Soujiro
Soujiro was finding it more and more difficult to smile. First there was that message from Houji. 'Is Shinomori a threat? How is Battousai responding?' Soujiro was fine with killing Yukishiro Enishi. He was fine with killing the people that followed him. He was interested in how things would end with Battousai. But for the sake of the slim girl with the long braid and sea-colored eyes he lied to his only master – the man he was supposed to be indebted to – the man whose every whim Soujiro adhered.
'Shinomori not threat at all.' He had communicated over the radio. 'Battousai not moved yet.'
Was it that she intrigued him? Confused him? Did he like her, or was he simply interested in her story – what kind of a human she would turn out to be? He couldn't decide. But he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. So he lied.
Aoshi really was a threat – probably one of the greatest threats to Shishio. Shishio Makoto was a smart man – ingenious and cruel. But he had one blindness – his arrogance and his belief in strength being the ultimate power. Shishio simply did not believe that anyone could be stronger than him. He had been submerged in flames and come out alive. From nothing, he had made a crime empire and based himself in New York. He was ruthless, cruel and enjoyed it – never expecting much of others until he saw what they were capable of with his own eyes.
Shinomori Aoshi on the other hand, was something else entirely. The man put the 'organized' into 'organized crime'. And Soujiro had his suspicions about his coming to New York in the first place. After all, the man had an elaborate plan for every movement of his – a reason for everything he did. But he knew what would happen if he told Shishio. Kill them, he would say – and then he'd have to shoot the bright girl and the sullen-looking man that she looked at with such adoration. He didn't want to do that. He really didn't.
I have always done what Shishio-san told me to do simply because there is no other thing for me to do and because I owe him my life. But now that there is another way, something that I want to do more… I betray him like this? That is a very human thing to do, isn't it? After all, I've seen so many do the exact same thing.
His thoughts were interrupted by Kamatari beginning to relay another message over the radio. "Shishio here. Kill everyone who's in our way. Yukishiro, his people. Watch Shinomori. Battousai can be an asset. Use him. Yumi says 'hi', 'have fun' and 'good luck'. Shishio out."
Chou yawned. "That was a lo-ong one."
Kamatari glared at him. "Shishio-sama himself sent that message." He sighed, looking with starry eyes up at the ceiling. "Ah… Be a little more respectful."
"Just sayin', yo, your obsession with the Boss is gettin' kinda weird here. Yumi-neesan's his wife, ain't she?"
Hissing, Kamatari was about to lash out with his red lacquered nails, when Anji looked up from what he was holding in his hands and gave them both a long, flat, disappointed look. The two looked guiltily at each other and sat down without a word. Soujiro stifled a giggle. Mama Anji, the thought came to him unbidden.
Soujiro sat down between Anji and Kamatari, leaning back onto the plush seat with a sigh. Chou looked at him a few times before speaking. "Yo, Seta?"
"Hm?" Soujiro tried to inject a note of cheerfulness into his tone. "What is it, Chou-san?"
The blond man began to clean one of his many guns. "I don't really get it cuz I never really got told. This whole trip, the four of us and Yukishiro got sent here to kill Heishin. That's total overkill, yo. It's even more of an overkill when ya realize Yukishiro's got five of his guys with him. Now that Heishin's dead, we gotta suddenly kill Yukishiro and his people – suddenly this Shinomori guy's involved and we got the Battousai on board as well?" Chou shrugged. "I dunno shit, but I feel like we're just bein' thrown around by the higher-ups – if I don't get paid double for this I'm gonna be pissed, yo."
Anji raised an eyebrow and looked at Soujiro and Kamatari looked away, suddenly becoming very interested in his nails. Anji began to slowly speak, his voice low and gravelly. "You are Shishio Makoto's favorite gun. He tells you things. We cannot do what is expected of us if we do not know the expectations."
With a laugh, Soujiro winked. "Right you are, Anji-san! And to answer your question, Chou-san – you will get paid very nicely for this." He glanced sharply at Kamatari. "As Kamatari-chan could also tell you." He said, raising an eyebrow. "The plan was like this. We need Yukishiro Enishi-san gone, dead, destroyed. So far he is one of us, but he could turn coat any moment – he is being bought by Heishin and his people. Also, his personal revenge will get in the way of future jobs. So to 'test his loyalty' as if – we were all going to go and kill Heishin. But Enishi-san brought his men with him, so that's why there are so many of us and why we're using the Battousai to fight at least some of them. The man took a vow never to kill, but in extreme circumstances, who knows what a man'll do? Shishio-san calculated all this, amazing, isn't it?" Soujiro smiled.
Slowly nodding, Anji looked carefully at Soujiro from under low eyebrows. Chou nodded then stopped. "Why Shinomori?"
Soujiro shrugged. "No idea. He's probably just being a little paranoid, Shishio-sama is!"
Kamatari shot a glare at Soujiro but said nothing.
"Aw, sure, I get it now. Nice plannin' here, yo! The Boss's a smart guy, ain't he?"
"Oh he is, Chou-san, he is. And he knows it too."