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A Cicada In Winter	By : roryheadmav Category: +G to L > Haru wo Daiteita Views: 3346 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Haru wo Daiteita, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
This non-profit
work is based on Nitta Youka's Haru Wo Daiteita prequel "Fuyu No Semi".
Original copyright of the HWD characters solely belongs to Nitta Youka
and Biblos. Absolutely no monetary gain was made from this work.
A CICADA IN WINTER

By Rory V. Pascual
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story
was originally intended to be a gift to Nitta Youka for her wonderful manga.
However, since my mother's passing, I have been neglectful in continuing
this story. I'm posting this here. Hopefully, any feedback would give me
the impetus to continue this again sometime next year.

CHARACTERS:

Kusaka Touma (Katou Youji)

Akizuki Keiichirou (Iwaki Kyousuke)

Hayama Sumire (Sawa Nagisa)

Aizawa Seibishin (Asano Nobuyuki)

Takeshi Shizuka (Urushizaki Kazunari)

Kanzaki Yasunori (Asaki Yukihito)

Akizuki Masakazu (Iwaki Masahiko)

Higuchi Tatsuya (Kikuchi Katsuya)

Murayama Yoriko (Moriguchi Youko)

Murayama Kenji (Moriguchi Keita)

CHAPTER ONE:
A dark cloud shrouded Shinagawa with
an ominous pall, its acrid stench burning the lungs of those caught in
its smothering grip. Like grasping fingers, plumes of smoke reached up
to the heavens as though trying to capture the celestial fireflies that
dotted its landscape. From within that dark mass, angry red lights sparked,
accompanied by the staccato of gunfire. But all these could not compare
to its source � the conflagration of rebellion that threatened to consume
what could be the future of this land of the rising run.
A weary, yet angry figure stood at
the heart of the fiery maelstrom, the flames reflecting in his blade-sharp
amber eyes.
Clenching his hands into tight fists,
he muttered, "Fools! Impetuous idiots! That's what they all are!"
Although he knew it was a hopeless
cause, he reached down to pick up the bucket he had filled with water from
the nearby well. He was about to run back to douse the flames at the doorway
of the burning embassy when a hand closed around his wrist, causing him
to drop the bucket in surprise. He could only watch helplessly as the water
formed a pool on the ground.
"It's hopeless, Kusaka! There's nothing
you can do!" To hear his earlier thought issue from the lips of his comrade
and friend jolted him to the futility of the present.
Snatching his hand out of that desperate
grasp, Kusaka Touma bent down to pick up the fallen bucket, only for his
wrist to be caught again.
There was a menacing spark in his
eye as he hissed, "Unhand me, Aizawa!"
Aizawa Seibishin's eyes flared with
anger equal to that of his friend's. "Stop it, Kusaka! It's already too
late! Takasugi-san and his men have escaped an hour ago!"
"You knew they were going to do this!"
Kusaka yelled in accusation. "You could've done something to stop them!"
"Damn it, Kusaka! You know how Takasugi-san
is once he sets his mind on something! If it wasn't him, it would have
been someone else from the Choshu-han!"
Kusaka let out a wry laugh. "Why?
Did they think they could stop the future with this?" He waved his hand
to the burning embassy behind him. "The Choshu-han may object all they
want to the presence of the gaijin, but Japan cannot close its doors forever
to the world! Aizawa�this�this insanity! What did those fools hope to accomplish
by burning down the embassies? The Bakuhan is all too aware of the dissension
of the Choshu-jin towards their plans. Didn't they even think of the repercussions
this nefarious deed would have upon us all?"
"What is done is done! There is nothing
you nor I can do about it!" Aizawa repeated firmly. "I don't have the time
or the patience to debate with you on politics, Kusaka! We must leave now!"
"We can't! We must put out this fire
at least! Save anyone who might still be inside!"
"And do you think the Shinsengumi
will applaud you for your heroism? If they find us here, they'll arrest
us in an instant for being arsonists, even if we are innocent of the crime!"
"But Aizawa�."
Furious at his friend's obstinacy,
Aizawa tightened his grip on Kusaka's wrist and started to drag him away.
"I don't want to hear another word out of you! We're leaving, Kusaka, and
that's final!"
Just as they exited through the gates,
the shrill whistles of the feudal police pierced the crackling din they
had left behind. Swiftly, the two men darted through dark, narrow streets,
clambered over wooden fences and stone walls, hoping to elude their pursuers.
At one point, Kusaka nearly made a wrong turn, but Aizawa quickly snatched
a handful of his collar.
"Not that way!" cried Aizawa, jerking
his friend in the right direction. "The sea is over here! We could make
our escape there!"
On and on, the two men ran, guided
by the gentle sounds of lapping waves that grew louder and louder as they
neared their goal.
But then, Aizawa came to a sudden
halt, and Kusaka nearly barreled into him.
"Aizawa, what�" Kusaka's heart fell,
seeing what had caused his friend to stop � a high lattice bamboo fence
that blocked their way to freedom. At the top of the fence, the bamboo
poles were sharpened into spikes.
"Not another fence, and so high!"
Aizawa groaned in dismay. "Can you climb, Kusaka? I'll give you a boost
up, but be careful with those spikes!"
Just as Aizawa bent down and clasped
his hands together to give the other a boost up the fence, a voice suddenly
declared behind them, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you somehow
manage not to be skewered by those spikes at the top, it is still a long,
hard drop on the other side. You might even end up breaking your necks
if you land on the rocks instead of the sea."
Both men whirled to behold a tall
young samurai. At the sight of that shaved brow, there wasn't any doubt
that this stranger was an enemy, a Bakushin.
"Kuso!" Aizawa cursed his breath,
his hand instinctively reaching for his sword's hilt.
The stranger, however, was quicker.
In the blink of an eye, his katana was unsheathed and poised to strike.
Aizawa gritted his teeth, seized by uncertainty. Clearly this man was an
expert swordsman, and he doubted if he would stand a chance against him.
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
the man asked quietly, his voice taunting in its calmness. "Are you not
going to draw your weapon? Or is that sword merely meant for showing off?"
With a snarl, Aizawa made to lunge
at the samurai, but Kusaka swiftly went between them, raising both his
arms to stop the two men from attacking each other.
"Kusaka!" Aizawa growled in fury.
"Get out of my way!"
"No, Aizawa!" Kusaka answered, standing
firm. "There's been enough violence this eve! No more! Please!"
As Kusaka lifted his gaze to the
man who had them trapped, pleading amber eyes met cool, collected smoky
orbs. For a moment, Kusaka thought he saw a flicker of amusement in those
eyes, not to mention a trace of a smile on those lips.
Suddenly, the samurai charged, his
sword moving in a sweeping arc.
"KUSAKA!" Aizawa cried out at the
sight of that sharp sword bearing down on his friend. Fear for the other's
life prompted him to push his comrade out of the way.
As they fell to the ground, they
felt the passage of the katana's blade above their heads, followed by the
dull, crunching sound of metal impacting on wood. Looking at the fence
behind them, they were shocked to see bamboo poles lying on the ground.
With his sword, the samurai had cut an opening through the fence that was
large enough for them to escape through.
As Kusaka looked questioningly at
their savior, the samurai turned his back to them and sheathed his sword
in one graceful move.
"Kusaka, let's go!" Aizawa told his
friend, running through the space and diving into the waters below.
Kusaka shook his head in confusion
as he picked himself up from the ground. "I don't understand. You're a
Bakushin, aren't you? Why are you helping us?"
"An event of historical significance
has been started this night by your comrades," the samurai announced, gazing
at the tongues of fire and smoke rising up from the city. "No ordinary
ronin would dream of such a grandiose scheme. But I seriously doubt if
you Choshu-jin are even aware of what you had set into motion with this
act."
The samurai tilted his head to gaze
back at Kusaka. "I couldn't care less if you or your friend perished tonight,
whether it be by my sword or that of the Shinsengumi's, or through some
unfortunate mishap when you dive into the sea below. What does concern
me are the serious repercussions this vile act would have upon the already
strained relationship between the Bakuhan and the Choshu-han. With this
foul crime, the country has been plunged into chaos. However, although
you Choshu-jin may cry out against the presence of the gaijin, nothing
is going to stop the inevitable. Japan will open its borders to the world
and we will stand on equal footing with the West. Tell your friends that."
Kusaka nodded in wholehearted approval.
"You don't have to tell me. I know, and I constantly remind my comrades
of this plain and simple truth." He bowed to the samurai who had spared
his life. "Arigato gozaimasu. I hope I'll see you again someday and repay
you for your mercy. And, perhaps, we could discuss this issue at length
over a cup of sake."
"If the Fates wish it to be so, yes,
it would be a pleasure. Now go!"
Kusaka did not see the hand that
pushed him. He just found himself flying backwards through the air and
then falling into the sea.
Seized by an urge he could not define,
the samurai stepped through the opening of the fence, just in time to see
Kusaka disappear into the waters below where Aizawa was waiting for him.
He continued to watch until a second head joined the other.
"Akizuki-san!" a sharp voice suddenly
called out behind him. "The arsonists�"
Akizuki Keiichirou turned around
to face the stern forms of the Shinsengumi. "What about them?"
Their Captain declared accusingly,
"Do not play the innocent with me! You were just talking to one of them!
You let him escape!"
"Whom are you talking about? That
unfortunate young man of the Choshu-han? Being a Choshu-jin does
not necessarily an arsonist make."
"I have no patience for eloquent
discourse with you!"
"Why? Did you not understand what
I just said? Let me put it to you plainly then. That man was not an arsonist.
I saw him trying in vain to put out one of the embassy fires."
The Shinsengumi Captain eyed him
with suspicion. "And do you expect me to take your word for it?"
Akizuki gave the man an equally smoldering
glare. "Are you saying that you doubt me? I spoke truth, Captain. I overheard
him and his friend talking as they were trying to put out the fire. The
men who committed this crime had already escaped long before they showed
up at the embassy."
The Captain, however, was still not
convinced. "If you were not the son of the Bakuhan administrator, I would
have you interrogated."
"Oh, please! Don't let my familial
position stop you!" Akizuki answered dryly. With head raised disdainfully,
he strolled between the Shinsengumi as though they were nothing but mere
cockroaches. "Shall we go to your headquarters, Captain?" he asked, thrusting
his sheathed katana into the startled man's hands. "Or perhaps you wish
to put me in shackles."
Growling, the Captain declared, "One
of these days, Akizuki-san, that high-minded attitude of yours will get
you into trouble, and not even your father or your brother are going to
be able to bail you out."
Akizuki gave them a sarcastic grin.
"Believe me, Captain. Whether that time comes or not, I am already prepared
for it. In fact, I am looking forward to the�punishment�that is to be given
me." Inwardly, he added, Because I would be free, and I wouldn't have
people like you, my father and my brother breathing down my neck.

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A Cicada In Winter