Ah, and here is the final part of the holiday chapter. It took a while with work breathing down my neck, but I finally finished! I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Eleven

Holiday Hijinks, Part 3

"Yep, you've got a cold."

"I do no-ACHOO!"

"Uh huh." Mitsu gave him a look that was calling him seven kinds of an idiot that, really, Hijikata didn't much appreciate. He didn't much appreciate having a fever and chills on his vacation either though, and it really was quite difficult to think currently...

"No skiing for you today, Toshizo-kun." Sanan's tone was mild as milk, but he heard the steel warning behind that easily enough. "Doctor's orders."

"Che."

"You guys go catch up to the kids and have fun." Mitsu was already pulling up a chair beside him. "I'll stay and sit on him, if I have to."

She would, too. The thought made him crack a small smile, however, as he closed his eyes and tried to make the room stop spinning through willpower alone. After the special dinner two nights ago, spirits seemed to have been rejuvenated in a way he hadn't seen in a long time. No matter how much time passed, Hijikata doubted he'd ever stop feeling responsible for those excitable idiots. He might not say it in so many word, but he knew Sanan felt the same.

It was their job.

As if he could read his mind, Sanan met his eyes steadily. "I think I can manage to keep them out of jail on my own for one day, Toshizo-kun."

"Ah." His shoulders slumped, just a little. It was too much of an effort to even lift his head. "Good, because we only have enough to pay one bail right now."

"I'll cook you some good porridge when we get back." A small part of him felt like glaring when Kin patted his head, though the gesture was well meant. I'm not a child, he wanted to say, but held the thought behind his teeth because his stomach growled at the thought of some nice old fashioned porridge.

They departed not long after, and he cracked an eye open to see Mitsu pulling out her laptop and propping her feet on his bed, partly crossing with his own. "You don't actually have to stay here the whole time, you know."

"I know." She didn't bother looking up.

Huh. So why is she still staying? Hijikata didn't quite know what to make of this, really. He wasn't blind, contrary to popular belief. There was...something there between them. There always had been. Way back when, it'd been the connection between kindred spirits and little else. But now, in this new time where he'd known her for many years and worked so closely with her for the last few, it was...different. He'd dated a handful of other women, especially back in his early years that still seemed like someone else's memories. They were all beautiful, talented, and accomplished, but he felt nothing compared to whatever it was he always felt in the space between he and Souji's oldest sister whenever she was within a few feet of him.

Souji's sister. Just grabbing onto that part of it made Hijikata want to laugh sometimes. Souji was a pain in his ass on his best of days, and getting tangled up with his sister really would make him his responsibility in a way he'd never been. His own relationship with his siblings was amicable enough, though they weren't what one would call close. Not like Souji was to his this time around.

They'd be related. A different sort of family.

The thought was funny rather than terrifying, though that might've been this fever frying his brain.

That's what it is. He turned his head to the side, openly staring at her face. Her brow was creased, obviously deep in thought. He could remember countless encounters in the school library, seeing that very same furrow of her brow as she studied in between jobs. Even before he'd had his memory to give him a reason to help her, Hijikata had tried to help her out when he could. It was how he'd gotten involved in their little family in the first place; he'd admired her for the tenacity it took to take on that sort of responsibility. He'd watched after Souji - and Saitou and Heisuke by default occasionally, since they were the closest thing Souji had at the time to friends - a handful of times to allow Kin or Mitsu a night to themselves.

"Do I have something on my face?" Her eyes shifted to glance at him, evaluating. Searching. Searching for what? Oh yeah…I know what.

"Just thinking how you haven't changed at all." Physically and mentally, she'd always been this way. It was fascinating to watch her think through a problem, each and every thought she had clearly visible on her face.

Mitsu stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "You really are feverish, Toshizo…it's not like you to get all…nostalgic."

"Last few days have made me think a lot." He'd been watching Souji in particular, both relieved and mystified by the changes in him. He'd always been such a restless boy, even as a young child, and that energy had morphed as he got older into his drive to prove himself to Kondo. His devotion to him was absolute, and gods help anyone he didn't like or saw as a threat to Kondo in any way. Hijikata had worried that drive would get him killed and had been a primary reason for his reluctance to let him stay in Kyoto initially. He'd never doubted his conviction, but that drive to kill any in Kondo's way would've killed him and destroyed his mentor.

He could still see that drive in him when he looked at Yukimura, but there was something gentler too. Childlike, maybe. Souji and women were the one thing he'd never been concerned about – he was borderline apathetic to the female gender back then unlike most of the other captains. Souji was still a royal pain in his ass, but that edge in him was muted – calmed by Yukimura's presence whenever she came and rested her hand on his arm or leaned into his side when they sat together.

I'm 25 years old. Maybe it's time I worked on finding my own 'dampener'.

"You guys must've had a lot of fun without us." Mitsu smiled dryly.

"Would've been better with you here." He let the words slip out before he could think about them too much, his eyes watching her face for a reaction even though he could feel the fatigue pulling at him.

Her gaze met his in slight disbelief before she laughed and pinched the back of his nearby hand. "Talk to me about it once you're not boiling in your brain," she said in exasperation. "You might even like what I have to say."

Hijikata's eyes shut, but his smile was slight as he let the feverish haze drag him down.

It was enough for the moment.

Sports were never Chizuru's thing.

She'd long ago accepted the fact that her athletic achievements consisted of a bowling trophy she'd gotten when she was little for her team coming in third place. But in the face of so many pleading grins, Chizuru couldn't help caving and at least attempting snowboarding. Heisuke made it look so easy too, so what could it hurt?

It could hurt a lot, as it turned out.

"What about skiing? It might be a little easier for you," Kin mentioned after Chizuru's nineteenth stumble. She wasn't sure what was more bruised - her body or her pride. But both she and Sanan assured her it was a little easier and she gamely tried the skis her next time around.

She had slightly better luck...at least initially. She made it half way down the slope, Heisuke and Souji cheering her the whole way as they blew by on their own snowboards at least twice, before nature decided to remind her that she was just not made for anything that prohibited full control of her foot movements. The front of her ski caught in the snow, her balance was lost, and Chizuru went face first into a drift, grimacing as her other foot contorted into an unnatural position when she fell.

"No breaks. Just a little torqued," Sanan determined with a small smile, eyes dancing with suppressed amusement. Nice to see him laughing again. "A little ice and it'll be better in an hour or two."

So that was how she found herself sitting in the cafe watching Souji and everyone else on the intermediate course, a hot cup of cocoa in her hands. "You didn't have to sit out with me, Saitou-san."

"It was no trouble." He'd offered to keep her company so Souji and Heisuke could continue harassing each other on the slopes, though he didn't seem bothered by missing out on the fun. "I enjoy watching more anyway."

Chizuru smiled fondly as she nodded. She did recall catching Saitou watching the others horse around often, his expression thoughtful and often melancholy. Perhaps it's a good thing, she mused. I did want to ask him about something. "Ne, Saitou-san, I've been meaning to ask...how've you been?"

"I am well." He blinked his eyes in clear confusion. "Do I seem ill?"

"I mean with everything." At his continued baffled expression, Chizuru sighed and tried it a different way. She'd forgotten how literal Saitou was. "You seem tense sometimes. Not always, but I was wondering if it had anything to do with...previous memories. If there was anything I could do to help? You've all been so wonderful to me while I've gotten used to everything and...well..."

Finally, he understood, but Saitou's amused-but-resigned expression confused her. "I forgot how good your eyes were, Yukimura."

"Chizuru." She smiled brightly as he looked at her in surprise. "We've known each other enough I think you can call me Chizuru, Saitou-san."

He gave her a small nod. "So long as you will do the same." She smiled wider with a nod, patiently waiting for him to continue. "I am better, if you must know. I still have off days."

"Because of the...later days?" When he said nothing, Chizuru knew she was right. It wasn't their memories of the time they'd spent with them – it was the memories of the days they'd spent without them that were causing him distress. "Have you spoken to Shinpachi-san?"

He was already shaking his head before she finished asking her question. "Nagakura has a...unique ability to accept difficult things rather easily." After a moment, Saitou sighed ruefully, "I also...did not wish to burden anyone else with this. Most would not understand."

Chizuru nodded. That, she understood all too well. "It was...painfully difficult for me after Souji..." She trailed off, unwilling to think too much about that day. She'd gone into town for an appointment and returned to a…distressingly empty house. It hadn't seemed real at first, but there was no other explanation for the silence and the discarded yukata that had been left on the floor. She didn't even remember how much time had passed until Sen had come to visit her and found her in the state she'd been in. "HadI known you and Shinpachi-san were alive, I would've maybe tried to find you, but..."

Saitou shook his head infinitesimally. "It wasn't safe." Hesitantly, he admitted, "I spent the first 10 years of the Meiji Era under constant threat of assassination. I...lost count on how many attempts were made. Even afterwards, there were still some who would've preferred if I, in particular, were disposed of."

Her heart hurt to hear it, though she wasn't surprised. She and Souji had decided to announce his death – succumbing to his tuberculosis – for very similar reasons. That explains why he seems so jumpy sometimes. Souji was that way for a little bit and that was only a year or so facing that. Hajime-san spent over a decade looking over his shoulder and expecting an attack.

He surprised her by grabbing her hands, his expression gentle as he smiled. "Thank you for worrying over me, Chizuru." Her name sounded odd to hear come from his lips, but it made her feel not quite like an outsider; like he did consider her a friend too. "I'm a lot better. I just require time, and for once we all seem to have that available to us."

"Oi, oi. This is a mighty cozy scene," Heisuke teased out of nowhere, plopping down in one of the nearby chairs with Souji taking the other one. His head was soaking wet from melted snow, as was Souji's, leaving little doubt as to how they'd gotten that way. "Oi, Souji, Hajime-kun might steal Chizuru-chan away while you're not looking."

"Oh?" Souji slid sideways glance at his friend, a knowing grin on his face. "You trying to steal my girl away, Hajime-kun?"

The look shared in that moment between Souji and Saitou was indecipherable. Chizuru had learned to read a lot of the silent looks all the captains had been prone to exchange between each other, but this was one even she had never seen before. It wasn't a bad one, at least, since she saw Souji grin and even Saitou cracked a small smile, but it made her curious.

To her right, Heisuke was obviously just as in the dark as she was, though if he was miffed at being left out, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned to focus on her, his gaze vaguely concerned. "How's the ankle, Chizuru-chan?"

"A little sore still, but a lot better." She demonstrated by leaning down on it, pleased when the pain was almost non-existent. "I'll be fine in an hour! You and Souji seemed to have had fun without us." She poked at a wet strand of his hair absently, chuckling.

Heisuke rubbed at the back of his head and laughed; an expression that lit up his face just like she always remembered him. He always was laughing and smiling. "Well, we might've gotten a little too into it..."

"You don't say." Sanan's voice came out of nowhere and Heisuke jumped, his body kept in his seat only by the older man's hands that clamped down on his shoulders rather pointedly. He had a smile on his face, but Chizuru remembered that look well.

That's not a good smile.

"We've been asked by management, politely, to leave." In comparison, Kin seemed indifferent, though she shot Souji a somewhat exasperated look as if this wasn't the first time she'd dealt with something like this. From the look on Souji's face, it definitely wasn't. "Sano and Shin are going to grab the cars. It's still early though, so I figured we could go down to the lake and skate a bit before returning to the house. It's about an hour's drive east of here."

Chizuru's mood brightened considerably. "Oh, I haven't been ice skating in years!" It was something she knew she could do too, instead of floundering rather uselessly like she had with snowboarding and skiing.

Kin grinned, an almost unnerving echo of her brother. "Me either. It'll be fun! Other than Keisuke, however, the others have never tried." The family resemblance in that moment was uncanny, Chizuru thought. Souji wasn't the only one who had that wicked tinge to his expressions.

"It'll be easy!" Heisuke, ever confident, crossed his arms and held his head high. "How hard could it be?"

"ITAI!"

The kids who'd sent him sprawling across the ice were long gone by the time Heisuke got back to his feet, laughing madly and no doubt plotting their next sweep by him. Scowling, he rubbed at his head, wondering vaguely if he had a concussion. Ice skating wasn't hard, really, once he figured out how to stay on his feet. He could mostly skate on his own, though not with the fluidity Kin, Sanan, or Chizuru could. He had trouble when bratty little shits came and knocked into him, sending him off balance and ultimately onto either his head or his ass.

"Itai! You little sh-!" The last part of Shin's curse was cut off by Sano's hand, his gaze staring pointedly at the parents in the area while he helped Shin onto his feet. Graceful was not a word he'd attribute to his big-muscled friend and Shin was having even worse luck than Souji, whom Chizuru had taken as far as possible from the troublemaking kids lest he actually hurt them if they sent him tumbling one more time. Souji's love for kids was hardly a secret, but the glint in his eye after his fourth spill told Heisuke he probably wouldn't be opposed to hanging them from a tree by their toenails.

It didn't help said spill had nearly made Chizuru torque her ankle again either.

Thinking about her inevitably made Heisuke automatically search her out, chuckling more to himself than anyone else when he saw her still attempting to teach Souji how to move so he wouldn't fall. A prodigy of skating he was not, however, though he could at least move without wobbling...much.

She really is pretty. The thought only made him sigh, however, and he stared off blindly into the distance. The dinner party a few nights ago had given him something of a full-circle feeling; it'd been a long time since they'd all been together and partied like that. They'd all spoken of the past with fondness and he'd even learned a few things about the years after he'd died that only Shin and Hajime had been around to see. He was both surprised and saddened to find out Chizuru had actually died in 1884 – only fifteen years after he'd died with Hijikata in Hakodate.

They'd all talked well into the night and he'd been among the last ones awake. Heisuke remembered wanting to sit and think for a bit, so he'd stayed downstairs in the living room and was watching the flames in the fireplace blankly when Sano cornered him. Their conversation was still plaguing him thoughts as he replayed it over in his head again.

"You need to live your life, Heisuke." Sano was staring at him so seriously, his hands on his hips, that Heisuke couldn't help staring up at him. Sano didn't get that deathly serious stare often, but when he did Heisuke had learned it was a good idea to pay attention and listen. Unlike Shin, who was known to spout stupid stuff sometimes, Sano didn't assume that look to joke around ever. Whatever it was concerning him really did worry him. "Don't get me wrong, I totally see the appeal. Chizuru-chan is a pretty girl."

"What are you talking about? I AM living my life." He didn't get what he was talking about at all. How was he not living his life? And what did that have to do with Chizuru, anyway?

But Sano was shaking his head. "When was the last time you went on a date? Followed through with one of the girls you've flirted with? Necked with someone in a utility closet?"

The flush to his face was automatic as he sputtered indignantly, "I don't...It's not...That's-I'm not Shin!"

He chuckled lightly. "Fair enough. But I know you like her - and not in the way Shin, Sanan, Hijikata, or even I do. You know she's...out of your reach, right?"

Heisuke looked down, exhaling loudly. "Of course I do. I'm not blind." Anyone with eyes could see Chizuru was as in love with Souji as she'd been back then. He was even really glad for them, too. He hadn't been as close to Souji as he'd been to Sano and Shin in their Shinsengumi days, though they'd been friends. In this era though, they were much closer. Heisuke spent more time with him then he did with Sano and Shin, actually. So how could he get between two people that were that over the moon for each other? He wasn't that cruel…or foolish. But still… "I just..."

"It feels like you're betraying yourself? Your feelings?" His words were knowing as he crossed his arms, humming thoughtfully as Heisuke nodded. "Yeah, that's how I felt for a long while too."

THAT made him quirk a curious eyebrow. "You? But who...?" His memories - the ones from before he awoke - answered that though before he even finished the question. "Kin-san?" When Sano merely grinned ruefully, Heisuke scratched at his head in confusion. How did I not remember that? That was the difficult part with the 'pre-awakening' memories these days; it was hard to recall them over those of their previous lives most days. For him at least, they felt too alien…as if they were someone else's that didn't actually belong to him.

Sitting beside him before the fire, one arm draped casually over his propped up leg, Sano shrugged. "Kin was in the same class as I was all through school. Since primary, everyone looked at us and saw delinquents because we are like we are and treated us like such; avoided us. She looked at Shin and I and saw US, not just what we dressed and acted like. Looking back, I think in some ways she filled the gap for Shin and I since you were too young to this time around." He rustled his hair affectionately at that. "Not that anyone could ever replace you for us, though."

Stupidly, that did make him feel slightly better. "Tch. As if!" His grin that crossed his face faded slightly. "She really is nice though, isn't she?"

"A lot nicer than she shows," he agreed, his tone obviously fond. It was the same way Heisuke spoke about Chizuru - that same depth of feeling. "She's a good woman. I loved her for a long time - even after it was obvious that she liked someone else. I'd flirt with other girls so no one thought something was wrong with me, but I couldn't bring myself to really do anything because what would that say about my feelings for her, right? To say I loved her, but fool around with someone else. A real man doesn't DO that when he supposedly loves a woman, right?"

"Exactly!" He blurted it without meaning to, and with far more feeling behind it then he'd meant. Heisuke was just so RELIEVED though. Someone who finally gets it!

"I thought so." If anything, Sano sounded sad. "I didn't stop, you know. I still love her as strongly now as I did then, but it's...different. The way you love them changes into something less encompassing, though it's just as strong and meaningful. It takes a long time, but Shin had to tell me exactly what I'm telling you now, Heisuke…though I did give him a punch to the face for it. But don't let life pass you by in the interim while you let those feelings morph into something else. You're allowed to find someone who'll look at you the way that they look at the ones they love too."

I didn't think I was that bad. The reasoning was sound, however, and almost identical to what Sano had said. He flirted - shamelessly - but he did so because it was fun. There was never any true desire behind that flirting. Heisuke had memories of kissing girls a handful of times before he'd awakened, but even then it seemed to be because that's what he thought he should do at the time. Looking up at the sky and the setting sun, he muttered exasperatedly, "Mou, even in this life I'm hopeless, huh...?"

He was so lost in thought, Heisuke didn't realize how far he'd drifted away from everyone else on the lake until he heard an odd creak. It was out of place enough that he looked around, suddenly very aware that he was out on a part of it where no one else was.

"Heisuke-kun!" Glancing up, he saw Chizuru waving at him frantically, distress clearly written on her face as she gestured at a sign that was placed several feet away from him.

Do Not Skate Beyond This Point - Thin Ice!

He had enough time to think, Fuck, this is going to be cold, before the crack of the ice reached his ears.

"Heisuke!"

"You're an idiot…"

Heisuke flipped him a rude gesture, though it was lost under the pile of blankets that were wrapped around him. It seemed like Sano was channeling Hijikata and his tendency to be a mother hen since their erstwhile commander had long since fallen asleep and was unavailable to fuss over him. He'd been up earlier when they arrived back with Heisuke bundled in as many coats as they'd been able to find, taken one look at him, and shot Sanan a long look that had spoken volumes.

"I kept them out of jail," was his response, though he'd sighed right afterwards and immediately started taking the younger boys pulse again.

The most annoying for him, however, was probably Shinpachi though. Whenever things like this happened to people he cared about, he didn't take it well. At all. He also got louder and crazier to avoid thinking too much about it, which is why Souji figured he had the grand idea to pull out some warm sake to warm everyone up.

It didn't take long for things to get…loud. A few drinks in and Souji didn't even care. The sake warmed his cold hand and gave him a pleasant buzz. Hajime had a content look on his face as he drank some of his own and within the hour, no one would've been able to guess that just a short while ago, Heisuke had nearly gotten his ass killed.

He wasn't drunk, though he was certainly buzzed, which is the only reason Souji could think of for why he didn't notice Shinpachi give Chizuru a drink. He wouldn't have known at all if he hadn't heard her start to hiccup. It occurred to him, once he started thinking about it, that he actually had no idea what a drunk Chizuru was like. She'd never indulged in alcohol of any kind that Souji could remember.

So really, it was quite hilariously amusing and adorable to realize she was a very clingy drunk. While Heisuke and Shinpachi did some kabuki-inspired slapstick routine that had even Sanan cracking a few chuckles, she climbed into his lap and nuzzled his neck, giggling at nothing in particular. At one point, she started sniffing his hair, which nearly made him choke on his sake because he started laughing. "Chizu-chi," he said teasingly, using his pet name for her affectionately, "You're drunk."

"No…'m not." She rolled her head at an odd angle to look at him, her eyes wide and definitely not quite alert. "You're drunk." Leaning close with her eyes narrowing, she poked his cheek with a finger accusingly. "Red."

At this point, he wasn't sure if the redness in his face was from the sake or from trying not to laugh. It very well could've been the latter. "Why don't we put your cup down now, huh?" He took it without waiting for her to hand it over, downing the rest of what was in it. A crime to waste good sake.

"Perhaps you should carry her to her room, Sou-chan?" Kin suggested, her eyes shining in mirth. "Chizuru-chan does look rather sleepy."

"The room is really spinny…" she mumbled against his neck, and Souji gave up trying to contain his laughter at that point, holding onto her tightly as he lifted her with ease. Chizuru was all of a hundred pounds soaking wet and he could easily carry his own weight with no issues.

As he stepped past them, he couldn't resist muttering just low enough so only she could hear, "Try not to get Sanan too drunk yourself, Kin-neesan," which earned him a punch in the side that made him chuckle more than anything.

"You smell nice, Souji…" Chizuru sighed contentedly, her lips pressing against the side of his neck, and he held onto her tighter as he climbed the stairs to her room. She's trying to kill me.

"You're an adorable drunk, Chizu-chi, but I think we should keep you away from drinks from now on." He shoved her door open with his foot and she almost poured out of his arms and onto the bed. "You're like Hijikata with alcohol, except he gets aggressive."

"Never got to try it." She actually tucked herself in under the covers, ignoring the fact that she was still in the clothes she'd gone out in today. Her voice was getting softer and the sleepy stage of her night was obviously hitting her hard. "Didn't do…lots of things last time. Don't want to…make that mistake again."

Souji slid in beside her, running a hand through her hair as she curled closer to him automatically. It was nice just to hold her for the moment; his own head was finally starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. "Hnn…like what?"

"Mmmm…couple stuff. Romance."

Fuzzy as his head might feel, Souji's eyes narrowed at that. "I was quite romantic."

Chizuru sighed contentedly. "Yeah…most romantic thing…promised to kill me…before I lost myself…" She snored softly then, and he nudged her shoulder a few times experimentally to the same result.

Souji shifted so he could lay beside her, staring at her head in vexation. When she said it like that, it did sound like he had indeed missed doing a few things with her. Granted, they'd been in the middle of a war at that time, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Oh, and her estranged twin brother wanting to kill us both. That too. Still, if Chizuru wanted some proper courting now that a war wasn't threatening to swallow them whole, he could do that.

How hard could it be to court a woman who'd already married him once?

And so ends the mountain home holiday. I will admit, truly romantic scenes between Chizuru and Souji have been very stubborn about wanting to come…mostly because Souji is a little too comfortable with things as they are right now, which is the number one reason I seem to hear for why "romance dies after marriage" …one or both parties get lazy about the actual romancing part. So really, some old fashioned courting is overdue I would think, right?

I briefly debated actually ending this chapter after Heisuke fell through the ice, but that would be a poor excuse for a cliffhanger. Who would ever think I'd actually seriously maim Heisuke? *snort*. I've got too much in store for him. Though I do hope I do him justice. He's not love sick at this point, but he (and Sano to some extent) always struck me as the men who are more closely in tune with their "emotional side". Certainly the ones I imagine are the types to feel things deeper than some of their other friends. And it always seemed like regardless of the route, Heisuke always seemed to be the one most attached to Chizuru in the game.

So "Act 1" of this story is actually almost coming to a close. Act 1's purpose was to focus on the introduction to the premise of the Shinsengumi-tachi "awakening" their memories and essentially being reborn to the modern era and what they're like now given this new environment. Maybe 2 more chapters? Act 2 will be a little more drama/action and see some more familiar faces reappear as there are some things in the past that are apparently in need of some closure...*Insert maniacal laughter*. Not sure as of yet if there will be an Act 3 or not…I'm leaving that up in the air until I get closer.

As always, please look forward to the next installment! Feedback is welcomed and encouraged as I love hearing your thoughts. Until next time!

~ Runa Rose Dempsey

Next Chapter: Wishes and resolutions are made in the face of the New Year as relationships bloom…and Chizuru has a secret she has to tell Souji before they can move forward.