Chapter 10 – A Day of Differences

Chizuru led Kazama down the hallway towards the dining area. Kazama didn't say anything, and neither did Chizuru. It made the atmosphere awkward and silent, the only sounds were of their feet brushing against the wooden floor. This is why Kazama made Chizuru so irritated at times, he never spoke a word to her, the only things he could say either had to be sarcastic or something he's not serious about. He can only say the important things in the heated up moments. And he did things as he pleased, he didn't care if anyone else wasn't comfortable with it.

While Chizuru thought about it, she almost passed the dining area without noticing it. She sat on her knees and slowly slid the door open, to reveal Kazama to the rest of the Shinsengumi. Hijikata seemed to be unhappy about the choice that he had given Chizuru, but when Koundo started talking about it, he had no choice but to let him.

Unlike the rest, Koundo invited him in with a warm smile "Come in now, Kazama. You can sit with Chizuru over there." He pointed to two empty spots next to Hijikata and Sano.

Kazama looked at Chizuru and waited for her to go to the appointed spot before he did. As she started walking, she could feel the hot stares behind her at Kazama. Kazama obviously didn't seem to care in the least; in fact, she could see him slightly smirking at the mess of intensity in the room. Chizuru tried to remain low profile when she began eating, but the dreadful silence of the room wasn't helping.

Finally, Koundo raises his hand up to say something, before Kazama suddenly pulls Chizuru into a tight embrace. So much for Chizuru's plan to remain low profile; Hijikata almost jumped up from where he was sitting when it happened, the rest of everyone gave cold, icy stares in his direction. Chizuru's face was as red as an apple, especially when she tried to escape, but Kazama noticed and held on tighter.

He was obviously trying to taunt the Shinsengumi for his own entertainment. This was what normally got Chizuru irritated about him, he didn't care what others thought, and he loved a good fight. Not the fights that Heisuke likes though, a mental fight, even a fight with words is fine with him. All Chizuru could simply do was sit there, and await the outcome of it.

She could tell that Hijikata was still on edge, still slightly standing up in his seat. He wore an expression of frustration, and distrust. It seemed that what he told Chizuru of the Satsuma was true. Finally after a while of intense stares, Hijikata stood up.

"I'm heading back to my room for a bit." He seemed to growl the last part out.

After Kazama's eyes followed Hijikata out, he exchanged a look with Okita. Okita had been giving him the death glare since the beginning, but now he wore a look of sarcasm, but it was different. It had a bit of anger mixed in. Kazama closed his eyes a moment and then opened them again and stood up.

He took Chizuru's hand and made her stand up with him "I'm already full, show me around."

This time, the entire group of men in the room jumped up. They didn't say anything though, but she could tell that they weren't happy. So thinking that it was the best idea to get Kazama out of the line of fire, she agreed to show him around and swiftly left the room. Behind her she heard the yelling and complaining of the Shinsengumi.

'Maybe it would've been better if he stayed in his room…' she thought to herself.

As they walked, she showed him every room that they used, but when they passed the studies where everyone stayed, she had to make sure that they he didn't go snooping around in other's stuff.

Hijikata had told Chizuru to keep him under tight surveillance, and that Yamazaki would be nearby in case anything happened. Chizuru could see why, him being with the Satsuma and all. But to her, Kazama was different from the Satsuma. He had a heart, even if he didn't admit it. Chizuru saw him in a different light, a bright and clear one. She realized then that she didn't want to ever be separated from him.

As they approached the garden, she began to want o know more, curiosity. She wanted to know, if he was planning to stay with the Satsuma. So she looked down at the wooden floor until they reached the garden and were in it.

They stood beneath the biggest tree; it had no cherry blossoms on it, but it was covered with the purest of snow. He stared up at the snow, as if waiting for something to happen. This brought Chizuru's mind off the Satsuma and onto Kazama's curiosity for snow.

"Is something wrong?" Chizuru leaned over to peer at Kazama's face.

Without looking at her, he responded "No, it's just that," he paused a moment "we rarely get snow in the west."

Chizuru looked confused for a second, and then brought a hand up to her mouth as she started giggling. This brought Kazama's attention to her.

"I didn't say anything funny." He said.

"Wiping the tears from her eyes, she responded "I know; it's just that," she laughed a bit more "you looked like a child staring up at the snow."

Kazama didn't have a comeback for that, so he had a look of irritation on the entire time.

"What do you say then, Kazama?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?" he was still wearing his expression of irritation.

"Would you like to play in the snow with me?"

Kazama thought a moment then said "That's just childish."

Chizuru laughed a moment then said again "But when you go back, then—"

Chizuru quickly held a hand up to her mouth. She looked up at him, a worried look filling up into her eyes. Kazama looked down at her, his expression hadn't changed, but it seemed that he had grown even madder now.

"Where did you hear that?" was the first thing that he said.

Chizuru looked down and let her hand rest at her side. She looked around for help, but there was none. Yamazaki must still be somewhere nearby.

"Tell me." He persisted.

"I'm sorry," her response was rather fast "Hijikata told, so I would be ready when you left." She backed up a couple of steps "I didn't mean to bring it up now, I'm sorry…"

Chizuru looked about ready to cry from the sudden impact of words. She couldn't stand the mentality of them. So sad and misfortunate; she held both her hands up to her face to hide the tears now rolling down her cheeks. Then, without warning, warm hands surrounded her on both sides, eventually traveling down to her side. They pulled her against a warm chest, coddling her up like a warm blanket in the winter cold. She buried her face into his chest, letting the small sobs out bit by bit, until her shoulders joined the sobs in unison.

But eventually, she hears her name being called out to, she had almost forgotten. She pulled away from Kazama and looked in the direction of the yelling, they hadn't quite yet rounded the corner, but she could tell it was Heisuke.

"I'm sorry Kazama, I have patrol today. I need to go out with them now." Before she pulled entirely away, Kazama grabbed her hand and spoke.

"I'm coming with you." He looked confident in his words, so Chizuru gave it a small thought, and then sighed.

"You can't cause any trouble." She waved her finger in the air "And you have to do what they say, even if you dislike it."

Kazama grew irritated at the thought of someone else telling him what to do. He looked away like a child would when they start pouting. Chizuru found this to be one of his charms.

'I guess he has a cute side to himself too.' She giggled.

In any case, when Chizuru ran to fetch her short sword, Kazama followed after her at a slow walk. The white kimono he had on fit the theme of winter perfectly, it almost made Chizuru blush to think about it.

Before she left for the main gate, she had to make sure that Kazama wore a thick coat over his kimono. She didn't want him to get frostbite. But then while looking for it she thought to herself.

'Oh, demons don't seem to get frostbite, do they?' Chizuru noticed this while she was outside. No matter how cold the snow seemed, she never did get cold. Maybe the body of a demon insulates itself somehow.

So with a sigh Chizuru closed the door behind her, and continued on to the gates. Kazama made sure he was behind her at all times, because it seemed that he noticed Yamazaki's presence moving. He kept his eyes on the shadows, watching for movement. Nothing happened the entire way there though. Nothing notable, from what Chizuru could see. But finally Chizuru had an itching question.

"Uhm, Kazama?" she stopped walking, as did Kazama.

"What do you want?" he directed his attention from the shadows to her.

"About before, when you saved me from that group of men," she kept her back to him.

"What about it?"

"Well, what you said then, when you told me that it was your answer, did you mean it?" small tears began escaping from her "Because, well….I don't want to, to fall in love with somebody…who doesn't even love me back." She wiped a few tears from her eyes.

The next moment, Chizuru thought her heart was going to burst. Kazama spoke "Does it matter whether or not demons love each other? It's better to help the restoration of demons; love shouldn't have anything to do with it."

Chizuru quickly turned around in surprise; Kazama had a different look in his eyes.

'That's all it was?' she turned back around and smiled to herself sadly 'I should've known better, Kazama only cares for the restoration of the demons. How could I have been so stupid?' she continued down to the gates, masking her sobs with warm smiles the rest of the way there.

But the entire way there, Kazama had a different aura. Like he had a different personality, a different look in his crimson eyes; she wanted nothing more than to forget about it, she had been such a fool.

'I guess we're more different than I first realized.' She said silently.

When they reached the gates, the first thing that Okita and Heisuke noticed was Kazama, dragging his feet behind her.

Okita stood up straighter and asked Chizuru "Hey Chizuru, what's he doing here?"

Chizuru noticed Okita's annoyed expression and quickly tried to restrain him "H-He said that he wanted to come along, I'll watch him, so don't worry."

Okita noticed that Chizuru wasn't lying, and decided to pass on it "I don't mind if he comes but," he turned to Kazama "one slip up, or on slip down, I'll kill you on the spot, Kazama Chikage."

Kazama smirked and said "I'd like to see you try."

Okita quickly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but before Heisuke could stop it, a shadow's hand suddenly appeared on Okita's hand "It would be best if you didn't."

The hand and shadow belonged to Yamazaki; Chizuru was right about him still being nearby.

Then he turned to Kazama and instructed "I would advise you as to not try anything too."

That was when Chizuru noticed that Kazama also had his hand on the hilt of his sword. Kazama only closed his eyes and took his hand off the sword. Okita did the same and ultimately just started going out the gates with the troop. Heisuke followed after with Kazama and Chizuru walking after them.

She couldn't keep her mind off what Kazama had said to her earlier. Her eyes were empty and full of nothing. She had become enraptured in that very moment, reliving it many times.

'What had that answer been about before then? Why did he have to hug me like that?' she kept hanging on the reasons he could have said that to her. But in the end, she could only hang on the reason he gave; for the 'restoration of demons.'

'I wonder if that's how he truly feels…' she thought to herself.

While she thought of this to herself, she noticed that Kazama had disappeared. She stopped for a second and glanced around, looking for him. She caught sight of him, way back in the crowd, walking in the opposite direction. She glanced back towards the direction that the Shinsengumi officers were leading the troops in, and then back to where Kazama was. But when she looked back, he had disappeared.

Worried as she was for him, she abandoned the patrol and went in the direction he had headed. She looked all throughout the market, hoping that he had just found something he liked. But unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. That's when she decided to search in the mostly deserted parts of town.

There were only three spots that she knew that was most of the time deserted. The closest one is in a big alleyway. Or more precisely, a big spot behind the alleyway; she went on ahead towards the location, which was only around the corner from where she currently was. Thoughts raced through her head faster than her heartbeat could manage. And though all the excuses she made up on the way about him leaving all of a sudden were surprisingly believable, she couldn't bring herself to believe them.

She knew that Kazama wouldn't leave for just some stupid little reason. And with that, she finally arrived at the alleyway. She slowly crept down the alley, to the very end. She couldn't see anything but blackness, no movement or sound came from the end. But what she also noticed from being a demon was that her instincts were better than most. She knew that there was a presence down there. In fact, she could tell that there was more than one.

If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear the breathing of each one. She thought she counted three in all. As she neared the end of the alleyway, she heard someone speaking. She didn't know whose voice it was, and she was too far away to make out words. She pressed herself up against the wall, trying her best not to make too much of any sound against the wood.

As she came closer to the corner, her heartbeat sped up at least two times the speed it was originally. Finally, she came close enough to make out words.

"Shiranui, make sure you get the right information from the Choushuu." The man seemed to have a much deeper voice than the rest.

"Yeah, yeah gramps, you don't need to worry about anything," the man paused then went on "and you Kazama? Are you still going to hang around that female demon?"

Chizuru's eyes widened at the sound of Kazama's voice "No need to worry about her, she shouldn't be much of a problem, she doesn't seem to have much any experience with swords, fighting, or her demon side. She shouldn't be much of a problem taking."

"Okay if you say so, but don't screw up this time."

Chizuru, thinking this might be the best time to leave, quietly started moving in the opposite direction.

But before she could successfully make a good escape she heard someone whistle then speak "Seems she's pretty good at eavesdropping on conversations though," she heard a small grunt come from Kazama.

Then Kazama spoke "Come one out, female demon."

Chizuru's heart seemed to skip a beat, and she almost tripped at the sound of him. It sounded more like a command than a request too, so Chizuru stood there in silence, running through options in her head. But soon, came the time to make the choice.

Don't worry, don't worry! The story is still based upon Kazama x Chizuru! This was just a little twist ending, hope everybody can understand! Next chapter will be fun to write!