Souji sat outside of his room, enjoying the pleasant weather that the late morning had to offer. He was lost in his thoughts, his head propped up by the arm that was rested on his knee. All of his focus was currently dedicated to the ornate, bloodstained, scrap of red cloth that was draped over the fingers of his free hand. A soft sigh escaped him as he continued to examine it. A few days had passed since his last patrol and yet that woman still hadn't left his mind. The Shinsengumi was not generally well liked in Kyoto, yet she hadn't hesitated to show him compassion at the risk of her own life. Why? It was a mystery to Souji. His cynical view on the world led him to feel that perhaps she had had some ulterior motive that he was just unaware of. He did find one thing odd. Shimabara had a wide variety of entertainers and courtesans whose appearances were equally varied, so encountering such a beautiful young woman was of little surprise to him. What he did find curious was the inn that she seemed to have called home. It was the kind of establishment that was generally only frequented by the poor and the lowest of the low. The women found there weren't often what one may consider desirable, yet that woman was one of the most beautiful Souji had ever seen, and she clearly carried herself with grace. Someone like her could have easily been a highly sought after oiran at one of Shimabara's finer establishments, so why wasn't she? Was she perhaps stationed there by someone? Whatever the reason, Souji was intrigued.

"Hasegawa...Mikoto…" he murmured to himself. With his thoughts consumed by the golden eyed beauty, he failed to notice the men approaching him and was taken by surprise when one of them suddenly dropped down and threw a strong arm over his shoulders. He looked over with widened eyes to find the culprit giving him a wide grin. The tips of his russet locks slightly obstructed his blue eyes, but it was still clear to see the cheerful shine with which they danced.

What's got you in such a daze, Souji?" he questioned, his voice a bit louder than necessary.

"I'm not in a daze, Shinpachi," he denied flatly, clearly a lie. The man, Shinpachi Nagakura, looked back over his shoulder at the one who was accompanying him. The redhead was looking at Souji with doubt heavy in his amber eyes, his arms folded across his broad chest.

"It sure looked like you were," he stated, backing up Shinpachi. Souji shot a scowl in his direction.

"I don't recall asking you, Sanosuke." Both Sanosuke Harada and Shinpachi fell into a hearty bout of laughter, though Shinpachi's ended abruptly as the cloth in Souji's hand caught his eye.

"What is that?" He reached to grab it, but Souji hastily shoved the torn fabric into the folds of his kimono, trying his best to hide his alarm. The larger man raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Well?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he snapped, a little more forcefully than he had intended. Shinpachi's eyes suddenly took on a mischievous light.

"How exactly did you manage to get that injury of yours taken care of in the middle of a patrol? Some of your men are reporting that after you guys chased those ronin into Shimabara, you seemed to disappear for a while…" Clenching his teeth, Souji looked away from Shinpachi. He could feel his face growing warm, which was certainly not something he needed either of the other men seeing. Shinpachi opened his mouth to press further, but he was stopped by a swift kick from Sanosuke.

"Let the man have his secrets." Shinpachi raised his hands in surrender, but his lips curled up in a knowing smirk.

"Fine, fine," he conceded. "Well, we came to invite you out for drinks tonight. Heisuke will be joining up after his patrol. Sano's buying." He received an exasperated eye roll from Sanosuke, but paid his friend no mind. For the first time since their conversation started, Souji's face lit up with his usual playful smile.

"Well, if Sano is buying," he started with a nonchalant shrug, "just count me in." He figured he could use a night of drinking to refocus and take his mind off of Mikoto.

Four men wandered through Shimabara, making their way back towards their headquarters as quickly as they could with an alcohol fueled buzz. It was Shinpachi and a much smaller man, by the name of Heisuke Toudou, that slowed the group the most. The young brunet captain often bickered with his older ally, and alcohol had the tendency to escalate things. Sanosuke, though equally drunk, was left to mediate their senseless argument, as usual. Souji looked on at his friends and couldn't help but be amused by their drunken antics. The three of them had done a great deal to distract him that night but as they turned a corner, their noise could do little to keep his wandering eyes from focusing on one inn in particular. His pace slowed as he stared, until, before he knew it, he had come to a complete stop. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt such an intense curiosity as he did now. It was all consuming and refused to allow him to take another step away from the inn. He spared a glance towards his fellow captains to see that he had been left behind. He watched them for several moments to be sure that they weren't going to recognize his absence, and once he was satisfied they wouldn't he quickly strode toward the entrance of the inn. He reached out to slide the door open, but froze with his hand to the wood. He couldn't say with much certainty why he was there, nor was he entirely sure what he intended to do once they were face to face again. All he knew was that he was compelled by curiosity and instinct to see that woman at least once more. He took a deep breath to help solidify his resolve, then pushed the door open.