Chapter 8: So close, yet so far
After the incident in Osaka, Hijikata, Sannan and Abigail were back to headquarters. Hijikata had sent a letter in advance, telling the others about Sannan's injuries, so the others were ready to greet Sannan as if nothing had happened. Abigail had decided not to dine with everyone that night, instead she locked herself in the room, the events of Osaka running through her mind like a wild river. His face… I knew Hijikata felt responsible… but I never expected to see that expression on him. She thought…
After Abigail protected both Sannan and Hijikata, she looked back at them, the both of them looking at her in surprise. "A-Abigail… your eyes…" Sannan remarked. Abigail shook her head.
"There is no time Sannan-san, we have to get back to safety and treat your wound." she said as she helped Hijikata to lift Sannan to his feet. Abigail glanced at Hijikata, her eyes widening in surprise. He was looking at the ground, a face full of regret and defeat, and in some way, rage. Abigail knew why he looked like that, he felt responsible for Sannan's injuries cause he was supposed to protect his comrade. "Hijikata-san…" Abigail called softly, which made him flinch slightly and look up at her with pained eyes. She then shook her head softly, and Hijikata understood what she was saying. Don't let it get to you… she thought as they helped Sannan get back to safety.
It was morning, and Abigail started opening her eyes as the sunrays illuminated her room. She sat on her tatami, stretching carefully. After stretching she gets out of the tatami and stands up, walking to the window and opening it slightly, letting the morning rays shine over her marble toned skin. She then turned around, searching through her wardrobe.
"No… I wore this last week… not that either… the jeans I used this with got torn apart when Kazama attacked… and this dress is mostly for summer and we are in the middle of spring… I got nothing to wear!" she complained loudly, turning away from her wardrobe with her arms crossed over her chest, completely annoyed. Just when she turned to search again, Harada passed by her window, noticing her grunts and annoyed little screams. He then got closer to the window.
"Abigail?" he asked, and she almost immediately flinched, looking at him with wide eyes.
"H-Harada-san… am I being too loud?" she asked.
Harada nodded "Yep, again. And by the same thing for the third time this week."
"Hey, I got nothing to wear! Most of my clothes are getting mismatched because I have been attacked by that damned Kazama. And to top it all, my other clothes are dirty and it's still not laundry day." she said as she kept searching through her clothes. While distracted, she suddenly found the blue backpack with Kino's gun inside, freezing as she saw it. Almost instinctively she opened the bag and pulled the gun out, staring at it.
Harada then looked at Abigail curiously "Abi? Is everything alright?" he asked, and she turned around, looking at him with a sad smile. Harada's eyes widened.
"You see this gun? It belonged to my deceased partner… Kino… I had decided not to use it and keep it as a memoir. It's silly for a woman like me to do this with such a dangerous weapon, but it means a lot cause it was Kino's first legal gun." she explained.
"Legal?" Harada asked and Abigail nodded.
"Yes, in the world I come from guns are not given to just anybody you know? You gotta have special papers and permissions to have and use guns or any kind or arms." she started, and since Harada looked even more confused, she tried explaining a bit more. "In other words, you have to prove you are worthy of having arms."
Harada then nodded "So it's not like you can buy them whenever you want?" Abigail shook her head.
"No, in my world there are no massive wars like in this era." hearing that, Harada's eyes widened.
"Seriously?!" he exclaimed, and Abigail nodded, a bit concerned about his reaction. He then turned around and ran off "I gotta tell everyone!" he screamed.
Abigail just stared as he ran off, and then looked at herself, her eyes going wide in shock "W-wait a second… was I talking to him wearing my sleep dress?!" her cheeks turned red, and she fell on her knees in disbelief "N-no way… I didn't notice at all I was wearing this…"
Later on, Abigail had finally changed and walked out of her room. She was wearing a black one piece suit with slit baggy pants and her gray ankle-high boots. She decided to braid her hair, and she wore long fingerless gloves that matched her boots. "Man it was hard to choose my outfit today…" she sighed, bumping into something that felt soft yet hard at the same time. "Ow!" she yelped, taking a step back and rubbing her forehead gently.
"Are you alri- Abigail?" she opened her eyes to see the owner of the voice, it was Saito, who was looking at her in surprise.
"Oh, Saito-san, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention." he shook his head.
"Don't worry, are you alright?" he asked, and Abigail nodded.
"Yes, thanks for asking." she smiled "Where are you headed?"
"I was getting ready to go on patrol." he looked away from her, his cheeks a slight pink. Abigail, not noticing, walked in front of him.
"Mind if I join you? I seriously got nothing better to do right now." she said, and just when Saito was about to talk he was interrupted by another familiar voice.
"If you really have nothing better to do, why not investigate the case that was given to you last week?" the voice sounded annoying, and Abigail flinched lightly, turning slowly to see that Hijikata was right behind her.
"O-oh… that… well…" she tried to make up an excuse, but failed miserably. Hijikata simply told Saito to go ahead with his patrol, and ordered Abigail to head to the forest to investigate about the rumors that an evil creature lurked there at night.
"Man! Why did he send me all alone to do this?! What if Kazama appears out of nowhere?! Geez Hijikata can be heartless sometimes!" she complained, walking through the trees. She then reached the area that she had previously burned, staring at it for a few seconds "This is where I lost control and passed out… I am still so weak…" she said, walking deeper into the forest. As she got deeper, she started hearing a soft cry, and she immediately walked in the direction the cry was coming from. She then noticed a little girl sitting on the dirt, her clothes all torn off and her skin cut and bruised, Abigail gasped, hurrying to the girl's aid.
"Are you alright?! Who did this to you?!" Abigail asked worriedly, and the girl looked up at her. Still crying, the girl started speaking.
"O-Onee-san… i-it was a big and blond man… I accidentally bumped into him… and he seemed so mad…" the girl said between cries.
"Well well, look who we got here." A familiar voice startled both Abigail and the little girl, who started crying desperately. Abigail hugged the girl protectively, glaring as she heard footsteps walking towards her. As he slowly became visible, Abigail's eyes turned blue.
"Kazama…" she hissed softly, glaring at the blond man now standing in front of the duo. The girl opened her eyes, glancing at Kazama, who was glaring down at both of them, and she started crying loudly, her whole body trembling. Noticing this, Abigail pulled the girl closer to her "What do you want?" Kazama chuckled.
"I wanted to get your attention, and this seemed to be the best and most effective way." Abigail was undoubtedly enraged, for his actions were ruthless. Scaring innocent people just to catch my attention… he's such an… her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Kazama started getting into a leaping position. Before Abigail could make a move, Kazama was already over them, holding his katana over his head and ready to swing it down to Abigail's head. She closed her eyes tightly, covering the girl with her whole body. Damn… at least protect her…!
Just when Abigail braced herself, a loud clanking noise was heard right over her head. Abigail opened her eyes, which widened as her vision adjusted to the scene. Right there, in front of her, she saw a long jet black ponytail flowing graciously, and purple clothing. Abigail gasped slowly, then exclaimed "Hijikata-san!"
Hijikata then looking at her from over his shoulder "Take the girl to a safer place! Go!" he yelled, and Abigail immediately nodded, carrying the girl in her arms and taking her back to the town. The girl's mother was at the entrance of the forest, crying desperately, and once she saw her daughter in Abigail's arms, she ran to them.
"Oh my goodness! You saved my child! Thank you miss, thank you very much." the woman thanked with tears in her eyes as she embraced her daughter. Abigail smiled and nodded, then turned around and dashed into the forest again.
When Abigail got back, she saw Kazama and Hijikata were still fighting fiercely "Hijikata-san!" Abigail yelled, dashing to Kazama while unsheathing her ninjato "Let me help!" her eyes turned blue almost instantly, and she lunged at Kazama, swinging her sword in and arc with great speed and force. Kazama, however, dodged her attack almost effortlessly, but what he didn't know was that Hijikata was already making an attack as well. Kazama tried to dodge his attack as well, but the blade still grazed his face. Jumping backwards and standing at a considerable distance from the duo, Kazama then noticed his wound, touching it with his fingers.
His glare now turned into a deadly and furious glance "You bastards!" he yelled, his eyes now turning yellow and his hair turning white as horns slowly made their way through his bangs. Abigail and Hijikata both looked at Kazama with shocked eyes. "A mere human injuring my face?! You will pay for this!" he yelled as he lunged at an extreme speed towards the two, and just as Kazama was about to touch Hijikata, he saw a blue ball of flames clash against the attack, pushing both Kazama and Abigail with force to opposite ways.
Abigail, pushed away by the strong force, crashed against Hijikata, sending them both flying towards a big tree. Hijikata's back hit the trunk as he held Abigail by her shoulders, making them both yelp in pain. They both fell on the ground, Abigail now sitting between Hijikata's legs and panting slightly. She then turned to look at Hijikata "H-Hijikata-san… are you… are you alright?" she asked.
"Y-yeah… I think…" he said between breaths. Abigail then looked forward, noticing Kazama standing a few meters away from them. She then stood up, holding her ninjato with two hands now, Hijikata saw this and looked towards Kazama as well Damnit… he is still standing as well. He thought.
Abigail glared at Kazama, and just as both her and Kazama got into a leaping position, a big, bulky man landed right in the middle of the field. He straightened up, looking at both Kazama and Abigail with his crystal blue eyes. He then turned to Kazama "There is no need for bloodshed, besides, you got some business somewhere else." the man simply said, making Kazama withdraw his sword in annoyance. His eyes and hair turned back to normal as he glanced at Abigail.
"We will settle this… someday." he said, turning around and disappearing. The blue-eyes man bowed to them once and disappeared as well.
Abigail then turned to Hijikata, running to him to help him get up "Sorry about that Hijikata-san." she said. He looked up to meet her eyes, which were turning back to their light amethyst tone.
He chuckled once "It's nothing, great combo by the way." he said. Abigail looked at him as he stood up on his own, completely surprised at what he had just told her. "Let's go back, shall we?" he looked at her briefly, and then turned around towards the exit of the forest. Abigail could just look at him as he walked away.
Back at headquarters, Hijikata and Abigail told the others what had happened at the forest, and were now celebrating that the investigation went completely fine. Once the feast was over, Abigail decided to go to her room so that she could rest after the day she had. Shortly after she got in her room, she changed to her sleeping dress and brushed her hair, and as she did she heard footsteps near her room.
She was used to the noise, for her room was on the way towards the commander's and vice-commanders' rooms, so she paid no attention to it, until…
"Toshi? What do you think you're doing? Abigail must be asleep by now." it was Kondo's voice, clearly sounding surprised. Abigail's eyes widened, and tried not to move as to not make a sound.
"So soon?" Hijikata's voice asked, and Abigail blinked once in curiosity He sounds… dazed. She thought, and kept hearing.
"Well, yeah. After today's events I am honestly not surprised she is exhausted. Remember she isn't used to this life." Kondo said, and Hijikata grunted in agreement.
"Honestly speaking, when I remember Abigail isn't from this world it's surprising how she has developed in such little time. And for a woman to be that strong in this era, it's even more surprising." Hijikata's voice was soft, which surprised Abigail to an extent.
"Toshi, have you grown close to Abigail as well?" Kondo asked, making Abigail blush slightly.
"You… could say that, I have been trying to talk to her but lately we all have been so busy with the ronin attacks and that oni called Kazama." Hijikata sounded concerned, her light amethyst eyes shining as she heard their conversation.
"Uhm… Toshi, it's bad manners to speak in front of a woman's room, let's go somewhere else." Kondo chuckled No wait! This is interesting! She thought desperately, but kept completely quiet. Then their footsteps were heard, the sound growing faint as they walked away from her room's area, until it was completely silent. Abigail then stood up, walking to her door and sliding it open. She noticed it had gotten considerably cold, for it was almost winter once again Wait a minute… now that I actually stop to think about it… I have been almost a year here with the Shinsengumi. A lot has happened… starting with… her thoughts stopped and her mouth opened as she started to speak.
"Kino's death…" she said in a soft voice, almost breathing the words out. She looked up at the night sky "Kino… are you doing alright up there? I know you have been watching over me…" she smiled, but her expression was sad "I hope you are not mad that I have fallen completely in love with someone else… but more than that, someone that might not love me back." Completely lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice someone was watching over her, two people to be exact.
Hiding in the shadows of the hallway, Hijikata and Kondo watched as Abigail looked up at the sky. "Toshi… are you sure we have to watch over her? Nothing seems to be happening to her right now." Kondo whispered.
Hijikata, without taking his eyes off Abigail, simply responded "Yes Kondo-san, last time she even fainted from it. We just need to wait."
And just as Hijikata said that, Abigail took a deep and long breath. She started shining, and at the same time her feet lifted from the ground. All they could see was the shiny silhouette, both noticing that her form was slightly changing. Two pointy shapes protruded from her head, and at the same time a long wavy one from her lower back. She then started going down, and as soon as her feet touched the ground the light that enveloped her dispersed all around the area, falling as softly as snow.
Both Hijikata and Kondo looked in amazement. Is this… Abigail's true form? Hijikata thought, unable to look away from what was in front of them. With her head still facing up to the sky and her eyes closed, Abigail stood still. A pair of soft long fox ears shimmered in a silvery white tone, as well as a white long and furry tail that waved in a majestic motion. She then started opening her eyes, which shone in their unusual crystalline blue.
Hijikata was completely mesmerized as he saw Abigail's new form Abigail… was all he could think, when he was suddenly interrupted. "Toshi… look." Kondo said, gaining Hijikata's full attention.
Just then, Abigail exhaled, the shiny dust turning into thousands of light butterflies and fluttering to the sky, then Hijikata noticed, Abigail was smiling warmly as she looked up to the butterflies. "Goodbye Kino." she whispered, the butterflies almost instantly disappearing into the night sky. After a few more minutes, Abigail closed her eyes and tilted her head down, her ears and tail quickly vanishing . "Well, time to sleep. Tomorrow is a really busy day again." she said, walking back into her room.
Kondo and Hijikata were completely baffled, and then Kondo started talking to Hijikata "Uhm… Toshi? Toshi?" Kondo asked. Hijikata didn't respond, he just stood up. "We should also go to sleep, ok?" Kondo said.
Hijikata simply nodded "Yes…"
Kondo looked at him in confusion, but he knew better than pry into his friend's personal stuff, so he walked back to his room. Shortly after Kondo disappeared, Hijikata then looked to his left, seeing the door to Abigail's room from the side "I have to let you know… and soon… I promise you I will tell you… Abigail." his voice was passionate and soft as he made this promise from the bottom of his heart. He then turned around, walking to his own room I hope you feel the same…
