Thank you for taking you time to read this. Please spare an extra second to review. This is my first publication. Wish me luck! To those that do review and those that do: Thanks! I won't do shout outs, I think you readers would like to get to the story right? I will use honorifics occasionally in this only becasue they do in the anime and I like using them but I will try not to overdue it.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of this franchise(personally wouldn't want to.)
This is just my story in reaction to only getting to episode 9. I read ahead and then got angry and I cried when I found out the ending...this is kind of the "afterwords" of everything that happened as I would want it to go.
Chapter1:
"Again, I want you to do that drill again." Saito Hajime said calmly. He stood a few feet away from hi student. The only that he took on to tutor privately. The young student nodded and wiped sweat from her brow. She began to slash and strike imaginary enemies, Saito himself stood motionless and resting lightly on the hilt of his katana. His body was still but his eyes were watching every minute move his pupil made.
"Freeze." Saito said. Instantly the 17-year old was motionless, waiting for his instruction. Saito walked over, looking her up and down. She had grown in the past few years. The slightly flat chested insecure brash girl and become a developed well-respected, determined, still brash woman. It had become hard for her to stay disguised as a boy as of late but Sannan-san had thought quickly of a plan and now every day the woman bound her chest in cloth to flatten her chest.
"Turn your foot out more. If you keep your foot pointing in like that you could trip and die, which would be inconvenient." Saito said, sounded almost distracted. Saito was listening. He may have been focused on his student but he still turned his ears outward listening for abnormal sounds—the headquarters was protected by him and a handful of other guards, everyone else was on patrols or missions.
"Oh, Sorry Saito-san, I thank you for your help." The young woman smiled. Her hair and clothes were damp with sweat, she looked tired.
"Enough for today, go change your clothes. The others should be getting back soon.
Saito said, wearing a rare small smile.
"You are probably right Saito-san, Thanks again for your help. I'm going now." The young woman flitted away.
"Something seems off about you, for a while now Chizuru. Please don't push yourself too hard." Saito said to her disappearing back, he knew she didn't hear him though.
Chizuru quickly slipped into clean clothes, in her time her she had learned the art of quick clothes changing, the captains tended to walk in unannounced and to avoid any more dangerous situations she quickly mastered the skill. She shuddered remembering a particular moment when Okita-san was ready to kill Heisuke for walking in on her practically naked.
"Early afternoon, I still have time to do laundry and clean floors." She said to herself. She began running around the complex gathering dirty clothes to be washed. In an almost-too-small moment she had a mini-mountain of clothes next to her. It was amazing how much dirty clothes she had gathered so quickly. She smiled and began washing the filthy samurais' clothing. She was getting good at doing this so before sunset she was on the last piece of clothing that needed washed. Chizuru was too busy scrubbing a stubborn stain to notice the men surrounding her, looming over her. When she finally noticed the looming gang around her she barley repressed a scream.
"You guys! Why would you want to scare me? I am only still a novice I don't have the awareness of others that you masters do." Chizuru stood up swaying unnoticeably, to normal people, but these men noticed.
"If you are bored enough to scare me you can at least help me hang your laundry. How went patrol?" Chizuru questioned.
"Fine, nothing was out of the ordinary. There seems to be more general acceptance of us lately." Sanosuke Harada said quietly.
"That's great. I'm glad you all are back safely." Chizuru bent down to pick up more clothes and as she started to hang them, black spots appeared in her vision. She grabbed the clothesline and shook her head. That only increased the black spots and dizziness she was feeling. She breathed in and out a few times and the episode passed.
"Chizuru! Chizuru! Hey, are you okay?" Okita Soji asked, worry pulled down at the corners of his mouth and at his brow.
"I'm fine, just thinking of what to make for dinner." She replied cheerfully plastering a fake smile on her face.
"Chizuru, didn't you make supper last night?" Heisuke Todo asked.
"And dinner the 5 nights before that?" Shinpachi Nagakura said.
Chizuru opted not to reply and continued hanging laundry. She finished slightly passed sunset. She decided to first empty the wash buckets out then clean the floors. She tried several times to lift the buckets of water but with no results. 'What is happening to me? I can't be getting sick can I?' she just stood looking into the water; the others watched her strain to lift something she could have done in her sleep.
"Chizuru, stop. What are you hiding from us? What is wrong?" Soji demanded.
"Nothing is wrong. I don't think anything is wrong. There shouldn't be anything wrong." Chizuru said, she picked at her fingers going through the days in her head, wasn't time for that. She seemed upset with something. Harada walked over and took care of the buckets before she could protest Okita clamped his hand over her mouth.
"We want an explanation. We want it now." Soji growled out. His voice had taken on a deeper, more aggressive tone.
"Nothing is wrong. I mean I started getting dizzy and seeing spots a little bit ago. Also I keep myself and this place clean I don't physically do that much. I am perfectly healthy. I shouldn't be getting sick." Chizuru elaborated when Okita uncovered her mouth.
"That doesn't mean you can't get sick idiot. You should take some medicine." Heisuke said.
"No! I am fine. I can beat this with pure willpower. If you excuse me I need to clean the floors. Stay off them." Chizuru left and cleaned the floors in known record time. When she was done she began preparing dinner. Shinpachi stood at the door way watching her flitting around like a butterfly—stirring there, adding here, setting things down- it was graceful. Everything was now done and everyone was served the men got a nice well-made dinner but Chizuru only made onigiri for herself. She was clearing Okita's and Sanosuke's trays when she began to cough. She continued to cough and cough and cough. When she finally stopped she was bent over double gasping for air. She had dropped the trays early into her coughing fit and Okita moved them out of the way in case she collapsed. Okita crouched by her side supporting her as she tried to breath. The captains all looked at the pale Chizuru in Okita's arms, panting and trembling. She was awake but her breathing was quick and shallow. She was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
"Hajime-kun, go get Doctor Matsamoto and tell him it is urgent." Sannan said.
"No. Don't go get him. I'll be fine. I just need a minute to get my breath back to normal." Chizuru closed her eyes and her breathing returned to normal. The men in the room fund it obvious that she had fallen asleep. The handful of men nodded to each other in silent agreement.
"Soji-kun, please take Chizuru to her room, stay with her. Everyone else let us clean up from dinner. After those who want can stay in her room for the night, I know you will all stay up worrying anyway." Toshizo Hijikata said quietly. The group dispersed with Okita going to Chizuru's room and the others to the kitchen to clean up.
After a sometime, the stars and moon had finally come out to shine and while most people would be sleeping 4 men sat chatting quietly in a room by the courtyard. They were discussing mundane things-the next party, the next mission, how Soji could beat Heisuke much to Heisuke's easily offended pride almost led to a screaming match. They were laughing at the antics of the two when they heard a mumbling and rustling of fabric. The four surrounded Chizuru quietly. They were surprised at what they saw.
They had seen men beaten into bloody pulps, they had seen the light leave a dying man's eyes, they had seen the look of desperate men holding tightly onto their ideal and moral they found that worth dying for but they had never seen someone as worn as Chizuru did now.
Chizuru was ghostly pale and had bags under eyes that looked like bruises. She was trembling ever so slightly and could barely hold herself up. Her eyes were dull and lifeless they held no luster like they usually did. Even her hair seemed limp and wrung out. Her shoulders were slouched under an invisible weight, it made her seem years older. Her mouth and brow were pulled down like an old lady's. Chizuru looked dead tired to these war hardened fighters.
"Where am I? What happened?" Chizuru murmured to herself. She rubbed her face and the exhaustion left her body. The men silently swore to never mention that to anyone ever. Okita felt as if he had seen a new hidden side of Chizuru no one else had seen.
'How many times has she felt that way with no one to talk to, no one to support her?' Okita thought to himself. A light cough quickly brought him back to the matter at hand.
"Chi-zu-ru-chan. How are you feeling?" Okita said quietly. The others were silent letting him handle the delicate situation.
"I'm fine Okita-san. What are you doing here? It isn't morning already is it?" Chizuru sat up quickly in alarm but almost instantly collapsed.
"Chizuru! Please don't move. Just lie down and rest. We are all worried about you but we were the only ones that decided to stay in your room." Okita explained. Chizuru gave him a small smile and shrugged. She was used to having someone in her room almost every night the guys like to check up on her or talk to her which usually ended in them sleeping on a spare futon she swiped for that reason.
"Do you need anything Chizuru? I think there is some rice left for some onigiri." Heisuke said.
"No food, I'm not hungry. But some lavender tea would be lovely if we have any." She said simply. Her eyes widened and she sat up again. "Please don't force yourself to get it. I can easily get it." She quickly stood up and swayed slightly.
"Chizuru! What do you think you are doing? Get back here now before you faint again." Okita demanded.
"I'm fine. I can easily make the tea. I will be right back." Chizuru waved in reassurance and took a few steps. She could feel the world tilting and her balance being compromised. 'uh-oh' she thought before she felt something warm and soft supporting her.
"See what I meant, you idiot. The others can get you tea and the rest of us a snack. I am gonna tuck you in like the child you acting like." Okita chuckled lightly. He carried a limp Chizuru back to the futon as the other three disappeared, understanding the veiled command.
"Chizuru what am I going to do with you? You are so stubborn, so determined." Okita whispered. His words fell on deaf ears for the sickly girl in his arms had already fallen asleep.