The clouds that overhung Kyoto were dark, and gloomy, threatening to bring one of the last spring rains as summer was making it's slow but steady approach. Despite this, Mikoto's spirits were bright, much brighter than they had been the previous few weeks. She sat alone in her room, cleaning her katana. It was something she hadn't had a chance to do in quite some time, and the blade had become quite foggy. With every movement of her arms, she cringed. Though she hadn't sustained any serious injuries during her bout with Souji, it had left her with some nasty bruising complete with uncomfortable swelling and unpleasant discoloration. It didn't bother her though. Something during their match had shifted for the better, and if it meant she would be sore for a few days, she would take it.
"Mikoto-chan!" Her attention was pulled to her door upon hearing the cheery voice call her name.
"Oh, Heisuke! Come in," she invited. He slid the door open, giving her his usual friendly grin upon entering.
""How are you feeling?" he questioned. She knew he was referring to her injuries.
"I'm fine. Honestly, I can hardly feel any of the bruising," she lied. She felt guilty being dishonest with Heisuke, who was easily one of the most thoughtful men in the Shinsengumi, but she really didn't want any of them to fret over her unnecessarily. Being the sole woman in a troop of men, the captains had already proven to be quite overprotective of her, but she didn't want any special treatment. On top of that, she didn't want any of them holding her injuries over Souji's head. She had pushed for the match to continue, not him. He had only followed her lead, so the fast the incident could be put behind them the better.
"I'm glad to hear it!" Relief visually swept over him as the words left his mouth. "Kondou-san was actually looking to speak with you. I think it may be about yesterday…" he explained the real reason for his visit. She sighed.
"There's nothing to discuss. I told all of you that yesterday." She was trying her best to hide her exasperation. While Heisuke and Gen had fussed over Mikoto, helping her up, and making sure she was alright, Sanosuke and Shinpachi had both gotten into it with Souji. Despite her protests, he left the training hall, unwilling to argue with the two larger men, preventing her from getting to speak to him any further that night. Saito insisted that though it was her that had wanted to continue, Souji, as the more experienced swordsman, had behaved irresponsibly in granting that.
"Look, Mikoto, we all care about Souji, but the guy's been acting weird since you got here. We just don't want anything happening, so it's best to get it figured out now, for both of your sakes." He refused to meet her less than thrilled gaze as he spoke. They sat in silence for a moment.
"Fine, thank you for delivering the message," she finally said. "I'll go talk to him now." She gave him a smile to try and communicate that she wasn't upset with him. He nodded, gave a quick goodbye, returning her smile, and went on his way. Sheathing her sword, she reluctantly got to her feet. As she made her way to Kondou's quarters, she kept a lookout for her green eyed captain, but was unable to find him before reaching her destination. When she got there, the door was already open, and she noticed, with some concern, that he was sitting alongside Hijikata. Though he had protested her joining at first, she was slowly earning the man's respect, and even he, though more subtly than the others, was beginning to become defensive of her. He was certainly kinder than she initially thought, he was still a frightening man. Kondou caught sight of her approaching.
"Ah, Hasegawa! Come on in and take a seat," he welcomed warmly. What a contrast he was to his vice commander, who sat, cold and quiet. She did as she was told, and greeted her superiors with a small bow. "We hear you had quite the match yesterday," he started, cutting right to the chase. She laughed nervously.
"I did," she admitted.
"I heard you were rather impressive, not many of our men care to spar with Souji," Hijikata stated. She was surprised to get a compliment from him. "How are your injuries?"
"They're just fine," she lied again. "I can't even feel them."
"Can you explain what happened?" There was the request she had been expecting.
"There isn't much to explain, sir. It was a regular practice match. Sanosuke suggested it, and I lost. It's simple as that," she explained as nonchalantly as possible. Hijikata's violet eyes narrowed.
"Nagakura was going on about something a little different." Mikoto had to bite back her scowl. She had been quick to learn that, for as jovial as the man is, Shinpachi could be a bit of a hot head. She had no doubt that they must have heard him ranting and raving about the incident. She would have a word with him later. "It sounds like he got aggressive with you." The vice commander's tone was accusatory. She shook her head vigorously.
"No, no. We were just training, really. He was going to call it, I kept it going. I wanted to see what I could do. Besides, isn't it a captain's job to push his men' limits?" Kondou and Hijikata exchanged skeptical looks. "You told me yourselves, I'm not here to be babysat, and if I'm going to stay I can't slow any of you down. I feel our match was no different than it would have been between two men," she insisted. She could see that she hit a nerve with both of them based on their expressions.
"I suppose you're right. But even still, if you would be more comfortable, we can move you to another division. Perhaps units eight, or ten?"
"No!" she said, a little more forcefully than she had intended. "No, I'm happy being a member of the first division." Kondou let out a sigh, realizing there wasn't much more he could do, and smiled.
"Very well. I know he hasn't been the most welcoming to you, but Souji really is a good kid." His words were said with the adoration a father may have for a son, and she couldn't help but smile at the warmth of his statement. He obviously wasn't aware of the closeness they had shared before her arrival. Of course she knew he was good. It was her that had screwed things up.
"I know he is," she said softly. With their discussion coming to a close, Mikoto gave a respectful bow, and left to return to her room. She wanted to finish polishing her sword and then do some cleaning around the compound. She was nearly to her room when she was stopped in her tracks.
"Mikoto-chan." That familiar sing-song greeting made her heart flutter, She hadn't heard it in what felt like ages. She turned around to be met by Souji, his eyes dancing with the playfulness that they had before.
"Okita-sama! What is it?" she asked, trying not to give away her excitement.
"Could you come with me to my room, I have something for you, he explained, turning and walking off before she had a chance to respond. Of course she followed, now thoroughly curious as to what he could have. He looked over his shoulder to be sure she was there. "I've been meaning to get these to you since shortly after you got here, but...well, I figured it was about time." As they reached his quarters, he disappeared for a brief moment and reappeared holding a couple bundles of clothing. On the top was a headguard and the signature blue coat of the Shinsengumi. She had yet to receive her own. "This may be a little big," he stated. "But you're one of us, so you'll be needing it." She nodded eagerly, his words filling her with hope.
"Thank you, I'll wear them proudly!" he laughed, amused by her childish enthusiasm. She took the haori and headguard to see what was underneath. She stared at it, a smile slowly tugging at her lips. It was her purple kimono, the one he had bought her when they had first met. She hadn't been back to the inn to grab her things, and figured it was probably lost to her at that point. She was beyond thrilled to have it back. She looked up to him, unable to get her words out.
"I figured you would like it back, so I went and grabbed it for you," he explained. It may have been her imagination, but he seemed somewhat bashful as he spoke. He reached out for a moment, as if to touch her face, but withdrew quickly. "I also wanted to inform you that I have rounds tomorrow night. I've been giving you the option, but you're a member of my division, and as your captain I'm telling you I'd like you to join me. Enough of the page duties." She nodded vigorously, before he even finished his sentence.
"Of course, sir, I'll go!" He looked a little surprised, but a smirk appeared on his face. "Good. I expect you to eat well tonight then. I noticed you haven't been eating as much as you usually do, and you'll need your energy." As he spoke, he gave a wink. Things felt right again, and she couldn't help but bask in the moment, unable to give a response. He chuckled, tussling her hair before turning to leave. "I'll see you at dinner, Mikoto-chan." he called over his shoulder. "Oh, and none of that formal bullshit, makes me sound like an old man."