It was already night fall by the time Sakura was back at her family's home. The events of the day had left her shaken, thinking back to what had happened earlier. "They would kill me!" she had exclaimed.
Seiji solemnly nodded his head looking up at her earnestly, taking her hand. "I will not let that happen, you have my word as a captain of the Shinsengumi. I will protect you."
Panicking, she had pulled away from Seiji. "This isn't happening…" She started to run hoping desperately that he would not follow her…
Looking at her hand in the dark she could still feel the warmth of his, even though it had long left hers. Her thoughts weren't giving her any comfort. He didn't follow…I didn't even give him the chance to, all I did was run…the tears she so desperately suppressed gave way. "Not again," she cried, pushing back her tears trying to convince herself. He's just like the rest of them saying they will protect you one day and cutting you down with their swords the next. Sakura had heard so many stories of the men of the Shinsengumi and the Choshu clansmen wooing women, using them, and then throwing them away. They only do that because they can not afford the whores at Shimabara.
Blood is all they will ever crave…Sakura began to unbraid her long pink hair, thinking still. The Shinsengumi, the Choushu, all I wanted was to stay out of their bloody war and here I am told that I might be killed all because he helped me out one day. I know the Choushu are not the smartest people but they certainly aren't that dumb. They have spies that can help them find people they don't need to rely on little girls to get their information.
She then came to a very realistic conclusion about the day's events. Baka! All he wanted to do was take me to a room. Saying that he will protect me was probably nothing but a game to him, a trick he picked up to get women to go with him easier. Gripping onto her mother's pendent, she muttered a small prayer, "Please give me strength." Soon afterwards, pulling the covers tight around her, the feeling of sleep engulfed her and carried her into a restless dream. Seiji-san…
Seiji stood off in one corner of the training hall, repetitively swinging his practice sword in a downward arc. He stared straight ahead, eyes blank, ignoring the others around him. As he concentrated on his practice, he failed to notice Shinpachi and Sanosuke step up on either side of him, grinning jovially.
"So Seiji," Shinpachi sneered, "Sano tells me you've got your eye on someone." Seiji refused to respond, swinging his bokken up and down. "Is she good looking?"
Sano chuckled. "You bet," he laughed. "She's a real babe. Trouble is she doesn't seem to like him very much." Seiji's eye twitched involuntarily.
"Don't tell me you tried the 'I'll always protect you' routine, did you?" Shinpachi asked, forcing back laughter.
"I'm afraid he did," Sano replied, setting his fists on his hips. "Though I don't know why, everybody knows that line never works." Seiji's eye twitched again. "Personally, I think his first problem was setting his sights on a woman taller than him."
Seiji fumed as they both burst out laughing. Gritting his teeth, he threw the wooden sword to the floor and stormed out of the training hall. Staring after him in confusion, Shinpachi asked, "What's with him?"
"Guess we went a little too far," Sano replied, scratching his head.
As Seiji crossed the courtyard, his mind roared with anger. Damn it! She probably thought I was just coming on to her! He had been completely honest with her earlier that day. The Choshu clan had many spies in its service but even so, some of its members weren't above good old-fashioned torture when it came to obtaining information… or pleasure. The very thought disgusted him.
As he turned a corner without looking, he almost barreled into Saitou Hajime. The Shinsengumi's third unit captain turned his droopy-eyed gaze down to him and spoke softly, "Your eyes…"
Seiji raised an eyebrow at the plain-featured man. "What's that?"
"That's what he disapproves of," Saitou continued, almost as if he hadn't heard Seiji's inquiry. Those dark eyes of his seemed to almost look through Seiji rather than at him. "Not those of a demon… but a mere wolf. Weaker, but just as cunning…"
Saitou's words were beginning to creep Seiji out. "What are you talking about, Hajime?" he asked slowly.
"Your eyes," Saitou replied matter-of-factly, and went walking past him, as if the whole conversation had never taken place.
Shaking his head in wonder, Seiji continued toward his room. "Why'd she have to be so stubborn?" he growled, sliding the door open and stepping inside. Sitting on the floor, he crossed his legs and leaned his back against the wall, staring blankly at the opposite side of the room. Suddenly a though occurred to him and he reached into the small cupboard beside him, rummaging around for the book he kept there. Opening it to a blank page, he took a brush and some ink and began to write. It wasn't long until he exhausted his creativity and filled the page. Looking over what he had written, he chewed his lip, embarrassed, and hurled the book across the room. With that, he wheeled himself over onto the bedroll and forced himself to fall asleep.
A woman walked around the sleeping quarters sounding the alarm that it was time for a new day. Looking around the dining room she commented to Kondo, "Isn't there supposed to be a new captain with the troops today?"
Kondo sipped on his morning tea, replying, "That's correct Ayu; he must still be asleep." Glancing over the crowd he called out, "Okita! Will you go get Katsmouri and bring him to breakfast."
Before he could answer Ayu responded, "There's no need for that, I will go get him." Walking by Shinpachi and Sanosuke, she heard them muttering about how he was acting childish all because of a girl.
Tying her black hair back with a handkerchief, she knocked on what was supposed to be the new recruit's room. "Time to get up Katsmouri; if you don't, you'll miss breakfast and we can't have that, can we now."
The young man got up slipping on a kimono as he went to slide open the door. The woman just smiled, speaking with her Kyoto accent, "It's good to see you finally awake. I don't believe we've met. I am Yamazaki Ayumu, but you can just call me Ayu like everyone else does around here."
He just stared at the woman for a second "I'm sorry for causing the trouble of having to come wake me up Miss... Ayu."
"That is all right, just don't let it become a habit. I have enough people to take care of already." Grinning mischievously, she asked, "Now what is this about girl trouble that I heard that you were having?"
Taken aback, he crossed his arms stubbornly and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, you don't have to play dumb with me. I heard a rumor about you throwing a fit yesterday all because of some girl."
His eyebrow twitched involuntarily. "I did not throw a fit."
Ayu giggled, "So what's her name?" Sitting down on the walk way, she patted the space beside her, signaling Seiji to sit next to her.
Sighing reluctantly, he replied, "Her name is Sakura but it doesn't matter, I doubt she'll ever talk to me or even look at me for that matter."
"Now why do you think that? You couldn't have messed things up that bad now?"
"I think she just got the wrong impression… you see I helped her bring her shopping home the same day I came to Kyoto, a few days later I saw her again but this time as a captain not as a ronin. I don't want anything to happen to her; she's such a sweet girl she doesn't deserve to be in danger like this…"
"Let me guess you used the 'I'll protect you line?'"
Looking down at the ground he nodded.
"No wonder! Using a line like that can always give the wrong impression… but why are you so worried about her?"
"She's just an innocent girl, " he insisted.
"Who just happens to be very good looking, from what I hear?" he asked coyly. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Yes that's all," he growled, annoyed by her implications.
"If you're so worried about her then maybe you should try and talk things out with her and try to clear things up." Ayu picked herself up, dusting off her kimono, and walked back to the kitchen. "But of course that's only a suggestion. You're free to do whatever you like."
Seiji laid all the way back on the walkway and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what Ayu had said. What should I do? Picking himself off the floor he walked to the dining hall deep in thought. Why am I so worried about her? She probably hates me now.
As he stepped into the large room were the Shinsengumi took their meals together, he spotted Sano waving him over to where he and Shinpachi sat. As he walked over, Seiji noticed another young man sitting with them. "Good morning," he greeted pleasantly, sitting down and taking a bowl of rice.
"Glad you could make it, Seiji," Shinpachi grinned. "Meet the third member of our trio, Todo Heisuke, though with you around I guess it's really more of a quartet now."
"Pleased to meet you," the young man, Heisuke, said.
Seiji merely nodded in greeting, his mouth full of rice.
"So I hear you've got yourself a real hotty here," Heisuke continued, nearly making Seiji choke on his rice. "A total babe according to rumors." Sano and Shinpachi started snickering, hiding their faces behind their kimono sleeves. "I can just picture her," Heisuke went on, chewing his food between comments. "Long, flowing black hair, big brown eyes, high cheek bones…"
Seiji stared in disbelief, feeling like his head would explode.
"Silky smooth skin, a soft, full bosom, and legs that go all the way up!" the young joker finished. "That sound about right? Have you taken her to bed yet? Is she any good?" Seiji's face turned beet red and the other two couldn't hold it in any longer; they burst out laughing, falling over backward and holding their sides.
Sitting back up, Sano wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and said, "Don't mind him, Heisuke's always like this."
"Yeah, he's always getting dumb ideas into his head and blurting out the first thing that comes to mind," Shinpachi added, squeezing his eyes shut.
Seiji finished the rest of his meal in silence, though his cheeks didn't stop burning until well afterward. Returning to his room, he resolved to go and talk to Sakura and straighten things out. Slipping his swords into his obi, he headed out the front gate, intent on settling the issue.