Finding Kenshin
Chapter 3
The Adjutant Master
The soft pattering of rain awoke me from my sleep. I rubbed my sore eyes with my hand and listened to the sound of the morning. A few birds were chirping outside, and I could vaguely hear the water dripping down off the eaves onto the ground outside.
I pushed myself off the futon and looked around. The room was unusually dark, and I felt as if I ought to find something, or someone.
"Kenshin?" The word slipped out of my mouth and I remembered. Kenshin had left last night, and he should be back by now. There was something suspicious about him trying to sneak outside in the middle of the night, and now I'm going to corner him and interrogate until I get the answer.
Another voice inside me told me that I could never bear to threaten Kenshin for information, I always had a soft spot for him.
Dismissing the random thoughts, I climbed out of my covers and found my training Gi and hakama lying on the floor, neatly wrapped. I shrugged off my nightgown and wrapped the cloths over my bare body quickly. It was usually cold for the opening of summer.
After securing the tie at the base of my waist, I walked over to the mirror and kneeled before it. I found the comb and began running it through my messy morning hair.
Usually by this time Kenshin should have been up, but I don't hear any noise outside. Could he be still asleep? Maybe the late outing made him extra sleepy? Maybe.
I stood up from the mirror and placed the comb back into its box. I wrapped up the futon and pushed it into a corner, then I slid open the door and took in the scent of a morning rain. The air was fresh and it helped raise my energy.
A bright flash lit the sky and a booming thunder followed moments afterwards.
So much for a peaceful morning.
"Kenshin!" I called out into the yard. Hearing no answer, I called again, with a little more urgency, "Kenshin!" Still, no one answered. I felt a tiny panic rising inside me. He couldn't have. I ran over to his room, "Kenshin, are you inside? I'm coming in." I slid open the door.
To my shock, the room was empty; everything was neatly wrapped and placed as if no one had been inside the previous night. I turned around and looked to the gray sky. "Kenshin…"
BattousaiIt was a sometime in the morning when I strolled into the police station, immediately after I walked in through the door, a gentle rain began to fall. It was as if the dark sky waited for me to find shelter before pouring down.
The officer at the front desk noticed me right away. I remember him from the fire yesterday.
"Himura-san!" he said enthusiastically. "What may I do for you?"
The officer is awfully respectful. "This one would like to see Saitou please." I said, forcing a grin onto my face. I knew it didn't look convincing, but after a whole night investigating Kanryuu and his whereabouts, I really didn't care.
The officer seemed to pick up on my negative vibe. I quickly squashed my thoughts and replaced them with happy images, which lit my smile up right away.
"Himura-san… I don't think Saitou-san is in right now. It's awfully early for him to…"
"Ahh, so we have a visitor." I could identify that smug voice anywhere; it is none other than the former leader of the third Shinsengumi unit, Hajime Saitou. The officer at the front desk looked taken aback, obviously he didn't expect that his department leader would be in even before himself. "Step into my office Battousai, I was expecting you." To this day, his attitude still annoys me, but at the specific request of the police chief, Kawaji, Saitou and I have managed keep our swords to ourselves, so far.
He pushed open the wooden double doors to his office and left it open. I looked down the poorly lit hallway and stepped inside. Closing the door after me, I spoke first.
"Saitou, I came here to ask for information about one person."
"Kanryuu Takeda?" He smirked at my apparent surprise. He put a Western cigarette into his mouth and lit it. After taking a long pull, he looked at me and continued. "He is the biggest drug dealer in the Edo area, the government have been tracking his movement for quite a while now." He took another pull on his cigarette, "information pertaining to Kanryuu are highly classified, we don't just give them to any civilian, former Hitokiri or not." He seemed to need a little convincing.
"I have strong reasons to believe that he is somehow related to the murder of Okubo." Saitou was taken aback now, perhaps he didn't expect me to know, or maybe he didn't know himself. No, he knew, or he wouldn't have picked up on my intentions so quickly. "I thought Owaji, Okubo's butler, was a little suspicious at the fire that burnt yesterday morning. So last night, I went to the Okubo mansion to try and ask Owaji a few questions or to dig up some information." I paused to see that Saitou was at attention, he didn't expect me to know this, "when I arrived there, Kanryuu was already threatening Owaji of giving his name to the police because of Owaji's connection with Okubo's assassination." There was silence, Saitou mulled over this new information as he narrowed his eyes and took yet another long drag.
"So you are saying that even Owaji is involved?" Saitou asked, eyes looking just over my shoulders, "I thought Kanryuu was involved, but even Owaji."
"Yes, perhaps you should send a few officers to go guard him, he seems to be the victim in this case."
"Fine, I'll send some of my men over there later, but what else did you hear from their conversation?"
"Nothing, but I am sure that Kanryuu is directly or indirectly related to Okubo's murder. He said "we" when he mentioned the Okubo assassination. This could only mean that there is someone bigger behind the scene, pulling the strings." Saitou was silent; I am now sure that he knows something. He doesn't seem at all surprised to hear about Okubo being assassinated. The government knew about this.
"Yes, everything fits in." He said more to himself than to me, he turned to me, "The government have been tracking quite a number of vessels carrying weapons these past few months docked in Yokohama."
"What kind of weapons," I asked.
"Mainly guns and swords, but we have also been tracking about 20 cannons."
"Are you saying that someone is trying to overthrow the government using force!" It doesn't make sense, a small rogue group could never overthrow the government, however weak it is right now.
"Yes, the head of the Mafia in Shanghai has been going back and forth between Shanghai and Yokohama." Saitou said intently, "and the recent influx of weapons arms just also happens to synch in with his visits."
Now I was taken aback, if what Saitou said is true, then someone much more powerful than Kanryuu is behind this whole thing.
"So how do you think Kanryuu fits into everything?" I finally asked after a few moments spent in silence.
"He imports weapons from the outside and gains large profits by selling them on the black market, we suspect that he may be a major importer of these weapons."
"What kind of weapons does he sell?" I asked, this Kanryuu guy is definitely not a decent fellow it seems.
"Gatling guns, Dutch cannons, Chinese fire rockets, his stock is surprisingly rich for a private merchant." I knew the Japanese black market sold some pretty seedy weapons, but not these weapons! How could an individual acquire weapons only the government should have? I have to get to the bottom of this.
"Why hasn't the government stepped in?" Saitou didn't answer, but gave me a meaningful look. "I see, after the Boshin War that just ended 3 years ago, the government wouldn't be able to destroy these mafias without losing the ability to defend Japan."
"That is why we can't mobilize the army at all to settle internal conflicts." Saitou almost sighed, "Otherwise it would reveal our own weakness to Western powers, who are just waiting to pounce on Japan's fragile defenses, Japan's army is already no match for Western powers."
"So, what is the government planning to do?"
"Nothing," Saitou exhaled a cloud of smoke and laid back into his chair.
"No way, something has to be done to stop these rogues!" I said angrily, "if the government does not step in now, then it will eventually disintegrate and Japan would be thrown back into the Feudal age where warlords fight for control. We can't let that happen." I paused, "not after all that we've been through."
"You seem to be as idealistic as ever, never knowing when to shut up, " Saitou's smirk came back onto his face. He suddenly stood up, "Okay, as you've requested, we will step in to stop these fanatics from destroying the Meiji government." He walked over to a map of Japan hanging on the wall. I stood and walked over to look more closely.
"You see this location?" Saitou said, pointing at a red X over Yokohama harbor. "That is where their head quarters is. But we can't attack there now." Saitou had this all planned out, so what was that talk all about! "Battousai, pay attention." He tricked me. "First, we need to root out Kanryuu and get some information from him. But we have to do it stealthily, we don't want to alert whoever his boss is."
"Where is Kanryuu's mansion?" Saitou turned to me abruptly with a sour look.
"You mean to say that you left the Kamiya girl's place for a whole night and still didn't find his nest?"
"ORO! You had people watch me!" Damn his sarcastic comments, "I was sniffing around, his mansion seems to be out of town, it would save both time and energy to ask you on his whereabouts."
Saitou sniggered, tricked yet again.
"Yes, his mansion is out of town, that is why we will infiltrate his location tonight by carriage." Saitou threw the remaining stub of cigarette onto the ground and crushed it with his foot; he then lit another one and continued chain smoking. "This man seems to have a lot of guards, do you think you can still handle a few thugs Battousai?" I gave him an annoyed look. "Okay, I get it. Go back to the Kamiya dojo and get some rest for now, come back here at sun set when we will set out."
I contemplated on different strategies of explaining my situation to Kaoru as I walked back to the dojo. I could always just come clean and tell her that I have been called upon to save Japan. It'll definitely save me from being scolded, but that'll worry her more than it calms her. God knows she worries a lot when I get into duels even though there is usually nothing to worry about. If downing a few petty thugs is worrisome, then saving Japan from the mafia and an arms dealer from Shanghai will probably worry her more than usual.
I could also sneak in and out without her noticing, but then what would be the point of even going back? Also, going back to the problem of Kaoru's worrisome nature, she'll probably go and find Owaji, which would be dangerous to say the least.
There seems to me one, mediocre solution to all this; I could partially tell her the truth and hide some of the more sinister details of my mission so I can get leave tonight and she'll at least have some peace.
I looked up from my thoughts and stopped. The cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom by the long dirt road leading up to the dojo and the stream that the trees sat upon rushed along at a serene pace. I could just hear little children laughing off in the distance. It is really pitiful that some men in the world fail to realize that the simple things in life could bring happiness more than guns and swords. If anything, weapons and violence bring misery. If they could sit on the soft grass right now and take in the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms, will they still want to go back to the dark life that they lead?
I stopped thinking and sat down on the damp grass. I braced my sakabatou on my left shoulder and looked up at the parting sky, which was just clearing up after the downpour. A few birds chirped off in the distance as I let the perfect moment take over me. Call it meditation and what not, but a perfect moment is a perfect moment. In that instant, all my senses came alive and took joy from my surroundings. The smell of flowers; the sound of the stream; the softness of the grass and…
"Kenshin!"
"Oro!" I hastily turned to find Kaoru standing directly above me, looking down with a curious gaze. "Kaoru-dono!"
"What are you doing?" She asked as she took amusement from my odd position. "Why are you sitting on the wet grass? You could catch a cold."
I stood up and tied my sword back around my waist.
"Kaoru-dono, this one must apologize for not coming home…"
"Kenshin, speak after you get inside, you are soaking wet!" She dragged me inside the dojo before I could object. Experience tells me that she wants this to be a long, grueling, tea ceremony conversation where she could force every last drop of information from me. She's too sharp for her own good.
I stepped inside the gate after her and slid it closed behind me, as she hurried off into the house for something, I revisited the moment before Kaoru interrupted me.
I suddenly realized that if I had experienced such a moment before running off to become a hitokiri, none of this Battousai fiasco would have occurred in the first place. I was the man of the dark who should have been saved by beauty. If anything, I am more evil than Kanryuu. His job is to make money by whatever means possible, I was a man that lived for the death of others.
Within one month of me becoming hitokiri, more than one hundred men fell by my sword; killing was as close to my nature as eating and sleeping. I carved up countless men who stood against my ideals in the name of Tenchu, heavenly judgment. Every waking hour was spent killing or trailing the soon to be dead. Nearly every part of Kyoto was stained with the blood that I spilt in the two years that I was but a shadow. One man, whose name became hitokiri Battousai, terrorized Kyoto.
What did I fight for?
"Kenshin!" Once again, my thoughts snapped back to reality. I looked up and saw Kaoru approaching. "What are you just standing by the door for!" She asked as she plastered on another one of her exasperated faces. "Some times I wonder Kenshin, you just seem to be in a world of your own somewhere."
I was fighting for her; I killed so that the innocence of people like Kaoru would never have to be stained for survival. I smiled and walked forward, a natural grin spread onto my face.
I have made a resolve to not only destroy, but to also protect"Sorry Kaoru-dono, this one was just reminiscing about the past that I was."
"Are you thinking about your past again?" She asked, a little more quietly. I didn't answer. "Anyways… I heated a bath for you, I already had the water in the furo before you came back, so the water should be hot soon, I'll go make some lunch, you go and get yourself cleaned up. You look like a drowned cat." She is buttering me up for that tea ceremony conversation, I can hear it in her tone; I can even sense the anticipation in her ki whenever I mention my past. She is curious, yet she is too kind to force me to tell her anything. I chuckled and padded towards the bathhouse.
The Adjutant Master
Kenshin is hiding things again, he always does. He thinks that I'm some kind of burden.
I sighed as I lifted a bucket of rice onto the table and proceeded to fill up one bowl. The mumbled footsteps against the wood floor told me that Kenshin was coming. I continued what I was doing as he walked in through the open door and sat down across from me.
"Hi Kenshin." I said without looking up, I still haven't thought of a plan to interrogate him yet. I handed him the bowl of rice.
"Thank you Kaoru-dono," he took the bowl and picked up a pair of chopsticks to eat. He kept his gaze on me for a moment longer, I think he might have detected that I planned something.
I lifted a plate of fish onto the table, cringing my nose as I noticed how burnt they were. There seems to be a curse about my cooking; the food is either too raw to digest or it is too burnt for good taste; I can never get it just right.
I heard a tiny sniggering coming from Kenshin and my head whipped up.
"And what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing Kaoru-dono, it's just that your cooking is getting better everyday and this one is happy that I am."
Pffft, yeah right, he was obviously laughing at my inability to cook for spit. But yet this is a perfect chance.
"Kenshin," I started with perhaps a bit too much menace in my tone judging by the way that he flinched, "I know my cooking is terrible, you don't have to lie to me." This is too funny.
"Oro! No Kaoru-dono, this one really believes that your cooking is getting better, it tastes much more pleasant than when this one first came to live here that it does!" His attempts at trying to make everything better is amusing.
"Oh," I sobbed, "so you are saying that my cooking was terrible then!"
"ORO! No… no… I… this one…"
"So, where were you last night?" I asked out of nowhere, completely catching him off guard. Judging by the jump in his unguarded ki, I guess he knew that he fell face first into my trap. At least Kenshin doesn't hide his ki from me.
"ORO!" Haha, out comes the 'oro', Kenshin's all purpose save your ass word. "Kaoru-dono… this one…."
"Kenshin, where did you go last night?" I said, narrowing my eyes. I think he took the hint then because he put down his bowl and put both of his hands into his lap. It is conversation time, my favorite time of the day.
"Kaoru-dono, this one went to Owaji-san's house last night to ask him a few question that I did." I could always tell when Kenshin is serious or just goofing around like his usual self, and he is not goofing around now.
"And what questions were so important that you didn't come back for the entire night?" He flinched, this is good, I already got past his barrier and there's no way he can back out of it now.
"Actually, this one didn't ask Owaji-san any questions, he was occupied when this one got there. Which brings us to another topic." He paused and took a sip of tea, trying to regain his lost composure. He may be a legendary swordsman, but I can still outdo him when it comes to a battle of wits. "I will be leaving the Kamiya dojo tonight on a short trip with the police department."
What… he used 'I' and not 'this one'… and then… he's leaving with the Police.
"Where are you going?" I managed to say.
"We are going to investigate Okubo-dono's death. I'm sorry that this one kept you in the dark about this, but it would be better if you were kept away from danger."
I sat back then and tried to close my mouth.
"So… so Okubo was murdered?"
"Yes, yes he was. The police and I are trying to get to the bottom of this."
"Oh." I couldn't really formulate a question then. There's something much bigger than Kenshin not coming home for one night…
He stood up then and excused himself. I sat in silence for another few moments before I realized that my sneaky boarder had weaseled himself out of yet another interrogation.
The sun cast an orange glow across Edo as people hurried about on the worn central road of Edo. A tall, lean figure stood beside a carriage parked outside of the police building. He wore the blue uniform of the police and carried a Katana at his waist. He paid no attention to the crowd around him as he took another drag from his smoke.
His head turned as a figure approached amongst the crowd. He pushed himself off of the brick wall that he was leaning against and stepped up to greet Kenshin.
"Battousai, I take it that you have rested well?" he said sarcastically, crushing his cigarette stub underfoot.
"Yes, now let's go." Kenshin said without delay, after casting a glance behind him, Kenshin and Saitou stepped into the carriage. The driver yelled a command to the horse and delivered a quick kick to its side. The carriage turned around and drove through the parted crowd.
"Send this message," an old man who sat on a stool beside a dark allie said to a hidden figure, "Battousai and Saitou are on the move, they are heading for Kanryuu's mansion." There was a swishing sound as the figure in the dark sped off. The old man stood and merged with the crowd.
"Someone was watching us." Kenshin started as the carriage turned onto a less crowded country road.
"I know," said Saitou as he took out a cigarette from the endless supply of it in his pocket, "they've been watching the police station since yesterday, that's why I didn't go home last night." He shoved the cancer stick into his mouth and struck a match to light it. "They were planning an attack and I couldn't leave."
"Do you think they are related to Kanryuu?"
"That was a stupid question, even for you Battousai."
At the Kanryuu mansion, a mob of thugs had already gathered in the courtyard as if they expected a host of intruders. All of them were clustered around the iron gates since it is the only way in. Miles of deep forests separated the mansion from Edo and only one road led to its tall gate. Some of the thugs were armed with weapons and some were empty handed. They chattered openly as the wait continued and the sun dipped below the horizon.
The various lamps turned on, casting a yellow glow over everything.
Suddenly, light footsteps were heard outside the gates and everyone tensed. It was approaching at a steady pace until it stopped just outside the main gate.
"Who, who's there!" Yelled one thug who approached the closed gate slowly.
"Open the gate you morons." Said an uncaring voice. "If you don't open it, I'll break it down." Everyone relaxed.
"Oi, it's Zanza, let him in!" The iron doors slowly creaked open to reveal a man dressed purely in white. His hair stuck up in impossible angles and a red bandana was tied around his forehead. Gasps were heard as his massive accessory came into view. It was a towering instrument wrapped in thick cloth that the man named Zanza carried over his right shoulder effortlessly. It was easily 6 meters in length and it towered over everything as the moon cast a dark silhouette behind it.
The gates closed behind Zanza as he stepped inside.
"So, where is the next victim?"
Author's note: There you have it, the first fight scenes of the story are about to commence, keep your eyes peeled for when I update.
Also, if you thought the oro-is-kenshin's-all-purpose-save-your-ass-word thing was funny, thank Annaneko and her story The Spy and the Hitokiri (One of the best Rk fanfics ever written).
Anyways, leave a review. If I get 20 reviews, I'll update before Friday.