I grabbed a tray and came to join the others in the dining room. Everyone was already there, even Kondou-san, sitting at Souji's left. There was a tray at Souji's right which I supposed was Haruhi's but she was nowhere to be seen. Sen and Kimigiku's eyes were both throwing daggers at me but I ignored them. I had no intention to comply with their orders. She was no princess of mine.
Walking, I kept my right hand on my tray and quickly unsheathed my katana with my left to block the blow aiming at my back. I turned around and frowned.
« No weapons at the dinner table. » I said coldly.
« Ara » chuckled Souji « I told you it wouldn't work ! »
Haruhi made a pout and I asked her silently with my gaze to put her bokken away. She complied and came back to the dinner table, sitting in front of me, at Souji's right.
« That's not fair... » she complained. « You keep your swords and Souji and Kondou-san too... »
I didn't answer. I wasn't in the mood for her complaints. I started eating silently and peacefully but that peace didn't last long since Sen turned to me to resume our earlier conversation.
« Are you ready to surrender Nagumo Kaoru to us now, Saito-san ? » she asked loud enough for everyone to hear.
« Who's Kaoru, Hajime ? » asked Haruhi, puzzled.
Even Kondou-san was looking at us with curiosity and concern. That princess really was a damn demonic woman.
« Saito-kun, is there something I should know ? » asked Kondou-san with furrowed brows.
« Oooh, so Kondou-san, your commander, doesn't even know ! » added Sen with a mischievous grin « explain to him, Saito-san. »
I put my chopsticks down and had a quick glare in Haruhi's direction before looking at Kondou-san.
« Chizuru is still in the hands of Kazama. Her brother was pretending to be her to lure us. We decided to ask him a few questions and that seems to upset princess Sen. »
Kondou-san nodded. He perfectly knew what asking a few questions meant.
« Kondou-san » asked Sen « can you order him to release Kaoru ? »
« It seems to me that Saito-kun is in his right. » he replied, sipping tea.
« So no one is going to do anything while a boy is getting tortured for hours in that castle ?! » she yelled.
« You're torturing someone, Hajime ? » asked Haruhi with wide eyes.
I sighed. It really was unworthy of a princess to use Haruhi like this to make me bend the knee. And it wasn't like it was going to work anyway.
« What have you learned anyway after making this poor boy suffer that much ?! » continued Sen.
« We know that Chizuru is still with Kazama and that they could have gone to Edo or to the Kazama clan in the Bungo province. We have no more information yet. »
« Oh great, so that was effective, wasn't it ? » she replied with sarcasm « hours of torture for that result. »
« Haruhi. » I ordered « go to your room. »
« But I'm not finished... » she said
« Take your tray. » I ordered and she obeyed, stopping at her bokken to take it too. I watched her go away and resumed eating my dinner.
« Saito-san » said Sen again « maybe we can come to an agreement. »
« I'm listening. » I said, only to be polite. There was no way I could agree to release that little maggot.
« You release Kaoru and I lend you Yasha Koan and Yasha Mika. » she offered.
« Why would I agree to that ? » I asked in a toneless voice.
« Their flair. » she said with a smile « they can find out where Kazama went, make you avoid traps set up by the SatCho and they can lead you to him. »
That was tempting. But Kaoru was mine and I was in my right. I would not release him alive.
« Saito-kun » added Kondou-san « I know how much Saito-sensei means to you but I cannot allow you to depart for Kyūshū. The ship is in three weeks and the Shinsengumi needs you in Edo. »
« If Yasha-san's flair is so good, how come you haven't rescued Kaoru already ? » I asked and I heard Souji chuckled.
« They... They can't enter the castle. » she replied, queasy.
« Convenient. » I nodded with a smirk « so I have no way to verify that information. »
« Listen, Saito-san » she frowned « You're not the only one worried about Chizuru-chan, alright ? We are all concerned ! So stop seeing me like your enemy or something, we are on the same side ! »
« But you do not want me to get revenge. » I added calmly.
« Do you know how many pure blood demons are left ? » she asked and I waited silently for her to give me the answer « four. Nagumo Kaoru, Kazama Chikage, his mother, and Saito Chizuru. »
I could see that she said Saito Chizuru only to sooth me but I had to admit, it worked a bit. I was glad to have this name getting out of Sen's lips. It must have cost her dearly.
« So you are going to tell me that I cannot kill Kazama either. » I replied coldly.
« You couldn't kill him even if you tried. » she replied with a glum face « our only solution is diplomacy. And Yasha Koan and Mika can help you on that matter too. »
I stayed silent and thought for a minute. It was true that when I crossed swords with Kazama, I was completely outmatched and dominated. But at that moment, I was wounded, I had a fever and I was human. Could it be possible that even as a Rasetsu the gap of power was so important between the two of us ?
« Alright. » I said, and I saw Sen's smile grow wide. « I heard your proposal, hear mine. »
« I'm listening. » she nodded, her smile gone.
« You will ask Yasha-san to find out if Kazama went east or west. If he went east, I still have time to rescue Chizuru before getting back to the Shinsengumi and I will give you back precious Kaoru. But I'm not giving him back whole, just alive. »
« What do you mean ? » she asked, eyes wide.
« I will not be fooled again. » I said firmly « Souji wanted to see if an eye can grow back. I think it can't. I'm taking this. »
« It can't. » she confirmed « but please don't do this... »
« If Kazama went west » I continued as if I hadn't heard « Then I would have to perform my duty towards the Shinsengumi and rescue her afterwards. Anything could happen to her during that period and I cannot forgive this. Kaoru will pay with his life. »
Sen stayed silent, so did the rest of the table, tensed.
« If Yasha-san lies to me to save Kaoru's life, I'm coming back for all the Yase clan. » I said with steel in my voice.
« Alright. » she agreed « we can accept this. But you're not taking Kaoru's eye. I can allow you a finger. »
« Can it grow back ? » I asked, suspicious.
« It can't. » she denied.
« Then I accept. » I nodded and all the table sighed in relief that we finally came to an agreement.
« Kiku, can you go and ask Koan to find out where Kazama went ? » asked Sen.
« Understood, Sen-himesama. » she bowed before heading out.
« She'll come back soon enough. » nodded Sen.
« Kaoru must be kept prisoner by the Yase clan. » I added « if his path crosses mine again, I would not be as merciful. »
« I understand and I thank you for your diplomacy. » nodded Sen.
« I agree with this too. » nodded Kondou-san « and I thank you, Saito-kun, for not abandoning the Shinsengumi. »
« My life is vowed to serve the Shinsengumi. » I nodded too. « Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a conversation with my daughter. »
I exited the room and got up the stairs to stop at Haruhi's room. I announced myself and waited for her answer before entering. She had finished eating and was ready to go to bed, her futon unfolded and wearing her sleeping nagajuban. Her bokken was laying next to her futon, as if someone could come at night and attack her. That was cute. I approached her and sat next to her.
« Haruhi. » I started « do you feel like we need to talk about what you heard at dinner ? »
« I don't know... » she answered queasily. « I understand you hurt someone. »
« Do you understand why ? » I asked, plunging my eyes into her lighter saphir ones.
« Because it's a bad guy ? » she tried and I smirked.
« Good and bad are two sides of the same mirror. » I said « For that boy, I was the bad guy. Yet, sometimes you need to do gruesome things to protect the ones you love. »
« But... I thought that a samurai always had to fight with honor ? » she asked, confused.
« Your honor resides where you choose to put it. It is strictly personal. If I had abandoned Chizuru, it wouldn't have been respectable to me. So I had to use despicable ways to get the chance to act according to my judgement. Do you understand ? »
« No... » she shook her head and I sighed.
These kinds of concepts were surely difficult to understand for a child. To her, the world was still black and white. There were the good guys on one side and the bad guys on the other. That was easy.
« When you kill someone, it's wrong. It's not honorable. But when you do it to protect your loved ones and the things you believe in, then it becomes honorable. I'm not proud of torturing that boy and I would rather not have done it. But I did it to rescue Chizuru. The intent, the reasons behind the act, that is where the difference resides. »
She seemed to be in intense reflexion and I waited patiently for her to come up with her own conclusions but instead, she quickly grabbed her bokken and attacked me. I could have blocked her if I wanted to but I feigned surprise.
« You owe me a wakizashi ! » she said with a wide smile and I smiled with her.
« I guess I do. » I replied, standing up « good night, Haruhi. »
« Good night, Hajime. » she smiled, pulling the covers over her.
I exited the room and joined mine. Because of my Rasetsu condition, I was feeling totally fine, not tired at all. Yet, I forced my body to rest against its will. I wouldn't be a night owl. I would live normally. I would not be a monster.