Of Roses, Scent And Rain

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLY: I ABSOLUTELY DON'T own any of the characters from Rurouni Kenshin. And I DON'T make money out of this. This is for entertainment purposes only.




Chapter 10



At the back of the restaurant near the cooking area where the wooden

logs are usually kept, Sanosuke and Kero are having a discussion at

what had happened in the restaurant while ago with the rotten girl.

Sano couldn't forget what she did to them, making his pride swallowed

all the way and made himself a fool from the rest.



"Damn! The little dimwit got lots of nerves to fight me back. Some

nerves!!!" Sanosuke continued to grumble as he placed a block of logs

to a certain log cabinet beside the storage room.



"Forget it, Sano. It's just a big misunderstanding. Ouch!" Kero

grabbed his foot and blew a gentle wind to it.



"Yeah right! It is just a BIG misunderstanding." Sano sarcastically

replied while looking at Kero's semi-poor condition. "Huh! As if!

What kind of a woman is she, from Jigoku?"



"Perhaps." Kero laughed. "Let's forget it, Sano. The thing happened

to my foot is nothing to me anymore so don't waste your time

grumbling over it. And besides, you said it yourself a while ago that

we have tons of work to do, right? So, let's get on with it."



"Huh. You're right about that. I just can't seem to forget what she

did to us a while ago is very nerve-irritating, very nerve-breaking.

She made us look idiots at front of everybody else in the

restaurant." Sanosuke walked outside, exiting the restaurant. He

threw a punk to the nearby tree trunk. A large knock punch instilled

at the tree's trunk.



"Yeah, yeah. I know but she has a point, Sano. Somehow, we made her

do that by not…..you know." Kero followed him outside and searched

for a big log to sit with.



"Whatever! She has no right on doing that! She has no right making a

fool out of us especially me, Sanosuke Sagara!" Sano scratched his

head at looked at his friend who is chortling.



"Sano, Sano! Don't tell me you have a thing with that girl."



"Nani?" Sano faced Kero with a little irritation. "What non-sense is

that?"



"Oh, nothing actually. Its just that I never seen you acted this way,

especially from a girl." Kero continued to laugh.



"Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about. Me? Will get

interested to that kind of uncivilized tomboyish weasel? Never in my

dreams, Kero. You know what I like, whom I like." Sano looked up to

the sky, seeing the fast movements of the clouds.



"Look who's talking." Kero abruptly spoke. "You, too, are

uncivilized."



"Uncivilized? Me? Oh come on! You can describe me better than that,

Kero. Is this how you treat your closest friend, Sounan?" Sanosuke

said a different name yet it pertains to a single being, that is

Kero. Kero's complete name is Sukioka Sounan. Only Sounan's closest

friends call him by that name – a fine distinction from his special

ones to the others.



"Here we go again. I am just making my point out here." Kero laughed

again. "Okay, okay. As you said it, you are a civilized person….and

very interesting one – the best!"



"Now you're learning. I know you don't want to have aches again to

your body after we had a match in wrestling a week ago." Sano

smirked. "Does your body still hurt?"



"Not anymore, Sano. Thanks for the concern" Kero said

sarcastically. "All my thoughts are at my aching foot now. Oh well,

it doesn't matter anyway."



"Have you already done what our okashira told you to do?" Sano went

closer at his friend.



"Yes. For now, I have little information about the gang who messed

with our organization. After my chores, I will tell him about what I

have found." Kero closed his eyes and whispered. "Such a horrible job

to look for them…..the true dimwits."



"So, you have a little information about them? Why a little? I have

expected more out of you, Sounan. You are the best in our

organization's report group. Why so little? Our group is the fastest

in garnering information in and out of this country and even in

overseas. How come?" Sano asked.



Kero sighed roughly. "Easy for you to say, baka. This means that the

gang who muddled with us ten years ago isn't puny to deal with. All

the information about them was blocked. Arterial Yakusas are afraid

to speak and so as the big time druglords in our country. They

refused to tell any details as if their lives are at stake by telling

us the true identity of the scoundrels. I compare them as the mother

of all crooks in this city, in this country and maybe, in the whole

world. Sounds scary, isn't?"



"Hmm….Okashira Shinomori is very eager to get revenge on those darn

pigs. How come he isn't afraid to that group? It looks like he wants

to unite with his death requiem fast – very fast." Sano shoved Kero a

bit on his sit so that he could sit also.



"He is searching for them for ten years, how could you call that

fast? If I was him, I would do the same thought – find the criminals

at all cost no matter how long it will take and make them pay

dreadfully. You know how close those persons who died at that

horrible night to him. For him, there is no room for fear but

vengeance." Kero brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "You do

understand that, don't you?"



"Of course, Kero. I understand that. I understand him. The mission of

this group is to find then make them pay dearly. Haha!"



"We are lucky enough to be alive, not with them at that bloody

night." Kero remembered the horror of the faces of some other members

of Oniwabanshuu who were arrived at that scene after finishing a

mission from a nearby city. Some cried and some were at shocked

seeing the rest of the elite members bathing at their very own blood.

They were also terrified seeing their Okashira Makimachi having a

hole in his chest, having no heart at all. Some also were thankful

that they were not been joined from the killing – a luck or a

cowardly. The young Kero wept seeing them in despair………



"And how about Gohei? Did he finally found his own type of research?

To tell you the truth, that guy doesn't do anything at all to our

organization. He's pig just like them – a worthless idiot looking for

a strong shelter to hold on. Our Okashira is wasting his precious

time giving him enough chances to do the job. I hope Okashira

Shinomori sees that." Sanosuke spoke with all annoyance.



"He does, Sano. Perhaps, he has a reason on keeping him in here for

quite sometime until…..you know…..vanish him in any matter he likes."

Kero laughed.



"Yeah. I really do hope so. What would you expect from an

insignificant bastard like him to have a report? Ten years, still no

report from him. That is very obvious to see."



"Well, I don't know about that but something….there is something

about him smells fishy. Okashira Shinomori and I are getting

suspicious about him, on his ways." Kero stood up.



"Can you do anything about it?" Sano asked.



"For now, Okashira told me to watch his moves and report to him back

what he has been up to. Our Okashira has never been wrong with his

suspicions." Kero touched his chin.



"You can say that again. Huh! He's a weirdo with a menacing

attitude." Sano spoke sarcastically then laughed hard.



"I smell jealousy around here….." Kero interrupted.



"Huh? What did you say?" Sano stood up and bent his head.



A voice inside the restaurant's kitchen echoed calling the name of

Sano.



"Sano! Where are you?" A lady's voice prompted having difficulty in

carrying the deliveries of sake.



"Nothing." Kero looked at Sano. "Hey, your wife is calling you."



"What wife? Who?" Sano asked.



"Saiyo-san is calling you." Kero patted his hand at Sano's shoulder

and went on his way to his next chore. "See you later, rooster head.

Good luck with your wife!" He continued to chuckle.



"Ha, ha! Very funny. I'll be back for you!" Sano fisted with his

smile on his face and went inside the restaurant to meet Saiyo.



*******

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Kokoro walked briskly as she past

Aoiya's garden unnoticeably by some busy workers harvesting medium-

size vegetables. "I might have a terrible migraine if this still

continues."



She looked up to the blue skies trying to forget what was

happened when suddenly, she remembered of something. She left one of

her belonging in the dojo. She immediately stopped from walking

toward the restaurant. "Baka!" She told to herself. " I forgot my

towel at the dojo. Idiot!" She continues to grumble loudly, and

still, people around her didn't budge to notice.



"Now I have to see him once again. What a day I've been

through?! Damn it!" She turned around and rapidly went back to the

said dojo. With her shoulder bag and everything, she went back hoping

for best. She was hoping not to see him again…just for that instant.

Things shouldn't be this so complicated. All the heat in her head has

to pass away by not going to another round of a fight.



On her way to the dojo, she managed to collect her thoughts about

what had happened a while ago with her sensei. "Why? Why do I have to

feel guilty about it? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" she

responded to herself. " If he hasn't done that to me more

often….treating me like a child…..perhaps….maybe….." She finally

arrived at the façade of the place. " Maybe….." she sighed shortly

then smirked. "Baka. What right do I have to say all these non-sense?

To him, I'm just one of his loyal subjects - his young annoying, and

very naive student. Nothing else. He is nothing to me and that's

period." She ceased momentarily. "And I am nothing…..nothing to him."

She whispered to herself with loneliness showing through her misty

blue eyes.



Seconds after, she dropped her shoulder bag at the wooden floor of

the porch of the dojo. She took her shoes off and rubbed her left

eye. "Heck. Let's get over with it, Kokoro. Bring back the strong and

witty Kokoro I used to be. They should be the ones to drool over me."

She laughed blissfully and wishfully.



Kokoro carefully half slide-open the shoji door at her front and

checked if someone, particularly her obnoxious sensei, is there.

Fortunately, no one occupies the room. She opened it fully and

immediately searched for her towel. Kokoro found it at one of the

corners of the dojo. She took it and said nothing more. In a few

seconds, she heard of something, a voice behind the dojo's wall. She

looked back and ceased for a moment. A voice - that voice. Strange

but true, the voice she heard is somewhat familiar to her memory. She

went closer to the dojo's wall where that voice is mostly heard.

Something in her wanted to know who owns that voice, the one who

speaks. Listening to other's conversation is a bad manner but she

disregarded it. Upon reaching the wall, Kokoro touched the bare wall

and lend her ear to listen. Her eyes showed her great curiosity. She

searched for a better spot for a clearer sound. She continued to walk

with her head leaning against the skin of the wall when suddenly,

accidentally shove a wooden plank of the wall. A secret door – she

accidentally found a secret passage from the dojo's wall. Why, in

some manners, do this dojo have this kind of space? She just

concluded not to question it further. It will just consume much of

her precious time. Kokoro slowly opened the small door and glare its

inside. It was a small room about 1m x 2m in area – enough space for

hiding something. She looked around and saw cobwebs at the near

ceiling height, so as the down corners of the room. The voice she

heard earlier was clearer this time inside this room. She entered the

room quietly and closed the door. It was dark but she was nothing to

her. More important here is the voice she wants to hear and perhaps,

to see who bears it.



"This place is very dusty. When was the last time they cleaned the

dojo thoroughly? A century ago?" She whispered and searched for a

tiny hole enough to view the speaker. Luckily, she found one at the

lower left side of the front larger wall of the small room. "There

you are." She kneeled down and viewed them silently. But much on her

scanning to the place and the speaker, she saw only their

silhouettes. A pleated shoji divider blocked her view. "Damn. This is

great. How can I see him if this stupid thing blocks my view?" she

sighed and took her sight away from the tiny hole. "Oh well, better

to hear the things he has to say." She sat right on the dirty floor

and covered her nose with her towel. She winked and waited her the

continuation of their conversation.



"That night," Okina brushed his beard. "I heard the news from one of

the escaped members of our organization about the attacked done by

that group to our headquarters. I saw their grievously scared faces,

wanting immediate salvation from the terror they had witnessed. One

of them barely escaped from death. He had these deep and shallow

slashes in his scrawny body. Blood dripping everywhere, which makes

me worried and panicked a bit. They, indeed, needed help for Kami's

sake." He looked at the blunt eyes of Aoshi, reminding him. Aoshi

didn't bother to give any reactions – violent or not.



Okina continued. "Sure, it was a horrible scene but nothing more

horrible to know and imagine the ones left in our headquarters.

Beshimi, Shikijou, Hyottoko, Hannya…." As those names were mentioned,

Aoshi remembered their faces, dropped dead at the rushing rain that

dreadful night - very lifeless and suffered terribly. "Okashira

Makimachi and his family…being attacked with nothing else to turn to

against those demons. As soon as I received their ailing message, I

left them to my friend's care and immediately went there hoping that

the worst didn't happen – losing them. When I arrived, Makimachi-san

was about the face him in a dual." From that point, Aoshi immediately

reacted. He shifted into another sitting position for more

comfort. "Tell me. Who did it?" Okina closed his eyes. "After all

these years, Aoshi-kun. I never thought you didn't know the culprit.

Haven't you questioned anybody else besides me being one of the

survivors?"



Aoshi sighed calmly. "If there was, this issue would have been long

ended." At the back of the wall where Kokoro quietly hides, Kokoro

was shocked knowing all these revelations. Her sensei and the other

man involved in a crime of whatsoever she wants to know. She is now

eager to know more, more about it and their relation – their past.



Okina opened his eyes widely, moving a bit forward to Aoshi, and

raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Aoshi-kun?"



Aoshi continued. "It's simple, old man. You are the sole survivor of

the massacre happened ten years ago."



Okina was shocked on knowing the sad truth, so as Kokoro who is

currently listening. "But, but, what about the two men who went and

reported to my place? They are still alive, right?"



Aoshi closes his eyes. "I said…. you are the sole survivor of the

massacre. Didn't I made it clear to you?" Sharp words were held right

at the confused old man.



"So, they are dead. But how? I left them at a good care."



Aoshi opened his eyes and sighed. "Perhaps the villains took care of

everything while you sleep, while all of us have no clue whether

those two poor souls still exist at that crucial times or not.

Perhaps, they have this habit of cleaning the mess before things get

mishandled." He said. "It was too late when we had arrived there. All

of them were beaten to death, so as you unfortunate friend. "



Kokoro continues to listen, hearing her sensei's unimaginable

speeches. "Shinomori-san? So this is the real you…..interesting but

shocking." She mumbled.



"Oh I see. So, they were killed along with him, because of my fault."

Okina bowed his head but supported by his palm. "So many years were

wasted on my sleep. Why do these things have to happen?"



Aoshi didn't respond. Both parties were silent. Kokoro waited for

their interactions quietly behind chic wall. Aoshi spoke

gruffly. "You tell me, Okina. You tell me who did this to you, to all

of the dead members of our organization, to our Okashira's family."

He took his sight away from the soaring view of Okina as he mentioned

their Okashira's family. Okina silenced for a few moments and then

spoke. "Makoto Shishio and his jupppongatana group." Finally, Okina

was able to reveal the identity of the scoundrels to Aoshi. After ten

years of searching for the truth, it finally came upon to him – to

his thoughts. He finally could have his revenge by killing the head

of that syndicate.



Kokoro heard it everything, loud and clear. She, now, understood her

sensei's disposition. His loved-ones were killed ten years ago and

left empty. She felt guilty on knowing these things. Why does it have

to be this way?



"Makoto Shishio…." Aoshi, although he already knew the culprit from

Okina's revelation, spoke calmly.



Kokoro heard the name Aoshi mentioned. Something in her mind voiced-

out instantly that name. A flashback? Crazy enough, she visualized in

a blur, two men standing, ignoring the harsh pour of rain. It was a

dark night. Everything is in confusion. One of the men, seemingly in

great desperation, shouted something – particularly a name. Kokoro's

vision points to that man's lips, reading it. The vision repeated 3

times and she finally came up with conclusion…. "MAKOTO SHISHIO". She

saw that man ran towards the other guy to attack when suddenly,

Kokoro's vision got stopped.



"Makoto Shishio…." Kokoro breathed feverously; sweat dropping on her

temples from her scalp. The heat contained in that room intensified

as an unknown vision surpassed to her dismay. "What was that?" She

brushed her bangs away from her sweating forehead.



Aoshi laughed calmly. "So….I was right."



"Right about what?" Okina, after hearing Aoshi's boast, felt

disrespected.



"You are hiding more from me. I know that since I was very young back

then. Honestly, I knew some things about him even before our Okashira

had it sealed to my concern." Aoshi rebuked.



"Nani?" Okina responded with alarming thoughts.



"I did my research on him long before you and the Okashira sealed it

away from me. And I would like to give you my deepest gratitude for

training me, molding me to be the person that I am today." Aoshi

continues to render sarcasm.



"You are just a pure demented genius, Aoshi. You don't need to thank

me for that." Okina frowned.



Then there was a momentarily silence. Aoshi handled him a cup of

green tea – on some sort of a ceremony. Okina accepted it but didn't

immediately drink.



"Makoto Shishio. Head of the Juppongatana group. He is the son of a

dirty, very wealthy politician who mysteriously got killed in a car

accident, and a mental-detained mother who got suicide around 2 or 3

years before that accident happened. He is known to be genius in his

class – MATH, SCIENCE, HISTORY – you name it, he has it yet no one

knows him deeply as a friend or classmate. No relatives had taken

care of him while he was growing up. He lives luxuriously with the

money left by his rich pathetic father on his will. He prefers to be

alone most of the time and there are some reported cases that he

beats certain students in his school, bullies or not. Unknown reasons

why but the school covered it up for him – expenses and everything.

You know. He is like a spoiled brat with anger to his life, to his

parents, to everything – a thing mostly found in cases of the broken

family." Aoshi took a sip from his green tea.



Okina silently listened as he watched the young Okashira makes his

speech.



"At the age of 14, he mastered completely certain sword techniques

unknown to our information. He involved himself to the underworld -

drug trafficking and smuggling. With such talented mind, he became

the head of the group around the age of 18. Young, bold and very

influential. That was Makoto Shishio. Perhaps, until today." Aoshi

put the cup aside and took a linen handkerchief to wipe his excess

drink on his gorgeous lips. After that, he put the handkerchief near

the teacup then looked to the worry eyes of Okina. "Other

informations are mine to keep."



"So. You did well, Aoshi." Okina tried to stand up without any help.

Aoshi offered him his but didn't accept it. "The more we avoid you to

get involve, the more you entice yourself for the trouble. On thing

has change on you, you became dry and so cold."



"I have to be, Okina. There is no room for sweet feelings. It has

long been taken away from me since," Aoshi suddenly ceased.



"Since they were killed, right? I know. We share the same fate,

remember that." Okina hardly could stand up so Aoshi instantly rose

from his sit to help the old man though he continues to plead no

help. "Honestly, I don't know if I still want revenge on them. I

realized that all has to end here. Revenge isn't the answer for our

salvation, Aoshi. We must learn to accept it. They are dead, resting

peacefully."



After hearing Okina's words and finally help him to stand upright,

Aoshi fled away from him. "Bullshit! You call that resting

peacefully?" Kokoro was shocked at what her sensei had shown – his

violent reactions, his rage side. She instantly stood, breathing like

hell. She has to get out. She has to get away from that place.

Another vision appeared.



"AISHITERU, MY DAUGHTER." These words were told to a young girl,

sleeping soundly. She saw someone kissed her from the cheek, so as

the worried woman who's holding her firmly in her bosom. Kokoro

reached for her towel but cannot manage to find it because of the

darkness. Aoshi heard grumbling sounds behind the wall. He instantly

ceased for a moment, so as Okina.



"Shhhh…Someone is spying on us." Aoshi said and walked towards to

wall with one of his kodachi at his hand.



Okina held himself uptight at the corner.



Words of goodbyes, cries and kisses were heard in every corner of the

small room. Kokoro's mind began to get confused. Why these people

show to her? Who are they? Kokoro felt that someone is coming toward

the wall. She doesn't know how but the feeling is there. She has to

go out before they knew she was the one who is spying on them. The

vision of a young girl and her parents faded away. She abruptly fled

away from the said place, leaving her towel unintentionally due to

hurriedness. Cobwebs are all over her hair and body. She ran towards

the door and took her shoulder bag with her shoes untied to her feet.

Kokoro patted away some of the webs attached to her to avoid

attention from the rest of the people in Aoiya. She ran as fast as

she could to the restaurant.



"You better go to the other room, Aoshi. The culprit is, maybe, in

the secret room." Okina told Aoshi, sounded lowly.



Without any counter reactions, Aoshi went to the other room, which is

the dojo. Armed with his kodachi, he opened fully the shoji door

abruptly and saw the secret door was opened. Aoshi' s eyes were

narrowed. He went close to the door and saw no one. As he was

supposed to turn his back, at the side of his eye, he saw a red towel

laying at the dusty floor. He picked it up, scanning it.



Okina arrived in the dojo. "What happened? Did you catch him?"



Aoshi probed the towel and remembered to whom the covered thing. "No,

but I probably know who was spying on us."



"Oh."



With his kodachi on his grip, he went outside the dojo, beside Okina

and said something without looking to his eyes. "Don't worry. I'll

personally handle it. You go and rest." Aoshi left on his side.



"I already had rested for so many years now." Okina spoke back.



As Aoshi grabbed his other kodachi, Okina interrupted by

asking. "Aoshi," Okina sighed. "How come you knew all of these about

Makoto Shishio but didn't make your move to have revenge during these

past ten years? Are you waiting for something? Are you waiting to

confirm it from me as the lone survivor of the massacre?"



Aoshi stopped from walking away. "Yes, you are right Old Man. Yes, I

was waiting for something but it has nothing to do with you or

anything else."



"So what was it?" Okina still insisted for an answer.



Aoshi didn't spoke at once. He turned his head to his right to looked

at the beautiful bluish sky and chortled. "Better not to talk about

it." Then he walked away leaving Okina very clueless.





tbc.......