Bad Situations
Chapter 2: A Long Night
Wakahisa Hinako, an unlucky girl who just happens to get into the wrong situations each time.
Hijikata x OC
After the run in with Sougo and chasing away the other members that were busy peeking inside his room, he closed the shoji doors, closing off the light where the moon had given him. He allowed his eye to adjust with the darkness of his room. At the corner of his eyes he noticed that the girl is currently sleeping with her body slumped uncomfortably.
"Sleeping without a care in the world huh..." Hijikata stated blankly as he moved towards the girl.
He crouched down so that he would come face to face with her. She looked so peaceful and for a second he felt that perhaps she really was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He hesitated on his next move. His hand slowly made its way to her cheek. His icy cold fingertips woke Wakahisa from her dream world.
"Uhmmmm..." She groaned.
"You're awake?" The Demon Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi asked.
Wakahisa slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with the man. Their faces were just inches apart. Even though she does not want to admit it out loud to anyone, he was actually quite an eye treat. His slick black hair shone slightly in the darkness. The bangs if his hair covered a part of his eyes giving him the mysterious look as he looked down at her. His eyes were the colour of blue metal, sterling cold and yet have a tint of unspoken care. His face is perfect; his jaw line is well defined. If she had met Hijikata somewhere else she would have fallen in love with him at the very first sight. Unfortunately she had to meet him in the most unappealing way ever.
"What time is it?"
"Just a few minutes pass midnight." Hijikata replied after looking at his Justaway clock.
His mind slowly debated on whether he should remove the handcuffs on her hand or not.
"You know my arms are getting sore."
"...Sorry" Hijikata apologized softly as he pulled out the katana that was struck to the wall. Upon his actions Wakahisa's body fell forward and he catches her with his other free hand.
Shit I just remembered that she didn't have both lunch and dinner. She must have been very exhausted. Damn why am I feeling sorry for her? Perhaps I had been too mean to her. Should I remove the handcuffs from her hands? Perhaps I should...
"Click"
"Hijikata Toushirou. Just what are you planning?" Wakahisa turned her head to look up at the man whose body was of close proximity against hers. She blushed at the thought.
The Demon Vice-Commander, who currently isn't aware of the intimate little session, adjusted his body slightly and cradled her against his chest. He was no longer crouching he was now sitting with his legs apart. Wakahisa was in between his legs looking up at his face with confusion.
"Well you can't eat with your hands cuffed together right?"
The moonlight shone bright against the dark blue sky. The cicadas cry softly through the night, reminding Wakahisa that it is still summer. Hijikata and Wakahisa were walking by the corridors on their way to the kitchen to grab a midnight snack. The floorboards were squeaky as they were worn. The loud squeaking of the floor boards filled the air accompanied with the smell of sweat which lingered in the air. The Wakahisa shivered, the gentle breeze was cold for her. Despite it being summer she was feeling rather cold as her kimono's material was thin. At the corner of Hijikata's eye he noticed that she was shivering slightly. She placed her hands around her arms to keep herself warm as she peaked up her walking pace. He trailed behind her wondering if he should offer his haori to her.
"Wakahisa-san."
"Hnn..? What's wrong?" she turned to look at the man. His face showed emotions of confusion.
He muttered softly under his breath, "Just why am I doing this?"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." He dismissed as he slowly took off his haori and handed it her while facing away. He blushed slightly. He was not used to being sweet. "Here.."
"For me?" She asked as she tiled her head to the left to get a better glimpse of his face.
"Hn." He nodded slowly. When Wakahisa seemed like she was not going to take the haori off his hands, he decide to console her onto taking it. "Just take this as a form of apology for forcing you into that awful position for those few hours."
"…"
"…?"
"…"
With his patience wearing thin he began to sputter nonsensical rubbish under his breath as he forcefully shoved the haori into her hands. Hijikata Toushirou blushed slightly. He was not used in having intimate situations. More or less, offering something to someone.
'I am just taking care of her. Yes, I am just doing what Kondou-san would expect me to do, at the very least. Why is she looking at the haori like that! Is there something weird on it! Eh? What is that piece of paper on the back of the haori? WAIT A MINUTE! DON'T LOOK AT IT WAKAHISA!' Hijikata thought as beads of sweat trailed down his temple.
Wakahisa noticed the weird paper and started to read it. "DIE." It wrote.
"…"
"…"
"Are you guys going to walk or are you guys going to continue staring at each other?" Okita appeared out from nowhere asking them the question. He was standing behind the pair. He was also outside of his Shinsengumi uniform, wearing his light beige kimono with a white haori on top. "Ah Hijikata, are you secretly planning to kill Wakahisa-san?" Okita said accusingly as he seemingly 'saw' the note in Wakahisa's hands.
"I DID NOT WRITE THAT!" Hijikata exclaimed as he pointed towards the paper.
At a distance, a long haired person wearing an eye patch was loitering outside the Shinsengumi headquarters. The large duck wearing a green bandana beside him making him seemed similar. Could he be Katsura? Though Katsura would not be dumb enough to go straight to the Shinsengumi headquarters would he?
'I wonder why Elizabeth demanded me to disguise myself as Space Captain Katsura. Elizabeth was whacking me with his sign which had an angry mark written on it after we escaped from the Shinsengumis ambush.' Katsura thought himself mentally as he stood confidently sure that no one recognises him. 'Elizabeth has shown signs of care lately. I think he might have made some new friends. He has been using lesser sign boards lately and I need not throw as much as before.'
"So tell us more about yourself." Hijikata decided to strike up a conversation as they reached the kitchen, taking a bowl filled with cereal in his hands as he turned to face Wakahisa.
"You're straight to the point aren't you Hijikata-san?" Wakahisa sighed as she took a seat behind him, making him flinch by their close contact.
Wakahisa started to tell them more about her. Her without any parents, the hardships she had gone through up until now and where she is currently working.
"Wakahisa-san you work as a cabaret hostess?" Okita asked blankly as he poured tea for them. "It is unusual to see a girl like you working at such a place."
"Is that so? Ahaha, it is true that I get rather uncomfortable working at such places but the money comes fast." Wakahisa shrugged.
The dining hall was silent after their little chatter. Hijikata kept adding more and more mayonnaise into his cereal, complaining that it was not enough.
Wow I am amazed that he could eat that amount of mayonnaise and not get sick of it. Won't he have like high cholesterol or something? Other than that, there are more important matters. I missed a day for work today. It would be bad if my boss decided to fire me saying that I am irresponsible and all. I hardly brought any income to the cabaret either. I guess I am not good with handling men. I wonder if they would let me call my boss.
'Um… is it possible for me to call my workplace to inform them that I-"
"No." Both Hijikata and Okita replied in unison as they stared at her.
The atmosphere of the room intensified as the pair stared down onto her making her sweat.
Oh dear, it seems that they wouldn't let me call my boss. Well, they could at least be sweet to me after I practically told them my life story! Damn, why do I always have to get caught in such horrible situations? Sometimes I wonder why did my parents named me Hinako? My family surname is Wakahisa which basically means 'forever young'. Hinako my given name means 'child with harmonious days'. It is an irony isn't it? My life hasn't been harmonious at all. Just recently, it has been turmoil of chaos. Me meeting up and close with Katsura Kotarou the terrorist, getting caught by the Shinsengumi and even being accused as a member of the infamous Jouishishi.
"AHHHHHHH!" A voice could be heard outside the dining hall coming closer to the three, the shadow of a person running towards the closed shoji screen getting bigger each second.
'CRASH'
A man with an eye patch covering his left eye could be seen sprawling on the floor with the debris strewn all over the place.
"Ahahahaha…" He laughed nervously as he saw the three stare at him.
Wakahisa's eyes opened widely as she notices right away that the man was in fact Katsura Kotarou.
"JUST WHO ARE YOU!" Hijikata took his katana from its scabbard and pointed the sharp tip towards the man's throat.
"Be careful not to step on anything sharp Wakahisa-san" Okita said calmly as he put his hand in front of her as a sign of protection.
JUST WAIT A MINUTE! Don't tell me these two Shinsengumi members don't realise that this man is Katsura Kotarou! Don't tell me they cannot see through his lousy disguise! It is obvious that this is him. His long black hair and… and that voice of his could be recognised anywhere. Oh, and that duck. It is standing at the corridor right now. Is that a sign in its hands?
'We are here to save you.'
What? SAVE? Wait a minute. I do not need to be saved by terrorists! Just staying here at the Shinsengumi headquarters is good enough! I am not going anywhere. I shall just stay here being accused as a member of the Jouishishi and I will not get further involved inside anything that will get me into more trouble…
'Don't come closer or the bomb that we planted around the Headquarters will explode'
OH MY GOD! THE DUCK GOT HOLD OF ME! It is carrying me like a sack right now. Someone save me! Hijikata-san! Okita-kun!
"Hijikata-san! Okita-kun!" Wakahisa struggled.
"Hijikata-san, that creature took hold of Wakahisa-san." Okita muttered softly as he poked Hijikata at his sides, making him flinch.
"SHUT UP! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT LET THE CREATURE TOOK HOLD OF HER!" Hijikata screamed as he lashed out his sword at Okita who stood there doing nothing now with a forehead bleeding profusely.
While the pair was fighting, the man and the duck fled of the scene, jumping on the roof of various houses. Their mission on saving her had succeeded. (Not like as if Katsura know what he was actually doing)
"Ah… That man with the eye patch is got away thanks to you Hijikata-san."
"WHA-"
"You're such an irresponsible person Hijikata-san, how could you let both the suspect and the enemy get away."
"I AM TELLING YOU TO-"
"Die? Anyway, I was the one who wrote that letter Hijikata-san. It was fun seeing you being all shy and bashful in front of her. Why were you being so sweet for?" Okita sneered evilly making the older man backed away. "It was nice for a change. I even get to take a couple of pictures of that moment. Now you shall bow down to whatever I say won't you Toushi?"
"Eh? What-?"
"Whatever it is, we are supposed to be saving Wakahisa-san right now." Okita replied, turning back to his usual impassive self.
~Meanwhile~
"Ahhh, damn no matter what I do I can't get to sleep." The silver haired man complained out loud. "It must be because of this letter. Seriously it must be a murderer after me or something. Dammit why me? Why am I so unlucky! It might be a note from my killer, or did the person send me a piece of evidence? But seriously, this letter is suspiciously. You don't receive letters late at night…"
'WHACK!'
"Gin-chan, shut up! A young girl needs her beauty sleep." The girl walked away after hitting the man straight hard against the crown of his head, making his head spin.
"Damn that ungrateful girl, thanks to me she has a roof on her head right now." The man grumbled.
"Something huge is going to happen."
End of Chapter 2