Azure: Hello everyone! It will just be me and Ignescent here today, as everyone else is very pissed off at me. And rightfully so.
Ignescent: As Azure's friend irl, I know what she's going through. Those dunderheads, on the other hand, really have no clue about the hardships in OUR era and can't sympathize with her.
Azure: ...Who uses the term "dunderhead" nowadays?
Ignescent: I do.
Azure: I can see that. Anyway, everyone else should be joining us in the next chapter. They just need some time to cool off.
Ignescent: I should knock some sense into them and learn them a thing or two.
Azure: Please don't. And... "learn them a thing or two"?
Ignescent: Y'aint.
Ignescent: Y'all'dve.
Azure: Why are you like this
Ignescent: OH, like you don't say it.
Azure: Okay... Anyway, for those who saw the update I posted, I don't need to explain anything to you. For those of you who did not see my update - I did take it down pretty quickly - the main reason for the long delay in updating is my crappy health.
Ignescent: You were blessed with many things... but you lack terribly in the health department.
Azure: I'm aware. I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless!
Ignescent: Wot in tarnation
Azure: That's enough internet for today.
A few days had passed since that fateful meeting with Kazama and Chizuru. I had not seen or heard of them since, which began to make me antsy, nervous, and overall... very out of it. It was a big problem, not only because it was hindering my daily life, but more importantly, everyone else had begun to notice that something happened that night. No one had asked me about it yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the Vice Commander would call me over to talk about it.
I had decided not to tell anyone about my meeting with Kazama and Chizuru, who had somehow come back to life. With the Shinsengumi's already busy schedule, this was one of the last things that we needed to worry about. Besides, would anyone believe me anyway? The idea of returning from the dead itself was preposterous. I would not have believed the reappearance of Chizuru if I had not seen her, moving and breathing with my own eyes. It completely went against the laws of nature. Every living thing on earth is given a certain amount of time to live. When that time is up, you die. It is as simple as that. That day many months ago was, tragically, Chizuru's time to leave this world. The fact that she was alive again... what on earth had happened? Had she been alive this whole time? No, that could not be possible. Both Yamazaki and I had confirmed her death. Did her death cause some sort of unbalance? In the end, my questions got me nowhere, unsurprisingly. Death is not something for any living being to understand.
I was in my room polishing my sword when I began to debate if I should tell the captains and commanders about Chizuru and Kazama. I had originally been against it, as I did not wish to add more to everyone's stress, but I did plan to tell everyone when things had calmed down. But now that I had had a good chance to think about it, I began to reconsider.
Although he really had no reason to, now that he had Chizuru, Kazama still seemed to have a bone to pick with the Shinsengumi. Even without knowing if Amagiri and Shiranui were still with him, Kazama alone is a formidable foe for anyone in the Shinsengumi. The fact that he was still targeting us - for whatever reason - was worrisome and something that the Vice Commander especially should know about. Then there was the whole matter with Chizuru.
Even if she was trained in the art of self-defense, Chizuru was by no means a master at the sword and had rarely ever used it. She probably couldn't even hurt a fly. But now, Chizuru could fight. While she didn't have much power behind her blows, her technique and speed definitely made up for it. Her light and small body allowed her to deal numerous hits at a time and also allowed her to move quickly enough to attack any part of you that was open. Hell, she had had me constantly on the tip of my toes, and trying not to get a scratch from her had been a challenge. I could even say that we were close to being equal now. However, my biggest concern was that it seemed like Chizuru was with Kazama and accompanying him. She had followed his orders, fought for him, and left with him. It was all very confusing. When she had been alive, she had made it clear that she did not like Kazama one bit and refused to become his bride. Suddenly hanging out with him and obeying him... it didn't make any sense. Had her coming to life change something? But... now that I thought about it, something had been fishy about the situation. Chizuru had not said a word the entire time and had not made any expression and had not shown an emotion once during the encounter. Knowing Chizuru's friendly and bubbly personality, it had been very unnatural for her.
"...tou? Oi, Saitou!"
It was then I became aware that someone had been calling me to get my attention. I looked away from my sword and instead focused my attention to the entrance of my room, where a frowning Hijikata stood with his arms crossed as he glared at me. I quickly sheathed my sword, placed it beside me and dipped my head in apology.
"I sincerely apologize for my actions, Fukucho. I was lost in my thoughts."
"I can see that..." Hijikata replied, looking disgruntled before heaving a large sigh. "Listen, Saitou. I don't know what's been going on with you lately, but we're all a little... concerned..."
So I had made everyone worry with my recent behavior. Not that I hadn't thought I would, but perhaps not as much as I actually had. Apparently my personal discord was more obvious than I had thought.
After staying silent for a few moments, Hijikata spoke up again. "Why don't you take a walk? You know, clear your head. Perhaps it's exhaustion... you have been working a lot lately."
Of course, that wasn't the real reason for my odd behavior, but it would be rude of me and out of place otherwise for me to refuse. After considering the Vice Commander's offer for a brief moment, I stood up while grabbing my sword and gave him a small nod of confirmation.
"Very well, I shall take a walk then."
"I understand that you're going through some tough times, but try to make it back before curfew, it's already pretty late." With those parting words, Hijikata left me to my own devices.
Strapping my sword to my waist, I exited my room and left the compound without running into anyone else.
I found myself standing on a bridge in the middle of Kyoto when I stopped to admire the setting sun. The bridge was directly over a large river and reflected the many vibrant colors of the sunset. I found it very tranquil, and before I knew it, a calming peace had come over me. Suddenly, I found myself very thankful for Hijikata's suggestion and his generosity. Perhaps a walk where I could let my thoughts roam free was just what I needed; I could focus and really think about what was on my mind without having to worry about the stresses back at the Shinsengumi compound.
As I stood there, overlooking the rippling water and the scarlet sky, my thoughts naturally drifted back to Chizuru. Perhaps she truly was being controlled... I had no idea why she would have fought me and sided with Kazama otherwise. She really did love me... she cherished me and did everything she could to make my life easier. I had no doubts about that. When it came to her feelings and affection for me, her eyes never lied. Chizuru couldn't lie even if she wanted to. She must be being controlled. But... by whom? I would suspect Kazama, but perhaps there was something more to it. Why would someone go through all this trouble to bring her back anyway? I imagined it would be a complicated and painstaking process to... do whatever they did to bring Chizuru back. For all I knew, she might not even actually be alive. She might still be dead, with someone moving and controlling her corpse. But then, why would they want to do that? What would they have to gain?
Perhaps it had something to do more with Chizuru and her position. I did not know much about Chizuru and her demon lineage. She never talked much about, and understandably so. She had not even been aware she was a demon for months after she first started living with us. But, if I recalled correctly, in the meeting the captains and commanders had with Princess Sen... didn't she say that female demons were quite rare? And also that Chizuru was more special because she was a pureblood. Apart from those facts, I didn't remember anything else, and I didn't think Chizuru did either.
...No, there was something else. Wasn't Kazama also a pureblood? That's right, Princess Sen was saying that if two purebloods... bred, so to speak, they would produce an even more powerful offspring. Kazama wanted to rebuild the demon clans and take over the world while destroying the entirety of the human race. To do this, he needed Chizuru to become his wife and give him the powerful offspring he desperately desired. Wasn't the other reason why he wanted Chizuru specifically because she was the ruler of the Eastern demon clan? With Kazama being the ruler of the Western demon clan, that would also make their child practically demon royalty, being descended from two of the four major demon clans. Maybe Kazama thought that by having the blood of the ruler of the Eastern clan and the Western clan, the lower demons would more likely to respect and follow his offspring, and this would give him more control and power over the rest of the oni.
I gave a quiet sigh and silently stared at the wooden floor of the bridge. While remembering this information gave me some theories and clues as to how - or why - Chizuru had come back, it didn't give me anything I could truly go off of. After all, I was only a human. I had had no idea that demons - excluding the rasetsu - actually existed until the Shinsengumi got involved with Kazama, Amagiri, and Shiranui.
The sun had now set under the horizon, and now that I had gotten my thinking out of the way, I decided to head back to the Shinsengumi compound. It was right then. Just as I had turned around to head back in the direction from whence I came, I heard a voice I knew all too well.
"Hajime-san."
When my eyes found her, I could feel them immediately growing wide, even though I had already recognized her voice. Chizuru was standing there, looking at me - at least from what I could tell because of the bandage that still wrapped around her eyes - giving off an air of peace. Yet, at the same time, she seemed so sad... so lonely. It broke my heart to see her that way, but I was flabbergasted more by her appearance and the fact that she was right in front of me.
Chizuru was now adorned in a pale yellow kimono, with intricate red spider lilies creeping up her sleeves and the bottom of her kimono. She wore a crimson obi with embroidery of cranes and a cream colored ribbon tied around to keep everything in place. She had beautiful zori sandals on, obviously of high quality, and still had her kodachi at her right hip. Instead of having her hair up in a ponytail like she did in the past, she now kept it down, allowing it to move freely in the wind that toyed with it.
The sudden sight of her left me tongue tied, allowing Chizuru to speak up first.
"Hajime-san, it has... been a while. I'm glad to see that you are doing well." She spoke, flashing me a small smile that made her appear more elegant and mature. It was quite different than what I was used to and it threw me off guard. Nonetheless, I gave her my own sad smile and replied.
"Indeed it has... Chizuru..." I paused, not sure of what else to say before giving a small huff of what one could consider being laughter. "This is... quite weird for me. Talking with my lover who was once dead."
It was now Chizuru's turn to laugh. It felt wonderful to hear her laugh and talk again, making a part of me soothed and comforted after the heartbreak of having Chizuru die.
"I suppose I can't blame you. This is... rather weird, isn't it? I felt myself die, thinking that I would never see you again. Yet, here we are..." She breathed, rubbing her left arm in an embarrassed manner.
There was an awkward silence between us as a small breeze blew across the bridge. For a while, we just stared at each other, unsure of what to say or do. I was about to speak up and ask about the bandage that covered her eyes, but I never got the chance as Chizuru flung herself at me and wrapped her arms around my back in a hug. I stood there motionless before doing the same with her. I squeezed her tightly, suddenly overcome with emotion, and even more so when Chizuru began to cry. I wanted to cry as well, but the tears would not come. Instead, I used my left hand to gently stroke her hair in an attempt to comfort her.
We stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each others' arms. Words cannot express how I felt in that moment; the feeling of being reunited with a lover that had died in your arms... talking with them and holding them after months of dealing with the fact that they were gone... It was unlike anything else I had ever experienced. I wished so desperately that we could stay like that forever, but that was wishful thinking. Just a few minutes later, Chizuru removed herself from the embrace with a sniffle as I gently caressed her cheek.
"I do not know why you have a bandage wrapped around your eyes, nor how you even recognized it was me standing on this bridge... but how about you take it off? It got wet from your tears." I reached out to unwrap the bandage, but she shook her head vehemently.
"I... I cannot do that. I cannot see, Hajime-san." Her voice wavered and now giving off an air of nervousness. She was... blind?
"That's fine. If you are sensitive to the light, the sun is setting, and I can give you my scarf as a quick replacem-"
"No, Hajime-san... I... I don't even have eyes anymore..."
I immediately froze after hearing those words. My hand fell from Chizuru's face, becoming limp at my side. She... didn't even have eyes anymore? It wasn't even a matter of being shy because she was blind and couldn't see anything... she didn't even have her eyes, period.
"Wh... What? H-How did that happen? A-Are you alright, Chizuru?" I asked her frantically with concern clearly etched on my face as I looked at my lover's petite form. She silently held up a hand, signaling for me to stop and calm down. When she saw that I had, she lowered her hand and spoke.
"That... is among many things that I must discuss with you. Even more importantly, I also wish to talk with Hijikata-san and Kondou-san about my... circumstances." Her voice was soft and low, leading me to think that whatever she needed to talk about was very important.
"That can be arranged. I was on my way back to the Shinsengumi headquarters. I can escort you there-"
Once again, Chizuru violently shook her head as I stood there, puzzled.
"A-Again... I have a lot to tell you - to tell everyone - and I promise I will in due time. But... Kazama is tracking me. He always knows where I am at. Presently, he thinks my mind and body are with him, completely under his control. That is not entirely correct. Only when he truly desires and wishes to control me is when he actually can. Other than that, I am my own person, like I was when I was alive. I'll explain more in-depth later, but what I am trying to say is that I cannot go to the Shinsengumi compound. Kazama will find it suspicious and will find out the truth about... him not actually controlling me." When Chizuru finished, she lowered her head in a sad and guilty manner.
Just that bit of information alone was... a lot to handle. I could feel my thoughts going crazy, asking more and more questions that could not be answered. In an effort to soothe Chizuru as well as my confused mind, I placed a delicate hand on her head and stroked it softly.
"Very well then. What do you suggest we do?" At my question, Chizuru seemed to regain some life as she lifted her hand, tapping her cheek with her index finger to show that she was thinking of a possible solution.
"Preferably, I would like to gather all the captains and commanders - Hijikata-san, Kondou-san, Sannan-san, Harada-san, Heisuke-kun, Okita-san, Nagakura-san, as well as you, Hajime-san, and tell you about everything that... happened to me and what's going on. However, I'm assuming you haven't told anyone else that you met me that night." When Chizuru paused to confirm if it was true or not, I gave her a nod to show that it was before she continued. "...I felt that it would just be... a bit... much, and perhaps not the smartest idea considering how... excited... some of them can get."
Thinking about the Baka Trio, I gave a small smile at Chizuru's comment. "You are certainly correct about that."
"What I had in mind was to gather you, Hijikata-san, and Kondou-san and perhaps meet somewhere else so I can tell them my story."
I tilted my head in confusion at that. Clearly, this was something important. I understood her desire to talk to the higher ranking officials about her circumstances first, but why was Sannan not included?
As if sensing why I was puzzled, Chizuru continued to explain. "I felt that if I called the three most high ranking officials in the Shinsengumi, it would cause some confusion and unrest among the captains and the rank-and-file soldiers. By all means, Sannan-san needs to know, but I feel that he should stay behind for this meeting to make this meeting easier to cover up. We can say that Hijikata-san and Kondou-san had to visit the Aizu clan to talk about the war."
Her intentions and reasoning were much clearer to me after she explained. I agreed with her; it certainly would cause distress to the captains and the soldiers if the Commander, the Vice Commander, and the Colonel suddenly left the compound. While everyone may not know why, it would cause many questions to arise that we wouldn't be able to answer for the time being.
I nodded my head, allowing her to continue.
"Once I informed Hijikata-san and Kondou-san, I would leave it to you three to figure out how we should handle telling Sannan-san and the captains about me. Now, before you ask, this isn't just a matter of me wanting to see you guys again-"
"Although you won't deny that it is part of the reason," I said, causing Chizuru to give me a small smile and a giggle before continuing.
"Yes, I won't deny that I've missed you all very much. But, again, that isn't the only reason." Chizuru's face grew dark, stimulating a growing curiosity from within me. "This... thing, that's going on with me shouldn't have to involve the Shinsengumi. But, unfortunately, it does. Kazama is still after the Shinsengumi, and while I may have a few ideas why, I have no certain ideas for his behavior. I plan to also talk with Sen-chan and Kimigiku-chan about this, as they're also demons. Perhaps they can shed more light on this case, and perhaps they can aid the Shinsengumi in this problem as well."
After considering Chizuru's requests for a few minutes, I gave her another nod and watched as her face light up with delight.
"I will talk with the Commander and Vice Commander about this. But my concern is that they will not believe me when I tell them that you are alive." Chizuru gave a thoughtful hum. She most likely had not considered this as a possible issue.
"...How about this?" I said after a moment. "I'll tell both of them that someone wishes to meet with us at the usual place in Shimabara? I won't tell them that it is you. It will be a surprise for them and they'll see for themselves that you are indeed alive. Besides, going to Shimabara will give you the chance to speak with Princess Sen and Lady Kimigiku, will it not?" Chizuru sent me a beaming smile at my suggestion.
"Yes, it would! I almost forgot that Kimigiku-chan works as a geisha at Shimabara. It should be safe for me to meet everyone there as well. Because of my eyes, or rather, the lack of them, I try to avoid being in public as much as possible. I can arrange things with Kimigiku-chan to make things easier for me. I can enter through the back entrance and she can be our geisha for the evening. Plus, Shimabara would be a great meeting spot to talk with everyone else, and it certainly would be large enough to accommodate everyone. And because Kimigiku will be there, I can finally talk to Sen-chan again...!" She continued to ramble on excitedly to the point where she seemed like she was going to start crying again. Once again taking her into my arms, I asked her one final question.
"Alright, I'll talk to the Commander and Vice Commander about setting up a meeting as soon as I get back to the compound, and you can meet and talk with Lady Kimigiku tonight. How about we meet at this same spot tomorrow morning to confirm our plans?" Chizuru remained silent for a brief moment before I could feel her nod against my chest. "Very well. I'll see what I can do."
Chizuru once again pulled out from my embrace, looking up at my face with a grateful and loving smile.
"Thank you so much, Hajime-san." She gave me a fleeting kiss on my right cheek - something that threw me off guard, as she had never really been that bold in the past - then turned in the opposite direction and hurriedly began walking toward the direction of the red light district.
Normally, that sort of action from her would have sent me over the moon, but instead, I grew melancholic as I gingerly touched the spot she kissed.
Her lips were cold.
By the time I entered the Shinsengumi compound, night had fallen. I would have had plenty of time to continue my walk, but now I had more pressing matters to attend to. I had to find Hijikata-san and Kondou-san and schedule a meeting for Chizuru.
On my way to the Vice Commander's room, I saw Souji headed in the opposite direction. Upon seeing me, he broke out in his usual cat-like grin before practically prancing over to me.
"Well well, if it isn't Hajime-kun~ You finished your walk already?" I was curious as to where he had heard that, but instead of asking about it, I decided to ask him about Hijikata and Kondou-san's whereabouts.
"Souji, have you seen the Commander and the Vice Commander anywhere?" At my sudden question, Souji blinked, then gave me a questioning look.
"Kondou-san and Hijikata-san? Hmm... Last time I saw the mother hen, he was in the common room with the Baka Trio - probably lecturing them about something. As for Kondou-san... I think he and Sannan-san were talking about something in Sannan-san's room."
"Thank you, Souji." I gave him a quick bow and without waiting for a reply, I hurried off to the common room to see if the Vice Commander was still there.
As luck would have it, Hijikata was there, still lecturing the three captains when I entered the room. He didn't even notice me until Heisuke locked his eyes on mine, looking relieved to have found a distraction from Hijikata.
"Oh, Saitou, what are you doing here?" Heisuke asked, a grateful smile on his lips as Hijikata, Nagakura, and Harada noticed my presence.
"Saitou! Feeling better after your walk?" Harada inquired with a wink and a merry wave in my direction. as Hijikata rounded on him with eyes of steel.
Hijikata rounded on him with eyes of steel.
"We'll continue this later," the Vice Commander snarled in a low voice. "You assholes might have escaped the pan, but you're not out of the flames yet." The snarl made him even scarier than he was when he was yelling or screaming at someone. My feelings appeared to be shared by the others, as both Heisuke and Nagakura shrank back in fear at Hijikata's warning while Harada merely scratched the back of his neck in guilt.
Waving a hand to temporarily dismiss the Baka Trio, Hijikata turned to me and folded his arms across his chest. His facial features were now softer and bore something resembling concern as he looked at me.
"Well, did that walk help at all? It better have; I don't want to see you moping around and acting all weird like how you were behaving previously." His tone seemed flat and uninterested, but I knew he truly was concerned for my wellbeing.
After giving him a quick bow, I informed him that the walk had helped me quite a lot and that I was thankful that he had granted me the time and option to take one.
"That's good to hear, I guess. If you came here just to tell me that, couldn't that have waited until after I finished up with those idiots? Was it-"
"I apologize for interrupting you, Vice Commander, but there is something important I need to discuss with you as soon as possible," I told Hijikata, causing him to frown at me oddly before giving a resigned sigh.
"Alright, alright. Come with me to my room then. We'll most likely be able to talk there without any interrupti-"
"This matter also involves the Commander. I wish to speak with him about it as well." I was interrupting him for the second time, and expected the Vice Commander to look at me with annoyance. Instead, however, he simply observed me with his sharp, violet eyes.
"Tell me..." His voice surprised me, causing a small jolt to go through my body. "...Is this about Chizuru?" When I looked down at the floor, it was the only answer Hijikata needed to know that he was correct. Well, that was it for the surprise meeting. I would just have to come up with something different. Hijikata stayed silent for a while, watching me with a keen eye before saying anything.
"...I thought so. You wouldn't be so talkative otherwise. Come with me. Let's find Kondou-san and we can talk in my room." At this point, Hijikata had his back to me and began walking down the hallway. "We should probably talk about it with Sannan-san too, it would be b-"
"Not yet, Vice Commander," I exclaimed, causing Hijikata to stop and turn to look at me with irritated eyes.
"And why the hell not? If this does involve Yukimura, Sannan-san has the right to hear about this as well."
"I will tell you why when we meet with Kondou-san. For now, I ask that you trust me on this." I gave Hijikata a determined and serious look to show him my sincerity. After the two of us had stared at each other for several moments, gazes unwavering, the Vice Commander heaved a sigh and looked at me pointedly.
"Fine. Let's just get Kondou-san. You can tell us everything then."
Azure: Well, there you go! Consider this chapter as a part one of... two or three.
Ignescent: Just a heads up in advance, Azure is getting her wisdom teeth removed over Spring Break, so she will most likely not update for a while afterward because she's going to be high off of painkillers.
Azure: That's in like, three weeks. I was going to warn them eventually. Besides, I'm not going to be "high" for a week. I'm only "high" on painkillers the very day I get my wisdom teeth removed and perhaps the day after. For the rest of Spring Break I'm just going to be suffering and putting all my food in a blender.
Ignescent: Her wisdom teeth are so weird guys, you have no idea.
Azure: Must you tell them this...?