Here are a few definitions to help clarify some of the Japanese words used in the story.
Kappōgi: a type of smock/gown like apron designed to protect kimonos from stains when cooking or cleaning that ties around the waist and back of the neck.
Hashi: Japanese name for chopsticks.
Kimono: A long loose rode with wide sleeves and tied with a sash. Originally worn as a formal garment in Japan and now also used elsewhere as a robe.
Transmission Key: A specialized electrical switch used by a trained operator to transmit text messages in Morse code in a telegraphy system.
GONE
Chapter Four – Wavering Hope
If any of you are curious, yes I do research a number of things. For example, the toilet from the last chapter was implemented around this time period. Whether they were in Japan at the time, well I won't get too specific. But there was an abundance of trade occurring at the time. No electricity yet, but running hot and cold water was also being added to homes. Yes, any characters you don't recognize I've made up. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. Onward to the story…
Day 4 - Kamiya Dojo - Early Morning 7:05am
Megumi rolled over in her futon and her hand was met with an object. She groggily woke up, her eyes adjusting to a male form lying next to her. She immediately opened her eyes surprised and was about to scream when she saw Sanosuke's unruly hair and tall form.
Without hesitation, Megumi smacked Sano and pushed him from under the covers. "Hey!" Sano protested. "What's the big idea Foxy, waking me up so rudely?" "What are you doing in my futon?" Megumi wasn't in a tolerant mood knowing Sano was sleeping next to her without her consent.
"Well if you must know, this is usually where I sleep. There are only four bedrooms at the dojo you know. Yahiko and Kenshin have their own room and I usually take the guest bedroom." "Thought you said there were four, you could have slept in the fourth one."
"Uhh…" Sano fumbled a moment. "That's Kaoru's room." "Oh," Megumi answered. In her groggy and irritated state, she didn't realize she forgot the fact that the fourth bedroom belonged to Kaoru.
"Well, you could've shared a futon with Yahiko." "With that hellion, I usually end up with his foot in my mouth or something. No thanks." Megumi sighed, "Well whatever. I'm going to make breakfast and head to the Prefecture." "I'll walk you there then."
"Thanks. I knew you'd be angry if I walked home by myself last night so that's why I slept here." Sano nodded in understanding. Megumi got up and headed to the kitchen.
'I think rice bowl with egg, some fish, and some sweetened egg rolls would be a nice change.' Megumi had spotted some honey last night when she was making dinner. Megumi worked quietly to prepare the breakfast being sure to boil some water for tea. After completing her task, she moved the food to the common room.
Yahiko yawned while entering the room, "That smells good. Thank you Ms. Megumi." "No problem," Megumi answered. She didn't have to call for Sano because not long after Yahiko entered, Sano came in dragging or pushing rather Kenshin to the table.
Megumi has to admit she was a bit surprised to see Kenshin up and about. 'I guess the Rooster had something to do with Sir Ken being up. Well it's good to see him walking about even if it is against his wishes.'
Megumi caught a glimpse of Kenshin's eyes noting the somewhat irritated look. The orange hue was still abundant in his eyes. 'It's not like Sir Ken to be irritated. I don't think I've ever seen that emotion. But with Rooster head though, anyone can get irritated.'
The group sat and ate the meal. Kenshin stared at it for a bit lost in his own world before finally digging in after Sano nudged him to eat.
Day 4 - Prefecture – Early Morning 7:15am
The Chief was putting together a report after reviewing the telegraph he received from Lt. Rin. 'Still no word from Hirohito and the others. Hope they didn't run into trouble.' There was a knock on the door, "Yes come in."
The Chief lifted his head to greet the newcomer, "Ah Mr. Hajime, I see you've made it here. A day sooner than expected I might add." "Chief," Saitō greeted. "What's the status you have regarding the killer?" "Always to the point I see." The Chief laid out the report as Saitō was seated opposite of the Chief's desk. Saitō took it and began flipping through the report.
"We don't know much. Just that he attacked and killed a woman outside of town. I was meaning to ask Mr. Himura a few questions if he knew anything more, but now isn't the appropriate time."
"With all due respect Chief, we need to ask Himura and anyone else what they know to stop that mad man immediately." "I would except…" the Chief sighed, "The woman that was killed was Ms. Kamiya." Saitō stared for a moment.
"Wait, you mean Himura's girl, Kaoru?" "Yes, I'm afraid so." 'I see what the Chief meant by finding the right time.' "How is Himura?" "From what I witnessed in my office yesterday, probably not so well."
'Damn. Himura might not be willing to speak. Maybe…this will motivate him to take revenge and realize how foolish his pacifist ways are.' "I know what you might be thinking Mr. Hajime. That you can appeal to the Battōsai part of Mr. Himura. You probably could right now, but today they are to bury Ms. Kamiya."
"Even I'm not that heartless to interfere with Kamiya's funeral." "Good," the Chief breathed relieved. He knew how Mr. Hajime could be. "Now, can you tell me a little of what you know about the suspect?" Saitō laid the report on the desk to go over what he knew of this killer with the Chief.
Day 4 - Coastal City of Sendai - 7:58am
Hirohito and the others had finally caught up to the horse and carriage. They caught up just in time to see a somewhat tall man with black pants, shirt, and a cloak leave the carriage. The guy in question had angry-looking eyes and shoulder-length spiky hair. Hirohito was able to make out a scar across the bridge of his nose leading up to his forehead.
Fortunately, the carriage they were pursuing had stopped at a nearby village to rest last night. Hirohito and his men were glad to sleep after tracking and traveling for three days straight.
"Takashi, I want you to send a message to the Chief regarding this place. We don't know much, but I'm sure he wants to hear from us." "Ryota, I want you to stay with the cart and keep tabs on anyone else that might enter or exit from it. "Right, Mr. Matsui." Takashi left to send a message. Ryota's attention turned back towards the cart.
"I'll follow our mystery man into the market." With that, Hirohito left to follow the man. 'It's a good thing we took Lt. Rin's advice and changed our clothes. We kind of stand out as police and we don't want to spook this guy, whoever he is.' Hirohito took note that the guy entered a tent and disappeared for a moment.
'I'll get closer to see if I can hear anything.' Hirohito carefully crept closer to the tent. He found a discarded blanket, 'Probably used by a vagrant. Maybe I could blend in.' Hirohito lied down underneath the blanket to avoid any attention and positioned his head next to the bottom edge of the tent.
"…nice to see you." "When will the ship be ready for the package to be delivered?" "Not for another two weeks sir." There was a loud bang, "You told me you'd be ready to move the merchandise in three days." "Uh, sorry sir. I got word that the Captain ran into a little snag before leaving port."
"You know I don't tolerate mistakes Jūrō." "I'm sorry sir, but this one's beyond my control." A sigh was heard, "What about your partner, Goro?" "I think he may have a ship ready in 5 days. But I have to make sure."
"You do that. If there are any more problems Jūrō, I won't be so understanding next time. "Yes yes, of course Mr. Ono. Oh, is the new package an attractive one Mr. Satsu?"
There was a shuffling then an "Eek!" "Didn't I tell you never to use my first name." "Um, so sorry sir." There was a brief pause then a sigh was heard. "It doesn't matter. This package is not to be touched got it. Guard it as if your life depends on it, cause it does." "Y-Yes sir."
"Get word to your partner to confirm if he's able to make arrangements. I'll be gathering supplies for the manor. So I expect to hear good news within the hour." "Yes sir, I'm on it."
'So, the guy I'm following is called Satsu Ono…The name doesn't ring a bell, but I need to report this to the Chief. First thing though, I'll follow the merchant since I know this Ono guy is coming back here within the hour. Who knows, this guy Jūrō might slip up some more.'
Hirohito got up carrying the blanket after he heard another shuffling leave the tent. He spotted a slightly overweight man with thinning hair. The guy had on a regular white shirt and brown pants. He first followed the guy to the docks. 'Damn, not able to hear what they're saying.'
After spending ten minutes at the docks, the man Jūrō rushed back into the market. Hirohito followed at a distance pretending to be a vagrant if he were ever spotted. 'He's going to send a telegraph as well. Hope Takashi finished sending his message. Don't want to spook this guy about police talk.'
He followed as Jūrō turned down this road and that. They reached the outskirts of the town to a telegraph shop. To Hirohito's surprise, Takashi left the telegraph shop just as Jūrō was entering. Hirohito let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. 'Hmm…need to get closer…'
Hirohito spotted a pile of trash down the alley he was standing next to. He walked down the alley and approached it at the corner of the telegraph shop and rummaged through the trash finding a chipped bowl. He dug in his pocket and placed a 1 yen piece in it. He headed back towards the telegraph shop and sat next to the entrance, drawing the blanket up so it shielded most of his face. He then held out the bowl to look the part of a beggar while listening to the discussion inside.
"…So we're sending the usual message?" "No, a slightly different one," Hirohito heard Jūrō say. "Send this message instead." There was a moment of silence, Hirohito guessed it was the shop owner reading the message. Then Hirohito could make out the familiar noise of the telegraph key working.
'If I confront this guy, I'm sure he'll tip-off this Ono person. Maybe the shopkeeper? Hmmm, the shopkeeper may be in on the operation too judging by the brief conversation. Not to mention the shopkeeper knows the usual messages Jūrō sends.'
Hirohito was weighing his options on who to interrogate. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a coin clinking in the bowl he was holding. Hirohito looked up, to his shock he saw Jūrō had just placed money in the dish before walking off and stopping at the alley Hirohito had just traversed.
'I thought he would wait at the shop on a response…' He noticed that Jūrō was standing there doing nothing. After about two minutes, Jūrō nodded his head in the direction of the alley. Another man followed Jūrō into the alley. Hirohito got up and entered the telegraph shop, "Do you have a back door to this place?"
The shop owner gave him a quick glance as if studying him for a moment. After a while, he nodded to the right, "Down the hall and make a left, can't miss it." Hirohito nodded to the owner following his directions. He opened the door in the small storage room and closed it silently behind him.
'Just as I had hoped…' The trash Hirohito rummaged through earlier was high enough to obscure his presence. Hirohito crept slowly to the trash pile. He listened intently as the two began to talk about their operations freely amongst themselves.
Day 4 - Prefecture - 9:35am
"So Foxy, how long will you be?" "I should be finished in a few hours. Three hours maybe." "Alright, I'll be back here in three hours." Sano had escorted Megumi to the Police Prefecture to prepare Kaoru for the funeral.
Megumi watched as Sano started to leave and headed into the building herself. "Ms. Megumi, we were expecting you. Here I'll escort you to the lab." "Thank you officer..?" "Oh, it's Officer Arata. By the way, your friend Inspector Hajime arrived earlier today." "Oh is that so?" 'So Saitō is already here. I hope he doesn't stir up trouble with Sir Ken.'
The two walked until reaching the lab. "Well, I'll leave you to it Ms. Megumi." "Thank you," Megumi answered. Officer Arata left and Megumi walked towards the body lying on the exam table. She was already donned in her kappōgi to protect her from the soot that was sure to stain her kimono.
Megumi took a deep breath then removed the covered sheet from the body. 'Oh great, I have to clean off the maggots…' Megumi took out her tool bag. She dug through her tools and found that a pair of hashi would be the most useful for picking out maggots. She began the tedious task of picking them out one by one and placing them in a large bowl.
After about five minutes of plucking the larva, she noticed something that was curious. She picked up a larger larva about 20mm in length. 'This is unusual…This one is dead and blackened.' Megumi set it down on the table and examined the smaller ones in the bowl.
She then examined the body closely finding two other dead larvae of similar length. Only half remained of one and the other was seemingly untouched but also dead. Megumi remembered learning about maggots and how some believe they helped determine the state of how long a body has been decomposing.
One thing she couldn't wrap her brain around was 'Why were three of them dead?' All of a sudden a light bulb went off in her head. Megumi took a step back looking over the body before her. She then ran out of the exam room.
"Ms. Megumi?" Arata saw Megumi rush up to him. "Officer Arata, please make sure no one touches the body. I'll be back later," she said in a hurry. Without another word of explanation, Megumi tore out through the door rushing to the clinic.
"Dr. Gensai?" Megumi rushed to the clinic trying to open the door realizing it was locked. 'Is he not here?' Megumi stood there for a few seconds, 'Right, everyone is gathering for the funeral at the dojo.' Megumi ran in the direction of the dojo.
Day 4 – Kamiya Dojo – about 10:01am
There was a knock on the gate to the dojo. Yahiko made his way to the gate to open the door. He cracked it immediately recognizing the newcomer, "Misao, Aoshi!" "Yahiko," Misao greeted for the two of them. "We came when we got word from the Chief. Is it true that Kaoru…?"
Yahiko let Misao and Aoshi into the dojo sad all over again, "Yes it's true." Misao didn't say anything else for a while. Surprisingly Aoshi continued instead, "We heard that the funeral would be held today. Is Himura here?" Yahiko nodded and pointed in the direction of Kenshin's room. "He hasn't said much ever since."
Aoshi nodded and headed towards Kenshin's room. Misao followed Yahiko to the common room where Sano was now lingering. "Weasel!" Sano greeted Misao upon seeing her enter with Yahiko. "Glad you could make it." "I'm not a weasel," Misao pouted. "Of course we came." "We?" Sano lifted a brow. "Master Aoshi traveled with me. The Chief warned about a murderer on the loose. The one that killed…" Misao still couldn't bring herself to say it, but Sano understood. The two of them had become close in the short time they were together.
"Aoshi's here huh. I take it he went to see Kenshin?" "Mmm-hmm." Misao nodded. Sano stood up intending to greet Aoshi. After leaving the common room he heard the gate being opened.
Kenshin's door slid open, "Aoshi?" Aoshi walked in inviting himself and leaned on a wall nearby, "We heard about Ms. Kamiya. So Misao and I came here for the funeral." Kenshin's head lowered, "I won't be much company." Aoshi noticed the orange glint in Kenshin's eyes. "When we battled before you faced Shishio, I was as you described it, weak mentally. Have the tables turned Himura?"
Kenshin's head lifted at the insinuation that Aoshi had just made. "So what if it has. My will to live holds no more meaning now. I have to stop that killer from taking another innocent life and avenge Ms. Kaoru."
"I doubt Ms. Kamiya would ever want you to break your vow." "Ms. Kaoru is no longer here, so it doesn't matter anymore." Aoshi looked at the troubled warrior before him, "I never understood your determination to not take another life when we fought. But your vow has allowed me to have a second chance. Misao helped me to become a better person. She, however annoying at the time, pointed out that I was still grieving for my fallen brothers."
Aoshi thought for a moment of what to say next, "I can't imagine what I would do if I ever lost Misao now. I would probably avenge her death as well. But perhaps Ms. Kamiya knew that your stubborn vow is necessary for you to retain some sense of peace. Based on what you told me before, it's easy to give in. But your vow is atonement for the sins of your past. The most important thing I know is to look to your friends for help. They're also grieving."
Kenshin breathed a sigh and was silent for a stretch. 'Hmm, that is strange, no objections Battōsai?' Kenshin waited, but still there was no voice urging him to kill his opponent. 'What Aoshi is saying makes sense. I take it you agree as well?' After no response from the voice that made itself known the past couple of days, Kenshin chalked it up to exhaustion, denial, and grief. After all, he didn't sleep much ever since day 1.
"You are right Aoshi." Kenshin stood in that moment and replied softly, "Let us meet with the others. After all, this is a day we should be remembering Ms. Kaoru, that it is."
"Ms. Megumi, what's with the rush?" Sano watched as Dr. Gensai, Ayame, Suzume, and Megumi entered through the gate. "I need to talk to you Dr. Gensai about your observation of the body." "You mean Ms. Kaoru?" "Yes," Megumi hurriedly responded.
Dr. Gensai kneeled to the girl's level, "Ayame, Suzume go ahead and find Yahiko to play with. I'll be there in a little while." "Ok!" the girls answered in unison and scampered off. Sano decided to join the two and Dr. Gensai stood again.
"Meg I thought I told you it isn't safe to walk around on your own." "Not now Rooster. Dr. Gensai, when you examined the body were there any maggots present?" Dr. Gensai thought a moment.
Sano visibly cringed with arms raised as if fending off an invisible enemy. "Eew, you mean those white wormy things that feed off of corpses?" "Yes those," Megumi answered.
Sano relaxed a moment, "Do you have to talk about those gross things? Can't you just call them beetles instead?" "They aren't beetles. And the topic of this conversation will be maggots." "I know, but beetles aren't as gross." "Rooster head you don't have to be here you know." "We have to talk about you traveling by yourself later." "Alright fine!" "Call them beetles," Sano insisted.
"I thought you were a tough guy…" Dr. Gensai sighed, "If you two are finished." "Sorry Dr. Gensai," Megumi eyed Sano for the interruption. "To answer your question Ms. Megumi, I didn't get a chance to examine Ms. Kaoru too closely. I don't recall seeing many magg…" "Eh em," Sano cleared his throat. "…many beetles." Dr. Gensai corrected.
"I found three beetles that were about 20mm in length. Well, one was half remaining, but they each were dead. They were also blackened as if they died in the fire. One of them though seemed untouched. I found lots of smaller beetles that were scattered about the body maybe 8mm in length." "Hmm…" Dr. Gensai thought a moment. "What does that mean?" Sano had to ask.
"Well, entomology is becoming popular in determining how long a body has been decomposing." "Huh?" was Sano's response. "Dr. Gensai I find explaining as if he were Yahiko's age helpful." "Hey!"
Dr. Gensai laughed at Sano's bruised ego. "M' boy, bugs or in this case beetles are being used to tell us how long a body has been dead. Entomology is the study of bugs. It's said that the life cycle of a mag…um beetle corresponds with how many days a body has been lying there. We did move the body, but when someone is killed, it takes 1 to 2 days for the eggs to be laid. The eggs take 1 day to hatch. The 1st instar or molting stage where they shed their skin, takes about another day. They're about 2-5mm in length in this state. The next day or the 2nd instar, they move around more feeding off the corpse. They are about 10mm in this stage."
Dr. Gensai took a moment to think, "Now the beetles that Ms. Megumi found were mostly in this stage based on her description. So that roughly matches when we found the body. Given that a fly isn't going to lay its eggs immediately after putting out a fire."
"So, the beetles that were larger aren't matching the time the body was found?" "Exactly Rooster. If they were on the body prior to the fire and possibly burned too…" "That means that the body was dead for at least 4 to 5 days prior to being burned," Dr. Gensai finished excitedly. "The 3rd instar takes 2 days before it becomes a pre-pupa." "So…?" Sano was still lost.
"So Rooster head, that body we found isn't Kaoru." A light went off as Sano caught on to what was being explained.
"The intense heat of the fire might have been what killed the first set of…beetles."
"So if the little Missy is alive, then whose body is that?" "No idea Rooster, but I have to tell the others. Sir Ken would be," "Wait Ms. Megumi." Megumi halted in her step. "There is a possibility of transferred larvae." 'Does he mean…' "Do you mean that the straw mat that was used might have been from a prior corpse and transferred to the body that was burned?" Dr. Gensai just nodded yes. That caused Megumi's mood to sour.
"I don't know Dr. Gensai. I would believe that if the blackened ones fell off on the table or something. But these were on the body. I literally plucked them off." Megumi thought a moment more, then shook her head no, "No I think Kaoru's alive."
Sano grabbed her arm, "Think about this Meg. Why would anyone go through this much trouble of faking Kaoru's death?" "I don't know…so we wouldn't look for her."
"Ms. Kaoru is alive!" The three turned to see Kenshin and Aoshi standing nearby. Everyone just stood there for a moment not saying anything. Yahiko and Misao had also emerged from the common area after hearing Kenshin's remark a moment ago. Everyone gave the trio their attention.
Megumi pulled her arm away from Sano, "Well Sir Ken, everyone. We found evidence that the body that was burned may not be Kaoru." There was a collective gasp from the others, "What do you mean?" Misao was quick to recover.
"Well, I found maggots…" Megumi eyed Sano. "Which I'm going to refer to as beetles to not gross out anyone in particular. Beetles are now being used to help determine how long ago a body has been dead and decomposing. 1st eggs are laid, they take 1 day to hatch. The next day they become larva about 2-5mm and feed on fluids, it takes 1 day for them to molt their skin. On the third day they're about 5-10mm in length they feed on decaying flesh and take 1 day to molt again. I found the majority of the beetles in this stage upon preparing the body for burial this morning."
Megumi continued, "But I also found three dead beetles that were 20mm in length. They reach this length in stage 4 and it takes 2 days for them to molt their skin again before becoming a pre-pupa." Everyone was listening intently, "So the three that were found dead. Were these killed in the fire?" "Yes Aoshi. One was partially burned, one was blackened but the last one was whole. For them to be burned, that means that the body was decaying for 4 to 5 days prior to the fire."
"Yes!" Misao exclaimed. "I knew Kaoru was alive." "Now I understand Sagara's question. Who would go through so much trouble to hide the fact that the body we found isn't Kamiya?"
For the first time in the past two days, life seemed to breathe into Kenshin. His eyes shown clarity yet anger still lingered. The kind of anger that Kenshin held when Kaoru was abducted before by Jin-e. "Because, they know that Ms. Kaoru is friends with the former Battōsai, that they do. And they know that I will stop at nothing to find her."
A smile spread across Megumi's face at the statement, 'Now that's the Sir Ken that I know!' She was glad to see the orange had been reduced to a sliver and his usual purple eye color returned.
Dr. Gensai stepped forward, "I must warn everyone that there is an issue of transferred beetles." Everyone's eyes snapped to Dr. Gensai. "We don't know if the beetles were already there at the location feeding off of a small dead animal or rotten fruit for example. Or if the larvae were on the straw mat used to transport and cover the body after the fire occurred."
Everyone frowned at the statement. "I don't mean to discourage everyone, but there is still a chance that the woman is still Ms. Kaoru." All eyes looked amongst the group before looking to Kenshin.
Megumi witnessed the orange in his eyes slightly gained more ground but not as much as before. Kenshin knowing all eyes were on him, exhaled before continuing. "We should hold off on the ceremony. I hate to ask Ms. Megumi, but can you tell the Chief to hold on to the body a little longer?" Megumi nodded, "Oh, Saitō is in town now. He arrived earlier this morning at the Prefecture."
"I think we should meet up with the Chief and Mr. Saitō later." Megumi nodded and headed for the gate, "I'll bring them here." "Wait a second Foxy. I'm coming with you." "Alright, let's go then," Megumi rushed.
'Ms. Kaoru, please be alive. I will not rest until I find you.'
Day 4 - Coastal City of Sendai - about 12:10pm
After hearing Jūrō leave the alley with his companion, Hirohito had a great understanding of what their operation entailed. He snuck his way back into the telegraph shop via the back door and heard Jūrō talking with the owner.
"Perfect timing Mr. Jūrō. This message just came for you from your partner." Jūrō grabbed the paper to read its contents. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled for a moment. "Thanks. Here's payment for the telegraphs." Jūrō folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket before leaving the shop.
'I suppose that means his partner came through with having a ship ready. Wish I knew where this partner is…' As to not alarm the shop owner, Hirohito went back out the back door, climbed over the trash pile, and ran up the alley. 'Don't want the shop owner to recognize me as possibly stalking Jūrō. I'll have Takashi report to the Chief again. We might have to send the message personally though. I have a feeling the shop owner is involved.'
Jūrō was a good distance away. Hirohito followed but branched off towards his comrades. 'There's still about 15 minutes before Jūrō meets that Ono guy again. I'll brief the others then see if I can find out more by eavesdropping.'
Whew, that chapter was a bit lengthier than the rest, but it was necessary. Much to reveal in the next chap! Hopefully, I'm not hated by too many Kenshin/Kaoru fans. I would appreciate any comments or reviews about the story. Until next time…