Kenshin stared at Saitoh's number a moment longer. He had half been hoping it wouldn't be in here. (You can't escape that easily.) No. No he couldn't. Kenshin stood straight as he pressed send and listened to the phone ring, wondering if Saitoh would even answer. It was surreal, this feeling, a muddled sort of surprised. A sinking feeling that left a bitter taste in the back of his throat. Two rings. A click.
["Battousai."]
Saitou's voice was harsh against his ear and the name made him clench the sakabato. The old anger rose up in his chest and threatened to strangle him.
"Have the Shinsengumi gotten so weak that they need to use drugs to shoot an unarmed woman in the chest?" he said, his voice flat, his words hardly registering to his own ears. There was a slight pause. But only very slight. Enough for Kenshin to hear the television in the background.
["You stole a tablet, one that you should know would be tracked...what did you expect to happen?"]
Tracked! So that was how-- That was how. He should have known and in the end. In the end it hadn't made a damn bit of difference. In the end... only...only one person...no...not one...everyone who was lying-- but later. Later. There were still things that needed to be done.
"Just answer the question." If this was permissible... If all New Meiji police were...
["Moron. You already have your answer. You saw me fight in the diner."]
Not everyone has your honor, Kenshin wanted to say, except it pricked him somehow. Shinsengumi honor was negotiable at best. But-- wait Shinsen-- why was he even--? That was hundreds of years ago.
"Unfortunately I can't trust the rest of the force to share your sensibility."
["You would be wise to be wary, it would seem."] There was a strange sort of breath and Kenshin could imagine him blowing the smoke from his mouth as the cigarette curled between his fingers and filled the air with his presence. As the air wasn't full enough of him. Still, that gave him his answer. It was illegal. Kenshin let out a soft breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
["Were they all using?"] Saitoh said.
"Aa." Kenshin glanced to the young man at the door. "Almost. They were using METAL, or something close to it. It's refined from AMP but a more aggressive strain and longer lasting."
"A greater risk of mental instability, too," he continued flatly, remembering the dialated eyes, the teeth, shooting his comrade in the face as if it was nothing. As if he had just been an irritating fly. "But the high is almost instantaneous..." And dangerous. Even moreso than on the streets. The police could make this tenuous world hell.
"Get it out of your men, Saitoh. Before there's a war." And there would be war. People would only bend so far until they broke. More innocent blood splattered on the concrete. He glanced at the young man again who was looking up at him, a different kind of fear in his eyes. He knew the truth.
"I have someone here who can give you names and details," Kenshin said, meeting the young man's eyes, trying to tell him to be brave. "He chose not to take the drug, but I believe he was coerced."
[Fine.]
Kenshin handed the phone to the young man who hesitated.
"It's your choice," Kenshin said. The man stood, levering himself to his feet and took the phone with a shaking hand. Kenshin tried his best not to hate him as the man left back the way he had come. The phone pressed to his ear.
"He...hello...?" he said, faintly, just before Kenshin shut the door.
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Date: 2012-04-21 06:51 am (UTC)["Battousai."]
Saitou's voice was harsh against his ear and the name made him clench the sakabato. The old anger rose up in his chest and threatened to strangle him.
"Have the Shinsengumi gotten so weak that they need to use drugs to shoot an unarmed woman in the chest?" he said, his voice flat, his words hardly registering to his own ears. There was a slight pause. But only very slight. Enough for Kenshin to hear the television in the background.
["You stole a tablet, one that you should know would be tracked...what did you expect to happen?"]
Tracked! So that was how-- That was how. He should have known and in the end. In the end it hadn't made a damn bit of difference. In the end... only...only one person...no...not one...everyone who was lying-- but later. Later. There were still things that needed to be done.
"Just answer the question." If this was permissible... If all New Meiji police were...
["Moron. You already have your answer. You saw me fight in the diner."]
Not everyone has your honor, Kenshin wanted to say, except it pricked him somehow. Shinsengumi honor was negotiable at best. But-- wait Shinsen-- why was he even--? That was hundreds of years ago.
"Unfortunately I can't trust the rest of the force to share your sensibility."
["You would be wise to be wary, it would seem."] There was a strange sort of breath and Kenshin could imagine him blowing the smoke from his mouth as the cigarette curled between his fingers and filled the air with his presence. As the air wasn't full enough of him. Still, that gave him his answer. It was illegal. Kenshin let out a soft breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
["Were they all using?"] Saitoh said.
"Aa." Kenshin glanced to the young man at the door. "Almost. They were using METAL, or something close to it. It's refined from AMP but a more aggressive strain and longer lasting."
"A greater risk of mental instability, too," he continued flatly, remembering the dialated eyes, the teeth, shooting his comrade in the face as if it was nothing. As if he had just been an irritating fly. "But the high is almost instantaneous..." And dangerous. Even moreso than on the streets. The police could make this tenuous world hell.
"Get it out of your men, Saitoh. Before there's a war." And there would be war. People would only bend so far until they broke. More innocent blood splattered on the concrete. He glanced at the young man again who was looking up at him, a different kind of fear in his eyes. He knew the truth.
"I have someone here who can give you names and details," Kenshin said, meeting the young man's eyes, trying to tell him to be brave. "He chose not to take the drug, but I believe he was coerced."
[Fine.]
Kenshin handed the phone to the young man who hesitated.
"It's your choice," Kenshin said. The man stood, levering himself to his feet and took the phone with a shaking hand. Kenshin tried his best not to hate him as the man left back the way he had come. The phone pressed to his ear.
"He...hello...?" he said, faintly, just before Kenshin shut the door.