Chapter 3: Third time's a charm, but it comes with the largest explosion
It was both completely normal and the most unusual of situations, depending on how he looked at the small note he was holding in his hand. It was handwritten and contained information so interesting and important, if it was true, that he was willing to completely overlook the clumsiness and imperfections of the writing. Of course it was a third note in the same handwriting, delivered to him, like the other two, via an unsuspecting member of his faction who couldn't say how he has gotten it. This time it was Elizabeth who suddenly was holding a note after passing through a particularly crowded street.
It was normal for him to get tip-offs about various Shinsengumi or Mimawarigumi actions from different sources. Admittedly, usually he knew those sources, most often personally, and has entrusted them with the mission of following the officers of law or infiltrating the governmental organizations. Sometimes, the missions were highly successful, sometimes they were rather failed, but never before has he seen a tip-off containing so many details and so precise, if the previous two were any indication.
Pursing his lips, Katsura Kotarou read the address again, but it hasn't changed since he has read the note the previous time. It was the precise place where he was currently sitting: his hideout and safe house, a place known to only the most trusted of his comrades. By then he knew better than to ignore the note or consider it a prank. He has ignored the first tip-off after all and the Shinsengumi have shown up as predicted. They would have all been captured if not for the fact that he could ignore the tip-off but he couldn't forget it, and so he has almost subconsciously prepared escape routes.
It has been a while since he got one of them, he thought, fingers drumming on the low table as he considered the warning. The second tip-off has followed the first one pretty closely and he has, that time, decided to change the meeting place in the last minute, leaving only some well-hidden spies to observe the targeted spot. And the Shinsengumi have come and they have been livid to find the place deserted.
There was no reason why he should ignore this one.
He could not ignore this one, especially since the date and time of the planned raid, mere hours in the future, coincided with the one evening when he has planned to stay "home" and rest, all alone. Even Elizabeth wasn't supposed to be there, but now of course she refused to leave, meeting his every insistence she does so with a sign detailing a different argument as to why she shouldn't. She wasn't entirely wrong, but the longer Katsura considered his options, the more he wanted to rub it in Shinsengumi's faces: they could never catch him.
In the stifling silence of the house's only room, he drummed his fingers on the table once again and then stopped abruptly. Elizabeth, who was checking the windows for suspicious movement outside, looked his way.
'I think we need to separate for a while,' he stated. Automatically, he read Elizabeth's protest, but didn't pay it much heed. 'I need you to contact the others and tell them to lay low for a while. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need to distract the Shinsengumi tonight, while you go about making sure that everybody is safe.'
"Will you be safe?" read Elizabeth's sign. Katsura offered her a thin smile and asked her to trust in him. She didn't ask anything more and left, pretty much as has been planned from the beginning. If there was anybody observing the house, and if they knew in detail what Katsura's day was supposed to be, they would suspect nothing.
He had a bit less than two hours left to the planned raid time and he did his best to be ready in half that time, spending nearly one hour perched on a roof support beam, next to a carefully dissimulated emergency escape trap door. He dared not wait outside, for the fear of the house being observed and he was fairly sure he would have enough time, from when he noticed the Shinsengumi's arrival, to escape. Only two people knew about that trap door: Elizabeth and himself, so if that information was compromised- Well, he preferred to not think about that.
It was exactly five minutes before the time mentioned in the tip-off when he heard cars stop in the street. There were at least six and couldn't been anybody else than the Shinsengumi: so the note was true. He forced himself to take deep, regular breaths. He would worry about the source of Shinsengumi's information later. For now, he had to escape and make sure his goodbye gift has been properly delivered.
With any luck, it will discredit the informant as well.
Seconds trickled into minutes, painfully slow. Soundlessly, Katsura released the lock of the trap door and changed his position minimally. He wouldn't have a long time between the moment when the Shinsengumi stormed in and when he needed to be at least two roofs away.
There were no sounds from the outside and no warning before both doors were kicked in within a split of a second time. Ha acted without needing to think. With one hand, he pushed the trap door open and, in the same, fluent move, jumped through the small opening, catching his balance on the gable roof right as multiple footsteps thundered into the room.
It wouldn't be long till they realized the place was empty but at least there was nobody on the roof.
He kicked the trap door closed and ran, jumping across the small space between his and the neighbouring house without breaking his stride. Not stopping, he fished a detonator out of his sleeve and, jumping onto the next building, pressed the small, red button.
The explosion deafened him momentarily, right as he landed on the rooftop, and startled everybody who might have happened to occupy the neighbourhood and has slept through Shinsengumi's shouting. Katsura didn't think there were many people in the vicinity. He didn't bother staying to witness the aftermath, immediately turning to head in the direction he has previously chosen.
There haven't been many choices of places where he could hope to stay for a couple of days, hiding. In fact, when he removed the options where he wasn't sure of his security and where he really didn't want to endanger the people involved, there was only one place left and that was where Katsura directed his steps. He kept to the roofs to avoid any regular, evening-time police patrols and, as much as it pained him, any possibility of encountering anybody from his own organization.
Behind him, the commotion around the exploded safe house continued. The explosion was loud enough to alert even people in the far neighbourhoods. The late evening crowds, thickened by those who have trickled out of their houses and restaurants to see what was happening, would have normally been a perfect cover to mingle into. However, this time, Katsura dared not leave the relative security of the rooftops and the darkness of the freshly fallen night.
Jumping lightly onto the roof of the Odd Jobs' building, he stilled and listened. Inside, Kagura was enthusiastically describing her run in with the Shinsengumi's first captain Sougo Okita, taking care to highlight all the punches she has managed to land and how much they hurt. Even in the current situation, it made Katsura smile. It didn't sound like Shinpachi was there, or else he would have had things to say, but that wasn't surprising: the boy has probably gone home already.
Reassured that they didn't have any client, soundlessly, Katsura descended from the roof and slipped in through the bedroom window. He briefly considered waiting in the bedroom for Gintoki to come, but it wasn't the best idea: his friend would either realize that something was amiss and cause a fuss or would be terribly upset and Katsura wanted Gintoki in as good a mood as possible, considering the circumstances. Consequently, he crossed the room and moved to slide open the door to the main living area.
Too late he heard the vaguely familiar laughter that did not belong to Kagura and much less Gintoki. Before his brain managed to process the sign of danger, he has already slid the door open in a decided motion and found himself staring straight at a Shinsengumi officer, sitting on the sofa facing the bedroom. From behind his desk, Gintoki looked over and Kagura turned from the other sofa.
He vaguely heard their shouts of surprise.
A million thoughts twirled in his head. The first one that he could fully understand was: this was the woman from the hanami. She had short hair, but the horizontal scar on her nose was characteristic enough to be sure of it. The second intelligible thought was that he has successfully and beyond any doubt compromised Gintoki's security. There was no way to explain a casual presence of a known and wanted terrorist in one's home. Only the third thought was about escape, but as soon as it crossed his mind, he made to close the door and leave.
'Wait, please,' the officer cried out and, for a reason Katsura couldn't phantom, he stopped and looked at her again. She has jumped up from the sofa, one hand outstretched towards him and an unreadable expression on her face.
'Kagura, there's an intruder in our house,' Gintoki said, but it was too late and he wasn't fooling anybody with his tone. Katsura wasn't even sure if he was really trying to fool anybody. The officer ignored him for the moment. Her blue eyes were boring into Katsura pleadingly.
'Please let me explain,' she added, sounding somewhat relieved that he has stopped. She let her hand fall to her side, but remained standing. 'I've been sent here on the odd chance that you will attempt to find shelter with the suspected ex-Joui general-'
'That's one solid reason to leave, you idiot,' Gintoki interrupted her, springing up from his seat. 'Get out of here-'
'There is somebody in Hokuto Shinken as well,' the officer interrupted Gintoki and the white-haired man stopped on his way towards the bedroom door and looked at her. Katsura felt as though something was squeezing his insides. The implications of her words were clear and even as he considered his other options, she quickly discarded them by naming the few places where he could go.
'There is nowhere else safe you can go, but I promise I will not tell my superiors you're here. Please trust me,' she finished. It took a moment for the meaning of her words to sink in. When it did, he glanced at Gintoki, who shrugged: there weren't many choices.
'You obviously know who I am,' he started in a cold tone. 'Just as obviously, you are a Shinsengumi officer,' he added. Unwillingly, he remembered the pleasant time he has passed with her in the gardens of Edo's castle, talking about small nothings and sharing dango she has preferred as an ice-cream replacement. He almost missed the pained expression that flitted across her face briefly at the reminder of her profession. 'Give me one reason why I should want to trust you.'
'I sent you the tip-off about tonight?' she tried. He blinked in surprise.
'Oi, Zura, you didn't tell me you had a spy in the Shinsengumi,' Gintoki interjected, sounding surprised and impressed at the same time. Kagura chimed in with an exclamation about how suddenly "Alma" seemed much cooler and Katsura noted the name for further reference.
'I don't have a spy in the Shinsengumi. And it's not Zura, it's Katsura,' he replied to his friend, eyes not leaving the officer.
'If you want, you can have one,' the officer countered, not missing a beat. Katsura noted that and put away for later as well, turning to Gintoki and asking whether the officer was his acquaintance. Before he has entered, Kagura has sounded comfortable enough for him to believe no stranger was around and he was angry at himself for not keeping a better track of Gintoki's acquiantances.
'Don't accuse me here, wig-head, it's literally the third time I'm meeting this annoying woman,' his friend protested hotly. The officer didn't seem upset or insulted in the least. She smiled brightly.
'Don't they say that the third time's a charm?' she asked. She glanced at Kagura and Gintoki before looking back at Katsura. 'The only thing I ask now is the benefit of doubt. Let us talk tonight and, whatever you will choose to do, I will go back to the Shinsengumi headquarters and report that you have not shown up in the Odd Jobs.'
Unless this was the integral, planned, second part of the ambush, Katsura didn't see how talking with her could do any harm. If she was honest, he could get an ally or at the very least, interesting information. And if it was a planned gambit, well, he had faith in his escape skills, the smoke screens he still had on his person and his friend's help.
'Just so you know, Karma, I don't appreciate being played like that,' Gintoki growled, settling down on the sofa, while Katsura went to take a place next to Kagura.
'I can't believe you have played with Gin-chan's feelings in such a way, only to get closer to Zura,' Kagura accused the officer, crossing her arms on her chest and puffing her cheeks out in an annoyed expression. Surprisingly, the officer looked remorseful.
'I never planned to play with anybody's feelings,' she said, right after introducing herself to Katsura as Alma Karma and clarifying that she has changed her family name from Ito and that she has been adopted into the Ito family at the age of ten. "In case you want to look me up" went unsaid, but was so obvious that Katsura could almost hear it. Her openness was both curious and worrying.
'Hey, don't go around making it seem like I'm some sort of a victim here,' Gintoki grumbled, even though it was he who started the topic of being played. 'And let's cut to the chase, are you looking for your brother in the Kiheitai? Because I can tell you the idiot wig-head has no real connections to the Kiheitai. Or is it because of that sweetheart of yours? I can promise you that none of the ones who followed the White Demon have survived.'
Alma looked as surprised as Katsura felt at the sudden, harsh words, but it only lasted a moment, before her expression fell. Her brother has fought in the war? And her- Katsura hesitated to think the same words at the sheer anguish that crossed her face when Gintoki has said "sweetheart". Anyway, how did Gintoki know?
'Who told you about that?' Alma asked quietly. Immediately after, she shook her head. 'It doesn't matter anyway. I didn't come here to search for Daiki or Hashirou. If they had survived, they would have come back to their families. And my so called sweetheart-' she trailed off, looking down, at her hands that were gripping the cloth of her trousers so hard her knuckles whitened. She shook her head again. 'I couldn't help him,' she whispered.
Katsura and Gintoki exchanged glances. Kagura watched the situation unfold with wide eyes, which was very unusual for her. It didn't last long before Alma looked up with a faint smile and her eyes focused on Katsura. It was only polite to hold her gaze, waiting for her to speak.
'I came here tonight hoping that my guess is correct and, among the possible escape routes you will choose to get the help of your comrade. I want to help you. Whatever I can do, for you or your cause, I will do it, if you let me,' she said, her tone firm and clear. Her expression was serious and honest, but-
'Why?' Katsura asked, voicing the single word almost before he could think it. She wouldn't be the first person who wanted to join him, although perhaps the first Shinsengumi officer, at least to his knowledge. She wouldn't be the first person who has voiced their desire to help in bizarre circumstances, although this time was perhaps the most surprising. And sure enough, when she answered without a single second of hesitation, her reason was just as unusual:
'Because you remind me of him, of the only man I have ever loved.'