It was late morning, and a couple hours had passed since everyone had dispersed from breakfast to go about their days. Mikoto diligently scrubbed at the floor, ignoring the pain radiating from her sides, grumbling to herself all the while.

"Men are such a damn mess," she complained to herself. "No understanding of cleanliness at all..." Despite not being a page, she had chosen to keep up a daily cleaning schedule, simply because it was clear that nobody else would. Besides, she figured getting some cleaning done would help to pass some time until their rounds later that evening. She got to her feet and wiped her brow, looking around to admire her handiwork. She looked at her wooden bucket, which was now full of water made murky by dirt and filth. She would need clean water to do the next room. With a pained groan, she hefted the bucket up, and started on her way to the well. As she stepped outside, a sound, which she certainly wasn't expecting to hear on the Shinsengumi compound, hit her ears. It was the sound of laughter floating through the air, but it wasn't the rowdy, booming laughter of grown men that she had become used to hearing. "Children?" she wondered aloud. She started towards the inner courtyard, as that seemed to be where the noise was coming from. Turning the corner, she stopped in her tracks. In the center of the courtyard sat Souji, but he wasn't alone. Several children were running around and hanging off of him. They all seemed to be laughing and having a great time. One boy pounced on Souji from behind, dangling off of his shoulders.

"I got you, you evil ronin!" the boy cheered. The man let out a cheerful laugh.

"I guess I'll never make my escape now," he played along. Mikoto found herself staring, enthralled by the wholesome, yet quite unexpected, moment. It had been some time since she had seen him so genuinely happy, and now he seemed to be positively glowing. She leaned up against one of the posts, a soft, contented sigh leaving her. Feeling someone's eyes on him, and worried that perhaps Hijikata had caught him, he glanced up, only to do a double take when he realized it was Mikoto watching him. She seemed to be in comfortable daze as she looked on. In that moment, he had forgotten that he needed to be holding himself up, and he lost his balance thanks to the child on his back. His fall snapped her out of her captivated state, and she immediately stood up straight. Their eyes locked briefly as he tried to sit up, and he flashed her a grin. Her response was to give a quick bow and hurry away. "Wait, Mi-" She was gone before he could stop her. "-koto…" He sighed and looked around, a thought forming as his eyes came to rest on one of the wisteria trees growing in the courtyard. Once she had gotten out of sight from Souji, Mikoto rested against a wall, sliding down to take a seat.

"What the hell was that, Mikoto…" she scolded herself, trying to make her heart stop racing. The moment those emerald eyes had caught hers, her breath had inexplicably caught in her throat. He'd certainly made her nervous before, but not to that extent. She felt a little foolish. Perhaps she just wasn't quite sure of how to interact with Souji yet. She took a deep breath, putting a hand to her chest in an attempt to will her heart to settle. After a moment, she got to her feet and decided to continue to the well. As she went, she couldn't get the image of Souji and the children out of her head. She found it very sweet, and never realized someone like Souji would do so well with children. Upon reaching the well, she dumped the dirtied water on the ground before beginning to fill her bucket once more. As she worked to scoop water into the bucket, she felt a small tug on her clothing. She stopped and turned to be met by the big, innocent gray eyes of a small boy. She recognized him as the boy that had jumped up onto Souji's back. She gave a gentle smile.

"Well, hello there little one. What can I do for you?" He grinned a big toothy grin and brought his hand from behind his back.

"This is from Mr. Okita, he asked me to bring them to the pretty boy!" he exclaimed, jumping a little. He had produced a small bouquet of wisteria, held together by some red fabric that seemed vaguely familiar. It smelled wonderful, and the flowers each looked perfect and delicate. She blinked, a little confused, before hesitantly taking them from the boy.

"Thank you…" she murmured. With an excited laugh, the boy ran away, clearly pleased to have completed his task. Once alone, Mikoto brought the bouquet closer to her face, taking in the lovely fragrance. She then examined it a little closer, letting out a small gasp as a realization dawned on her. The fabric used to tie the bouquet looked familiar because it was the scrap she had torn from her old kimono the night they had met. She couldn't believe he still had the thing. "Souji…"

It was a quiet night for the Shinsengumi's first unit to be making their rounds. Souji and Mikoto stayed several strides ahead of the rest of the men, walking shoulder to shoulder. So far, they had been silent for most of the patrol, neither really knowing what to say, but both walking comfortably. Souji kept casting glances down at his companion, a small smirk on his lips. Her new haori was fairly large on her, swallowing her up and making her appear even smaller in stature than she already was. She glanced up at him and he quickly averted his gaze.

"Souji?" she questioned, finally breaking the silence."Is something wrong?"

"Hm? Of course not," he responded casually. Mikoto thought for a moment.

"Who were those kids today?" She wanted to try and spark up a conversation, hoping they could fall back into their old rhythm. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh? Are they the ones you were focused on this morning, Mikoto-chan? I could have sworn it was me that captured your attention." She flushed, and looked away, realizing she could no longer hide her reddening cheeks behind makeup when Souji decided to get cheeky.

"Well, I-I was just…" His face split in a devilish grin at her flustered response. Her face grew even warmer, and she huffed indignantly. He chuckled. He would never grow tired of poking fun at her.

"You're cute when you're flustered," he acknowledged softly, ignoring the incredulous look she shot him. "They're just kids from town," he explained. "Sometimes when they're bored, If I have the time, I sneak them into the compound to play." She shook her head, still a little stuck on his previous statement, but wrote it off as Souji being Souji.

"Sneak?" she repeated. His features became mischievous, his green eyes twinkling in the moonlight, and he put a finger to his lips as if to say be quiet.

"Toshi would lose his shit if he knew I was bringing kids into headquarters, so let this be our little secret." It was her turn to smile deviantly.

"So, if I really wanted to see Hijikata kick your ass…" He gave a pout like a petulant child.

"Now, there's no need to be so mean, Mikoto-chan." She laughed, made slightly giddy by how things were playing out.

"I suppose I'll keep quiet about it. You really are a good person, Souji." He looked over at her, his expression now a little more genuine. Things fell quiet yet again, and they allowed some time to pass in silence. "Souji?"

"Hm?"

"I...I never did actually apologize. So, I am so, so immensely sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to lie to you. I never wanted to trouble the Shinsengumi. I just-"

"Mikoto, stop," he said gently. Her tone was anxious, and quickly spiraling. He didn't want her getting worked up, especially not in front of the other men. She looked up at him, silvery tears starting to form in her eyes. "You did what you had to, and what you thought was best."

"But-"

"Mikoto," he stopped her, his voice now a little more stern, but not angry. "You fucked up. Things could have been handled differently, but they weren't. Guess what." She looked at him expectantly. "That means you fit right in with us in the Shinsengumi. The best of us, Kondou-san, takes care of our dumb asses to make sure we fuck up less. When we slip, Hijikata is there to make sure we get what's coming. Then Sanan is right there to keep our demon in check." He said the last part with some amusement. She allowed his words to soak in, and her guilt slowly ebbed away, though it would never be completely gone. "Once the dust clears, we all have each other's backs, because we chose to be a family." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're no different." He looked down when he felt her shoulder shuddering under his touch. Her head was down and he could tell she was trying her best to choke back a sob. He glanced back for a moment to see where the rest of the men were, then allowed his hand to slip down so he could discreetly take her hand to give it a comforting squeeze. She said nothing, but responded by inching a little closer to him so their shoulders were touching. "We're about at the end of our route, ready to start heading back?" She nodded, knowing that if she opened her mouth she would break down completely. He gave the orders to turn back, and they began their return loop. They made short work of the remainder of the patrol, finishing in silence, and before long they were reaching headquarters. Once they were in the gates, Souji pulled her to the side. "Wait here."

"Oh, sure," she complied. He waited for the rest of the men to file in and disperse before giving her any explanation.

"I should apologize as well." She shook her head.

"What could you have to apologize for? You were rightfully angry," she reasoned.

"I thought distancing myself from you would be for the best, and the best way to do that in my mind was to be a prick," he explained. "I saw that I was hurting you, but I wouldn't just let it go. Sure, my anger was justified, but...I...I just about gave up on you." His green eyes became clouded as he spoke, though with what, Mikoto couldn't quite tell. Then his expression became strange. With no warning, Souji suddenly pulled her to him in a surprising but not unwelcome embrace. One hand held her head to his chest, his fingers tangling in her hair, while his other arm snaked around her waist to keep her close. She went stiff for a moment, but quickly relaxed in his arms. "I'm not done with you either Mikoto-chan...I won't give up on you. Even if I'm angry or scared or confused." She listened to Souji's words, not entirely convinced that she wasn't in a dream.

"Souji, what are you trying to say?" she questioned softly, her heart rate beginning to pick up as she awaited his answer. Rather than speaking, his hold on her tightened and she took in a sharp, pained breath. He realized his mistake and quickly released her from the embrace, moving his grip to her arms to keep her close.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" She laughed, shaking off the pain. "What asshole did that to you anyways?" he teased, taking a rare jab at himself.

"Gee, I don't know, let me think," she played along, her hands resting on his hips. "Maybe you could get him back for me." He chuckled, allowing his forehead to rest against hers affectionately.

"Mikoto, I-'' He was suddenly cut off as they heard some footsteps approaching from nearby, and they both turned to look for the source, instinctively stepping away from one another. "Why don't we go somewhere a little more hidden to finish this conversation," He suggested. She nodded, not sure if Souji or that brief little scare was the reason for the butterflies that had now begun to flutter madly in her stomach. He took her hand and led her to the inner courtyard where they found a seat under a wisteria tree. It happened to be the same wisteria tree from which her flowers had come from. She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You kept that torn fabric…" she remembered aloud. He said nothing, only put his arm around her to pull her closer. For a long while, they just sat, soaking in the moment, the only sound was the soft breeze moving through the trees.

"Mikoto…" Souji looked down, finally having sorted his thoughts into the words he wanted to say. He brushed her hair from her face, only to find that the peace had soothed her to sleep on his shoulder. He let out a disappointed sigh. "You can never make things simple, can you, you troublesome woman…" he murmured. He stayed for some time, listening to her gentle breathing. Once he finally began to feel tired himself, he got to his feet, lifting her with him. He quietly took her to her room where he laid her gently on the futon and tucked her in. He admired her for a moment before pressing his lips tenderly to her forehead. "Good night, Mikoto-chan…"