A/N: *peeks around* Umm, sorry everyone ! I've been so busy and all but finally got some time (since I woke up early) before heading out to do some police check thing =3=;. I really appreciated all the reviews and I think I replied most/all of them! Keep them coming =D I'm so happy you readers took the time to read through all 12 chapters XD~~ Here's the next one!

A black void had taken over. Her vision was not focused on anything in particular. She could notice scenes and people flashing past her through the corner of her eye. She could hear murmurs from the Shinsengumi members she passed.

Her feet took her outside. The rain had stopped but the air was still gloomy. Dropping on all fours, she continued at high speed towards the warehouse. She didn't even notice the pebbles on the ground digging into her palms and feet or the bystanders scurrying out of her way. The wind blew her hair back, exposing her glowing blue eyes filled with hatred. Rain puddles and mud had splattered over her pale complexion. She indeed looked like a predator chasing her prey.

She soon reached the old battleground and sniffed around. Her eyes glowed as she smelled something familiar. In anger, she let out a growl. Behind the tree, she spotted a bit of torn cloth on the ground and sniffed it. The familiar scent drove her consciousness further away.

Letting out another growl, she sped towards the scent. It was one that she wished she had forgotten.

Flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness, Okita could make out some murmurs.

"Is he going to be okay?"
"That wound looks pretty nasty."
"I can't believe there is someone who can beat Captain Okita."

"Well, that Yato was a monster. You can't really compare…"

"But still, I always thought Okita-san was superhuman."

"Anyway, you guys. Should we really just leave the orange-haired girl alone? She kind of just ran out…"

Okita's eyes opened at the mention of Kagura.

"Oh! The Captain is awake! Someone get the doctor!"

Ignoring the sharp pains in various parts of his body, he used willpower alone to get up.

"Okita-san, you shouldn't be getting up! You were heavily wounded," Yamazaki said.

"…up," his voice sounded hoarse.

"Pardon?"

"I said, SHUT UP!" the First Division captain howled and yanked the intravenous tube from his arm. Everyone fell silent. He stumbled out of bed and grabbed his Shinsengumi jacket and draped it over his shoulder.

He clumsily wore his boots and dragged himself out of the room. Each step he took reminded him of how injured he was.

Kamiyama [1] was chatting in the lounge when he spotted his favourite captain making his way down the hall, using the wall to keep himself upright.

"C-Captain! You're awake!" He immediately made his way to the stumbling boy. Everyone turned their gaze towards Okita and Kamiyama.

"Shut up," was his idol's reply.

"Where are you going, Captain? You have to stay in bed! You are in no shape to go out."

Okita stopped in his tracks.

His eyes turned towards everyone in the lounge. The members froze up at his icy gaze.

"If you know I am injured this heavily, how come you people aren't doing anything about Kagura?"

Silence.

"Answer me!" his piercing red eyes narrowed.

"You useless bunch. Can't even take care of one girl. I'll punish you guys thoroughly when I am back," then to Kamiyama, "You, get the car."

Kamiyama had never seen the Captain this angry. Snapping out of his trance, he immediately ran to the supply room to get the car keys.

Driving around and asking the civilians if they had seen an orange-haired girl, Okita was feeling desperate with each passing second.

"Damn it, China. Why did you have to go and do this?" he muttered.

Kamiyama got into the car and continued driving. He was afraid to make a comment about his captain's condition, but felt he had to say it anyway.

"Captain, I know you want to find the girl, but you aren't looking too well. Your lips are pale and you're sweating a lot. If you ask me, I think we should head back—"

Okita cut him off. "Well, no one asked you so shut up and drive. Go to the warehouse. She might be there."

They arrived outside the warehouse and decided to look around. Okita spotted small, freshly made footprints in the mud.

The two followed the tracks to a cliff. The moon was hanging low by now, signaling the end of the night.

At the edge of the cliff sat a figure with orange hair on all fours growling at the reflecting waters. Her clothes were tattered but were unmistakably Chinese-styled. A wave of relief came over the young captain. However, maybe it was too soon to be rejoicing.

"China," Okita called out. "What are you doing here? If you are going to suicide, you're just going to give me more paperwork."

The girl didn't answer. Something wasn't right. Why was she growling?

Walking closer, he could see a boat sailing away. Seeing Kagura's eyes focused on the boat, he knew what she had in mind.

Kagura was about to make a leap off the cliff when Okita hugged her from behind.

"Stop it, China. Snap out of it."

She continued to howl and thrashed around. She even used her fingernails to dig into his arm. But he didn't let go.

"It's okay. Everything's over. Calm down."

The Yato was going crazy by now, seeing her prey getting away. She tried to pry the arms around her away and kicked the shins of her captor.

Okita leaned down beside her head and whispered quietly in her ear.

"Kagura, it's alright now. I'm fine. Come back, Kagura."

The black void in her slowly lit up. The voice had reached her conscience. Blinking a few times, she came back to reality. Suddenly, a heavy weight from behind her threatened to crush her small frame.

Turning her head to the side, she caught a face full of golden hair. She felt perspiration seeping into her shirt. She cocked her head to look at his face. He looked even paler than she does.

"S-sadist?"

No response.

"…Oi, this is no joke. Stop scaring me."

Still silent.

"Sougo—"

"It's good… that you can talk again…Kagura… I'm so glad… you're alright."

Kagura could see out of the corner of her eye that blood was seeping through the bandages around his torso. Okita's eyes began to close.

"Oi! Oi Sadist!"

A/N: v Reviews are much appreciated!

[1] If you didn't remember who he was, he's the dude in episode 186 who fought with Okita in the Rokkaku incident. In case you didn't watch it, I won't write the details here.