-- Aitou, soshite Kibou --

~ Grief, and Hope ~

by Serizawa Kamo


This fanfic is based on the story and characters created by Watsuki Nobuhiro. Hail him! ^_^

Standard disclaimers apply.

As always, C&C’s highly appreciated! Please! ^_^

In the bottom, there’s a list of the Japanese words I’ve used, if any.

There may be some Revenge Arc spoilers in this story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 – Yurimoto to Shinsengumi no Innen

(The relation between Yurimoto and the Shinsengumi)

- ROUGH DRAFT - revised on May, 1st

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 

"Lay fearfully your hands on a thistle and its thorns will give you pain.

Lay fearlessly your hands on a thistle and its thorns will bend to your will."




        In the inky night, a cold breeze cuts my skin like the edge of a sharp sword, while I leave a trail of dark red blood drops that carry away my strength. I feel that my body refuses to obey me, numb as it has become now, yet my mind is as clear as the sky sprinkled with countless stars.

        The crescent moon. The shining crescent moon that tried to take my life. Its chilling steel greeted my warm flesh with a howl of joy. The mad joy of killing. The overwhelming joy of slaughter. The waxing moon of the grim reaper. The waxing grin of death.

"pa-pa... daijoubu nano? "

        But the moon will wane. It will become dull and red and then will desappear. I’ll make the moon wane. I’ll face the moon and its waxing grin will be mine. I’ll defeat the grim reaper. I’ll defeat death.

        That will be my sweet delicacy... my sweet revenge...

"pa-pa... doko ni iruno? "

        ... my bitter revenge blended with salty tears...

----------------------------------------

        Since the end of April, 1865, the Nishi Honganji Temple had been the new headquarters of the Shinsengumi. Although death had taken a heavy toll among the Shinsengumi ranks during the Kinmon no Hen, the ingress of Itou Kashitarou, now the "Sanbou"(Counselor) of Shinsengumi, had brought a new breath of hope, since many worthy men had come to join together with him. As a natural consequence, the old headquarters in Mibu had become too crowded a place to provide a comfortable enough lodging for everyone, so Hijikata Toshizou ("Fukuchou", Executive Officer), Saitou Hajime (Captain of the 3rd unit), Inoue Genzaburou (Captain of the 6th unit) and Yamazaki Susumu (leader of the Shinsengumi spies) managed to "convince" the monks of the Nishi Honganji Temple to spare them a place to stay.

        And such was a locus where, in the cold still of the night, a small fire was burning in a large patio, dimly lighting the face of a gentle-looking handsome man in his early twenties, who was sitting on a small log of wood next to the fire. The flares, displaying an uncanny degradé of yellow and red hues, were graciously dancing with a soft gust of wind, casting sometimes long, sometimes short arms of pleasant warmth, as if it wanted to cuddle the attractive swordsman. Although his face reflected an almost naive happiness in his smile, a trait he never abandoned, his eyes were deeply dyed with the murky ink of sadness. Clutching his sword, he muttered to himself like he was talking to the sword, "Five hundred years..." He put his hand in front of his mouth as he coughed. Blood. His eyes narrowed slightly.

        A familiar voice from behind woke him up.

        "Man, you shouldn’t be here in this cool weather. It’s not good for you."

        Without turning back, he replied, "Iyadanaa, Nagakura-san. I’m perfectly fine! Look at me, I have nothing wrong! Everybody does cough, ne?"

        "Hm, you’re right, people do cough in a cold weather like this..."

        "Isn’t that so, Nagakura-san?"

        "... but not blood. Okita-kun, haven’t you got hai kekkaku (tuberculosis)?"

        Okita Souji looked at Nagakura Shinpachi, his expression unusually surprised.

------------------------------

        Okita Souji (Soushi) Kaneyoshi (Fusanaga), Captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi. Born as a son of Okita Rintarou in the 15th year of the Tenpou Era (1844), in the Shirakawa fief. Soujirou Harumasa was his youth name until he entered the Shinsengumi. At nine years he started to practise kenjutsu in the Shieikan, dojo of the Tennen Rishin Style, owned by Kondou Isami. Soon acknowledged as a genius in swordsmanship, he fought and defeated a kenjutsu teacher of the fief when he was only 12 years old. In July, 2nd year of the Bunkyuu Era (1862), he fell ill due to an epidemy of hashika (measles) while he wandered in Edo, teaching kenjutsu.

        He was the best disciple Kondou Isami Masanobu, the 4th master of the Tennen Rishin Style, ever had. His ability was unmatched even by his fellow practicioners, like Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo or Inoue Genzaburou Kazushige. His awesome skills made him surpass even masters from other schools, like Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki, master of the Shintou Munen Style and Captain of the 2nd Unit, or Toudou Heisuke Nobutora (Captain of the 8th Unit) and Yamanami Keisuke Tomonobu (former "Souchou", "Chancellor", of the Shinsengumi), both masters of the Hokushin Ittou Style. It was said that even Harada Sanosuke, a fine master of the spear in the Taneda Houzouin Style and Captain of the 10th Unit, couldn’t stand against Okita.

        When the news of the formation of the Roushigumi, the group that would eventually become the Shinsengumi, arrived at the Shieikan, Okita was one of the first men to join the Roushigumi and he took part in every important affair of the Shinsengumi, from the assassination of Serizawa Kamo to the Ikeda Inn Affair.

        Although feared, and not without reason, Okita was better known for his gentleness and good humor, and often was seen playing with the kids in the Mibu temple. He rarely spoke in a serious manner, preferring rather to joke and to laugh, but, after he knew about his incurable illness, now and then a faint shade of unfathomable sadness crossed his beautiful smile.

------------------------------

        Okita laughed cheerfully. "Iyadanaa, Nagakura-san. You’re so concerned with me just because of some coughing, you look like a doting mother!"

        Nagakura bursted into laughter, "Okay, okay. But why MOTHER, Okita-kun? You could compare me to a FATHER, but to a MOTHER?! That’s disgusting!"

        Okita smiled, scratching the back of his head as he bowed down slightly embarrassed.

        "That’s Okita Souji.", thought an amused Nagakura.

        Feeding the fire, Okita motioned him to sit down, whispering in a low, yet perfectly audible tone, "Oh yes, Nagakura-san, can you keep a secret?"

        "Of course, Okita-kun. What’s it?"

        "Are you sure you can? Are you sure?", Okita peered into Nagakura’s eyes, unsuccessfully trying to keep a serious face.

        "Don’t you trust me?", laughed Nagakura, bringing another log next to the fire and sitting on it. "Don’t you trust me, a comrade of yours since the Shieikan? Remember? Besides the four of you, it was I, Harada, Toudou and...", Nagakura lowered his voice in sorrow, "Yamanami-san."

        The smile in Okita’s face flickered a bit.

        "Okay, so tell me, what’s it?", asked Nagakura, breaking the brief silence.

        "I’ve just heard from Yamazaki-san that Usui-san has been deprived from the light of the day."

        "Uonuma Usui-san? That man from Ryuukyuu, counted among the finest swordmen of the Bakufu? Who blinded him?"

        "Nobody knows yet. The rumors that the winds carried to me tell that a new Hitokiri has been hired by Choushuu."

        "That holds some interest to me. But I’ve got a question, Okita-kun."

        "And what’s it, Nagakura-san?"

        "Where’s the secrecy in this?", laughed Nagakura. "That’s not a information that may endanger the Shinsengumi or the Bakufu or something like that. Even now, excellent swordsmen from both sides are meeting their fate in these troubled times."

        "Then again, it may be."

        Okita and Nagakura glanced to the now open gate of the temple, from where the voice had come from. Standing there, a lean man with his peculiar cynical, almost sarcastic, grin. Saitou Hajime. His jacket was stained with blood and his sword, unsheathed, was slightly bent.

        "Okaerinasai, Saitou-san.", greeted Okita. "How was your day?"

        "Awful", was Saitou’s answer, as he entered, saluting his two companions. "Six men from my unit dead because of a stupid attempt of avenging Umedo’s death. How typical."

        Nagakura slightly raised his eyebrow. "Oh, so who killed Umedo Katsunoshin? Yamazaki-san didn’t tell me the name of the murderer."

        "Simply because Yamazaki-san never got involved in that case. Shinohara-san (Shinohara Tainoshin, another spy of the Shinsengumi) was assigned, instead. The name of the guy is Yurimoto Shigeaki.", replied Saitou.

        "Yurimoto, Yurimoto... now where did I hear that name?", frowned Nagakura, trying to evoke old memories.

        "Do you know him, Nagakura-san?", asked Okita.

        Suddenly, Nagakura snapped his fingers and opened a broad smile, as he exclaimed, "Of course I know him! The Shintou Munen Style successor! His former name was Kamiya Shigeaki, if I can remember things right. The first disciple of Yurimoto Shouzou and an adopted child of his, hence the name Yurimoto. Yeah, it’s him. Although I was trained in the dojo of Okada Juumatsu, his name was very famous even in our dojo and common knowledge it was among us, kenjutsu practicioners of the Shintou Munen Style, that Yurimoto Shigeaki was one of the strongest in our style, beating even those from the Renpeikan, the dojo of Saitou Yakurou. But he was never interested in taking part of murders or even fights." Resting his chin on his right hand, an annoyed Nagakura mumbled to himself, "Properly it is stated that time shapes people in a way we fail to imagine..."

        Okita’s eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "Wow, so Yurimoto-san must be very skillful! Now I’m excited, I wonder if I’ll have the chance to face him. Can you arrange a way for me to meet him, Nagakura-san?"

        Nagakura and Saitou laughed. "You talk as it was an easy task to do, Okita-kun", chuckled Nagakura. "What next? Do you intend to go to the Genbukan dojo of the Hokushin Ittou Style to challenge Chiba Shuusaku? Or go to the Renpeikan, to defy master Saitou Yakurou himself? Or to the Shigakukan, dojo of the Kyoushin Akechi Style, to brave Momoi Shunzou? As you know, they are the finest swordsman in Edo. Or do you prefer Kyoto?"

        "Iyadanaa, Nagakura-san", complained Okita, smiling as always. "Just because I want to fight one strong kenkaku , you are trying to make me face all those kenjutsu masters. That’s not fair!"

        Nagakura and Saitou laughed again, as Nagakura turned his face to Saitou, "All right, but I guess Yurimoto is no more. Am I right?"

        "Not really..."

------------------------------

        No wonder those idiots started running. That man is the murderer of their friend, Umedo Katsunoshin.

        Shisengumi’s Law, Fifth Article: "It's not allowed to engage in private fights." To attempt revenge is to engage in private fights and, under this strict point of view, they should be stopped and punished. But Shinohara told me privately that Yurimoto Shigeaki is an Ishin Shishi, so I don’t think it would be harmful to watch this for a while. If they kill Yurimoto, there will be less one headache for me and if Yurimoto kills them, there will be less one headache for me also. Either way is good for me.

------------------------------

        It is not a matter of whether I’ll be able to reach Yurimoto-san in time or not. I’ll have to reach him no matter what it takes. There can be no doubts: the mountain-shaped shadows cast by the lights belong to none other than the Wolves of Mibu. The dreaded Shinsengumi. The biggest wall the Ishin Shishi face in Kyoto. The crimson wall built of blood and "Makoto", "Fidelity".

        Inscrutable are the plans wrought out by Katsura-sensei, but nonetheless I have to save Yurimoto-san. I have to protect the lives of the people who will build the new era. I promised I would protect the small happiness of the weak people that somehow cherish the despicable sights that are unfolding now before my eyes. This is the promise I made to her. This is now the sole thread of reason that still keeps me away from madness, the madness that is now knocking on the door of Yurimoto-san’s soul.

        Yurimoto-san...

-------------------------------

        "This is a bloody night. A goddamned bloody night. Looks like you too have got swords, Shinsengumi bastard. Miboro."

        Feh. Idiots. Never heard the saying "kyuuso neko wo kamu", that is, "a cornered mouse bites the cat who corners it." Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself. At least they were of some use, showing me the fighting style of Yurimoto Shigeaki.

        "Yeah", replied Saitou Hajime, slowly unsheathing his sword. "But you don’t look like the man who’s going to take them."

        Shintou Munen Style. The "Style of the Godly Way of No Concentration". It’ll be pretty troublesome.

-------------------------------

        "Let’s begin.", snarled Yurimoto.

        Saitou waited, as he held his sword horizontally, in his neck’s height, with the back of his katana almost touching his throat and the tip of the blade slightly above from his right shoulder. A kenjutsu stance known as "hassou", used to analyse the attack of your opponent.

        "Come", provoked Saitou.

        Arching forward his back in a daring pose, with his sword, tightly held by his right hand, raised above his head and his left arm stretched forward, almost touching the ground, Yurimoto flew towards Saitou, making sparks shine in the darkness as steel met steel in a loud clashing noise. Raising the handle of his sword, Saitou swayed his sword to a diagonal position, making Yurimoto’s attack hit the ground as Saitou stepped sideways, lifting his sword and bringing it down with a sheer magnitude of strength at the same time as Yurimoto gripped his sword with his both hands and slashed upwards with a roar. Barely had the swords deflected each other’s blow and Yurimoto was already swinging horizontally his sword, aiming at Saitou’s neck, who ducked in an agile motion and in no time grabbed Yurimoto and tripped him up with a quick move of his left leg.

        In the next instant, Saitou released Yurimoto and jumped backwards as Yurimoto hacked still in mid-air, trying to hit Saitou’s feet. Standing up promptly, Yurimoto gave a wild cry and his sword cut the air seeking the left temple of his opponent. Turning his body and raising his scabbard with his right hand, Saitou parried the blow while he striked back in a horizontal swing of his sword as a wakizashi was already drawn, blocking Saitou’s attack. In an abrupt motion, Yurimoto sheathed his sword and flipped it, pointing the scabbard towards Saitou and lunged, hitting Saitou fully in the chest and making him walk a few steps back. A peculiar noise was heard.

        "Just as I thought", sneered Yurimoto.

        "So, that’s why you aimed only at my head and my feet.", Saitou grinned. "I must admit that your skills with the sword are far beyond the ordinary and you have got an acute perception. However", he warned, narrowing his eyes, "that’s not enough." Saitou’s slant eyes were glittering with a fierce amber tone as he pointed the sword horizontally to Yurimoto and slowly slid his right hand on the blade, stopping just before its tip.

-------------------------------

        This guy is much better than I thought. I had deliberately left a huge opening in my chest, but he refused to take the bait. To make matters worse, now I’m heavier and thus slower than I should be. This can be crucial to decide the winner of this fight.

        This encumbrance may also reduce the impact of my new technique. Gatotsu. Feh. Interesting.

-------------------------------

        "A ‘hidari katate hiratsuki ’. Do you think such a puny technique can beat me?", mocked Yurimoto.

        "And do you think your disgraceful techniques will let you evade me?", returned Saitou in kind.

        Yurimoto laughed with a coarse voice, "All right. Come."

        Saitou lunged ---

---- GATOTSU ----

        Yurimoto’s eyes widened in surprise and shock as the tip of Saitou’s sword was too dangerously close to his heart. In a desperate attempt to dodge, he leapt to his side as the sword now described a gashing movement, fully hitting Shigeaki in the chest. Blood gushed out from the large wound as his legs slowly faltered and Yurimoto fell down, unable to move or to speak, disbelief reflected clearly in his gaze.

        "It’s over", said Saitou, cleaning his sword.

        "No, it isn’t", replied a voice from across the street. Saitou looked defiantly to the small red-haired swordsman as he emerged from the darkness. A cross scar he showed in his face. His eyes were as threatening as his sword, now free from its sheath and glittering in its terrifying grandeur. Hitokiri Battousai.

-------------------------------

        Saitou Hajime, Captain of the 3rd Unit of the Shinsengumi. Will he let Yurimoto-san go with me or will I have to fight against my will?

-------------------------------

       Hitokiri Battousai, the best swordsman of the Choushuu fief. Will fate let us settle our match tonight or will we end again in a draw?

-------------------------------

        Saitou smirked, "So, what brings you here?"

       "A promise", answered Battousai, narrowing his eyes. "Now, will you let us go or not?"

       "Never does the wolf release his prey from his fangs.", grinned Saitou in a devilish manner.

       "Then let’s end this soon. Prepare yourself to die, Saitou Hajime."
 
 

       Both lunged forward in a blur of motion. In the starry night, a globe of silver was seen enveloping a wolf, whose downward-pointed claw of steel described a horizontal motion, tearing away his cage and freeing himself.

--- Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Ryuu-Sou-Sen: Garami ---

--- Gatotsu ---

       A deep silence followed the violent collision of the swords. Saitou sighed, as he sheathed his sword, sightly panting. "Feh. It looks like this technique has still to be improved. Already I am out of breath and the fight is yet to begin. It’s clear who the winner will be. I’ll postpone our match for the time being". Battousai stared incredulously as Saitou started walking with his back turned to him, in a such calm and natural manner as nothing had happened a few moments ago.

        "Saitou Hajime...you...", thought an amazed Battousai, watching Saitou disappear in the narrow streets of Kyoto.

-------------------------------

        "Iyadanaa, Saitou-san", a buoyant look was clear in Okita’s eyes. "I didn’t know you were so shy. I bet you were just faking your panting, after all, Saitou-san must have realized Himura-san wasn’t focused on the fight, but rather on Yurimoto-san, isn’t that so?"

        "I think you guessed wrong, Okita-kun.", smirked Saitou.

        "Iyadanaa, Saitou-san. Everybody here knows you fight only a fair fight, although", Okita added with a mischievous smile, "not everybody agrees with your concept of a "fair fight". Nevertheless, you’re a man who follows strictly the First Article of the Shinsengumi law, "Never deviate from the path proper to man". An upstanding man is what you are, ne Saitou-san? Like Hijikata-san."

        "Feh, your words convey only sarcasm for me.", Saitou replied cynically.

        A low and cold voice coming from inside the temple took everybody by surprise, "Not only for you, I may add."

        "Iyadanaa, Hijikata-san", laughed Okita, turning to the tall and beautiful swordsman who slowly walked towards them. "Don’t you know that eavesdropping only makes your ears larger?"

        "Watch your mouth, Okita-kun.", was the cool admonishment from Hijikata. "Saitou-kun, any report of injuries from you?"

        "Not at all, Hijikata-sensei", grinned Saitou, taking his jacket off. The dim light of the fire was enough to show an iron net fully protecting his body and arms.

        Both Nagakura and Okita guffawed, as Okita whined merrily, "A "kusari katabira", Saitou-san? No wonder Yurimoto-san didn’t try to hit you in the chest!"

        Hijikata stared at Saitou. His sharp and deep eyes quivered lightly, betraying his concern."Yurimoto? You mean Yurimoto Shigeaki?"

        "Yes, sensei. Do you know him?"

        Pensive was his voice, as Hijikata spoke, "I see, so he’s still alive then... the Kiya street bastard of the Ikeda Inn Affair."

-----------------------

(end of part 2)

Translations:

"pa-pa... daijoubu nano? ": "pa-pa... are you all right?"

"pa-pa... doko ni iruno? ": "pa-pa... where are you?"

(both of them in a childlike tone of voice ^_^)

Iyadanaa : there are many ways to translate this, depending on the context. It may mean, "Oh no, not at all", "Oh no", "Gee", "Gosh", etc.

Okaerinasai! : Welcome back!

‘hidari katate hiratsuki’: ‘horizontal stab with only your left hand’

‘kusari katabira’: the Japanese version of the chain mail, as you might have guessed. ^_^

Comments:

1) First of all, a BIG sorry for the Shinsengumi fans! *cowers in shame* Found more info about the Shinsengumi members I used in the last episode, and Umedo Katsunoshin and Nakajou (Chuujou) Tsunehachirou were in the Tenma Inn Affair (the last "battle" of the Shinsengumi in Kyoto), and Chuujou was one of the men who formed the Seiheitai, along with Haga Gidou, Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke (after they left the Shinsengumi, obviously). Kobayashi Kichinosuke was a kind of a spy for the Goryou Eji, the group of Itou Kashitarou after this guy left Shinsengumi. That is, they were alive and well (?) even after the year this fanfic is set! Curse my lack of research!

2) Nishi Honganji (the Nishi Hongan Temple) is just a few minutes’ walk from the Kyoto Station now. I went there when I traveled to Japan and God that’s PRETTY BIG! Oh yes, and the Shinsengumi’s HQ in Mibu is still there, for those who want to see where all the Wolf of Mibu stuff began! ^_^ Yagi Gennojou’s house in Mibu! Where Serizawa Kamo (now where did I hear this name? ^_^;;;) was murdered! The den of the Wolf! Sorry, I got a bit carried off... ^_^;;;;;;

3) They "convinced" the Nishi Honganji monks by reminding them of the promise they’d made in the Kinmon no Hen, when they promised they’d do everything the Shinsengumi wished if the Shinsengumi spared their temple from the fire. A kind of blackmail (isn’t it? ^_^), one of the reasons of Yamanami Keisuke’s death (he didn’t agree to this). But the reason Hijikata Toshizou chose that temple was that he wanted to keep a permanent eye on the monks, who sympathized with the Ishin Shishi and also he wanted to show the Ishin Shishi the power of the Shinsengumi, in an attempt to intimidate them. In the novel "Kondou Isami Hakusho", from Ikenami Shoutarou, Toshizou knew that the Nishi Honganji monks would be less than pleased to share the temple with the Shinsengumi, so he deliberately stayed there in order to force the wealthy temple to build them another headquarters. So, you can see how devilishly smart was Hijikata Toshizou, ne? ^_^

4) ""Don’t you trust me?", laughed Nagakura. "Don’t you trust me, a comrade of yours since the Shieikan? Remember? Besides the four of you, it was I, Harada, Toudou and...", Nagakura lowered his voice in sadness, "Yamanami-san."

The smile in Okita’s face flickered a bit."

Okay, for those who didn’t understand this talk:

a) Shieikan was the dojo of Kondou Isami, Shinsengumi’s Chief.

b) "Four of you" is the four men of the Shieikan, who practised the Tennen Rishin Style: Kondou Isami Masanobu, Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo, Okita Souji(Soushi) Kaneyoshi(Fusanaga) and Inoue Genzaburou Kazushige.

c) Harada: Harada Sanosuke, captain of the 10th unit of the Shinsengumi. Expert in spear, in the Taneda Houzouin Style, disciple of Tani Sanjuurou. Character Model of Sagara Sanosuke.

d) Toudou: Toudou Heisuke Nobutora, captain of the 8th unit of the Shinsengumi. Expert in Hokushin Ittou Style, trained in the famous Genbukan dojo of Chiba Shuusaku.

e) Yamanami-san: Yamanami Keisuke Tomonobu(some say Sannan Keisuke), former "Souchou" of the Shinsengumi. Mastered the sword also in the Genbukan. Just some months before (February, 23rd – my birthday! ^_^), he comitted "seppuku", ordered by Kondou Isami. He had fled from the Shinsengumi and the penalty for such "crime" was death (Shinsengumi law 2nd article: "It’s not allowed to leave the Shinsengumi"). Okita Souji was the man who tracked down Yamanami and brought him back to Mibu, where Yamanami was forced to commit suicide, and Okita was also the "kaishaku", man who cuts the neck of the criminal in a seppuku ceremony, to abbreviate the suffering.

5) In volume 7 of the manga, you can see some of the men who appear in this part (and in the next part):

in the back row, from left to right: Takeda Kanryuusai (character motif of Takeda Kanryuu), Yamazaki Susumu (the man with his head partly shaved, character motif of Hannya), Inoue Genzaburou, Hijikata Toshizou (character motif of Shinomori Aoshi), Nagakura Shinpachi (the one who’s holding his sword in his left hand), Saitou Hajime, Shimada Kai (the bald one)

in the front row, from left to right: Harada Sanosuke (character motif of Sagara Sanosuke), Kondou Isami (the one sitting with his arms crossed) and Okita Souji (character motif of Seta Soujirou).