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Chapter 30: The Dance of Snow

Kazama Chikage was smoking his kiseru and lounging languidly in the open window of his room while watching the snow fell gently on the capital from the pale morning sky.

"Snow covers the whole street." He remarked, smiling slightly to himself at the sight. "Humans are foolish creatures, but watching the snow fall on the city of Kyoto is not bad."

"Kazama, are you listening to me?" Amagiri asked as he stared at the younger oni in his charge. If he were capable of catching a cold, Amagiri would have scolded him for sitting out in the cold air with only that thin kimono on and nothing covering his legs. Kazama sighed, hanging his head slightly.

"Not really. Your voice is annoying." He replied frankly. All Amagiri ever did was nag. "Remember to keep an eye on the safety confirmation of Emperor Koumei." He ordered calmly, proving that he had been listening to some extent.

"What do you plan to do next, then?" Amagiri asked. Kazama raised his head and looked out the window. "I know that recently you haven't been showing much concern for the feudatories' actions."

"We must repay the debt of gratitude owed to Satsuma by our ancestors." Kazama said as he watched a cuckoo bird flit around the bare branches of the tree outside while it sang. "However, Satsuma has joined forces with Choshu. Soon the reign of the of the Bakufu will end. Satsuma threw itself into the power struggle on court and rose with power, ultimately for the purpose of overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate." The cuckoo flapped its wings and flew away with a shriek, sending some the snow that had settled on the branches falling to the ground. "We Oni have no obligation to support them to that extent." He said firmly as he watched the bird disappear into the pale winter sky as it flew through the drifting snow.

"You're right." Amagiri said calmly, closing his eyes. "But in present terms, shouldn't we oni be undertaking the task Satsuma entrusted to us?"

"Hmph." Kazama smirked slightly. "Suppose the snow stops tomorrow? Then we shall see how that female oni's livelihood in the Village of Yase is."

"Understood."

"The snow falls, like dancing flower petals, eh?" Kazama said as he gazed up into the pale, ice-blue sky and held a hand out to catch a snowflake. It was the same color as that komainu's kimono the previous evening, when he had watched her dance about while battling her opponents.

—∞—

Sumiko and Chizuru had just finished getting dressed for the day when a familiar voice called out to them from outside their room.

"Hey, Chizuru! Sumiko! You awake yet?" Heisuke asked.

"Heisuke-kun?" Chizuru said.

"What is it?" Sumiko called out as she crossed the room to open the door. "Isn't too early for you to be this…"

"Wow!" Chizuru gasped in amazement as both girls stared out at the beautiful, white winter wonderland their courtyard had become overnight.

"Look! Isn't it awesome?" Heisuke said proudly as he stood out in the middle of it all, waiting for them. "Hurry up and come out!"

"Sure!" The two girls said excitedly, smiling as they ran out to join him for some fun in the snow.

"Hm?" Sano said as he and Shinpachi came over, attracted by the sound of their laughter. Chizuru and Heisuke were having fun stomping around in the snow, making the first footprints, while Sumiko was lying on her back, making a snow angel. "You guys sure are energetic." He commented with a smile.

"Yup!" Sumiko said, grinning like a kid, as she hopped up and brushed herself off. She loved playing in the snow.

"Good morning!" Chizuru greeted them cheerfully.

"Man, how can you play outside in this cold?" Shinpachi asked.

"Says someone who walks around half-naked the whole year, Shinpatsu-san." Heisuke retorted.

"You stupid or something? Hiding these beautiful muscles of mine just 'cause it's cold would be a crime." Shinpachi responded with a grin.

SPLAT.

The next thing Shinpachi knew, an extremely cold snowball had hit him square in the chest.

"Bleh!" Shinpachi exclaimed, cringing and shivering, as he quickly tried to brush it off while hopping around from one foot to another. "Ah! Cold!"

"Ahahaha!" Heisuke laughed proudly at the results of his handiwork.

"Nice one." Sumiko said, smirking, while Chizuru smiled wryly.

Chizuru soon found herself staring while Shinpachi and Sano crouched down into position to face off against Heisuke and Sumiko for a snowball fight. There was already a substantial pile of snowballs made and ready to go by each one of them.

"Heisuke, you little…" Shinpachi said, grinning wickedly with the promise of retribution in his eyes.

"You sure you wanna pick that side, Sumiko-san?" Sano asked.

"Oh, yeah." She said, smirking deviously. "I still haven't repaid Shinpachi-san for those rude comments he made last night…"

"Eh? You're still mad about that!?" Shinpachi asked, suddenly feeling as though he had entered the lion's den.

"You still haven't apologized for it." She retorted tartly, narrowing her eyes slightly at him.

"Shinpachi… You're gonna get massacred." Sano said, smiling wryly, as he laughed.

"Don't just stand there, Chizuru! You're on our side." Sumiko said as she glanced over at her friend, smiling.

"Nn!" Chizuru said, smiling happily as she joined Sumiko and Heisuke.

"Eh? You're taking Chizuru, too?" Shinpachi asked, disappointed she wouldn't be on his and Sano's side.

"Of course. Because you wouldn't dare hit her, would you?" Sumiko said, smirking.

"Ah! That's playing dirty!" Shinpachi said.

"Hahaha! All's fair in love and war, Shinpachi-san." Sumiko declared boldly.

"Back in our neighborhood in Edo, they used to call Sumiko-san the 'Snowball Shogun'." Chizuru said, smiling brightly.

"Eh!?" Shinpachi exclaimed.

"Heh. You picked the worst possible person to make your enemy today, didn't you?" Sano asked him, smiling wryly. "Take this!" He called out, throwing the first snowball, kicking off the start of their snowball fight. Back and forth, they tossed their frozen ammunition, until Heisuke decided to kick it up a notch by grabbing an icicle to use to shred any snowballs that came his way.

"The hothead is getting serious." Sano commented, smirking.

"Hahaha! Here's the finisher!" Shinpachi said, grinning deviously, as he hurled a snowball in Heisuke and Sumiko's direction. It sailed straight past them and slammed into the trunk of the tree they were standing under with a resounding crack.

"Your aim sucks!" Heisuke told him, smirking.

"!" Sumiko said, quickly tucking into a somersault and rolling out of there just in time to avoid being buried by the mini avalanche of snow that was shaken loose from its boughs. Heisuke was not so lucky.

"Ah!" He cried out in surprise and alarm as he disappeared under the thick blanket of snow.

"Phew! That was close…" Sumiko said, wiping her brow.

"Heisuke-kun!" Chizuru shouted with concern.

"Don't worry, Chizuru, he'll be—!" Sumiko started to reassure her when she suddenly whipped her head around, sensing a disturbance in the force.

Heisuke grunted as he fought to free himself and popped his head up out of the snow.

"That was mean, Shinpachi-san!" Heisuke exclaimed, grinning. "Huh?" His expression fell when he realized the person looming ominously over him was actually a very pissed-off looking Hijikata. "H-Hijikata-san!?"

"Heisuke." Hijikata said in a dangerously calm tone. "What happened over there?" He asked, pointing across the courtyard at a row of doors, whose paper screens had been ruined and riddled with holes after being repeatedly pelted with stray snowballs from their fight.

"Well, that's…" Heisuke said hesitantly, breaking out into a nervous sweat, as he jumped to his feet. "Right, right! We weren't playing around! This is training! We can practice our overall reflexes like this! And Shinpachi-san…" he said quickly, pointing over at Shinpachi's side of the warzone.

"What about Shinpachi?" Hijikata asked sternly. The only one he could see was Heisuke.

"Eh!?" Heisuke gasped when he realized the sot he had been pointing to was completely empty, he quickly glanced around for the others and spotted them all hiding behind a tree on the complete opposite side of the courtyard. Shinpachi and Sano were smirking while they restrained Chizuru to keep her from running out to try help Heisuke and get herself in trouble in the process, and Sumiko was holding a hand over her friend's mouth to silence her, giving him an apologetic smile.

'Sorry Heisuke, but we'll always remember your brave sacrifice…!' Sumiko thought, saying a silent prayer that Hijikata would by some miracle have mercy on his soul.

Heisuke very slowly turned back to face Hijikata, full of trepidation.

"Well, like I said…" He said, laughing nervously, as he braced himself.

SMACK!

"Oww!" Poor Heisuke wailed in pain from the force behind Hijikata's angry blow.