Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Burning Wish: Finding Himura-san ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Randa-Chan
Inns constantly have people coming and going. The new guest however, turns out to be someone Kenshin is all to familiar with. Can an understanding be reached?

Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Samurai / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.20.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.4K | Visits: 286 | Status: Completed

Chapter Three
Kenshin blinked slowly as the dark shadows on the ceiling swam into focus. Wondering what could have possibly awakened him, he lay still on his futon in the early hours of the morning as he extended his senses.
The night remained silent though so with a sigh, Kenshin rolled onto his side and tried to fall asleep again.
He had only just gotten comfortable when his neighbour suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing. Realising that was probably what had awakened him; Kenshin lay still and waited for the coughing to settle down.
Several minutes passed however and when Kenshin's neighbour showed no sign of quietening, Kenshin grew concerned. Perhaps this wasn't your every day cold?
Getting up, Kenshin silently slid the door open and padded out into the hallway. He hesitated for a moment as he came to stand in front of the door but pushing his reluctance aside, Kenshin raised his hand and knocked quietly.
`Hello? Are you alright?' he called softly during a break in the coughing.
`I-,' his neighbour tried to answer but then broke off as another round of coughing took over.
Worried now, Kenshin opened the door and slipped inside. Although he was a little uncomfortable invading the privacy of a complete stranger, the coughing sounded far too serious to ignore. Kenshin didn't think he would be doing much sleeping either if he chose to ignore it.
The room was dark but Kenshin's eyes expertly adjusted to the gloom as they had done thousands of times in the past. Within the darkness, he was able to make out a hunched form on a futon in the corner.
It was a man dressed in a plain white sleeping yukata as Kenshin himself was. His dark hair was tied in a loose pony tale unlike Kenshin's which pooled around his shoulders. Absently brushing his hair aside, Kenshin crossed quickly to the man and knelt beside him.
Kenshin had little experience with the sick or the injured but remembering times when he'd had a cold as a child, Kenshin tentatively reached out and began to rub the man's back in soothing circles as Hiko had once done. The action awoke a deep sadness within Kenshin and he wondered how Hiko was right now; if he were okay up on that big lonely mountain of his.
Baka, as if Hiko wouldn't be alright. Shishou has enough arrogance to see him through the next fifty years with ease.
`Arigato,' replied the man shakily as the last of his coughing died away.
`That's alright,' answered Kenshin, flushing a little as he turned his face to the starless sky beyond the window. `You should get some rest.'
`Hai,' answered the man straightening up at last.
He twisted to see Kenshin's face and stopped, his eyes widening as recognition set in.
Sensing the blatant astonishment in the man's ki, Kenshin turned his face back to the man and his own eyes also widened as he to, recognised the other. Before he could react, the man's fist lashed out, punching him hard across the face. The blow sent him tumbling backwards as he crashed into the bookcase sending items clattering down onto the floor around him. Kenshin gasped as his back connected solidly with the sharp edge of the bookcase. He felt his skin break under the impact as thin trickles of blood began to leak from the wound, staining his white yukata.
The man was on his feet, albeit a bit shaky when Kenshin finally raised his head. The punch had been too weak to do overly much damage to him but it had rattled him a little and it had also put some much needed space between them.
`Okita Souji,' murmured Kenshin, wincing a little as a lance of pain shot through his back from the wound.
`BattÅsai,' snarled Okita, hands clenched at his side.
He shot Kenshin a venomous glare but ruined the effect as another wave of coughing swept through his frame. It was so violent that despite Okita's will, his body could not hold him and he collapsed to his knees.
Kenshin remained where he was, not at all certain of what to do. He had never expected to run into the First Captain of the Shinsengumi and the unusual meeting left him at a complete loss.
They were natural enemies but as Kenshin watched the frail captain coughing and gasping, he felt his instinct to kill the captain fading and being replaced by concern instead.
True, they had been on opposing sides and they had hated one another despite a grudging respect but that was in the past. This was now and at this moment in time, Kenshin knew he could no longer claim to be an enemy. He was nothing more than your average citizen now. He had thrown away the privilege to become a prestigious member in the new government and he'd cut all ties with Choshu and Satsuma. He was nothing more that a simple wanderer, fighting to protect all the people of Japan where he could. Without a doubt, Okita fell into that category.
Cautiously, he got up and approached Okita again; mindful of his hurting back until he eventually came to stand in front of Okita's face from where the captain lay sprawled on the floor. Kenshin was alarmed to see a splatter of blood across the floor in front of Okita's mouth but the ingrained wariness of all Tokugawa forces, in particular of this man who could fight on par with a skill equal to his own at times, kept him from coming any closer.
`What's the matter?' whispered Okita weakly.
`Is the great Hitokiri BattÅsai going to miss his chance to kill me?'
Kenshin didn't answer. Instead, he knelt in front of Okita and gently rolled him back onto his futon. The body beneath Kenshin's hands felt frail but he still felt the muscle definition in Okita's flesh and for some reason, this calmed him.
He would be an idiot if he didn't realise what was wrong with the captain. As a medicine seller in Otsu, he had learned something about illnesses and how to treat them. Nothing could cure this however. Okita was dying and he would die soon but Kenshin felt strangely glad that the tuberculosis hadn't stolen Okita's fighting spirit just yet. To see such a great man, a man he had once respected deeply brought to such a level made Kenshin horribly aware of the fragility of human life. He did not however, pity Okita. To pity him would bring shame to the small samurai. All Kenshin felt was sadness for such a great loss to the world.
Tucking the blankets around Okita, Kenshin scooped up a nearby rag obviously used for just such a purpose and tried to wipe away the blood.
Okita abruptly roused himself however and caught Kenshin's wrist.
`What are you doing?' he demanded, staring at Kenshin.
Kenshin stared back.
`Aren't you going to kill me?'
`No,' answered Kenshin softly.
`Why?' growled the captain fiercely, a trickle a blood sliding down the side of his chin.
`I don't kill unnecessarily,' answered Kenshin.
`You are Ishin Shishi BattÅsai. I am Shinsengumi. There is every reason to kill me,' replied Okita seriously.
`I was,' said Kenshin. `But I am not anymore and I will never take a life again.'
Silence settled in the room as the two stared at one another. Okita looked shocked but Kenshin did not try to hide anything, keeping his face open and honest.
Feeling Okita's grip slackening, Kenshin gently tugged his hand free and wiped away the blood. Okita sat quietly, lost in troubled thought as Kenshin finished getting him settled back in and left the room. He returned after a moment with a packet of medicine. It wasn't specifically for tuberculosis but it would help to ease the coughing and it would allow Okita some reprieve for the next few days as well.
Setting out the contents, Kenshin began to mix the medicine up with some water set in a jug on the nearby shelving. Okita finally seemed to awaken himself and watched curiously as Kenshin worked.
`Where did you learn that?' he asked suddenly.
`In Otsu,' he murmured, refusing to say more as painful memories threatened to surface.
Okita didn't press as he turned his eyes away to stare out the same window that Kenshin had a few minutes ago.
`Did you really crack BattÅsai?' asked Okita quietly, disrupting the silence.
`No,' answered Kenshin after a moment.
`Then why did you say you would never take another life? You are a man of the sword, you can never be any other kind of man,' continued Okita.
Setting aside the medicine to settle, Kenshin stood and returned to his room, retrieving the sakabato from where it rested beside his futon. Okita still lay where he had left him when Kenshin returned and knelt beside him.
Wordlessly he held the blade out to Okita, not knowing why he was explaining himself to the other but feeling that he should just the same.
Glancing between the blade and Kenshin, Okita hesitated but when Kenshin only continued to hold the hilt out to him, Okita relented and cautiously withdrew the blade from the sheath. He had only pulled it part of the way free when he stopped as Kenshin had known he would.
Staring in puzzlement at the blade, he looked back at Kenshin, seeking answers for the unusual weapon.
`You are right,' said Kenshin, answering Okita's unspoken question.
`I will always be a man of the sword but with this sakabato, I can protect people properly, the way I was meant to. What I did during the Bakumatsu wasn't wrong but the morals behind the beliefs that drove my sword were. I took the lives of many men, men for the longest time I thought of as necessary to defeat and nothing more. Someone taught me though…,' Kenshin paused, his throat constricting as memories of Tomoe washed through him.
Shuddering a little but determined to continue, Kenshin said, `someone taught me that fighting to protect peoples' happiness means that I fight to protect all peoples' happiness; friend and foe alike. Every person I killed was somebody's father, somebody's brother, uncle, even son. I sacrificed people to protect other people and I was wrong to do that. I destroyed so many others' happiness and I can't be forgiven for that. This sakabato however, means that I can protect all peoples' happiness and it is a symbol of my vow never to kill again. I have shamed myself and the principles my Shishou taught me. I have no right to kill ever again. All I can do is live to repent for all the lives I took and the happiness I destroyed.'
Kenshin fell silent. He had long since stopped looking at Okita, his eyes resting on his lap instead.
`I do not know how long it will take,' continued Kenshin softly. `In the end, I don't think I'll ever make up for it but if that's so then I should think that I will live like this for the rest of my days. It is all I can do.'
Okita remained silent, his blue eyes seeming to pierce Kenshin but the red head didn't overly mind the scrutiny.
`You know,' he began eventually, `I knew there was something different about you when I first realised who you were.'
Kenshin looked up, a little puzzled.
`It was your eyes. I didn't realise that that's actually your natural colour. They don't look so frightening anymore, just pleasant.'
`My eyes?' repeated Kenshin confused.
Looking beyond Okita, he caught sight of his reflection in another western mirror; a small hand held one propped against the window sill. Dark, clear eyes stared back at him, a far cry from the freezing amber that had become so familiar over the years.
Understanding now, Kenshin offered Okita a small smile.
`Aye, I keep forgetting,' he murmured.
Looking away, Kenshin sighed and picked up the medicine.
`Here,' he said, passing the cup to the Shinsengumi captain. `It's no cure but it'll help to ease the coughing.'
Looking at it suspiciously, Okita eyed Kenshin and then the cup several times. Kenshin sighed, understanding the distrust but just the same, thoroughly annoyed.
`It's not poison you know,' said Kenshin, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.
Unexpectedly Okita laughed.
`I didn't think it was,' he explained in between chuckles.
Kenshin regarded him with a mild expression, not sure what to make of Okita's reaction.
`It's just amusing is it not? Here we are sitting together like two old friends on a Sunday afternoon: the great Hitokiri BattÅsai and Captain Souji Okita of the First Squadron of the Shinsengumi. I'm sure many comrades of mine are turning in their graves right now, if not your comrades as well.'
Kenshin snorted, finding himself a little amused by the small captain. He had known Okita possessed a good sense of humour but he'd never expected to be exercising it with him. Strangely, Kenshin didn't care. It didn't matter that they'd once been enemies. Now, Kenshin was only a wanderer and Okita, well, nothing much really mattered to him anymore.
`I'm sure they would,' answered Kenshin.
`Hai,' agreed Okita quietening at last.
Bringing the cup to his lips, he drained it in one long swallow and grimaced bitterly as the liquid worked its way down his throat.
`Geez that's gross,' he admitted, passing Kenshin the cup.
`It means that it'll do the job then,' replied Kenshin.
Okita rolled his eyes.
`How did I know you'd say something like that?'
Kenshin shrugged as he cleared away the utensils as he heard Okita sigh behind him.
`You know, you're an émigré BattÅsai-san,' said Okita.
Kenshin stilled at the statement, his back facing Okita.
`I didn't realise you had a heart, hell, I didn't realise how young you were either. Just how old are you?' he asked.
Kenshin hesitated, not sure if he should answer or not. Well there's no harm he decided.
`I'll be nineteen this year.'
`Nani?' queried Okita, surprised.
`But that means…?'
`Hai,' answered Kenshin softly. `I was nearly fourteen when I joined the Ishin Shishi. A child in the eyes of many yes but I grew up a long time before that. Death has never been a foreign concept to a peasant child.'
`I see,' murmured Okita.
Silence descended for several moments as the two sat, enwrapped in the darkness, lost in their own thoughts.
Finally Kenshin stood and retrieved his sakabato.
`It's late,' he said.
`Hai,' agreed Okita quietly.
`I will see you on the morrow Okita-san,' said Kenshin.
`Hai BattÅsai-san, tomorrow,' he replied.
`And Okita-san?' asked Kenshin, pausing at the door.
`My name is Himura Kenshin.'
`Hai.'
0-0-0-0-0-0
Kenshin shifted nervously from foot to foot.
What am I doing?! This is the stupidest idea I've ever had. I hope she doesn't think I like her in that way or anything. Kami forbid what Shishou would say if he found out. Kenshin you really are a baka deishi!
Standing silently outside the kitchen doorway, Kenshin clutched the bunch of flowers to his chest and reminded himself that he owed her this much. He only hoped Okita didn't happen upon the Hitokiri BattÅsai at that moment and catch him in the act with his face as flaming as his hair.
Kuso, this is nothing compared to other things you've faced in the past Kenshin no baka! Get a hold of yourself, you're an ex-assassin, this is a walk in the park in comparison.
Schooling his features into a neutral expression, Kenshin finally felt the raging heat in his cheeks die and without giving it the chance to flare again; he tapped loudly on the door.
He heard footsteps and a moment later the door slid open to reveal Tomomi, her cheeks red from exertion and the sleeves of her kimono tied back. He guessed she had most likely been in the middle of preparations for lunch.
`Can I help you Himura-san?' she inquired politely.
`Hai,' answered Kenshin promptly.
`I heard about what you did for me, speaking to Chiba-san and I just wanted to thank you for it.'
Stiffly holding out the flowers, Kenshin waited for her to accept them. It had taken him the better part of the morning to collect them after he'd checked on Okita. The captain hadn't been awake at the time which suited Kenshin just fine. Despite their midnight “chat” Kenshin knew they were far from on friendly terms. Just because Kenshin had deserted and Okita was too ill to fight any longer did not mean that they could become friends over night.
Kenshin was drawn from his thoughts of the captain as the young woman's face lit up with surprise.
`Oh they're wonderful Kenshin-san!' said Tomomi, forgetting to refer to him properly in her surprise and pleasure.
Accepting the bunch, she delicately breathed in the perfume from the flowers and smiled, truly pleased.
`How did you know lavender was my favourite?' she inquired.
Kenshin stared, a little surprised. He had no idea Tomomi liked lavender but it had always been his favourite scent as well. He had unconsciously collected quite a few sprigs of the wild bushes he had found growing beyond the village.
Despite his best intentions, Kenshin blushed a little. He felt his lips pull into a taunt line while he struggled to keep his embarrassment in check. Tomomi noticed the expression and smiled, bemused by his reaction.
`It's alright Himura-san,' she whispered secretively with a small smile.
`I won't tell anyone that such a serious swordsman has such a big soft heart.'
Giggling at Kenshin's flat expression, she set the flowers to one side.
`That was really thoughtful of you Himura-san, arigato,' she said.
`That's alright,' answered Kenshin.
`I just wanted to thank you and well, ah…,' Kenshin stopped, not sure how to continue.
`It's alright, I understand,' answered Tomomi with a soft smile.
`I think courtship is the furthest thing from your mind right now Himura-san and frankly, I don't need it at the moment either,' she said, surprising Kenshin with her perceptiveness.
`Hai,' agreed Kenshin, relieved that Tomomi was far more serious then she came off as being at times.
`I'll see you at lunch Himura-san,' said Tomomi, offering one last smile.
`I'll be there,' promised Kenshin.
`Arigato Tomomi-san.'
`Arigato Kenshin-san.'
A soft smile slipping onto his face as Tomomi shut the door, Kenshin turned and quietly returned to his room. He was pleased that it had gone so well but he mentally stored the event away in the deepest part of his mind. There was no way in hell he was ever going to tell Hiko about this. He'd rather get “DoryÅ«sen-ed” all the way back to Kyoto then let Hiko hold another embarrassing story about him over his head. While the event itself wasn't that bad, Kenshin had no doubt that Hiko would turn it into the funniest, most humiliating story about him that any particular listener had ever heard.
Like I said mused Kenshin, there's no way in hell.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Kenshin sighed as he slid home Okita's door. The remainder of the afternoon had been spent quietly cleaning and patching his Choshu kimono. After much deliberation, he had decided he really couldn't do without the garment with winter approaching in a few months so he had kept it instead. After he had finished that task however, he could no longer avoid his promise to check in with Okita to see how he was doing.
As Kenshin had suspected, the medicine had worked wonders on the small man's frail health. Okita had looked very alert when Kenshin had come in but he had been more wary than ever of Kenshin. His visit had been filled with tension; the air so taunt in the room you could cut it with a knife.
Kenshin was well and truly glad to be free of it now and hoped that Okita wouldn't be staying much longer. Though he felt they seemed to have formed a truce for the moment, Kenshin knew Okita posed a threat to him as he himself did to the small captain. There was every opportunity for Kenshin to kill the captain if he desired but if he let Okita go free (of which Kenshin fully intended to do) then there was nothing to stop him reporting his existence to the Tokugawa forces.
Wanting to groan with frustration, Kenshin instead settled for rubbing his temples tiredly as he wandered through the hallways towards the kitchens.
The sun was just setting outside in a blaze of fiery colour as Kenshin drew nearer towards his destination. Many people were in the hallways heading towards the eating hall or just arriving from the road to book in for the evening. Though tired, Kenshin dodged them with effortless grace as he weaved his way through and finally arrived at the kitchen door.
It was open and one of the passing maids, Tomomi's friend Naoko if he recalled correctly, stopped when she saw him and asked him what he wanted. Several minutes later, Kenshin had an armful of food and a pot of tea in his arms as he made his way back to his room to enjoy his loot. And I suppose I ought to share this with Okita too thought Kenshin half heartedly. He did not look forward to the task but resolutely shaking his head, he told himself to get over it and just do it. Okita was likely to be out of his hair soon and he wouldn't have to worry about the Shinsengumi captain anymore. So long as he keeps his mouth shut Kenshin added darkly a moment later.
Rounding the corner swiftly, Kenshin froze at the scene that greeted him.
Standing in the hallway just outside the same room Tomomi had taken Kenshin to when he'd first come to book into the inn were a group of half a dozen samurai. Half a dozen terribly familiar, blue haori wearing samurai.
Acting purely on reflex, Kenshin ducked back around the corner, dropping the scalding tea all over his hands and down his right arm in the process. His bare feet also caught the brunt of the attack from the boiling liquid and Kenshin was barely able to stop his cry of pain, managing to choke out a hiss instead.
He stood still for several seconds, waiting for the inevitable cry of recognition but it never came. Extending his ki, he discovered that none of the men in the hall seemed at all alarmed. One he was able to sense gazing curiously in his direction but he apparently hadn't seen him.
Wincing as he refocused on the pain in his burned appendages, the men forgotten for the moment, Kenshin finally set the teapot down along with the food. Proceeding to flick his arms vigorously, as if it would magically remove the tea and the pain along with it, Kenshin mentally cursed as he struggled to stop any more tears of pain leaving his eyes.
I do not want to be caught like this if I can help it but kuso! This really hurts!!
Eventually, to afraid to linger any longer, Kenshin picked up the meals and tea once again and hurried quickly to Okita's room, this time trying to avoid being seen as much as possible.
Upon reaching his destination, Kenshin did not stop to knock politely. Instead, he thrust the door open, barged in and was secretly gratified to see the look of surprise on Okita's face but stowed the look away to laugh about later.
`Goman,' apologised Kenshin, setting down both bowls and the pot of tea together.
`I agree,' chipped Okita with a meaningful glare.
Kenshin spared the other a sharp look before turning to leave.
`Wait,' demanded Okita's voice abruptly. `Don't you want yours?'
`No,' replied Kenshin, still facing the open door.
I have to get out of here! The last thing I need is to be caught up in all of this. I should have realised where there's one wolf others can't be far behind.
`I'm not hungry,' he added by way of explanation.
`Rubbish,' snapped Okita, surprising Kenshin.
`You- shimatta! What happened to your hands?!' commanded Okita suddenly as he noticed the scalding marks.
`Nothing,' replied Kenshin, a hint of agitation creeping into his voice as he tried to hide his injuries from Okita's sight.
`What's going on?' growled the captain, getting up and stepping between Kenshin and the door, effectively cutting off his escape.
Okita's actions brought an instant reaction from Kenshin who stilled, regarding Okita coolly with eyes of the sharpest amber. He didn't even notice his own reaction, instead finding a deep satisfaction when he noticed the nervous ripple in Okita's ki. Both of them were unarmed but Kenshin was definitely the more physically able of the two and he was also closure to Okita's daisho. Kenshin knew as well as he was aware Okita knew that Kenshin could reach the blade and kill Okita in the blink of an eye if he chose to. Right now, the Shinsengumi captain was in his way and not even his terminal illness would stop Kenshin from killing him if he didn't allow Kenshin to leave.
Something however, stilled Kenshin, as if he were distantly aware that he could not - would not - kill Okita Souji. So instead he chose to answer: the simple honest truth.
`I need to leave. The Shinsengumi are here.'
Kenshin expected Okita to look pleased, triumphant even, so he was extremely puzzled at the look of alarm which spread across Okita's face instead.
`Nani?!' gasped Okita.
Whirling, the captain slammed the door shut and then grabbed Kenshin's hand and dragged him across the room, oblivious to Kenshin's flinch or the fact that he was dragging a man who had been close to killing him seconds ago.
`What are you doing?' growled Kenshin as Okita hurried out onto the porch.
The captain didn't answer and instead led Kenshin into the garden. Only when they'd gone some distance and had hidden themselves behind the back shed did Kenshin bother to ask a second time.
`What do you think?' retorted Okita finally. `I'm hiding.'
`Why?' demanded Kenshin. `We are talking about the same Shinsengumi here aren't we?'
Kenshin was well and truly confused by this point. He had absolutely no idea what was going on and was only growing more frustrated at his puzzlement with each passing moment.
`Of course,' snapped Okita crossly. `The same Shinsengumi that don't take lightly to disobedience of direct orders.'
`Wait, you mean to tell me you're not supposed to be here? That you've actually being told to be somewhere else?' questioned Kenshin.
`Obviously,' hissed Okita. `I had an attack right after the battle two weeks ago. Kondo-san sent me straight to the hospital run by Matsumoto Ryoujun in Edo. He deliberately released me from the service of the Shinsengumi. You know as well as I know though that the only way to leave the Shinsengumi is through death. He has deliberately shamed me and I will not sit around in some Edo hospital to wait until I die.'
`I see,' murmured Kenshin grimly, finally understanding the reasons behind Okita's desire to remain unseen. Though having been told to rest in Edo and released from service (an act totally unheard of before) Okita refused to be shamed and had deliberately defied direct orders to retreat with the remainder of the Tokugawa forces to the north. Kenshin admired Okita immensely in that moment for his determination and honourable spirit. He was not so sure if he would have done the same. As an assassin Kenshin had been expected to follow orders without question. Personal honour never even entered the equation at such times.
`Very well, I'll help you to remain unseen if you promise not to tell anyone that you've met me. I'm done with the fighting for the time being and I do not wish to bring trouble down upon the heads of those around me should anyone come looking for me,' said Kenshin.
`Do you swear to do this for me?' asked Kenshin seriously.
`I swear,' replied Okita reaching out and shaking Kenshin's hand solemnly.
`Good,' answered Kenshin.
`Now then,' he said briskly standing, `I believe we'll need to remove ourselves from sight for the next few days and considering that there were enough men out there to make all the rooms double up, it's just a matter of getting ourselves a room with a room mate who won't give us away to the wolves.'
`Yes and I'm sure we'll magically be bunked with just the right person we want,' answered Okita sarcastically.
Kenshin ignored the barb as his amber eyes finally faded to neutral violet.
`As a matter of fact I do know how to make the dice land in our favour,' he replied dryly.
`What I need you to do is pack up our things and stay out of sight while I arrange it. I'll come and get you when I'm done.'
`Hai,' answered Okita with a soft sigh.
`Just don't get me a room mate that snores as loudly as Shinpachi-san always did. I don't know if I can take the noise,' said Okita on a suddenly humorous note.
`Well I hope he's not a loud snorer,' answered Kenshin flatly, `because even if I can get us a room without him in it, I don't want to be able to hear him if he's as loud as you say.'
`You mean he's here?' asked Okita, shocked.
`Aye, not to mention the Demon Commander, that giant oaf Harada and Kondo Isami as well,' answered Kenshin.
He felt a little cruel springing that much information on Okita at once as he watched the captain's face pale remarkably and was thankful he hadn't also mentioned that he'd sensed Saito Hajime in the room talking with Tomomi-san.
Still, this should prove interesting mused Kenshin, not at all minding the sudden challenge that had been dropped in his lap. It was the first time he realised since leaving the battlefield behind that he was actually looking forward to a mission. Staying hidden and trying to do it no less with another Shinsengumi member seemed so absurd and yet at the same time, like the perfect first challenge to begin his path to atonement.
He would help Okita Souji regain his honour if it was the last thing he did. He could do no less for a man he so deeply respected.

Historical Information:
After the battle of Toba-Fushimi in January 1868, Okita Souji was sent to the hospital run by Matsumoto Ryoujun in Edo. After that he was sent to the home of a family member where he remained until his death later that year on July 19th. I figured I had a little time to play with and thought wouldn't it be interesting if Okita had one last adventure before his death?
After Toba-Fushimi, the Tokugawa forces retreated northwards to the Tohoku region which occupies the top northern quarter of the main island of Japan (Honshu) above Edo. The Shinsengumi went to this region. At the time Kondo (Shinsengumi leader), Hijikata (second in command and referred often to as the Demon Commander), Shinpachi (2nd Unit Captain), Saito (3rd Unit Captain) and Harada (10th Unit Captain) were all still alive. The Tokugawa forces were pursued by the combined Choshu and Satsuma forces.
Shibata (the village Kenshin is in) is close enough to Edo that Okita had plenty of time to get there if he wished since the time in which the battle concluded. Of course, I'm not sure where the Shinsengumi were exactly during this time as I couldn't find any records but I do know they were in this area so it's all to easy for them to bump into one another.
As for Shibata, I have no idea how big it was during the Boshin War. I believe Otsu was also a village at the time but both places are now modern cities. Working on the idea of Otsu then, I decided Shibata may as well be the same as Otsu and be just a village during this time.

For complete info please see Wikipedia or if you have any questions then fire away. I'll only be to happy to answer any that you have.