"My Property, Chapter One"
The weather has been awfully, positively strange today. It went from clear and bright skies to dark thunderclouds in a matter of minutes. The rain was obdurate and the water fell profoundly like needles on everything underneath the weeping heavens. The water pitter and pattered off on the young girl consecutively as she stood unfortifiedly in front of the tall gates of the Shinsengumi Compound. The young lady had scars and bruises all over her petite body. She was breathing heavily, and she can feel her legs slowly failing her. Her sword slipped from her fingers, landing on the ground with a soft clink. She was soaked, exhausted, and heavily injured. She needed some rest, she decided.
Blood slowly seeped through her ripped and torn dress, and she looked down, grasping the left part of her stomach, feeling the blood flowing out from her injury once again. Unconsciousness was beginning to claim her, yet she managed to scream a name before she collapsed on the wet grounds. And that name was none other than, "Kondo-san!" And down, she went.
It was the usual day for the Shinsengumi. Everything was going on routine; with Hijikata Toushirou complaining about the lack of mayonnaise, Okita Sougo testing various methods to kill or even just torment him, Kondo Isao stalking his precious Otae, Yamazaki Sagaru playing badminton, and the rest of the Shinsengumi either slacking off or trying to catch the terrorist, Katsura Kotarou.
It was going on like that until the sun set, and Kondo returned to the headquarters, full of bruises here and there. 'The gorilla woman must've caught him again,' was everyone's conclusion but they wouldn't dare say it out loud. Only one person had the nerve to say it out loud where the whole Shinsengumi could hear.
"Ara, if it isn't Kondo-san," A familiar deadpan echoed through the room, "What's wrong? Were you caught by nee-san again?" He finished with a smirk. Yes, that person is no one else but the resident bishounen of the Shinsengumi and the said prince of the Planet of Sadists, Okita Sougo.
All heads snapped to the very back where the first division captain was seated. Everyone knew that Kondo was already gloomy and sore because of a certain woman always rejecting him and beating him to a pulp, every single time. But what else could a sadist do rather than pour more salt to the wound?
They knew Sougo had always admired Kondo and genuinely cared for him, but being the sadist he is, he could not restrain himself from making fun of his commander. It was in his nature. He was born that way, and no one could ever change that dishevelled demeanour of his. Not even his sister. Only in her presence, though, did his sadistic nature become hidden.
Kondo couldn't help but feel dilapidated and betrayed. He had hit him bulls-eye. Tears began to stream down his eyes, and he cried on his trusted Toushi's shoulder. Hijikata patted his back in comfort, "Oi, Sougo! Stop that or I'll make you commit seppuku!"
Sougo had made himself comfortable sitting on Kondo's right side, with Hijikata in the other side. "Anyway, someone called here this afternoon," he started, ignoring the weeps coming from Kondo, "It sounded like a girl's voice to me."
Kondo's mood lightened up in a flash, "Was it Otae-san, asking for forgiveness?" his eyes were full of enthusiasm, all of a sudden, "Don't worry. I forgive her!"
"Don't get your hopes up," Hijikata blew another puff of smoke from his cigarette, and Kondo frowned at his words.
"Don't worry, Kondo-san. Hijikata-san's just jealous of you. Because, you are always being given attention by nee-san while he is always being ignored when the girls knew about his disgusting obsession for dog food." Okita snickered.
"No, I'm not!" Hijikata shouted, "Shut up!"
"Moreover, Kondo-san, do you know someone named Mitsumoto Yukino?" Okita asked, continuing as if Hijikata never talked.
Kondo, then, forgot about his anguish and pondered over the name, "Mitsumoto Yukino?"
"Who could that be, commander? Is that the replacement for Otae-san?" Yamazaki, who had stopped playing badminton, asked as he sat down. His last question made him earn a punch from Kondo, sending him across the room.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Yamazaki? I would never replace Otae-san! She's the only one in my heart!" Kondo defended.
"Then, who is this Yukino girl, commander?" a random Shinsengumi member asked.
Kondo sat down on his seat and began explaining, "Yukino-chan is... my beautiful niece. That's right. Recently, she had been writing letters tp me, saying that she would love to visit Edo. She lives in Bushu, you see."
The Shinsengumi members listened to him, carefully, each of them having their own guesses of what Kondo's niece might look like. Nonetheless, the majority of their conclusions is a gorilla, considering the fact that Kondo did somehow look like one.
"What did she say in the call, Sougo?" he asked, his anguish slowly relieving.
"What she said? Uh, let's see..."
Flashback, about three hours ago ~
Okita Sougo was using his supposed-to-be working hours as his free time. He was taking a nice nap when the phone rang, interrupting his good dream wherein he had already killed Hijikata with his own hands, using his own skills and abilities, without the help of anybody else.
He tried to ignore the loud noise of the ringing phone, but it was already getting on his nerves. He grumpily stood up and picked the phone, his eyes gleaming with anger, "Oi, whoever this is, you should have a very important reason to call in this time or I'll make you commit seppuku."
The voice he had heard was shaking and very low in volume, "U-Um, is K-Kondo-san there?"
"He is currently out at the moment in some unimportant business. Who are you?" He narrowed her eyes; the girl on the other side of the phone was getting suspicious.
"I-I'm Mitsumoto Yukino. P-Please tell K-Kondo-san that I called," she stuttered, "T-Thank you."
"M'kay, anything else?"
"T-That's all, thank you again." was her polite reply, then she hung up.
End of flashback ~
"That's all," Okita muttered in his usual tone of indifference.
"Well, what in the world-" Hijikata's remark was interrupted when he saw his comrades cock their heads towards the door. No one said a word, as they carefully heeded to a gentle voice coming from the outside. They heard several shouts of 'Kondo-san' in the air, making all of the Shinsengumi intrigued.
Who could be calling for Kondo? And why Kondo, of all people? What's worse is the voice evidently came from a girl, thus making everyone more interested. Everyone knew that Kondo was irrevocably not popular to the crowd, particularly to the ladies. Without any second thoughts, all stood up and made their ways to the doors.
When they finally reached the gates, they, including Kondo, Hijikata and Okita, were astonished to see such a beauty lying down on the cement grounds, unconscious and covered in blood, which they assumed was hers. Kondo was first to snap out of the trance, and he ran towards the girl as he yelled, "What are all of you still doing there?! Bring this girl in! And call the doctor!"
Yamazaki and some random Shinsengumi found themselves jostling behind the paper doors, just to catch a glimpse of the girl they found in front of their headquarters. It was the morning after the incident, and they decided to take care of the girl until her injury heals. The girl was placed in one of the extra rooms, and hasn't woken up since yesterday, that they were beginning to worry.
"How is she?" Kondo asked, anxious for the answer.
"She's very far from death, don't worry. Aside from the injury in her stomach, she isn't quite hurt. She might wake up later," The doctor, they had rented, explained. "I advise for you to not let her move much if ever she wakes up today. Her wound might open up. It will become dangerous then."
"Thank you, sir." Kondo shook the doctor's hand with his.
"No problem. Give me a call if someone becomes injured again."
"Yes, we'll remember that."
Okita leaned closer to Hijikata to whisper something into his ear, "How does the girl look like, Hijikata-san?"
"She's cute, I'll give her that," Hijikata lit another cigarette.
"Oh," Okita smirked, "So, you like her."
Hijikata's face heated up, "No, I don't! She's just really cute! Even you think so!"
Okita pulled back, and nodded his head, his fingers under his jaw, "Yeah, she really is cute. But that doesn't make her not suspicious."
Hijikata's eyes narrowed at the sight of the girl sleeping in the futon, "You're right."