"Satoya!" roared Bando from the comfort of his room as he sat at his desk, analyzing various documents. A few moments later, the shoji silently opened and closed, and a small figure knelt on the ground behind him, head bowed.
"Sir," the figure responded, almost like a whisper.
"I have a special job for you," Bando explained, not looking up from his papers. "It's something you don't usually do, but it's something I can't trust anyone else with."
Satoya raised her head, gazing at Bando with blue eyes as dark as the ocean depths. Upon first glance, you wouldn't notice Satoya's feminine features, except for her small stature and proportions. Her buzzed brown hair threw most people off initially, thinking she were simply a boy, but she didn't mind; in fact, she enjoyed the ambiguity. She never liked being "feminine" for the sake of society, and always proved herself better than most men in swordplay and scouting for information. Unfortunately, she learned at a young age that silent assassination was her specialty, and Bando had taken advantage of her deadly skills for years. To make moving around easier, she adopted the clothing style of ninjas: all black clothing adorned with a hood and mask. Her hood was down, but her mask still covered the lower half of her face, making her stare feel all the more like a piercing blade.
"What's the job?" asked Satoya, tone calm and even. When she spoke, she excelled at hiding her thoughts and feelings. For months, Bando attempted to dissect her thoughts through her speech, but to no avail. Eventually, he gave up and told himself that she didn't have any thoughts; she was just a mindless slave driven to kill by his command, and that was that. But he knew better than to underestimate her like that.
"A kidnapping. The hideout location has already been decided and prepared. All you have to do is grab the target and keep him alive until I get what I want. Think you can handle it?" he asked.
"That won't be an issue. Who is the target?" Satoya asked, unperturbed by his request, but slightly surprised at the same time. It must be someone very important if he's sending me to do it and not kill them, she thought to herself.
"The Demon Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata Toshizo," Bando responded, allowing the name to settle itself in the room for a few moments before speaking again. "Still think you can handle it?"
Satoya paused for another moment, then softly responded with, "Yes, that won't be an issue. Where should I take him?"
At this point, Bando stood up from his desk and turned to face her, confirming her acceptance of this mission. As he thought, her eyes lacked expression, but looked attentive and ready to take on any challenge.
That's why he liked her so much.
He closed his eyes and chuckled to himself. "There's a small manor on the outskirts of town. A friend of mine lives there by the name of Ayuzawa," he explained as he handed her a shogi piece from his desk. She briefly examined it and noticed a small engraving on the back: the kanji symbol for "friend."
"Show this when you arrive and they will let you in and help you get situated. How soon do you think you can complete this?" he asked.
"I can make the first attempt tonight, so long as the conditions are right," she said, "and I will also need three men or so to assist me, if they can be spared."
"I'll make the arrangements," Bando said, his sinister smile crawling to the outer edges of his cheeks. He knew he could always rely on her to do his bidding. "If the conditions are not right, abort the mission and report back to me. We can plan for another attempt then."
"I understand. May I ask what your interest is in him? It's not like you to ask for your targets alive," Satoya said.
Bando stopped for a moment, slightly surprised. While it was true that he never took prisoners, this is the first time Satoya had asked him about his reasons or intent behind an assignment.
"And it's not like you to ask questions," Bando retorted. "Do you have an interest in the man?"
"Not really. It was just a question," Satoya replied, and with that, she swiftly and silently left Bando to his paperwork once again.
Hijikata put down his brush and rubbed his eyes gingerly as the lantern on his desk flickered. He slowly stood up, stretched his arms up to the ceiling, and slid the door open to peer out at the darkened night. The sky cleared up throughout the day, exposing a crescent moon amongst a lake of stars.
Hijikata had kept himself isolated in his room all day, working to finish what felt like an eternity of paperwork, feeling remorseful that he couldn't enjoy the rest of the day with everyone else. He had even taken dinner in his room, which was not unlike him, but he had hoped not to make it a habit; he really did enjoy everybody's company, no matter how loud or irksome the others might be. The only person he had spoken to that day was Chizuru, as she not only brought him dinner, but tea as well. He smiled to himself as he thought of her kindness and consideration for others. He knew he came off a little harsh towards her at times, even though she was just trying to be helpful. Perhaps he should apologize to her for his rudeness; she deserved that much after being such a great help to the Shinsengumi and its colorful members. Either way, he knew one thing for certain: he needed a break.
He bent down over his desk and blew out the small flame that kept his lantern lit, then grabbed his swords and black haori and walked onto the porch. As he closed the door behind him, he heard soft footfalls heading towards him. He looked up and found a smiling Chizuru walking along the porch As she got closer, her smile disappeared and her brows furrowed into a state of confusion.
"Good evening, Hijikata-san. Where are you going?" she asked.
"Good evening, Chizuru. I was just on my way out to take a short walk," Hijikata explained as he slid on his sandals. "Since I've been cooped up all day, I can't miss my opportunity to enjoy the last piece of it before it's too late." He began to make his way towards the front gate; Chizuru followed closely behind him like a lost puppy.
"Hijikata-san, um…" she started, "are you sure you should be going out by yourself? You never know what could happen. I could come with you!" She ran in front of Hijikata and cut off his path. He sighed as he stepped around her.
"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine on my own. I'll be back in an hour or so," he said to her as he continued on his way. Chizuru knew she wouldn't be able to change his mind, so she simply yelled behind him, "Take care!" His figure grew faint as the distance grew between them.
The night air had cooled significantly since earlier that day, sending a shiver up Hijikata's spine as he pulled his haori further over his shoulders. He disliked the fact that he was sensitive to the cold, especially since he remembered traveling in worse weather when he still peddled his family's medicine as a teenager. Even so, he could not give up this time outdoors for warmth indoors, no matter how cold the air, or how strong the gusts of wind that seemed to shake the tree roots around him.
After walking through town for some time, which had become eerily empty and quiet, he began his trek back to headquarters, when he noticed a small group of men following him. He had noticed them following him for a little while, but since no one was around, he knew they were trouble. He began to pick up his pace, and as expected, the three men followed suit. Once Hijikata broke out into a sprint, he knew he could be in trouble.
He ducked into a nearby alley to remain undetected while he observed the scene. A few moments later, the three men slowed their running as they searched the area around them. Hijikata couldn't discern everything they said, as he hid a good distance from them, but he swore one of the men said, "We lost him." Why were they following him? Were they with the Choshu clan, perhaps? The questions raced through his mind as he focused on one goal: evading detection and getting back to headquarters immediately.
As he began to turn around, however, he felt the handle of a sword slam into his midsection just below his ribs, and he couldn't help but fall to his knees, gasping for the air that had just been knocked out of him. He slowly looked up at the figure standing before him in between coughing and gasping for more air. The short figure in black held a sheathed shortsword in one hand and used their other hand to gesture to their friends, notifying them of their location. Hijikata attempted to stand, but immediately fell to his knees again as the pain from the blow overtook him. Who the hell is this guy? Why didn't I sense him coming? he thought to himself as the men from earlier made their way down the alley.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Hijikata asked as two of the men began to approach him. As Hijikata began to unsheath one of his swords, still ready for a fight, the masked figure raised her shortsword and swiftly brought the handle down against Hijikata's temple, immediately knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Satoya then turned to one of the men standing behind her and said in a low voice, "Get the wagon." The man nodded and raced off as the other two men hovered over Hijikata's body. Satoya kneeled before him, leaned down and whispered, "We are taking you with us. That is all." As she lifted her head, Satoya noticed the thin stream of blood trickling down his face originating from where she hit him. I'll have to clean that when we get to the safehouse, she thought to herself as the wagon arrived next to the alley, and the two men loaded Hijikata and themselves into the back. She pulled a piece of paper from her clothes and placed it next to the blood spots left on the ground from Hijikata's wound. It was a folded up sheet of paper, which read on the outside, For the Commander of the Shinsengumi.
As Satoya climbed up to the front of the wagon to sit with the man driving, she turned once again to observe the unconscious warrior as the two men with him began tying him up. She noted how his jet-black hair glowed in the moonlight, and how he simply looked asleep, his features peaceful and soft, his chest rising and falling at a slow and steady pace. Once the wagon began to move, Satoya turned back around to face the road before them. Why do I care so much about this one man? It's not like he's different from everyone else, she thought to herself as the wagon slowly pressed on towards their destination. She could just tell from her flickering thoughts alone that this was going to be a long night.