At Sano's room:
"Just promise me something. After what you hear, please don't believe all of it. I'm not sure of it myself." Heisuke said sternly, hoping that they would follow it.
"Yeah, we got it." They said in agreement.
As they all settled down to begin, the wind began to settle down as the storm raged onwards towards the evening. The temperature began to drop, the cool wind bringing shivers to whatever it touches. It whistled as it came past the Shinsengumi headquarters, a short tune playing away. It wasn't long before the stormy day became a mystical night.
"Okay, so while you guys were sleeping, I was getting a bit anxious on how Yamazaki and Hijikata were doing back there. And then I was debating over whether or not I should go over and check on them." Heisuke first explained.
"Well, I guess we're all eager to get an answer." Shinpachi commented,
"You should know, Shinpachi. You were mumbling in your sleep earlier about how you were worried about Yamazaki." The fiery-spirited warrior added on.
"What!? I-I was?" Shinpachi asked in surprise. "I don't usually sleep talk or anything like that…"
"But were you dreaming about anything?" Sano suggested. "That could explain it."
Yeah that could be the answer, Heisuke thought. When Shinpachi does sleep talk, it's when he gets a dream about it. He says that he sees things, images that he has seen through the day.
"You know-"
Heisuke looks up from his trail of thought to listen.
"When you were out just then, Heisuke, we were just waking up. Once I got my head straight through all that sake, I swore I heard Shinpachi mumbling…" Sano began to say
EARLIER THEN…
(Sano's POV)
Waking to the sound of tumbling rain echoing in my ear, my eyes fell open to the room, only at the wrong angle. I found myself lying on the floor with my body tilted to the side and my ear to the tatami mats. Feeling the tatami leaving light marks on my cheek, I sat upright, only to feel myself unstable. My head felt a bit sore and I was slightly dizzy.
"…Uh man… My head is killing me… Must have been too much to drink." I talked to myself, using my arms to keep me upright. The room was dark; there were no source of light since it was nearing the time of the night.
Shinpachi was still sleeping next to me, but someone was missing.
"Where did Heisuke go?" I wondered.
I began to stand up, but my legs gave way under me. Best to stay down for the current moment.
Just then, I heard a small mumble coming from inside the room. Puzzled, I turn towards the source, my mate here sleep talking.
But it's peculiar. Shinpachi almost never sleep talks, none that I hear at night. But I hear from the others that he does rarely, muttering slurs in his slumber.
"…ngh…"
Getting slightly annoyed, I crawled towards him and gently shook his shoulder. His body was cold to the touch, wearing light clothing as usual. Not like I was one to talk.
"Oi, you'll freeze if you sleep here." I try to tell him, but he was fast asleep.
"…Ya…ki...ge…ck…er…" His voice starts to begun clear.
"Say that again?" I asked him, getting closer to him. I put my ear towards his mouth and waited for a reply.
"Yama…zaki…get back…here…" he whispered, still stuck in his dream.
I sat back up and stared down at him. From what I've heard from Heisuke, he sleep talks whenever he has a bad dream, or if he had a bad day.
"Come on, get up now." I grew tired of his ignorance and nudged him harder. Finally, his eyes drooped open, staring at the ground in a daze.
"Uh…what…?" Shinpachi grumbled to the rough awakening.
"Oh, Sano. How're long were we asleep?" He asked me, rubbing his head whilst yawning.
"I don't know exactly, but not long. Night's coming soon, so don't fall asleep yet." I told him, helping him sit up.
Shinpachi looked around the room, confused about something.
"Hey, where did Heisuke go off to?" He asked.
"Yeah, he took off when we're knocked out by the sake. Never tells us when he leaves." I sighed, leaning against the wall for support against my drowsiness.
I stared out at the gap in between the paper doors, the rain blocking away my sight of the garden. Even if I had been drunk, I swear those doors were closed shut…
"By the way, I had this weird dream just now." I heard him say, most likely to me.
"A dream?" I asked.
Shinpachi reached out for the bottle of sake and began to pour himself a small amount, before taking a sip.
"Yeah, it was more like a nightmare than a dream." He replied, finishing the cup.
As he was about to reach for another serve, I seized his hand and took the cup from his hand, setting it aside from him.
"Don't you think you've had too much to drink, Shinpachi?" I told him firmly, but he kept on whining like a little child who wanted his milk.
"Cmon, please?"
"No."
"Just one more?"
"No."
"Not even a sip?"
"NO."
"Fine…" He finally said after many attempts.
I finally managed to calm him down when I heard footsteps approaching the door…
"…and that's what happened. By then, you came through and we were suspecting you went somewhere else. The door was opened after all, and you didn't bother to wake us up." Sano finished up, with a small sigh.
"I see." Heisuke groaned, scratching the back of his scalp. "So it was obvious, huh?"
He let out a weak chuckle of defeat, quiet and disorientated.
"Right now, the issue is about what I heard…Do you think Yamazaki will have to leave" He asked, eager for an opinion.
"Well, however you think about it, Yamazaki won't be able to go on missions for a while, for various reasons. He's in no condition to fight, nor does he have the strength. And if you think about it, he is a stubborn one in some way. Maybe Hijikata wants him to leave because he'll probably overdo it again." Sano suggested.
"Also, if I were to think like Yamazaki, it would proba-" Shinpachi began to say until cut off by a burst of laughter.
"I-I'm sorry, but you actually, think that, you could think, like him!? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!" Heisuke cracked up, rolling on the floor, not bothering to keep his giggling in. Shinpachi stared at his friend will an upset expression.
"That's the only funny thing we've heard all day. This whole day hasn't really been that great you know." Sano pointed out, giving Heisuke a hand and helping him back up.
"So ANYWAY," Shipnachi coughed for attention, "as I was saying, Yamazaki would probably say something like,
'It would be unwise if I were to resume my mission at this moment. Surely, they, the enemy, have noticed me around them ever since the ambush, and they have grown weary of my presence at an alarming rate. They would most likely devise a well-executed plan to bring my demise. In my opinion, it's best to make me seem like I retreated for now, or even dead from succumbing to my injuries. If they take the bait, then I'll be able to resume the hunt. That way, I'll shall be able to continue my investigating, and attack them when they least expected it at their weakest defence."
…or something along those lines, I guess. I-It's just what I think, so it's not like he'll actually say it word for word." Shinpachi added on quickly.
"…Wow, Shinpachi, that's pretty accurate. I can imagine him saying that loud and clear." Sano joked around, patting him rather roughly on the back.
"So anyway, if Hijikata IS gonna send Yamazaki away, shouldn't we ask him ourselves?" Shinpachi asked, standing up as he made up his own mind. He was just waiting to run out the door; he never liked it when people kept secrets when they should be told.
"W-Wait, you can't!" Heisuke shouted, jumping in front of him.
"Why's that, Heisuke?" Sano asked abruptly, seeing the scene fold out in front of him.
"B-Because…um…" Heisuke began to say before trailing off. He turned his face to the side.
"Cmon Heisuke, don't hide anything."
"Okay, okay!" Heisuke turned back to face them.
"Now's not the best time to ask him…because…he's…crying…"
"EH! Seriously!? How come!?" Sano and Shinpachi said in unison, only to be shut up by Heisuke.
"Really guys, enough with the wild reactions already! Anyways, it's best not to see him in his current state. As far as I'm guessing, he's worried about Yamazaki, and he's desperate for him to come to. As well as his belief that he's responsible for his injuries, since he was the one who gave him the mission along with Shimada." Heisuke explained.
"But still, he's not the one to blame. Shimada just so happened to be unavailable to participate, and Yamazaki was the stubborn one to continue it alone. He pushed himself on his own accord; I don't see why Hijikata would blame himself. But no one can blame him for his injuries as well. The enemy overtook Yamazaki by sheer numbers, it would have been impossible to escape without some sort of injury." Shinipachi added his opinion.
"But nevertheless, Hijikata's the type to believe that he's responsible. He is practically the willpower that guides the Shinsengumi as well as Kondo. As the same as he gives out orders, he feels like he's the one who should take care of us. I know he doesn't look like much, but he sort of resembles a parent." Sano said.
"Well anyways, let's leave Hijikata the questions later. How about we settle this tomorrow?" Heisuke suggested. The other two nodded in agreement.
"But now that you think about it, if the Shinsengumi was supposed to be compared to a family's position, Kondo's the father (because he's the head of the Shinsengumi) and the rest of us are the children… Then who's the mother?"
A small silence befell the room, before filled by choking laughter.
"Sannan?"
"Chizuru?"
"Or perhaps…"
"HIJIKATA!?"
They yelled in unison, before cracking up all over again.