Neh. I feel like this one is lacking... but here's an update for you guys! Thanks for reading by the way! Also I hope I can fit a few more updates into the holidays! But I guess we'l have to wait and see. ;)

-Vongola Thirteen

Dead. They were all dead.

Kondou, Toshi; the men who raised me, lay dead before me in a pool of blood.

Heisuke, always trailing along behind me, or dragging me off to see some girly thing he'd found, dead.

Shin and Sano always smiling and goofing around, silent and still, no longer smiling.

Saitou, careful, quiet, Saitou, always there to answer my questions, ease my concerns; he would no longer do that.

And Souji; No matter how much I wanted to close my eyes against this harsh reality, I could not, because those forest green eyes were boring into me. It was almost as if they were asking 'why?'.

I reached out a trembling hand, to caress his face, to wipe the blood from his mouth. It was as if my entire world shattered all over again, those glazed green eyes, tearing me to shreds. I let out a mournful wail, moving to pull him into my arms.

Souji, strong, defiant, playful Souji. My Souji...

Laughter echoed all around me, as I rocked back and forth, grasping tightly to Souji. Even in death I could not let him go.

My gaze was ripped away against my will, and I found myself staring into the darkness.

Red eyes, red eyes and white hair.

I woke with a jolt, the dream slipping away like the morning mist, despite my attempts to grasp onto it.

It seemed like some sort of warning, a threat that left me feeling on edge and uneasy.

I got up and dressed, grasping onto my katana as I slipped out into the courtyard. It was still dark, too early for even Saitou (the earliest riser) to be awake.

I slashed my sword through the air, trying to ease that awful sense of foreboding that had lodged itself in my chest.

I must have been out there for hours before I heard a voice.

"You seem on edge."

I jumped ever so slightly, and turned to face Toshi, sheathing my sword.

I bowed respectfully, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

I blinked owlishly as a hand landed on my head, and looked up at him curiously.

It wasn't often that Toshi smiled, but I could have sworn I had seen him doing just that. It was gone in a flash, replaced with that stern look of his.

"You should be sleeping."

Hijikata removed his hand and I straightened, not quite sure how to respond to that.

After a moment I had decided, "I slept, and awoke feeling uneasy. I thought perhaps some exercise would calm my nerves."

Toshi sighed, "If you fall asleep during your rounds I'll dock your pay."

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face as the demon of the Shinsengumi took his leave. I somehow felt a bit more at ease.

All seemed well in the streets of Kyoto, aside from the usual snide comments about 'the dogs of Mibu'.

I ignored them, petty insults were not illegal and so it would have been pointless to react to them.

That's what they wanted anyway right? For one of us to attack and prove that the Shinsengumi were incapable of properly arresting criminals. Still, we were far more capable than those so called 'patriots' who spent their days drinking and squandering money in the red light district.

"Hey Mogami-chan you shouldn't think so much, you might knock something loose up there!"

I felt a grin slide across my face as Shinpachi's overly large hand landed on top of my head.

"Even if that were true I would still be better off than you Shinpachi," I gave him a devilish smirk as I signaled my squad to stop, "anything on your end?"

Shinpachi laughed, "Caught a couple of ruffians outside Ichiban's Tea House. What about you?"

I shrugged, "Nothing so far. Maybe we should ask Kondo to switch our routes."

Shinpachi clapped me on the back "Feeling left out?"

I rolled my eyes, "It's been awhile since I've gotten to play is all."

Shinpachi laughed as we both got back to our jobs.

Night had fallen in the Shinsengumi headquarters but no one was asleep.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Heisuke half whispered.

I shrugged "Who knows?"

Kondou and Toshi had both been called into a meeting. A meeting which none of us captains were allowed to attend. If that wasn't enough to raise our curiosity, then the fact that it was a meeting with shogunate officials was more than enough to have us all asking questions.

"The whole thing sounds fishy to me," Shinpachi said seriously.

I nodded in agreement.

"Toshi and Kondou can handle it. Whatever it is…" Sano added.

"We should leave this in their hands," Saitou agreed.

It was at that moment that a loud agonized scream sounded throughout the compound.

We were on our feet in an instant, and rushing towards the sound.

"What the hell is going on?!" Heisuke asked as we ran.

"Something serious by the sound of it," Shinpachi replied.

I grasped my sword more tightly, "whatever it is it can't be good."

We reached the door to the inner compound only to find that it was barred shut.

Heisuke struggled to push it open, while the rest of us started looking for someway to break it down.

"What happened to him?!"

The shout from the other side made my blood run cold.

"Toshi! Sannan-san! Don't let him escape!"

Shinpachi stiffened beside me, "Hurry it up Heisuke!"

"It's stuck!" Heisuke snapped back.

I caught a glimpse of an old statue nearby, "Okita!"

His gaze followed mine and the two of us moved towards it, "Great thinking Mogami-san!" Sanosuke called out as he moved to help us.

Together the three of us slammed the statue into the door, dropping it the instant the way was clear, and charging in ready for battle.

I could hear Saitou giving out orders as we ran, but none of them seemed to be directed at me so I continued on, keeping pace with Saitou and Souji as we darted towards the source of the commotion.

The compound's meeting quarters.

The three of us barged in, swords at the ready.

Something came bounding around the corner towards us, making guttural growling noises.

I froze.

There, at the end of the hallway was a man, running on all fours, sword between his teeth. His glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, through a stringy veil of white hair.

It charged towards us, like a feral dog, eager for blood.

"Humans don't move like that," Souji's voice was loud in my ears, though he hadn't spoken loudly at all, he slipped into a fighting stance and I snapped out of my fear long enough to prepare myself as well.

Saitou had vanished from my line of sight, but I assumed he was still nearby, waiting in case we needed the element of surprise.

Souji's sword slammed through the creature's abdomen, a blow that would have killed any normal human.

Something told me, this man, this creature was not human at all.

"Look out Souji!" Shinpachi's warning call was all that I needed, I shot forward just as the creature reared back to retaliate.

The beast's sword came slashing down on us and I blocked it with my own, giving Souji enough time to dislodge his own sword as Saitou slashed through the creature from above.

"What the hell is this thing?!" I cried out as the creature somehow remained standing.

I caught a brief glimpse of an eerie smile as the creature slammed its foot into my chest, sending me slamming into Souji.

The wall behind us collapsed as Souji and I slammed into it.

Saitou ran passed us, chasing after the thing.

"If you wanted to lie on top of me all you had to do was ask."

I felt my face flush as I realized the position I was in, I scrambled to my feet.

After a moment Souji pulled himself up as well, both of us on the move again.

We exited the building, shooting around the corner at break neck speed when we heard Sanosuke call out to Shinpachi.

"Be careful Sano!" Saitou came around the opposite side of the building at the same time Okita and I caught a glimpse of what was going on, "That thing isn't human!" Souji warned.

Shinpachi pulled himself out of the remnants of a wall that he had obviously been thrown through while Sanosuke slipped between the creature and our fallen comrade, spear at the ready.

The monster charged.

There was the familiar clang of battle as Sanosuke's spear ricocheted off of the beast's blade, piercing the creature's upper arm, and then Sanosuke was lifted off the ground, still latching onto his weapon.

"W-what the hell?" Souji was right, there was nothing human about this creature.

I darted forward, hoping to aid Sano, Souji grasped my collar and pulled me backwards, just as the creature flung Sano across the compound grounds and straight into Shinpachi.

It tore the spear from its arm, throwing the weapon aside as if were nothing more than a nuisance and we watched in horror as the creature's wound healed itself.

The beast turned toward the shattered door, obviously intending to make its way towards the other men in the compound. If that thing could throw us around like children's playthings, I didn't want to see what it could do to the low ranks.

All the six of us prepared to fight it all at once, as it shot forward, straight into Toshi's blade.

I stopped, staring as the creature's blood splattered all around Hijikata-san.

"Hijikata-san! Get away from it! That thing is-"

Toshi tore his sword from the creature's body, addressing not only Sanosuke, but the rest of us as well.

"It's alright. You can kill it by beheading it or piercing its heart."

It was no longer moving, whatever It was.

Shinpachi and I exchanged stunned glances as the creature hit the ground.

My heart pounded in my chest, I opened my mouth to ask what the hell 'it' was doing in our compound, but a familiar voice interrupted me.

"Is anyone injured?"

We all turned to look at Kondou-san.

Souji stepped forward; brushing passed me as he went "Kondou-san!"

"Souji, are you hurt?"

"What the heck was that thing?" Shinpachi grunted as he pulled himself back to his feet.

I moved over to further examine the creature, as Toshi put away his sword.

"I've seen that face before," Sanosuke said allowed, as he followed me over.

"Me too," I murmured.

"Saitou, Harada, I need you to carry him inside," Hijikata-san spoke as if he hadn't just been in a life or death struggle with some non- human creature.

I shifted my gaze away from the body, which now seemed perfectly human, as Sanosuke and Saitou moved to follow their given orders.

"Everyone please gather in the meeting hall. We need to talk."