Disclaimer: I don't own any element of Hakuouki. This story is written for pleasure and not for profit.

A Friend Like You

Chapter 4

"The Misfit"

By Lady Yomi

Summer, September 20, 1863. A week after Sannan started treatment with Dr. Tani Mantaro.

"Hey, Sannan-san!" Okita Souji met him with a mischievous grin, his hair looking redder in the midday light. "Did the medical check-up go well?"

Sannan grimaced, unable to determine whether the outcome was good or bad. "The doctor will give you more accurate details than I."

"Bah, why the long face?" He laid his eyes on the sling shielding his companion's arm. "I'd appreciate a leave of absence like yours."

"Don't speak lightly, Okita-kun. You'd go mad if you couldn't add to the Roshigumi's development for two weeks in a row." He held his chin and raised his eyebrows curiously. "Who sent you to find me? We both know I can return to the headquarters without inconvenience."

"You should say 'thank you', Sannan-san." He quirked his lips and headed down the path that ran along the river that cut the city in half. "Politeness takes you many places."

"Funny to hear you say that." He adjusted his glasses and looked at him with a gentler expression than the one he'd given him upon exiting the clinic. "I suspect Kondou-san fears I might be an easy target for our enemies."

Okita shrugged and hid his hands inside his haori's sleeves. "I won't sugarcoat it for you, Sannan-san. Had I been the enemy I'd render your body as mangled as that useless arm you take such pains to hide." He pursed his lips and shook his head. "You shouldn't walk around Kyoto with two swords like if you were the freaking Miyamoto Musashi, you'll only get yourself in trouble in that condition of yours."

"I'm not afraid of fighting at a disadvantage." His gaze moved from the dusty streets to the crystal clear surface of the water where several residents shook the heat away with a dip.

"I know you don't," Okita brushed a sweaty lock of hair away from his forehead, "but the Roshigumi isn't in a position to lose one of its captains in a second-rate street brawl. It'd ruin our reputation far more than that Serizawa moron is already doing."

"Don't call him a moron. Serizawa-san is our boss and we owe him respect."

"That doesn't make him any less of a moron." He rolled his eyes. "Between him and that Tani punk we couldn't sink any lower."

Sannan stopped in shock and blinked several times before resuming his walk. "I thought I was the only one who was bothered by the new captain's attitude."

"You're far from it." He huffed through his teeth. "Did you notice how much he tries to act like me?"

"To act like you?" Sannan grimaced. "I don't think Tani behaves similarly to you."

"Of course he does!" Okita puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms in an outburst of disgust. "I'm not the only one who noticed! Harada-san used to be his student in the Tyokushin Ryu style and he told me I was right!"

"I'm not dismissing Harada-san's opinion, it's just that it wouldn't be the first time you felt jealous of a fellow swordsman."

"Jealousy?!" He laughed in disbelief. "Ha! He doesn't even use a sword! I'd never be jealous of the fool who uses a spear to avoid close combat." He turned on his heel and examined Sannan with a questioning look. "You don't like him either, do you? I don't suppose it's because you're jealous of him."

"Of course not." He shook his head and his eyebrows fell dangerously over his eyelids when he recalled the moment he met Tani Sanjuro. "I just think he'd be a far more tolerable individual if he had greater control over his tongue." He sighed as he asked: "Do you want to know what he said to me during yesterday's patrol?"

"If he told you you were a liability I would've agreed with him,'' Okita pointed out mischievously, ''though I hope I'm wrong."

"He said the Roshigumi was a pretty merciful bunch."

"Hmm?" Okita raised his eyebrows. "And why would he say something like that?"

Sannan gave a bitter laugh that lingered halfway down his throat. "Because they went through the trouble of appointing a new captain for the special Cripple Corps."

"Bah." He clicked his tongue and furrowed his eyebrows. "That's an amateurish cheap shot, I would've said something wittier."

"Amateur or not, he managed to make me feel like a failure."

"If you feel that way it's your own fault, you shouldn't listen to his nonsense."

Sannan grunted and ran a hand over the top of his head, annoyed by his companion's indifference. "That's easy to say when you aren't the one who can't wield his sword!"

Okita quirked his lips with his eyes fixed on Sannan's sling. "Maybe you're right, but shutting down his insults won't make you recover any faster, will it? If you let him get under your skin, you'll end up feeling twice as bad."

"By all the feudal lords, Okita-kun." Sannan let his shoulders fall. "If only it was that easy to disregard his words. I fear you won't get it unless you're in my shoes, and heaven knows I don't wish this misfortune on any of you."

"Don't be dramatic." He clicked his tongue and looked away. "It's just that you take offense over nothing."

"Do I?" His eyebrows disappeared under his glasses. "What about you? You have no proof he's imitating you, but you insist on being subjective."

"Subjective my ass. That guy started to annoy me from the second day he spent in the headquarters. The guys and I were discussing a fascinating topic, but Tani decided to invite himself into the conversation."

"What topic?" Sannan sighed with visible disinterest.

"We were trying to pinpoint who was Kyoto's most beautiful woman," he stated with a smug grin.

"What a waste of time. Is that what you do when Hijikata-kun takes a nap?"

"Keep quiet or I won't tell you the rest."

"Like I'd miss out on something crucial."

"As I was saying..." Okita continued, paying no attention to his companion's boredom. "I was the last one to speak up, so I said the obvious; that Shimabara's maiko Kohana was the sole deserving of such a title among the bunch of bimbos they nominated before."

"Kohana of Shimabara?" Sannan put a hand to his chin. "She's beautiful, yes, albeit too young for the task at hand."

"Her youth doesn't prevent her from excelling at her job, I've never seen her miss a single dance step." He shrugged without taking his eyes off the road. "She's a professional and I think that increases her popularity."

Sannan laughed softly. "Since when did you become an Okiya critic, Okita-kun?"

"It's no big deal..." He clicked his tongue with a shrug as he stopped under a tree teeming with noisy cicadas. "You know I only drink at those places. It was just a hobby to pass the time, you shouldn't take it so seriously."

"And why did you get upset about whatever Tani did?"

Okita frowned as the memory came to his mind. "He used exactly the same reasoning as I did, but to refer to Serizawa-san's tacky mistress."

"Ume-san?"

"Exactly." He huffed. "He even dared to say they look physically alike which puts them on equal footing. Can you believe it? Equal footing by likening a maiko to a... woman like Ume?"

"No offense, Okita-kun," Sannan muttered, "but it still seems like a pretty silly spat to me."

"I'm gonna kill that guy."

"Don't be so intense." Sannan leaned against the tree trunk where Okita stopped, eager to get some rest before resuming their walk. "The kid's a pain in the ass, yes, but I intend to make him one of us."

"What the hell are you thinking?"

"You aren't the world's friendliest person and yet you're still on our side."

"Don't compare me to that fourth-rate spearman."

"I suppose there's a reason why Tani is so..." he paused to search for the right word, "...cynical. We might be able to spot and comprehend that reason to make him behave as any other comrade would."

"Good luck accomplishing that after I toss him headfirst into the well's bottom."

"Have mercy, Okita-kun. He treated me worse than he did to you and yet I'm willing to give him a chance. He can't be as bad as he seems. If we put up with Serizawa-san, we may as well be a little more patient with Tani."

"That's your opinion." Okita shrugged and rolled up his haori in annoyance. The heat was putting him in a dreadful mood. "Would you like to go for a drink at the Mao Restaurant?"

"Now?" Sannan tried to cope with the abrupt change of subject. "Shouldn't we report to Kondou-san first?"

"Relax." He gave a haughty snort, strutting toward the store's door. "You're with his favorite captain, I'm sure he'll excuse your slip."

"Sannan-san." Chie came out to meet them with a tray full of rice balls. Her face was flushed from the lengthy workday she endured. "What brings you here?"

"We fear dehydration," joked Sannan as he pointed to Okita with his free hand. "This is Okita Souji, 1st Division captain and the squad's honorary rascal."

"Oh, I... see." Chie hesitated whether to laugh or keep her composure. Her eyes moved to the stranger to read his reaction, but the swordsman's expression was cryptic. He might as well be smiling or about to cut her in half with his katana, only the blessed Amaterasu-sama could know that, so she chose to bow in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Okita-san!"

"The pleasure is mine, Chie-chan." Okita smiled back. "Sannan-san told me this nice place caught fire last month, I'm glad you repaired it so quickly."

Chie's face turned pale at the memory of the terrible fire and she had to put the tray on the table to avoid dropping it. She gave a nervous chuckle as she smoothed her apron's wrinkles. "Yeah. It's such a lucky thing that... Kyoto's people were so helpful to us, Okita-san."

"Better that way." His eyes wandered around the place and a mischievous smile formed on his lips. "I'd like to see the beam that almost split Sannan-san in two. I gather you keep it on display."

"W, what?" Chie's eyes widened. "N, no! Of course not!"

Okita chuckled a low laugh. "Relax, I'm just messing with you." He shot Sannan a sidelong glance. "She's an innocent girl, huh? That's good. She'll have a long life provided she doesn't meddle in our affairs."

"Don't talk too much, Okita-kun..." Sannan cleared his throat. "Will you order something to eat?"

"Maybe." He still hadn't lost interest in his new acquaintance. He enjoyed teasing shy women more than he liked to admit. "Tell me, Chie-chan. Did the fire frighten you badly?"

Sannan was speechless. How dare he ask that question to someone who had been nearly burned to death? He tried to tell him to leave her alone, but the girl beat him to it: "I couldn't say I wasn't scared," she admitted, "but fortunately Sannan-san was there to spare me from a fatal outcome."

"Right." Okita eyed her up and down, attempting to gauge her reaction. "And what if no one had arrived in time to rescue you?"

"Enough, Okita-kun. Let's take our seats and let Chie-chan carry on serving the customers." Sannan held his shoulder as a warning, but Chie wasted no time in explaining herself, her expression easing in a way that didn't match the darkness of her answer:

"You don't have to be a scholar to foresee what would've happened, Okita-san. I would simply be dead." A hint of sadness crossed her face, but she was quick to hide it under a hearty smile. "Many people die from unfair reasons. Life... is often like that."

"Yeah." Okita shrugged, looking at the customers coming in and out of the restaurant. "I see it the same way." His eyes narrowed into a mischievous grin as he walked toward his favorite table. "I was hoping you'd get annoyed, but you spoiled my fun. You leave me no choice but to force you to serve me a drink as punishment, Chie-chan."

The girl couldn't help but smile. Sannan-san had every reason to consider him an honorary rascal. She nodded, ready to prepare the order, but Sannan stopped her with an inquisitive look that flashed through his glasses' lenses. "Before you leave, Miss Chie. Would you mind answering a few questions about Tani Sanjuro?"

Chie's jaw dropped, mute from the surprise that swept over her. She put the tray back on the table after collecting herself, lowering her voice to make sure no one else could hear her. "How... did you know I know him?"

"I didn't know, you just confirmed it." Sannan frowned. "We recently learned that Mantaro-san is his younger brother and, considering you recommended him to me as a doctor, it was obvious you should know the Bicchu Matsuyama clan's heir."

"Well, yes." Chie looked away. "But I don't have time to chat with you now, Sannan-san. As you can see, I'm working." She gritted her teeth in a fake smile that failed to disguise her discomfort.

"I don't want to bother you, but it's just that..." He sighed, embarrassed by the request he was about to make to the waitress. "I'd like to get to know him a little better. We're having some... issues with his behavior at the Roshigumi and I'd appreciate your advice to solve them."

Chie would've preferred to hide in the kitchen for the rest of the afternoon than talk about Tani, but learning her old friend had difficulty fitting in prompted her to whisper the excuse she so often uttered during her childhood: "He's not as bad as he seems. He's just... a bit reluctant to trust people."

"Really?" Sannan put a hand to his chin. "I supposed something prevented him from being nice, but I never thought he felt... insecure."

"He hasn't had an easy life." Chie struggled in vain to loosen the lump in her throat. "I... I've seen him in better times and..." Her cheeks flared at the memories that flowed from the place where she buried them years ago. "I, I'm sorry, Sannan-san! I can't talk about this anymore! I have to... get back to work!" She stormed away, bumping into a few customers as she disappeared into the distance.

Sannan gave a deep sigh and let his shoulders fall in disappointment. Would that be all he'd get to hear from Tani Sanjuro? He sat across from Okita with his healthy arm crossed over his sling and his brow furrowed in frustration.

"Hijikata-san told you you wouldn't get anything out of the waitress."

"How did you hear that? Hijikata-kun and I were alone in the meeting room."

The younger one bared his teeth in a playful grin and waved his right hand between the two of them. "Don't pay heed to my methods. Do you still plan to expose Tani's weaknesses?"

"I'm not trying to expose his weaknesses, I just want to..." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I just aim to integrate him into the group, that's all."

"Well, as much as it annoys me to admit it, Hijikata-san is right. She knows many things about him, but she won't tell them to you or me."

Sannan sighed and shook his head. "I've noticed."

"But maybe she'll tell them to someone a bit more... friendly," Okita muttered, leaning out of the window with an enigmatic smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He squinted slyly, pointing at the Roshigumi patrol that showed up at the end of the dusty street. Toudou Heisuke was leading a troop of men as tired and sweaty as he was. "Give her a shoulder to cry on and she'll give us the information we seek."

Autumn, September 30, 1863. Ten days later.

Had Furukawa Chie known that Toudou-san would visit her daily to quiz her about Tani's qualities, she probably would've tried to make up a couple of fake facts to get him off her back. But there she was again, hiding in the restaurant kitchen while trying to convince Ume to cover for her for the tenth time.

"You can't avoid him forever," her friend muttered as she spied the main hall tables. "He just wants to learn more about his teammate. Isn't that the same thing Sannan-san asked that time? Everyone seems to care about him."

"Why don't they ask Mantaro-san, then? He's his brother and should know him much better than I do."

"You know it's not like that." Ume (who knew Chie and Sanjuro's story as if it were her own), looked sideways at her with tight lips. "His younger brother doesn't know shit about Tani and I bet he already told that to Toudou-kun."

"I know, I know!" Chie puffed out her cheeks. "But... I just can't. I don't know if I can talk about him without-"

"Without bursting into tears?"

Chie nodded with a pitiful groan, hiding her face under her apron. Her tantrum elicited a hearty laugh from her best friend, who bent down to gently uncover her face.

"You owe your help to Toudou-kun. Wasn't he the one who caught you after you jumped from your burning house? You wouldn't be here without Sannan-san or him, sweetie."

"Yeah," the waitress muttered under her breath, "but I've already sent Sannan-san to a doctor. Isn't that enough to pay off my debt?"

"Will you make him sit and wait for you at that table for ten more days?"

"It's not my fault Hijikata-san thinks the Choshu meet here to plan their next attack! Even if I don't tell him anything about Tani he'll have to keep watching everything that happens from there!"

"They say there's no way to get out of the Roshigumi without committing seppuku..." Ume muttered grimly. "What if Tani's behavioral issues get him forced to cut open his belly as a punishment?"

"Oh, Ume!" Chie turned pale and her mouth trembled as she spoke: "D, don't say that, for God's sake!"

"I'm not trying to manipulate you." She held her hand to help her to her feet. "I'm making sure you won't hurt yourself any more than you've already been, my friend. I know you'll never forgive yourself if something bad happens to him because of you."

"Yes..." She stared at her own feet. "You're not wrong about that, Ume."

"Help Toudou-kun understand him. That'll give you peace of mind."

"I... I think maybe I can give it a try."

"Then go. Don't be afraid of the tears from your eyes, but of those from your heart." She gave her a little push that sufficed to draw her out of the kitchen, but not out of the sea of worries that drowned her as she approached the table occupied by the captain of the 8th Division.

"Oh, Chie-san!" Heisuke stood up with a relieved smile plastered on his lips. "I've finally bumped into you!"

The waitress looked at him with a grudging look she found hard to hide. She knew he meant well to her former best friend, but she had sworn to never think of Tani or anything concerning his affairs anymore and felt like she was betraying herself... again.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," she mumbled, taking a seat next to him as she removed the scarf from her hair, "but I'm not on the best of terms with your teammate and... I'd rather not talk about him."

"I, I know... I mean! I can tell you're bummed about the whole thing." He scratched the back of his neck to ease his discomfort and forced a smile as he rested his hands on the coffee table. Screw Souji for sending him on that sickening mission where he was supposed to uncover some poor girl's secrets! Wasn't Yamazaki-kun supposed to take care of that kind of depressing stuff? Heisuke would've cut off a hundred ronin before manipulating her, so his apology sounded more pained than it should when he blurted: "I'm sorry, Chie-san!"

"Don't be sorry." She raised her eyes softly, looking at him with a small determination that grew as her nerves faded away. "I've already decided that... well, that this is all for his sake."

"Of course it is." Heisuke nodded, tapping his knuckles on the table. "I know Tani isn't the party's funniest guy, but it'd be nice to know who we're dealing with before embracing a misguided opinion we might be ashamed of later." He shrugged, discouraged at the thought of his current situation. "Looks can be deceiving, huh?"

"Yes." Chie looked down, staring at her own reflection in the teacup resting on the coffee table. "Even memories can be deceiving sometimes."

"Huh?" Heisuke blinked wide-eyed. "Chie-san? What are you saying?"

"Oh!" She blushed when she noticed her distraction. "I, I'm sorry, I was just thinking out loud!"

Heisuke laughed good-naturedly, dismissing the matter with a gentle wave of his hand. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I guess you don't know where to start."

"I'd like to find out what's going on with him first."

"Hmm? What do you mean, what's going on with him?"

"What's this terrible behavioral issue you're so worried about?"

"Well..." Heisuke pursed his lips, unsure of how to express their complaints about this man who seemed to upset her so much. "Well. He... let's just say he screws up almost on purpose."

"What do you mean, he screws up?"

"He tends to say rude things and whines too much about everything." He looked at her, afraid she would take offense at his words, but found she looked more curious than upset, so he continued with renewed confidence: "He's smugger than Souji... and that's putting it mildly."

"Truth is, he always had pretty strong opinions. Tani-san wasn't about changing them to spare other people's sensibilities."

"Yeah. I can see that. But should he come up with such a stunt against Hijikata-san or Serizawa-san..." he gritted his teeth, drumming his fingers against the table's surface, "...he's going to be in for some real trouble."

"Yes, I guessed as much and that's why I decided to help you."

"Good." Heisuke smiled contentedly, taking a sip from his cup of sake. "Mr. Tani-Smug-Sanjuro is making many enemies with this charade of acting like a bully. Things will be easier for him (and for all of us too) if we find out his weaknesses."

Chie wrinkled her nose. "Weaknesses? I'm not going to give you ideas to pick on him or anything."

"N, no!" Heisuke coughed from choking on his drink and hurried to interpose his palm between the two of them. "Don't get me wrong! We just... want to know how to get him to stop being so narrow-minded and... confrontational toward others!"

"It's just that I..." Chie bit her lower lip, fighting the urge to get up and run away from the place. "I never knew how to deal with him as you think. He's very self-reliant and doesn't usually listen to anyone's advice." She smiled resignedly. "He's your typical prideful warrior."

"We're prideful too and yet we don't go around dissing each other's roots."

"What do you mean?"

"He has no right to say some of our people are less valuable because of how they came into the world. The Roshigumi doesn't care about social status, justice issues, and all that nonsensical crap."

"Tani is a prestigious heir who shares his people's views. He still has some things to learn, but I'm sure he'll understand them as time goes by."

"I would say many, in fact..." he muttered, struggling to hide how much it irked him to be judged by Sanjuro and his subordinates when they intercepted the mail with money for Sannan's treatment sent to him by his father from the Toudou Domain. To be called a bastard ronin amidst laughter and mockery was something he never thought he'd suffer under the Roshigumi's roof.

A tomb-like silence fell between the two of them and Heisuke noticed Chie's freckled face twitch in a gesture of both shock and anguish. He opened his mouth to find out the reason behind her odd reaction, but a hand resting on his shoulder prevented him from doing so.

He only grasped the true situation when Tani Sanjuro's very voice rang behind his back: "I never thought one of my fellow captains would spend his surveillance hours trash-talking me to Kyoto's young girls. It's a rather creepy pastime. Don't you think so, Chie-chan?"

Author's note:

Well, that's all for today! I loved to read both FFN and AO3 readers' comments, as well as the kudos and bookmarks I got from users of the latter. Big hugs to the silent readers as well, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Until next time! ;)