also, had already decided that the Shinsengumi would soon be defeated.

Tokio came back very late that night. As always, she was overly tired due to working too much. She was walking in the dark okiya, making her way toward her room, when she stumbled on a step which had been there for years and years, but which she had momentarily forgot. At the last moment, her right hand grabbed a doorframe and she could have prevented the fall, but her left hand missed it by an inch and she pierced through the fragile rice paper. Shit! Her evening incomes would all be spent in repairs...

She slowly retrieved her hand from the wall, hoping that by doing so she wouldn't aggravate the case. But she shook her head at her foolish thinking. A ruined wall was a ruined wall, no matter the size of the hole...

She retrieved the rest of her hand faster, not caring about the inevitable damages.

"What was that?" a feminine voice whispered.

"Nothing important. Just a little cat," came a soft moan. A man's voice trying to soothe her.

Tokio smiled lightly at the thought of the scene going on, on the other side of the wall... She briefly bent down to glance through the hole she had created, to see if she was right about this, and yes, Yumi was effectively having her little fun with Mr. Wrong. Amusing and very instructive.

She quickly got back on her feet, smiling evilly, her mind working at full speed. This was something that wasn't supposed to be. She could be nice and simply pretend as if she hadn't witness anything forbidden. However, she wasn't nice. It just wasn't part of her nature.

Hum, Yumi and Mr. Wrong... Shishio Makoto, a man most people generally flee from. Tokio had heard the rumours stating that Shishio might be working for the Ishinshishi as a hitokiri. These were only rumours, but still... Hum, Yumi and Mr. Wrong.

Yes, very interesting. She had waited for years in the shadows, hoping that Yumi would finally definitely damage her reputation. Now, a precious opportunity had just been offered to her. She also had proof, just a few feet away. For once, she wasn't in a bad position.

Tokio took a few steps backward, to contemplate the gift offered to her on a silver platter, and smiled wickedly before yelling that there was a thief in the house...

Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two... Plus five... Twenty-seven.

Tokio briefly stopped calculating her incomes and raised her head to look at her surroundings. It was not a bad sight: Masako, angrily staring at Yumi, who visibly wished to be somewhere else and the young Aki raising an eyebrow, wondering how this would end. The three women didn't even acknowledge her presence, used to see her count her incomes and having more important things in mind. But it was certainly about to change.

Twenty-seven plus ten... Thirty-seven.

"Aki... would you take the girls out for some minutes? I have things to discuss with those two." Masako finally said.

Not able to hide her deception, Aki regretfully took the seven and six years old okiya's new inhabitants away while Tokio discretely smiled and Yumi suddenly seemed even less at ease than before. Surprisingly enough, Masako had not reacted much until now. When Tokio had yelled, she had only calmly observed what there was to observe. Her expression had turned undecipherable and she had gone back to her room without a word. They had been waiting for the storm for a few hours now and finally, the storm was coming.

"Yumi... There are rules to follow. You know that."

"Yes..."

"There is no future for you with that man. He has no money, nothing. Don't waste your time with him."

"But..."

"But you love him? Love is a very foolish and selfish feeling. I understand that at nineteen years old you want to experience it, but on the long term, love certainly won't make you happy. Take the words of someone who has once been that way..."

"Right now, I'm happy."

"Short-term thinking is not wise thinking. Maybe Shishio Makoto fancies you now, but will it be the case in ten years? Your beauty will have faltered and he will eventually leave you. And then what? You'll have no money, you will be alone and your heart will be broken. That's not a life. Think of all you have now. Think of all you'll lose if you chose to go on behaving like this."

"I don't know..."

"Sure you don't. But think about it. There is still time to mend things back in place. Word of your escapade have not gone out of these walls. Of course, there are rumours about you, but rumours come and go... If you behave properly, people will forget and your career will be back on track. Your best years are still ahead of you. Don't waste them..."

"I'll think about it."

"That's better. That's the kind of attitude I want to see. You've lost your grip lately, and it shows in the amount of money you bring back to the okiya. Lately, Tokio has managed much better than you. I'm sure you don't want that situation to be a permanent one... It's not the kind of situation the atatori can tolerate..."

"No... It isn't." Yumi lowered her head submissively.

"Good... But if this situation was to prevail, and if rumours don't stop, I'll have no other choice than to give the title back to Tokio. I don't want my name to be tarnish. The Isobe okiya has always been a respected place, and things are not about to change. Is that clear?"

Yumi nodded, while Tokio smiled wickedly once more from her corner of the room. Things had never been clearer before. Yumi better behave...

It's with a contented smile that Tokio left the room, Yumi right on her heels. The younger grabbed her elder's kimono sleeve, tearing the fragile fabric, forcing the older girl to turn around.

"Happy with yourself?" Yumi abruptly asked while Tokio was apparently only focusing on rearranging her kimono.

"Yes, quite happy. I haven't felt better in years," she replied, not bothering looking up.

"You are going to pay for that, Tokio."

"Really...? Oh, you are scaring me!" mocked Tokio, finally paying attention, before laughing.

From the hall, seeing the scene, the thirteen years old Aki gulped. If Yumi was that mad, then she would certainly going to vent her frustration on her. It had been like that for years. Every time there was something wrong in Yumi's or Tokio's life, she had to pay.

"You're such a heartless bitch, Tokio. You could send your best friend to the grave without blinking if it fitted your interest. Why, seeing that I had finally found a tiny parcel of happiness in this world, didn't you just shut your big filthy mouth for once?"

Tokio leaned forward and looked directly in her rival's eyes.

"Tell me Yumi... Except of having stolen my future, what have you done for me over the past thirteen years? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You say that I'm a heartless bitch, and you say that I have a big filthy mouth, but you aren't any better. You're worse because you have no moral and no values. I have no respect for people like you. It makes me sick. So don't expect me to take your defence. Don't expect me to believe that because you found love you'll change. Sorry, I don't believe in redemption."

Yumi took a step back under the shock.

Tokio was partially wrong. If she had done like Yumi had suggested and if she had just shut up, a certain form of respect and complicity would have probably emerged between the two girls. She would have noticed that there were some good sides in Yumi and that she had wrongly judged her. But instead, Tokio's behaviour only made things worse. Both girls now definitely were on the path of a bloody war. There was no turning back.

Fate had decided that not only the Shinsengumi would fall. Two young geishas would also see the end of the world as they knew it very soon. Another couple of weeks and it would be over for them. Fate doesn't appreciate excessiveness.

Yumi loved Shishio Makoto. She liked being with him, she liked his personality, his body, everything. He made her feel like a real woman, not like a mere object. He treated her like if she was a precious jewel. No one had ever done that before. She couldn't let him go.

Outside the okiya's walls, the rumours became more and more persistent. Yumi was having an affair with a strange, frightening man. Yumi was about to run away from Gion. Yumi's behaviour would tarnish the reputation of all of the establishments she was acquainted with. Well-behaved geishas didn't do such things.

As she had announced, seeing this, Masako gave the atatori title back to Tokio. She was old, and she had no time to play games like that. She just wanted to be sure that when she would die, the okiya would be in good hands. Suddenly, the rest didn't matter much to her. She was tired of this.

Everyone, during the next few days, saw Tokio's contented smile, but only the Okiya's walls witnessed Yumi's distress.

"Where are you going tonight?" asked Aki from the corridor, seeing that Tokio's look was more elaborated than usually.

Tokio didn't answer: she was busy trying to re-arrange a hairpin that had unfortunately fallen down. She was looking at her reflection in the mirror, and at the said hairpin, wondering how she would be able to put it back in place alone. It was important that she looked at her best tonight. She had no time to answer Aki's questions.

Ignoring Tokio's behaviour, Aki walked toward her, pick up the hairpin in Tokio's hand and started helping her. Unperturbed, the young girl repeated.

"Where are you going tonight, Tokio?"

"None of your business, Aki. And besides, it's not like if I would bring you with me."

"Why not?"

"Do you really need to be reminded...?" asked Tokio, a mean light appearing in her eyes. It didn't go unnoticed as Aki chose that exact moment to look up from her job and send a glance in the mirror.

"Ouch! You're hurting me." complained Tokio as the tip of the hairpin suddenly scratched her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy. At least, like that, the hairpin will stay in place."

"I guess so..." answered Tokio, refraining herself from massaging her now burning skin, for the sake of her elaborate bun. She noticed Aki's smile, in the mirror reflection, and briefly wondered if the girl had done it on purpose, before chasing the thought away. Nah... Aki had never protested before when verbally attacked. It certainly wouldn't start today...

The young geisha simply dismissed Aki with an annoyed hand gesture. All of this because of a stupid question... Where she was going? Well, in fact, the answer held absolutely no interest. It's not like if this evening would change her life. She stopped her line of thoughts and gazed in the distance, remembering what had happened this afternoon.

"Tokio! Tokio!"

She turned around, surprised to see the teahouse owner who had helped her over the past few years. Of all people, she was the last one she had wished to see today. She had an evening off, her first in a few weeks, and she wanted to have some time for herself to savour her still fresh victory over Yumi. The last thing she needed right now was being invited to another zashiki.

"Yes?" she said, a fake smile gracing her lips, as ever.

"I need you tonight. I know it's your evening off, but you would save my life if you accepted to assist to a zashiki and to a few other receptions that will follow..."

"I don't know..."

"No other geisha wants to do it. One of my friends, an official, has some business to discuss with the Shinsengumi and he wants to organise small quiet reunions. You won't have much to do."

"The Shinsengumi? No wonder everyone else declined... What if I end up being sliced in two?"

"No you won't. They behave quite sensibly since Serizawa's dead. He and his allies were the real troublemakers. Just accept and I'll be forever grateful."

"Okay." Tokio replied, the truth being that she had become so greedy that she was ready to sacrifice anything to gain more money.

With her usual gracious style, Tokio attended the guests, refilling cups of tea or sake when need arose. On one side of the room, the official and three of his men had taken their place. One the other side of the room, Isami Kondo and three of his men had also taken their place.

Now being more aware of the political situation than she had been years before, Tokio could identify all the members of the second group. She had learned that you could miss opportunities if you didn't know exactly who your clients were and who they were hanging with. That is how she had slowly informed herself about everything that was going on in this town. She didn't give a damn about the war, but if knowing those facts could help her career, then she would try to collect them.

The man sitting beside Kondo was Toshizo Hijikata. She had heard a great deal about him. Standing right behind him, on the right side of the door, was Sanosuke Harada, who regularly patrolled in Gion. Some said that it was not really for the job, but more for the sightseeing.

On the other side of the door stood Hajime Saito, the man who had rescued her from the stubborn merchant that day, years ago. Well, if you could call that rescuing. She had never seen him since, only hearing tales here and there, but she had recognised his eyes right away. Obviously he didn't enjoy sightseeing as much as Harada and only came in Gion when necessity arose. Besides, he seemed very out of place right there in this delicate tea-room. He was probably more used to fighting.

While deep inside, Tokio felt that she was going to die from boredom, the discussion was going on. She was politely keeping her eyes on the ground, but slowly, she forgot about the correct behaviour and started staring at the men more openly.

The official's side held almost no interest, so she wasted no time on them. She observed Hijikata, before her eyes went up to Harada who grinned back at her. She paused longer on Saito.

He hadn't changed much since last time. He looked slightly manlier and less boyish. After all, he must have been no more than twenty the last time she had saw him. Twenty-one at most. But the eyes remained the same. They held the same strange determination.

She rapidly bent her head down again, realising that those amber eyes were staring back at her. She had been impolite. She only focused on Hijikata's, Kondo's and the official's cups, not looking up again until a knock was heard at the door.

A man came in, preceded by the strong distinctive smell of alcohol. His face was worn out; his eyes had lost their focus in obvious years of heavy drinking, judging for his looks and the strong smell surrounding him. He wore the Shinsengumi uniform, but he held no stature. He was probably a little over forty, but it seemed more like sixty.

He said a few words to Harada. He was a pawn, a courier coming to give the last news. Saito's hand was now resting on his sword hilt, as if getting rid of the man would give him some pleasure.

Tokio looked at the scene while, by her side, the discussion was still going on, unperturbed. She saw Harada nod, indicating that he understood the situation. She saw the newcomer turn around to leave. Tokio noticed the dirty stare he sent her before doing so, as if he had not seen a woman in years. This displeased her very much: she was no prostitute.

The young geisha lowered her head down once more, trying to focus on her simple job, but she had lost it. Something was troubling her. She had seen this man before, but she was trying to remember where.

She shrugged, thinking that she had probably seen him once at a zashiki, but remembering the man's behaviour, she thought otherwise. He was probably more used to brothels than to Gion.

She suddenly remembered the stare he had sent her before going out and understood that it had something to do with the eyes. She knew those eyes for sure. But why? Suddenly she froze, as reality struck her.

Those eyes, she saw them everyday in the mirror. Those were her eyes. They were slightly different, lost in alcohol, but still, there was no mistake. It was her eyes and those of her father. That was the only thing she remembered of him now. Without that, never would she have been able to recognise him. She wondered why he had sink so low, what had happened and how such a man could be part of the Shinsengumi. She understood why the women of the village didn't want their children to speak with the old Tanaka.

Suddenly, Tokio realised that this scum was the father she had wish to find back for years and years. That had been what had kept her alive. She had lost her time, Yumi had been right. And she hated being proven wrong.

To be continued...

SPECIAL THANKS

Once again, due credit goes to Firuze Khanume and EEevee, who both kindly took the time to pre-read this chapter.

À la prochaine!
Mary-Ann