Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is property of Watsuki Nobuhiro. If I did own it, it would be set in space and nobody would read it.
Once a Thief?
By Quadhelix
Chapter 2: The Defense
A hush had settled over the dojo. The officer moved to arrest Yahiko but Kaoru stepped between them.
"Out of the way, ma'am."
"If you think you can just arrest my student-"
"With all due respect, ma'am, your student is a suspect in a robbery. I have to arrest him. I wish there was something I could do, but it is my duty to arrest him."
"Do you mind waiting outside, officer-dono?"
"Of course not Himura-san"
With that the officer left the room and shut the door. Kenshin then turned to Yahiko, who was looking at the box with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.
"Did you do it, Yahiko?" That got his attention.
"What did you ask me, Kenshin?" The growl that Yahiko emitted was like that of a lion defending its kill.
"I asked if you had stolen the bracelet, that I did."
"How could you ask me that, Kenshin? Why would I steal a stupid bracelet?"
"Yeah, Kenshin, how could you accuse him that?"
"Kaoru-dono, I made no such accusation, I merely did not force a-"
"Both of you, out of my room! And take your stupid bracelet with you!" The bracelet hit Kenshin with enough force to knock back his head. As he and Kaoru left Yahiko's room, they both noticed that he was holding his pillow crying.
"Officer-san, would you mind coming back tomorrow? We seem to be having some problems and unless Yahiko says otherwise, I refuse to believe that he stole my bracelet." The officer sighed.
"You know the kid pretty well, don't you?"
"He's like a younger brother to me." The officer pulled out a pocket watch and took a few seconds to adjust it. Finally, he turned to Kenshin and Kaoru.
"Well, it seems that my watch is running a bit fast. It's one o'clock, but it reads three o'clock. Unfortunately, by the time I get back to the station and realize my mistake, it will be too late for me come back here today and I'll have to return tomorrow. Good day to you, Himura-san, Kamiya-san." And with that, he left.
Yahiko was not surprised at the knock on his door. Kenshin and Kaoru had been trying for the past hour toget him out of his room. He had merely yelled at them to leave him alone.
"Go away!"
"Yahiko-kun?" Yahiko's head shot up so quickly that he almost wrenched his neck.
"Tsubame-chan?"
"May I come in?"
"Sure. What are you doing here, anyway?" As Tsubame sat down at the foot of his futon, she avoided looking him in the eyes.
"I was told that you weren't feeling well, Yahiko-kun."
"They think that I stole Kaoru's bracelet!"
"No they don't."
"What do you mean?" He was staring at her, brows creased, with a small frown on his face.
"Himura-san said that he wanted you have a chance to tell your side of the story. He doesn't think that you took the bracelet, but he feels that if you did do it, there should be no reason for you not to confess."
"Why does he think I might have stolen it?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Yahiko-kun, but has Himura-san not come close to breaking his vow several times in the past?"
"What does that-Oh!" If Kenshin had come close to returning to his past as murderer, how much easier would it be for Yahiko to return to his past as a thief? Far from being a presumption of guilt, Kenshin's question had been driven by…empathy. Kenshin knew what it was like to have the past come back to haunt you. The question was also built on trust: the trust that if Yahiko had stolen the bracelet, he would tell Kenshin. Armed with this knowledge, Yahiko got up and walked calmly into the main room, where Kenshin and Kaoru were waiting. Staring Kenshin in the eye, Yahiko gave his response.
"I didn't take the bracelet." After a moment, Kenshin smiled widely.
"That is wonderful, that it is. Simply to satisfy my curiosity, why did you panic when the officer was about to open the box?" Kenshin was looking at Yahiko with wide, inquisitive eyes. Yahiko's face turned red and he spent nearly a minute working up the nerve to speak. Everyone noticed that he kept glancing at Tsubame.
"Tsukioka-san, that friend of Sano's drew a picture of Tsubame for me… I kept it in that box." Kenshin merely gave a knowing smile and nodded gently.
"This unworthy one is glad that you cleared that up, that I am." It was at this point that Tsubame, face still red, asked the question that nobody wanted to ask.
"If Yahiko-kun did not steal the bracelet, who did?"
Yahiko stuck his arm into Kaoru's closet and began feeling around with a look of concentration on his face. Kenshin, Kaoru, and Tsubame looked on with interest. Finally, Yahiko's eyebrows shot up and a wide grin came to his face. Kaoru was the first to ask.
"What is it, Yahiko?"
"Whoever the thief is, he left his signature."
"Signature?"
"Yeah. Some thieves mark places that they've robbed by leaving a small, almost unnoticeable sign, usually a set of kanji, whenever they pull a theft. It's sort of a way of marking their territory. Usually, it's only thieves associated with powerful Yakuza groups. Powerful enough that other thieves will take the threat seriously. In fact, most thieves always check for just such a mark before pulling a heist. It isn't healthy to rob from Yakuza turf, if you know what I mean." Kaoru continued her questioning.
"Do you recognize the mark?"
"No, I don't. Each Yakuza group has its own mark. The only thing that you really need to know is whether or not the mark came from your group. If it did, you were safe. If it didn't…you left everything as you found it, left as quietly as you could, and ran away as fast as your body could carry you. The thing is, Yakuza will only leave their mark if they want to be absolutely sure that nobody stole from that place except people under their protection."
"So what is it doing here, Yahiko-kun?"
"Well, if we knew who did this, then we might be able to figure out a motive."
"But you said that you did not recognize the mark, that you did."
"I don't, but I know somebody who would."
The next morning, Yahiko sought out the home of his contact.
"Hello, Akio."
"Hello, Yahiko-sempai. I see that you have a very difficult job for me today."
"Yeah, and ten is only a down payment." Akio's left eyebrow shot up.
"It's that difficult, Yahiko-sempai?"
"It's that dangerous…do you know which Yakuza group uses this mark to ward off other thieves?" Akio's eyes got so wide that Yahiko was worried that they might pop out.
"Do you realize how big a price they would put on my head if I even hinted that I knew which group left a specific mark? Do you realize what they'd do to me when they caught me? I might as well commit seppuku without a second." Akio nodded his head to the right, toward the front of the building, and shifted his eyes in the same direction: there was somebody listening.
"Yeah, Akio, I guess friendship can only go so far. I shouldn't have even asked. It was unreasonable." Keeping his right hand hidden from the direction Akio had indicated, Yahiko tapped the side of his head, right next to his eye. Akio nodded his head: the listeners could see Yahiko and Akio.
"Well Yahiko-sempai, it would be a shame to let all of this food go to waste, but I really must ask you to leave." Hiding his left hand from the watchers, Akio extended two fingers and tapped the floor: two watchers.
"Well then, Akio, I guess I'll just be going." Yahiko stood up, stretched, and tapped the floor twice with his shinai. Suddenly, there was a loud disturbance in the adjoining room. Kenshin's voice filtered in through the wall.
"They are both unconscious, that they are." With that, Yahiko turned back to Akio.
"So, now that that's taken care of, let's talk a price for the name of the Yakuza group that uses this mark."
"Are those offers to come live with you still open?"
"They would be even if you don't tell us." By now, Kenshin had entered the room.
"Well then, I guess I better start packing: there is no way that I'm staying here once I let you know that that mark belongs to the Black Akuma Yakuza Clan."
Back at the Akabeko, Tsubame was waiting tables, hoping that things went well for Yahiko. She had tried to keep busy to keep her mind off the fact that Yahiko was literally in mortal danger.
She did not notice when one customer about her age scratched her arm with a small needle. As the day went on, she did not wonder why her arm itched so badly, assuming that it was just a bug bite. She was not worried that she felt overheated and had trouble standing up: she had been working hard and it was a warm day. However, when her vision started to go hazy, she did start to worry.
"Tae-san!" And with that, Tsubame passed out on the Akabeko floor.
"Megumi-dono, what brings you here?" Megumi's face held a look of intense loss.
"I needed to tell you that Tsubame is at the clinic, unconscious. She's been poisoned. There's nothing I can do." Yahiko had overheard this and was instantly in her face.
"What? Can't you help her? You were able to save me when I was poisoned!"
"This is a different poison. Without a sample of the original poison, there is nothing I can do."
"I'll get a sample of that poison; Tsubame-chan is depending on me!" Megumi's look changed from one of loss to a look of doubt.
"Yahiko, even if you could get a sample of the poison, I need it within the next two hours. Otherwise, I won't be able to find the right antidote in time."
"That's no problem, we know who did it and where they are, isn't that right, Yahiko-sensei?" Megumi looked at the small boy sitting on the porch and raised her eyebrows.
"Who are you and how do know that?" Akio jumped to the ground and bowed.
"Akio-chan, at your service!" He then stood up and continued, "We know who the would-be assassins are because it is obvious: the Black Akuma want Yahiko-sempai punished for betraying their allies. This Tsubame person is obviously somebody very important to Yahiko-sempai. She would be an obvious target. They also want revenge against her because her former master was a member of Black Akuma. As for how I know where their hideout is, I am the underworld."
"Then we will storm the lion's den, that we will."
"Good luck, Yahiko-sempai!"
As Yahiko, Kenshin, and Sanosuke left to attack the Black Akuma, and Kaoru and Megumi left to defend the clinic, Akio choked back a sob and whispered before following Kaoru and Megumi.
"You'll need it, Yahiko-sempai."
To Be Continued…