Peace Maker Kurogane Fan Fiction ❯ The Disappearance of Tetsunosuke Ichimura ❯ Something doesn't feel right. ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Don't own it!!

 

 

Chapter 2

 

He was gone. The bed was empty, covers thrown aside, red hair missing from the white of the futon. It was just starting to light outside, the sun rising from the east and the beginning sounds of morning in the Shinsengumi head quarters began to seep through to him. Shinpachi, Sanousuke and Heisuke were all asleep, strewn about the room but He was gone. The door to the porch was open to no more then a slit but he knew that that was where Tetsu had gone. Tatsu stood quickly, catching himself on the wall as his right leg decided to remain asleep. He shook it violently, nearly kicking Shinpachi, and rushed to the door. Sanousuke grunted as Tatsu tripped on his leg but the tall spear master remained asleep like the log he was. The grounds were empty just outside the door but he cast his gaze around any way and ran down the porch to the right, rounding the corner and heading off towards the kitchen. Tetsu's morning routine consisted of getting up near the crack of dawn and starting on Mr. Hijikata's first cup of superbly strong tea, feeding the pigs in the yard and getting everything out for whoever was going to be cooking breakfast. No doubt that was where he was heading. He stopped just around the corner to the next hallway when he heard muffled voices. It sounded like a few of the men had woken up early this morning for once.

“Shit! We need to get him back to his room!” said one of them.

“I know that but I don't know how to carry him when he's all banged up like this!” said another. Tatsu rounded the corner quickly and saw a strand of red on the grass.

“Tetsu…” he whispered and hurried over to the gathered men, not bothering to see who they were. Someone said something to him but he only had eyes for the small bundle of pale skin and red hair laying on the grass, bandages loose around his many wounds and blood starting to seep onto the white of his sleeping kimono.

“Tetsu,” he said again, a little louder this time and rolling the boy onto his back.

“Hey, Tatsu, careful!” said one of the men, helping him to roll Tetsu over more gently. Tatsu didn't hear him and tapped the side of Tetsu's face gently to rouse him, calling his name as well. Tetsu seemed impervious to these attempts. Just before Tatsu was about to hit him harder or poke at one of his wounds, a groan escaped Tetsu's throat. His head moved away from the gentle slapping and his eyes drifted open to greet the world. There was a sigh among the other men and Tatsu himself as Tetsu blinked slowly and turned his gaze towards him.

“T… tatsu…” he whispered, voice broken as though in pain. “Why does… my leg hurt so much?” Tatsu kissed his little brother's head in relief and scooped the boy up carefully.

“You fell off the roof remember?” he answered, remembering just barely to use the story that Susumu had come up with. Tetsu looked confused for a moment before nodding in the affirmative and curling up more against Tatsu, eyes drifting shut once more. Tatsu nodded to the men, thanking them for finding Tetsu and walked back to Tetsu's temporary room. He tucked the little bundle back into bed, careful not to wake anyone and settled against his brother once more. As he watched Tetsu's chest rise and fall with his steady breathing he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over him and push him into the same gentle slumber that everyone in room was experiencing.

 

 

The breeze was warm as it raced into the room from the open door and tickled across his face and hair to rouse him from sleep. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter to keep the light from his comfortable, warm, lucid dream world but gentle hands stroking through his hair brought him out of it and drew his eyes open slowly to greet the waking world. Tatsu as watching him again, like he always had been. He looked a little older since the last time that he had seen him, worry lines were etched into his face like a storm had come across him and cut them into his flesh. His eyes were downcast and reflective, worry beaten in them as well. Tetsu felt fear climb up his throat about to be voiced before another sound broke in.

“Tatsunosuke, if you keep watching over him like that then you'll end up in the bed next to him,” Mr. Okita said, coming into Tetsu's line of site and taking a seat beside the other man. Tatsu seemed to snap out of it and turned to face Mr. Okita who was smiling gently at him. Mr. Okita, unlike Tatsu, still had that calming, happy air about him like he always had but yet, for some reason, it was also tinged with worry over something. It was very odd.

“Hey, Tatsu?” He said softly, immediately drawing their attention to him. He lifted a hand to Tatsu's face, tracing a worry line for a moment before Tatsu caught his hand.

“Yes, Tetsu?” He asked. It was so creepy!

“If you keep looking all worried like that then you'll end up looking like an old man's ass,” he said jokingly. Tatsu looked shocked for a moment before he realized what he had said. There was the look he had wanted!

“Tetsu! How many times do I have to tell you that it'll be your fault if I end up that way! You scared the hell out of me!” Tetsu just laughed at his brother, hissing sharply as pain burned across his chest.

“S-sorry, T-tatsu,” he said, wincing. Tatsu just sighed and shook his head, patting Tetsu's hand. Mr. Okita was still giggling though. When the pain subsided and Mr. Okita looked mostly normal again Tetsu looked to his brother again.

“What do you I scared the hell out of you?” he asked. Tatsu looked uncomfortable.

“You went missing for a whole week, Tetsu,” Mr. Okita answered softly, Saizo nodding in agreement. Tetsu frowned. A whole week? When? The wind raced into the room again and brought with it the scent of the first smells of summer. He felt confusion race into his mind. When had he disappeared for a whole week? Where had he gone and….

“I didn't fall off the roof Tatsu,” he said softly; staring up at the ceiling, frown growing deeper.

“What?”

“Before. You and Susumu said that I fell off the roof and that's why my leg and head hurt so much. But I didn't fall off the roof, Tatsu,” Tatsu didn't say anything after that. Mr. Okita remained silent as well. The world around them was a buzz with activity, men shouting at each other, laughing and joking around. Why, why did that suddenly make him angry? Why did he have the sudden urge to walk up to each laughing, smiling face in the building and smack the smile or beat the laugh right out of them? Why was he suddenly enraged by the smells of summer, his favorite season?

“Tetsu? Is something wrong?” Mr. Okita asked, breaking Tetsu from his sudden enraged ramblings.

“Huh? Oh. Nothing,” he said. “Hey, Tatsu? Can I have some water?” Tatsu nodded and hurried off to fill the pitcher again. Mr. Okita smiled down at Tetsu and sets Saizo on the floor.

“How are you feeling, Tetsu?” he asked. Tetsu thought about that for a few moments before shrugging.

“Alright, I guess,” Tetsu answered. “My chest hurts for some reason and I still have a headache,”

“Hm, well, when we found you, you were pretty beaten up,”

“Found…? When did I disappear?”

“A few days ago. We found you just the other day out on night patrol. Do you… remember anything, Tetsu?” Tetsu frowned faintly at the question. Remember anything about what? He closed his eyes for a moment, digging into the very back of his mind he tried to remember everything from the past few days. He remembered going to the Marketplace and picking up a few things for the others. Something in a store had caught his eye, he remembered that, and springing for it as a present for someone but…. Pain shot through his head suddenly and made him hiss, grabbing his head with his good hand. The sounds of approaching summer began to drift away from him to be replaced by darker sounds. Sounds that grated against his ears like sandpaper and burned like the cut of a blade. They warped the happier sounds into darker things, demonic shouts and grunts and screams of pain. Crying burned his ears, pleading shouts and begs for mercy tormented and clawed at him. Eyes… deep black eyes haunted him. Cruel fingers ripped at him and—

“Tetsu!” Mr. Okita called, shaking the boy roughly. “Tetsu, snap out of it!” Tetsu tried to lash out at him again but Tatsu quickly held his arm down. Susumu gripped his legs easily to keep him from kicking but Tetsu kept fighting. The boy's eyes were wild with some type of fear and rage lighting the boy's eyes from within. If they didn't stop him soon then Tetsu would only hurt himself more then them.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Hijikata barked, hearing the commotion in the room and throwing the other door open. He took in the situation quickly enough and ordered someone behind him to get some hot water before Tetsu could tear open his side wound. Souji moved to the other side of Tetsu quickly to give the vice commander some room to work. Tetsu seemed to be getting more and more violent by the second as he continued to thrash around, yelling incoherently at a specter that only he could see.

“You bastard!” he shouted. “I'll fucking kill you, you asshole! Get away from me!” It was the only clear thing that could be made out from all the noise in the room. The hot water and a cup were brought quickly enough, Hijikata taking both and mixing something from a small pouch into the water.

“Souji, hold his head still,” he ordered. Souji obeyed quickly, Tatsu holding the boy's arms and Souji gripping his head in a strong yet vaguely gentle grip. Hijikata gripped his chin firmly and began to pour the drink down Tetsu's throat. Tetsu tried to jerk away, coughing and trying to spit out the concoction before he could swallow it. Hijikata wouldn't let him get away and forced the rest of the drink down the boy's throat, pulling the cup away when he started to choke on it. Tetsu tore away from him the cup was empty but soon, thankfully not two minutes later, Tetsu's spasms began to calm greatly until he fell limp, sleep clouding his mind and relieving him of his thoughts from this world. Carefully, the three of them let him go. Susumu quickly began to tend to any of the wounds that had been torn open by his rampage. Hijikata just shook his head at the sight of everything. His little page, the annoying little brat that tried to serve him mopped up tea and the brat that didn't know when to keep his nose out of things, had been this hurt by something that he knew nothing about. It bothered him greatly for some reason that someone or something could do this to the spirited boy. His speed could rival Shinpachi's and his determination greatly surpassed every man in the ranks. So how was it possible that this could happen to him? How was it possible that he could get this hurt when all he got from the Ikeda Inn incident, an incident that had such danger in it that even his hand was shaking faintly from it, was a scar on his ear? He'd deny it long before he'd say this to anyone. Whoever had hurt Tetsu, whoever had caused more scars to be laid upon this boy would most certainly pay. He would make sure of it. He would also make sure that whatever the fuck was causing his spine to chill every time he looked at the boy's wounds would disappear and be put to rest.

 

 

A:N// I'm surprised at the response already. Thank you for the reviews guys and here's the second chapter!! To me, Hijikata seems to be the type of person that doesn't openly show that he cares for someone and keeps his bonds to himself… except in the case of Souji. With Souji that's completely different. Hope you liked the chapter!! Thanks for reading!!!