Chapter 29: Sakamoto Ryouma
The night was dark and cold. The world could be heard of only foot steps and cries of man. The only man left standing was a red-headed boy who had tears in his eyes as he manage to kill those who are after him. He sink onto his knees cover in the blood of the lives he taken. The single promise he made he couldn't keep, the single tears he held couldn't stay in, the people he called brother died before his eyes, and the most important thing he loved… was ripped before his eyes. "Saya," he cried holding the lifeless body close to his.
"Pity isn't it." someone said through the loud thunder. "That was exactly how I felt when you kill sensei," he continued, "Now you know how it felt to lose something important to you. This won't be the last time you killed. Many will come for you, and you will without a doubt, kill some more. You will bloody those so call pure hands of yours, Tetsu."
"Ah," his eyes snapped open. Sweat slide down his forehead onto the futon. He wiped them away and sat up. What was that? I haven't had that dreams in a long time. In fact, I hadn't dreamed about it for a while now. He turns to the open window across the room. The moon was still up, which means it's only a short amount of time he slept. He got up and out of the futon. He couldn't sleep anymore, so he might as well go on a walk.
Something's not right. I never really thought about why I killed those men and why Saya had to died. I think I was blamed for something I didn't do. I wonder what the blamed was about. Ugh! I can't remembered! What was it? "Why are you still up?" He stiff and then sprung around, "Hijikata-san!"
"No need to shout, I'm right here," he said annoyingly, "So tell me, why are you still awake at this time of night?"
"Oh," he adverted his gaze to the ground. Finding it quite interesting, "I was… having nightmare."
"A nightmare?" he raise an eyebrow.
Tetsu nodded, still not looking up, "It was a sad, yet scary dream. Anyway," he finally looks up, hoping to change the subject, "What are you doing up Hijikata-san?"
"Couldn't sleep," he replied. He knows Tetsu didn't want to continued the topic, so it couldn't hurt to go along with the flow.
"Go to bed," he ordered in a low tone, "You will be introduced to your sensei tomorrow. He would be of great help to you. You will also be introduced to one of Soji's colleague."
"Okita-san's colleague?" he asked with a blinked look.
"He's very skilled," Hijikata-san replied, "He'll teach you other stuff as well."
"What's his name?" he asked.
"Sakamoto Ryouma." was Hijikata-san's replied.
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"I cannot believed you gotten sick," Akesato-san growled.
"I know," came a weakly voice under the blanket.
"You have to get better by tomorrow in order to teach your new student. Saito-sensei isn't here until the next day after tomorrow, so you'll have to teach the kiddo. Now get up and drink your cold medicine," she ordered.
He huffed and got up. He took the cup that was handed to him and took a sip in one gulps before handing the cup back and slump onto the bed. She growled a little, "Can't you at least act like a true sensei like other people, Ryouma?"
"Nope!" he replied with a weak grin, "Ne, Sarah, (He called her that because Akesato is too long for him to pronounce) how does this little kiddo looked like?"
A soft smile spread across her face, "He's very cute… like a lost little puppy. You're like him. He's special after all," and with that she left the room.
"Special huh?" he asked no one in particular as he adverted his gaze to the ceiling.
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"Why did you do it," he asked in a soft painful tone. He pull the cold body closer protectively, trying to add his warmth into her. But… the body was no longer filled with any warmth.
The other figure in the rain simply glared at him, "I will not lose you to anyone else."
"Why didn't you just kill me?" he asked, eyes filling tears.
"I said it back then. I want you to suffer the same pain I did. I will continued to watch you from the shadow until the day I kill you," the boy replied as a single thread of silver fill the drench ground.
"Ah," his eyes once again snapped open. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead, "That dreamed again." He sat up and stare out the window. It was already dawn and yet he felt like the world was full of darkness. Until the day you kill me huh? He adverted his gaze to his laps. Water suddenly spilled from his eyes. Why? Why me? Why do I have to had these memories? Why? He quietly sob as every thing he remembered poured out of his burden heart.
It wasn't until 10 o'clock that morning when he finally left his room. His eyes were a little puffy, but you could barely see anything if you're far away. "You're finally up?" Akesato-san asked as he steps into the room. He manages a smile and nodded.
Her expression soften as she sat down beside him. Luckily no one was in the room, so she could asked him anything, "You have a dream about your past didn't you?"
His face shot up in shocked. How could she have known? Akesato-san continued to smile, "I'm like you too whenever I had a dreamed of the past. Judging by the way you look, it must had been a painful one."
His face pained and he turn away, "It was the day Saya… died."
Akesato-san gasped, but didn't say anything. Her face pained as she turned away as well. The two simply sat through the rest of the morning not mentioning anything else. They didn't even bought up the subject even after the two finally gotten over it.
"Wow!" Tetsu shouted as he enters the dojo. Before when he arrived, the dojo looks pretty small because there were a lot of people, but now that it's empty, it's like totally huge. The ceiling was higher and bigger than at the flower shop, the floor was clean and spacious (unlike the dojo at home), and the names of students was almost every where on the floor (Which he likes the one at home better.)
"So I take it that you liked it." Tetsu's eyes widen as sprung around at the familiar voice. I knew that voice! He gasps and almost fell to the ground. Sakamoto Ryouma… who taught me the meaning… Peacemaker….