Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Author's Note—Kenshin is a woman in this story.
11. You will never look at me
"I am glad we could reach an agreement," Katsura said, bowing formally to his fellow rebel leaders. The visitors returned the gesture before leaving discreetly. Katsura and his bodyguard were left alone in the spare room above Miss Mae's restaurant.
"Shall I escort you back to the inn, sir?" Himura asked from where she stood by the single window, emotionlessly watching the morning crowd walking cluelessly below on the street.
"I've sent for some breakfast, Miss Mae should be bringing it up soon. Are you not hungry?"
"It does not matter. The streets are becoming busier."
"There is still time to go back to the inn without incident," Katsura assured her. He glanced in her direction, wondering not for the first time how his best assassin could be a mere girl of fourteen. "Have you had any problems here?"
"No, Miss Mae keeps my presence noticed but not well known," Himura said, leaving out any mention of Okita.
"Good, there is less suspicion that way."
Secrecy was important as the restaurant was one of the many hidden meeting places in the city that the Choshou rebels used. Himura and Katsura were the only two in the Kyoto faction who knew about this particular restaurant's double purpose.
There was a soft knock on the door and Katsura called for the person to enter. Miss Mae herself brought in the tray of food and only gave Himura a quick smile before leaving silently. The restaurant owner worried for the young girl who she knew was trusted by Katsura for some reason. She wanted to see Himura live in the new era that they both believed in. Miss Mae, Katsura, and Himura's teacher were the only ones who knew that Hitokiri Battousai was a girl, and for Japan's future they would keep it that way.
"Come eat, Himura," Katsura said gently, picking up a pair of chopsticks. Despite the horrific role he had asked her to take up, he felt almost a fatherly affection for Himura. The fact that she had been orphaned and raised by her teacher alone made him regret the burden he had placed on her slim shoulders.
Himura was about to turn away when she felt the subtle ripple at the edge of her senses that alerted her to danger. Her instincts proved true when she saw a Shinsengumi squad out on morning patrol, the people reluctantly pushing to the sides of the street to let them pass. Himura's eyes widened when she picked out Okita walking amongst the group, the tell-tale white triangles on his blue uniform jacket.
"Katsura, we must leave immediately. There are Shinsengumi heading this way," she said, her voice sharp with the authority granted her as his bodyguard.
"How close?" Katsura asked, standing.
"Right outside of the restaurant," Himura said, turning her head to look at him. She pulled the window close, not noticing that part of her hair was caught. She was already thinking of how they would go out the back door and slip through the alleys to safety.
Katsura nodded, heading for the door, the food forgotten on the tray. "Let's go."
Himura started to follow until her head was yanked back. She let out a soft cry and stepped back, tracing the offended lock of hair with her fingers down to where it was caught between the wall and window. With a frown she pushed open the window, shook her head to free the hair, and then closed it again. What a waste of time. She hurried to catch up with Katsura who was already walking down the hall.
Outside on the street, Okita talked pleasantly with one of the men in the second squad. Nakamura had asked him to accompany them to help train the new recruits that had been added to his squad. Okita had agreed since he didn't have patrol that day with his own squad. Okita laughed at a joke and looked about the marketplace, taking in the uneasy stares of the people, the two birds that took flight off the top of a vendor's stand, and the flash of red hair from a window above.
The last observation made him do a double-take. That window was on the second floor of the restaurant that Miss Himura worked at. He connected red hair to Miss Himura, and wondered why she was there when she did not have work that night. It was more to add to the mystery that was Miss Himura.
"Captain?"
"Coming," Okita said, smiling as he always did. He looked at the window once more, wishing that Miss Himura was standing there and would look down and see him. He doubted she would smile and wave, wishing him well and asking his vow to return that night safe from harm; she was not the lady of a story that was told to the children. If anything, Okita had to think that she was quite the opposite. Miss Himura was rather unique like that.
None of the Shinsengumi noticed two figures slip out into the street behind them, broad hats hiding their faces as they walked quickly and seemingly innocently in the opposite direction as the squad. Himura glanced back over her shoulder at the Shinsengumi who had not suspected that their greatest enemy had crossed alleys and the street that they themselves had just passed. Yet a small part of her wished that Okita would look back and see her. She knew he wouldn't, and so she returned her attention to guarding Katsura.