It’s time. We meet again at the same Izakaya and we drink. He’s not much of a drinker but I don’t mind taking more than my share. I laugh as he recounts stories of himself and Souji. Some may have been true, maybe Souji did give him special sparring lessons, while the others, like when Souji would have him alone and spend a night, was simply not true. After all if Souji was going to spend the night, it would’ve been with Hide. I grimace at the thought.
Drinking some more, I look at him. “You should have more yakitori. After all,” I smile at him, “you’re going to have a busy night. ” Or maybe -I- will.
He smiles and takes the grilled chicken and I pour him some sake. I’m not about to take a man to hell not giving him a good meal to take to the afterlife.
A Long Time Coming
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He comes with his katana drawn and a few men restrain him. I’m just sitting there looking at him, nursing my sake.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I look at him and slowly get up. He’s making a spectacle and I look around to see who’s in the room. A bunch of former Shizoku and of course Imai & Aioi and in the background I see Mikisaburo and Tadao. Abe is nowhere to be found.
“I WILL KILL YOU!!!” He cries and tries to swing. I go up to him and slowly wrestle his katana from him and grip his face.
“I didn’t kill him.” I say with some seriousness in my voice. Of course I did. I knew Shinohara would come running here as soon as the body was found.
I look back to the crowd and jest, “Hey Shinohara… Maybe it was you? You seemed upset with Kano lately.”
“WHAT!!! You bastard.” He tries to spit and I look down and grin back at him. “Why would I do that? I would never do that to Kano. You were the one spending the most time with him since we joined here! You were the last one seen with him at that Izakaya!”
I look at the men of the Goryo Eiji standing in the background. Wondering if anyone of them would come forth and help the naive Shinohara but as expected they don’t. They don’t really care about him, even back then in Kyoto. They knew he liked to play around with young beautiful men back then. Young men like Kano.
“So what if I spent time with Kano.” I laugh, “That made you jealous didn’t it Shinohara? Here you are accusing me of doing something behind your back and actually, it was you who was mad with jealousy.”
I look over his sword. Chipped in certain places, not very well taken cared of. I shake my head and give him back his sword and motion for those restraining him to release him.
“You accuse me of murder, of -indecency-.” I draw out my sword, “I’m sure everyone here, would not mind if I defend my name and my honor.”
I throw a glance at Imai, pretending to gain his “blessing” for this to continue. Over the past few days I’ve been leaking him information about the Goryo-Eji. Some true and some not. All he really cared about was ensuring everyone was in line and having men of dubious sexuality in the Shizoku although a long time tradition in certain circles was not something Imai was fond of. Of course arrogant men who didn’t know who’s in charge, like Mikisaburo already grated at Imai, so putting him down was easy.
Imai just grins at me and the rest surrounding us, gave way.
“I’ll give you a proper duel Shinohara.” I smirk at him, “My honor against your -lover-.”
“Why you!” He comes swinging wildly. “Yes it’s true! Kano and I were…”
I parry his attack easily and finish his for him, “Lovers?”
“YES!” He beats down his katana as if it’s some sort of hacksaw rather than a sword.
“But I would never touch him! Never harm a hair on his head!” He screams and swings wildly and I evade. He is slow with that sword. Not much skill but a lot of -passion-.
“Why would you right?” I mock him, “Then no one would go to bed with you.”
The crowd starts laughing, while I keep evading his wild swings and slashes.
“All those nights you spent together… Were they good?” I grin. “But lately he’s been avoiding you.”
“Because of you!” He finally is able to land a downward stroke and I meet his sword with mine. The blades squealing as it hit the sword guard and I push him back.
“He wanted to leave you.” I continue for him, “He told me you were suffocating him. You were so needy. So -jealous- all the time. Maybe that’s why you did him in?”
“That’s not true! Die you bastard!” He raises his sword up just like a Jigen swordsman, putting all his power at the tip to bring down heavenly justice towards me as he ran.
Waiting for the right moment, I quickly kneel down and thrust my sword straight to his stomach and pull it cleanly across. I could hear his organs rip in half and the slicing of his vertebrae and rib cage, as his bowels spill out from his abdomen. He holds them in his hand as he fell to his knees.
“If you had only gutted your stomach yourself, you could’ve at least died with honor.” I spat, sheathing my katana I walk away. I’m sure someone will dispose of the body.