It’s taken about an hour for us to get here … past where three rivers come together to form the Yado, and a few ferry landings, meant more for crossing… but the teamster Jo-san tells us its a bit further…
“Saitou – did what he say about the man sound familiar?” I look up. “If he’s been in Kyoto and up to no good, something as notable as a fire-scarred samurai should be notable.” I pick up the flyer I have. “And who is the woman?”
I only smoke keeping my eyes peeled eventhough we haven’t reached out destination. But the itachi can’t seem to keep quiet as she keeps asking me questions. But I -try- to answer her, after all she’s helped me get this far.
“Saitou – did what he say about the man sound familiar?”
I nod as a reply and take long drags on my cigarette. Hide where are you? Even if this man gets us closer, it may not be close enough and it’s mid-afternoon already. Soon it will be dark again.
“If he’s been in Kyoto and up to no good, something as notable as a fire-scarred samurai should be notable.”
“Not if no one see’s him. Obviously he’s being harbored.” I tell her. “I wonder if they ran out provisions… mainly money…” That I say more to myself.
“And who is the woman?”
“Asato, she’s a doctor who dabbled in experiemental medicine. She knew Hide and Okita…” I take a quick hit of my cig, “Okita was Hide’s significant other but he was sick and needed treatment from this Asato.” I look at the weasel, “I’m sure you’ve heard of the legend of Okita Souji?” My eyes narrow just saying that name, but for now I -will- take Hide back for her sake -alone-.
“Takao-san,” I call out to him driving, “In case we don’t speak, I need you to go back to the Kyoto Central police, surrender the sword and the bloody canvas to the Chief. Tell him Fujita Goro sent you.”
Not if no one see’s him. Obviously he’s being harbored. I wonder if they ran out provisions… mainly money…
“Or he’s not spent all of his time in Kyoto,” I say. But who would be supporting him? But sadly, there’s a lot of work for people with certain skills, and not all places are Kyoto. I hand a bento over to Saitou and open mine. It’s a nice sturdy lunch of udon and pork…
Asato, she’s a doctor who dabbled in experiemental medicine.
I nod. “In the Oniwabanshuu files, there’s talk of a few doctors in Kyoto who knew a secret cure to diseases nobody else could cure – they grew it in teacups, it said, but it was wildly inconsistent.” He speaks of Okita Souji, and, “of course I knew who he was – and didn’t he have a lung disease?”
There’s the way he talks about Okita Souji and Hide… wasn’t the other one always trying to find him? I blink, trying to remember it all – it was so long ago and so -strange-, those times.
He gives instructions to the driver, and soon we pass out of the wooded area to where we can see the wide Yado River again. “There’s not much here,” I mutter, looking for docks or something…. there’s a number of flat-bottomed cargo boats making their way downstream… with the fall colors it’s a nice, (if remote) place…
The wagon pulls to a stop. “Here’s where it was – those are my tracks,” he says, pointing to some muddy ruts. I hop out of the wagon, taking in the scene. Looking at the tracks, just as Han’nya taught me as a child. They each had a unique skill, but were amazing shinobi beyond that. “Tracks are a story, Misao-chan, can you read them?”
“Show me -exactly- where you pulled up,” I say, and he indicates a place. There’s footprints – his, and two smaller sets, and a third one, even smaller, that shows up but then… it disappears, but there’s lines… “someone was dragged, inbetween two people, over here.”
And by the riverbank at the end of the trail I find something, sitting on top of the mud – a single wooden geta, with a pretty floral design on the strap. I pick it up, and hand it to Saitou. “Does this look familiar?”
But this is just a muddy spot by the river – not an actual landing…?
OOC: will post tom
“Or he’s not spent all of his time in Kyoto,”
She states the obvious but I refrain from saying so. I can’t be drawn into the petty arguments that I used to find humorous back then especially with that fool Sanosuke. I’m just not in the mood. So I stuck another cigarette in my mouth.
She tells me about what they know of doctors like Asato and asks about Okita. “Yes he had that.” I say somewhat dismissively not wanting to talk anymore of the past.
We get to our destination but it’s somewhat of a disappointment, there’s nothing here except for a scenic riverbank. We both look at the tracks and I kneel down not saying anything but the weasel says everything running through my mind. She was likely immobile and unconscious, as they dragged her and dumped her into what likely was a small boat and didn’t notice one of her slippers fell.
“Does this look familiar?”
“It’s hers.” I don’t add my son bought it for her for her birthday.
But another thought runs through my mind, that there was no care in her handling. I wonder if she remembers what I told her, if captured or against a much stronger opponent than her, to not resist… To play along. She probably wouldn’t, not with her pride.
But wolf, you were willing to throw your life away everytime you fought.
That’s different, I put my life in my hands. Not in the hands of others.
I stand up just looking out the river. She could be anywhere downstream and likely not by the river – too much passing by… Too much activity.
“They likely took a small boat from this point. We’ll need numbers to scour all the landings form here to Osaka.” I take out my notepad once again and write a letter to Toshio-san, imploring his help and Chief Kanemoto to inspect all the landings and docks from this point on to Osaka and to get a list of rented small boats. Even then I tell myself, what if they didn’t even get off a dock and instead just like here, got off in somewhere inconspicuous? “They must’ve needed to hire a boat before hand, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to leave this place.” I didn’t see another set of foot prints so they must’ve steered the boat themselves.
“If you can get that to the Police before the sun goes down. I’ll see to it that you are not implicated as an accessory to the crime.” I hand the note to Takao and uncouple my horse from the cart. But then suddenly I feel a crushing sensation in my chest and I close my eyes for a second and it fades away. What was that? -Nothing-.
It’s hers.
His voice is so flat… he knows this shoe. He probably gave it to her.
He’s giving directions and he stops, suddenly. I go over to him and put my hand on his arm. “Saitou? Saitou? Are you alright?” I know he must be weary and the idea that she’s somewhere in Osaka, with its maze of canals off the river… I don’t even know how to tackle it.
“Let’s think about this, Saitou.” I frown, looking out at the river. “This seems personal – to her, not you. Who would want her, and why? This scarred samurai and doctor don’t have the resources to do all of this – if he was a known mercenary we would -both- be aware of him. And when someone’s kidnapped, it’s for a purpose – if it was just someone out for vengeance she’d be dead already. Kidnapping is a lot of work – look at what Enishi did, with Kaoru-san – and the time and resources it took.” I wave around her geta. “This was -sloppy-. Any good kidnapper would have left these off so as not to drop and leave evidence – even the Yakuza does it cleaner, and you know those guys aren’t all masterminds. Or the stained canvas in the wagon. Or the couple they kicked out of Asato’s house for what, to stay there a couple of hours, by my timeline? -Sloppy-.”
I sigh. “I think these two people are the bagmen. That they have a personal connection to her probably makes them easier to manipulate for whoever is in charge of this.”
“Let’s make a plan – go back to Kyoto, tell the chief the latest. Then take the train to Osaka – Gramps probably knows someone at the docks we can ask about the boat. With the muddy roads, you wouldn’t get there much sooner and you’d be exhausted. You need to stay sharp to figure this out.”
I pat his arm. “Come on, Saitou. She needs you.” Then an old memory makes me blink back unexpected tears. “You don’t have the luxury of falling to pieces like Himura-san did.”
I push her hand away. “I’m fine weasel.”
She tells me already what I mostly know. There’s a third party but I have no idea -who-. Those who may have strong motivations to do so, are those who don’t belong here or they’re dead. Can it be one of them? Or someone else she never told me. What else Hide? After all these years – I’m confronted with the fact that we couldn’t share completely of ourselves but it’s probably my fault.
“This was -sloppy-. Any good kidnapper would have left these off so as not to drop and leave evidence – even the Yakuza does it cleaner
I shake my head and take the geta. I want to tell her she’s giving me a headache by repeating out loud everything in my head. I put out te cigarette under my boots and dig it -firmly- to the ground.
“Let’s make a plan – go back to Kyoto, tell the chief the latest. Then take the train to Osaka – Gramps probably knows someone at the docks we can ask about the boat. With the muddy roads, you wouldn’t get there much sooner and you’d be exhausted. You need to stay sharp to figure this out.”
I don’t want to go back. I want to press on. I want to scout the entire riverbank myself, not leaving an inch. But I know that’s foolhardy and we’d only lose more time. I can only stare at the flowing river that seems to mock me at that moment.
“Come on, Saitou. She needs you.” “You don’t have the luxury of falling to pieces like Himura-san did.”
Quickly I spun towards her. To compare me to that bumbling fool… And I’m not… But whatever it was, she had an expression that stopped me in my tracks. I look to the side and quietly say, “Let’s go back. I’ll speak to the Chief and then we can meet at the train station on the first train out to Osaka.”
(OOC: You may close. Saitou will speak to Toshio as usual and go to the Yagi estate to spend the night.)
I’m fine weasel
Is he?
Let’s go back. I’ll speak to the Chief and then we can meet at the train station on the first train out to Osaka.
The look he gives me, at first… I know I went too far, to compare him to Himura-san, given their history… but it was all I could think of, seeing him pause like that. And I’m not only doing this for her, and whatever friendship we shared in that bizarre place.
I’m doing this for him as well.
“I’ll see you in the morning, then.” That gives me time to work out our contacts in Osaka – and maybe get some messages out.
(Close)