Later in the night, Hijikata laid in bed, still contemplating the extent of the case. A room had been prepared outside of the Shinsengumi building to house Muzai. Regulations forbade any women from residing in the same quarters as the men. Muzai was no exception. Kondo had instructed the men to clear a room beside the training room; still within the walls of the Shinsengumi but far enough to ensure all levels of decency were maintained. Though the vice commander knew he needed to sleep, he felt he couldn't. Not until he figured how Muzai had been found. Or who was behind everything.

In all honesty, Hijikata felt as though he had seen somebody that fit her provided description before. Somewhere, but he wasn't sure. It was best if he checked that book Kondo had found. Pictures of the patients would definitely help, he only wished happy meadows had sent the other half. He would have to yell at them for that. Yelling always worked...

To think that within the gates of the Shinsengumi, a woman was sleeping. It was unheard of. The men would have to be on their best behavior. Hijikata had no clue when a woman had last stayed on the grounds, if ever. He knew he didn't like the thought of it; men could be sneaky. Especially when faced with the tempting proposition of a possible love interest or glimpses of a woman. What if somebody was trying to spy on her? The building was too far and insulated to hear a scream. But- Muzai couldn't scream! She was defenseless! The officers on patrol were probably no better. Just waiting to steal a glance of an innocent woman that was minding her own business.

Those savages.

They couldn't be trusted.

Most of the men would stand guard at the gate. Others would patrol the halls, and entire grounds. Hijikata had yet to hear a single person pass his door, which meant that they were somewhere else. Focusing on something, or someone else. He knew that the room Muzai was sleeping in had no lock. She could be blissfully resting while some starved man crept into her room.

Sitting up, Hijikata stared at his door. No footsteps. They were definitely up to no good. The vice commander threw his covers off and pushed himself to his feet. He would just check. Nothing serious, just glance over the grounds once before allowing himself to rest. Those idiots were slacking off to be indecent. The moment Hijikata pulled the door open, his scowl fell. Moonlight poured through his window, only to reveal the woman standing in the dark doorway. She peered up at him, equally blank and clutching a pillow. A second passed, and she glanced down the hallway. Without so much as a greeting or explanation, she placed a hand on the man's bare chest and pushed him back into his room. Muzai quickly followed, and closed the door behind herself.

After locking said door, she gazed up at Hijikata again. He started before she could.

"What are you-"
"Shh..." Bringing a single finger to her lips, Muzai hushed the man.

The vice commander frowned down at her and his eyes flicked to the pillow in her arms as he started once more; his voice lower.
"What the hell are you doing in here?!" If there was such thing as a whisper-shout, Hijikata was the master of it.

Shifting her weight, Muzai peered across the room. She brushed a dark lock of hair back and tucked it behind her ear and she leaned to one side.

"It's creepy out there..."
"Well you can't come in here! It's full of-" Once more, Hijikata was shushed. "It's full of men", he finished, and Muzai sighed.

"But... That room is full of stinky equipment. It smells like a giant gym sock... And there are holes in the walls... I think some wild animal died in there or something..." The woman whispered the words, and Hijikata started to shake his head.
"No, you're gonna get me in trouble-"
"Aw, come on... I'll sneak out in the morning, I promise. Do you know how hard it was to get in here without being caught?" She stepped towards him, and the vice commander contemplated her words.

Yeah, Muzai was probably right. It would be harder to get her back to the training room now. He had no choice. With a sigh, Hijikata placed a hand to his head. He reluctantly nodded, and murmured his defeated response.

"Oh, alright. But the moment the sun comes up, you better be back in that room." Not even a second after the words escaped him Muzai was nodding. She grinned up at him, and Hijikata rolled his eyes. Stupid woman. Sneaking into the main building and into his room. She was skating on thin ice. If they got caught... Well, he didn't really know what would happen. Usually, a lecture, but... If Kondo thought he was doing something with Muzai... Surely the older man would kill him. With a rule book. And maybe the matching father/daughter towels he was talking about getting. Yeah. This was ridiculous. Way too much of a risk to be happy about.

The vice commander watched as Muzai walked around his room in her usual shorts and tank top combo. Her eyes flicked over his closet and to his drawers as she casually strolled around.

"Do you have another futon in here?" Though she was seeking a bed, she pulled one of Hijikata's drawers open. With a furrowed brow, he eyed the woman's back.

"Oi- Don't go through other people's things!"

A light giggle sounded, and Hijikata moved to Muzai's side.
"Why is there a bottle of mayonnaise in here?" The woman held up a full bottle of the oily delight and Hijikata snatched it from her hand.
"Give me that! What do you think you're doing? A futon wouldn't be in there!"
Ever so slowly, Muzai turned to peer up at him. Her smirk was alarming enough, yet when paired with her narrowed eyes, it became apparent that this was going to be a troublesome night.

"Are you hiding something?"
When he didn't respond, Muzai's smirk grew more prominent. She leaned towards him; obviously intense on taunting the man.

"Is it dirty magazines?"
"Wha-"
"It is. You're such a pervert."

Immediately defensive, Hijikata shook his head. He clenched his fists as if that would make his point.
"No it's not! Why would you automatically think that?! Don't just assume the worst about people!" The man nearly shouted the words, and Muzai blankly peered up at him. Seconds passed, and he glared at her, only to find the woman snickering at his reaction. She placed a hand over her mouth, and shook her head.

"Who said that was a bad thing? I was just looking for something to arrest you over." Still snickering, Muzai smacked the man with her pillow. He grabbed the edge and snatched it away as she started towards his closet. Without warning, the man smacked her back, hissing a command through the darkness.

"Stop snooping around and lay down somewhere! There are sheets in the closet!"

When Muzai swiped at the pillow he had stolen, Hijikata moved it out of her reach.

"Anywhere?"

Rolling his eyes, the vice commander nodded. He tossed the pillow back at the woman, and walked to his bed. Without a word, he laid back down and the room fell silent. The man pulled his covers over himself once more as Muzai stared at him through the dark. She had paused, yet she walked to the closet and found the sheets in question. Hijikata closed his eyes, expecting her to pick a spot on the floor.

Instead, his covers lifted and the woman crawled into the futon beside him. Frowning, Hijikata turned to meet the woman's eyes. She was peering at him with an all-too-guilty expression. She knew exactly what was wrong with this. That was proven by the fact that she felt the need to use puppy eyes. It wouldn't work. Hijikata knew better. If they got caught he was already dead.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sitting up, the vice commander eyed the woman. She remained in place, head on pillow as she met his eyes.

"Your closet smells like mayo... I don't want those sheets. And you said anywhere."

"Not here! I'm sleeping here!"
"Yeah. I noticed." Rolling her eyes, Muzai sighed. One stray leg wandered to Hijikata's and laced around his as he stared down at her.
"It's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before... I promise not to violate you." Snickering, Muzai placed her hand over her mouth as the vice commander's eyes narrowed. Not funny. She was the one that made that entire misunderstanding with her sparse words that lacked description.

"Don't laugh, that's not funny!"
Shh, lay back down." A single arm found its way across Hijikata's hips, and he glanced down at it as the woman settled into her claimed space. She continued to stare up at him; smirking as though nothing was wrong with this scene. Her palm slid up his chest and started to pull him to the futon; trying to trick him into going along with her. But... It was a really soft hand... And a really delicate push that kinda made him want to- NO. She needed to move.

Grabbing her arm, Hijikata pulled the woman's hand away. He laid it on her own side and scooted away. He was not comfortable with this. It wasn't funny- she was stealing his bed and possibly trying to get him killed. The man turned his back to her, and laid down; hoping to ignore Muzai until sunrise. It just wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be in the building, let alone his bed. It was horrible. He was trapped. If he tried to correct this, and kick her out, he would get caught and have to explain why she was there in the first place. If he stayed there and acted like nothing was wrong, he could be caught and killed in the morning. All it would take was for one sadist to break into his room. That was all. Then he would be skinned alive.

Even though he had taken care to distance himself, a figure behind him moved closer. A persistent arm draped over his side after finding a way under his own, and a woman pressed into his back. Staring straight ahead, Hijikata froze. What had he done to deserve this?! He had tried to be a good man his entire life, but this woman was trying to be his death! She wouldn't let him move away, and had cornered him into letting her into his room. Into his bed. She was evil. A murmur in his ear did no good to calm the man. Especially when paired with the words Muzai had chosen.

"Maybe next time, we'll sneak you into my bed."

Wide eyed, Hijikata frowned at the wall. What? What?! What was she doing?! What was this woman talking about?! Did she expect him to believe that this was regular shy Muzai?! That this Muzai had no alcohol in her system, and was speaking with a straight face?! He needed to run! She needed to go somewhere! Anywhere else! Why would he be in her bed!? What would they be doing? Oh god, what would she do to him?

"Oi, calm down... You're heart feels like it's about to burst, I can feel it through your back..."

Practically jumping to a sitting position, Hijikata pried her hand away once more. He turned to face Muzai, unable to conceal his alarmed expression.

"Don't say weird things like that- It's not- My heart is always like this! Go to sleep and-" Before the man could continue, the woman was covering his mouth to hush him. The vice commander continued, and his muffled words filled the room as she shoved him back into the bed and tried to stifle all form of sound. When Hijikata pulled her hand away, the woman replaced it with her other and crawled over him; hushing the vice commander.
"Why- even on my back- personal space- decent-" Barely any words could be heard now, and Muzai was still peering down at the man with wide eyes.

"You're gonna get us caught..." The murmur was enough to still the man yet he suspiciously eyed Muzai. She peered down at him, and her gaze flicked to their positioning for a split second. Glancing at their laps, Hijikata shifted under her. Although he was immediately uncomfortable, he willed himself to ignore it. This kept happening to them; he had to act like it was nothing. There was no reason to freak out. They weren't doing anything. It had no sexual undertones. Nothing was going on.

Moments passed, and Muzai moved her hand from the vice commander's mouth. He remained in place; tense and waiting for her to back away. Not that he could grab her and move her himself. In less than a second, Hijikata had formed a new policy; as little contact as possible. No touching. Apparently, Muzai was thinking the opposite of him. She leaned into him, and her palms met his chest as the woman whispered to him.

"I've... Been meaning to ask you... Uh... When... Well... When we're... Uh... Together... Uh..."

Frowning, Hijikata stared up at the woman. Her voice had slowly grown smaller, until it became clear that she was nervous. Her gaze was averted, and she unexpectedly leaned up. Muzai's hands slid down Hijikata's chest, only to settle on his abs as she dropped her head.

She couldn't speak.

Leaning up, Hijikata raised an eyebrow as he watched the woman look at everything but him. She started to fiddle with her fingers, awkwardly touching the tips together while he waited for her to finish. She didn't. Instead, the woman moved to the side, opting to get back into his bed and ignore him. Well, that made perfect sense. After stammering a partial question, she had retreated to fidget alone.

Peering at Muzai, the vice commander moved back to his futon. She scooted over, providing ample amount of space and he continued to eye he laid back down; on his stomach this time. He was completely guarded. She couldn't attack him in his sleep, or do anything weird. He wasn't going to touch her. Rules had been made for a reason, and Hijikata was not the one to break them. Not exactly. It wasn't like he was breaking the rules; she was. It was all Muzai's fault. He hadn't forced her into his room, therefore, he was innocent.

He chose to act as though she wasn't there. It was the easiest approach, and she had clearly overexerted herself with whatever she had been trying to say. It had been an odd start to a question. She had been meaning to ask; when they were together- And nothing more? That sounded like something he should urge her to complete, but he knew that all the prompt in the world would have the opposite effect. Even if she actually wanted to say it, she probably couldn't. How troublesome. Now the vice commander was left to ponder the unspoken end of her question, and that would most likely take all night. There were a million different ways that could go. It could be serious, or playful. She was unpredictable to a certain extent.

While, Hijikata could somewhat understand her tendencies, he couldn't read her mind. The man leaned to the side, turning his back to Muzai. He listened to the silence of the room; staring at the wall as if it could talk to him. If it could tell him what she had intended to say. That would be convenient, right about now. Sighing, the vice commander murmured to the woman behind him.

"You should get to sleep. It's gonna be a long car ride tomorrow... And it's past curfew; you're not above seppuku."

Apparently, his last statement was taken with a humorous undertone. Muzai started to snicker, and her hand found the man's back. He barely moved under her touch; it had been unanticipated. When a soft tone met his ear, Hijikata glanced to the side.

"Don't you mean jigai?"

Frowning, the man turned to glare at Muzai over his shoulder. He knew what the female version was; didn't need her to tell him. He was accustomed to dealing with other men though, and hadn't even thought about gender specifics.
"Don't make me prove a point. I already knew-"
"Did I upset you? You don't like being corrected?" Muzai's smirk only served to annoy Hijikata. And tell him that she was intentionally taunting him.

"I didn't need correcting! I already-"
"Let me make it up to you." Once again, the woman crawled over him, only to seat herself on the small of his back. Leaning up, Hijikata turned to glare at her. What the hell was she doing? Clearly, she couldn't be referring to sex. If she was, she was doing it wrong.

"What the hell are you doing?"
A light giggle was the only response that the man received. The hands on his back moved to his shoulders and started to press into his skin in a light massage.

"Bribing you; so I don't have to kill myself."
Snorting in amusement, Hijikata shook his head. He slowly sank back into the futon, nestling into his folded arms as the woman rubbed his back. Her hands were soft against his skin, yet the woman managed enough force to lull his muscles into a dormant state.

"Officers can't accept bribes... Or money while they're on shift." As thumbs slid down either side of his spine, Hijikata closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. Muzai's fingertips were cold to the touch, yet welcome in the heat of the night. She focused on the middle of his back as she responded.

"Well, I won't tell if you don't... And the moment you lose your shirt, you're not exactly on shift."

"I'm always on shift." Sighing the words, Hijikata turned his head to allow his body full relaxation. This had to be some sort of dancer trick. He didn't know if dancers needed massages, but if they did, and it was like this, he was slightly jealous. Maybe he was in the wrong profession. Or maybe Muzai was just going to pretend that he needed the same treatment. Time was spent, occasionally murmuring back and forth through the dark. Each carefully massaged muscle seemed to push Hijikata closer to sleep, yet the light conversation kept him conscious. Muzai noted that he was tense, and he hummed under his breath in agreement.

"Chasing criminals and stopping women from throwing themselves off buildings will do that."

A low chuckle graced his ears as the lazy words filled the air. Muzai's fingertips lightly brushed over his skin, causing goose bumps to rise on his arms. Palms slid up his back, halting at his shoulders, as Muzai laid down. One of her hands slid from his side and under his arm as she settled into his back.
"My hands are getting sore..."

The woman's breath met Hijikata's shoulder blade, and he barely nodded.
"That's fine." He felt like deadweight. As if his body had already fallen asleep, and his mind was centimeters behind in the race. The man considered the fact that he was hogging the futon. It passed as a fleeting thought, but he still acknowledged that fact.

"You comfortable?"
"Mhmm." Muzai's response was enough for him. If she didn't want to move, he wasn't going to either. It was well past curfew, and though they were technically leaving in the morning, that didn't mean that he could slack off. He still had to be up early, and wake the men. Still had to assemble the men, so Kondo could appoint the man in charge. While they were gone, that is. Only a handful of men could come to the hot springs, lest they look suspicious. When Muzai's hand found a resting place, she sighed, and the vice commander echoed the silent 'goodnight'. His fingertips barely found hers, and they lightly laced together as the two drifted to dreamland.

A/N: Hi all! Sorry this update took so long! I was going to write a bit more, but I'll save it for the next chapter so I can update tonight, and have another (hopefully tomorrow). Thank you all for your reviews and patience :)