Chapter 1

A/N: My intention was for their structure to be similar to the Shinsengumi, but to create a more mysterious, secretive relation between Hijikata and Saito.

Setting: Modern AU

Hijikata strolled through the back alleys of the town. He was tired of listening to his men's rowdy shouting and chattering, and couldn't help but step out for a bit to get some peace.

They were the Wolves of Mibu, the strongest yakuza in the region; no one dared challenge them. But lately there had been one group who thought higher of themselves, and launched a series of offences towards them. With Hijikata's leadership, they managed to completely get rid of those rivals without much losses, and now they were throwing a party to celebrate.

Hijikata was never one who liked to party, but they all insisted that he came along, saying that he was their leader and the key to their success. After much convincing he came along in the end, deciding that as long as his men enjoyed themselves, it would be worth it.

But for now he needed a break. Drinking and rowdy activities just aren't his thing. He trudged through the deserted alleys, watching the pure white moonlight create patterns of light and shadows around him. He unknowingly smiled to himself as he basked in the peaceful moonlight, accompanied by the occasional buzzing of insects. That was when he caught sight of a motionless body on the ground in the shadows.

"Oi! Are you alright?" His eyes widened as he called out to the stranger and ran towards him, wondering if he was still alive. Could it be one of our men? Did something happen? Or it could be just some drunkard who threw up and fainted... his mind was full of hypotheses.

He crouched down to examine the body. It was cold and unmoving, drenched in blood – lots of blood. His eyes flicked to the weapon in his left hand.

A katana? Hijikata narrowed his eyes. Hardly anyone still used katana in this day and age. Besides, it's on his left hand. The unconscious man still had his fingers curled around the handle of his bloody sword.

The wounds on his body were still fresh and the blood has not yet dried. Whatever happened to this unfortunate man was not too long ago, but his injuries were severe. Hijikata placed a finger on the other's neck to check for a pulse, and gave a relieved sigh when he found out the man was still alive.

Hijikata gently shifted the unknown man's head so he could see his face properly. He had long, dark indigo bangs that covered the right side of his face, though the strands were sticky with blood, too. But even through the splatters of blood and dirt, Hijikata could still see his pale complexion and make out his sharp, beautiful features.

"You're not one of our men." He paused for a while. "But I can't possibly leave a half dead body here." He furrowed his brows.

With that, he kept the katana back in its sheath on the man's hip, and heaved him on his back carrying him out of the shadowed alleys and towards the street back to their headquarters. He was thankful that it was already dark with few people out; carrying something that looked like a dead body on your shoulders wasn't going to be well accepted.

"Hijikata-san? Who's that?" A young boy whose face seemed to be red from drinking approached them on the way.

"Ah, Heisuke. Tell them I'm going back first." Was all he said before continuing to walk off.

"O-Okay, but..." He watched as they disappeared into the night, curious about the man that Hijikata didn't seem to be willing to tell him about.

Hijikata laid the man down on a bed in a spare room. The general members of their yakuza didn't live in the headquarters which was disguised as an office for a financing company, since they had their own homes, but the captains, who were surprisingly bonded, stayed together at the headquarters like one family.

But they did make sure to have some spare rooms and beds in case they got into a dispute and their men came back with holes and slashes.

Hijikata went around to the back to look for Sannan, the doctor, who lived with them as well. Sannan wasn't exactly a party person either, so he stayed behind.

"Sannan-san, are you free? Please come with me for a moment." He led Sannan to the spare room where the man was still unconscious.

"Hijikata-kun! This is...?" The doctor was noticeably surprised.

"I couldn't just leave him out there to get eaten up by dogs on the street, right?" He folded his arms and frowned.

Sannan understood the situation immediately, then shook his head and sighed. "I guess that's just like you, eh?"

"What are you talking about?" His voice jumped a little.

"No, this guy might be from one of the other yakuza groups. I don't know what they're up to, but seeing as he ended up in this state...if there are disputes within the smaller groups we don't know about, I suppose there might be a meaning behind this." Sannan just suggested a legit reason not to throw him out.

"Mm." Hijikata grunted, his face turning more serious. What Sannan said was right, they can never be too careful. If the fight this man was involved in was the start to something big, then it would do them good to solve the problem in its early stages.

"Alright then, I'll take care of this, Hijikata-kun." Sannan smiled and shooed him out of the room.

"Wait, Sannan-san."

"Yes?"

"If you could, please keep this a secret for now. I'll tell Kondo-san later. Heisuke saw me on the way back, so I'll talk to him about it as well."

Sannan blinked, then nodded and smiled.

"Very well, I understand."

Sannan would tend to him for now. And once he woke up, they were going to interrogate him, and decide whether to kill him, or let him live.