Okita sighed.

"Your majesty, whatever has been bothering you? All you have been doing since yesterday was to sigh-"

"Oh just shut up Zaki, I don't need a butler telling me what to do."

"Well… Well then!" he indignantly huffed and left the chamber to go play badminton or something.

Okita turned back towards the window and rested his face on the window sill. Outside, the ocean sparkled its seven colors and the seagulls bobbed on the rolling waves. The sand was pale grains of gold and the tropical fauna was all the hues of emerald, flowing in the wind. But this was nothing to the king as he watched, eagle-eyed, the couple walking along the beach below.

Hijikata gently walked with the girl (he had secretly heard it to be Kagura)'s hand on his arm. He said something and she grinned, rather impishly.

"Stupid, you're not supposed to smile like that in a royal court, do you know how many people would take advantage of you, baaaaka, baaaaka," Okita mumbled under his breath. But he sighed once more, shook his head once more, turned away once more. "What does this matter to me? Nope, nothing at all. Not. A. Thing. So, why should I-"

A sudden shriek of laughter instantly found him glued to the window again. He inwardly sighed at himself again. It was just a seagull out at sea-

Wait. That's no seagull. What… He squinted at the giant, white… Thing. Kinda floating in the water. Something that looked vaguely between a duck and maybe a lump of milk curd.

It held up a flipboard. "SOS" it said. Okita further squinted at the sign, reading the small print beneath it. "Sincerely, the Sea-witch".

Now what the hell is that supposed to mean. Save our ship, sincerely the sea-witch? What sea-witch? What ship? Sea-witches wouldn't need ships? But before he could further ponder, the duck thing disappeared back underwater.


It was already twilight when the couple disappeared back into the castle. Okita checked the clock and then grinned. He grabbed his kuzoo and leapt out into the balcony. He checked to see the window diagonal to his, which was Hijikata's guest room. The lights flicked on.

With sadistic delight, Okita held up the kuzo and began to play, obnoxiously loud, 'Under the waves'. He closed his eyes, looking forward to see the spitting angry Hijikata.

"Under the waves, under the waves."

Okita froze and peered over the edge. Kagura stood beneath the balcony, grinning. "That's a famous folk song from my country," she exclaimed.

"Uh, you have a movie song as a folk song?"

"Sure, why not? I think a famous folk song up here is Olla Gangsta Style right?"

"... you might be missing a couple letters there but… wait, wait, no, that's not a folk so-"

"Well anyway, why are you playing 'Under the waves'?" She looked up, cocking her head to one side.

"To annoy Hijikata," the words slipped out.

Kagura looked at him drily with raised eyebrows, like Seriously? Are you really going to be such a loser bruh? "Wow, noble king aren't you."

He snorted. "Better than a wild thing frolicking outside the palace at night."

"At least I act like how I am."

Kagura inwardly facepalmed. This time Okita looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"So, I'm not sure if you just pwned yourself but anyway, you do realize that you shouldn't be here?"

She blinked as he looked at her pointedly. "What."

"One, you're barefoot. Two, you're outside the castle at night. Three, you're outside the castle at night below my window. Good? What'dya think would happen if someone walked in on us? The rumors would never end, people would think-"

"Sougo?"

The words stuck in his throat. Okita slowly looked up and saw Hijikata (bastard) staring out his window. Hijikata looked down at Kagura and then at Okita, trying to make sense what was happening. His mind came up with just adolescence.

"Ojou-san, what are you doing? It's already late."

Kagura's mouth flapped open and shut. "Ah, er, I just… wanted some fresh wate- air. Yes, some fresh air."

"...Well, try not to be so loud you two. People are tryin' to sleep… Geez, and I'd have thought you two would be the tiredest of us all. 'specially you Sougo…" His sentence cut off as he yawned.

Kagura blinked. "Why him? Shouldn't you be the most tired, Hijikata-san? Since you saved me and all…"

"What? I never said I saved you." He casually lit a cigarette. "All I did was find you two passed out on the beach. And I sure as hell can't carry two people up the castle, y'know."

"Bu- then, how…?! Didn't the ship capsize far from the shore?! How did we get to land?"

"Hey, you tell me. As I said, all I found were two, half-naked people on the shore with a piece of wood." Kagura blushed to her own irritation. "I managed to pull along a gorilla with me though so I guess I should be more tired anyway. Well, on that note, g'night." He shut his window with finality.

Silence settled down between the two until the light went out.

"Sooo, you gonna get that fresh air or what?" He snickered. "Maybe we could sing 'Under the waves' here together while we're at it."

"...Oh shut up sadist," she muttered. Great, just great, I'm in this guy's debt now, oh this is just-

"Humph, is that really how you should be talking to your savior?" he teased, beginning to enjoy his sudden leverage. "You do realize that you owe me practically your entire life, right?"

With ease, he jumped off the balcony. Kagura stared at him warily as he dusted himself off. "I thought it was forbidden or some crap for you to be with me."

He waved his hand away. "Nah, not when I'm king. I was just pissed because I was waiting for Hijikata bastard back then. Now I have something else to play with." His cheshire smile maliciously widened. Kagura knew at that moment that she was going to be in for a long and bumpy ride.