Uwaaah! TvT I'm so busy with real life right now and it sucks! Anyways! hope you (if anyone is reading this XPPP) enjoy! *cries and runs back to a mountain of homework*

You might think your kindness is saving me; but in reality, your kindness is killing me

"Is that all you can do?" Onii-sama withdraws his bokuto and cracks his knuckles as I grind my teeth with frustration. "Land one hit on me, and I'll let you practice with the rifle. Until then, you won't be allowed near one, my dear sister." That's the deal we had agreed on, though...blindfolding me and tying my left hand behind my back was NOT what I had in mind. I spit out the blood and slap my hand against the wall, pulling myself up as Onii-sama moves towards me. "On your feet!" I hear the sound of rustling ...maybe he's raising his arm? Ugh, it's hard having your sight cut off from you. "Get up! Right now you're asking for death, or are you giving up?"

"Rgh! I won't give up so easily! but this is just dumb!" I throw a punch in front of the darkness in front of me, hoping that I might be able to land a very unlikely hit. "Dumb? Oh dear, in a real battle, even if you've lost an arm, a leg or an eye as long as your heart is still beating, you can't give in. You have to do whatever you can to survive" Onii-sama grabs my arms and throws me across the room "if this was a real battle, you'd be dead in a flash! Now! Stand up and try again!"

"Graaaah!" My face smacks against the wall and I hold my head for a few seconds to regain my sense of balance. I manage to hold myself up unsteadily and raise my fists angrily as I hear Onii-sama's footsteps approaching. Normally, Onii-sama is the kindest and most gentle person, though since he decided to teach me, he's even more harsh and unforgiving than Kirino Onii-chan.

Kirino Onii-chan had been teaching me basic hand to hand combat for the past few years, of course Ane-ue didn't know anything about it, although she probably thought I got myself into another fight again. Then I'd get lectured and Onii-sama would rescue me from a horrible punishment. Though I think Kirino Onii-chan's methods of teaching were...weird. Repeatedly punching a post until my hands actually broke? hitting my forehead against a wall until I blacked out? Kicking the pillar continuously until my legs broke? Repeating this entire process again once I healed? It was really, really sadistic.

Amazingly, I found that the strange sadistic training actually enabled me to have incredibly strong physical strength and endurance. Little punches didn't hurt me and dspite being a frail looking girl, I could knock out a man double my height with one well-aimed punch. Well, a normal man.

"YAH! I did it!" Onii-sama picks himself off the ground and rubs his stomach. "oof. Good job Kiri-chan. Now, here." When I managed to beat him in a fight (it was pretty unfair though) he had only frowned and handed me a jitte.

"Nope. You're still not strong enough. Here, keep practicing those patterns and start learning how to use this." The jitte was a defensive tool, rather than an offensive one since it was mainly used for blocking and pushing back swords. I guess it was pretty useful since practically everyone used a sword; but I found it a boring weapon until Kirino Onii-chan showed me how it could be easily hidden in my kimono and quickly withdrawn, this made training easier. Especially since Ane-ue was getting suspicious as to why I kept spending hours delivering lunch to the dojo and returning all beat up. Luckily her husband was going to have to move back to Shikoku so she'd be going back with him.

"Wow~ Kiri-chan, you're pretty strong aren't you?" Kirino Onii-chan aka my sadistic teacher gives me a thumbs up and hands me a towel to wipe my face. Even though he's old enough to be my father, everyone else called him Onii-chan so I copied them. Before long, it just stuck.

"I wanna be even stronger! Cos there's a lot of people I need to protect!"

Kirino Onii-chan messes up my hair and smiles "That's good Kiri-chan. But you have to remember, even if you can't protect someone; it doesn't mean you're weak." He stops messying up my hair and looks at the sky with a faraway look in his eyes. Apparently, before I was born he had been involved in some incident. Nobody would tell me exactly what, but even I could tell it was something I shouldn't ask about.

"When you grow up...there will be people...who you won't be able to save."

"Alright. We're here."

Harada stops at the base of the mountain and tries to crane his head to face me. I face the other way and speak to Ryu-kun "The grave I want to visit is further down the river. Actually, I'd like to pick some flowers for him, so walk along the river." Ryu-kun happened to be going to same way as us and decided to go with us to the grave, something about doing a favour for Kosuzu-chan.

"Oh yeah, Ryu-kun, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be spending time with Kosuzu-chan. Speaking of her..." I snicker to myself as he frowns at me "You two haven't gotten very far, am I right?"

"W-what are you trying to say Osho-san? T-tch." Ryu-kun turns beet red and glares at me "I-it's none of your business!"

"Ara, you still don't even know Kosuzu-chan's real name. That's saying quite a bit, isn't it?" I smirk at him and chuckle Ryu-kun makes an 'eh'? expression on his face as he stares dumbly at me and gapes. "All girls who become property of Shimabara must take on a new name. It's extremely rare for any of the girls to be using their real names."

"S-so what! You don't even know so why should i! dammit!"

"I do know it actually." I smirk at Ryu-kun who looks even more annoyed as he pouts "Hey Sho-san, how do YOU know Kosuzu-chan's real name?"

"That...isn't something I can tell you." I turn away from the men and pretend to be busy rearranging the flowers "...when the time is right, when Kosuzu-chan tells you her real name, then I might tell you the reason why I know."

"Does this have anything to do with Benigawa Oborodzuki?" Ooh he's a sharp boy. I stick my tongue out at him and shrug "Maybe. But I'm not going to tell you anything. Ok, stop here." Harada obediently stops and raises an eyebrow as I attempt to escape.

"hey, hey, hey just relax and let me do the heavy work." He holds me firmly in his arms as I clock him on the head trying to escape. "..fine." He smiles "good! Now, just tell me whatever you want to do and I'll do it."

"Ok. Go kill youse- er I mean .. kindly take me to the river down there."

He places me down onto the grassy edge as I twist my body around and begin picking some higanbana. The fireflies floating around the river move away from me as I snap the flower stems roughly and add them to the pile in my arms.

"That's an odd choice of flower." He bends down and picks up a higanbana, turning it around in his hands and looking genuinely curious at it, like he's found a new toy. "You shouldn't mess around with offerings for the dead." I snort and grab the flower from his hand "Well, since they bloom around graveyards most people assume they mean death. However, they can also symbolise 'meeting again' or the red thread of fate'...not to mention ... it happens to be my favourite flower." I clamp my mouth shut quickly, what's the point in telling someone, especially the enemy this? Strange. For some reason, it feels oddly familiar talking to him, almost like he's similar to someone I know.

"Haha, oddly enough, its suits you very well!" He kneels down next to me and places a flower in my hair with a smile "Who knows, perhaps you could be my red thread of fate...wait..." he edges closer and stares at my face carefully "...have we met before?" His golden eyes study my closely and I feel the blood start to drain from my face. At the moment, I have no weapons on me, courtesy of some quick thinking bastard. I'm confident in my hand to hand combat but since I'm crippled in one leg, this would pose a huge disadvantage. Perhaps, this really was fate. I could kill him right now and hide the body somewhe-

"No. Aside from the incident at the Tanabata or when I was Benigawa Oborodzuki, I don't think I've ever seen you before." I mentally sweatdrop since there's a tiny chance he just might put two and two together and figure out 'Nanaya' the shifty maiko is the same as Benigawa Oborodzuki the hitokiri and Kasamori Sho the tea proprietor.

~X~X~X~

"Huh?" Ryu-kun looks at the grave with surprise as he scratches his head. "there's gotta be some mistake somewhere." The grave belongs to a couple "Kato Ayame and Yasuda Keiichi". There's nothing particularly odd about it, though Ryu-kun seems very confused.

"Kosuzu asked me to tend to the grave of her friend, 'Ayuri' since she couldn't make it. But the person here is 'Ayame'? Why's that?" Ryu-kun looks confused and starts looking around at the over graves, though its hard to even figure out the names since most of them are either crumbling or the grave markers are blank. Harada chuckles and takes some of the flowers from my arms, rearranging them roughly in his hands. "Remember what Osho-san was telling you before? About the girls at Shimabara taking on a new name?" Ryu-kun nods slowly, starting to get where this is going "Ayuri's birth name was Kato Ayame. Keiichi is the name of her lover."

Both Ryu-kun and I stare at Harada with surprise and speak in unison "How do you know this?" He looks sad as he places the flowers gently into the vase and claps his hands to pray. "Keiichi is the name of my friend within the Shinsen, no, Roshigumi at the time. I met Ayame a few times back then too, they planned to run away and start a family in Nagano."

"Things don't always go according to plan. The proprietor, Karyu found out and alerted Serizawa. I found out about Serizawa's plans from Toshi and tried to warn Keiichi but never got there in time." A look of hurt and regret flickers across his face as he remembers the past. "By the time I got there, Keiichi had been forced to drink the Ochimizu and lost himself in madness. He killed Ayame, then Serizawa finished him off."

We sit there in silence as Harada finishes speaking. I sneak a glance at Ryu-kun as he clenches his fists together and stares with intense concentration at the grave. "...I...I want, more than anything to be with Kosuzu-chan." Harada and I both turn to face him as Ryu-kun stands up slowly, his eyes gleaming with determination I never knew he had. "I don't have the money to buy her freedom, but I'm willing to risk my life to be with her. So..." he goes down onto his knees and presses his head to the ground towards us. "Sano-san. Osho-san. Help me sneak her out of Shimabara. I beg of you. "

"Hey, hey there's no need to bow down to me like that." Harada laughs good naturedly as Ryu-kun lifts his head with slight embarrassment " Kosuzu's one lucky girl." He turns to face me and grins "So, what do you say?"

I feel a vein twitch in my forehead. On one hand, I'd like to kill him off, but that might just make things more difficult for Ryu-kun. "...I guess it can't be helped." I grit my teeth and manage something resembling an angry tiger about to eat a helpless animal. "I'll work with you to help Ryu-kun and Kosuzu-chan. Nothing . Boya." I smirk at Ryu-kun as he looks nervously at me "I'll gladly help Kosuzu-chan, however, you on the other hand...hiring Benigawa Oborodzuki doesn't come cheap. What sort of payment do you have in mind?"

"P-payment?" Ryu-kun practically squeaks as he looks at me smirking at him "I don't have any sort of money! All I can do is paint, though who knows how many years it'll take me to come up with that amount of money!"

"Money? Don't think of me like that, boy. Just give me the right to name your first born child , and!" I flick him in the forehead and withdraw my finger as he rubs his pained forehead with a scowl "You promise me you'll make Kosuzu-chan happy for the rest of her lif-

"-geez! I know that! Honestly! Osho-san, you're really underestimating me." He turns beet red and pretends to look mad, but it's obvious he's incredibly happy about this. "Ryu-kun. There's one important thing I need to ask you." He stares back at me with the same burning determination as he clenches his fist "I'll do anything , since it's Ko-

I cut him off with a wave of my hand "What if, Kosuzu-chan doesn't want to run away?"

Ryu-kun stares open –mouthed and stares ahead silently. "Osho-san, where was the grave you wanted to visit?" Harada manages to change the subject, turning to face me as I feel cold sweat pour down my back. I used the excuse of wanting to visit a grave, but there's a slight chance they might figure something out if I actually ask to visit someone I know.

"...further down the mountain." I point to a grave marker almost hidden among the tall higanbana growing wildly around it. "Sure." Harada hefts me higher up on his back and walks over to the grave as I stare blankly ahead. His back...is warm.

~X~X~X~

"..." Harada abd Ryu-kun clap their hands in respect as I sit in front of the unmarked wooden sign and clap my hands together to pray. Geez, you're such a weird person Oboro. Seems like you wanted to wipe your existence completely when you died. Still, I seem to be plagued by reminders of you even now. I place the remains of my rough bouquet near the marker and sneak a glance at Harada. He returns my gaze and smiles gently. "...why..." I stare at the flower in my hands, watching as the wind blows it gently and turn to face Harada. "..why are you so...similar to him? "

Harada says nothing and just looks at the grave as I continue "...that person, and someone very special to me. Whenever I look at you, I feel like I'm looking at them. It's strange." I turn to face him and crack a small smile. "For some reason, I know I'm not supposed to be feeling this way, but you're...I feel like I can talk to you about anything. Ugh." I slam my head between my knees and groan in pain as I irritate the injury in my leg. "

"I'm glad to hear that. Though, " He sits down next to me and smiles softly " this is the first time we've actually spoken properly to each other. The other times, you'd either be trying to kill me or kill yourself."

"Shut up." I elbow him roughly and quickly withdraw my arm as I flinch. Stop it. Just stop getting comfortable with him. He's the enemy remember? Even if he's like another Shin-chan and Oboro-san, you CAN'T have anything else to do with him."...you're kind." I mumble softly to myself as I stare at my hands. All those years of physical abuse have made the skin calloused and rough, almost like I'm wearing a pair of gloves, the skin on my index finger and thumb are also worn clean away; all those times I fired my rifle. It's not something you'd see on a normal girl. Then again, I'm a hitokiri. A blade for Onii-sama. "...?"

A warm feeling surrounds my hands as Harada places them in his "Whoa. You must have had a rough life." His sympathetic gaze half makes me want to tell him everything, half makes me want to punch his lights out. "I know. My hands are ugly." I pull my hands back roughly and scowl "What else would you expect from a hitokiri? Beautifully painted fingernails? Pfft. I wouldn't think so. I gave up being a girl long ago. " I curl my hands into fists and shove them into the folds of my sleeve. "I'm...nothing more than a sword. Killing, maiming and causing sorrow, that's all I'm good for really."

"I don't think that's true." He rummages around in his kimono and pulls something out. A flash of gold escapes from his closed fist as he motions for me to open my hands.

"Ah! That's mine!" As soon as I see the familiar thin gold buyao in his hands, I involuntarily snatch it from his hands and cradle it close to myself. "Thank goodness! I thought I lost it forever! Thank yo-" I instantly jerk backwards and turn myself away from Harada, who looks surprised.

"Hey, you look really cute when you smile like that." He quickly recovers and flashes me an attractive smile. "It suits you so much more than that scowl. Well, I'm somewhat the same." He leans back on his hands and stares ahead "All I can really do is kill people , just like you.

"No. You're...different." "I've...encountered many different kinds of men in my line of work. Many of them, they're all the same. But you...are different. Ugh, what am I saying?" I shake my head and look at the buyao in my hands "...this is something incredibly important to me. Thank you." I thread the hairpin through my hair and flick the chains gently with my fingers "...that's the only time I'll ever be thanking you." Harada chuckles and winks "Sure."

Things are getting beyond my control right now. Why, why in the world am I out here watching the parade at the Gion Festival when Onii-sama is somewhere searching for Takechi-sama? actually...why in the world am I with goddam Harada of the Shinsengumi and going to the festival with him? of all people? well, Ryu-kun and Kosuzu-chan are here as well so I guess it's not so bad. Thanks to Kosuzu-chan, and Chizuru-chan as well; I was able to head to Umeka-chan's home and grab a change of clothes and of course, spare weapons. Though there's no way I could arouse suspicion , so back to the wolves den I went. It had only been 2 weeks, but it honestly felt like forever to me.

"Ara! This is such a beautiful display!" Kosuzu claps her hands excitedly and points at the float that just went past. Ryu-kun frowns and points to the one behind that "Nah, I think this one looks better."

"...Shiranui?" out of the corner of my eye, I spot a familiar blue haired man in the middle of arguing with a small group of men. He snaps something at his companions, punches him to the ground before running off somewhere I can't see. Hmm, something doesn't feel right. Why would Shiranui be running around like that? He's allied with the Satsuma but usually only acts under Chikage-dono's orders. Unless... if Setsura's information was accurate, then Miyabe might actually try to carry out his plan today.

"Is something the matter?" A pair of golden eyes stare at me as I quickly shake my head and scowl at him as I deliberate on whether or not I should warn him. Well, them. I have no reason to help a Bakufu man, but Ryu-kun and Shizu-chan are here. "...There's going to be a fire in the Gion district. Don't ask me anything, just go back to your headquarters and issue a warning. Hurry."

Harada's eyes narrow with suspicion as he looks carefully at me "how do you know this? So it's true that you are allied with the anti-Bakufu forces?" I stamp my foot with frustration and gather the collar of his kimono in my hands, tugging him closer to me. "You're wasting time!

"During the Ikeda-ya raid, we captured some Choshu men. They confessed that they were planning on setting fire to Kyoto, kidnap Matsudaira-dono in the confusion and use that distraction to attack our headquarters." I keep my grip on his kimono and speak softly "I'm...aware of that. Several of my friends were killed during that raid" Itou-san's silent tears as he kept punching the wall and Yasuko-san who was hysterical to the point I heard Kusaka had to give her tranquilise her. "..your point is?" Harada shakes his head " We gathered the ringleaders and confiscated their entire supply of gunpowder and weapons. There's no way they can carry out their plan."

"The main ringleader, Miyabe. He managed to escape Ikedaya and gathered supplies from the Western arms dealer. Look, he's not the sort of man who'll let a little obstacle like that stop him." My patience is running thin as I pull Harada's kimono closer to me with frustration. " He's acting alone. This has nothing to do with Choshu, just... please! None of the Bakufu men will listen to me, much less a hitokiri."

"..." Kosuzu's giggling manages to attract my attention as I see her turn red and blush cutely towards Ryu-kun who shoots a 'i-knew-it' smirk in our direction. I guess from an outsiders point of view, it looks like Harada and I are hugging or something. I notice Ryu-kun mutter something to Kosuzu-chan and they both glance at us. Kosuzu-chan covers her face with her tiny hands as she giggles adorably. "haha! I bet -

A loud explosion from further down drowns out what Kosuzu was saying. People begin screaming in terror as a one of the floats bursts into flame,spreading rapidly among the crowded streets of the Gion district. The smell of burning paper begins to merge with the slightly sweet smell of burning flesh as the damage begins to increase. I knew it.

"Ryu-kun! Get Kosuzu-chan to safety! Hurry up!" Harada instantly snaps to attention, directing the terrified people as they run aimlessly around. "Osho-san! This way!" Harada holds tightly onto my hand and begins dragging me to safety. Ryu-kun has Kosuzu-chan on his back as he runs quickly towards the Shinsengumi headquarters. "Let go of me." I twist my hand, freeing myself from his grip and stand back as he looks at me with surprise. I reach into my kimono and pull out a pistol, aiming it at him as I unlock the safety with a 'click'. "You haven't forgotten that I'm a hitokiri, have you? "

"That has nothing to do with anything." Harada refuses to let go and tries pulling me towards him as I stand my ground. "Right now, you're just Sho, and I refuse to leave you alone like this."

"Since when were we on a first name basis?" I glare at him and continue aiming the pistol at his chest "you...really are like him. Always doing whatever the hell you want even if...grah!" In another time and place, maybe things might have been able to work out between us, but that's just me being immature and greedy. "You're selfish and cruel."

I pull the hairpin from my head and shove it into his hand. "Take care of this for me." His eyes widen as he stares at the hairpin. His eyes seem to say "Why? Isn't this incredibly precious to you?" as he opens his mouth to speak. I cut him off by placing my fingers on his lips and shaking my head. "...Don't bother going after me. Just focus on protecting what's precious to you. We're enemies after all."

"What are you trying to accomplish? Sho-san, ju-guh!" Harada winces and falls onto one knee as I shoot him directly in the shoulder. "...if only things were different."

~X~X~X~

The air is thick with smoke and the smell makes my eyes water. I rush past people running in different directions, ignoring the injured and the corpses as I search for Miyabe, or for any of my friends. Shin-chan probably isn't here since after the Ikedaya massacre, he'd have to keep a low profile. As for Onii-sama, he's probably over at Teradaya, which is pretty much a second home for u- "Tch. Get out of my way." A Rasetsu stops tearing apart a person crushed underneath a wooden board and stares at me hungrily. "Disgusting" I shoot down the Rasetsu and kick it into the burning building for good measure. If these things are around, this must mean one thing. The experiments are still continuing. Though whether the Bakufu is behind it or Tosa, I can't really say.

A familiar looking and incredibly out of place woman is standing ahead, behind a man with his back turned and sword raised. From the red shine on the sword, it seems he's just killed or injured someone. Or maybe something? "Setsura!" I sprint ahead to the woman as she turns around with surprise on her pretty face. "...ara!" Her male companion turns around and I see it's Chikage-dono. He nods in greeting to me and shakes the blood off his sword, before wiping it clean on the dead man's kimono. Hold on..the dead man looks very familiar. I stare at the bloodied face and gasp, it's Miyabe. Well, at least he's gone for good now. Though this won't do anything to reverse the damage he did.

"..Yu-chan." Setsura looks almost pitifully at me then shakes her head as she grabs my shoulders and shakes me violently "What the hell were you doing associating with a Shinsengumi officer?" I shoot her a withering glare "I was injured by Kodo.. technically it was my fault ..but during that time I was imprisoned at the Shinsengumi headquarters. I needed to blend in and avoid drawing attention, so that was the only way. Trust me." I pause and frown at her. Nobody contacted me or saw me the entire time. Odd, but if any of our allies had seen me, they would have said something. "How do you even know about that?"

"Osen's mirror can reveal anything. But that isn't the issue here. You should know better than anyone else, we can't afford to see those people as human." She looks angrily at me as her lips purse up with annoyance and frowns "Have you forgotten your purpose? A hitokiri is a blade, eventually you'll have to cut them all down so don't you dare go putting personal feelings ahead of your duty."

"So, is killing them to get revenge for Kazu personal feelings too? Am I not allowed to do that?" I cross my arms and look at Setsura who continues to frown at me "I'm getting close to him so I can gain his trust, maybe even the trust of his comrades then stab them when it's easiest. Unlike YOU I actually do things for a reason."

"I think the past would beg to differ." Chikage-dono finally speaks, an amused grin on his face as Setsura and I stop our argument and glare at him. "...Yukimi, don't forget our original purpose for being here."

"The situation among the Tosa is unstable. Takechi Hanpeita was killed by Okada Izo for his betrayal to Tosa, and now your brother has assumed leadership in his place. However, we've received word that he is attempting to continue the Rasetsu manufacture Takechi was doin-

"...you're lying." I cut her off sharply "Onii-sama is incapable of doing something like that!" I push her away violently with anger, how dare someone like her even try to think she understands Onii-sama? "You don't know a single thing about my brother. You have no right to say something like that." My voice goes softer as I stare intently at her "From the moment we entered the ranks of the Tosa royalists; every single man who was in Onii-sama's way, every single time somebody became a threat to Onii-sama or to his goals...I was the one who killed them. Not Onii-sama, but me. " I continue as Setsura stays silent "My brother would never turn to violence, so don't think for a second that those rumours are true."

"Well..." she seems to hesitate to continue and glances at Chikage-dono who shrugs lightly and speaks "Several of Takechi's supporters and possibly some Bakufu supporters who were for the Rasetsu army decided to seek revenge for this and targeted Teradaya."

Teradaya. That's the only other place Onii-sama would be, since that's the only other safe place apart from home. I instantly feel like someone is squeezing my heart slowly as I turn to Chikage-dono and speak slowly "...is...Onii-sama...alright?" My hands start getting sweaty with fear as I look almost desperately at Chikage-dono's red eyes for confirmation. "..Ryoma...was almost killed. Thanks to a woman working at the Teradaya, he managed to kill the assassins and escaped."

"...oh.. I sink to my knees and hug myself tightly "..thank goodness.. Onii-sama..He's alive." That sinking feeling from before disappears as I feel a huge wave of relief. Oni-sama is still alive. I knew it. He wouldn't die so easily anyway. Tears of relief start pouring down my cheeks as I start smiling like an idiot. Hmm, the woman who alerted Onii-sama must have been the owner, Otose-san since we're on close terms with her. I guess, in a way, Otose-san and Karyu are a little like my mother. Actually, Karyu is probably more like the permanently angry aunt.

"Isn't there somewhere you should be now?" I furiously wipe my tear as Chikage-dono nudges his head further down the road. "...?" The fire is rising quickly and amid the smoke it's hard to see who, or what is there. I look back at Chikage-dono who shows me what looks like a smile and a smirk and heads off with Setsura who waves slowly to me before turning away.

"..Sho-chan." I freeze and point my finger with pure surprise at the man standing in front of me. "Why...are you here?...Harada?"

Harada pauses to catch his breath and coughs lightly " I was worried about you." I almost choke on my breath before laughing " You think this an appropriate time for jokes? huh?" My voice gets high pitched as I giggle and point at him with laughter. He takes hold of my hand and looks at me seriously.

"Ryu-kun's been taken by the Oniwabanshu for questioning. They're planning to execute him as an accessory to Serizawa's crimes."

The Oniwabanshu was like the Shogun's secret ninja army! kinda like the Bakumatsu period ASIO (though maybe not as evil as ASIO lol!) and Kosuzu's friend Ayame...I kinda forgot her actual name but in Sano's route in Reimeiroku, they talk about her and 'Ayame's ' lover is Sano's friend. Girls who ran away from Shimabara actually had their legs broken or were killed so maybe that's why Shizu is so scared :O. The anime could have done so much with Ryu and Shizu's story! Ugh! like they just ignore all the cutesy rabu rabu because it's not in Hijikata aka poster boy's route. TvT aaand that's why I'm adding in the game stuff and my own ideas teehee~

ok~ let's have Itou-san do the chapter preview this time!

Itou: *smiles at the fangirls* I'm Itou Hirobumi. *sparkles* not Itou Kashitarou. *makes an x sign with his fingers* We're to completely different people.

Mei: YUP!YUP! HUGE DIFFERENCE! They're not the same guy! THIS Itou is sooo much hotter! *sighs* and dreamy!ah! but Sano is my bias~

Itou: Well, next time : 'Chi-ooh *spots a pretty girl* Hey there, what do you say about going out with me?

Mei: OvO! he ran away! Why's everyone running away from the preview? Fine! I'll do it! T-tch. Next time! ooh it's chapter 11 XD teehee~ I passed 10 chapters! *ahem* Next time : 'Chijou' (Blind Love)