Several Weeks Later…

Azumi and I managed not to kill each other in the coming days, and time passed without incident for a while. The sun rose and fell, customers came and went, and the days blurred into long hours of sleepless nights and lonely days.

One afternoon as I was sitting on my futon, contemplating the wood grains in the floorboards, the breeze carried a small, pink petal through the window. As it floated through the room, my heart leapt for the sky and bounced off my ribs. It was the one day out of the year they would allow us outside the district walls to see the sakura trees in bloom. It was like being granted a single breath, and then having to make it last until next spring. For me, it was the hardest aspect of the life I lived; a brief, taunting taste of freedom, only to have it be denied so quickly.

Not two days after my visitation from the blossom, they opened the gates of Shimabara to the outside world. Hundreds and hundreds of sakura blossoms wafted through the spring air, the clear crystal sky glinting with pink petals. Most of the women clustered in groups and rushed from shop to restaurant, regardless of the fact they had no money.

I wandered away from the main streets and hordes, onto the small dirt paths that trailed the river, where the sakura trees were thickest. Once alone, I took off my sandals and walked barefoot on the soft, cool grass, letting the long branches of the trees brush across my face. Silky petals kissed my skin, and the sunlight that poked through the canopy of blossoms played with shadow shapes on the ground. I wanted so badly to be absorbed by the beauty around me, to have the sakura branches wrap their tendrils around me and hold me against the trunk of the tree until I became one with its ancient strength and energy.

Hearing the sound of approaching sandals, I pulled myself out of my reverie and looked up from the lush grass.

We both smiled as our eyes met.

"I thought you might be here," he said. "You match the scenery."

I rolled my eyes, even though he was being sincere. "Okita." He just stood there, smiling at me with those dark brown eyes. "I find it hard to believe that the Shinsengumi just happened to be in the area on this particular day. With nothing to do."

"True. The Shinsengumi are still in Mibu and have many important affairs to take care of. But I did happen to be in the area today, and I in fact, have nothing to do."

I laughed, falling into place at his side as we walked. "Your commanders don't question your absence?"

"I am a commander."

Fine then. Be that way, I thought with a smile. I knew Okita to be a lighthearted, playful person, but some days were better than others.

"And I'm the emperor."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me oddly. "At least mine was true."

"Do they know where you go when you leave?"

"Sure. I would've come earlier, but my pockets have been empty lately. You're not exactly cheap, you know." He winked at me.

Frowning, I watched him pluck a blossom out of the air. "You make it that way. I told you not to come if you can't afford it. It's not worth it."

"Yes, you are."

Of all the things we discussed, I never really got the chance to ask him why, mostly because I knew he would never answer me seriously. Why did he visit me at the brothel and pay me just to talk with him? Why choose me in the first place? Why was I worth it? All questions I would probably never have answered.

"If you were paying me, then perhaps I'd agree. But Miss Yoko isn't worth the dirt on your hakama."

Okita laughed and the sound warmed my chest. "Really, now? I thought she'd be so happy with the amount I gave last time, she'd share." He looked over at me. "No?"

"Oh, she did. All two yen or so."

His graceful steps slowed a moment as he brushed his fingertips against the side of my neck. "How'd you get this?"

I'd all but forgotten about the small scar Azumi had left with my kodachi. It would fade with time, but of course nothing escaped Okita's sharp eyes that specialized in recognizing marks of blades.

"Miss Yoko wasn't the only one to notice your generosity." I smiled reassuringly at him, realizing that he may try to blame himself for my injury. "And I was stupid enough to leave my kodachi unattended. It's not your fault, Okita. Things like this happen all the time."

"Had it of been much deeper, you would've been in serious trouble," he said. "Do you need to be retrained on footwork technique?"

"No," I laughed, seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Okita, no!"

He danced to my left, then my right, gliding with a grace that would put most geisha to shame. Like the playful child that he was, he mockingly "attacked" me. As I laughed, my arm was suddenly twisted behind my back and my ankles swept out from beneath me. But rather than pin me to the ground and seal my fate like the rest of his adversaries, he swooped me in his arms and carried me down to the river's edge, smiling at my half-hearted protests.

"You lose," he said.

And he threw me in the river.

My rear bounced off the rocky riverbed, somewhat painfully, and I broke the surface, spitting, laughing, and coughing simultaneously. Pulling my hair back from my face, I could see Okita on the shoreline, smiling and shaking his head.

"We'll practice this all night until you get it right."

Now that my kimono weighed a soaking ton, I hauled myself out of the river on all fours, still astonished at what he had done.

"Right," I said as I began wringing out my hair, "I'd like to see you explain to the other officers why you were… are you ok?"

He nodded, despite the fact that he was doubled over and coughing heavily into his hands, hardly able to breathe. A moment passed and his cough quieted, but I looked on worriedly; his face was still twisted in pain.

"Okita?"

"Ugh…allergies." I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't have any real grounds to doubt him. "Really, I'm fine. It comes and goes, but only lasts for a few weeks."

"That wasn't just a simple sneeze. You should've heard yourself."

"Well, I might've inhaled a few sakura blossoms, too."

Unconvinced as I was, I went back to squeezing the water out of my kimono. "There's no way you're a military captain," I muttered.

He grinned as he watched me for a moment, and then knelt down, taking each of my hands in his.

"Come on. Let's go back and get something dry—"

"No, it's ok."

"Tokio, you'll freeze."

"I'm not spending one moment of this day inside those gates."

His eyes softened when I told him this and he silently released my hands. Watching the glittering river was easier than looking at him, but I felt our knees bump as he seated himself next to me. He gently grabbed a portion of my kimono and twisted it until every drop of water pooled in the grass.

"Fair enough," he said. "What would you like to do for the rest of today?"

I pondered for a moment, content to watch the breeze sway his bangs back and forth in front of his smiling eyes. Suddenly, it seemed so obvious.

"This."

He glanced up at me and grinned, then went back to tenderly pressing the river water out of my clothes until every silk inch was light enough to blow in the wind again and his hands were as wrinkled as dried fruit.

The hours passed all too quickly. Before long, the trees were casting long shadows and the river's waters ran dark with the oncoming glow of dusk. Okita was laughing at something I had said when a figure standing on the far embankment caught my eye. His uniform matched Okita's.

"Okita?" I hated to interrupt his beautiful smile.

"What?"

"Who's that?"

He looked back over his shoulder and I saw his broad shoulders wilt as a heavy sigh escaped him.

"Captain Hajime Saitou." With a small grin still in place, he looked back at me. "This should be fun."

A/N: Allergies, huh?