Thank you XxSapphire-fandomsxX, OniKuShita, Marialena-Princess Of The Moon and 5namida for kindly reviewing!
-Hi everyone and I hope you all enjoy our latest chapter, this one is much larger than we expected it to be! I hope you all enjoy the ride and of course, if you have any feedback, do not hesitate to leave reviews! We both love reading them!
Pookax
-Oh goodness! This chapter turned out enormous. Honestly. . . this was not our intention. Can this compensate for delaying this chapter a little bit? Anyway, I really do hope you'll enjoy reading it. New -and yet not so new- characters are also to be introduced here. Enjoy Chizuru's embarrassing moments as she bravely ventures into the land of men, while desperately trying to not get infatuated with any of them! What an arduous task indeed. . .
Aen Silver Fire
Worth Fighting For
~Chapter 4~
"Kyaaa!" Numerous voices called out, masculine pitches reaching the heavens, compelling the gears in Chizuru's head to screech to an abrupt stop. The bass veneer of the unbidden hollers almost passed unnoticed behind this unsettling feeling that overwhelmed Chizuru; an unprecedented assault towards her ears and sanity alike. And the accusation that followed was even more disturbing and misplaced, certainly beyond affronting, "Pervert!"
"P-pervert?" The rude exclamations had her teeth almost clattering. How could this happen? How could one ever accuse Chizuru, of all people, of such a hideous practice as. . . perversion? It was a concept impossible to digest. And, at any rate, the group of, certainly very imposing, men standing only a few steps away from her, carrying themselves with a sense of manliness she had no hope of ever mustering, was not at all clad in indecent, or exposing, practically half-worn clothing. In truth they were fully dressed, watching her intently, features tingling with blatant accusation and yet with a hint of amusement.
She was denied the freedom to study them further by an assaulting object aimed directly at her face. A surprised, disorientated yelp slipped past Chizuru's lips.
"Stupendous manners you have there . . . storming in and invading our territory like that. Do you even know what the punishment is for snooping around other people's tents? After kneeling in apologies, I suggest you turn and kindly rid us of your presence before I decide to personally refer you— no, kick your sorry butt to the Shinsengumi's Oni Fukucho, lewd little bastard," an unidentified man spat out, voice akin to sneering acid.
She desperately wanted to shed tears of despair. Alas, Chizuru's cries were muffled by a currently unidentified article of clothing, that she couldn't bring herself to even remove from her face. For many lengthy moments she was, and not inexplicably at all, frozen in place, shocked by the sudden boisterous outbursts and by the certainly crooked manner in which the offense was directed at her.
She dearly wished to assume a proper manly posture of pride and declare to all that she had no sly intention in mind and that, of course, she was not at all fond of being hurled, whilst sniffling, to Hijikata for another misdeed. Gulping, she concluded that the imminent threat of facing Hijikata-san's wrath had already started being a horrendous possibility, a true menace by itself. . . and it was only day one.
Unable to place ache was nibbling away at her innards. Why was she so abruptly attacked without being asked to even offer a simple excuse, not even a word to defend herself? She. . .did not mean to intrude. And, most importantly, what was the object of the attack?
"I suggest you remove that off your face," a low voice growled, emanating from the nape of the neck. She quickly acknowledged it belonging to her dark blue dragon companion, Shiranui.
Her trembling hands were reluctantly raised, fazed beyond human belief to make contact with the fabric that covered the entirety of her features. In response to her quaking with terror and apprehension hands, raucous bursts of laughter erupted that, lamentably for the girl, were not originating from Shiranui at all, but from a wholly different source instead; or rather many sources, that Chizuru was not at all familiar with nor was able to fully regard at the moment.
"Wh—" was her failed attempt to breathe out words and inquire the dragon of the situation at hand. "Sh-Shiranui-san?" She whispered lowly, partly refusing to accept that an article of clothing –of all things- was tossed upon her so very rudely. It was a very alarming detail, for, combing that with the ruthless accusation 'pervert', it connoted that she had offered a very, very wrong impression.
"Remove it," Kyo only spat out in great urgency, refusing to further clarify. This only called forth more insistent waves of trepidation to befall her. What could the object be to warrant so curt responses?
In, not wholly ungrounded, reluctance she finally managed to faintly touch the light fabric and pulled it off her face. Instinctively, she brought it upon her eyes to inspect out of genuine curiosity. The unidentified apparel was colored bright yellow.
Deciding against pondering about the nature of the piece of clothing, she had no other egress but to, albeit weakly, utter out, at least a few, words to her defense. "I-I... I am not a pervert. Could I be in the wrong tent...? Hijikata-san informed me this was..." She hurriedly began to explain, her thumbs twiddling continuously as she spoke with haste.
"Oi, oi! Are you kidding?" a boisterous, incredulous voice, colored by a great sense of, ludicrously apparent, shock drummed in her ears. She tentatively locked her wide eyes upon the person. His teal eyes were blinking in utter embarrassment, deep scarlet marred his cheeks. "I did not agree on that, Souji!" the youth exclaimed, fully veering to fiercely glower at the auburn-haired man at his left.
"You did agree on this plan. Don't ruin it now," the auburn-haired man, apparently named Souji, noted nonchalantly, lips stretched in an impish smirk.
The teal-eyed man, who, frankly, resembled more an adolescent boy than a man, pointed an accusing finger at Chizuru's direction, refusing to divert his hues, welling with reproach, away from the person he called Souji. "How the hell did you snatch my loincloth?" he violently hollered, voice almost shaking in exasperation. "And why did you have to use mine in the first place?"
"It was the only one left out. It is solely your fault that you are not taking good care of your belongings. Don't blame me now, Heisuke."
Only quivering breaths and trembling words could escape past Chizuru's parched lips. "L-loincloth. . .?" she could only mutter, gulping insistently.
"Don't tell me you don't know what that is!" A voice sneered, whispering poignantly in her ear. And Chizuru very well knew this was not the voice of her consciousness. "It's all well and good being a demure and innocent little girl. But you've been thrust into the world of men, so start acting like one!" Shiranui's prompting words licked like fire around the deepest contours of her mind.
"I. . ." she started nervously, her innards burning due to her relentlessly disabling anxiety. Trying to shove even the sheer concept of anxiety, partly in no success, to the back of her mind, she mentally steeled herself in order to finally start demonstrating how greatly adamant she was at seeing this mission to an end. Couldn't she utter even a simple word? This much was expected of her to handle with ease, at least. Probably. . . "...I think this is yours…?" she, still slightly shaking, managed to breathe out, holding the yellow loincloth really delicately on the teeny tiniest amount of cloth she could touch.
The long-haired man neared hurriedly, steps clouded by an impossible to place exasperation, and swiftly snatched the fabric away from her small hands, blushing profusely. ". . .Thanks. . ." he spluttered out, embarrassment creeping at his voice.
"Haven't you learned to announce your presence, boy?" A moment was needed for Chizuru to acknowledge that the 'boy' in question was none other than herself. She snapped her eyes towards the voice, meeting a muscular man, with short brown unruly hair, cerulean eyes watching her closely.
She visibly paled as she reached a realization. Admittedly, his remark -and the other man's before it- had been quite right. She disregarded, in the most uncouth manner, to declare her presence before entering the tent. What if the occupants had been indeed naked? Her blush thickened as the notion of her being a pervert was made a blatant reality inside her swirling thoughts. They had every right to accuse her of every hideous –and perverted- crime, since she had acted rudely enough as to invade their personal space unannounced.
"How old are you anyway?" The auburn-haired man that spoke before titled his head to the side, eyeing her closely, emerald eyes gleaming in a sense she could not entirely discern. A series of shivers cascaded down her spine as the sarcastic hue of his voice was finally imprinted on her mind and she could finally add two and two. This was definitely the voice that mocked and derided her before. Frankly, she did not know whatsoever what to deduce of that. Was she that much of a laughing show or was he simply keen to taunt people? "You look quite girly."
"Yes, Souji is right," the long haired individual, whose loincloth was only just horribly exploited, suddenly perked up, most likely struggling to shove the last embarrassing scene into oblivion, using whatever means possible. Chizuru could not find it in herself to blame him for still being quite nervous. After all, his own underwear was made a public sight not too long ago. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Your voice sounds girly too. Are you sure you're at the right place?" He neared, peering at her closely. Chizuru winced at the sudden –almost nonexistent- distance. The man, albeit young-looking, commanded a very interesting sense of allure. His close scrutiny only acted to faze her further.
She shook her head stubbornly, shoving any kind of inappropriate thinking away from her mind. She bit at her lower lip, involuntarily, as her anxiety built into something more—agitation. She bravely held the man's gaze, stirring herself into action. "If you must know..." she managed to stutter out, cheeks ablaze, "I am 17."
The long-haired youth broke into raucous laughter, "You're a kid!"
"Coming from you, that's a bit rich, Heisuke." Another man pointed out in inexplicable nonchalance. He cocked his eyebrows in a taunting manner at the younger male and turned to grace Chizuru with a debonair wink. "Are you alright, kid? I bet that loincloth smelled worse than shit. What's your name?"
"Oi! My loincloth does not smell, Sano-san! Don't you go making rude accusations!"
She drew in a sharp intake of air, pretending to ignore the indignant exclamation of the man she faintly registered had been called Heisuke. "My…" she hesitated for an infinitesimal moment, but soon roused herself to continue, feeling Shiranui's sharp claws boring at her back meaningfully. "Kaoru. My name is Yukimura Kaoru."
"Yukimura? Where are you from, kiddo?" The bulky man that spoke once before suddenly enquired. Chizuru, involuntarily, felt her cheeks burning guiltily the moment her gentle eyes landed upon his partly revealed torso, ripped with muscles.
She gulped, "Edo."
"Really?" a brisk voice exclaimed. "We are all from Edo here too. My name is Toudou Heisuke! This is Okita—"
"Souji," the man in question finished and huffed indignantly, leveling his friend with a glare. "Why did you have to give my name away?" He nudged the other man violently on the ribs, eliciting a moan of suppressed pain. "Whatever happened to your conviction? So much for the plan I struggled to devise."
Heisuke rubbed the sore spot and, groaning, turned to Souji "Stop being a prick. You just tossed him my used loincloth. And . . . can't you see how tiny and defenseless he looks—"
"So it was used," the rusty-haired man pointed out. Laughing under his breath he stepped closer to the disguised girl and ruffled her hair, way more forcefully than Chizuru had anticipated. "Kaoru, is it? I really feel for you. It must have been way horrible that I thought it was," he cackled loudly, "I am Harada Sanosuke."
"True enough. I bet Heisuke's loin must smell worse than Itou-san's does. " The man with cerulean-eyes and bulky physique smiled toothily. "Nagakura Shinpachi is the name," he introduced happily, playfully winking at her. "You look harmless. And here I thought we would have to kick the new guy out forcefully."
Entwined in his enthusiasm Chizuru almost overlooked the –heavy- meaning of his last words. "K-Kick out. . . forcefully. . .?" she breathed out anxiously.
"It-it… it wasn't that bad," Heisuke abruptly protested, curling his fingers into tense fists, face dusted with deep red, indicative of his shame. "Besides, you've never smelt Itou-san's butt to—"
"Cease this nonsense," the voice of the man that was yet to utter a single word suddenly towered above all others. He signed deeply and offered his name with a steady tone, following the others' example. "Saito Hajime," he curtly spoke, heaving an inaudible sigh, apparently quite displeased with the fact that the introductions of the others indirectly compelled him to act accordingly as well. "You'd do well to—"
"No, no, Hajime-kun. You interrupted at the worst moment possible. I, too, would like to know how Shinpachi-san knows the smell of Itou-san's loin. I admit the mere notion is shocking and very sickening, but interesting to know nonetheless. What do you have to disclose to us, Shinpachi-san?" Okita arched a probing eyebrow at the tall man.
"Souji, you prick! Don't jump to conclusions!" Chizuru blinked repeatedly in bewilderment, watching intently while the man introduced as Nagakura Shinpachi violently balled his hands into fists and prepared to counter Okita's words with his fearsome knuckles. Souji only chuckled in amusement.
"Then, Kaoru-", it required a second longer than expected for Chizuru to acknowledge her attention was asked for once more. It was, still, very unnerving to respond to a name that, essentially, was not bestowed upon her by birth, but by need. She faintly nodded to Heisuke, swallowing in bewilderment. "I guess you'll be sleeping with us from now on."
And how dreadful the mere concept felt, tingling her skin in ways she could not even properly discern or register at the same time.
"I am in your care, Toudou-san. I –"
As though forced to jolt by lighting, her body suddenly shook. A moment later she managed to pinpoint the source of this sudden disturbance. And it was no other than the vicious lizard hiding in the folds of her clothing, mercilessly clawing her tender skin in warning.
"Cut the freaking pleasantries," he growled once more emphatically. "Remember what I told you."
"Blegh Toudou-san makes me feel like I am older than Gen-san. Just call me Heisuke." He snickered in mirth, a wide, shiny, encouraging smile playing upon Heisuke's lips.
"I. . .H-Heisuke?" she tested the offer of the name, incredulous at how weak her voice sounded in her own ears.
"Yes, yes. That sounds better."
"Whatever happened to the plan, Heisuke?" Sanosuke sneered, grinning toothily while he crossed his arms over his chest, leering at the boy.
"Those are my thoughts exactly, Sano-san," Souji sighed in mock dramatics. "Although I can't deny this beneficial to us. Just look at the lad. He will hardly be a problem. Not to mention he will surely be squashed very soon. Problem solved."
"Sq-squashed?" Chizuru parroted in terror and disbelief.
"Damn, you're right. Shinpachi-san's bunk is the only free one." Heisuke mumbled and furrowed his brows pensively. The sense of partially concealed worry that was plastered upon his face only acted to pronounce Chizuru's distress.
A violent hit was abruptly landed at her back, greatly shaking her. It should have been considered as an affectionate pat, and yet Chizuru could hardly regard it as such. She had to stumble for a good few seconds to regain her balance. Biting her lips in concern, she prayed the lizard-like creature was not the one crushed instead of her, in a quite premature way, and by a mere hand nonetheless. A faint movement of her apparel at her right side pacified her momentarily as it signalized Shiranui was – only barely- salvaged from a gruesome and admittedly shameful death. She could distantly hear him spluttering curses and numerous insults at his very own luck.
Chizuru slowly veered to meet her assailant. "Be gallant, Kaoru," Sanosuke winked encouragingly, prompting her to walk towards the direction of the beds. "Shinpachi is dangerous whilst he sleeps. Not to mention heavy as hell."
"Oi, oi!" Nagakura sturdily objected. "Just when was it decided that I'd become the ridicule of the group? Wasn't Heisuke the one we decided to abuse?"
"Eh? When was that decided?" the younger boy protested loudly.
"Silence, runt! Wasn't your loincloth just hurled to Kaoru just now?"
"What did you—"
"I suggest you move aside, Yukimura," a calm voice, akin to velvety ice, suddenly roused her, compelling her to move away from her standing place in order to parry the magnificent outburst of voices and hits that suddenly erupted from the men. She had no choice but to follow Saito's advice.
"I am amazed." Shiranui cackled tauntingly shifting again around the layers of her apparels. "You did not bow in thanks this time," he grinned mockingly in between her kimono. The mere concept that something was crawling around her body did anything but put Chizuru at ease. A quick assessment of the situation, though, led her to believe that this was the right, most optimal choice. She could not, of course, expose the creature to public view.
"So—"
"If you dare utter the word 'sorry' or any other ridiculously pleasant shit, I swear I'll bite your throat," the dragon threatened, claws nearly burning against her skin.
Chizuru gulped for the umpteenth time this dreadful day, and willed her limbs to guide her towards her bunk, that she, quite unfortunately, seemed to share with the bulkiest one of the group. Multiple pairs of eyes were watching her closely as she rid herself of her kodachi and small bag, containing the absolutely necessary of her belongings and carefully moved to place them upon the mattress. A sudden realization halted her movements. Where was she supposed to deposit her belongings?
"Egh. . ." she cleared her throat, "Do I sleep in the bottom one?" she worriedly and very, very nervously asked, still preciously holding her items. The upper bed seemed occupied. She could easily tell by the disheveled sheets and numerous objects situated upon it. The bottom bunk was seemingly welcoming her to use it. And yet, that hardly made any sense. She was, admittedly, the tiniest, and Nagakura Shinpachi, the person who she gathered will share her bunk with, was the most muscular one. Could that combination be even feasible? Oh! Her lips oddly parched as she reached a conclusion. So that was what they implied by 'squashed'.
"I am afraid so." The tall man introduced to her as Harada, amusedly padded towards her, seating himself on the mattress at the right of her own. "It was decided that Shinpachi will take that one. There is no helping it. You have to bear with it, kid."
She gulped visibly and nibbled at her bottom lip. Would. . . would she be alright? The beds did not seem as though they could sustain too much pressure or weight. If the hunky man decided to brawl -which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy, judging by the scene now unfolding near the tent's entrance between him and Heisuke- she would inevitably be able to thoroughly enjoy and relish how all ants feel when they, unfortunately, happen to be stomped to death by a towering, fearsome human.
"To be honest," Okita's voice suddenly boomed as he also parried, with inexplicable nonchalance and practiced ease, the fight burning strong between Nagakura and Toudou, assuming his place right next to Harada. "I think I'll like this setting. Kaoru is it?" Chizuru nodded affirmatively at his asking for confirmation, "What luck! You are sleeping next to—"
"Souji," Harada suddenly interrupted eyeing the other man searchingly. Golden hues narrowed meaningfully, slowly calculating, measuring Souji's moves. It was blatantly evident in Sanosuke's eyes that Souji had no wise or merciful plans in store for the tiny-sided boy. He whispered, brows furrowed, "Let's change beds."
Okita arched his eyebrows probingly. "Hm? Why for, Sano-san? Do you want to sleep next to Kaoru here that badly?"
Harada grimaced slightly, "You know what I mean. Don't play dumb." He leaned closer, whispering words Chizuru could hardly discern. She chose to regard Harada's gesture as her indirect cue to avert her gaze and focus on her own business instead. She had no intention whatsoever to be branded as an insensitive gossiper too. Being branded as a pervert was a pain enough to her ego. She clicked her tongue faintly, expecting Shiranui's claws on her skin as a response. She continued depositing her items on her personal space, seemingly not at all perturbed by the stentorian hollers of the brawlers or the incriminating mutters of the two closest to her.
Sanosuke exhaled, "Will you torture the hell out of the kid if I leave you be in this bed?"
Souji chortled in amusement, "But of course."
Chizuru needed to exercise caution in many different, and equally crucial, levels, aspects and occasions. She was not about to grant anyone the privilege of ridiculing her further, regardless of how disarmingly gorgeous they might had been. And, unfortunately for her, she had to admit, the men with whom she shared her tent were truly beautiful, exceptional male specimen. She would feel her resolve weakening, faced with the prospect of dealing with people she had no hope whatsoever of confronting or handling to her own, innocent, benefit.
In different circumstances she would have scolded herself vehemently, or rather eschew this way of thinking altogether. This time, though, she could not possibly stem the torrents of heat that accumulated on her cheeks, painting her face incriminatingly pink. For, inevitably she would have to witness scenes she would have never laid her innocent eyes upon, had the situation been different for her and the Yukimura family.
A very upsetting matter reared its ugly head the moment the absurdity and grueling nature of her state was made painfully obvious to her, had her skin tingling in dread. It also brought forth the most stressing issue which she needed to exercise caution for; her identity. Her womanly identity.
Paranoia started creeping over her as hours ticked by. She quietly decided to shrink herself, somehow, and occupy as less space as possible, soundlessly watching as the men bantered back and forth, laughed amused-ly, occasionally fought over the most trivial of things and loudly cursed more often than she could keep proper count.
The only person that seemed to share her interests and opted to remain in peaceful –as far as possible- silence was the taciturn indigo-haired man named Saito. Composed and unruffled, he was resting upon his own bunk, minding little of the antics of his friends. His bed was at the top, at the far opposite end of Chizuru. She had no way to steal not even a furtive glance at him; she could only surmise. Judging by the unusual silence and the distinct distance the rest had put between them and Saito, Chizuru concluded that the man forgave no disturbance of his peace or personal space. At the same time, though, he must have been long accustomed to the boisterous outbursts of the others. How else to explain the, certainly absurd in its give, calmness he emitted?
Chizuru had presumed that all men she had encountered were familiar with each other long before the conscription notices disturbed all of Japan with their insistent demands of recruitment. The matter inevitably troubled her. Why was she placed in a tent of men that were obviously acquainted? She stuck out like a sore thumb, really.
She struggled insistently and stubbornly to ignore Okita's teasing comments or Nagakura's calls to wrestle and prove "Tiny guys have guts too" or Harada's occasional laughing and patting on the back, or Heisuke's awkward smiles -he was obviously still remembering the loincloth incident . . . Not to mention Shiranui's caustic staring or taunting smiles of derision, while he masterfully hid under any kind of clothing Chizuru had at her disposal, combined with the desperate chirrups of the cricket that accompanied her.
All those thoughts swirling in her mind paved the way for an awkward series of somersaults right after the man that kindly offered his assistance before appeared at the entrance of the tent and conveyed a message from the high officials. He only spared a fleeting askance glace at her direction, faintly nodding to her for managing to locate her tent successfully. He paid no words to her personally, and for that she was quite thankful. Instead—
"Excuse my intrusion. I have word from Kyokucho."
"If it isn't Yamazaki-kun . . . " Okita suddenly perked up, grinning sardonically at the stern-looking man. "Word from Kondou-san, you say?" he murmured as he pulled himself into a standing position.
Yamazaki opted to ignore Okita's greeting altogether for the time being and, stolid and apathetic, continued, "He asked me to remind all of you, whilst you may share history with one and other, to not let recent history repeat itself." He eyed them all stressing-ly, his sharp eyes lacing his words with authority emanating from the simple fact . . . that those orders came directly from their Commander; and, consequently of course, from the Vice Commander as well. Any rational person would promptly guess, provided that they knew what to make of those words, that the orders were not Kondou-san's alone. The grimness, so characteristic of Hijikata Toshizo and not Kondou Isami, was blatantly intertwined, lurking beneath their given orders.
After releasing a sharp breath, Yamazaki continued. "There is to be no wondering around the encampment during the middle of the night. Especially, you, Okita-san. The rules are there to be obeyed and you are expected to rise early in the morn, so I suggest settling down to sleep within the next hour or two."
Any witty remarks that slipped past Okita's lips or protests against the news Yamazaki-san conveyed were shortly drowned in the depths of consternation that came to plague Chizuru mercilessly.
Day morphed into night all too quickly. She had no intention of disobeying orders. None at all. She needed to follow any instruction or behest in precision if she wished to survive in this encampment and see her plans successfully coming to fruition.
It was made painfully clear what her fate would unfold before her once the men around her swiftly started undressing.
Her mouth was left unforgivably agape, brown eyes staring incredulously at the scene unraveling before her innocent eyes. How . . . how. . . Every coherent word was suddenly nowhere to be found. They. . . they disrobed so very callously, clothes were slowly coming off in such a tantalizing teasing manner. Bare chests suddenly came into view, glistening muscles clenching and unclenching, voices were only a distant melody, barely distracting her from the mouth-watering sight before her. Her limbs and face were surely burning ablaze, plagued by a horrible flush.
"Shit! Girly, keep it together!" Shiranui's voice suddenly roused her from her reverie. His sharp teeth bit emphatically at her fingers. She turned to regard the little dragon glowering at her, indigo eyes nearly darting fires. The salamander-like creature had brazenly slid into view, settling on her mattress, the little crimson cricket by his side. "What kind of promiscuities are you thinking of? So much for declaring you are no pervert. That Okita was right. You really are a lewd little bastard."
She opened her mouth to disagree, deny any charges he was pressing against her all so suddenly. "I am not—"
"Oi, Kaoru!"
At the call of her name she slowly and dramatically veered only to meet Nagakura's bare body, narrowly covered by a blue loincloth over the most essential and secretive parts of his physique.
All traces of red were suddenly drained from her face as her blush disappeared and she finally paled dreadfully, skin glowing whiter than even when it was painted alabaster from Kosuzu's make-up. Gulping loudly, she managed to utter, "Y-yes?" whilst trying to avert her eyes from the toned muscled of his arms and chest that were already considerably shown even while he was clad in his clothes.
"Aren't you going to change? Hygiene, kiddo! Those are the clothes you traveled with, right?" She had no other choice but to nod like a scolded brat. "Mind your hygiene," he reiterated purposefully. "Trust me when I say . . . you don't want to meet the person in charge of medical affairs in Shinsengumi." Nagakura grimaced for an infinitesimal moment, disturbed by an inner thought. He shortly assumed his jovial composure again, gracing Chizuru with a toothy smile before he turned to take hold of the rest of his clothing.
This was it. Her doom. The bane of her existence. The end. Finale.
How was she supposed to do. . . this? Undress . . .? It's true that her modest chest was securely restrained by her tight bindings. But this was hardly the entirety of the problem she was facing against. The mere notion of undressing with an audience unsettled her in more ways than she could even count. Her maroon eyes fleetingly caught sight of Shiranui arching his brows at her, grinning wickedly.
Reluctantly and yet decisively she turned her back to the men. If she was going to do this, she better take any necessary precautions possible. Heaving a sigh, Chizuru tried to mentally steel herself for what was to come.
Locking her eyes over the tent's canvas firmly, she slowly started disrobing. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. It was impossible to do so as casually and leisurely the others undressed. A moment later the first layer was removed. When she finally reached the second one, Chizuru found herself hesitating. She was most likely entitled to keep her under kimono, despite the fact that all other men had rid themselves of theirs. She was dangerously close to mourning over the dreadful realization that this under layer smelled horribly due to her long trip to Kyoto; sweat, rain, dirt tarnished the fabric. She mentally made note of the fact that she, thankfully, retained another change of under kimono in her traveling bag.
Nagakura had been unquestionably right. Regardless of her unique circumstances, she had to also take care of her hygiene. She was, after all, a physician's daughter and that much was expected of her. Breathing a sharp intake of air she held her arms over the garment and allowed it to slink off carefully.
Unbeknownst to her, her slow movements resembled more of a woman teasing her spouse on the deepest contours of their bedroom than a young boy changing his clothes for the evening.
This very notion was stressed horribly when a low teasing whistle escaped Shiranui's lizard-ly mouth. "What a freaking tease you are! Is this deliberate? Just to be clear, girly, I ain't dating you disguised as a manchild. It's gross."
She gasped in surprise and dither at his words. Somehow she felt the oddly urgent need to turn. For, besides Shiranui's apparent degrading and taunting remarks, a stifling silence ruled the room that did nothing but prompt Chizuru to fully veer and regard the others. A moment ago they were as rowdy as ever. What happened that warranted such a pronounced change in their demeanor so abruptly?
She was met with a sight of five sets of eyes staring at her; and staring very intently. She hardly resisted the urge to crawl away from their sharp hues boring holes at her back.
In a rare act of courage she managed to inquire, clearing her throat in a desperate attempt to compel her voice to sound more manly, "E-Eh? Is something wrong?"
Her hesitant words seemed to have inflicted at least some kind of impact to the men. "W-Wrong?!" Heisuke nearly barked out, rubbing his head nervously. "No. It's just. . . that. . ."
"Anyone would think with hips like those that you were a woman in disguise." Souji suddenly commented, minding not of the horrible flush that marred Chizuru's cheeks.
"Teh! And anyone would think that the way you mention the way I look all the time, that you were sat there wishing I was," a voice brazenly retorted. She gasped in utter fright. By the incriminating looks they were all giving her, she, ruefully, concluded that they had presumed she was the one that uttered those words.
"What did you say, Kaoru?"
"N-nothing!" she swallowed hardly, chuckling awkwardly. Frowning in embarrassment, she swiftly turned to level Shiranui with the most horrendous glare she could muster. "Please, Shiranui-san!"
"He even looks like a kid when he sleeps." One voice whispered, a little hesitant to see through the newly devised devilish plan as they were, after all, on reasonably good terms before sleeping the night before.
"Think we should wake him up?" Another replied, eyes darting back and forth between the subject of their conversation and the ring leader of their little prank patrol.
"Maybe... He does look so peaceful, after all." The ring leader spoke up, emphasizing the word peaceful to show his distaste, all the while eyeing the kid with intensity.
Dreams were her only luxury in the midst of all this self-inflicted craziness. She relished in the opportunity to visit the world of slumber, to delve into past memories and concoct little tales of her very own. One such tale saw her as the last remaining princess of a renown clan, on the brink of extinction, fending for her future with a ragtag bunch of men. The men, whose faces felt all too familiar, could pass between one form and another more sinister where their eyes would shine with the vampiric lust for blood.
Demons, all of them were demons.
Her eyes flashed open and without intending to, she ended up in a panicked heap on the floor, between her bed and the one to the right. Her hands grabbed at her hair, a momentary trick of the eye coloured those ebony locks the palest white, and she fell back in disbelief. The back of her head painfully collided with the wooden frame of their unusual beds and she let out a whine, completely oblivious to the others watching her unusual display whilst smirking in sick satisfaction.
"Something wrong, Chizuru?"
"Ch-Chizuru?"
"Your name is Chizuru, right?"
The earth-shattering sound of wood warping snapped her back to her senses. She was still caught up in the confines of her bed sheets, sweating profusely.
It was all a bad dream!
Just a terrible, awful, soul destroying dream!
Something above her was moving, surfacing from the twines of pleasant rest, causing the bed to creak and crack under the strain. Her faced paled. She had leapt from the metaphorical sizzling frying pan into the burning flames of a imaginary fire. She was going to die, she knew it. She'd be forever known as that one kid who was squashed to death by the dense lump who happened to be named Shinpachi Nagakura. They told her she'd be squashed, they warned her! She'd be unrecognisable, she'd be flatter than a... than something terribly flat, a flat rock! She pooled herself for the strength required and tossed her formerly limp and in shock body from the bunk on to the hard ground.
"G'Morning, Kaoru~!" A jovial voice practically sung out. She brought her gaze from the floor upwards to be greeted by bright and awfully cheerful smile. She could feel the burn of her blood in her veins, warming every visible inch of her to a rich, red blush whilst her mouth fell agape in horror.
After what felt like a few minutes of naught but silence, a meek smile eventually passed her lips and she returned the greeting, albeit a few octaves louder than she intended, "Good morning... Okita-san."
"Did you sleep well?" He asked, none too fussed at whether she did or did not sleep well. He was merely making light conversation whilst trying to suppress his laughter at seeing the pint-sized recruit throw themselves out of bed all the while still being comically tangled in their sheets. Not even his devious plan could've seen a reaction as golden as the one she just performed before them.
"Wonderfully..." She sighed, a part of her far too ashamed to continue eye contact any longer than necessary. With a quick squirm, she found herself free of the barrier which was her bed linen and soon dusted herself down as she incoherently muttered something about damnable demons under her breath.
"Oi, oi, Shinpachi-san, shift yourself – you disheveled shit!" Heisuke called out. He was soon silenced by a mighty fist which clattered down, all too painfully, against his skull.
Aided in her morning routines by none other than the wily little dragon, which she had become oddly quite fond of, she adopted the swagger he kept insisting she tried. Shoulders back, legs bowed. She strutted past various other recruits with an air of what could only be described as faux arrogance. They knew she was not all what she proclaimed to be, yet did not see fit to tamper with her little confidence exercise.
From a distance, not too far from the spectacle of the young recruit struggling to assert themselves, two men found themselves smiling. One's glasses flashed in the early sunlight as they leaned in towards the other, murmuring something along the lines of over exaggeration and low self confidence. The second man, with a kind face, hummed in agreement and quietly added, "The poor lad tries too hard, do you not agree, Sannan-kun?"
"Indeed, Kondou-san." The man, named Sannan, replied.
"Think it's time?" Kondou enquired, turning his attention to the accumulating troops.
"Yes, I would say so." Sannan smiled and brought his hand out before him to indicate the way.
With a smile as broad as his shoulders, a man with dark hair which stuck out at spectacular angles, announced his presence to the gathered troops. "Welcome! I am fully aware that the circumstances of our meeting may not be pleasant for all of you and for that, I apologise. We, the Shinsengumi, hope that you find our hospitality-"
"Kondou-san, you're losing sight of what-" Sannan quietly murmured as his sharp gaze fixed itself upon his bumbling friend.
"A-Ah!" Kondou muttered, having suddenly lost all confidence to continue his little introduction, "Toshi..." He mumbled, hoping that his plight may have somehow reached his otherwise indifferent comrade.
With little more than a grumble, the man decided to lend his aid, if only for this morning. "We at the Shinsengumi expect nothing but the best. If you are unwilling to give your absolute all despite our most warm hospitality then you may as well head home now. The man who just spoke with you earlier, Kondou-san, our Commander, is watching over our entire operation and you will at all times listen to his instructions. This morning I shall be running you through some basic training drills, in order to weed to men from the boys. If you dare to fail me here, I shall not hesitate to send you home in disgrace." The Vice-Commander projected to his legion of trainees, not a single stutter or hint of uncertainty in his voice. Chizuru couldn't help but be slightly mesmerized by how he demanded both attention and loyalty by his presence alone.
A set of claws dug into her back as a polite yet rather uncomfortable reminder, not to become infatuated with any of the men she may meet throughout this insane journey of hers. But who was to say that respect would definitely slowly develop into something resembling infatuation? She was not some mere woman, girl, who could be easily swayed by the beauty of a man beneath ethereal moonlight, she had discarded all womanly desires away for her family name.
For a moment or two Chizuru's attention had turned to the Commander, who seemed a little worse for wear. His face was sickly, pale, and when their eyes briefly met – she felt horrified. He... He had seen her earlier exerting her male bravado as much as any other recruit. The gurn on the Commander's face quickly shifted into a warm smile upon noticing her attention and she couldn't help but smile in return.
"You may not agree with my methods but I am not here to hold your hand, I will not be your drinking buddy and I expect you all to give me your best." Hijikata continued to drawl, much to Shiranui's irritation.
Under the security blanket which was Chizuru's clothing, he mumbled in complete annoyance, "Man loves the sound of his own voice..." To make things a little more interesting and test this, presumably, narcissistic man's patience, Shiranui decided to take matters into his own claws. Entertainment, after all, was lacking.
"I can't say I'm particularly fond of you either!" A voice piped up, perfectly mimicking Chizuru's very own to the very inflections and accentuated pronunciations, earning more than a few satisfied smirks from the surrounding men. Where she was once entirely mesmerized by the man commanding the crowd before her, she now felt nothing but dread. How... How could Shiranui utter those words, didn't he care if she lived or died?!
With a hiss, she scolded the miniature dragon, "Do you want me to die?! Is that your plan? To get me beheaded, skewered and boiled alive for insolence?"
"My, what a creative imagination you possess..." He mused from within the folds of her clothes.
"Who was that?" The Vice-commander called out, his eyes narrowed to little more than frustrated slits. Chizuru felt a pair of hands shove her forwards, into the domain of the Oni Fukucho. He let out a sigh due to her presence and uttered, quietly, "You? Again? Do you have no appreciation of the kindness I showed you only yesterday?"
"I-I..." She stuttered hideously, eyes dead set on the muddied floor. From within the confines of her clothes, the little dragon knew this was the perfect chance to make some mischief yet something stopped him in his tracks - the girl trembling in complete fear.
The little lizard, Shiranui, knew he had to do something or he would've failed miserably at the first hurdle. And the Oni elders would surely not look upon him favourably. It would take all of his skills, acquired over the various years he had lived, to pull this little stunt off adequately.
"Always fast to jump to conclusions, aren't you, Oni Fukucho-san?" Shiranui quipped, attempting his best impersonation of the manchild who had abandoned the idea of camaraderie having pushed the poor woman, who acted as his ferry, to the figurative wolves.
"Sou.." He had to catch himself. He should have known this was one of Souji's little ill thought out pranks; the two were sharing a tent together after all, "O-Okita! Yukimura, get back in line, I'll see that this is dealt with."
"Y-Yes, sir." She mumbled, backing off slowly into the crowd from whence she came. She did not see it fit to lift her eyes from the floor once nor turn her back on her superior officer; she had already inadvertently caused so much disrespect and chaos.
"H-Huh? Me? What could I have possibly done this time?" Souji pouted whilst purposely making sure to ignore the looks of exasperation on his friends' faces. After all, they knew this situation all too well.
With a heavy sigh, the Vice Commander lifted the small bow he kept by his side and raised it into the air, arrow at the ready. His target was the large, wooden log situated in the middle of the encampment. With a whistle, the arrow embedded itself in the very top of the wood and stood proud. "You," he spoke directly to Kaoru's slinking figure, "Retrieve that arrow."
"N-now, Hijikata-san?" Kaoru squeaked. How on earth would she ever retrieve that arrow? It was stuck in the very tip of a large wooden beam! She had always been useless at climbing, the amount of times she skinned her knees as a child after falling from a tree...
"Aah, Hijikata-san is putting the whelp through his paces, I get it now!" Souji mused, a smirk lining his cat like features.
"Okita, I expect you the same if not more of you, so I suggest you wipe that fucking smile off of your face." He paused momentarily before turning his attention to the small gathering of recruits, eager to watch. "And oi! What do you think you're staring at? Laps, now! Go!"
With arrogance and confidence oozing from every pore, Souji approached the wooden beam and stretched his arms out in front of him. His fingers, which were interlocked, let out a disgusting cracking noise to which Kaoru recoiled, sickened. She was thankful that the rest of the men had been shooed away to perform their morning training of running laps and thus there wasn't a huge audience to witness her inevitable failure.
Souji's confidence was not misplaced, especially since he was not the one who was expected to go first. With his trademark smirk and a gesture which she couldn't quite understand, Kaoru realised she was expected to lead this little exercise.
The smile which graced Souji's face expertly hid the inner turmoil he was currently experiencing, how could he have possibly ended up here? Who the hell thought it was a good idea to impersonate him, of all people? With a sly nod, he saw the kid pass him by and size up the formidable yet inanimate object.
The weights in her hands drained all her energy, they were like nothing she had ever held in her life before, so hefty and large. With the icy glare of the Vice-Commander on her back, she approached the wooden beam with hesitation. Ill-timing the wrap of the weights around the base, she smashed her forehead against the wooden beam due to the forward momentum.
"And she's outta there!" The little lizard, who often took refuge in her clothes, joked aloud.
Hijikata, who watched the entire event unfold, let out a deep sigh and quickly dismissed the child who rubbed at their head in agony. "Go, join up with the others. Obviously I expected far too much of you, get out of my sight." With great distaste, she reluctantly joined up with the others who jogged around the outskirts of the encampment.
Heisuke, who was several lengthy strides ahead, turned his head to the side and let out an encouraging yet deafening cheer, "Run, Kaoru! Run!"
"...I" She managed to wheeze out a reply whilst continuing to heave herself forwards at a slower pace, "...am!"
"You call that running? ...What did you do all day back in Edo?" Sano, who had slowed to a painstakingly slow jog, asked.
"Cl-" A pair of sharp spindly claws dug straight into her back, forcibly stopping her mouth before she irresponsibly ran it off, "Chores! My father studies western medicine, I was often roped in to help with his clinic."
"You're really out of shape, kid." Shinpachi chimed in, she wasn't quite sure when he precisely reached her, or more appropriately put when he lapped her. "You should try to be more like me!" He boasted, much like a child, purposely flexing his biceps in tandem with one and other.
"I..." Just as she was about to respond, she tripped on a stealthily placed rock and tumbled, making a prized spectacle of herself. Embarrassment radiated off the miniature recruit.
Sit ups, in the midday sun, was not her idea of fun. In fact, it was the polar opposite, but she was not here to enjoy herself. Her stomach screamed out in protest at the onslaught of exercise she forced upon it. She was itching not to be the last person to reach the target number of crunches, she could not handle the humiliation of coming last again.
As she struggled to keep up with her new acquaintances she noticed a man nearby, who was also struggling. His mop of unruly blue hair, which was tied up into a high ponytail, kept unintentionally whipping him in the face and without intending to, she let out a quiet giggle.
"What are you staring at?" He huffed, irritation rife in his voice, he had just been caught looking utterly stupid after all.
"M-mine does that too..." She smiled whilst she took a momentary rest on her elbows, giving into the demands of her screeching stomach.
"Yours is too short." He snipped, taking her relaxed stance as an unspoken challenge to force himself further.
"W-well! It used to!" She grumbled in reply, noting his sudden burst in energy. If she continued to rest and fool around like she was, she would surely look bad. In a decision she would live to regret in the morning, she felt that she could not simply ignore his provocation. Admittedly, she felt completely reinvigorated as she continued with stomach crunches, even if it was just to try and outshine this rude man beside her.
The weight in her hand, despite being wooden, strained at her weakened wrists. The heft she was now no longer accustomed to being swung, over and over, chipped away at what was left of her energy reserves. She wasn't about to admit she had pathetic, romanticised ideas of what training would entail. The art of swordsmanship wasn't something to be scoffed at but she definitely didn't expect to struggle this much taking into consideration that she had been taught basic self defence when she was younger. How many years had passed since then?
The resolution in her heart constantly quivered and shook, each of the men surrounding her were ready and able to take life if necessary – could she possibly do the same if her life depended on it?
A nagging voice at the back of her mind, sounding much like the brother she impersonated, spoke in both a disheartening and scathing way.
You would rather die than take a life, wouldn't you?
You keep forgetting, you are not Chizuru any longer.
It was true, she had always put the life of others before her own, especially the life of her dear twin. There were times in the past when their relationship was anything but strained, when they'd play peacefully in meadows, when they'd sing silly little songs together whilst dancing like a pair of rogue pixies. No longer could she remain this innocent, demure girl as surely this rigorous training regime would certainly touch on the topic how to take a life.
A sharp, tingling pain ran up both of her legs, the area would surely bruise in the coming hours, and she soon realised that she was crumpled in a heap on the ground, "Oooft..." She groaned, a hand rubbing at her now aching backside, throbbing from where she landed hard on it.
Heisuke, who was almost completely unaware to the fact that he had just knocked a friend clean off of their feet, cried out in desperation, "Kaoru, I didn't see you there!"
"What Heisuke is really saying is that you're such a pipsqueak-" Being the one to ever twist the words of his comrades, Souji began to enjoy two of his toys at once with his trademark sly smile settling firmly into place on his face.
"Hey! Kaoru! Don't listen to Souji. I'm not that much of a jackass." Heisuke quickly refuted Souji's wild claims, a pout marring his otherwise cheerful exterior.
Sensing Heisuke's sensitivity on the subject, Souji quickly continued the joke laden verbal assault on his friend, "But you do admit that you are one and purposely knocked Kaoru on his butt?"
"...Heisuke, it's fine." She mumbled under her breath as she unsteadily raised herself to her feet. All she could hope was that both her backside and her legs where she was hit would not bruise all too crudely.
For some reason upon hearing the young kid in front of him address him so casually, Heisuke smiled broadly, "You actually called me Heisuke! Here I was thinking you'd call me Toudou-san again!"
Not meaning to burst his bubble or wipe the infectious, cheery smile from his face, Chizuru spoke in a quiet voice, "While I may not feel right referring to you as Heisuke, we are of similar age and it feels-"
"You're acting like a girl again." Shiranui let out a breathy whisper to remind her of her newly acquired responsibilities, but also taking pleasure in tormenting her and saving her face at the same time.
Her nose wrinkled in irritation almost immediately and in her most intimidating tone, Chizuru hissed at the retreating lizard. "I-I... I was not speaking to you." Once the sly creature was back, safe, within the folds of her clothes she allowed her attention to trail back to the two men who were still bickering amongst themselves, "But I did say I'd call you Heisuke, so..."
Satisfied that the accident had been adequately dealt with, both Heisuke and Souji returned to their wooden swords and their shared training regime with relative ease. A part of her envied them, envied their closeness and their loyalty to one and other yet another, more rational, part of her merely found the thought of her feeling jealous over the way that two unrelated men had bonded over the years laughable.
An unfamiliar voice stole her from her thoughts, her confused expression was greeted by a self depreciating smile, "I hate their bravado... ignore them, you're doing alright, well... you're doing better than me."
"O-oh, it's you." She spluttered. It was the man from earlier who she had formed a temporary rivalry with over who could complete the most crunches in the allotted time. Her mind wondered back to earlier that day. It was certainly the most fun she had experienced since enrolling in this encampment even if her stomach felt like it had been ragged around by a wild animal for a good few hours.
The miniature recruit before him radiated kindness despite only minutes ago being sullied by thick mud so he felt he should at least share his name with them. "You? I have a name, Ibuki Ryunosuke." The man with the messy blue ponytail moaned. From what she could tell he seemed friendly enough, he even went as far as to half heartedly compliment her efforts.
With her brightest smile, she replied to her new acquaintance, "Nice to meet you, Ibuki-san. I'm Yukimura Chi-" She quickly caught herself, this was a habit she truly had to snap out of, "...Kaoru, why don't we train together?"
Souji struggled to hide his elation at how the pint-sized recruit and the grouchy one with unruly hair had formed a temporary truce. Even if it did meddle with his current plans, at least he now knew that all of his future efforts would have to accommodate two people and not just one.
Authors' Note
And there we have it! Loincloths are magically flying through the air -even though it was technically Souji's fault-, Chizuru is developing a healthy rivalry with Ryunosuke -of all people- whilst striving to survive sleeping under Shinpachi and not, for goodness' sake, tease her roommates with her disrobing habits, Hijikata is as demonic as ever and Shiranui had a secret talent that even we never knew about- impersonating people! If those are not indicative of what madness is to follow, we really do not know what is.
We promise to try and update as soon as we can. Life can be very hectic at times, but we are trying to work diligently on this. Your feedback is much appreciated and a marvelous incentive to help us overcome the burdens of our busy schedules as far as humanly possible.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Please leave a review if you, too, missed lovely horsey, Chikage, and eagerly wait to see his reaction to all this. Not to mention Souji's next plan of attack and how, exactly, can Chizuru survive in maddening world.