Lucky thirteen huh? A little weird that this was one of my favorite chapters, although I'm not superstitious so maybe not. Also one of my favorite chapter endings for any of my stories thus far. Re-edited as of February 2021.


Saitou's fever broke about a week after arriving, but he didn't wake up until week two. Kaiya had brought a second futon into his room so she could keep an eye on him. It was for the best anyway, as they currently didn't have a room to put her into. It was very early in the morning when he finally woke, the sun had just barely begun to rise and there was barely any light in the room.

Kaiya had been fast asleep beside him when suddenly something touched her face, and woke her up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Saitou's silhouette, his head turned towards and his hand on her pillow where her face had once been. She couldn't see him clearly, but she could see him enough to see his eyes were still open.

Kaiya quickly sat up, "Saitou-kun!"

She grabbed a lantern that had been near her bed and lit it. His eyes met hers when she sat down beside him. His face no longer had the sheen of sweat but he was still pale. She took a cloth from a bucket of water, wringed it out and wiped his face and neck.

"How long have I been out?" He asked in a whisper.

"Almost two and a half weeks. You had a very high fever, and your wound is still infected. Are you thirsty?" He weakly nodded his head. "Alright. I'll go make you some tea, it'll make you feel better. For now, I'll give you a mouthful of water."

She grabbed a cup and a pitcher then poured the water into it. She gently lifted his head and tipped the cup back and slowly let it trickle down his throat. When it was emptied, she gently laid his head down again. She pushed his hair from his eyes as she looked down at him.

"Rest a bit longer. I'll go make some tea. Do you think you can eat a little?"

"Maybe a little…I'm back to broth, aren't I?" His voice was slightly stronger but not much.

"Yes, I'm sorry. If you recover quickly, I'll make you what ever want." She smiled down at him, then got to her feet.

Saitou smiled as she stood up. "Sounds like a good deal to me."

Kaiya left the room and rushed to the kitchen and put the tea pot on and pulled out a cooking pot then made a quick broth that Saitou could drink. She found a tray and put both the tea and the broth on it then picked it up and carried it off towards Saitou's room. Just as she was about turn that last corner, she stopped suddenly nearly spilling both tea and broth, in order to avoid running into Hijikata who was also coming around the corner from the opposite direction.

Hijikata put a hand to his chest like he'd been startled. "Kaiya-chan what are you doing up so early?" He looked down at what she was carrying. "I'm assuming that's not for you."

Kaiya smiled suddenly feeling self-conscious, she hadn't taken the time to straighten herself out or comb her hair, so she probably looked like a disaster. "No, Saitou-kun just woke up. He was thirsty and hungry so I've made him things that his body can handle."

"Hungry? That's a good sign!" Hijikata said with some enthusiasm.

Kaiya nodded and took a step around him, "Yes. I'm sorry but I really should get this to him."

Hijikata let her go without another word. She continued to Saitou's room without meeting another person. When she entered his room, Saitou opened his eyes and turned his head in her direction. Kaiya came and sat down beside him as she set down the tray.

"Alright, Saitou-kun. I've got your exceedingly early breakfast ready. Do you still like some?" Kaiya picked up the bowl.

"I've been getting hungrier the longer I wait."

Kaiya chuckled and gently raised his head. She put the dish to his lips and tipped it back, Saitou drank it up eagerly and quickly. When he was done that, she grabbed the tea and offered it to him. Saitou made a bit of a face, well aware of how it tasted but drank it all down anyways.

It was at least another week before Kaiya had managed to completely rid Saitou's wounds of infection but at least she was getting him back on track. He didn't get back on his feet until a few days after. Kaiya only allowed him to wander to just outside his room and no farther. On his first meal with the other captain's, they both fired off tons of questions and ribbed him a bit for getting hurt in the first place. Some making lewd suggestions that he had done it just to get into Kaiya's care.

Saitou handled them all the same way he always had; either saying nothing if he didn't feel it worthy of a comment or making some coy jibe with that ever present stoic expression. It was very evident though, that everybody had been very worried about him. They felt the same way that Chizuru did, that he seemed indestructible. It also unpleasantly reminded them how mortal and vulnerable they were as well. That same night Saitou was letting Kaiya clean his wounds before leaving him for the night. After she bandaged him up, he grabbed her hand as she was about to get up and leave.

"Kaiya-chan, I have something for you." Saitou slowly got to his feet and walked over to where there was a small set of drawers sitting beside his desk. He slid open one of the drawers and pulled out a familiar bundle of fabric with a familiar shape inside of it. Kaiya was on her feet still when he passed her the bundle. She unravelled it then stared blankly at the object she held in her hand; it was the dagger he had given her.

"You left it behind when you left." Saitou said somewhat awkwardly. "If you no longer want it, I'll understand. It bares some unpleasant memories for you."

Kaiya managed to smile somewhat. "No I'll keep it. I just never expected to see it again…will you still teach me?"

Saitou let out a soft chuckle, then put his hand over his stomach as pain made him wince. "I'm sure I will have more than enough time to finish your training."

Kaiya gave him a mortified look. "You can't train me in your condition! Not right now!"

He smiled as he dropped his hand. "Sure, I can, I'll just have to take a different approach. You were a really good student; you understand things rather easily. Whatever I'm not capable to demonstrating or whenever I'm not capable of relaying proper instruction, I'm sure Souji or somebody else will be willing to help."

"As long as you don't push yourself too hard then I'm more than willing." Kaiya started to feel excited.

"Then may I teach you some basic knowledge? It may save your life one day. It won't be physically trying in the least."

Kaiya gave him a bit of a timid look. "You promise?"

Saitou smiled again, "I promise."

She nodded her consent. He grabbed the dagger from her, then her right hand and showed her how to grip the handle properly. Then he walked behind her.

"May I touch you for moment?" He asked gently from behind her.

Kaiya was glad he couldn't see her face at that moment as she could feel a deep blush setting in. Kaiya nodded her head and he gently placed his left hand on her waist then pressed his right knee into the back of hers, forcing her to take a step forward. He used his foot to position hers, then grabbed her right arm and positioned it in the way he wished.

"This is the best defensive position for someone your size. It more evenly distributes your weight and makes it harder for someone to knock you down." He said from behind her ear.

Kaiya's face felt very warm as she tried to focus on what he was trying to tell her. He had never gotten this close to her before. If it had been any other man, she might have been either fearful or distrusting of him, but she trusted Saitou fully and she found it more delightful then anything.

He then came around to stand in front of her again but stood closer to her this time. "If you're going to attack someone these are the best places to attack with a dagger…"

He indicated several areas on his own body, putting in that certain areas did more damage than others and other areas even completely incapacitated the target. When finally finishing his explanation, he stepped back.

"Did I make any sense?"

Kaiya smiled trying to hide her blush. "Yes, that was very helpful, thank you. You want to know something funny?"

"What?" He glanced at her curiously.

"I've kept the sheath, this whole time. I'm not sure why I kept it. I never thought I'd see any of you ever again." She looked down at the dagger in her hand. Then she bowed, "Thank you Saitou-kun. Thank you for tolerating me. I'm sure I'm not always the easiest woman to put up with."

"I think you quite the contrary, really. I do enjoy your company. I should be thanking you really. You've saved my life, twice and burdened you greatly with my care. Yet you remain patient with me, even when I don't always do what you like." He suddenly looked rather awkward. When he looked down, she saw a blush forming on his cheeks. "It would please me greatly if you called me Hajime…you call almost everybody else by their given name, so it makes sense that you would do the same with me."

Kaiya smiled brightly. "All right Hajime-kun." He tried to meet her gaze, but his blush only deepened. "And I don't find you a burden at all. I am a doctor after all, it's what I do."

Kaiya wrapped the dagger up once more and headed for the door. Then stopped at the door and turned around with the bright smile still on her face. "Or maybe I should call you Hajime-sensei. You are my teacher as well as my patient, after all."

Hajime finally met her smile with a coy smile of his own, his cheeks still red. "No. Hajime-kun will be just fine."

Kaiya chuckled. "Alright. Get a good night's rest Hajime-kun, it's been a long day for you today. If you have any pain or trouble sleeping come, get me I'm just next door to you. Good night, Hajime-kun."

"Good night, Kaiya-chan."

Kaiya opened the door and stepped out into the hall then once the door was closed, she made the short walk to her new room beside Hajime. Once Hajime had awoken and his condition stabilized, they had managed to make room for her. She hoped her presence hadn't displaced someone. It just so happened that this room put her smack dab in between Souji and Hajime, and part of her wonder if that had been intentional.

111

A few days later, while sitting down for their lunch, Sanosuke plunked himself down right beside her throwing his arm around Kaiya's shoulders and earning a slight glare from Hajime. Sanosuke was only being so bold because Souji was gone on his rounds and therefore couldn't give him another kick in the chest or a beating.

"So, Kaiya-chan, do you have any plans for tonight?" Sanosuke was grinning from ear to ear.

Kaiya gave him a cautious look not really knowing what he was asking. "No" She answered slowly. "Why?"

"Well, you see, we're all planning on going out and having a bit of a celebration tonight. So, we all want you to come and tag a long!" He said brightly.

"Why would I want to come watch the lot of you drink? And who is 'all'?"

"All means everybody present and Souji of course and that includes Chizuru-chan as well, so you won't be the only girl. And if you don't go, then Souji won't go because he'll want to keep an eye on you and then Saitou also won't be allowed to come because you wouldn't be able to babysit him."

Kaiya cocked an eyebrow. "Who says I'd let him go either way?"

Sano ruffled her hair as he said, "Ahh come on Kaiya-chan! Don't be so cruel!"

Hajime looked at her. "Actually Kaiya-chan. I would really like to go; it'll give me a reason to escape this place for a little while."

"I thought you said you didn't drink." She said almost accusingly.

"I said I don't a lot, not, not at all. Sometimes it's good to go out and just enjoy the companionship of your friends. You should be honoured that Sano wants to include you." Hajime said as he looked almost angry at his tea as he held it in front of his face.

"If it makes you feel any better, Kaiya-chan" put in Hijikata from his spot beside Kondou. "We won't be drinking either." He indicated Kondou and himself. "It's as Saitou says, it's nice to just enjoy comradery with your friends, every once in a while, but if you don't think it's good for Saitou's recovery then I can order him to remain."

Kaiya finally relented with a sigh, "Fine. I have no medical reasons to not let him go…but no drinking, Hajime-kun. That tea I've been feeding you doesn't react well to alcohol of any sort."

Hajime smiled slightly and nodded. "You have my word."

"Great!" Heisuke exclaimed excitedly from the opposite side of the room. "This is going to be epic!"

"That means you're coming too, right Kaiya-chan?" Sanosuke asked with pleading eyes.

"Yah, please Kaiya-chan!" Heisuke bowed his and put his hands together as he pleaded.

"I promise, you'll have a blast Kaiya-chan! Please come!" Shinpachi bowed like Heisuke.

After a moment of staring at everyone staring back at her with pleading eyes, Kaiya couldn't help but laugh at them. If only they knew how adorable they were behaving. Kaiya finally caught her breath and said with a smile. "Alright, alright. You've twisted my arm, I'll come."

111

That evening Kaiya walked down the street with Hajime, Souji and Chizuru. They had to walk at a slower pace to accommodate Hajime so that he wouldn't wear himself out before they made it to the tea house. By the time they arrived, everyone else was already seated and waiting for them to arrive.

Sanosuke and Shinpachi were already playing some sort of a drinking game as the four of them took a seat. Chizuru took a seat close to Kaiya and Hajime sat on the other side of her while Souji went to sit down where Sanosuke, Shinpachi and Heisuke, who were already getting rowdy.

It wasn't long before everything was in full swing. The four were quickly pounding back the sake while Kondou, Hijikata and Hajime were enjoying their conversation over their tea. Kaiya and Chizuru sat together talking about their lives growing up and comparing their fathers and Chizuru told Kaiya about why she had come to Kyoto and Kaiya told Chizuru about Souji's sister and why she had come to Kyoto as well.

After a couple of hours Hijikata and Kondou stood. "Alright I think we'll call it a night." Said Kondou.

"You four are getting pretty rowdy, don't make me regret leaving you alone. Are you two going to accompany us back?" Hijikata turned to look at Chizuru and Kaiya.

Chizuru immediately got to her feet. "Yes!" She said.

Kaiya looked over at the four and then at Hajime. Kaiya turned back to the four as she heard one of them approach her. Souji came and plunked down beside her, and he held up a bottle of sake.

"Kai, you should stay." Kaiya could already detect a bit of a slur.

"If you wish to stay longer, Kaiya-chan, then so will I." Hajime still sat where he had been visiting with Hijikata and Kondou.

"Alright then, I'll stay a little while longer. I can maybe try and keep those four from getting into too much trouble." Souji laughed beside her.

"Are you sure, Kaiya-chan? They get pretty rowdy when they get drunk." Hijikata gave her a bit of a concerned look. Kaiya could tell that he was quite fond of her, but his affection was more of the brotherly sort, much like Souji's, and ever since her return, he'd been almost as overprotective as Souji.

"Yes. I'm sure they'll be a nuisance, but I'll get them back in the morning when they're hung over." She said with a sweet smile.

Kondou and Hijikata both laughed as the left the room and she could hear them joking about what she might do as they walked away. Souji grabbed her empty teacup and poured some sake into it and handed it to her.

"Here have some! On me!" Souji said brightly.

"Souji!" Hajime scolded.

He got up slowly from his spot and came to sit down beside Kaiya. The other three also got up and together they formed a little circle.

"What? Kai should have some fun too!" Souji gave her a pouty face and she received encouragement from the other three.

"That's alright Souji, I don't need any."

"Oh, come on Kai, don't be a stick in the mud. Have you ever tried sake before?"

Kaiya sighed. "No, I haven't."

"Then how can you say no, when you've never tried it?" Souji grabbed her hand and put the teacup into it.

"Souji, stop pressuring her. If she doesn't want to drink, then she doesn't have to. You would never pressure Chizuru-chan, why would you pressure her?"

"Because she's Kai, not Chizuru-chan and she needs to let loose every once in a while, too. I promise you Kai, I'll never pester you again if you try it at least once." He tried to smile at her sweetly.

"You can do it Kaiya-chaaaan!" Heisuke cheered. Sanosuke and Shinpachi were grinning from ear to ear waiting to see what she would do.

Kaiya glared at Souji. "You promise?"

Souji wrapped on arm around her shoulder and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "I promise."

Kaiya wiped the saliva from her cheek and held up the cup of sake. Hajime gently touched her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "If you don't want to do it, Kaiya-chan, then don't. They're drunk, they'll do anything for entertainment. I can just walk you home if they won't leave you alone."

"Tch, you can barely stand Saitou. You couldn't protect Kaiya-chan if she needed it." Sanosuke gave a bit of a drunken laugh.

"Don't underestimate me Sano. I can forget my injuries for a time, if I need too. I could still best you." Hajime looked at him steadily without a trace of doubt on his face.

"Oh, hush you two, Kaiya-chan's about to do iiiit!" Heisuke brought their attention back to Kaiya.

She had the cup close to her mouth and before Hajime could say another word, she kicked back the whole contents of the cup and swallowed. A moment later she was holding her throat choking as the sake burned its way down. While she tried to cough it back up, Souji, Sanosuke, Heisuke and Shinpachi were roaring with laughter. Souji slapped her on the back trying to help her cough, but it was Hajime who had gotten her a cup of tea to drink and washed away the burn.

"You shouldn't have drunk it all at once like that. You're not accustomed to the burn of alcohol, if you had only sipped it, it wouldn't have been so unpleasant of an experience." Said Hajime as he tried to hide his amusement.

Kaiya could already feel that the sake was making her feel a little weird. "Why didn't you say so, sooner?" she croaked indignantly.

"I was about to, but you kicked it back before I could." Hajime said as the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly.

Souji had finally started to collect himself as he poured himself a cup, pounded it back then said. "That was awesome Kai! You should try it again but slower this time! I doubt you actually tasted that!"

"That's enough, Souji! A woman her size can't handle as much alcohol, especially if she's never drank before!" Hajime gave him a firm look.

"Alright here's the deal." Souji poured another round of sake into her cup. "I promised I wouldn't bother if you tried and you did, so I won't nag you, but I seriously think you should try it one more time…but slowly." He offered her the cup with a huge grin on his face.

The other three were still working on recovering from her last shot but poured sake into their own cups and kick it back. Kaiya took the cup reluctantly from Souji's hand and looked at it, trying to decide if she really wanted to put herself through that torment again. Even Hajime said it shouldn't burn so much if she drank it more slowly. Finally, she took a reluctant sip and this time only had a small cough as it went down.

"Better?" Souji said with a smile.

Kaiya let a small smile form on her lips. "A little."

Souji then jumped to his feet and held up another full cup of sake in his hand. "Gent's let's show the lady how it's done!" He shouted.

Heisuke and Shinpachi both jumped to their feet and poured themselves another round and kicked it back together. Sanosuke remained seated and watched her with an amused smile. They started to talk loudly again, having forgotten about Kaiya, much to her relief and moved on to another drinking game. Kaiya stared down at the still mostly full cup of sake. Hajime moved himself a little closer so she might hear him better over the others.

"You don't have to finish that you know." He indicated the cup.

"I know but it'd be a waste of money if I don't drink it."

Hajime chuckled and reached for the cup. "Then I'll finish it for you."

Kaiya pulled it out of his reach. "No, you won't. Don't you remember what I said this morning?"

"Then let one of them finish it." He said sounding a little frustrated.

She shook her head, then pounded it back again. And like before she choked on her sake. This time Hajime didn't bring her tea to wash it down, instead he crossed his arms.

"I told you not to do that." He said firmly.

Kaiya put a hand to her head as the world started to slant and blur a little. She had tears in her eyes from her coughing fit, but Hajime seemed to show her little sympathy this time. If their situations were reversed, she'd be the same way so she couldn't blame him. He tried to help her, but she rejected it all because of her pride, now she had to pay. Hajime grabbed her chin and made her look at him. His stare was intent and when he found what he was looking for he told her to stand.

"Why?" She asked, a little shocked at how awkward her mouth felt.

Hajime slowly got to his feet and offered her his hand. "Because you're already getting drunk. If these four have their way, they'll talk you into more and you can't seem to say no to Souji. Especially now with alcohol in your system."

"Shhure I can!" Kaiya suddenly put her hand to her mouth in shock, he was right.

She sighed and got to her feet without Hajime's help a little frightened of injuring him. Once on her feet she instantly stumbled to the left. She would've hit the ground if she hadn't been caught by Hajime. She heard the others roar with laughter, and she turned bright red. Hajime held on to her until he felt certain she wouldn't go tumbling in the other direction. Hajime helped direct her towards the door, still holding on to her elbow just in case. From behind them she heard.

"Kkkkaaiyaaa-chaaan! Where you going?" Heisuke gave them a sad face. "You were jjjust starting to have fun! Shhame on you Hajime-kun."

"I think she's had enough for today. Good night." Hajime nodded in their direction.

Kaiya didn't argue as he guided her out the door. Once they were outside of the tea house and out of the earshot of the others Kaiya asked.

"Do you hate me now?" She asked with a bit of a childish pout.

He looked down at her and despite himself was slightly amused. "No, why would I hate you?"

Her brain just kept on feeling more and more foggy. "Because I'm weak. I let them bully me into sssomething I didn't want to do, jusht like all those other men. Just like Serizawa. I'm just so pathetic…" Kaiya stopped abruptly and looked down at the ground.

Hajime grabbed her shoulder in one hand and her chin in the other. "You are not pathetic. You're the bravest women I have ever met. And I don't hate you, I could never hate you."

Kaiya stood there a moment silent and swaying ever so slightly. Then abruptly turned and continued down the path for home. They continued the trip in near silence, with the occasional near fall but just before they reached the gates Kaiya stopped abruptly again and turned to Hajime. She studied him for a minute then blurted out.

"Do you like me? Like more than a friend?" She blinked hard trying to get her eye to focus on him properly.

Hajime was taken aback; she would never have asked that question without the sake in her system. When he finally recovered from his shock he finally answered. "I don't think that's a discussion we should have in your present state."

Kaiya squinted at him, mostly because it helped bring his face back into focus. "That's not an answer!"

"If you still want to know in the morning, then I'll answer. For now, we should get you into your own bed to sleep." Hajime indicated for her to move forward.

"Is that a yes?"

Hajime sighed and grabbed her arm again and gently guided her forward. "Come on Kaiya-chan, time for you to get some rest." After they passed through the gate Kaiya stopped trying to turn back to look at him, so he let her go. They entered the building and walked down the hall to her room. When she approached the door, Hajime turned towards his own room and said "Good night, Kaiya-chan."

Kaiya abruptly reached for him and pulled him back towards her, then grabbed his shocked face and brought it down to hers and kissed him fiercely. Hajime didn't pull away both too shocked to react and despite her drunkenness, was rather enjoying the kiss. It was Kaiya who ended the kiss, pulling back only a few centimeters and whispering, "Good night." Before letting him go and turning back to her door smiling and went inside, leave Hajime standing in the hall struck dumb.


See what I mean? It just makes me happy.

-Shockra