Disclaimer: RK is not mine but Nobuhiro Watsuki's. Original characters
are mine. Blah blah... *l*

Author's Notes: Hello minna-san!!! Ahhhh...it feels so good to be back
once more. My exams are over and I am graduating soon...although that
makes me feel kinda lost now...will have to wait for results to see what
my next move shall be. But I am free to keep writing, yeah! For a while
I had no idea how to continue with this fic but some hard thinking while
working on my WK/RK fic and the encouragement from Susan (Bless you,
hon!) got me going again.

Also, one last thing. Is it just me or does Saitsuchi remind anyone of
Marvel's villain, The Leader...ya know, green and big-headed nemesis of
The Hulk? *chortles*



Chapter Eight: Past Ties



Saitsuchi looked as old and ...green as ever. In fact, he reminded
Kamatari of a wrinkled prune as he lay there on the bed, hands folded
primly over the soft white covers. His moustache fell and rose with each
wheezing breath he took. Stifling a giggle, the young man seated himself
gently at the edge of the bed. Then he poked Saitsuchi in the side.

The diminutive half of the "Destructive Army" jumped as though someone
had stabbed him and his yell would have woken the household had not
Kamatari slapped a hand over his mouth. "Kamatari you...halfwit!" he
hissed angrily, clutching the covers to his chest.

"Ne, Saitsuchi-san. Are you not happy to see me?"

"No," Saitsuchi retorted. "How did you get past the guards? Were they
loafing off?" His eyes were bright with suspicion and fear. "And what
are you doing here?"

"If I couldn't get past those guards I would not have been worthy enough
to be counted amongst the Ten Swords. Relax; they are vigilant if
nothing else. Which brings me to the question: What are you so afraid
of? Three guards on patrol is the norm. I was quite ...shocked to see a
group of ten camped outside your door and five more below your window.
And for your information, Saitou sent me."

Saitsuchi sized up the young cross-dresser before answering. He looked
well enough, although it was strange to see him in a normal gi and
hakama instead of the colourful kimonos that he favoured. The last he
had heard was that Kamatari had been despatched as a spy overseas. There
could only be one reason why he had returned. "There is a conspiracy
afoot, is there not?" Kamatari nodded and Saitsuchi slumped unhappily
against the pillows. "I knew it."

"Is someone against the treaty?"

"Not openly. The British are keen to give the impression that they are
allies with us but in private ... the terms of the treaty were most
unequal. At least until I was sent for," he added proudly.

Kamatari tried not to roll his eyes. All in the Juppon Gatana were well
acquainted with the man's oversized ego. 'Although I should allow him
that, he hasn't much else to boast about.'

Thankfully Saitsuchi returned to the subject at hand and without much
prompting launched into a detailed description the men had worked with.
"On our side, I have been mainly in charge of the matter, along with the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They cannot be responsible for
any conspiracy. If anything, it is the British. And I'm not being
xenophobic," he snapped as Kamatari lifted a sceptical brow. "If
anything you should investigate Sir William Carrington."

"Huh?" Foreign names were hard to grasp, especially the European ones.

Saitsuchi gave Kamatari a withering look that clearly meant 'Idiot'
before grabbing his walking stick. Hobbling to his desk, which Kamatari
noted with amusement was tailor-made to accommodate his abnormally small
stature, Saitsuchi took out pen and paper. He scribbled two names down
and thrust it at Kamatari. "Tell Saitou the one I underlined is the man
that has been giving me a lot of problems. He looks down on our country
and thinks it should be colonised. Unfortunately, he is also an
extremely capable negotiator, thus the reason why he was sent to oversee
this treaty. His partner, Lord Townsend, has less business acumen but
more fair spirit. They balance each other off and are strangely enough,
good friends."

"No one else is involved?" Kamatari tucked the note into his gi
securely. Saitsuchi turned to the window, thoughtfully tapping his
walking stick.

"No one else. But the British Ambassador was once involved in settling a
very bad dispute between our British counterparts and us. However he has
absolutely nothing to do with the treaty."

"Well, if that is all, I'll be off then." A sudden fondness washed over
Kamatari along with an old memory of Shishio, Houji and Saitsuchi
sitting at a table discussing the financial aspects of running the
organisation. "Take care, Saitsuchi."

The old man was gratified. Kamatari had never taken any notice of him
before. The only one who had been polite was Seta Soujirou. "Thank you.
And you never did answer my question of how you got in."

This time it was Kamatari's turn to be smug. Pushing open the windows,
he crouched on the ledge and grinned. "It'll help with security if you
had soldiers on the roof. Didn't being around people like Houji teach
you anything about security?" He grasped the rope he had let down
earlier and wagged it at Saitsuchi.

"You little..." But Kamatari was already gone. And little did Saitsuchi
know, as he shut the windows and bolted them, so were the two ninjas
that had been keeping vigil from across the street since nightfall.

...........................................


Things were not going according to plan. Shinohara paced the room
softly, hands clasped together behind his back. Saitou Hajime was not
dead; he wasn't even seriously wounded. Damn Midori Akira. "So much for
the infamous Green Wolf," he sneered before getting his temper under
control. It would not do to get upset over events that one could do
nothing about. What mattered now was Saitou's presence in Yokohama. And
Shinohara had cause to be concerned about that. He could not leave. As
the Japanese secretary and chief interpreter of Sir Carrington, it would
look suspicious, to say the least if he vanished without a trace the
moment Saitou came into town.

And he had Honjo Kamatari with him. Shinohara was not sure how much that
boy knew. "If he has only my name, I can yet remain concealed. But if he
knows my face...has a description..." Instinctively he touched his right
arm, remembered the burning agony of the shinobi's blade as it slashed
him from shoulder to wrist. The ugly pink scar was the reason why he
favoured long sleeved tunics and suits even in the hot summers. It
wasn't vanity that made him do so but the fear of being identified.

A soft tap at the window alerted him to the presence of his spies. As
the glass panel slid up, he picked up a cloth mask and concealed his
face. No one, not even the men who worked under him knew what he looked
like. Those who had tried to see his face had died in sufficiently
horrible ways to discourage future attempts. "What news?"

"Honjo Kamatari has been to see Saitsuchi. Kawaji Toshiyoshi was seen
entering and leaving the police headquarters. And there was a shinobi
with Saitou as well."

"Shinobi?"

"Yes. She donned the colours of white and dark blue. If I'm not mistaken-"

"She must be Oniwabanshuu," Shinohara finished. Twin thrills of
excitement and anxiety shot through his system. Oniwabanshuu. Once more
he touched his right arm. How long had it been? Yes, fifteen years. He
could almost feel the driving rain on his skin, smell the cold fierce
wind as it ripped and tore at the boy who circled him like a beast of
the night. Those hard blue eyes...

"Sir?"

The question cut through his reverie. "I want you to deliver a message
to Lord Gray. Inform him of the events that have taken place but tell
him I say there is no real danger. Honjo Kamatari has nothing more than
a name and Saitou Hajime at the moment has possession of misleading
information. We are safe for the next six days. And it is imperative
that Lord Gray keeps his composure and continues to behave in a normal
fashion. I shall no longer meet him personally unless it is in our
official capacities." He thought for a while longer before deciding that
that was all his employer needed to know. "You may leave."

The clock on the wall revealed that it was already two in the morning.
Shinohara continued to pace the floor, the soft carpet muffling his
steps. The stakes had certainly increased now with the presence of the
Oniwabanshuu. Again he deeply regretted that night. It had been stupid
of him to allow himself to have spoken in a moment of foolish goading as
he stood over the dying man. He had not known that the boy was in the
room as well. Shinomori Aoshi...Not a boy, Shinohara reminded himself,
but a man now. And probably three times as dangerous if the rumours
about his involvement with Shishio Makoto were true. But still, the
chances of Shinomori recognising his voice were incredibly slim. And
until today the Oniwabanshuu still had no idea who he was or what he
looked like. If they had, he would have died years ago.

But aside from that, the rest of the news boded fairly well. If Kamatari
had more than simply his name, Saitou would probably have cordoned off
the entire city and conducted door-to-door raids by now. He would put
nothing past that man. But what especially pleased him was the meeting
with Saitsuchi. Now suspicion would fall on Sir Carrington. As things
were, all he and his employer had to do was lie low. The plan was
already in place. All they needed was the arrival of the British Trade
Minister to trigger a series of events that would result in the
inevitable colonising of Japan by the British.

Before he fell asleep, Shinohara realised that there was still something
troubling him. Some little detail......... Ah, yes. He remembered now.
The spy had mentioned that Saitou had been seen with one woman, not two.
His wife was not with him. As far as Shinohara knew, she stayed at home
a lot and travelled with her husband. But her missing presence was of no
concern. He was not going to lose sleep over a typical Japanese housewife.

.................................

"Where are you going?"

Saitou ignored the question as he pulled on his jacket, fastening the
buttons. He missed his wife. Tokio always got up before him in the
mornings and she was always at the door to say good-bye. He couldn't
help but feel uneasy on this trip. The last time he had left her
alone...... "I asked Kawaji to arrange a meeting for me with the British
officials. Standard procedure. After all, I am in charge of security."
Saitsuchi suspected Carrington but it seemed a little too obvious to
Saitou. The meeting would give him a chance to size them up himself.

With a snap he clipped the nihontou at his side and speculatively eyed
the former Okashira who was at the moment, blocking the only exit to the
room. "Shinomori, unless you have something to ask, you really should
get out of my way."

Misao was still fast asleep. It was already ten in the morning but he
had had no heart to wake her. They had slept in separate rooms but still
her whimpers and cries had reached him through the walls. "What's wrong
with Misao?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Something dangerous sparked in Aoshi's
eyes and Saitou felt a twinge of amusement. So he did care for her. "You
heard her too then, I take it."

"She's in no condition to be helping in this investigation. Why did you
allow her to come with you?"

"In the first place, if I had sent her back to Kyoto, the Aoiya would
now be besieged by a flood of ninjas which I am told, possess
considerable skills. Secondly, I will use every means necessary and
every resource I have to stop Shinohara Sasaki from bringing this
country to ruin. That is my duty. If you wish to protect Misao, talk to
her, not me."

Saitou's words stung but they were true. Aoshi stepped quietly to one
side and let Saitou pass. "By the way, I have selected some men to help
you should you require them. They aren't exactly Oniwabanshuu standard,
but they'll do. And they can be trusted." With that, Saitou headed down
the steps, leaving Aoshi alone with his thoughts.

Many years ago while he was yet a boy, a mere child, he had sworn out of
duty to defend her with his life. She was the only grandchild of his
Okashira. She was the only daughter of the man who would have been
Okashira in his stead, the most important person Aoshi had ever failed
to protect. But now love was slowly replacing duty. He was new to the
concept of love and so much of what he felt was in conflict with what he
thought he ought to do. Yet one thing had always been clear. He would
take care of her, in any way he could.

------------------------------------------------------------------------