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Underdogs Dreamin'

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'I still don't want that man's blood on your hands, but I know if I order you to stay you'll want to come anyway… I know your feelings about this.'

'… You remembered what I told you when we were kids. I didn't follow you from Edo without knowing there would be bloodshed… whatever or whoever stands in the way of your dream, the dream all of us have busted our asses for, is unforgiveable, Toshi!'

Kawa smiled ruefully at the memory of the meeting they had had the day before, padding past the back room where the dishes were washed. She would've kept walking if she didn't spot a familiar head of blue washing dishes, and she backtracked to knock on the door's frame, smiling when the boy looked her way. "Need help?" She asked.

Smiling back albeit sheepishly, Ibuki glanced at the dishes and shrugged, "if you don't mind drying them."

"It's kinda hot out and the boys are off doing their own thing," Kawa excused with a slight laugh as she caught the cloth he tossed, beginning to dry the cleaned dishware.

Ibuki guessed, "and you were bored to death?" He earned a sagely nod before she stacked the dishes on the free counter space, handing her a cup.

Kawa looked his way as she thought back to the meeting and she looked to the shine the dry cup in hand sported, frowning slightly. "Did Serizawa-san make you wash these, then?" She asked to avoid suspicion and indirectly drag herself from that thought train.

Ibuki chuckled wryly, "Nah, Inoue-san asked, actually… but something's been going on with Serizawa-san, lately." His smile faltered and he dropped his gaze.

Kawa glanced at the doorway as she listened to find they were alone, nodding to him, "what's going on?"

Ibuki also glanced at the doorway before looking to her curious gaze, "you won't tell the others, right?" At her brief nod, he quietly filled her in on what had been ailing that man, about the incident at Shimabara and then the night prior when he had threatened to kill him for referring to the illness he had.

"Sounds like he's too proud to tell anyone…" Kawa mused as she placed the second-to-last dish on the counter, crossing her arms at her chest and glancing at the doorway, "don't act boneheaded and tell that to anyone else, least of all to the boys." A frown crossed her face at the thought of what they had to do.

It wasn't just a whim at this point, either… it was an order from Aizu themselves.

"Right," Ibuki nodded, gulping as he thought of her 'brother' firstly, asking, "promise you won't tell anyone, either?"

Face softening slightly, Kawa nodded as she finished with the last plate. "You got it."

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Thunder snarled lowly above in the night sky as the rains had picked up.

Even with the dinner they had put together as a ruse to lighten that man's wariness, she had nibbled on her food as her nerves were gnawing at her. When the time came for him to retire to the manor, everyone save Kondou, Shinpachi, Heisuke and Ibuki went back as well; she had looked to Ibuki with guilt before following Souji's exit.

So what if he was a dying man? He had to know they would only put up with his bullshit for so long until something had to be done… there was no reasoning with him, so force was necessary.

Inhaling as she had a firm grip on her katana's hilt, she stood across from him and watched him tentatively reach for the door handle, his violet eyes hardened like her grey.

He minded her resolve and took a measure of pride in that, cracking the door open slowly at first before throwing it open just as San'nan-san and Souji (who were on the other side of the large room) did the same.

The four of them perked up at finding the room's occupant standing there waiting for them.

"I'd been wondering when you'd come… took ya long enough!" Serizawa Kamo drawled as he looked between the quartet.

Lightning danced across the dark sky, its light highlighting the blade of his drawn katana and inadvertently the dead woman near his feet with crimson staining the front of her robe.

Minding the poor woman's body and drawing her sword as the trio with her did, Kawa glowered up at him.

"Serizawa-san, you've done enough damage… for the Shinsengumi's sake, you're gonna have to die." Toshi proclaimed coldly.

Serizawa huffed as he trained the blade in hand at the younger swordsman, "and you honestly think you can kill me? You're joking!" He scoffed with a mirthless smirk in place.

"I'd never draw my sword for the hell of it!" Toshi snapped, "I'll commit any crime for the sake of the Shinsengumi… even if I gotta turn into an oni from hell." He raised his blade out of anger.

A cold smile adorned the older man's face, "truly? Do you believe you can be a real oni… you're rather arrogant!" He swung down on him, causing sparks to fly when Toshi quickly caught his descending blade.

Toshi punted him off with some effort only to be on the defense.

Both men crossed swords, blocking and countering, repeating the process for what felt like hours as the storm raged outside.

"Serizawa-san!" Ibuki yelled from the courtyard, causing the spectators to freeze for a half-second.

Kawa quickly looked back to see Inoue-san keeping a protesting and squirming Ibuki at bay, and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach as she swore, "damn it, Ibuki!"

"Bakkero! Why'd you come here?" Toshi demanded angrily between trading blows, violet eyes flashing.

"Don't do this, please! He's fighting an illness!" Ibuki cried, struggling to get closer and dragging Inoue-san behind him as the latter had clung to his waist. "Kawa-chan knows! T-tell them, Kawa!" He added.

Toshi glanced back at her as a grimace graced her pretty face before he huffed, "so what? Even if he has an illness, we've all made our choices! There's no turning back!" He caught the would-be critical blow from the mentioned man and shoved him off to slash at his chest.

"You stupid dog!" Serizawa spat annoyedly, glancing from his forearm he'd blocked the strike with to Ibuki, reaching inside his robes to withdraw a familiar vial.

"Aw shit…" Souji huffed, adding grimly, "this's gonna be an even bigger pain in the ass."

A rumbling laugh escaped the new Rasetsu as he chucked the vial out into the rain. Red eyes gleaming coldly, he turned his sights onto his opponent, "Not gonna attack…? Let me do the honors!" He swung down on him, sending him flying back.

"Toshi!" Kawa exclaimed when San'nan-san was also knocked back and sent flying into the yard, rushing to help her look-a-like to his feet as Serizawa strode out into the courtyard towards Ibuki.

"… the idea of a miserable brat like you savin' my life makes me sick!" Serizawa snarled moments later, causing the 'siblings' to see he had Ibuki's scruff in hand and held him high.

"Ryunosuke!" Heisuke barked before Sano brushed past him to ram his spear's blade into the Rasetsu.

Serizawa knocked away the spear with his katana, right foot kicking Sano square in the gut and sending him flying.

Souji flew at him next, slashing at the overgrown beast, before his foe blocked his attack and sharply kicked him in the belly to send him flying.

Serizawa froze when a knife's blade streaked through the air to stick in his bum arm, turning about to block the sharp lunge from the lone woman, scowling down at her as she glowered up at him.

"Yasakawa!" Toshi shouted, minding that she had thrown herself into the fight to defend Souji, the urge to keep her away from that monster warring with the urge to watch her fight.

"You attack me at last, she-wolf!" Serizawa drawled, mirthless smirk returned, shoving her off only to drop Ibuki as he rushed her, sending her on the defense. "I wondered when you would snap your fangs!" He added, almost glad to fight her if only to repay the times she snapped at him.

Kawa caught his descending blade, digging her heels into the wet ground, slightly panting as she locked gazes with the monster. "You're right for once… I am the she-wolf of the Shinsengumi!" She disengaged the blades only to slice at his belly, perking up when he returned the offense with a sucker-punch to her chest that sent her bouncing back.

"Kawa-chan!" Ibuki exclaimed as Serizawa paused to attack her, following his gaze to gape.

Steadily getting to her feet, katana used as a brief crutch, Kawa spat a wad of blood at his feet, a scowl like Toshi's in her eyes as a cold smile crossed her lips. "You can't cut me down, you disgusting monster!" She rushed him with a snarl, slowly sending him on the defense as she channeled her rage and frustration into her blows.

Serizawa dropped back a bit, crimson staining his sleeping robe and leaking from wounds that closed up as quickly as they had been made, regarding the swordswoman when she panted and her shoulders shook with adrenaline. He gripped his own sword in hand and snarled as he rushed her, red locking on grey, unaware of the streak of brown that rushed him from behind until a sickening 'squelch' sounded as it halted his charge.

"Keep your mitts off my woman ya asshole." Okita Souji growled coldly at his back, katana protruding from the other's back to his chest, glancing around the skewered monster to mind she raised her sword again.

"T-this is for the best… well done," Serizawa rasped before being silenced when Kawa lopped his head off, head and body hitting the damp ground with a muffled 'thud'.

Katana dropping from her hand as silence started to settle on the courtyard, Kawa closed her eyes tightly as tears of relief and frustration fell and she stifled a sob. Her puffy eyes opened when being enveloped in an embrace, recognizing the red haori with ease; she threw her arms around his neck and nearly sank into his body, feeling his fingers curl in her hair as he let her cry.

Toshi looked from the slain Serizawa to the couple holding onto each other, smiling elatedly at the fact that they were both all right, sheathing his katana.

"We still need to look for Ibuki-kun, don't we?" San'nan-san asked, breaching the silence, earning a wince from Heisuke.

"Don't you mean 'kill him'?" Souji guessed as he released her to let her retrieve her katana.

Kawa sniffed and looked to see Ibuki gone, also having winced at the thought, "But he's just a kid…"

"Saitou and Shinpachi will be heading back soon, if they're not already here… Kawa, you'll stay with me." Toshi pointed out, looking to her briefly-surprised gaze.

"But, Toshi…!" Kawa protested.

Toshi silenced her with that trademark scowl in place, "no 'buts'! You're gonna stay here to get looked at and that's an order, Yasakawa."

Gaze sharpening for a moment, Kawa's shoulders slumped and she looked away. "… Fine."

Souji earned her gaze when he wiped a smudge of dirt from her left cheek, offering a smirk when their eyes met and giving a nod when noting the plea in her eyes for him to go easy on the boy, hand dropping to his side as he watched her leave the courtyard in favor of her room.

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"Still pissed at me?"

Looking at him from being pulled out of her observations, she minded the curiosity in his green eyes and her face softened as she looked at their leaders. "Nope… hard to stay angry with my favorite cat." She added lightly.

Brow twitching at her petname, he pinched her cheek, snickering when she shooed him off with a growl, "I doubt I act that much like a cat, babe…" He defended as he glanced at her between keeping in line with their friends.

"I have evidence that says otherwise…" She countered, minding the pout on his handsome face and giggling, taking his hand in hers, "and for the record, I love cats."

Souji minded the soft look returned to her face and he smiled, squeezing her hand in his, "love you too, princess."

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an: ok first of all s/o to Samara Yukimura (excellent username btw!) for being the first to Fave/Follow this fic, you're the best. secondly, i wasn't lying when i said i was gonna cover all the anime seasons (OVAs included) sooo Shinsengumi Kitan is next. onward!
* "Finish Line" - Skillet