Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.
"What you say means very little when you're always doing the opposite."
— Unknown
Chizuru fidgeted with her hands as she followed Inoue. He had found Yamazaki and asked him to accompany them. Yamazaki was confused, but complied. When she glanced at him a moment ago, he seemed to have understood why Inoue requested his aid.
The sole previous occasion she'd seen Inoue angry was during the cat incident, not that long into her stay with the Shinsengumi. She and Sanan had entered the kitchen to get the tea and snacks to avoid the situation and found Inoue yelling at Harada and Shinpachi. The cat had destroyed lunch twice along with the clothes line. He stopped when he saw the pair in the doorway. Harada and Shinpachi sent her pleading looks like Heisuke had on hers and Sanan's way out of the room mere seconds before Hijikata exploded. And like earlier, Sanan tightly gripped her shoulder with his one good hand and ushered her past them. Inoue nodded in approval at Sanan, then went back to lecturing his fellow captains.
Now he looked far more angry, more so than Hijikata and Sanan combined. She wanted to ask, figuring it was related to him delivering supplies to the Fury Corp. last night. Was Sanan alright?
A hand touched her shoulder. She looked to the side; Yamazaki smiled faintly and gave a comforting squeeze, as if sensing her thoughts. She nodded in thanks.
Inoue stopped in front of the common room door and slid it open. Inside were Kondou, Hijikata, Itou, and Miki. Souma and Nomura were serving them tea.
Itou and Miki tried to make eye contact with her; Yamazaki stepped in front of her.
Inoue clasped his hands."I apologize if I am interrupting, but there is something I must discuss with Toshi-san and Isami-san." When Itou attempted to protest, he gave a fake smile."It is a personal matter. Don't worry, Itou-san." His polite, firm tone made it clear this was not up for debate. Souma and Nomura obeyed without hesitation, bowing to Chizuru on their way out. Yamazaki stayed in front of her, refusing to let Itou and Miki catch a glimpse of her as they exited.
Hijikata and Kondou exchanged a glance, realizing what Inoue wanted. The Commander opened his mouth to speak, but Inoue lifted his index finger to stop him, glanced at Yamazaki (who nodded to confirm that no one was within earshot), and gestured for them to follow him into another room, just to be certain they weren't overheard. Once they settled in the new location, Inoue ordered them to sit and crossed his arms.
"Do you remember whose turn it was last night?" Inoue asked. Chizuru's eyes widened. So this was about Sanan.
"Is he alright?" She blurted. Her teeth slammed into her tongue immediately afterward, and she hurriedly lowered her gaze. She hadn't seen or heard anything regarding him besides the note and what Inoue told her.
Inoue looked at her over his shoulder, his expression softening."Well enough. He said he might be reaching a breakthrough in his research." Chizuru relaxed, and Yamazaki raised his eyebrows in curiosity at the revelation. Inoue scowled at Hijikata and Kondou."Of course, if you bothered to check on him, you'd know that."
Chizuru hesitantly spoke up."Sanan-san told me that it'd been awhile since you visited him." She rubbed her arm, her voice barely above a murmur."That was just over three weeks ago."
The tension in the air thickened, so much so that one could cut it with a knife.
"Really?" Inoue rubbed his chin thoughtfully."Souma Kazue and Nomura Risaburo have been with us for a little over a month...Sanan-san didn't find out until I told him yesterday. Your addition explains a great deal, Yukimura-kun."
Chizuru frowned. Yamazaki uttered his equally confused thoughts before she could."Do you mean that he didn't know they had recently been made pages for the Chief and apprentices under Yukimura-kun?"
Inoue shook his head."He didn't know about them at all," he said, cold as ice.
Chizuru tripped over her own feet, saved from falling by Yamazaki grabbing her arm and steadying her. How could Sanan not know the basic, most important details of the Shinsengumi's daily activities? Especially considering the complexities surrounding Souma meeting them.
"You can imagine his surprise when I mentioned the name Souma Kazue." Inoue turned to them, giving Yamazaki a stern look."Yamazaki-kun, you spent two weeks assisting Sanan-san after Itou-san bothered Yukimura-kun. Did this never come up between you two?"
Yamazaki's frown was deeper than hers."We were primarily focused on the plan." His eyes flickered at her."The only other topic we ever discussed was Yukimura-kun's condition and that could technically be considered part of the plan."
Chizuru ducked her head to hide her blushing cheeks. That was...nice to know.
"I see." Inoue exhaled, twisting around to return his attention to Hijikata and Kondou. Silence filled the air. A droplet of sweat slid down her head. It was quiet for so long that she felt the urge to say something, but could find no words. Yamazaki shared her discomfort.
"What is wrong with you two?!" She and Yamazaki jumped at Inoue's sudden shout, both of them almost falling and having to catch and steady each other this time. The shout wasn't directed at them, but they trembled like frightened children. Perhaps the unease and fear of the men the yell was directed at had affected them.
Inoue was shaking with ire and pointing at his superiors. She leaned forward to see his face and saw a vein popping out of his forehead, his teeth gritted, and his eyes glinting furiously. She remembered how harsh and strict Hijikata had been during her early days here as well as Sanan's murderous insanity mere moments after he became a Fury and attacked her. Those times paled in comparison to now. Hijikata and Kondou were gaping at Inoue, clearly having never seen him this irate in all the years they'd known him.
Inoue stepped, or rather stomped, forward. Hijikata and Kondou moved backwards in response. It would have been comical if the circumstances weren't so serious."You don't think I'm also uncomfortable about the Water of Life and the Furies?!" He waved a fist."Desperation or not, we accepted this responsibility and are obligated to shoulder it properly! I would have thought you of all people would have understood duty, Isami-san!" Kondou hung his head."And you, Toshi-san. You understand almost as well as Sanan-san does that duty can be a very unpleasant thing sometimes and that we cannot always choose the honorable, good option so easily!" Hijikata hung his head."And both of you have always understood the importance of trusting and supporting one another in our times of need! Yet you abandoned not just Sanan-san, but the whole Fury Corp! You gave half of them the option to avoid seppuku, only to leave them to a fate worse than death where they may never regain their sanity, let alone their honor, and let the second half, men who nearly died while on duty, have a chance to survive only to also abandon them! Every single one of the Furies, including Sanan-san, were in desperate need of a second chance to be true samurai again and you left them alone in the dark! Literally and figuratively!" He stomped again."Get your heads out of your behinds, young men, and at least acquire the wisdom and decency to assign someone to check on them who actually cares about their suffering!" He waved an arm when they tried to argue."Do not give me any rubbish! Yukimura-kun has expressed constant concern for him, rivaling all of us combined, ever since that night, and she even asked me to give him her regards! Why does a former outsider, not even an official member of the Shinsengumi, show more understanding of trust, love, and worry for a comrade than the men who lead us?!" That last question sliced completely through the tension, and everyone else paled at the pain in Inoue's voice as he uttered it.
Done with his tirade, he sighed deeply and slumped his shoulders. He held his head in his hands. Chizuru covered her scarlet face with her hands, shocked by Inoue's outburst and that he had mentioned her in his speech. It wasn't the first time someone suggested that she might as well as be a real Shinsengumi member, but still...
Without turning/looking, Inoue snapped his fingers and pointed to the door. Yamazaki hurried to the shoji and slid it open, revealing the eavesdropping trio. Harada fell first, then Shinpachi fell atop him, and then Heisuke fell atop them. They looked mortified at having been caught, most notably Heisuke.
"I will deal with the rest of you later," Inoue muttered. Chizuru walked up to him and touched his shoulder. He patted her hand. After heaving another sigh, he motioned for her and Yamazaki to follow him and they left their comrades to ponder.
They sat on the engawa, Inoue in the middle. His anger had completely switched to tiredness."How did I not notice this sooner?" He wondered aloud, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Yamazaki bit his lip."I should have been more observant and inquisitive."
Chizuru folded her hands on her lap. Maybe she shouldn't have waited so long to bring this up, or been more active herself. But to think that Sanan's loneliness and isolation was really this bad, to the point that he was left unaware of major updates and not even being properly monitored...
'I should have talked to him more, asked more questions.' She thought.
"I think I'll be taking over the deliveries now," Inoue declared after five minutes of silence, now resting his arms on his knees.
Chizuru didn't hesitate."I can help!"
"So can I," Yamazaki said firmly."Not only should the Fury Corp. be kept up to date on events with us, but the Chief and the Commander should also be aware of their status. It is basic pragmatism. It is outright irresponsible and foolish to avoid them."
Subtle and respectful as the ninja was, he wasn't blindly loyal and though his tone was calm, his words made it clear that he disapproved of their recent actions, or lack thereof, toward the Furies.
Inoue relaxed and nodded, thanking them for their offers of assistance.
"I can help too." No sooner had the murmur come, than the shoji slid open and revealed Heisuke. He kept his head down and was rubbing his arm.
Inoue inclined his head in acceptance of the offer and stood to leave. Yamazaki took his own leave as well.
Chizuru thought about saying something to Heisuke, but no words came to mind. She sighed, not having it in her to think about this right now.
She patted Heisuke on the shoulder, then went in search of something else to do to distract herself.