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"Hijikata!" Three of the five men exclaimed in alarm, alerting the Demon of the Roshigumi, as well as Sanan, and Kondou who were with him in the common room.

Hijikata growled a bit in annoyance as he shot a glare at the five. "What?" He demanded in his usually harsh tone. They must've interrupted something important.

Sanan and Kondou weren't nearly as cold as their friend, instead gazed upon their comrades with confusion and concern at their alarm. "Did something happen?" Sanan asked in his usually soft tone, though his eyes did show a slight demand for an explanation for the interruption.

"Tell us what the hell is going on!" Shinpachi demanded.

"Mei is gone!" Heisuke exclaimed as the men briskly shuffled into the room and looked at their three superiors.

There was a long silence before Hijikata let out a deep sigh. "I originally thought that this would've gone unnoticed with how things were between all of us and Mei…" He groaned, his eyes closing and brows furrowing in deep agitation, yet resignation at whatever the situation was about to turn into.

"We know she is gone." Sanan said plainly with a small, a minuscule, frown.

Still, three of the five men seemed to be confused, while one of the two that were silent spoke up, "… So you knowingly let her escape? She knows so much about us, it's gonna come bite us in the ass." Okita stated, as frivolous as ever in his tone, but not so much in the cold look in his eyes. Could he have been upset?

"That's not what happened." Hijikata piped up.

"… Mei… Mei is working with Serizawa for work at the moment." Kondou spoke up, rather meekly as he stared down at the ground. He felt responsible, obviously, for giving his men a scare. "We were informed of this by Yamazaki earlier last week…"

"We confronted Serizawa and he had told us the truth, being that his words matched Yamazaki's in what he knew of Mei's movements. His reasoning's are sound so we found no reason to object to them, as well as the fact that Mei is working with him, willingly." Sanan stated, trying to ease the men with the information they could provide, however the news seemed to anger a couple.

"You really believe Mei would willingly help that man? She hates him!" Shinpachi exclaimed in anger.

"Have you all forgotten she is my page, why wasn't this run by me?" Okita asked, his ever-so-present smirk on his face but his eyes seemingly growing sharper and colder the more they were told.

Hijikata shot the man a glare, "You weren't on speaking terms with her, nor did you show any concern for her well-being as of late, so we didn't think it would matter to you." He stated, though that wasn't true. He just knew that if they had asked Okita first, then he would've immediately shot it down. He would've made the whole thing all the more difficult.

"…. Where is Mei now?" Harada asked, trying to behave like the voice of reason now. "… Is she alright?"

"She's perfectly safe, Yamazaki and Shimada are also watching over her." Sanan assured, trying to help their men feel relieved, if only slightly. "… She's in the red-light district at the moment…"

At the mention of that section of Kyoto, it was easy to see in their eyes what they thought Serizawa would have had Mei doing there, but before they could put up a fuss, thankfully Kondou clarified, "She's not there as a Geisha…! She's there to protect the Geisha's, to somewhat help our reputation if only there. She already has a relationship with the women there."

Hijikata looked at the men, "It's a hotbed of information if you know where to look so Serizawa felt that it was better to mend the relationship between him, as a whole of the Roshigumi, and the women working there." He stated.

His voice sounding a bit more confident, Kondou continued, "Serizawa has received more information from the Geisha from time to time, so it seems to have been working. We didn't make Mei do this… Her reasons for doing this are her own."

The men that had rudely interrupted whatever conversation their superiors were having sagged their shoulders a bit, a couple if only slightly.

Mei sounded like she was safe so that's all they could ask for.

"… Has she heard of what Serizawa has done lately? Like burning that building? Having messed up in the Red-light district just the other day?" Okita asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"… She's aware." Sanan nodded.

"How did she take it?" Okita asked, his eyes closing as he waited for an answer. The response would determine his next course of action.

Kondou bit his lip, "… Concerning the Geisha, she simply glared at him, however with everything else, she didn't seem to give it much thought… none really…"

Okita said nothing, humming a bit before he walked away from the room and headed in the direction of his room, so no one gave him much thought.

|Few Days Later|
-Red-light District-

Mei sat on the wood railings outside of the room that Serizawa was in. Her hair was pulled up into a nice ponytail with her hair wrapped around the base like a ribbon and pinned there with a beautifully designed hair pin. She had decided to go along with the wishes of the woman from before. Her bangs were longer than before and had ended at her chin, framing her face.

Ryunosuke was beside her, having finished asking one of the workers to bring them more sake to the room. He looked at her a bit perplexed.

"What is it? You look like you have something to say." Mei asked as she looked at him.

"It's just… Out of all the people, you were the last person I would've thought that would cooperate with Serizawa… I mean, next to Hijikata." He stated lightly, his eyes looking towards the ground. "Are you still upset with them?"

Mei looked at him with a passive expression on her beautiful features, though she actually contemplated his question. She wasn't as mad at the men as she was before, especially with the time she had away from them. In fact, she was more embarrassed than upset. When they had treated her like the outsider she forgot who she truly was, she had reverted to her old self. The persona she had adopted to protect herself and save herself from any pain. They had gotten her so used to having comrades, people to look after, that being without them physically hurt. That incident scared her, and she reacted the only way she knew how—lash out. If she had a calm state of mind she probably could have figured out their intentions and taken a better course of action, but that didn't happen. She was more impulsive now than she was before she met the Roshigumi.

All she was doing now was trying to buy herself time before she inevitably had to suck it up and face them again.

"I guess… I'm too embarrassed to face them…" She admitted softly, hoping in the pit of her heart that he hadn't heard her, "I felt… Unwanted in the beginning but then I just felt embarrassed and upset. They were treating me like I was untrustworthy despite all the time we've had together… The many opportunities I had to run away, but didn't... And I lashed out at them… over it…"

Silence filled the space between them for some time before Ryunosuke finally spoke up, "… I don't think the others feel like they don't want you there… Maybe they're just looking out for you…" He whispered.

Now she looked at him, wanting to know what he thought about the whole thing.

"… I mean, the more you do know about them… The slimmer the chance of you leaving gets… Maybe they feel guilty for confining you in the compound… That's why they want you to realize that you continuing to stick so close to them will result in your permanent stay…" When he didn't receive any sort of response, the boy looked up to see Mei staring at him seemingly surprised. He felt his cheeks grow a bit hot, "What?"

"Who knew you could sound so… sensible." She whispered.

Ryunosuke was about to retort before he sighed then went to the door. He slid it open and leaned against the frame, as if trying to look cool, which made Mei laugh, "I asked them to bring in some more sake for you." But there was a loud crash and that got the attention of Mei's concern. "Serizawa!" Ryunosuke exclaimed in alarm as he rushed inside.

Mei got up from her spot on the wood and went inside the room to see Serizawa clutching himself on the floor.

"Serizawa…! Are you okay? Serizawa!" Ryunosuke called out, concerned as he was kneeling in front of his master.

"Who- Who the hell… are you?" Serizawa grumbled, straining it out. Immediately, Mei rushed to the two geisha and ushered them closer to the wall.

"You need to stay far from him… He's sick… Okay?" Mei instructed as she saw the symptoms, she had caught onto them the day he got in her face about being a traitor. She had never taken notice of his disease until that day, but even then, she had no idea it was this bad already.

"What is this place?" Serizawa said a bit hoarsely. His shoulders sagging and his eyes darting around the room. He was the complete opposite of his usually arrogant and refined way he held himself. Now he surely reminded her of a gorilla. "What am I doing here?"

"Master um… are you alright?" The poor man had no clue what was happening.

"Don't get near him!" Mei warned but it was too late, Serizawa lashed out and kicked the man to the ground a foot away. With a growl Mei stood in front of the Geisha, glaring at Serizawa. Someone had to do something because if she tried to get near him he'd probably fight her.

Suddenly Ryunosuke grabbed the man's shoulders and forced him to face him, "Calm down! You've had too much to drink haven't you! I'm Ibuki! Don't you recognize me, Serizawa?" He called out a bit, as if trying to reach the Serizawa they knew.

There was a long pause before Serizawa stepped back and lifted his fan over his head. His poor servant looked up a bit confused for a moment, before the fan was brought down harshly on his head.

"Ow!"

"I can hardly remember the face of each and every dog." Serizawa stated gruffly. There's the Serizawa they knew. His eyes met hers, the look of recognition of not only him but of his illness clear in her eyes, and it was as if he warned her to keep her mouth shut with the steely gaze he gave her.

Her only response to his silent threat was a turn of her head and a wave of her hand. And at the same time, Ryunosuke grumbled, "Damn… Stupid drunk."

Serizawa only chuckled at the two he brought with him.

"Master Serizawa, is something the matter?" A man asked as he walked closer to the room.

"Keep it down, you're too loud!"

"What's all the ruckus."

Several men that were passing by called out a bit annoyed by all the noise they must've created. But one of them immediately stopped upon seeing Serizawa.

"Hey…! Aren't you Serizawa from the Wolves of Mibu?!" He growled. His two companions coming up behind him with a unison of 'what' fleeing from their mouths.

Serizawa grinned in response, "And what if I am?" He cooed arrogantly, "Do you think yourselves capable of killing me? If so," He tapped his fan against his shoulder, "I will take you on."

All three men gulped. Clearly hesitating.

Mei growled, "Why are you always trying to cause problems...? Take it outside if you're gonna be so problematic." She grumbled before looking at the Geisha, making sure they weren't hurt.

"I wouldn't." Suddenly came another voice, and with it, came a sense of danger for Mei. "You are hardly a match for him." The voice was deep and carried weight even if the words weren't even that great.

"Hm?" Serizawa hummed as he looked at the person walking towards their room.

"Come along, go right this way. I shall prepare another room for you gentlemen." The caretaker said before ushering the men away from the room they were in. The three men grumbled beneath their breaths with evident annoyance towards the man that was slowly coming into view of Ryunosuke and Mei; Serizawa towered over them, so he most likely saw the man first.

It was his eyes that made a cold shiver rush down her spine and something tight wrap around her heart. Those crimson orbs made her want to be as far away from the man as possible. Next, she noticed the honey blond hair which seemed to oddly fit the man with an almost equally arrogant aura around him as Serizawa—and that was a lot. He wore a traditional white kimono with black and red checkered lining on the inner part of the kimono where it crossed at his chest. A yellow and black collar around his neck but was tied at the front with a red string, though it wasn't tightly knotted and hung between his collarbones. A gray haori finished the whole attire and only increased the arrogant air around him in the eyes of the female swordsman.

The fact she had swords at her sides warranted the attention of the stranger, but as Ryunosuke and Serizawa were beginning to leave, Mei tore away her gaze to help the Geisha out of the room. She didn't even pay much attention to the exchange Serizawa and the man had, only knowing they had shared words because she could hear them speaking but didn't listen in enough to actually understand their speech,

"Are you okay?" Mei asked softly as she helped the women to their feet. "Did you get hurt?" She asked, setting a hand on each of their cheeks before smiling gently.

"We're fine… Thank you, Mistress Mei…" One of the women, Hanabi, said with a gentle nod.

"Are you okay?" The other, Yoriko, asked with evident concern.

"I wasn't hit, so I'm fine… You both go relax for a bit, tell the girls to have someone else replace you two for the rest of the night… You've had quite the scare." Mei smiled before she went back into the room next door to clean up the mess that Serizawa left, "Stupid old, sick drunk… I swear-"

"It is illegal for women to carry a katana, but you carry with you a pair set."

Oh right, that man.

Mei slowly looked up as she had just picked up a sake bottle. "… I am half Chinese, and it is also a family tradition that women know how to defend themselves and to do so whenever it is called for. I could easily do so without my weapons however I carry these more because they are my family's heirlooms, rather than weapons. I'd rather keep them close. The Aizu Domain and Shogunate have already allowed me to carry these weapons within reason." She averted her gaze from him and continued to clean. "Though the other half is Japanese, I was raised in China. I refuse to stop practicing at least this rule of my family."

He moved so fast she froze in shock. His hand was suddenly grasping onto her wrist, and his face was so close to hers when she looked up to stare into his eyes. "You are of royal blood, pathetic human." He stated lowly, his piercing crimson eyes reminding her of the furies she had seen many times before. "The way you speak and carry yourself. Your hands are much too clean and soft for you to have grown up in the middle class or even the poorer class." He pointed out. She hadn't even noticed his thumb was stroking her palm, while his fingers toyed with the bracelet carrying an intricately designed pendent on it tied neatly around her wrist. "What is a woman with royal blood like you, from China no less, doing here and dealing with other pathetic humans like them? I know trash flocks to trash, but you are slightly less trash in the eyes of your kind." He stated.

Mei quickly pushed him away from her, her eyes glaring now at him as she took a few steps back. "You know… It's very rude to suddenly grab a lady without asking for permission first." She reprimanded as she held her wrist to her chest. He moved so fast… She knew it now… Knew exactly who this man- or rather, what this man really was. "Who are you?" She asked.

"… It's only polite to offer up your name before asking the name of another." The man replied.

"… I am Mei… Mei Shi…" She indulged the man.

"… Kazama Chikage."

"Well Kazama…" Mei whispered as she quickly, and haphazardly, gathered the mess on the tray before walking past him to take the dishes, "… I must be going, I will have someone else clean up the room before you enter." She rushed down the hall. Her body still trembling ever so gently from the sheer presence of the man even though they weren't near one another anymore. She wasn't afraid, however, his presence carried a large and ominous weight. It was as if this wasn't going to be the last time the two would cross paths. And hopefully, they wouldn't be crossing swords.

She had dropped the tray off at the kitchen before going off to another part of Shimabara, avoiding the area where Kazama Chikage was. Her body had finally calmed, and she sat at the edge of the veranda of the lesser used part of the building. Mei looked down towards the ground at her feet, holding her swords in her lap. She was a bit lost in her thoughts, thinking about how heavy the air was for her in the presence of the man, the demon. Those crimson eyes—they weren't ordinary, and it was a dead giveaway for her, since she knew that monsters did go bump in the night. She knew the difference between demons and furies, but those eyes might as well have belonged to the same species.

But what was a demon doing in Shimabara? She was always under the impression that they had gone into hiding.

After her encounter with furies at such an early age, once she was older and had grown up enough to come over her fear of them, she had done her own research on them. It didn't take long for her to figure out the connection of demons to the furies.

With a deep sigh, Mei got up from her seat and decided it was time for her to head back to her duties.

Suddenly she was pulled into one of the vacant rooms, a hand clasping over her mouth and a strong arm around her waist. Her whole body tensed as she feared the worst, that Li had caught her off guard. She was about to punch her assailant but when she turned to see where she was aiming, she was met with bright emerald eyes.

Her own bright blue ones were wide, staring into his own. Okita?... What is he doing here? She couldn't help but think.

As if reading her mind, something of a habit now, he said, "I just came to talk. Okay?" Okita stated as he slowly released the woman from his grasp.

Mei didn't know how to react at first as her mind was slowly coming to terms with the fact that the man that caused her the most trouble was there. Once he released her she just stared at him, watching him closely, as if watching him for any suspicious moved.

"Tell me why are you here." Okita demanded with an uncharacteristically serious look in his eyes that didn't quite meet the whimsical smirk playing on his lips.

Mei looked at him with a passive expression, trying to hide her thoughts, saying nothing to him. All her worries were growing worse, staring into his emerald orbs. She'd die before she would ever tell him she was too embarrassed to face them, but lying to him would piss the man off and she wasn't in the mood to see how that would play out for her.

After some long, silent moments of thought, she finally spoke. Keeping in mind her truth.

"… Because I needed some time to think…" Mei whispered, looking down at the ground. "… I didn't understand why you all had treated me the way you did that day; I still don't understand. But what I did come to understand was that, I behaved like a child. Impulsively lashing out at you all, because… I was hurt." Lying to Okita would be pointless. She knew that very well, but dancing around the main truth was something easier. "… I couldn't face any of you, so when Serizawa gave me the chance to have some time away, I took it." She answered plainly. She didn't HAVE to say embarrassed.

Suddenly, it was like with Kazama, he had moved so quick she didn't have the time to react to it initially. His hand was on her chin and she was suddenly made to look up at him. Emerald orbs glowered down at her with such an intensity that the woman was frozen where she stood.

"You left without my permission. I should kill you for that. Have you forgotten who is your master?" Okita smirked as his free hand set on his short sword. "You don't leave without my permission, understand that? Or next time I will kill you."

Mei looked up at him, only able to nod at his words. He looked upset with her, but she didn't feel all that guilty about it. She felt—glad. That meant he really did care, in his own twisted way. She had come to Okita enough that he wasn't one to say how he truly felt. So, possibly out of her own ego, she felt that he had truly cared for her.

"Because Souji cares, even if he doesn't shoe it like a normal person. All of us care…"

"Words. Mei."

"I understand."

With a happy smirk, the man pulled away and started to head out, "Good, so once you are done here, I expect you to tell Serizawa you are no longer interested." He stated, leaving her with that as he left her in the dark room with nothing but her thoughts and swords.

Getting all friendly with them will only hurt you worse in the end. Just kill them. You can't get rid of me-

"Shut up."

The woman reached into the small pouch she had at her side before taking a pill that was within it and plopping one into her mouth and dry swallowing it. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she didn't mind it since it gave her results.

"I may not be able to get rid of you… But I can shut you up…" Mei whispered.

That's it for this chapter! I hope it was satisfactory! Please leave a review! Favorite and follow this story if you want to keep up with this fanfiction~ I will try to update more frequently instead of months in between the chapters! I really do appreciate everyone who had reviewed, followed, and favorited this fanfiction ! You all are amazing! I don't have much else to say for this one, but please bare with me-I am an erratic human being. hehe

Love,

Chess