Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."
― Ernest Hemingway
Things had returned to normal.
Well, everything seemed normal. The rumors of a ghost were almost gone; no doubt Itou wanted to be subtle in order to prevent the soldiers from becoming suspicious while still rubbing it in the other Shinsengumi leaders' faces. No one other than Itou, Miki, and those aware of Chizuru's situation knew about the incident, something that was unlikely to change. Chizuru wasn't sure if that relieved or unnerved her.
At the very least, she didn't have to be near Itou or Miki, since Souma and Nomura were put in charge of delivering refreshments to any meetings the brothers attended. Kondou hadn't even needed to assign them; they volunteered before the idea could cross anyone's mind.
As for herself, she spent more time cooking, cleaning, and patrolling, which was fine with her. Saito and/or Heisuke were always close by in case Itou tried anything else.
It had been three days since the incident, since Sanan came to her room and comforted her...
Lost in thought, Chizuru reached for another article of laundry to hang up, and frowned upon realizing she had completed her final chore of the day. She'd already gone on patrol with Hijikata in the morning, and she wasn't making dinner tonight, so the remainder of the day was hers to spend as she pleased. She would be pleased to have more to do, but knew she had done all she could for the time being.
She sat down on a rock, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin on her hands. She sighed. She could return to her room and write in her journal, yet she felt no desire to write. She'd already completed a written record of the encounter with Itou, so even if she did want to write, her sole idea was not an option.
Writing about Itou helped, though a certain someone had relieved most of her negative feelings.
Sanan had stayed with her for a little while after she'd calmed down, quietly and patiently listening as she recounted the event. She'd eventually begun to drift off, but the memory made her nervous. Sensing this, Sanan offered to stay with her until she fell back asleep, which didn't take long thanks to the sense of safety and consolation that his presence provided. She felt much better upon awakening despite her plight.
I will take care of this. Just relax...and trust me.
Those words were a constant comfort for her. Whenever she worried about this issue, his promise soothed her concerns. There was no indication that he'd done anything to fulfill his promise, yet her faith in him remained. It was too soon to judge. Whatever Sanan did and however long it would take, he would handle this.
A smile slowly brightened her expression as she nodded to herself. Everything would be fine. She just needed to be patient.
"You are worried about her."
Heisuke whipped around to face the speaker. Saito stood a few feet in front of him, his white scarf fluttering in the wind. His voice and expression were as stoical as always, but his facial features softened the slightest bit as he looked in Chizuru's direction. Heisuke followed his gaze, and his frown returned as he watched the young woman.
"She would not want you to worry so much for her," Saito said. When Heisuke did not react, he smiled faintly and added,"The irony is not lost on me. She worries so much for us and ignores our assurances that we are fine."
Heisuke crossed his arms, his back facing Saito."We call her a bad liar, but we're no better." He glanced at the sky."Now, one of our lies is close to being exposed."
Saito hummed."The risk has always been the same; recent events have merely made it more obvious. No amount of carefulness could have prevented that."
"We still could have done more." There he went again, complaining about a problem when he possessed little, if any, will to do anything to fix it. Add this to the list of times he regretted opening his mouth but knew he would repeat if given a second chance.
Saito sighed."There is no point in dwelling on past mistakes. Better that we learn from our mistakes and not repeat them in the present and future." Again he glanced at Chizuru."For our sake, and hers."
"He will handle this," Saito stated after a brief silence."I do not doubt that Yukimura has faith in him. There is no reason we should not as well."
Heisuke pretended not to notice or share the hint of hesitation in Saito's voice.
Sanan was rarely and not easily surprised. This was one of those moments.
He had opened the door to step outside for some fresh air and was greeted by Yamazaki, who'd been reaching to open it. Their eyes widened for a second before their expressions returned to normal.
"Yamazaki-kun," Sanan said."May I help you?"
Yamazaki bowed."I came here to ask you that, Colonel Sanan. The Commander sent me. He did not elaborate, saying that you would explain what you needed me to do once I arrived."
Sanan blinked."I never requested assistance. What-" It clicked, and he blinked again. His lips twisted into a small smile and he nodded."I see."
Hijikata knew Sanan would form a plan to handle the situation with Itou and decided to send him some help. Excellent; there were parts in his plan that left him worried about carrying it out, so having someone to help was exactly what he needed. He stepped aside and gestured for Yamazaki to enter.
If Yamazaki felt any displeasure with Sanan for causing this in the first place, he did not indicate it. While Sanan was aware that Yamazaki knew how to mask his emotions and not let them cloud his judgement and that he respected his superiors, he had his fair share of moments when the mask slipped and Sanan could read most people with ease.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Yamazaki flinch in response to the sound of chains rattling and growling as they neared a room containing Furies, specifically the one with the Fury that had seemed to show some coherent thought. Nothing similar had happened since, but he kept a special eye on that Fury just in case.
"I believe you can guess the real reason Hijikata-kun sent you here," Sanan said.
Yamazaki inclined his head."Itou-san is suspicious about the rumors claiming a ghost is roaming our headquarters at night." Sanan did not fail to notice that Yamazaki avoided mentioning the cause of those rumors, and was not sure how to feel about that.
"And," Yamazaki continued."He...caused problems for Yukimura-kun." His eyes narrowed for a microsecond and a little bit of venom touched his tone as he uttered that last sentence.
Sanan adjusted his glasses."Indeed," he muttered.
When they were directly in front of the door to the room with that Fury, there was a loud growl and the sound of chains rattling as the creature lunged for the door. Yamazaki swiftly brought a hand to his sword, but he reluctantly relaxed when Sanan gestured for him not to worry.
"This is nothing out of the ordinary," Sanan stated."Bear in mind that most of the men drank the Water of Life before I modified it." There had been a few new additions after he drank the serum and though they did not have to be restrained, their struggles were only slightly less difficult than their predecessors. He was the only one capable of completely rational thought. He supposed that made sense, seeing as he alone fully understood everything about the serum prior to drinking it and even then it was far from an easy transition.
"It must be an interesting experience," Yamazaki remarked, not taking his eyes off the door."To have all that power, to not have to fear death when fulfilling one's duty..."
Sanan knew Yamazaki was not afraid to die and would not hesitate to do so if duty called for it, as well as the fact that he had experienced brushes with death like anyone else in the Shinsengumi. Be that as it may, being close to death tended to make one think differently, to make them realize their opinions weren't as firm as they thought they were or at least make them question themselves. That thought must have crossed Yamazaki's mind, must have crossed anyone's mind; what they made of that thought depended on the person. Sanan was uncertain which category applied to Yamazaki, but he decided not to dwell on it for the time being.
Sanan turned to face Yamazaki, putting his hands into his sleeves. His expression was stern."Interesting as it may be, it is not a choice that should be made lightly." He glanced to the side."Honestly, it would be better if one never had to make that choice. But if it does come to that, it must be taken seriously, though that is much easier said than done."
Yamazaki closed his eyes and bowed his head in agreement. That final part of his speech echoed in his ears, but now was not the time for this.
Yamazaki opened his eyes."What is the plan, Colonel Sanan?"
Sanan was both eager and reluctant to change the subject, but he suppressed his conflicting thoughts and put all his focus on the main topic. He had made a promise to Chizuru and nothing could distract him from fulfilling it.