AN: Up until now I've been a little unsure of the time frame of this story compared to where exactly it falls during the time frame of the actual show, but from the beginning I imagined my story taking place two years after Soujiro's duel with Kenshin and I think I'm settled on that idea now. So I guess that makes Soujiro nineteen years old in my story. I'm probably a little late in saying all that but I kept going back and forth on other ideas. ^-^'
Avaron did not seem to mind the silence and her face looked rather serene as she watched the snow fall around them. She was dressed very warmly in costly garments, but they were hardly so ostentatious that they would quickly attract the wrong attention. She wasn't the type to flaunt her wealth, but Soujiro, by no means, could understand why she was lingering. He didn't look that out of place standing next to her, however. He wasn't exactly dressed in rags and wore clothing similar to what he had while working for Shishio, who gave Soujiro more than enough to get by. While he wore clothes fit enough for a nobleman's son, he had still made it clear before this girl he was without money, and obviously homeless, no, a wanderer, but she didn't know that. She also had to know by now that he was in trouble with the law, no thanks to Koharu.
He earned a sympathetic glance from her when he shivered involuntarily as a chilling gust of wind blew into him. He ignored her stare until her gaze became more inquisitive like before when he first smiled at her. He slowly clenched at his sleeves the longer she stared. "Do you need someone to walk you back?" He finally asked.
She looked away bashfully. "That might be a good idea, but that's not why I haven't -"
"Which way?"
She pointed to their left.
He stepped back onto the main road and started heading the direction she pointed. She followed suit without another word. Once she was walking beside him again, Soujiro couldn't help but notice she had left the clinic empty handed. "Where is the medicine for your aunt?"
"I couldn't stomach buying from that man after what he did to you. I don't care if it's just business. A life of a child was at stake."
"So you ventured out here for nothing," he remarked.
"If that's what you think, then I guess I did. " She muttered as she stared at the ground dejectedly.
Soujiro didn't realize how cold he was coming across until she last spoke. It wouldn't had mattered so much to him if she hadn't managed to save him from the police. He didn't exactly need saving per se, except for the fact his goal had been trying to get Koharu help. Without a doubt, he could have easily taken the policemen out on his own and gotten Koharu out of there, but then his face would be more widely known. He would have had to flee the city right away and risked being tracked through the snow, and Koharu succumbing to the cold because of her weakened state. Avaron had saved him a lot of heartache, so he felt the least he could do was be more cordial towards her.
However, they hardly ended up saying another word to each other before Avaron was able to point out the hotel she was staying in. He walked her to the main door and for some reason, offered another smile. "Sayunora, Ohara. I do appreciate what you did for me. I'm sorry I can't make it up to you. I hope your arrival to Tokyo is a safe one."
Again, his smile seemed to have a strange effect on her as she gazed comprehensively and she even stepped closer to him, as if she needed a closer look. "My aunt had ordered a pot of tea right before I left. You still ended up having to save me after I willingly put myself in harm's way. The least I can do is offer you a warm drink. I think my aunt would like meeting you too.
Soujiro was becoming suspicious of her. She was prolonging his stay because she was still trying to figure him out somehow. Part of him was curious, but another part of him was equitably apprehensive. He felt he needed to step away from her because of how close she got and she seemed to be using her parasol to keep him within its vicinity. His smile was partly to blame. He seemed to have a face anyone could trust and she seemed to be a little too trusting it it and his smile. "Are you always so trusting of everyone you meet or do I have you that much fooled?" He couldn't help but smirk.
She chuckle softly. "You're not fooling anyone, Soujiro. From the first I saw you, you've been giving of yourself."
"For my sister."
She nodded with a shy smile of her own. "Again, who are you fooling? You've given me no reason not to trust you when your actions so far have been true. Are you coming in or not?"
Before he could decline, the door beside them was thrust aside to reveal a troubled looking woman in her fifties ready to brave the cold weather until her wrinkled eyes focused on Avaron. "Goodness, child! I was getting worried sick-who's this?" She pointed at Soujiro who Avaron was clearly sheltering under her parasol with her. Soujiro seemed to realize all the more how close Avaron was to him and took a step back from her.
"Turns out you were right Aunt Honoka," Avaron smiled with a shrug. "It was dangerous to leave. I was attacked by street thugs and he saved me."
That's not exactly what happened, but Soujiro didn't bother to correct her. He figured she had a reason to word it that way. This woman probably didn't need to know Avaron had willingly put herself in danger and she certainly didn't need to know she had to shield Soujiro from the police.
"This is Seta Soujiro. He was just walking me back. Soujiro, this is my Aunt Honoka I was telling you about."
"Pleasure," He said rather abruptly. He looked back at Avaron. "Thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid I can't stay."
"Why not?" Honoka interjected.
They both looked at Honoka, Soujiro appearing the most confused. When he looked back at Avaron, she was already gazing apologetically at him. She didn't act sorry for long. "There's not much for you to do until your sister is better. You might as well as use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself." She faced her aunt. "I told him I'd give him a warm drink before I'd send him back on the road."
"A drink?" The woman scoffed. "Don't be absurd, child. Have you eaten?" She asked him.
"Well, no -"
"Splendid. We haven't either." The woman stepped forward and clutch Soujiro's wrist and pulled him with a jerk inside the building. Before he could act in defiance, the woman spun around and clasped her other hand over his. "Goodness. You're freezing." She rubbed the top of her warm palm over his hand in a motherly fashion, which caused him to blush. Somehow, he had been picturing Ayaka when Avaron first mentioned her aunt. This woman was nothing like Ayaka. "How inconsiderate of my niece to keep you in the cold. Close the door, child!" She yelled at Avaron, who was already in the middle of shutting the door. She turned to face them with a cheerful smile as she closed her parasol and held it neatly in front of her. She seemed to pay little heed to the woman's antics. Soujiro couldn't help but note Honoka hardly resemble that of her niece with her thinning dark brown and gray hair pulled into a small tight bun and her beady eyes compared to Avaron's auburn hair and vibrant green eyes.
"He's not a lost child, Aunt Honoka. You don't have to hold his hand."
The woman released his hand. "I know that. Go sit by the fire, Seta. I'll bring the tea over."
Soujiro held his hand when she let it go with a puzzling expression and met Avaron's eyes when she stood next to him. As odd as it was, the woman's hands had been warm and unusually soft against his.
"Now is your chance to run," Avaron whispered jokingly.
"You people really are too trusting."
"Maybe you need to trust a bit more," she turned her nose up to him as she passed him. She turned to face him one more time. "Coming?"
He stood in place for a moment longer before he found more reason to go along with this rather than avoid it. First, he clearly saw that the aunt was the type to be offended if he rejected her hospitality now, even though he hardly felt like he deserved it. Second, it was freezing outside and the atmosphere in the hotel had only made it harder to want to leave. Third, this girl clearly had some interest in him since nearly the beginning. She had feared him for a split second and had even nearly ran to leave him to face the police alone, but something had changed her mind. He wondered if he should just ask.
An hour passed by and Soujiro got to enjoy a large meal he had not been able to have since leaving his Teken days behind. He would have been more then happy with bowl of udon soup, but Honoka seemed to be the type to be afraid of under feeding her guests and Soujiro was the type to not want to offend. It wasn't exactly a hard task to eat to his heart's content. He blended well into the atmosphere around him and had slowly let his guard down as he felt more comfortable in Avaron's and her aunt's presence. He even felt guilty he was enjoying his time without Koharu, though she would not have blended in as easily. The girl would draw attention by the clothes she wore and her current inability to use chopsticks, and just by her being Koharu.
"Are your sure you've eaten enough?" Honoka asked.
"Hai. I couldn't have another bite if I wanted to. I'm so full," he smiled appreciatively. "I hardly feel like I deserve it."
"Nonsense. It's the least I can do for what you've done." Honoka sat up straight knowing now she had done her job and sipped on her tea. "You do have a charming smile," she noted kindly when she lowered her cup.
He found himself blushing again. "Arigato." He didn't know what else to say to that. He raised his head when he felt Avaron's gaze fall upon again, though this time, she seemed to be staring with more recognition and more fondly at him.
"Avaron, child, where are your manners? The boy's cup is empty," she spat out in a crass tone at her niece.
Avaron was woken up from her spell and faced forward with red cheeks and scrambled for the teapot.
"Oh, that isn't necessary," Soujiro tried to speak up as she hastily grabbed the teapot. He didn't want to come across as some leech and didn't think it through when he held his hand over the cup as she started pouring the tea in. "Ah!" He dropped the cup as he hissed in pain and clutched his burnt hand.
There was an even louder clash of dish that struck the table when Avaron dropped the teapot after realizing what she did to him. It tipped over when it struck the table and was now spilling the rest of its contents on her aunt.
"Oh, foolish child!" Her aunt stood from the table doing a rather amusing dance as she fought through the worst of the burn while the tea soaked through her clothes.
"I am so sorry! I should have waited until you weren't holding the cup!" Avaron cried out in horror.
Soujiro couldn't help but burst into laughter as he held his afflicted hand. He laughed at his own stupidity, the look on Avaron's face the moment she realized what she had done and the little dance Honoka was still performing after having the rest of the tea spill on her. There was something about that moment that felt so...right. Maybe Koharu would have fitted in after all.
"I'm glad someone finds this funny," Honoka muttered out loud.
"Excuse me," Soujiro still laughed softly. "I think I'm to blame for this."
"Nonsense. Avaron, see that your guest is unscathed while I go change."
"Hai, Aunt Honoka," she bowed her head in shame. When her Aunt had left them to change out of her wet clothes, waitresses were already at the table to clean up the mess.
"Please bring my guest a cold towel for his hand," she requested the waitress as she was leaving with the cracked teapot. "I apologize for the mess."
"Not a problem. It happens," the worker said kindly. The waitress returned quickly with a cold towel on a plate and sat it on the table.
When the two were finally left alone, they met each other's gaze and her mouth twitched before she finally could laugh at her mishap and he joined in with her. "That's better. I was starting to feel bad for laughing earlier."
"No, it was funny. But I couldn't dare laugh in front of my aunt," she chuckled softly. "She wouldn't have been as kind to me."
When she stopped, her face slowly fell back into contemplative state, and he couldn't help but feel he was still somehow the source of it. He found himself now studying her closely.
"Avaron?" He asked softly. She shifted her gaze to meet his. "I do appreciate what you and your aunt have done for me and I know very well it was sincere. I just can't help but feel you invited me here for another reason. I have to admit, it's one of the reasons I accepted your hospitality."
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you keep staring at me like you know me?" He asked point blank. She clearly wasn't just going to say and he didn't have time to wait for her to open up.
She blushed. "I guess I haven't been very subtle."
"Hardly," he kept to a gentle tone of voice. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, Soujiro. You look very much familiar."
For a brief moment, Soujiro considered she might be a relative of someone he might have been sent to kill, but he quickly disregarded that notion. He was much too quick and careful for him to have left any witnesses behind. However, there had been times he was meant to be seen killing. He had openly made examples of those who would dare defy Shishio, especially of those whose villages they would invade for their resources and supplies. Village leaders and families were often executed by his hand under the order of Shishio...and Avaron seemed to be without parents. The thought of that suddenly terrified him.
"Was it my sword?" He asked sullenly, his head becoming too heavy to lift to meet her eyes.
"Your sword?"
"Was seeing me with my sword what looked so familiar?" Depending on her answer, he thought he might run. But how would that look, especially after they had fed him? Part of this journey was to right the wrong he had done, but what could he do to fix this?
Nonetheless, she shook her head and clutched the cold towel after realizing Soujiro neglected to do so. She sat beside him and held her hand out towards Soujiro, who was still holding his afflicted hand. "No, Soujiro. Your sword has nothing to do with it."
After she told him what he needed to hear first, he felt he could let his guard down even more. So far, he hadn't regretted doing so and risked passing his hand into her care. She swallowed in remorse seeing the damage the hot tea had done and placed the cold towel over the agitated skin of his knuckles. She placed his hand back on the table but kept her hand rested over the cold towel. He didn't know why he was allowing her to touch him in such a way, but he found that he liked it. She almost wasn't even holding his hand. It seemed harmless, but he swore he felt his heartbeat increased in speed. "At first, it was how you looked at me. Those eyes...they looked so familiar. But even that sounded ridiculous to me." She exhaled and her lips slowly curled. "But before I could completely disregard it...you smiled."
Soujiro was only getting more confused. Those who knew him as the Teken knew he smiled, maybe too much, but he was rarely without his sword. She said his sword had nothing to do with it.
He lowered his eyes towards his hand when she clutched it more tightly towards his wrist so he actually could feel the warmth of her hand. Her hand was soft like her aunt's, but felt more fragile which suggested she hardly ever had to work with them. It gave an idea of how wealthy they must be to work so little. He finally found the will to raise his head to meet her green eyes. "Seta Soujiro. I think I remember now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the son of a merchant."
Soujiro suddenly jerked from her hold and pulled his hand from her grasp. "How do you know that?" His voice quaked. That man had not been his father, but she already knew more than he ever wanted anybody to be aware of. He realized now it wasn't his Teken smile she had been referring to. She was referring to a time before he ever touched a sword. She was remembering the smile of a seven year old.
Avaron became frightful, not so much of him, but she just now seemed to realize she brought up a sensitive subject. "Forgive me. My memory is still failing me. I was only five at the time."
"Who the hell are you?" He struggled to keep his voice down.
"My father was a traveling doctor passing through your village at the time. You and I became well acquainted during that time."
"I have no memory of you," he scoffed in disbelief at her.
She looked away wrinkling her brow as she closed her eyes in the tensing moment and tried to remember her earlier childhood. She opened her eyes. "That's understandable. You were unconscious for a great deal of the time I knew you." She shifted her gaze to him. "I saw what they did to you, Soujiro. Your brothers, I assume? They weren't just teasing you. They were beating you...maliciously." When he only continued to glare, she continued. "They saw me and I got scared. I always ran to my father when I got scared. I guess you somehow managed to follow me back. You were suddenly there in the doorway when I got into the safety of his arms. For some reason, you were smiling and tried to speak before you...you collapsed on the ground." When she spoke the last sentence, she saw a spark of remembrance flicker in his eyes. "You remember now, don't you? You were unconscious for two days. My father spent the week nursing you back to health. I got to know you whenever you would wake up. My father had me bring you tea and food and keep you company until you would fall back asleep."
Soujiro looked away. "That doesn't sound right. My...family would have never had allowed that."
"My father was a doctor," she reminded him. Her eyes narrowed in contempt as she spoke the next sentence. "He didn't even need me to explain how you got those wounds. We hid you from them...for as long as we could," she uttered the last few words sorrowfully and clenched the fabric of her clothes on her lap. It sounded like they had been forced to give him up.
Soujiro stood from the table and stepped back from her. "I think I've heard enough. Thank your aunt for me, but I need to leave." He offered a short bow and then briskly turned to leave.
"Soujiro, wait. It's dangerous out there, even for you." She barely managed to cut him off at the door. He huffed impatiently as he stepped away from her. She thought he might shove her aside. "Come to Tokyo with us. We can provide you and Koharu with shelter. You'll both be safe."
He would no longer meet her eyes and was already shaking his head. "There's just one problem...I still have no memory you." His voice was quivering now as he spoke. "Please just step aside."
"You remember something."
"I don't want to remember any of it!" He suddenly lashed out. The whole room went quiet and he felt all eyes present fall on his back. Honoka had just retreated down the last few steps after changing into dry clothes when he yelled at her niece.
"Get out of my way before I make you," He uttered disdainfully. Only she could see the tears he was fighting to hold back.
At last, Avaron bowed her head in defeat and stepped aside from him. She winced when he slammed the door behind him. After a moment of absorbing what had just happened, she raised her solemn green eyes towards her aunt and openly revealed the tears falling down her cheeks and off her chin. She didn't realize what pain she had stirred within him until it was too late. Soujiro had hid it very well up until he last screamed at her.
He eventually found himself standing in a dark alleyway that gave him a decent view of the clinic Koharu resided in. His side was against the wall and he held his arms around him like he had been physically wounded. It had been true. He couldn't recall ever knowing a girl like Avaron. The only thing that had triggered any memory of her was when she mentioned him smiling at her and then collapsing in the doorway wherever her and her father had been residing at the time. He had probably been sent after her to stop her from relating whatever she saw his so-called family doing to him. As usual, he would have to pretend and convince others he was fine so the family reputation could be protected. He couldn't quite recall all what Avaron was trying to relate to him, but what she explained sounded very typical. Except for the fact that someone had actually felt sorry for him and even tried to help. That's what sounded most unbelievable.
He shifted his whole back against the wall and thrust the back of his skull against the wall as he gazed up towards the heavens. He never thought he would miss Koharu so quickly after leaving her, even if it was just for a little while. He could be depending on her right now to distract his thoughts from the past. She always seemed to save him just when it got to be too much.
He let his feet slowly slip out from beneath him so that his back slid down the wall until he was seated on the cold ground. Just as he started to pull his knees against him, a soft chime emanated from his pocket. He smiled when he heard her voice in head again. Remember to play it when you're sad, okay?
"Okay, Koharu," he responded softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled the strange contraption out and for the first time, reeled the music box through on his own. The gentle tune came through jerky at first as he experimented how slow or fast to turn the lever until the tune came through more cleanly. He stretched his leg back out as he reeled the tune through a second time now that he knew the pace to which turn the lever. He was still smiling fondly when he lowered the music box in a soft closed fist and could still hear the gentle tune playing through his head. Koharu had managed to save him after after all and for a brief period, he managed to find peaceful slumber within the dark alleyway.
He awoke sometime in the night to a loud crash and then hysteric laughter echoing down the alleyway. He sat up straight and looked down the alleyway to see a woman struggling to get back to her feet after falling into some abandoned crates. At the first sight of her, it was easy to assume she was drunk and was laughing at her own pain and stupidity. Once she finally managed to get back to her feet, she continued to stagger down the street towards where Soujiro sat. He grumbled inwardly and tried to discreetly pull his leg in so the drunken woman wouldn't trip on him. He could smell the alcohol on her as she started to pass him.
"What's with you, boy?" She slurred her words and sprayed saliva as she spoke. He showed his disinterest when he looked away and refused to grace her with a response. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" She kicked rather violently at his legs. She thought she was being playful and funny, but she only earned a threatening glare from him. As he got a better look at her, he saw by how she was dressed that she was a prostitute. "Life is too short for such austerity. Loosen up!"
When he saw that he was not going to be left alone and that she would draw unwanted attention, he stood to leave. She clutched the front of his shirt as he attempted to leave and shoved him against the wall. "You're older than I thought." She gazed wantingly. It shouldn't have mattered anyway when she was old enough to be his mother.
"Let me go," he twisted her grasp off his shirt. "I have no money to give you," he thought that would scare her off more than anything and released her with a shove.
The last thing he expected was her to immediately grab him and aggressively pin him back against the wall. His eyes widen from the abhorrence when she planted her lips against his while she fought to keep him pinned. His hand instinctively went towards his side for his sword to shove her off with the thrust of the hilt, but he was quickly reminded he was without a weapon. She only pulled away briefly. "Money is no concern to me." He barely turned his head away in time when she tried to kiss him again. She settled for his neck instead. Despite her deathgrip and her nails biting into the skin of his arms, he overcame her when he got his arms between hers and tore her grip from him as he kneed her in the stomach. He had never struck a woman in such a way, but he was not about to let her take advantage of him. She heaved forward into him with a choked cough when he kneed her and he felt a sticky substance land on his cheek as she did so. He caught her by her shoulders and thrust her completely off him. Bone could be heard striking the opposite wall where her skull hit and she fell to the ground, still laughing. Soujiro was already using his sleeve to wipe his mouth clean of her repulsive kiss. It was like being kissed by an old dog. He touched his face where he still felt the sticky substance and pulled his hand away to see it was a clot of blood she had coughed onto him.
He looked back at the woman when her laughter started to subside and she started to choke on her blood before him and die a slow, painful death. Soujiro stumbled back as he covered his mouth and clenched his stomach to fight against the urge to throw up. This woman knew she was dying and had used him as some desperate last means to make the most of her precious time left on earth. It didn't matter at what cost to him or how he felt, she got her last bit of fun. Before he could watch her choke on her last breath, he turned his back and fled. He barely turned the next corner before he caught himself against the wall and could no longer suppress the urge and hurled everything from within his stomach. From there, he forced himself to keep running. He suddenly feared that woman had cost him everything.
The next morning, Soujiro could be found wandering aimlessly on the outskirt streets of Kofu, his head spinning in newfound anxiety. Tuberculosis. That was the illness plaguing this city and he was sure he had be infected. The worst thing about it was waiting. And what if he had contracted it? What would that mean for Koharu? How could he risk coming near her even now? He could be going to see her now, but he hadn't been able to convince himself to do so. In fact, he had avoided going near the clinic completely. For the first time in over ten years, the former Teken was afraid.
As he mindlessly turned the city street, he was bumped into from behind and slipped partially upon the snow.
"Sorry!" Soujiro heard before a small boy was seen rushing passed him and continued onward zealously in whatever errand he was running.
Soujiro caught himself against the wall of a building before he could actually slip and fall and took a moment to let out a quivering breath he had been holding in.
"Soujiro?"
He opened his eyes he had closed in his despair and saw the embroidered hem of her kimono first before slowly raising his gaze to meet Avaron's green eyes. He wanted to be displeased, even angry at the sight of her, but in all truth, she was a refreshing sight to behold. She had left her braid down and had long tassels of her hair framing her oval face. He almost didn't recognize her now seeing her in full daylight.
"You're so pale. Are you well?" She stepped closer with her parasol raised over both of them again.
Soujiro turned away, afraid to even breathe in her direction. His paleness was a result of what had taken place just the night before with the prostitute and having grown faint in his strength after throwing up all his food. He had not slept and had been wandering the streets up to this point. He also had reason to be pale from his fear of death greeting him sooner than he planned and suffering in such agony like that woman had before she got to take her last breath.
"...I'm fine," he finally managed to utter. "What are you doing here?"
"I've just returning from checking the train schedule. It's due here just before noon. And in all honesty," she lowered her head, "I was hoping to find you and make sure you were okay. I wanted to apologize. I should have been more aware of how it would have affected you bringing all that up to surface."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I overreacted."
"It caught you off guard," she stated more reasonably. She circled in front of him to face him better. He immediately stepped back keeping his head turned away, which caused her to shy away. Had he not been afraid of infecting her, he would not have mind her being so close.
She tightened her hold on her parasol and lowered her eyes doubtfully as she asked her next question. "Can I see you again?"
He at least shifted his gaze to meet her's. "I still don't remember you."
"Forget remembering. I don't want you to if it's only going to bring you pain. I still enjoyed your company last night, and unless you're that good at fooling others, I think you enjoyed you time too. Isn't that what counts?"
"Hai," he found himself smiling towards her. "I did enjoy our time together. You and your aunt were very kind to me. Don't think I'm ungrateful, Avaron, but I can't make any promises on whether or not we'll see each other again. I can't tell you why, but you have to understand it's for the best."
"It's okay," she said, though it was hard to dismiss the disappointment heard in her voice. "It was still an honor, Soujiro. My father would have wanted it. He did try to do more for you, but many factors played into why he couldn't just take you away."
"Well, nothing can change it now," he reminded her. "I should get going. Koharu is probably getting worried... Sayunora, Ohara Avaron." He said as he attempted to say his last goodbye to her again. He didn't wait for her to respond as he was eager to put the distance between them for her sake. He kept his arms crossed, but he smiled subtly when he could still feel her eyes gazing fondly upon him as left her behind. He actually didn't mind that. He could have liked her the way she clearly liked him. He hardly had cared about such things as the Teken and could hardly concern himself with it with all the training and missions Shishio entrusted him with. That was at least before Yumi came along. While he mainly wished that Yumi and Shishio would get a room whenever they openly displayed affection for each other, he couldn't help but wonder, even if it was a few short seconds, what such a thing was like. He never doubted the two didn't love each other just by how they would gaze at each other. Soujiro felt even if he wasn't at the risk of succumbing to tuberculosis, he would still be bringing Avaron down with him. Maybe Shishio could attempt to take over the country and have a love life, but Soujiro certainly didn't know how to make it apart of his life. In the end, Shishio still brought Yumi down with him and that was the last thing Soujiro desired for himself and another. He was stressed enough over Koharu and keeping her safe.
It was nearing noon and despite what he had told Avaron, he had held off on retrieving Koharu. The only thing that moved him to at last head in her direction was remembering that Koharu had not allowed herself to get better when he last delayed in returning to her. To make her wait any longer could possibly undo all the work the doctor had done to get her well.
As he finally made his way back into the heart of Kofu, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread starting to overwhelm him all over again. Talking to Avaron had distracted him somewhat from the negative feeling, but now he was allowed to drown in his new fears all over again. Every moment longer he spent in this city was a disquieting one. He was coming to realize that whether he stayed or left, death was upon him. He wanted to give up his life now before this sickness or his past finally caught up to him. If it wasn't one, it was going to be the other. The only thing making him hold onto his life on earth was the fact that Koharu needed him...
...He just didn't know how badly she needed him now until he came within view of the clinic.
The moment Soujiro saw what stood waiting for him before the clinic, he knew his past had finally caught up to him first. "No!" He suddenly yelled. Fear and anger now drove him completely as he rushed without delay for Koharu. Seconds later, he was seen when he slammed the shouji door aside.
"Sou!" Koharu screamed. A sword was suddenly drawn and lowered against her throat. She looked away with a cry. Soujiro followed the blade to its wielder, Sowagejo Cho with his usual cocky smile. Before he and Koharu was the corpse of the doctor lying in a pool of his blood, his eyes still wide open in shock just before his throat had been slit open. There were four hired thugs of Cho's surrounding the room, one standing directly behind Koharu. These weren't the average amateurs Soujiro had been faced with the past few weeks. It would appear Cho got to select his own trained fighters in his pursuance for the Teken and he had chosen all swordsmen.
"You son of bi-" the moment Soujiro started to lunge towards Cho, the man standing closest to Soujiro got between them drawing the point of his sword to Soujiro's throat.
"Don't take another step," he threatened. The trained swordsman could not even comprehend how quickly his life would have forfeited to Soujiro if he was wielding his own sword, but Soujiro was forced to a stop. He could not risk fighting without his sword while Koharu's life was in the hands of a careless murderer.
"I'd be careful if I were you Soujiro," Cho started. "My employer would prefer it if you were brought in alive."
"Run, Soujiro!" Koharu cried out.
Cho looked amused as he gazed down at his blade towards Koharu and scoffed at the sight of her. "It was smart claiming this brat as your sister in Gifu. If you hadn't made any other grave errors on your part, I would have easily dismissed it being you. Still, I thought you might have been more careful, Seta. I'm just curious as to why you left her alive this long. She has done nothing but hinder you."
"She's remained useful." He spoke carefully through clenched teeth.
"Really?" Cho questioned doubtfully. "Well, she'll no longer be of use where you're going, " he sneered at her as he pressed the sharp edge of his katana into her throat. Koharu softly cried as she tried to twist away. Cho was testing Soujiro, and it was working.
"Damn it, Cho! Leave her out of this!" He attempted to maneuver towards them before the hired swordsman stepped aside and stopped Soujiro where he now stood by thrusting his sharp side of the blade just before his throat.
"This is Shishio's right hand man? This kid?" One of Cho's men scoffed at the sight of Soujiro.
"The one and only," Soujiro met the man's eyes without delay and hesitation.
"I'm starting to wonder." Cho calmly lowered his weapon and rested it upon his shoulder. He stared inquisitively. "You know, there was I time I even admitted no one would ever catch the Teken. I'm starting to wonder if he even exists anymore."
"If you kill her, you will face something far worse than the Teken," Soujiro stepped forward, allowing the man's sword to graze at his throat.
"And if I don't?" Cho questioned as he approached him. He then gestured to the swordsman keeping Soujiro held in place. Soujiro was thrown to the ground on his hands and knees when the man struck the blunt edge of the blade into his back. Cho brought the tip of his sword down under Soujiro's jaw to force him to look up at him. "You'll remain weak." He answered his own question. "That used to be the last thing you wanted. You sure I wouldn't be doing you a favor by getting rid of her?"
"Leave him alone!" Koharu yelled and mustard the courage to leap to her feet after him before the swordsman left watching her restrained her by her arms. "No! Let him go!" She continued to resist the man until he drew his own sword against her throat. "No! Soujiro!"
"Stop it, Koharu!" He demanded of her. He looked back up at his former colleague. "Let her go," Soujiro said as he slowly sat straight upon his knees, "and I'll surrender without a fight."
"No! You can't!" Koharu continued to cry.
Cho looked intrigued at the idea of that, but still kept his blade directed under Soujiro's jaw as he continued speaking. Soujiro shook his head. "Cho, you could have never defeated me as the Teken. What chance could you possibly stand against me when I have nothing to lose? Let her go."
Cho's eyes widened in a rage and he let loose his jealous anger by thrusting the blade of his sword across his chest, just below Soujiro 's collarbone. His blood was heard as it was strewn across the floor. Soujiro winced in response, but Cho hardly got any other reaction out of him. Koharu, however, screamed when she saw Cho strike Soujiro in such a way and his blood stroke the floor.
He only admitted his inferiority to Soujiro by striking him in such a way. This could be the only chance he could ever strike a blade into the former Teken. "You'll soon learn your place in this world, Seta. Like we all had to. You're no longer head of the JupponGatana and have no authority or power over me. You are no better than anyone else."
"You're a coward!" Koharu continued to scream as her tears drenched her cheeks.
"Shut her up now!" Cho hollered.
The man clutched Koharu by the scalp of her hair and the back of her gi before forcing her around as she continued to resist against him. "Soujiro-" her head was rammed into the wall behind she was forced to face. She immediately blacked out and collapsed against her side.
Soujiro looked away in time before he had to actually watch it be done and shuddered inwardly when he heard her body fall limp to the ground. He had watched far worser things be done to people and hardly blink at it, but it was different when it was someone he actually cared about.
Cho turned to be met with Soujiro's malevolent blue eyes and quickly put an end to it by thrusting the hilt of his sword across Soujiro's face and throwing him against the floor. "Congratulations, Soujiro," He said as he forced Soujiro around on his stomach and pulled his arms behind behind him. One of his men passed him the shackles they had ready for him and Cho shackled Soujiro's wrists behind him. "You'll now be working for the Meiji Government."
Soujiro paid no attention to Cho's words and focused his gaze on Koharu thinking it was going to be the last time he ever see her. He wasn't going to get to say goodbye. He was hauled to his feet and aggressively pulled by his arms when he remembered one other thing. He resisted. "Her music box..." He whispered. She at least deserved to have it returned. The moment he resisted, one of the hired men kicked him from the back causing Soujiro to stumble fourth back outside. He fell over his knees and was immediately yanked back to his feet to be escorted to what he thought would become his coffin. It was a carriage built more like a prison cell to transfer him to wherever they were taking him. It was the only reason he went down so easily. He was already accepting his death sentence, and he didn't want Koharu around to watch it and risk her dying from a horrible disease. It wasn't much better what had just happened to her, but he felt there was no other choice. At least she would live. She would be alone again, but she would live. He reluctantly ended up giving up on returning the music box and knew if he made its existence known, they would probably destroy it.
He could only get one other satisfaction from all this, besides knowing Koharu still had a chance to go on living. If he really was infected with tuberculosis, the Meiji Government would never get their chance to use him or have the satisfaction of executing him themselves. He didn't pray for a miracle. He only hoped his imminent death would overtake him long before they would reach their destination.
AN: Definitely one of my more darkly written chapters.