Chapter 2 – Vacant Expression
Tetsunosuke was cleaning the sparring hall, muddy footprints spread everywhere, he really wanted to yell at the other Shinsengumi for this, but realised that they'd just make fun of him for it again, and call him Puppy-Boy.
Someone cleared their throat from the door behind him, and when he turned he was surprised to see the foreign woman from before, dressed in the kimono he and Soji had picked out the night before.
She was smiling at him.
"May I help you?"
When she spoke it was impossibly formal, like a story book character, it was a little spooky.
"I'm just done so it's okay."
"What is this room used for?"
"Training mostly…"
"It reminds me of my old dance halls… Do you know how to dance?"
"Um, no, it's not something they teach here, but at festivals, with all the lights, and music, you can feel it all over! It's amazing! So… you dance?"
"Yes, I've been studying ballet for seven years now."
"What's ballet?"
"Would you like me to show you?"
Tetsu nodded eagerly and sat cross legged on the floor near the wall to watch and find out what ballet was.
The woman took off her geta and moved gracefully into the centre of the room. She bent her knees slightly, stretched, and began.
She seemed to float around the room, spins, twists and all with grace in tow. Shinpachi and Todo happened to glance through the open door into the training hall, and spied the strange woman performing some strange dance for Puppy-Boy. They stood and watched her move, swaying gracefully from one side of the room to the other, and then spinning on the spot, arms spread wide, her balance perfect. They winced to see she spun on her toe tips, but she did not seem fazed by it in the slightest, obviously used to the precarious move.
Before long a small crowd had gathered, watching the woman dance, mesmerised by the almost, unnatural grace and balance.
She slowed her movements and halted; arms at her sides, eyes closed.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at Tetsu; she smiled and looked towards the doorway. A deep blush spread over her pale cheeks, pink lips forming a surprised 'O', and golden-brown iris's going wide.
She hadn't been expecting such an audience.
The Shinsengumi applauded and were shooed away by an impatient Hijikata-san. He wanted to use the hall for training and here they were blocking all the doors. When he finally got into the room he seemed surprised to see the woman there.
"What are you doing in here? You should be in your room."
"I'm not a bird, I do not like being caged. Besides, I was… training."
"Training?"
"Yes. You doubt me?"
"I never said that."
"But you were thinking it were you not?"
"…"
She took his silence as an affirmative and raised an eyebrow at him, folded her arms and tapped her foot expectantly.
Hijikata-san stared at the wall behind her, neither of them willing to give up on their points.
But Hijikata caved, she was doing that thing only women could do, the folding of the arms, the tapping of the foot, and finally the clincher, the pursing of the lips.
Combined they could make nations fall, and all they ever had to do was look at you.
The man sighed and moved into the little annex to collect a wooden training sword. The woman watched him leave and relaxed her shoulders, a breath escaping her, that she hadn't even realised she was holding.
Yamanami-san gestured to the woman from the doorway, wanting her to come with him, Kondo-san wanted to speak with her again, more talk of the Choshu…
She left in silence, her carefree smile gone in an instant, eyes suddenly darkening as her hair slipped over her shoulders to hide her face from view.
She'd taken a step back from the world again, to guard her feelings for the talks ahead.
Tetsu recognised the look… he'd seen it on many of the men here. It was a sign of the demon inside them.
That terrifying look sent chills down his spine. How could she have changed so much. And then he realised she'd given herself to the demon in order to get her revenge, just like he'd vowed to do once upon a time.
Such an emptiness filled them, and the only thing to complete them, would be the spilt blood of her enemies.
(AN: I apologise for the short chapter, but bigger things are brewing so I wanted this one to be snappy. R&R please?)