This chapter is combined. I honestly hope that this will be interesting to other people. I am having a blast writing it! Please let me know what you think!
Atrix was shocked to see Kaita was here as well. From the expression her friend was showing, she must have been feeling the same. Out of her surprise, she had stood up and had nearly stumbled over her feet to reach her friend. Kaita reached her halfway. Sure enough, she was soaked to the bone, to where the clothes clung to the girl's skin. Atrix was just about to ask Kaita what happened to her, but her friend beat her to it.
"Atrix, you're here too? Did you had something strange happen to you? Are you okay?!" Kaita issued out far too many questions at once, her eyes wide with concern. This was indeed Kaita. The one and only.
Atrix placed both of her hands down on top of Kaita's shoulders. "Calm down, Kaita, I'm fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She asked with a light chuckle. She heard her friend say she was fine before Hijikata loudly cleared his throat in order to regain everyone's attention.
The male gave each of the women a look before he beckoned the other female to join them. The older man, who was seated beside Hijikata, raised his hand to prevent him from continuing. "Toshi, I know you want to question these girls, but let's get a change of clothes for the one who is wet. It wouldn't help us if she got sick. Her friend could also use a change of clothes," he said, a kind ring to his voice.
Hijikata's purple eyes glanced around his comrades as murmurs of agreement was voiced in the room. He sighed. "What do you suggest they wear? We don't have anything for women here, Kondo," He said. He was not disagreeing with his superior, but was asking a logical question.
Kondo sat there with a thoughtful look. His eyes went from one man to the next. He smiled as he finally thought of something. The man's bright eyes landed in Heisuke. "You and Kaita, was it?, are similar in height and build. Let her borrow a change of your clothes for a couple of days. It would help her out! As for Atrix...," Kondo's eyes looked over them once more. "Saito, would you mind lending her one of your kimonos for a couple of days?" When a small nod came from the male, Kondo smiled gratefully at the two.
Heisuke didn't seem to mind, and he even checked with Kaita to make sure she was fine with this. As for Saito, he remained seated where he was, but his blue eyes stared at her. He didn't seem too thrilled by this turn of events, but he wasn't going to deny and argue against his captain.
"We will continue this once when they have changed," Hijikata said as he stood up and made his way out of the door. He didn't say anything else as he left; the man who wore glasses pardoned himself for the time being. Everyone else stayed in the room.
"Let's go!" Heisuke said with excitement. He grabbed ahold of Kaita's hand and pulled her away. Atrix watched as she went along with the young man. Slowly, Saito got up out of his seated position. He started to head to the door, pausing briefly to tell her to follow him. Atrix did as he requested and left the room behind him.
"Stop," Saito said as they reached one of the rooms. He disappeared inside, leaving Atrix outside to wait. After a handful of minutes, the purple-haired man handed her folded clothes. Once when they were in her hands, Saito led her to an empty room in order to change. She hugged the clothes to her chest, as if that gave her a sense of security. With that, she took a step inside just as she heard Kaita's familiar voice.
Atrix poked her head back out of the door. Just as she thought, Kaita was heading this way. She waved her hand to let her know that is was okay for her to change with her. Kaita smiled in relief and darted over to her. As soon as Kaita was in the room, Atrix shut the door. Atrix had a feeling that they did not have to worry about them peeking in as they changed, at least not with Saito around.
"I'm glad to see someone I know here," Atrix started the conversation, "Though... I wish I knew what actually happened, or how we got here to begin with." As she spoke, she unfolded the kimono she was given. From the looks of it, it really will fit her. Of course, that is if she could put it on easily. It wasn't everyday where she wore one. She glanced to the side and watched Kaita lay out her own borrowed clothes. Seeing it lay out, there was a huge difference.
"Yeah, I don't know what happened either. I was doing something when I was suddenly knocked out..? I'm not even sure if I was knocked out. I was a bit conscious when I felt this strange pressure. The next thing I knew, I was here," Kaita agreed softly as she studied the lay out of the clothes. When she was sure enough on how to put it on, she begun to take her current clothes off.
Atrix did the same as she sighed, turning slightly away from her, to give at least a bit of privacy. The female took care to take off her shoes before tugging her jeans off. She picked the black kimono off of the floor and put her arms through the sleeves. "That's exactly what happened to me. It felt like... I couldn't breathe for a moment. The next thing I knew, I was falling and... Crashed into someone," Atrix said, her words becoming a bit shy towards the end.
Kaita paused briefly before she started putting the clothes she was borrowing from Heisuke. To her, it already felt awkward. By the time she had successfully dressed in the current clothing, she turned around just as her friend was finishing. "I had that same feeling, but I didn't really 'wake' until I crashed into the river... If it wasn't for Heisuke and Shinpachi, I probably would have drowned," Kaita said as she watched as Atrix tied the obi around her waist.
"Looks like we both had a crash landing," Atrix tried to bring humor into their situation. Kaita gave a small smile to acknowledge the try, but their situation was bringing worry into her mind. Atrix gently patted down her sides. The black kimono was kept together by a white obi. It didn't look bad on her, but it did make her look a tad boyish with her short hair. The black certainly brought out her teal colored eyes.
Atrix peered at Kaita. "Are you sure you're going to be okay wearing that?" She asked her out of concern. Kaita was a bit more exposing, though it was still a decent cover up. Her friend's cheeks blushed, as her bangs slightly feel over her eyes as her head shifted down to take her own look at the outfit. "I'll be fine," her words sounded more like what she was trying to convince herself. Atrix gave her friend a reassuring pat on the back.
"Hey, are you guys done?" The cheerful voice belonged to Heisuke. He was eager to see what they would look like in their clothes. Though, Atrix was more sure that he just wanted to see Kaita and see how she looks in his clothes. Not that she could blame the young man. The outside went well with Kaita's golden eyes as well.
Instead of providing a verbal answer, Atrix opened the door and blinked as she was first greeted by the bright light. Saito turned his head and stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and turning his head away. Kaita slowly followed behind her. A gasp of surprised delight escaped from the young male as his teal eyes landed on the shy girl behind her. This caused Kaita to become more self-conscious of her appearance. Atrix rolled her eyes.
Saito returned his gaze back towards the rest of the group. "Let's go," He said simply. Without checking to make sure they were following, the purple-haired man began the walk back to the room everyone was waiting in. Behind her, Atrix could hear excited chatter. Though, Heisuke did most of the talking. It was obvious the male was smitten with her friend.
It only took a few minutes for the four of them to reach the rest of the waiting men. Atrix felt a tug on her sleeve and glanced back. Kaita had a gentle hold on her sleeve to stay close to her. Atrix smiled to reassure her. Saito slid the door open and moved aside to let the two girls go in first. Several of them appeared amused. If anything, everyone's attention shifted to Kaita.
Shinpachi's eyes popped out of his head as he gawked at the girl. Soft murmurs went around the room. Before the chatter became louder, the male who wore the big glasses approached and placed his haori over Kaita's shoulders. It was an attempt to cover the girl up. "Now, now. I am sure having all of us staring isn't going to make her feel at ease," he said as he stood up straight.
"Oh? It's just hard to believe how polar opposites these two look. One looks like a boy," The male with emerald eyes and brown hair voiced as his eyes peered right at Atrix, "while the other is definitely a female." His voice was nothing short of amusement. A smirk was settled on his lips.
His words irked Atrix. She was usually the shy one, but something pushed her to respond to the male. "My hair may be short, but looks can be deceiving," Atrix retorted sourly.
A hum came from the man's throat. "I can't really deny that, but why not strip down? You'd get as much attention as your friend here," His eyes moved to look at Kaita. Kaita moved closer to Atrix trying to get out of his line of sight.
Just as Atrix was about to say something back in return, Hijikata beat her to it. "Souji!" His voice was loud inside the room. One look at him would show how annoyed the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi was. It didn't take much of a guess that Souji does this kind of thing often.
"I was just teasing~," Souji gave him a wicked smile. "Though, depending on where the conversation went, one of us could have lost a tongue," He ended with a light chuckle.
Hijikata glared at Souji. "That's enough. If we can get back on track, we can get started with the questioning," His words held no room for arguing. Sannan smiled at Kaita once more before returning to his place beside Saito. Atrix and Kaita took a seat in the center of the room.
"From what has been said earlier, you both suddenly appeared out of thin air. Do you know how or why?" Hijikata asked, his purple eyes stern. He sat more crossed legged with his arms crossed.
"All I know is that I was abducted felt a strange pressure, and the next thing I knew. I was falling," Atrix responded first. Hijikata's eyes flicked over to Kaita to seek her own answer.
"The same thing happened to me, but I didn't come to until I hit the water," Kaita provided in a quiet tone. There wasn't much of a difference on how the arrived here.
"You have no recollection of what happened prior?" Sannan asked with a slight frown.
"I was just going about my normal routine," Atrix said after a moment's thought. "There wasn't anything special about it."
"I see...," The Vice Commander considered their words before continuing. "You both came in different clothing. Did you come from the west?"
"Well, yes, but we both moved to Japan about four years ago," Atrix lead the answers before Kaita decided to add anything to it.
"I kinda think we came from the future though," She said more softly than she had intended. Atrix looked over at her friend. "I have to agree."
"That would explain the difference in clothing," Sannan said as he returned to his thoughts.
Hijikata looked doubtful, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility. Seeing how they had appeared, they would have no place to stay. Heaving a sigh, the male reached a decision. "For the time being, we will let you reside here. Kondo, do you have anything you would like to add?"
Kondo peered around the room, giving any of the others a chance to speak. The male with the red hair posed a question of his own. "What should they do while they stay here?"
"Harada has a point... We can't just let them house here for free," Shinpachi piped up. The last thing they needed was an argument to happen if two people sit out. "They could be put in charge of keeping this place clean," he suggested with an easy smile.
Murmurs of agreement echoed inside the room. Hijikata sighed, but listened to the sounds of agreement. "Alright. For now. They can do that. I would also like to have them stay inside the compound, if they can." It sounded like a request rather than an order. He will not force them to stay; it was just safer that way.
Atrix sat there with Kaita quietly. The two shared a look. They were given a place to stay, though being the only females here was going to be awkward. It wasn't a bad proposition either, considering they were only strangers. They could very well keep them there to have an eye on them as well. "We can stay inside the place," Atrix spoke out. Though, she would want to explore the city.
Hijikata nodded and stood up from where he sat. "Very well. There are two rooms you two can use. I have things to take care of," With that, the male left the room.
"Having two girls around isn't going to be too bad. I think it'll liven things up a bit," Harada said as he got up as well. "If you have any issues, don't hesitate to ask any of us," he added with a wink. He went out the door.
One by one, the men left the room until the ones left were Shinpachi, Heisuke, Saito, and the two girls. Saito slowly stood and turned his blue gaze onto Atrix. "I'll take you to the room mentioned," He said stoically. Shinpachi quickly stood and shouted, "I'll accompany you!"
"I'll go too!" Heisuke spoke just a second too late. Saito blinked and looked over at the younger man.
"We do not need three people doing a one person's job," Saito voiced when he picked up on the possibility of a fight on who guided whom. Why did that need to even happen? He had to wonder.
Shinpachi leaned close to Heisuke to whisper something into his ear. "You already got to have some time with her, why not let me have a chance this time?" Despite whispering, his voice was still loud enough for anyone close by to hear. Heisuke reluctantly agreed, his cheeks puffing in a pout as he crossed his arms.
With that being settled, Saito lead the group out of the room, leaving the pouting Heisuke behind. Shinpachi was the last one to leave, sticking close to Kaita, who was shying away and trying to stick close to her friend. Shinpachi had other ideas. He wanted to talk. Seeing no other way around it, Kaita did her best to converse with him. Saito, on the other hand, was quiet. He didn't care for chitchat. Atrix didn't mind it at all at the moment.
The walk lead them to nearly the opposite side of the courtyard. From what Atrix could tell, the living quarters were housed in this area. Saito paused by one of the room and slid open the door to reveal the empty room that waited from within. "This will be your room. Your friend can stay in the room right beside it," The purple-haired male said as he looked between the too.
"Thank you," Atrix and Kaita said in unison. Shinpachi opened the mentioned room for her, revealing another empty room passed the door.
"Oh! Dinner should be ready by now. Hey, Kaita, let's go get something to eat!" As Shinpachi spoke, he twined his elbow with Kaita's, instantly pulling her away from the other two. Kaita looked back at Atrix as she was dragged away by the much taller male. "W-wait!" Atrix could hear her say.
"Is he always that energetic?" Atrix found herself asking, looking after her friend helplessly. Saito gave a short nod before he followed after them. The female trailed after the samurai.
Dinner was pleasant, meeting yet another new face. Inoue Genzaburou. From the conversation that followed, the Shinsengumi members each give their turn in cooking. Not everyone one had the knack for it either, as some put too much salt into things, or another solely uses tofu. It was amusing.
The atmosphere remained peaceful. Souji still made his remarks, but everyone had the chance to speak as well. It was a very welcoming scene. Kaita was able to become comfortable enough to join in on the conversation. Atrix mainly answered questions that she was asked.
Once when everyone was done eating, the two girls headed to their rooms to adjust themselves for the night. Someone must had come by, as a futon was neatly folded in each of their rooms. After laying it out, the two silently discussed the events that happened that day. A roller coaster of a new environment and a completely new situation. Both were equally thankful to have each other at the time, not having to be completely alone. No one knew what was going to happen, but they would be able to put two heads together to think of any solution to problems to may arise.
Atrix settled down and pulled the cover close to her chin as she laid down on her side. Kaita was laying on her back in her own futon, staring up at the ceiling. Soon, they fell asleep, their minds consumed with dreams.
Or it should have been. Just as they were close to falling asleep, their wrists begun to throb and a searing pain erupted from the area. Kaita whimpered and curled her body into a half moon. She bit down on her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming. Atrix had nearly shouted, but managed to keep her voice shut behind her lips. Sweat drip from her forehead as a red glow seared into her skin, forming a weird mark that didn't fade. Kaita was experiencing the same thing.
Unknown to them, five others were experiencing the same thing. Heisuke was nearly asleep when he was jolted awake by the blistering pain he suddenly felt in his wrist. Shinpachi held his wrist as the pain was released, closing an eye. Despite being in different rooms, the two shouted the same thing. "What the hell?!"
Having been up late cleaning his sword, Souji's hand flinched at the odd pain he had in his wrist. "Eh? What's this?" He asked himself, gritting his teeth as he witnessed the unruly glow of the red mark coming into focus on his wrist. In the few rooms over, Saito was getting ready to go to sleep once when he was finishing the written report when he had to pause. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his forehead as he lifted writing hand to bear sight of the red mark. The pain caused his arm to throb, a very unpleasant feeling.
The last person to be cursed with the mark was Chikage Kazama. The Oni had been taking a sip of the sake he had when his red eyes flicked down at the strange sensation coming from his wrist. The sudden onset of it nearly caused the male to drop the small glass he was holding. He flipped his hand over and narrowed his eyes at the random red mark. Chikage suddenly thought of the human girl who had collided into him earlier in the day. Was this her doing? Pain didn't faze him in the same way it would a human, but it didn't feel pleasant either. The throbbing lasted for a full minute before it settled, and the glowing that came from the mentioned mark faded into a visible scar.
The Kizuna system has now been complete. The information transmitted over to the one's responsible. Names shortly flickered over the monitors. Kaita Raimon, Atrix Wolfhaven, Saito Hajime, Heisuke Toudou, Souji Okita, Shinpachi Nakamura, and Chikage Kazama, this group of seven complete the full circle to begin the true experiment.