A Name Game with the Wolves
~~~
I jumped away from him only to trip on my own feet and landing on the cold, hard floor. He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as I stared at him in embarrassment.
"W-why would you tell me that?!" I squealed.
He wiped away a tear, still laughing, "Sorry, sorry! But that was just too damn funny!"
I pouted and looked away. He put on his wolfish grin again, "I'm Okita Souji, forget that name and I might just kill you."
I nodded slowly and stood back up, "Y-yes Okita-san."
"Hey Souji! Stop harassing that poor girl already!"
Okita turned around and sighed. "Oh come on Hijikata-san, I was just having some fun."
I looked at who Okita-san was talking too, it was a man with long dark hair tied up in ponytail, in a purple kimono. But that wasn't the thing that stood out the most, it was his eyes.
The same mesmerizing purple that the black wolf had given me. My eyes widened. Wait... if I just saw Okita-san turn from a wolf to a human than that must mean...
I began to back away slowly from them.
Hijikata-san must've seen me back away because he pointed his glare to me, then back at Okita-san.
"Souji don't tell me you did the thing in front of this girl."
Okita-san smiled and placed his hands behind his head. "And what if I did, Hijikata-san? You think she'll rat out on us?" Okita-san turned his gaze towards me.
"But if she did, you know I'll kill her in an instant."
I gulped. Hijikata-san sighed and started to walk towards me. I panicked. "S-stay away from me you were-"
Suddenly Hijikata-san's face looked... scary. No, more than scary, it was like being glared at by the demon from hell!
"Don't you dare say that word!" he shouted.
I flinched. "What... word?"
He glared at me even more. "You know very well what word I'm talking about!"
I looked at him with a confused face then it got replaced with a sly one.
"Ohh that word huh? Hmm, what's wrong with the word-"
Hijikata-san shouted. "DON'T YOU EVEN DARE-"
I leaned forward and whispered. "Werewolf."
His eyes widened and I could see a vein pop out of his forehead. He turned around and stormed out of the cave, it only took me a second to see him shrink down to his wolf form, then he ran out of the cave.
Okita-san looked at me with a surprised look and then burst out laughing again.
"Man Chizuru-chan! I've never thought that anyone could say that word to Hijikata-san without getting beat into a pulp!"
Actually, I was afraid that if he ever came back I would get beaten into a pulp. I waved at him and put on an innocent smile.
"Um Okita-san? You know I still want to know what this is all about."
He stopped laughing and copied my look. "Oh really?"
I nodded politely. " Mind telling me?"
He cocked his head to one side. "Eh, you sure you wanna know?"
I nodded.
"Really sure?"
"Yes."
"Positively sure?"
"Yep."
"Almost sure?"
I snapped, "Oh my god just spill it already!"
He put on his fox grin, "'Kay."
I sighed, "Thank yo-"
"As soon as everyone gets back from their hunting trip."
"SON OF A-"
I was sitting with my back pressed up against the cold wall of the cave as I waited for everyone to file in.
I looked around me and tried to remember the faces of these men.
Kondou Isami was the leader of this group of men who called themselves: the Wolves of Mibu. Which seemed pretty funny considering that they were wolves in Mibu Forest...
Anyways, Kondou-san had sort of a lighter shade of black hair with cloudy yellow eyes. He had on a black kimono.
The deputy commander was called Sannan-san, but he wasn't here at the moment, Kondou-san told me that he went on a solo mission after I arrived here to go investigate a new type of medicine.
Hijikata Toshizo was vice-commander and was still off sulking somewhere because of today's earlier "incident".
Apparently, Hijikata-san gets pissed off when someone says that word. Okita-san told me that Hijikata-san thought that the word was a way to insult his warrior pride or something like that.
He also told me that it was either I was girl or it was pure luck that Hijikata-san hadn't given me a beating.
I'd say it was pure luck. It seemed like Hijikata-san would even beat up an old women if he caught her saying that word.
I've already met Okita-san, so the person sitting next to him was... Saito Hajime.
He had long navy blue hair that was also in a ponytail and it was resting on his left shoulder. His eyes were also navy blue. He wore an expressionless face that made me wonder if he had any feelings at all.
That made me more suspicious. I sighed, maybe he will show off his true colors soon.
I glanced over at the far side of the cave and saw -who I thought- was the troublesome trio: Toudou Heisuke, Harada Sanosuke, and Nagakura Shinpachi.
Toudou-san looked about my age with his long light brown hair in a ponytail that almost reaches his back and his teal eyes.
Harada-san had a rusty shade of red hair -also in a ponytail- and golden eyes.
The last of the trio was Nagakura-san, with his chocolate-brown hair that was held up by a green bandana and light blue eyes.
Well that was all of them, hopefully I can remember all of their names... Wait. Why bother? I'm gonna leave this place as soon as Hijikata-san gets back.
Oh that reminds me, where was that basket?
"Um, did any of you see a basket with a pink bow on the handle? I had it with me before."
Saito-san was the one who spoke. "I believe you are referring to the basket that was sitting in front of you this whole time."
"Eh?" I looked down.
"..."
Oh. My face burned with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry for asking a stupid question.
I mean, I was too busy trying to match a name to a face that I guess I wasn't paying attention."
"Ah, don't sweat it Chizuru! Oh, you do know who I am right?" Toudou-san asked.
I nodded, "Toudou-san."
He nodded. "That's right, but enough with the 'Toudou-san', just call me Heisuke! Everyone here does!"
I looked away shyly. "Heisuke-kun then?" Heisuke looked happy right then and there.
Harada-san and Nagakura-san both looked at Heisuke-kun with a grin. "Hey Heisuke, you already falling for Chizuru-chan?"
We both looked at Nagakura-san. "WHAT? NO!"
I glanced at Heisuke-kun and he glanced at me.
"I MEAN..." We both looked away embarrassed.
Kondou-san laughed. "Now now, men, don't give Chizuru a hard time."
I looked at Kondou-san. "Um, Kondou-san? Thank you for treating my head wound."
I touched the back of my head, it doesn't hurt as much anymore.
He nodded.
"Well, I was wondering if I could leave now. I'm kind of in a hurry."
At that moment, everyone looked at me with a solemn expression.
Kondou-san was the one to break the silence. "I'm sorry Chizuru, but I'm afraid that we can't let you go."
My eyes widened. "What? Why not?"
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. You see-"
"He means that you can't leave this place."
I turned around to see a large black wolf: Hijikata-san. Then he turned into his human form.
His eyes were closed and he said. "Your stuck here. Forever."
-Gasp!- A cliffhanger! T_T Sorry to keep you guys hanging here but don't worry, I'll try to finish Chapter 4 by tomorrow. Thanks for reading! d(*3*)
