"How do you think I felt when I saw Shinpachi carrying you through the gates, drenched in blood? Not knowing if you were still alive or if he was bringing a corpse back to me?" Her voice had lost its edge. She sounded drained, as if the life had been sucked out of her. "It hurt, Sano-kun."

Instinctively, his opposite hand reached for her face, and he started rubbing circles on her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry-"

"Don't," she whispered, and he could feel her breath caress his chin. "Don't be sorry. Just promise me you won't ever do anything like that again."

Sanosuke's shoulders shagged in relief, and he was finally able to breathe again. We're ok. We'll be ok…

"I promise." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I promise."

When she drew back half a minute later, her cheeks were tinted pink and her lips were pulled back in a grin. "I'll hold you to that promise."

The deep curve on her lips was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long while, much like a spring flower blooming right before his eyes. It was genuinely sweet, with just the right touch of shyness, and he found his gaze straying to the little dimple right above the corner of her mouth. Sanosuke's body filled with newfound warmth, as if the sun itself flowed in his veins.

Her fingers dropped from his cheek, and he resisted the urge to grab them and put them back as a sense of acute loss hit him at the absence of her touch.

"Now," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Lay back so I can give you one last check up before I proclaim you perfectly healthy." She flashed him another grin, and Sanosuke, too pleased with himself and their close proximity, simply allowed her to push him on his back.

Her hands, aglow with green light, were pleasantly cool to the touch as she placed them on his abdomen. Just like before, he felt her energy flow through his body, soothing and rejuvenating. He closed his eyes, enjoying the cooling sensation, and his lips lifted in a small smile when humming reached his ears.

Her voice was soft, and she appeared completely unaware that she was doing it, but Sanosuke was thankful. Memories like these he would keep in his thoughts, his to remember and treasure. Even if he woke up one day to find her gone, even if she left tomorrow never to return, these stolen moments of pink hair and emerald eyes and gentle touches were his to keep.

When she leaves, they will be all I'll have left of her. So, he was going to be greedy. He'd spend as much time in her presence as he could, and he'd try his hardest to keep those eyes – so, so green – trained on him. He knew that would hurt him more in the end, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when she was so close, and so warm, and so damn beautiful.

"Huh? What's this?"

His eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice, and he lifted his head to look at her.

"This scar here," she continued, tilting her head to the side. He noticed she did that when she was deep in thought, and he found it irresistibly endearing. "How did you get it?"

Sanosuke chuckled. "A long time ago, when I was younger and more foolish than I am now."

Sakura smiled at him cheekily. "It gets more foolish than this?"

"Oi, medic, your bedside manner is terrible." he teased, pleased with himself when she threw her head back and laughed. Then, her attention shifted to the scar again.

"I was challenged to do it," he started. "It sounds idiotic to even say it now."

"You don't have to tell me, Sano-kun, really-"

"Ritual suicide. I was challenged to commit ritual suicide." He saw her freeze for a second, and then her eyes fell to his abdomen again. "And I actually did it. I failed miserably, obviously, and ended up alive to tell the tale." He tried to gauge her reaction, but her face remained as calm as ever, as if she had seen similar things many times before.

He was about to speak but he stopped abruptly. His breathing hitched and his shoulders tensed when he felt her fingers on his skin. If she took notice of his reaction, she didn't say a thing.

She traced the scar with the tip of her finger, her eyes following the motion. Her touch was light and delicate, but it left a burning trail on his skin. Sanosuke bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from giving in to his roaring instincts and doing something he'd later regret.

Stop now that you still can, Sakura…Every cell in his body was aware of her presence, urging him to give in to her nymph's song. She seemed so blissfully unaware of what she was doing to him, of the sinful thoughts flooding his head, that Sanosuke had a hard time navigating his way through the fog of desire that fell over his mind.

"I wear it with pride, you know," he said in an attempt to distract himself, trying hard to keep his internal turmoil from showing. "I survived. It's a badge of honor. I designed my family crest based on that beauty."

She seemed surprised by that. "Huh? Really?"

"A circle with a horizontal line in the middle. The one I wear on my back. Any sons I have will bear it with pride too. No matter what, we survive."

Sanosuke watched her as she absorbed his words, appearing deep in thought. Then, she giggled prettily and shook her head.

"Now, this is a strange coincidence if I ever saw one."

"A coincidence?"

"It just so happens that my family crest is a white circle. The circle of life, ever moving. One's end means another's beginning."

Sanosuke hummed deeply in his chest, feeling oddly pleased. Harada, you hopeless sap…

Chuckling, he reached forward and flicked her forehead where her diamond was. "Who knows? Perhaps it isn't a coincidence at all. Perhaps it is just fate."

XxxxX

Sakura's eyes widened when his fingers touched her forehead, but what took her even more by surprise was the warmth she saw reflected in Sanosuke's amber gaze.

A lock of dark auburn hair had fallen over the right side of his face, but she could still see his orbs of gold and honey peeking at her. It was as if someone had taken all the hues of autumn and placed them in his eyes.

Despite what most people thought, autumn was by far her favorite season. It reminded her of slow nights spent in the company of the starts on the roof of her apartment. It reminded her of her mother's pumpkin pie, and the safety of wearing Naruto's orange jacket. Of the reds and browns and oranges of the changing leaves. It reminded her of home.

She had never looked in another person's eyes and felt like coming home the way she did when she looked in Sanosuke's.

It was a strange kind of realization - groundbreaking even – but at the same time, it felt familiar. Like something that had existed in the back of her mind for a bit, but only now was she able to realize what it was. It felt natural. And how could it not? This was Sanosuke. Kind, funny, warm, protective Sanosuke.

Shocked by the swirl of emotion in her belly, she averted her gaze, certain that her cheeks rivaled her hair. Daring a glance at him once more, her breathing caught in her throat. With his unique red ponytail unruly and falling over one shoulder, his eyes – oh, those eyes – half-lidded and positively glowing, and his chiseled torso bare for her eyes to drink in, Harada Sanosuke was a devastatingly handsome man.

A shy smile lit up her face. "Aa. It might be fate indeed." The last traces of healing chakra around her fingers died out, and she sighed in relief at the knowledge that despite the close call, he was alive, and healthy and within arm's reach. For the hundredth time since Shinpachi brought him in bloodied and battered, everything that could have gone wrong flashed through her mind.

As if sensing her thoughts – or perhaps he had simply gotten really good at reading her; she did wear her heart on her sleeve, after all – he reached out and took her hand in his.

"Don't," he said. "Don't think about what could have gone wrong. I'm here. We're both here and we're both alive. No what ifs."

She stared at him, her lips parted in an involuntary expression of awe at how easily he had seen through her and how much better his words made her feel. "We're here." She squeezed his hand. "And you're still an idiot who's going to be very sorry if you ever pull a stunt like that again."

Sanosuke threw his head back and laughed, a deep, velvety sound that made Sakura's heart flutter in her chest. Looking for something to take her mind off the reactions the man elicited from her, her eyes fell on something on the other side of her room.

"Oh, I got something that's yours," she said standing, and walked over to the corner where the object was. She returned with a katana in hand, the same sword Sanosuke had given her back at the Ikeda Inn. She sat back down across from him and offered it to him. "Here, it's time for me to return this."

To her surprise, he pushed the sword back towards her. "Keep it. It's yours now."

"But, Sano-kun! I can't keep this-"

"It's yours," he said, his voice firmer. "This sword will no longer serve me, not the way it will serve you. You can think of it as a thank you gift. Or you can think of it as me protecting you, no matter where you are in the world."

His grin was wide and all sorts of mischievous, the kind that Sakura was certain had made many women weak at the knees. After a moment of silence, she retracted her hand, the katana still in her grasp.

She offered him a thankful smile and glanced at him bashfully from under her lashes. "Thank you, Sano-kun. I…I won't ever forget this."

He winked at her playfully. "We can't have you forgetting about me, can we?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I could ever forget you even if I tried." The words slipped past her lips before she had the time to stop them. Realizing what she had just said, she rushed to save herself from further embarrassment. "Any of you. Shin-kun, Okita-kun, Heisuke…Everyone in the Shinsengumi."

"Good! Because we won't be forgetting you anytime soon."

She was touched by his words and more than a little affected by their heartfelt confessions in such an intimate setting. Especially right after her own personal realization that her feelings for Sanosuke went way beyond friendship. Blushing, she coughed into her fist to regain her composure, and put on a thoughtful expression.

"I could make an exception for Kanryusai, though."

Sanosuke scowled at the mention of the man. "If he ever gives you any grief again, just come find me and I'll teach him a lesson. He's had it coming for a while now."

With a crease of amusement dimpling her cheek, Sakura cracked her knuckles. "I appreciate the sentiment, Sano-kun, but I'm not letting you take my fun away from me. I have my own sword now, don't I?"

"Plotting murder already? I like it!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, though it was hard to hide her amusement. "I'm surrounded by idiots, what did you expect?"

"Why, I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Cut the act, Harada. You're their leader."

Sanosuke placed a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "Right here, Sakura. You wound me right here."

The woman raised a challenging eyebrow. "Considering your track record, I'm positive you'll survive. Speaking of wounds though," she said, placing her hands on his bare shoulders and pushing him back. "You need to get some rest. I healed you but your body is still fatigued and recovering from shock."

Sanosuke chuckled. "In that case, I better get going. My room is waiting for me and I've intruded enough as it is." He made to stand, but Sakura didn't budge.

She shook her head, pushing him back down. "Don't even think about it, Harada. You're not allowed to move an inch until morning. You're sleeping here."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the predatory smirk was back on Sanosuke's face. "Had I known this would get you to invite me into your bed, I would have gotten injured a lot earlier, my lady."

Trying in vain to hide her blush, Sakura whacked him lightly on the head. "You're impossible," she huffed. "After all, I'm not sleeping here." She stood, grabbing her new sword and her medical pouch along the way.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Didn't you know? Hachiro-kun decided to stay here for a couple of days and he invited me to spend the night in his room."

Sanosuke froze, gaping at her and looking positively scandalized. "W-What-"

Sakura snorted before dissolving into fits of laughter. "Close your mouth, Harada, lest you catch a fly. Hachiro-kun isn't even in the compound. You need to be comfortable and this mattress just barely fits you as it is. I'm sleeping over at Chizuru-chan's tonight."

Without waiting for him to overcome his shock, she turned around, her braid swishing as she did so, and walked out of the room.

"Sweet dreams, Sano-kun!" she said in a sing-song voice before closing the door behind her.

XxxxX

When Sanosuke woke up the next morning, it was to Sakura's scent engulfing his senses.

The events of the previous day came rushing back to him, and a happy smile split his face. Something had changed between him and Sakura the previous night. Something had shifted, he could tell, and he couldn't wait to dive deep and discover what it truly was.

After all, he had every intension of following his new conviction. He was going to be greedy. He was going to hog Sakura's attention as much as he could.

If that means going up against someone like Iba, so be it.

With a self-satisfied grunt, he stood and looked around the room. His spear sat right beside the door and a change of clothes along with his Shinsengumi uniform awaited him at the foot of the mattress. Beside the clothes, he spied a bowl of fresh water and a bunch of clean bandages like the ones he wrapped around his abdomen and arms.

This woman…

He could almost feel her fingers on his face again, and he sighed, smiling to himself. Look at you, Harada…You have turned into a lost puppy that wags its tail whenever she's in the room…

He washed his face, scrubbing his skin clean of the last leftover blood splatters.

How unfair life can be…

If there was one thing that very few people new about him that was his dream of one day becoming a family man. As a hot-blooded teenager, he cared little about plans for the future. His training was the only thing he took seriously. If he were to be completely honest, he couldn't really remember when the shift finally happened, and he suddenly started wishing for more. For a home, and the gentle touch of a woman, and an adoring family to return to every day.

The Shinsegumi were all he had, but he had no doubt in his mind that he'd be more than willing to lay down his spear if the right woman came along. A loving woman who'd see his scars and seek to understand them. A woman like Sakura.

A woman who will be ordered to leave one of these days, you fool…

He wrapped the bandages around his torso, taking extra care not to touch his old scar. Because that's where her hands had been the previous night, and he couldn't glance at it without remembering the hot desire that had coursed through his veins at every feathery touch of her dainty fingers.

It was equal parts scary and deliciously exciting, the way she had managed to awaken such raw, primitive emotion in him in just two months after her arrival.

Perhaps he had unknowingly committed terrible sins he was being punished for or perhaps the fates simply hated him. Whatever the reason, he thought it cruel that life would throw Sakura – beautiful, strong, compassionate Sakura – in his way just to show him everything he could have and then snatch her away; tear her from his grasp, just as he had started to come to terms with the knowledge that his heart was not his anymore.

Wasn't that what it meant to be in love? To desire the other person in newfound ways, in ways that went beyond the physical instincts of a man worshiping a woman's body. To count every unbearable moment until they were back in each other's company, loyal and dedicated until their last breath.

While he'd had his fair share of flings and dalliances, he'd never been in love. Not the way he remembered his parents being when they were alive. It did make him wonder if he looked at Sakura the way his father used to look at his mother.

Did his eyes betray him too? Did his expression soften and melt whenever his eyes fell on the pink-haired medic? Would she ever look at him with the same adoration that used to shine in his mother's gaze whenever she looked at her husband?

Sanosuke gritted his teeth. What the hell is wrong with you, Harada? Get a grip, you disgrace! Didn't you vow never to give up? To always survive?

He had. After that failed ritual suicide, he had made a promise to himself and to the souls of his parents. He would survive and he had no intention of giving up. If there was one thing he was, that was resilient. And stubborn. Too stubborn for his own good.

Dressed, Sanosuke tied his Shinsengumi forehead protector in place and glanced at Sakura's bed, bringing the serenity of her sleeping face to the forefront of his mind. After waking in her embrace once, he doubted he'd ever enjoy another night's sleep in his own bed. The sun itself couldn't replace the warmth of her body next to his, and Sanosuke wasn't ready to give that up.

Not now, not ever. He clenched his fists. This can't end here, not like this. She can't leave. I…I can't lose her.

Grabbing his Yari, he looked at her bedroom one last time over his shoulder and exited. He walked confidently, with a determined look in his eyes. Because he had made a decision, consequences be damned.

I will convince her to stay. Even if it means taking on her whole village. Even if it is the last thing I do.

His patrols didn't start for another couple of hours, but he could really use a spar. He was restless and working up a sweat had always been his way of choice to release some tension. Opting to skip breakfast – he doubted he could stomach anything right now – he went in search of Nagakura. He had to apologize and there was no better way for men to settle their differences than with a nice, intense sparring match.

He was ready to step inside the main hall of the Yagi Residence when he heard someone calling him. He glanced to the side to see Heisuke racing up to him.

"Harada! Oi, Harada!"

"Todou? Is everything alright?"

The young man reached him, panting slightly, but there was a wide grin on his face. "I heard about yesterday. Glad to see you in one piece."

Sanosuke ruffled Heisuke's hair, a move that earned him a half-hearted glare. "Thank you, kid. Why are you running around like that?"

The younger man immediately perked up. "Oh, you don't know. Come quick then! We're gathering at the training grounds. You don't want to miss this!" With his message relayed, Heisuke turned back around and started running again.

"Todou? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Todou!" Sanosuke shook his head in irritation, and for a moment humored the idea of ignoring Heisuke's invitation, but his curiosity got the better of him. His spar with Nagakura would have to wait.

Arriving at the training grounds, he was surprised to see most of his fellow Shinsengumi captains already gathered there.

"Oi, Harada! Glad to see you up and about, man. You gave us a real scare yesterday."

"Sorry about that, Nagakura."

Shinpachi clapped him on the back, his sunny smile in place. "Nah, just make sure not to almost die on me again. Good thing Sakura-chan was around, eh?"

Sanosuke simply nodded. "Was she called here too?"

Nagakura motioned to their left. "Over there!"

True to Shinpachi's word, Sanosuke could spy the pastel pink of her locks between the larger frames of Iba and Sannan. Despite the height difference, one of her arms was slung over Souji's shoulder. Judging by their expressions, she was teasing him about something and though Souji didn't seem too pleased, he still appeared unwilling to push her away.

It was no surprise, really. Sakura had a way with people, so it was only natural that Souji wouldn't be immune to her charm. Sanosuke couldn't hold it against him.

"Oh, there's Hijikata."

Nagakura's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Hijikata cleared his throat, demanding their attention.

Always blunt and not one to beat around the bush, Toshizo got straight to the point. "It has been brought to my notice that our guest and temporary Shinsengumi medic, Haruno-san, may be skilled in the art of the sword."

Sanosuke frowned. Hijikata, what are you doing…? He glanced at Sakura. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. If anything, she appeared perfectly calm, and her body was relaxed as she leaned against Souji's side.

"Given the recent…increases in ronin activity, Kondou and I are entertaining the idea of sending Haruno-san on patrols with some of our divisions. That way, we ensure a faster response in the case of serious injury, and we avoid potentially life-threatening situations."

As much as he didn't like the idea of Sakura exposed to more danger than was necessary, Sanosuke couldn't argue with their Vice Commander's logic. After all, he himself was well aware of how capable the woman was.

Hijikata crossed his arms across his chest. "Which is why we have called you all here today. We have arranged a sparring session simply to gauge Haruno-san's skill and choose which division to assign her to accordingly." Toshizo turned to the woman herself. "Haruno-san, I apologize for not informing you of this earlier. It was a last-minute decision."

Sanosuke refrained from snorting in disbelief. No, it wasn't. Nothing you do is ever last-minute. Hijikata, who are you trying to fool?

If Sakura saw through his lie, she didn't seem fazed by it. She smiled at the dark-haired male, a genuine and easy smile. "Do not apologize, Hijikata-san. If anything, I have been waiting for a chance to stretch my legs."

Hijika nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "In that case, let us not tarry any longer. Allow me to present your opponent for today."

Who-

"Hajime Saito."

TBC

Oh, the romance! The chemistry! The sexual tension!

I finished this chapter earlier and I was so excited to share it with you guys that I broke my rule of weekly updates. Because Sanosuke and Sakura are worth it!

I just can't get enough of these two. I'm telling you, I've written a lot of crossovers, I have read even more of them, and I can honestly say that this pairing is by far my favorite. EVER!

They just click! They are perfect for each other. They are just the right people to give each other the love they deserve. Ugh, I'm such a fangirl for these two!

I truly enjoyed writing the sexual tension between them, it felt really natural. I'm entertaining the idea of adding a tasteful little lemon in a later chapter, though I'm not sure just yet. Not anything graphic of course, with all the focus on romance and sensuality. We'll see when the time comes!

I also have to warn you that while this story mostly follows Kyoto Winds, many things will be vastly different. I don't want this fic to be a retelling of the game with Sakura simply thrust in. Some things will play out similarly, others will play out differently, and the ending – which I already have pre-planned – will be nothing like the game, as Chizuru is no longer the main female protagonist. Sakura is not an Oni, she doesn't have a father who wants to create an army of Furies, and she doesn't have to hide from anyone. It will be a happy ending, I promise!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I certainly did. Our babies are both aware they are in love so it remains to be seen how they will end up together! What trials and tribulations could be waiting just around the corner?

Reading your thoughts always makes my day, so I'd love it if you could spare a minute to leave me a review.

Until next time,

Lots of love!