I own nothing but my OC.

Chapter 47: Iris

Later that evening, Sumiko was sitting out on the porch and staring up at the night sky, taking a short break from reviewing Koudou's notes on the research he had been conducting for her, when an ominous feeling suddenly came over her. She lowered her head and furrowed her brow when she saw who standing in the courtyard, only a few feet away from her.

"Nagumo Kaoru." She said, narrowing her eyes at Chizuru's twin brother. He smirked.

"I heard you were sharp."

"I heard you were the one who gave Okita the Ochimizu and arranged for those riflemen to give us trouble."

"Hnh. So, he told you, did he? I had heard he survived. I suppose he has you to thank for that."

"I already know you have some kind of grudge against Chizuru, so what is it you want from me? Why are you here?"

"If you already know, it makes things easier. Join me."

"Excuse me?" Sumiko asked, furrowing her brow. She had to have misheard that.

"Koudou told me about you. We're not that different, you and I. You know what it's like to suffer. Why should Chizuru be the only one who is loved and protected?" He asked with a manic gleam in his eyes as he closed the difference between them. "I've been watching the two of you for a while now. I know she stole the man you love from you. Don't you want for her to have a taste of despair as well?" He asked, leaning in close to whisper into her ear. Sumiko closed her eyes.

"You think she stole Hijikata-san from me? Is that what it looked like?" She asked, opening her eyes again to glare at the little jerk with the same face as her friend. "Hijikata-san fell in love with Chizuru on his own, and since loved him too, I decided to let her have him."

"But it's not that simple is it?" He asked, straightening up to look her in the eye while he gauged her reaction. "You still love him, and it still hurts. Without Chizuru in the picture, that man could be yours."

"Nice try." Sumiko said with a bitter smile. "But that's a dream I've already woken up from. Even if I wanted to hurt Chizuru, which I never would, getting rid of her wouldn't stop him from loving her. If he picked me after that, he'd just be settling, and I don't want that. Of course he'd prefer Chizuru. She's a yamato nadeshiko. I'm just the weed growing through a crack in the sidewalk. Yes, it hurts to admit defeat. It hurts a lot… but I like them both, so I want them both to be happy."

"You're lying." Kaoru said, furrowing his brow. "There's no way you could forgive her for something like that so easily."

"I'm not lying." Sumiko replied calmly with certainty. "It's really simple. I just made a choice. I decided I'd rather stay friends with Chizuru than hate two people I care about for something that isn't their fault. You can't help who you fall in love. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you're meant to be together, but those two are. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"But it isn't fair! Why is it always Chizuru!?" Kaoru demanded as his face twisted into a sneer, an ugly and hateful expression that she had never once seen on Chizuru's face. Sumiko sighed.

"Oh, you poor unfortunate soul! If you expect the world to be fair with you because you're fair, you're fooling yourself. That's like expecting a lion not to eat you just because you didn't try to eat him. Shit happens. How you react to it is your own karma. Stop acting like a brat and get over it." She scolded him sharply, fed up with his attitude. "If you claim to be her older brother, then act like it. Don't you know why the older ones are born first? It's so that they can protect the little ones who follow."

"You…" I said, trembling with his head bowed low. "I thought you, of all people, would understand… but if that's how it's going to be…" He discretely pulled a vial of Ochimizu out of his back pocket and quietly popped the stopper out with his thumb. "You leave me no choice!"

"!" Sumiko gasped in surprise and alarm when he suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her by the face. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the vial of Ochimizu he was preparing to force down her throat, but before either of them could move another muscle, she was suddenly aware of the sensation of Kaoru's grip loosening on her face as Chizuru's demented twin was ripped away from her and thrown across the courtyard into the pond. Her eyes widened when she found herself staring up at a familiar back.

"Do not touch her." Kazama snarled dangerously at Kaoru as he stood protectively in front of Sumiko.

"Hmph. There's no need to get so angry." Kaoru said as he stood up in the knee-high pond, soaking wet. "Aren't you curious about what would happen if a half oni like her were to drink the Ochimizu? It might make her into a full oni."

"She's fine the way she is." Kazama retorted. There was no way he was going to let this brat corrupt her with that medicine. "But you must have a death wish, to have come so far to anger me a second time. You have already delivered your message from Tosa and received our response. Leave now, and know that If you ever try to lay a hand on her again, I will kill you." He promised, narrowing his eyes, as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Kaoru didn't need to be told twice. With one last bitter sneer, he made himself scarce and disappeared.

Sumiko breathed a sigh of relief after a moment had passed, and she was sure Chizuru's evil twin was gone, about to thank Kazama, when she suddenly felt herself being pushed down. Kazama was looming over her in a rather compromising position, looking rather pleased with himself as he smirked down at her.

"You've made me very happy, Sumiko."

"How's that…?" She asked with trepidation, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You just said you were going to let Chizuru have that man." He reminded her, smirking as he nuzzled her neck, brushing his lips against her soft skin. He had been on his way to see her when he rounded the corner and saw her with Kaoru and happened to overhear part of their conversation.

Sumiko balked. How long had he been listening?

"Whoa! Hold on, just because I've decided to give up on Hijikata, doesn't mean I'm automatically switching to you!"

"Why not?" He demanded with a frown. "Do you still have feelings for that man? You would be happier with me."

"… It'd be a lie if I said I felt nothing." She replied hesitantly. "But you're just settling. I don't want you to go after Chizuru, but if she's your first choice, then you won't be happy with me, I'm—"

"Who says I'm 'settling'?" He asked sternly, furrowing his brow. "It's true Yukimura Chizuru was my first choice for a bride candidate, but the one I want now is you."

"… Impossible." Sumiko whispered as she stared up at him, stunned by his confession.

"Why?" Kazama asked, starting to loose his patience. "Why do you find it so hard to believe that someone might actually want you?"

"Because it's never happened before." She replied quietly, avoiding his intense gaze. It was Kazama's turn to be stunned. "Even in the past, in my own time, I've had trouble with the boys I liked telling me they didn't like me because I was 'too tough', or they just saw me as 'one of the guys'… I tried acting more girly once, but… that didn't last long after I ended up having to beat up some punks who picked a fight with us. I couldn't just them beat him up, but being saved by me wounded his pride, and he dumped me soon after…"

"They've made you insecure." Kazama said, frowning. "Forget about them. Don't waste another second of thought on those fools. A weak man won't know what to do with a strong woman. I'm the only one capable of handling a komainu like you." He finished with a smirk. Sumiko glanced up at him but quickly looked away again as she started to blush.

"… You're really okay with someone like me?" She asked a little shyly, surprising herself by how happy it made her feel to finally hear those words from him of all people.

"Someone like…? You aren't a weed." He said firmly. "You're a wildflower, strong and beautiful while blooming in the face of adversity. You're like an iris growing in a ditch. Proud and clean, untouched and high above the dirty water its roots were planted in."

"You've gotten a lot better at sweet-talking…" Sumiko said with a wry smile. Kazama smirked as he pulled her into a full embrace, holding her close.

"Don't worry." He told her, sensing her nervousness when she tensed slightly. "I said I would wait until you were fully healed, but waiting is harder than I thought it would be. Just let me hold you for now."

"As… As long as it's just holding…" She replied quietly as her blush deepened. His arms were strong and warm. She didn't feel trapped. Maybe she could come to love him… Sumiko tensed again when she felt his hands start to wander where they shouldn't. "Hey! Watch where you're puttin' those hands!"