Disclaimer: RK belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. If it were mine, I'd marry everyone off in a heartbeat.
Without Words
Chapter Seven- All Things
It was morning, and Aoshi wondered where the night had gone.
He had always been of the night, cloaked in midnight shadows. He barely remembered his father; as a child, it was his mother who brought him to school. She died when he was very young, leaving him to be shipped off to a distant relative. But the man he called uncle didn't want anything to do with him, and soon Aoshi was left to his own devices. He stopped going to school, eventually running away with a group of half a dozen other kids. Occasionally, a group of men and women looked in after them, and that was whom he considered his family. Those years were probably the brightest of his childhood, falling apart when the adults drifted their own way. Aoshi and a few others were picked up by the Juppongatana, and that had sealed his fate.
He grew up too fast, too soon.
During the day, they sent him to school – a silent child, but incredibly brilliant. But at night, he turned into one of them – a man trapped in a boy's body. At the Juppongatana, there was nothing he couldn't find out. First they sent him on errands to gather small details. But Aoshi was a quick learner, and soon he used his speed and street-smart skills to become one of the organizations' go-to men at a young age. Fights and shootouts had been part and parcel of the job; he only shrugged them aside with the practiced ease of someone who was raised in violence. Then he met Yumi and came straight into Shishio's line of fire.
But Aoshi was too smart for his own good. He learned more than what was needed, thinking that that would make him indispensable. He dreamt of entering the top university and pursuing a degree in science. But knowledge came with a price. He knew too much.
His first hint was the incident at the warehouse, where Hannya had earned his battle scars. The next was a little raid that turned into a frame-up; luckily, he had fled the scene of the crime just in time. The third was the real test – a real target, a real death.
First, Aoshi had refused. Up until that point, all he ever really took out were street punks and hoodlums that got in the way. Occasionally, he was assigned to eliminate top members of rival gangs. But never an innocent man. He knew that kind of thing happened all the time. He had to blind not to know that innocent people paid the price in the life they lived. But Shishio had never assigned him to such a hit before.
The marked man was a nobody. Just an old man who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Thinking back on those years, Aoshi turned in his bed. Sleep did not come easier for him now, despite knowing that he had walked away from the largest underground organization in Kyoto, maybe even in all of Japan. And here he thought that he had paid enough for his sins.
That time, just like any assignment, Aoshi prepared for his prey. He found out all the details – where the man lived, what time he slept, how many grandchildren he had. And most of all, he found out that Miyazawa Tadao had been the only witness to a murder Shishio had committed a long time ago, back in 1981.
But Miyazawa had kept quiet all this time. Everyone knew he wasn't going anywhere. Still Shishio had wanted him eliminated. And he wanted Aoshi to do the job.
Shishio offered Aoshi a college education. He offered him the future. In exchange, all Aoshi had to do was promise to take out this one last hit.
It was a test. And Aoshi had passed.
In 1991, a decade after the mysterious death of Kyoto editor Hideki Ichitaka, old Miyazawa Tadao was found dead in his sleep. Police had found traces of poison in his bloodstream, but no one could think of a motive for murder. The case was closed.
***
There was a newspaper shoved under his door when he stood from his bed. As Aoshi walked to retrieve it, he recognized Yumi's handwriting in bold red letters all over one page.
"You said she knew nothing."
It was a Tokyo paper – the Oni Times' Sunday supplementary. Yumi had opened it to Misao's article, and she had encircled one paragraph.
Aoshi skimmed it, his eyes narrowing into slits as he took in the words. "…Professor Shinomori will be adding his research to the university's concentrated efforts to combat disease..." Innocent words. Anyone would have overlooked it.
But not Shishio.
Aoshi knew he hadn't specifically said that. If he were a different person, he probably would – and it probably wouldn't have mattered if he didn't. Maybe she had quoted it from an interview with the dean. Or maybe it was her hopeful that made had her add that. She meant well, he knew. But she had presumed too much.
Now Shishio would think that Aoshi had double-crossed him, that he had given up all his findings to the university.
And to get to Aoshi, Shishio wouldn't pass up the young reporter who seemed to know much more. But this time, Aoshi wouldn't let another innocent die for his sake.
***
Seta Soujirou smiled at Misao. "Do you know where the nearest convenience store here? I need to pick up a few supplies."
She stepped out of the door, shielding her eyes from the slight glare. She didn't know which was brighter – the early morning sun or Soujirou's smile. "Turn right at the corner, and walk a couple of houses down. It's just a small grocery store, but it has all the essentials," she pointed out, proud to have a ready response to his query. After Aoshi had dropped her off yesterday, she took the liberty of checking the neighborhood out so that she would be ready next time someone ran her down and asked to know where she lived.
"It's certainly a nice morning for a walk," Soujirou suggested shyly. "Maybe you might want to take a little stroll in that direction."
Misao smiled inwardly as she weighed her options. She had a lot of things planned, but he was right – the morning was too good to waste. Years of working in journalism had taught her not to take things at face value, but there was something about Soujirou that invited her in, that made her feel warm inside. She closed Omasu's door behind her. The past couple of days had been stressful. She definitely needed a break – even if it was just a short ten minute walk around the block. Besides, if this guy turned out to be a total psycho, at least it was broad daylight – and Misao knew that she could defend herself, kunai or no kunai. "Okay, maybe I'll head down in that direction."
"You've been here long?" he asked, as Misao joined him on the street and they set out for the store.
"A few days," she answered. "You, when did you move in?"
Soujirou gave a short laugh. "Just last night. I just bought an old futon and a week's change of clothes. Which is why I really need to stop by this convenience store."
"Usually I just buy instant ramen," she told him. "That's enough to tide me through assignments in remote places. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. When it's work, you have to forego all luxuries." Misao wondered why she was so talkative this morning. Maybe it was something in Soujirou's expression.
"Really? You get to go to different places because of work?" He turned to her. "What a coincidence. I'm here because of work, too."
***
Aoshi rang the doorbell continuously. When no one answered after what seemed to be an entire minute, he lost his patience and vaulted across the low gate. Normally he never let panic overtake him this quickly. But this was an innocent girl, he reminded himself. Someone who didn't know what she was getting into when she wrote that article. At this very moment she could be in the hands of the Juppongatana, and heaven knows what Shishio would do to her to find out what she knew. The strange irony of it all is that she knew nothing. He was about to force the door open when a sleepy young woman answered. Her eyes widened immediately when she saw him standing on her doorstep.
"Where's Misao?" he demanded immediately before she could scream. She tried to close the door but Aoshi was too fast for her.
Still she stood her ground. "Get out of here before I call the police."
Aoshi shook his head, trying to regain his composure. He gave her a deep bow. "I'm sorry for frightening you. My name is Shinomori Aoshi, and I have something important to tell Misao. Will you please tell me where she is?"
The girl seemed to have calmed down, but there was still a wary look in her eyes. "She left. I woke up this morning and she was gone."
"Do you know where she is? It's really very important that I find her right away," he pressed on.
"She didn't leave a note. Maybe you should --" She broke off in mid-sentence, her attention caught by something beyond his shoulder. "There she is!"
Aoshi turned. Misao was there, looking as bright and cheerful as ever as she carried a container of eggs. And beside her was –
Seta Soujirou.
Aoshi leapt toward the street, his fist coming into straight contact with Soujirou's jaw.
"Aoshi?" she cried out. "What the hell are you doing?"
He chose to answer her by trying to bury another fist into Soujirou's stomach. But the younger boy was ready for him now, and Soujirou dodged his swing. "Listen, I --"
Aoshi grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out of earshot. The boy didn't protest. "You stay away from her, Seta," he hissed. "She knows nothing!"
Soujirou regarded him with those innocent eyes of his. "I was just walking with her. If I wanted her dead, Professor, it would have been over the instant I saw her."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Before he could catch Soujirou's response, Aoshi felt a soft shattering against his back. He turned slightly to see Misao clutching an empty container of eggs. If it weren't for his waterproof trenchcoat, he had a feeling that those eggs would be seeping through his clothes and making a sticky mess on his skin. "Are you crazy? What do you think are you doing?" she asked him.
Soujirou took the momentary distraction to slip out of Aoshi's clutches. "You don't want any trouble now, do you, Shinomori-san?"
Misao stared at them in amazement. "You know each other? Aoshi, what's this about?"
But Aoshi never took his eyes off Soujirou. "Walk away, Seta." Then he waited for the boy to pick up his fallen groceries and head for his Mitsubishi. Before he drove off, he gave Misao a quick nod. "I'm sorry about this, Makimachi-san."
They watched in silence until the white car left their line of vision.
"Aoshi?"
He turned at the sound of her voice.
She glared at him with the heat of a thousand hells. "In the house. Right now."
***
Misao couldn't believe that the icy Professor Shinomori would end up decking her newest neighbor. She herded him inside the house, followed by a speechless Omasu. But just as she was about to give him a piece of her mind, he dropped the bomb.
"I'm not here to play games, Misao," he said. "Now pack your clothes. I'm getting you back to Tokyo."
The guy was a lunatic.
"Who do you think you are?" she exploded. "What right do you have to come running me down one day and then dictate to me what I should do the next one?"
From the folds of his ruined trenchcoat, he extracted a copy of the Oni Times' Sunday supplementary. Misao immediately noticed that it was opened to the page of her article on Aoshi. She looked up at him quizzically, waiting for an explanation. "When you wrote that innocent article, you messed with the wrong people. Now they're after you – and what you know. If you value your life, Misao, then you'll listen to me and go back home to Tokyo."
"A threat? You want me to go home because of a threat?" she scoffed. "I've had enough of those, Aoshi. One more isn't going to kill me."
"Believe me, this one will," Aoshi warned. "Seta was a warning. I don't know what he told you, but he's deadly." In one fluid motion, he headed for the nearest room and slid the door open. "Where's your room?"
Omasu was at his heels. "Uhm, Shinomori-san, I'd appreciate it if --"
But Misao was using more productive measures – or so she thought. She launched herself onto Aoshi's unprotected back, despite the presence of the cracked eggs that were already congealing on his white coat. "You're not going anywhere."
Aoshi ignored her and just kept moving from one room to the next. Misao felt her grip on him slipping, until she finally slid back onto the floor. If she weren't so mad, she'd be laughing her head off at the sight. "I don't think you understood me, Aoshi. I'm not leaving Kyoto until I've found what I'm looking for."
Maybe it was the stubborn tone in her voice that made him stop. "Then tell me what it is and I'll help you. The sooner you find it, the better. For all of us."
"Why are you so concerned, Aoshi?" Misao asked suddenly. "This is my problem, my business. I can take care of myself."
His voice was deadly quiet. "Because I got you into this."
Whatever he thought he might have done, Misao knew that she had only herself to blame. She wrote that article, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what pissed them off so royally. But instead of telling him off, she lost her nerve under his intense stare. "I, uh, I… have a few things to do today. I need to go somewhere."
"Then I'll take you," he replied without missing a beat. "But you'll have to promise me that you'll pack your things and leave for Tokyo once you're done. I'll drive you back if I have to."
"I can't promise that, Aoshi," Misao confessed. "This thing means more to me than life itself. You said it yourself, I'm in danger. Doesn't that put Omasu in danger, too? What about her safety? Will you protect her, too?" She paused, daring to look at him straight in the eye. "You can't protect everyone, Aoshi."
Her words seemed to have hit home. She was grateful for his concern, but she wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of finding the truth about her father. He appeared to be struggling with himself, maybe debating if he should let her go or not. Finally, he spoke. "You're right," he said.
"But I can try to protect you."
***
"This is Himura Kenshin," a familiar voice answered when she tried to reach the Tokyo police department.
Misao peeked at Aoshi waiting in the living room, and breathed a sigh of relief. She had told him earlier that she needed to make a quick phone call. "Kenshin, thank goodness!" He was her number one contact in extreme cases, and not once has he let her down. They had an efficient working relationship. She passed on information that dropped her way; he helped her track down everything from missing dogs to missing witnesses. Now she needed his help more than ever. "It's Misao, and I need to dig up any information I can on a certain Sadojima Hoji. He was the police officer that handled my father's case here in Kyoto, but I don't know anyone here at the local PD."
"I'll look him up through the database, but you might want to talk to the captain there," Kenshin suggested. "We've worked on a couple of cases together, and he might be able to help you."
"You think so?" Misao asked cautiously.
Kenshin paused. "Well… he's a little on the rough side, but he'll come through. If my search doesn't turn up any interesting leads, he's the man to go to. Captain Saitou Hajime. I can call him right now and tell him you're coming. Anything else?"
She took a deep breath. "I also want you to look up everything you can on Shinomori Aoshi."
"The professor?" Kenshin's voice held a tinge of worry. "Is there anything wrong, Misao?"
"Nothing," she assured him. "It's just that I need someone to trust right now. You'll call if you run into anything interesting, right? I left Omasu's number with Kaoru, but you can still reach me at my mobile."
Even through the phone, Misao could feel Kenshin smiling. "Just take care, Misao," he said. "Remember that we're just a call away if you need us."
"Thanks, Kenshin," she told him, before placing the receiver back in its cradle. Then she slipped out of the narrow hall and back into the living room, where Omasu and Aoshi waited.
He stood up when he saw her. To her surprise, he was already holding her suitcase in one hand. "What the--?"
Omasu looked at her helplessly. "He said you were in danger if you stayed here."
"I'll drive you around if I have to," he said firmly. "I'll drive you home if I have to. But I'm not leaving this house until you come with me."
She met his squarely in the eye. What she saw there overwhelmed her – an intense, almost desperate look. What had happened to this man to make him want to protect a total stranger? And worse, what made her believe that she would be safe with him? "Okay," she said finally. "Okay."
***
Aoshi waited outside as Misao gave Omasu her goodbye. He was itching to send Misao to Tokyo. He stood a better chance of convincing Shishio that Misao knew nothing if she was far away. What was the phrase? Out of the frying pan…
Misao stepped out of the house, her blue eyes a little shadowed. "Let's go."
He placed a light hand on the small of her back, so soft that she was barely noticed it was there. "So where do we go now?"
"Kyoto central police department," she replied.
… and into the fire.
End of Chapter 7- All Things
Author's Notes: This is the longest chapter I've written, dedicated to all my loyal readers, for sticking with me. I hope this answers MOST of your questions! Whew. :) Thanks so much for all the reviews and comments. Most of all, a special thank you to The Saffron aka Princess Jessica. Akala siguro nila importante ka hindi naman.
