Part 2/2

It was late at night, late enough to be finally really dark. Ryuma had spoken to his commander but Taro still had entered the inn violently and without permission. He had threatened the secretary of state Iwakura and caused a huge ruckus. So the police had to at least to detained him for now. Ryuma had to go back home to get some rest and soothe Ami. But Shin couldn't set his mind free from what the doctor told them. He was curious. He wanted to see this child with his own eyes, seeking if it really was there. So here he was, this late at night, at the inn on the hill. They had a high number of guards and even the ninja needed to be careful not to be seen. Slowly he searched for a room with more guards or less opportunities to sneak in or out. Finally he found what he was looking for. A room in the middle of the building, normally not used for customers because there was only a door to it, no windows, not even a small vent hole. It was difficult to slip in and he knew it would almost be impossible to get out again unnoticed until he killed all guards. For now it wasn't worth the risk. So he got familiar with the rest of the building and its surroundings and left in the early morning.

Taro was left in a small cell. He was really exhausted but sleep wasn't merciful with him. He sat all night thinking about a way to get this child out of the inn, no, more, to get it out of this sort of life. There was no win in only separate it from Iwakura. This man was too powerful to not find a way to get his belongings back. And as nothing else he saw this child, even if Taro still had no glue why. What was so special about it? Yeah, what he had seen back then was a beautiful and very light skin, but that's not so unusual for sheltered children. There has to be more to it. And, most importantly, there has to be a way to save this child, if not back then so at least now! In the morning Taro felt in a fitful sleep.

The sun was on its way to the top of the sky and so were Ryuma and his commander on their way to the top of the hill. There was no guarantee Ryuma by himself would be able to get through to the secretary of the state and the commander believed in what Taro had said. They worked together for years now. So he came along to help. "Belated good morning dearest lady, may we rob a tiny bit of the precious time of the dear secretary of the state?" The commander was a strange individual and Ryuma never knew what was a joke and what wasn't. And it seems the landlady of the inn couldn't do that also. She turned red instantly. "Oh, commander, I'll see you in and see if he can meet you right now." So the two policemen entered the building without getting in trouble with all the guards. She led them to a bright room next to the garden and left for her guest of honor. Shortly after the commander sat down on a chair and Ryuma started to stare out in the garden an angry man entered the room. "So which circumstances do i own the pleasure of your visit, dear police commander?"

The heat of the day hasn't even started to lessen as they were on their way back to the police station. "There's something fishy about him! Investigate for another witness who has seen this child Ryuma, but be careful, we can't do this official!" Ryuma nodded to the words of his commander. "Yes sir!" And after a short break he asked "What will happen to Taro now?" "I think it's the best for him to stay locked a bit longer. I'm afraid he might do something stupid." "True." Ryuma nodded again. He also hoped Shin wouldn't do something stupid. There were really a lot of guards at this inn.

Taro woke up in the middle of the day, needed a few moments to remember where he was and why. Then he recognized what woke him up. Shin, this friend of Ryuma, was standing outside of his cell. "I found out they're planning to leave the day after tomorrow, at nightfall with a ship. This ship hasn't arrived yet and it'll be too big to enter the harbor. I couldn't get through to the child but it is at the inn." With leaving this pure facts behind the ninja was already gone by the time Taros brain processed the words.

After visiting Taro the ninja went up the hill again. Shin had found a high weeping willow in the back garden of the inn. The long branches full of leafs promised clandestiness and the tree was high enough to get a view to the second floor of the building. And, luckily, as soon as he arrived safely in the treetop Shin witnessed Iwakura entering the garden. Beside him walked a shorter person, covered in a cloak. "I'll let you alone for only a few minutes, then you'll serve me in my room!" The secretary of the state hissed in a low voice. Shin sharply breathed in between his teeth. 'The child!' soundless the ninja attached a rob to a thick branch and went the tree down, paused at a man's high hanging head down between the long branches of the willow. Meanwhile the child had fully entered the garden and lowered the hood of its cloak. It stopped exactly in front of the curtain of branches across the ninja. Shin forgot to breathe at the sight of the person before him. He even almost lost the hold on his rob. Under the cloak was indeed a child, or more a young adult, but never in his life had he seen such a human. In an instant Shin understood why Iwakura couldn't leave his hands from it. It would be impossible to free this creature.

~~~~~

The next day Ryuma was running around the town. He had spoken with Taro in the morning to get some information about people how might also know about this ominous child. On top of some descriptions of formerly servants of the Iwakura family the doctor also told him about the departure of the travel group by ship the next day. The policeman hadn't seen Shin since he left him with Taro in the interrogation room. So he was of course worried about his friend and, even more, about his actions. But there was no time searching for the ninja now. He had to search for a witness! And, with the sun already going down, he finally found the woman who has called for the doctor every time Iwakura requested him.

"So, did you ever see this child back then?" he asked. "I did, but it was always cloaked for the eyes of others than the masters. They took it with them as he left for Edo, no, Tokyo it's called now, isn't it?" She told Ryuma while twiddling nervous with her sleeves. "So Iwakura may still have this person with him, do you think so?" "If it's still alive, and I'm not sure this would be the best for this poor child, it's with him! I'm sure of it!" Ryuma looked tensed in the direction of the inn. "Thank you dear, you helped us a lot."

Again, Shin was hanging in the weeping willow. And again, when the light got down behind the roofs of the surrounding buildings, Iwakura appeared in the company of the child. After a short and low conversation the man left, like the day before. The child came to the tree again, and exactly like the evening before it stopped across the ninja, only the curtain of branches between them. But this time it lifted its head slightly and spoke. A small voice reached out for Shin, obviously not often in use and surely not used being pushy. "Are you here to send me to the quietude of death?" "I…" Shins voice stumbled for a moment. "Yeah, maybe that'll be the only way to save you, little white flower." The head of the child jerked in Shins direction, now uncovering a few bruises on the throat. "Doctor? No, you don't have the same aura… what a pity." "So you remember the doctor?" Shin asked. The child nodded. Its gaze moved away as if it really wasn't able to see the ninja behind the branches. Shin sighed in silence. Shortly he thought it was able to really see him through the branches. "Aura?" He asked after a while to overcome the splaying silence. "I don't have another word for it. I can't see very well but i can sense people around me." Shin got interested. "So you can sense me even when I'm hidden? Even behind you or through a wall?" "You were here yesterday and the day before in the house. I can." "Also the direction? How near do i need to be?" The child got silent for a moment to think about it. "Yes, the direction is always clear and I would say maybe ten shaku far." The ninjas face brightened up. "So little white flower, I'll be able to save you. Wherever and whenever you are, if you sense me again, come to me, at all costs!" The cloak loosened as the child lifted its head abruptly and Shin could see the shining creature smiling. "I will!"

'The day they'll leave is finally here. And I'm still imprisoned…' Taro sighed with dark thoughts. The ninja hadn't shown his face again and Ryumas visit in the morning was also very short. He told they're going to do something in the afternoon, hopefully, he said. So there was still nothing else to do for the doctor than to wait. The commander had told him personally he'll be released as soon as the secretary of the state had left the town. It was nice to know that but it really bothered Taro he wasn't able to help the child again. Lost in those thoughts he noticed the police station getting noisy. The sound of many steps were broken by people shouting commands. Then it was silent again.

Ryuma lead a troop of policemen through the streets. After hearing about the witness the commander had approved the house searching for the inn to find the ominous child. So Ryuma showed the flustered looking woman the paper allowing his actions and sent his men out in different directions through the building. It was only a few minutes till they uncovered the secretary of the state had already left with all his household. They only found the dark and empty room Shin had told him about this morning. Full of rage Ryuma left for the harbor. Shin had also said the ship they would use was too big to enter the harbor. So they had to go by rowboat and that would take some time.

After a fast sprint down the hill his men entered the area around the jetty like swarm. There, at the far end of the dock, ready to get on the rowboat, was the secretary of the state. And just next to him was a smaller person visible. The wind picked up and lifted the cloak of Iwakuras company and revealed a beautiful creature. Stepping into the boat was a young man, not very tall and really skinny, with long silky hair white as the snow fluttering in the wind. His skin itself seems to be white too, even his lips, brows and eyelashes were white. The eyes in contrast were blue like the midday sky. Ryuma was only a few steps away as the older man entered the rowboat and made the younger one sit down. The white man struggled with the dark red kimono, surely the Susohiki ordered from the tailor. It was a high contrast to the light and bright person wearing it. Ryuma stopped for a moment, completely occupied by the appearance of the creature that had to be the child Taro were talking about. And at the time he reached the end of the dock the rowboat was out of range. He only could stand there, his men behind him, and watched the two people in the boat getting farther away.

Ryuma had sent a man back to the police station as he left the inn. So after the commander got his message he took Taro to the harbor. In the middle of the troops they were now also watching this beautiful creature getting smaller on the ocean. Then, out of nowhere, the boy stood up abruptly and both men on the boat started to fight. They struggled back and forth till the younger man slipped through the hands of Iwakura. He jumped out of the rowboat into the sea. The sun was still up on the sky so they all could see the white and red of the hair and clothes sinking deeper and deeper. After seeing the young man drowning Iwakura was sitting back apathetic. He hadn't tried to save the other nor getting to the ship. Another rowboat returned from the sailingship outside the harbor and collected the boat with the secretary of the state.

~~~~~

The young man fell into the sea and sank deeper and deeper. The voluminous kimono fluttered in the water and in combination with the white skin and hair it painted a picture of pure beauty. Above Iwakura was frozen in movement and so the beauteousness went by and vanished as the body of the young man was too deep to be seen from the surface. Nobody noticed the black shadow diving down from the bottom side of the rowboat to pull the white body away with them. Shin got a shiver when his lips met the almost white, now lightly blue lips of the young man to get some air in him. Fast he pulled the heavy clothes of the kimono off and conjured a black cloak from a hidden bag. The ninja wrapped the other man in the cloak and started to rise back to the surface. All this took him only a few moments but fortunately the drift had gotten them away from the rowboat, enough to not getting attention as they broke the water surface to get finally some air.

~~~~~

After the event with the secretary of the state it took a few weeks for the small city to calm down again. Iwakura left without coming back ashore. The beautiful man with the white skin and hair was on the tips of everyone's tongue but now Ryuma could patrol the streets without getting asked about it everywhere. Taro was free again, also he took a downtime from work and wasn't seen very often these days. Shin also has disappear more regularly. So Ryuma was alone as he left the town along the shore to travel to one of Shins hidden places. He reached the little building in the woods on top of a cliff in the middle of the morning. The ninja was outside on the flat roof, looking down on the small stony beach under him. Ryuma joined him and together they watched Taro as he helped the young man to get to the water. He didn't receive a name from Iwakura so Taro choose to call him simply Shiro. He couldn't remember a time before entering the household of the secretary of the state and it seemed Shiros time there was as terrible as the doctor imagined. So it would surely took a long time for him to get used to a normal life. Also, maybe because of his physical condition, he couldn't see well and was really bad with bright light. But Shiro would stay at this silent place beside the sea and Taro would stay with him.

"I'm really proud of you and the way you managed to save the boy without killing anybody or even cause trouble Shin!" Ryuma patted his friend lightly on the shoulder. In the shadows of the trees surrounding them only Ryuma saw the happy expression on the normally ineloquent face of the ninja.