First the public service announcement--The good folks at the very very
cool Rurouni Kenshin site www.the-oro.com are selling some DVDs to help
raise money to continue hosting the site and offering super scans and
all sorts of great "stuff" so I hope you'll hop over there to check it
out and think of tossing a dollar or two their way. always in need of
donations so please stop by and see what htey have to offer if you
haven't already been there.
About that Hijikata encounter.....
Like many of people my Emmi Maeda had a bit of a fangirl crush on
Hijikata after seeing those great historic photos of him but when she
found herself back in 1864 and face to face witheh real man she found
out why he was called the "Demon Vice Commander". It's not like she did
anything to provoke him...not really...it was an accident...
* * * *
I lay down on the futon again but knew that I'd never fall back to
sleep. My brain buzzed with a million and three questions, the first
being—how was I ever going to get back home when I wasn't even
quite sure how I got here?
I sat up and crinkled my nose. A breeze blew through the tiny window set
high in the wall outside the cell and the smell it carried reminded me
of the chamberpot's existence. Bad enough the place stunk because of
the male prisoners' waste, but I really didn't want anything of
the sort to be closer to me than necessary.
I remembered that Yamanami went out last night to relieve his own
bladder and I didn't recall him unlocking the outer door before
exiting, so maybe it wasn't locked. I could go out, leave the pot
then come back and wait to be formally sprung. After all, it's not
like I was a criminal prisoner or anything.
I retrieved the chamberpot carefully, moving slowly so as not to spill
it. I tiptoed between the futon and the sleeping samurai leader and
hoped he didn't decide to stretch out his legs. I stepped over him
without any disaster and breathed a quick sigh of relief. I inched to
the door not wanting to draw the attention of those gross guys down the
way.
I'm almost home free, I thought, testing the door by nudging it with
my foot. It gave way a bit and I turned sideways to push it open with my
shoulder.
The next thing I knew, the door flew open. I pitched outward and the pot
flew out of my hands—
Right into the center of Toshizou Hijikata's chest. He roared an
obscenity so loud it had to wake half of Kyoto.
I fell to my knees partly as a sign of apology, partly to pray that he
wouldn't slice my head off. I looked up a bit and winced. The tissue
I'd used as toilet paper had deposited itself right in the center of
his low obi.
I bent my head to the ground and apologized profusely in Japanese the
best I could. I begged his forgiveness, adding that I was a complete
fool who didn't deserve his mercy.
After all, when confronted with angry men who brandished sharp,
dangerous objects, it seemed wise to push one's modern pride aside
and grovel.
Especially after one dumped a pot of pee on them.
* * * *
~Barb Sheridan/Chloe Michelle
http://chloemichelle.com
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