Standard disclaimers:
I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki and some big name companies do.
Author's comments:
This chapter will clear a lot, not everything! Please comment, if I missed
something or if it is confusing. I hope that I didn't take the story-line
to
far, putting things together.
ON WITH THE STORY:
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Despair and deception, love's ugly little twins
Came a-knocking on my door, I let them in
Darling, you're the punishment for all my former sins
I let love in
The door it opened just a crack, but love was shrewd and bold
My life flashed before my eyes, it was a horror to behold
A life-sentence sweeping confetti from the floor of a concrete hole
I let love in
Well I've been bound and gagged and I've been terrorised
And I've been castrated and I've been lobotomized
But never has my tormenter come in such a cunning disguise
I let love in
words by Nick Cave ('I let love in')
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CHAPTER 11: 'TALKING' WITH SAITOU
Grumbling because of my refusal to discuss the matter on the street, right
in
front of the dead family, Hajime had 'accompanied' me home. Luckily some
other samurai had appeared whom he could trust with the corpses and the
investigation of the near people.
But... calling it 'accompanying' might be too much, for him walking fast
in
front of me. I had problems to keep close to him and not fall back, dressed
in a kimono and having shorter legs.
The advantage was that we reached the headquarters only minutes later and
after some meetings with Kondou and Hijikata we were in alone our room,
I
wanted to inform Hajime as soon as possible. He would need it.
I knelt down opposite of Hajime, breathing deeply, and concentrated on the
following talk. How to start? This would be tough and hard to explain.
I had prepared some tea and we had settled down, in a comfortable position,
facing each other, the small tray with the tea on it between us. He lightened
a cigarette, it wouldn't be his last one.
"What do you have to tell me so urgently, Tokio?"
His tone was mocking and his lips curved in an ironic manner. Obviously
he
doubted that it wouldn't be important, that this was one of my female
over-dramatic reactions. He was so wrong and he would soon know it.
I searched for a good beginning, there was none. How much did he already
know?
It would be best to start with the 'small accident'. I sipped a last time
on
my tea, set it back on the table.
"Hajime, I don't know where to start. But this little show was put on stage
by Yoshinori Masahiro. You know him, I spoke with him on my way back from
the
bathroom after the meeting with Matsudaira."
I watched him carefully, furtively through my half-closed eyes.
Would he admit it? He took a deep drag, flicked away some ash, exhaled the
smoke, I wasn't able to spot a reaction. I decided to take it as an admission
that he eavesdropped on the conversation between Yoshinori and me.
"My father worked for him in Osaka. In Shim-machi."
A sudden doubt let me hesitate. I couldn't tell him everything! There were
secretes and given promises. People had trusted me with their secrets, and
I
wasn't in the position to decide on my own to share them. Not when even
my life
was in danger and not when it even concerned my husband and my relationship
with him. This was about honour, trust and pride.
I shot another furtive glance at Hajime, not one reaction. He waited for
me to continue.
"He just put it on stage to speak with me, without you around. He called
this
a 'small accident', Hajime!"
Now he meant to interfere.
"That sounds unbelievable, Tokio. No one will put something like this on
stage
just to talk with someone."
So he actually listened, but still his tone was mocking and his lips were
curved ironical. He didn't believe it this easily. What did I imagine? That
he would buy the story without any background?
I sighed deeply inside, showed no emotion outside. No matter what, I had
to
tell him who Yoshinori really was. Hajime was more precious to me than
Yoshinori, and I had already lost reputation. Wasn't Hajime's life a prize
too high for my honour? Didn't I value my husband more than a word like
honour? Did I need to keep a promise I gave someone who murdered my parents
and who now tried to kill my husband?
Only a few people knew Yoshinori's secret and telling it to outsiders was
the
death-sentence. But what mattered now? He would try to kill Hajime anyway.
A promise is a promise. I couldn't break a promise I had given. Bushido.
Honour, betrayal, justice. Yoshinori betrayed the ninjas, their ideal, belief.
I would betray my own way by telling Hajime who Yoshinori really was.
A promise is a promise.
An obligation is an obligation.
I simply couldn't tell him. I had to try to make it clear to Hajime without
the details. I blurted out what I could think of.
"He is obsessed and nuts. Yoshinori once asked me if I want to marry him,
but
I refused, saying I would already be promised to another man by my parents.
He didn't let go and asked me again. This time I refused clearly, giving
him
no room for hope that I would ever change my mind as the things were. One
week
after my clear refusal my parents were killed. I told you already, he was
the
one that came back in time to help me out. I think he just could make it
just
in time, because he knew what was happening and he had hired the murderer.
I
guess his assassins did more than he ordered them, he killed them before
I could ask them anything. Revenge for my parents he called it."
I paused a bit, how to explain the motifs, the personality of someone who
was
obsessed? Of a person guided and motivated by over-emotional feeling?
To someone like Hajime? Could Hajime even IMAGINE to have such strong emotions?
"He gave me some weeks, but then he told me that with the death of my parents
this bond between my father and his friend would be invalid, I would be
free
to marry him. And that I would need someone to take care of me, I couldn't
manage living alone as a woman. He wanted to be the one caring for me. But
I
refused again, I distrusted him already. Did he really murder my parents?
I
had a suspicious feeling, but I had no evidence. Would he go this far?"
I sipped on my tea again. Patiently Hajime waited for me to continue.
"Yes, I'm sure now, seeing the 'small accident'. I'm pretty sure, that he
will try to get me back at all costs. He didn't expect me to get married
so
fast while he wasn't in Osaka, and he is not a person being stopped by a
husband who is in his way. YOU are in his way, I realised it by now."
"You said a shuriken hit you."
He watched me with half-closed eyes closely. I could have imagined, he had
already figured it out. He remembered every little detail I had told him
by
now and was now putting the clues he had together.
I closed my eyes, concentrated.
A promise is a promise.
I couldn't oppose my way.
Life or death.
I would have to tell Hajime, I would have to break my promise. Otherwise,
was
it really breaking a promise when Hajime knew already what I would tell
him?
I didn't think so.
"Hajime?"
He looked up, indicating me with a slight wink of his hand with the cigarette
between his fingers to continue wordlessly, some ash fell to the floor.
Great.
The ash distracted me for a second, I would be the one who would have to
clean it away. I needed a solution for this cigarette-ash soon, otherwise
I would never be able to have a clean room.
Distracted I shook my head, this wasn't the big problem now.
"I have given a promise not to tell. I'll break my promise now, that's not
easy for me, but I think we have no other chance. Promise me, you will tell
no one."
"Go on."
"He is the leader of the ninja-group of Osaka-jo. I'm breaking my promise,
because I think he betrayed the ideals of a ninja and used his group for
his
own purpose. Moreover, I think he used his group to murder my parents. These
shurikens are really traitorous, I recognised them at instant. He tried
to
persuade me that they acted without his permission, but I don't believe
him."
Hajime raised an eyebrow, I was not able to figure out how much he already
knew and what he was thinking. Would he stand beside me and help me?
"That's a serious accusation."
Stubborn I stared at him? Hadn't I explained it? There was no room for a
wrong
conclusion, everything was obvious.
"You've seen the scar in my shoulder from the shuriken. It was one of his
group. I had no chance to ask one of them, he killed them before I was able
to
ask one question, as I already said. But I knew them. They were killed by
him
because they followed his orders."
"You mean he killed his own followers for his own purpose?"
"Yes." It was really a serious accusation.
"That's unbelievable."
"You saw what he put on stage this morning. I told you, he is obsessed,
nuts."
"Why did he organise this little show?"
"He used my dislike of crowds to trap me. He gave me a French paper for
translation after the meeting with the Matsudaira-sama, he wanted to know
if
I finished it. You have seen it, it is a trading contract between a French
and
a Japanese merchant in Nagasaki. But I think the real reason was our doctor's
visit. He wanted to know, why we have been there, if he finds out, his lip
will flip, for sure. The translation is not everything he wants. He wants
me."
Not with one word he commented my persuasion that this man would kill just
to possess me, but I meant to see his eye-brow twitching slightly every-time
I indicated it or mentioned it clearly. Did he care for me?
"I told you to stay close to me." How much did he really knew?
"I wasn't able to. My father said the same to me back in Shim-machi when
my
brother was killed, Yoshinori knows about that. I was completely distracted
by you saying that. A mistake, I admit."
"What happened in Shim-machi?"
Time was running away, we needed to take precautions. I decided to explain
it as brief as I was able to, hoping not to miss an important point.
"My brother tried to protect the daughter of a brothel-owner. She was
threatened by some men who tried to rape her. He loved her dearly, I can't
remember her, I was too small, only five years old. He just got his katana
from our father, it was only two months ago! He was just fifteen!"
I closed my eyes, remembering the sight.
"Anyhow, he had to leave his swords at home to enter the district, this
bastards had smuggled some daggers inside. He was only fifteen, but he was
murdered, trying to protect her. All I remember is him lying in a pool of
blood in the centre of the street, I was too small to really understand
and
realise what had happened. I was terrorised by this crowd, by all the people
pushing me aside and ripping me away from my father. Then I found my
brother, half-dead. Since then I have a aversion against crowds. Yoshinori
knows about this. He knows everything about me. He watched me growing up,
he
was the big brother after Michinori was killed."
I had to pause, remembering me growing up with him. I had never thought
he
would go this far. This was one of the greatest betrays in my life. My parents
murdered by someone who was a big brother for me and I was the reason.
Wonderful. Why had I been born? I had caused misery to everyone close to
me.
"Go on."
He indicated with a slight wink of his hand to go on, I decided to tell
him
more of my background. He might already knew.
"My parents decided long before I was born, that they would only have two
children, a son and a daughter. They didn't want to have a second son who
would be a ronin for sure. After my brother was killed, my father decided
to
raise me in his way instead. Bushido. He started with the serious training
when I was seven years old. He wanted that I can defend myself, he knew,
I
would always have problems because of my origins. My parents decided to
teach
me reading and writing despite the fact that it is not common. You know
that,
Hajime. It is not necessary for a wife to be educated. To learn fighting,
reading, writing or even a foreign language including its writing. But I'm
different, Hajime. I have the feeling that you respect me for what I am
and I
thank you for that."
I needed some tea, this was tougher than assumed.
"Anyhow, Yoshinori watched me growing up. When I was about fifteen he started
to tell me, that he loves me. I was buttered up, I mean, you might have
seen
him," Hajime frowned slightly "and I gave in. But he pressed me, I felt
uncomfortable having him around, he wanted to be too close for my taste.
He
asked me to marry him. Short version of what I told you before: I refused,
my parents got killed."
What happened then? What else was of importance?
"I'm afraid he was about to set a trap, to get my consent to marry him when
this marriage meeting came up. He was in Nagasaki at that time, the happenings
occurred too quick for him to be back in Osaka before I left. The marriage
was quite quick arranged. I have the feeling that Kondou-sensei is behind
this, he knew my father."
"What about the trap you mentioned concerning Nagasaki?"
"He contacted me after the meeting with the Daimyo to ask me to translate
a
trading contract between a French and a Japanese merchant. I'm afraid he
arranged it and the French merchant has to do something with my mother's
family. I think he wanted to use it to force me to marry him. He only left
for
Nagasaki to contact someone in Dejima. When he heard about the marriage
I had
already left for Kyoto and was married. He had no chance to be back in time."
"How good is he?" I knew he meant Yoshinori's education.
"Perfect."
"His fighting style?"
"He is the one that trained me in shuriken-jutsu and using the kunais, he
is
one of the best ninjas I ever met. He knows every little move of my father's
school and I'm pretty sure he knows everything about yours by now. But I
hope
he knows nothing about my training with Soushi. I changed my style a bit.
I
don't know if it is enough to defend against him, but I bought some shuriken
and kunais at the swords-smith yesterday. The swords-smith you followed
me to
on the day of the marriage meeting."
Would he admit it? I didn't spot him, it was pure speculation. He was pretty
good in what he was doing.
"Using them might be a possibility to wound him, to distract him. I have
the
wakizashis and a dagger,.."
"Tokio, you stay out of this."
"What?"
"You said, he will try to kill ME. So stay out, I don't want you to get
hurt."
"I doubt you will be able to defeat him alone, you know nothing about him,
his technique."
"You can tell and show me."
"I doubt that we have enough time left."
"He is perfect?"
"Yes, I think I am his only weak point. He is obsessed, believe me. He is
a
perfect psychologist. If you have a weak point, he will find it, for sure.
He
will use it, definitely. Without mercy. He will try to provoke you, and
he
will try to hurt, distract you with words before he kills you. Be on guard!
Please, Hajime! I don't want you to get killed by him. Please, believe me,
he
means nothing to me!"
"I heard that, Tokio." My Gods, he admitted it?
I pushed the table aside and approached him, reached out my hand, touched
his
cheek, forced him to look in my eyes.
"Hajime, from the moment on I meet you in the street, something deep down
inside attracted me to you, I don't want to lose you."
He reached up to take my hand.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
I was a bit irritated. "You never asked, Hajime."
He took me in his arms, pulled me close.
"Hajime?"
"I am afraid, please, help me."
"I'll protect you, Tokio. You are not alone."
He placed a kiss on my forehead, holding me tight, comforting me.
I had never felt so secure in my whole life and closed my eyes relieved.
In this position we spent the next hours, ignoring the threat drawing
closer with every minute.
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I knew, Yoshinori is a bit overdrawn. Please note, that he is obsessed.
His brain won't function normal. The traps and incidents he puts on stage
are in this fic to indicate that.
Ja ne,
Mara
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TBC...
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