Author note : Hey ! Sorry this chapter was a bit late but I had a very harsh iai weekend with starting at 9 am and finishing 7 pm both saturday and sunday. As you can imagine, I was totally bokken (broken, lol, my humor is as bad as Saito's... please don't throw tomatos...) for days and my all body was aching so much, especially my ams and hands, that I couldn't write :( I was happy though since for the first time, i was allowed to wield a steel katana (iaito) instead of a wooden bokken ! (So heavy to wield it all day long ! But totally worth it !) Enjoy this chapter ! I loved writing it !
The next morning, I woke up in Chizuru's arms. I was on the tatami and my body was aching a little but I didn't care. It was so insignificant compared to the joy of waking up next to her. I mentally asked myself to think about buying a second futon if i wanted to spend all my nights with her. I kissed her forehead and stood up to get dressed. I should have made a bit of noise though because she opened her eyes and genuinely smiled.
« Good morning » she said, sitting up.
« Good morning » i replied, bending over to kiss her.
« It's so good to have you back... » she whispered. « Don't ever leave me again. »
« I have no intent in going anywhere. » i replied, tying my obi and passing my katana inside it.
Her hand grabbed the wakizashi next to her kodachi and she handed it to me.
« I believe this is yours. » she said with a smile.
« Do I really deserve it ? » i muttered.
« This is my call to decide, not yours. You have proven yourself honorable enough to come back for me and keep your promise. It is yours once more. Your honor is untainted. »
I bowed low, as if she was my lord and me her vassal, and I took the wakizashi with both hands underneath it. She released it and i watched the sword in my palms and bowed again in respect, this time to the sword itself, before passing it in my obi next to my katana. I felt complete again.
« Thank you, Chizuru. » i whispered, seized with emotions. I took a moment before speaking again « i believe we will have a meeting this morning to speak about the events of the night. I shall go. »
« Alright » she said, tying her hair into a ponytail « I will join you with tea as soon as I am dressed. »
I nodded and exited the room, trying to find my way around the new headquarters. I wasn't mistaken, a meeting was held. I was looking forward to it even if I wasn't sure the news would be good.
The assassination of Ito Kashitaro was a success but it was the only good news. We learned that the incident of Aburano Koji where they used Ito's corpse to lure the Guardians out didn't go as smoothly as expected. The Demons of Satsuma and Choshu, Amagiri and Shiranui, showed up and made a lot of casualties in our ranks. Miki Saburo, Ito's brother, was able to run away and Toudou had been mortally wounded. Harada and Nagakura managed to bring him back alive to the compound and Sannan gave him some Ochimizu to save his life. Although Toudou consent, it really brought some tension in the headquarters especially with Nagakura who was torn between his wish to see Toudou live and his hatred of the Ochimizu. Chizuru got tea for everyone and then asked for permission to go and see Heisuke.
Inoue also made a report about Kazama's attack on our headquarters. We lost twenty-two Rasetsu in the battle, killed by the demons or by ourselves once they got mad. No human casualties though thanks to Souji but Hijikata-san couldn't stop himself from scolding him for getting out of bed.
At the end of the meeting, before everyone could stand up to exit the room, I took the opportunity to speak up.
« Sochô, Fukuchô. With your permission, I would like to speak. »
Kondou-san nodded with his kind smile and i bowed respectfully to him, the man who already did so much for all of us.
« I apologize since this is probably going to be a bit longer than you all expect. I will try to make it as quick as possible so you could all go back to your duties. »
« Come on man » said Nagakura « You already said more words with this sentence than what i heard you utter in five years ! »
Everyone laughed and i sensed the tip of my ears becoming red but I kept my composure and my toneless voice.
«Sochô. » i started, bowing again « when I fled my home and had nowhere to go, you offered me a roof in the Shieikan hall. You made me a guest in your dojo, accepting me even if I was left-handed, and i don't know if my services will ever be enough to repay you. »
I paused, searching for the right words. The eyes were wides around me. Never had I opened up my heart to Kondou-san before.
« You do not have to repay me, Saito-kun. » said Kondou-san with his kind smile. « I think I must thank you too for all the things you do for the Shinsengumi »
He bowed to me and i felt the warmth in my chest. I didn't expect Kondou-san to thank me personally.
« I renounced to my name, my lineage and my heritage to join you. I consider the Shinsengumi my family, Sochô, and i live to serve it. I think we are numerous in this room to share that feeling and i will never serve a commander as proudly as I am serving you. However, today if you allow me, i do not wish to speak to you as the commander of the Shinsengumi but as a family chief. »
« I allow you, Saito-kun. » he said with his kind smile but there was something else in his eyes. Maybe I was mistaken but it looked like proudness.
I nodded and took a deep breath before throwing myself on the ground.
« Kondou-san, as head of my family, i solicit today your permission to marry. »
« Marry ?! »
The cry that erupted in the room seemed to come from everyone at once. They probably never anticipated it.
« Ara... Hajime-kun is finally doing it... » i heard Souji say but i didn't get up to meet his gaze and just waited, eyes closed, palms and nose against the tatami, for Kondou-san to open his mouth again.
« Well, that is unexpected. » laughed Kondou-san « Can we have the name of the lucky girl ? »
« Man, Kondou... » laughed Nagakura « not sure she's that lucky if she gets this one as a husband ! Poor girl is condemned to years of awkward silences ! »
« You actually know that the woman is supposed to consent, Saito ? » added Harada with a chuckle.
I held my head up under the mockery of the captains, ignoring them. I knew they meant no harm and that it was their way to show they were happy for me.
« Yukimura Chizuru. » i announced and expressions of surprise replaced the smily faces.
« Chizuru-chan ?! » yelled Nagakura.
« And... He did it ! » muttered Souji with a smirk.
Harada didn't say a thing and just smiled as if he always knew while Hijikata-san and Kondou-san were both frowning. Nevermind, i never expected this to go smoothly anyway. I was well aware of the consequences.
« Kondou-san, I apologize for asking this from you. I know I failed you and that Yukimura is under the Shinsengumi protection. It never was my intent to bring tension into the group. »
« Chizuru-chan is supposed to be with Heisuke ! » yelled Nagakura, holding his head « She's our little sister ! It's only logical she ends up with our little brother ! »
« ... Yeah... We're all just gonna ignore how obscene that last sentence sounds, Shinpachi... » said Harada, embarrassed.
« And I don't think that Chizuru-chan would choose Heisuke over Hajime-kun anyway... » added Souji with his usual grin.
Nagakura turned to Souji with wide eyes and then reported his gaze on me. He stood up and grabbed the collar of my kimono, lifting me up the ground. My feet were not touching the tatami anymore and I put my hands on his to lift my body a little more so that I wouldn't be strangled and just looked into his eyes calmly.
« What have you done to her ?! You... sneaky... silent... bastard ?! » he yelled in anger « Don't tell me you laid your hands on her ! And just a reminder, staying mute is the same as a yes ! »
I looked at his furious eyes, quiet, impassive, until I couldn't help but let a hint of a smile draw on my face.
« Fuck ! » he yelled, dropping me.
« My point, exactly. » commented Souji snidely.
« Everyone just shut up and sit down ! » yelled Hijikata-san, brows furrowed.
We all sat down again and the silence invade the room once more.
« Is it true, Saito ? » he asked, piercing me with his amethyst eyes.
« Ha, Fukuchô. » i confessed, bowing in respect.
He looked at me like never he did before, furious. I waited for a punishment. I even thought he could ask me to seppuku to reestablish Chizuru's honor but Kondou-san put his hand on Hijikata-san's shoulder to calm him.
« Saito. » he said with a kind smile « Do you love her ? »
« I do, Sochô. » i answered.
« And does she return you feelings ? » he asked again.
« I believe she does. »
« Then in that case, if Yukimura agrees to this marriage then I give you my blessing. »
Never before have I felt happier in my whole life. I was permitted to marry Chizuru at last. This would reestablish her honor even if she had been spoiled before the wedding. And mine would be untainted as well since i kept both my promises : come back for her and marry her. I had a feeling that Kazama Chikage would probably no be thrilled with the idea but I didn't care. Chizuru was not his to take.