Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Pairing: Okita/Kagome
Suggested Listening: Everybody Loves Me by Onerepublic
Of Pride and Honor
Chapter Seven: Master of the Keep
The month of January passed faster than Okita had ever anticipated. His appointment with the doctor had gone over quite well. The second set of radiographs had shown the scarred tissues on his lungs healing over. Also the results of his new blood test had come back—the antibiotics were working as they'd hoped. He hardly had any fevers or coughing fits anymore. Now it was just a waiting game to finish the regiment. That part still sucked more than anything else. He felt perfectly normal but couldn't quite risk stopping his medicine or returning to the Edo Period just yet. Well at the very least he had a few things to keep him busy in the mean time. He shot a meaningful look at Kagome's back.
The year had already progressed halfway into February and both the siblings had returned to school—working diligently on their studies and club activities. The man slowly lowered his book to peer at Kagome's hunched form. She was working herself to the bone again. Not only was she studying until close to midnight every night but she'd taken on nearly thirty hours of work a week at the café she was supposedly waitressing at. Not to mention all the club activities he was sure she was taking part in after school. His lips pressed into a line as he observed a thin sheen of sweat coating the space above her brow. Mrs. Higurashi was right about her daughter's unwillingness to yield to illness. Even as he spied the evidence of a fever upon her cheeks, she didn't waver in her determination to finish her studies. As cute as her stubborn nature was, this was beginning to get worrisome.
"You should probably get some rest." The ronin suggested over the lull hum of her music. She'd taken to using the radio to drown out the world around her. She'd claimed that it was a good way to keep her focused on her studies. Okita had his doubts of course but it wasn't like he had anything to prove otherwise. He simply thought it was a convenient way for her to ignore the fact that he liked to hover over her shoulder when he was bored and wanted to irritate her for the fun of it. Kagome gave a noncommittal grunt in reply, her eyes fixated on the textbook in front of her. Well, that didn't go quite as planned. He supposed that it shouldn't have surprised him. The woman would barely give single-syllable replies if he didn't wrangle them out of her during these 'study sessions'. Quietly, he lowered his book and set it upon his chest to keep from losing his page. "Earth to kid!" He teased lightly, testing to see if she were even listening.
"That's nice." The young woman responded, obviously having misunderstood his statement. Or at the very least she was completely ignoring him and threw out whatever phrase she thought would satisfy him. It was better than a grunt he had to admit. A smirk spread across his lips as Okita casually folded the corner edge of his page and set the book face down upon her nightstand. He pressed a button atop the radio and silenced the machine. She didn't so much as blink at the sudden silence that filled the room. If his host wasn't going to do what was necessary to take care of herself, then he supposed that he'd have to do it for her. With the stealth of a killer, he stood from his spot on her bed and casually crept up behind her unsuspecting figure. The ronin noted with delight at the way his shadow fell ominously over her oblivious form. She hardly turned her head towards him as the shade his body now cast began to block out the light of her lamp. She really was sucked into her studying. Oh well, that made this next part that much easier for him. He stretched his arms out and quicker than the eye could blink had wrapped one under her knees and wedged the other between her shoulders and the chair she was sitting at.
"Souji!" Kagome dropped the '-kun' to his name in her surprise. Okita lifted her up with ease. The teen's hands moved to grasp at his shoulders. Her fingers dug into the cloth of his jinbei as she curled her legs together in an attempt to balance herself in his arms. He gave a short snort of laughter at the reaction. It was clear that she was worried about tumbling out of his grip and onto the ground. His hands held her even tighter as his smile widened. As if he'd let her go in the first place.
"Don't 'Souji' me. You're sick." He turned his head and smirked down at her flushed cheeks. "Last I checked the sickly were supposed to be resting. In fact isn't that what you told me when I first got here? I seem to recall you putting me on a pretty strict bed rest for the first week or so."
"I'm fine! And that was different! You were even worse off than I am!" The dark haired woman whined, kicking her legs and shaking her head in a mini tantrum. "I have to study! My next test is in two days! I can't fail it!"
Okita shook his head more vigorously, "No can do, kid." To emphasize his point he walked across the room, sat upon the bed and wrapped both of his legs around hers—effectively trapping her against him. He lowered one of his arms around her waist and used the other to lock around the front of her shoulders. If she even so much as had the thought to try to escape him, then he'd just hold onto her tighter. Kagome had seen to his needs when he'd been at his worst during his illness. Now it was his turn. Even if it meant irritating her and holding her hostage against him throughout the night. Then again, that wasn't too bad of a thought. His smirk widened further. He rather liked the feeling of her pressed against him. Too bad they were still clothed.
"I'm not sick!" She tried to counter, crossing her arms petulantly from beneath his grasp. "I just need some water. I got a little dehydrated since I didn't drink enough earlier." The young woman turned a pointed stare up at him. "Think you could let me go so I can do that much?" He quirked a brow and shot her a knowing look.
"If I let got then you're just going to run back to that textbook and pour over it for the rest of the night." The man titled his chin and gestured towards the clock hanging high above their heads on the wall. "Take a look, it's already after midnight. You mean to tell me that you're still wanting to study even though you'll have to be up in a few hours?" She pursed her lips at him. He was right and they both knew it. Kagome wasn't quite as sly as she thought she was. Most days he could read her like an open book. This wasn't any different. She didn't want him to let her go so she could 'get some water'. She wanted him to release her because she was dead set on studying until she could no longer walk from her illness. He damn sure wasn't about to let her do that to herself either.
As if sensing his determination to keep her against him, she chose to change up her tactics. "Can I at least get changed?" The young woman looked down at herself. His eyes followed after hers, dragging lazily over the rather revealing outfit. He'd already gotten used to a lot of her 'night clothes' as she liked to call them. In the evenings that they'd spend in her room while she studied, she would dress down into them 'to be comfortable'. Usually they were simply oversized cotton shirts that would fall to the space just above her knees and a pair of mismatched, loose-fitting pants. This time however she had opted for black shorts that fitted closely to her figure and ended around her mid thigh, along with a thin-strapped shirt of a dark green color. If only to himself, he could admit he liked how much skin it revealed. Of course he hadn't given way how many glances he'd been sneaking at her legs throughout the night. Given their current situation, he surmised that she was likely uncomfortable at being held so intimately by him while dressed as such. His smirk widened. Looks like he just needed to allow her to get used to that idea a bit more.
The man leaned down and pressed his lips against the shell of her ear, "Why? It looks good." His voice dropped as he purposely allowed his breath to warm the flesh behind her ear. A stark heat suddenly radiated off of her as she began to blush from the unexpected action. He closed his eyes and gave a soft laugh, "Don't worry I won't do anything. I'm just going to hold you hostage to make sure you sleep." He grinned triumphantly as Kagome huffed and twisted in his grasp—attempting to free herself from him once more.
"Do I look sick to you?" She fussed at him, twisting from one side of his embrace to the other. She was definitely trying her hardest to make him loosen his grip. However he wasn't about to let her have her way. Firstly he was too damn stubborn to let go. Secondly, she was too damn ill and she'd just make herself worse at this rate. Okita wrapped his legs around hers tighter and held the writhing woman more firmly around the waist.
"Why yes. Yes you do." He lifted the hand he'd had around her shoulder and gently cupped her cheek, tilting her head up so that she would be forced to look him in the eye. "You probably can't see it yourself but you're pale as hell, kid." His brows furrowed as azure eyes widened in shock. It was true too. Despite the redness in her cheeks, the rest of her complexion was reminiscent of white rice. It was likely she'd been sick with the fever for a few days now but hadn't said a damn word. Mrs. Higurashi was right, he had to keep a closer eye on her. Kagome was quickly going to put herself out of commission if this kept up. "Your skin is burning up and it looks like you haven't slept properly in days." He brushed his thumb over the high bone of her cheek to emphasize his point. The flesh beneath his fingers darkened slightly at the contact. Most times he'd find it cute but right now he had other things to worry about, mainly her health. "Do this as a favor for me." He tried to persuade her.
If there was one thing he'd learned about this woman, it was that she couldn't deny him much. If he asked for something, anything really, she usually went out of her way to make sure he had it. Having someone devote so much attention to him was nice but now he worried that perhaps she put too much effort into taking care of him and not enough into herself. He hoped that by putting it in as a request she'd take it more seriously.
Kagome released a heavy sigh through her lips. The heat of her breath ghosted across the flesh of his neck. A tiny shiver ran just under his skin at the sudden warmth it created. Okita swiftly shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that. The young woman turned her gaze up towards him, "You're not going to let this go, are you?" She momentarily stopped squirming in his grasp to pin him with a serious stare. Her brows were furrowed and her lips pursed into a thin line. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was actually pouting. Now this was definitely a change of pace. Usually the tables were turned and he was the one to fuss at her. Damn, he really needed to learn how to take photos on his phone!
His expression softened as the ronin laughed at the image she made, "Not letting go of you either. So just get comfortable and go to sleep." He swiftly pulled her back against his chest and held his hand over the side of her head—slowly pressing her face into his shoulder so that she could rest against it. "This is the only thing I'll do. So don't worry." Some of the remaining stiffness in her posture loosened ever so slightly at the reassurance. He could tell that she was definitely unused to the intimate physical touch of a male.
Despite all the hand-holding and embraces they'd shared recently, she was still just as shy as a kitten when it came to certain acts of affection. It was precisely that gentle innocence that drew him in and held his attention. It made him want more despite the diverging paths he knew they'd eventually have to take. He wanted to experience more of her warmth and kindness. He wanted to take his part within this family and provide for them just as they'd done for him. He wanted to see just how far down this road he could travel before they'd all be forced to separate. More than anything, he wanted to spend his time here and savor every moment of it. They accepted him, cared for him and given him more than he had ever asked for. Whether Kagome realized it or not, she'd already done more for him than most of the people he had called 'family' did in his life before the well. Right now, he only wanted to return the favor. Even if it meant holding her in his arms all night just to make sure she got enough rest. "Don't over stress yourself so much." His voice softened as he leaned his cheek against the crown of her hair. "You're worrying a lot more people than you realize, kid."
Kagome breathed another heavy sigh, "You talked to kaa-chan didn't you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was an accusation.
Okita leaned his back against the headboard of her bed, simultaneously tugging her into a more comfortable position along with him. "I might have but that's not really the point, now is it?" The man could feel her hands curling lightly into the cotton of his jinbei. He smiled to himself as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. At the very least she was no longer struggling to remove herself from his arms and accepted his touch. "I'll stay here until I know you're asleep. So don't worry." He buried his fingers in her hair and gently massaged the space behind her ear.
"That's precisely why I'm concerned." The young woman sighed, her body growing more lax as exhaustion took over. He gave a quiet bark of laughter at that comment.
"You can trust me. I'm not some fiend that'll steal you away in the middle of the night." He smiled as the woman in his arms burrowed herself further into the warmth he was providing for her. She gave a quiet sigh into his neck; his massage slowly soothing her into a state of slumber. Only a little longer and she'd be fast asleep.
"I'm…" Her voice grew lighter as her head began to nod off, "… holding you to it… Souji…" Again she forgot the '-kun' suffix to his name. Not that he'd minded though. Kagome began to breathe deeply as her consciousness slipped away into a deep slumber. His arms tightened as he closed his own eyes. The ronin combed his fingers through her hair and gently massaged the scalp beneath them. Despite being able to convince her to get some rest (albeit reluctantly on her end), Okita feared that perhaps the fever had already settled in. She was unbearably warm beneath his touch and a light sheen of sweat still coated the space above her brow. She gave a small shiver as a chill went through her. If he'd paid more attention then perhaps he would've done this a few days ago rather than waiting until the last minute. She was practically burning alive from the sickness that'd stricken her.
A sharp resolve made itself known within his chest. Her main issue was how much she was working to pay off the debt of his medical bills. Even though his host had roughly explained the purpose of 'insurance' it hardly seemed to have covered the costs that it needed to. Thus why she was putting in close to eighty hours of combined studying and working time each week for the last two weeks. Mrs. Higurashi had stated that she'd filed for his residency and that his paperwork would be in any day now. Once that came through then he'd take up the burden that Kagome had placed upon herself. If she were working herself to the bone to pay for his medicine then he'd have to find a job for himself. He couldn't allow her to keep doing this to herself. Besides, wasn't it supposed to be his responsibility to be a provider and not the other way around? He felt so damn useless like this.
Okita's mind slowly slipped away as exhaustion took him. He nestled his cheek upon Kagome's head and held her tighter. The bed was uncomfortable in this position but he'd keep to his promise. He wouldn't do anything more than hold her during the night. The man felt his shoulders relax as he began to nod off. Tomorrow he'd dedicate to caring for her. For now they both needed their rest.
The following morning he woke to a sharp pain in his back. Kagome was still buried in the warmth of his arms as she tried to press her face further into the shade that his neck provided against the light of dawn. He tilted his head from one side to the other—noting with satisfaction at the resounding cracks that spiraled through his spine at the action. The ronin opened an eye lazily and glanced down at the woman in his grasp. She was still burning with fever but her complexion wasn't quite as pale. It seemed that the few hours of sleep that she'd had managed to quell a part of her illness. As much as he didn't want to, he began to disentangle himself from her grip and started to prepare for the day.
With gentleness that surprised even himself, he carefully lowered the woman onto her bed and wrapped her shivering form with the violet-colored comforter. Her brows knitted together before she turned to her side; burying her face in the space he'd just been laying. A smile tugged at the man's lips. So she did miss the way he'd held her through the night. He silently lodged the thought in the recesses of his memory. He would have to hold onto that for later. Plus, he glanced down at his fingers, it seemed as if he'd discovered the secret to getting her to sleep. That massage behind her ear had managed to make her pass out quicker than he'd ever seen before. His smile widened at that. Now he knew what to do the next time she tried to work herself ragged again.
Most of the morning went as usual for him. He bid Souta goodbye as the boy ran out of the house and Mrs. Higurashi had already left to tend to the daily errands. It wasn't until well past ten that Kagome even roused. The clouds were a dark grey—casting only an ambiguous light in her room. The thunder that clapped overhead signified the storm that was bound to start falling any moment now. He heard her groan in protest at the deafening boom. The man titled his head to cast her a soft look. She slowly sat up, the covers he'd placed over her earlier falling to her waist. The thin strap around her shoulder began to fall halfway down her arm—providing him an ample view of her bare shoulder. Azure eyes blinked slowly as she turned her head from one side of the room to the other—as if attempting to make sense of her surroundings.
"What time is it?" The teen's voice was groggy.
"Time for medicine." Okita countered teasingly. "No school for you today." He lifted a note that had been placed upon her desk some time during the morning before either of them had roused. It was from her mother and informed them that she had already called in to the school and Kagome's work as well. There would be no leaving the house at this rate.
The young woman suddenly jerked up, "No way! I have to go in!" She stopped as her body began to sway. The ronin was at her side and swiftly wrapped an arm around her before she could fall back down.
"Your mother's orders this time," He passed the note over to her with a victorious grin painted across his lips. "So there'll be no arguments."
Kagome's brows furrowed as she snatched the letter from him. The longer she read, the more narrowed her eyes became in frustration. She pinched the thin paper between her index and middle finger, holding it up to his face.
"You totally sold me out, didn't you?"
His grip around her grew tighter, "You ratted yourself out. She probably saw us this morning while we were asleep and figured that you had to be sick." Her cheeks darkened a significant shade of red at the mention of how they must have looked when her mother walked in. "She's sharper than you give her credit for." He winked playfully at her increasing embarrassment. Truly he loved seeing her shyness. It was endearing and made him want to do something to experience it more often. There always something about the innocence she projected that made him crave it that much more. However now wasn't exactly the time to be putting the moves on her; he took notice of the remaining evidence of her fever. She was still sick and therefore it wouldn't be wise to push her too far. It could worsen her condition.
"I can't believe you did that." Kagome's voice was barely above a whisper. She held her hands over her eyes as if she were mortified. Her fingers were splayed tightly against her brows to keep herself from looking in his direction. He titled his chin up and gave a quiet laugh of masculine pride. It was nice to know that he'd been the one to make her feel this way at the very least.
"You didn't leave me much choice miss I'm too damn stubborn for my own good." Okita dipped his head and pressed his lips to the shell of her ear once more. Already her face darkened and he felt the pulse of her heart rapidly increase beneath his fingers. So she liked that, did she? Good, now he could use it more often to get his way. "I'm just returning the favor I owe you." His voice dropped as the redness in her cheeks grew a shade darker.
He sensed a flicker of stubborn pride growing as her body stiffened beneath his grasp. Kagome unfolded her hands from her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm going to school." Her mouth pressed into a determined line as a fire blazed in her expression. Ah, so she was going to argue with him was she? That was okay he already had a back up plan at the ready.
"You can try." The ronin taunted. He already had a good idea of what to do if she so much as attempted to stand. His host wasn't about to get away from him that easily.
"You can't stop me." She shot back, prodding at his chest with a sharp index finger. The man's smirk sharpened into something he was sure was akin to his notorious 'resting serial killer face'.
"Just try it."
And so she did.
Okita rested his chin on the back of his hand. He propped his elbow up on the armrest of the couch. Rain pattered noisily against all the windowpanes of the living room. The forecasters were calling for more rain this evening as well. It was long after school hours had been released and both Souta and Kagome's mother had returned for the day. He shifted downward in a more comfortable position as he surfed through the channels on the television. Slasher flick, cop show, romantic comedy… was there nothing good on? The man glanced down as he felt a hand lightly curl around the cloth of his pant leg. A smile touched at his lips as he took in the scene. Kagome was fast asleep—as per usual during their movie days. However she had pillowed her head on his hip and curled into a tiny ball on the couch. Three layers of blankets had been not so gently tied around her form—keeping her from moving too much other than to roll from one side to the other. Admittedly he had to resort to some fairly dirty tricks to get her to settle down. It was only by perchance he'd come across the blankets and decided to use those to essentially tie her up and prevent her from running out the door in the midst of this weather.
By the time their little wrestling match had finished, her fever had worsened significantly. He had been forced to spoon feed her the medicine (as he tied her arms up completely in the blankets until just an hour or so ago). The second time she tried to tell him that she was fine, he subtly dropped a few hints of tying her to his bed and not letting her out for any reason until she recovered her strength. That alone had been enough to cease the woman's struggles—if only for a short time. Too bad, he was rather looking forward to following through with that threat. Well at least she was asleep now and that was all that mattered.
Kagome nestled herself deeper into his lap, curling her hands over her face as if to block out the living room's light. With the covers still wrapped tightly around the rest of her arms, she almost looked like a particularly decorative sushi roll. The ronin gave a small snort of laughter. He dropped his free hand to her head. With a light touch, he traced his fingers along the flesh behind the shell of her ear. He tangled a few of his fingers into the silky tresses of her hair and gently massaged the skin of her scalp. Her breathing evened out as she fell back into a deep slumber. He put to work the trick he'd learned only a few hours before. Even though she wasn't near enough to rousing, he didn't want to run the risk of her waking and causing a ruckus again. He continued the motions for several more minutes.
Eventually the man found a channel playing a fairly interesting murder mystery show. Normally he wasn't too keen on these 'cop shows' but this one appeared to be rather intriguing. Besides, it was still better than that damn idiotic 'vampire romance' as his host had called it. One night about a week ago she and her little group of friends made him sit through it. Well to be fair it wasn't that he was forced into it. He just wanted to spend his time in the living room to annoy Kagome into oblivion. Not only had her friends squealed like children through the whole thing, Kagome had promptly fallen asleep and snored, quite loudly and in his ear he might add, through the entire film. If that wasn't a testament to how terrible it was; then the obvious scene of a man sparkling when walking into sunlight was. That image… he could never unsee… No wonder Souta took off the moment he saw the girls gathering in the living room. Apparently it'd been some sort of silent man-code to 'get the fuck out'.
Okita settled into the couch as he lost himself to the show—thoroughly enjoying a cop attempting to track down a particularly stealthy killer in the present day. As he observed the dark drama unfold, the show brought up questions he hadn't thought to ask yet. Just how safe was this era? Surely it'd seen some measure of violence in its time with all the media about killers and the different police forces. He cocked his head to the side as the detective ran into an abandoned alleyway—clearly running headlong into a trap laid by his opponent. How idiotic. Still, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen.
The doorbell rang and he cocked his head to the side—attempting to see over the couch towards the door without moving the woman resting comfortably in his lap. A shadow of a man hovered by the glass at the entryway. He couldn't see if it was someone he recognized or not though.
"I'll get it!" Souta chimed as he rushed down the stairs. Before Okita could warn him to check first, he pulled the door open and stared at the man on their step.
"Is Kagome in?" A masculine voice inquired. Emerald eyes narrowed as he tried to crane his neck in an awkward angle. Could it be?
"She's not up for visitors. What did you need Takeshi?" The boy used a clipped tone and his body language stiffened. Perhaps it was because of the strange tension between him and Kagome that he'd gotten so aggressive? It was certainly a new side to the child he hadn't seen yet. Okita had to hand it to the kid; he had some pretty strong protective instincts despite his age. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"It'd only be a minute. I just want to tell her something regarding the club." The kyudo captain attempted to push his way through Souta and into the house.
"No can do, she's out cold." Okita piped up from his place on the couch. He pressed his fingers even further into her hair as he cocked his head to pin the man with a sharp stare. "It'd be best if you came back tomorrow." He allowed his smirk to turn haughty. Ah yes, the return of the other male's jealousy. He knew Takeshi couldn't see Kagome on his lap, nor could he bear witness to the intimate way he was touching her. However just knowing that she was asleep was enough to set the other male off. Now what could he do to piss him off more?
Onyx eyes closed momentarily as the teen sucked a breath between his lips, "I take it she's ill?"
He narrowed his gaze perceptively at the unwanted visitor, "Depends on who's asking." This time he didn't try to hide the threat of violence in his voice or expression. He'd been in situations like these before. A new recruit would join the Shinsengumi, they'd come from a family of high class and assume that they'd be treated with the same amount of respect and royalty despite their lack of skill with the blade. Okita's brows furrowed as he pinned Takeshi with a dark glare. He hadn't the patience to deal with that type of arrogance then nor would he do so now.
Much to his surprise, the male offered him a low bow, "I apologize for my behavior. It was uncalled for."
His brows furrowed even further as he buried his hand deeper into Kagome's hair. He didn't like this turnabout. It seemed rather fishy to him.
"What did you need to tell her? I can pass on the message." The ronin stated in a tone even more clipped than Souta's had been. He'd rather her not have to deal with this guy right now. It'd been utter hell on earth just getting her to sleep earlier. He wasn't about to let Takeshi wake her for some idiotic matters regarding their club. Hell couldn't the guy have just left a message on her phone? What could be so important to require an in-person visit? Oh right, he was interested in her. So he likely just used this as an excuse to weasel his way back into her good graces. Okita snorted at the thought. Tough luck.
"We need to hold another meeting in regards to the club's future. With graduation coming up in a few weeks we need to select a new captain." Takeshi's expression held little to no sharpness to it as he continued to rattle on about the different club issues that Kagome needed to help him with. It were as if the man had slipped into a 'business mode' and lost track of everything outside of what needed to be done. "Itou-sensei will be signing on as our advisor again. I've got our paperwork ready to go, I just need her signature to finalize it." Onxy eyes swept up the stairs towards where they both knew her room would be. The man fought against the smirk that threatened to spill across his face.
"He kid," He directed his attention to Souta. The boy perked up and cocked his head at him in curiosity. "Grab the stuff that Kagome needs from him. I'll take it up to her after she wakes up. Thanks for stopping by Takeda." He purposely mispronounced his name.
"It's Takeshi." The other male sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Okita waved his hand dismissively, "Right. Anyways, you can go home now. We'll take care of the rest." He returned his attention to the television but listened closely as Souta gathered the papers from the older male.
There was a momentary pause after the exchange of hands. Then, the male said something that took him by surprise.
"Don't hurt her."
By the time he threw his head back to stare at the unwanted visitor, Takeshi had already taken off and was halfway across the shrine. The man glanced back at the woman bundled tightly and sleeping comfortably on his lap. Don't hurt her, huh? His expression softened somewhat. That was a bit of a tall order given their circumstances. He began to massage at the space behind her ear once more. Just for now he'd enjoy his time. That's all he wanted.
Over the next few days Kagome had steadily gotten better. By the third day she no longer had a fever and was back to her normally scheduled activities. It was already the first day of the weekend and his long awaited paperwork had arrived.
"Now you can get a job, nii-san!" Souta cheered as they conversed lightly at the table. It was still in the early morning hours and the family found themselves having their meal together. This was one of the rare few times that they were able to eat like this during the weekends. Usually it was only at dinner time that all the members were home. Apparently today his host had been scheduled for a closing shift at her place of work so she was able to sleep in a bit more.
Kagome reached over and grabbed at the bottle of soy sauce, "I wouldn't count on that. He'll have to find a way to reign in his 'resting serial killer face' before any manager would hire him." The young woman grinned as he shot her a sour look. "Besides most of the jobs are customer service related." She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she leaned towards him—piercing him with a long stare. "I don't think you'd be the type to do well in that kind of setting. At least not one where you'd have to bend over backwards to make asshole customers happy."
"I handled my own just fine back in the Shinsengumi." A vicious smirk spread across his lips as memories of his time as an active warrior came back to him. "I can deal with a few customers, no problem."
The siblings shared a troubled glance between each other before they erupted into a fit of laughter. He quirked a brow at the odd reaction. What? Had he said something weird?
"You do realize that you can't kill them here, right?" The young woman patted his arm as if she were letting him in on some wonderful joke. "You really would be arrested if you tried."
The man snorted as he continued to devour his meal, "Like I'm going to do something so stupid." Two pairs of eyes turned to stare at him owlishly as his smirk widened into something bordering on the malicious. "I'll just make them wish they were dead by the time I'm done."
Both Kagome and Souta raised their hands in unison, "No job for you!" It were as if they were in synch with one another. Okita rolled his eyes at their disapproval. What? Could he not make a joke anymore? Then again they likely took him seriously given his habit of using his 'killer face'. The ronin gave a soft laugh. At least it would never be boring in this household.
Kagome suddenly glanced at the clock and screeched in terror, "I'm late! Sorry guys I'll see you tonight!" She rushed to put her dishes away and run out of the door. Both males stared silently as the door opened only seconds after she'd left. The teen grabbed a card resting upon a stand in the foyer. "My train pass." She explained sheepishly, a light blush crossing her cheeks at the look they were both giving her. "Alright now I'm gone. Bye guys and don't kill anyone before I get back Souji!"
"Have a good day." He and Souta replied in unison. Mrs. Higurashi, who'd been silent during most of the exchange, moved off towards her bedroom. As soon as she was gone Okita decided to ask the boy something that he'd been curious about for some time.
"So," The man started, uncrossing his arms and gathering up his dishes as well. "Where does Kagome-chan work? She never wants to tell me." It was true too. Each time he brought the subject up, his host would either give him a vague answer or dodge the topic entirely. Something was up and he was determined to find out what it was.
A wide grin spread across Souta's lips, "How about I show you."
An hour later Okita tucked his hands into his jean pockets as he followed after Souta. The boy had been staunchly adamant in his demand that they follow Kagome to her place of work rather than having it explained to him. He'd stated that it was best if he simply saw the place in order to believe it himself. The man rolled his shoulders in a light shrug. It was true that he was highly curious about his host's job. Both she and her mother were quite secretive about the nature of this 'waitressing' gig. If it was that simple than he was certain that Kagome probably would've already told him more about it in detail rather than skirting around the issue entirely like she'd been doing. So it had to be something particularly risqué if she was hiding it from him. He felt his lips quirk upwards in a victorious smirk. Ah yes, the promise of dirt against Kagome was just on the horizon.
"You're doing it again." The boy commented as he shot him a deadpanned stare. "Keep that creepy face up and the café won't even let you in."
He relaxed his expression into a more normal grin, "This better?"
The child shrugged, "Well, it's still got the whole 'I'm a vicious serial killer out to slay your whole family' vibe but whatever. Just don't grin like that in the shop." He tapped his chin lightly, "Although for you, it'd probably be too tempting."
The rounded the corner of an alleyway. It was the first time he'd been in these parts so he stuck fairly close to his youthful guide. If he were to get lost then it'd likely be an all day affair getting home again. At least he remembered his train pass today. So he had that much going for him.
"So what kind of place is this café?" Okita was beginning to wonder if it might have something to do with a red light district, or at least this era's version of it. Kagome had been so secretive about it and occasionally he'd catch a few rumors from her friends on the sporadic occasion that they came over. Something about 'dressing up' and 'handsy customers'. He didn't like the sound of that last part but unfortunately it wasn't like he could just carry his daishou around in this time period. He'd experienced enough of Kagome's verbal thrashings to last a lifetime over the topic. His shoulders dropped. Those had not been fun times. It was quite evident that the young woman had inherited her mother's notorious fiery temper.
"You remember when I told you about cosplay, right?" Souta explained as they pressed through a crush of oblivious people. Most were on their cellphones, texting or listening to music through their earbuds. Only a small handful formed groups of three or more that would crowd together and chat amongst local areas like benches. The ronin tailed even faster behind the child—he didn't want to risk getting separated in a place this busy.
"Yeah. Although your explanations suck." He snorted as the boy shot him a dirty look over his shoulder. He vaguely recalled the explanation in question. Something about people who dressed up as characters. Or something like that. He didn't really understand any of it though. Okita gave a nonchalant shrug, "What? It's the truth. You ought to work on that." The man's grin widened as Souta began to grumble to himself.
"Well think of it like cosplay. People will pay high dollar to experience their fantasies come to life, you know?" They threaded through the crowd into another fairly empty back alley. The pair paused as Souta peered over at a storefront. Now he was beginning to get a bit concerned. Fantasies? Could a girl as shy as Kagome really be selling herself in a red light district? As much as he tried, he simply couldn't picture it.
"So is it in some sort of pleasure district? It sounds a bit… suspicious." Emerald eyes sharpened as he caught sight of a familiar head of black hair through the translucent pane of the window. She was in there alright but he couldn't quite make out what she was wearing through the sun's glare.
"Oh no, not at all. It's not quite as bad as that. They don't really do anything other than service foods, but it's the atmosphere that the customers are paying for." The boy readjusted the collar of his shirt and pulled down the hat over his head. He was clearly trying to disguise himself but was failing miserably. As much as the kid tried, he simply couldn't hide everything. "They want to feel as if they're something more than they are. Kagome just took it because a friend offered it to her and it paid more than the other places she applied to." Souta handed him the extra hat he'd been carrying.
"Go ahead and put that on. She'd kill us if we're caught." He took the object from the pre-teen. He doubted it'd do much more than make him look more suspicious but oh well. He was determined to see this through to the end. Besides, he desperately wanted to know what kind of place she'd been spending so many hours at. She was too shy and innocent to be selling something as seedy as sex. So what exactly could be so embarrassing that she'd go to such great lengths to hide the nature of her work? His curiosity was peaked.
"Ready?" The boy questioned. Okita nodded affirmatively. "Let's go!" He grabbed onto his sleeve and pulled him towards the store. It was clearly small—only big enough to fit about a hundred people at its maximum capacity. The decorations were even more western than the simplistic couches and desks he'd seen before. White, circular shaped tables were set up in strategic areas of the tiny shop. Most were spread evenly throughout but a few were clustered together for some of the larger groups that would come in. The man crossed the threshold of the shop as a bell announced their arrival.
"Welcome masters!" A chorus of female voices chirped, Kagome's being among one of them. Wait, masters? What kind of place was this café? His eyes zeroed in on her form. She was near the back of the store, a tray held delicately in her hands. However that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the odd, black and white colored dress that drew his eye the most. The dress was short with a corset in the back. White frills hung from the overlay of black fabric as white, matching stockings covered her legs. What the hell? She was definitely selling a fantasy alright. He just didn't know what kind of fantasy.
The woman's eyes widened as she took notice of them. Her mouth dropped slightly as a creeping horror dawned on her expression. He covered his mouth in a futile attempt to smother his snort of laughter.
"Looks like we got caught." Okita commented lightly as the women, who were dressed in similar fashion, began to approach them.
"Oh my, looks like we've got the handsome pair of brothers today girls!" A middle aged woman announced from somewhere further back in the shop. The ronin didn't pay the comment any mind and simply rolled his shoulders as he casually approached his host.
"Master?" He quirked his brow and smirked down at her horrified expression.
"I… uh… It's not what it…" A permanent shade of red splashed across her cheeks as she tried to collect herself. Her mouth opened, closed then pressed into a line of mortification. Suddenly, the stupor she'd fallen under slipped away as she blinked and gestured towards a table near the back of the café. "Won't you come this way, masters?" She motioned to the both of them. "I'll get menu for you shortly." Kagome's voice quivered lightly from the sheer embarrassment he was sure she was going through.
Souta quietly tugged at his sleeve and pulled his head down to whisper at him, "It's a maid café. They have to call you master here. It's part of the fantasy."
Maid café? Somehow, he had a feeling that he was going to like this place quite a bit. At least now he understood some of the fantasy that was being commercialized here. The reassurance that nothing sexual was occurring was quite the relief. However that didn't mean that he couldn't have his fun while he learned more about this place. A wide, victorious grin spread across his lips. This was going to be interesting.
Kagome returned and slipped both him and Souta a single-paged menu filled with desserts he had never heard of before.
"Can I start you with something to drink, masters?" He spied a subtle cringe in the way she spoke. It was fairly clear that she was uncomfortable servicing him like this but he wasn't about to let her get away just yet. He hadn't even gotten to tease her yet!
"I'll take whatever you suggest." He lowered his voice and leaned into the palm of his hand. "Just so long as you keep calling me 'master' when we get home."
Her brows furrowed in frustration as his grin grew wider. Score one for him. Just beneath the forced smile a vague sense of violence began to bubble over. Ooh she was pissed at him. Okita briefly pondered what he'd have to do tonight to keep her from making him deaf? His ears were still ringing from the last verbal thrashing she gave him about his daishou a while back. The young woman sucked a breath between her lips before another girl ran up behind her. As if sensing the impending argument, her coworker quickly intervened to help divert a disastrous event.
"Mari-chan!" The young woman piped up, "Perhaps it'd be best if you entertained these masters for a while? I'm sure they'd enjoy a game of some kind." The other female was short in stature, barely coming up to Kagome's own shoulder and had her dark colored hair tied back into a high ponytail. Wait, Mari-chan? Kagome's name wasn't Mari… What was that phrase for situations like these? Ah, yes now he remembered. He was officially in the twilight zone!
Souta tugged at his sleeve once more, "She has to take an alias when she works here. She goes by 'Mari-chan' while on shift. It's to separate the fantasy from reality." The child shifted nervously as his sibling pinned him with a dark glare beneath the fake courteous smile. "Technically she could get in some big trouble if she's exposed. No one is supposed to address her as 'Kagome' here."
"Now masters," Her voice held an edge of violence to its otherwise sweet tone. "Would you care for a game today?"
An idea quickly came to Okita's mind as he grinned victoriously at his host, "Why yes, I would like to. In fact, I'd like to play for stakes if you don't mind." He watched with glee as her expression soured slightly. "Are you up for it, Mari-chan?" Perhaps he was taking the joke a bit too far here but he couldn't help himself. This new bit of information was well worth the weight in gold it'd provide him later.
"Of course. In fact, I'd like to place my own bet as well." She smiled up at them in a sickeningly sweet manner. Ah, so it was going to be a duel then. Perfect. He wasn't about to lose. Kagome reached into the apron of her outfit and delicately withdrew a stack of playing cards. Now Okita had seen them before on television and knew that certain games could be played using them. However he hadn't the slightest idea of the rules or what the purpose of the cards even were. Shit, she was trying to corner him wasn't she? That sly little she-devil. "What would you like to wager first, master?" The young woman's voice dropped into a dangerous tone as a fierce glint entered her eyes.
He allowed his own voice to drop as he stated his requirements, "This will be a personal bet." He lowered his tone so that the other people around them could not hear. "But it's as I said earlier. I win and you have to call me the 'honored master of the keep' when we get home… for an entire month." Azure eyes mirrored the empty saucers at their table from the size that they became.
"I can't do that!" She whispered back harshly. She jerked her head from one side to the other as her hair swished back and forth from the rapid movements. "Pick something else!"
"Oh contraire," He wrapped his index finger and thumb around his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. "You agreed to place a wager and now you must accept my terms. Those are the rules." Souta looked back and forth between them—his countenance an odd mixture of awe inspiring admiration and absolute horror. This was going to be quite fun if he did say so himself.
Kagome's brows furrowed as she placed the deck on their table, "Fine but if I win you mention this to no one." A wave of violence rolled off of her tiny form like a summer heat. Okita grinned up at her agitated expression.
"We have ourselves a deal."
It was decided that they'd play something simple. A game that had been dubbed 'battle' for its rather straight forward nature. Each player would deal a single card from their deck, whoever struck the highest number would take all the cards from the deal and add them into their pile. The person with empty hands first would lose. In the spur of the moment, Souta raised his hand and immediately demanded to take part in their battle of the cards.
The ronin had to admit that, despite his skill with the sword, his luck often wavered between good fortune and bad fortune. In this case it was every other hand that he'd win while Kagome and Souta seemed to trade off cards like they were passing candy between each other. Each of them had their eyes glued to the numbers in the palm of their hands. However as time flowed onwards, he gained the upper hand and managed to swipe most of the cards from the siblings. Okita glanced over his stolen loot and felt his confidence rise once more. He had a King and an Ace at the ready. With only two cards each left in the siblings' grip, this game was quickly coming to a close. As much as he tried to imitate Saito's stoicism, the man knew that he couldn't hide his smirk for much longer.
The trio laid out their first card and all eyes turned towards the numbers labeled in each. King, Jack and Two.
"Looks like I'll be taking those." He grinned confidently as he swiped his hand over the table and pulled his bounty into a deck. "You sure you don't want to give up?" This time he directed his comment to Kagome. She pressed her lips into a line before glancing down at the card in her hands. Determination flared in her eyes as she shook her head negatively. She was placing all of her hopes into a single strike.
"I'm not quite out either, nii-san!" Souta cheered confidently as they played their last set of cards. "Watch this!" The tensions were high as they looked over what they'd been dealt.
This time the numbers were an Ace, King and Ace. Oh, so that was why she was so confident. They'd both drawn their Aces however she no longer had any cards to continue her battle. He'd won this war.
"No!" The young woman quietly shrieked to herself. Okita gathered up his belongings and restacked the cards for her.
"I think we'll let you off with that for now." He gave her a playful wink as the younger Higurashi sibling stood to follow after him. "By the way, what time do you get off? I'll pick you up." He purposely dropped his voice with the promise of something dark. A bright flush crossed her cheeks once more as he observed her shaking her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe I lost…"
"Ah, what do you say?" The man teased, offering her his hand to stand from the table.
"You're really going to make me?" It was then that she did something that took him completely off guard. With one hand still cradled in his palm, she lifted the other and held it delicately to her heart. She shifted her eyes shyly to the side and allowed a dark blush to redden her cheeks. "It's just so…" Her voice grew a few octaves higher with shame. "… embarrassing." Kagome lowered her eyes to the floor as she partially turned herself away from him.
At first he wasn't sure if she really was flustered by his request. He was halfway tempted to drop the entire bet at the sudden discomfort she seemed to be displaying. Then, as he observed her closer, he noticed something odd. A sharp glint had entered her azure eyes as she attempted to turn away from him. That little sneak. She was hoping to guilt him into letting it go. Well two could play at that.
A smile spread across his lips as he curled his fingers over her hand ever so slightly, "I rather like this look on you." The man commented as he purposely dragged his gaze from the top of her shoulders down to the stockings of her legs. "Now then, what do we say?" He shot a pointed look at Souta. The boy, having understood his silent request, nodded vigorously.
"Alright nii-san," The child waved his hands excitedly in the air as they began to make their way towards the front of the store. "Bye guys!" He offered his salutations to the other customers and coworkers. Okita's grin didn't cease as he took note of Kagome's ever increasingly furrowed brow. He casually pulled her along with him by her hand. When he was certain they were far enough away he dipped his head and whispered into her ear, "Don't think you can convince me to drop our bet. You have to be willing to put it all on the line, you know."
She heaved a sigh through her lips, "I figured I could try at least. Anyways, I'll talk to you," She roughly jabbed at his chest with her index finger just out of sight of the other patrons. "About this fiasco later. I'm not happy with either of you." Kagome pinned a dark glare on her brother's laughing figure.
"Oh come on, he was going to find out one way or the other. Might as well just let him see it first hand." The boy threw his hands behind his head and kicked his feet out. "Besides if he's going to apply then it'd be good for him to watch you interact with customers first hand. Ya know," The kid smirked up at his sister as he gestured towards him, "Lead by example."
"Home. Both of you. Now." The teen ordered sharply. She placed her hands upon her hips as her voice dropped into a disapproving tone. "That means you too, Souji." She turned to face him.
He placed a single finger upon her lips, "Ah, don't forget. What do you call me?" A sudden splash of pink went across her nose as her eyes thinned into narrow slits.
"I'll get you back for this…" Her tone dropped slightly as she tried to hide her embarrassment, "… honored master of the keep."
Okita laughed lightly, "I'm sorry I didn't quite hear…" She didn't let him finish. Instead she pressed her hands to the back of his shoulder blades and forcibly pushed him out of the café. The man laughed heartily as he and Souta began to make their way home. Well now he knew what a 'maid café' was. He wondered if any of the captains back home would ever believe him if he told them about it. Either way, he was glad he'd at least gotten to see Kagome dressed up. That was definitely something he was going to carry with him back to the Edo Period. As the two slowly trekked through the city of Tokyo back towards the shrine a mild thought crossed the ronin's mind. Just what kind of job did he want to look for? A smirk spread across his lips. He supposed he'd just have to cross that bridge when he got there. For now he'd enjoy the next month of torture he was about to inflict upon Kagome. He was never going to forget this day. Neither would Kagome for that matter. His smirk grew impossibly wide. Life was good.
A/n: Of all things the damn maid café scene gave me the most trouble. XD Kagome being sick and Okita literally wrapping her up like a sushi roll in blankets was all well and easy, but the fun part with the maid café? Nope! My muse can be very odd sometimes. XD Anyways what did you guys think? I've been allowing the characters to have free roam for the past couple of chapters and these are the kind of things that they come up with. What can I say? They dictate the state of their relationship for me. XD XD XD