Chapter 6: The meeting
I stepped into the room and could feel Harada walk past me most likely to take his seat. I just stood there looking around, I saw the Sannan san and that guy Hijikata kun. In the middle of them was one other guy who looked to be the one who was more in control like the main leader. A quick sweep showed that other then Harada san there was others here as well. A voice broke the silence, "You may sit there" I looked at see that Hijikata kun was pointing to a seat in front of the three main men one being himself the other being Sannan and the last being the unknown leader. I took my seat locking my eyes with each member that was in this room. I could hear the whispers mostly about my eyes and one saying "so that's the fury who so far has kept their sanity." Hijikata kun coughed into his hand "alright everyone settle down and lets get this meeting started."
Soon the room went quite as Hijikata kun asked for Sannan san's report on last night. "Last night I took care of some failed warriors however this one not only saw it but I watched him and I could tell that the blood that got sprayed onto his clothes did nothing. He did not seem to fall to the bloodlust that the others had. Not only that but he was able to talk and keep a clear head. I later on learned that this fury was caring for a small child no older then I would say 5 at least. Even being a fury this boy seemed to have kept a clear and level head I know he is not one of our furies which begs to question who gave him the water of life who turned this boy into a fury?" I blinked at that what was this water of life? And what was a fury? Clearly it was something that was not human or maybe was human once like I had been but got turned into something not human.
A voice from a man with green eyes then said, "Why are we having this meeting? Just run a blade through him" A loud voice from the main leader who sounded mad at hearing that, "Souji! That's enough we have to at least think this through carefully after all we still need to know things." The man Souji at least looked a bit sorry to the main leader. Hijikata kun then looked at me eyes still cold as he spoke, "so tell us boy who gave you the water of life?" I looked at him trying my best to keep calm. "I don't know what your talking, what is the water of life?" I told him thinking that maybe he was on about the monster or demon that fed me their blood which I am sure changed me or was it the bite that changed me.
I could see the annoyed look on Hijikata kun's face as one of his eye twitched. "Don't play dumb boy I know you drank the water of life, your eyes are proof enough. Only furies have red eyes like yours" he roared at as the main leader tried to calm him down. "Now, now Toshi calm down your scaring the boy maybe he was unaware of drinking it or maybe someone injected him with the water of life." At that Hijikata kun seemed to relax a bit. Looking at the man who had spoke he said, "Your right Kondou san I'm sorry I got a bit carried away again" Kondou san looked at me with a kind smiling face. "Hi sorry about all this lets start over shall we, I am Kondou Isami on my right is Sannan san which I believe you met last night, and on my left is Hijikata Toshizo" Then a new voice spoke up, "Hey Kondou why are you telling him all of this I thought we was going to interrogate the fury not ask him out to dinner" That made me want to laugh but I kept a calm straight face. "Was that wrong?" Asked Kondou and I let out a little bit of a smile.
Sannan san smiled at Kondou and replied "no not wrong Kondou san but maybe I should ask the boy the questions. It might go better as he seems to trust me a little bit more then he does our demon vice-commander." Kondou nodded "if you think that will help Sannan san" and with that Sannan san turned his full attention onto me. "So you don't know who gave you the water of life, or what it even is then that can only mean someone gave it to you without your knowledge, in that case moving on can you tell us your name please?" I kept my eyes glued to Sannan san and nodded my face back to it's cool calm self. "Yes sure my name is Himura Tenma" I told him as I saw that he knew the name if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.
"I see next can you tell how you came to care for a child while being a fury? You see most furies lose themselves to bloodlust and go mad but as you have yet to do so it has me wondering how your able to keep a level head as well as why a fury would care for a young child." The way he said it made me shiver a little. It was like he was looking at me as if I was some kind of experiment that either went right or went wrong. Swallowing I responded "About a year ago I found the child in the woods. She was thin and weak from hunger and it looked like she had been beaten. Her clothes and her face was dirty so I took her in and started to care for her that I did." I took a deep breath and carried on. "For a whole year me and the girl stayed even when I was turned into whatever I am now we still stayed together. I will never hurt or abandon her. I will only do everything in my power to keep her safe." I could see the shock and surprise written all of Sannan san's face, same went for all the other men here in this room. "I see so you only wish to protect the child" Sannan san's words was so quite that I am sure had I been a full human I might have missed them.
"Tell me Himura kun have you had any bloodlust yet?" Sannan san's voice held a slight chill almost a predatory air about how he had asked the question. As if one wrong answer and it would be game over some how. I shook my head "No I haven't why? Is that bad or is that a good thing?" I asked wanting to know. Was I am danger to Towa chan? He must have seen something in the way I was looking at him, as he said in a soft kind tone voice. "Oh no that's not a bad thing per say however as far as I know all furies at one point have bloodlust. For you not to have had it yet I find it rather intriguing. One more thing how long have you been a fury?" I thought back to that monster that attacked me. That turned me into this thing that I am now. "Two days ago that is when I was turned into this" came my reply there was gasp from most of the men and I heard Sano's voice say, "two days."
"I see only two days" was all Sannan san said while Kondou san and even Hijikata kun looked either concerned or sad. It was Hijikata kun who spoke next "so just two days since you became a fury and so far you have kept your mind with no bloodlust. It seems that you are strong willed we will need time to think and go over the info you have given us. More so as there is a child involved, we can not over look both what you are or what you might be capable of" it was here that Sannan san cut in, "True Hijikata kun but maybe we should let the boy live and put him to work for us. It doesn't seem like he is from any group or faction. Plus if I am right the boy might be of some use to us alive rather then dead" I flinched at hearing how calm and casual these men seemed to talk about death. With all said and done Kondou san also agreed that my life should be spared. One of the men Saito san stood and walked me back to my room but before I was allowed to leave the meeting room I was told that the child Towa chan was with someone called Gen san and that she will be placed in the room next to mine.
I walked into my room while the all of those men in that meeting room was most likely talking about me. I pulled the red shard out from where I had hid it and looked at it. Trying to calm myself down I was scared for both my self and for Towa chan. It seemed to be quite sometime before someone came back to the room I was put it. The door opened and there stood Sannan san. I looked up him watching him and waiting for him to make the first move. His eyes locking onto mine just like they did the first time we met. He was studying me I noticed as if he was seeing what made me tick. "Himura kun can you please come with me" he requested as I stood up and started to follow him. We walked until we entered a kind of off limits area. When we entered I saw more of those men with white hair and red eyes. They looked mad as if driven to some kind of madness.
"We have decided to keep you alive, and to put you as a personal page as well as in a squad. You will be my page and be in Saito san's squad. Starting today you will be with me tomorrow Saito san wants you ready to train with the other men. Also you will have a uniform while out on patrol." Sannan san told me as we made our way into the hidden bathhouse that was normally for himself when he works late. He handed me clean clothes that looked about my size and pointed me to the door that held the changing room and the bath. "I know it seems strange but I would like for you to get cleaned up first, go take a bath seeing as you are still covered in blood although it has dried. Don't worry I will be right outside if you need anything" he said I only nodded hoping that he would not follow me in. Once inside I stripped out down and put the dirty clothes into a basket and the clean clothes in another basket. The dirty clothes was in a basket on the ground while the clean clothes was in a basket on a shelf. I then made my way to wash off before entering the bath. I was out of sight and out of anyone's line of vision from where my clothes was, as I relaxed a bit in the bath. I didn't know that Sannan san had came in once he had heard the water and taken my dirty clothes to be cleaned.
No one's p.o.v:
Sannan san was cleaning the dirty clothes from Himura kun. As he is cleaning he sees a very long bandage which confuses him. He also thinks about the name, he had heard stories about a man slayer that was said to be unlike any other. He had told the others this when Himura kin was back in his room. Hijikata was the one who seemed to be most shocked, as that man slayer had vanished 5 years ago. And if what Sannan san thinks it is true and believes it then they have the real Battosai the man slayer in their den. Sannan san has been thinking that maybe just maybe this boy is the manslayer. It would be prove why he is able to keep himself in check and keep his sanity while as a fury. Once Sannan san had washed the boy's clothes he gets up and heads back to the bathhouse to return the bandage just in case the boy needs it. Sannan san doesn't know if Himura kun is hurt or not but if he is hurt then surely he should be healed by now? Unless something is wrong with his healing powers.