Death and the Maiden

Chapter Eight: Kyoto Inferno

"I'll use you as a warning sign,
That if you talk enough sense,
Then you'll loose your mind."
("I Found," Amber Run)

Kenshin reached the Ikedaya too late to stop the attack. The walls of the inn were slashed by Shinsengumi katanas and sprayed with the blood of their victims. Servants huddled in the corners and behind overturned tables. Broken porcelain and the bleeding bodies of dead and injured Inshin Shishi covered the floors.
Kenshin turned the bodies over to see their faces. Was Katsura-Sama among them?
Katsura-Sama had given most of his men the night off except for his most trusted bodyguards, who would accompany him to the Ikedaya for a meeting with some of the other leaders of the Inshin Shishi. Kenshin should have come with him, but Katsura-Sama specifically told him not to.
"Take Lady Kamiya to the festival," he'd said. "Enjoy yourself for once."
Had he suspected there might be danger?
"Battousai!"
Kenshin reached for the hilt of his sword. He rose to face his challenger. It was only Iizuka, so Kenshin relaxed his stance. Iizuka's clothes were disheveled and stained with blood. Was it is own blood or someone else's?"
"Have you seen Katsura-Sama?" Kenshin asked Iizuka.
"He's safe." Iizuka pulled out a rag to wipe his blade. "We snuck him out the back."
Kenshin let out a death breath he'd be holding in since he'd set foot on the premises. "What happened?"
"Someone found out that he'd be here tonight and ratted to the Shinsengumi." 
"Any leads?" Kenshin looked back on all his interactions during the past days and weeks. Had he said something to someone he shouldn't have?
"I'd start with a woman," Iizuka said. "They have a way of blunting our edges, especially the young and pretty ones." 

Iizuka accompanied Kenshin back to the Aoiya, where Kamiya-Dono was waiting on the engawa outside the room she and Kenshin shared.
"You're back," she said.
"If this one didn't know better," Kenshin said. He gave Kamiya-Dono a smile. "I'd think you were worried about me."  Even if it was only out of self-interest rather than affection, the idea of Kamiya-Dono worrying about him pleased Kenshin.
Iizuka grabbed Kamiya-Dono by her hair and drew his sword. She screamed and tried to fight him off, but he yanked her hair even harder. "Shut up, bitch!" he said. "Good men died tonight because you couldn't keep your mouth or your legs shut."
"I didn't do anything!" Kamiya-Dono replied. Her eyes met Kenshin's.
Kenshin sized up the taller and broader Iizuka. "What are you doing," he said. "Let go of her."
Kamiya-Dono might be a hell-raising brat, but she wasn't a spy. Or if she was a spy, she wasn't one they needed to worry about. She was about as discreet as a rooster at dawn.
"It's one of the oldest tricks out there." Iizuka pulled Kamiya-Dono's hair and used it to twist her head so that she faced him.  Kamiya-Dono cried out in agony. "A pretty young thing worms her way into her enemy's bed and hears some things she shouldn't, so she passes it on to her daddy and her uncle." Tears ran down Kamiya-Dono's cheeks. "She's just a woman and I won't disgrace myself by shedding her blood, but I can shear this lovely head." Iizuka raised his sword to slice off Kamiya-Dono's hair. 
Kenshin pulled Kamiya-Dono away from Iizuka and shielded her behind his back. "She's not the spy. Now go."  The hilt of his katana popped out of its scabbard. 
Iizuka sheathed his blade. Kenshin smiled. The coordinator of executions wasn't a stupid man. He knew better than to go up against Battousai.
Iizuka turned around when he reached the gate. "Looks like Battousai's come to your rescue again, Hime-Sama," he said.
"Need I remind you, Iizuka-San..." Kamiya-Dono stepped out from behind Kenshin. "...What happened to the last man who called me Hime-Sama."
Iizuka bowed and left. Kenshin put an arm around Kamiya-Dono to lead her back into their room. He couldn't help but smile at how she'd stood up for herself.
What a strong-willed woman.