I was taken to a room I hadn't seen before. It didn't speak of luxury. The tatami was worn and the wallpaper aging. From what I'd seen of the compound around me, this "headquarters" place was large and housed several buildings like this one. Everything was spotless, the floor looking like it was broomed and polished daily. Without allowing me to look around more than I needed to avoid tripping over my feet, Souji marched me inside, pushed me to the floor, and bound my wrists with rope. Heedless of my injuries, he maneuvered me into a corner, using far more force than necessary considering I wasn't resisting in the least.

Between a few more threats to my life if I got any "funny ideas", he spoke with a man I'd never seen before, asking him to guard me while he called "everyone" for an emergency council. As Souji departed, the man glanced down at me. He stood with his hand on his sword, his spine rigid and his brow furrowed. He was far older than Souji, though smaller in stature. His aura was completely different from the young warrior's. Calm. Restrained. I expected the same hostility from him, but instead, his frown was full of pity. He looked at me like one might look at a man destined to be hanged in the morning. Souji had left no doubt in my mind about how serious my situation was, and this man seemed to understand it too.

While we waited for said gathering, I wriggled into a position on the tatami that hurt my wounds less. To my relief, it didn't look like they were bleeding. Despite the illness and infection, I was still healing quickly. In a day, perhaps, the fever would be gone as well. I glanced at the stranger and reminded myself I'd need to continue acting injured and weak if I was to keep the secret of my demon origins intact. That is, if I lived long enough for that to matter. If they decided to cut off my head, it wouldn't grow back. I shuddered at the thought, terrified. This wasn't the first time in the past months I'd come so close to death. I'd done so many things I never would have dreamed myself capable of in the name of finding my father.

I couldn't back down now. I couldn't give up. Whatever this "council" had to say about my fate, I had to find a way to freedom so I could keep searching. It would help if I knew who was keeping me imprisoned, however. Souji had mentioned this was Shinsengumi headquarters, but who were they? I'd heard the name thrown around conversations in Kyoto shops. Mostly laced with fear. The Wolves of Mibu, the city folk called them. Were they lawmen? Or were they like typical human organizations that acted only in self interest while stomping on the weak? I'd find out tonight, I supposed.

I had no idea what to expect. A gathering of humans with me at the center bound and accused of what, exactly? Why had they brought me to their headquarters and paid for a doctor to treat my wounds? Why didn't they just leave me for dead in the alleyway? I didn't bother to wonder what right they had to imprison me like this in the first place. Humans did whatever they wanted, whether they had the right to or not. Whatever it was they thought me guilty of, this couldn't end well. I had to find my escape quickly, despite how risky that proposition might be. I couldn't risk dying by their hands here, not when I still had to find my father and save him from his captors. It had taken long enough for me to find the means and funds to come to Kyoto in the first place. Who knows what my poor father had been through in the last months while I set out on this journey.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. Did these men have something to do with my father's kidnapping? Somehow, remembering Souji's blood thirst, I could easily imagine them raiding an innocent village just to kidnap one sick old man.

The door to the room slid open without ceremony, so roughly handled I thought it might come off its hinges. The sound startled me out of my brooding. A familiar face greeted me, and I returned its jade colored glare in full measure.

"Oi," Souji called in a sarcastic tone I was starting to expect was normal for him. He shuffled over to me and sat on his haunches in front of me. He'd changed out of his sleeping clothes into a casual earth toned hakama and haori ensemble. His clothes didn't suggest noble rank, though the swords at his hips were finely wrapped and well cared for. His manners suggested he was far from nobility as well. Each movement was lazy and casual. His haori hung open, flaunting propriety and revealing the same well muscled chest I saw earlier. Remembering the moment when he'd wrestled me to the ground and exposed me caused me unexpected embarrassment. Unable to meet his eyes, I looked down to the floor. Above me, I heard him chuckle under his breath.

"Tonight we'll find out just what you are," he said.

By now, I knew he meant that he wanted to know if I was some kind of spy, but it didn't lessen the fear that he might find out about my origins.

"I haven't done anything wrong," I told him. "I was nearly killed by those men in the alley. I was just defending myself. You're going to kill an innocent person for that?"

"We will be the judges of that in due time," another voice spoke from the door. My head snapped up. In the doorway stood five men, all armed and dressed in varying colors. Again, none of them gave off an air of noble birth, save perhaps a blue-eyed young man with hair the color of a raven's wing. While the others were all looking over each other's shoulders trying to get a better glimpse of me, he stood stoic and quiet, watching me like a hawk might watch a mouse from atop a tree. I recognized those blue eyes from the night in the alleyway. He was the one carrying me. The bear-sized red-headed warrior looked familiar as well. He'd pinned me down after Souji nearly cut me in half.

Out of all the men present, his gaze was the most intense. Those honey-colored golden eyes focused in on me, inspecting me from head to toe. Surprise colored them. Suddenly, I was all too aware of my mussed hair flowing down over my shoulders and past my hips. Souji hadn't given me any clothes. I was still dressed in nothing but a light sleeping yukata. My chest wasn't bound. Despite my tied wrists, I bit my lip and struggled to pull the yukata tighter around me. No swords, no proper clothing, surrounded by a gang of burly warriors who looked down on me like a piece of meat. Never had I felt as vulnerable, helpless, and humiliated as I did in that moment. Ashamed, I felt my eyes water and my shoulders shake.

If Souji hadn't been so close to me, I wouldn't have heard the sound of amusement he made.

The man with the violet eyes — Hijikata, I thought he was called — stopped mid motion. He looked me up and down and suddenly looked very sheepish. He scratched the back of his head as his brows wrinkled together into a sour grimace. He glanced between me and Souji. Something about the latter's expression must have angered him because his frown deepened.

"Souji, you sick bastard," he barked. "Did you know?"

The green-eyed warrior shrugged. "Just found out myself before I came in here."

Hijikata's face reddened. The bridge of his nose wrinkled in disgust and his upper lip curled over his teeth. "Get out," he said. "All of you get back." He shoved the bear-like red headed man back so hard he stumbled. "I said get back, Sano."

"Oi oi," another man complained. "You call us up in the middle of the night and now you're kicking us out?"

"Shut it, Shinpachi," Hijikata growled. He looked towards the strange older man who had been assigned to guard me. "Inoue, please bring her some clothes."

"Yes, Vice Captain." Inoue bowed and made haste to obey. He sounded...relieved? The door slammed shut. I heard arguing voices outside, but couldn't bring myself to strain my ears and eavesdrop. My body slumped forward, the sudden release of tension bringing on a new wave of exhaustion.

Her? Did they know I was a woman? Was it so obvious? My chest tightened. If they knew, what would happen to me now? Unfortunately, humans did not treat their women well. It was why my father had forced me to disguise myself as a man over the years. Yet...Hijikata had ordered Inoue to bring me clothes. Surely if they planned something sinister, they wouldn't care for my modesty.

From there, everything happened in a whirlwind. Inoue reappeared bearing another scratchy kimono and a pair of cream colored hakama pants for me to change into. He placed in front of me and drew a tanto from his waist. I panicked, but he shook his head.

"Forgive our rude treatment of a young lady," he said. "From the moment I saw you, I knew what you were. Whatever your circumstance, you should not have been treated this way." He sliced through the rope at my wrists. "Okita's behavior was boorish and incredibly uncouth. I hope it does not color your perception of who we are."

What did it matter how I perceived them? I was their prisoner, wasn't I?

"I will depart and allow you privacy, but please understand that trying to escape at this juncture would not be wise. We are just outside the door, and the Vice Captain has decreed that if you run, you will be slain on sight."

"I-Inoue-san," I said meekly. "I haven't done anything wrong. Why have I been brought here?" As soon as my hands were free, I clutched the clothing to my chest. Inoue looked down at me with soft dark eyes and pursed lips.

"The Vice Captain will be the judge. I am only here to serve." With that, he stood and left. I felt my kindling of hope go out with the breeze from the shutting door.

I changed as quickly as my injured and sluggish body would allow, and by the time all the men re-entered the room, I felt braver and better able to face whatever they threw at me next. With all of them sitting around me, armed and watching my even movement, I knew I had no chance to attempt an escape. For now, I was trapped. I would need to focus on keeping my answers as vague as possible.

A sixth man entered with the others. Another stranger with sharp eyes and spectacles. One of his arms was bound and bandaged. With the other, he carried a satchel that looked familiar. Naturally, they'd searched my belongings. One by one, I watched them lay them out before me. My father's medicinal notebooks, a hand sized painting of him I'd spent good coin to have commissioned so I could search for him more easily, some herbs and powders, my mortar and pestle, and a piece of parchment worn and tattered from repetitive folding at the seams. My father's last note to me, something he wrote when he was away on a supply trip. I'd kept it close to my heart since it was the last thing I had received from him before the kidnapping.

Sitting back, I straightened my shoulders and prepared myself to be interrogated. What I did not expect was what they asked me:

"So," the man next to Hijikata began, "explain your relation to Yukimura Kodo."

Even if I might have suspected that these people could have something to do with my father's kidnapping, I did not expect for them to address me so candidly about him. I looked between Hijikata and the man who had laid out my things. Judging from where they sat, these two men were in charge here. A knock at the door interrupted us. A seventh man appeared. He had jet black hair and eyes too honest to belong to a man who wanted me dead. He wore a dark kimono stitched with lovely patterns of gold. Hijikata and the other man made room for him to sit between them, suggesting he was of higher rank.

"Hello there," he said with a hint of a smile. My hands clenched wads of my hakama between my fingers. Why would he smile at me before an interrogation?

"Kondou," Hijikata nodded.

"Well," Kondou said as he sat down. "I heard what Sannan asked you about Kodo." His smile faded, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to fear him. "First, though, let me give you some information so you understand the situation you are in. I have heard the story of your battle in the alley nearly a week ago from Souji and Saito. They say you killed several men on your own before they arrived and attempted to attack them as well."

I bit the inside of my lip while he paused. When I didn't speak, he continued -

"While you were asleep, we searched your belongings and discovered this picture," he tapped the object in question. "After inquiring around the city, we found many shopkeepers and innkeepers mentioning a young man asking around about the man in this painting. A young man fitting your description." He took a breath. "This man is Yukimura Kodo. I take it you already know him. The letter in your possession," he tapped the worn parchment, "suggests that you knew him well enough to intercept his personal mail. We know you are somehow connected. Can you please tell us how?"

I remained mutinously silent.

Kondou gave the two men around him a look. Hijikata nodded and Kondou took another breath. "This man disappeared about a month ago, and we have been searching for him. We are quite concerned for his welfare."

I gasped. I couldn't help it. The promise of a clue to my father's whereabouts overwhelmed my earlier resolve. The words came flying out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"You know my father?" I asked, my hands clenching my hakama even tighter. "Did you say a month? Does that mean he was here? He was with you? How did he look? Was he ill?"

Everyone in the room exchanged glances. The three men before me looked shellshocked.

"Father?" Sannan murmured. "Are you saying that you are Yukimura Kodo's daughter?"

Chatter broke out in the room, but I was too distraught to listen. I didn't break eye contact with Kondou, whose wide eyes blinked down at me with an expression of disbelief.

"Please explain to us," he said, "why such a young girl would dress in man's clothes, come to Kyoto alone, and wander about fighting outlaws in the night."

I shrank into myself. Talking to Kondou somehow felt too much like talking to my father. Like my father was lecturing me for being reckless. I couldn't sense a scrap of hostility from him, and despite myself, I couldn't help but answer honestly.

"I was searching for my father...I've been searching for him for nearly seven months now. He was taken from our clinic in a small village north of here. A group of men came at night and burned it all...they killed everyone, and in the end they took my father. All I heard was them saying the name of this city and that they needed him alive." I suppressed a shudder. My ears were ringing, nausea building in my gut. Was it the fever? Or just adrenaline? I hadn't counted up until this moment, but to think I'd lived like this for so long...

"Seven months?" Hijikata tapped his finger on his crossed arms.

Kondou waved at Inoue. The latter nodded. Within moments, he reappeared holding my most precious possessions: my two heirloom swords. Kondou couldn't have missed the look of raw desperation on my face; I doubt any of the men in the room could have.

"Are these yours?" Kondou asked.

"Yes. They have been in my family for many generations."

"And you know how to use them."

I nodded. That wasn't really a question.

"Why did you attack those ronin in the alley? And why did you attack my men?"

"I was fighting for my life," I told him. "The ronin caught me while I was searching for my father. They wanted me to give them my swords. To pawn, they said. When I didn't, they wanted to kill me. I ran..."

Memories of that night flashed in my mind. The fear. The terror. Both for myself and for those men's lives. Fear of the demon inside me.

"I didn't want to fight them...so I ran...I called for help, but there was nobody...nobody heard me…"

My heart beat faster. The nausea built. I recalled the men I'd slaughtered in the village in my rage. And then, I remembered the monsters in the alley. With a flash, their vicious faces appeared before my eyes. The blood coating them like a second skin. The sound of their blades churning and digging in the corpses of the dead ronin as they begged for blood.

I clutched my chest. "Then the monsters..." I whispered. "The monsters came and they...they..." I looked at my hands, for a moment thinking they were still covered in blood. "Then I..."

Killed them. All of them. Like pigs at a slaughterhouse.

"So you did fight them," Kondou said.

"Well, shit," a gruff voice grunted from behind me. "Was hoping she didn't remember that mess." It sounded like Sano.

"Saito," Hijikata called. I heard shuffling. "Report on what you saw that night."

The blue-eyed warrior moved to sit next to me, facing Hijikata without a word. Unlike Souji's attire, Saito's kimono was in perfect order, not a hair out of place. The scarf around his neck looked to be made of expensive white silk. "Souji and I were on patrol with you Vice Captain. You are aware of our assignment that night."

Hijikata nodded. "This is for everyone present," he explained.

"We heard shouting and the sounds of battle. Upon arriving in the alley, we saw several dead bodies on the ground. From what I could see, this child was fighting off the men in question..."

Men in question? I gritted my teeth. Those were not men. They were monsters.

"Based on her clothing, we assumed it was a young man present in the alley at the wrong place and at the wrong time. I suggested we assist him, but after the men in question were put down, the child attacked Souji."

The other men began murmuring among themselves.

"As far as I could observe, though Souji was holding back considerably, she is quite skilled with a blade. She met his strikes head on and without fear of death." He briefly looked at me, and my breath caught. "Her blade was unclouded."

In the wake of his words, silence followed. Then someone whistled.

"Did Hajime just praise someone? Can't decide what's better…that or the fact that she had the guts to take on Souji."

"Shut up, Heisuke," another voice warned. Sano again.

"I merely spoke the truth as it is. That is all." Saito concluded. His gaze lingered on me. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, but I thought myself lost in that moment for much longer. I couldn't read anything in those pools of blue — not if he approved or disapproved of me, nothing. I was just, for reasons I couldn't fathom, unable to look away. When he shattered that connection, he bowed his head to Hijikata and Kondou then stood and sat back with the others. Everyone's eyes were suddenly on me again. I lowered my head, not sure what more they could possibly need from me. Saito's explanation seemed sufficient by my understanding. Barring the fact that they all seemed convinced I was much younger than I was.

"So basically," Souji's voice drawled out, "she saw everything...was even a part of everything...that means we can kill her now, right?" Nobody answered him right away. I looked around the room, noted how uncomfortable everyone was. I closed my eyes, finally understanding. I remembered the blue coats the monsters wore, recalled how Souji and Saito had worn the same coats with the same pattern. Then right before I lost consciousness, someone said "take away their coats" like they didn't want anyone to know they were related to the piles of corpses. For whatever reason, these men were hiding some kind of secret in the form of the red-eyed monsters, and I had seen it all with my own eyes. It didn't matter that I didn't understand any of it. As Saito said, I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The question now stood: would I lose my life to this whim of fate?

"I don't care about your secrets," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I don't even know who all of you are. I've been in Kyoto for several days, and my only purpose here is to find my father. If you know something of his whereabouts, please tell me. If not, please release me so I can keep searching."

More silence. I felt cold sweat trickling down my lower back.

"If she's Kodo's daughter, she can help us find him," Sannan said at length. "Girl, would you be able to recognize your father even in disguise?"

"Of course," I nodded. I didn't dare hope.

"With her sword skills, we can take her on patrols," a young voice suggested. I turned to face it, noticing a young man sitting to my right. He had waist length hair tied up in a neat pony tail and light eyes. He didn't look much older than me.

The bear-sized warrior, Sano, elbowed him in the ribs. "For the last time, shut your mouth, Heisuke."

Souji chortled at the interaction. "So are we killing her or making her a member? I'm confused, Hijikata." Judging by his expression, confused was the last thing he was. For some reason, he enjoyed making things harder for me. What had I done to him to deserve his hostility? I so badly wanted to snap back a smart retort, maybe even clobber his beautiful face for seeing me naked earlier, but I bit my tongue trying to hold it at bay. I was at their mercy right now, no doubt about it. To top it off, they were a good lead for finding my father. If I wanted to make them cooperate, I had to stay in their good graces.

"Souji," Hijikata retaliated in a growl that made everyone sit up straighter.

Then, Kondou spoke. "Souji." That's all he said. Just the youth's name in a tone that was neither threatening nor friendly. Yet the moment he said it, the grin vanished from Okita's face as though he'd been punched in the gut. He cleared his throat, folded his arms, and settled himself back against the wall. Kondou turned to me and smiled.

"Young lady, what is your name?"

"Yukimura...Chizuru," I answered after some hesitation. I kept my gaze directed at the ground.

"You have been through quite an ordeal haven't you?"

I didn't answer that. I didn't even know where to begin.

"Rest assured. You are safe here with the Shinsengumi. I offer you our protection."

I sucked in a breath. "You're…not going to kill me?"

"We do not kill innocent civilians. Not to mention, you are Kodo's daughter. After all he has done for us, we would not think to harm his kin. However, I must impress upon you the seriousness of what you witnessed and that it is to remain a secret that you must take to your grave. Am I clear?"

"Yes." I didn't raise my head. Suddenly I couldn't. His words weren't quite breaking through the wall I'd built up around myself — the wall that was supposed to keep me strong in case they said they wanted to kill me after all.

Something slid towards me on the tatami mat. My beloved swords appeared in my line of sight. Gasping, I snapped my eyes back to Kondou. His smile was gentle, kind. His hazel eyes were soft. Was this a trick? A human trick? No. Not with such kindness so open and bright on his features. I glanced at Hijikata's resolute expression. Sannan was similarly unreadable. I reached for the swords. Kondou nodded to me.

"I can't imagine the courage it took such a small girl to take up her family's swords and fight for those she loved. I have a daughter, not much older than you. When I think of her doing the things you have done, my heart aches for you. You are safe now, Chizuru. Let us search for your father together."

My vision blurred. To my horror, tears began to pour down my face. I took my swords with shaking hands and pressed them to my chest. My treasure. All that remained of the Yukimura legacy after flames had taken them fourteen years ago. The symbol of all I had endured by my father's side as we struggled to survive in the world of man. When I saw them gone, I thought them lost. When I saw them in the hands of the humans, I thought they would use them against me somehow. But now, they were back where they belonged. Though my life had been turned completely upside down, at least this…this small piece of normality…was once again within reach.

Whatever had been holding me up past the pain of my wounds and exhaustion of my fever crumbled, and my body soon followed. Sounds of surprise and panic followed. Someone caught me. I recognized the massive hands as those that had held me down in the alleyway. My face pressed against something solid as a rock wall, warm and hot and comforting. A large hand settled on the back of my head.

"Souji," Sano's rough baritone admonished. I felt the vibrations of his voice against the side of my face. "You're a real bastard, aren't you? You've scared the hell out of her. I hope your wounded pride is mended."

"Get off your high horse, Sano," Souji replied. "I was just having a little fun."

Silently, I cried, having no strength to even sob. For the moment, I was safe. For now, I could stop running. I'd killed. I had blood on my hands I could never wash away. All for the sake of finding my father. These men were human; thus, I couldn't possibly trust them. Especially not the green-eyed warrior whose thirst for blood might be a match for the demon inside me.

As my surroundings faded, I heard more arguing and raised voices. At that moment, I didn't care. Sano's chest felt so warm...and I was so very cold. He felt like my father. Oh, how I missed him...