Chapter 22- Traitor Part 2.
The battle was long over. This much was certain. Those who had surrendered were being taken to the dispatch vehicles. They were the lucky ones. They hadn't dared to face the Shinsengumi's highest ranks.
All Takasugi and Matako could do was look on as their shared dream crumbled. Shinsuke knew it was no small setback. The Kiheitai had small cells elsewhere, but lost its strength. His strongest warriors, his strategists, and his armory were in the hands of the Shinsengumi now. The Kiheitai might never recover.
Shinsuke hung his head. His teeth remained clenched tightly and his eyes were twitching uncontrollably. Matako didn't find him to look enraged, rather as if in he were in pain.
Matako asked, "Shinsuke-sama?!"
Shinsuke didn't respond to her. His mind was already clouded with despair, tearing for a solution.
He said, "Why? Why is everything I do hindered by one miscalculation? The festival, the Benizakura, the Harusame, and you Bansai! I ought to have killed you for your last betrayal. We were so close to our destination. Always…. so close… and yet it's as if fate keeps laughing down at me."
Matako couldn't bear seeing her composed leader break down like this. She reached down to help him to his feet. She hoisted him up again but didn't release his arm. Her head leaned against his as she lovingly embraced him. Matako looked up at him and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Shinsuke's face turned to meet hers. His eyes widened, as did his unexpected smile. Matako felt her entire body run cold.
"Kill him"
"Kill Kawakami for me."
She asked, "What?"
"Kill Kawakami for me. Unless… you too intend to betray me?"
Matako's mouth opened but was unable utter a defense. Her heart was pounding so rapidly she couldn't hear him anymore. She had been taken completely off guard by his demand. It was too much to process—Bansai's betrayal, Takechi and the Kiheitai's arrest, and now this impossible order. How could she kill her own family?
Shinsuke said, "Didn't you say you would follow me? Was that a lie?"
"No! I truly meant it. I-"
"Than why won't you obey this one order? Was I wrong to think I could trust you Kijima? Was all of your devotion until now a deception? I thought you cared about me. But if that were the case and if you truly wished to comfort me, wouldn't you end the source of my grief? Wouldn't you earnestly fulfill my one wish? Or maybe that's not it at all. Perhaps since my dream is broken, you intend to simply walk away. If that is the case, then so be it. But whether you leave now or you fail to kill Kawakami Bansai, both I consider betrayal. If you choose either one, never return to my sight again."
"Shinsuke-sama… please…."
Shinsuke said, "And Matako, if you return a failure, prepare for the consequences."
Her pleadings hit deaf ears. She finally realized just how cruel he was capable of being. But she also knew he was in pain. Shinsuke wasn't himself. It didn't matter either way. She had no choice but to obey him or lose him forever.
Matako said, "He'll kill me. I'm no match for him."
"Ambush him from afar. If not, then lay a trap for him to step into. Either way, it's unlikely he'll kill you. Why do you think he chose to tip off the Shinsengumi when he did? It wasn't for my sake. He wanted you to escape."
"Senpai was protecting me?"
"Not whole-heartedly. If Kawakami intends to fight me, than he won't be so merciful again. If I don't surrender, he'll come for me. And if you protect me, he'll kill you."
Matako shut her eyes. She took a deep breathe and waited for her heart to relax. She spoke again, this time less emotionally, asking, "What would you have me do Shinsuke-sama?"
"Kawakami has a weakness he let on about once. Once we exploit that, he'll willingly come to us."
A bouquet of roses fell onto the tiles of the kitchen floor. Bansai's knees fell weakly beside it. He pulled off his sunglasses which revealed the shock in his eyes. Kawakami pulled himself back up. His eyes returned once more to the blood splattered note sticking to the fridge. It read, "She's alive for now. We'll be waiting at the place where he found you. Be there on Thursday at 2 p.m."
The handwriting was unfamiliar to Bansai. But he knew the ones responsible. He folded up the note and placed it in his pocket. A second later, both his fists slammed against the fridge doors. For the longest time he did nothing but lean against it.
He could only whisper her name. "Otsuu-chan…"
Kawakami had come here to say goodbye. The bouquet was to be his farewell gesture. He had also brought with him the lyrics to the last song he would write for her. Her kidnapping had taken him off guard. He had only mentioned her to Shinsuke once. And now that she was involved, he was completely disarmed.
Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter! Thank you for the continued support!
