Another FYI- Okami is the term for a female innkeeper (it also apparently means wolf. But in this context, it's female innkeeper).

May 11

Excuse my shaky handwriting. I was nearly panicking a minute ago, and I'm just recovering now.

He's sleeping next to me!

Oh, this won't do! I need to start from the beginning.

Last night, I went to the bar, like I planned. I saw him immediately, although his back was to the door. Small, thin, and long red hair in a ponytail.

But unfortunately, I was the only woman in the bar. Every man, except Battousai, was staring at me. I ignored them as I walked to the table next to Battousai's, and sat down, my back facing his.

The waiter came over to my table and asked for my order.

"Chilled sake please," I said, thinking of the first thing that came to mind. And immediately regretted it. If I was going to follow and discover the weakness of my fiancé's killer, then I should be sober. But I already stood out like a sore thumb. If I didn't drink, it'd be worse.

I didn't have much time for my inner debate before the waiter returned with my sake. Well, it was probably better to drink it than to leave it alone. So I poured myself a cup and drank it. A collective sigh was released from all the men in the room watching me. Sometimes I hate men.

Suddenly, two men appeared at my table. They were tall, mean-looking things, both carrying swords, and both drunk.

"Hey woman!" they said, pounding their bottle of alcohol on the table. "You'll pour our drinks for us!"

…No.

I looked at them for a long time without speaking. My face gave them my answer. But this seemed to make them angry.

"We're Aizu's Inshin Shishi! We risk our lives night an day for you peasants! Drinking with us is the least you can do to thank us!"

During all of this, the bar was quiet, watching the whole affair. But after that outburst, someone called out "Aizu's on the Bakufu's side, idiots."

"What was that?" they spun around, their hands on their swords. No one spoke.

"That's what I thought," one man leered. "Stay out of this."

"That was a close one for somebody," his friend said.

"It certainly was."

My blood suddenly ran cold. That last voice came from behind me.

"If you had drawn that sword, then you be fighting me."

One of the men spun around angrily, reaching to draw his katana. But he never got it out of his hilt. Battousai was standing in front of the man, his open palm was against the pommel of the sword, keeping it in its scabbard. The man's muscles were straining, but Battousai didn't look like he was putting any strength into what he was doing.

"Let me give you some advice." Battousai said. His eyes were in an angry glare. "The violence is only going to get worse. Kyoto is no place for hypocrites. If you value your lives, you should run back to the countryside."

Battousai's speech seemed to move the other bar patrons. They started to shout things like, "Yeah!" and "Go home you frauds!" until the men ran out of the bar.

I looked at him, getting my first look at Akira's killer. His face was thin and angular. His eyes were a cold violet. He was so... young. I wasn't expecting that. I thought that Battousai would be an experienced veteran like Tatsumi-san. But no, he was closer in age to me. He barely looked older than 15.

He tossed some coins on his table. "Sorry about all that," he said as he walked out the door.

All around me, the bar was buzzing. "He's good, that kid." "Like a warrior for peace."

I stared at the door. So there was the man who killed Akira. I never expected that in my first encounter with him, he would save me.

And then I realized that it would be my last encounter soon if I didn't catch up.

Cursing myself, I paid for my drink. Now, I think it was the alcohol. At that point, I was just starting to get drunk.

I walked out of the bar and chose a direction to follow. I hoped he went that way. I hurried along the road.

Suddenly, I heard a scream. I stopped in my place. For a moment, I was too scared to move, but then I thought, What if they need help? I ran forward again, and turned a corner.

There they were. Battousai was standing in front of me, staring at another man. In between them was a dead man. Suddenly, I recognized the other man- he was one of the Yaminobu! The one with the two chained katana!

"I will have your life!" the Yaminbu man shouted, and threw a sword at Battousai. An instant later, Battousai's sword was unsheathed, and deflected the thrown sword. It landed with the blade in the ground, hilt up. Then the Yaminobu man jumped in the air and wrapped the chain around Battousai. His arms were trapped at his sides.

"Prepare yourself!" the Yaminobu shouted, and jumped toward Battousai. Battousai pulled on the chain, grabbing the other sword from the ground. With a scream, he sliced the sword through the Yaminobu man, cutting him in half.

Blood exploded in the air, and fell like rain.

I took a small step back, but in the sudden silence, the little movement boomed. I watched Battousai's back stiffen. He slowly began to turn, his grip tightening on the swords he held.

Would he kill me? Would my blood also fall from the sky like rain?

Rain…

In my drunken state, I couldn't get the image of bloody rain from my mind. I remembered all the plays I'd been to, the tragedies. They always portrayed blood artistically, with a red silk handkerchief and graceful flick of the wrist. It was nothing like this.

"I followed you because I wanted to thank you." I said. I saw his expression flicker with surprise. I continued. "They always say at tragic scenes, 'A rain of blood falls,'" I stopped for a moment, trying to compose myself. "But you really made it rain blood."

He was facing me fully now. His eyes were wide. Slowly, he let go of the Yaminobu's katana, and it fell to the ground.

And then I saw it. The scar. A long thin line running down his cheek. But before I could think of Akira, I could feel my knees collapsing. The smell of the blood overpowered me, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke, I nearly screamed. He was sitting next to me!

Thankfully, I didn't scream. I scrambled out of my futon and to the other side of the room, but thankfully, that was quiet. It took me a few minutes to calm myself, but once I was calm, I was able to assess the situation.

Battousai was asleep. In fact, he still is now. It's a little strange that he sleeps sitting up, but maybe it's a samurai thing? We are in a small room, one I don't know. But from looking around, I could tell that we're in an inn somewhere. He's got books scattered all over the place.

I'm not wearing my kimono, and that worries me. I am currently wearing a simple yukata, and my skin is clean of all the blood from last night. I'm glad to be clean, but what happened to my clothes? And who cleaned me? If it was Battousai… oh God, I don't know what I'll do if it was.

I wish I hadn't gotten drunk last night. At least I don't have a hangover now. But strangely, it might have been a good thing. In a single night, I've managed to find myself where Battousai lives. The best way to find his weakness is to take advantage of that. I still don't know yet how horrible Battousai is- in fact I might be in danger right now. But I need to keep going forward, for Akira's sake.

It's almost sunrise. I think I can hear movement downstairs. I'll go find the Okami and see if I can get a job here, and find out what happened last night.