The young woman faints and
falls into the arms of Battousai. Wanting to get away from
the scene as quickly as possible, Battousai takes the woman
he barely knows to the Kohagi Inn, the Choushuu Clan's secret
headquarters. Mrs. Okami, the landlady, allows the hitokiri
in, but is somewhat questionable with his guest.
Battousai had not meant to
fall asleep but did so. In the morning, when he wakes up,
he finds the young woman gone from her futon. Battousai
heads downstairs and finds the woman helping out around
the inn. She finally introduces herself as Tomoe. Tomoe
brings breakfast to soldiers in a separate room. All of
them are stunned by her beauty, and even Iizuka teases Battousai,
asking if she was good last night. Battousai doesn't like
being joked around with, so he threatens to draw his blade.
Everyone backs off, now realizing that they can't joke with
their hitokiri comrade too much.
A little later, outside,
Battousai speaks with Katsura. Battousai tells his leader
about the Bakufu spy, leading to Katsura assume that there
must be a traitor within the Choushuu Clan. Katsura also
has news for his hitokiri. Furudaka, who was suppose to
be at the secret council during the Gion Festival, was captured
by the Shinsen Gumi. Battousai questions Katsura if he'll
be needing a bodyguard from now on, but Katsura declines
and leaves the scene, telling the hitokiri to take care.
Around lunchtime, in their
room, Battousai sits on a windowsill while Tomoe eats her
lunch. Battousai interrupts the silence by asking Tomoe
to forget everything she saw last night and to go back to
her family. Tomoe continues to eat her lunch and replies
that she has no family to return to. Battousai adds in that
they cannot take care of her for much longer. At last Tomoe
looks up and asks why Battousai cannot kill her, if that's
the situation. Battousai explains that he doesn't kill for
the fun of it, nor would attack an unarmed person. Tomoe
questions the outcome if she had a sword in her possession
last night. Battousai remains quiet and watches as the young
woman picks up her tray and exits the room.
