Disclaimer: I do not own Peacemaker or Ruronin Kenshin, nor their characters fictional or historical.

Point of contention from the last chapter: In actual fact, Kondo had his cover blown by a member of the Itou faction while undercover. It is unknown whether his little visit to Okita while in Kyoto contributed in any way to his eventual capture.

Meeting in Edo

April 1868, Edo

Nagakura winced as he listened to the strained coughs of the occupant inside the hut. A few rasping breaths later, Okita continued. "Nagakura, you shouldn't be here… what if…"

"Don't worry. I've accepted amnesty like Saitou-san did," Nagakura said lowly. Together with Harada, he had tried to lead his men in a last-ditch attempt in Edo, only to suffer a crushing defeat. Separated from Harada and the others, he had been holing up in an old warehouse when his family came: his sister Midori, his wife… and most importantly, his young daughter. Looking at his little girl's face, the former captain made his choice.

An uncomfortable silence passed. Nagakura could not tell what Okita thought of his admission. Part of him wanted to rip open the screen door that shut Okita away from his view, if only to see the expression on his face. Another part warned him of the contagious disease. That was the reason why they had Okita shut off in this lonely hut apart from the main house. He could not risk carrying the disease back to his family.

"Your family is well? Midori showed me a photo of them… Your daughter is very lovely…" Okita paused in another coughing fit. "How's everyone?"

"All are well," Nagakura lied, his face turning red from the shame. "Sano's back with his wife and son…" Okita need not know that Harada had gone missing in the Edo skirmishes. His large friend's fate was still unknown. "The Ichimuras have moved to Kobe…" Partly true. The elder Ichimura had moved to Kobe. Tetsu was last seen trotting after Hijikata as they struck out for Hokkaido. "Yamazaki is furthering his medical studies." Okay, eighty-percent true. Yamazaki must be increasing his medical experience in leaps and bounds dealing with all those injuries from the battlefield.

"Kondo… Toshi… Why have they not visited…"

Oh-oh. Kondo has been executed like some common criminal… "Er, Kondo is rather tied up… you know, as one-time Chief of the Shinsengumi, they aren't too keen on him running around too much. So they got him and the Demon under temporary house-arrest. Don't worry too much. They'll be out before long…"

Okita closed his eyes. Shinpachi is one lousy liar. Nagakura never noticed it, but his voice always had a slight tremor when he told a lie. "I'm tired… it is getting dark… should go home… to your family…"

"Midori, how bad is he?" Nagakura asked his sister when he returned to the main house to take his leave. Midori shook her head. "Okita-san's very weak… He tries to put a cheerful face on things… but…"

Shinpachi scrubbed his hands in the vinegar-doused water as an additional precaution against any disease-bearing germs. "Harada's wife is in a fit not knowing if her man is alive or dead. Kondo's widow is inconsolable, her family will provide the best they could for her and her child… Hijikata intends to go down fighting. He's got a band to march up to Hokkaido…What's that noise?" Alarmed, Shinpachi peered out the window. All was still in the darkening garden. "Must be some stray cat…"

Okita collapsed as he closed the door behind him. It had taken all his strength to sneak up to the house to eavesdrop on Nagakura. He had to know. The sakura had bloomed and fallen. It was finished. The Tokugawa were finished.

"Arigato for your hospitality, Kamiya-san," the mysterious stranger thanked her father as Kaoru watched from behind a screen door. The strange roninhad come to the dojo two nights ago. Her father told her he was a friend from Kyoto where her father had gone for many months after that incident. They spoke late into the night in the storehouse-turned-guestroom as Kaoru and her mother slept. She had not even gotten a good look at the man's face. Even now, he had his travelling hat pulled almost over his face. If only she were a son, then maybe her father would share his secrets with her.

Kamiya paused as the stranger turned the corner. Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. He had almost lost his faith after that student Gohei. He had the former hitokiri to thank for encouraging him not to close his dojo and allow his family's swordstyle to be lost. Himura was really a remarkable young man. Tomorrow, he'll give his little Kaoru her first lesson. So what if she's a girl? She's his daughter.

Kenshin sighed. He had promised Kamiya to visit his little dojo in Edo when they parted ways in Kyoto last year. He had talked Kamiya into returning to his family. It just didn't seem fair for Kamiya to risk losing everything had by volunteering his services in the Ishin's most risky job of assassin. Anyway, killing ran counter to his beliefs. Kenshin idly wondered why the Ishin would still be hiring assassins at that late stage, considering he had gotten rid of most of the folk who required assassinating back in 1864.

Kamiya had lost his faith when they first met. It was to his great relief that Kenshin saw him standing on his two feet and ready to impart his wisdom to future generations of students. It was also with relief that Kenshin was hitting the road again. His presence, if known, could cause needless trouble to the Kamiya household. Who would want to train at a dojo whose master was friends with a hitokiri?

He had suggested Kamiya teach his little girl kendo, that skinny mite who watched them timidly from behind the doors. What was her name? Seeing Kamiya-san gave him faith in the path he had chosen to take. The Meiji government was in its infancy, everywhere there were people who needed help and protection… There were so many he could have, should have helped…

His own brother-in-law was missing. He had caught a glimpse of him at Toba Fushimi. Enishi's hair had turned white. Then he was gone, sucked into the turmoil of humanity. All further enquiries turned up nothing, as if Enishi had dropped off the face of the earth. He had even tried asking Kamiya if he knew of the whereabouts of the Yukishiro clan. They used to live in Edo, but had vanished since the war started.

Wait… Kamiya had mentioned a house compound on the outskirts. In that household, a mysterious invalid was being nursed by a woman who was Nagakura's sister. Could it be? Should he? He reached instinctively to where the scarf should have been, before recalling that he had entrusted Tomoe's scarf and diary to a small Buddhist temple on the Kyoto outskirts. Maybe a little detour wouldn't hurt…

Okita wasn't too sure if he were asleep or awake. Sometimes, he fancied he was playing with the children from Mibu village. Sometimes, he was training with Toshi and Kondo at the Sheiken dojo of his youth. Once, he even dreamt that he was attending a banquet with Sakamoto, Kenni with the three Comedians providing a hilarious skit for entertainment. Toshi and the other Shinsengumi leaders were there. Umeko was laughing and showing off a lacy parasol to his sister… Always, he would awake to illness and isolation.

He dreamt he heard Kenni calling his name. It must be his imagination. He was alone. Must be his fevered mind mistaking some stray cat mewing… The voice became more insistent.

"Psst… Sou, are you in there?"

Shoo, cat! Okita got up slowly, opened the door, picked up one of the clogs he hardly got a chance to use these days and tossed it out into the darkness. It hit something or someone… A half-muffled yelp of pain sounded eerily, followed by a string of muttered curses worthy of an angered tanuki.

Author's notes:

Tanuki- raccoon dog. In Japanese folklore, they are mischievous; bad tempered and have the ability to change form. They can be vengeful if angered . They are often portrayed carrying a stick. Think RK's Kaoru.

Okita's in his last days now. In the old days, vinegar and alcohol are used as disinfectants. As to whether folk in feudal Japan were aware of the how contagious TB is, I suppose they had an idea. In PMK manga, there is a part where Hijikata sorta has this dream about his childhood. Little Toshi was playing outside his parent's room when his parent starts coughing very badly. Young Toshi tries to open the door but is warned by his parent not to enter the room.

I let Kamiya and Himura be comrades in the Ishin, a good reason for Himura to be in Edo (Tokyo) visiting the Kamiya dojo. In RK, Kenshin was aware of what happened 11 years ago in the dojo, which seems to hint at some prior connection.

Nagakura was known to have survived into the Meiji era. In fact, he wrote his memoirs detailing his life in the Shinsengumi in his later years. Photographs? Modern technology intrudes on feudal Japan.