Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.

"Sometimes the only way to fix a mistake-is to make it twice."
— Julianna Baggott (Girl Talk)

Two weeks had passed since the incident with Itou, and it was finally time to enact his plan.

Yamazaki was an excellent help. Sanan did not have to worry about getting caught when he could send a spy to gather information and keep a lookout on the few occasions that he did go outside. He had a definite account of Itou's schedule and was able to plan everything perfectly.

As far as the majority were concerned, Itou was overreacting to nightmares. There were some skeptical ones, but not enough to cause a big issue. Which was why this had to be taken care of as quickly as possible. Not to mention his promise to Chizuru.

Sanan went over every detail of the plan in his head. He had planned this out completely, but he needed to go over it a final time. One little mistake could ruin it for them, for her...

Itou still took a few men out to drink with him, no doubt to earn their loyalty for when he at last found a way to leave the Shinsengumi. Itou always returned drunk, not so much that a loose tongue would confirm what everyone suspected, but enough for the idea of his mind playing tricks on him to be a plausible explanation. Tonight would be no exception.

Sanan and Chizuru hadn't spoken since he assured her he would handle the situation, but Yamazaki kept him informed on her status. She continued to work, avoiding duties that involved interacting with Itou. Saito or Heisuke were always nearby for protection. He'd personally checked on her last night. Through the open window, he saw her writing in her diary with a smile on her face. He must have made a noise, because she turned to the window; he quickly hid. Content that she was alright, he left. Soon she would have one less thing to worry about.

Frowning, Sanan rubbed his chin as he leaned against the wall. If not for him, she would not have this extra problem. Once this was over, he should keep his distance from her and put more limits on himself. She and the Shinsengumi were already at risk; the last thing they required was this addition. He nodded, eyes falling shut.

I know I'm not...the ideal person for this or well, anything you're going through, but if you ever need to talk, my door is always open to you.

His eyes snapped open. There never seemed to be an end to the list of words she uttered that touched his heart. His lips formed a smile as his hand came to rest over his heart. He sighed.

"Strange, kind, persistent girl," he whispered."If I didn't know better, I'd say you pitied me."

I must truly be in Hell. To be pitied even by the likes of you.

He'd wanted to think this was mere pity, but it did not take long to dismiss that idea. By the likes of her? That didn't even mean what he'd thought it did anymore.

She was naturally kind, perhaps to a fault, though she was not afraid to stand up for herself. He wasn't exactly the kindest person, and most of the time they spent together was after his injury, so her experiences regarding him, save for the journal and the cat incident, were not positive. Yet she hadn't snapped at him, hadn't distanced herself from him like the others.

"What did I do to deserve your kindness and faith?" He wondered, gazing at the night sky.

The sun had recently set and Itou would be heading out soon. Then Sanan had a plan to enact and a promise to fulfill.

He sighed again."Well, even if I don't deserve it, I will repay you, though this is the least I can do after causing you trouble."

He'd been standing outside for the last half-hour, enjoying the fresh air as he mentally prepared and waited for Yamazaki to let him know that Itou had left.

Five minutes later, he received the signal he was waiting for.

What was he to make of this situation?

When the whispers and laughter began, he immediately thought it was a nightmare and did not tell anyone. As the weeks rolled by, that explanation lost merit. It happened so often, almost like it was deliberate. Another suspicion within the Shinsengumi, another possible secret.

His thoughts darted to Yukimura, Hijikata's mysterious page. The men claimed that he just appeared one day and was accepted with no questions asked. Despite being a page, Hijikata rarely took the boy with him on patrol, and he had his own room. Clearly, this young one was important to the leaders.

Itou wondered if Yukimura should be called a 'he'. Miki had expressed his own suspicions about the page, but both he and his brother were reluctant to make such a claim.

Hijikata, who took the rules so seriously, breaking them like that? There had to be a good reason for that; none that he could think of.

Still, Yukimura was hiding something, perhaps more than one secret. What did Yukimura have to hide? What did Hijikata and Kondou have to hide? The answers to these questions might just be his key to escape from those savages.

How were these nightly scares happening? Itou did not want to let go of his suspicions, nor did he enjoy the possibility of a ghost. However, the fact of the matter was that he was not dreaming. He was not imagining that voice, which sounded as clear as it had the last time he heard its owner.

So what was the truth? Had Sanan's death been a lie? It seemed convenient, since his reputation had plummeted before his death and Hijikata and Kondou wanted to let their old friend have some peace. Plus, no one would question Yukimura, the one who found Sanan and tried to save him. The incident had simply faded away.

That was until Itou lost his patience and tried to question Yukimura.

Yukimura was not a talented liar and every word the page uttered about Sanan was genuine. The emotion in those eyes and voice was not feigned, as if their owner were reliving the experience. And that anger when he casually mentioned insulting Sanan was undeniable. Itou had been honestly relieved that Yukimura put down the tea tray, lest it be used as a weapon against him. Everything about Yukimura's body language confirmed a personal connection to Sanan, regardless of whether he was dead or alive. It went beyond simple kindness and respect for others whom one admired.

Yet it gave Itou nothing in terms of evidence to the truth about the night incidents. Which was why he kept pressing the page.

Admittedly, he enjoyed discomfort he'd caused Yukimura to an extent.

He might have been able to get some actual clues if Saito and Heisuke hadn't arrived. Now those two were constantly close by to keep him away and Yukimura's duties were altered.

His one chance of a lead gone. He was back to square one with no idea how to proceed.

Itou shook his head. Mulling over this wasn't doing him any good. For the moment, he should focus on ensuring he was ready to leave the second he uncovered one of their many secrets. Then they'd have no choice but to let him leave peacefully.

He nodded to himself. Preparation would be his primary focus for tonight.

"Itou."

He froze, his laughter dying and eyes widening. He'd been laughing at Miki after he tripped when that voice spoke. The voice was so close, the word so clear, and he could have sworn he felt someone's breath hit the nape of his neck. He began to shake and then he heard the laugh. His tormentor was here.

Reason urged him to accept that it was his imagination, that the sake explanation was the truth, and that he should turn around now and go to that window to see that no one was there.

After all, he wasn't alone in his bed this time like the previous occurrences, so what was the danger? But that gnawing uncertainty, however small it might be, kept him in place.

He could be as skeptical as he wanted during the day, but at night, even in the presence of others, there was no escaping that fear.

The voice spoke again, softer and further away this time, as if taunting him.

Itou swallowed, unwilling to glance from the corner of his eye at the window. He had managed to stop shaking, saving himself from the additional fear of the laugh. He kept his eyes down and dared not move.

The voice seemed to be drifting away and he was not going to risk calling it back. He waited until the whispering ceased before shakily rising and walking to the window. Each step was slow and hesitant, as if dumbbells were chained to his ankles. But his determination, weak as it was, spurred him on.

Upon reaching his destination, he examined the entire area he could see from the window. He comforted himself with the knowledge that he was on the ground floor, so on the off chance that this was a ghost, he would be unlikely to see any floating spirits.

Nothing out of the ordinary in sight. He was about to leave when that laugh came again, even harder to hear than the last time. He almost fell out the window in his hurry to restart his search.

Desperately, his eyes scanned the area, terror and confusion fighting over which would be the better outcome. He gripped the windowsill so tightly his nails dug into the wood. His heart, already racing, stopped beating for a second when he spotted him.

There he was, standing across the street, grinning at him so widely that he resembled a maniac.

Sanan raised his hand and reached forward as if it would grow in length and grab Itou. His lips parted, and Itou didn't need to hear to know what he was saying. Even through the crowd and Sanan's position in the shadows of a dark alley, he could clearly make it out. There was no mistaking Sanan as he took a step forward, and Itou watched him as if in a trance.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he shrieked. Miki recoiled as if he'd been burned, staring at his brother in shock and concern. His eyes narrowed, posing a silent question that Itou responded to with a nod.

Itou looked back outside, but there was no sign of Sanan. As if he'd vanished into thin air as quickly as he'd appeared.

He glanced at the equally flabbergasted Miki. Words were not needed to convey their agreement that it was time to go home for the night.

Itou didn't expect to be able to relax that night, and he dared not move as the voice at his window tormented him.

Suddenly, the idea of a ghost was at the center of his mind.

The next morning, Itou and Miki were further perplexed.

"I hate to say this," Miki sighed."But is it possible that this is your imagination?"

Itou also sighed."I don't want to accept the easy explanation offered by Hijikata-san and Kondou-san, but I am not enthusiastic about the thought of a ghost. Last night, I was heavily considering the ghost possibility."

Miki crossed his arms and leaned against the wall."Well, I haven't heard or seen anything and you obviously aren't making this up, so something is going on."

Itou rubbed his chin thoughtfully."Perhaps I am so desperate to find a reason to get out of here as soon as possible that I am obsessing over this." He bit his lip."That said, I cannot shake off my suspicion. Everything he did last night at Shimabara seemed so deliberate. Like he wanted my attention and enjoyed it."

"Just the idea that his death was faked is-"

"Insane, I know." Itou nodded with a hard expression."It brings too many questions. Where would they hide him? Our headquarters is large, but even so, keeping that secret would require carefulness to the extreme. No unknown variables can be allowed. The possibility of a ghost is even more unnerving. So believe me, brother, no one would prefer that this be the result of overindulgence in alcohol more than I, and I am certain they understand that."

Miki clenched his jaw at the mention of them."So what are you going to do?"

Itou swallowed."I am going to stop drinking. See what happens. See if anything happens." He both anticipated and dreaded the results.

Miki started to nod when his eyes widened a bit."If this is a cruel, stupid prank, they might not torment you when you're sober to keep the lie going."

Itou gave a hint of a smile."Which is precisely why I will go to Shimabara and not consume a sip of alcohol and pretend to be drunk when we return to headquarters." He wasn't a professional actor, but faking intoxication would not be difficult for him.

"Good idea," Miki said then tensed."What do you want me to do in the meantime?"

"See if you can catch Yukimura alone. I know it will not be easy with the extra watch on him and us since the incident, but see if you can find any cracks in it and slip through. But be careful."

"You too, big brother."

They walked along with their plan set, unaware of the ninja that had heard everything.

Nothing.

In the last hour since he'd gone to bed, Itou heard nothing. No whispers, no laughter. Just the occasional gust of wind. Other than that, complete and utter silence.

He lay in bed, glaring at the ceiling. He had done exactly as he planned. He went to Shimabara and did not drink at all, but made it seem like he was drunk when he returned to headquarters. And to both his relief and frustration, there were no disturbances. The voice and laugh should have come by now. He had moved several times and even went to the window to check, but the silence remained.

One night was hardly sufficient proof, so he repeated this a second time. Then a third time. And a fourth time. A fifth time, a sixth time, a seventh time, an eight time, a ninth time, and finally on the tenth night, he decided to give up on this tactic.

It pained and relieved him that it seemed sake was indeed the cause of these nighttime terrors. It seemed convenient, but he had no solid proof to reject it.

That said, he couldn't completely accept it yet either.

"So what now?" Miki asked, lazily kicking at the dirt.

Itou rubbed his temples. This confusion and fear was draining him physically and mentally. It was a struggle not to pass out during meetings, let alone right now."I am gradually going to start drinking again. Only a little tonight and slowly increasing my intake of alcohol with each night afterwards."

"Fair enough," Miki replied."I haven't been able to get ahold of Yukimura. Toudou and Saito are taking their duty to watch over Yukimura more seriously than their patrols. And on the rare occassionas that Yukimura isn't with one or both of them, Hijikata is there." He threw his hands up."I give up."

Itou grimaced. He couldn't blame Miki for giving up and wasn't really surprised that his efforts ended in failure. But it had been worth a try. Or several, in their case. And it wasn't as though Miki was alone in wishing to throw in the towel.

Again the ninja heard and again the ninja told.

The voice and laughter returned.

The first night it was faint, barely audible, but definitely there. The second night it grew louder, even more so on the third and fourth nights, and on the fifth night it was as clear as possible.

It whispered his name, it laughed when he moved, and it tormented him for hours.

He hated how convenient it was. And he hated the lack of proof, and even more he hated the reality that sometimes convenience equaled truth. All the pieces fit together, there was no way around it and no one else to blame.

Therefore, loath as he was to admit it, there were no ghosts or pranksters tormenting him.

Itou became sick of sake and decided to take a break of it for awhile. Or maybe the rest of his life.

He shuddered whenever he remembered the voice and laugh. For now, he was beaten. It was time to move on and focus on other things that could get him out of here. No more wasting time and effort and losing sleep on superstitions.

Yamazaki heard, Yamazaki told, and Sanan was pleased.