A/N: I'm kind of sad that I didn't get as many reviews as I had expected for the last chapter. :'( I feel like I might have lost a few loyal reviewers...oh well, I can't do anything about that. I hope I didn't make you guys too mad and chase you off with what I did in the last chapter...this fanfiction wouldn't be a drama without drama.
Hikiri, I'm sorry! I hope I didn't upset you too much! Don't worry, this fanfic isn't a tragedy. You can count on that! (But I do have a small thing for tragedies) ;)
The Queen of Water, I hope this chapter is to your liking!
Juliedoo, Hahaha I really love that phrase "I think my brain broke" XD There will hopefully be more Kazama vs Saito fight scenes in the future!
14Phantom, Thank you for always reviewing! I don't think I will be turning Hijikata into a rasetsu, just because I can't really see it fitting in anywhere in this fanfic. I think this will end up being more Kazama/Saito-centric because I got a request from another reviewer for a Kazama and Saito rivalry, so I'm still trying to figure out how that will fit into the story.
Akiko88, Aww, I'm sorry, I sort of threw you guys for a loop there. I'm sorry if I made you upset! I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scene!
Guest, since you reviewed for chapter 26, I will post your response on chapter 27.
I'm not too happy with the way this chapter turned out. It's shorter than my past few chapters have been; I'm trying to get over this mini writer's block. Notwithstanding, I hope you guys enjoy it. And as always, please review!
Chapter 28
Aoi felt a scream rip through her body when she saw the blood-red liquid slide into Saito's mouth. He coughed and the crystal vial slipped from his fingers, landing with a delicate ting on the ground. Saito gripped his shoulders with his hands, doubling over with convulsions. His long, beautiful, indigo hair turned the same color his scarf used to be, bleaching white starting from the roots and spreading to the tips. His azure eyes glowed bright red. The wounds he had received during his fight with Kazama slowly closed up, but his clothes were still stained with crimson blood. He stood up gingerly, feeling the newfound power coursing through his veins. Aoi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push back the tears that had gathered, but they escaped from the corners of her eyes and made their way down her cheeks.
Kazama's golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "Even if you drink that, you will only be a fake. Your power will never match up to mine: a true oni!"
"A fake?" Saito glanced down at his bloodied hands. "That may be true." He curled his fingers into a fist. "But the Shinsengumi has been called a fake time and time again. Despite the bravery we demonstrate, despite the loyalty we show, we are naught but 'fakes.'" He squared his shoulders and looked Kazama directly in the eye. "But even fakes can become the real thing. I can't give up without using all of my resources. I don't regret drinking the Ochimizu if it helps me defeat you."
Saito raised his katana in front of his face. A shadow crossed his face momentarily before he sprung at the oni. He moved so quickly Aoi could see nothing but a blur of white, and then Saito's blade was on Kazama's with a clang. A shower of sparks revealed the two men with white hair glaring at each other ferociously. Saito pressed forward, and Kazama was forced to take a few steps backwards.
Kazama swung his sword at Saito and succeeded in placing a cut on his pale cheek. A few drops of blood trickled from Saito's wound before it closed up, like it was never there to begin with. Saito didn't bother to wipe the blood on his face before he leapt again. Aoi gasped when Kazama disappeared from beneath Saito's blade and reappeared behind him, swinging his sword down on his bared back. But with Saito's heightened senses, he had already spun around and blocked the attack.
"What's going on here?" Aoi flinched and whirled around at the sudden noise behind her. Hijikata was standing there, watching the intense match with a terrifying expression on his face. His sharp purple eyes fell on the crystal vial a couple yards from Aoi's feet. "The Ochimizu?" His eyes swiveled back back to the two men with white hair.
"Hijikata-san!" Aoi cried, grasping the front of the vice-commander's haori. "Saito-san is...Saito-san's..." Fat tears escaped her eyes. She let go of the light-blue collar and turned towards the fray. "I have to stop him!"
Hijikata grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Wait, if you go, you might be killed."
Aoi wrestled her arm away. "If I leave things the way they are, Saito-san will kill himself!" She vociferated hysterically.
"Stop." The black-haired man commanded. "I'm sure Saito drank the Ochimizu to protect you. If you go in there and get yourself hurt, he won't be pleased."
"But..." She protested.
"I'll stop him." Hijikata's right hand found the hilt of his katana and he drew it, running head first into the fight.
Kazama brought his sword up to slash at Saito, but instead of clashing with Saito's katana, his blade was greeted by another's. Black hair fluttered over his shoulders as Hijikata gripped his sword tightly.
"Vice-commander!" Saito exclaimed, red eyes flying wide open.
"Saito," Hijikata grunted, "you're an intelligent man and an exemplary swordsman, and I respect that. But sometimes, you're quite dull. Look at the girl crying back there. Can't you see that you're making her suffer?" Using all of his strength, Hijikata managed to push Kazama back a few steps.
Saito looked back at Aoi who was sobbing into her hands. "I-" He whispered.
"Go." Hijikata ordered. "I'll take care of this bastard." He rushed at Kazama, his sword held high.
"How dare you interrupt us!" Kazama snarled. He threw Hijikata's sword aside with his own and stepped forward in a lunge. Hijikata turned swiftly and slashed down at the oni, but Kazama promptly vanished, reappearing behind the vice-commander.
Saito slowly walked towards Aoi, sheathing his sword. His hair gradually returned to its natural color. He reached out a hand and grasped Aoi's wrist, pulling her hand away from her face. "Saito-san, you're an idiot." She hiccuped. "Why did you drink it?" She buried her face in his chest. "Why?!"
He stroked her hair, his mind in great tumult. "I was weak." He whispered, "If only I were stronger I wouldn't have had to rely on that thing."
Aoi raised her head to look up at Saito, but something behind him caught her eye. Hijikata had turned quickly to block Kazama's attack, and they both sprung backwards. Pausing a moment, they rushed towards each other at the same time, a sneer plastered on Kazama's face, and a scowl disfiguring Hijikata's. Yet when they neared each other and brought their swords down at the same time, a figure dressed in black leapt in front of Hijikata and a larger man with long, auburn hair materialized in front of Kazama. Amagiri raised his arm, stopping Hijikata's sword midair, while Kazama's blade sank into Yamazaki's back.
"Yamazaki?" Hijikata's violet eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed in disbelief.
"What are you doing, vice-commander?" Yamazaki croaked. "You are our leader, the head, and we are your subordinates, the limbs. If you lose a limb, you can always replace it, but if you lose the head, it's all over." His body went limp and he sagged to the ground. Hijikata stood there staring at the medic with horror.
Aoi pushed Saito to the side and ran to Yamazaki. "Yamazaki-san, hey, Yamazaki-san." She shook his shoulders, but he didn't move. Saito knelt down next to her and lifted Yamazaki, examining his wounds.
"Y-Yamazaki..." Hijikata stammered.
"This is far enough." Amagiri boomed. "The Sacho army will be here any minute. We should leave now, before they arrive."
Kazama glanced down at the group with his red eyes. Sometime when they weren't looking, he had lost his oni features. "Fine." He muttered, sheathing his sword, and they disappeared without a sound.
Aoi looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. Sano and Shinpachi were running towards them, but the two of them stopped short when they saw the bloody scene surrounding the vice-commander.
"What the hell happened?" Shinpachi demanded, taking in Inoue's and Yamazaki's body on the ground, and Saito's bloodstained clothes.
"Look after Yamazaki." Hijkata breathed out.
Shinpachi blinked a few times, studying the man's face before nodding. "Sure." He took Yamazaki from Saito's arms. "This looks really bad." He remarked when he saw the cut.
"Hijikata-san, what exactly happened here?!" Sano carefully turned Inoue over.
Aoi glanced up at the vice-commander to see his hands shaking. "I never thought I would sacrifice a subordinate for my own survival."
"Who killed Inoue-san?" Sano asked.
"Those three men." Aoi pointed at the traitors lying not too far away.
"Sano, can you get some bandages?" Shinpachi asked, gently laying Yamazaki on the ground. Sano nodded and rushed back to the headquarters just outside the forest.
"Hijikata-san," Saito addressed the vice-commander, "we should dig a grave for Inoue-san here." Aoi could barely see his chest heaving.
"Saito-san, are you alright?" She reached out a hand to touch his face, but he pushed it away.
"I'm fine." He replied curtly, avoiding her gaze.
Aoi froze in surprise as Saito walked past her and dug in the bushes and tall grass for large sticks that would suffice for digging. He found three and handed one to Hijikata, one to Aoi, keeping the third for himself. Together with Hijikata, Saito lifted Inoue and carried him just outside the forest, where there was enough space to bury him. The three of them worked quickly in silence until the sun was beginning to sink beyond the horizon. Sometime during that period, Sano had returned with the bandages, and wrapped Yamazaki's wound with Shinpachi's help. Then they lifted him, supporting his weight with their shoulders and transported him back to headquarters for further medical attention.
Aoi felt like she was in a trance. Everything that had occurred seemed surreal. She wondered if what she had just witnessed was real, or if it was, in fact, a dream. She glanced over at Saito. It might have been the lighting, but his complexion seemed paler than normal.
"I think this is deep enough." Hijikata finally said. He threw his stick down and shuffled over to Inoue's body, gesturing at Saito for his help. Together they lifted to dead man and gently placed his body in the deep hole. With their hands, they gathered up the dirt they had displaced while digging and let it slide smoothly into the grave.
"Hijikata-san," Aoi murmured, "Inoue-san left a message for you."
"I know," came his brusque reply, "Chizuru already told me."
They lapsed back into silence, sifting dirt over the corpse. After the grave was properly covered and a mound had formed, Hijikata walked over to where the three traitors were lying and picked up Inoue's katana. He returned to the grave and embedded the blade into the top of the mound. "Gen-san," he whispered, "we're going to Osaka Castle. We won't lose there."
"What do you mean the Shogun isn't here?" Shinpachi shouted. The Shinsengumi had just arrived at Osaka Castle and the news of Inoue's death still weighed heavily on everyone.
"He left just before you got here." Kondou replied with a grave expression on his face. "He and the leader of the Aizu Clan left for Edo."
"Our leader ran like a coward as soon as war broke out?!" Shinpachi stamped his foot in outrage.
"Don't be angry with him." Kondou tried to calm down the captain of the second division. "I'm sure head a good reason for leaving."
"He can go to hell for all I care." Hijikata growled. "We're staying here and fighting."
"But there's hardly any supplies left in the castle! Weapons, ammunition, food reserves are severely depleted!" Shimada cut it.
"One more thing," Sannan-san added, "the Rasetsu Unit was annihilated during a night attack."
"Not the Rasetsu Unit!" Sano cried.
"It was those silver bullets." Heisuke explained. "It seems the other side knows all about us."
"The Rasetsus are unable to recover quickly from silver bullets." Sannan-san sighed and pushed his glasses up his long nose.
Shinpachi pounded his fist into his other hand with great indignation. "The Shogun turns tail and runs, we're almost out of weapons and provisions, and our trump card, the Rasetsu Unit is obliterated!" Aoi could literally see spit flying out of his mouth.
"There's no way for us to win!" Sano agreed.
"Hijikata-kun, we should flee for Edo." Sannan-san advised.
The vice-commander ground his teeth in frustration. "Dammit!"
"Tsukahara-san," Kondou turned to the girl who had stayed silent all this time, "do you have any input on this?"
Aoi shook her head. "I'll do as I am commanded. If you tell me to stay, I will stay. If you tell me to leave, I shall leave." She replied simply, her mind still dwelling on the image of Saito drinking to Ochimizu.
"We'll be leaving for Edo tomorrow night." Hijikata whirled around and stomped to the door, ending the meeting.
Aoi exited after him and flew down the hall to Saito's quarters. She tiptoed into his room quietly, kneeling down next to his futon. Sweat had matted his dark hair to his pale face. With a timid hand, Aoi pushed his hair off his forehead, but as she did so, his features scrunched up. Haltingly, she lowered her body to the tatami next to his futon and curled into a ball on her side. She stared drowsily at his haggard countenance until her eyes slowly slid shut.
The next morning, Aoi's eyes blinked open to an empty futon beside her. She gazed at it for a moment, her mind not processing the information, and then she sat up with a gasp. She scrambled out of the room and into the bright hallway. A blast of cold, winter air made Aoi shiver. She ran through the castle, searching for Saito, only to find him in the courtyard, under the radiant sun, directing the training of the third division. She lingered around on the porch, not wishing to disturb him, yet at the same time, trying to find a chance to talk to him. As she was getting ready to leave, she noticed Saito glancing back at her. He turned around and said something to his squad before walking up to her.
"What is it, Tsukahara?" He questioned as soon as he was in front of her.
"Are you feeling alright?" She reached up a hand to push back his hair, but he parried it.
"I'm fine." He replied distantly. "Is there anything else you require?"
"I-" Aoi bit her lower lip.
"If there isn't, I will take my leave now." He turned, but Aoi grabbed the back of his black kimono, stopping him.
"You should rest, Saito-san!"
Saito grasped her hands and pulled them off. "Tsukahara, I realize I am a Rasetsu, but my first priority, before myself, is the Shinsengumi. War is on our doorsteps, and I need to prepare my squad for it." He strode back to his men without another word.
As soon as the sun had sunk and the stars were beginning to appear in the sky, Aoi went to find Heisuke. She paused in front of his door and called out his name.
"Come in." Came his reply. Aoi entered and seated herself in front of the boy who was packing up the last of his belongings. "Have you finished preparing for our trip?" He asked her.
Aoi nodded. "Yeah. I did that earlier today. I actually came here to ask you for something."
Heisuke looked up. "It about Hajime-kun?"
"I'm worried about him." Aoi explained. "He's a Rasetsu now, but he's still up and about during the day."
"Sometimes it might take a few days for the actual effects of the Ochimizu to set in. He might not be feeling the fatigue Sannan-san and I feel during the day yet, but he will soon. Seeing as it's Hajime-kun though, that might not even stop him from doing his duty."
"Yes, that's what I'm worried about."
Heisuke stood and padded over to his desk. He opened it and took out several packets of medicine. "If he ever experiences the bloodlust, give him this." He handed the packets to her. "It will only stop the pain temporarily. Blood would be the best option for satiating his desire, but..." Aoi took the packets from him. She stood and thanked him. "Once he has drunk the Ochimizu, there's no way for him to become human again." Heisuke said as she left his room. Aoi sighed and stored the medicine in the long sleeves of her kimono.
On the way back to her room, she ran into Shinpachi. "Oh, Aoi-chan, are you packed? We're heading over to the ship now."
Aoi smiled at him. "Wait for me, I'm going to get my stuff." She jogged down the hallway.
"Hurry up, or I'm going to leave you behind!" Shinpachi called after her teasingly.
As they were boarding the large ship departing for Edo, Aoi approached Chizuru who was standing off to the side of the dock by herself. "How's Yamazaki-san doing?" She asked the girl.
Chizuru shook her head sadly. "He contracted a fever last night, but unfortunately, it worsened today. I fear he won't make it through the trip."
"Did you cauterize the wound?"
"We tried," Chizuru replied, "but he didn't want us to for some reason."
"What about Okita-san?" Aoi looked around the dock.
"He was brought up earlier. He's still really sick." Chizuru looked depressed.
"Move to the side, move to the side!" A voice shouted behind Aoi. She jumped and scurried out of the way. Four men carefully carried the wooden plank Yamazaki was resting on onto the ship.
"I'm going to go look after him." Chizuru bowed to Aoi and followed the men.
Aoi picked up her scarce belongings and boarded the ship. On the deck she gazed back at the land she was departing from. She opened her mouth to taste the salty air, however a sudden gust of wind blew across the ocean, making the ship rock. Aoi lost her balance on the unstable ground and stumbled, almost falling. A strong arm caught her just as her legs were about to slip out from underneath her.
"Woah there, careful." Sano steadied her.
"Thanks." She sighed in relief.
"No problem. Is this your first time on a ship?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's kind of scary." Aoi laughed shakily. "I'm used to being on land. This seems a bit unnatural to me."
"You'll get used to it soon enough. But you should prepare yourself, it's going to be a long trip up to Edo." Sano smirked, enjoying her discomfort.
She tried to kick him, but he dodged the assault. "You're so mean!" She cried. She had wanted to whack him, but both of her hands were occupied with her luggage. Sano chuckled and ran away.
Aoi went to put her luggage down in the cabin she was sharing with Chizuru. Then she went back onto the deck where the rest of the Shinsengumi had gathered.
"Is everyone here?" Hijikata shouted. "The ship is getting ready to depart, we don't want to leave anyone behind."
Everyone looked around and nodded. Aoi's eyes searched for Saito, and she saw him standing at the outer edge of the group, far away from her spot near the middle. Saito must have sensed her staring at him because his head turned and their eyes met, but only for a fraction of a second before he looked away. Hijikata's purple eyes swept over the congregation once before nodding curtly once.
"We're ready." He told the captain. The wooden planks they had used to board the ship were pulled in, the gates were closed and locked, and the anchor was reeled in. With a groan, the large ship was pulling away from the dock and into the vast ocean.
Aoi cautiously picked her way through the chattering crowd to the place where Saito had been, but he had disappeared. She scanned the deck, but he wasn't on it, so she ran to the stairs leading to the cabins below deck. She gripped the frame of the door opening to the stairs to steady her wobbling legs. Then she climbed down into the dark corridor. She opened the door to his room, but he wasn't in there. She wandered around the gloomy hallway, searching, but there was no sign of the man, until she finally came to another opening, leading down to the cargo hold. She gulped, her stomach twisting at the thought of going into the pitch black area. She backed up ready to leave, but a thump made her turn back around. Blinking rapidly a few times, Aoi warily lowered herself down into the dingy room. She paused momentarily at the bottom of the steps, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the darkness, then she cautiously stepped over the crates and bags, trying to figure out where the noise had come from.
It seemed like there was no end to the amount of cargo the ship was carrying. In a matter of seconds, she had lost her way in the giant labyrinth. Just when she was about to give up and return to the surface, there was a grunting noise just to her right. She turned towards the direction of the sound, and made her way to it. In the darkness, she could barely make out the outline of a man kneeling on the ground, his hands resting on a wooden chest in front of him for support. His breathing was labored, and it seemed like he was in a lot of pain.
"Saito-san?" Aoi called out quietly.
The figure whirled around and backed up against the chest. Aoi's light-blue eyes widened and she hurried over to the man. "Stay away. Stay away from me." He choked out.
Aoi threw herself to the ground and wrapped her arms tightly around Saito. "How can I? How can I stay away when you're in such pain?" Saito tried to push her away, but she resisted. "Why?" She looked up at his face. "Why do you want me to go away so much?" Aoi set her eyes. "You've been avoiding me these past two days. Why? I want a good reason before I slap you hard."
Saito looked away, his eyes tight. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He apologized. He raised his hands up and grasped his hair, pulling the locks tightly.
"Saito-san," Aoi turned his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her, but his eyes slid away. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry." Saito repeated. "I said that I didn't regret drinking the Ochimizu, but that was then. I do now. I regret it from the bottom of my heart. I shouldn't have had to rely on that thing."
"Why? Is it because it makes you look weak? No one cares about that! You're not weak because you drank it!" Aoi wanted to shake him.
"No it's not because of that!" Saito growled.
"Then why? What is it? What's making you like this?"
"It's because I broke my promise to you!" He hissed.
"What?" Aoi stopped short. If anything, this was not the response she had been expecting. "What are you talking about? What promise?"
"Remember the night I came back from the mission regarding Itou-san?"
Aoi nodded.
"I made a promise to you! I promised that I would give you a family!"
"What does that have to do with anything?" She frowned.
"I can't fulfill my promise to you! I can't give you what you want!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Rasetus are infertile." Saito explained achingly. "I can't give you children like you wish."
Aoi's eyelids slid close. She could feel tears forming behind them, threatening to escape. "You idiot!" She sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "You big idiot! I don't care about that! Such a thing...!" She looked up and mashed her lips against his.
He broke away. "But..."
"You're so stupid!" She pounded her fists against his chest, the tears escaping her eyes. "Something like that, I don't care! What I care about most is being with you! I'm only happy if I'm next to you! I don't need anything else." She wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him, trying to show her emotions in a way she couldn't with words. "Do you know how worried I've been about you?" She whispered against his lips. "I've been worried about you over exerting yourself and collapsing. Oh, why did you drink that thing? It's my fault! It's my fault for being so weak!"
"No." Saito breathed out. His fingers curled in her hair. "If I had been able to defeat him as a human, if I had been stronger, I wouldn't have needed to take it."
Aoi curled up against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Are you in pain?" She asked him.
"No. I'm alright." His large hand slowly rubbed the spot between her shoulder blades.
"Liar," she breathed, "when I first saw you in here you looked like you were hurting so much."
"I'm fine. It was only temporary." He reassured her.
"Was it the bloodlust?"
Saito's head moved a fraction of an inch to either side. "No. My body was just adjusting to the transformation."
"Saito-san," Aoi lifted her head to gaze into his azure eyes, "even though I didn't want you to drink the Ochimizu, what's done is done, but know this: I will always be here for you. I don't want anything or anyone else but you."
Saito's lips curved into a small, melancholic smile at her words. "I am unable to keep my promise to you, and for that I am deeply regretful; it will forever weigh on my soul heavily." He bent down and pressed his lips against hers in a long kiss.
