Disclaimer: Submit all your complaints to Sorachi Hideaki. Thanks.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

How Fools Fall in Love

Chapter 11: People Always Look When Others Tell Them Not To

A priest might look upon the object of his exorcism the same way Hijikata looked at the gray, decaying building that had once been the old dorm. He didn't know how long it had been since the place had housed any students, Kondo hadn't told him any particulars on the subject, but by the look of it Hijikata wagered it had been vacant for at least two or three months.

Although the dorm had survived for more than ten years, it needed constant maintenance and care to keep going. It needed life, people going in and out, talking, screaming, stamping the wooden floors. Without that, without sheltering those hectic sorry lives of poor frustrated college students and their like, the dorm was just a meager construction rotting away in a wasted plot of land. If it hadn't been sold and signed off to its impending demise, Hijikata believed it would have yet seen many years and many tenants, perhaps even a dimwit stupid enough to renovate the whole thing.

Wishful thinking, uh?

Behind him local people crossed the street on their way to lunch. The sky was clear blue, the sun high. Hijikata tried not to think too hard on the unreasonable decision to squander his lunch hour in a trip down memory lane. He'd given Tetsunosuke a lame excuse about a personal errand he had to run, despite all his assistant's entreaties that Hijikata should be the one to stay for lunch and let him go run the errand himself. Hijikata told him to beat it. He couldn't tell his assistant the true reason for his escapade since it entailed, in a way, skipping work. If the truth got out, everyone at the office would jump in joy and go light incense sticks at the nearest shrine. Hijikata couldn't risk losing his reputation as the dutiful uncompromising chief. But he couldn't lose his last chance to see the dorm standing either. He ate a quick meal at his desk and took a taxi to the place, knowing he would have to live with his burdensome decision. Hopefully that would only come later. Much later.

At the moment, his eyes roamed the desolate front of the dorm which basked in the sunlight almost colorless like a stone waiting to be kicked in the middle of a path. Itou had allowed for a lot of changes to the place. Windows had been replaced, the front door had been repaired, air conditioners had been installed in the upper rooms, the weeds that had once grown up the rusty pipes had been pulled down, even the paltry undergrowth which surrounded the building and had once comprised what they had called 'the backyard' had been cut out and done away with. Itou might as well have poured an entire cart of concrete around the place. Yet he didn't. And now the dusty ground greeted Hijikata with raspy sounds as he passed and soiled his slim black leather shoes with dirt.

Hijikata found the front door locked. It was useless to force it so he went around the back, searching for the first and only entrance to the dorm he'd ever known. The backyard barely deserved a glance, but he eyed it all the same, thinking of the hours he'd spent there smoking quietly, waiting and waiting for life to move on, sometimes waiting for things he couldn't fathom.

The back door hadn't been replaced. It was the same lanky piece of wood they had banged shut countless times. Hijikata supposed that with the new front door working there had been no need to fix the old one. With a push and a shove the lock gave in easily and he got in.

None of the old smells of cheap greasy food and sweat were there, nor was the sweltering heat of shared living. The place was as empty of it as it was of everything else. The last sweep before termination had left it bereft of furniture and appliances, and the only things left were details Hijikata knew very well. Moldy patches on the walls, the smell of rotten wood, nondescript trash on dusty corners.

A faint smile crossed his features.

He walked around feeling the worn wooden boards under his feet, peeking inside the deserted rooms. He even popped his head inside Katsura's former fortress of solitude, against all decorum. It seemed stupid that after so many years the concept of someone else's room could still feel so real and Hijikata's foray into it intrusive to the point of embarrassment. Yet, he entered it and was disappointed by how ordinary it looked, devoid of all the quirks he had imagined in the past.

When he left Katsura's room, his feet led him straight to the bottom of the stairs. For the first time that day since arriving at the dorm's premises, Hijikata's throat tightened and he remembered, with some bitterness, what had brought him there.

The squeak of the wooden stair steps followed him as he made his way up. Once he got to the first floor landing, he couldn't pretend to be interested in anything but his old room. Their room. A flitting image of Gintoki crossed his mind. He sported a faint stubble and a swollen nose. It was an image of the present-day Gintoki he had yet to figure out. A man who managed to appear as lost and carefree as he did in his youth but kept a child under his care. Hijikata would have laughed at the notion if it didn't fit Gintoki so well.

Hijikata entered the room with a swift step. He had bade his goodbyes long ago and nothing but cobwebs in his brain gave him the jitters. Never in a million years would he have expected to be inside those four walls again. The first impression he got was that the room seemed much smaller than he remembered. The shock was almost the same as when he'd first moved in and found he had to share a room half the size of the one he'd had back home. Indeed, only with Gintoki could he have shared such a confining space and lived.

The air conditioner fixed above the window was the sole addition at conflict with his memory, everything else checked, drab, common and fading. He leaned over the window sill looking out, wondering how many other roommates Gintoki must have had after him; what had finally made him leave and if that little girl had anything to do with it.

He lit a cigarette and turned his back on the outside view. What right did he have to ask those questions when he himself had done everything in his power not to look back? None, really. He didn't even have a right to come lay eyes on it again. He felt like a vulture, flying in circles over the carcass of a dead animal. The only difference was he'd been the one to kill it. The impulsive predator.

Ashes fell from the tip of his cigarette onto the floor, soiling the worn tatami mat.

"Shit."

Hijikata tried to brush away the ashes with the sole of his shoe, smearing it further. He cursed again, suddenly very angry, very conscious of his silly figure.

His thoughts jumped to Gintoki with ease, spurred by habits developed in that same room. He couldn't bear to think he'd been the one to cave in and come running at the thought of losing the one place that had changed his life forever while the notion sailed by Gintoki. Because if it hadn't, where was he? How could he be anywhere but there? The truth was, it had meant nothing to him, nothing at all.

Hijikata was done. He threw his cigarette out the window and with a final sweep of his foot over the ash stain he strode out of the room, this time truly forever.

His mind running back on auto mode, rearranging every task to prioritize work, did not foresee another person coming in and he bumped right into them as he cut the corner to the back door.

"Excuse me!"

"What the hell-"

"Is that you Hijikata-san?"

Itou Kamotarou's expression changed from affront to curiosity. The cunning gleam in his eye had endured the passage of time and, mixed with the hard lines of adulthood, his features displayed an air of conceit Hijikata didn't think possible.

"You are the last person I expected to find here." Itou observed. He didn't smile but his voice carried that smile for him. Hijikata felt his skin crawl.

"So it seems."

His short answer didn't deter Itou from extending his politeness.

"It's been so long, why don't we go have a drink?"

8 YEARS AGO

The news of Hijikata's acceptance into Tokyo's police academy fell short of his bright expectations. After graduating with all the required credits and passing all the rigorous psychical and psychological tests, the events of the real world, abrupt and trivial as they so often seem to be, crushed any joy he might have envisioned after receiving his so awaited acceptance letter.

Hijikata dialed his brother's number eager to share the news. He held the dorm's phone handle with a slight tremble of enthusiasm, usual candor gone. Already he imagined his brother's face; the upturned lips in a gratified smile, the calm voice breaking to give Hijikata his due sincere praise, the only kind Hijikata truly craved and cherished. After two rings the housekeeper, Mrs. Shiba, picked up. Voice solemn.

"Hijikata household."

"Shiba-san? It's Toshiro, I would like to speak with my brother." Hijikata urged, staring at the letter he had placed beside the phone.

"The Master..." the line went silent for a moment.

Hijikata's hand stopped trembling and he readjusted his grip, troubled by a sense of unease.

"Yes, what about my brother? Has something happened?"

"Master can't come to the phone now," Mrs. Shiba replied. She continued after holding back a sob, poorly, "He's gone to the hospital with the missus."

Hijikata's heart stopped. He stared at his letter but saw nothing. He wanted to demand answers but his throat clenched, no sound came out. He expected the worst.

"It's the little master," Mrs. Shiba said, she'd taken to calling the baby by that name "He didn't sleep well the whole night. They've taken him to the hospital. I fear it's his heart-" another deep sob, "He's not coming back, young master. I'm afraid he's not coming back, such a young life too-"

"I'm sure he will be fine," Hijikata said mechanically "When did they leave?"

"An hour ago."

"And they haven't contacted you yet?"

"Yes, Tamegoro-sama did. Twenty minutes ago. He said the little master is being taken care of, but I'm just so worried, poor thing."

Hijikata had nothing to say. Mrs. Shiba's sentimental outburst found no kindred spirit in Hijikata's. He sighed, glad that nothing bad had happened to his brother, and replied.

"Trust my brother's words or you'll be worrying for nothing."

"Yes, yes, you're right, young master. I'm just worrying for no good reason," Mrs. Shiba said out of breath "I guess my husband was right. He left hollering, saying how I was making a fool of myself, stuck here unable to help. I should go back to my work. Thank you for your kindness, young master. I'll follow your advice," she said gratefully. Hijikata could imagine her small figure holding the phone with both hands while bowing to him hundreds of miles away.

"Is there something I can do for you? Any message you want me to relay?" Mrs. Shiba added. Hijikata's eyes flew back to his acceptance letter and he blushed slightly, embarrassed of his earlier feelings.

"No, it's nothing. Just tell my brother to call me whenever he can."

"Very well, young master."

Hijikata put down the phone and stood in the dorm's hallway motionless. Joy forgotten. It was one of the biggest moments in his life and he had failed to share it with the one person who mattered the most to him. A sudden desire to crumple the letter and send it flying to the nearest trash bin seized him. But he only had to rewind the phone call to abandon the idea.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and walked out of the dorm over to the small backyard area. The smoke had a miraculous effect on his mood, relaxing him enough to stimulate the workings of his brain.

Remorse over the woes of a child unknown to him except by name, and a terrible name at that, upset him. He was sure the baby would be fine as would the family and friends who anguished over his health. Maybe it was Hijikata's certainty in this belief that made him so unfeeling towards the issue. He hated to think it was jealousy on his part for no longer having a real place in his own family or for having been relegated to a place of minor importance. And so, what if he had? It was just as obvious as his belief in his nephew's good health, that a baby had priority over a temperamental young man who'd left home of his own accord to make a life for himself. Yet, this conclusion left a bitter taste in Hijikata's mouth because it added to his growing realization that he was becoming estranged from his family, and consequently, homeless.

For almost two weeks he brooded over the issue. Taking care of procedures to ensure his start at the academy took his mind off things, but his heart was heavy. Hearing laughter pained him and every waking moment in the dorm filled him with guilt. He couldn't find it in him to join normalcy when his indifference to his brother's suffering made him feel so selfish. Besides, much like Mrs. Shiba, he couldn't do anything to help. Distance and bureaucratic obligations made a journey south impossible.

When Tamegoro finally called back, he gave Hijikata a brief and censored version of events with as much detail as his recent anguish allowed. Hijikata paled at how ludicrous the story sounded. He tried to tame the spite building inside him by recalling his previous excitement but he ended up delivering his news in a stoic manner, like his future were a mere afterthought. The words came out rehearsed and Tamegoro's congratulations on his enrollment sounded inevitably as a side note, though a happy one.

Their conversation didn't last long afterward.

"You have to visit us soon. The whole family has come to see Hayato, you're the only one left."

"I'm moving out in a few days. I don't know when they'll give me leave at the academy."

"I see. Well, best of luck to you. Take care of yourself, Toshiro."

"You too, brother."

Hijikata hung up and put down the dorm phone for the last time.

After the brief chat with his brother, Hijikata's emotional numbness reached every aspect of his life and he oversaw procedures for the move to the academy with cold precision. He attended Kondo's various farewell parties with tact, but he was grave throughout them and the butt of many jokes he had no patience to address at the time. In fact, he was so out of it he didn't notice Gintoki's abnormal aloofness.

They quarreled about Hijikata's cold indifference to usual jokes, but as the days went by, Gintoki became quieter and quieter and Hijikata was so wrapped up in his own problems he rather enjoyed the silence.

Until that night. The last night.

His bags were packed, set together in a corner by the closet. The room was dark and silent, interrupted once in a while by Gintoki's snoring. The idiot had been nonchalant the entire day, shut inside their room reading Jump and drinking that horrible pink milk he'd have defended with his life. Hijikata remembered the night before when he had been folding his clothes, not really aware of what he was packing, just filling up the bag to dispel his thoughts. Gintoki had fallen into one of his quiet moods, gaze cloudy and blank on the page in front of him. Hijikata doubted he had absorbed much of what he'd read. But then again, Hijikata wasn't sure he could list every article of clothing he'd packed that night. He was grateful to have had something to do and with which to keep his hands busy.

As he stared at the ceiling, a storm of thoughts ran amok in his mind and he lost track of time. He hadn't given a thought to what it meant to leave the dorm, nor had he realized until then that it was his last night there. He had been out all day keeping busy, tying up matters at college and taking out his stress at the dojo, one innocent student after another. He'd fallen down on his futon, limbs heavy and tired. The strain almost gave him relief. Every day since his brother's call he had craved the dead-like lull of sleep. But tonight he couldn't keep his eyes closed.

Unlike the idea of a family he could no longer identify with, which he could bear albeit not famously, the fact that, from that day on, he would no longer have the dorm to weight in the opposite side of the balance devastated him. The realization sunk in like a meteorite. Flashes of his daily life blinded him in the dark. The familiar faces and scents. The noises, good and bad, mostly bad. The times he'd been angry to the point of lunacy, and the times he had pretended to be mad not to show how happy he was.

Among everyone there, he knew he would never lose sight of Kondo. He was one of those friends who no matter what Hijikata did or where he wound up, Kondo would show up demanding to be a vital part of his life. He already was. Always had been. It was the thought of losing contact with the other tenants that surprised him. Hijikata hadn't expected to feel so sad at the thought of letting them go. Despite their antics, they had woven themselves into his life and colored his otherwise dull routine with entertaining appearances. He doubted he would ever meet their like again.

He clutched the bed sheets as he considered the new roll of acquaintances he'd have to make at the academy starting tomorrow.

"Shut it down, asshole. You're going to bust a vein working your brain like that!" Gintoki hissed, turning angrily to one side and then another in his mess of sheet and blanket "I can't sleep with all that noise!"

"I thought you were sleeping!" Hijikata answered in the same angry hushed tone.

"I was trying to! I can't even pretend when you're there moping nonstop. Your moping is disrupting my sleeping chakra."

"Fuck you and your sleeping chakra. That's got nothing to do with me!" Hijikata rebutted, hands curling into fists "Besides, you're the one who has been sulking around all week like- Oi!"

The sparse light that penetrated through the window blinds warned Hijikata of the incoming bump. He saw Gintoki stand up and quite deliberately push his futon against Hijikata's.

"What the fuck?!"

"There's a massive stain of strawberry milk on the tatami over there. I think that's what's actually disrupting my sleeping chakra." Gintoki said, settling back down and nestling underneath the covers.

"That's a cheap-ass excuse! It's not my fault you drink that filth! This is my side, get off!" Hijikata muttered, struggling to keep his voice down.

Gintoki looked slightly above his shoulder, not really seeing Hijikata, but turning enough so that his voice could be heard.

"It's just one more night, what do you care?"

The remark subdued Hijikata. He remained motionless staring at the nape of Gintoki's neck, warmth spreading over his body. The silence between them grew at the same rate Hijikata's control slipped away. A lot of questions rushed in as he lay there, plagued by doubts. Care about what? What do you care? Are you trying to comfort me?

Hijikata couldn't help but think how not that long ago he had put his arms around that silent frame and buried his face in Gintoki's neck. The same shameless urge possessed him now, but without the pretext of a lift on the other man's scooter his courage dwindled. Why would he even want to do it? Gintoki would never let him live it down. Or perhaps, perhaps... well, what did it matter? Hijikata would be out of there in the morning. Never to see him again. Yes, finally! He'd be able to discard those useless feelings and forget all about the insufferable idiot. Never to share a room with the degenerate again. Heaven! Never to see his face again. Never to hear his stupid complaints. Never to be at arm's length. Never, never, never.

He took a deep breath to sooth the tightening pain in his chest.

"Oi, Mr.-Wannabe-Cop, you're still a hundred years too early to arrest me." Gintoki's mellow voice rang loud and near. Hijikata hadn't noticed his own arm reaching out to clutch Gintoki's t-shirt.

A vein throbbed in his neck, pulse quickening. As Gintoki turned around to face him, Hijikata drew back his hand with a cough, finding it hard to breath. But the little act served him no purpose. Gintoki caught his hand and pulled him back by the wrist.

"What's the charge?"

Hijikata wanted nothing more than to wipe the conceited tone from Gintoki's voice. Several ways came to mind, one in particular very effective though it would silence Gintoki completely and give Hijikata no end to grief. In a panic, he clasped Gintoki's T-shirt with both hands and brought him close enough so Gintoki could feel his whisper.

"Trespassing."

He shoved Gintoki away before their gazes could linger another second on each other, then he turned his back praying for sleep. The rustle of sheets behind him set off thunder in his heart. He felt Gintoki's fingers run through his hair, gentle and enticing, calling to him. He was holding on with all he had to the thought he'd be starved of whatever it was he'd let Gintoki give him. Submitting would be death.

Gintoki's lips were on his shoulder when Hijikata found his hand. He held it for a moment and pressed it.

"Don't."

He had never missed Gintoki's stubbornness like he did at that moment when he pulled away and left Hijikata breathless in the cold. Alone.

Hijikata hadn't slept a full hour by the time the alarm clock went off. He got up, showered and dressed, anxious to go. He was expected at the academy in less than two hours. After rolling up his futon and storing it in the closet he picked up his bags and made his way out. Gintoki grunted him a faint goodbye, lying half-asleep in his futon. Hijikata almost kicked him.

"What about the rest of your things?" Gintoki asked, rubbing his eyes and noticing a couple of boxes left in the corner.

Keep them, think of me. Hijikata wanted to say, but he checked himself. He had one foot on the hallway already.

"Kondo will ship them to my brother's."

"Oh alright."

"Alright."

And Hijikata was out of the door, out of the room. The door closed behind him and he went down the stairs reluctantly, feet heavy and chest tight. A part of him felt empty while another burst out, dying for breath.

It was early, seven o'clock on the dot. The dorm was so quiet the creak of the floorboards echoed. Hijikata scoffed at the sound, finding his self-awareness ridiculous. He'd never felt so stupid. He tiptoed to the back door, put on his shoes and walked out, the process might have taken him ages, he didn't know.

Clouds drifted across the sky and hid the sun. It had to be some kind of joke.

"Can you move? Or is the weather that interesting?"

The blunt observation startled him. Hijikata turned and frowned at the person standing beside him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Itou adjusted the glasses falling down his nose and shrugged.

"Waiting for Kondo-san. We're walking together to morning practice," the moment he said it the sound of a flushing toilet came from within indicating Kondo was up "Also, I heard a place is being let since you're leaving," Itou's gaze traveled up and down Hijikata's figure, resting on the straps over his shoulders "Caught you right in the act, didn't I?"

Hijikata frowned in disgust. The thought of Itou in their room sickened him. He'd barely left the dorm and already someone had appeared to take his place. He thought of Gintoki alone in their room, without him. Waiting for the next guy to fill the empty space he had left behind. It hurt to think Gintoki would forget him just as easily as he had the other roommates before him. Hijikata wanted to hurl. He'd give him a piece of his mind first, damn the bastard.

"Stay here, Kondo-san won't take long." Hijikata said to Itou, angling back towards the dorm.

"Where are you going? I thought you were going out!"

Hijikata didn't answer. He was already by the stairs and running up to the room. His return started Gintoki who Hijikata caught sniffing around the boxes he'd left stacked in the corner.

"Hijikata..." his name left Gintoki's mouth in absolute astonishment. Hijikata would have savored the moment if total despair didn't compel his feet forward.

"Did you forget somethin-"

Hijikata's mouth covered Gintoki's in an act of pure selfishness. He had no idea what he would do once he got back in the room but as soon as his eyes fell on Gintoki he knew. Those sad, red eyes that beckoned him to quench his loneliness had never been clearer. Hijikata moved with a shared purpose, Gintoki's arms reached out to hold him and Hijikata crashed into him. His feet stumbled and Gintoki's back hit the wall with the extra weight.

They broke apart for air, but Hijikata wasn't quite sure what air was at that moment. His legs trembled and he held on to Gintoki's shoulders to keep upright. His cheeks and neck burned with heat and he feared to look in Gintoki's eyes else he'd fall apart. The stream of nonsense that poured out of Gintoki's mouth didn't help his composure either.

"That night of the festival, I was gonna dare you to kiss me," Gintoki whispered, struggling to find his voice. His eyes, seconds before widened with surprise, were reduced to smoldering slits that studied every inch of Hijikata's face, "And last night, and I don't know how many nights before."

"Why didn't you?"

Hijikata's careless reply begot some inspiration. Gintoki's hands came up to hold him in place and he kissed him deeply, moving back from the wall to press his whole body against Hijikata's. The whimpers he'd tried to hold back fled into Gintoki's open mouth and the grunts he got in return sent his churning blood directly to his groin. Every inch of his body craved with desire, lost in Gintoki's touches and hoping to repay him a thousand fold. Naive thoughts consumed him. What if he stayed? Maybe he could stay here with Gintoki. Pursue the foolish law profession his family envisioned for him, settle for a path cut out for him that required no hassle, just this. Gintoki's lips over his, his hands buried in his hair and hips bucking into each other. If people were going to call him selfish any way, why should he care?

The sound of the dorm's back door banging shut cut Hijikata out of his reverie. Kondo's cheerful laugh reached his ears. All at once the image of his friend popped into his mind as bold and real as that of his brother, his teachers, his future. He pulled away from Gintoki alarmed.

"I have to go."

"You didn't come back?" Gintoki asked bewildered.

"No, this is goodbye."

Hijikata said the words wishing to believe them. He moved towards Gintoki but his touch was unwelcome. Gintoki slapped his hand away and walked to his futon. Hijikata got nothing in parting but a vision of his back.

"I never want to see you again."

"Likewise."

(*****)

The neighborhood was no Ginza, no Roppongi, nothing that could be described with having anything to do with class. Thus, the cafe Itou had chosen contained the minimum required for a place where a pair of suit jobs might be found at. Small, discreet and costly enough that it had its own select local clientele.

"A police officer breaking and entering into private property during duty hours," Itou savored the words as he twirled his drink "Are you the same Hijikata I met all those years ago?"

"Chief Inspector." Hijikata noted.

"I stand corrected, Chief Inspector," Itou replied, nodding towards Hijikata's cup of coffee "No drinking on duty either, I see."

"I'm actually on my lunch break." Hijikata claimed, clearing his throat.

"And you decided to spent it visiting that wreck? Well, I am honored."

"I'm not surprised you're still a prick."

Itou chuckled.

"Hah, that's more like it, Hijikata-san. Still, I didn't know you were so attached to the old place," he ventured, "I didn't think you were attached to anything, really."

Hijikata took out his cigarette pack and refrained from answering. He didn't believe Itou had any real interest in his feelings, which meant the sneak was fishing for an opening, careful to conceal his game. Hijikata would have none of it. He'd smoke one cigarette and be out of there, courtesy call or not.

"It's funny, isn't it? I seem to remember being there when you moved out," Itou said, glancing at the Smokers Area plate on the wall and frowning, "It was around the time I was looking for a new place. Kondo-san was helping me out, but you turned out to be my savior. Got myself a big room after you left the dorm. Ended up getting quite attached to the place too. Did Kondo tell you how I bought it from him some years later?"

"Yeah, he mentioned something," Hijikata uttered, blowing out a wisp of smoke, "But I didn't do you any favors. Can't say that room was very big for two people."

"I guess I'm a lucky guy." Itou declared with a sneer. Hijikata took another drag and entertained himself with a scenario where he put out his cigarette in Itou's left eye.

"That crazy roommate of yours left a few days after you," Itou continued, "Don't know where he went to, but I got that whole room to myself afterward since I could afford it."

Hijikata put his cigarette down almost missing the ashtray.

"I still saw him at the dojo once in a while. The big contender," a touch of venom accompanied Itou's words, "Never fought me. Never fought anyone. I still think Kondo must have been confusing him with someone else, I mean, that loser-"

"I don't care about that," Hijikata cut him short, "What's this little chat all about, any way?"

"I thought talking about the good old years at the dorm would interest you since Kondo-san broke you the news," Itou remarked condescendingly, "It even warranted a visit as far as I know."

"I was curious, that's all," Hijikata replied in haste "It has been a while since I've been in these parts."

"I can only imagine, Chief Inspector. The academy did you some good after all."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"No reason, just making conversation." Itou said, picking up his drink.

"And you, what do you do now, besides tearing down old buildings?"

Itou cleared his throat before replying. He had that arrogant look back in his eye, pleased with the fact he knew more than Hijikata wished him to reveal.

"I don't tear down old buildings. I deal with investments. This one just so happens to be mine. Here have my card." he took out a small silver holder from the inside pocket of his jacket and slid Hijikata his business card. It read Itou Kamotarou, Fund Consultant typed in elegant but austere characters with a row of numbers on the bottom.

"Yeah, I'll be sure not to call you." Hijikata joked. It amused him that Itou had a job as abject as his personality.

"I'll make you a rich man if you let me."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Oh really? Then why are you not married yet? Aren't you like thirty now? I suppose being a career-man didn't help you so far."

Itou's comment achieved its purpose. It paved the way for Hijikata's fury. Itou had always been good at pushing people's buttons. One might even say Itou had sharpened that skill at the dojo when he sought to influence the moves of his opponent.

"That's none of your business." Hijikata hissed.

"You know, a friend of mine could swear he saw you at a gokon some years ago, around the time your promotion appeared in the papers. We had a laugh."

"I don't know any friends of yours and I don't go to any group parti-"

"Group blind dates." Itou corrected him.

"Whatever!" Hijikata hammered his cigarette butt into the astray, ready to leave. Whatever sense of misguided curiosity had led him to accept Itou's invitation had run out.

"I heard some juicy details. Do you care to go over them with me?"

"Go fuck yourself." Hijikata muttered, standing up.

"Oh my, isn't that slander, Chief Inspector? What if I sue you for defamation of character?"

"Your fucking character is a defamation. I gotta get back to work."

Hijikata left the table, coffee cup cold and half-drunk. He lit another cigarette as he walked out.

"I hope you had a good time at the dorm today, Hijikata-san. Tomorrow it will be gone."

AN: I didn't plan to make this chapter a sort of 'Hijikata special' but the more I write the more writing the story demands. It seems I'm doomed to be eternally at war with my original outline \sigh. I've hinted at a few future flashbacks in this chapter, so expect more of those to come. As always, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who left a comment, your words and support are very precious to me.