Later in the day, golden light poured through Hijikata's window. His room was cool; as if somebody had decided to actually use the air conditioning unit he had worked into the budget the previous week. A low sigh escaped the man, and he writhed in his bed, only to find himself slightly confused. His reaction was delayed, but he realized that something was missing. Wasn't there supposed to be a woman somewhere in his bed? He was positive that he had awoken huddled to Muzai a few hours earlier. Now he was alone...

Upon opening his eyes, Hijikata found that the blue Yukata that had been on his floor was gone. A slight tap caught his attention and he sat up, only to find the door closing. She was running away! A second of confusion passed, only to be replaced by annoyance. So she just used him as some sort of a pillow, or teddy bear, and ran off to do whatever? Thoroughly irritated, Hijikata shook his head. That woman was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous and frustrating. He had things to do, like, work on the case and look into that Yoshi man... Wait, it was his day off.

He could do anything he wanted. If he wanted to go to the sauna or a bathhouse, maybe catch a movie, he was free to do so. Hijikata spent a second thinking about his options before he pushed himself up. The first thing he would do was clean up a bit. He had taken a shower before bed, so basic tasks would suffice. He would get dressed, and figure something out. Then again, paperwork was always a possibility. He could tackle a stack of budgets and past cases that had been put aside to look into the asylum case.

A dark blue yukata was pulled on, and Hijikata grabbed a cigarette as well as his lighter as he made his way to the door. He was still a bit groggy, and knew he needed to comb his hair and wash his face before he could consider himself fully functioning. Sleep hung on the edges of his mind, and clouded his thought with the silken webs of a faint dream that had fallen from his memory. Sighing, the man pulled his door open. The hall was mostly silent, and in the distance, men could be heard murmuring. The moment Hijikata turned towards the bathroom he found a bottle of mayonnaise on the floor at his feet.

Almost tripping over the prized delicacy, the man hopped over it and flailed his arms to catch his balance. Once safely past the bottle, he picked it up. Hijikata held the mayonnaise against his chest and peered around the hall to find the responsible party. Who would do such a thing? To leave mayonnaise unattended and out in the open; defenseless.

As the vice commander turned to continue about his way he happened upon a second bottle. This one was barely visible and could have easily been missed, as it was around the corner. Hijikata stopped to pick the bottle up, only to find another. Some careless being had left such a tasty meal all over the place. It seemed foolish; how could anybody forget their mayo? Well, one thing was for sure, as Hijikata picked up each bottle that was placed in a neat line, he knew he would be the lucky one. He would thoroughly enjoy every bottle to the last drop. He would care for the mayonnaise, and he didn't even have to pay for it. It was his lucky day.

Despite the irritating thought of somebody being so loose with his favorite treat, the vice commander couldn't help but smirk to himself. Some poor bastard had really lost his chance at a good meal. His arms were full of bottles, and he could see one more. Though Hijikata wasn't sure if he could carry another or even pick it up, he knew he would try. He had no idea how many bottles he had found. Fifteen? Twenty? It didn't matter. Each had been carefully picked up and placed within his arms; where they belonged.

Slowly bending over to grab the last bottle, Hijikata froze at the sound of something scraping against the wooden floor.

"Testing..."

Snapping his gaze to the hallway beside him, the vice commander found Sougo holding what could only be classified as a rocket launcher. Without further warning, the captain fired at the wide eyed man. Like a deer in headlights, Hijikata had frozen, but the click of Sougo's trigger was enough to get him moving again. He dropped to the ground, and mayonnaise was launched into the air as the vice commander hit the wooden floor. Wooden boards flew into the air upon being struck with the explosive, and sunlight poured through the new opening beside Hijikata. Peering through his fingers from his spot on the ground, the vice commander scowled at the gun-wielding maniac.

"Sougo! Damn it! What the hell was that!? You're trying to kill me! You're really trying to kill me! I could have died!"

The sandy-haired captain blankly stared at Hijikata as he jumped to his feet and turned to peer at the hole in the wall. He stepped through the various wooden boards that had mixed with his beloved mayonnaise, and studied the damage.

"This has to be worked into the budget! Someone has to pay for this, you know! It has to be repaired! And the AC! The cold air is leaking out now!"

Sougo remained in place, watching Hijikata as he ranted about his life and the newly opened wall. Well, that wasn't exactly as planned. Apparently mayo would only get him so far. Hijikata seemed more concerned about the price of fixing the wall. A vein had popped out of his neck as he yelled about money and air conditioning. Hijikata commanded Sougo to patch up the wall, but his voice died down. Gazing through the hole, Sougo found what Hijikata was looking at.

Yamazaki was currently playing bad mitten. His back was to the commotion and he seemed to be in his own little world. Well, that happy place was about to become hell.

"Yamazaki! What the hell are you doing out there?! Don't you have work to do?! Get over here, you lazy bastard! Seppuku! Commit seppuku- NOW!"Without so much as another word to Sougo, Hijikata stepped through the opening of the wall, and started toward Yamazaki. The spy paused and turned to face the person calling out to him, only to find a fuming vice commander storming his way.

Wide-eyed, Yamazaki tightened his grip on his racket, and darted in the opposite direction. When he glanced over his shoulder he found Hijikata charging after him; sword drawn. The vice commander bellowed his name, and Yamazaki cried out in surprise as Hijikata swiped towards him.

Ahh, a regular day at the Shinsengumi.


Hijikata never actually caught Yamazaki. The spy had been too clever and quick on his feet. He had used unorthodox methods to escape. Just as Hijikata had cornered him, he used a smoke bomb; typical. Still, the vice commander had arranged for Yamazaki to patch up the hole in the wall. He had tried to protest, but when offered to patch the wall or commit seppuku with the assistance of Hijikata, his attitude changed. The vice commander had picked up all of the mayonnaise that had been used against him and stashed it in his room before finally making it to the bathroom.

Once Hijikata opened the door, he found Muzai fiddling with her hair. She glanced at him before returning her eyes to the mirror as if nothing was wrong. Immediately nervous, the vice commander hesitated before entering the small room. There were multiple sinks and showers. He could easily brush his teeth and avoid any awkward moments. Still, the woman had some explaining to do. Like why the hell she was in his bed and not in Sougo's room. Well, not that Hijikata was angry; Sougo was known to do anything, and couldn't be trusted. Then again... Hijikata had been barely clothed and vulnerable in his sleep... What if Muzai couldn't be trusted?

As the man walked to the sink, he avoided even looking at the woman. She continued to rake her fingers through her hair, and a toothbrush hung out of her mouth as if she had stopped with the sudden concern of her appearance. Apparently, she had known she would be staying over. When she managed her hair into a messy bun, she continued to brush her teeth; clearly ignoring Hijikata. He decided to do the same, and grabbed his toothbrush to continue about his morning ritual; though it was a bit later than usual. As he drew a line of toothpaste across the bristles, Muzai murmured something that was almost too low to hear. Turning to frown at the woman, Hijikata waited for her to repeat herself.

She still hadn't looked at him, and splashed a bit of water on her face to remove any residual toothpaste. When she finished, Muzai turned the sink off and grabbed a fresh towel. She glanced at Hijikata, only to notice that he hadn't heard her. With clear reluctance, the woman stepped towards him and leaned into his ear. Hijikata placed a hand on the counter top as she repeated herself, only to find himself further confused.

"Sorry about last night."

Frowning, the man turned to gaze at her. Muzai had her hands clasped behind her back, and was peering off to the side of the wooden room. Clearly, she had done something. Something horrible.

"Last..? Wh- What did you do?! I- I knew that dream was too-"
"Dream? What was it about?" The woman's low voice further flustered the vice commander, and he took a step away from her. Hijikata shook his head as he stammered the word "nothing". He was met with an odd frown, possibly because his face had flushed at the thought of his dream... And Muzai's yukata was open. He hadn't realized it before she turned to face him, but it was definitely hanging open; leaving her to be covered by nothing but her slip. Instead of taking the hint to leave him alone, Muzai stepped towards him once more. She leaned into his chest to whisper, but the vice commander tightly grasped her wrist and spun her around. His toothbrush was abandoned on the counter as he pushed the woman away and towards the shower room.

"Go- Just go! I don't want to know-" That wasn't true. He knew that wasn't true. He had to know.

Muzai awkwardly stumbled forward as the man pushed her away, yet she still turned back around to face him. The woman crossed her arms, and sighed at him. As if that was a valid expression. Even though Hijikata knew it signified her confusion and exasperation, he would not admit to it.

"What did you do? You did something to me didn't you?! What-"
" Sorry, I couldn't help it..." The low words were barely understood, but once Hijikata processed exactly what the woman had said his jaw dropped. He stared at Muzai with wide eyes as she stepped towards him again. How could she admit to raping him with no remorse?! She just threw it out there, as if it didn't matter. That was kind of a big deal, and she said it like it was nothing. When she was close enough, the woman started to murmur again, and Hijikata willed himself to snap out of his baffled state.

"Really, I didn't mean to... It just sort of... Well, you know... Alcohol... That sort of thing..."

Oh god, she was confessing! She was actually confessing to her crimes, and he was the victim! He had been taken advantage of! He didn't know if he could even call himself a man anymore! What could he do?! He couldn't tell anybody! He couldn't possibly tell anybody what she had done to him!

"I- I knew it! I knew you-"
"Well... Uh... Did I wake you? Was it... Good?"

The vice commander's face burned brighter, and he shook his head in disbelief. The nerve of that woman! How dare she do horrible things to him in his sleep and ask if it was good!

"I- I don't know! I can't remember it!"
"Well... Do you want another?"

The low words were terrifyingly direct, and Hijikata tripped over his own feet as he moved to run from Muzai's touch. She had started to lean into him again, but caught herself on the wall as the man managed to catch his balance. He stumbled across the room, as if he was trapped and there wasn't a door beside him.

"No! NO! Stay over there! Don't come any closer! You just- You stay over there! How could you do something like that to me?! Why would you just take it?!" Covering his face, Hijikata almost missed Muzai's confusion as she slowly stepped towards him.

"But... We've kissed before..." The woman's voice grew a touch louder, yet was still equally soft. She continued to approach Hijikata, and he pressed himself into the wall; still trying to make sense of what she had done.

"That's no excuse! You can't just take things! I- I was asleep! What if I wanted to say no?! What if I-"
"I didn't know you were so serious about kissing. I'm sorry, really."

Once again, Muzai was right in front of him, murmuring and whispering as if she had no voice. Hijikata shook his head as he peered at her through the cracks of his fingers.

"Is that what they're calling it now-a-days? I can't believe-"
Cut off, Hijikata froze as Muzai pulled his hands away. She frowned up at him, and leaned into his chest as she raised her self to her tiptoes. He was pressed further into the corner as the woman's breath danced over his skin.

"What? What do you think I did? You do know I mean a kiss right? I thought you woke up when I came in, you sat up and looked at me."

Confusion settled over the man as Muzai informed him of what had happened. His brow furrowed at the word, and she paused before continuing.

"I crawled into your bed and you asked if it was me?" The questioning tone was clearly a gesture for Hijikata to nod and say he remembered but he simply stared at the woman as she leaned back to peer up at him. When he didn't confirm her words, she sighed and leaned into his ear again. "When I said "yes" and asked if I could stay in your room you nodded and laid back down. The moment I asked you about a futon, you pulled me into the bed. I figured you were too tired, so I kissed you and tuned over. Gotta admit, you scared me when you started pulling my yukata off..."

Shifting his gaze, Hijikata tried to make sense of her version of what had happened. That was sort of like his dream... But from what he could tell, she sounded honest... Maybe she hadn't done anything. Muzai continued to frown up at him, and he crossed his arms. She was forced to straighten herself as Hijikata tried to push past his flustered state. He sternly peered down at her and narrowed his eyes.

"I knew that... That's exactly what I was talking about." Muttering the lie, the vice commander pushed past Muzai and walked to the counter. Yeah. He didn't really believe she had done anything.

The woman gazed at him through the mirror as he ignored her and a low sigh escaped her. Muzai crossed her arms as if she expected more, but once it became apparent that Hijikata was finished she shook her head. Without so much as a glance, Muzai walked towards the shower. In a matter of seconds, her clothes piled up outside the door, and Hijikata started to groom himself.

He really had overreacted. Of course Muzai wouldn't do something like that! Nobody could sleep through something like that. Yeah. Of course. Time was spent shaving, and Hijikata brushed his teeth. The vice commander combed his hair, and scrubbed his face with soap. All he needed to do was rinse his face and try to forget that horribly awkward interaction. Muzai probably thought he was some paranoid weirdo now. As Hijikata rinsed his face, he heard the shower stop. A bit of soap got into his eyes, and they started to sting. Hurrying to rinse the rest of the cleanser off his face, Hijikata squeezed his eyes shut. The moment he was free of residue, the man turned off the sink and reached around for his towel.

He carefully ambled about the small room, and found the fabric hung on the wall. As the man wiped his eyes, he waited for the burning to subside. The door to the shower opened, and Hijikata peeked from the dark fabric of his towel. Muzai stood in the doorway, blankly peering at him and wrapped in a towel of her own.

It wasn't intentional, but the man's eyes wandered to an attention grabbing line that was darker than the rest of Muzai's skin. She watched him, and tightly held her towel around herself as she tried to follow his line of sight. It was unknown whether she knew what he was looking at; she could have thought it was her chest, or maybe just her, in general. Still, the woman offered a worthy reaction. Her mouth silently formed disapproving words, and she shoved Hijikata away. Obviously, Muzai was both annoyed and flustered. She didn't stop pushing Hijikata until he was on the other side of the door, where she slammed the door in his face.

The vice commander still held his towel in his hands. He blankly stared at the wooden door; stunned at the realization that Kento's words had been true. It looked as if an entire paragraph had been carved into the woman's skin. It seemed improbable; why wouldn't one just run or fight back? Then again, the line he had been able to read was clear. One of the last lines, which was the most prominent with each character. Now, Hijikata understood why Muzai had wrapped one of her shoulders when she attended the men's daily training. It wasn't a small scar, or something that could be easily overlooked. Most likely, anybody that saw it would bombard her with questions.

The line Hijikata had read seemed cruel; more so than carving words into somebody's body. He had read it multiple times during the brief moment before Muzai had frozen, and had continued to do so even after he had been forced from the room. The words circled his mind, replaying, and making him wonder what the faded lines said. What could possibly be important enough to write on a person? And why would anybody want to? Nevertheless, Hijikata contemplated the jagged words, and wondered if he would be able to shake the odd spark of whatever he had felt when he read them.

"The more you struggle, the deeper I cut."


A/N: Yay another chapter!

Thank you all for your reviews! Props to Noniebee (4352183) for the awesome awkward Hiji thinking he was raped scene LOL- she's got a great mind. Check out her profile and stories :)

MinagiSoryu- I'm glad you got a good laugh out of the last chapter :) Thank you for your kind words- Inspiration did seem to rain down as I started to write this chapter :) Hopefully, more will come, and interesting things will happen between Muzai and Hiji.