Dark Side of the Sun
:Chapter Four:
Hijikata woke late in the afternoon. Normally it would have been Souji’s job to burst happily into his room in the morning, and wake him before he missed out on anything important. And normally he would have rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head, grumbling about how it was too early, or that the sun was too bright. He never thought he would miss it…until now. He turned onto his side and stared at the closet door, then frowned, sighed, and turned the opposite direction.
The sun wasn’t bright on the paper of the door, so it must have been the early evening already. Hijikata climbed out of his bedroll and adjusted his yukata, then grabbed his kiseru from the table in the corner. He was resolved to sit on the porch and smoke in solitude until the sun set. There was so much to think about…
***
“How many hours have you been out here, Hijikata-san? You’ll catch a cold.” Souji’s voice startled Hijikata. The sun had set only a few minutes ago, and he was finishing the tobacco that remained in his pipe. Souji’s footsteps had been completely silent. Hijikata didn’t answer the question as he tapped his pipe on the edge of the porch to dislodge the ash. With measured care, he stood and stored the kiseru in his sleeve. He didn’t turn to face Souji as he spoke.
“Souji, let’s go spar. I have to make up for not having done anything today.”
“Alright. Sure.”
Souji sounded a bit skeptical behind him, but as he turned, the younger man had a small smile on his face. It was nice to see him smile, without the little hint of darkness behind it. Hijikata missed that expression, and he knew it wasn’t likely to be a permanent fixture anymore.
The compound wasn’t quiet yet. There was still much activity behind the paper doors of the buildings – eating, drinking, gambling, fighting, laughing, talking. The dojo was empty, though, as they slipped between the doors. It was dark without the natural sunlight that usually lit it, and Hijikata went about lighting the little lamps in the corners of the room. When he looked for Souji in the renewed light, he saw the slim man selecting a shinai from the rack on the wall. Souji glanced over his shoulder and smiled.
“I thought shinai might be best. They would make less noise than swords.”
Hijikata nodded his agreement and selected his own shinai from the wall. He tossed it between his hands a couple of times, then set it down next to him while he tied back his long hair. When he looked up again, Souji was wearing a troubled expression. His eyes were fixed on the wooden sword in his hands, and he seemed hesitant.
“Souji, is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just…it seems like this used to be heavier. Maybe this isn’t the best idea.”
The Vice-Commander didn’t respond until he had his shinai in his hands again. “Nonsense, Souji. It will be fine,” he assured, taking up the customary stance. He planned to defend first. Souji sighed and readied the shinai, shifted his feet across the wooden floor, and suddenly lunged at Hijikata. It seemed like he had hardly had time to move. He was a blur. The older man was caught off guard, and raised his guard a fraction of a second too late. The shinai flew, spinning, out of his hands. Souji stopped abruptly, the leather tip of the shinai pointed at Hijikata’s chest, his eyes wide with astonishment.
“Hijikata-san…
I…”
Souji dropped the shinai to the floor. Everything was different. Once, Souji had been unable or unwilling to surpass Hijikata in strength and speed with swordplay, but now he did so without any visible effort. The Okita Souji that both of them had known was something completely different now, physically, as well.
Notes:
1.Yukata – A yukata is a type of light cotton kimono, for wear in the summer or as pajamas. It is also sometimes worn under a finer kimono as a sort of underwear.
2.Shinai – A shinai is what is commonly known as a kendo stick, a bamboo sword.
Go to Dark Side of the Sun Ch. 5
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Dark Side of the Sun
Dark Side of the Sun Ch. 2
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