I had a random idea and I'm honestly just going to roll with it. This may end up being a short story with only a few chapters, or perhaps longer.
Chizuru ran as fast as she could, gasping as she heard the ronin behind her catching up. Skidding to a stop next to an alleyway, she frantically glanced around her to see if anyone was watching. She took a breath, plunging into the darkness of the alley, and shifting into a different form. Leaving only a pile of clothes, the cat opened her eyes, her slitted pupils missing nothing as she dashed behind a barrel.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, trying to regain the breath she had lost as she ran for her life. Her ears pricked forward, tail swishing anxiously, footsteps were approaching.
"Where'd the little brat go?" One of the ronin spat, walking in her direction. She held her breath, surely they wouldn't go after a cat. Shivering with apprehension, she cowered back in the shadows, her spine pressed up against a barrel. Unfortunately, an unstable barrel, for it toppled from the pressure she had applied.
"Ehh? What was that?" The man took a step forward, but did not make it any further before his head was cut off from behind.
Chizuru peeked out from her hiding place, gaze resting upon the most terrifying creature she had ever seen. Its hair was a deathly white, its beady red eyes spoke only of bloodlust and a propensity to kill. A second appeared behind it, catching sight of the small feline. Chizuru's eyes widened.
They came closer, now fixated on their target. Chizuru steeled herself, arching her back and hissing loudly. The strange monsters, however, did not seem to care. Raw, guttural sounds echoed from their throats, salivating, and teeth gleaming. Whichever way Chizuru looked at it, she was cornered.
With a mighty hiss, Chizuru threw herself at the closest monster, claws raking down its face mercilessly. Howling, it shook her off, and she landed on her side, gasping for air as she lay, winded. It loomed above her, sword raised and ready to kill. Chizuru closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the final blow.
But it never came. Instead, she heard the clashing of swords, a terrible slicing sound, and then silence. Daring to open her eyes, Chizuru saw a man sheathing his sword. This man, she could tell, was different from the ones who attacked her, even though he seemed to be wearing the same blue and white uniform.
"You work fast, Hajime-kun," A voice came from behind the unknown man, or rather, Hajime. "I was hoping to kill them all myself,"
She was curious. Curious about these insane creatures, curious of these mysterious soldiers, curious about how this whole situation came about, but she did not have the time for those things. Slowly getting to her feet, Chizuru hoped they would not spot the small cat as she attempted to slink away into the shadows.
"I think I saw something move over here, one of them might still be alive," Hajime called out. Chizuru inwardly cursed. She wanted no more part in this event, and even in cat form, getting caught would be a pain. Padding forward, Chizuru picked up her pace and made a run for it. She was lucky, the clouds were covering the moon, obscuring its bright light, and aiding in her escape.
Suddenly, a sword was pointed at her face, and she skidded to a stop. "Listen, try to run, and I won't hesitate to kill you," Chizuru was unaware, but this person was indeed the infamous demon vice commander of the Shinsengumi. Unfortunately for said demon vice commander, the lack of light had caused him to make a small mistake. An opening in the clouds appeared, allowing the vice commander to get a good look at the witness he was currently threatening.
"Bwaaahaha," Souji laughed, clutching his stomach. "Hijikata-san tried to threaten a cat!"
"It's not funny, Souji," Hijikata grumbled, clenching his teeth in irritation at the sight of the furry creature, "Anyone could have made a mistake in the dark," Chizuru stood stock still, not forgetting the sword in Hijikata's hand.
Souji sauntered over, "Hey, it's kind of cute," Squatting down, he took a long look at her, "You know, before Hajime-kun killed 'em, I saw this little guy mess up one of the rasetsu's faces pretty bad," He reached out a hand, and Chizuru hissed, leaning away.
"Souji, stop harassing the cat and let's get back to headquarters," Hijikata ordered, sighing as he sheathed his sword. "Oh, and Saito, make sure to strip the rasetsu of their uniforms and clean up, please,"
"I understand," Saito replied, bowing and moving to remove the rasetsu's overcoats.
"I bet I could train you and teach you cool fighting tricks," Souji mused to himself, before grabbing Chizuru by the scruff of the neck. "Hey, Hijikata-san,"
"What is it, Souji?" Hijikata turned.
"I'm going to keep…" Souji peered closely at Chizuru, "her,"
Hijikata massaged his temples, "Souji, you're not allowed to have pets at headquarters. Don't argue with me, I'm not in the mood,"
Souji stood up, still gripping Chizuru tightly as she squirmed to get away. "Come on, Hijikata-san. I'm going to teach it how to fight and help us, it'll be like recruiting another soldier, only better,"
"Souji, you're not going to recruit a cat into the Shinsengumi, now let's go," Hijikata said, adamant.
"I think Kondo-san should be the judge of that, he's the commander after all," Souji replied stubbornly.
"You know what? Fine," Hijikata glared at him, "I'm tired, and I've had quite enough of you and your attitude tonight. You can ask Kondo-san in the morning, and you can do the dishes tomorrow as well,"
"Okay~," Souji said, grinning, "That's fine with me, Hijikata-san,"
Chizuru had now gone limp in his arms, exhausted after the events of this stressful night. She was a small, light brown cat with white spots dappled here and there. Her big, chocolate orbs made her all the more adorable. However, inside was an unquenchable flame of strength and bravery, which showed through at the best of times.