Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Four Swords ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

 

“The assassin still puzzles me.”

 

“You should be thankful that you are alive, Sagara.”

 

“But I wonder why I am alive. Who knew about the assassins' plan to be at the house?”

 

A shrug. “Probably very few.”

 

“Exactly. So who would betray the Shogunate—and more importantly, the Oniwabanshu?”

 

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“Every one of them?”

 

“Yes. All five.”

 

“How were they killed?”

 

“Not with swords. Two were knife wounds to the chest, one was a knife wound in the gut, and one was a knife in the throat. The last one was knocked unconscious and had his throat slit.”

 

Silence. “Hmmm. The work of an assassin, wouldn't you agree?”

 

“Yes, Okashira-san. That makes sense. It was certainly not the two who escaped.”

 

“I thought we agreed you would use my name… I wonder what assassin would be fool enough to toy with the Oniwabanshu?”

 

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“Nothing on the guard's bodies.”

 

“Somebody who escaped alive stripped them.”

“Must have been a patriot. The Oniwabanshu were left untouched.”

 

“Indeed. Oh well.”

 

“Oh well?”

 

“Hai, my friend. There is not much more that we can do. We must simply wait for the next time.” A pause. “I'm rather glad someone escaped alive.”

 

A snort. “So they can come back to bite us again?”

 

Laughter. “You take things so seriously. No, I'm glad that someone escaped because it reminds me that there is still dignity in life and death.”

 

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“Damn! How could they have escaped?”

 

“The Oniwabanshu are usually very careful, my lord, are they not?”

 

“Yes! And that is what baffles me! Nobody knew of the plan except for the Oniwabanshu and those that I told!”

 

“Perhaps they were followed. More tea, Lord Kawami?”

 

“Yes, yes, thank you dear. Oniwabanshu are never followed. They follow others, but are never followed themselves. No, someone must have betrayed us.”

 

“Perhaps someone heard fighting and came to fight as well.”

 

“It is possible. Ah, too many things to consider. I must be alone to think.”

“Of course, my lord. Of course.”

 

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Edo Castle stood proudly against the cloudy sky, seemingly ignorant of the warfare and death that surrounded it. The rain had begun to fall heavily yesterday and had not ceased since. Hannya watched the guards patrolling the gates beneath him. Satisfied that they were doing an adequate job, he leapt off and hurried silently through hallways to find the Okashira.

 

“Good afternoon, Hannya,” he said, pleasantly. Hannya swore silently. How was it that the Okashira could always sense Hannya, when no other man could?

 

“I trust you've looked over the gate guards and found them satisfactory.”

 

“Hai, Okashira-san.”

 

“Good,” he said with a nod. “I have a new task for you. Find me some assassins in the lower ranks of the Oniwabanshu. Five should be enough. Have them report to my room tonight.”

 

“Consider it done, Okashira-san.”

 

“Hannya?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Don't call me Okashira-san. If you must, you can refer to me as the Okashira outside of here. Between us, you may call me Aoshi.”

 

“Hai… Aoshi-san.”

 

Aoshi nodded. “Good. Now that that's taken care of, I have someplace to be. I'll speak to you later, Hannya.”

 

Hannya watched as Aoshi turned and wandered away down the hallway. The Okashira was interesting indeed. He seemed cold, ruthless, and predatory most of the time. That was how he became Okashira at such a young age, they said. Aoshi was only 15. Hannya thought it odd that one so young would already seem so jaded.

 

But then, who was he to talk? Shaking his head, he leapt back onto the roofs in search of assassins.

 

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Aoshi, meanwhile, went back to his rooms and sat on the tatami. Sighing, he removed his outer garments and replaced them with a simple white robe that fell loosely on his slim body. He closed his eyes and rested, consciously relaxing every muscle in his strained body.

 

Being the Okashira was difficult. No wonder so few held the position for very long. Perhaps they'd thought his youth would see him through these final years of the Shogunate. They were partially wrong. Aoshi would stay Okashira because he was good to his word, not entirely because he was young.

 

But his youth meant that he was not adequately prepared to be Okashira. The Oniwabanshu respected him because that was what was expected. He was also an amazing swordsman, one few would dare to cross. Though he'd risen to the practical aspects of being Okashira, he still lacked something, something vital.

 

He sighed again and stood. His body felt stiff and tired, but he had no time to sleep. He knew if he slept now, he wouldn't wake until the next morning. Aoshi glanced longingly at his futon. Surely someone would wake him in time to speak with the assassins…

 

He lay flat on his back and stared upward at the ceiling. This was the time when he thought about anything that troubled his conscience. Today, he wondered who was right. The Shogunate fought the arising Meiji government, each with their own opinion of “right for Japan.” But who really was right? And who determined what was right? Aoshi certainly thought that the Shogunate was a little outdated, and that its policies could use a facelift. The Meiji government had proposed some interesting programs for the poor, who were, Aoshi admitted, largely ignored under the Shogunate. Did that make them right?

 

But he fought for the Shogunate. Why? Because he was a swordsman by nature, and the Shogunate supported him?

 

Because I am Oniwabanshu, he reminded himself. The Oniwabanshu are loyal to the Shogunate, even if they do not believe in all of their policies. Loyalty above all else, ne?

 

And one day, who knew? Maybe the Oniwabanshu would be so powerful that their voices could be heard.

 

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“Okashira-san?” a voice called as the incessant tapping on the paper door continued.

 

“Aoshi-sama?” Hannya's voice cut through the room.

 

Aoshi groaned and lifted his head and shoulders from the futon. Blinking furiously to clear his vision and adjust to the night's light, he mumbled something of an assent. He heard the door slide open as Hannya led the assassins in.

 

“Shall we come back in a few minutes, Okashira-san?” one of the assassins asked.

 

Groggily, Aoshi jerked the rest of his torso off his futon. “No, no,” he managed to say, running his hands through his hair.

 

The assassins and Hannya waited patiently as Aoshi dragged himself off the futon and wrapped himself in a dark blue kimono. He gave that strange half-smile and said, “Not a very dignified meeting, ne?”

 

Hannya shrugged. “We are not the ones to say.”

 

“Thank you, Hannya. As for the five of you…” he said, turning to the assassins. Hannya understood the exit cue and stepped outside. Aoshi thought about stopping him, but realized with his sixth sense that Hannya was not gone.

 

“Hannya brought me information yesterday of an Ishin Shishi safe house in Kyoto. I'm dispatching you to kill everyone inside. Gather as much information as you can afterward. Your goal is to render the house useless and, hopefully, kill a key leader or two. Take no more than a week to strike. Any longer and your presence in the city becomes suspicious.”

 

They nodded. The leader, a short man dressed in dark blue, gestured to the others. They filed silently out of the room. They asked no questions of their leader. Hannya would tell them where the house was located and any details the Okashira had missed.

 

After filling in the blanks in the assassin's job, Hannya waited in the hallway. “I know you're still there, Hannya,” Aoshi called. Hannya smiled ruefully. Damn him, he thought, for the second time that day.

 

“Indeed, Aoshi-san.” He stepped silently back into the room.

 

“Tell me why you're Oniwabanshu,” Aoshi murmured as soon as Hannya was settled. He was seated, cross-legged, meditatively facing a wall with his back to Hannya. He was clearly a trusting and confident man. Few men now would sit with their back to a door.

 

“You know, Aoshi-san, why I am here.”

 

He sighed. “Remind me. Is there anything more than…” he trailed off. There was no need to dig up Hannya's past, something neither of them wanted to delve into.

 

Hannya shrugged. “No. If not for… that, I would be your normal farm child. The Oniwabanshu gives me purpose, something to do, something for my talents. I am not useless here. The Oniwabanshu need me.”

 

“No deeper reason for being here?”

 

Hannya shook his head. “No, I don't think so, Aoshi-san.” Aoshi sighed. “Is there something wrong?”

 

“No, no Hannya. That is what I suspected you would answer.” It is what I suspect I would answer, if asked. And that is the answer I do not wish to give.

 

The silence that filled the room told Hannya to take his leave. Silently, he stepped through the doorway and slid the door back into place, leaving Aoshi alone in his room to think.

 

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A few days later the rain had finally let up and was now only a steady drizzle. Not as pleasant as a sun, Aoshi thought, but not as bad as a full rainstorm. Besides, he liked the rain.

 

As he stood watching the beautiful curtain of mist rise and droplets fall, his reverie was broken by a sharp tapping on the door. He turned as Saitou Hajime, a captain of the Shinsengumi, entered. Aoshi remembered that Saitou was one of the best swordsmen in Japan, said to rival even the Hitokiri Battousai in skill. Not that anyone really knew, since they had not yet faced each other.

 

“Saitou-san. What can I do for you?” Aoshi asked politely.

 

“Captain Okita wanted me to bring you the news. Five Oniwabanshu assassins were found dead in Kyoto, along with several Ishin Shishi guards.”

 

Aoshi's face betrayed no shock or anger. It stayed calm and placid, like a lake on a sunny day. “Is that all, Saitou-san?”

 

Saitou nodded, and left. Encounters with either of the two were usually like that: brief, to the point, and emotionless.

 

“Hannya!” Aoshi called. The spy was somewhere near, he could sense it… No wonder he'd been away for some time. Aoshi hadn't seen him at all yesterday—or for several days before, come to think of it.

 

“Hai, Aoshi-san?” Hannya replied shortly, dropping down behind Aoshi.

 

“You've been in Kyoto, haven't you?”

 

“I have.”

“How did you know?”

 

“I'm a spy, Aoshi-san. Information gathering is what I do best.”

 

“What do you know, or what did you observe?”

 

“The assassins failed. They are all dead.”