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Descent into Madness: Chapter 15

by Conspirator ::: 25.Jun.2003

The next day dawned clear and beautiful—perfect for one of Kyoto’s favorite days of the year, the Gion Festival. Already by breakfast time, the streets were teeming with people as they began to make their preparations for the festivities. Kenshin, however, had other matters on his mind, namely the fact that Furutaka was alive and might have given out information under torture. He went to find Katagai to give a report, but the commander had already left the inn. So he sought out Iizuka, who surprisingly had not been nearby the previous night, as he usually was when Kenshin was on an assignment.

"The Shinsengumi killed that traitor Hagiwara themselves?" Iizuka said in amazement when he heard Kenshin’s story. "They killed their own informant?" He seemed rather upset by this turn of events, though Kenshin couldn’t figure out what difference it made.

"And carried his head back like a trophy," Kenshin replied. "But Furutaka was still alive when I saw him—barely alive, but still alive."

"So," Iizuka mused as he stroked his chin, "presumably he hasn’t told them anything yet…."

"Or at least not everything they wanted to know," Kenshin added.

"Right." Iizuka said with finality. "I’m heading over to meet with the clan leaders right after breakfast. I’ll tell them what you’ve learned. You know when to show up, right?"

"Hai," Kenshin responded. "I’ll be there."

Breakfast was an unusual affair. The men were obviously primed and ready for a festival, for they openly leered, flirted, and grabbed at Yuka and Kishi as the girls tried to serve breakfast. One new man tried to grab for Tomoe as well, but a glare from Kenshin, combined with a flick at the hilt of his sword, stopped them cold.

"You’ll be going to the festival tonight," Matsuo commented to Kenshin after breakfast. Matsuo had said perhaps ten words to Kenshin since Kenshin had shown him Yoshida’s letter. Another seven was a complete surprise, and about something as frivolous as a festival, no less!

"I don’t know," Kenshin answered truthfully. "I really don’t know anything about it."

"Take the girl," Matsuo said before walking away.

Kenshin’s mind had been so preoccupied with the Furutaka situation and his upcoming meeting with Katsura that it took him several seconds to realize what Matsuo had just told him to do. He should take Tomoe to the festival? He blushed just thinking about it!

It was such a beautiful day that Kenshin decided to leave early for his meeting. The city was definitely different today, as if it were dressing up for a party. Everywhere he looked he saw decorations—gayly painted wind socks fluttering in the breeze, little shrines springing up everywhere surrounded with flowers. As he neared the river, he could see a long line of festival carts and crowds of children surrounding them. In some of the small marketplaces, puppet theaters were springing up, and at this hour the puppeteers were practicing. He watched, fascinated, as the miniature samurai and geishas in their old-fashioned dress seemed to talk and fight with one another as if they were real. He had never seen anything like this back in the mountains with Hiko!

His destination was the safe house located in the back of a store that sold women’s combs and toiletries. When he had visited there last fall, he had thought that was an unusual choice, but today he was glad of its incongruous nature—fewer chances of running into Shinsengumi, he figured. He reluctantly pulled his mind away from all the sights and sounds of the festival as he neared the shop. Time to remember that the real Kyoto was not a city of festivities—it was a city of blood. He walked into the shop and repeated the coded sentence that would identify him as an Ishin Shishi. The sales clerk smiled and led him back to the living quarters behind the store. There, in a room at the farthest end of the house, sat Katsura, Iizuka, and a man from another Chousu group.

"Himura, right on time!" Katsura said with a smile as Kenshin bowed to him. "It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to meet. Are you doing well?"

"Yes," Kenshin said, "I’m doing them in very well."

Katsura hadn’t expected this answer to his general pleasantry, and he suddenly laughed aloud at Kenshin’s misinterpretation of what he meant.

"What’s my assignment?" Kenshin asked as he tried to figure out what was so funny.

Katsura pulled himself together. "Well, it’s not so important that I’d call it an assignment…," he said.

"Well, if it’s not important, you really shouldn’t call for me," Kenshin responded.

"Hey!" Iizuka sputtered.

Kenshin ignored him. "I’ve assassinated almost a hundred people these past six months," Kenshin continued. "No matter how we hide ourselves, the shogunate knows we’re here. It isn’t a good idea for me to be near the Chousu clan leaders. The Bakufu forces are growing stronger every day, especially the Shinsengumi. They could be the strongest of the Bakufu’s weapons. And they have Furutaka—he may have given them information."

"I understand," Katsura said. "We’ll look out for them."

"Well, about that assignment?" Iizuka prodded.

"Well," Katsura said, "actually, tonight, during the Gion Festival, there’s to be a secret council held at a certain inn. Toshiwara and Miyabe are expected to attend…"

"You need a bodyguard?" Kenshin cut in.

"Well, no, Katagai will be with me," Katsura said. "I was just wondering if you would like to join us."

"Hey, that’s great!" Iizuka said enthusiastically. "What an honor! Your name could go down in history!"

Kenshin thought seriously about the request. If the government had managed to torture information out of Furutaka, then everyone at the meeting could be in danger. On the other hand, Katagai would be with Katsura, and Katagai was no slouch as a swordsman.

"No," Kenshin finally answered, "I decline. It’s easier if a hitokiri keeps to the shadows as far as possible. And I’m not interested in history or honor. If we achieve a new age in which everyone can live in peace, that would be enough for me."

As he turned to leave, he heard Iizuka say, "It’s no good. Maybe he’s killed too many, but lately he’s been acting strange…."

Strange? What did Iizuka consider strange, Kenshin wondered? Being a single-minded and deadly killer, or despising himself for the work he did? It didn’t matter, of course—he had promised Katsura he would do this job, and that was that. At least he hadn’t received any black envelopes today! He returned to the front of the store, where the clerk led him to a door that opened onto an alley. From there, he went back into the bustling marketplace.

Now that it was close to lunchtime, vendors were everywhere hawking the most amazing delicacies he had ever seen, and children were running around in costumes. It was truly another world. He wished he could just sit and watch it all swirl around him, but he wanted to get back to the inn to help Tomoe with the water buckets. He was finding that those brief moments talking to her were the high points of his day, and he didn’t want to miss it even for the festival. He arrived back just in time to help and managed to shyly tell her what he had seen. She smiled at his descriptions and said, "Have you never seen a festival before?"

He shook his head no.

"Perhaps you will go today, then," she said as they reached the kitchen.

Their conversation ended there as neither of them was brave enough to talk to each other with Okami, Yuka, and Kishi around to hear. Okami, however, must have read their minds.

"Himura-chan," she sang out, "you know what today is, don’t you?"

"A festival, isn’t it?" he answered.

"Not just a festival, it’s the Gion Festival!" Okami said. "Nobody’s going to be eating here for dinner on a day like today, so I’ve given all the girls the night off."

"Oh," Kenshin said.

Okami could see that the importance of what she had just announced had not sunk in.

"Himura-chan, this is a big festival—lots of fun, lots to see and do! You and Tomoe should go enjoy it," she prompted.

"Me and Tomoe?" he repeated. "Together?" Was she suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? He blushed ten shades of red.

"Just an idea," Okami added with a sly smile.

"We’re going to the festival," Kishi giggled. "The men are fighting over who gets to take us."

"I don’t know," Kenshin stammered. "I’ve never really been to a festival…."

That did it. Okami dragged him by the arm over to where Tomoe was chopping vegetables.

"Tomoe-chan, you and Himura-chan will enjoy yourselves this evening at the festival, and that’s an order!" Okami commanded.

Now both of them were blushing ten shades of red, but an order was an order. "Hai!" they both said in unison as Yuka and Kishi started giggling again.

"It would be nice to have an evening in town," Tomoe said later as the two of them went out to the well again. "Would you mind coming with me? It’s not so relaxing for a woman alone in a town full of men."

They agreed to meet close to dinnertime, after Tomoe was done helping Okami prepare her special sweet rice cakes to sell at the festival. So, while Tomoe worked in the kitchen, Kenshin spent several hours after lunch just wandering the streets and taking in the sights. When he returned before dinner, he was worn out and found himself drifting off to sleep.

He sensed at some point in his sleep that Tomoe had come in, and he felt the gentle sensation of her shawl being placed around him. Time was that something like that would have startled him and caused him to draw his sword. No more—he was comfortable with her around, and he merely drifted back to sleep. Then, through his sleep, he heard the shoji open again and heard someone call his name. He opened an eye. It was only Iizuka.

"Hey, c’mon!" Iizuka was shouting. "It’s the festival! We’re gonna hit the red-light district…."

"Shh," Tomoe was saying. "He’s asleep."

"Oh, sorry!" Iizuka said as he slowly backed out of the room. Iizuka couldn’t believe it—the hair-trigger Battousai allowing himself to sleep with someone else in the room? He used to think it was a pretty good joke that this kid had a woman, but maybe it wasn’t such a joke after all! He went back downstairs and was about to leave when Katagai came running up.

"Hey, Katagai, great!" Iizuka smiled as he reached out to clasp him on the shoulder. "You going to the festival? Himura’s being a party-pooper…."

"This is no time for festivals!" Katagai panted. "Something terrible has happened!" He ran into the inn and bolted up the stairs, Iizuka hot on his heels.

Now Kenshin awoke with a start. A flare of ki! Something was wrong! In the same instant that he sensed it, his shoji was flung open as Katagai rushed in, Iizuka right behind him. Suddenly Kenshin was totally alert.

"Katagai—what’s happened?" Kenshin asked in a rush. "You’re supposed to be guarding Katsura at that meeting!"

"The secret meeting place—the Ikedaya—it’s been raided by the Shinsengumi!" Katagai blurted out.

"What?!" Kenshin and Iizuka said together.

"So, information is getting out!" Iizuka muttered under his breath.

"What about Katsura? Did they get him?" Kenshin asked as he grabbed for the sword lying next to him.

"No, it was too soon for him to reach the Ikedaya," Katagai answered quickly. "The head of Tsushima was acting in his place, and then because he was taking a nap, he narrowly avoided the disaster as well, but Miyabe and the others—they’re all dead!"

Kenshin was up in a flash and started for the door, but Iizuka held him back.

"What, are you crazy?" Iizuka shouted. "There are three thousand Bakufu soldiers in this town! You won’t accomplish anything by fighting now—it’d only make things worse for Chousu!"

"Iizuka’s right," Katagai added as he caught his breath. "Listen to me. Katsura’s safe. As soon as we heard what happened, we sent him off to the waystation in the mountains for safety. He’s the man they really want! I’ll explain everything later, but all you need to know right now is that all Chousu men are in danger, and we’ve got to get everyone out of here and up to the mountains right away! Anyone who’s here right now, they pack up everything and leave tonight. Anyone who’s already out celebrating, we grab their blue gi’s and stick them in the rice sacks, like we did last fall, in case the Bakufu sweep this neighborhood tonight. The men will have to make their way to the mountains tomorrow. No Chousu colors, or they’ll put you to death!

"Himura," he continued, "you’ll stay here with Okami to protect her. Her claim that the Shogun’s top aide stayed here ten years ago isn’t going to do her much good anymore—she’ll need protection. Iizuka, you move to the safe house down by the warehouses. It’s as close to the Imperial district as we can get, and we’ll need you to keep an eye on troop movements and the like. I’m joining Katsura in the mountains for the time being. We’ve got to get a message to Chousu before the hotheads in Hagi do something we’ll all regret. We’ll contact you via messages to your safe house, then you can convey them to Himura. Now, get going! I’ve got to explain all this to Okami!"

Tomoe just stared. It was all so sudden. She stood as if frozen to the spot.

"Go down and help Okami!" Kenshin yelled as he saw her standing there. He pushed her to the door. "Just stay with her for now!" Then he left to do what Katagai had ordered him to do.

As it turned out, only three men had already left for the festivities, so while Iizuka rounded up the others and told them to pack, Kenshin grabbed an empty rice sack and started stuffing blue gi’s into it, including his own new one.

He returned to the kitchen to find Yuka and Kishi off in a corner crying and Tomoe holding Okami’s hand. Okami herself was in tears as Katagai explained what had happened and what needed to be done now.

"Is this the end for the Ishin Shishi?" she cried out. "And how will I survive without any paying customers?"

"We know some people who need a place to stay," Yuka said through her sobs.

"I will not turn this inn into a brothel!" Okami shouted. Then, at Yuka’s hurt expression, she said softly, "I’m sorry, dear—that was unkind of me," and she hugged the crying girl.

"I’ve been authorized to give you this," Katagai said as he handed her a packet of money. "It should cover your expenses for a few weeks. We expect to be back by then—that’s all I can say."

Okami took the packet but kept shaking her head sorrowfully. "It’s such a tragedy, such a tragedy…."

Katagai now took Kenshin by the arm and led him out into the courtyard.

"I’m leaving Matsuo here with you," Katagai said when he was sure they could not be overheard. "He volunteered to stay—said something about owing it to Yoshida, whatever that means. We can’t have this place unprotected whenever you’re out, and he’s a good swordsman. You’ll work things out with him."

Now he held out a whole fan of black envelopes. Kenshin took them—ten in all.

"Himura, it’s up to you now," he continued. "I don’t have to tell you how serious a blow this has been to the Ishin Shishi. We’ve worked long and hard for the reforms we’ve gotten. It’s only in the last few months that we’ve been able to force the shogun to put outlying daimyos into the ruling council, and we were just on the verge of opening up the decision-making processes even further. If we don’t keep their feet to the fire now, the shogun’s liable to scrap everything."

Pointing to the envelopes, Katagai said, "These are the men who have been urging the shogun to resist all reform. Their power will only grow, now that they’ve learned what was being discussed at Ikedaya. Damn those hotheads! Killing off the chief prosecutor is one thing, but trying to burn Kyoto and kidnap the emperor? What were they thinking!"

"Kidnap the emperor…?" Kenshin repeated in shock.

Katagai shook his head in disgust. "One faction of the Chousu wanted to set diversionary fires around the city so they could kidnap the emperor and spirit him away to Hagi. Then they planned to declare total imperial rule. Katsura’s been trying for weeks to convince them not to do it, and the argument got rather heated. That’s why he needed a bodyguard for a meeting with his own leaders. The worst thing is, we don’t know who tipped off the Shinsengumi. It couldn’t have been Furutaka—he didn’t know the location."

Katagai stopped for a moment, then said, "Listen, Himura, we no longer have our spies in the government. One was found out and killed two weeks ago, and the others are getting out of town as fast as they can, so those envelopes won’t tell you when or where to find your targets. All they can tell you is what your targets look like, where they work, where they live. You’ll have to figure out the rest yourself. We’re counting on you. It’s all up to you now."

Kenshin stared at the ten envelopes in his hand. A coldness took hold of him, the coldness of a hitokiri. Katagai could feel it, and when Kenshin looked up, Katagai could see it, for Kenshin’s eyes shone with the amber glare that promised only one thing—death.

"It will be done," Kenshin said.

Katagai gathered up the rest of the men and left the inn, blending in with the crowds still celebrating the festival, but Kenshin stayed out in the courtyard, thinking. Katsura had told him last fall that all war was a gamble, and now it looked like Katsura had lost. He looked down at the ten black envelopes in his hand and shuddered. Ten men marked for death, and he knew he would kill them all, no matter how long it took. It had only been in the last few weeks that a tiny spark of hope had somehow sprung back to life within him; it was Tomoe, he realized, who had managed to rekindle it. Now it seemed that the gods were determined to crush that spark.

The coldness followed him as he walked back toward the kitchen. As he neared the door, he could hear Okami making plans—Matsuo would pretend to be her brother-in-law visiting from the countryside, and Tomoe would pretend to be his niece; she was to move into a room of her own next to Matsuo. Oh great, Kenshin thought, now he would be alone in his room, on top of everything else. A few weeks ago he might have been happy at the prospect of Tomoe moving out, but not now—now she had become part of the fabric of his life. He walked straight through the kitchen without saying a word, the coldness trailing after him like a dangerous cloud.

The next few weeks were tense for everyone. The day after the Ikedaya massacre, the Shinsengumi made a show of marching in their still-bloody gi’s through every neighborhood with Ishin Shishi sympathies. Kenshin had been at the marketplace when they came through, and although he tried to fade into the back of the crowd, one of the squad leaders—a tall, thin man with evil eyes—seemed to lock his glare on him. And it was the Shinsengumi, not soldiers this time, that the Bakufu sent to search every inn for signs of Chousu rebels. Kenshin happened to be out stalking one of his targets at the time, and when he returned, it was to an inn full of broken pottery, overturned cabinets, and ripped futons. The Shinsengumi appeared to be angry at finding nothing, according to Matsuo.

And so June dragged by for Kenshin with only an occasional contact with Iizuka to report that he had killed one target or another, or to receive a message sent along from Katsura about the status of things in Chousu. Then, at the beginning of July, came the message they had all been waiting for—news that the Chousu would return to force the hand of the Shogunate. The message came with the welcome return of a traveler in disguise—Katagai, dressed as a prosperous tea merchant. Okami practically hugged the man when she saw who it was.

"Gods preserve us!" she cried out. "A more welcome face I can’t even imagine! Himura-chan, Matsuo-san, come down right away!"

Katagai shushed her, then led her, Kenshin, and Matsuo to the private room off the kitchen.

"I’m a tea merchant you’ve never met before, remember?" he said to Okami with a smile, but he was serious—it was still dangerous for someone as well-known as him to be in Kyoto. "And my name’s Enzo Hidetoki for the time being. Katsura’s been down to Chousu. The place is in an uproar over the killings at Ikedaya, and they’re planning to send three thousand men up here to storm the Imperial Palace. Katsura’s tried to talk some sense into the daimyo, but Mori’s advisors won’t listen. We’ve got control over about a thousand of those men—they’ll listen to Katsura and follow his commands, but the other two thousand? We don’t know. Meanwhile, our men who have been with us in the mountains will be returning to the inn two or three at a time. They’ll all be pretending to be travelers. We’re expecting Shinzu and his men from Edo as well, so you might as well double everyone up from the beginning. Katsura should be arriving in town shortly, and I believe he will be staying here."

The smile of joy on Okami’s face was overwhelming.

"Katagai-san, this is the best news I’ve heard in weeks!" she gushed. "We’ll be ready!"

After Okami and Matsuo left the room, Katagai turned to Kenshin and said, "Iizuka’s kept us up to date on your progress. Our one ray of hope in all of this is that the new advisors the shogun’s had to appoint to replace the ones you’ve killed are more open to reform than their predecessors. Even Satsuma seems willing to bury the hatchet now and join with Chousu in pushing reforms. You have been indispensible."

Kenshin showed no reaction to this news other than a nod. It had been a long and difficult few weeks, and he felt numb. Despite Kenshin’s impassive face, Katagai could sense how he felt. Still, when he reached out to clasp Kenshin on the shoulders, he was surprised at the tenseness of Kenshin’s body.

"Himura," he said, "this has been a difficult time for all of us. The next few weeks will be the most difficult yet. Only the gods know what the outcome will be of our struggle against the Bakufu, but I am convinced of the rightness of our cause, and I am convinced that in the end, we will prevail."

"Hai," was all that Kenshin said in response.

That evening, Tomoe moved back into Kenshin’s room. It had been nearly three weeks since she had shared it with him. Kenshin had been so busy that he was rarely at the inn except to sleep, and although she met him in the washroom off the kitchen every night as usual, she could feel him withdraw into himself. Even now, as she moved her things back into the room, he hardly looked at her. It was as if they had never shared a kind word before, and it scared her. For Kenshin, however, the return of Tomoe to his room was like a dagger to his heart—a reminder of that fragile spark of hope he once had that had been crushed. He looked at her and felt like a drowning person whose lifeboat was just beyond his reach. The silence between them became unbearable.

"I’ve had to work a lot," he finally said.

"Yes, I know," she replied.

"It’s been very difficult," he said.

"I know," she responded. "I’ve seen you every night when you’ve come back, remember?"

"And yet you’ve stayed."

"I have nowhere else to go," she said, "and you still need a sheath."

A sheath—she was his sheath, he realized, even in this darkest of times. His tension lessened.

"Thank you," he said softly. He was rewarded with a gentle smile.

Over the next week, men came dribbling back to the inn, all dressed as peasants or merchants, until the inn was nearly full. Katsura returned as well, dressed as the poorest peasant traveler anyone had ever seen. Okami had to restrain herself from sending up welcome flares at his arrival. Finally, Shinzu and his men from Edo arrived just before the middle of the month. With his arrival, Katsura called a meeting to plan for what was to come.

"The news from Chousu, as you know, is not good," Katsura began. "When news of the Ikedaya incident reached Hagi, the province erupted. The daimyo’s advisors are calling for revenge, but you all know I do not share that view. Thousands of men massing before the gates of the Imperial Palace, ready to die for their beliefs—that’s what’s called for, not revenge! What good will it do our cause to storm into Kyoto and burn down the city? What good will it do our cause to kidnap the emperor and take him to Hagi? Three thousand men are already on their way here ready to do just that. I can command the allegiance of only a thousand of them. It will be up to us, the thousand, to hold back the others before they destroy what little credibility Chousu has left at the Imperial Court. We have about a hundred fighters already in Kyoto, including you. As soon as we receive word that the Chousu forces are nearing the city, you will attack the guards at the Imperial Palace gates and hold the palace. I already have riders out with orders to those forces loyal to me. At all costs, we must prevent the radicals from setting fire to the city!"

"You’ve lost your nerve."

Heads shot around to see who had uttered those words. It was Shinzu.

"We need to take bold action, something that will force the Bakufu to realize we’re serious," Shinzu said with barely concealed contempt, "and I, for one, plan to join in that action."

A deadly silence descended on the room as Katsura’s eyes bored into Shinzu’s.

"You will follow my orders," Katsura said in low, dangerous tones. "I am your commander, not the other way around. The penalty for disobeying orders is death."

The two men continued to stare at each other for nearly a minute. It was Shinzu who finally looked away. Then he stormed out. His men from Edo looked at each other, wondering what to do. Yoshida’s old buddies Sato and Tanaka, who had been with Shinzu ever since his departure for Edo, got up and moved over near Katsura, as did most of the Edo contingent who had originally hailed from Okami’s inn. The rest of the Edo group followed Shinzu out of the room. Katsura stared after them angrily before walking out himself, motioning to Katagai and Kenshin to follow him. As they left, they could hear the room erupt over what had just happened.

"Now I’ll tell you the real news," Katsura told Kenshin and Katagai as he closed the shoji to Okami’s private room off the kitchen. "That alliance we worked so hard to achieve with Satsuma this spring? It’s over. Once they got wind of the troop movement towards Kyoto, they joined up with Aizu to protect the emperor—that’s nearly 20,000 men that’ll be facing our 3,000. It’ll be a slaughter. I’ve been trying to meet with Saigo Takamori ever since word got out about the troops—he won’t see me. And now we’ve got an insurrection on our hands right here!"

"I warned you about that young whelp—told you he’d be nothing but trouble," Katagai growled.

"But I couldn’t risk offending Shinzu’s family—too much power with the Mori’s!" Katsura shot back. "Katagai, you’ll be commanding the Kyoto troops attacking the palace guards, but you need to stick like glue to that damned Shinzu. I meant what I said—disobedience means death!"

Then Katsura turned to Kenshin. "Himura," he said, "there is only one way our handful of men will have any hope of securing the palace—we need you to arrive ahead of us and kill as many guards as possible as quietly as possible. Then find Katagai for further orders. For now, though, all we can do is wait."

It was not a long wait. The following day, a rider pulled up at the inn with news that the Chousu forces were within five miles of the city and were trying to battle their way through the Bakufu lines. They expected at least half the forces to arrive at the palace by nightfall. The men now lined up to retrieve their blue Chousu gi’s from their hiding places in Okami’s rice sacks before heading out to secure the Imperial Palace. Kenshin decided to wear his old blue gi, rather than the new one, just for good luck.

Katagai massed his men in the warehouse district near the Imperial Palace and waited until he could see the torches of the troops in the distance and hear the cries of the battle. Then, and only then, did he send Kenshin ahead.

"I’ll give you twenty minutes, no more," Katagai told him. "Then we go for the western gate."

As Kenshin approached the palace, he was not surprised to find that there was triple the usual number of guards, but the rear-most guard post, as usual, still had the fewest men, only ten. He didn’t want them to alert the other guard posts with the sounds of fighting, so he decided to attract a guard or two by throwing a handful of pebbles in their direction. When two guards walked over to see what was going on, he silently killed them both in one swift stroke. When those guards didn’t return, another guard wandered over to see what was up; he, too, was dispatched with a swift slash to the neck. The other seven guards now sensed that something was wrong, and when one came over and found the bodies, Kenshin killed him as well. Now he flipped forward at lightening speed towards the other guards, felling three with lightening-quick blows to their necks. Then he turned and with a circular motion sliced through the remaining three guards. His speed was such that none of the men even had time to utter a battle cry.

Now he went to the next guard post, but he saw a messenger run up and start gesturing in the direction of the Chousu under Katagai’s command. In a split second, he knew what he had to do. Running with godlike speed, he approached the guard post and hit his sword into the ground, unleashing a furious Do Ryu Sen. The guards stood in stunned silence as the earth opened up and swallowed them, killing them with the force of the debris falling upon them. Now the warning cries went up at all the other guard posts, but it was too late. Katagai and his men had already started attacking the western gate, and the battle between the Chousu and the massed Bakufu forces had reached the palace as well. Kenshin ran as fast as he could to join Katagai.

Kenshin had never been in actual combat before, and he found it taxed all his senses in a way that being a hitokiri never had. Gone was the element of surprise, the relative ease of killing someone who was unprepared for battle. Instead, it seemed as if wave upon wave of men descended on him, all intent on killing him. It was obvious that the Chousu were horribly outnumbered, and as he fought, he could see his comrades being injured or killed all around him. Even he himself did not remained untouched, for although he killed more than a dozen men within minutes, it was impossible to avoid every slash of every sword. His injuries, however, remained slight—a small slice on his arm, a gash across his shoulder, nothing he couldn’t handle. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Katagai called out. "Retreat, men, retreat!"

Kenshin turned to follow his command as did all the other men, with one exception—Shinzu. Instead, Shinzu grabbed a lit torch from one of his men, yelling, "Torches, men, torches! Follow me!"

In an instant, Katagai whipped around and lunged in front of Shinzu, blocking his way. Sword held aggressively, Katagai yelled, "Put that down, Shinzu, or I’ll kill you!"

"You fool!" Shinzu shouted back. "Don’t you know that the other squads will be setting fires, too? Out of my way!"

He tried to sprint around Katagai, but Katagai was too fast. Katagai was a man built for strength, not speed, but even before Shinzu could move two steps, Katagai had cut him in half. Shinzu, however, had turned just in time to see the blade flying at him. It gave him no time to draw his own sword, but it was enough for him to hurl his lit torch into the open doorway of a nearby building. As he fell from Katagai’s attack, the building went up in flames.

"Katagai!" Kenshin shouted as he moved to prevent any other torch-bearers from starting more fires.

Kyoto hadn’t seen any rain for weeks, and everything was tinder-dry. Within seconds, the evening breeze had fanned the fire to the neighboring buildings; within minutes, the entire Imperial District west of the palace was in flames.

"Stop those fires!" Katagai now yelled at his troops. Then, pulling Kenshin aside, he said quickly, "Himura, you’re our fastest runner. Get back to the inn and tell Okami to get out—we’ll never be able to contain this! Then, tomorrow, get yourself to the first bridge over the river at the outskirts of town. Katsura will find you there. He says it’s urgent you meet him. Now, go!"

Kenshin took off, fighting his way past the battle until he reached the empty streets, the flames racing right behind him and the smoke burning his lungs. It took only ten minutes to make the twenty-minute trip, and when he finally reached the inn, he collapsed against the doorframe, panting for breath.

"Kenshin-san!" Tomoe cried as she saw him collapse. "You’ve been hurt! Kishi, Yuka—quick! Get some water for him to drink!"

‘Kenshin,’ he heard her call him—Kenshin, not Himura! And was he hurt? He looked down at himself and saw that he was covered with dirt, soot, and blood.

"I’m fine," he panted, "I’m fine…."

Now Okami came running out with the girls. "Himura-chan! Thank goodness you’re alive!" she shouted.

"Okami-san," Kenshin panted, now trying to stand. "The fire—we can’t stop it. It’s coming fast. You must get out!" He gratefully took the cup of water from Kishi and drank it greedily.

"Yes, we know," Okami said quickly. "We saw the smoke, and I knew immediately what had happened. We went and warned Hideko, the stablemaster, and he’s already sent a wagon around to gather up my pots and knives and things. We’re just getting together our personal items…."

At that, Kenshin bolted upright and grabbed Tomoe’s hand as he ran for the stairs. When they reached their room, he grabbed her blue shawl and spread it out on the floor. She immediately slipped her black book and tanto into her obi and put the rest of her belongings on the shawl. Kenshin, meanwhile, placed his few belongings in the pile as well and, throwing modesty to the wind, quickly stripped off his bloody gi to change into the old green one. He was glad he hadn’t worn the new blue gi today—he was sure he would need it in the future. He placed it, too, on the pile. Then he tied up the bundle and handed it to Tomoe.

"Quick, we’ve got to get out!" he shouted as he headed back down the stairs.

Now he grabbed several of Okami’s bundles and hustled her, Tomoe, Yuka, and Kishi out the door. Flames could be seen a few blocks away as they joined a river of people making their way to the relative safety of the outskirts of the city. They slept under the stars that night, or would have if the thick smoke from the fires hadn’t obscured them from view.

When he awoke the next morning, Kenshin was sore, and his injured arm and shoulder were burning with pain. As the others slowly awoke, he gingerly pushed back the sleeve and neck of his gi to look at his injuries. The dried blood and dirt made them look worse than they really were, he decided, but Okami didn’t seem to agree.

"Himura-chan!" Okami gasped as she saw his arm. "You were injured last night! Why didn’t you say anything!"

"It’s nothing, really," Kenshin said, but Okami started rooting around in her things anyway as she muttered something about not having proper bandages or medicine.

It was Kishi who solved part of the problem by handing Okami an extra cloth she used to bind her chest. "I have plenty of others," she said.

Okami took the cloth and dipped it into some sake she had brought along. "A good disinfectant," she said when Kenshin tried to protest. Then she proceeded to clean his wounds and bandage them. It did feel better, he had to admit, and he told her so. Then they ate some of the food Okami had brought with her while they looked glumly at the smoldering ruins of the city.

"What will you do now, Okami-san?" Tomoe asked.

"Oh, don’t you worry about me!" Okami answered feistily. "I’ll rebuild, just like we did after the earthquake a few years ago. You come back in six months and see!"

After breakfast, Kenshin decided to head for the river to find Katsura. When Tomoe asked to come with him, he saw no reason to say no, so the two set off together. As they walked towards the river, the sea of people seemed to thin out until, by the time they came to the river, there were very few indeed. The fire must not have spread this far south, he guessed. Then they came to the first bridge over the river. He looked around expecting to see Katsura, but he wasn’t there, so he and Tomoe stood on the bridge and waited.

"Where will you go now?" Tomoe asked as they leaned over the rail and watched the water flowing by.

"I don’t know," Kenshin answered. "I guess I’ll find out when I meet Katsura."

They stood in silence for awhile. Then Kenshin said, "You know, that meeting at Ikedaya was to plan to set fire to the city and capture the emperor. Katsura was the only one who opposed the idea. Katsura was also the only one to survive the attack. Katagai says it’s by Heaven’s decree."

"But look at us now."

It was Katsura’s voice! Kenshin was startled, for he hadn’t sensed Katsura’s ki in advance. He looked in the direction of the voice and found Katsura huddled under the bridge, a huge hat hiding his face.

"Kyoto’s Chousu faction is destroyed," Katsura said grimly, "and we’re being pursued as enemies of the emperor. In Hagi, the conservatives are gaining power. I’ve got to stay in hiding for awhile—I can’t go back to Hagi, but if I stay here, I’ll be caught."

"What should we do?" Kenshin asked. "The inn has burned to the ground…."

"That’s why I wanted to meet with you," Katsura continued. "It’s not safe for you to stay here, either. So, we’ve arranged a safe house for you near Otsu. You can hide there; I’ll contact you through Iizuka. And Tomoe?"

"Yes?" she said.

"If you have nowhere to go, you could live there with Himura," Katsura continued. "A young couple would avoid suspicion more easily than a young man alone. Of course, it would just be for show. Look after him, will you?" And with that, Katsura walked away.

Kenshin and Tomoe looked at each other in astonishment, then watched Katsura disappear into the distance.

"What should we do?" Tomoe asked as they started walking back. "I really don’t have a place to go, but…."

"It’s not as though you have nowhere," Kenshin said. "You could stay with Okami, or if you need money for traveling, I’m sure that could be arranged."

They walked a little farther in silence. Then he said, "I guess it’s not fair of me to leave it all up to you. Why don’t we live together. I don’t know how long it’ll last, and it doesn’t have to be for show…." He turned to her and said, "Together—till death do us part?"

Tomoe smiled and nodded her head. "Hai," she said.

Now they quickly made their way back to Okami, gathered their things, and said a quick farewell. He couldn’t believe it—they were going to leave Kyoto! He was going to be able to leave the killing fields behind! Were the gods toying with him again, or were they actually giving him the chance to find some peace? He could only hope. He grasped Tomoe’s hand and, without even a backward glance, they started heading for the long road to Otsu.

The End