Oh wow. The feedback in the first two hours alone after posting the last chapter kind of blew my mind! Thank you all for the wonderful feedback! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Hopefully you enjoy this multi-part installment just as much! It might be two or three parts, depending on what the guys start telling me they want to say. There was so much I wanted to put in, and Saitou finally decided he wanted to talk, that I decided to simply split it up to make my life easier.

Chapter Nine

Holiday Hijinks, Part 1

Hajime liked the quiet.

In this new era of fascinating things, peace was a far more commonplace state than in the time of the Bakumatsu or Boshin War. In a lot of ways, the Meiji Era had been far worse in terms of danger. Hajime remembered very well the number of attempts on his life well into his later years. Being on the losing side of history did that. But even at the height of the assassination attempts, the sight of snow brought with it a feeling of peace for him.

Staring out the window of the Yukimura home's living room, Hajime watched as the small flurries of white descended upon the ground, quickly clinging and creating a layer of white to blanket the ground. Part of his new routine frequently brought him here, however. Much like he did at Souji's house, he found himself trapped in nostalgia a lot because of its traditional appearance. It was hard to remember sometimes, if he didn't see the wiring or cars passing by, that he wasn't still in the past. He rather envied the ease in which Heisuke or even Sano had adapted. After Sanan, Hajime had awakened next, and it'd been…bad. He remembered some of that transitional period all too clearly and felt guilty that the burden had fallen on Hijikata and Sanan's shoulders alone to help him.

To prevent him from accidentally killing one of his friends.

Souji was usually at the most risk. Even before memory made them stick together as of old, Hajime recalled crashing over at his place quite a bit. They tended to practice outside of the dojo, not unlike in the past, and it was simply easier to stay over those nights that they inevitably lost track of time. In the period immediately following his awakening though, Hajime often found himself…unexpectedly tense.

Over 4 decades of having to watch his own back, his mind constantly on a hair-trigger to the slightest of sounds…more than once he'd woken up in the middle of the night to a noise, blade in hand and slashing at something that wasn't even there. The katana itself was of poor quality, made more for ceremonial or decorative purposes, but Hajime felt…exposed without one at his side. And decorative or not, it would still kill someone if used on them. He missed his old one like one missed a treasured friend and often wondered what had become of it after he died.

Perhaps better I didn't possess it, lest I kill Souji in his sleep without meaning to. Nights spent at his home immediately after he 'awakened' had not been restful. Were it Souji from the past, Hajime would've worried less, but at the time it was only modern day Souji and while he was a fierce fighter, he didn't hold a candle to his old self. It was to his never ending relief that the old Souji awakened earlier this year.

That they all awakened.

Only then did Hajime slowly but surely find himself finally able to relax.

Not alone. Capable men at your back. Hajime remembered repeating that in his head over and over, retraining his body to a less tense state. Meditation helped a lot - a practice he still indulged in routinely just in case. He hadn't needed to grab that katana in months and more often than not could get a full nights rest. Of course, he still crashed at Souji's house more frequently as well. With his fellow captains as aware as he was, Hajime…didn't like being in his apartment now. He'd been living alone since he'd awakened out of necessity - Sanan had actually assisted him in securing the place - but now…

Well, he just didn't like being there.

He wasn't lonely or anything.

He didn't dislike the quiet.

He was just worried about them and all, now that he knew that they knew.

Hajime had fallen into a routine to help himself adjust, so with Chizuru's awakening, he found his routine…shifted to accommodate for her renewed presence. It wasn't out of his way to drop by her home in the mornings and walk with her to school - you could never be too safe - and Souji usually met up with him half way. Hajime kept a close eye to see if there was any lingering distress as she adjusted, but other than momentary lapses of introspection that he doubted anyone but he and Sano noticed, she didn't seem to suffer unduly. Gone, however, was the shyness and wistful smiles she had previously. Chizuru almost always seemed to have a wide smile on her face as if the force of her happiness couldn't be contained whether she spoke to him or Heisuke or Souji.

On the final day of school before holiday vacation began and as the final bell rang, he was already standing alongside his two friends. Habit had them walking towards the first year class room to retrieve Isa and Chizuru, but they got there a little quicker than usual, which is why they ended up seeing a peculiar sight that day.

I sense trouble.

Four girls were in a semi-circle around Chizuru's desk, their postures indicating aggression. Isa was clearly on the defensive, standing in front of her, and Chizuru was…staring wide-eyed, mostly. Surprised, certainly. They departed before they could get close enough to hear the exchange, but from the look on Isa's face it wasn't a very nice conversation.

"Puttana!" He wasn't sure what language that was or what it meant, but Saitou didn't need to know it to know it was likely something unflattering.

"Isa-san…" It was as much to draw her attention as it was a mild rebuke. It was on the tip of his tongue to say, "Language," but he refrained from doing so. The last time he had, her reaction had been…sufficiently emphatic that he had no desire to repeat it.

Chizuru was already on her feet, ushering her along. "Don't worry, Isa-chan. I…kind of expected that to happen eventually."

"Expected what?" Souji snuck up to match strides with her, his arm looping about her shoulders in a smooth gesture. It didn't go unnoticed and Saitou felt several…stares on their backs that immediately made his muscles tense. He cast a sharp glance behind him, finding the source of the stares to be the same girls. The glares died quickly in the face of his sharp-eyed look, however.

"Hajime-kun is giving that scary look again…" Heisuke laughed. He and Isa walked with them a short ways before they had to veer off in the opposite direction, their home farther away and towards the opposite end of town.

"It really is fine, Saitou-san." Despite her assurances, Hajime was...bothered. His goal was to make her transition into this new era as easy as possible, not to...complicate it. "They would've harassed me no matter what." Her expression baffled him; she was amused by this. "Long ago, I watched you guys walk down the streets of Kyoto to suspicious and downright hateful stares. Now, I get those stares for walking near any of you. You've both acquired quite the...following."

Souji snorted. "That's what it's all about? Foolish..."

"What is it about?" Hajime turned to face his friend, completely serious. The looks he received back confused him. "What?"

"You...don't know?" Chizuru blinked, slowly trying to process what he was asking.

He met her bemused stare and shook his head. "I would not ask otherwise."

Chizuru face contorted oddly at that point. Does her stomach hurt? She certainly seemed pained. And he certainly didn't understand why Souji looked between them both and burst out laughing, hard enough that he was actually bending over and clutching his side. "Are you ill, Yukimura? I don't think it's that funny either, Souji."

That seemed to send him into an all new round of laughter, echoing in the air as Chizuru seemed to fold into herself laughing as well, tears running down her eyes as she half leaned on Souji who didn't seem to be the most stable of surfaces to lean on at the moment.

Hajime stared at them both, eyes narrowed, and sighed, his lips quirking just slightly. He would figure it out eventually. Though it bothered him that they were laughing at his expense, he couldn't quite bring himself to feel particularly annoyed about that considering the oddly...relaxed feeling in his chest. It was the same feeling he had when he'd been an older man, well into retirement, and had gone out drinking with Takagi and/or Yamakawa. The two men were among the few he'd trusted enough to speak of his past with; he'd spoke to them of his brothers in arms fondly and of the brotherhood that he'd found among the men of Shieikan. He'd told them stories of their exploits, battles that they'd fought, and of the losses that they'd suffered.

Hajime had never asked Nagakura, the only one who'd survived as long as he had in the old days, if it was the same for him. He'd always held the memories of their friends close to his chest though, unwilling to share that part of himself or that time in his past with anyone but those he really valued because talking about them...hurt...like a physical pain no matter how much time passed. As he got older, it lessened, and he almost found solace in his last days when he would reminisce over his time among the Shinsengumi that he would finally be able to join them.

It was that same warmth then that he felt now, spreading outwards and making the tension that lived in his shoulders loosen with each echoing laugh. It made him remember the very early days of his time in Shieikan, his arm and leg muscles straining as he would sit on the floor of that small dojo, listening to Souji laugh because sparring together was always so much fun for him despite the fact that they would go at it for so long and so hard that they would collapse in the dojo for a good twenty minutes, unable to stand. Hajime had always found it to be enjoyable himself, but it became their routine to spar in the early hours of the morning before anyone woke up, or late at night when no one was awake, to train themselves. In that regard, they'd always been...kindred spirits. It'd made patrolling together even easier since he knew without ever saying anything that his right side was always taken care of.

He'd rather missed that connection, to be honest - especially in the first few years of the Meiji Era when assassination attempts on him had been at their height. The...confidence of knowing someone as lethally capable as he was had his back had been poignantly absent.

Rather abruptly, Souji startled him by hooking the arm that wasn't around Chizuru - who was still giggling - around him. It was a little peculiar because Souji was, by nature, not a very tactile person with people. "Yare, yare...I think I broke a lung."

"Ignore him, Saitou-san." Amusement still danced in Chizuru's eyes. "It really is nothing you need worry about."

Reluctantly, he nodded. "I will accept your word on the matter then."

Still, he would keep an eye on her.

Just to be safe, of course.

To be perfectly honest, Chizuru had no idea what to expect.

She'd always been fond of the men of the Shinsengumi, but this new era was far different from the past. They were different. Oh, not by much. On the surface, none of them had changed too much, but Chizuru noticed slight differences in them.

Heisuke was slightly more mellowed out, for example. While he was still as energetic and vivacious as ever - especially when with Sano or Shinpachi - he seemed more focused. He had a goal, whatever it might be, and he wasn't conflicted about whatever it was he decided to do. It was nice to see, after the memories she had of him being so conflicted about the choices he made in his life.

Sanosuke and Shinpachi were as close as ever, but Chizuru noticed they were less...jaded. Like with Hijikata or Sanan, she didn't see them as often as she did the rest because they were college guys and operated on a different schedule, but she still saw them at least twice a week - usually at the Okita house catching a meal.

Hijikata and Sanan seemed to still largely be treated as if they were still the Commander and Colonel of the Shinsengumi, though Chizuru suspected it was mostly habit on everyone else's part. Both men seemed far more relaxed and Chizuru was relieved to see that Sanan, in particular, was just like she first remembered him. His smile was kind and had a gentle edge to it; he often was present when she took her meals at the Okita home on the weekends and seemed intent on ensuring she was always as comfortable as possible. It was actually kind of surreal.

Saitou actually seemed to have changed the least of everyone, which was both comforting and a little odd. He did seem to be slightly tighter wound sometimes, but she'd watch him close his eyes at that point and just breath for several moments and then he'd be OK. One of these days, she wanted to talk to him, since she kind of thought she knew why.

Chizuru had some of those moments herself.

Souji was actually the biggest shift. He was largely still himself - still the wise-cracking, grinning, wicked-humored man that he always was. There was something softer - or maybe gentler - to him now, however, that he'd rarely showed way back when. The change in his family situation seemed to be the cause of it, considering it was that same familial change that was showing her things she'd never known about any of the men.

It had taken their wedding day for Souji to even tell her anything about his family at all. The conversation had been hard, mostly because by that point he'd been declared dead to make things easier for him to move under the radar during the Meiji Era and had been unable to tell Mitsu otherwise. Though the feelings of abandonment he harbored had been strong still, even then, he'd obviously loved his sister enough to lament the fact that he couldn't even tell her he was happy.

Chizuru had no idea what to expect when she'd met her in this lifetime, but the driven, hard-working woman wasn't quite what she'd expected. There was no way of knowing what was going on through her previous incarnation's mind when she'd left Souji in Shieikan's care, but it was obvious hell would've frozen over before this woman would. Though Mitsu and Souji obviously had a bit of an awkward and distant relationship, the softness in her gaze when she watched him was clear.

On the flip side, Kin was openly affectionate and everything both siblings were not. Chizuru found she very much liked Okita Kin, if for no other reason then the fact that she tended to hug or touch Souji just because she could. It embarrassed him, but there was no hiding from her eyes, at least, the genuine smile and happiness that was on Souji's face every time she did. She took care of him in every way possible whether he wanted it or not and it warmed Chizuru's heart to see that his life this time had been filled with the happiness and love she'd always wanted for him.

There's so much I need to tell them. So much time missed. She had twelve years after Souji had died to live without any of them or their support. Chizuru didn't know what she'd have done during that time without Sen, who'd supported her on those days when she wasn't sure she could even get up, it hurt so bad. Part of her wished she'd have known that Shinpachi and Saitou had actually survived, at least...even just to know not all of them had died would've been a comfort.

Sighing, Chizuru gave up on trying to finish the assignment in front of her, staring out her bedroom window to watch the snow rapidly piling up. Only the street lamp actually allowed her to see through the darkness and know the snow was falling in thick clumps - the holidays were looking to be a white one. It was moments like these she missed living with the others; she was used to the lively energy that had always permeated Shinsengumi headquarters and being able to go talk to one of the guys when she was bored or lonely.

The shrill ring from her computer broke through her thoughts; Chizuru actually jumped a bit, startled, and for a brief moment forgot what exactly she was even supposed to do. Hijikata had warned her it would happen for awhile as the memories of her past and present...merged. Thinking about the specifics of how this whole 'awakening' happened made her head hurt.

Right. It's a video call, so I just click here with this and...ah! "Heisuke-kun!"

Heisuke's bright smile greeted her on the screen; obviously, he was on his phone and walking home, judging by the snow she could see falling in front of him. He also looked as if he'd been helping Kin out again, since Heisuke didn't usually dress in dinner attire otherwise. His smile dimmed slightly and he asked her in concern, "Is everything OK? You seem down."

He's always worrying about me. "I'll be fine. Just reflecting." She gave him her best reassuring smile.

He didn't seem convinced, but took her at her word as he nodded and said, "Ah. It happens to all of us all the time. Anyway!" His usual cheer returned and his grin widened. "Great news! One of Kin-san's clients from tonight offered her use of their home in the mountains for the holidays. Everyone is going to go; you'll come too, right?"

The idea did sound appealing. "Well..."

"It'll be just like old times!" Heisuke pressed, clearly excited. "Souji's sisters have some stuff to take care of first and Isa needs to be here for a party she promised to go to before she can come, so it'll actually just be...well...all the old group for the first few days if you get what I mean."

It'll be just like old times. The nostalgia that hit her was strong, and she nodded once. It was almost impossible to say no to Heisuke anyway; given everything, it would be nice to hang out with them and not really have to watch what she said. That was the part that was always the most...tiring.

"Yatta~! We'll come by and get you tomorrow morning then!" With a final enthusiastic shout, he cut the call off, and Chizuru giggled slightly before something he said began to tug at her mind.

Wait a second...TOMORROW? EH!?

And so ends Part 1. I highly suspect this installment will end up being 3 parts, considering how it has been forming in my head.

Have I ever mentioned how adorable I find Saitou? He's not ignorant by any means, but he always struck me as very literal from how he's portrayed in the game. Subtlety is not the way to make him understand and I don't think Souji could've explained the whole issue with Chizuru and their "fan girls" without cracking a rib from laughing so hard.

Also, I'm mostly keeping Saitou's and Nagakura's history post-Shinsengumi as close to truth as possible with their real life counterparts; both of whom lived well into their 70's unlike their other friends. Both died, ironically, in 1915 - Saitou due to a gastric ulcer and Nagakura from natural causes (blood poisoning because of an infected tooth?). I'm using both Wikipedia and Shinsengumi no Makoto as my references; not sure how accurate they are, but I will take what I am given.

And ah, Heisuke...I giggle whenever I think of him in his western outfit. Damn, but he looks so good in it.

As always, feedback is appreciated and please look forward to Chapter 9, Part 2!

Next Chapter: Three days and two nights together without worry; that means booze and nostalgia, and trips down memory lane galore.