Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. None of the characters from
Rurouni Kenshin belong to me. They belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki and I
acknowledge all his rights and the rights of the various companies
associated with RK.


Chapter Seven:

It took four days to discover the source of poisoning. When they finally
arrived at the Aoiya, both Okina and Omasu were declining at an equal
pace while strangely enough, Okon was more or less the same as when
Aoshi had left slightly less than a week ago. Aoshi had questioned them
thoroughly about their activities but neither he nor Megumi could find
anything that would provide a clue.

In the end, Megumi had awakened early one morning with the intention of
checking on all three of her patients when she met Okon who was on her
way to offer morning prayers before the tablets of the previous Okashira
and various important members. Megumi had followed her, explaining to
Okon that she had to keep an eye on her to find out how it was that she
wasn't as badly poisoned as the other two.

The moment the flame had touched the incense, Megumi jumped to her feet
and snuffed out the smoking stick with a cloth. Okon, outraged, demanded
to know what was going on.

"Gomen nasai, but there is a smell about this."

"A smell? It smells the same as always," Okon said, puzzled.

"Yes, it would appear that way to you. In fact, I wouldn't be able to
tell the difference myself if my father had not shown me this particular
type of poison. This kind is inhaled and acts slowly, affecting
primarily the lungs. No wonder Okina thought it was consumption."

Okon gasped. "And Okina says the prayers every day without fail. When he
became too ill to leave the bed, Omasu took over. I've been doing it
only since yesterday."

After that Megumi had known what type of cure to concoct. The shopkeeper
was innocent as she was the same attractive widow that Okina had always
purchased joss sticks from. It was a mystery how the other shinobi had
managed to poison the sticks but Aoshi did not seem too concerned with
that. However, he remained very watchful, especially over Okina and Megumi.
............

"Irrashaimase!" Okon greeted the young man cheerily as he stepped into
the restaurant. "Please have a seat sir." Ignoring his weak protests,
she ushered him to a seat and proceeded to pour him some tea. "Would you
like anything to eat?"

He certainly is cute, she thought. Tall and slender with intense green
eyes and light brown hair that gleamed golden in the light. Luckily
Omasu was still recovering, Okon giggled to herself. She could have this
customer all to herself although the man she really wanted was secluded
somewhere in the forests just beyond Kyoto.

"Not really, onna-san. But I do have a favour to ask of you."

"Oh? What is it?"

From within the folds his haori he withdrew a small package bound with
red string. "Could you please give this to the owner of the Aoiya?"

"Okina?" She thought, surprised. But she accepted the package although
she made up her mind to inform the Okashira about it. "Very well."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," he thanked her and bowed.

A customer distracted her for a moment, wanting more sake. Okon turned
her back for less than two minutes and when she looked around again, the
handsome stranger was gone. Instinct prickled and she knew at once that
he had been no ordinary customer. Leaving the restaurant to the
temporary hired help, she ran upstairs to Okina's room.

"Okon, is everything alright?" Okina asked sharply, noting the haste
with which she entered his room. She had even forgotten to knock.

"A man came just now but left when I was not looking. He asked me to
give this to you."

Unwrapping the brown paper, Okina's eyes widened as he say the heavy
gold medallion, with a crest that bore a crane in flight against a black
background. Then he picked up the letter and began to read.
...............

As the train began pulling away from the station, Kenichi wondered how
Okina and Aoshi would receive his letter and the import of what he had
done. "No matter, at least truth and my honour have been restored."
Fujiwara, Urasuji, and Nagoya's deaths had not been in vain. But what
hurt the most was that their Okashira had lied to them.

That morning, it had not just been Shinomori's words that had convinced
him, but his actions as well.

...Gokou Juuji...

It was a truly awesome attack. His chest area would have been a bloodied
mess of torn flesh and shattered bone, his lungs perforated and slashed.
"If not for the fact that before he struck, he turned his kodachi and
used the dull sides on me," Kenichi murmured softly. And in sparing his
life, Shinomori had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that his words
were true. The only marks Kenichi bore were black and blue bruises that
were just beginning to fade.

Shattered but determined, he had returned and in the presence of the
other remaining five, confronted his Okashira. The crippled old man had
turned hysterical. The others had voted to slay him for tarnishing their
honour and being a traitor but Kenichi had decided that they should
spare him out of deference for his position. However, they were
disbanded from that day onwards and each went his separate way.

Winter was coming soon and after that spring would arrive. "And herald a
new beginning. Where will I go from here?" He was still seeking for the
answer when his eyes settled on a petite girl with a long raven braided
tail on the end of the platform. She was escorted by two other men, both
young but older than herself. But what was startling was the fact that
they were wearing Oniwabanshuu white and blue uniforms. From the
drawings they had of all the Oniwabanshuu members, he recognised her to
be Makimachi Misao, the granddaughter of the previous Okashira. She must
have rushed back from America upon hearing the news. But Okina and the
rest would be in good health now, what with that famous Takani-sensei
attending to them personally for the last three weeks. The station
disappeared into the distance and Kenichi leaned back in the seat, tired
but savouring the strange sensation of peace after years of hungering
for vengeance.

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