My day off started off early. I ended up waking up early as the image of the my past lives again. It's the same as always I guess. But as I was aware of my past lives, something follows. A vision of crimson eyes. I didn't know what to think of it for now so I went over it.
Thanks to the recollection of Hijikata Toshizo's memory I've been able to absorb more info based on him and his very deeds. But somehow I ended up gaining his mannerisms. This morning I ended up wearing a yukata instead of my usual wear. But then again my usual wear was either the usual long sleeve shirt and jogging pants. But I kept my arm warmers on. Strange that I couldn't live without it. I didn't know why but I felt safer just wearing those. Every time I would wear them I would see blood flow out of the scars of my wrist. It was scary but I rather not go into it for now.
Instead of making coffee I ended up making green tea. The weirdest part was I ended up using the traditional tools instead of the usual tea bag. These were actually meant for display too. This recall of lost memories kinda triggered an identity crisis making me react to my old routines at the past. According to my uncle, it is best for the memory to go on autopilot to learn more about it. Self-admittingly, I had to agree the yukata wasn't bad. With my shaggy hair though it made me look like I was back at Edo. But if only it wasn't embarrassing when wearing it.
As I sipped my tea I started to meditate. While under meditation I was able recall some of my memories. Surprisingly they were all of me teaching. Being a martial artist did have a benefit for me as all of my past lives were taught some form of martial art. I then took a look at my weapons collection and started to train with them. Hijikata may have been skilled with swords but to my surprise he was able to use a revolver. The latest one had a skill set of firearms. However that memory only came when I was just looking at pictures of old guns. Memories of the old guns came but the memories were incomplete. I guess that was just the limit of how these memories came to be. The roof jumping memory had the ability to use parkour and small weapons. To my surprise he was able to throw knives like a ninja. As for the horse riding one, he was pretty good with any weapon. The only one that I couldn't make out was the one with two memories. It was still all a blur and unexplainable. But the new techniques recalled did a toll on my body so I decided to grab a bath and take a break.
As I got out of the shower I put on my yukata again. I was cooking lunch Tyrell came in with an indifferent look at his face. "The heck are you even wearing?" He asked out of curiosity. I didn't know what to answer. "I really don't know...I just felt wearing it." I hesitantly replied. Tyrell then gave a big sigh and he threw me something at the table. It was a magazine for automatic and hunting rifles. "Anyways you got some mail and packages downstairs." He told me. "But I didn't order this." I replied.
"You might as well check it out. Some of them were mixed with yours. They might be the tatami mats you ordered."
"Alright I'm on it."
First I decided return the magazine. Next door to me was Benedict Williams. He was a man near his early forties and currently on retirement. Somehow I end up getting his mail every once in awhile. Sometimes he even drops by and ask for some oil to maintain his guns. I do the same thing every once awhile so the feeling is mutual. Mr. Williams even assisted me in getting my first gun when I was starting out with firearms. States such as California look down upon the ownership of guns but somehow I never thought of it as an issue.
I knocked at the door and there was the middle-aged man with his snowy white beard at the other side. "Oh, it's you Rin. What is it?" He asked. I then got the magazine out. "I got your mail again." I told him. He looked at the magazine and obliged to take it. "So what tipped you off?" He asked. "I only have pistols, you're the only one in the whole building capable having a few rifles like these." I replied.
"Yeah that sounds about right. Speaking of which, Rebecca is downstairs as well. You know well sometimes we get some of her stuff too."
"Alright I'll see to it."
"Thanks, there's some hot chocolate waiting for you when you come back."
"Thanks, I appreciate the thought."
I go downstairs at that afternoon. There I find Rebecca Smith going through her mail with some other packages. She ties her hazelnut brunette hair as she checks out what she has. The girl then spot's me at the staircase. "Oh, Rin. Perfect timing, some of your mail was mixed with mine." She said. But there was a sudden pause as she couldn't help but stare at me. "You cosplaying or something?" She asked out of curiosity. "Um… it was hanging in my closet so I'd figured I might air it out." I hesitantly replied. Rebecca then started to laugh. "It looks good on you. Maybe you should wear it more." She complemented.
The girl then looks into the box she got. She is surprised to see that she had a few copies of the same book. Her attention was then divided to me. "Looks like I accidentally ordered three of these. You want one?" Rebecca asked. I insisted not to but eventually I was given a copy. To my surprise it was a copy of the Anarchist Cookbook. I skimmed a few pages of the book and I actually found a few recipes for bombs here. "Should you even have this?" I asked. "A friend of mine is selling this at the underground. He gave me a few copies." She told me.
"Your doomsday prepping really has been come along quite well."
"Yeah. It's been getting better, you should join our prepping meet-up tomorrow."
"I don't know...I got work that day."
"Alright. But you know where it is if you change your mind?"
"Yeah I remember."
"Good to know. Catch you there if you change your mind."
Rebecca then goes upstairs with her stuff on hand. I check my stuff as well. It was nothing but bills. But as I go up I see Tyrell watching the news. It a segment of half of a part of Paris just disappeared. Footage then rolled of a couple of tourist touring around a French neighborhood. In a brief moment the woman trips over. The husband leans down, only to see her fall into a sewer. It was when the camera rose that the neighborhood was gone. Only thing was left was the maze-like sewer system at the horizon.
This wasn't the first time this ever happened. Locations all around the world have places suddenly disappearing form the map. May it be from entire cities to even small monuments there was no limit of what may happen. Scientist couldn't describe the phenomenon. In the end they called these the Houdini Act Phenomenon(HAP). Like the magician's tricks before, people couldn't describe how it happened once the sites disappeared.
"It would be weird if we saw some of those here." Tyrell said.
"If that was the case then that would be a dream come true for Rebecca." I replied.
I kept on eating my breakfast, only to just see one memory over the next. Toshizo did like his tea. Watching the memories flow as they came made me see his light. He was pretty dedicated to the clan. He would instruct his group to his kenjutsu to his tactics.
I decided to take a boken and started swinging as the memory was flowing to me. My body was synchronizing while following the memory. The more I followed, the more I understood. With this new form of recalling memories of my past lives, I started to call it syncing. I would copy each memory as followed and gain whatever knowledge they had overtime.
It even went to my cooking and my mannerisms. Soon it came for bed and I started cooking in Japanese. Instead of turning on the TV, I got a book and read it as I ate. My meal for today was miso soup, grilled mackerel, steamed rice and some hot sake. Rebecca's book helped jog the memory as I started to reenact the setting. And there I was, kneeling on the floor with some food, with reading material. Images of how Toshizo was came into light. He was always busy with the goal of the Shinsengumi always at his mind. The more I watched the memories, the more invested I grew.
Soon Tyrell came out of his room, ready for work. Only to see me with this strange set-up. He looks at me with doubt. "Are you high on something?" He questioned me. My face turns red as he looks at me rather confused. "No…nothing! Just wanted to feel the whole thing out of nostalgia…haha…ha." I reacted suddenly. An eyebrow raised on him. But he instead puts on his jacket. "Whatever, just clean up afterwards." He told me as he puts on his jacket. The man soon leaves and all I could do was sigh. Who knows how many more memories come after this. But it was hard to even think as I was still blushing in embarrassment. So I instead ate my meal on the table... knowing how weird this is starting to look.