Walk Through Hell with me [Shinsaku Takasugi]

Prologue

A small neighbourhood clinic, not far from the main road. It was where Ai worked as a doctor's assistant, helping to prepare simple medicine and treatments. "Your medicine is ready, ma'am."

"Thank you so much. You're such a great help to me," the woman thanked her.

"No matter how old you get, Ume, you never seem to age a day," one of the other patients commented.

"Oh-ho-ho. Well, if that's so, it's all thanks to this clinic, and our dear doctor's prescriptions," the old woman, Ume, laughed wholeheartedly.

"No doubt about it. Which just makes me think... It's such a shame we lost him so soon."

"The doctor was such a kind, honest, hardworking man . He always did everything he could to help us. We may never find another like him."

Ai smiled sadly as she listened to them talking. The doctor they spoke of was her father and he died about a year ago due to exhaustion. Ai wasn't with him then, but she had a feeling Emi may have been.

"We all wondered what would become of this place."

"And we were all so glad when you decided to follow in his footsteps, and keep this clinic open."

Ai’s retribution - being a doctor. To make up for the lives she took and will continue to take for her own survival. Some doctor... No, all she was, was a killer oni bound to laws of nature she couldn't control.

"I don't want to shuffle off this mortal coil until I've seen you reach your full potential. But I can't hang on forever, so don't let me down! " Old Lady Ume gave Ai a hearty pat of encouragement on the back.

"Mm. Thanks," she smiled wryly.

"Oh-ho! In that case, you'll be the last one standing, Ume! We'll all have kicked the bucket by then."

As usual, the clinic resounded with the laughter and good cheer of its patients.

"I can help whoever's next." After seeing Ume off, Ai called the next patient. Her next patient was easy on the eyes, but he reeked of human blood. He didn't have blood on him at present, but she could still scent it. It was there, even if you washed it off your hands a thousand times. It was always there.

A samurai, she supposed. She didn't recall seeing him around here before. Must have been new to the neighbourhood.

The man seemed to have a small wound on his finger. "Well, the bleeding has already stopped. It's a pretty superficial cut, but we'll dab some ointment on it, just to be safe," she told him as she got to work.

"Thank you." Ai started gathering the particular dried medicine needed for his cut. He stared at her as she worked; a little too intently for her liking. "Are... Are you alright?" he asked.

"Mm." She nodded. "It'll only take a moment to prepare this."

"That's not what I meant. You're... frowning." The man reached out to her forehead. She gently swatted his hand away.

"I'm just concentrating."

"Hmph... Is that right? Well, in that case, I suppose it's no problem." He smiled coolly.

Ai continued treating his injury in silence when she happened to overhear the other patients talking in the waiting area.

"You know, that reminds me. I heard that a group of ronin were spotted recently."

"They're ruthless! Killing anyone who crosses them. Even women and children! They don't care. On her way home from a meeting, the lady from the general store was surrounded... And supposedly, as soon as she cried out, they cut her down, right there in the street! "

"My goodness... Is no place safe these days?"

"Are you worried... about the ronin?" the man she was tending to suddenly asked.

"Huh?" She looked up at him.

"You've stopped what you're doing." Ai looked down at her hands. He was right; She had unconsciously stopped her hands from moving.

"Oh. No," she smiled faintly, "Things like that just don't happen that often around here. I was just a little surprised." She gave him as friendly a smile as she could muster. "So what would you do... if you knew there were ronin near you?"

Ai paused. "I don’t know. I've never really thought about it," she answered apathetically.

"An innocent young woman like yourself... You'd better keep your guard up... Or you might find yourself being devoured by those wolves." Ai looked up at the man.

"I'll keep that in mind. You're all set." She smiled.

Later that evening, Ai was on her way to deliver medicine to some people in town when something caught her attention and she stopped.

"Please, give it back! We need that money to live...! Without it, our shop...!" A child cried out.

"Shut up! It's mine now!" Ai discerned the situation easily enough. A rough-looking ronin was antagonizing an errand boy. All the other adults around were just standing there, staring. No one was lifting a finger to help the child. "Are you trying to get in my way!? Huh!?" The ronin was annoyed now, and he had his sword in his hand. Ai narrowed her eyes angrily. She wasn't about to allow a child to be cut down by someone who would be better suited to be her dinner. She stepped forward.

"Wait." A tall man, dressed in a casual kimono and coat, grabbed hold of her arm. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into." The man leaned close to her ear. "But," he chuckled, "I've always had a fondness for strong women." Having whispered that, he walked over to the ronin, without the slightest hint of trepidation.

"Who does this... casually dressed fool think he is?" one of the bystanders asked.

"At least he had the guts to do something. He wasn't about to stand and watch that little boy be killed," Ai snapped, glaring sharply at them. The commoners immediately shut their mouths. She looked back at the man. He also had blood on his hands - he was also a soldier or a warrior of some sort. Whatever the case was, he was causing quite a stir. Before the ronin could even draw his sword from its sheath, the strange man twisted his arm behind him. The ronin groaned in pain.

"What're you...!?" The expression on the ronin's face changed. In direct contrast to the other man's calm grin, the ronin wore a twisted grimace of pain. "Y-You're... You're one of the wolves! Listen, just let me go...! I'll give back the money!" He tossed the boy's stolen purse back to him, shaking himself free, and ran away.

"...That's... it?" Ai’s mouth hung open. That was all it took? She cast her gaze back from the fleeing ronin, but the casually-dressed man was gone.  Shaking her head, Ai continued on her way to the dango shop where her friend, Kaya, worked. Kaya was a Tengu; a crow demon.


"Here, have some dango," Kaya said, handing Ai a plate.

"Thanks." She noticed Kaya staring at me. "Something on my face?" She cocked her head to the side.

"No. I'm still not over it. You're the spitting image of Emi, but you have a completely different air about you," Kaya replied.

"My sister has a real 'stay the fuck away from me' aura. I'd like to think I have a less hostile aura about me."

"Well, you wouldn't have many patients willing to be treated by if you didn't. Though you can be pretty scary too when you want to be." Ai laughed at Kaya’s statement. "So, was the clinic very busy today? You're later than usual today."

"I guess you could say I ran into an incident." Ai recounted to Kaya what happened as they sat together, eating the dango she made.

"That's quite something, isn't it... Now that I think about it, I think the number of illegal ronin going around town wreaking havoc has risen..."

"I heard that too."

"So this man that saved the boy... Was he a samurai?"

"Apparently he was a 'wolf', whatever that means."

"A wolf?" A look of recognition passed over Kaya’s face.

"Have you heard of them?"

"I have. You know the local ronin have been scattered lately, and the capital is in chaos, right? Well apparently, these 'wolves' or whatever they're called are supposed to be the most dangerous of the lot, just killing and pillaging... "

"Oh?"

"They all dress the same. Pale blue, with jagged white patterned sleeves. Plain coats. I heard their coats are often stained with the blood of the people they've killed... These are all just humans spreading rumours, though. You know I always take it with a grain of salt."

"That's true."

"Fret not, little lamb. Those 'wolves' will soon be expunged from this world," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Hm?" Ai looked over her shoulder to find a rather gorgeous man standing behind her. He had blonde hair and wore a mysterious smile she couldn’t quite discern. "It's rude to eavesdrop..." She turned her head back.

"Forgive me. It's hard for me to stay quiet when a woman such as yourself looks so concerned. Peace will come, and it's going to be here soon." A pleasant smiled graced his features.

"That's... doubtful, honestly," she replied.

"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.

"People are always going to find something to fight over. "

"I will be sure to prove you wrong, then." That was all he said before walking away.

Kaya chuckled beside Ai.

"What?"

"You sound just like your sister," Kaya answered.

"But it's the truth. There's no such thing as peace. Not entirely, anyway. "

"I do agree, but you still sound like your sister." Kaya grinned.


That night, just like most nights, Ai stayed up late as she poured over the medical journals her father had left behind. This particular volume was full of her father's handwritten notes, from when he first started studying medicine. It was one of a kind. She smiled nostalgically as she traced her fingers over his writing.

Ai went rigid as she heard what sounded like someone banging on the door. She quickly stood up.

"We'll be spotted if we keep standing here. Get inside!"

"Alright."

Ai heard what sounded like several panicking men running towards her. Not even a second passed and the sliding door to the room was slammed open. Several men, all carrying swords, burst into the room.

"Hey!" Lightning fast, she positioned herself in front of them, sword in hand. "You're trespassing."

"Don't say a word!"

"Give us shelter! Otherwise, you'll taste this blade. "

One of the ronin blew the candle out, and the room was plunged into darkness. Ai closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were red, giving her a perfect view of what was happening in the dark. She focused her attention on the man who threatened her. She wasn't in the mood for games, and she didn't bother with a second warning before she moved. The sound of blade meeting flesh reverberated in the room. Blood splashed, and she was standing behind the human. He didn't even have time to scream before he crumpled to the floor. Ai waved her hand and the candle was ignited once again.

Looking at the ronin's shocked faces as they stared at her, she held her sword horizontally out in front of her. "So. What was it you said about tasting a blade?"

"You...!" As another lunged for her, she heard the commotion outside start up again.

"Now what?" she muttered, keeping an eye on the door while her sword clashed with the ronin's.

"Big mistake, girl!"

"Is it?" Ai casually dodged the downward swing of his sword, twirled, and swung her own sideways against his. His sword shattered. She let him look stunned for a second before she moved again. She plunged her sword through his chest just as the door slammed open yet again.

"Hey! We know you're in there!"

"If you think you could hide from us that easily, you were sadly mistaken. Prepare yourselves..." their pursuers shouted with authority.

"Let's take them by surprise. You go left, I'll go right."

"Sounds good." The ronin in the room spoke amongst themselves, having completely forgotten the red-eyed girl in the room who just slaughtered two of their men singlehandedly. With a loud crash, they came tearing through the paper door.

"Come out of hiding already and face me!" An imposing man stood before Ai, wielding a lance. She heard the whoosh of the lance slicing through the air, and then a groan. The scent of rusted iron filled her nostrils. As men bustled around the room, their weapons clanging, Ai was quickly beginning to lose her patience. "Run..." Without looking at his approaching enemies, the ronin with the lance deftly avoided their swords.

"You! I won't have you getting in my way!" Yet another ronin, irritated by Ai’s presence, came lunging at her with his sword. With a low snarl, she avoided his blade and grabbed his throat. She sunk her claws in and squeezed. The ronin choked and let his sword drop while she held him up by his throat. The sound of his neck snapping was barely audible in the room full of clashing swords as she quite literally crushed the life out of him.

"Enough!!" Ai screamed at the top of my lungs. The fighting seized and each and every fighter turned to me. She threw her sword at the door, effectively impaling the last of the ronin. The only ones left standing were the ones dressed in light blue coats with jagged patterned sleeves. "Get. Out." I breathed.

She sighed heavily at the mess they left her with. She should have insisted that they compensate her for all this damage. Maybe it wasn’t not too late to catch up with them. She rushed out after them.

"Hijikata! Fire! They're flinging fire at us!" the man with the lance exclaimed before Ai could get a word in.

She spun around. Tongues of flames lapped up from the clinic. "No..." Unsteady on her feet, she took a step towards the clinic. Then another, into the clinic.

"Wait! Stop! Where are you going?!" the samurai with the lance exclaimed.

Put it out. She had to put it out.

"Have you lost your mind?! It's dangerous in here!" the samurai gripped her arm tightly. "Let go of me!" She roughly pushed him away from her just as a beam and a pile of debris came crashing down on her from the ceiling.

"Hey, come on! Breathe for me. Come on!" She vaguely remembered the feeling of being held up before completely losing consciousness.


Ai groaned as she opened her eyes, returning to her senses. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. She looked from side to side. Next to her, the face of a man she had never seen before appeared before her. He was handsome, with long black hair tied into a ponytail that hung over his shoulder.

"Oh, good. You're awake," he said. The atmosphere was calm and still, and his eyes were keen. He was an impressive sight. "Looked like you were having a nightmare for a while there... Are you hurt at all?"

"No..." Ai replied hoarsely and sat up.

"Got a change of clothes for you here, whenever you're ready," he said. "One other thing too..." The man pointed to some folded women's clothing, and next to them, her father's journal. Her eyes widened ever so slightly and she picked it up. "Couldn't save all of them, but I thought having at least one of them might help you feel better," the man said. Seeing the soot on her pyjamas and the slightly singed pages, she started to remember the fire. "Those medical journals... They belong to you?"

"Yes..."

The man left the room and quietly closed the door. Ai quickly got changed and left the room as well. Outside, the crimson sunset assaulted her eyes and she squinted. She looked around her, but she didn't recognise any her surroundings. It looked like some sort of soldier base.

She explored the premises for a while until she happened upon a familiar face. It was the man that came to the clinic yesterday. He seemed to disappear in front of her eyes. "Huh?" Ai looked around the place, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He was human; how could he move so fast? At that moment, someone came up from behind her and she felt a cold object pressed against my neck before she had a chance to turn. Her back went rigid; she did not even notice his presence!

"Looking for something?" the man asked. Ai turned her head to the side. "One false move, and you'll lose that pretty little neck of yours... Watch yourself."

"Is that so?" It was her turn to pull a disappearing act. She landed behind him and kicked him in the back. He took it in stride and spun around.

“Enough, Soji. That’s no way to treat a lady,” an unfamiliar voice said. It belonged to a tall man of strong stature. His eyes were kind.

"Your naivete will be the death of you someday, Kondo," the man who tried to pull one over on her said

"I'm surprised no one tried to kill me in my sleep." Ai slipped her hands behind her neck underneath her hair and flipped it. When she turned around, she was met with quite the spectacle. With the setting sun behind them, the men stood wearing coats of pale blue, with jagged white patterns on the sleeves. She narrowed my eyes. "Wolves, huh..." She hadn't paid much attention to it last night.

"Oh-ho. Wolves, are we?" the one called Kondo asked. The men watched, grinning ominously at her. "This is no place to stand around talking. There's a chill in the air. If you're feeling up to it, let's continue our discussion inside."


Ai followed them inside a room with not much in it.

"Are you frightened?" the man who saved her father's journal asked. She sat on top of my knees, fidgeting awkwardly.

Kondo seemed to have noticed. "Sorry for startling you. We're known as the Shinsengumi, under orders of the lord of Aizu," he explained.

"I've never heard of you before," she replied.

"I suppose I shouldn't expect you to know about us yet. Our name was only just decided recently. I am the general in charge of our group. Isami Kondo. And you are?"

"My name is Ai. Ai Yukimura."

"I see. A lovely name." His smile only served to confuse her. "Allow me to introduce the rest of my squad. This is my second in command, Toshizo Hijikata." He looked to the side, at a man with cold, keen eyes. Ai recognised him as the man who stopped that ronin in town yesterday. "Next, we have... "

"Soji Okita. Probably more trouble than he's worth. Why do we keep him around again?” Hijikata asked. Soji Okita was the same man who thought it was a clever idea to point a sword at Ai’s neck.

"Unbelievable. He's only just been introduced and already the Demon Deputy is spouting nonsense, "Okita retorted.

"Demon deputy?" Ai asked incredulously. Okita gave her a sinister grin.

"Hijikata is known as the demon deputy, cause he acts like one."

Ai raised an eyebrow at Hijikata. "You've probably never even seen a demon before," she muttered. Hijikata didn't respond as he glared angrily at her. He obviously took some pride in being called a demon deputy. Ai, on the other hand, was not amused.

"Now now. Next to Soji, that's Sanosuke Harada. He's the one who saved you from being burned alive," Kondo said, effectively diffusing the situation.

"You got me out from under the beams," Ai said. “Thanks...”

"No worries," Harada said.

"And beside him is Hajime Saito. I suppose he already told you about your book?" Kondo asked.

"Yes. Thank you for that." Ai looked at Saito, who merely gave a little nod of his head, but said nothing.

"We have been selected by the lord of the Aizu Clan, entrusted with protecting the capital and its people. It is our daily duty to patrol, and apprehend outlaw ronin before they can disturb the peace."

"Yeah, lot of good that title does you," Ai retorted sarcastically, "Tell me. Is burning people's houses to the ground common when 'protecting the capital and its people'?"

"Those Choshu bastards...!" As the man named Harada rose to his feet angrily, Ai’s body jerked involuntarily.

"Shouting like that will only scare her," Saito said. Harada clicked his tongue.

She held up my palm. "No, it's fine. I was just surprised." She didn’t need to be treated like a puppy.

"I apologize. These men need to learn to control their tempers," Kondo apologized.

"You said something about Choshu?"

"Yes. Last night, we were chasing those arsonists through the city, and unfortunately, you got involved."

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Ai placed both hands on the floor and leaned forward. "What happened to my house?" she asked, even though she probably already knew the answer.

"Completely destroyed," Saito said. He said it so offhandedly, it took her a few seconds to register his words.

"In other words, you no longer have a home to go to..." Okita stated.

According to his story, Kondo and the others weren't to blame for what happened. But Ai was blaming them anyway. After all, if they hadn't been pursuing those ronin, or if they had taken care of it sooner, that fire never would have happened.

"It's still your fault. You were the ones they were flinging fire at. That clinic was my god damn inheritance." She glared at them.

"I am so sorry," Kondo apologized.

"Sorry isn't going to start paying the bills," she snapped.

"I do have a suggestion... if you'll hear it. If you find yourself with no other place to go, why not stay here with us for a while," Kondo said.

"Stay with you?"

"You would be a great benefit to our cause. Soji informs me that you have some medical knowledge. Which is perfect. We have been searching for a first-aid officer. It would mean putting up with the filth and slovenliness of us men, but..." Ai stared at him, mouth agape. "What do you say?"

"Wait just a second, Kondo!" Harada protested.

"Tossing a young woman like her into a den of wolves? That's rather audacious, isn't it?" Okita asked.

"You don't have the faintest idea of ​​what a wolves' den looks like, believe me," Ai retorted under her breath, giving him a side-eye.

"What do you think, Toshi?" Kondo asked.

"Makes no difference to me. I've always had a fondness for strong women like her. But she's an adult, and if she says she wants to leave, then let her.”

Ai pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is your solution? Hell save me..." She heaved a sigh. "Fine. Seeing as I have no other option... I still expect compensation for property damage." Ai pointed her finger at Kondo. He patted her gently on the head. "Don't touch me." She swatted his hand away.

"My apologies. But rest assured, Miss Yukimura. Nothing bad will befall you here."

"If you say so." Ai didn't believe him.

A soldier burst through the door with great urgency just as they concluded their discussion.

"General! We just received word that those outlaw ronin are terrorizing civilians!"

All at once, the men’s eyes took on the gleeful glint of predators hunting their prey. Protectors of the innocent, huh? Riiiiight. Ai rolled her eyes.

"Let's see. How many men will we need tonight, I wonder?" Okita asked.

"If last night was any indication, we're going to have our hands full!" Harada said.

Their joyful smiles were starting to make her sick to her stomach. She didn't enjoy fighting.

A dark mood had taken over Hijikata. He looked at Ai with cold, steely eyes. "What'll we do with her?" he asked.

"She can fight..." Saito said.

"Are you suggesting we take her with us?" Okita asked, shocked.

"Not happening." She scoffed and went to sit down in the corner of the room, away from everyone else.

"We can't just leave her here. She might get our quarters burned down to the ground, too," Harada retorted.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Let's not forget who got whose house burnt down."

"I see your point... One of us will have to stay behind, to help her settle in..." Kondo said, looking at the others.