XI

The vibrating and the soft chirping tune of her phone woke Chizuru up. She tossed and stretched as she lazily opened her eyes with a big yawn. She glanced at her white cat digital clock on her night stand, 9:30 a.m. it said, before sitting up and reaching for her phone which has already stopped vibrating.

"Kaoru" she muttered upon seeing her brother's picture on her phone's screen. She was just about to call him back when her phone started vibrating, this time she was able to take the call.

"Goo…"

"Chizuru! Is it true that father is going home after a long while?" he inquired.

"EH?!" she didn't even know what her brother was talking about.

"Don't give me that. Don't tell me you don't know"

"I haven't heard anything about him going home"

"I see."

Chizuru got off her bed and headed to the cushioned chair in front of her vanity table. "Why's he coming home?"

There was a laugh, a sarcastic one, from the other line. "He missed us" Kaoru paused then continued. "Sadly that isn't the reason. It's got to do with business. He's hosting some friends."

"Is that so? So they'd be staying here."

"Please scream at our great father for barely showing himself to us. Do it on my behalf alright"

Chizuru giggled and started to comb her hair. "Kaoru…"

"If I'm there, I'd bust my violin on his head!"

"Kaoru..." she said in a scolding tone.

"I know. I know."

"So how are you doing there?"

"Just fine. I might be extending for another week."

"Why?"

"Some protégé from Vienna asked me to perform for a charity concert."

"That's great"

"Anyway, I'd have to go now."

"Ok. Bye. Call when you can"

"Wait! Shinpachi says hi"

"Tell him I said Hi too" after that Kaoru said his good bye and the call ended. "So father would go home, huh?" she thought as she grabbed her robe and headed for the shower.

~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~

Walking a bit hurriedly down the quiet halls of the Yukimura mansion on the left wing, Chizuru stopped for a while and peeked at the common room which she just passed.

"No one's here" she sighed then continued on. "It's just half past five. Of course no one would be in the common room." She ran into another huge man in black, who stopped as soon as he noticed her presence.

"Good morning, Ojou-sama" the man greeted with a slight bow before continuing on after she gave him a smile.

"Jeez…What happened to the house? Did it become the prime minister's residence?" she said as she continued to the stairs on the end of the hall leading to the next floor were the employees quarters are. "2nd room after the creepy painting" she thought then paused in front of a less fancy door, compared to the others for the family and guests on the right wing. "It's alright… he told me it's alright to bother him if I need anything and I need an explanation for the ruckus in the house." She said with a sigh then proceeded and knocked three timed on the door.

"Okita…uhhmmm…are you awake? It's me, Chizuru" she said after knocking. She stood at the door for around 20 seconds then called for him again. She waited another while and when there seems to be no response she took a step back. "I'm so…."

The door opened slowly. "Ojou-sama" a small smile formed on Souji's lips, the one that both entices and ticks Chizuru off.

"I'm sorry for waking you up this early" Chizuru ducked her head. "Heisuke once told me that Okita is a grouchy riser. I hope he isn't annoyed"

"It's alright. I don't usually get up this early but I could get used to you waking me up even at this hour" he teased still. "So what can I do for you?"

Chizuru was just half listening though. She wasn't able to keep herself from staring at Okita who's half naked with messy morning hair. "Ah…I… I was just wondering what's…" she paused as she heard voices coming their way from around the corner. "Those men in black" she thought and as if on cue Souji gently pulled her into his room.

He placed a finger over his lips to tell her to keep quiet. The cheery voices of men talking about their last bet on the horse race passed the room and slowly disappeared as the two went further down the hall.

Chizuru felt like melting on the spot as her hand brushed against his bare chest the moment he pulled her in. She quickly moved away pressing herself against the door.

"So I guess you came here to ask about those men loitering around" he walked to his cabinet to grab a fresh shirt, aware that Chizuru isn't comfortable seeing him half naked.

She nodded and moved away from the door only to lean back a nearby wall. "I woke up because of the voices from the hallway. I knew that dad was coming home with a couple of friends but I didn't expect them to bring a battalion with them. So I took off to look for Hijikata to ask him what's going on but I can't find him or anyone else so…."

"You found no one so you came to visit me. Now that I think about it, you've never been here" Okita walked to his bed and sat down, leaning back a bit propping himself with his arms.

"Of course!" she exclaimed to try and hide her embarrassment. "It's not appropriate"

"Hhhmmm" he smirked then pull a nearby chair with his foot then pushed it towards Chizuru. "Here, Ojou-sama. Don't just stand there"

Chizuru looked at the chair which she was offered. It was at least three steps away from him and the bed, a considerable distance so she went and sat on it.

"Ojou-sama, don't worry. I may not be the perfect gentleman but I won't bite" he said with a teasing smile.

Chizuru pouted and took the seat. "I know"

"Anyway, regarding those men" Okita pulled one of his leg up. "They arrived late last night. We weren't informed they were coming but as soon as they arrived they went on with their business without really bothering with us."

"So are they father's men?"

"Yes. Our guests are big shots, so the security of the place has to be jacked up. You'll still be under my watch so don't worry about those monkeys in black"

She smiled and was about to open her mouth to say something when a series two-three-two patterned knocks came from the door and a familiar chirpy voice which Chizuru haven't heard in a long time called.

"Oi!"the voice called before the knocking. "Souji, I'm back!"

"Heisuke!" Chizuru got up from the chair, excited to see one of her bodyguards after a long while.

"Eh?!" There was a loud and surprised reaction from the other side of the door.

Quickly Chizuru opened the door with a beam. "Heisuke!"

"Chizuru?" he said in obvious surprise as he looked from Chizuru to Okita who just got up from the bed. "CHIZURU!? What are you doing in his …..AHHHH! Souji!" Heisuke stormed into the room. "Souji! You! How dare you bring Chizuru to your room?" Heisuke let loose a punch but his punch was caught halfway.

"Aren't we a bit too energetic this morning?" Okita pushed away Heisuke's fist and moved back, expecting another attack.

Chizuru stood next to the door and sighed. "These two…still the same"

Heisuke charged at Okita. He saw an opening and managed to grab his right arm. He moved to a pre hip throw position but sadly Okita already saw his move coming. Souji countered the supposed throw by locking Heisuke by the neck with his free arm then broke his balance by trickily kicking the inside of his lower leg and falling back the bed, quickly shifting to a submission position with Heisuke on top of him.

"Sou…ouji" Heisuke tapped Okita's left forearm in defeat.

Okita let him go with a hearty laugh. "It's been a while since we sparred"

"Heisuke! Are you alright?" Chizuru rushed to Heisuke who rolled off the bed and lay back flat on the carpeted floor, breathing heavily.

"I'm alright" he said with a huge smile. "How about you?"

Chizuru giggled. "Great."

Heisuke sat up and shot a glance at Okita who sat coolly on his bed. "So what were you doing here at this time Chizuru?" he turned to Chizuru with an accusing look.

"Eh?! Heisuke it's not like that…" Chizuru turned red.

"Never trust that guy! He'll take advantage of you!" Heisuke exclaimed.

"Oya" Okita smirked. "Don't get any colorful ideas"

Chizuru pouted. "He's right Heisuke! I woke up early because of the commotion in the house. I can't find anyone to ask about what's happening so I went to Okita. I just got here you know"

Heisuke scratched his head and blushed. "Sorry, sorry" he laughed. "It's just that you never went to visit even near our quarters before so I was surprised."

"I understand" she smiled considerately. "I'm glad that you're back in the mansion. So are you staying here for good?"

Heisuke made the soles of his feet touch as he sat then turned to Chizuru. "I'm not yet sure" he smiled weakly. He then remembered how her father threatened to eliminate him if he spills anything to her. He shook his head and beamed at Chizuru.

"Is something wrong?" she inquired after noticing that he looked bothered for a moment.

"It's nothing. I'm just glad to be back here"

"Why?" Chizuru leaned forward as if to inspect Heisuke. "Did father work you to death? Did he scold you unreasonably? Or maybe he didn't fed you right"

Heisuke snickered. "I'm glad that Ojou-sama is worried with me but I'm just fine, really. Your father has been treating me well. In fact he gives me extra money for dinner. I even think I gained some weight from all the fancy midnight dinners I've had."

"I thought I was the only one who calls her Ojou-sama?" Okita smirked. "But haven't you been assigned to guard Ms. Nakashima and not Mr. Yukimura? So you've been spending time with him too huh?"

"Well those two are always together when they can. Anyway, I should change the topic before I drop some bomb" Heisuke glanced at Okita. "Well yeah. Sometimes I go with him too."

"You've been riding with the big boys in his private security then? How are they?" Okita inquired.

"Awful at times" Heisuke said with a small laugh. "I'm the youngest in the bunch, so they would tease me and all but they're good at their job."

"Hhhmm" Chizuru furrowed her brows as she remembered something. The two turned their attention to her. "Now that you mention it, Ms. Nakashima was the model like sophisticated woman who went here sometime last year to fetch a bunch of documents right?"

"She's been to the mansion?" Heisuke inquired.

Chizuru nodded. "I remembered because she was wearing a really expensive looking coat over a fit red dress and heels. She looked like someone who just stepped out of a magazine"

"You should really tone down the compliments. She's shagging your father. Well, their old enough to know what they're doing and Yukimura is divorced? Or widowed? Who knows but he's single as far as I know…. But still…" Heisuke thought lacing his fingers on the back of his head.

"You're really in a deep thought" Chizuru looked at him quizzically.

"I'm not." He chuckled. "By the way were you informed that there might be a…" Heisuke paused and wondered how to put the things he wanted to say in a way that it wouldn't sound illegal. "uhm event here in the mansion?"

"Really? A party?"

"A party… then there would be some sort of get together… a small bidding event and stuff like that" Heisuke replied then glanced at Okita who knew exactly what he meant.

Small bidding events held by Mr. Yukimura and some of his friends aren't so small for they involve a huge amount of money. Okita can't believe that they planned to exchange goods in the mansion. He knew enough about the two friends of Mr. Yukimura's who are staying in the mansion just by hearing their name and he was sure that they're one of those who were up to no good when the curtains are drawn.

"I see. Before anything else I'd like to go and see father." Chizuru stood up. "I haven't seen him in a long time."

"You're father isn't here yet. The security went here first to secure the place and go on their posts but your father would be arriving with his friends sometime after lunch"

"Thanks Heisuke, but I better get going. Sorry for intruding here this early" she glanced at Okita with a coy smile.

"You're always welcome here Ojou-sama" he said teasingly.

As soon as Chizuru left the room, Okita turned to Heisuke with a serious look on his face. "So he's up to something again? Last time he was decent enough to send us on a trip"

"Don't worry. Chizuru would be kept out from any mess"

"So how was the stay with the boss?"

"It's got its ups and down. Though now I'm sure I can't trust him completely."

"You just figured that out?" Okita chuckled.

"I don't think he's ever going to let me go. I know his dirt"

"It's not only you who knows about the dirt under his rug"

Heisuke scratched his head. "But hey, we have a huge separation fee, when we quit the job to keep us hush hush right? Maybe I'll just ask him to add another zero on my pay" he laughed.

"He'd more likely to add a bullet in your head than a zero on you check" he replied with a smug smile and they both laughed at their misfortune.

~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~

"That was really awkward" she thought as she strolled down the mansion halls from her room on her way to the common room on the left wing. She remembered clearly how the two men who arrived with her father showered her with flattering compliments while everyone from the mansion was listening. She can't help but feel disappointed though that her father just patted her head. "Looks like you've been well" That was all her father said then he continued to guide his friends to the main hall.

"After all this time. That was all he had to say" she sighed disappointedly as she stopped in front of the common room. She was about to open the door when she noticed Saitou coming her way.

"I'm afraid you won't find who you're looking for in there" Saitou said stopping next to her.

"Huh?"

"Your father's private security has taken over the common room."

"Taken over?" she titled her head a bit in confusion.

Saitou started walking further into the hall, Chizuru followed closely. "The left wing is for employees and staff of this mansion. Like us, they are employed by your father. At the same time they're our guests too so we must share resources for the meantime."

"So they made it into their break hub, kicking out everyone else" Chizuru nodded finally understanding how things were.

They both stopped in front of the music room which was barely visited by anyone since Kaoru was away. Saitou held the silver handle shaped like a wing, twisted it and opened the right side of the huge double doors which led to a spacious but almost empty room. Saitou stepped in and she followed, closing the door gently behind her. With a quick glance Chizuru managed to spot everyone in the room except the butler, who was probably working nonstop at the moment.

"Chizuru" Heisuke grinned from ear to ear then got up from the mini podium.

"Why'd you guys decide to hang out here?" Chizuru inquired, looking around. The room was a perfect hideaway, if you want to concentrate on an assignment or a book but it was too flat for a place to hang out. "You could've stayed in there and make new friends"

Sano ran his fingers through his hair then sighed. "Make new friends" he repeated.

"Ojou-sama, another minute in there and things would get messy" Souji smiled a bit then pressed a random key on the piano.

Chizuru sat down on the couch near the piano. "Are they that rude to you?" she inquired.

"Not all of them. Just some who were putting on airs. We tried to chat and play nice" Sano crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "They called Hajime a waiter and starting ordering him this and that. It was just a joke but as they went on it got annoying"

Chizuru looked at the assistant butler. "And you didn't retaliate in any way?"

"It's alright. There's no need on wasting my breath on those kinds" Saitou replied in his usual tone.

"They also thought that the work assigned to us is a joke and so on and so forth" Sano added.

"That's how they always are then they'd start telling stories of the adrenaline rush they get with working with the boss himself" Heisuke clasped his hands behind his head."All lies though. Most of the time we just have a yawning competition"

"I see. We should at least put bean bags here and a coffee table." Chizuru suggested.

"It's alright. There's no need for that" Sano replied with a smile. "We just stay in the common room when we have to talk about something or chill for a while anyway. We'd be busy these next few days, so we won't be here a lot. But at least you know where to find us, for now this is our headquarters" he put his thumbs up and winked.

Chizuru nodded with a smile in reply. "Now that I think about it the common room acted like our headquarters."

"I heard that your father invited a fancy bunch of people to the party. This would be fun." Okita grinned then slithered next to Chizuru. "So Ojou-sama, What would you be wearing to the party?"

Chizuru waved both her hands in front of her in rejection of the idea. "I'll pass"

"Eh?! But it would be held just down stairs, in the main hall. How can you not go to a party in your own house?" Heisuke inquired.

"I don't want to go because all I'd do is force a smile and shake hands with people I don't even know. What more I'd be thrown into small conversations I'm not even interested in." her shoulders drooped just thinking how boring it might be.

"It's training for you though" Saitou spoke up. "This is a good chance to hone your social skills. In the future you'd be moving around the very same circle your father is in right now. Kaoru might be your father's successor but you'd be marrying into an elite family too, so I'm afraid there is no escaping these kinds of events" he said curtly.

Chizuru got Saitou's point. "I'd just have to smile and wave right?" she chuckled then Saitou nodded with a brief smile. On the side of her eyes she saw a change on Okita's expression; the grin was wiped off from his face. She dismissed it and stood up. "Well, I'd be going then. I'd check my closet if I've got something decent to wear." With that she left the room.

There was a moment of silence as soon as Chizuru stepped out of the room which was broken by a professionally played piece by Liszt on the piano. Both Sano and Heisuke's jaw dropped and even Saitou's mouth gaped a bit, surprised that Okita can play the piano that skillfully.

As his fingers slid down the last set of keys, Souji opened his eyes with a contented smile. "It's been years. My fingers are really stiff now but I guess it wasn't a pain in the ears at the very least" He turned to everyone and chuckled as he saw the expression on their faces.

"What are you saying? It was wonderful!" Sano went to Souji to give him a strong pat of encouragement on the back.

"Really?" Okita stood up and covered the keyboard.

"Souji! That was amazing! Please play another piece" Heisuke requested.

"That was a one-time thing. If you want to hear me play then the next one would be for a hundred bucks" he smirked.

"Then never mind" Heisuke pouted. "Why play all of a sudden anyway? Trying to show off?" he added with a teasing grin.

"I just needed to…" he paused "Get something off my chest" he thought then smirked at Heisuke "show you that I've got more guns than you"

Heisuke laughed. "Really? Then I challenge you to a talent showdown! I'll show you who's got more guns"

"Sorry I've got things to do. Maybe next time" he strode out of the room, waving at them as he walked out the door.

"You'd never guess that he's someone with that kind of talent, eh?" Sano said as he walked pass Saitou who just nodded. "Well I'd be going too. I'd be in the surveillance room if you need me"

"Wait! I'll come with you. Chizuru seems to have no plans for today so I'd probably be doing nothing" Heisuke went after Sano.

Last to leave the room was the silent assistant butler, who listed in his mind the things that Hijikata asked him to do. With a tired sigh as he gently closed the doors of the music room.

Note: So this chapter is titled Campanella because the piece Souji played was La campanella by Liszt. I admire people who can play a piano and also it gives them sophistication and a sense of gentleness. Hihihi :3