I own nothing but my OC.

Chapter 26: Fleeting Dreams

September, 1866

A notice board at the Sanjo Bridge proclaiming 'the Choshu Domain is the enemy' was pulled up, and the Shinsengumi were ordered to protect the boards.

"Oh, welcome back." Chizuru greeted Shinpachi when he came over to join her, Sumiko, and Sano in the shade and sit on the steps after having just returned from guarding the notice boards.

"Yeah. How'd it go?" Sano asked. Shinpachi responded with a huge yawn.

"I'm so tired, I can't stand it." He said. "I don't mind crossin' swords with those Choshu guys, but… I just can't get worked up about protectin' a notice board."

"Well, in that case, don't think about it like that." Sumiko said. "Try thinking of it as waiting for a duel while you just happened to be by the notice boards, rather than making it all about the notice boards."

"Oh, I like that. Positive thinking, huh?" Shinpachi said, grinning. Chizuru smiled wryly.

"Now that the entire Bakufu army has lost to the Choshu Domain," Itou said, causing them to glance up and see that he was standing on the porch just a few feet away, "I don't think having killed some rogue samurai will change anything."

"Itou-san, you have a complaint with the duties of the Shinsengumi?" Sano asked challengingly.

"Heavens, no." Itou said. "Protecting a signboard is an important duty in and of itself. Well, please do your best." He said a bit too patronizingly for their taste as he turned and walked away.

"Damn. He's a creepy dude, as always." Shinpachi grumbled in annoyance.

"Freakin' okama." Sumiko muttered under her breath.

"I often see him getting and his pals together, whispering about this and that. Who knows what he's up to behind the scenes." Sano said, furrowing his brow. "Just what was Kondo-san thinking when he recruited a guy like that?"

"Harada-san." One of the men in Sano's group said, getting their attention.

"Oh. Time's up, huh?" Sano said when he saw his patrol group waiting for him.

"Good luck." Sumiko called after him as they left to start their watch.

"Please take care, Harada-san." Chizuru said.

"Yeah." He said, glancing back at them with a smile.

—∞—

"Eyah! Sano, you've really done us a service!" Shinpachi said excitedly as he and all their fellow captains, Sumiko, Chizuru, and even Hijikata passed through the gate of Shimabara together the next night. The previous evening, Sano's group had successfully protected the sign boards and even caught a few of the would-be vandals. "I never thought you'd use the reward money to treat us all."

'Wow, so this is what the famous Shimabara looks like on the inside…' Sumiko thought as she glanced around. She had tried visiting before in modern times out of curiosity, but it was about as different as night and day. For one thing, they actually had a retirement home in the future where dance hall was now.

"Shinpachi-san, if you want to praise him, you should mention that he protected the sign board." Okita said.

"Yeah, of course. Oh!" Shinpachi said when he spotted their favorite place, rushing ahead. "Well, Sano's paying for tonight!" He paused outside the teahouse's entrance and gestured for the others to head inside. "Drink all you like, and sweep the gloom of the day away!" He said generously.

"Bastard, this is my money." Sano reminded his loudmouthed friend, sweat-dropping, as he passed him by and entered into the building first.

"Sano-san, thank you!" Heisuke yelled cheerfully as he followed their benefactor for the evening inside. "I'll be sure to drink my fill!"

"It's not like all of us can drink sake, though." Okita commented as he entered next, referring to a certain someone, who was right behind him.

"Enough of that talk." Hijikata said firmly, furrowing his brow. "Eat whatever food you want."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Shinpachi said gleefully as he followed the demon vice-commander inside.

"Are you okay, Chizuru?" Sumiko asked, noting how the younger girl was hesitating. She and Saito had waited to make sure she would be all right with following them in. It wasn't like they were headed into a house for prostitutes, but Chizuru was still really innocent when it came to these sorts of things.

"Hai." Chizuru said as she stared up at the building.

"You're both one of us now, so don't hold back on ceremony." Saito told them before starting to head inside. That seemed to be what Chizuru had needed to hear.

"Uh, okay." Chizuru said as she hurried after him. Sumiko smiled wryly and followed them in. This should be interesting…

They were all led into a large, beautiful, and richly decorated room. The men seemed used to it, but both Chizuru and Sumiko were glancing all around, admiring the flashy décor.

"It's like siting inside a giant jewelry box…" Sumiko commented as she stared up at the gold leafed ceiling with a colorful fan pattern. The screen door with large pink and red peonies painted on it slid open, revealing a bowing geisha.

"Greetings to you all." The beautifully dressed woman politely greeted her guests. "I shall be accompanying you gentlemen this evening." She raised her head looking up at them with an artfully painted face that highlighted her elegant and feminine features. "My name is Kimigiku. I hope you have a pleasant time."

"So pretty…" Chizuru breathed out loud, blushing slightly, as she echoed Sumiko's own thoughts. Kimigiku smiled warmly at Chizuru for the compliment. Sumiko smiled as she watched Chizuru shyly bow her head in acknowledgement to the geisha, somewhat amused that it was one of the girls in their group who seemed to be hitting it of with their pretty hostess the most.

In no time at all, Kimigiku-san had made sure they had more than enough food and sake to go around for everyone.

"This high-end sake sure is great!" Heisuke cheered enthusiastically, raising his container with one hand while he held his cup in the other. "It's the throat like, bam. Bam!"

"Heisuke. You've only been drinking, and not eating." Shinpachi said after taking a sip from his own cup. "You'll get drunk." He teased.

"It's fine for today!" Heisuke retorted.

"You're both red in the face already anyway." Sumiko commented, smiling, as she sipped her sake, enjoying the smooth taste. Though, she was still a bit miffed that Kimigiku-san had sidled up to Hijikata-san to flirt with him. Well, not that she could really blame the other woman for making a beeline fore the most attractive man in the room, but still… Sharing him with Chizuru was one thing, and having to share him with a stranger was another thing entirely.

"Chizuru! You ain't drinkin', huh?" Shinpachi asked when he noticed all she had was tea. "How you gonna get drunk!?"

"Um, I can't drink, so…" Chizuru said, smiling wryly.

"I see. Then eat till you're stuffed!" He encouraged her, smirking as he knocked back another cup of sake.

"I've heard you're like a demon, Hijikata-san of the Shinsengumi, but it would seem an act, as you're such a good man." Kimigiku said as she continued to sit beside the vice-commander.

"I hear that often." Hijikata replied with a straight face as he took another sip of sake.

"Pffffft!" Heisuke and Shinpachi had to turn their heads as they spat their sake out, so they wouldn't spray the others sitting across from them. Sumiko managed to hold onto her mouthful, but she couldn't help but join them in laughing. That had just been too priceless! Like comedy gold.

"Hijikata-san's already drunk, huh?" Shinpachi said, cracking up.

"That was fast!" Heisuke laughed. "He never could hold his liquor."

"He can't hold it in!"

Okita smirked while he and Saito quietly sipped from their own cups. Chizuru smiled at the merriment going on about her and glanced over at Hijikata and Kimigiku. It was like an entirely different atmosphere over there as she watched the elegant Kimigiku pour more sake into Hijikata's cup.

'I wonder if that's the 'beautiful man, beautiful woman' ideal. It's like something from a painting.' Chizuru sighed heavily as she looked away, feeling incredibly defeated. Okita and Sumiko noticed this and glanced at her out the corner of their eyes. 'As a fellow girl, I feel lacking somehow…'

'A-ah. I know how you feel, Chizuru…' Sumiko thought, sighing, too. It was hard to keep up your confidence as a girl when you were sitting in the same room as beautiful geisha while disguised as a male… especially when men who were nearly twice your size kept calling you 'Aniki' all the time…'

"Still, if we can get this kind of money from protecting a sign board, who knows how much we can get if we catch all the culprits!" Shinpachi said.

"Yeah, you said it." Heisuke agreed.

"Hey, Sano. Why'd you let 'em go?" Shinpachi asked. "If there were eight of them, you should've been able to figure something out."

"Yeah. I thought that was weird, too." Heisuke said. "At least some of 'em got caught, right?" Sano bowed his head before looking up across the room, focusing his attention on a certain person.

"Chizuru. Did you go out that night?" He asked.

"Huh?" Chizuru asked as she and Sumiko both glanced up, wondering why he was suddenly asking such a thing. "No." She replied honestly.

"Truthfully?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yes. I'm always at headquarters at night." Chizuru replied.

"That's right. And last night she was helping me bing some of my finished poems into a booklet." Sumiko said, furrowing her own brow slightly. What was with the third degree?

"Hey, what's up Sano?" Shinpachi asked.

"It's just, when we went up against the Tosa soldiers, someone who looked just like Chizuru was there." Sano said. Shinpachi and Hijikata were instantly alert upon hearing that. "And then, our cordon fell apart…" Okita glanced at Chizuru out the corner of his eye.

"It can't be!" Chizuru said quietly in disbelief.

"Of course not! I already said she was with me." Sumiko said, furrowing her brow, as she took another sip of sake.

"Hmm, but if you knew Chizuru were in trouble, you'd lie for her wouldn't you?" Sano said, not really meaning anything malicious by it. He didn't want Chizuru to be guilty either, but they all knew how loyal Sumiko was to her friend.

"But I'm not." Sumiko replied frostily, annoyed that they were even still debating this. "No matter what it looked like, it was obviously someone else."

"Hey, could it be the girl you, Chizuru, Heisuke, and I met out on patrol before?" Okita suggested.

"Ah!" Chizuru gasped as both girls suddenly remembered their encounter with Chizuru's doppelganger.

"That's right! Didn't she say her name was something like Nagumo Kaoru?" Sumiko said. Kimigiku raised her head slightly upon hearing the name.

"She really did look like you, huh?" Okita asked Chizuru.

"But that's not enough to…" Chizuru said, reluctant to point a finger at someone who might be just as innocent as she.

"I didn't really think so, but… after all, the other one was dressed like a girl." Heisuke said.

"Then we should have her dress in a girl's kimono." Saito stated calmly.

"Huh?" Chizuru said as they all stared at her. "Heh? Heh!?"

"Chizuru in…!" Heisuke said excitedly, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, yeah! That's a good idea!" Shinpachi said, grinning, as he also jumped up. "Hey, Kimigiku-san! Would you dress this one in a girl's kimono for us?" He asked, pointing at Chizuru.

"You all—" Hijikata started scold them as he moved to get up, but Kimigiku placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Very well, I shall do my utmost." She said, looking rather eager to do her part. Hijikata raised his head and furrowed his brow as he stared down at the geisha in surprise. Sumiko noted that the slight he flush in his face from the sake he drank deepened slightly, indicating that he was actually blushing at the thought of seeing Chizuru dressed as a girl. She sighed heavily and hung her head in defeat. She doubted he would have reacted that way if they had made the same suggestion about her…

—∞—

"I can't wait to see what she'll look like!" Shinpachi said as they all continued to eat and drink while waiting. Hijikata had retreated to the balcony for some fresh air.

"Chizuru would be even prettier than Nagumo-san if she wore girl's clothing." Sumiko stated matter-of-factly.

"Eh!? Really!?" Heisuke asked excitedly.

"What's the matter, Sumiko-san? Did you want to dress up, too?" Okita asked slyly, noting that she seemed a little upset about something. She'd been leaning pretty heavily on the sake ever since Chizuru had left to be dressed by Kimigiku. He was amazed she wasn't drunk yet. She had only just started to get a light flush in her cheeks.

"I wouldn't mind." Sumiko admitted, surprising them.

"Really?" Sano asked.

"I actually like pretty kimonos, makeup, and that sort of girly stuff, but I don't think they really suit me…" She said a little regretfully, taking another sip of sake. "After all, people hardly ever see through my disguise, and I'm just a rough guy people like to call 'Aniki'…" Silence fell over the room as they all stared at her, not sure how to react to such a surprising revelation.

"O-Oi, I'm not really sure, but I get the feeling we've been unknowingly doing something pretty bad to her…" Shinpachi whispered to Sano, sweat-dropping.

"You're the one always going on about how she isn't a 'real girl'…" Sano whispered back, sweat-dropping.

"Everyone. My apologies for the wait." Kimigiku said through the screen door, making sure they were all paying attention, before sliding them open for Chizuru to enter. Even though all she did was change her hairstyle and clothing and put on a little makeup, the transformation was amazing. All of the men stared at her, stunned. Even Okita, for a moment. Sumiko had been right. Chizuru was a lot prettier than Nagumo Kaoru.

'That's my girl…!' Sumiko thought, winking, as she gave her friend a thumbs up. Chizuru blushed shyly.

"H-Huh? That you Chizuru!?" Heisuke asked.

"Y-Yes." Chizuru replied shyly, blushing even more.

"Well. Talk about a change. For a second, I didn't know who it was." Okita said.

"Well? What do you think, Sano?" Saito asked calmly.

"Hm? Nn…" Sano said thoughtfully as the pink flush in his face deepened slightly. "Well, I don't know." He said thoughtfully with a sly gleam in his eye. "Chizuru's so pretty, that I can't tell anymore."

"Huh!?" Chizuru gasped, while Kimigiku smiled. Sumiko nodded her head in agreement.

"Told you so." Sumiko said in a singsong voice. Chizuru sweat-dropped. Was Sumiko-san drunk? That was a rare sight…

"You said it!" Heisuke shouted enthusiastically as he jumped to his feet. "Chizuru's really cute, huh!?"

"Yeah!" Shinpachi said, also jumping up. "She's a real babe!"

"Huh? Shinpachi-san, fallen under her spell?" Okita teased.

"Idiot, don't make me blush!" Shinpachi said, grinning, as he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck while laughing good-naturedly.

"Please, stop it!" Chizuru cried as she covered her face and ran from the room to hide out on the balcony.

"Ah!" Heisuke said. "Hey, Shinpatsu! Why do you gotta say such weird stuff!?" He demanded, blaming him for Chizuru's hasty retreat.

"Sorry, sorry." Shinpachi apologized, smiling wryly, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh? Is it all right for you not to follow after her?" Okita asked Sumiko when she just sat there and started on her nth container of sake. "She and Hijikata-san are alone out there." He added, lowering his voice so only she could hear. Sumiko knocked back her cup of sake.

"It's fine. I'm not the tiresome kind of woman who'll try to steal away the guy her best friend likes, especially not when he clearly already feels the same for her." She replied quietly, furrowing her brow and frowning sternly in an attempt to cover up her hurt.

"Hm? So, you noticed it too, then? Sumiko-san really is sharp." Okita said.

"Right now I wish I wasn't…" She said, looking rather melancholy. She was about to pour more sake in her cup, but then she put it down and just started drinking straight from the container.

"Eh!? Sumiko-san!?" Heisuke shouted as they all stared at her while she gulped down the sake, stunned. Was she crazy!?

"Shut up, and leave me alone!" She snapped moodily. "I'm trying to drown my feelings over here!"

"Pfft! Hahaha! You sure are a moody drunk, aren't you, Sumiko-san?" Okita asked, laughing.

"Ah, Sumiko-san, could it be you're still upset from earlier?" Shinpachi asked nervously, hoping she wasn't a violent drunk. "All right, Sano! Do that thing you always do! That outta cheer her up!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Until you do, it doesn't feel like we're drinkin' with ya!" Heisuke said.

"Souji, go get Hijikata-san and Chizuru." Sano said.

"Hai, hai." Okita said, getting up and walking over to open the door to the balcony.

SLIDE.

"Oh, sorry to intrude." He remarked upon sensing the nice atmosphere the two of them had going on out there. He began to slide the door shut again, when Shinpachi came up from behind and stopped him.

"Hey, Hijikata-san, Sano's stomach show is about to begin." Shinpachi announced, obliviously putting the final nail in the mood's coffin, as he grinned.

"Chizuru, you hurry up and come, too!" Heisuke said, poking his head out.

"Honestly. You guys just don't quit, do you?" Hijikata said, smiling wryly, as he stood and went back into the room with the others, followed by Chizuru.

They partied the rest of the night away together. Shinpachi painted a comical face on Sano's stomach, using the scar from an old failed attempt at slicing his belly for the line separating the lips, and they all watched and laughed as he did a bizarre and entertaining dance while making his stomach 'talk'. Sumiko had finally reached the point of alcohol consumption where nothing bothered her anymore, so she was able to join in and laugh with the others. She even started doing a comical dance of her own while singing some strange Korean song that had few English words thrown in every now and then called 'Gangnam style', where she looked like she was riding an invisible horse much of the time. The others didn't really get what was going on, but that part was rather amusing in and of itself. Their laughter echoed throughout the night as Kimigiku quietly excused herself from the room for a moment with an amused smile on her face.

Her smile fell when she stood up and saw Kazama and Amagiri entering the courtyard below with someone from the Satsuma clan as she looked out the window. She hoped they weren't there to bother her guests…