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So Many Stifled Thoughts
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"Ow!" Ibuki yelped as he rubbed the new bump given by his unofficial master.
Kawa smiled empathetically at him as she followed Toshi, Heisuke, and Sano to welcome the rest of their men.
"Ne, Shinpatsu, was there any luck?" Heisuke asked the named man when they met up, looking at the lone woman as she brushed past him.
Souji laughed slightly when said woman threw her arms around him in a tight hug, clinging to her and curling his fingers in her hair she had let down. His relief at seeing her pretty face again wasn't enough to stifle the somber note their friends carried.
"San'nan-san, did something happen?" Toshi asked, looking between the reunited lovers and the named man.
Having caught on to the somber feel of the air, Kawa reluctantly detangled from Souji's arms to look to their friends, eyes resting on her fellow lefty, "Saitou-kun, what is it?" She wondered.
Moving the party into the manor's grounds, it was then that San'nan-san recounted to those who hadn't gone to Osaka that there was a scuffle with some unarmed sumo wrestlers and both Serizawa and Souji were responsible for killing them.
"If that's the case, I'll be the one to split my gut open for breakin' the code." Souji offered calmly, minding the surprised looks from everyone present, looking to Kawa as she stood at that and moved to stand near Saitou.
"The hell're ya saying, Souji? This's no time for jokes!" Shinpachi demanded first as he hopped up to grab his shoulder and shake him a bit.
Souji shrugged, "I'm dead serious, Shinpatsu…"
"Enough, Souji!" Toshi cut in angrily, glaring at his mildly-curious green stare as he added, "spilling your guts isn't gonna solve anything!" He turned to storm off into the recesses of the manor.
Watching him leave, Souji was first to look away as Kawa took her leave and started to go back to her room. "Kawa, not you too…" He began.
"Souji, don't." Kawa silenced him, knowing he winced without her having to look, hands at her sides balled into fists, striding off to her room without another word.
"It wouldn't do ya good to follow her," Sano commented when Souji had stood in an attempt to do so.
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Sano might've been a ladies' man, but he didn't know shit when it came to Kawa… Souji told himself that, anyway, as he made his way to her room.
It was a quiet night and the crickets were chirping rather loudly when he passed by the courtyard. He did his damnedest to avoid the other end of the manor's grounds where Serizawa was, knowing the tension in the air was strongest there. Bringing his feet to a halt at her door, he started to raise a hand to knock on the wooden frame but stopped himself as a thought occurred.
He was still on thin ice with her, and if she had picked up Toshi's temper like she had her forcefulness, then knocking probably wasn't a good idea… Option two was now necessary.
Opening the door as quietly as possible, the lanky brunette slipped inside the room to close the door as quietly as before. He risked a look over at the sleeping woman when closing the door, successfully doing so, and his shoulders slumped in relief before he looked at her again to find her back was facing him. You oughta know not to sleep with yer back to the door, princess, he thought with a slight shake of his head as he silently padded to her bedside.
Before his ass touched the floor, however, the once-slumbering woman lunged and knocked him down back-first, knocking the wind out of his lungs for one painful moment.
Having screwed his eyes shut as the air had left his lungs to then return, Souji's green eyes opened with reluctance to first look up at the short sword's blade that was poised over his throat before his gaze settled on the annoyed Kawa crouched over him. A cheery smile found his face as he minded the steely look in her narrowed grey eyes, "Hey there, gorgeous…" He greeted.
Kawa relaxed at his greeting and closed her eyes to moan exasperatedly, "Damn it, Souji…" She eased her grip on the sword's handle and put it to the side, watching his head flop back onto the floor, shuffling to let him up before perking up when he grabbed her hands and prevented that.
Souji kept her hands as he leaned up to kiss her firmly, feeling her shiver against him, reluctantly drawing back with a satisfied smirk. "Missed you too." He said, releasing her hands as she got off him, sitting up and rubbing his neck with a hand, "I think ya were too scary if the boner I had is gone, though." He added with a slight pout.
Cheeks coloring at hearing his complaint, Kawa sat back on her rear and folded her arms at her chest, "I'm not gonna apologize for that considering you scared the shit out of me." She defended.
"You were sleeping over at my room, princess, ya gotta know it was only a matter of time before I returned the favor." Souji lamented, tilting his head when she huffed and asking, "You weren't referring to right now, were ya?"
"Not in so many words…" She mused quietly, shaking her head and sighing, "I'm sorry, I'm just… tired. Tired of all this tension, of what we've been dealing with… Of being stuck with that monster." She confessed, eyes hardening slightly at the reminder.
Nodding slightly in agreement with her, he opened an eye at her and mused, "I got no problem gutting him if that's the case."
"You gut the son of a bitch and I lop his head off?" She wondered with a tilt of her head, extending a hand to him.
"Now you're talkin' my language," Souji grinned as he took her hand and they shook in agreement.
The lovers laughed quietly at that.
His eyes softened as they often did when looking on her when she shuffled to sit with him, leaning his weight on her when she first did it to him, pushing bedhead locks from her pretty face as she rested her head on his shoulder.
She smiled happily at his gesture, exhaling as she clung to his arm, admitting, "I really did miss you, Souji."
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After effectively spooking the younger man out of the kitchen, Souji blinked when he stepped back in to find she had come to check on the brewing tea.
Their 'bullheaded oni' (as she rightly dubbed) of a vice-commander had caught a cold the previous night and considering they were keeping it mum regarding the other end of the manor, it was only made aware to said vice-commander's comrades.
Souji had deemed it courteous and overall-thoughtful that he cook some porridge to help the man… Truth be told, he had no problem force-feeding him if the patient retained his reputed stubbornness.
"You're gonna give Ibuki-kun a complex if you keep scaring him like that," Kawa pointed out as she was slicing up an orange, squeezing the juice into the pot of green tea.
"It builds character, princess," Souji rolled his eyes at her comment, sidling to her side as he resumed fixing the dish. "Never mind that the tea already has enough citrus." He added between checking the labels on the intended spices.
Sticking her tongue out at him, she looked away to pour a cup, "extra citrus helps fight off colds, dummy." Looking at the spice bottles he had present, she deadpanned, "Are you trying to kill him? These spices are barely meant for human consumption, Souji…" She wondered with a frown.
He pouted at her worrying and kissed her forehead, "Relax babe, the oni will be just fine eatin' this." He assured with a cheery smile.
Lips pursing at his brush-off, she shook her head and kissed him chastely before stepping away to take the cup to their patient, "Yeah, yeah, just don't come runnin' to me when he tries to kill you for food-poisoning." She said over her shoulder.
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Opening the door, Kawa spoke, "Toshi, I brought some tea…" She trailed off at seeing him at his desk as she stepped into his room, scowling at him, "what the hell're you doing at your desk? Ya should be sleeping." She scolded as she placed the cup on his desktop with some force.
"You mind laying off on the sick person for once? I don't need tea, either, I'm fine… it's my life, I can do whatever I want." Toshi retorted snippily, returning the scowl.
Feeling her eyebrow twitch, Kawa exhaled patiently and folded her arms, "Either drink it or I pour it on you… how the hell can ya expect to function without getting better?" She asked.
Hesitating as he entertained the threat she posed, he grumped and conceded, taking the cup. Knowing her, too well for his liking at this point, she really would pour it on him. "You're one forceful nurse…" He took a sip and raised both brows, asking, "you put orange into it?"
Smiling serenely at his reluctance as she sat down, she rubbed her neck, "Yep; I figured extra citrus in the tea wouldn't hurt a lunkhead as stubborn as you."
His brow twitched and he pouted slightly at her comment, "Your confidence knows no bounds…" He ignored her giggle and took a generous sip as he looked on his paperwork, adding, "thanks for the tea."
Her face softened and she shrugged innocently, "I try…"
"Hijikata-san, are you awake?" Ibuki asked from the walkway outside his door, disturbing the calm between them.
"Ibuki, what is it?" Toshi returned, writing something down when the boy opened the door to poke his head in.
Ibuki perked up at seeing the other at his desk, opening the door wider as he stepped inside, "h-hey, what're you doing up?" He asked alertly, looking to the man's 'sibling' who had picked a book from the top of the desk and was flipping through the pages, "Kawa-chan, you too?" He wondered.
"Working, what else?" Toshi huffed indifferently.
Kawa shook her head and advised when the younger man started to open his mouth, "Don't bother dissuading him from work, I already tried." She flipped the page.
Ibuki deadpanned and muttered, "guess I shouldn't have worried after all… But you've got a cold, you should sleep." He added with a slight sigh.
Toshi scoffed, "stow it, I've already taken medicine and Yasakawa just brought tea, I'll be fine. If you don't got anything else to add, you can go; I'm busy."
"It's only because of you bein' busy…" Ibuki remarked before reaching inside his shirt to withdraw an oversized orange and place it on the desktop, "everyone is worried and tryin' to do something for you, y'know. Harada picked up this natsumikan and made me deliver it to ya."
Kawa kept her page in the book with one hand and lifted the fruit with her free hand, measuring its weight curiously, "This thing could prolly cure a village's worth of colds…" She perked up and pouted when Toshi took his book back from her when seeing she had taken it. "I was reading that!"
"Well it's private for a reason…" Toshi defended, ears red as he scowled at her.
"You're up already? Looks like ya don't need the porridge I made," Souji's question cut in before she could badger him, as the odd trio looked to the named brunette who stood present with a prepared dish on hand.
Toshi raised both brows again, "You made porridge?"
Souji cocked a brow in turn as he asked cattily, "What, ya don't want any?"
Kawa rolled her eyes, "Boys…" She raised a brow when seeing Ibuki had stiffened at seeing Souji, shaking her head and advising, "Play nice for once."
"U-um, Hijikata-san…" Ibuki began as he had seated himself near the man.
Souji shot the younger man a brief warning scowl, "Pipe down, Ibuki-kun." He chided as he set the plate down on his friend's desk.
"Pickled radish?" Ibuki blinked once and then twice in surprise, looking at the cook who plonked down next to the woman.
Kawa wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "How you can eat that is beyond me…" She griped. It wasn't like she wouldn't cook it for his birthday if asked to do it, because she would, but she never liked the dish and to date his affinity for it continued to confound her.
Toshi rolled his eyes and retorted coolly, "You're not the patient here, imoto-chan." A smirk weighed on his lips at her disgruntled look she wore when he would use that nickname.
"Shut up and get better already, jerk-face." Kawa growled with a 'humph', looking away.
Souji snickered next to her and tousled her hair, "Looks like you're gettin' better already, Hijikata-san."
"More citrus tea?" Toshi wondered after taking a sip of the second tea brought to him, looking to the brunette.
"The princess left it out, so waste not." Souji scritched the back of his head, catching the soft look from said woman and winking at her.
Kawa smiled fondly at him and flicked his ear.
The rest of the afternoon passed in some measure of tranquility. At the combined effort of Souji's comments and patient pestering from Kawa, Toshi ate the dish if only to placate them. Saitou popped in about twenty minutes later with a pack of medicine and a cup of normal tea. Around an hour and a half afterward, Inoue-san came at hearing of their under-the-weather vice-commander and bearing some sweet red-bean soup and rice cake. By this point the patient deemed it was either he hear about it for the rest of his life (namely from Kawa) or he eat what was brought to him… especially since he snatched his rice cake from Kawa who had a small affinity for said treat.
"Toshi!" The party present in the room perked up as Kondou practically barged in to look to the named man.
Toshi raised a brow, "Kondou-san, what's going on?"
"I heard that you were sick, Toshi, are you in pain?" Kondou asked concernedly.
"Nope, not really," Toshi shook his head as he started to get up.
"H-hang on, don't get up; I'll get you some medicine!"
"Saitou already got it."
"Right, then how about some porridge?"
"Souji made some."
"Hey, what about citrus tea?"
"Yasakawa brewed a pot of it a while ago."
"How about sweet red-bean soup with rice cake; you'd like that!"
"Gen-san already brought some."
"Oh wait, I know; what about that fruit, that's great for colds! There's some growing even in the summer, I think, I know I saw a vendor…"
"Harada already brought one."
"… Well alright. At the very least let me sort your documents…"
"Heisuke beat ya to it, already."
Thoroughly stumped, Kondou's brow furrowed as he brainstormed, folding his arms. "Then what can I do…?" He mumbled pensively as San'nan-san poked his head in on them as well.
Souji failed to quell an amused snort as he started laughing.
Kawa, who had stifled a giggle moments ago while witness to the scene, laughed with him, hearing Inoue-san chuckle as well.
Toshi smiled wryly at the general amusement of the room's occupants, looking at his friend, "thanks anyway, Kondou-san; your sentiment helped."
Kondou minded the laughter of the clustered group and smiled sheepishly, chuckling, "is that right?" He rubbed his neck.
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an: so if anyone's seen the Reimeiroku OVA episode, yall know i had to add it in. it's not as funny as the other OVA eps in Shinsengumi Kitan but it's up there lol
* "Axe to Grind" -Bastille
