Standard Disclaimer: Unfortunately I neither own Rurouni Kenshin nor the characters but at least the story is mine. I´M FINALLY BACK! It did cost me stress and sleepless nights, but now I am finished with all my written exams and will graduate soon, so I promise to go on with my work more quickly from now on, cross my heart! Like always my thanks goes to Mara for her encouraging words and her helpful advice. Since I have absolutely no talent for writing about military strategy or fighting scenes (the only fights I ever take part in are the end-of-year sales...), she "inspired" this chapter a lot! Without her I would never have been able to write this properly! Nochmals vielen Dank =^_^=! Chapter 4: Why can a Weasel not have peaceful afternoons? Very aware of the disrespectful yet admiring glances men shoot at her, Misao headed through the busy streets of Osaka, her head shyly lowered to the ground. Never before in her whole life men had looked at her like that, with this strange burning fire in their eyes, and it made her feel more insecure than she liked to admit to herself, a feeling that was even increased by her difficulties regarding the heavy kimono Saitou had forced her to wear. After nearly falling on her face, she finally decided to slow down, hissing a curse about the tiny steps you had to make in female clothing. As far as she could see, such garments reduced a woman's freedom in two ways: they made it impossible to do something interesting and, she added sarcastically, they turned the males around you in sex fancied idiots! Nevertheless her mood cheered up already some moments later, as her glance strolled over her surroundings more distinctfully. How could she ever have forgotten about the special magic of this city? Inhaling deeply, she let her head fall into the neck, enjoying the pleasant sunlight on her face. Osaka was totally different from her beloved Kyoto, different from the whole traditional Japan she knew, but nevertheless only being in this city with its friendly looking habitants and its beautiful archways always appealed to her senses like few things else. Back then, when she had still been searching for Aoshi-sama and the others, she had always found a reason to stop here in order to stay at the local Oniwabanshuu for some days before returning home, but ever since Aoshi was back, she had given up that habit, and it was only now that she realized that she had missed the place. [1] But her cheerfulness only remained for some minutes before she fell back into her earlier mood. Strange as it was, she was feeling, as if something was not the way it should be, as if something very important was missing, as if... Realization came to her like a thunder roar. It was the first day for a whole week she walked around without Saitou. Her nose wrinkled. This wolf had an effect on her that was already scary! Lowering her head again, she thought about their arrival in this city a few hours ago. Saitou had lead her towards a rather lonely situated huge and elegant house, whose the owners, an old married couple, had already been waiting for them to show them around the place. Naturally enough they had considered her relationship to the tall man at her side more than just platonic and had therefore made very suggestive comments about that place being a paradise for lovers, a statement, at which she had almost died out of embarrassment while the psycho cop had barely nodded, his thoughts obviously occupied with something else. As soon as the couple had left them, he had smoked three cigarettes after another while planning their next moves, of course not bothering to let her participate in his plans. Misao wrinkled her nose again. It had been typical for Saitou, that for sure, but nevertheless she had felt like taking his damned cancer stick from him and trampling on it. Before the urge had become irresistible, she had left him alone to stroll around her new ´home´ on her own, an occupation which had not pleased her the least. There had been a feeling of solitude hanging around the place, she recalled with a shudder, an unnerving silence which had made her all nervous. Paradise for lovers? Perhaps for the ghosts of them! But when she had asked Saitou about his impression, he had only rose an eyebrow laconically, telling her briefly that they were on a mission and not on a vacation. After the inevitable following exchange of insults, they had finally come to the decision to investigate each of them on their own; Saitou by meeting with some sources of him and she by visiting the local Oniwabanshuu. Which she was doing right now. The local Oniwabanshuu. Her blue-green began to sparkle in anticipation of meeting them again. The people of Osaka were famous for their being different all over Japan but the Onmitsus with their amiable garrulosity were special even for the standards of this place. A proud little smile appeared on her delicate lips. They were strange people, people out of the ordinary and therefore the only sort of people she could respect. Perhaps, it occurred to her in rush, perhaps this was a bond she shared with Saitou. Like he lived according to his Shinsengumi discipline alone, she herself, being born and raised by onmitsus, accepted the ninja's way as the only way she was willing to follow, even if it lead her to death one day. Her thoughts turned back to Mibu´s wolf. She had never disliked him in the way Kaoru or Sanosuke did - you couldn't really hate a person who saved your life on the first occasion you met him - , but as longer as she was with him she couldn't help could but being glad about having him around. Of course he was meaner than the devil himself and had absolutely no sense of mercy but nevertheless she had to admit that there was more to this man than his superior fighting skills. Like herself, he hated corruption and evil like poison and longed to destroy it, like herself he was never satisfied by what he had already achieved. And, she added reluctantly, as insufferable as his superior attitude towards everything and everybody might be, it was better to be busy with being annoyed about him and with asking herself the big secret question what sort of woman had been stupid enough to marry such a devil than to think about Aoshi. Her eyes narrowed, feeling the old pain raising up in her. Aoshi-sama... He probably sat in the temple at that very moment, meditating or drinking his tea in silence, not bothering the least that it had been Okon or Omasu and not her that had brought it to him. Angrily she shook her head. No, she would not think about him, for thinking about him always meant to go through all this pain again and again. Thinking of him meant to admit defeat, meant long sleepless nights and wet cried pillows. Furthermore it never brought her to any conclusion but the one that she was a naive idiot. Straightening up, she quickened her pace again, knowing that her destination was nearby. No, she would not let herself surrender by despair, she told herself firmly. She had always tried to be strong for him, but now it was time to face reality, now it was time to be strong for herself. Then she finally arrived at her destination, a small house in nothing different from the other houses around, in nothing distinguishable from the world it belonged to. A perfect camouflage, she thought analytically as she entered the in yard, only to hit herself violently on the head one moment later. God, now she was already thinking like this stupid wolf, where would that end?! Before she could deepen this thought, a loud scream of joy was heard. "MISAO-CHAN!" "Not -chan", she corrected half-heartedly as a tall brown-eyed woman with long rippling hair ran towards her and pressed her violently to her huge breasts. "Good to see you again, Hitomi-san." "Oh and to see you! But I nearly did not recognise my little girl!" Hitomi released her and examined her admiring. "Hush, who would have thought that our boyish Misao-chan would turn into such a lovely young woman? You look beautiful, darling, honestly!" Embarrassed Misao lowered her look. "That's just the kimono", she returned shyly. "The kimono?" The older woman laughed warmly. "So the depths of your eyes and these delicate features are just the result of wearing a kimono? You must tell me the address of your tailor." Before the girl was even able think about returning something, Hitomi was already shoving her into the direction of the house. "Come on, cutie, we can discuss this inside. Unfortunately the others are on a mission in the west but I'm sure Hashimoto-san is already waiting for you! Oh, he will be soooo pleased to see you!" Smiling slightly, Misao gave in, remembering one of Okina´s rare lectures: There was no way to discuss something with a ninja; the whole bunch was just to stubborn for their own good! ******************************************************************************** Sipping silently on her tea, Misao waited more or less patiently for Hashimoto Ryu, the former leader of the Osaka Oniwabanshuu, to appear. What was this man doing that took him so long? Reorganising Japan's cultural structure?! Sighing deeply, she put the cup back on the little table where Hitomi had lead her to. She was a person who liked to be in activity, so if there was one thing in the world she hated with a burning passion, it was waiting. Looking around the room, she was like always amazed at the bare grace of Hashimoto-san´s modest home. Although lacking all the things that made a normal house inviting, paintings and embellishments of any kind, a feeling of grandeur sticked to the place. Maybe it was because of its inhabitants grandeur. Misao´s eyes began to shine proudly. Like the Kyoto Oniwabanshuu, the group here in Osaka had managed to find a place in the new era without forgetting their old duties, like them they had never stopped to work as ninja. ´Well, Saitou, Shinsengumi could remain Shinsengumi, but Oniwabanshuu surely do likewise.´ Then she suddenly froze, asking herself for the hundredth time on this day what the hell happened to her. Why could she not quit thinking of that psycho cop and his idiotic philosophy of life?! "May I disturb you in your concentration?" Barely able to suppress a squeak, Misao turned around in one fluid movement, before relaxing alleviated. "Oh, it's you, Hashimoto-san. Gee, you really frightened me!" A severe looking man in his early sixties, approached her and bowed shortly. "You should have made me out long before I entered." A little flush appeared on her cheeks. "Hai!" As he placed himself opposite to her, she eyed him secretly under her long thick lashes. After the end of the Edo dynasty and Aoshi-sama´s departure, Hashimoto Ryu had practically held the same position in Osaka as Okina in Kyoto but as far as she could see this tale earnest man was much impressive than Jiya and therefore she always felt insecure in his overwhelming presence. Nevertheless she valued his abilities a lot. His cold, steely grey eyes scanned her fragile figure with ruthless intensity, at which she glanced away quickly. "It has been a long time since our last encounter", he finally began the conversation with his usual coldness. "Okina already wrote me in order to prepare me for your visit and the questions you bring with you." "Uh, that's good." Forcing a smile on her face, Misao met his eyes. "I suppose you have already gathered some information about the happenings in Shanghai?" It was more a statement than a question. Hashimoto Ryu would never bring shame on him and not be prepared to such an interview. Like she had supposed, he nodded gravely. "As you ordered, Okashira." He spoke the last word with hesitation and Misao´s eyes instantly clouded over this formal address. Although being the official head of their organization for over three years by now, she still was not familiar with this title and could not help herself but thinking of Aoshi-sama whenever she head it. "Okashira?" Realizing where she was, she accusingly bowed to the ground. "I'm sorry, Hashimoto-san, I was just thinking...well, what have you found out about that conspiracy?" Hashimoto eyed her for a very long moment but if he wanted to comment her strange behaviour, he did not. "We could not find out much", he finally began his report. "But according to our sources, the conspiracy is lead by a man of Japanese origin. After Yukishiro Enishi was defeated three years ago, he took over the organized crime in Shanghai and soon gained the power over the whole place. Few people have ever seen his face for which reason he is called the ´Phantom´." "The Phantom?" Misao echoed. "Sounds rather pathetic to me." Hashimoto settled back. "Then believe my judgement that there is nothing pathetically about his movements. Those are proving high intelligence and clear insight. I would even swear that he tries to imitate the way the Shinsengumi once used to work." A shiver of cold ran down the young girl's spine. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded, carefully hiding her sudden excitement. Hashimoto looked a bit thoughtful. "Did you ever hear about the incident in the woods near Kyoto during the Boshin wars?" Misao shook her head. "Please tell me." "It was an operation under Saitou Hajime, the commander of the third unit and by all means one of the most ruthless and intelligent of the wolves. He knew about the existence of one traitor in his group and therefore sent his men to this aforementioned place where he revealed the Ishinshishi´s plan to ambrush them. In the moment of the attack the traitor showed his real face and Saitou attacked together with Nagakura's and Okita's group. It was a quite clever trick to let them walk into the trap and a certain way to uncover the agent. The Phantom used the same trick in order to eliminate his enemies in Shanghai. As far as I can see, he was trying to copy Saitou´s style." "Do you think...", Misao began hesitating. "Well, do you consider any mutual bond between this men and the Miburos possible?" Hashimoto nodded gravely. "Why not? Nobody knows how many of the wolves have survived the beginnings of the Meiji era." "True enough", Misao answered slowly, her blue-green eyes narrowed. Could it be? Could it be that there was any bond between this ominous Phantom and the wolf that pestered her life already for a week? Was this whole conspiracy only an act of revenge against Saitou? It was almost too hilarious to believe! "Hashimoto-san?" she finally demanded matter-of-factly. "Hai?" "I want you to find out as much as possible about this man, the Phantom and to reconcile all our information concerning surviving Shinsengumi, especially those, who had a special relationship to the commander of the third unit." Standing up, she began to walk up and down in the room. "In addition to that, I want to know everything that is happening in Shanghai at the moment. No matter what, tell it to me immediately. This is a case of absolute priority for our organization, so call our people all over Japan. And..." Finally realizing the strange look Hashimoto gave her, she stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" "Nothing." The old man eyed her intensely. "It's just that for one moment I thought to see your grandfather in front of me." Misao blushed, not knowing how to answer this. She had been very young when Makimachi Hayato died, but remember him and his pride very well. How frightening this strong-willed and passionate man had been to her, and how she had admired him at the same time. And not only her, all members of the Oniwabanshuu would have willingly given their lives to him, simply overwhelmed by his charismatic personality. She gulped uneasily. A comparison to him was probably the highest compliment Hashimoto knew. "If he were still alive, he could take care of this much better than me", she finally stated quietly. "Differently from me, he always knew what to do." Hashimoto´s expression was unreadable. "You are still young." "Aoshi-sama was also young when chosen to become Okashira and he never faced any of my problems!" she returned bitterly. Lowering her head to the ground, she felt frustration overflowing her. "He should be the Okashira again. He's much more skilled than I am." She glanced at him, but looked away quickly. A long moment of silence passed between them, finally broken by Hashimoto. "Okashira." This time he spoke the word with detachment. "You are mistaken about Shinomori Aoshi. Nobody of us would accept him as leader once again. You might have forgiven him his treason, but we certainly have not." Misao opened her mouth to protest, but the older man lifted a hand and continued coolly. "You are our leader now. May it be wrong or not that a woman has this position, our loyalty and trust belongs to you. And I am sure that Makimachi-sama would be very proud of you." "Granddaddy?!" the girl echoed bewildered, forgetting her frustration over her surprise. "Proud that a female leads his organization?!?!" Hashimoto shook his head. "Male or female, I don't think it would matter to him." Misao´s eyes widened even more. "Not?" A small surprising smile appeared on Hashimoto´s lean face. "You don't seem to realize it yourself but you are so much an Oniwabanshuu, fierce and strong willed." His eyes grew warmer. "Don't you know how it is with us? Nobody gets off light!" Carefully the girl smiled back. Suddenly she saw her grandfather's severe face with its intense blue-green eyes in front of her inner eye and heard his roaring voice. ´Be proud of your blood, Misao! In the end it is the only thing that counts.´ Perhaps Hashimoto was right. Perhaps he would actually appreciate her overtaking his position... "Thank you", she finally whispered. ******************************************************************************** Once again, Misao was heading down the streets of Osaka, this time even deeper in thoughts than the first time this morning. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she began to enumerate the facts she knew about her enemy over and over again. There were unsatisfying few, she realized with a sigh. Nevertheless she wondered what Saitou would say about her information... "Hey, sweetie!" Irritated Misao looked up. She had been to too deep in her thoughts that she had not noticed her entrance in a rather uninviting part of the city, a quiet, nearly deserted district on the outskirts, probably home to murderers, bandits, prostitutes ... Or to stupid brute men who had nothing in mind but pestering innocent women. Examining the three roughnecks who had surrounded her and eyed her lecherously, she could not help herself but wrinkle her nose in disgust. Was there any conspiracy in the heavens that did not allow her to have some peace of mind for just one afternoon? "Do you damned freaks have any problem?!" she hissed. Obviously surprised at the fact that such a sweet and proper looking girl swore at them without any hint of fear, they looked stunned at each other for one moment. Then the tallest of the group, a smutty man in a dirty yukata, began to grin widely. "We are just wondering what a cute one like you is doing here all on her own." Inwardly she sighed. "I would say that this is none of your business. And now let me pass." "I don't think so, pretty one." The disgusting grin widened while his small eyes eyed her seemingly fragile body with lust. "We would be stupid to let a sweet angel go ahead again." One of his friends began to chuckle insinuatingly. "An angel, Yuichirou?" he asked mockingly. "I would rather say she is a whore." Misao remained stoically quiet. After one whole week with Mibu´s wolf, a lame provocation from such a moron would definitely not get her angry. "It that's your considered opinion, fine with me", she told him in a deceitfully calm voice. "And now go out of my way before I get angry! The man who had first addressed her, smiled lazily. "Oh, I'm scared, honey", he drawled. "Come on, show us your anger!" This was her headword. Reaching our for the kunais she had hidden under the soft material of her kimono in one single movement, a wicked light began to shine in her eyes. You should be more carefully with your wishes, boy, they could come true! "Oh, what do you have there? Little knifes?" Negligently he approached her, his intention magnified in his lecherous grin. "Better to put them away, you could hurt someone with them." "Thanks for the warning", she returned sweetly. After that she gracefully swung forwards and slammed her knee into the most sensitive regions of his body which brought him squirming to the ground while holding his precious parts. A smile appeared on her lips. Number one. The two other men looked speechless at her; but not for long and they started to scream like enraged animals, trying to attack her by charging aggressively forwards. Misao allowed herself to smirk. This mindless idiots should be no problem for her, she decided, and sent her daggers against them. Being hit, the ill-considered attack was interrupted for a second and the sudden pain made them even more enraged and furious - and therefore even more readable for the ninja girl. Aiming an painful punch towards one man's shoulder, Misao effortlessly dodged the other one's attack with a kick of her slender legs, while her self-confident smile widened. Ever since that stupid journey began, her had not practiced but nevertheless no one of this rude group stood any chance against her. She had trained too hard over the last three years to be defeated by some street rowdies. Concentrating only on the motions of her arms and legs, she became more and more engulfed in the rhythm of the irresistible dance that fighting had always been to her. "You BITCH!" the man she had just attacked yelled loudly. She smirked sarcastically. "Oh, now I'm hurt!" Attacking for a second time with her demon kick, she finally brought him down to the ground while already concentrating on his friend. Then she suddenly stumbled over her kimono and lost her balance for one crucial moment. ´Shit!´ Before she could stand up a foot painfully stepped on her hand. Barely able to suppress a little cry, she looked up to see the roughneck standing over her, a triumphant smile on his face. Oh hell, what should she do... "Can't I leave you alone for just one afternoon without finding you in a bunch of trouble, Weasel Girl?" a familiar mocking voice suddenly said behind them. Slowly, very slowly, Misao turned around, not knowing if she should cry or laugh. "You?!" Saitou was casually leaning against the wall of a house, a burning cigarette in his hand and his mouth curled in an unmistakable smirk. "It obviously does seem so." The man quit his hurting position and headed towards Saitou. "So the cutie belongs to you?" Quirking his lips and letting a trail of smoke issuing from the corner of his mouth, the psycho cop eyed him with what seemed to be lightly annoyed boredom. "What if so?" A dirty grin appeared on the other's ones lips. "I knew she was a whore!" At this, Misao, who had meanwhile struggled to stand up again, an undertaking which was quite difficult to perform because of the kimono, fell down again. "WHAT are you dump moron calling me?!" she screamed shrilly. The other one choose to ignore her and gave Saitou a dirty smile. "How much do you want for her?" The ninja girl was very near a temper tantrum by now. "Listen, you idiot, he would never..." A wicked smile appeared on the wolf's face. "I honestly must admit that she is not worth very much..." "What you bastard!" "...so the price must not be so high. Something worthless, unimportant should be sufficient to pay for her." His dangerous smile widened. "Something like your life for example." Before his conversation partner was even able to think about an answer, he found himself centimetres over the ground, held in the air only by a merciless skilled hand around his throat, and confronted with cold amber eyes and a dangerous smile. "So what do you say?" Saitou murmured in a voice low and silken, yet laced with undeniable threat. "Do we have a deal or do you withdraw? By all means I'll oblige." Struggling to get free, the man obviously was in pain. "Let me...go...", he finally managed to groan. Saitou´s cold smile widened. "This is exactly what I thought." With glittering golden eyes, he nonchalantly slammed his fist in the brute's stomach, which made him sink to the ground with a loud moan, before walking towards the still struggling Misao. Not bothering to lend her an helping hand, he eyed the surroundings and the men lying on the street with a sarcastic expression on his face. "I congratulate you, Weasel Girl. By your fault our carefully arranged camouflage has nearly been destroyed on the very first day. Congratulations." This was too much! "By my fault?" she shouted on top of her lungs after finally managing to stand up. "MY fault?! This would never have happened if YOU had not forced me to wear this stupid kimono! If I had just worn my ninja outfit, I would have had no problem with that guy. Stop! If I wore my ninja outfit, he and his psycho friends would have left me in peace from the beginning on!" Totally unimpressed he returned her furious glance, searching in his pockets for a new cigarette. "Are you just searching for a vehicle to articulate your anger because you failed on eliminating an opponent that was totally under your level or do you also have any actual problems?" Breathing deeply, she fought to control her temper as he lightened up his found with a flaring match. How could she ever have thought that there were good sides about Saitou?! "No. Problem. At. All." she finally managed to state. "And what the hell are we going to do now?" A small smirk appeared on Saitou´s angular face. "I wouldn't mind some soba." ******************************************************************************** (1) No, you haven't missed anything, there are no Osaka Oniwabanshuu, they were completely my idea. Hey, it's fiction anyway ^_~!