Sunlight flooded the room as the door was slammed open, jolting Mikoto awake. She rolled over, burying her head in her pillow with a tired groan.
"What the hell Souji?" she whined. She didn't need to look to see who had woken her, she knew that Souji was the only one bold enough to enter her room without any announcement. The other men were always worried they may walk in on her before she was dressed.
"Have you seen a cat running round here?" She looked up at him, blinking as the light blinded her, obscuring her vision. He couldn't help but smile at her sleepy daze.
"Seen...cat?" she repeated. "How could I have seen anything Souji, I've been asleep," she muttered, her head falling back to her pillow. "What cat...anyway," she asked, starting to doze off again. He chuckled, which only fueled her irritation. She sat up, whipped her pillow at him, and promptly ducked under her covers in an attempt to sleep some more. He narrowly dodged her assault, then walked over and kneeled beside her.
"Don't worry about it," he whispered softly. "I'll explain when you decide to wake up." He left her after leaving a kiss on the top of her head, the only part of her that could be seen from under the blankets. She laid there for a few more moments, but sleep refused to come. Frustrated, she sat up, brushing her unruly hair out of her face. A little more than a month had passed since she and Souji had shared their first kiss. It wasn't long before their secret got out. Shinpachi, despite his promise, had accidentally let it slip one evening during a drunken conversation with Heisuke and Sanosuke. Heisuke was completely taken aback, but Sanosuke had had a sense that something was going on. After that, Saito figured it out on his own through pure perception. He was silent but observant, almost frighteningly so. Luckily for them, the news had yet to reach the higher ups, Kondou, Hijikata, and Sanan, and they wanted it to stay that way. Though they couldn't imagine Sanan objecting much, and they had a feeling that Kondou would be thrilled by the development, they knew for a fact that Hijikata would be displeased to learn of a relationship between a captain and someone that wasn't really supposed to be in the organization in the first place. She got to her feet and stretched her sleep heavy limbs. Summer was finally in full swing, and Mikoto welcomed the comfortable warmth. She remembered that there would be a fireworks festival later that evening, and of course the men loved finding any excuse to have a celebration.
"Better go see what those guys are up to," she murmured to herself. She decided to wear the purple kimono Souji had gotten her, figuring the festivities would be a good opportunity to finally show it off. She had just been recently permitted to dress as a woman again after having proven to be equally effective in performing her duties and in several skirmishes with ronin as any member of the Shinsengumi, if not more so at some times. She was still required to wear men's clothing when on active duty outside of the compound, just to prevent rumors, but she often chose men's clothing anyways. She found it much easier to work with, but still enjoyed her more flattering clothing from time to time. After leaving her room, it was easy enough to track down the men she was looking for due to the ruckus they were all creating. She followed her ears to the training yard to find that several of the captains were running around frantically, seemingly chasing something. Suddenly, they all looked in her direction. "Good mor-"
"Mikoto-chan, catch it!" Heisuke yelled. She just stared at them for a second with no clue as to what he was talking about, until suddenly, something jumped up to her. She caught whatever it was instinctively. Looking at the thing in her arms, she found a calico cat rubbing against her affectionately. It seemed to be holding a slice of meat. She grinned.
"Hi there sweetie," she cooed, scratching its head. As she began to purr, the meat she was holding dropped to the ground. The rest of the men approached her.
"You don't talk to me like that," Souji pouted, being the first to reach her.
"Well that's because you're not a sweet little kitten, right little one?" she replied, still baby-talking the cat. He huffed, and she gave him a playful look out of the corner of her eyes.
"Well would you look at that," Sanosuke said with a laugh. "All it took was a woman's touch." Shinpachi picked the piece of meat up off of the ground, disappointment clear on his face.
"Yeah, but we still lost this little gem," he mourned. "Now there's one less for dinner, which means I'll have to take Heisuke's" His comment earned him a glare from the smaller man. Having quickly gotten past his sulking, Souji put an arm around her shoulders.
"Good thing I woke you up, eh, Mikoto-chan?" He smiled innocently, but his eyes told her he knew exactly what he had done, and she had the distinct feeling he would have woken her, cat or no cat. Despite his transgressions, she leaned into him affectionately, but then delivered a sharp flick to his forehead. "Ow, Mikoto…" She gave him a smug, triumphant smirk.
"So, where did she come from anyways?" she questioned, turning her attention to the rest of the men while still scratching the cat under the chin. She gave a soft mew as if in response.
"We aren't really sure, she just showed up one day, started causing trouble," Saito explained.
"Sounds like someone else we know," Souji teased, casting a sideways glance at Mikoto as he reached to pet the cat as well. She shot him a look, then rolled her eyes when she realized he wasn't paying her any mind. The cat jumped down from her arms and walked, light footed, up to Shinpachi. She rubbed up against his legs, circling a couple of times before stretching up, balancing on her hind legs, using his leg as support. She looked up at him expectantly. Mikoto giggled.
"She wants the meat in your hand," she pointed out.
"But-"
"Just give it to her, you guys certainly won't be eating it now." Unable to argue that point, he dropped it with a crestfallen sigh. The cat happily took it in her mouth and ran off. Mikoto's smile fell slightly. "Aw, I hope she comes back…"
"Oh, I'm sure she will, she always does," Heisuke said with a good natured chuckle. With the excitement having died down, everyone began to disperse, getting ready for the day's festivities. Souji's arm fell from her shoulders, and he instead went around and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Though his sarcastic, teasing nature hadn't changed, he had become highly affectionate and a little clingy, though that wasn't something she minded.
"Let's go spar," he suggested. "To kill some time." He nuzzled his cheek up against hers. She turned her head and kissed his cheek in response.
"Fine by me, just don't expect me to go easy on you, Okita. I just have to change first."
The day passed in a leisurely manner. Souji and Mikoto stood across from one another, bokken at the ready as they started yet another practice match. They had been training on and off all day, taking breaks here and there to eat, clean and to share one on one time somewhere more private. Despite their breaks, both of them, Mikoto especially, were starting to wear down.
"Loser buys dango for the fireworks," she proposed as they circled one another. He smirked, more than willing to take her offer.
"Well, if you insist. It's about time you pay me back for all the food I've bought anyways," he goaded. They eyed one another for a moment longer, both trying and failing to maintain a serious expression. Suddenly, they kicked off, charging at one another. The two of them exchanged several blows, waiting for the other to slip up. They jumped back, evaluating their stances. Mikoto was the first to make a move. She feigned a lunge, then ducked under his arms, spinning on her heel to strike at his right side. Though her movements and speed would have been effective against any average swordsman, Souji's skill was nearly unrivaled. He was fast enough to block her attack. She had gotten too cocky, allowing his unexpected block to throw her off of her stance. Within seconds, before she could react, his bokken was to her throat and he looked at her with a smug grin. With a tired, defeated sigh, she fell backwards.
"Fine, fine, you win…" He let out a laugh.
"You're fast and you're smart, but you get sloppy when you get worn down." he explained, then held out a hand to help her up, dropping his bekken beside hers. "We'll have to work on your endurance." With a nod, she sat up, about to take his hand, when his demeanor suddenly changed. Rather than grabbing her hand, he took a rough hold of her forearm, leaning in close to stare her down with cold eyes. "Is that really the best you can manage?" he demanded. "Get up you idiot." With that, he yanked her to her feet, pulling her close, maintaining his iron grip on her arm. She kept quiet as she glared up at him. She understood exactly what he was doing as soon as she caught sight of Kondou and Hijikata approaching in her peripheral, and played right along. "What the hell do you expect to accomplish against our enemies? I should just kill you now to spare them the effort."
"Souji!" Hijikata snapped, his tone threatening. Souji turned to look at the commander, his face the picture of innocence, as though he had just been made aware of his presence.
"Hijikata-san!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "I was just having a conversation with Hasegawa here." An exasperated sigh escaped Hijikata. It seemed like Souji found a new way to irritate the man daily, and Mikoto was quickly learning just how exhausting it could be. Before he had a chance to reprimand him, Kondou stepped in. His aura was as warm as ever, but now there seemed to be a much more serious air about him as well.
"We wanted to be sure to speak with everyone before tonight," he started. "Gen-san has volunteered to do rounds tonight so that the younger men can enjoy the festivities, however, if either of you plan on going out tonight you still need to remain vigilant. It's times like these, when the streets are crowded and the people are rowdy, that are optimal for ronin to run amok," he explained, his eyes sliding between the two of them. "That being said, I'd still like you all to have a good time. You all work hard, you deserve it," he finished with a grin. "I just want everyone to be safe," he added, a hint of warning hidden under his kind words as he fixed his gaze on Souji.
"Of course Kondou-san, I'm always safe," Souji stated. His response earned him doubtful looks from all three people there, and Hijikata was clearly biting his tongue. After eyeing him for a moment, Kondou's grin returned.
"Well alright then." After receiving respectful bows from both Mikoto and Souji, the commanders went on their way. Once they were out of sight, he pulled her into a sweet kiss.
"I wish you'd give me a little more warning, I'm still not quite used to you switching on and off like that," she said with the slightest pout. He chuckled, moving his now softer grip from her arm to her hand.
"Now, what fun would that be? Besides, if I did that, your reaction would be less convincing. Toshi is the last one we need finding out." She really couldn't argue with his logic, most of it at least. With both hands holding one of hers, he brought the tips of her slender fingers up to brush his lips. "Now, how about one more round, and then we go get that dango you owe me before the fireworks?" He planted small kisses along her fingers as he spoke, looking up at her, his emerald eyes big and full of affection. He was far too good at playing up his childlike sweetness to win her over. She gave in with a small smile and nodded.
"Fine." His face split in a mischievous, cat-like grin. She bent down and grabbed the bokken they had dropped, shoving one into his chest, and giving her own a twirl. "I buy the dango, you buy the drinks." His grin fell, and he opened his mouth to protest, but he had no time before Mikoto swung, beginning their match.
After having changed back into her purple kimono, Mikoto and Souji headed into Kyoto to find a good place for food and drinks. Now, Mikoto leaned on the railing of the bridge that overlooked the Kamo river, head in her hand and eyes fixed on the rapidly darkening sky. She let out an impatient sigh.
"When are they going to start, Souji?" she asked, looking up at him. He laughed, also leaving against the bridge.
"You're such a kid. They'll start when they start." She huffed, slumping over the railing.
"You're one to talk about being a kid," she muttered. The sun had all but set, their orders of dango were long gone, and her sake buzz was beginning wear off. She was starting to become restless as she eagerly waited for the fireworks. "I bet they're all going to eat without us…" she complained, remembering that Sanosuke and Shinpachi had planned a special meal for the night. Souji cocked an eyebrow,
"We just ate, why are you thinking about dinner?" he questioned, amused. She opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped as a high pitched whistle sounded in the distance. She immediately straightened up with an excited grin just in time to see the first flower of fire blossom in the dark sky. She watched in wonder with wide, sparkling eyes as several more followed the first. She turned to Souji to see that he was enjoying himself just as much as she was, and her expression fell. He was turned away from her, speaking in hushed tones with someone, his expression grim. She recognized the brunet, violet eyed man as Susumu Yamazaki. She had only met him a handful of times, but she knew that he was a part of the Watch. Realizing that she was looking their way, Susumu gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement before disappearing into the crowd.
"Is everything alright?" she asked as he turned back around to face her, her brow knit with concern, The explosions behind her now fading into the background as she tuned them out. He nodded.
"There are just some men stirring up trouble. Some suspicion that they may be Choshu has been raised. They've asked me to go check it out since we're the closest to it, and Yamazaki needs to continue monitoring other situations," he explained. "I'll be back." He turned to leave, but Mikoto grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait, I'll go with you. I'm a part of the Shinsengumi too," she reminded him. He just shook his head. She frowned. "But-"
"No, Mikoto," he interrupted. "You've been looking forward to these fireworks, I want you to enjoy them. Besides, this is something I should be able to handle just fine on my own." He rested a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. She wasn't happy with the situation. What she had been looking forward to was enjoying the fireworks with him, but she didn't argue the matter. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you back at the compound tonight," he promised. She gave a half-hearted nod.
"Please be careful." With that, Souji turned and was gone. With a disheartened sigh, Mikoto turned back to face the fireworks, her interest in them now somewhat diminished. She lingered around the bridge, watching until the show's dramatic, and impressive, conclusion, before deciding to return to the headquarters for the night. She began making her way through the crowded streets, now just eager to be home, away from the hustle and bustle. She hoped Souji was alright, not that she doubted his capability, and had her fingers crossed that he had made quick work of whatever the issue had been and would be home by the time she got there. As she was walking, she felt a tug on her sleeve.
"Excuse me, miss?" She turned to see who it was that was trying to get her attention. Before she could tell who it was, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of her head. She could feel herself falling towards the ground, but could do nothing about it as her vision began to blur and fade before she slipped completely out of consciousness.