Heyos~ I sorta updated chapter one with some extra info XP and! I know Tanabata is usually in like...August? but just pretend that the lunar calendar is the same so that its in July like the Gion Festival
Amid the downpour of red rain, the magpie bridge under my feet crumbles away
The main streets of Fuse are decorated with colourful decorations and tall bamboo line the streets with shades of green and yellow. Strips of paper and other decorations like paper flowers flap about in the breeze as they hang on the bamboo branches. Well, it is the Tanabata festival so it's nice to be able to just relax and enjoy the peace while it lasts.
The air is hot and humid as I walk among the crowd with Shin-chan, who obviously snuck off to go to the festival. "Haha! You look a lot better dressed up. Makes you look more like a normal girl now!" I glance a little worriedly at the yukata I'm wearing and frown at Shin-chan "I thought I looked normal most of the time. I mean, I'm usually wearing women's clothing rather than men's but you get the idea. Sheesh." He laughs and smacks me on the back "You'll get it eventually. hahahaha!"
"You look pretty good in that. Ah, was that the yukata I sent you?" Kasamori-san jumps excitedly up and down as he sees me wearing the yukata he gave.
"Yes. Well, how exactly did you ...make it so...perfect for me?" I point to the sleeves and show him the extra folds made the perfect size for hiding a gun or knife and the ribbon on the back just right for sliding in a rifle. "..Kasamori-san. I don't know whether to thank you or be scared of you. For being so much like a stalker."
His smile falters as he looks at me with a hurt expression on his face "Hey now, I thought we were on a first name basis-" What a surprise. I thought he'd be more insulted about being called a stalker.
"-that's what you think."
"Well then, shall we start now? Call me Oboro." His grip around my hand tightens gently and I allow him to sit closer to me. "...then..." I slowly turn to face him and look him in the eyes. "... call me by my real name. Yugiri. Sakamoto Yugiri."
His eyes blink with slight surprise before his signature sleepy eyed smile appears on his face. "Yugiri huh? It suits you. Elusive and beautiful, yet at the same time you're always there."
I don't have a response to that so I just nod. I mean, I WAS lying to him almost the entire time. But now, I feel like I can trust him. "Well, thanks for the yukata. Guess I can wear it when I work during summer."
"Hey! You actually kept it!" He grins and taps the flowered pin in my hair, letting the chains tinkle lightly as they move. "I was worried that you'd stab another man with it!" He coughs as I punch the wind right out of his lungs and aim a glare at him. "I'm not that violent. Besides, that was a special circumstance. Most men who encounter me die right away. Wish the same could be said for you."
Kasamo- I mean Oboro just shrugs and grins "I'm glad you like it. I had it specially made for you all the way in China. You won't find another one like it anywhere. It's called a 'buyao'." He pulls it out from my hair and raises it so I can see clearly. The entire thing is carved with intricate designs of kanji, birds and, higanbana. Amazing. He's either a stalker or extremely attentive to small bits of detail to know about my favourite flower being the higanbana. In a way, it really is a hairpin meant for me alone. Man, how much does he know about me? Or, am I just that easy to read?
"Hey Oboro. Thanks...I'll...um...treasure it..."
"Shinsh-shansh, dish daiyaki ish good" I point to the half -eaten taiyaki in my hand and give him a thumbs up as I gulp it down " You should have tried some when we were there. Shame."
"Really? let me try.." Shin-chan grabs my hand and takes a huge bite out of the taiyaki I'm holding, completely ignoring my glare as he chews it slowly and nods. "Mmm~ This is pretty good. Haha, let's go get some more."
"Idiot." I toss the rest of the taiyaki at him and stomp off only to barely avoid crashing into someone. "Gah, sorry."
"Ah." A bored looking young woman with a face practically wiped clean of emotions blinks back with faint surprise as I apologise to her "..." She raises her dango stick and points it at me as I groan and try to turn back the other way. "...Sekimu?" My neck cracks as I whirl around with frustration and jab a finger at her "No! It's YUGIRI! You always mispronounce it!"
The woman shoves the dango into her mouth thoughtfully and shrugs "Sorry. Takiri. Ah, Takasugi-dono."
She mispronounced my name again. I contemplate grabbing the remains of her dango and throwing it in her face but stop, this annoyingly emotionless and dense woman is Sumeragi Umeka, despite being a poor excuse of a human being, she's a master blacksmith touted by many as the reincarnation of Masamune. It wouldn't be very good for me to go and piss her off, especially since she's the one who fixes my weapons up for me. "How rare to see you away from the forge." I crack a smile as I attempt small talk with her, which knowing her personality wouldn't go very far. She barely ever talks, preferring to say only what's needed to be said.
"Tagiri, Takasugi-dono." Umeka nods her head at me as I feel my eye twitch "Be careful." She points a finger towards the Fuse district gates and shakes her head slowly "Shinsengumi were at Mimura-dono's ...last week." Mimura-san is one of the Choshu allies, Miyabe and Yamagata-dono often used his place to store equipment or for refuge when they needed it. If the Shinsengumi had been there, most likely they would have discovered the weapons and possibly even arrested or killed the men. Umeka coughs lightly and bows her head "My work is done." We nod gratefully to which she smiles fleetingly and runs off, almost crashing into somebody and then ducking into a sidewalk.
"Hah, she's a really confusing girl isn't she?" Shin-chan laughs and brushes his hair out of his eyes as I rub my aching forehead " Yeah, well you should head home or something, if Ume-chan actually left to warn you, something's up." Shin-chan just shrugs and continues walking without a care as I look cautiously around just in case. "Come on, this is a festival! It won't hurt to relax once in awhile, I'll keep an eye out so we'll be fine."
A flash of blue from a patrolling Shinsengumi's haori makes us duck behind the stand and try to look as unnoticeable as possible. "..." We watch as the Shinsengumi soldier rushes around the area, asking people questions to which they shake their heads and bow politely, before walking away as quickly as possible. I give Shin-chan a 'I told you" glance and he looks the other way with a frown on his face.
Yasuko-san from the tailorshop next to my teahouse waves us over while smiling brightly "Have you written down your wishes yet?" I can't believe I forgot this, one of the highlights of the Tanabata festival was writing wishes on a slip of paper and hanging it onto a bamboo tree.
"Nope, but if you join me, perhaps one of my wishes will come true today." Shin-chan flashes a smile to Yasuko-san to which she blushes and giggles bashfully as I roll my eyes "Ara! Takeuchi -san! I'm a married woman! Teehee, you're such a tease."
"Ok! Here! one for you! and for you!" Shin-chan and I are handed a slip of white paper with brightly coloured flowers decorated all over it and a paintbrush to write."...ooh. The flowers are drawn so realistically I could practically smell them from here." He studies the slip carefully in his hands and nudges me gently "Hey Kiri-chan, what did you wish fo-ow!" I elbow him in the face and hide my paper from him. "That's a secret" He pretends to look sad and shows me his paper "Well, you can see mine!"
I quietly study the slip in my hands and notice that among the bright reds and yellows, there is a series of slightly darker squiggles and lines, which I realise are kanji. It's a hidden message "Katsura. Ikeda. Danger. Shinsengumi. Return . " I glance slowly at Shin-chan and he nods slightly to me and takes mine, hanging them up high on the bamboo. Yasuko-san has already disappeared, though she's done more than enough to help right now.
"Hopefully our wishes come true eh?" Shin-chan is deep in thought as he taps his finger against his arm and frowns "Kiri-chan, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to head back." He ruffles my hair and smiles "don't worry, I'll make it up to you! " I poke him in the chest and smile back "That's ok. Just get me something cool from Glover and we'll call it even eh?"
He disappears into the crowd as I sigh and decide to head there myself, since Shin-chan won't be able to see what's happening at Ikeda , a neutral party such as myself who's associated with Tosa could go without causing any trouble. Besides, I might be able to find more information and help out Onii-sama.
~X~X~X~
The smell of blood, fire and sweat is heavy in the air as I run across the rooftops towards Ikeda Inn, situated in the Fuse district. Since I've been to the inn itself quite a few times, the route is familiar to me and I know of some shortcuts. "Kyo!" I leap across the roof as I spot the blue haired man firing his pistols downwards. "Another one?" he whirls around slowly and lazily fires at me, I dodge and glare at him "Geez, couldn't you recognise me?" I pull the cloth around my mouth slowly and poke my tongue at him.
"Yo. If it isn't the Sakamoto kid." He grins at me and lowers his pistols playfully "If you're itching for a fight, then find your own prey." He points downwards with his pistol and fires a shot, resulting in an angry yell from the male standing below us on the street. Inching closer to Kyo, I see Harada from the Shinsengumi in the middle of fighting against Kyo. Another man, Nagakura I think his name was..is also there, waving his sword angrily as he deflects the bullets.
"Kyo. You take the swordsman." I ready my Apache and leap down onto the ground "I have a score to settle with the spearman." Kyo arches an eyebrow and scowls "Hey now, it's not right to just claim someone else's plaything. Let's have a contest to decide eh?"
"Fine." I smile back at him confidently and spin my Apache "First one to bring any of the wolves down to their knees can choose their opponent." I propel myself forward and aim a punch at Nagakura as Kyo's grin widens and he laughs "Sounds good to me!" Harada ducks and leaps to the side, barely managing to dodge Kyo's bullets.
"Tch! What do you Choshu bastards think you're doing?" Nagakura swings forward as I leap up and slam my foot onto his wrist, knocking his sword to the ground. "Oh, you're making a mistake there. We're not Choshu." I stand on his sword and throw a punch at him as he dashes forward to reclaim it, connecting with his arm and sending him staggering back. "Shinpachi!" I suck in my breath and quickly flip backwards, feeling a gush of wind as the yari slides quickly over my body. "Damn, she's fast." Another series of bullets from Kyo forces the two Shinsengumi to move rapidly around, almost like they're dancing as they try dodge the bullets. "yah!" Harada leaps forward and manages to almost strike Kyo, the latter calmly uses his pistols to block and chuckles "Hmm, you're not bad. Better than I expected, sure. Oi human, the name's Shiranui Kyo. You?" Still engaged in a deadlock, Harada manages to crack a smile and tries to push Kyo back "Harada Sanosuke. Captain of the Shinsengumi's 10th division. Ghh. You're pretty good."
Sigh, and while Kyo is messing around with the enemy, Nagakura and I are trying to beat the shit out of each other. Since I threw his swords at the wall behind me, he's been forced to rely on hand-to-hand combat as I throw punches and kicks at him."*pant*pant* You're actually strong..." Nagakura pants heavily as I block his punch and throw him over my shoulder "Ara, you underestimated me." I smirk at him and jump up high, landing on his hand and wrapping my arms around his neck with an Apache pressed against it."Kyo! Looks li-"
"Captain!" More Shinsengumi are approaching and right now, I really don't want to take any chances. I was only supposed to scout out the area and report the situation back to Tosa. "Shit." I run along the roof and leap through the window of Ikeda, tearing the cloth off and throwing it away in the wind as I landing inside an empty room and head towards another.
~X~X~X~
"You there. What do you think you're doing here?" A Shinsengumi officer looks at me as enter ,and points his sword at me threateningly "If you intend to oppose us, we have no choice but to kill you." I remain silent and pretend to look distressed before bursting into tears"*sniffle*I-I...my brother! he's a guest at the inn! I-I..." I curse myself for not thinking this through properly, normally Kazu would be the one who did the thinking...but...he's...not here anymore...
"Yugiri-kun. What are you doing here?" I freeze and peek out from between my fingers as the Shinsengumi man looks at me with a frown. Wait... I do know this guy.."Hirobumi-san?" He nods and glances towards the inside of Ikeda, where a large number of Shinsengumi are marching out, carrying wounded allies and dragging captured Choshu with them. "I was present at the meeting, I couldn't do much to prevent Yamagata-dono from being killed...and Miyabe escaped." He sighs and looks regretfully away "It should have been the other way around. Anyway, you sho-"
"What's going on?" Hijikata of the Shinsengumi approaches us with a few other soldiers following him closely. I squeeze Hirobumi-san's hand warningly as I spot Kondo Isami among the group. "Hijikata-dono. I found on the Ikeda serving girls hiding from the Choshu. " He nudges me forward and I pinch my hand tightly, bursting into tears and trying my best to look like a terrified and innocent girl. "Oh dear, that must have been frightening for you." Kondo Isami looks at me sympathetically as I nod and step on Hirobumi-san's foot, trying to convey the message 'Please! do something to get rid of them!" Hirobumi-san quickly carries me in his arms and nods to Kondo "I'll escort her home." Hijikata nods and begins shouting orders to other captains as Hirobumi-san runs off with me. "You know, I've heard a lot about your impulsiveness from Shinsaku. Guess he wasn't exaggerating at all."
I mumble a 'sorry' and jump out from his arms "I'm going to Takechi-sama's hideout, since the Choshu were just targeted, the Shinsengumi might aim for Tosa next." Hirobumi-san nods understandingly and "I'm coming with you, they've seen your face so it would be wise to lay low. "
The atmosphere within the small hallway was tense as amid the cheerful sounds of people celebrating Tanabata from outside, the Choshu ronin were hiding inside a small house belonging to one of their allies. A series of loud and desperate knocks against the door made most of the men tense up with their hands on their swords, ready to fight if the situation called for it. Katsura leant on the door and peeked through a spyhole, then raised a hand behind him indicating that the visitor was an ally.
An injured and very out of breath man collapsed onto the floor as soon as the door was opened. "Furukaze-kun!" Katsura helped him up and directed someone to bring medical supplies and water. "T-t-t...the Shinsengumi!" Furukaze trembled and covered his head with his hands "They managed to infiltrate our meeting at Ikeda and attacked! I...I was able to escape thanks to Itou-dono..."he paused to take shaking breaths and drew his body tighter to himself "...Yamagata-dono...so many of our men...they were KILLED!" Furukaze's eyes widened as tears streamed down his face and he cradled his head in his hands "...I'm so sorry. Takeda-san, Kinoshita-san, Nakata-san...Inoue-kun...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"What are we waiting for?" A man stood up and began heading towards the door "Let's go help our allies out. The Kiheitai exist for that purpose, right?" Several more men stood up and cheered in agreement, raising their katana in the air to emphasise their approval. "Yeah! Takasugi-sama! Lead the way! We'll erase the damn Mibu wolves easily with you at the front!"
"No." Takasugi stepped in front of them and stood firmly in front of the door, blocking it so nobody could enter or leave the building. "I forbid any of you from leaving this building to aid our friends at Ikeda."
His words were met with shock as the men looked at him like he had just suggested they surrender to the Bakufu. Several of them looked angrily at him as he remained standing where he was. Takasugi glared at his men with a look of anger they rarely ever saw on his face. "Nobody is to leave and aid our allies in Ikeda ." Clenching his fists tightly he withdrew his katana and rested it on his shoulder, ready to strike at any moment. "...anyone who wants to leave, you'll have to fight me first."
"..Coward!"
His words were met with angry glares and shouts of disapproval as the uncontrollable men voiced their opinions loudly. It was one thing if the enemy were a bunch of ronin or other fighters under the shogunate , but going up against the dogs of the Bakufu, especially when the men were in an irrational state of mind would result in nothing but a bloodbath. To make things worse, it was the main 'branch of sorts' of Choshu who were under attack and if he were to send members of his own army to die, his position among the Choshu could be compromised.
"Admit it, you're just scared the Shinsengumi will kill you!"
"Psh. I can't believe I decided to follow a coward like you! Nothing more than a fool who wants to play being a general!"
"We shoulda joined up with Miyabe instead of joining your silly Kiheitai!"
"Huh! Kiheitai? We haven't been allowed to do any real fighting yet?! I shoulda joined up with the other Choshu when I had the chance!"
Takasugi remained uncharacteristically silent, his hands remained curled into fists as he slowly walked to Katsura and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm leaving them to you, Kogoro." Katsura's eyes widened as he prepared to say something, but quickly understood what Takasugi intended and nodded. "Alright."
"Hah! Katsura! If you aren't a coward, you'll let us go aid our comrades!" The men turned their attention to him as Takasugi exited the room and slid the door shut loudly. "You hold a high position among the Choshu don't you? Surely you want to fight against the Bakufu too?"
"Again, I can't let you do that." Katsura's face looked calm and controlled, but anyone who knew him well would realise he was losing patience. "Why can't you all see the bigger picture? as w-"
*KRSSSHH*
A loud smashing sound from next door plunged the room into abrupt silence. The sounds of furniture being thrown against the wall shook loudly through the small building and the men listened quietly. "RGGGGGAAAARGH! DAMMIT!" Takasugi's roars of frustration echoed through as Katsura closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Now do you understand?" Katsura crossed his arms and looked almost chidingly at the men, like they were a group of misbehaving children who needed to be punished. "Takasugi wants to go there and assist our allies more than anyone else. But he can't. As we are now, we cannot stand a chance against the Shinsengumi. He doesn't want to create any unnecessary bloodshed."
A few of the men began murmuring softly amongst themselves while apologetic glances were shared. "However, I'm not Takasugi. Anyone who wants to leave may do so, though, don't expect to return with your life intact."
~X~X~X~
"*sigh* what am I going to tell Shigemura-dono about the damage to his property? Blame it on a ronin? " Katsura leant against the doorframe and shook his head as Takasugi leant back against the wall, surrounded by smashed furniture and broken shards of glass and pottery. "*sigh* That temper of yours really needs t-"
"Dammit. If only I were stronger. That way...fuck..." Takasugi raised a bloody arm to his forehead and grit his teeth with anger. "I should have been prepared for something like this." He gathered a bunch of hair in his fists and tightened his grip, growling with frustration at the mental and physical pain. "..dammit."
"You're injured. "
"Forget it. This is nothing." Takasugi stood up and wiped his hand roughly on his haori "Compared to our friends who lost their lives, this is nothing." He grit his teeth and clenched his katana tightly as he messed his hair up angrily " Hey Goro."
"What is it?" Katsura looked up from where he was quietly picking up the broken pieces and stacking them in a corner. "I've decided." Takasugi's face was covered by his hands and hair, but his voice was determined. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to make Sensei's dream happen as soon as possible." He stood up and laid a hand on his long time friend's shoulder and smiled sadly at Katsura "Times running out, for all of us. Especially me."
Safely hidden among the crowd, Hirobumi-san and I watch as the Shinsengumi march down the silent streets, people part ways for them to walk and watch with a mixture of fear and terror. Tch, those bastards. From the gossip I heard here and there, most of our men were caught off guard and unware, even the innkeepers and poor guests who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time hadn't been spared. The main issue for us now though, was that Miyabe had escaped. Knowing a violent and battle hungry man like him, he would be doing whatever he could to seek revenge for our friends. Shin-chan...Goro-nii. I wonder what they would do? If I was in Shin-chan's position, I would probably do the same as Miyabe and pay the Shinsengumi back 100 times.
Then...there was also the rumour a 'golden haired foreigner' was seen leaving Ikeda. The only man I know who matches this description is Glover. Argh, this is all so confusing. Not to mention the stupid oni and tengu mess I've been dragged into.
"You! You!" A desperate female scream changes the mood as the woman who passed the message to Shin-chan and I rushes from the crowd. Yasuko-san. Her face is streaked with tears as she stands in front, forcing them to stop marching.
Kondo Isami opens his mouth to say something, but the girl rushes past him and grabs Hijikata by the collar, tears streaming down her face as she screams "You murdered my husband! How dare you do something so cruel!" Her loud accusing screams echo as the sounds of marching stop. "..Murderers!" She trails off and looks sadly at Hijikata as she slides to her knees and buries her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently as she cries loud muffled sobs. "Why did you have to kill my husband!Kenzo-san! he...he's dead..!" Her cries become more and more shrill as she begins sobbing loudly "...how...could you?"
Her accusation hangs in the air as Kondo looks awkwardly at her, almost like he's fighting the urge to comfort her and at the same time maintain his role as an enemy to all associated with the Ishin Shishi. People watching start whispering amongst themselves, shooting hostile glances at the Shinsengumi and taking advantage of this situation to insult them as much as possible.
"how cruel."
"well, ever since they came here they've been killing innocent men."
"Figures. These guys are the lapdogs of the Bakufu."
"Chehyeah, just a bunch of ronin trying to play samurai."
Yasuko-san stands up and pulls a knife from her obi "I'll kill you and avenge my Kenzo-san! " She dashes forward as Kondo looks genuinely confused, one hand on his katana as he hesitates on what to do. "Stop it." Hijikata steps in front and effortlessly holds her knife back with his sheathed sword, plucking it from her hands and shaking his head. "I don't know what you mean, but please calm down."
"Why don't you just kill me too?!" Yasuko-san screams loudly as she stands up "Kill every single person here as well! They're guilty too aren't they!?" She gestures towards the entire crowd , everyone takes a step back and gulps in fear. One thing we all shared was our extreme dislike towards the Shinsengumi, though on the outside most of use try to get on their good side.
"Silence! You bitch!" A Shinsengumi captain charges forward, his sword raised to silence Yasuko. She stands her ground and glares at him as he nears her "Coward. I'll never forgive you."
"Stop it."
"Don't even think about it."
The same moment I step out from among the crowd and move in front of Yaskuo-san, Harada and Nagakura step forward and hold back the captain. He snaps back with frustration and instantly submits with one well- aimed punch from Harada. "Guh! But she's clearly siding with the Shish-" One glance from Hijikata quickly shuts him up and he whimpers, shuffling quietly towards the back of the group.
"Thanks. I thought you would have killed her." I help Yasuko-san up and glare at Hijikata. "I suppose it's nice being able to play samurai, though it doesn't change the fact that a bunch of ronin like you are no better than the Choshu or Satsuma." I lower my voice to a level only Hijikata and Kondo can hear. "I suppose having something like the Ochimizu would make things easier, wouldn't it?"
"...!" Hijikata's eyes narrow as he glances at Yamanami Keisuke and presses his lips together. "...How...You there" His face hardens as he walks over to me, his hand already at his side. "What did you just say?" The infamous glare which earned him the nickname of the 'demon vice- commander' is engraved on his face as I remain standing where I am and smirk.
"Oh? Don't tell me you're going to kill me too?" I can't help but taunt him. A man like him wouldn't be able to strike me down. "I would have expected you to at least kidnap me for experiments or something."
" Shinsengumi-dono!" Onii-sama rushes out and drags me roughly to the ground, pushing my head against it and kneeling down next to me "I sincerely apologise for my sister's behaviour. She's feverish and not right in the head."
"Ah.I see." Hijikata speaks slowly and nods as Onii-sama drags me back with him "Make sure she stays home and takes her medicine."
"Kiri-chan." Onii-sama holds my hand tightly and turns my head so that I'm facing him. I try to avert my gaze but he taps my cheek gently, and clears his throat disapprovingly "Don't ever do that again." He looks at me with a disappointed face and shakes his head slowly as I hang my head and mumble 'sorry, Onii-sama.'. Why is Onii-sama here though? I could have sworn he was still with Takechi-sama. Oh no. The reality finally dawns on me. Onii-sama saw everything, he's probably really mad now. He might take my weapons away like last time... "Um...Onii-sama...I kinda need to-" He cuts me off with a shake of his head and sighs. "You're talented at worrying people to death, it's funny." He smiles softly and hugs me "Promise me you won't do something like this again."
I shut my eyes and nod "ok. Sorry." Onii-sama pats my head softly "Promise me. Kazu's not around anymore and neither is Oboro so there's nobody else who can talk sense into you."
"I'm not a kid anymore." He laughs and pushes me back with a smile "Really now. Well, we should head back, Izo-kun found out something about the Ochimizu. Apparently Glover was seen handing it to a man associated with the Bakufu." I gape at him and he nods "Yes, what you're thinking is correct. Takechi-sama should be able to tell you more."
Thanks so much to Toxi-chan and Aoi! You guys are awesome! anyways... Yugiri can do the next chapter preview this time!
Yugiri: NOW I get to do it? I'm the freaken main character! Anyway, next time : 'Kimi to deatta higeki no naka de..."
Mei: It means 'in this tragedy, where I encountered you..." ooh! Suspense! (i hope ) Does this mean something might happen between Yugiri and that special someone~ :D?
Yugiri: *is playing with her Spence* Ah man, I'm worried about Izo-kun.
Mei:...ahahaha..