A/N: Sorry I took a while with this update. This first week of school was probably one of the longest weeks of my life. It's only the first week of school and I'm already piled high with tests, and quizzes, and a butt load of homework! It's like the teachers don't want us to sleep. I already can't wait until the last day of school…
Anyway, this is important! So please read. For those of you who read chapters 8 and 9, and found that they were the exact same thing, they are not the same. I'm sorry, I guess I probably re-uploaded the wrong one when I was trying to change something in chapter 8, but I fixed it now, and chapter 8 is very, very, very different from chapter 9, and it has some important things leading up to the events in chapter 9, so if you didn't get a chance to read it, please do! Again, I am very sorry about the mistake.
Also, to Hikiri, I find that I'm pretty color-blind. Like, I can't tell the difference between orange and red, or pink and purple. It's pretty sad, haha. But thank you for pointing it out. I looked on his wikia page, and it said that Heisuke's eye color was blue-green? To be honest, I can't tell the difference between light blue, and light green, and blue-green. Haha. They pretty much look the same to me, I don't know. But for now, I'll go with what his wikia page says I guess. But thank you very much for the compliment and for reading my story!
Now, here's chapter 10! Thank you for all the reviews and compliments, I really appreciate them! Please review this chapter too. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I won't be writing one anymore! Haha, thanks to 14Phantom for the info. So guys, no more disclaimers from now on, hurray!
Chapter 10
Saito watched in horror as the girl's slim body crumpled lifelessly into his arms. He slowly lowered his gaze until his dark-blue eyes rested on her pale face. How many times had he seen those pink lips part in a smile, revealing little white pearls of teeth? How many times had he seen her cheeks redden with pleasure or embarrassment? How many times had he seen her light-blue eyes sparkle? He knew that the girl, whose wounded body rested in his arms, would steal glances at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention, and he would secretly do the same without her noticing.
Saito lifted a slightly trembling hand that was pressed against Aoi's thin back. He looked at it for a moment, unable to discern his natural skin color from the crimson blood covering it. "It's my fault." He thought to himself. "I was the one who asked Hijikata-san to let her come with me on the night patrol. If I hadn't, she wouldn't be like this now. I don't know what had possessed me at that time to ask such a thing!"
"Captain!" The voice of one of his men brought Saito back to reality from his shock. In front of him, a Choshu raised his sword to stab at Saito. He easily blocked the attack and sunk his own blade into the man's chest. The man let out a cry and fell to the ground. Saito fought with rage, a sort of fire lit his generally stoic eyes. All the while, he clutched the girl's precious body to his chest, shielding it from further harm. With something to protect now, Saito was twice as strong and the third division managed to drive back the rest of the enemies in almost no time.
After the battle, Saito turned to his men. "Clean things up here a bit before returning. I need to get Tsukahara back to headquarters." He quickly addressed them, and then he whirled around and ran as fast as he could back to the compound, cradling the girl in his arms
As soon as Saito ran through the large gates of the compound, he threw himself at the nearest person he could find. "Find Yamazaki-san and Hijikata-san and tell them to come quickly." He commanded desperately. The man ran off to do as he was told and Saito was left alone with the dying girl in the suffocating darkness. He almost unconsciously began stroking Aoi's long, soft black hair. His long, thin fingers slid, like water, through her silky locks.
It wasn't long before Saito heard the sound of several footsteps running towards them Yamazaki appeared with Hijikata, who held a glowing lamp. The two of them stopped in front of Saito. Hijikata's purple eyes widened in shock when he saw Saito's arms around Aoi's bloody form. "Saito, what the hell happened?" He demanded. His violet eyes traveled from Aoi's pale, waxy face to the arms wrapped around her and then to the bleeding gash across her back.
Saito looked up at the vice-commander. He was careful to keep a calm expression on his face. "Hijikata-san, she needs treatment as soon as possible. I shall give you a full report at a later time." He replied, glancing at Yamazaki with cool eyes.
Hijikata sighed and his penetrating gaze slid to the left to look at Yamazaki. "Yamazaki, how badly hurt is she? Can you tell from here?"
Yamazaki replied in a calculating, intelligent voice. "It's a bad wound. I'm actually surprised she hasn't died yet. But she will if she's not treated quickly." He raised his eyes to look at Saito. "We need to hurry or she will bleed to death." Saito nodded slightly and the three men promptly rushed Aoi to her empty room.
In the dark room, Hijikata quickly lit the lamps and the sinister shadows that hung in the air and plastered themselves to the walls yielded to the light. Yamazaki quickly spread out a futon and Saito gently laid the girl's body down with her wounded back facing up so that Yamazaki could treat it. Yamazaki turned to Hijikata. "Vice-commander, I need you to go to my room and get my cauterizing set for me please." Hijikata grunted in consent and ran off to retrieve what the brown-haired man had requested.
Saito looked slightly surprised. His lips parted slightly. "Do you plan on cauterizing her?" he asked. A flicker of worry crossed his face.
"I have to." Yamazaki answered, his face carefully composed. "It's the only way to stop the bleeding. She'll have a higher chance of dying if I don't." He pulled out a small knife from inside his green kimono and cut away the olive green kimono Aoi had on, exposing the mangled skin on her back.
Saito's eyes darkened slightly and he looked away. After a few moments in silence, the door slid open and Hijikata reentered the room. He handed the equipment over to Yamazaki and then sat down next to Saito. Yamazaki swiftly lit the wood in the small cup and heated the end of an iron prong in the embers. He tilted his head to speak with other two men in the room. "I need you two to hold her down as I cauterize her so she doesn't accidentally knock the cauterizing stick out of my hands." They nodded and moved to hold down each of Aoi's arms.
Once the iron prong had turned a bright, glowing orange and red color, Yamazaki touched the metal to Aoi's wound. Shock and surprise made Aoi's eyes fly open and her pupils dilate. She screamed out in pain and thrashed about, struggling against her suppressers. Hijikata and Saito resisted back and held her down. The putrid smell of burning flesh filled the room. Each of Aoi's screams distressed Saito. He knew it was his fault that she was in such a situation, that she was experiencing such agony. He didn't know how he would ever be able to repay her. Saito's slender eyebrows drew together in pain and he squeezed his eyes shut. He never would have thought that he could feel this way before he met Aoi. Since the first time they had met, she had stirred up a strange emotion within him that he couldn't explain.
After what seemed like hours, Yamazaki finally finished cauterizing Aoi's wound and her screams disappeared. Aoi's eyes slowly closed again. Her body was drenched in sweat and her breathing was heavy and labored. Yamazaki sat back and carefully rested the iron prong on the cup he had used to heat the prong. But the embers had already died. His face was pale and fatigued. Yamazaki's narrow, purple eyes, still composed but weary, glanced from Saito to Hijikata. "Can you two wait outside? I need to redress her." Hijikata nodded. He and Saito stood, their bodies worn and tired, and they exited the room to enjoy the coolness of the dark night.
Outside the room, they ran into the other captains who had gathered at the noise. Sano spoke up, worry on his face. "Saito, Hijikata-san, what happened? Is everything alright?"
Hijikata's eyes tightened and he looked down. "Saito will explain in a bit after Yamazaki has finished dressing Aoi's wound." Sano's eyes widened and Hijikata could hear a sharp intake of breath. Saito's gaze fell to the ground. His heart swam with emotions he had never felt before and could not recognize. He managed to pick out one sentiment he was familiar with—worry. He was worried about Aoi. Of course he was. She was wounded on his behalf, but he wasn't familiar with any of the other emotions. He turned his head slightly to look back at the room Aoi was in and he felt his heart squeeze painfully.
In the room, Yamazaki bandaged Aoi's wound as efficiently as he could. Then he slipped a plain white kimono he had found in her closet onto her body and tied it so that it wouldn't fall off. Then he covered her with a blanket, blew out the candles with a puff and withdrew from the room to join the captains of the Shinsengumi.
They assembled in the meeting room. As soon as everyone was seated, Hijikata's piercing violet eyes narrowed and bore into Saito's. "Saito, tell me everything that happened tonight. Everything." He growled.
Saito paused for a moment before responding. Then he recounted that night's events starting from the moment they were ambushed by the Choshu. "Earlier tonight, when we were out on patrol, the Choshu attacked us. At first it seemed like we were winning and I became too relaxed. But then, one of their men slipped out and called for more backup. I was distracted and didn't notice one of the enemies behind me, but Aoi did, so she ran between us and was very badly wounded. We managed to drive them off at this expense." Saito ended quietly. Sadness clouded his eyes for an instant before disappearing.
Hijikata's gaze softened a bit. "I see. That isn't like you Saito. Was she the only injury?" He asked
Saito frowned and nodded, closing his eyes. "I apologize. Yes, she was the only one injured."
Heisuke leaned forward. "Then, Yamazaki-san, will Aoi be alright?" He asked. His voice was laced with anxiety. Everyone turned to look at the medic.
Yamazaki blinked slowly and the corners of his lips pulled downward in a frown. "She has a fever right now, but other than that she's okay. I can't really say. I cauterized the wound, but there's still always the chance of infection, or her fever can get worse." The captains looked away in despair. "It will take at least a few days to be able to tell for sure whether or not she will be okay." He sighed lightly and excused himself.
The faces of the captains were grim. Saito spoke up weakly. "It's my fault. If I hadn't asked Hijikata-san to let me take Aoi on the night patrol, it wouldn't have turned out like this."
Hijikata shook his head. "No. It's not your fault. I let her go so I'm at fault too. Besides if she didn't go, you might be dead right now. She did what any true samurai would have done. She protected one of her comrades." He frowned and his face darkened. "It's commendable, but…" He trailed off and his face grew stonier. Kondou who was sitting beside Hijikata glanced at him in worry. His face was drawn and tense. It was difficult to see someone you have known for a while on the cusp of dying. Everyone felt the same way.
A few days passed, but Aoi's fever did not seem to be receding. Whenever he could, Saito sat by her side, gently wiping her sweat and secretly praying she would get well soon. One night, Sano walked into Aoi's room. He fixed is dark-amber eyes on Saito's despondent figure. His eyebrows wrinkled and he said, "Saito, you should get some rest. Aoi will be alright for a while even if you don't watch over her. I know you feel obligated to watch over the person who saved your life, but don't overexert yourself. I don't think Aoi would want that."
Saito looked down at Aoi's pale face through his long purple bangs, his eyes tight, and he replied quietly, "I know, but I will be fine. I'll rest later." He reached out a hand to brush a stray lock of hair away from her face. Then he tilted his head up to return Sano's gaze. "As I am indebted to her, it is my duty to watch over her when she is sick."
A sharp voice sounded from outside the room. "Harada's right, Saito. Go get some rest. This is an order." Hijikata's broad figure stepped into view, his eyes riveted on Saito.
Saito's lips parted and he looked down. For a moment he was quiet. "Yes sir." He finally responded. He gracefully stood up, his white scarf fluttering for a moment and he floated out of the room, his exhaustion barely showing on his face.
Hijikata turned to Sano. "Let's go."
Sano took one last glance at Aoi. "Yeah." He sighed, and he quietly slid the door close on Aoi's sleeping figure.
The next morning, Saito's eyes snapped open to a commotion going on down the hall. He slid his door open and heard Yamazaki shouting orders. "Bring me more water from the well! Hurry! And a fan too!" Saito saw Heisuke sprinting out of Aoi's room. Saito's eyes widened slightly and he hurried down the corridor to Aoi's room.
When Saito entered her room, he saw several other captains gathered in there already. He glanced down at Aoi, who was lying on her futon, but there was something wrong. Her face was drawn tight with pain, and her breathing was coming out in short quick gasps. He felt a wave of terror run through his body. "What's wrong with her?" He demanded, glaring at Yamazaki.
Yamazaki fixed Saito with a cold stare. "Her fever took a turn for the worse last night. It's even higher now. If the fever doesn't break, she might not make it past the next couple of days." He said grimly. Saito felt his stomach drop to the ground, and his breath caught in his throat. Dread made his blood run cold.