Tides
Souji rolled his eyes at the bickering puppies' antics; Kawa shook her head, sipping her soup contently. By this point everyone present (except Chizuru) was so used to the baka trio's antics at dinner that it was almost passé.
"Knock it off, you two; you're annoying Yukimura-kun." Inoue-san finally spoke, cutting in just as Shinpachi was only seconds from pulling Heisuke into a headlock, earning both sets of blue eyes to round on said girl.
Chizuru laughed weakly, sweatdropping at being put on the spot.
Kawa took the sake bottle from Saitou's tray to pour another shot just as the side door from the back-hall opened to reveal their returned vice-commanders; she perked up.
"We're back." Toshi said calmly as he stepped inside first to take his seat on Kondou's left, catching the slightly surprised expressions on the faces of the quartet –Souji, Saitou, Kawa, and Inoue-san—that were fixed on San'nan-san as he followed his fellow vice-commander inside.
"Well done, vice-commander, deputy vice-commander." Saitou spoke first, earning a nod from the former.
Souji smiled slightly, "Good to see you're back, San'nan-san." He chimed, receiving a brief smile from the man.
"You both did well out there. How's your arm?" Kondou agreed, looking at the bespectacled vice-commander.
San'nan-san shrugged, "See for yourself; I was too careless." He joked slightly.
Kawa afforded a slight smile, throwing a concerned glance at her 'brother'.
At noting the blank stares on the captain's faces, San'nan-san smiled brightly even though one could swear it didn't reach his eyes. "But I'll be fine! It's not as bad as it looks, so there's nothing to worry about. If you'll excuse me," he nodded slightly to his superior before straightening and leaving the room.
"San'nan-san, aren't you gonna eat?" Heisuke asked confusedly just as he was about to close the door.
"I'm a bit tired, so I'll pass and just head to my quarters." San'nan-san assured, closing the door on the conversation.
Souji frowned slightly at his leave, looking at his old friend, "Exactly how bad is his injury, Hijikata-san?" He asked.
"I can't say for sure…" Toshi began when noting there was an extra in their company, and he scowled as he recognized the younger girl who sat between Shinpachi and Sano. "What're you doing here; who let you come eat with us?" He demanded, perking her ears.
Chizuru faltered, looking down, "I, um…"
The second female shook her head as Kondou, the baka trio, and Inoue-san tried to take the heat for her (chivalry wasn't dead after all, who knew?), and she said clearly, "It was my idea. She's my roommate, so I'll accept the consequences." She looked at his violet eyes resignedly.
Toshi scowled again, "Just because you're roommates doesn't give you the right to bypass my orders, Yasakawa." He scolded.
"I'll just finish eating in the room, if it's alright…" Chizuru offered, slightly hurt that she had to leave the company of her new friends so soon…
"Only at mealtimes." Toshi stopped her, meeting her surprised brown stare and holding it for a second before he exhaled, looking away. "Suppose I'll eat something, too." He mused.
Kawa smiled softly at him as Inoue-san got up to fetch him a tray, sipping her drink. "Softie." She teased.
Toshi shot her a look, "Bite me."
"…While I'm not pissed off yet, ya might wanna think about givin' back that fish!" Souji wagered cattily.
"What the hell's all the noise for?" Kawa groaned as she also poked her head out of the bedroom window at having heard Souji's voice, blinking once and then twice as she focused on the cat that had escaped his clutches and now sat on the overhanging roof. She deadpanned. "Oi…"
Saitou also deadpanned at having his friend's words being ignored by the feline that scratched behind its ear as if he hadn't said anything… or was pointing a butcher's cleaver at it, "I think it's ignoring you." He said.
Souji clicked his tongue and exhaled, "Ya leave me no choice then… Yamazaki-kun, get the cat." He looked at the investigator boredly.
"W-wait, why me?" Yamazaki demanded, scowling at him.
"You were the one who opened the door when Hajime-kun told ya not to, so it's only fair." Souji explained, left brow slightly twitching at the state of things.
Yamazaki scowled at the cat and then at the samurai, "Given the predicament, I think it'd be best to inform the vice-commander about the cat." He defended.
"You seriously wanna involve Toshi with this…?" Kawa grumbled from overhearing them, shaking her head.
Souji scoffed, "Ya really wanna bug Hijikata-san about some stupid cat?" He remarked; the idea sounded pretty lame, downright idiotic, by his standards.
"Well, when you put it that way…" Yamazaki muttered, faltering at the irrationality of his own words, blinking as the cat then walked off with the fish in its jaws.
Saitou wanted to slap his forehead. "I don't suppose you have a better idea?" He wondered blandly of the two men.
His brow twitched again; Souji huffed, "Maybe ya can think of one as I get that stupid cat; c'mon, Hajime-kun," he jogged after said feline with Saitou following shortly, pretending he didn't notice both girls had been watching them.
"H-hey, wait, Okita-san!" Yamazaki barked as he tailed the duo.
Chizuru sweatdropped; Kawa giggled, shaking her head. "It's kinda weird if you think on it, a cat chasing a cat…" She mused.
"Oi, girls, y'mind if we borrow your room for a minute?" Shinpachi said as he, Sano and Heisuke entered the girls' room, surprising the younger.
Kawa raised both brows at them, folding her arms. "To what do we owe the intrusion, boys?" She wondered blandly.
"That thing got the jump on us again," Heisuke grumbled.
Shinpachi huffed, "Cripes, how many times is that now, twenty?"
"It doesn't matter how many times it's been; if we don't do something about it soon, this could get ugly." Sano sighed.
"You're not talking about Inari-chan, are you?" Kawa asked, both brows remaining lifted, earning the trio's attention.
"'Inari-chan'?" Heisuke repeated with a blink of his teal eyes.
"You named it?" Sano demanded incredulously.
Kawa pouted slightly, brow set into a defensive scowl. "Can you blame me; she's cute!" She declared.
"Then you might as well adopt that flea-bag, if ya've already named it!" Shinpachi scoffed.
"Are you guys talking about the cat?" Chizuru broke in before her roommate could argue, looking from the trio to her friend.
Sano nodded, throwing a look at the older female, then looking at her. "Yep. That cat's been stealing from us for over a week, now; Shinpachi and I were preparing lunch last week when the cat… Inari-chan, I mean… jumped in and made a fine mess of the kitchen. Now it comes every two or three days for food." He explained.
Heisuke lamented, "I helped them cover it up last time, but still…"
"Let's just hope Hijikata-san don't catch wind of it." Shinpachi mused aloud.
Kawa winced slightly at the notion, shaking her head. "Gods I can hear him now… Not sure if he'd clock you first and then chew you out, or the other way around…" She scritched the back of her head.
"Like he'd be that lenient!" Souji scoffed as he and Saitou filed into the room, the former taking a spot next to Kawa. "Knowin' Hijikata-san, he'd prolly give ya a triple-scoop on the head and then brain ya to death with his katana…"
"We didn't get the cat, and in any case, we shouldn't make him worry over something this trivial." Saitou agreed, "The proper solution is to fix this on our own."
Sano looked at the younger captain, "where is Hijikata-san, anyway?"
"I'm pretty sure he's in a meeting with Kondou-san and San'nan-san." Heisuke answered thoughtfully.
Shinpachi pondered, "In that case, we'll have to clean up the kitchen and then cook again to cover our tracks."
Souji pointed out, "We can't just ignore the cat."
"We'll split up, then." Saitou chimed.
"Shinpachi and I'll see to the kitchen." Sano proposed.
"Hajime-kun, Kawa and I'll find the flea-bag… Inari-chan, I mean." Souji said, shooting a look at his lover.
Cheeks coloring, Kawa rubbed her neck, "Oh, you heard that?" She sang sweetly.
"W-wait a sec, you want me to deal with Hijikata-san and the other two alone!?" Heisuke yelped in surprise.
Souji and Saitou both looked at the younger girl seated next to the latter. "Not by yourself." Saitou disagreed calmly.
Chizuru blinked once and then twice, "M-me?"
:::::::lDl:::::::
A faint meow came from the courtyard.
Rousing, Kawa looked to see her roommate sticking her head out the window, thus explaining why she heard the meow; she shook her head, shuffling to join her, blinking back sand when seeing Toshi seated on the far-end of the porch talking to the cat.
The older girl smiled wryly at the sight; she'd only heard that cats liked women and demons, but to see an actual visualization of said rumor… She wanted to giggle, but she bit down on her lip to keep her mouth shut, watching the cat scamper off into the bushes clustered near the low wall.
Well, see you around, Inari-chan…
"What're you two doing up so late?" Toshi demanded gruffly of both girls, making the younger squeak as the older jumped slightly at being pulled out of her thoughts.
"Um, well…" Chizuru faltered, her cheeks coloring a dark pink at being found out.
Kawa smiled cheesily at him, rubbing her neck, "Oh, Toshi, didn't see you there!" She greeted lightly, knowing he was going to chew her out by morning.
Cripes…
"If it's late, then get back to bed, both of you!" Toshi ordered sharply, making the older girl wince.
"H-hai!" Chizuru yipped and instinctively bowed, accidentally smacking her forehead on the windowsill and yelping an 'Ow!' as she scrambled back into the room.
Kawa covered her mouth to hide her giggling, catching the bemused smile on his face; she grinned mischievously. "Hmm, getting soft are we~?" She drawled playfully, watching the smile drop when he noticed she'd caught him.
Toshi coughed, his cheeks coloring pink, and he glared pointedly at her. "Go to sleep, Yasakawa!" He ordered.
"You got it, onii-chan!" Kawa saluted, shutting the window and hearing him bark, 'Don't call me that!' as she closed it. She shook her head and laughed quietly as she shuffled back to bed.
Saitou looked in the girl's direction when feeling her eyes on him. "Do you need something?" He asked.
"Oh, um," Chizuru began, shuffling to face him properly, slightly blushing as she felt Souji's and Kawa's eyes rest on her from their spot on the porch, "Actually I wanted to ask if you'd let me go look for my father, around the Capital." She said.
"That's not possible, given there're a lot of people who want to kill us as well as the fact that there are no available soldiers to offer as an escort for you." Saitou declined, resuming his training.
Souji raised a brow at noting her downcast expression, "Ya might be able to come with us though, while we do our rounds." He proposed, earning a look from Kawa and mild glance from Saitou.
Chizuru perked up at his words, "R-really, you'd let me come with you?" She asked excitedly.
Kawa elbowed Souji, "it's not that easy y'know. You've got to at least know hand-to-hand combat and to wield a sword. Your kodachi isn't exactly intimidating, either." She stated calmly.
"I know how to wield a sword! I used to attend a dojo to learn how to use my short sword, actually…" Chizuru defended, earning a raised brow from the older girl, and she scowled stubbornly.
"Since you sound so confident, I'll test you." Saitou declared, making the trio look at him in slight surprise.
Souji hummed and smirked amusedly, "This should be fun."
Kawa watched as they prepared to spar, legs dangling over the lip, glancing from Saitou to Chizuru. Given he was left-handed much like her, she knew Saitou was a formidable opponent, and to this day he still surpassed her in skill. She knew next to nothing about Chizuru's own skills, even if she did claim she knew how to wield a sword.
"O-of course it's not for show! But wouldn't you die if I struck you with my sword, Saitou-san?" Chizuru's chirped bark pulled her from her thoughts, earning a look from her.
Souji laughed even as Saitou twitched slightly at her ludicrous thinking, "That's hilarious that you honestly think ya can cut down Hajime-kun!" He chortled.
"I-it's not funny, Okita-san!" Chizuru barked, slightly blushing in embarrassment.
Kawa rolled her eyes, "If you're that concerned with hurting him –which I doubt, personally—then use the blunt side of your sword." She advised patiently, seeing her roommate nod slightly.
Drawing her sword, Chizuru turned it so the underside faced skyward, and she gave a slight battle-cry as she charged, sword raised high.
Within seconds, Saitou had disconnected her sword from her grip, and as she turned slightly on him, he raised his katana's blade so the sharp end threatened to cut her throat, surprising her.
"W-what just happened…?" Chizuru balked, surprised and confused at the same time, even as Saitou drew his arm back and sheathed his katana.
"I might've forgotten to mention that Hajime-kun's a master at the quick draw." Souji commented lightly from the porch, straightening to his feet.
Chizuru looked at her dropped sword, gaping, "B-but how… he was fast!"
Kawa picked her discarded sword from the ground, assessing its lightness in her left hand's grip, offering it back to her. "Saitou-kun's the fastest swordsman out of all of us, really. You're lucky this was just practice, ya'd have been dead if it was serious." She declared, letting her take the sword and return it to the scabbard at her left hip.
"Right… Wait, so does this mean I can go?" Chizuru nodded, looking at the two captains hopefully.
Saitou nodded slightly at her, "Be proud of your sensei, your blade was unclouded. We'll talk with the vice-commander about getting clearance for you." He answered.
"T-thank you!" Chizuru chirped with a happy light in her eyes, watching the trio leave.
Souji smiled slightly at her, "Keep in mind that if ya try to run or get in our way while we're on patrol, we'll kill ya." He reminded.
Kawa smiled gently at the younger girl as she nodded vigorously, sighing and retreating to the shade of the porch, tugging on his sleeve. "C'mon, let's go." She urged, glancing back at her roommate and winking.
Saitou rolled his eyes at her, leading the way inside with the couple following. "Don't tell me you wish to train her." He wondered, looking at the swordswoman. Given he'd known her well over a few years, he knew she had a sympathetic and kind side to her. He could tell she took pity on the girl, even so much as to befriend her.
If Kawa wasn't the tough-as-nails swordswoman that she was, he had a feeling she would be more like Yukimura.
"And what's wrong if I do? Even though she claims she's been to a dojo to learn to use her short sword, it's clearly been a while since she's trained. She's hesitant to fight." Kawa's defense stirred him from his thought train. She lowered her scowling gaze and folded her arms at her chest. "She's not like me." She added on a more subdued tone.
Souji's lips pursed at her melancholic frown, instinctively raising a hand to place his arm around her shoulders, watching her look up at him as he spared her a soft smile. "Ne, Hajime-kun ya should know by now our princess ain't so dainty." He chided his old friend lightly.
Saitou noted her moment of sadness faded instantly when the brunette gave her a smile meant only for her, not really finding much room to argue her last comment.
She had indeed told him about her childhood, how she picked up the sword to defy what people thought of her, how she became the strong woman she was via hard training and sheer determination. He did have to admit he admired her strength, inner and outer; maybe he wouldn't mention it to her though…
She did tend to take advantage of praise if she felt like doing so; that he blamed on Souji one-hundred percent.
So he nodded slightly, a ghost-smile forming. "If anything, Kawa-chan is clearly the opposite." He mused, perking her ears.
Kawa blinked and then she smiled slowly, nodding. "Right." Saitou-kun, chivalry doesn't die with you, does it? She mused, instinctively squeezing Souji's hand in hers.
:::::::lDl:::::::
Souji clicked his tongue at the impending fight on the bridge, "Cripes, now?" He grumbled, looking at his companion. "Keep an eye on her." He instructed, turning to assess the situation.
Kawa shook her head as she turned to jog after the younger girl's trail to Masuya, opening the door flap just in time to see one ronin converging on Chizuru with his sword drawn. "Damn!" Katana flying from the scabbard, she caught the man's descending blade quickly, a metallic 'klang' ringing out.
Cracking open an eye from having flinched at the threat, Chizuru perked up to see the older girl standing in the way with her katana drawn and held fast by her left hand's grip, right hand extended to block her from harm and keeping the ronin away from his original intentions. "K-Kawa-chan!" She gaped.
Teeth gritted, Kawa's steely gray eyes narrowed as she punted the ronin away momentarily, slashing sharply so a diagonal gash appeared across the man's torso; she hummed as she straightened her stance when the ronin fell at her feet, gauging the gawking stares on the rest of his party of three (four if she considered the shop's host). "Don't tell me your balls dropped, ladies!" She drawled coolly, smiling in anticipation.
It was about time she got to see some action; she'd been feeling rusty as of late…
"Bitch!" A second ronin and third ronin flew at her, jerking her from her thoughts.
"Look out!" Chizuru barked behind her.
A loud 'klang' hummed in the air as a katana was knocked clean out of its wielder's grasp and sent flying to clatter on the cold floor.
Okita Souji's face was stony, his green eyes deadly. "Ne, why didn't ya invite me to the party, Kawa?" He hummed jovially, his gaze never leaving the ronin he'd rendered defenseless.
Kawa huffed as she smirked coldly into the angered brown eyes of the ronin whose katana she'd blocked with her own. "It was last-minute, love!" She replied in the same light tone.
"Okita-san!" Chizuru said in relief behind the couple.
At seeing the rest of his squad coming in to offer support, Kawa punted the katana from the ronin's hand, letting the lesser-ranked soldiers arrest him and his cohorts. "I could've handled it." She mused to the brunette, pouting childishly at him as he lowered his sword and she did the same.
Souji smiled cheekily at her pout, poking her nose. "Not ta burst your bubble, princess, but neither of ya have luck. 'Course, that goes for the rest of us as well." He mused, chuckling when she wrinkled her nose reflexively.
A/N: lol sorry for the lengthy chapters, guys. kinda making up for not updating faster i suppose. anyway~
quick note, i just HAD to include the bonus OVA special from the anime in this chapter. and given it occurs while San'nan-san still has his arm in a sling, ontop of it occurring one month (give or take) prior to the Ikedaya raid, i felt it fit nicely into the timeline. Souji's expression in the first clip of the special was so adorable (that or i need help bc he was wielding a cleaver in the same instance.. orz); that's my main reason, i'm done and here's the next chapter. so bleh~ d: and yeah, some Saitou and Kawa bonding moments. just a reminder, this fic is strictly SoujiOC as the main pairing, so don't you go getting any ideas now! lD also, it wouldn't surprise me if cats did like oni (especially a certain oni-fukucho~ /brick'd). i lol'd when rewatching the last scene where Chizuru smacked her forehead on the windowsill that was too cute. xD ok now i'm done.
feel free to give some feedback, folks! i don't bite.. much~ ;D chapter three might be shorter than this one, not sure, but who knows? anyway, again, feel free to review and let me know if this sucks or if you just love it to death. lates!