Hiya. Only 3 chapters left, including this one. Wonder of wonders. A relatively long chapter. Thank you for reading this far.

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Yahiko heard clanking noises and the sound of clicking heels through the corridor. He stood up, and saw 2 guards with a young man between them. New prisoner, he mused. He was getting used to it. Most of them got out after a few hours anyway. The new guy was thrust into the cell next to his.

But Yahiko found it odd how the new guy did not resist, like he and the others did. The new prisoner smiled to the guards as they closed the cell on him, then sat at a corner. He kept smiling as he hung his head.

Wait. Only one person in Japan smiled at virtually anything.

"Jiro?" he asked softly. "What….are you doing here?"

The new guy did not show any response.

Yahiko clanged the bars joining his cell and the next. "Oi, OI! Jiro! The…..the woman's been looking for you!"

Still nothing.

Yahiko clanged the door bars and shouted to the guards who were leaving. "HEY! What is he booked for?"

"He confessed to the Midnight Murders," one of them answered him. "We're just fixing the papers. You'll be out by tomorrow."

Yahiko was too stunned to ask any further. It was not much that he would be free…….Jiro turned himself in?

"I told you to run away, didn't I?" he almost cried to his rival. "DIDN'T I? Are you out of your mind?"

"It is better this way," his rival whispered back.

"But, Tsubame……….."

Jiro gave him a very sad smile. "It is better this way." He sighed, and buried his head in his arms.

Yahiko stopped. "I……I….I don't know if I believe you……….."

………………………….

He was immediately greeted by Kenshin as he appeared at the reception area the next day. Near the window, Saitou puffed away at a cigarette. He did not know why Enishi was there, too, but if Saitou allowed it, who was he to complain?

Just a few minutes later, Tsubame appeared at the reception area, accompanied by Yutarou. He was astonished at her perfect timing, when he remembered, it was just about time for her daily visit. She was more surprised than he was. She rushed to where he stood and gave him a tight hug.

It was nice to feel her around his waist again, but it was still made his heart feel very tight and painful. He finally had to free himself from her, before he suffocated.

"He's in there," he said curtly, and pointed inward.

" 'He'?" She looked up at him.

"Your smiling friend. He's in there." He rolled his eyes, and gently released her. "Go in."

"Jiro? They found Jiro?" She quickly lit up, then looked around at the precinct with confusion. "But why is he in there?"

He was still too confused, too bitter, to explain. He muttered his thanks to Yutarou, and asked him to accompany her inside, to which the college student nodded. She went into the prison area with Yutarou and a prison guard. And, as he expected, she did not return immediately.

He faced the three men in the lobby, and pointed with his thumb back at the prison area. "Smiley. Why did he turn himself in? Not to save my hide, definitely, so why?"

"He thinks he did it, the fool," Enishi answered without remorse.

"But he didn't?" Yahiko was getting confused. "Really?"

"We have to get more evidence to be sure, but it seems that way," Kenshin answered.

"So you mean, Jiro is innocent but he thinks he's guilty?"

"Something like that. We need evidence to prove it, though. Both to the court and to Soujirou himself."

Yahiko thought in silence for a few moments, and recalled the terror in Jiro's eyes. He remembered how his rival was more worried about Tsubame than about himself.

He then raised his head. "I'll help you."

Yahiko slunk into a chair and listened to the men discuss the case. A simple case, but one that Kenshin argued to be TOO simple.

The major problem with former criminals like Seta and Yukishiro was the fact that nothing could be directly attributed to them. The police knew they did it, but nothing in the evidence showed it. Therefore, it was first instinct in a police officer to use anything to incriminate them, and pounce hard.

When Saitou Hajime said Seta Soujirou would hang, he meant it.

As far as the police were concerned, Jiro was set to be executed. Yahiko should have been happy about it, he knew. Jiro was a known former assassin and a criminal. But still, but still, there was something about him that made Yahiko reconsider the simple conclusion that he was bad, and bad for Tsubame. Maybe it was the pity he felt for his rival, the way he reacted with terror to the murders he committed. A cold-blooded killer was not like that.

He was much like Kenshin, in many ways. He deserved a chance. If only for her sake.

"Wait, Saitou," Yahiko interrupted. "Kenshin might have a point." He thought hard.

"Explain, boy," Saitou said.

"One thing did strike me immediately about the scene," Yahiko scratched his head, too focused to counter being called a boy. "There was no blood anywhere. Not on the street, on the bodies, or on Jiro himself. It was much like…." he looked up at Kenshin, "yeah, that's right! It's like when you take on a group of thugs. When Kaoru and I got to scene, most of the time Sano and you would have settled it. There would be a lot of bodies on the ground, but no blood, only scratches and black eyes and bruises."

"That means, Soujirou did not kill those men, only rendered them unconscious," Kenshin rubbed his chin. "Anything more, Yahiko?"

"Hmmmm……If you're asking what the men looked like, I can't tell you, because I already saw them on the ground, sorry. It was dark on that street, the gas light was out……"

"What street?" Kenshin asked.

Yahiko gave it. It was NOT the same street where the bodies of the murdered were found.

"Also, if I recall, you were already at the dojo at 11 o'clock that night, were you not?" Kenshin added.

"Well, if you say so, you own the clock," Yahiko shrugged. "Kaoru can back you up, I guess. I'm pretty sure I was at your house before midnight, I heard your clock chiming."

"One final question, Yahiko," Kenshin said. "Why did you tell us?"

Yahiko looked up at Kenshin, surprised.

"You are not convinced he did it? If you were, you would not have told us about the scene being bloodless, and all that."

The young man sighed and gave a sad smile.

"I don't know if he did it or not, I'm not sure," he said. "But if there's anything I can do not to get him hanged, I'll do it. Not for him, not for me. For her."

Kenshin nodded. "The police will look into what you said……" He then looked at Saitou, "…will you not?"

"I could kill you now, Himura Battousai……" Saitou muttered under his breath. He then said, "You are losing the police the only reason they could end the life of a juvenile killer, the assassin of a Prime Minister! The only reason YOU are still legally alive is the protection of this infernal government!"

Enishi chuckled.

"And the only reason YOU haven't been hanged for conspiracy and smuggling is I say so," the officer glared at the silver-haired gentleman.

"You did not scare anyone, stovepipe," the gentleman smirked.

Yahiko placed his hands over his head. "It's really pathetic to see grown men bickering."

Saitou coughed into a fist.

"In conclusion," Kenshin said, "you saw Soujirou at another street, not where the murders were committed. Also, you met each other at a much earlier time than when the murders were said to have occurred."

"It will make either a very good alibi or a very good statement of innocence," Saitou commented.

He took a map from one of the shelves and spread it on the desk. He then called outside the office for Chou. As the blonde-haired man came and peered down at the map, Saitou encircled the area around the street Yahiko mentioned. "Go ask around here about the Tenken and what happened that night. I want a full report in two days."

Chou whistled his disbelief. "It's an open-and-shut case! What's the matter with you?"

"Stop complaining and just go there," Saitou ordered. "I don't like it either."

The blonde man grumbled as he shut the door behind him.

The police officer sighed. "This is the reason why I leave my love life at home!" He followed after Chou, and slammed the door.

……………………………………………………

"Jiro, please? I know you're in there. Please talk to me," she implored. Still no answer from inside.

She tried the door, and was surprised to find it unlocked. "Sorry, but I'm going in, Jiro, whether you like it or not," she said as she slid open the door. "I brought some sweets with me, too."

She found him beside the window, toward the back of the cell. If not for the blue hakama, she would not have recognized the man. Unshaven, unkempt, and with a wild stare. She took a deep breath and drew nearer.

"Yuan-san is worried about you, and so am I," she said slowly. "I have not seen you lately…."

"Go away, Tsubame."

It was curt, and cruel. Tsubame could not react.

"Didn't you hear from Himura? I told you myself, didn't I? I used to be a killer. I still am. Get away from me while you can."

"I……..do not understand…….." was all Tsubame could say.

He faced her with a terrible smile, wild and frightened. "I killed those men. I killed them. It was not because I was ordered to, I just did. I just did!"

"Killed who?"

"I don't know them! They got on my nerves, they called me names, they kicked me and accused me of stealing. I don't know them. I just killed them."

Tsubame dropped the box of candies.

"And I could not stop, could not stop, until I had tracked them all down and killed them. I could not stop. When I was finally satisfied, it was only then. Only then that I realized that I had taken down 5 men in one night. I ran and I ran and I ran. Far away. I hid myself from everyone. But I heard from somewhere that someone else had been arrested. I couldn't have someone in jail for something I did. So I walked back. Until I got here."

"Jiro……."

"I'm kidding myself, don't you see, Tsubame? I am Tenken no Soujirou……and I always will be." He broke down into a fit of weird laughter. "You don't want to be with me, Tsubame, you don't!"

"You are just not yourself, Jiro…"

"Not myself? Not myself? Of course I have not been myself! This Jiro that you met, that man is not me, that is not who I really am. He is the man I want to be. He is the man I will never, ever be."

"But you already are…"

"A mask, that is all that was, Tsubame. A pretty mask. I replaced the old one that Himura broke, with a new one. That is all. I thought I was being true to myself, all these years. I thought I had been true to myself, being with you. Evidently, I wasn't. I wasn't. That is all you admired, Tsubame. The pretty mask."

"No…."

He chuckled with a wild smile again on his face. "Indeed. Why did I even think it possible that you would like or love me? "

A long silence began, as he hid his face in his hands.

She gestured for Yutarou to wait for her, then she walked out of the holding cells alone. That gave the young men some time without her.

"I failed her," he mumbled again. "I deserve this. It's better this way." And hung his head.

"Now see here—Jiro, right? That's your name?" Yutarou hit the bars. "She didn't go here just to hear that from you!"

"You don't know me," Jiro answered.

"And you still don't know Tsubame," Yutarou retorted. "In those letters Tsubame sent, you seemed like a nice enough guy. She liked you for that. She even thought about marrying you one time. She would've done that, even if she found out about this earlier. She takes people as they are, all the bad and good combined."

"But, she…she…turned me down…"

"Not because of you, but because of her. She loves Yahiko more, that's all. It doesn't reflect on you. She still thinks of you as a friend, doesn't she?"

"But…"

"I suggest you believe me, smiley." Yutarou frowned and bowed his head. "I've been there. I've been turned down. But I'm still her friend."

Jiro raised his head and looked at him.

Yutarou grinned. "People here know she would marry Yahiko since Yahiko was twelve. The young men around here just tried to see if they could change her mind. And you got pretty close. So stop moping about it. She accepts you for who you are. Even if you used to be the baddest man in Japan, she doesn't care. She has seen your good side, and she's willing to forgive the rest."

Both he and the prisoner turned their heads, and found Tsubame already standing behind Yutarou, armed with a bucket full of water. Her head was bowed, and her cheeks were slightly red. She had overheard.

Yutarou patted the young lady on the shoulder gently. "So, nee-chan, did I say everything you wanted to tell him?"

Tsubame gave a shy smile at both young men, and nodded.

Tsubame opened the door again, and entered, holding the bucket of water in one hand and the cloth covering her candy box in the other.

She placed the cloth into the water, and soaked it through, then squeezed out the excess water. With one hand she gently raised Jiro's face, and with the other hand she wiped the damp cloth over one cheek, then the other. She lowered the cloth into the water again. She slowly and gently brought it up to his forehead and the rest of his face. She soaked the cloth again and squeezed out the water, then ran the cloth over each hand and each forearm. She smoothed out his hair as well as she could with her fingers. And in all this, he could only look at her, with shame, confusion, doubt.

"Yes, there was a time I was afraid of you," she spoke as she soaked the cloth one last time and rinsed it out. "But I keep remembering that time we first met in the market. How you came and saved me, without knowing who I was. How you were sweet, and kind. I am sure that I met you, really met you, that day. The person that you truly are, deep inside. I will never forget that."

He remained speechless and open-mouthed, even as she left the candy box beside him, took up the bucket and cloth, and silently left again.

"I envy you," Yutarou smiled at him. "She never did that for me."

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This chapter came fast because most of it was taken from old drafts, and I just had to patch it up. The next one might take a little longer, because it has a big hole, and I do want to think it through. See ya.

Warg: Thank you for liking. Again, that's only because it was old stuff. Maeko-nohara: No problem. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for liking the chapter so much. Mischievous lass: Long time no see, thanks for coming back, despite the odd chapters. Sorry for disappointing. Junyortrakr: I'll leave you hanging for just a while longer, sorry.