Author's Notes: This one was a bit choppy, but one of my favorite chapters. I hope you enjoy, review if you want. Again,I apologize for any mistakes.

Fuyumi grabbed a basin and filled it up with water from the well. She walked into her room and stripped of her haori and revealed a bare shoulder. It was covered in warm blood. The young woman placed the cloth in the cold water and wringed out most of the water. Fuyumi gently patted the towel on her shoulder, "Ow!" She cried out. The water was icy cold against her warm body. Fuyumi looked at the cloth. It was no longer white, it was rouge red. Fuyumi released a deep sigh and pulled out the medicine. She applied some of it on her shoulder. The medicine burn and sizzled into her flesh, "Shit…" She whispered, "I wonder… Am I really? I think so…" She told herself, "What am I going to do?"

"Do what?" Shinpachi's voice popped out of nowhere.

"N-Nagakura-san?!" Fuyumi exclaimed.

"May I come in?" He asked.

"Just a minute!" She panicked and quickly wrapped her shoulder in the bandages, "Ouch!" She said and resumed wrapping the bandages around her bloody shoulder.

"Do yo-"

"No! I got it, thank you though!" Fuyumi quickly said and finally finished. She quickly changed into her orange kimono, but kept her bare shoulder exposed. Fuyumi didn't want the wound to be kept in, so it wouldn't be so tight, "You may enter, but be aware…"

"Be aware o- WOAH!" Shinpachi yelped and turned around.

"I don't want it to suffocate in my kimono so I let out my whole right arm. My shoulder needs to breathe. I warned you," Fuyumi said laughing.

"Sorry about that," Shinpachi apologized, "So how was it heading back?"

"Just fine," She answered.

"Tha-"

"WE'RE HERE!" Sano and Heisuke said.

"What have we got here?" Heisuke shouted out.

"Shinpachi, you sneaky raccoon," Harada teased.

"S-so sexy," Heisuke teased.

"It's not what it looks like!" Shinpachi yelled.

"S-seriously, it's not," Fuyumi denies, "I just need to let my shoulder breathe."

"Is that so?" Todou asked.

"You guys…" Shinpachi started, "ARE IDIOTS!"

"You're really reminding me of 'Puppy boy' now, Shinpachi," Heisuke said with a smile.

"He really does," Sano said laughing.

"'Puppy boy?'" Fuyumi repeated.

"That's what we call Tetsu," Shinpachi said.

"I see, let me go grab some sake, okay?" Fuyumi said and walked off to the storage room of the sake.

"She's pretty bashful when it comes talking about relationships," Heisuke said.

"Relationships?" Shinpachi repeat, "Well she talked about her relationship with her father…"

"Not family relationship," Sano said, "Stuff teenage girls gossip about!"

"You mean like affections for o-one another?" The small man asked nervously.

"Exactly!" Heisuke said putting one arm around his small companion's shoulder.

The young lady walked back to her room with a serving tray. There were four cups and a few sake bottles. Fuyumi stopped out where she probably heard Heisuke yell something. She stopped a few feet away where her room is.

"Yeah, so maybe you and Fuyumi ca-"

"Can what?" Shinpachi interrupted, "Why do you keep assuming that we have this gooey relationship? There's really nothing about that woman."

"WHAT!" Heisuke and Sano screamed out.

Fuyumi trembles a bit… Her chest felt like boulders have fallen on top of it. She bit the bottom of her lip and walked into her room with a false smile, "I'm back!" She said in a normal tone. Fuyumi sat down and poured a cup for Heisuke, Sano, Shinpachi, and herself.

"Toast to a wonderful job!" Sano roars out and takes a sip of his cup.

Fuyumi drank her cup instantly and poured herself another cup, after another, after another, and about four more cups.

"F-Fuyumi-chan I think you're drinking too much," Heisuke said.

"N-no I'm not!" She yelled out, "I'm relieving my pain!" Fuyumi yelled out and poured another cup.

"Are you okay?" Shinpachi asked.

"No, I'm not okay dammit," She answered sluggishly and sipped another cup. Fuyumi walked out of her room and wandered outside.

"I think she heard you," Sano said, "To me, sake doesn't only relieve physical pain, bu-"

"But emotional pain too…" Shinpachi finished.

Fuyumi walked out at the back where the garden was. She lied down on the ground and stared at the moon. Fuyumi released an emotionless sigh and stared at the stars, "One… Two… T-three… Four," She starts to count. "'Nothing about that woman…." Echoed through her head as beads of tears streamed down her face, "Nothing?"

Tetsu walked towards Fuyumi who was lying on the ground, "Fuyumi-chan?"

Fuyumi glanced over to see it was Hijikata's page, "What are you doing here?" She asked monotone.

"Are you okay? Are you able to cook tonight? Or maybe tomorrow?"

"No, I'm not feeling very well… I don't think I'd be able to do anything for a while…" Fuyumi's speech started to get slurred, "I don't think I'm able to be sober for an extremely long time…"

"What do you mean?" Tetsu asked.

"I'm just… Hurt right now…"

"I see," Tetsu said looking at the sky, "The stars are very pretty tonight…"

Fuyumi turned her head back to the starlit sky, "Yes, it is very pretty…"

"TETSU!" Hijikata called out.

"Yes, I will be there in a second," Tetsu shouted back, "Sorry, I have to leave, I hope you feel better, Fuyumi." The young boy said and ran off to his master.

"Hijikata-san?" Soji started, "The tea is working pretty well…" He said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Hijikata asked, "Tetsu, bring us some hot water!" The vice commander demanded.

"Yes, sir!" He accepted his master's command and ran off.

"More tea, Hijikata?" Soji whined, "I told you, I'm fine."

"You always say you're fine, but to me, you don't look like you used to!"

Soji looked down and played with Saizo, "I know… It's probably a cold or something."

"But it hasn't been getting any better… We should see a doctor," Hijikata suggested, "I'm just a medicine peddler."

"Very well then…" Soji accepted and walked back to his room, "I'm very tired, good night, Hijikata-san…"

Shinpachi walked out of Fuyumi's room and started to head back to his, "But, I didn't mean it that way…" He told himself.

"I hope she's fine…" Heisuke said cleaning up the sake.

"Yeah, but I hope we didn't get Shinpachi mad either," Sano said, "We shouldn't have picked on the two…"

"I don't know about you, but maybe Shinpachi doesn't really feel that way… Either that or he's just too bashful to show his affection. Mayb-"

"Enough…" Fuyumi comes in with a frown on her face. She walked down and settled where her bedding was, "I understand if he doesn't feel the same way… I'm not able to cook for a few days…"

The two men nodded their head and walked out with the sake.

"I think she's exhausted, it's only been two days… I think she might have had enough…" Sano said to Heisuke.

"I hope not… I'm going to talk to Shinpachi," Heisuke said and stopped by his room, "May I come in?"

"Whatever…" Shinpachi said.

The two men walked in and settled down.

"She told us she understands," Sano said.

"She also told us she won't be cooking for a few days…" Heisuke said.

"Quit making me feel guilty," Shinpachi exclaimed, "What if I really don't like to show some feelings…" He said blushing, "I wasn't trying to be mean or anything.

"Oh, so just say something hurtful behind her back?" Heisuke shouted.

"You really do like Fuyumi-chan, but you keep it bottled up, huh?" Sano asked.

"Listen! I'll say what I want to say!" Shinpachi shouted back.

"You think saying 'there's nothing about this woman' is okay?" Heisuke yelled out, "She is a Shinsengumi member! She's a brave woman! She's smart, fun to be with!"

"She's a wonderful chef, and Fuyumi is a strong woman," Sano said, "I wish I can have some of her cooking right now."

"I-I guess you're right…" Shinpachi said turning his head away, "I'm tired, and can you guys leave?"

"Night then," Heisuke and Sano said together and left Shinpachi to rest.