Hijikata's eyes widened as Satoya backed away from the cell and hurried back up the stairs. What did she mean by trapped? He never even considered the possibility, but how could he? He could barely think about his own situation, given his growing hunger and increasingly battered body. How could he have known that she was forced to stay here and work for Bando? Was he holding one of her family members hostage? Did she owe him some kind of debt? Or did he have some other kind of bargaining chip? Hijikata couldn't help but feel a bit sad at the thought. He wondered if anyone else knew her secret, or if she had anyone else in the manor to talk to at all. That would explain why she came to see him often, and the amount of care she put into her duties. Despite undergoing rigorous training to prepare himself for dangerous situations like these, he appreciated not feeling completely alone.
Hijikata couldn't think for long before he heard the door leading to the rest of the house open again and multiple sets of footsteps descend the stairs. He tried his best to scoot himself further back toward the back wall, as if hiding in the corner would keep his captors at bay, even for another few minutes. Every time he moved, he accidentally yanked his wrists closer to the ground, pulling the rope around his neck tighter, holding his throat in a deadly embrace.
He almost made it to the back corner when a group of three men stood outside his cell. While one of them fumbled with the keys, Hijikata lifted his wrists once more to relieve the pressure on his neck. He looked up at the men as two of them entered the cell, not waiting for the wooden door to finish creaking open. All three men looked rugged and largely built, as you would expect from blacksmiths instead of samurai. However, one look told Hijikata these men were veterans of the sword, not the hammer. One of the men wearing a dark blue kimono held a burlap sack in his hand; Hijikata noticed a large scar running across the man's knuckles.
"Time to get up, demon," Blue said as his accomplice, wearing a green kimono, moved towards Hijikata and hoisted him up to his feet. The second he stood on his own, Blue placed the sack over Hijikata's head, blinding him completely.
"Where are we going?" Hijikata asked, feeling each man on either side of him grab his upper arms and lead him out of the cell. The men ignored him as they led him to the staircase, then upwards. Hijikata almost tripped over himself on the first few steps, but quickly regained his footing as they continued up the stairs and, from what Hijikata surmised, through a large doorway as they reached the landing. He could see faded daylight through the seams of the sack, but he couldn't make out the details of the building as the men led him left, then right, then left again. He paid careful attention to the directions they turned and noted how quiet the corridor was. Either there weren't many people at this manor or everyone was ordered to clear out in preparation for Hijikata's transfer to another room. These samurai were being very careful to cover their tracks and give Hijikata no outside knowledge of his surroundings.
A few moments later, they stopped him abruptly as a door in front of them slid open. Hijikata felt his feet almost lift off the ground as the men led him to their final destination. They walked him to what he imagined was the middle of the room as the door closed behind them. Hijikata could hear quiet shuffling in other parts of the room and knew there were more people here than just the three men. He felt more eyes staring at him as he was spun around and grabbed tightly near his wrists. In the next moment, the rope binding his wrists fell to the ground, but he didn't have a chance to struggle as his hands were forced together in front of him. Before he knew it, one of the men began to pull down Hijikata's kimono, which caused Hijikata to flinch and fight as hard as he could against the men holding him. He felt significantly weaker, but he put all his strength into freeing himself, to no avail. Blue moved behind him and raised a knife to Hijikata's neck, freezing his struggles.
"Don't move, or I'll cut your throat," he whispered. Hijikata felt the man's rough fingertips trailing over his skin as he gripped the edges of Hijikata's kimono with one hand and peeled the fabric off his shoulders and down his arms, completely exposing his torso. His kimono hung limply around his hips, and he hoped they wouldn't completely expose him. Hijikata couldn't help but shiver at the sudden change in temperature that triggered goosebumps to form on his arms; he also felt slightly embarrassed at the sudden exposure and, for once during this encounter, was thankful that the sack still hid his face. Once again, his wrists were roughly held together as someone else tied another length of rope around them. When Hijikata felt the final knot tighten around his wrists, Blue withdrew his knife and pulled the sack off Hijikata's head.
As he blinked his eyes and looked around to regain his bearings, Hijikata saw Bando, sitting off to the side, and they made eye contact. Hijikata's eyes glared like they did in the courtyard, but that didn't intimidate anyone here. He looked around the room and found it similar to the one he originally woke up to, except it was much bigger. He guessed this was some sort of indoor dojo. He turned his head back to the front to realize the man in the green kimono that had restrained him threw the rest of the rope attached to his wrists over a large wooden beam just above them. Green smirked as he grabbed the other end and yanked as hard as he could, forcing Hijikata to grunt as his wrists now bore his weight, dangling like a paper charm on a string.
Once Green secured his end of the rope, Bando stood up and walked towards Hijikata. Bando wore a dark gray kimono, which accentuated the silver streaks revealing themselves in his black hair. From earlier that day, Hijikata noted the stern look in Bando's eyes; now, they looked simply tired, befitting an ordinary elder more than a criminal mastermind.
Hijikata chuckled. "You look worse than me, Bando-san. Something on your mind?"
Bando ignored the comment. "Does the name Mokoto Nao mean anything to you?" Hijikata looked away for a moment to think about it, then replied, "No."
"You're sure about that?" Bando asked, eager for a definite answer.
"I take it you don't believe me," Hijikata replied, wincing as the ache in his wrists grew stronger.
"No, I don't particularly believe you, but I need to hear it from you. You don't remember coming across anyone named Mokoto?" Bando asked once more, taking a step closer.
"I've crossed swords with many men," Hijikata answered. "If he did cross my path, he was a criminal and deserved to die for disobeying the shogun."
Bando immediately reached out and clenched Hijikata's throat in his hand, cutting off his breathing. Hijikata felt his head tip up towards the ceiling as he choked, grazing his toes over the tatami flooring.
"How dare you talk about my son like that, you Mibu dog!" Bando roared as he gripped Hijikata's neck tighter for a few moments, then suddenly let go. Hijikata coughed and took greedy breaths as Bando continued to glare at him.
"Is that…why I'm here?" Hijikata asked, panting between words. "Because…I supposedly…killed…your son?"
"Not entirely," Bando responded, his glare softening. "You see, you are not just our prisoner, but also bait for the rest of your Shinsengumi gang."
"They won't come for me," Hijikata spat quickly. "They know better than to fall for such an easy trap. They'll stay away."
"Is that so? Well, we'll just have to see how long they can stay away before we slit their vice-commander's throat," Bando teased. He paused and smirked at Hijikata's angered glare, then began to circle Hijikata's dangling body.
"Even if you're right, and your men are smart enough to stay away, I know for a fact your commander won't abandon you. Kondou Isami, isn't it? And when he does come to trade his life for yours, I'll be ready to plunge my sword into his spineless back," Bando ranted. "Maybe your pack of dogs will finally realize you are a dying breed and disband."
He stopped directly behind Hijikata and held out his hand to Green, who stood off to one side of the room. Green stepped forward and handed him a small leather whip looped neatly. As Bando unfurled the whip, the other samurai in the room could see the multiple leather strands hanging down from the handle, each with a tight knot tied at the ends. This had to be something new from Bando's contacts in the west, some of them thought. Looking between Hijikata's unaware expression and the whip, the men were all excited to see what would happen next.
"Don't you dare insult Kondou-san while you hide, coward!" Hijikata yelled. Bando ignored his comment as he readied his stance and brought the whip down on Hijikata with an echoing crack. Hijikata couldn't stop the scream that escaped his throat. Even after the whip left his skin, he could feel the searing sting burn on his back. He heaved deep breaths to control himself, but could not brace himself when the next blow fell. And the next blow.
"I am going to take out my grief… and my revenge… on you," Bando yelled as he continued striking Hijikata with a warrior's fury. His men watched in horrified awe as their leader almost appeared to be dancing, even as the knots broke Hijikata's skin and small streams of blood trickled down.
It didn't take long for Bando to grow tired and finally stop. Hijikata hung limply, panting and fighting every instinct in his body telling him to pass out. That would be the easier choice, but he had to show his resilience and his strength, despite how little of it he had left.
"Boss, should we cut him down?" Blue asked.
"Leave him," Bando responded, turning towards the door.
"...Satoya-san…" Hijikata whispered, unable to speak louder than that. Bando turned on his heel, intrigued.
"Oh? I'm surprised you can even speak after that," Bando berated.
"Let…Satoya-san…go free," Hijikata breathed. Bando looked confused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Sorry, but that's not possible. I don't know what she told you, but she's my property, and I don't intend to let her go anytime soon," Bando explained as he and his men left the room. As Bando slid the door open, Hijikata could see the orange hue of sunset spill into the room. He didn't realize so much time had passed, and to think he was only taken the night before, or maybe two nights ago…
Hijikata could feel his memory begin to fade. With no food, no water, and little access to the outdoors, he knew the days would begin to blur into one long and painful dream. He hated this fuzzy feeling surrounding his brain, like the times he would get drunk without meaning to, then wouldn't be able to think straight the rest of the night. This was definitely not the buzz he was looking for.
The door slid open once again. Hijikata noticed the sunlight seeping in, but he couldn't see who it was; he could no longer find the energy to lift up his head. He hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. He had trained so hard all these years to protect himself, Kondou and his comrades, and prided himself on becoming the fearsome leader and warrior he was today. As the quiet footfalls approached him, he closed his eyes, thinking one of Bando's men wanted to beat him some more and continue their fun. Let them, his body told him. Then he could finally pass out and let his mind sink into oblivion.
"Hijikata-san? Are you awake?"
Hijikata's eyes flickered open at the familiar voice and peered down at Satoya, kneeling in front of him. Her eyes looked sadder than they have since he first laid eyes on her.
"I'm sorry for getting you involved in this. If I hadn't taken you in the first place…" She trailed off as she clenched her fists.
"It's alright," Hijikata whispered. "You were…just following…orders."
"To be honest, I hoped you would have fainted by now. To avoid the pain," Satoya confessed as she stood up and walked around Hijikata to assess the damage. Growing up, she had witnessed some gruesome scenes, and had even created them herself. However, this counted as one of the few times she felt uneasy looking at the remnants of a torture victim. Since she was trained to only kill, she never got used to the thought of inflicting slow pain on another human being. Her philosophy and practice were always to kill swiftly and, if possible, painlessly. It seemed inhumane to do anything else.
As Hijikata's back came into view, her eyes grew wide in shock. Angry red welts sat raised on most of his back, and small blood streams began to dry from welts where the skin had broken. Faint bruises blossomed in various places, and Satoya noticed goosebumps appearing around Hijikata's ribs. She could feel the air around them get cooler as the sun sank lower outside.
She walked back in front of him and kneeled again so he could see her. When she looked up to meet his gaze, however, she found his eyes closed, his breathing changed from ragged to even, and his face looked somewhat peaceful. She allowed herself to smile a little, relieved that he could escape the pain, even for a little while. She raised her hand and cupped his cheek, gently brushing her thumb underneath his cheekbone.
"Please wait for me," she whispered as she stood up, making sure not to disturb him as if he had simply fallen asleep and left the room. She climbed over the side wall, out of view of the guards surveying the main entrance, and began to run towards town.