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Descent into Madness: Chapter 8

by Conspirator

Shinzu Tora was back. There was no doubt about that. The men might as well have sent up fireworks to announce it, for all the noise and hullabaloo they created. Kenshin could hear it all the way out on the main street as he returned from his visit with Kumiko, and by the time he walked down the small side street to the inn, the noise was almost deafening. The man who had challenged him while he practiced during his second day in Kyoto was standing at the front door of the inn, acting as if he had just conquered the entire Tokugawa family single-handedly. Kenshin decided to hang back and wait for the man to go inside, rather than try to walk past him.

After several minutes, Shinzu and his entourage finally went into the lobby, where he continued to hold court. Kenshin carefully stayed at the back of the group crowding around the man and made his way to the stairs, intending to discretely go to his room.

As he quietly started up the stairs, Shinzu noticed him. Staring with hatred, Shinzu said loudly, "What’s that spawn of a gaijin still doing here?"

Kenshin froze but did not turn around. Spawn of a gaijin? That was a new one. He continued on his way up the stairs.

"Lay off him," he heard someone say. It was Yoshida’s voice. He still didn’t look back, but kept going slowly and deliberately up the stairs.

"Yeah, lay off the killer!" another man laughed. That was Hamada’s voice.

Now he heard the sound of someone shoving Hamada against the wall and telling him to shut up, but Kenshin never looked. He finally reached his room, went in, and shut the shoji. He’d be damned if something like this was going to spoil the relative sense of peace he had just managed to achieve after his visit with Kumiko!

He blocked the noise from downstairs out of his mind and thought about more pleasant things. Playing with the children by the river had reminded him of something relaxing that he hadn’t done since arriving in Kyoto—playing with his top. He went to get it, still nestled in the folds of his winter haori where he had packed it when he left the Kiheitai. It was the one and only physical reminder of his life with his family. He vaguely remembered when his father gave it to him, just a few weeks before everyone had caught cholera and died. At the time, it had seemed like the most magical and wonderful gift anyone could have given him. To this day, he found that spinning the top still had a certain magical quality to it. He wondered what his father would think of him now, what he would think of someone who was paid to deliver ‘heaven’s justice.’ Then he remembered how Hiko had used the top as a way to teach one particular aspect of eye-hand coordination, and how they had occasionally played dueling tops—one of Hiko’s rare, fun methods of instruction. He knew what Hiko would say about his job. The thought caused a pang of regret.

After awhile, his stomach started to grumble a bit, letting him know that lunchtime couldn’t be far off. He noticed that the noise downstairs had pretty much subsided, so he went down to see if Okami could use some help in the kitchen. One of the benefits of helping in the kitchen, of course, was the chance to sneak a bite of this or that to eat, and considering he hadn’t had much appetite at breakfast, he would certainly appreciate a little something right about now! So, it was with more than a touch of eagerness that he walked through the kitchen doorway. He found Okami and Yuka in a state of frenzy.

"Himura-chan, am I glad to see you!" Okami said. "Shinzu-san has brought six new men with him from Chousu to stay here permanently, but does he tell me in advance? No! And all those extra mouths to feed!"

She immediately set him to work hauling more water from the well and bringing in another sack of rice from the storeroom. Then she gave him a pile of fruit and vegetables to chop. It wasn’t hard to sneak a few pieces of apple and carrot into his mouth has he did so, for which his stomach was most grateful. Kishi had been sent to the marketplace for more supplies and returned not only with meat and fish, but also several large bottles of sake, "to celebrate Shinzu’s return," Okami had said. It was a reminder to Kenshin that he needed to watch what he said and did around this man, because he clearly was a force to be reckoned with at the inn.

So, when it was time for lunch, he decided to wait until the last minute, as he had before, and then find a seat as far away from Shinzu as possible. It didn’t help; Shinzu glared at him as he walked in, a sneer curling his lip. "Some demon," he snarled as Kenshin passed by. There was that word ‘demon’ again. Just that morning he had heard some of the men talk about a demon, but he didn’t know who they were talking about. Now it appeared that they had been talking about him.

He found a spot at the far end of the room, hoping against hope to just blend in with the wall. He wanted to have nothing to do with Shinzu; already the man seemed angry at him. He had just taken his food from Yuka and started eating when Iizuka came over to join him. Kenshin pounced on him as soon as he sat down.

"What’s with this ‘demon’ stuff, Iizuka?" Kenshin asked quickly as he tried unsuccessfully to swallow the crack that threatened to break into his voice. "They seem to mean me."

"Hey, you’re actually talking to me!" Iizuka remarked with surprise as he settled himself down. Kenshin glared at him, but Iizuka just laughed and said, "It’s probably my fault. The men want to know if you’re any good outside of practice, so I tell them what I see, and what I saw last night was unbelievable. The speed! The precision! I told them you were like an avenging demon."

"Oh, great," Kenshin muttered dejectedly.

"Listen, kid," Iizuka said, "I know I’m not your favorite person—you probably find me irritating—but I’m here to help you. Maybe you don’t want me for a friend, but at least let me help you out. There are things that go on here…" —he glanced over at Shinzu— "…that even guys a lot older than you have a hard time putting up with. Trust me, ok?"

Kenshin gave a long look at Iizuka. He was right. The man held no malice towards him, and just because his breezy nature made Kenshin uncomfortable didn’t mean he couldn’t trust him. After all, he thought, Katsura did.

"I’ll trust you," Kenshin finally said, and Iizuka smiled.

Now Iizuka chatted with Kenshin about the various styles of swordsmanship that were prevalent in Kyoto, and Kenshin told him of his visits to the safe houses. It was all small talk, but it helped him feel more comfortable around the older man. Their conversation was interrupted, however, when Shinzu walked up. He reeked of sake.

"Our beloved acting commander isn’t scared to eat with a bloody hitokiri, I see," Shinzu said to Iizuka, purposely ignoring Kenshin as he did so.

"Shinzu, let me say this one more time," Iizuka replied with a dangerous edge to his voice. "Himura, here, is the best swordsman we’ve got, except for you. He’s got his assignments, you’ve got yours. You will leave him alone, and you will keep your mouth shut about him. No one is to know of his existence! Do I make myself clear?"

Shinzu snorted derisively. "It doesn’t really matter," he laughed. "He’s a hitokiri—he’ll be dead in three months anyway!" With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, his laughter hanging in the air.

‘Dead in three months? Is that what they expect?’ Kenshin thought. No one had ever spoken to him about longevity in this job—he had just sort of assumed the job wouldn’t last very long, and then he’d go on to doing something else for the Ishin Shishi. But now that Shinzu mentioned it, it made a lot of sense. People would try to defend themselves against him, and chances were that one of them might someday succeed.

"Hey, kid, snap out of it," Iizuka said, noticing Kenshin’s faraway look. "Don’t listen to him—he’s drunk and even more insufferable than when he’s sober. What’d you ever do to get him so angry anway? You were barely here before he left with that munitions convoy."

"I was practicing out in the courtyard on my second day here, and I guess he didn’t like what he saw," Kenshin responded guardedly.

"I heard there was some kind of fight," Iizuka prodded. He could tell Kenshin was holding something back.

Reluctantly, Kenshin said, "He tried to challenge me, but I refused. Then he came after me. I pinned him with the flat of my sword and told him we were both fighting for the same side."

Iizuka let out a low whistle. Shinzu was a fairly large and stocky man; Kenshin wasn’t even five feet tall, and if he weighed 100 pounds, it was probably a lot. "You pinned him?" he said incredulously. "No wonder he’s pissed!"

He recovered himself and then said, "Well, it doesn’t matter—somehow the two of you have to find a way to get along. By the way, he says Katsura will be back in a day or two. According to our spies, the government is in turmoil, thanks to the work you’ve done, and things are moving a lot faster than any of us expected, so he’s coming back early. I know he’ll want to talk to you when he’s here." And with that, Iizuka took his leave.

‘Maybe I was right about this job not lasting long after all,’ Kenshin thought hopefully.

It was a lovely, crisp fall day, and Kenshin couldn’t bear the thought of staying inside, so he decided to borrow a fishing pole he had seen in the storeroom and go down to the river. He figured Okami would probably be thrilled if he caught something she could use to supplement what she had for dinner, and it would take his mind off things. As he headed for the storeroom, Yoshida caught up with him.

"Himura, I owe you an apology," he said.

"For what?" Kenshin asked as he started clearing things away from the fishing poles.

"For being a jerk. Let me go with you so we can talk."

The two of them left the inn and walked down to the river in silence. When they got there, they picked a shady spot to sit where the fishing was likely to be good.

"You know that Sato and I were with Iizuka last night on the clean-up squad," Yoshida started. Kenshin nodded.

"Then you know we saw you in action." Kenshin nodded again.

"I still can’t believe what I saw. I didn’t think a human could move as fast as you did. I didn’t think a human could do with a sword what you did. And when you were done, your eyes… well, they almost didn’t seem human, either—they were death. It scared the shit out of me, and Sato just about flipped out."

Kenshin stiffened as he listened, but said nothing.

"So now Sato’s asking for a transfer, and Tanaka’ll probably go along with whatever he does. He was pressuring me at breakfast to do the same thing. I didn’t know what to think…."

Kenshin cut him off. "Maybe you should be scared of me."

Yoshida stared at him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I was fighting those men last night, I almost enjoyed it, until I realized what I had done," Kenshin said, not daring to look at him.

Yoshida didn’t respond.

"I’ve had three jobs now," Kenshin continued, still staring straight ahead, "and each time it seems to steal something from inside of me that I can’t quite get back. It’s getting harder and harder to feel normal again."

The two sat some more in silence, his words hanging like a cloud over them both.

Finally, Yoshida broke the silence. "I know what you have to do," he finally said. "I know what it can do to a person—it can drive you mad. I don’t want that to happen to you. Sato can go do whatever he wants. I decided this morning that I‘m staying here to keep an eye on you."

Some of the tension seemed to leave Kenshin at this, but a profound sadness still seemed to envelop him. He had finally admitted it to himself—he had enjoyed that fight last night, and it was getting harder to feel like his old self. What was happening to him! Then his thoughts turned to something that had been bothering him since lunch.

"Yoshida," Kenshin asked quietly, "is it true that hitokiris are dead in three months?"

"What?! Who told you that!"

"Shinzu," Kenshin answered.

"God-damned bastard," Yoshida growled. "That guy sure has it out for you."

"So it’s true."

"I didn’t say that!" Yoshida responded quickly. "To be honest, I don’t know, but with your skills, I’m guessing you’ll live a lot longer than I will—probably long enough to see your grandkids." He stood up and slapped Kenshin on the back. "Come on," he said. "What you need is a good drink of sake, and I know just the place."

Kenshin had caught two fish already, so he agreed to call it a day. They quickly stopped by the inn to give a thrilled Okami the fish and then went to a nearby bar. Whether it was the sake or the comraderie, it did make Kenshin feel better.

When they returned to the inn, it was clear a fight was going on. Shouting, cursing, shoving—the sounds, and the men, all spilled out onto the little side street. As they came closer, they could hear snippets of an argument.

"….you double-crossed us, you son of a bitch!" It was Hamada’s voice, followed by a rumble that Yoshida picked out as Shinzu’s voice. "….Yeah, with that whore Yugao!" Hamada was yelling again.

Yugao? That was Kumiko’s work name! When Hamada had dragged Kenshin to the pleasure district to gamble, Hamada had bet with Shinzu that Kenshin would not stay the night with a woman; Kenshin and Kumiko made sure that Hamada lost the bet. Kenshin stopped where he was and grabbed Yoshida’s arm.

"I think this has something to do with me—we’d better get out of here," he said urgently.

"You? Wha…" but Yoshida never got a chance to finish his sentence. Hamada had just caught sight of Kenshin and was charging toward him, sword drawn and shouting obscenities. Kenshin easily sidestepped him, but Hamada turned and tried to attack again. Kenshin was about to sidestep once more when he realized that Yoshida was now behind him; Hamada’s sword would hit Yoshida if Kenshin moved away. Faster than the thought even crossed his mind, he yanked his sheathed sword from his belt. Grabbing it with both hands, he swung it out and up, causing Hamada’s katana to fly harmlessly from his grip. Hands now appeared out of nowhere to grab Hamada and hold him back as he continued to kick and curse. Shinzu strode up and spat into Hamada’s face. "You idiot—you can’t even beat a boy," Shinzu said in a taunting voice. Then he walked away.

Kenshin seemed riveted to the spot, crouched in a defensive stance and clutching his sheathed sword in front of him. His eyes were narrowed and glowed with an amber fire that warned the other men not to come near him.

"What the hell is going on out here?" It was Iizuka, who had just come running to find out what all the noise was about.

"It’s nothing. It’s under control," Kenshin said in an icy, dangerous voice. It made the hair on Yoshida’s arms stand on end.

The men backed off, leaving Kenshin standing alone. Yoshida, who was still behind him, now moved to stand next to him. Instinctively, Kenshin lashed out, knocking Yoshida to the ground.

"Settle down, kid!" Yoshida shouted as he rubbed his bruised chest. "It’s just me!"

Kenshin shook his head as if trying to clear his mind. His eyes returned to their normal violet color, and he looked apologetically at Yoshida.

"Are you all right?" Kenshin asked softly as he realized what he had done. He reached out a hand to help his friend up.

"Let’s go inside," Yoshida responded. He took Kenshin by the arm and dragged him past the men and into the inn. Then he pushed him up the stairs to his room.

"What the hell was that all about?" a frantic Yoshida asked once he had closed the shoji.

Kenshin let out a long sigh. "Last week, Hamada and his pal convinced me to go gambling with them in Gion, but it was really to make me stay with one of the women there," he explained. "He apparently had a bet with Shinzu that I wouldn’t stay the night. I wouldn’t have, either, except Shinzu had paid her in advance to keep me all night."

Yoshida was still rubbing his bruised chest. "You spent the night with a woman?!" he asked incredulously.

"I slept in the corner, she slept on the futon," Kenshin answered quickly. "Listen, Yoshida, I’m really sorry about hurting you…"

"Yeah, and just what happened to you out there, anyway?" Yoshida asked.

Kenshin shook his head. "I don’t know. I knew if I moved, Hamada would’ve ended up killing you accidently, so I knocked his sword out of his hands, just like I was taught by my shishou. But then it was like…." –he stopped for a second, trying to find the right words but having a hard time of it—"like the excitement of fighting took over, and I couldn’t stop. I don’t understand it…."

He looked over to his friend, who was now gingerly feeling along his ribs for fractures.

"I feel like I’m losing myself," Kenshin added softly.

Yoshida looked up, then winced as he started to stand. "Kid, you’ve got one hell of a sword arm, you know that?" He walked over to the window and looked out. The men had all gone back inside now, and things were quiet.

"Why don’t you take it easy until dinner," Yoshida finally said. "That guy Shinzu is hard enough to stomach, but that idiot Hamada… It’d be enough to make a grown man go crazy, let alone a boy like you. I told you I was gonna stay here and keep an eye on you, and I plan to do just that." Then, seeing the concern on Kenshin’s face, he added, " Oh, don’t worry about me—I’m fine, no breaks."

As Yoshida left the room and pulled the shoji shut, he ran into Iizuka, who was about to knock at Kenshin’s door. "Leave him be," Yoshida said, and he told Iizuka the story about Hamada’s bet with Shinzu.

Iizuka rolled his eyes. "This acting commander business is really getting on my nerves," he said in an irritated voice. "You’ve got to stroke all the egos, break up all the fights, and then they still expect you not to get distracted from planning long-term strategy. Well, I may not have caught the whole fight, but one thing I know—Himura sure looked dangerous. That innocent-little-boy act sure covers up the killer in him!"

"I get the distinct impression that that’s no act," Yoshida said.

"Hmpf," Iizuka muttered. "Well, whatever, he sure is damned effective!"

Dinner thankfully passed without incident. Shinzu had decided not to grace the inn with his presence, preferring to visit his favorite haunts in the pleasure district instead, and Hamada nursed his wounded pride by eating in his room. The men kept their distance from Kenshin, but that was fine with him as he had no desire to do anything that might inadvertently create more enemies. Instead, he sat with Yoshida, who told him tales of his years as a ronin. As the meal went on, Kenshin felt his good humor return. So, when Yoshida suggested they invite some of the newcomers to play dice, he smiled mischievously and agreed. Between the two of them, they managed to relieve several of the new men from Chousu of much of their past month’s wages. For the first time in days, he actually went to bed with a smile on his face.

The good feeling didn’t last the night. It was around 4 a.m. when he was awakened by the sound of someone banging on the front door of the inn. He was instantly alert for any hostile ki, but the ki he sensed was that of an ally, not an enemy. He closed his eyes to drift back to sleep. Then he heard voices, the sound of shojis opening and closing all along the hallway, and the sound of men running down the stairs. Once again he sat upright, wide awake. Within seconds, his own shoji was thrown open, and Iizuka came bounding in.

"Himura, quick—get up! We need you right away!" He was already leaning down to grab Kenshin’s blue gi to hand it to him.

"Just found out the Mimiwarigumi plan to assassinate one of our strongest supporters before dawn—him and his whole family! I’ve just sent 10 men to help the six on guard at the guy’s house, but I need someone who knows where the safe houses are to get the family out to safety. That’s you and Shinzu. Come on!"

In a flash, Kenshin was up and in his uniform. He ran down the stairs after Iizuka, meeting up with Shinzu at the door. Shinzu glared at Kenshin, but Iizuka fixed him with an icy stare.

"One taunt out of either of you, and I swear I’ll kill you both myself!" he threatened. "We don’t have time for this! Follow me!"

They ran out into the night, keeping to the shadows as they made their way as quickly and quietly as they could. In less than 15 minutes, they came to the home of an obviously wealthy man. Already, the men who had been sent ahead had taken up their guard posts at the front gate and all around the perimeter.

Iizuka led Kenshin and Shinzu into the house. Grabbing Shinzu, he said, "Take Kaminaga to the safe house near Gion, then stay with him. Protect him at all costs! I’ll meet you there. Himura, you take his wife and kids to the shrine on the outskirts of the city. If anyone attacks, you know what to do. Quick!"

The men split up. Kenshin ran down the hallway towards the sound of a child crying. In a room at the end of the hall, he found a woman in her ‘20s hurriedly dressing a two-year-old girl and trying to wrap up an infant. He burst into the room, saying in a cracking voice, "Onna-san, hurry! We must leave right away!"

She looked at him and burst into tears. "They sent us a child? Heaven help us, they sent a child to save us?"

"Please, Onna-san, there’s no time to argue," Kenshin said as he quickly helped her tie the infant to her back.

He knew the woman couldn’t run with both the baby and the two-year-old, so he decided to carry the toddler on his own back. The little girl, however, was still crying and clinging to her mother. It was imperative that they make no noise once they were out on the streets, but the girl seemed inconsolable. Then he noticed a doll sticking out from the child’s bed. He grabbed it and handed it to the girl.

"Her name?" he asked the woman urgently, indicating the girl.

"Emi," she responded.

Kenshin knelt down in front of the girl. "Emi-chan, it’s very important that you take good care of this doll and make sure she stays very quiet." The girl quieted down. "Now come ride on my back."

He lifted her up and quickly swung her onto his back, placing her arms around his neck and her legs around his chest. As he did, they could hear shouts from the front of the house—the Mimiwarigumi were arriving.

"Quick, this way!" the woman cried.

She led them to a small gate at the rear of the yard that let out into a small alley. Kenshin told her what direction they needed to go, and she started leading the way. As they turned the first corner, however, Kenshin sensed about five men about to enter the alley they were just leaving. Sure enough, a cry went up of "There they are!"

Kenshin thought fast. He saw an intersecting alley not far ahead, so he pushed the woman around that corner and handed her the two-year-old.

"Hide in the nearest doorway, and don’t move, no matter what you hear," he warned. "I’ll be back for you." He jumped up to the roof and raced along it until he could see his attackers. Then he jumped down and stood, sword drawn, as the squad of five men approached.

"You will not pass," Kenshin said as the men stopped to assess the situation.

"Move aside, boy!" one of the men yelled before the five men charged.

Kenshin stood his ground, waiting for them to get closer. Then suddenly, he was all motion. Before the first two men could react, he had run forward with blinding speed and sliced them in two. Now the other three attacked, but his sword was too fast for them, and he deflected their blows easily. Then he was airborn, and with a mighty swing he beheaded the man closest to him before landing three devastating blows on the second. That left one man, who now stood transfixed by what he saw. Kenshin assumed the battoujutsu stance, waiting for him to attack. When the man seemed unable to move, Kenshin shot towards him. The man now realized the danger he was in and tried to run forward, but Kenshin was on him in less than a second, delivering three quick blows to his head, neck, and chest. The man fell, dead.

As he stood catching his breath and cleaning his sword, he cast his senses for any other hostile ki, but sensed only the presence of the woman and her children. He wiped the blood from his hands and face as best he could and quickly ran back to where they were hiding. The woman took one look at the blood that covered him and nearly fainted.

"Onna-san, Onna-san," Kenshin whispered urgently as he slapped her face gently. "We must get going!"

Now the little girl opened her mouth to start crying. He quickly put his hand over her mouth and said, "Shhh!" Then he hoisted her once again onto his back.

Kenshin vaguely remembered the layout of alleys in this neighborhood, so he grabbed the woman’s hand and started leading them through the alleys in the direction he knew would take them to the outskirts of the city. It was now dawn, and the city was starting to come awake. Twice they had to stop and hide, pressing themselves into doorways, as small groups of Bakufu soldiers came near on their way back to their barracks after night duty. It took nearly 45 minutes to make what should have been a 20-minute trip, but their progress was slowed by the need to stay away from major thoroughfares and the difficulty of running with a child on his back.

Finally, as the sky filled with the beautiful reds and pinks of a new day, they reached the outskirts of town. He could tell from the dead weight on his back that the little girl had fallen asleep; the baby was just starting to stir.

"Kenkaku-san," the woman said, tugging at his arm, "the baby is waking. I’m going to need to feed her, or she’ll start crying."

Kenshin had not let his guard down for the entire trip and knew there was no danger at the moment, so he led her to a small stand of trees and motioned for her to sit. He turned his back to give the woman some privacy, but he kept himself on alert. After 10 minutes, the woman was done, and he helped her tie the baby once again to her back. In another 10 minutes, they were at the gate of the small shrine he had visited on his tour of safe houses.

It was the monk he had met, Toshiro, who answered his knock. When the monk saw who it was, he quickly ushered them into the monastery without a word and led them down some stairs to what looked like a root cellar.

"I did not expect to see you again so soon," Toshiro said to Kenshin as he quickly went about finding cushions and tatami mats for the woman and her children. The woman helped clear space for the items, and Kenshin gently lifted the sleeping girl from his back and placed her head on one of the cushions.

"The Mimiwarigumi were going to assassinate the entire family," Kenshin said. "We found out in the nick of time. Her husband is at a different location. Iizuka said you’d know what to do."

"Indeed I do," Toshiro replied, "but before you go back, I think you’d better get a change of clothes and a bath."

Kenshin looked down at his clothes and winced—his entire front was covered in blood, and he felt bits and pieces of something he didn’t want to contemplate in his hair. No wonder the woman had almost fainted! Toshiro went upstairs and came back a moment later carrying a monk’s robe. Handing it to Kenshin, he said, "It’s the smallest one I could find. Why don’t you change into it. We’ll take care of washing out your clothes."

Kenshin took the robe gratefully and turned to leave, but the woman stopped him.

"Moushou-san," she said, acknowledging what he had done for her and her children, "there is no way I can ever repay you for saving our lives. May I at least know your name to include in my prayers?"

"I can’t tell you that," he answered softly. "No one can know my name, and you must forget you ever saw me." Then he followed Toshiro to go wash up.