Vice commander Hijikata; the lover of mayonnaise, and all things that consist of nothing but cholesterol and oil. Also known as the Demon vice commander. Apparently, his new names were Schoolgirl Hijikata, and Babysitter Hijikata; codename Clean Up Kondo's Shit.

After taking the commander a towel, the man found himself returning to the jail; sans whipped cream. He tugged the heavy iron door open, and descended the stairs. Damp air met him, along with a slight chill. His footsteps echoed down the stone corridor, and low murmurs could be heard. Of course, it was the prisoners; wondering if they had managed to get themselves into more trouble. The man walked to Muzai's cell, and found her sleeping in the same place she had been before. Apparently, she didn't like to hide in the shadows of her cell like most people.

Sighing, Hijikata dug his keys from his pocket. The rattle seemed to awaken the woman, and she slowly pushed herself from where she had been leaning on the bars. As the vice commander placed and turned the key the, barred door popped open. Muzai peered towards him, yet did not move as he slid the bars aside. When the man squatted beside her, she shifted her gaze, and leaned away as if he was about to brutally snatch her by her hair and drag her down the hall. Well, that's what it seemed like to him, at least.

"Oi, don't do that. People will think that I hit you or something." The man raised an eyebrow as he spoke, and Muzai placed a hand to her mouth. Though she did not face him, a nervous breathy chuckle escaped her. A second was spent to study the barely clothed brunette, before Hijikata sighed in annoyance.
"I assume you're still too weak to walk? We ran your information; you're pretty much clear. Of course, you'll still be a suspect, but after your tape, you can probably go home."

Ever so slowly, Muzai turned towards the man. She gazed in his direction, yet kept her eyes low. Hijikata weaved an arm under Muzai's legs. The woman leaned away once more, and her discomfort was apparent, but he wanted to get this over quickly. His left arm moved under the small of her back, and he easily lifted the woman. She remained silent, and one of her legs raised a bit as he positioned her. She crossed her arms, and took care to gaze away from him; as if she couldn't stand the fact that he was touching her. Yeah, well, he wasn't too happy about it either. Why couldn't Yamazaki do it? He was one of those "good guy" types. Bubbly, and nice; Muzai would probably speak to him. A person like Yamazaki couldn't be scary to anybody, really.

As he started up the stairs, Hijikata glanced down at the woman. What was he supposed to do? She could bathe herself right? He wouldn't have to do anything weird, right? Once he reached the top of the steps, Hijikata kicked the iron door closed with his foot. The action resulted in a loud slam, which caused Muzai to jump in surprise. Ignoring the reaction, Hijikata continued towards the bathroom. Muzai's arms had uncrossed, and she clutched his coat as she stared over his shoulder. It only took a few seconds for the woman to tug at his clothes, and Hijikata glanced down at her. She didn't look at him, and her lips slightly parted, only to quickly close. When he shifted his gaze to the wooden hallway, Muzai tugged him again.

Rolling his eyes, the vice commander loudly sighed. He gazed down at the girl, only to find a piercing pair of hazel green eyes locked to his. Halting, Hijikata stared down at Muzai. She didn't look away. The slight crease of her brow presented a question, which he immediately understood. Still, the man was almost startled by the fact that she was looking at him so intensely. Muzai finally averted her eyes, figuring that the man's stern expression portrayed his lack of comprehension. Hijikata started to walk again, and the woman released his coat. A small sigh escaped Muzai as the vice commander stopped in front of a door. She had tried to communicate (holding eye contact was difficult on its own), but it still wasn't enough. Figures.

Hijikata shifted her weight, and placed a hand on the door.
"The bathroom, for a shower; that's where." The man casually stated, and Muzai's brow furrowed. She curiously turned to peer up at him again, yet this time Hijikata avoided her gaze. Instead, he walked her through a small toilet room and to the middle of the shower room. Without a word, the man set her down on a stool. Muzai gazed at the ground, and held on to his coat to ensure she didn't fall. When she released him, Hijikata grabbed the shower head, and lowered it.
"Wait here." The man instructed, and Muzai nodded. She didn't look at him as he spoke or walked away, and he was thankful. Her eyes made him uneasy. He didn't feel threatened, of course, but it seemed more natural for her to avoid looking at him.

When the man returned, he had a fresh bar of soap, and two towels; one large, and the other a washcloth. He handed the items to Muzai, ommitingthe towel, and she accepted after a short moment of hesitation. Hijikata turned the shower on, thoroughly bored with this scenario. What a wonderful way to spend his day off.

Turning to the woman, Hijikata shifted his gaze.
"The towel is gong to be in the other room... Okay, you uh... You don't..."
Muzai raised her head, and slightly gazed towards him; probably staring at his pants. Clearing his throat, Hijikata swept his eyes from one side of the room to another.
"Help or anything, right? You're fine like this, right?"

Though he was unable to see the woman's awkward frown, her body language spoke loudly enough. When he remained in place, she raised her eyes to him as if commanding him to leave. Raising an eyebrow, Muzai watched as Hijikata awkwardly nodded. The man promptly left the room, and as soon as she was positive that she was alone Muzai started her shower. It was a relief to be able to strip her clothes, as everyday she had started to feel worse. The warm water relaxed the woman and extra time was spent to simply bask in it. When there was a slight tap at the door the woman paused, and waited to see what would happen. The door cracked, and an annoyed voice met her.

"Oi, there's a pair of clothes out here. And here's a spare-"
Through the fog of the room, Hijikata caught sight of a flying bar of soap; and it was headed straight towards him. Closing the door, the man waited for a thump before continuing. Sure enough, it didn't even take a second for the soap to collide with the door. Cracking the door once more, the vice commander felt irritation rise within him.
"Watch where you throw that thing! I just brought you a damn toothbrush!" Instead of waiting for another random flying object, Hijikata tossed the toothbrush into the abyss of steam, as well a small tube of toothpaste. She would find it.

When Muzai finished washing, she moved from the small stool she had been seated on to the wall. Though the woman partially crawled, once she reached the wall, she leaned against it to lift herself and stop the water. Sighing the woman hung the showerhead, and glanced over the steam. Her ankles ached, but the pin and needle feeling that had taken her feet had disappeared. Though she was slightly dizzy, she knew walking was her only option. The shower had done her some good, and she carefully walked back to the stool to collect her things. The woman had to sit as she grabbed the toiletries, and wrapped the toothbrush and paste in the washcloth.

She used the stool to push herself up once more, and moved across the slightly warm tile. When Muzai reached the door, she caught sight of the bar of soap, and placed a hand to the wall as she picked it up. Small aches lingered in her limbs, but she did her best to ignore them. As she moved to the second room, she was met with rich wooden paneling. Muzai caught sight of her towel, and placed everything on a small wooden counter as she unfolded the cloth. The woman glanced over the room, only finding a small mirror, a few cabinets, and a separated stall, which was probably a toilet. A light blue yukata had been laid on the counter as well, and Muzai wrapped the towel around her hair before deciding to change.

As she slipped the yukata on, she realized that the men of the Shinsengumi hadn't brought any under clothes. Figures; they probably had no idea what a woman would need. Rolling her eyes, she fastened the yukata and uncovered her hair. No comb was present, so she raked her fingers through her brown tresses. Remembering her old clothes, Muzai walked back into the shower to locate them. When she did, she leaned onto the wall to return to the other room. Steam had started to pour from the shower, and filled both rooms with warm damp air. Muzai threw her clothes in the garbage the first chance she had. It wasn't like she would wear them again.

The woman kept her hand on the countertop as she walked to the door. She pulled it open, only to find a very familiar face passing. Sougo turned to peer at her as she shifted her gaze. The sadist studied her for a moment before offering an invisible smile.
"Oh, it's you, and you have clothes." Silently chuckling, Sougo stared at the woman as she turned her head. Muzai still refused to look at him, but he didn't exactly care.
"So you managed to talk, ne? Well, it was fun." Still snickering, the man turned and continued down the hall. It was time for his lunch break.

Peering after him, Muzai leaned onto the doorframe. She glanced both ways, as if she was crossing a street. Nobody seemed to be passing. She didn't know what to do with her towel, or where to go. Sighing, Muzai turned back to the room. She left the door open, and started to fold her towel. The woman fidgeted with her washcloth, and soap, wondering what to do. After a few seconds, she saw a small hamper under the counter, and tossed both towels into it. Staring at her soap and toothbrush, Muzai frowned. As the woman glanced up and into the mirror, a voice startled her.

"There you are!"
Jumping in surprise, Muzai looked towards the doorway. The Commander, Kondo, was standing in the doorway. A look of pure worry had taken his features, and the man quickly started towards her. Alarmed, Muzai took a step back, but the man threw his arms around her. She Froze in place, and stared over the man's shoulder; wide eyed.
"Are you okay? We're so sorry! We didn't know! You poor thing, what have they done to you?!"
Utterly confused, Muzai remained still as Kondo eagerly rocked her back and forth. They? Like he had nothing to do with what happened? Okay, so he was sorry, but this was unnecessary. Her toes dragged along the floor as the man asked her more questions, and said something about how lawsuits were tedious. It was a painful hug; he was crushing her. Every lingering whip mark grew sorer with each careless rock of the hug. Just as she thought all hope was dead, a familiar voice caused the commander to halt.

"Oi! Kondo! What are you doing to her?!"

Kondo released Muzai, and she landed on her feet, yet placed a hand on the counter to steady herself. Kondo turned around as Hijikata passed the doorway and entered the room.
"Doing? Toushi, you make me sound like some sort of creep!"
"Yeah, well, you made yourself look like one earlier... Anyway you probably would of killed her if you hadn't stopped..." The raven haired man fixed his gaze on Muzai as he spoke. She was staring at the things she had used to wash, obviously unsure of what to do.

Kondo sighed, and shook his head as he walked to the door.
"Kikuno-San, are you ready to make the tape?"
Nodding at the commanders words, Muzai slowly started after him. Before the woman could exit the room, Hijikata shook his head.
"Give her a few minutes." The man stated, an Kondo slowly nodded.
Hijikata closed the door behind Kondo, and started to Muzai's side. She kept her eyes on the wooden floor beneath her, and leaned onto the counter. The pair remained silent as Hijikata closed the door to the shower, and started to go through one of the cabinets. He produced a small roll of medical wrap, and turned to face her. Without a word, the man grabbed her by her waist and lifted her onto the counter. Muzai shifted her gaze; frowning.

"What are you doing?"
Pausing, Hijikata gazed at the source of the whispered words. She was a bit louder than before; he hadn't needed to strain to hear her. Calmly staring at her, Hijikata grabbed her arm. He pushed her sleeve back, and gazed at the dark bruise around her wrist.
"Wrapping you up." He stated, and Muzai uncomfortably shifted her gaze. She remained still as Hijikata wrapped both of her wrists, and examined her skin to see if anything else needed attention. Satisfied, he moved to her ankles. The woman continued to uncomfortably fidget, as he wrapped one, and started to examine the skin around it. When he started to move the fabric of the yukata to examine her calve, she smacked his hand.

Recoiling, Hijikata glared up at her.
"Knock it off; I'm not doing anything weird." That little smack was sharp enough to move his hand. She had obviously been offering some sort of warning, but it wasn't necessary. He wasn't interested in her in the least. If anything, he would be happy when she left. Muzai met his eyes, and blankly stared down at the man. His irritation was clear. Hijikata's expression bordered that of a scowl, especially when met by her keen gaze. Rolling his eyes, the vice commander moved to the girl's opposite ankle. He covered the dark bruise with medical wrap, and sighed as he stood up. Muzai was still watching him. She remained on the counter as Hijikata returned the gauze to the cabinet. The man tucked his hands into his pockets, and watched as she started to move.

Muzai scooted to the edge of the counter, and tapped between his shoulder and chest twice in thanks. She then grabbed the fabric of his coat as she lowered herself to the ground. The wrap around her was a bit too tight for comfort. Avoiding the man's gaze, she leaned to one side and tugged at the gauze around her ankles.

Coldly peering down at her, Hijikata sighed in annoyance. What the hell did he look like, a wall? She was just going to use him for balance now? As she finished, he crossed his arms.
"You ready to make the tape now?"
Muzai nodded, and he remained still. A second passed, and the man noted that she wasn't looking at him again. Her hand slipped from his shoulder, and the woman motioned to the items she had used for her bath.
"Don't worry about it, someone else will take care of it. Come on." Passing the woman, Hijikata opened the door. She trailed behind him as he started down the hallway and to the interrogation room.

A/N: Glad everybody enjoyed the last chapter :)
Comical relief was necessary, ad oh so fun to write, haha. Kondo can be such an awesome character.
I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, just had to get through the process of some odd interactions and show that she actually got to wash (finally), lol

Thank you all for your comments :)