I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!

Chapter Four

Rice and Flour

Katsumi thought that being a part of the Shinsengumi was going to be fun, but it wasn't. It was boring as hell and was driving her to a point of insanity. They did the same things over and over again. Patrol the city and then reside inside the base. And lately, the women were being left behind in the base more and more due to that exact fact. They were women.

"It's not fair!" Katsumi rolled over in the grass. She folded her arms behind her head as she glared at the sky. "I feel like a caged animal. The whole point of the Okami Pack was to prove that women were strong enough to travel and take care of themselves. To prove that men weren't the only ones able to use a sword! What happened, Asami?"

"You were there just like the rest of us, Katsumi." Yumi told her as she sipped at her tea. "Either death or working here."

"Death? Ha! We could have taken them!" Fuyu claimed. "We still could, if they think they could keep us from leaving. I'm tired of just laying here in this same, stupid city. I want to go back to traveling, Auntie!" She told Asami.

"I think that we all do," Chika sighed, setting her brush aside.

"There's no thinking that," Tsukiko mumbled, glancing up from the book in her hands. "It's true for all of us."

"Or at least a little something to do," Ryoko glanced up from the flower in her hand. "We're going to get fat and lazy the more they keep us in here."

Asami stayed silent, just watching the women around her for a moment before sighing and standing up. "I suppose I can go talk to Koudou," She told them. "Maybe he'll have something for us to do."

"I'll go with you," Fuyu hurried after her aunt. Katsumi sat up and watched after them. That young woman never let Asami go off anywhere without her. It was kinda cute.

"Well, I'm tired of sitting here in the sun," She decided to say. "And I'm hungry."

"Same here," Ryoko stood herself. "Let's go invade their pantry."

Katsumi smiled at her friend. "Ingenious idea, Ryo!"

"Just don't destroy anything," Tsukiko warned them as they left the courtyard. "I don't want to have to listen to any of them whine about it later tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," Katsumi waved a hand off before shuffling down the hall, Ryoko following close behind her. "What do you feel like having?"

"Let's make that decision after we figure out what they have," Ryoko answered her. "And they batter have something or I'm gonna be pissed!"

Katsumi gave a hearty laugh. "I have taught you well, Ryo."

Ryoko smiled at the older woman as she walked ahead of her. To be honest, Katsumi was Ryoko's favorite of the Okami Pack, for more reasons than one. That night that she met Katsumi had been her best, and worst, memory of her life.

"Are you okay?" Ryoko lifted her head and found Katsumi glancing at her over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry," She smiled.

Katsumi stared at her with a frown for a moment before smiling again. "I was thinking, when it gets colder, I was going to go see my brothers."

Ryoko raised a brow. "Your brothers?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "I haven't seen them all in a while and winter is always the season that we enjoyed the most together. It would be nice to see how they're doing." She glanced at the younger woman, that smile still on her face. "You'll be able to survive a little while without me, won't you?"

"Aww, when are you going to take me with you to meet them? They sound really cool!"

Katsumi continued to smile. "Maybe one day."

When they found themselves in the pantry, neither of them were impressed. Rice. Flour. Teas leaves. And it looked like the kitchen hadn't been cleaned in a while.

"Leave it to men to be a bunch of dirty bastards." Ryoko shook her head.

Katsumi rolled her eyes. "They don't see to shop either, unless that's what some of them are doing now," She found Sake bottles, hidden behind some of the rice bags. "Something tells me that this belongs to Shinpachi."

"With the way Tsukiko has been acting around him, can't say I'm surprised." Ryoko snorted. Katsumi had to agree. Tsukiko was normally the quiet one but she and Shinpachi just rubbed eachother the wrong way, apparently. She felt sorry for Sanosuke and Yumi when they had gone on Patrol with them.

"So," Ryoko placed her hands on her hips. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, what I'm going to do, is drink," She opened up one of the bottles and took a drink. "And clean."

"Clean?" Ryoko sounded surprised as she took the bottle from the other woman. "But why?"

"Well, if you're fine with any food we eat being made here then that's your problem. I, on the other hand, refuse to be sentenced to some disease that I can catch from this."

"I second that." The two turned to find out that their friends had followed them; Asami and Fuyu must have been talking to Kondou still. Tsukiko moved further into the kitchen, taking a look herself. She frowned. "They had nothing to eat, either." She glanced at Chika. "Chika, you think you can sneak out into the city and buy some things."

"Depends," the other woman smiled. "What is it you want me to get?"

Katsumi, Yumi, and Ryoko smiled at eachother as Tsukiko made a list. The Scottish woman was a beast in the kitchen. This meant that they were gonna have a hell of a dinner tonight.

"I'll be back as soon as I can be." Chika nodded to them before disappearing down the hall again.

"Now," Tsukiko turned to the three women she was left with. "Let's get down to business. Katsumi, I want you…"

With four women cleaning it, the kitchen didn't last longer than an hour and they were soon sitting around on the new clean floors, drinking another bottle of Sake. The moment Tsukiko heard they might have been Shinpachi's she attacked them. It wasn't long after that when Chika returned to them. They were surprised to find Heisuke following after her with the ingredients she had gone to get in his hands.

The young man looked amazed at the kitchen. "Wow! I didn't think it could be possible! It had been dirty for so long!"

Ryoko laughed at him and stood to her feet to take the bags from him and set them on the counter.

"What happened?" Tsukiko asked Chika as she stood herself.

"Nothing, really. Got out of the grounds pretty easily but Okita found me in the city. We're apparently not supposed to leave without one of them," She gave a smile. They already knew that. "But instead of helping me himself, he told Heisuke to do it."

"Well, you weren't expecting anything else, were you?" Katsumi laughed. "I can see Heisuke or Shinpachi or Sanosuke carry food bags but Okita or Saito? Not at all. Hijikata, maybe, if he was drunk enough, but only if."

"Hijikata? Drunk?" Yumi raised a brow. "Hell would rain down on earth if that ever happened."

Heisuke laughed at her comment. "Hijikata's not that bad; you just have to get used to him." He glanced at the kitchen again. "So, what exactly are you guys planning on making?"

Ryoko gave him a wink as she escorted him to the hall again. "That's a surprise. You'll see at dinner tonight."

"Aww, that's not fair." The young Captain whined with a smile. "But I suppose I can wait."

"Toudou," Heisuke looked at Tsukiko as she addressed him. "Asami and Fuyu went to go talk to Kondou. Could you go find them and tell them where we're at?"

He nodded. "Sure, no problem!"

When he was gone, Ryoko closed the door with a sigh of relief. "Now, what are the plans, Tsukiko?"

"Ryoko, you and Chika are going to start the rice. Katsumi, you're going to help me with the fish."

Katsumi nodded and began to roll up her sleeves. "Hey…where are these cooks that the Shinsengumi are supposed to have? Cooks normally don't like others in their kitchens."

"It doesn't matter now," Tsukiko told her with a firm face. "The kitchen is ours for the night."

The four shared a smile behind the Scottish woman's back before setting to their duties. Believe it or not, Katsumi found herself enjoying cooking with the girls and when Asami and Fuyu joined them to help, she felt like they were back to normal again. Like there was no Shinsengumi, no imprisonment to the Kyoto grounds, none of it. It was just the seven women playing around and enjoying themselves like they had while in Asami's dojo in Edo before they began to travel together. They truly were like a family.

That evening, when they joined the Shinsengumi Captains for dinner, all of them looked proud. The men scattered around the table only had praises over the fish and rice and leeks and everything else that the women had made. The Wagashi that Fuyu and Ryoko made were a favorite, as were the sweet dumplings that Yumi had created. As for the fish that Katsumi had created she found herself glancing over at Saito to see his reaction. She found it entertaining. He didn't say anything, didn't make a look on his face, but he did eat a lot of it, signaling that there was something good about it; it made her grin happily.

"Hey, Asami," Yumi's voice was slow as she set her cup of tea down. "Are you going to tell us what Kondou said when you came to speak to him earlier?"

The men didn't seem to hear her question as they continued to talk amongst themselves (AKA, Heisuke yelling at Shinpachi for stealing his food) and the group of women all turned to look at their leader. Asami took a calm drink from her tea before slowly setting her own glass on the table.

"The rumor of women warriors in the Shinsengumi have traveled fast and apparently many of the officials are not pleased. It is only because of Kondou that we have not been sentenced for treason."

"Treason?!" Katsumi's voice was loud, bringing the Captains attention to the women. "How can they even consider that?"

"You didn't think they'd just let us go with a slap on the wrists, did you?" Yumi asked calmly, sipping from her tea again. "This is a man's country, Katsumi."

"But-"

"Calm down, Katsumi," Tsukiko told her friend. "I don't like it any more than you do but women are just meant to be the playthings of men here."

"How can you say that after what we've been through?!" Katsumi growled. "We refused to be stepped on. We all joined Asami's dojo so we wouldn't be weak, so we wouldn't been looked down upon. We are some of the strongest people in the country and now you're saying we just sit here and waste away while doing nothing?"

"That's not what she said," Fuyu began but Katsumi stood to her feet.

"Well, that's what I heard. I won't do it! I am a samurai, woman or not, and I refuse to set my blade aside!"

Saito watched in silence as the young woman hurried from the room. His gaze then turned to Ryoko as she stood from her seat. The younger woman was trembling, but from what? Anger? Or was it fear?

"I…I won't do it either." Ryoko's voice shook as much as her body did. "Never again will I fall victim to a man's thoughts or desires or anything that he wants!" She hurried from the room after Katsumi, leaving the other women in the room with them.

"I apologize," Asami told Kondou. "But I told you that they would not be pleased."

"I know," the man gave a sigh, hanging his head. "Give me time. Perhaps I can-"

"Don't bother," Tsukiko's voice cut the man off as she stood herself. Her anger was under control but her face was a cold as ever. "We can find our own path." She left the room as well, leaving an uneasy silence. It was soon after that the other women filed out in silence as well.

"Well, that was interesting," Okita smiled, taking another drink of his tea. That crooked smile was on his face.

"I feel sorry for them," Heisuke admitted a few minutes later. "Normally I don't like the thought of women being involved in battle but with them…Not many can defeat furies, meaning their strength is exceptional. And that dojo of Asami's they always talk about kinda reminds me of what we used to have before the Shinsengumi, you know?"

"True," Hijikata agreed. "But the facts are facts."

"What do you think, Saito?" Okita called over to his friend.

Saito was silent for a moment before he stood up and left the room himself. He didn't have an opinion on any of this. It wasn't a problem of his and until it became one he wouldn't pay attention to it.

Heading to his room for the evening, a sound from a room to his right caught his attention. The door had been left open a little, giving him free sight inside. Katsumi sat on the floor of her and Chika's room, Ryoko crying into the front of her shirt. The older woman wore a firm face as she rubbed the younger woman's back, whispering to her as she calmed her down.

"-nothing to worry about, Ryoko. I won't let anything happen to you again. They won't lay a finger on you. They think they can scare us into submission, well they've never dealt with the Okami Pack before." Her eyes rose and locked with Saito's gaze. He almost frowned at the anger and hatred pouring out of them. "They don't know just how much we she-wolves can do."

For some reason, Saito felt a cold chill settle over his body when Katsumi's eyes returned to the young woman she held. He closed his eyes and continued onto his own room his thoughts, once again, flaring.

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