Chapter 7
"Feel better now?" Suzuki asked after Tetsu's sobbing die down.
Still covering his puffy eyes, Tetsu ask, "Suzuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I call you Susumu instead?"
Suzuki was a bit surprised, but then a small smile dance across his face, "Okay."
"Thank you," and Tetsu smile, "You know what, Susumu, I think you'll make a great ninja if you try."
"Maybe I shouldn't have woken you up, now you'll just talking weird."
Tetsu laugh lightly and Susumu(Suzuki) just smile.
"Hey Susumu, what time is it?"
"Around 9 am. Why?"
"Just want to know." Tetsu got up after his eyes went back to normal. Susumu was still sitting on the floor next to him and looking through some papers as usual. Tetsu look at them, "Susumu, what the heck are those?"
He look at Tetsu, "Don't tell me you're blind as well as weird?"
Tetsu frown, "I'm not blind and weird. I just want to know what are those papers about?"
"They're about the economic rate back in the Meiji Era."
"Why are you looking through them?"
"They're quite interesting to know once in a while. What was the name of your father's workplace?"
"Yoshida Corp. why?" Tetsu asked.
"Well, from what I know, Yoshida Corp gone way back. They were originally a Choushuu business trade, however, as soon as the Meiji Era ended, they become their own group and had been that way since."
Choushuu? Suzu… Yoshida Corp… just then his dream flash back into his head. "I'll be waiting, Tetsu." Tetsu felt a shudder of fear crept up his back. He clench his arm and look down on the floor.
"What's wrong?" Susumu asked as he watch Tetsu.
"I-I met…" he shook his head and look at Susumu, "Susumu, if you have to pick between the Shinsengumi and Choushuu, which one will you pick?"
Susumu look at him then turn back to his papers, "Obliviously, the Shinsengumi."
Tetsu smile, "Why?"
Susumu look back at him, "Because being a ninja for them probably wouldn't be so bad."
Tetsu grin happily, and Susumu couldn't help but smile along.
"Achoo!" Okita-san sneeze, which almost gotten on Hijikata-san's face.
"Soji!" Hijikata-san said angrily.
"Haha, Sorry Hijikata-san." Okita-san apologize.
Hijikata-san wipe away a few drop that did manage to get to him away, "Just stay home if you're not feeling well. You can be so stupid sometime."
"You don't have to be so mean," Okita-san said innocently.
"Stop acting innocent when you're not a child anymore!" Hijikata-san yelled at him. Okita-san didn't even faze and just laugh.
"Stop laughing and help me!" Hijikata-san ordered.
"Okidoki!" Okita-san said cheerfully and rushes to Hijikata-san.
"Hijikata-san," Okita-san said as he took the flower bucket from Hijikata-san, "Do you get the feeling that something bad is going happen real soon?"
Hijikata-san look at him, "Who knows." and he turn back to his work.
"Always so cold," Okita-san sighed and resume working.
"Wow! You're really good at this Susumu!"
Tetsu was complimenting Susumu as he taught Tetsu how to make old traditional tea. Earlier, Tetsu asked Susumu if he know how to make traditional tea. Susmu had asked him why he want to learn, but he said that he just get the feeling that he should learn it. Honestly, he was serving tea to Hijikata-san in his dream, so he just want to feel more home now that he's back in the Shinsengumi original head quarter.
"Now, if you gently stir the ingredients together, you'll get a traditional tea in no time. But remember, it will taste very bad if you stir it too hard." Susumu added as Tetsu try making his.
He did it exactly as Susumu instructed, "Wow, it's turning just as good as yours Susumu."
Susumu let a sad smile across his face with noticing it. Tetsu look at him and a sadness overcome him, "Susumu, what's wrong?"
Susumu look at him and shook his head, "It's nothing."
Tetsu frown, "I know you're lying. Your eyes says so."
Susumu sigh, "Watching you remind me of myself when I was small. I have an older sister who used to taught me these things," he gave another sad smile, "Her name was Ayu. She was… my most important person."
"What happened," Tetsu asked, then he realize something as Susumu clench his hands, "Ah, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"
Susumu shook his head, still clenching his hand tightly, "It's ok. Nee-chan was out late one night… and on the way home… she was…" he clench his hand tighter, "She was never the same again. Back then I was very small, so I couldn't do anything about it. I… could only watch…" he clench his too tight that it was starting to bleed. Tetsu touch his hand gently which calm him down and he began again, "My sister drove herself into insanity. She was never cured from that night. As time pass, my sister… try to commit suicide… but she always somehow made out alive. But one night… she hung herself in her room…" he was gripping Tetsu's hand now. Tetsu could feel how much it hurt just from the grip, not his pain but Susumu.
Tetsu gave a sad smile, "At least until you stop crying… I'll share your pain with you."
"Miss Saya? Are you heading to Master Suzu's place?" the chauffeur asked as Saya got inside the limousine. She shook her head, "No, Let's go to Ryuunosuke-san's house. I want to talk to Tetsunosuke-kun."