[A/N] - HEY! READ THIS! It's actually important! I need help! :D

Surprised to see me? I am too. For me, school starts in only three days and I've found that I have absolutely nothing to do, so here's the fruit of my boredom. Downloading music can only last me so long, even though I ended up getting over 1100 tracks on my mp3… Yay? I'm running out of space…

The more important part of this note is that I'm back from vacation! Jet-lagged, but otherwise okay.

But during that vacation, the idea for a new Hakuouki story was born! Check my profile for the summary and basic information on it!

I've developed the basic storyline, characters, summary, title, conflicts, and character profiles. I'm rather proud of myself for thinking it up.

But the real question is: do you think I should (A) post the first chapter of Edge (the title I've thought of) and alternate updating stories, or (B) stick with Maikaze only?

Tell me in a review of your opinion and I may just respond faster with a new chapter!

School is starting soon, as I mentioned before, though, so I'm not quite sure when the next chapter will come out…

Hint, poke, prod, threat, puppy face. But I honestly do need opinions - I'm at a deadlock here. Please help the author! x3


A few days later, after awakening to the slowly warming morning atmosphere, Chizuru found herself sitting at breakfast between Shinpachi and Sano - that cushion seemed to have become her permanent seat, not that she minded terribly. Both warriors were good company.

Especially when Shinpachi and Heisuke had their usual scuffle over food.

"Let's dig in!" Heisuke crowed, unusually cheery so early in the morning. "Shinpat-san, thanks for sharing!" He snatched one of Shinpachi's fried red bean cakes with the tips of his chopsticks, the crunch of the outer layer of batter seeming to satisfy Heisuke to no end. He popped it into his mouth and chewed, grinning while Shinpachi raged.

"I was saving that for last!" Shinpachi yelled, leveling a glare at Heisuke with his sky-blue eyes. "You puny brat! It's payback time - give me that -" He made a swipe at one of Heisuke's side dishes, but the smaller warrior picked up the round dish and held it aloft and out of reach.

Heisuke's grin widened. "What do you think you're doing, Shinpat-san?"

"Cut the crap! You just stole my food!" Shinpachi emphasized his point by using his chopsticks to jab at the now-empty spot on his plate.

Heisuke rolled his eyes in response. "And so what? You always steal mine."

"You're such a - that was a long time ago, midget!"

"The hell it was! I'm talking about last night! You stole not just one but every single side dish on my tray! I was starving when I went to bed…"

The entire time while this was going on, Chizuru observed Kondou, Saitou, Souji, and Sano eating their breakfasts in a much calmer silence, ignoring the daily occurrence that was Shinpachi's and Heisuke's argument. She also watched the pair's tussle with amusement along with Inoue, who was rather discontent with the disruption. Chizuru didn't feel a strong urge to stop them, but she did hide her mouth behind her hand as she giggled. Inoue seemed to come to a breaking point once the two started trying to stab each other with their chopsticks.

"Let it go, you two!" he exclaimed, holding a hand to his temple and rubbing at the point there. "You're getting on Yukimura-kun's nerves; the rest of us are accustomed to this, but for everyone's sake, please!"

Shinpachi and Heisuke immediately paused in their squabble to search over Chizuru curiously to see if his claim was true. Chizuru laughed nervously and dropped her hand from her mouth, taking the other and folding them together in her lap. Inoue-san, you just had to get me involved…

"Well, it's not that I'm bothered or anything, but to have such a fight over food…"

Souji spoke for her. "Of course you are. You're just good at hiding it."

She glared over at him slightly. He held his hands up in a 'not-guilty' gesture and smirked.

"Like I said," she continued, "if you don't want to bother me, maybe you should each keep your own hands on your own food."

"Maybe if Shinpachi wouldn't whine about how little food there is like a little kid, then we wouldn't have this problem every day," Heisuke said loftily.

Shinpachi's eye twitched. "And maybe if Heisuke acted like he's a foot taller and an adult, then I wouldn't have a problem with him and his-"

"Okay, stop right there." Chizuru spoke up, standing and moving to stand above the pair with hands on her hips. Truth be told, she was scared to death of the consequences her actions would definitely bring her, but she honestly was getting tired of their silly fights. If food is the problem, then if there was more, then there wouldn't be one, right? Maybe I'll ask to make meals some days. If only to give myself and the others a bit of peace…

Without leaving herself enough time to really think about her actions, Chizuru pulled her sheathed sword from her waist and used it to whack Shinpachi and Heisuke on the head. The hard wood connected with their skulls, an audible 'thunk' making the other men in the room wince.

"Chizuru-chan!" Shinpachi groaned at the same time Heisuke complained, "Chizuru!"

"What was that for?" Heisuke whimpered, clutching his head.

"Forget that, why did I get hit first?" Shinpachi questioned, rubbing at his head through his hair.

Chizuru sighed and sat back down next to Sano, who was desperately trying to hold in his laughter and failing miserably. Inside her mind, she felt like slumping down to the floor and praying that she'd live to see another day, but was also rather relieved she was safe for the moment.

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway preceded the arrival of Hijikata into the breakfast room, stone-faced but somewhat curious of the doubly-injured Heisuke and Shinpachi.

"I just returned," he announced.

"Ah, welcome back, Toshi," Kondou said.

"Hey, Hijikata-san -" Souji began, but cut his words short as Sannan walked in behind Hijikata, his left arm in a white cloth sling. Chizuru couldn't help but follow the span of white fabric with her eyes as the brown-haired man followed Hijikata to sit on Kondou's other side, where Hijikata had set down the sword he had been holding for him.

"Welcome back, Sannan-san," Souji greeted him, leaning forward with his eyes flickering to his injured arm.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to be back," Sannan replied, inclining his head.

"From what I heard, you did well out there," Kondou said, clapping a hand lightly onto Sannan's shoulder. "How is your arm?"

"You can see for yourself; I was just too careless at the time." He looked around the room to see everyone's eyes trained on him, varying degrees of worry present. "I'll be fine," he tried to appease them. "It's not as bad as it looks, so there's no need for concern. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Sannan rose, picking up his sword with his good hand and moving to leave the room through the door he'd just entered.

"Sannan-san, what about dinner?" Heisuke called after him.

"I'll pass, thank you, Toudou-kun. I'm a little tired, so I'll rest in my quarters." Throwing a half-smile over his shoulder, Sannan closed the door behind him. Everyone listened to his retreating footsteps in silence until Souji broke the tense quiet.

"Hijikata-san, how bad is Sannan-san's injury, really?" His blunt question echoed their thoughts word for word.

"I can't say. He refuses to tell me everything that he actually feels from it, so I can't be sure." Hijikata caught a glance of Chizuru from the corner of his eye. His head whipped around to face her fully and he said sharply, "What are you doing here?"

Her head turned towards him confusedly, then fell to look into her lap guiltily. I forgot… I'm only here on everyone else's charity. Hijikata-san was the one who didn't want me here in the first place…

"Who gave you permission to leave your room and dine with us?" Hijikata continued to probe.

Chizuru stayed silent, head bowed as she put words to the meanings behind his question. Not welcomed. Not wanted. Not accepted. Not allowed.

Seeing her discomfort, most of the others in the room verbally scrambled to defend her.

"Actually, Toshi, I…" Kondou trailed off.

"I invited her to eat with us a while ago," Heisuke cut in.

"We thought it was fine," Shinpachi added, looking at Sano.

"There wasn't any problem with it," Sano said, shrugging.

Hijikata looked at them all in turn, stunned.

"See, we all did, except for Saitou-kun," Souji said lightly, gesturing towards the violet-haired man in question with his hand. "But considering he didn't try too hard to stop us, that's as good as him inviting her too."

Saitou merely drank his tea.

"I can't believe you guys." Hijikata sighed disapprovingly. "If this sort of thing happens every time I leave headquarters for more than a day…"

"Oh, come on, Hijikata-san! It's only at mealtimes," Heisuke argued on Chizuru's behalf. "She promised she wouldn't run away, and she's kept that promise for two weeks already."

"Barely two weeks," the violet-eyed commander retorted, frowning.

"If you're so worried, why don't you watch her like you're supposed to, Hijikata-san?" Souji chipped in.

Hijikata's violet eyes narrowed at the emerald-eyed warrior.

Souji smirked. "At any rate, the odds are against you. You might as well officially let her now."

"Toshi, what do you say?" Kondou asked. "Why don't you give her permission? It can't hurt."

"Kondou-san, if you're too lenient, the men will start to question your authority. That's what I'm trying to prevent right now," Hijikata reprimanded.

"Ah…" Feeling like a scolded child, Kondou laughed slightly.

"Erm…" Chizuru caught everyone's attention with a quiet noise shot through with embarrassment and nervousness. She twisted her fingers together and refused to look anyone in the eye. "I understand that I'm a bother by eating here, and I don't mind eating in my room if it won't cause any more disturbances between you all…"

A silent moment confirmed her fears and she sighed inside her mind, using her legs to push herself off the cushion, despite the complaints of Shinpachi and Sano to either side of her. I should have known this would happen. Just because they seemed nice on the surface, I… I'm really naïve, aren't I…?

"… Mealtimes only."

The fleeting phrase graced Chizuru's ears and she nearly gave herself whiplash trying to catch Hijikata's eyes to confirm whether or not she'd actually heard what she thought she had. He averted her eyes, but the small, resigned smile on his lips confirmed it for her as he continued on, almost as if he hadn't said anything.

"I should get something to eat too, then."

"Ah, I'll go prepare it for you," Inoue said, his own smile apparent on his face while rising and leaving the room.

Chizuru couldn't help but keep staring at Hijikata in shock until Heisuke slung his arm around her shoulders. She couldn't recall when he'd come up behind her, but his arm was a comforting weight as she felt herself being pulled to his side.

"Not bad! Chizuru, you finally get to eat with everyone!" Heisuke exclaimed cheerily, seeming to forget about the bump on his head caused by the person he was trying to swing around in a circle with one arm.

Chizuru resisted his momentum slightly, trying to stay upright as her own smile dawned on her lips. She nodded her agreement. "Seems like it."

Sano looked at her from his seat and smiled after Heisuke finally let go of Chizuru to let her sit down, though she was a bit dizzier than before. Whether it was euphoria or Heisuke's playful enthusiasm, she didn't know.

"Like I always say, food tastes better with a bigger crowd!" Shinpachi crowed, snitching a bit of Heisuke's food yet again. In high spirits, Heisuke seemed a bit resigned and didn't complain as much - not to say that he kept quiet.

"Well, I think you just earned yourself a ticket to being their babysitter every time we eat, Chizuru," Souji noted, gesturing to Shinpachi and Heisuke.

Sano clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Eh, that's fine. That means I don't have to do it all the time anymore."

"… You don't at all." Saitou's quiet statement made the room break out into laughter. Even Hijikata allowed himself a wider, more pronounced smile.

No, Chizuru didn't know what the warm feeling she was getting was as she laughed right along with everyone else.

Regardless, it felt nice.


As the days passed, Chizuru found that Heisuke's statement was slightly incorrect.


"'Not bad! Chizuru, you finally get to eat with everyone!' Heisuke exclaimed cheerily, seeming to forget about the bump on his head caused by the person he was trying to swing around in a circle with one arm."


Over the course of several days since Heisuke had made that statement, she had observed that Sannan had become very quiet and distant, more so than he normally was, if Sano's and Souji's comments were anything to go by. He continued to eat day after day in his room, occasionally coming out to watch the other unit captains train the troops in his place. Whenever she happened to look outside her bedroom window at night, she would find him there, practicing various kata alone in the courtyard.

There was one particular night where she had watched him struggle to finish a certain kata and actually had his sword slip from his single good hand. He didn't stoop to pick it up and try again; instead, he simply stood there, watching the grass sway around the weapon laying there, his back to her worried gaze. She remembered thinking, He seems so… frustrated with himself.

One morning, a few weeks after Hijikata's and Sannan's return, Chizuru found her feet leading her to where Heisuke had pointed out the kitchen a couple days before. She was slightly worried about being caught by Hijikata, of course.

But she was also bored.

Souji and Saito were cooking the morning meal when she arrived. Both men had the sleeves of their kimonos tied back by a crossed white ribbon. Souji chopped various vegetables on a wooden cutting board not a few feet away from Saitou, who was dutifully stirring a hearty-smelling stew in a pot with a spoon. Chizuru watched the scene for a moment before making herself known carefully, lest she make someone injure themselves. I'm sure Saitou-san would be fine, but Souji's the one with a knife in his hands.

"Good morning," she greeted them quietly, cheerily, taking a step into the rather small cooking area.

"Morning, Chizuru-chan." Souji replied over his shoulder, only turning his head slightly so he could keep an eye on the knife chopping near his fingers.

Saitou continued to stir the stew. The only indication that he'd heard her was the slight tilting of his head in her direction.

"Do you both always prepare the meals?" Chizuru wondered out loud, eyeing the cooking meals curiously.

"Not always." Souji straightened from his bent stance over the cutting board and turned to look at her fully, knife safely on the cutting board. He rested a hand on his hip and held the other in the air as if carrying a tray. "I'm sure I wouldn't be alive right now if they made me cook all of the meals. Too boring."

"Everyone takes shifts cooking," Saitou elaborated on Souji's seemingly suicidal comment, eyes still trained on the stew.

"Ah, I see…" Chizuru took a moment to look around the room then leveled her gaze at Souji shyly. "Do you think I'd be able to cook meals for a day or two?"

"Depends on how well you make it," Souji told her, crossing his arms and leaning forward, a smirk already on his face. "Will we die after day one or day two?"

"Hey!" Chizuru pouted, put-out.

Before she could do something vaguely violent in response, Heisuke appeared beside her, tapping her shoulder and waving his hand next to her face. "Hey, Chizuru!" He looked over to Souji and said to him dejectedly, "Sannan-san wants to eat in his room again today."

"That so?" Souji mused, preparing the utensils on the serving trays. "I don't think it counts as 'eating,' anyway. He barely touches his food and I end up giving it to Shinpachi or Sano."

"Why not me?" Heisuke grumbled.

"But… surely he must know he can't recover if he doesn't eat," Chizuru protested. "Is it possible -"

"You may have permission to dine with us, but I do not recall giving you permission to wander about as you wish."

Hijikata appeared in the door frame behind Chizuru, steely gaze aimed at her. Chizuru spun around on her heel and moved to bow forward slightly.

"Ah, g-good morning!" Her greeting was slightly less elegant than she had hoped. "I wanted to see if I could be of any help, so…"

"You don't need to help us," he replied shortly, turning to continue walking down the hall.

"Then… may I please prepare Sannan-san's meal?" Chizuru asked hesitantly.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, evidently suspecting her of an ulterior motive. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure whether or not she actually had one. "You?"

She nodded in affirmation. "I've… been worried about him lately, and I wanted to see if I could help him…"

"Let her do it," Souji called from behind Chizuru. "It's not like he was eating for any of us in the first place, anyway. It can't hurt to let her give it a shot. Well, unless he hurts her, but I doubt he'd do that."

Chizuru could see him shrugging carelessly without even turning to look at him and suppressed the urge to find something to throw at him.

"He has a point," Heisuke agreed. "Sannan-san's going to fall into his own grave at this rate."

"…You don't need to help us." Hijikata continued his route down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

"Erm…" Chizuru voiced her confusion.

"That's Hijikata-san's way of telling you 'do what you want.' He didn't say no and he didn't tell you what to do, so you're cleared," Souji explained, smiling slightly.

"Okay then!" Chizuru allowed herself a smile, then asked, "Souji, can I borrow your cooking ribbon?"

Souji complied, pulling an end of the knot on his back and letting the sleeves of his kimono drop. He handed the ribbon to her, amusedly watching her tie back her own sleeves. Saitou spread the coals of the cooking fire under the stew and paused, watching her as well.

She washed her hands in the small basin in the corner before finding the pot where rice was steaming away in a pile of white grains. Taking the salt nearby, she coated her palms in a light crust of the translucent crystals and proceeded to take handfuls of rice and roll them into balls.

"What do you have for fillings?" Chizuru questioned, finishing her first round rice ball and moving on to make a second.

"Let me see." Souji cracked open a door of the cabinet next to the counter where the trays were laid out, peering into it. "I see salted salmon… and okaka. Did Shinpachi eat all of my…" A hand disappeared into the cabinet and rummaged around. "Oh, no, he didn't; we also have umeboshi. Which one do you want?"

Chizuru looked over to Heisuke. "Which do you think is best?"

He shrugged in response. "I like salmon the best, but I think Sannan-san likes okaka."

She looked over to Saitou, who tilted his head a bit. No opinion, I suppose. "Can I get them all then?"

Souji set down three different ceramic jars next to her, each with the lid off so she could see what was inside. By that point, she had finished making six round rice balls. She picked up three, one after the other, and systematically filled them with okaka, rolling the rice around the filling until they became triangular in shape. She filled one of the remaining three with an umeboshi, and one more with salmon. The last one she left plain with a bit more salt than the others. The three okaka-filled rice balls went on a plate, which was placed onto an awaiting tray.

She moved over to the stew that Saitou had been watching over, which turned out to be miso soup. She served up a bowl with tofu more thinly sliced in the broth and added some thick leaves of seaweed. A quick cup of green tea poured from the large teapot nearby and placed onto the tray completed the ensemble. Souji and Heisuke eyed the tray enviously while Saitou looked at it with mild interest.

Heisuke let out a whistle of admiration. "Chizuru, you're fast! It's been a long time since I've seen homemade onigiri. But I don't think Sannan-san will eat six of them though, considering he's eaten next to nothing these past few days." He pointed at the remaining three onigiri left on a plate near the rice pot.

"Erm… those are actually for all of you," she admitted, blushing slightly and clasping her hands behind her back.

"Oh? You don't say," Souji commented, surprised.

She nodded, holding the plate up to the three standing near the doorway. "Umeboshi for Souji, salmon for Heisuke. I made a plain one for you, Saitou-san, since you didn't say what you preferred."

Apparently unable to resist, all three men took one in hand, Saitou the last to reach out and claim one for himself.

"Thanks for the food!"

Each of the men took a bite. Souji uncovered salmon in the middle of his, while Heisuke found an umeboshi nestled in his. Only Saitou had picked his designated onigiri, the barest trace of a smirk apparent on his face.

Souji and Heisuke traded a glance, then their onigiri, continuing to eat.

Chewing for a moment, Souji wondered aloud, "If Hijikata-san had stuck around, would you have made one for him too?"

Feeling a bit put-out towards the violet-eyed vice-commander, Chizuru half-smiled. "Maybe not."

That answer seemed to satisfy Souji as he smirked while finishing the last few bites of his onigiri.

Heisuke spoke up, "You know, Hijikata-san didn't say that you couldn't cook dinner for us every now and then." His voice was slightly muffled by the onigiri still held up to his mouth.

"You should consider being our chef, Chizuru-chan," Souji interjected. "At least for a little while."

"I would like to," she said, smiling. "I could make tonight's dinner, if you'd like."

"And maybe the meal after that, and the meal after that…" Heisuke seemed to be seriously contemplating the possibility.

Chizuru laughed, untying the ribbon from her sleeves and giving it back to Souji. She watched Saitou finish his own onigiri and asked, "Do you like it, Saitou-san?"

He glanced at her, his deep indigo eyes flickering towards her. He nodded once. "It's good."

"That's great!" Genuinely happy, Chizuru clapped her hands together once in front of her. "Is there anything specific I should make for dinner?"

"Surprise us." Souji chuckled, stowing the cooking ribbon in the cabinet with the remaining fillings.

She nodded and picked up the tray with Sannan's meal on it. "I'm going to bring Sannan-san his meal now, or it'll get cold."

"Good luck," Souji and Heisuke said simultaneously.

"…Thanks. Oh, and please don't tell anyone else I'm making dinner. I'll make it a surprise." Chizuru smiled back at them, then left to walk a short distance through the winding hallways to arrive in front of Sannan's room.

Taking a calming breath, she called out, "Sannan-san, I've brought breakfast."

"Thank you," came the reply.

She let herself in. The room was slightly dimmer than the rest of the headquarters, with only one window open to allow in the streaming sunlight from outside. Bookshelves covered the majority of the walls, with the exception of a table covered with what seemed to be delicate glass equipment. That table was littered with open, bookmarked, and neatly stacked books, as well as a stack of blank paper that rustled slightly with the breeze coming in through the window. Sannan-san sat there with his back to her while she placed the tray a step behind him, allowing herself to sit behind the tray.

"Please, help yourself," she said quietly. I hope this won't be as difficult as Heisuke's made it out to be…

"This is unusual," Sannan remarked after a moment, turning slightly in his place to look at her over his shoulder. "I never expected you to bring my food, Yukimura-kun." His eyes narrowed as he took in her seated form.

"Ah… Erm, I cut the ingredients in the miso soup fairly small, so you wouldn't have to use your chopsticks, and -"

"Did you do this out of pity?"

Startled, Chizuru flinched back at his harsh tone.

"Did you make an extra effort now so you wouldn't have to later, after I made a mess while tearing at the food because I couldn't use my left hand?" Sannan rephrased, growing ire apparent with the sharp words he threw at her.

"No! I wanted -"

"I don't need your sympathy." He seemed to glare at her over his shoulder. "Who told you to do this? Hijikata-kun? Kondou-kun? Perhaps Toudou-kun?"

"…I asked to do it," Chizuru answered, stung and hurt. Is it really such a terrible thing to care for, or be cared for by someone else?

"You?" The incredulity in his tone was obvious.

"Yes. I heard you weren't eating and I thought that you wouldn't heal well if you didn't eat, so I…" Took it upon myself to interfere in things that really aren't my business. That's most likely what he thinks I'm doing now…

"I see."

She looked up from her hands, neatly folded in her lap to see that Sannan had turned away from her to look out the window once more.

"You make it sound as if you did it for me, but you were just looking for a way to fit in here. Neither a soldier nor a prisoner, what purpose do you have?"

As he spoke the words, Chizuru knew he was right. I'm only here because they think they need to take care of me until Father is found. I'm not really… of practical use here. She shook her head mentally. No. If there's something I can do for them, then I'll do it. That's all.

"Even if that's true, I still hope you'll eat something. Surely you've noticed that everyone is worried about you!" Chizuru tried to make her voice strong.

Sannan remained silent. Dejected, she left after excusing herself, closing the door behind her. She didn't hear anyone's footsteps behind her as she returned to the meal room. Her face must have revealed everything, since those around her tried to cheer her up not long after she sat down in her customary place between Sano and Shinpachi.

"Chizuru, it's okay," Heisuke said. "I'll try and bring his lunch to him. Maybe you've softened him up a bit."

"Yeah, cheer up!" Shinpachi added. "It's not your fault Sannan-san is the only one that isn't affected by your charm."

"If your cooking won't wake him up, I don't know what will," Souji said, shrugging.

"You even got Hijikata-san to loosen up. That just means Sannan-san is being stubborn," Sano told her, patting her on the head.

"Don't worry too much," Saitou commented.

She gave everyone a small smile. "Thank you."

They were quiet for a moment, looking at the food that had been set in front of them before her arrival.

"…Sannan-kun?" Kondou stated the name as a question.

All heads turned to watch the shoji door slide open. Chizuru's head snapped up to see Sannan standing in the doorway, carrying the tray of food Chizuru had made for him in his good hand. Everyone's eyes followed him as he walked around the edges of the room to sit at Kondou's right side.

After placing the tray in front of him, Sannan said, "Thank you for the food," and picked up one of the onigiri on his plate, taking a bite.

He had taken his third bite by the time Chizuru had recovered from her surprise enough to say, "Sannan-san…?"

"Supposedly, food tastes better when you're with a big crowd," he stated, looking at his food with a small smile on his face.

A wide smile formed on Chizuru's face in response.

"I agree wholeheartedly," Kondou said sincerely.

"Yeah, Chizuru-chan!" Shinpachi laughed, clapping her on the back and startling her slightly.

Sano messed with her hair, ruffling it up. "Good job, Chizuru-chan!"

"I bet you thought she couldn't do it," Souji said to Hijikata, a sly smile on his face.

Hijikata sighed, resigned.

"Chizuru's food is magic!" Heisuke exclaimed, laughing.

Sannan finished his first onigiri, then turned slightly to give Chizuru an apologetic smile. Her own smile widened into a grin and she said, "I'm glad you're feeling better now, Sannan-san!"

Everyone seemed in higher spirits after that. For once, Heisuke didn't try to steal Shinpachi's food, which made the older man look at him with confusion and suspicion. Chizuru heard him mention something about being full and laughed to herself. Saitou ate as if nothing happened, and Sano and Souji ate with a smirk on their face.

"So, between you all, who is going to make lunch and dinner?" Hijikata asked.

"Heisuke and I can take dinner," Souji said quickly, discreetly winking at Chizuru across the room.

"Are you sure, Souji? You just made breakfast," Sano commented.

"It's fine." Souji waved him off.

"I guess Sano and I can make lunch then," Shinpachi said.

"If that's it, then it's time for your rounds. Saitou-kun, Sano-kun, it's your shift," Kondou informed them. The aforementioned men stood and exited through the door, Sano pausing to grin at Chizuru and give her a "See you later," before following Saitou's steps.

Chizuru smiled at them as they left, then stood herself. "I'd like to rest in my room for a bit then."

"Make sure you wake up for dinner, at least," Heisuke told her, smirking.

"Don't worry," she replied, pausing to touch the door frame with her fingertips. "I will!"

Returning to her room, she actually did end up falling asleep in her futon without meaning to. Her last conscious thought echoed through her mind before she succumbed to the pull of sleep.

Well, that could have been much worse.


[A/N] - Wow. Five thousand words… I'm sleepy.

Please, make sure to vote in your reviews! Your opinions will help me very much! In case you don't know what the choices are, reread the [A/N] at the top! The more voting reviews I get, the faster I'll come back with an update~

Some notes that may help you understand the chapter better -

~ I know Sannan actually has two swords, but to have him pick up both with only one hand would be really awkward. The only Shinsengumi member I'm aware of that only has one sword is Sano, since he's also a spearman. I forgot if Yamazaki has one or two - someone enlighten me? x3

~ Okaka is dried, preserved tuna shaved into thin strips and soaked in soy sauce. Onigiri is well known for having salty flavorings and fillings.

~ Umeboshi are dried plums. Those little red ones you sometimes see on the backs of onigiri? Look like little buttons? Man, those are salty. Might as well put a salt lick in the middle instead.

~ If you noticed, I changed around how Chizuru addresses some people. That's because I'm assuming that she'd use the names that were used to introduce them to her, or that she may have heard in passing. Since I'm trying to make her a little less meek, she'll end up using both first and last names depending on the person.


And the review responses are…

Princess-of-thieves6 - Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad to have made someone's day with my mediocre story~ I understand that you thought it would have been a while, but look at me updating within two weeks of the last chapter. That's almost unheard of~ Teehee.

xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx - Thank you for yet another one of your encouraging reviews! Despite their lack of length, they really help me get these chapters out. x3 I try my best to make Chizuru a bit stronger, but not perfect. I hope I'm doing well. :D

pacchiri cherii - Thank you for remaining an ever-faithful reviewer! I think that chapter should either be the next one or the one after. It depends on where I decide to divide my chapters. This one was actually supposed to be two chapters, but I decided to combine them, resulting in this monstrosity. :x I completely agree - Chizuru had the power, but never used it to the Shinsengumi's advantage once when they really needed it (several times). I updated sooner this time! Schools coming up, though, meaning fewer updates. :C

Rissa-RaNee - Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad to have lured a new reader to my story! :D I'm glad you think it's good; personally, I think it's a mess sometimes. It's been continued! And I apologize again for our mishap. It was completely my fault. D:

LilyFragrance - I don't mind your late review; no matter when I get them, yours always make me feel warm and fuzzy. ^u^ Oh no! I read your blog about that, and I really hope that things turn out well for you - teaching through language blocks always makes things more difficult! I'm very happy that you took your precious free time and used it to review my story like you always do. I hope this doesn't become a dragging month. x3 Yes, I read about the game storylines prior to writing this story, and they were all cute. The anime meshed them together well, but the endings… ugh. I hope I keep making more of your favorite chapters! This one might have been a bit more entertaining, I hope (hope comes up a lot, huh… it's the best I've got :U ). Romantic scenes are kind of my forte, I should think. I have a good imagination for fluffy scenes. I've yet to write that scene, and I'm really not sure when I'll get to it, but hopefully (HOPE AGAIN) soon!
I won't! It'll take me longer with school starting, but I WANT (not hope! though I do that at the same time) to keep writing. I'm so touched that you think it's the best Chizuru x Okita fanfic in the archive! I personally it's a bit of a train wreck at points, but… YAY! The Snowflake Capital is actually the name of the first episode. I decided to implement it on a whim. I have a lot of those, whims. Chizuru is a bit awkward around others, since she's scared of not being accepted. I think that trait showed up in this chapter a lot. I didn't consciously realize I was making Souji sexist; I was only aware that I was making him stereotype girls. But now I understand. Shinpachi would make it seem that way, but unfortunately, he ate the fish tail. :C I'm trying to give Souji a "lazy attentiveness." I guess it's working? x3 And I'm just playing up his "I'll kill you" jokes from the first few episodes. Tell me if it gets overbearing, please!
Oh, and the bit about Sano punching Heisuke... I've always interpreted it as Heisuke trying to tell Chizuru about the meaning of the name "Shinsengumi" as it pertains to the Rasetsu. Because if I recall correctly, in the anime, it was translated as "Newly recruited corps," but I want to believe that he was going to explain it as "Newly created corps," which would have led to very awkward questions about government secrets that Chizuru - or any outsider - wasn't supposed to know. But maybe I'm just spinning empty wheels. xwx
Yay for new favorite chapters! I still WANT to make more of your favorites! Thank you so much! :D


Thanks to magiclover90, Rissa-RaNee (x2), and honeybreath for your Story Alerts and Author Alerts!


I dedicate this chapter to LilyFragrance, who took time out of her busy, busy life to write me an epically long review that made me super-happy! I hope things go well for you in this coming month!


And remember to vote!