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Chapter 17: Bad Moon Rising

"It's gone fast, hasn't it?" Inoue remarked while he sat on the porch with Chizuru, enjoying the warm cup of tea she had brought him, while they watched the snow fall gently in the courtyard. "It's already more than a year since you and Miyagawa-san joined us, Yukimura-kun."

'Oh. It's been that long…' Chizuru thought, bowing her head slightly. 'So much has happened since we came to Kyoto looking for my father… But I still don't know where he is.'

"Thank you." Inoue said, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Huh?" Chizuru asked.

"Though a guest, you've been entrusted with many responsibilities." He said. "You've truly been a help, you and Miyagawa-san."

"I'm happy to have been of some use." Chizuru said humbly, blushing slightly after receiving such open praise.

—∞—

"We expect our ranks to swell again. I think it would be best to look for a new headquarters fast." Kondo said, looking at the map of that had been laid out in the middle of the room.

"The men look like they've got it rough, sleeping together all in a huddle." Shinpachi said. Sumiko had already warned the men numerous times that the barracks would become a breeding ground for disease if they weren't careful about hygiene.

"But can you think of any place that might welcome us, the Shinsengumi?" Okita asked.

"Hmm…" Kondo said thoughtfully. "It would make things easier if we could…"

"Nishi Hongwanji Temple." Hijikata said firmly.

"Huh?" Kondo said as they glanced at him.

"Eh?" San'nan said, looking surprised.

While all the Shinsengumi members seemed to be staring at Hijikata like he'd just said something unreasonable, Itou had simply smiled, as if he approved.

"Nishi Hongwanji Temple is a hiding place for outlaw, rogue samurai such as the Choshu." San'nan reminded Hijikata. I can't imagine they would simply accept us."

"None of that matters!" Hijikata replied austerely. "Up till now, Choshu has been using temples and priests as pretext to do what they want, right? If it comes to it, we will use force to make them consent."

"Don't you think it unseemly to use martial force to repress the actions of priests?" San'nan asked, concerned.

"Well, that's true." Shinpachi said hesitantly. "It may be as you said, San'nan-san."

"Toshi's opinion is sound, but San'nan-kun's thoughts make sense as well." Kondo said thoughtfully.

"Nishi Hongwanji. Is it not good?" Itou asked.

"?" Kondo said, glancing at him.

"I have done some research as well." Itou said, puling out a folded piece of paper. He opened it up and set it out for the others to see. It was a written proposal to make Nishi Hongwanji their new headquarters. "It's location and conditions make it a ideal headquarters. As Hijikata-kun mentioned, making a temple our base will also let us clamp down on the Choshu."

"True, Choshu would lose one of their hiding places." Saito said.

"Well, I'm sure the priests won't be too happy, but being at Nishi Hongwanji would make it easy for us to move if we had to." Sano said.

"Yeah, but still…" Shinpachi said, not entirely convinced it was okay to use force against holy men.

"Hmm…" Kondo said thoughtfully, pondering everything that had just been said.

"However! A cause bereft of justice can only lead to ruin." San'nan objected earnestly.

"San'nan-san." Itou said. "As always you are a deep thinker, aren't you? However… pushing things forward requires forceful and bold tactics. I understand your wish to be able to play things safe, however."

"Safe?" San'nan asked. Itou stared at San'nan for a moment.

"It seems your left arm has become unusable." He stated.

"!" San'nan's eyes widened as everyone in the room tensed at the mention of such a taboo subject.

"You may have become unable to live as a swordsman, but you should not concern yourself with it. Your wits and thoughtfulness seem more than enough to keep aiding the Shinsengumi." Itou said with a trace of a smile.

Hijikata furrowed his brow and grit his teeth. How dare he?

"Just what do you mean by this, Itou-san!?" Sumiko heard Hijikata demand sternly as she approached the room from the outside with a tray full of tea. "San'nan-san is, as you say, as gifted theorist. However, he is still needed by the Shinsengumi as a swordsman!"

"Hijikata-kun." San-nan said, closing his eyes. "My arm is…"

"Hai! Please pardon the intrusion!" Sumiko said loudly as she shoved the door open with a little more force than necessary. The men nearly flinched in surprise when they saw her tense smile and the vein throbbing on her temple. She was pissed.

"A-Ah, Miyagawa-san… sorry to trouble you." Kondo said, smiling wryly and sweat-dropping, as she entered the room and began serving everyone their tea.

"Oh, Itou-san." She said, setting his cup down with harder than was needed. "Please refrain from the use of such gross hyperbole in the future. San'nan-san's left arm is not 'unusable'. As his attending physician, it is really quite irksome to hear such comments being made when he has yet to complete all the stages necessary in the therapy I am giving him. He is still on his way to making a full recovery." She stated rigidly, giving the man a steely warning glare through her long eyelashes.

"Oh, dear." Itou said, sounding a little more nervous than he had meant to as a tiny bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Th-That was quite rude of me… Yes, the most important thing is that San'nan-san's arm heals." Sumiko's dark expression lifted slightly.

"Yes. Enjoy your tea, Itou-san." She said, excusing herself. It was silent for a few moments after she left. Itou stared at his cup of tea, almost afraid to drink now. It wasn't poisoned, was it? That woman was truly frightening when angered…

Okita and Sano had to bite back smirks after seeing the look on Itou's face when Sumiko was telling him off. She was spending way too much time with Hijikata. She had been totally rocking that death glare back there.

"… We've had some differing opinions," Kondo began tentatively, "but I say we proceed with Nishi Hongwanji Temple." San'nan stood up silently and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Through the addition of a gifted officer, the deputy-commander has been relieved of his duties…" San'nan mused sadly to himself as he walked away.

—∞—

"San'nan-san has had it rough, huh?" Sano said as he stared up at the orange sky. The sun was setting now. He, his fellow captains, the two girls, and even Hijikata had all gathered to hang out for while outside on the porch and steps. "The other soldiers have been steering clear of him."

"Steering clear of him?" Chizuru asked.

"Because he has the same attitude with everyone. The soldiers are scared of him and won't go near him." Shinpachi explained.

"He wasn't like that way back in the old days, huh?" Sano said. "He was kind, looked out for others…"

"Was calm and friendly… on the surface." Shinpachi added.

"But inside, his heart was pitch black." Sano finished.

"Yup. Pitch black." Shinpachi agreed with a straight face before they both broke out into laughter. Sumiko raised and eyebrow as she and Chizuru stared at them.

"Unless we joke about it… it'd too hard to bear, wouldn't it?" Okita said. Sumiko's expression softened slightly, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Still, that bastard Itou… His way with words really pisses me off." Sano said.

"Like he's putting on airs, or looking down at people." Shinpachi said.

"Yeah, he's always disguising his maliciousness with 'nice' words and manners, so Kondo-san won't notice." Sumiko said, frowning.

"I don't like him either." Okita said. "Though I acknowledge him as a very talented swordsman."

"I can't stomach him!" Hijikata said bitterly, still upset over how he had treated San'nan. If Sumiko hadn't come in when she had…

"So, Hijikata-san, take him back for a refund." Okita said. "Be like, 'the Shinsengumi don't need this'."

"Kondo-san wouldn't allow that, would he?" Hijikata reminded him. "It's like he's infatuated with the guy."

"Jeez, you're useless, aren't you? Doing the unreasonable is your job, Mr. Demon Vice-commander." Okita told him.

"Then, Souji, why don't you become vice-commander?" Hijikata retorted acerbically.

"No way, that's too much work." Okita said, with a laugh, though his smile soon reverted to a more solemn expression.

"Saito-san, do you not care for Itou-san either?" Chizuru asked.

"Having men of different thinking join us will diversify our organization." Saito replied calmly after a moment. "However, if we try to force diversity, it could cause things to collapse from within."

"So, now we're living in a house of cards, huh...?" Sumiko said, resting her head in her hands. "Just once I'd like to give him a good slap and wipe that smug grin off his face."

"You almost did, too, didn't you?" Sano asked, smirking.

"Eh!?" Chizuru said, glancing at her friend for confirmation.

"Well, he was pissing me off with the way he was talking to San'nan-san!" Sumiko said defensively. "He deserved a good scare!"

"… Do you really think San'nan-san's arm still has a chance of making a full recovery?" Hijikata asked. Sumiko suddenly found everyone staring at her.

"Of course." She replied. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it. That would've been cruel to give him false hope. It won't happen over night, but as long as I can keep needling him into following the routine I worked out for him, eventually he should be able to wield a sword again. He can already perform most everyday actions with his left hand. He may not be able to achieve the same skill level as before, but he should still be able to hold his own against an opponent who's better than average by the time I'm through with him."

"Is that so? I see." Hijikata said, relieved. "Thanks for the hard work."

"Ah, well, it's nothing." She said, hiding her blushing cheeks with her hands. "At this point, it's mostly up to San'nan-san."

—∞—

Later that night, Chizuru was lying in bed that night, unable to sleep as she thought about everything the others had said that day. The situation with Itou-san concerned her, but more than anything, she was worried about San'nan-san. She glanced over at Sumiko, who was already sound asleep, curled up in her own futon. Even though Sumiko had said San'nan-san would be all right in the long run, it was a shame they couldn't find a faster way to help him.

All we can do is have him take that medicine or something, huh?

Chizuru's eyes widened as the previously forgotten words Okita had said after they first heard the report about San'nan's wound drifted to forefront of her mind. She sat up in her futon.

'Just what medicine was it that Okita-san was talking about?' Chizuru wondered. She looked over at Sumiko again to check that she was still asleep and quietly got up to get dressed. She didn't think Sumiko would approve of snooping around for something that could be dangerous, so she decided not to tell her. She would just go have a quick look on her own. She'd be right back. As Chizuru slid her sword through the loop in her hakama, she realized she could hear someone quietly walking around outside. Chizuru slid her door open a crack to take a peek.

'San'nan-san!' She thought, surprised to see the deputy-commander wandering around on his own so late at night. 'Where is he going at this hour?' Chizuru watched him open a gate and step into the next section of the yard before slipping out of her and Sumiko's room and carefully closing the door behind herself to follow him.

There was an eerie mist hovering around the grounds of the headquarters as Chizuru tailed San'nan under the pale moonlight from what she deemed to be an appropriate distance. Everything seemed to be going well until he turned a corner, and she suddenly lost sight of him. Stepped out into the open lane, trying to figure out where he could have disappeared to so quickly.

CAW! CAW!

A lack crow flew overhead as Chizuru tried entering the nearest building first. She removed her shoes and walked silently down the hall until she spotted a door that was still slightly ajar. It was dark inside, but she could make out a small vial filled with a red liquid sitting on the desk at the back of the room. It almost seemed to be glowing…

"I never thought I'd be found out by you." San'nan said, startling her. She whipped her head around to see that he was now standing only a foot away from her. "I hadn't dreamt of it, Yukimura-kun."

"San'nan-san…" Chizuru said, suddenly feeling like maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But he didn't seem to be upset, on the contrary, he invited her in to take a closer look.

"Please, come inside." San'nan said as he stepped past her to enter the room first. "Are you wondering about this?" He asked, standing in front of the desk with the red medicine on it.

"What is it?" Chizuru asked.

"It's medicine that your father, Koudou-san, made by secret order of the Bakufu.

"Huh!?" Chizuru gasped.

"Apparently, it was originally brought over from the West… a secret medicine that could dramatically change humanity."

"A dramatic change, you say?"

"Yes. To put it simply, an increase in muscle strength and healing properties. However, it had a fatal flaw. Those who were administered the medicine… You've seen them with your own eyes."

Suddenly an image of the white-haired, crazed Shinsengumi members that she and Sumiko had seen the first night they met Hijikata, Okita, and Saito flashed through Chizuru's mind.

"!" She gasped fearfully, covering her mouth. It couldn't be… She watched as San'nan reached out and picked up the vial of medicine.

"Having been given the medicine, they lost all reason, and became bloodthirsty monsters." He continued to explain. "Koudou-san worked to improve this medicine using the Shinsengumi as his proving grounds."

"It can't be! My father's experiments brought people to ruin?" Chizuru asked, horrified.

"No way…!" Sumiko gasped, causing them both to turn and see her standing in the doorway, wearing a haori over her white sleeping kimono with her long hair still down. "That has to be a lie, right…?"

"Sumiko-san!" Chizuru said.

"Ah, Miyagawa-san. I was wondering when you might find this place." San'nan said.

"I was looking for Chizuru..." Sumiko said, furrowing her brow. "I noticed she was gone. I was starting to get worried when I couldn't find her… but then I saw her shoes outside this building."

"I see." He said, smiling wryly. "Well, what you just heard me tell Yukimura-kun was not a lie. It's all true. But, unfortunately, he went missing and research on the medicine was halted. Using the notes he left behind, I contributed what I could to make this. If I take it, my left arm may become healed. If I've properly prepared the elixir."

" 'May', you say? It's too dangerous." Chizuru said anxiously.

"That's right!" Sumiko said firmly, stepping further into the room. "And I've already told you, even without something like that, you—"

"That's not good enough!" San'nan shouted furiously, startling them. "If I don't use this, my arm will never heal! I'm already useless as a human being!"

"That's not true, and you know it!" Sumiko yelled, starting to get angry at the way he was talking about himself.

"Everyone thinks highly of your kindness!" Chizuru said urgently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "So, please…"

"To dies as a swordsman…" He said lowly.

"What?" Sumiko asked, furrowing her brow.

"If you're telling me to simply keep living, as a corpse…" He paused as he turned to glance between the girls. "Please, let me die as a man." He popped the top off of the vial.

"No!" Sumiko shouted, rushing over to try to stop him.

"San'nan-san!" Chizuru cried, trying to grab the vial, but they were both to late. Before they could stop him, San'nan was already swallowing the red medicine. They stood there, stunned, as they stared at him with wide eyes. San'nan only had a moment of peace before he crumpled to his feet in pain, making gagging noises, as if he were choking.

"San'nan-san?" Sumiko asked, ignoring the bad feeling she was starting to get, as she stepped past Chizuru and leaned over to check on him. "Are you choking? Can you breathe?"

"Stay… back." He managed to choke out.

"Are you all right?" Chizuru asked, concerned, as Sumiko cautiously reached out a hand to check his pulse as his hair began to fade.

"Heh." Sumiko's eyes widened when San'nan's glowing red eyes met her dark ones. "!" The next thing Sumiko knew, she was being slammed backwards onto the floor with San'nan's hands around her neck.

"Sumiko-san!" Chizuru screamed.