A wet sensation on my face made me open my eyes. Ohkami was in dog form. She was licking my face in an attempt to get me up. As soon as she saw I was awake, she barked and her tale began to wag.
"You're just a ray of sunshine this morning." I laughed as she transformed back to her normal form.
"Well, I was bored." She grinned sheepishly. "Hey, do we have any food?"
"…I thought you were taking care of it."
She shook her head.
"Oh for the love of Ra."
After much grumbling, Ohkami finally agreed to setting off without breakfast. She complained the whole way up the mountain. It started getting to the point where I was willing to let her stop. The sun was high in the sky when I gave in.
"Alright Ohkami, you stay here while I go up to check it out." I said.
"Oh come on Izumi, you can't be going up there on an empty stomach."
"If you get something good, I just might eat something when I get back, see you in a couple of hours."
With that, I left her in the clearing. It wasn't more than a half hour hike to Wolf's Point. I did it in half that. The cavern was well guarded, several dozen men surrounding it. At least they looked like men from where I was. There was no way I could get close enough to see, they'd made a perimeter about a half mile from the entrance.
Sighing, I headed back. This wasn't going to be easy.
"So how many men were there?" Ohkami questioned me as I sat across from her at the fire.
"A lot, several dozen at least." I stabbed a piece of fish with my chopstick.
"Human or demon?"
"I couldn't get close enough to see, they had a perimeter about a half mile out."
"Oh well, it's more fun not knowing what kind of morons you're going to be beating up." She smiled, chomping away at her food.
"Where did you find this fish anyway?"
"There was a stream nearby."
"Okay Ohkami. Well, I'm done you want the rest?"
She nearly leapt over the fire to get it. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, I'm going to sleep, you should do the same. We're going to need our strength for tomorrow."
"Okie dokie Izumi." She saluted me.
I smiled before rolling over to sleep.
The Shinsengumi trusted me and the rebels hated me. I'd never been happier. Sagara was a pain though; he'd kept trying to get me to stop. I won't stop killing. I can't. It's like opium you can't have enough. So what if it kills me? I have nothing to live for.
"About time I found you Izumi." It was him.
"What do you want now Sagara?" I growled.
"Captain Shindo wishes to know why you haven't reported."
"Tell him to go screw himself."
"What has gotten into you Izumi?"
"Don't talk in riddles."
"I remember when I found you, you'd just fought off a bunch of thieves."
"Be quiet."
"They were trying to find any valuables left in your home."
"I'm warning you."
His voice had stayed the same, but mine had become threatening.
"You were so naïve then."
"SHUT UP!"
I lunged at him, drawing my sword. He blocked and I swung again. The clanging of our swords broke the calm night air. Anger coursed through my veins. How dare he speak that way, Suki is dead, he did that to me.
"Why are you doing this?"
I could barely hear him over the clanging of swords.
"You did this to me!"
His expression changed from one of impassion, to one of shock. I felt his blade drop a little. Then he pushed hard, forcing me away from him.
"You think that I…" His voice had lost its calmness.
"You did."
"Izumi, I-"
"Don't make excuses."
Something else started to fill me. It wasn't anger, instead something more powerful. For some reason, it was strange. Yes I'd felt it before, but that was when I was a child. Fear, hopelessness, regret, all piled into one.
It was as if a dam broke, tears just began flowing down my face. I couldn't stay standing and collapsed to the ground. My sword lay next to me, useless. Footsteps began and got louder then stopped. A pair of legs was in front of me. There was a rustling of clothing, when two arms pulled me tight.
"I'm so sorry Izumi."
"Bastard." My voice was barely a whisper. "Why couldn't you have just left me alone?"
"There's still time. You don't have to be this way forever."
"I can't change. I'm not Suki anymore. She's dead."
"But Izumi isn't."
He made me look in his eyes. Those eyes, they were so different then the ones I'd been seeing for the past year. They were human; they held emotions far beyond what I thought he was capable of. He was human.
"Izumi, I didn't mean to do this to you. Believe me when I say that if I'd known this would happen, I would never have asked you to fight."
"It's too late for your sympathies."
"It's never too late. You don't have to be the Kitsune Majin forever."
And I believed him.
A/N: I know it's short, but the next chapter will be longer. And the next one is when the fighting begins!