As usual the men are gathered but I notice their gatherings have gotten more chaotic, even spilling out to the streets but no one in Yoshiwara seems to oppose this. A very odd development for the red light district, a place once run so well, so strict to all those who comes and goes, it was like a military camp. I’m feeling much better today, for the first time since coming back from the Precinct I was able to fully rest, though I still don’t like sleeping in the day time.
“Saitou-kun!” Imai beckons me to come over, so I excuse myself from my companions and like sheep come over to him.
“Yes Imai-sama?” I look at him and Aioi who’s snaked her hands on his neck. She smiles slightly at my use of honorifics. I stare at her, this is the woman who almost made me unfaithful. She meets my stare and goes back to touching Imai’s face.That was work. -She- knows your work comes first. I look back at Imai.
“I need you go to fetch some funds.” Imai tells me in between hiccups as he kept drinking that sake.
Ah -finally-. Maybe his sources will be revealed. I have been lubering up this man so much I feel rather dirty myself.
“You can take some men with you.” He nods, “There isn’t a lot of them but… considering these people are late there maybe a -few- issues.”
I grin at him, “Don’t worry Imai-sama, I’m sure we can make them listen.”
He hands me a note. “Get going then and take some men with you.”
I nod. Looking across the room, I was never like Okita able to immediately spot talent but I can read ki and observe who at least handled their swords the correct way. “You two!” The room goes quiet, “Come with me.”
“Saitou-san! I’m coming too.”
I sigh, I know that voice. “Fine. Come Along.” His sword maybe needed tonight.
Working for a Fat but Dangerous Man
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“Feh! We’re tired of this arrangement.” The yakuza leader, an underling of the Yakuza boss controlling Edo and Osaka turns up his nose. “We’re not going to pay another penny. It’s bad enough you Shizoku took Yoshiwara over.”
“So what?”
“Do you really think we’ll let you take over the rest of the red light districts? Our bread and butter is prostitution and gambling. It’s bad enough we’ve been reduced to mere mercenaries doing -your- kidnapping, trafficking and killing missions.”
“We would never hire you guys to do such despicable things!” One of my companions shout, obviously affected. I don’t interrupt him, I like where this talk is going.
“Oh yeah? Why do you think your benefactor pays us? While you former “Samurai” enjoy yourselves in our turf.”
“Enough! I’m going to kill you myself!” I don’t even know this ahou’s name and he charges in.
Idiot we’re outnumbered 4 to 1 but that’s what happens with shizoku too good for their britches starts waving his sword around. He slashes one fo them dead and in an instant, the full force of this yakuza group surrounds us.
“Shit! There’s at least 20 of them.”
“23”, I correct him. The 4 of us go compress in a cirlce, each man covering each of our backs.
They shout coming with us with their short swords, some with just a tanto and others with wooden and steel planks.
A man tries to take me from the front with his plank but I deflect it with my sword. Doing a wide slash, I’m able to push back two assailants pushing at us head on but another one comes from behind them and I stab him in the stomach. Fool.
“This isn’t working!” One of the men fighting along side me complains. I see he’s arms been cut. Still I push on and grip my katana tightly. The two men I’ve managed to push back earlier is back on their feet. I break formation and advance, swiping my katana to cut off their legs. It goes through them like butter, that should keep them down. From the corner of my eye, I see Kano’s already left our formation as well.
He’s quick. I watch him while fending off my assailants in front. He makes quick work of the first 3 men who dared approach him. Beheading one and amputating the other’s right arm. He goes on to the next and stabs him right through the liver, but instead of leaving the man to fall to the ground he, takes him by the collar and stabs him in the throat with his katana. He grins as he takes out the blade from the man’s neck. The others of the yakuza who saw steps back and starts to disperse but he goes after them. -Quickly-. With a smile on his face. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such bloodlust. And that smile, so much like Okita’s but yet not. Two more fall to his blade.
“Don’t underestimate me fool!” The man who I’ve been harrassing earlier, strikes at me -hard- and he manages to cut my right arm. I grip my katana with both hands as he pushes me to the ground, “I’m going to kill all of you samurai! You’ve made our lives miserable.”
I loosen the grip of my katana and let the force of him and gravity work, as he falls and I get out from under him. He’s quick to get up and our blades meet again, “The rest of you get out of here!” He shouts to his men but Kano is still going on with his blood letting.
I need to stop this carnage, I think, but the leader manages to pull out a tanto and stab me to my left. It’s not too deep. No vital organs to the left. “Enough!” I say and take the same tanto lodged in my right and bury it to his shoulder before taking the whole of his face and slamming it to the ground with a thud. Sleep!
Quickly I leave him and stand in between Kano and the men who are fleeing. “Don’t go after them.” I block him with my arm. “We’ll need them to report back to their bosses so they know what happened here. We’ve taught them a lesson.”
“Hahahahaha!” Kano’s laughter filled the room, “I’ve not had this much -fun- since the days of the Shinsengumi, Saitou-san!”
The hair on the back of my neck bristles. The Shinsengumi, killed men, but not like this. I count the casualties, 15 out of 23. I think that Yakuza boss who cut and stabbed me earlier will likely live.
“Let’s go.” I look at the other two, they’ve suffered some injuries. Only Kano seems to have been left unscathed tonight. We’ll have to go to the medical building and get our wounds tended to.
“Can you get the two of them looked at?” I call to one of the nurse.
“Sir I think we need to tend to your injury first.” She nods at my left side where I’ve been stabbed.
I suppose I didn’t realize how deep the flesh cut was, so I just let her. Hide would want me to take care of myself and the other two only had surface level scratches. The nurse puts a compress to my wound and I breath in. She applies pressure and I try to relax.
Kano walks around the place, obviously weary. He goes over to the front desk where the nurse was busy arranging papers.
“Hello nurse.” He smiles that smile of his. “I have a friend who recently moved to Tokyo and is a new patient here. Her name is Yagi Hide. I’d like to visit her some time, can you possibly look as to who her doctor is and where she lives?”
I listen intently. If I could move I’d move closer but this nurse is really pressing to my side. It can’t be that deep is it?
“Let me look.” The nurse keeps going through the patient papers, diligently and I’m left holding my breath, I’m not sure whether from the nurse who’s really digging into me now or whether from tenseness that Kano might actually get what he’s looking for.
The nurse comes back, “I’m sorry but we have no record of a Yagi Hide here.”
“Perhaps it’s another name? Okita Hide?” He leans in and really gives her a winning smile.
Okita Hide huh?A dry grin settles on my face.
If anything Kano seems persistent. And the nurse goes away again looking but shakes her head. Kano frowns and shrugs at her and goes to sit down.
“Can you lay back?” The nurse tells me, apparently I’ve been too focused on kano and that nurse. Shindou -did- his job -wonderfully-. Just like I thought he would. I breathe easy, almost grinning.
“Stop moving sir.” She finally looks up at me, “Oh wait you’re that guy the other day. Spouting off that wolf nonsense.”
I look at her but don’t confirm nor deny. She smiles at me, “I dont know what trouble you got yourself into and that guy over there looks pretty but looks like -trouble-.” She whispers, “I did give her your message though.”
Leaning back down, I don’t say anything and instead look up. She did get my message. That’s good. That will have to be enough for now. Until I can see her again. The nurse finishes my wrappings and turns to the next two.