"Shi-Shinpachi!" Jumping to her feet, she ran to him and started checking him over for injuries, desperate to make sure that he was well. "Does it hurt anywhere? Were you injured? Did you have to be patched up at any point? Did the medic do a good job-"

Laughing boisterously, Shinpachi stopped her ranting by pulling her in for a hug. He held her tight, pulling her so close that he lifted her off the ground. "I missed you, Sakura-chan! Things were so boring without you!"

Still buried in his embrace, Sakura chocked out a laugh. "Only you would find the front lines boring, Shin-kun. I missed you too. Do you have any idea how hard it is to joke around with Souji and Hijikata?"

Nagakura threw his head back and laughed, releasing his hold on her. "Have no fear, Sakura-chan! Your favorite Shinsengumi is back!"

"Really? Is Hajime-kun here?"

Shinpachi put a hand where his heart was. "Ouch, Sakura-chan. Ouch! Hajime is giving his report to Hijikata. They should be done in a couple of hours."

Sakura nodded, smiling brightly. Then, her smile slipped. "Shin-kun…Where's…Where's Harada? Why isn't he with you?"

Nagakura's countenance immediately changed, and his shoulders slumped. He looked crestfallen, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

"Sakura-chan…I'm sorry-"

Sakura's heart sank. "No…it can't be. He can't be-"

She grabbed the hilt of her sword, tightening her hold almost painfully to hide her trembling fingers. Tears sprang to her eyes, clouding her vision.

"Sakura-chan, he-"

"My, my…Are those tears for me?"

Sakura's brain froze. That voice…Wiping her tears on her sleeve, she focused her eyes on the figure standing behind Nakagura. A chocked sob rose to her throat, and she flung herself in Sanosuke's arms without thinking. He caught her easily, pulling her close, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, not caring that they had an audience. As she inhaled the comforting smell of pine that seemed to cling to him at all times, she felt herself truly relax for the first time in two months.

He laughed in her hair, a deep rumble in his chest that reverberated throughout her body. "Now this is a welcome back worth waiting for."

Remembering the stunt he and Nagakura tried to pull just a few moments earlier, she pulled back and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You! You insensitive, good-for-nothing, insufferable jerk!" she snarled, hitting his chest.

Sanosuke winced and help up his hands. "Oi, that's gonna leave a bruise."

Sakura seethed. "A bruise? The only reason I haven't broken your arm is because it'd be up to me to heal you right after!"

"Ne, Sakura-chan-"

Sakura turned to him, eyes narrowed and blazing. "And you! You were in on this too!"

Shinpachi immediately jumped behind Inoue, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Forgive me, Sakura-chan! Please don't kill me!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose to calm herself, Sakura glared at him. "What were you thinking-eek!"

Her words turned into a yelp of surprise when Sanosuke threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "You missed me."

Sakura huffed, turning her face away from him. "As if I'd miss you!"

He laughed, and yet again, she felt the tingle all the way to her toes. "Come on. Admit it."

"I won't and you can't make me."

"Is that so?" Sanosuke smirked that same smirk that made her insides flutter. He took her chin between his fingers and lowered his face to hers. "Didn't you miss me even a little bit?"

Sakura's cheeks grew hot, affected by his closeness and his warm breath on her lips. Kami have mercy…

"I believe her head will explode if you move your mug any closer to hers, Harada."

Broken out of her daze, Sakura untangled herself from Sanosuke's arms. She could not decide whether to thank or curse Souji for the interruption, so she opted for rolling her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest.

"I love you, Souji-kun, but you're an idiot."

"Oi, why does he get a confession and I don't, Sakura-chan?"

"Because you might be an adorable, overgrown puppy, Shin-kun, but I'm still mad at you."

"She means you're an idiot, Nagakura."

"Shut up, Souji!"

"Now, gentlemen, we're in the presence of a lady-"

"Mind your own business, Inoue! I have a score to settle here."

Sakura sighed as she listened to them bicker, but she could not help the wave of happiness that swept her whole being. They were back and they were alive. After two months of constant worry and tension, they were finally home.

Whoever is out there…Thank you for looking after them for me.

A hand brushed her lower back and she raised her eyes to glance at Sanosuke.

He regarded her with the gentleness she had come to associate with him and smiled cheekily. "One of these days, I'm going to get you to say it to me, my lady."

She tilted her head to the side in question. "Eh? What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I'm not telling. You gotta figure that one out yourself."

"What am I supposed to make out of that? Sano? Sanosuke!"

Winking playfully at her, her walked over to separate Nagukura and Souji before a brawl broke out.

"Harada Sanosuke, come back here right this instant!"

XxxOxOxOxxX

I am telling you, sensei. I do worry about you men sometimes. You have absolutely no self-preservation instincts.

The nerve of those two, making me think that Sano-kun was dead…

I am still proud of myself though. I mean, I did not break any of their bones for that little stunt so that has got to count for something, right? We both know I would not have done it anyway. I was so deliriously happy to see them alive and well, that I didn't stay angry for long.

Don't tell them I said that, though. I'm still holding that incident over their heads and I will continue to do so until my last breath.

The conflict with the Satsuma-Choshu forces left a lot of open wounds, sensei. The fires destroyed a quarter of the town, and it's only thanks to the combined efforts of the Shinsengumi that we didn't grieve any more victims. It took us a lot of time and a lot of manpower to get Kyoto back on its feet. Even then, there was too much grief in the air. There still is, but people have had a bit of time to come to terms with their losses.

The good news is that people are not so mistrustful of us now. They are more willing to talk, to cooperate. They all saw how dedicated Okita-kun was to catching any remaining rebels, and how determined Keisuke and his men were to put out the fires. We made a name for ourselves that night, though I wish that recognition had come about another way.

One of the villagers I healed mentioned a man with long hair and a gun that looked suspicious. To this day, I haven't confirmed if that really was Shiranui Kyo being his usual troublemaking self, but as far as I'm concerned, it was him. His description matched and I know for a fact that his boss, Kazama, owes the Choshu a favor. It makes sense that they would try to raise hell.

Still, after Shinpachi, Saito, and Sanosuke's return, things were relatively quiet.

Or not.

It really depends on how you look at it.

Knowing what I do now, I would say it was the calm before the storm…

XxxOxOxOxxX

"What in the world are you two doing?"

Tapping her foot impatiently, Sakura stared incredulously at the two men occupying her room. Chizuru stood behind her, glancing between her mentor and the two captains.

From his place on the floor, Shinpachi scratched the back of his head. "H-Hey, Sakura-chan. What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? You're in my room, Nagakura." She shifted her gaze to Sanosuke, who was leaning against her pillows. "Anything you want to add?"

"Nope."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura took a deep breath. "Allow me to rephrase. You have thirty seconds to give me one reason why you two are in my room. And it better be a good one."

Shinpachi chuckled nervously. "We, uh, we might have messed up the kitchen while trying to make dinner. Just a little bit."

"You messed up the kitchen. A little bit. While trying to make dinner."

Sanosuke shrugged. "Yeah, and now Gen is a little bit angry. And looking for us."

"He went off on us, Sakura-chan! It's like he snapped! He was so steamed I thought he was going to draw his sword. I've never seen him that furious."

Why do I always have to get stuck with babysitting duty?

"Did you two lazy asses even apologize?"

Sanosuke looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Are you kidding? We ran for our lives. We've been hiding out here ever since."

Sakura stared. "And you thought to hide in my room to avoid Inoue-san?"

Shinpachi nodded cheerily. "Well, yeah! Gen would never enter a lady's room without being invited in first. He has manners."

"As opposed to you two."

"Exactly! We don't have manners."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Clearly."

Sanosuke chose that moment to whack Nagakura on the head. "Stop making me look bad, you dog. Speak for yourself."

"Oi, shut up, Harada! You were in that kitchen with me!"

Sighing deeply, Sakura entered her room fully. "Alright, alright. That's enough. You two," she said, glancing between them, "are coming with us to the kitchen. You're going to apologize to Inoue-san and clean up your mess. Then, Chizuru-chan and I are going to make dinner. I'm don't trust you idiots within ten meters of a pan."

"I got a better idea. Why don't we stay here-"

Grabbing the back of their clothes, Sakura pulled them both to their feet. "Move."

She pushed them out of her room, right before the surprised eyes of Chizuru. They walked towards the kitchen in silence. Had the situation been different, Sakura would have laughed at the trepidation in both men's gazes. They looked ready to flee.

The moment they entered the kitchen, Sakura gasped at the extent of the disaster. Pots and pans were thrown all over the pace, knifes were logged in cupboards, and different kinds of produce were thrown all over the floor.

Inoue spotted them almost instantly, and his face contorted into an expression of rage. "There you are, you miserable little cretins!" he bellowed, completely unlike the man Sakura was used to interacting with.

"H-Hey, Gen…Calm down, will you?" Shinpachi raised his hands in a placating manner. "No point in scolding us now, right? The food's already a mess, and yelling won't get it back. Anyway, we need to figure out how to get rid of the evidence, fast."

Inoue glared at Shinpachi. "Don't give me that 'anyway' nonsense, young man!" Suddenly it seemed like he deflated; his shoulders dropped, and he sighed heavily. Then, he turned to Sakura and Chizuru. "Haruno-san, Yukimura, I apologize you had to see this."

Sakura smiled kindly at the man. "Do not apologize, Inoue-san. It's not your fault these two have no idea how to conduct themselves properly."

"Aww, come on, Sakura-chan-"

"Silence!" Inoue pinned him with a hard look. "Enough talking. Time to rectify your mess and start cleaning. The floor first, perhaps? Now, move!"

Grumbling, Shinpachi headed to the storage room adjacent to the kitchen to grab some cleaning supplies, mops, and buckets.

Sanosuke crossed his arms across his chest. "Aren't you two going to help?"

Sakura plastered a thoughtful expression on her face. "Huh, I don't think that we will. This is your mess, after all. Right, Chizuru-chan?" She flashed the younger woman a grin over her shoulder. Chizuru seemed just barely able to hold in her laughter.

"You evil, evil woman."

"Harada!" Inoue barked, handing the man a mop. "Less talking, more cleaning!"

Sakura didn't care to hide her laughter, and she wiggled her fingers playfully at Sanosuke when he shot her a narrow-eyed look. "Eyes on the floor, Sano-kun. We wouldn't want you to miss a spot, would we?"

"You will pay for that, my lady, I assure you."

She smiled at him cheekily. "Give me your best shot, Harada."

Sakura and Chizuru spent the next ten minutes watching Inoue barking orders at Shinpachi and Sanosuke, who looked more annoyed by the minute. It would be a lie to say that Sakura wasn't enjoying the show, and if the looks Sanosuke kept sending her were any indication, he too was aware that she was having the time of her life.

Feeling slightly guilty for making fun of them, Sakura sighed and flashed Chizuru a wide grin. "Ne, Chizuru-chan, let's help these two finish up, and then we can cook dinner."

The young brunette nodded and immediately grabbed a clean rag.

Sakura walked over to Sanosuke, who was in the process of scrubbing pots and pans. "Move over, slowpoke. I'll take it from here."

He hummed in surprise. "You're helping now? What changed your mind?"

She shrugged, feigning indifference. "I'm just hungry, is all. Cannot sit around forever waiting for you two rascals to finish your chores. Now, move your fine ass over there."

His eyebrow shot up, before a self-assured smirk lit up his face. "You think I have a fine ass?"

Realizing what she had said, Sakura blushed to the roots of her hair. Picking up a pan, she started to scrub it in an attempt to avoid him. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

If she had hoped that would dissuade him, her hopes were quickly squashed when he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side.

"Harada!"

"Oh no," he whispered in her ear, "you're not getting out of this, my lady." His breath was hot on her skin, and it sent shivers down her spine. "After all," he continued, "I'm positive yours is finer than mine."

The pan dropped from her hands with a 'clang' that had Inoue, Nagakura, and Chizuru glancing at them strangely. Sakura did not dare look at them from fear that they would notice her burning face. Souji had dropped a few hints in his usual oh-so-subtle way and told her that 'if the others weren't as thick as a sack of bricks', they would have noticed too. The last thing she needed was more people asking difficult questions.

Sanosuke's arm tightened around her waist, eliciting a flustered yelp from her. "Payback is sweet, isn't it, Sa-ku-ra?"

Someone, kill me now…

Taking a shaky breath, Sakura wiggled herself out of his hold and bumped him with her hip. "More working, less talking, Harada. You missed a spot."

Sanosuke laughed and made his way over to Nagakura to help him with the sacks of rice, leaving Sakura breathless and red in the face.

XxxxX

"Oh, man! What are we supposed to cook now?"

"Well, not your whining, that's for sure."

"Shut up, Harada!"

Sakura groaned, and glanced at Chizuru helplessly. "Just so you know, I did not sign up for this when I accepted this job."

The young girl giggled, sending her friend a sympathetic look.

Sighing, Sakura turned to the two men bickering a few feet away. "Alright, you two. Cut it out. We gotta get dinner started right now if we want to be on time." With a thoughtful look, she started going around the room, checking what ingredients were available.

"You people are officially a disaster."

"That's not helping, Sakura-chan."

"I never meant it as a compliment, Shin-kun." Turning to Chizuru, she motioned to the pots and pans. "Chizuru-chan, you know your way around a kitchen, right?"

"Um, a little bit, yeah."

"Good! Can you please run to the storage room where we keep our herbs? Fetch the little yellow jars. I have some dry leaves that could add a bit of taste."

Turning to Shinpachi, she handed him a pot and a knife. "Shin-kun, you're on taro pealing duty. Chizuru-chan will help you with that as soon as she returns."

"As for you," she said, turning to Sanosuke, "You're helping me make the broth for the miso soup. Chop chop, lads. We don't have all day."

As Chizuru hurried to fetch the requested herbs and Nagakura started peeling the taro, Sanosuke turned to her. Leaning close to her face, he flashed her a wide, lopsided grin.

"Why, I do like a woman who can give me orders."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura met his stare, not backing down despite the loud flutters in her chest. "You like all women, Harada."

"Nah," he said winking. "Just the really cute ones." Pulling back like nothing had happened, Sanosuke stretched his arms. She hoped he didn't notice the way her eyes kept shifting to the taut muscles of moving just beneath his skin.

"Come now, Sa-ku-ra. We have dinner to make."

This man…What is this man doing to me? Haruno, you have officially crossed the point of no return…

XxxxX

Sakura breathed in deeply, taking in the chill of the air and the wafting smell of jasmine. The night was quiet, and the breeze felt pleasantly cool on her skin as she walked back to her room.

Dinner with the Shinsengumi was a lively affair, filled with boisterous laughter, a lot of alcohol and more than a few almost-brawls. The last meal of the day was always the most exuberant. The worries and exhaustion melted away, and the men needed to unwind before starting all over again the next morning.

She giggled at the thought of Souji and Saito butting heads over one thing or another. She never paid too much attention to their fights. After all, one sake cup was all it took for them to make up.

If she were to be completely honest with herself, it wasn't exactly her lack of worry or observational skills that prevented her from focusing her attention on their bickering. Rather, it was the presence of a man that kept her thoughts a jumbled mess.

A man with red hair, and a warrior's spirit, and gentle eyes of aged gold that could make her heart melt in her chest.

For the first time since realizing that what she felt for Sanosuke went beyond simple friendship, Sakura allowed herself to dive into her own emotions.

She had always had this idea in her head that a person's feelings were a lot like an ocean. Ever moving, and ever changing, always in accordance with one's experience in life.

For the past few years and after the end of the 'Sasuke era', her ocean had been mostly quite; a few occasional ripples, but other than that, her waters had been calm and dark and predictable. Such an ocean was easy to navigate. It was safe, and it held no surprises. Kami knew she had had enough of those to last her a lifetime.

But then Sanosuke barged into her life out of nowhere, making a home for himself in her heart and getting so far under her skin that she had trouble deciphering where she started, and where he ended.

Her ocean was wild, but in the way that promised laughter and adventure. The sun shone bright over her waves, bathing them in the hues of Sano's amber eyes, flooding her senses with the smell of pine and sake that she had come to associate with his hugs.

It was scary how a chance meeting with someone she would not have met under normal circumstances had brought such a monumental shift in her.

But how was I supposed to know? This mission…Is it even a mission anymore?

The harsh reality was that when the little note with the Hokage's orders came, she would have to leave. Her village would never allow her to remain back, not her. No matter what she said or how she felt, or how much she wanted to stay. Gods, she felt like a traitor just thinking about it.

What used to be 'them', and 'the Shinsengumi', was now 'us'. It was 'Shin-kun' and 'Souji-kun' and 'Chizuru-chan'. It was Harada Sanosuke and everything he filled her being with.

And one day would come, that she would be asked to leave them all behind.

The thought made a chocked sob rise to her throat, and she was glad she had refused Chizuru's invitation to walk back to their rooms together. No one could see her like this. Not Chizuru, not Shinpachi, and most of all, not Sano. He would keep asking, she knew. He would keep asking and she'd cave because his voice and his warmth did funny things to her.

And she would tell him everything, every last secret in her heart, and she simply couldn't do that. She'd never put that burden on him. He wasn't responsible for her heart and she'd be damned if she allowed anything to ruin the numbered days of friendship they still had together, herself included.

So, suck it up, Sakura. Put a smile on your face and be like you've always been. Nurturing a broken heart…You're a master of that trade, after all.

Realizing she had reached her door, Sakura glanced one last time at the night sky and entered her room.

Immediately, the hairs at the back of her neck stood on edge and she whipped out a kunai, ready to pounce on the intruder.

"Why, hello there, Sa-ku-ra. I think it's about time you and I had a proper chat."

Blond hair, red eyes. Sitting on her bed was none other than Kazama Chikage.

TBC

Our girl Sakura is in loooove!

I mean, I'm in love with Sano too, so I can't really blame her. He's adorable like that!

HEY PEOPLE!

New chapter is here, and I hope you liked it!

I really enjoy writing these "everyday" type of scenes. I feel it makes the romance and the relationships more real and believable. Battles are cool and all, but people fall in love through the little things. Sanosuke's fine ass, for example. :P

Also, Kazama is back in all his arrogant, magnificent glory!

We'll see more of him in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

On a side note, I recently started playing this otome game called "Ikemen: Sengoku" and I gotta say… . .

Hands off ladies! Nobunaga, Masamune, and Hideyoshi are mine!

I'll end my fangirl moment here.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If it's not too much trouble, drop me a review to let me know what you think. Reading your thoughts always makes my day.

Until next time,

Lots of love!