Author's Note: I am so sorry for hold up on this update everyone! Getting to my new apartment and starting school again was a pain, but I'm baaaack. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please don't forget to like, follow, and review! 3

Infamous and Incurable

A frown still adorned Shiro's face as she stirred slightly in her sleep. Even in slumber her mind was thinking about the particular scent that was sullying Souji's and his lost of taste. Her mind wandered to the night of the night she had pulled him out of Ikedaya. He had coughed up all of that blood on the floor. A fearful chilled ran through Shiro making her pull the covers of her futon closer to her body. He did not have any major injuries at all other than a few scratches, so why? Even if he was hit in the chest, to cough up blood he would have had a huge unhealthy bruise on his chest and he did not. Why? Why did it not sit right with her in the first place? Why did she feel somewhat panicked at the thought of Souji being ill? She knew that illnesses in these days could be fatal since medicine had yet to advance. He could die. Suddenly Shiro's shot wide open as she jolted upright in her futon.

Tuberculosis.

The adrenaline running through her veins started going into overdrive as the word started repeating itself in her mind. There were no antibiotics here to kill the bacteria, she did not even know how to make antibiotics, and she wasn't even sure if those kinds of medicines and chemicals were invented yet. Unable to keep sitting on her futon, the young woman jumped up and began pacing her room worriedly. She could start letting him have her blood since it did make the the scent of the tuberculosis lessen. Maybe if she gave it to him over some period of time it will get rid of the lung disease? But how was she supposed to bring it up? How would he even take having to drink the blood of a youkai?

"Oh yeah, because I'm just supposed to go up to this idiot and go, 'Oh hey Souji! You have tuberculosis and the only way you're going to stay alive is if you drink my blood.' Like who the fuck in their right mind would say some shit like that to someone they just recently stopped ignoring. Damn it!" Shiro began ranting as she started getting ready for the day, putting on her deep green kimono and tying her hair up in a ponytail. Shiro felt like nothing she did would be ideal, but she knew that he had to know.

"Hey Shiro! I've got breakfast for you!" Sen spoke up loudly, making the pacing ookami nearly jump out of her skin.

"What the fuck?! Why'd you have to come out of no where?" Shiro growled out loudly, still feeling her shaken heart pounding in her chest.

Sen stared at her friend in disbelief before speaking to her. "Wow you must have really been in your own little world to not notice me."

"Shut up will you! Just get in here. I'm hungry." Just as Sen walked in Shiro sat down on her futon and looked up at her friend questioningly. "Actually why are you here with breakfast anyways? Where's Kimigiku?"

"The guys had a really quick breakfast because they had to help with directing the others for the physical examination. I mean Matsumoto-sensei is the only doctor here so there is a lot of organizing. And Kimigiku is resting because she's tired from scouting the city."

Shiro sat gruffly began eating her breakfast in thought. After swallowing her food a serious tone came from her. "Did she find anything?"

Sen's shoulders sagged indicating that her ninja had found nothing. "No. She could only find his two cronies, but he specifically was nowhere to be found. I feel like he's messing with me in my own territory!"

Shiro sighed. She wasn't sure if Kazema was aware that Sen was in Kyoto or if he was here on her lands for some other malicious reason, but whatever it was it sensed like trouble. "Don't worry. I can smell the difference between your oni blood and his. Plus you've got me here too."

Sen smiled at Shiro who then continued to stuff her face to finish the rest of her meal. They then had a light conversation as the ookami youaki finished her meal and proceeded to take her tray to the courtyard by the kitchen to clean her dishes. As they walked, they passed the open doors of the main hall and peered in to see a long line of topless men. Shiro raised a questioning eyebrow, while a small blush tinted Sen's cheeks. Suddenly the loud, boisterous voice of Shinpachi could be heard over the small talk of the men in line at the front.

"Yosh! Thanks a bunch, Sensei!" The Second Division captain voice boomed as he began posing and flexing his muscles in front of Matsumoto. The two women looked down the line to see Hajime right behind him and Heisuke and Sano a little farther back - the sight of the youngest captain made the young oni princess go bright red. Shinpachi left no time for Sen to get extremely embarrassed as he then continued a loud monologue of his 'tip top muscle-on-top-of-muscle' physique. The childish display caused Sen to giggle and Shiro to shake her head. Hearing the giggle, and already knowing who it was without looking, Heisuke quickly felt the need to make fun of the hulking man who was getting attention from the women at the door.

"Shinpat, your body is plenty strong, its your head he needs to check." Shinpachi whipped around to glare at the Eighth Division captain, who once again heard a giggle from the same princess. He was forced to whirl around to hide the fact that he was smiling from getting the young woman to laugh. While the Sen and the other men found it to be the usual teasing and mocking between two of the baka trio, Shiro could sense the pride that emanated off of the young man that could not have been from just insulting Shinpachi. A small smirk graced her lips.

Heisuke, you're so easy to read that it's almost a mystery how Sen hasn't noticed how differently you've started to act around her, but then again I don't think you've notice yourself either.

Matsumoto finally got Shinpachi to sit and examined the young man. After checking his breathing and teeth he finally called out 'next.' But Shinpachi seemed unsatisfied at the examination and continued boasting about how Matsumoto should check all of his muscles. Hajime, who was next in line, gruffly and icily told his comrade to get out of the way. Walking away with a slouch, just as Shinpachi passed Sano they began making weird body building poses to try to see who could flex their muscles the most. Sen was fighting not to laugh loudly, while Shiro rolled her eyes.

"Come on Sen. We're going to catch their stupidity if we stay." Shiro huffed as they continued on their way to go clean her dishes leaving some disgruntled men behind.

Shiro finally set her dishes down so that they could dry as Sen sat on some steps in her own little world. Wiping her hands on her kimono to dry them Shiro smirked at the smitten, daydreaming oni before her. The ookami could tell that her friend was thinking about the youngest of the captains. It was so obviously written on her face that Shiro could hardly take it looking at her.

"Ne, idiot-" Shiro had began her sentence to embarrass the princess when she heard the doctor's voice speak in a courtyard not too far away.

"You've had a small appetite, a constant mild fever, and break out in a sweat at night."

"Yeah…" The moment she heard Souji's voice respond Shiro jolted into action.

"Sen. Stay here! I need to do something!" With that, Shiro left a very confused oni on the steps from the kitchen to the courtyard. The ookami had jumped onto the roof and ran towards the two men.

"Here's my diagnosis-" Before Matsumoto had a chance to say anything Shiro dropped down from the roof onto the ground before them.

"Tuberculosis." Shiro looked up with an emotion that flashed through her eyes that Souji could not exactly name.

"What?" Souji asked as he took an astonished step back. What did she mean tuberculosis?

"How did you know, Akayuki-san?" Matsumoto asked with a hard and sad look on his face. Souji looked over the doctor seeing that the look on the older man's face made it certain of the disease that plagued him.

"I learned the ways of medicine from… someone. I had trouble remembering what disease these symptoms belonged to, but I did. Souji had tuberculosis." Shiro answered awkwardly to the questions before looking to the handsome man before her. Souji knew the second she hesitated, though, that the 'someone' who taught her medicine was her beloved Ichirou. His fist clenched slightly before he relaxed. He forced himself to look away from Shiro and Matsumoto so that they did not see the pained and frustrated look on his face.

"Haha so I have to infamous and incurable disease. Don't tell Kondo-san and the others. It'll be problematic." He said before finally turning to the doctor and the youkai before him with his trademark grin.

"Wh-what do you mean, Okita-san?! You need to move somewhere up in the mountains where the air is cleaner and rest! This is no laughing matter." Matsumoto reprimanded exasperatedly, but Shiro saw it as much as she could sense it. Frustration. Fear. Sadness. Anger. But most of all, she could see the determination glint in his eyes. He was dead set on staying with the Shinsengumi as long as it meant that he could die with a katana in his hands. A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes ripped themselves away from Souji and closed.

"Matsumoto-sensei. Nothing you say will make this idiot change his mind." Shiro opened her eyes as her eyes immediately locked with Souji's. He felt himself get lost in her crimson orbs that seem to have sadness swirl within them. "I should get going. Sen is waiting on me."

Shiro went to leave, but before she could jump up onto the roof Souji called out her name. "Shiro! Don't tell anyone or I'll have to kill you."

Without looking at the ill man, a smile graced her lips. He had said it so often to her in their constant arguments, since the moment they actually started talking to each other that she no longer saw it as an actual threat. "Idiot."

With that one last statement, Shiro left the two men in awe. She had jumped onto the roof in a single bound. Something that no human could ever dream to do. "What a interesting character that Akayuki-san is. I've never encountered a Junketsu Ookami before now that I think about it."

Souji looked over at the doctor. He knew that he had been all over, from the warm southern lands to the icy northern lands, and treated anyone who needed his help - human or not. But to think that such a seasoned traveler had never seen someone like Shiro before kind of worried the young captain. Did that mean that her kind were in hiding or no longer? He was soon pulled out of his thoughts when Matsumoto began speaking to him of ways to prolong the affects of the disease.

The First Division captain, though, paid little mind to what he was being told. He refused to rest like a weakling in bed when his sole purpose in life was to be useful of the Shinsengumi and Kondo-san. Souji's eyebrows knitted painfully. Eventually the incurable illness will catch up to him and they will all find out. What will their reactions be? What faces will his most trusted comrades make when they find out that his life was cut short by a disease with no cure. Will they pity him like so many have done to him in the past? And Shiro? What expression had she had made when she turned away from him? Was she truly saddened by his plight? For some reason something within the emerald-eyed man told him to reveal his true attraction to her before it was too late, but he shook off the feeling. There was nothing deep he about the way he felt about her that she needed to know about. Still something within him told him that he would be at his dying breath with regret if he did not do something about the beautiful wolf that had stole his breath from the very beginning. His heart ached.

Finally looking up at Matsumoto, Souji let out his usual charismatic smile, invoking a defeated huff from the doctor, and was left alone. The captain then trudged his way to his room and laid down on his futon with the door wide open. Souji stared at the ceiling with a blank mind. He needed time to himself so that he could figure out what he was going to do.

When Shiro reached the courtyard that she had left a dumbfounded Sen she stood silently for a few moments. Sen, who was still sitting on the stairs, noticed the dark cloud that seemed to shroud her friend. Without warning the ookami punched the ground, leaving a small crater, while a loud groan of frustration left her. "That goddamn idiot is just asking to kick the bucket early!"

Sen tilted her head sideways since she had no idea why whoever this 'idiot' was would kick a bucket. Nevertheless she stood up and made her way to the ookami's side and patted her shoulder as reassuringly as she could. Shiro looked up to see a concerned look on the oni's face which made her take a deep breath and stand up. Dusting herself off, the white haired woman stretched to try to ease some of the tension that had built up within her.

"I guess I'm on cooking duty more often now."

"What does that even mean, Shiro?"

The ookami youkai looked over at her friend with blank stare. Sen felt herself get nervous with the empty look she was getting before taking a large sigh. "You know what? If you're going to look at me like that then I guess I don't want to know then."

"Hehe. Good. You could try one day to prepare a meal to practice for, you know, when you and Heisuke get together. I mean, I bet the real way to that idiot's heart heart is either through his stomach or his crotch. Though I don't think you're ready for the second."

"SHIRO! I'M GOING TO KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT!" Sen was at least seven shades of red as she screeched at Shiro. She threw a closed fist at her friend and, at the moment, the cause of all of her embarrassment. Shiro easily dodged the punch. From there the two began hand-to-hand combat with each other in the courtyard. The two were enjoying themselves, though it was obvious to Sen that Shiro was still somewhat brooding over something. After some time the two young women we snapped out of their sparring session by the added presence of an impressed Commander and one of his Vice-Commanders.

"Wow! You ladies are awesome at martial arts!" Isami exclaimed with admiration in his eyes. Both Shiro and Sen fidgeted with small smiles on their faces, since neither were used to such compliments.

"How did you two become so proficient in martial arts?" Toshizo asked, obviously trying to mask how he impressed also was.

"Hijikata-san I had to learn since I am the sole heir of my clan." Sen explained her situation first as she brought her hands behind her to hid the fact that they clenched. The memory of using hand-to-hand combat against Kazema because pulling her katanas on him would lead to political chaos was painful. He had put his hands all over her shamelessly. She was, thankfully, pulled out of her dark memories when Shiro began speaking.

"Where I came from it was illegal to pull a weapon on someone because we were not at war. And anyways a bunch of teenage human boys are no match for me with a katana." Shiro straightened out her kimono a bit after answering before looking up at the two men. "Anyways was there something you needed from us?"

"Get cleaned up because it will be lunch soon," Toshizo blandly stated which was received with a shake of the head from Isami, an awkward smile from Sen, and an annoyed half glare from Shiro.

"Shiro we really should go get changed, though. I'm a little sweaty and our cloths have dirt on them." The white haired woman stared at her friend with a pointed look before sighing heavily.

"Whatever."

Sen smiled and began pulling her reluctant friend by the sleeve towards their rooms. Shiro did not fail to stick her tongue out at Toshizo as they passed the two men, making the Vice-Commander fume with short-lived annoyance. As the two women walked through a courtyard and neared their rooms they were confronted by Sannan Keisuke, who seemed to be holding a sort of medical bag.

"So the snake decided to leave his hole again? It's been nearly two days that you've been out and about. I wonder what you could be up to?" Shiro eyed the man suspiciously, trying her best not to snarl at the man. He seemed fine - though still had the stench of that Ochimi - and the bag smelled like Matsumoto, but the cold, judgmental look in his eyes put her on edge. She felt better that she could smell the other captains and Matsumoto walking their way, but she did not feel so at peace with the other Vice-Commander walking to the two women.

"No need for you to be so rude, Akayuki-san. Matsumoto-sensei simply asked me to administer you this medicine to prevent illnesses, which are common amongst youkai." Keisuke spoke cooly as he finally stopped in front of the two women and set the bag down so that he could take out its contents. But as soon as he pulled out a syringe with clear liquid in it her blood ran cold and she knew that her face had paled. She could smell that the clear contents were just some herbal medicine mixed in water, but the instrument it was in made her heart pound against her ribcage erratically as dark memories flooded her mind.

Shiro was in a pristine white room huddled up on a thin mattress holding a pathetic blanket in a corner. The room was desolate with nothing but what the child was on and a toilet against the same wall in the corner. On the opposite wall was a sort of trap door and to its right a large window that only allowed those on the other side to see through and a door for the doctors to come in through on the left. The scene of her hell for five years. The Research Center. Suddenly standing up, the clanging noise of the chains that dangled from her neck, wrists, and ankles resonated in the box. Fear and rage were the only emotions evident in her eyes as she began to growl like some rabid, aggressive animal. Then there was a abrupt yank of the chain to her neck and the young girl was slammed onto the ground, letting out a pained cry. They came into the room through the door with their white coats and blue latex gloves and white face masks and clear goggles. These bastards called themselves doctors and scientists, but they where sick monsters. Shiro stood there in her memories sick to her stomach knowing that there was nothing that she could do. Her child self thrashed and screamed as the men held her down with equipment used to subdue rabid animals and administered a needle full of what her older self knew to be a lethal poison.

"No! Leave me alone! Get away from me! I don't want that! What are you doing to me?!" The child screamed as loudly as she could trying to fight against the men but the chains made of pure silver burned her skin and weakened her.

No one is going to save you.

One man rose his hand and let it fall with accelerated speed before the back of his hand connected with Shiro's face. The deafening sound seemed to echo in the room drowning out the agonizing pleas. Tears streamed down the little girl's face. She was about six when this experiment happened to her. The men spoke as they left the room, leaving the child on the floor.

"It's just a little bit of poison. We'll see how it deals with this dosage."

"Hopefully the subject survives this."

"It's enough to kill a grown man in ten to fifteen minutes, so the results will be interesting if it does."

When the door closed behind them Shiro watched the child struggle to rise of her feet.

You should've just stayed down.

Now only rage was emitted from the young girl's face. She snarled at the window where she knew that they were watching her. "Monsters!"

After her scream of defiance she doubled over and vomited a large amount of blood. A pool of blood stained the pure white floor. Suddenly she felt like she had dirtied the place that the humans had made. She tried to continue with her defiance and attempted another step towards the window with a growl. But when she took that step, she fell straight on to her chest with a hard smack into the pool of her own blood. The feeling in her limbs went numb. Her mind felt heavy and the world seemed to spin. Everything was such a bright white with splattered red that she could not tell if she was still in the Research Center or if she was dead. She hoped with all of her scarred heart that it was the later. More blood escaped her mouth as her small body began to tremor. A pained gurgling sound escaped her mouth as she fought to breath. The child's lungs were beginning to fill with the red liquid.

"Kill… me… please."

They won't let you go that easily.

Tears flowed from her eyes as she tried to speak with all of her might. Now pained sobs were filling the room as the youkai pleaded to be killed. Shiro stood there watching her former self writhing in pain as the fatal poison coursed though her veins. Her face was stoic as she observed calmly. She knew that no matter how she had pleaded for death it never came to take the pain away.

"Akayuki-san, show me your arm." Hearing the cold man before her give instructions, Shiro snapped out of her hell and snarled at Keisuke seeing that he had already grabbed her arm and was ready to inject the medicine in her.

"Let go of me. Now." Shiro growled, not noticing that the others were now passing them and seemed concerned at her anger. Her sudden hostility made the Vice-Commander frown at her.

"Don't act childish and just lift your sleeve. It's only a prick." Keisuke gritted out in retaliation to the venom in her voice. Sen suddenly panicked. Shiro had been on edge beforehand and right at the moment she did not seem herself either. Something was going to go terribly wrong. And Sen knew who would end up with the short end of the stick or nearly killed. She turned her head away from the two to the group of men in the hallway walking their way. The Baka Trio, Souji, and Matsumoto were all there looking onto the spectacle. Seeing Sen's concerned expression though, they slowly and cautiously made their way into the courtyard.

Without so much as a warning Shiro grabbed the syringe, breaking it in the process, and kicked Keisuke in the chest, not hard enough to break something but just enough to leave him bruised and sore for a long while. Sen yelled Shiro's name, but her friend could not hear her or the others. The man flew to the ground with a groan, but before he had time to recover Shiro was already above him ready to strike him. He looked up and saw pure hatred shine through her eyes, though they did not seem to be looking at him directly. Before the ookami could throw a fist at the human below her, one strong arm wrapped around her middle while a warm, calloused hand gripped her forearm and pulled her away from the Vice-Commander.

Shiro struggled against the man holding her back. She could have easily broken away, but something within her told her not to hurt the man holding her. Shinpachi and Sano helped an unsteady Keisuke up to a sitting position, while she could hear Heisuke ask Sen what happened.

An angered bout escaped Keisuke as his head shot up to glare at Shiro. "You broke that tool, you foolish brat! That was a modern medical instrument from the Western countries!"

Before Keisuke could continue yelling at the young woman, she flashed an expression of pure rage at him making everyone still at the chilling tension in the air. "I know damned well what that fucking thing was. It was a syringe and that piece of shit breaking should the least of your worries. The next time you come at me with that god damned thing I'll break your fucking arm along with it too!"

"Shiro calm down!" Souji whispered harshly by her head as his grip around her middle tightened, pulling her body closer to his, and released her arm so he could cover her eyes gently. He held her still and nuzzled his nose into her hair hoping to calm her down even by a little bit. He slightly relished in the feeling of the woman that made him feel strange emotions, but chastised himself immediately. The beast within her that had gone into fight-or-flight began to calm down with Souji's touch and his firewood scent. She took a deep breath to try take in even more of the smell of the man holding her.

Calm down. They can't hurt me anymore.

Finally feeling her rationale somewhat return back to her, Shiro placed her slightly trembling hand over Souji's to move it making his heart jump a little. "I'm fine now, Souji"

Slowly the handsome samurai untangled his arms from the woman before him a little reluctantly. He wanted to keep holding her. She seemed so upset that she had almost lost herself. The First Division captain wanted nothing more than to comfort her until all of the pain went away.

"Akayuki-san… could it be that you have had a traumatic experience with these instruments?" Matsumoto asked with disbelief that such a strong youkai such as Shiro could have been so emotionally hurt by such a new instrument.

Shiro's face went dark as she looked down at the ground. "Human's can be cruel and disgusting creatures to those that are not like them… even if its a child."

There was a miserable silence that followed. No one knew what to say. They had no idea what horrors Shiro had witnessed as an ookami youkai child in a human's world. They had no idea how to properly console her. Shiro exhaled heavily before turning to Sen with furrowed eyebrows and tired look in her eyes.

"I'm going to change my clothes and go hunt."

Sen was only able to nod as the white haired woman disappeared from their sight in seconds to her room where she changed into light brown pants and a white top with the sleeves taken off. Once she finished, Shiro made her way out of the compound and into the forest with inhuman speed. She wanted to be alone as quickly as possible.

Still in shock from her bout of rage, the others looked at Sen with confusion and concern. "What did she mean by she was going to 'go hunt,' Sen-san?"

Shinpachi was the first to break the silence, but Sen only smiled sadly and shook her head. "Just let her be for now."

Matsumoto looked at Sen with concern before turning to the Vice-Commander who had finally stood up with a disapproving expression. "Sannan-san. If any patient is uncomfortable with anything you need to stop right away, especially when you are human and they are youkai. You are lucky that Akayuki-san did not kill you out of blind rage and fear."

"I doubt that she would have actually killed me. She did not kick me hard enough to break my bones or kill me. She should have just been civil about being scared of it." Keisuke huffed as he held the part where her foot had came in contact. This dismissive tone ticked Sen off. Shiro had clearly told him to let go of her and he did not heed her words as she said them.

"Sannan-san. I advise you never push her like that again, even if she did not seriously harm you this time. Ookami youkai, especially the Junketsu and Jigoku, are known for their aggression and ruthlessness towards whoever they see as an enemy. There is a reason why they are called the Beasts of War. When they attack… the end goal is to mutilate their prey." Sen said gravely with a small amount of apathy in her voice. She felt no empathy for a person that does wrong and then blames others. A shiver ran down the spines of the humans. She may not have kicked him hard, but they did realize that her next attack was to directed to his skull… to completely crush it under her fist.

Sen walked towards the dining hall with a silent anger for her absent friend. When the hall filled, she noticed that Keisuke had slinked off to wherever he usually ate his meals. By mid meal she had calmed down a bit and was able to enter a light conversation with Heisuke. She hoped that her blushing at his smiles and jokes were not too obvious.

"Ne, Sen-san?" The Sano's voice pulled her from her blissful shyness and made her look up at the captain. "I really want to know what Shiro-chan meant by going hunting."

She looked around to see that the others were also curious, while Isami and Toshizo a little lost since they only got part of the commotion that had recently happened. Taking a deep sigh Sen answered the question ambiguously, "She meant exactly that. She went on a hunt to relieve some stress and have lunch in the process."

"You mean that she knows how to hunt by herself?" Heisuke pondered aloud with his hand rubbing his chin. Sen sent a small smile his way causing him to slightly blush at such elegancy.

"Yes. What predator wouldn't know how to hunt?" While her smile was endearing, her words - of which she obviously found normal - left a slight chill through the young captains for calling their friend a predator. Souji grimaced. Always bickering with her and feeling the slight tremble in her hand as she placed above his earlier made him forget that Shiro was, in fact, a beast plenty capable of destroying armies. A Beast of War? He did not want to see her as a monster, but he had to accept that she was much stronger than a human. He suddenly remembered the night of infiltrating the tea house; he remembered the soft, sad faraway look in her eyes as she looked up at the falling snow; he remembered how small her hand had felt in his.

Shiro may be considered a monster in some aspects, but she's as fragile as a human if not more in others.

The meal finished quickly after that conversation and the group of men and Sen went to the courtyard that sat before Shiro, Sen, and Kimigiku's rooms. Mastumoto had bid them farewell as he was needed elsewhere. Luckily, for him, he missed the proper explanation Sen had to give Toshizo and Isami about why Shiro was absent to lunch. Just as the noble finished her account the young woman in question walked into view… effortlessly dragging a full grown male deer by the antlers.