Searching for Paradise

Act Two

She had to push the vivid flashbacks out of her head for now. It was time to get down to business and embrace her new identity and life. It was about time she introduced herself to the environment in any event. She had to get used to it after all, she was going to be living here from now on right? Besides, how hard could it be? It was just a bunch of men, not monsters! She had lived alone with her father for as long as she could remember, so she had some kind of idea about what males were like! Pretending to be a man had to be the easiest part of this operation…right?

Katsuke stood outside of her master's bedroom, hands placed on her chest and legs locked in place. Ugh, if being a man was going to be so easy why was she hesitating? Gah, they were just guys! So what if they were probably high strung, mean, nasty and angry all the time! If she were going to be staying here for an extended period of time, she would have to get used to it. But did that mean she had to make friends or even talk to anyone? She could keep to herself, sure she could! Even though someone as lovely as herself was hard not to talk to!

In any event she would have to walk into her new world sometime, but this time not as a female but as a man.

She took a single step into the daylight, finally sneaking her way out of the darkness of the corridor of the hall. She lifted her hand to her face, pushing her newly dyed hair out of her eyes. Ugh, why did her master insist on changing her hair color after all? So what if someone recognized her, it wasn't like she had any friends back where she had come from! Ugh, maybe it was the fact that the sugar from the berries had made her hair gritty to the touch that had her so irritated. After all, what's more important to a beautiful woman, such as herself, then her hair? Ah, it couldn't be helped now.

Or could her frustration have to do with the fact that she was nervous, deep down inside? No, she couldn't be nervous! It wasn't in her make-up! Katsuke Nakamura didn't get nervous! She wasn't just any woman, she was part of the Nakamura bloodline and that meant that she had the courage and bravery of any soldier! Her father had instilled it in her so there wasn't any way she could show any kind of weakness. Especially not in front of potential teammates, or dare she think, friends?

She began to take steps forward into the kitchen area. Yamanami had requested tea about fifteen minutes ago and there was no doubt that he was still eagerly waiting. But you can't rush perfection! If he had to wait a half hour or two, so be it! It wasn't like she was going to forget or anything. She had better things to think about anyway, like how she was not nervous! He could understand that, right? Besides, a woman has to take her time when she was doing something right.

Her eyes kept to the floor as she stepped forward. Best not to make eye contact with anyone just yet, all the excitement from the events earlier in the day was still fresh in her system. For all she knew, if someone were to stop and talk to her, she'd fly into a frenzy and assault them with verbal responses. Most people would call that panicking but she, a Nakamura, did not panic. Not by any means! She was better than that! She-

"Yeah, that was hilarious, Sanosuke!"

"Really, I didn't plan it at all! HAHAHA!"

"Next time you should put bags on its feet, Shinpachi!"

Three strange voices. Ugh, she could handle this, even if she refused to glance upward. Keeping her eyes glued to the floor, Katsuke inhaled through her nose and held her breath. These voices wouldn't catch her off guard, she couldn't allow three new voices to get her attention and attract attention to herself. She wouldn't talk to anyone; she didn't want to talk to anyone. The fewer people she interacted with meant the less likely her secret would come to the surface.

Three people all ready knew the truth, no one else needed to know anything else. She pressed forward, bypassing the three men, leaving their voices to fade into the distance.

XoXoX

Getting tea for her superior? Could it get any more boring? Gah, where was all the sword fighting and practices? This was the Shinsengumi! Wasn't anyone going to come in, bleeding through his ears or having a gaping wound to the gut? God, getting tea couldn't be the highlight of her day, something had to happen around here worthwhile. But it was her first day on the job; maybe it would take awhile before she saw her first splash of human blood?

Either way her first task of being Yamanami's Page was finished. She sat down before her master; head bent down to showcase her respect; even if she was bored out of her mind. An almost silent slurp entered the air for a short moment, stopping after a good three seconds and their awkward silence continued.

Why wasn't he saying anything? He could ask about her, her history and why she was here! Geez, if he weren't so good looking, she'd be offended! But when she looked into those soft eyes, hidden behind a barrier of glass, she felt her heart melt. And his voice? Oh she couldn't think about his voice without getting goosebumps. Damn him and his gentlemen-like attitude! Sure, it had only been a few hours but she could get used to his ways.

"Katsuke," Ah and there it was again, that sultry voice. "I need you to do something for me."

Anything! Oh, if he asked in that voice, he could ask her for anything. Resisting the urge to swoon in front of him, she brushed off the giddy feeling in her heart and cleared her throat. "Yes?"

"Hijikata asked me to order you to pick up his bread from the bakery." He said, lifting his small teacup back up to his lips. "From the Tarason Bakery, he insists on that bakery, please don't forget."

Insist? What was that about? Did the demon captain Hijikata have a special spot for someone at the bakery or perhaps it just the bread was better there. Eh, it didn't matter anyway; it was just a quick grocery run. If it was just going in, buying bread and getting out, she could do that no problem.

"Fine." She lifted herself off the floor and made her way toward the door.

"Good luck." He smiled at her.

Luck? She wouldn't need it.

XoXoX

This had to be some kind of joke, getting bread from a bakery? Could it get any simpler? This couldn't be what the Shinsengumi went through on a day-to-day basis! There had to be some kind of danger involved with everything they do, didn't there? If this was what they were going to make her do, then how was she supposed to get anything done? She had a mission to complete after all! Going grocery shopping was not on her agenda. Then again, if that's what being a Page consisted of, then she'd be a full-fledged member in no time. No time flat.

Katsuke handed over her change to the baker with a sigh and roll of her eyes. The woman at the shop took her order with little effort and turned about and walked to the back of the shop to grab her desired bread. God, things had to get better then this. If things didn't change, she wasn't sure how long she could-

A small sneeze broke her out of her mental rant. She lifted her chin and looked over her left shoulder. In the back corner of the bakery a tall, rugged-looking man sat with one leg crossed over. His bleached blonde hair looked as if someone had cut it while blindfolded. Strings of hair stuck out here and there, his sideburns over grown to the point of obvious notice. His face was covered in old knife wounds, scars that caused bald patches on his eyebrows and hairline. Most noticeable of all was the former wound to his left eye. A vertical scar reached from eyelid to upper cheek had obviously caused enough damage to blind him in said eye, seeing as the color had been drained from his eye.

What the heck? He looked like a thug, what was he doing here? Her eyes moved from the man with the eye scar and to the two men he was sitting across from. The two men differed in appearance, being a lot less eye-catching then the bleached blonde.

"We can't afford to screw this up. We only have one chance." The 'leader' of the three grunted, his balled fist meeting the table surface with a solid bang. "You got that?"

Well, the fact that they were whispering and hidden in the back of the shop didn't give them away at all. Psh, they were discussing things like that in public? It was kind of sloppy wasn't it? They couldn't possibly be with the Choshu, could they? Nah, that was impossible!

"Ma'am?"

Katsuke flinched hard. She jerked forward to see the shop owner with a small bag in hand. Ah, geez she wasn't obviously staring was she? She shook her head before reaching forward and taking her purchase from the baker's hands. With a quick thanks, she turned on her heel and began to march out of the small bakery.

She walked by the strange men, her steps slowed. "We'll be undercover at the Nanami Shop tomorrow night. Surely those Nibu scumbags will never find out."

Wait, what? Did that weird guy just say what she thought he said? So he was one of the bad guys! But he couldn't be that stupid, could he? Just admitting his plans out in public like that? No one could be that dumb! Then again…if she was a new face with the Shinsengumi then maybe he thought it was safe to speak out loud? Either way this was info that would get her into the Shinsengumi, no problem! If she could get back to headquarters with valuable information then maybe they'd give her a promotion? They had to! It was only right!

She picked up her pace, making her way out of the bakery in one piece. She lifted the bag that contained the warm bread in her arms and held it to her chest. She was good, there was no way Hijikata and Yamanami could not give her a promotion after receiving bread and some Choshu info! She could see it now; she'd be a part of the best unit. And further in the future? She'd be a unit captain, no doubt! Just wait until they saw her sword skills!

"What do you think he's doing?"

"I don't know, maybe he's nuts."

"Sanosuke, go poke him!"

Her ear twitched. What the? Who the heck was following her? The fact that the voices sounded familiar only caused the female to tense further. She was sure she wasn't hallucinating, those voices had to belong to those guys she had come across earlier in the day!

"Yeah, that was hilarious, Sanosuke!"

Yeah, that name! Sanosuke, she had defiantly heard that before. So they were following her? What for? Geez, it wasn't like she was doing anything interesting! It was just a grocery trip; if it was something appealing she might understand that stalking but this? Ugh, it had to be because she was 'new meat'. Either way she had to face the three eventually, might as well make her alpha male status known now rather than later.

She turned her chin over her shoulder and moved her field of vision from the floor upward until her eyes met with three men. The first and furthest to the right was very tall, dwarfing the other two by a few good feet. The man in the middle stood with a sly smirk on his face and the last redhead linked his arms to his hips, displaying his clear attitude.

"Oh my god, he sees us!" The shorter of the men was quick to gasp in shock before bursting out into laughter for no apparent reason.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her brow twitching along the way.

"Come on, Shinpachi." The tallest of the men gave Shinpachi a good nudge with his elbow before continuing, "No, we're just on patrol, what is the newbie hanging around our parts of the woods for?"

Her cheek mimicked her brow and twitched.

"Hey, he isn't answering you, Sanosuke," The man in the middle was quick to reply.

"Forget about it, Heisuke, he's just a newbie." Sanosuke answered to Heisuke's reply with his own feisty comeback.

Newbie? She was considered the newbie? Pah! She was not going to fall into the category of fresh meat. She was so much better than that, hell she considered herself a veteran in her own mind by now! She wasn't just anyone, she was a Nakamura!

"I'm not a newbie," She sent a fierce glare toward the three jokers. "I'm thee great and powerful Katsuke Nakamura and I was just returning from my mission given to me by the superior Hijikata!"

"Oh?" Heisuke bent forward to come to eye-level with the cross dresser, "And what kind of mission is that?"

She fell silent. Ah God, did he have to ask that? Why couldn't he just take her answer and be happy with it? It wasn't like she had ever done anything wrong or mean to him! Ugh, if she told them that her 'mission' was actually a grocery shopping trip, she was sure to get a few good laughs. Damn. Her eyes darted down to the bag she held so dearly in her arms. With one swift jerk she moved the paper bag out of view.

"Well newbie? Gonna tell us?" Shinpachi began to tap his foot.

Was there any point in hiding it now? Why did having to be honest have to be so hard? Biting down on her lower lip she grunted. But it was now or never, she had to make an impression and assert herself as 'top dog'. With one great inhale she lifted her chin and held her breath. She pressed her chest outward and like a quail stood her ground. "I'm getting the great Hijikata a loaf of bread from his favorite store so he may snack on it!"

"Oh." The three said at once, "Is that all?"

Katsuke exhaled and nodded a single time.

"Anyway," Shinpachi moved his hand aside, "We'll walk you back to the dojo, patrol is kind of boring today."

"Yeah!" Sanosuke replied, a huge grin spreading across his face, "Come on, kid!" He shouted as he ran toward Katsuke, and wrapped his arm around the newcomer.

"Now, let's talk." Heisuke smiled as he took Katsuke's other arm, "What are you about?"

"What am I about?" She repeated, tugging both arms out of reach.

"Yeah? What brings you to the dojo?" Shinpachi answered, lifting a single brow.

"I have my reasons, nothing you should know about." She was sure to add vigor with her reply.

"Geez, this guy is rude." Shinpachi whispered to Sanosuke, walking around Katsuke and meeting the taller man on his right side.

"Oh come on, newbie." Heisuke began in a more pleasant tone, "What do you want us to call you?"

"Nakamura, Katsuke, it does matter really."

"All right," The middle man nodded. "Now are names are-"

"No, that's okay I don't care to know that your names are." Katsuke snuffed.

"Man, you think he was a woman or something." Sanosuke taunted, earning a chuckle or two from his partners in crime.

She froze. Did they just compare her to a woman? Did that mean that they thought she was a woman? No! This couldn't be happening, not so soon! She had to deflect any suspicion and fast. She had to nip this situation in the bud, there was no way everyone was going to find out her secret so fast! This would end here, now.

"What," She paused dead in her tracks. "Did you say?"

Their obnoxious laughter came to a halt. They all took a few steps ahead of her, probably unaware that she had stopped until they turned back to look at her. They remained quiet and even without looking them in the face, she could see that their brows were cocked and frowns had set in.

"You okay?" The smallest man's voice entered her ears.

"Don't ever compare me to a woman." She hissed, finally turning her head up to meet their stares with her own. "I hate women."

Her narrowed stare and deep pitch must have caught them off guard. The three men lifted their arms into the air, hands up in defense. For a brief moment, the three men broke their eye contact with her and turned to one another in question. With a quick shrug the three men released their defensive stance and moved their arms back down to their sides.

"Eh, whatever." Shinpachi said with a small smile.

"Yeah," Katsuke poked out her bottom lip. "Remember to keep that in mind."

Act End.