Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Certain Clarity ❯ 23 ( Chapter 23 )

Title: A Certain Clarity (23/30)

Author: Franzi Dickson

E-mail: fdickson@ix.netcom.com

Archive: The SxSAS Archive, fanfiction.net and others (eventually). If you want it on your site, just ask.

Rating: NC-17 for wet dreams, sex, drugs, violence and other badness.

Warnings: m/m sex, lemon, assorted bad things in this part and future ones

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. I'm just doing bad things with them. Don't sue me.

"But they were true patriots! Not like those other fakers who were just supporting the old order for their own good."

"Oh yeah? How come they lost then, huh?"

Saitou sighed. The debate showed no signs of slowing, and more of the fools joined it every moment. Pity none of the little boys here had the slightest clue what they were talking about.

"Well if they'd had the reinforcements they were promised and..."

"Bull! There's no way they could have won with all the political machinations of..."

It really had to be one of the most obscure and tedious parts of the entire revolution. He was almost surprised they had heard of it. Perhaps one of Tsukioka's little friends had written an article about it. Still, he had to feign at least some interest, just as he was pretending to enjoy the greasy food and cheap sake. Repulsive stuff! Occupational hazard, he supposed. The ahou probably would have appreciated it. He turned back to the young 'revolutionaries' or whatever they were this week.

"But the point is, they had real ideals they were fighting for when these Meiji dogs have nothing but their own greed."

"Come on! They had their scum too!"

"This stinking government is worse!"

Time to fish a little. Saitou cleared his throat. "Yes, brothers, I read a most excellent article on that very subject just the other day... Some sort of underground newspaper... by Tsunan... I think that was the name."

"Now there's one of the last few patriots!"

"I heard he was with the Meiji swine first!"

"Yeah, but have you read what he's saying about them? It's a good thing the cops haven't found him. They'd lock him up and torture him for sure! Damn pigs!"

Saitou repressed the impulse to smack the man. It was, indeed, precisely because the police didn't know where this 'Katsu' lived that he was here now, playing with his cup and chopsticks, the better to avoid actually ingesting any of the... edibles.

"I'm telling you, that's what's wrong with this government! They've got their police, so they think they can do whatever they want!"

"Like the old regime was better!"

"It was! Look at all of the great patriots who fought on their side."

"Name one."

"What about the Shinsengumi?"

Saitou started. None of the others noticed.

"Now they were impressive! If people today would just try to act more..."

"Oh please! A bunch of dead guys with outdated morals? Is that what you're going to take for your model?"

"Who should I pick then? Mark my words; if they were around now they'd be..."

"An anachronism! That's what! It's a good thing they managed to get themselves killed off."

"Or die tragically young." The 'intellectual' coughed theatrically. "Face it; they'd be totally useless at anything Modern."

"Damn it! They had morals and..."

He glowered at the sake. It almost looked good. An anachronism?! He stopped himself from grinding his teeth; the young really had no perspective.

"Well what does the old guy think?"

Insolent... "Well, I *was* most impressed with the way this 'Tsunan' explained the situation... He really does seem to have a very excellent point." For an annoying small fry political dissident... "Truly, I would like to meet such a man..."

He droned on for some time, but in the end, it was worth it... if any piece of information can be worth that much time wasted in the company of imbeciles. True, they hadn't been able to give him an address, but at least he had a lead. He hurried onward to the next neighborhood, the next ratty noodle shop and the next group of 'great minds', gathered to discuss the future of the country. Fools: the lot of them! Anachronism indeed! He growled. He wasn't so old he couldn't show them a thing or two. He'd find that damned friend of the ahou, and then this whole farce would be over and he could get back to his case in peace! He'd find out how much the cultists knew... and just what that mad woman had thought she was doing...

He rubbed his across his mouth. Clarity? What sort of clarity was he supposed to get from that! It had only made things more... Well, the ahou had acted strangely. His lips had been so numb from the drug, but he'd thought... When he'd leaned down... He thought he'd... Well he'd just have to find the ahou and force the truth out of him... one way or another.

Much later, Chou returned to his apartment to find Saitou pacing and smoking.

"Jeez, boss, how long have you been here?" He waved his hand at the malodorous smoke. It didn't help.

"An hour or so; no more."

Chou raised an eyebrow at him.

"I believe I have located his general whereabouts, but we must move cautiously. I wished to check in with you before taking further steps. Did you locate the cultists?"

"Yeah, they all seem to be coming from one house. It's not that far from the restaurant the rooster-head saw them at. I dunno if they all live there though." The boss had been in such a hurry: why would he want to know about... Uh oh. "Same neighborhood, huh?"

Saitou nodded. "I suppose that tells us how the ahou found out about the cult in the first place. We'll go there first thing in the morning." His eyes narrowed. "If they are connected to the men in the herb shop..." He smiled.

Chou eyed him nervously.

"Tomorrow, I'll have my answers."