|Chapter 1|
The Girl From Moon Palace
-Harada Sanosuke
She looked small. And very, very frail.
The first thing Harada noticed was her big frightened eyes. She hid herself behind Hijikata-san when she came under scrutiny of our curious gazes, her small white hands clutching at the taller man's black Yukata.
Well who wouldn't be a little apprehensive, Harada thought, when you were surrounded by seven strangers in a foreign location?
"What do we have here, Kondou-san? Not the usual sort, is she?"
Okita chimed in with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. His voice was light, but it was underlined by a slight tone of annoyance.
Whether Kondou-san noticed this or not, Harada didn't know, because he merely grinned and gently started tugging the girl by hand from behind Hijikata-san.
"No, I guess she isn't the usual sort we pickup." He laughed heartily, and with that, the slight tension in the atmosphere dissolved.
Harada noticed Okita sigh in resignation and relax. He understood the other man's concern - they were in short of... Everything really, and weren't really in the position to take in new people (who won't pay) - especially someone who looked as though they needed a lot of attention. The girl certainly wasn't one of the boys who could take care of themselves.
The girl kept her eyes fixed onto the ground, and after a few terse moment, gave into Kondou-san's tugging hands and finally came in full view.
She was wearing Kondou-san's haori, which was completely oversized for her and reached almost down to her ankles. What caught Harada's interest was that the girl was wearing white powder and red lipstick, and her midnight hair hung thick, showing signs of being oiled up. Her large eyes were accented with black liner and red shadow, her thick eyelashes coated with oil, making them splay out and frame her coal-black eyes. She looked lost, young and to put it mildly, very upset, but Harada could tell that with one coy smile, she would instantly belong somewhere in midst the splendour of the red-light district.
Harada's eyebrows rose up and a smirk played on his lips.
And apparently, he wasn't the only one to notice this, since Saito said with surprise in his voice of what must have been flitting through every man's head that moment:
"...*Oiran?"
"I'd say a *Maiko - much too young to be a Oiran." Okita grinned. "Well well, Kondou-san, Hijikata-san, where have you been to pick a cutie like this up?"
Okita's voice was teasing, and the girl flushed, and downcast her eyes even further.
"Have you been having fun while the rest of us were stuck freezing in the dojo, Hijikata-san." Harada piqued in, his voice full of amusement. "You should have called for me!"
Hijikata-san waved off the comments with an impatient frown. "We didn't pick up anyone, Souji, Sanosuke. We were just drinking some sake by the *Yukaku when we heard a big commotion. And of course, Kondou-san had to take a look, and we saw this-" he pointed at the girl in a resigned manner, "girl being kicked out of the Moon Palace, and..."
Hijikata-san suddenly trailed his words, his brows farrowing as if he was remembering something unpleasant. The girl blushed to an even further shade of red, her hands blanched as they were balled up into tight fists by her side.
Okita, being quick and perceptive as he was, picked up on the slight hesitation in Hijikata-san's voice. His brows raised at the uncharacteristic silence from the usually direct commander.
"They kicked her out, and...?"
"... They threw me outside the Yukaku, naked." The girl finally said quietly, when Hijikata-san still hesitated. "Hijikata-san and Kondou-san saved my life by taking me in before anyone else." Her eyes were still downcast, but her fist was balled up into an even tighter ball, her nails drawing blood from her palms. A thin line of crimson traced down to the centre of her knuckles.
Kondou-san looked troubled at her words and Hijikata-san sighed. His hands quickly reached down to the girl's and pried the bloody hands open.
The sharp-eyed man looked sternly at the girl.
"Don't do that. We're low on medical supplies as it is with this lot breaking a limb everyday or so."
His tone was gruff, but the men could tell he was worried for her.
Okita looked a little sheepish for almost forcing the words out of the girl, and chose to sit in silence. Heisuke and Shinpachi seemed unsure of what to say, and fell silent also. Saito simply observed the situation with a slight look of disgust in his face. Harada knew it was held not for the girl, but those kicked her out and virtually sentenced her to death in the streets.
"So we couldn't just leave her there, in middle of Kyoto at night and... All vulnerable, " Kondou-san spoke up, "So we decided to bring her here until she can find her own place."
"So it means for the time being, Saito and Souji will move to Heisuke, Sano, and Shinpachi's room - it'll be a little cramped, but it can't be helped." Hijikata-san said dismissively.
The boys nodded in compliance, but the girl seemed unsure as she suddenly spoke up, silencing all conversations.
"You... Don't have to go to such lengths to keep me comfortable." She finally raised her head and her coal black eyes sweeped across the room, meeting everyone's gazes. "I already owe everything to you for taking me in tonight."
She suddenly kneeled to everyone's surprise, and she bowed deeply, her long midnight hair parting sideways to expose her milky white neck - a sign of complete respect and trust.
"I owe you my life. Let me sleep somewhere I won't be a disturbance." She whispered, her voice muffled by the floor. "From today onwards, my life no longer belongs to the Yukaku, but in your hands."
She was certainly a daughter of the Yukaku. She was soft-spoken, her manner was eloquent, and her movements were graceful and pleasing to the eye. Harada had to admit that she had a certain unexpected fragility and strength that made him want to spear the people who threw her out in such a shameful way.
Hijikata-san was the first to break the silence.
"There's no need for such formalities. You will stay in the room we allocate you - you'll be less of a burden if you stay where we can keep an eye on you."
His words were harsh, but his tone was a lot softer than before. His lips even entertained a smile for a little while as he watched the girl get up from her bow.
"Toshi's right! You don't need to be so stiff with us!" Kondou-san laughed heartily. "You'll be our honoured guest during your stay here in Shiei Hall, uhh..."
Kondou-san paused, looking sheepish. "Forgive me, but I seem to have forgotten your name."
The girl lowered her eyes and a small smile tugged on her lips. "...Youjin Yukimura."
"Welcome to Shiei Hall, Youjin. We'll call you our 'honoured guest' but we really don't have a lot to offer."
The girl turned to Harada as he spoke to her, seemingly surprised by the sudden input. But she quickly regained her composure and bowed from the waist.
"A place to sleep is already more than enough, kind sir."
Harada laughed. "You don't have to be so formal with me. Call me Sano."
The girl lifted her head and met his eyes for the first time. A smile graced her red lips, and Harada could safely say that even with her makeup faded, her hair not ornately up, and dressed in a man's Haori, she was one of the most beautiful woman he's ever laid his eyes on.
"Thank you... Sano-san."
That's it, the guys at Moon Palace should be wary the next time I see them, because they might just end up with a spear sticking out of their stomachs.
*Oiran - The ancestors of the modern Geisha
*Maiko - A trainee Courtesan
*Yukaku - Pleasure quarters made legal by the Shogunate (the government of the Shogun, a hereditary military dictator)
Woo, 1st chapter! :) Each chapter is going to be told in either one of the Shinsengumi's or the OC's viewpoint, if you haven't realised already with Harada!
The story is probably not going to follow the game's events, but may contain some elements of it; ie, some characters/ some events. Please note that some of the things I write isn't fully researched and may be a little strange for some native Japanese speakers. To non-japanese speakers, it should be fine :3