Hijikata glared. His gaze so piercing, almost as if he believed if he glared hard enough, Susumu could disappear from his sight. But the shinobi stood his ground, and if Souji wasn't so observant, he wouldn't even notice the slight tremor from Susumu. Even Kondo, sitting on the sidelines next to Susumu, creased his brows.

Souji tilted his head, wondering if perhaps this was a bad time. He smiled in greeting, ignoring the elephant in the room as he sat next to Hijikata. "Kondo, you called for me?"

"No."

Hijikata's reply was cold, harsh and commanding. Souji raised a brow at the Commander, but he only shrugged, an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Souji turned to Susumu, the only one who seemed inclined to talk.

"The Sakata Tea House that Vice Commander has told me to investigate has revealed their loyalties to the exclusionist loyalists, but since their illegal operations are mixed with their legal business, it is impossible to find out further information without actually entering." Susumu recited, his eyes boring into Souji's.

Ignoring the bad premonition that crept up the back of his mind, Souji turned to Hijikata, placing a soft hand on his fuming shoulders. "What's the problem with that?"

Hijikata only averted his gaze with a grunt, and Souji directed his quizzical glance towards Susumu once more.

"The problem, is that Sakata is too wary; it's highly likely we only have one chance to infiltrate them, before they discover us. The most successful path of action is to raid as soon as the infiltration goes awry, before they run away…" Susumu hesitated, and Souji felt Hijikata tense.

Kondo coughed, "And the safest way to do this would be to have two captains act as the spies for once, making operations for the actual raid to flow easier."

"And so you want me to do it?" Souji finished off for them, his grin widening. "To play an ordinary customer, and to seek out information?"

Kondo nodded, shooting a reluctant glance towards Hijikata. "Originally, we thought it would be fine if we just have Susumu and you, our Captain of the First Unit, but then it turns out there is a seasonal promotion event going on at the Tea House." Kondo swallowed. "A Lovers' Deal. Susumu is more than capable of dressing up as your woman, but…"

Souji followed Kondo's gaze, an exasperated smile on his face as Hijikata grunted once more, his arms crossed and his chin tilted upwards in reproof.

"Are you pouting?" Souji taunted in a whisper to his ear. He wrapped his arms around the bigger man's arm, turning to the Commander. "If Susumu's okay with it, maybe Hijikata can go with me instead? I'm sure Susumu will be able to teach me how to dress like a woman."

If Hijikata was glaring more than usual as they walked through the streets of Edo, well, it didn't make that much of a difference anyway. They walked extra slowly, hands entwined as if they weren't only being considerate of Souji getting used to his female's kimono; as if they were on a romantic night out.

Souji's heart thumped against his chest, in a way that wasn't painful like his illness was. If he clutched the cloth where his heart was as he leaned closer to Hijikata, well, that was just to further their act, wasn't it?

They reached Sakata's Tea House without any problem, and led into the inner rooms without delay. Souji let his innocent smile do all the talking, ushering Hijikata silent as he failed to soften his glare.

"You can soften up, you know," said Souji, settling comfortably in the private room they were given. "You're scaring everyone away with that scowl of yours."

Hijikata turned away, "They dressed you up in lipstick and make up, and even tied up your hair, then they expect me to act normally?" He tucked on Souji's obi, nodding to himself. "The gold's a nice colour, it matches your eyes."

Souji blinked, before letting his face flush with delight. "So you're not mad about this mission? I knew it! I knew you would appreciate the dress."

Rather than retort, Hijikata pulled Souji closer. "Come on," he growled, "We don't know who might be listening, we'll put on a convincing act for a while, until it won't be suspicious if I say I need to find the restrooms."

Souji met Hijikata's pointed gaze, a giggle escaping his lips. "So this is why you're so insistent on coming with me tonight."

"No, it's just – I…" Hijikata glowered, "Look, the mission comes first, so we got to look like a real couple, that's all."

Souji shook his head, a hand running down Hijikata's long hair. "It's fine, we've got time. The main forces aren't due to arrive until later in the night."

He snuggled closer to Hijikata, letting his head lie on his shoulders. "I'm glad it turned out this way," he said quietly. "The obi is really tight, and I have no doubt the fight later on will be a pain in the ass, but I don't think I would change it in any other way."

"Good," Hijikata's reply was quiet, dazed. "Now be quiet, because for once in my life, I don't want to think about work."

When the attendant came in, asking for the two customer's order, she would see one figure lying on the lap of another, and smile. It would not escape her notice, that when the man gave the order, he absent-mindedly brushed his hand on the woman's hair.

And for the first time, Susumu came to realise, neither the Vice-Commander nor the Captain was able to see through his disguise. He wasn't really surprised; not when the sharpness behind their eyes were so clearly drawn only to each other.

With a small nod to himself, he closed the door behind him, letting the two have the moment to themselves.