The calm was deceptive. Fifteen days had passed since Chizuru and Sannan had accidentally overheard Itou's complaints, and nothing had happened. Nothing at all. Everyone just went about their daily business, and life continued to move on.
Chizuru had finished her chores early today and considering it was such a pleasant sunny day, she had opted to do a nice little afternoon nap under a shady tree that was hidden in a less frequented area, but still within hearing distance of the main courtyard. The chirping sounds of singing birds had made a wonderfully effective lullaby, and sleep had claimed her easily.
Her dream was very lovely. Very lovely and very yummy. But just as she was about to take a bite out of the gigantic house-sized and spongy-looking rice cake, reality woke her in form of a rather unpleasant commotion.
Slightly disgruntled at being so rudely dragged away from her imaginary gourmet meal -'Great, now I´m hungry'-, Chizuru yawned drowsily, stretched her weary limbs and blinked curiously in the direction of the loud voices. Since the tree she had been sleeping under was hidden, she was forced to move to see what was happening. Unhurriedly, she made her way back to the main courtyard and peeked around a corner.
Her face fell slightly as she recognized the man in the center of a crowd.
Itou.
Of course, it was him.
And judging by his overzealous gestures, he was obviously telling a story. Undoubtedly about himself and his unparalleled sword skills. Nothing else could get him this excited.
"Why am I not surprised? " Chizuru muttered quietly and dryly. Since his unwarranted insults days prior, she bore a rather deep resentment towards him and had little patience for any of his actions.
"Perhaps you have already grown accustomed to his ostentatious ways? " a calm smooth voice suggested lightly.
"Sanan-san!", Chizuru exclaimed in surprise and raised her head to look at the man.
"I did not hear you coming." She was still tired and had been too focused on Itou to pay any attention to her surroundings. An oversight that could have been deadly. Chizuru mentally admonished herself to be more aware of things in the future.
A light smile flitted over Sanan's face as he casually came to a stop next to her. "Do not feel distressed. The soft sound of footsteps is easily drowned in such a pandemonium."
His eyes narrowed slightly in Itou's direction. He seemed displeased. And he was not the only one.
Chizuru's gaze fell on the rest of the captains.
They had interrupted their respective duties to investigate the source of the noisiness. They did not look too happy, as well.
Harada, Nagakura and Heisuke were standing closest to her. They had just returned from patrol and were looking forward to a short period of rest. But instead of the quiet, comfortable busyness of headquarters, they were greeted by Itou's grandstanding.
Nagakura's arms were crossed, and he glared openly in Itou's direction. Harada frowned deeply in displeasure. Heisuke, however, seemed troubled. He probably felt guilty for bringing Itou in. Chizuru sympathized with him. He was obviously torn between his gratefulness towards Itou and his loyalty towards the Shinsengumi. Not an easy place to be in. But there was nothing she could do to help him. Heisuke would have to sort his feelings out himself.
Her eyes wandered to Saito and Okita, who stood side by side next to a pole and closest to the dojo.
Saito's face was as unreadable and stoic as ever, but Chizuru could make out a steely and icy glint in his eyes. Now wonder. He was probably secretly burning with resentment. He had been forced to halt his training session with Okita after all. There was absolutely no way that he would feel indifferent about this. Not Saito. Getting between him and his training sessions was nothing short of suicidal.
And speaking of Okita...
He certainly wasn't very happy either. Judging by the terrifyingly dark and murderous expression on his face, it was very clear that he desperately longed to kill Itou.
Chizuru would not have been surprised if Okita suddenly drew his sword and stabbed him right on the spot.
Itou, however, seemed completely unaffected by the death stares aimed at him and continued to prattle on and on.
"Almost impressive, isn't it? " Sanan commented mildly, his voice tingling with dark amusement. "To completely disregard such an impressive amount of killing intent...," he paused, and his lips twisted into a slightly mocking smile. "One has to wonder whether it is bravery - or blatant ignorance."
"Probably the latter, " Chizuru answered darkly, not even sparing the question a second thought. Itou might have usually been a calculating and intelligent person, but he was also very narcissistic and prone to lose his rationality in favor of admiring his own ego. It was his greatest weakness.
Sanan chuckled lightly and grazed Chizuru with a soft look, before his attention was once again directed at the scene in front of him.
His eyes zoned on Itou like a tiger's gaze locks on its prey. "Perhaps," he mused, "This is the perfect time to move."
His words carried a cruel, hidden promise.
"It is," the demon in Chizuru agreed.
She moved, feeling strangely calm.
Her smile was concealed poison. Sweet, but deadly.
Itou was arrogant, not seeing this soft girl-like boy as a threat.
So he never saw the trap he was directly walking into when she fawned over him, asking to display his skills.
Itou agreed easily enough, quickly appointing one of the soldiers to attack him.
"Watch carefully, Yukimura-kun, I will show you exactly what a real samurai is capable off, "he stated grandly and fell into a fighting stance, only to get interrupted by a smooth, calm voice.
"I think Yukimura-kun would benefit more from this display if your opponent was slightly more challenging, Itou-san."
Sanan stepped out of the shadows, shedding them off like a dark, ominous cloak, and leisurely walked up to the would-be combatants.
There was a barely present undercurrent of mockery in his eyes as he surveyed the scene in front of him.
"Sanan-san," Itou stiffened slightly, his lips twisting into something that vaguely resembled a smile. It looked unreal, like a painting missing its shading; there but lacking depth. Oddly, it fitted him well.
"So you wish to spar with me? "Itou glanced pointedly at Sanan's bandaged arm. "I don't think that this will be very fair, being disabled like this." His entire body radiated condescension.
For a fraction of a seconda dark promiseflickered in Sanan's eyes, before it receded, hiding itself in umber.
"Ah yes, I am quite incapacitated at the moment. So, someone else will have to do."
He turned to Chizuru. "What do you think, Yukimura-kun? Who would make a good challenge for Itou-san?"
"Well...," Chizuru mused quietly. "I don't doubt any of the captains would do well..." She glanced around the yard, seemingly deep in thought, before her expression suddenly brightened in realization.
"Ah, I know...Hijikata-san!", she declared finally. "He has been coped up inside for days now. It would be a good opportunity for him to exercise a bit. Maybe it will help him relax. Lately he has been rather irritable."
"An excellent idea," Sanan agreed cheerfully. "Would you go and ask him? I am sure he will be exceedingly pleased to indulge us."
Itou looked slightly pale.
"Excuse me, Hijikata-san," Chizuru's soft voice sounded through the man's door. "Would you happen to be free for a while?"
The vice-commander raised his head from the paper he had been musing over and furrowed his brows. "What is it, Yukumira? Did something happen?"
"No," the girl answered. "But Itou-san has promised to demonstrate his sword skills to me and is lacking an opponent. We thought you might want to step in."
Hijikata's eyebrows went even higher. Why would Itou promise to show his skills to Yukimura? And who was we?
Well, the answers to these questions could wait for later, he decided. This was not an opportunity he wanted to miss out on.
"I am coming," he agreed readily, signing his name on the report, and put his brush down.
Chizuru smiled at the closed door.
The barely concealed glee was visible on Souji's face when he saw the color draining out of Itou's face. Next to him, Saito's steely gaze blunted; the sharp edge taken away by a muted satisfaction.
Chizuru could hear Nagakura whispering an excited "Oh…interesting," as Harada nodded along next to him.
Heisuke shifted slightly, still looking torn.
Chizuru glanced at Sanan and saw dark amusement flicker over his face before it settled on something in an expression of mild interest.
Hijikata grinned at his opponent. "Shall we get on to it?" He unsheathed his katana and fell into an easy stance.
Itou swallowed nervously.
For a short moment, Sanan's gaze met hers. He tilted his head slightly in Itou's direction, and Chizuru could see the clear intent in his eyes.
She immediately caught on. "You'll be doing great, Itou-san! I'll be looking forward to learning from you!"
Her words drew a few odd looks from the captains. Chizuru could not fault them for it. It was probably strange for them to see her supporting Itou.
Itou drew his katana.
Inoue stepped between the two opponents.
The spar started.
Hijikata moved.
It was a brutal clash of sharpened metal. Two figures dancing amidst the crowd of watching people.
It was a deadly dance. Chizuru could see Okita vibrating in excitement as Hijikata's blade sliced the air next to Itou's head. Saito's gaze was fixed on the fight, obviously analyzing their movements.
There was an air of satisfaction around Sanan. Chizuru understood where he was coming from. It was rather satisfying to watch the ostentatious man trying his best to keep up with Hijikata.
Itou was not a bad fighter, but he was no match for the deputy commander – and it was clearly showing when Hijikata's next move ripped the blade out of Itou's hand.
"Hijikata-san wins!" Inoue announced loudly, and the assembled samurai cheered.
Hijikata grinned at Itou, apparently enjoying the opportunity to hold his blade against the man's neck. He took his time lowering his katana. "I enjoyed out little spar, Itou-san. We should repeat it some time."
"I…," Itou stammered.
"It was a very illuminating display," Sanan cut in with a deceptively kind smile. "Don't you think so, too, Yukimaru-kun?"
Chizuru nodded in agreement. "It was. Thank you, Itou-san. I learned much from watching you today."
She dealt the finishing blow with a happy smile. "I didn't know your skills reached that far, Itou-san! It reminded me of the time I saw Hijikta-san spar with Sanan-san. Their fight was a bit longer, though and Sanan-san didn't get disarmed."
Itou blushed in embarrassment and Chizuru could hear Okita, Nagakura and Harada snicker slightly at her words.
She could feel Saito watching her with calculating curiosity. Hijikata's gaze on her was equally heavy, but clearly contained surprised amusement as well. "Sanan is a skilled fighter," he agreed easily and turned away from his defeated opponent.
"You are praising me too much," Sanan replied, dismissing Itou's presence as well.
Hijikata snorted. "The hell I am," he shot back.
"I agree with the Deputy Commander," Saito interjected as he and the other captains appeared next to them.
Chizuru absently noticed that they all seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Sanan smiled quietly, an aura of dark satisfaction surrounding him.
"So," Hijikata asked once they had all comfortably settled in the common room. "I take it that you planned that?" He looked pointedly at Sanan.
"It was planned," Sanan agreed, sounding rather amused. "But not by me alone. In fact, it was Yukimura-kun who came up with the idea. It was a collaborative effort."
Saito threw a sharp look at Chizuru, and Hijikata's eyebrows shot up. "Yukimura?!" he asked incredulously at the same moment Harada's mouth fell open and Heisuke yelled, "Chizuru?!", jumping up to point at her.
"You are kidding!" Nagakura's head whipped around to stare at her, and Okita dropped the rice cake he had been nibbling on. "Eh?! No way!"
"She has a surprisingly vicious mind." Sanan sounded approving. Chizuru nearly blushed at his praise.
"He called Sanan-san an useless invalid and implied that I was having… illicit relations with all of you, " Chizuru told them quietly. "It was not something I could allow to stand."
The mood in the room immediately darkened.
"He did what?!" Hijikata bellowed. "I am going to beat him up."
"You just did that," Sanan reminded him casually.
Hijikata snorted. "I guess I did, eh?" He laughed.
Laughter filled the room.
Chizuru handed him a plate of rice cakes "You look more relaxed, Hijikata-san. I am glad."
Hijikata threw her an amused look. "Is that so?"
Chizuru nodded thoughtfully. "You should exercise like this more often…I wonder if there is anyone else you don't like?"
Sanan's eyes glittered. "I believe I might be able to supply a few names."
The captains slowly edged away as innocent Chizuru mirrored Sanan's overly pleasant smile.
A Fearsome Duo, indeed.