Hearts

"Saitou?" Sano looked at the third division captain in surprise and some measure of confusion.

"Toshi, what's going on?" Kawa wondered, confused yet also glad her friend had returned to their ranks safely.

"Starting from today, Saitou is back with the Shinsengumi." Toshi informed; Kondou picked up when receiving the same confused expressions from the captains, relaying, "Acting under Toshi's orders, Saitou-kun was sent to spy on Itou-san's faction."

Souji pouted sorely, "Hajime-kun, yer not fair, havin' so much fun without me."

"Howcome you didn't say anything, Toshi?" Kawa complained, scowling in the same manner at her old friend.

"Because you can't keep your mouth shut when it comes to Souji." Toshi huffed, catching the guilty light brighten her cheeks a shade of pink as said man coughed slightly.

Kondou smiled apologetically at the group, "Sorry for keeping everyone in the dark!"

When Chizuru left the room to go make some tea, the seriousness of what Saitou had to report seemed to clog the atmosphere around the occupants.

"Regarding Itou's faction and their deeds, there's no doubt whatsoever that they're dabbling in threatening actions aimed at the Shinsengumi." Saitou said with a grim edge to his voice.

"'Threatening actions'?" Inoue-san repeated.

Toshi elaborated, "In order to compromise the Shogunate's rule, Itou plans to squeal on us about the Rasetsu and the Ochimizu. The rumor that Harada was involved in the assassination of Sakamoto was also spread in vain attempt to drag the Shinsengumi into the case."

Shinpachi's blue eyes tightened, "seriously?"

Kawa sneered humorlessly, "that asswipe weasel." She growled.

"There's one more thing," Saitou's mouth formed into a thin line as he regained the attention of the room, his own gaze tight as he stated darkly, "they're planning to assassinate the Captain of the Shinsengumi."

"Kondou-san?" Souji perked up in revulsion and anger all at once; Kawa's lip curled as she shuddered.

Toshi spoke to distill the tense silence in the room, "It's pretty obvious our only choice is to kill Itou-san." He said just as Chizuru opened the door with a tray of tea on hand.

Sano asked, "and by doing that, we'll take out the mausoleum guard as well?"

"We have no choice." Kondou reminded.

Shinpachi perked up as he thought of something, "What about Heisuke?"

Toshi's own mouth formed into a thin line as he replied, "if he decides to stand against us, we'll have to kill him." He didn't see both women flinch slightly at his statement, straightening to exit the meeting and ignoring the younger woman's quieted call.

Kawa frowned at his departure, looking down as her hands were formed into fists in her lap; her eyes tightened.

"Are you serious about this; don't you care at all?" Chizuru surprised her by speaking out, looking at everyone gathered in disbelief.

"Chizuru…" Kawa began.

"Of course we care; Toshi especially… He honestly wants to keep him safe." Kondou said, straightening as well to leave and signify the meeting was over.

Sano followed shortly with Shinpachi and Inoue-san trailing in his wake, saying to the girl, "We also want Heisuke to be alright." He looked away from her sombered brown eyes as they left.

Souji and Kawa left after them, the former glancing at the latter as she had remained silent since hearing that Itou wanted Kondou assassinated; while it bothered him more than he let on, he knew she was just as bothered not only for Kondou's sake but for Heisuke as well.

Exhaling wearily, Kawa looked up at him as they were coming closer to the room (they'd decided to share a room when moving out of Nishi Hongan-ji), pausing. "You okay?" She asked, her voice soft.

Blinking once at being momentarily caught off guard, Souji glanced out at the cold yard beyond the porch. "Are you?" If he was to be honest, he wanted to find that slippery bastard and gut him like a fish.

"No…" She scoffed quietly, gray eyes bitter. "I just… I'm worried and just pissed off!" She closed her eyes tight and smiled mirthlessly.

"The feeling's mutual," he huffed, green eyes slightly stoic, before he added, "I doubt Heisuke's stupid enough to stick with Itou-san that long, so don't go worryin' over him, okay?" He declared, perking her ears.

"Souji…" She quieted, slightly taken off guard by his words that were meant to be reassuring, before looking away from his green stare with a soft sigh. "Right." Some days he surprised her with words more than actions, and tonight was one of those moments.

He smiled slightly, blinking when she rested her forehead against his collarbone; sliding his eyes closed in resign, he folded his arms around her back and let her own hands dig into the back of his haori.

Souji huffed as he assessed the amount of ronin that had come out of the shadows to play, smirking dangerously. "Just our luck."

Kawa glared coldly at the swelled numbers, sighing. "Looks like Satsuma made new friends with the Choshu dogs… as if they could sink any lower." She glanced over at the two oni. "So, what do I win for guessing correctly?" She drawled.

"Ne, Harada, I'm surprised your bitch is so clever." Shiranui scoffed, violet eyes on said captain's gold.

"I must apologize for the sneak-attack, but we're simply following our clan's orders." Amagiri said, looking at the clustered Shinsengumi coats.

Souji sneered, "Fancy that; we've got similar orders to cut you lot down." He remarked.

"Oi, Shiranui, I forgot to ask last we met, but I was under the impression ya were from Choshu." Sano wondered sardonically.

"Y'know as much as I hate to break it to ya, Satsuma and Choshu couldn't be better friends." Shiranui said just as another pack of ronin that had come to their aid dispersed a few ronin from the pack to come circle the Shinsengumi members.

Kawa smiled coldly, moonlight glinting off the sharp side of her katana. "This's gonna be a long night…" She mused quietly, perking up slightly as one of the ronin shielding the two oni lunged at them only to be intercepted by Shinpachi.

Four more ronin flew at the couple as the rest of the ronin converged on the pack.

Blood flew as her blade ripped the throat open of one ronin, left foot extending sharply to hit the second ronin in the gut and send him back only to be skewered on her lover's katana; she dodged a particular swipe from another ronin that was meant for her neck, grunting as her own blade ripped viciously and cleanly across the man's chest, her right foot kicking him away. Wiping blood from her left cheek, she watched another three hesitate to attack her, and she bared her teeth slightly. "Bring it, bitches!" She challenged brazenly, feeling as giddy as Souji probably felt when the trio converged on her.

Souji kicked aside the ronin whose throat he'd just punctured, panting slightly and glancing over at his lover as she had taken on three more ronin, blood flying from one of the trio that she'd ripped the throat out of, her left foot kicking the second ronin's chest sharply and away as she rammed her blade into the third ronin's chest, yanking it out swiftly as he also fell at her feet. He grinned proudly, perking up as another two rushed him from the side and he dodged the left one, impaling the second one on his katana by his heart; his green eyes glittered dangerously as he used the dying ronin's short sword to stab into the throat of the second ronin who'd attempted to attack from behind, yanking his blade free as both men fell. "How're ya doin' over there, babe?" He wondered jovially of the She-Wolf, using the borrowed short sword to throw it at the back of a ronin that attempted to attack her from behind, slashing through the throat of another ronin on his left side.

"Just lovely, actually!" Kawa hummed contently, teeth gritted as she held her own against a ronin's blade, shoving him off only to stab into his chest using his short sword she'd nicked, yanking the blade free as its owner dropped. She was slightly winded, and her body was only standing because of the adrenaline in her veins, but elsewise she was fine.

It was moments like this where she almost forgot she was human.

Souji chuckled at her jovial tone, looking in Sano and Shinpachi's direction and the smile briefly fell from his lips as he recognized their foe had regained their numbers. He grumbled a curse, "Kawa…" He began, perking her ears.

"What is it…?" Kawa followed his line of sight and her own eyes widened; "shit." As much fun as it was cutting down the traitorous dogs they'd been dealt tonight, she didn't think she could handle killing more of them!

A few ronin in the front of the pack moved aside as Amagiri and Shiranui stepped forward, the latter speaking, "I have a proposition for you Shinsengumi: if you'll be so kind as to hand over Yukimura Chizuru to us, we'll let you live." Amagiri smirked slightly. "Personally, I don't think it's such a bad trade. Given your numbers are small compared to ours, it's only wise to not prolong the fighting."

All four Shinsengumi members –plus Heisuke, who'd been standing in the back the whole time—looked to see Chizuru was present as well, also having witnessed the slaughter.

Gray eyes narrowing in revulsion, Kawa stepped forward to spit at Amagiri's feet. "I'll be damned if I let you cowardly monsters take my friend!" She said brazenly, a glare matching that of her 'brother's crossing her pretty face. "Tell Kazama to go rot in hell where he belongs."

"Your bitch's bark is as weak as her bite!" Shiranui jeered with a snide smirk at said woman and then at the other captains.

Kawa raised her katana a smidge just as Sano extended his arm to stop her, earning a brief look from the woman.

"Yukimura Chizuru, will you join us?" Amagiri asked the girl again, making the older girl look at her alertly.

Chizuru faltered, glancing at her friends and pretending her fellow female's disbelieving stare didn't hurt, before looking at the two oni. "If I go with you, you promise you won't hurt them, right…?" She wondered; her feet moved forward, and before she knew it, she was walking towards the pack of their foes.

"Chizuru!" Kawa protested, perking up in surprise as Sano, Shinpachi and Souji moved to stop the younger girl from moving further away.

"Ya acted really cool for a second there, Chizuru." Sano mused.

"We'll handle the rest." Shinpachi chimed.

Souji glanced at the younger girl with his trademark smirk, "Ya didn't think we'd let you leave with those freaks, didja, Chizuru-chan?" He jibed.

Kawa patted her shoulder gently, gray eyes bright with determination when they met her surprised brown. "They screw with you, then they're screwing with us, as well." She stated.

"All of you…" Chizuru began quietly in surprise and some measure of guilt, quieting as she deemed that if they were willing to fight, then so was she. She drew her kodachi, holding it in both hands' grip, missing the proud smirk from her fellow female.

"Oi, Heisuke, what're ya standing around for? Get yer ass over here! Ya don't want Sano to take all the glory, do ya?" Shinpachi beckoned the younger captain, slightly surprising him.

Smirking wryly despite feeling guilty for having left their ranks, Heisuke's shoulders slumped and he came forward to join their pack. "Typical Shinpatsu and Sano-san… you always drag me into stuff like this, acting cool and crap; never lettin' me choose."

Sano huffed, "Like you don't pull the same crap with us!" He jibed.

Souji chuckled, "Y'know, this's almost reminiscent of Ikedaya." He commented lightly.

"My thoughts exactly." Kawa agreed with a smirk.

A/N: sorry for the short chapter, folks, but i'm going to mesh both eps 11/12 into one chapter for the last chap (yes the continuation is going to be on a separate story file, sorry.) of Shinsengumi Kitan.

also, whew Chizuru acting like a badass! ahah i accept all responsibilities on that part~ d: