" Mail for Yakamura-kun!" shouted Inoue from the doorway.

They had been eating dinner silently and Shinpachi and Heisuke were fighting once again. Inoue-san had to step over the brawling two men on the group and handed Chiyo a letter. For the past seven months Chiyo had been exchanging letters back and forward with her Aunt. Every letter brought a sigh of relief but also...sadness. Relief was that her family was okay. The sadness was that she longed to see more than letters. She was officially homesick for London.

Dear Nanarel,

My dream is finally coming true! I am leaving for Japan with the girls and Thomas! Because of the slow postal rate, by the time you receive this letter; I will be there in about two months. I will send a messenger when I arrive so you can come and meet us. My first lecture is in Kyoto so we can meet directly since I will be staying in an Inn close to the Shinsengumi headquarters. I am actually beginning to regret bringing Annita with us. She gets very seasick and her condition is getting worse. Poor Anni has lost complete use of her left arm. She keeps it in a sling but she is always staring at it. Now her voice is stuttering. Sometimes she can't speak but in a few hours she can. It's strange and it's absolutely heartbreaking to see it. I have a favor to ask of you. When you see Annita, please act very happy! Anita loves you more than she loves her own sister which is quite a statement. Believe me. You are her idol! Please comfort her and tell her everything is going to be okay. I know that we can find a cure for her ailment. We just need to work together! I am bringing over some preserved muscle samples from her left arm that I extracted when her left arm was still in the beginning stages of ALS. Please take care. I do not want to burden your friends so we can work in the inn. It's a bit cramped but hey...we are scientists and we can deal with anything!

Best wishes and so excited,

Aunt Tallulah

Her aunt's letter never failed to bring a smile onto her face. However, Annie's situation seemed to get worse and worse. They had to hurry because time was running out.

" Dang I'm jealous. Yukimura-kun always gets letters and we never do." joked Inoue.

" Yah! Why don't we ever get any letters?!" joked Kondou.

" Kondou-san...other than Chiyo, the most letters get sent to you." said an exasperated Hijikata.

Chiyo continued to read the letter but noticed that Chizuru had fallen silent. Everytime she received a letter, she seemed to change. Was she still jealous?

She had put herself on a little quest. Chiyo was determined to find a cure to ALS before it was too late. She set herself onto the task of sending letters far and wide, into every village of japan, big or small. She sent letters asking of any doctors had seen the symptoms or head of ALS. Some seemed to lead nowhere. Honestly, it seemed like a hopeless case. However, because of Annita, she couldn't allow herself to lose faith. Annita had to survive this!

" What's wrong Yakamura-kun?" asked the stony voice of Saito.

Even though his voice seemed normal, his eyes seemed worried. Wow...Saito was normal. Dang, that's a change!

She replied," Uh yeah I'm fine. It's just that...my little cousin is very sick right now. I'm not so sure what to do."

He said nothing else after mumbling," You should ask Yamazaki-kun. He's in charge of the medical affairs of the Shinsengumi. "

The last time they had talked was when Kazama had broken in. Yamazaki was staring at her with sleepy eyes and a confused glare. Really...sometimes that guy made her feel uncomfortable with how strict he was.

Still out of breathe she shouted," T-There are hah hah In-Intruders. Courtyard. Hurry!"

Still catching her breathe she continued to rummage amongst her items until she found exactly what she was looking for. She pulled out a mahogany case that shinned and smelled of polished wood. There was a flower engraved onto the cover. Chiyo reached for the snap locks and snapped them open to reveal a shining ivory revolver. It glowed like the stars in the moonlight and felt cold in her hand.

" What's that?" Yamazaki was getting dressed and ready to leave.

" It's a gun. You ready?"

There was a velvet drawstring pouch and clicked with the sound of metal bullets. The gun made a satisfying noise as the bullets were loaded into the cartridges. " Locked and loaded."

Without saying bye.

They never talked again other than short " hello's and " good night"s. Chiyo still hoped they could become friends but he never seemed interested in talking to her.

She smiled at Saito and put her hand over his," Thanks Saito-kun. You gave me some comfort about a girl's future."

Chiyo left leaving Saito confused as she left the room silently. The day was warm and sunny and the sun was already high in the sky. Some birds chirped in their tree branches and sang a lovely song about building a nest.

She knocked on the door to her shared room," Yamazaki-kun are you in there?"

At first a large silence came across. " Maybe he's not there-"

" Who is it?" replied a muffled voice.

She slide open the door and smelled the scent he left all the time. It smelled like warm dry grass and summer. To be honest, it was quite relaxing.

Yamazaki was sleeping on his futon and he looked quite sleepy still. He often late in the night and went to bed insanely late. That normally resulted into waking up much later than everyone else.

" Yamazaki-san, did I wake you up?"

" Um yes. But it doesn't matter. I was just getting up." he said gently.

" Can I ask you a question?"

" Mhmm?"

" My cousin overseas is very sick right now. I wanted to know if you have ever heard of her disease?"

" Here why don't you sit down. This might take a while. She thought," Wow. He's much more kinder than i thought he would be. Yamazaki has such a stern face after all."

She kneeled down and the cloth of his futon touched her knees. The cotton felt cool to her skin. " What are her symptoms or do you know the name of her ailment?" he asked gently

" Um yes! I am not exactly so sure how to say it in Japanese but here are her symptoms. She has a disease where her muscles are weakening. Just recently she has lost use of her left arm and is on the process of losing her voice. It's all muscle weakness causing this."

He seemed to be in deep thought. His face was still very young and she couldn't help but admit that he was pretty good looking. Yamazaki had these deep purple eyes and a very stern face. However, he was much more comforting than she had thought.

" Ah yes. I have heard of reported cases of terminal muscle weakness. However, I have also heard that most reported cases have succumbed to death. There is not much I can do."

Chiyo's disappointment must have been way too obvious for he put a hand on her shoulder and said," Don't worry. After all, just because no cure has been found yet; it doesn't mean that we can't find one. Is there a chance that I can examine your relative?"

" Oh right! They are visiting soon and they are on their way from overseas. Maybe than. My aunt is also a doctor so we are already both quite frantic. Are you sure you want to help?"

He nodded before responding," Of course because it is a life. Plus, I hope that we can talk a little more."

" Ah that would be great! Actually I've been a little nervous talking to you. I was a bit scared that you would think I was annoying."

He smiled for the first time and replied," Actually, I was thinking the same thing. Lately I have been a bit tired. There are many wounded right now so it's a bit hard to sleep on time."

" Oh no. Are you overworking yourself? You'll get sick yourself if you don't take care of yourself! Can I do anything to help?"

Chiyo put her hands over his. Suddenly a pretty noticeable blush spread over his face and he stammered," Oh uh no no! I'll be fine don't worry about me! After all, I'm tougher than you'd think I was."

He punched himself playfully. They both laughed. Maybe a new friendship was possible. Sometimes misfortune sparks friendship. After all in a wolves den, the more allies, the better. A wolves den. A world. A society. An ecosystem. Wolves dens could be anything but not everyone can survive them.

Hi guys it's author! I can relate to what happened above. My friend's brother recently succumbed to death because of ALS. I remember being so so dead after that. We were all expecting his death but...we weren't ready for him to go. His death sparked something in me. I feel very grateful for having healthy family members and being alive. His name was Hajime. If you search up Hajime Miyasaka you can find articles about him. His mother runs a blog and I would appreciate it if you could send loving messages to her. Also, it is true. Anothers misfortune can make friendships for you. Have you ever made friends with someone just because you both hated someone? Did you guys like each other because you both could gossip about him/her? Well, I'll admit that I have in the past. I wish I cold go back and " spend more time loving rather than hating". Mother Teresa is my new idol! She did good for the world and I wish that one day I can too! The first step I intend to take is to support and do the ALS ice bucket challenge. Hajime's memory keeps me alive and from doing rash things. May you rest in peace Hajime. Now your spirit is free from the sick body that trapped it.