“Betrayal By Blood”
Part 16

After the commotion of the morning settled and Nori started with the other chorus, she passes Soji as she is walking down the walkway with her arms full of laundry. Soji looks at her and smiles. He stopped and turned calling, “Nori?”

Nori looks at him saying, “Yes Soji. What do you need?”

Soji gets a bewildered look on his face and walks up to her touching her cheek with his fingertips, “Did I do this to you in the workout this morning?” He asks her.

Nori grimaces to his touch pulling his hand from her cheek. “I am fine, Soji. Just a little bruise is all.” She tells him he places his hand on her chin turning her head looking at the other cheek as well.

“You have one on each cheek and they are not little bruises. They cover your cheek. You need a cold compress on them. They look horrible.” Soji tells her.

Nori smiles at him saying. “Well, I pushed you to show me what you could do and I am paying the price for it now. I will heal soon, nothing hurt here as you can see.” Nori tells him as she starts to walk away.

“Nothing but my pride,” Soji tells her while following.

“Your pride? How is your pride hurt here?” Nori asks him.

Soji take half of the laundry from her arms as he says, “I hurt you, not only did I hurt I marked you as well.” Nori laughed at Soji’s comments and he continued. “What?! I did… your cheeks are all black, purple and blue from me hitting you there. I feel like a women beater.”

Nori laughed harder still walking over to the washtub. “Soji, we were sparring. Do you feel bad when you mark the others you spar with?” Nori asks him.

“Well no,” Soji says.

“Then why do you feel bad about what you did to me. I pushed you do it, so in all reality it is my fault.”

Nori tells him as she drops the laundry to the table. Soji lays his arm full of laundry down as well as he stares at Nori. Nori starts going through the things, looking for stains and spots that need to be removed before she starts to wash them. As she is doing this, she looks at Soji smiling and goes back to her work. She glances at him again a few minutes later she sees he is still staring at her. Nori shakes her head, laughing under her breath as she rest on the table.

“Soji, why do you keep staring at me? Are you that bored and cannot find anything to do?” Nori asks him.

Soji smiles lifting his hand to the back of his head he says, “Am I making you nervous watching you, Nori?”

“Just a little uncomfortable, Soji. That is all.” Nori tells him.

Soji giggles saying, “Sorry, Nori. You’re just really nice to look at.”

Nori blushes. “Thank you, Soji that was very sweet.”

“Nori, may I ask you something?” Soji says to her as she goes back to the laundry.

“Sure, Soji. Why not?” Nori tells him.

“Well… why did you decide to be our cook? I mean you worked for your grandfather in the tea shop and seemed very happy there.” Soji asks her.

Nori looked at Soji with a solemn look on her face. “If I tell you, it goes no farther than you and I, Soji.” Nori tells him.

Soji looks at Nori with a confused looked, “Sure if that is what you want Nori. I will not tell anyone else.”

“It was for revenge.” She tells him still working on the laundry.

“Revenge?” Soji says.

“Yes, on my sister and…” Nori pauses. “Well that is not important, but it was revenge on Katana for the dishonor she shamed the Mutsu name with and the things she did to bring on more dishonor to her and the Mutsu Clan.” Nori added.

“So you only used us to get to your sister then?” Soji said hanging his head. “But how did you know she would be here it had been five years since we saw her last?” He added.

Nori looks at Soji saying, “I knew she would be here, Soji. That is all you need to know about that.” Nori tells him.

They stand there in silence for a few minutes before Soji finally said, “Are you working for the people that want Hijikata dead?”

The brush Nori was using to remove the stains slipped from her hand when Soji asks her that question. Nori and Soji go down to pick up the brush at the same time reaching for it he lays his hand over hers, as they look at one another Soji says, “You are, aren’t you?”

Nori goes to stand up when Soji pulls her back down to him saying, “Tell me, Nori. I see so much pain and suffering in your eyes. When I look into them, it hurts me to think that you feel so much pain and I can do nothing about it to help you from this prison you have locked yourself away in.” Soji smiles at her as a feeling of calm comes over her.

“What I have done Soji is nothing that you need to worry about. I would never let any harm come to you or any of the others.” Nori tells him.

Soji hangs his head and sighs saying, “Only Hijikata is in harm's way.” Nori gets up and goes back to the laundry.

“Hijikata brought this on himself, he has no one to blame BUT himself.” Nori says.

“But Hijikata is my Commander and I vowed to always protect and help him and my fellow comrades." Soji tells Nori.

“I understand Soj…”

Soji cuts Nori off saying, “So that puts me in harm's way as well and the others too, Nori. Therefore, you cannot say that no one else is in harm's way by what you have done. We all will stand together here; we will die for one another if it comes down to it. You have to stop this, Nori!” Soji exclaims, taking her hand making her look at him.

“I cannot, Soji. It has started, and if you want to know the truth about it, I do not want to stop it.” Nori tells him jerking her hand from him walking around to the other side of the table.

Soji slams his hand down on the table and yells at her, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DO NOT WANT TO STOP IT?!”

Nori looks up at Soji. “That is what I said; I do not want to stop it. Hijikata needs to suffer as he made the rest of us suffer he needs to feel the pain and the grief he has tormented us with all these years. Hijikata deserves to die for what he has done to my sister, to my mother and father, and Haru…” Nori pauses. The look she gave Soji was of pure pain that she has lived with for many years. A tear rolls down her cheek. “He is a demon and kills for his own…”

Soji cuts her off again, “NO!! Hijikata is my friend and he kills because of his orders-”

Nori now cuts off Soji, “Orders that he gives!! He picks and chooses who lives or dies and in his eyes they all must die.” Nori tells Soji.

Soji stands there shaking his head he says, “No, Nori. That is not the way it goes. You are seeing only what you want to see because you are hurt. I have known Hijikata for many years and fought many a battle with him and he is not that way. It is kill or be killed out there. He does what he has to do to survive and if it means killing someone for him to live and uphold the law, then that is what must be done.”

Nori grabs Soji yelling at him, “Then why did Haru have to die?! He was a good man! Hijikata and Katana lured him out and killed him!”

“I do not know Nori it was not my mission, but if he was killed I would have to say that he was working with some people that he should not have been messing with. Like the ones you are working with.” Soji tells her placing his hand on hers that had a hold of him.

“You will never understand why I have done this, Soji.” She releases Soji, “Please leave now. I do not want to talk any longer about this, what is done is done.” Nori tells him.

Soji looks at Nori; he was getting ready to say something when Nori walked away from him to go hang laundry to dry.

Hijikata sits in his office. There is a light knock on the door. He sighs and tells whoever is outside to enter. Keisuke enters the office and takes a seat before Hijikata. Hijikata notices the blood stains on his kimono and starts to interrogate the commander.

"Yamanami... what happened?"

Keisuke closes his eyes. "The Supaidas were watching us. Two of them... I 'disarmed' one of them during a bit of a struggle that we had. Both of them escaped however."

Hijikata crosses his arms. "I see."

"They were really close. So close that it is shocking that they didn't try to sneak in and kill you."

"Those people could have attacked me several times by now, but they haven't so far," says Hijikata.

"Perhaps they have a reason for this?" asks Keisuke.

Hijikata is not happy with a thought that crosses his mind. "Maybe... maybe it's because..."

Keisuke blinks. "Because what, sir?"

Hijikata looks away from Keisuke. "Leave. I wish to be alone. For the time being, keep this incident under wraps."

Keisuke nods and takes his leave. Hijikata looks at his sword before rising to his feet. He picks it up from its spot leaning against the wall before he exits out of another door.