It was just another day of patrolling. Saito Hajime walked in silence by his comrades, Okita Souji and Todou Heisuke. Saito looked up into the sky and felt a sense of relief come over him. The sky would be clear and sunny today. A beautiful day to watch the cherry blossoms. His relaxation soon turned into confusion when he glanced at Heisuke and saw him creating a commotion with a couple of rogue samurai. Saito sighed to himself and continued walking alongside Okita. They knew that Heisuke was capable of silencing the rogue samurai. Saito glanced at Okita and noticed a smirk on his face while glancing at Heisuke. Saito smiled at the Okita. Although he had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, he seemed as livelier than ever. He remembered when he first met Okita and their first duel. They seemed to be evenly matched, but Saito didn't really care about the outcome as much as Okita. He was proud to have a new friend. Although he knew that there was no cure for tuberculosis, he thought that his friend would not go down confined in a room. "Souji?" he asked.
"Yes, Hajime-kun?" He responded.
"Would you like to spar once we finish patrolling?"
Souji's eyes widended and instantly lit with fire. "Of course, whatever you need to help you feel better at night."
"I will give it my all and as a warrior, I expect you to do the same."
"Of course, Hajime-kun. I don't plan on having you win. Just make sure you have my prize ready for me when I win." Their conversation was cut short when a gun shot was heard, followed by a scream. Okita and Saito rushed over to where the noise was. They turned a corner and saw a women standing there, with an emotionless expression. She was dressed in a lilac kimono and her hair was done in an intricate fashion. Saito felt confused, but he did not let that show as it would go against everything the Shinsengumi stood for. His eyes scanned the rest of the scene. There were men that held up guns and prepared to fire again. Saito's eyes flashed towards the girl, feeling wary. Their eyes locked and in a millisecond, she pulled out twin swords just as the guns were fired at her. She deflected each bullet with precision and avoided redirecting them at the innocent bystanders. One by one, the men fell to the ground as each redirected bullet struck them in their hearts. All that was left was one man and his knees began to shake violently with fear. He raised the gun with trembling hands and prepared to fire, but the girl pulled out a shuriken and knocked the gun out of his hand. She sheathed her twin swords and pulled out a pair of sais. She rushed towards the man and struck his knees, knocking him to the ground. Okita and Saito watched in amazement and the graceful movements of this girl. Saito was about to assist, but Okita pulled him back, "No, wait. Let's see what she plans to do." Saito reluctantly obeyed, his eyes never straying from the girl. The girl asked him in a sharp voice, "What are you after?"
"We were told that we would receive a lot of money if we killed the female ninja. There is a bounty over your head and everybody that is in on it knows who you are. You can no longer hide," The man laughed maniacally.
"It's such a shame…"
"Yeah it will be when the boss catches you and does…" the man started speaking obscenities.
"Let's see if he can catch me first. Too bad for you though." The girl got up and started walking away. The man took the moment to reach for the gun, but the girl felt the movement of the man and threw the sai into his chest, instantly killing him. Okita whistled. "Wow, Hajime-kun. Can you believe it? She did so without even looking. I think I'm in love."
Saito didn't say anything and watched the girl clean her blades. He walked over to her, whilst ignoring Okita's voice calling him back. The girl looked up and said, "What? Don't tell me you are also after the bounty…"
"No, I was curious as to why those men were after you and why there is a bounty on your head?"
"I don't really know myself. I guess there are some men that can't stand a female warrior that is better than them."
"Well, it takes more than being female to be better. It also takes skill and from what I've seen so far, you clearly have it. Would you like to battle with me sometime? I'm curious to see what other skills you have."
"No problem. You look like someone that can put on a great fight."
"I'm Saito Hajime." He held out his hand.
"I'm Azuma Misaki. It is a pleasure to meet you Saito-san," she replied while extending her hand for a handshake.
"And I'm the one and only Okita Souji!" Okita interjected.
"Is he a friend of yours?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. Don't mind his mannerisms, he can be a arrogant guy, but he is also a valiant warrior."
"So, you seem new here. How about I take you to the best place in town to eat and get a drink." Okita said as he put his arm around Misaki.
She pulled out a sai and pinned his sleeve to the wall. She continued walking with Saito towards the Shinsengumi's headquarters. "Hey guys! Don't leave me here!"
Saito turned around with an emotionless expression and said, "you should learn to control yourself."
Misaki turned around and replaced the sai with a shuriken. She ran back to Saito's side and explained, "That is one of my favorite blades, I figured it would go to waste if it was left with that fool."
"You are correct."