SEMI-IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: I have a question for everyone!

Would any of you be interested in small shorts of the Hakuouki characters and other OC's of mine (or you could PM and submit your own if that works for you). I would make a separate fanfiction of small short original stories/limes/lemons, or small shorts for the mini chapters and side storie from the PS3 Hakuouki Game, and the PSVita Kyoto Winds/Edo Blossoms games. I was just thinking it'd be cool to do being that I could write them on the side, instead of filling up the main fanfiction with "filler" chapters of moments that could be small shorts instead. (by small shorts, I mean things that don't really contribute to the main plot but are more for fluffiness, smuttiness, and cuteness~) Tell me what you think in the reviews! I would love to hear your opinions on this idea~ Can't wait to hear from you all, and please enjoy this chapter~

"... The old you was much easier to talk to." The figure stated as it faced Mei. They were a good distance away from her which made Mei feel at ease.

"The old me was passive... A shell of who I was before that night." Mei stated, standing as she looked down at the figure. "I don't need you now… I have something to protect more than myself…" She whispered.

The figure seemed displeased with her response, in fact, almost seemed infuriated. "Your precious Shinsengumi, right? Why? They have wronged you even when you had done nothing but help them and listen like a good little pup." They growled before standing to their feet now.

Mei sighed, "How long will that be your argument?" She was more than exhausted by the argument the figure had been barking at her.

"You still need me, even if you don't realize it yet. Those Furies, Kodo Yukimura, even his daughter, have brought bad luck onto your precious boys. And what of Li? What of when he returns?" The figure began, walking towards her in slow strides. "What will you do when they all leave you Mei? When they all drink that damned drink?"

"They wouldn't!"

"Stop being naive, Mei!" The figure shouted, "They are human! They will do what they can to survive! They will cast away their humanity if it meant they kept their honor as a samurai!" They grabbed the woman's shoulders harshly, the white that surrounded and obscured their form slowly disappearing from their hands and up their arms, working their way through the whole body, "They will forsake their humanity! They don't appreciate their humanity! They won't! Until they lose it!"

"SHUT UP!"

-Reality-

Mei fell to her knees on the veranda as she grabbed her head tightly, gripping onto her head as a migraine formed, causing her head to pound so painfully. "Fuck.." She hissed, leaning against the pillar near the edge as she shut her eyes and continued to hold her head till it disappeared. The female took softer breaths once the agonizing pain went away, slowly opening her eyes as she stared at the wall.

Conversations such as those during the day only began happening once Chizuru Yukimura was allowed to stay within the compound. Her presence upset the figure, that much was for sure. Or is it because we don't know… that ticks them off so much… Mei thought before she slowly pushed herself up to her feet. Mei was unsure of Chizuru, yet, couldn't bring herself to react more suspiciously of her.

She needed to get Sanan his medicine soon.

Mei sighed deeply, beginning to head for the kitchen when she suddenly heard a familiar shout come from the common area. Her eyes widened as she picked up her pace to see what was going on. Whatever it was, wasn't good.

"I hear you're also from Edo, but what kind of tricks did you have up your sleeve to slide in here?"

"I did no such thing!" Chizuru defended.

Oh shit! Mei thought as she stopped just before the door and listened in on the conversation. As much as she wanted to immediately walk in to rip the Captain a new one, maybe the conversation would benefit her.

"Ah, judging by how defensive you became, it sounds like I'm right on target." The smugness in the voice made Mei irritated, knowing that man well. She stood by the door, out of light curiosity to see what the snake would say next. Depending on what he said, she would hold her blade to his neck. "Look, this isn't a place where someone without any worth on the battlefield or in the strategy room can waltz in without earning it. I'm going to ask you one more time… How did you get in with the Chief and Commander?" He insisted.

Chizuru stayed quiet as the towering man demanded to be answered.

Which only irritated him.

"I, Kanryusai Takeda, am asking you a question! What makes you think you can just ignore me?!" He bellowed with annoyance, like a child.

Mei quickly rushed in and grabbed his wrist, "Please control yourself, Captain. Otherwise, you'll be breaking the code." She stated venomously, stepping between the two as she pushed Chizuru a bit behind her. Seemed like the argument would have become violent if she allowed it to continue any longer.

Takeda glared at Mei before he roughly pulled his hand away, scowling at the page before her.

"Behaving like a child will ruin your reputation, Captain. How about working on a bit of self control." The page hissed, narrowing her eyes on the much taller male, without an ounce of fear.

"Mei Shi. It's a displeasure to hear you still haven't learned respect for your superiors." Takeda growled, looking the woman up and down before he smirked. "Perhaps I should take you off Okita's hands, I could teach you to obey rather quickly." The insinuation didn't go unnoticed by either female, however Mei wasn't about to let it slide.

Mei grinned, "You couldn't get a woman to obey you even if your life depended on it. You're a callous and vile man who's overcompensating the size of his manhood with false bravado and an over-inflated ego."

Takeda didn't like her words, not one bit.

The man raised his hand and brought it down to smack her but-

"Oi! Takeda! What the hell are you doing here?"

The three turned towards the far door to see Hijikata entering with his usual scowl deepening with his displeasure at the scene before him.

The burgundy haired captain stopped centimeters away from Mei's face before he dropped his hand back to his side. "Well well, Commander Hijikata… I'm here on business with Chief Kondou." Takeda stated with his usual pompous air, glancing at Mei, "But this woman didn't know her place, I was only going to show her to respect her superiors."

"That so? Well firstly, I've heard nothing about your business with Kondou, and secondly. Mei is not yours to discipline Takeda. If you have an issue with her, you complain to Souji. Page or not, she is still a part of the Shinsengumi, and any altercations between members is punishable by Seppuku." Hijikata glared the man down with a fiery gaze.

Takeda opted to accept, or ignore, Hijikata's words concerning Mei's behavior, before smirking obnoxiously, "He called me on special orders to assist him while Colonel Sanan is out of commission." He stated, setting a hand on his hip. "However, as it appears, Chief Kondou is nowhere to be seen, so I will be on my way now."

Mei growled a bit at his comment about Sanan but said nothing else, slowly guiding Chizuru a bit further away from Takeda.

The man glanced at Mei once more before he turned to leave, stopping at the door as he turned over his shoulder, "As a side note, Commander Hijikata… Are the rumors true, that you've welcomed this young blood as your page?"

"Yes, but it is none of your concern to know more." Hijikata said promptly, looking over Mei's shoulder at the child that should've listened and stayed in her room.

"Ah, forgive me. I'll refrain from pressing for details, as it seems to be out of my Jurisdiction." Takeda quipped, "I do, however, question your predisposition towards keeping those from your birthplace close to you." He turned away, "It seems I forgot myself. Please excuse me." With those final words, he left-finally.

Mei grumbled beneath her breath, "Lying little snake." Her muscles relaxed before she turned to Chizuru, "What were you doing out of your room?" Mei asked with a disapproving gaze. "I thought I made it clear to stay in your room."

Hijikata slowly came up from behind Mei with a disapproving gaze of his own, staring at Chizuru, "Your presence here is not common knowledge, and only those staying at Yagi residence know. Be mindful of anyone who visits from the Maekawa residence, is that clear?" He warned, sighing deeply.

"Clear. I promise to be more careful going forward. So, may I ask who that man was?" Chizuru murmured, moving a bit to see Mei and Hijikata more comfortably.

"That man… is Captain of the 5th Division. His name is Kanryusai Takeda." Hijikata informed.

"He's a vile man…" Mei whispered as she turned away from Hijikata, who gave her a look in return.

"His swordsmanship is decent, but he is well read and possesses a cunning mind for military science." Hijikata ended up adding, "He's a tricky one, so be careful." His tone was much more hushed now, not wanting anyone else outside the room to hear by mistake.

Chizuru nodded, "Yes sir…"

"Furthermore, if you have no business being out, then I expect you to stay put in your room." HIjikata said in attempt to dismiss the girl. The attempt turned to a success as Chizuru solemnly left the room and back to her own.

Mei sighed deeply herself before she excused herself.

-April 1864-

"Why are we telling them anything…" Mei grumbled harshly as she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed deeply.

After a very eventful morning, the Captains that knew of Chizuru's secret, Commander, Vice Commander, Colonel, and Mei were seated in the common room, awaiting two more of their men to arrive. That day, they were going to inform the Watch of Chizuru's presence and her situation as to how she arrived at the Shinsengumi. It was decided the day before, being that the only way to wholeheartedly move forward with their investigation, they'd have to inform the Watch eventually.

However…

Not everyone was happy about the decision.

"I agree. I'm still completely against this. It'll cause more trouble than it's worth." Okita stated with a small pout on his lips, his eyes looking over at Hijikata. "Like the medicine. We'd have to explain the whole mess, and why we kept than information from the other men." But his eyes drifted over to Saito when he replied to the childish complaints of his comrade.

"Souji. The commander trusts both Yamazaki and Shimada with the Shinsengumi's secrets." Saito piped up, "Even if we didn't inform them about her now, if we continue searching for Kodo we'll have to tell them at some point. We can't keep prolonging it."

Okita looked away as he huffed a bit, slipping his hands into his sleeves.

Mei agreed with her master wholeheartedly, and it was no wonder why, though to Chizuru it was a bit surprising. Being that she had seen Mei scolding and berating her master on a daily basis for nearly everything. Every one of the men knew, however, why Mei didn't want the watch coming in at all. Yamazaki and her never did quite get along. The only time they ever set aside their differences was when they were working on nursing people to health and tending wounds of the men. Other than that, their bickering was worse than her and Okita's.

"Well, we shouldn't waste a good opportunity. No sense in drawing it out." Harada smiled before laughing, obviously trying to diffuse the tension that was building up in the room. "I mean, she's been here at the headquarters for three months right? It's time to make a move." He said, a bit more seriously now.

"Hey, you're making it sound like all we did was slack off until now." Heisuke protested before looking at Chizuru, "Just so you know, Chizuru, us Captains and Mei have been investigating places around Kyoto for Kodo too. We haven't been sitting on our asses this whole time." He cleared up, puffing his cheeks a bit in a childish manner.

"You… have?" Chizuru asked astonishedly. For the last three months the girl probably thought the men were pushing it aside.

If only she knew how vital it was to get Kodo back was for them.

"Finding Kodo sooner than later wouldn't just be for your benefit; for the Shinsengumi, it'd help us out a lot if we located him quickly." Harada added with an assuring smile.

"Th-Thank you! All of you!" Chizuru smiled happily, glad to know there was effort being put into locating her father. She bowed her head gratefully before she straightened up and couldn't contain her smile.

Heisuke shook his head with a small smile of his own, "You shouldn't be thanking us. After all, we want to find him for our own reasons too." He scratched his nose a bit before chuckling gently.

"I'm with Souji and Mei on this one… Why should we tell more people about a girl when we don't even know when we're going to get rid of her?" Shinpachi insensitively said. " 'We had no choice but to bring her to headquarters after she found out about out secret, but we had to kill her because she got in the way' Say something like that to our men and morale would drop like a stone. Bunch of guys are soft on women."

Mei growled a bit as her eyes turned cold and narrowed upon the blue eyes samurai. "Shinpachi, keep talking and see if I don't rip your manhood off." She warned, her glare menacing.

Even as her position as a page, no matter how much time had passed, the men (at least most of them) let her speak like she was an equal to them. When it came to her swordsmanship, she was just as strong as them, but she also had a little self control. At least most of the time. She knew when to hold her tongue 99% of the time now unlike before when Serizawa Kamo was around pushing her buttons.

What they did know, was that her temper was not to be trifled with.

Shinpachi's eyes widened for a moment before he hid a bit behind Harada. "W-What?! What did i do!"

Mei set a hand on her hip before she sat down a bit behind Okita, "You're being insensitive. Keep those thoughts to yourself, jackass." She sighed lightly, letting the anger settle before she looked over at Okita, who shared a look with her.

"I understand why we're doing it, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it." Okita murmured as he turned back over to Hijikata.

"Excuse me."

Mei turned her head to the door as Shimada's voice invaded her ears, a small smile on her face as she greeted him warmly.

"Shimada and Yamazaki reporting as requested." Shimada stated as they slowly entered the room once Hijikata gave them permission.

Mei avoided looking at Yamazaki, seeing as it'd put her in a worse mood, and instead kept her eyes on Shimada or Chizuru. She watched them introduce themselves, waiting for the whole thing to be over.

The "meeting" was brief, and some parts were vague to Chizuru, especially when the men were dancing around the subject of exactly why they were looking for Kodo Yukimura so urgently. It seemed like it was all going relatively smooth before, of course, Okita had to open his mouth.

"This is just fucking great… Anybody else think we're just creating more flunkies to blindly follow Hijikata, or is it just me?" The emerald eyed samurai said mockingly.

Yamazaki immediately rebuked, "Do not insult us, or your superior, with thinking any of the Watch are so foolish as to blindly give our loyalty. My respect for Commander Hijikata is genuine. That's all."

The two locked into a silent battle as they glared at each other. Yamazaki was glaring at Okita with ice, no one could deny it. Okita's sideway grin edged a little sharper, and everyone in the room could feel the sudden tension in the air.

"Stop it Souji. Don't needlessly start a fight inside the group." Saito reprimanded.

"You too, Yamazaki. Calm down. You mustn't speak back to a Captain." Shamada heeded.

However, neither moved or broke their eye contact.

"Meeting is over. Get the hell out." Hijikata growled in irritation. "You two from the Watch, stay. I need to debrief you on what you should expect."

Slowly everyone began to file out of the room, Mei being the first to leave since the situation begged her to just deck Yamazaki's "smug" face in. After informing the Watch everyone went about their daily duties. Mei in particular was cleaning while Heisuke watched over Chizuru that day.

She grabbed off the laundry that was already dry before hanging the damp ones up in their places. Doing menial tasks such as laundry helped her push her annoyance away, keeping her from lashing out on anyone especially Yamazaki himself. It took her mind off all of that when she did something so normal. However…

Their smell…

You can smell them… can't you?

The furies.

Mei bit her lip, thinking of the furies in that room, begging for blood. Suffering-

"Mei."

The woman's eyes widened as someone called her name, dulling her senses and momentarily distracting her from her thoughts. "...?" She turned to see that Okita stood behind her, towering over her with his ever-so-eternal smirk upon his lips. "... Okita…?"

"Let's talk for a minute." Okita hummed, grabbing the females wrist and dragging her into one of the rooms nearest to that courtyard. He didn't care to hear her response, let alone for her to finish her chores. He pulled her inside without a moment's hesitation, sliding the door closed behind them as he made her face him. "What's going on with you lately, Mei?" He asked, looking down at his page, who seemed to be barely processing what had just happened.

What Mei was actually doing, was thinking about the last time Okita had pulled her into a room against her will. Months ago when she was working under Serizawa at Shimabara. The night she had also met that odd crimson eyed man...

Shaking the memory from her head, Mei looked up at him. "What do you mean, Okita?" She asked, stepping away from him but looking him in the eyes, he had gotten too close to her personal bubble for her to feel comfortable.

"I mean, you've been off. Ever since that kid got here. You've been way more quiet and always damn annoyed when she's around." He said, his hand never releasing her wrist from his grasp, preventing her from escaping. "So tell me, what the hell is with you?"

Mei frowned a bit, "... Right now, it's nothing that concerns you… But I promise I will tell you when I figure it out myself, okay?" This was the best she could do for now. The way things were, She couldn't tell Okita or any of the men why she was behaving the way she was. She wasn't prepared for the possible outcome.

Okita didn't like her answer, however, knew that he couldn't do much about it for now. "Then tell me something that you know now. I know you haven't even talked to Harada all that much these days either." He pressed, trying to get his page to talk. He noticed her odd behavior long before the child had even been brought to headquarters. The moment Mei got near Chizuru, carrying her the night she encountered the escaped furies, he saw how she was immediately protective of the defenseless and weak girl. It was unusual for her to get so attached to someone that easily. It took weeks or months for her to be comfortable enough to show emotions to him and he others. The difference was annoying.

Mei looked down towards the ground as she frowned. What could she tell him? What was appropriate for the time being? She couldn't lie. She knew that. This was Okita and he would catch onto it immediately. "... She reminds me of someone I knew… growing up back in China…" She stated, "She just seems familiar to me…." She murmured softly, she looked up at Okita, seeing if that would suffice, but the look in his eyes made her bite her lip. Okita, of all people, wouldn't spread anything… Right?

He wouldn't say anything to anyone unless it jeopardized the Shinsengumi.

Taking a deep breath Mei fished something out of her sleeve and showed it to Okita, "... This is my mother's family crest. I found it beneath the Ashes at Kodo's clinic… Knowing Kodo is the one who brought you the Furies, and finding this beneath the rubble, I have a pretty good hunch he had a hand in the death of my family. And if not, had got it from the same source that might've attacked my mother's family as well." She sighed deeply, finally letting someone into her worried thoughts. "I've been meaning to ask Chizuru if she had ever met my family, or my mother's family. What her connection was to them if she had, and where were they now. I just can't find the right time to ask or how to ask her. That's why I've been annoyed. That's the reason why I keep trying to keep her alive and away from everyone's blades. I need to know." Mei's tense muscles relaxed without her even noticing. Telling someone her thoughts, even if not completely, gave her some sort of peace. "This isn't something I can just ask out of the blue or in front of everyone, Okita."

Okita had been silent, taking in her explanation with a leveled gaze. Once she had concluded her confession he didn't say anything at first, not until Mei put away the crest. "Alright... You seem better now." He sighed. "Stop trying to hold things on your own. You're my page, the least you can do is tell me when things are bothering you instead of annoying the hell out of me like a nagging mother with your shit when you're in a bad mood."

Mei turned away and huffed, annoyed with his last statement.

Okita didn't appreciate the childish gesture and tugged on her wrist towards him. He watched her stumble before he grabbed her by her neck gently, applying little pressure as he guided her to look at him. "... Look at your master when he talks to you, pup." Okita growled. "When you keep your mouth shut and take out your frustrations on everything around you, you become a burden. Quit it or I will kill you." The 1st Division Captain threatened.

Mei glared into her master's eyes but didn't talk back to him as she normally would have if it were a different nature of conversation. Like an obedient servant Mei nodded silently, slowly straightening up once Okita released her neck and wrist from his grasp.

"Good." Okita smirked, just as he always done, before walking out of the room. Leaving Mei in silence.

-June 1864-

Winter's snow finally melted to make way for Springs lush grass, blooming flowers, and green leaves, before Spring passed gorgeously for Summer's warm days to hug those below the sun's embrace.

Mei was doing laundry, as she had always done at that time of day. She carried the basket of clothes inside the compound before having Inoue deal with the rest for her. "Oh, Mei, Harada asked you to meet him, Heisuke and Nagakura by the gates. You are going on rounds with them." Inoue informed with a small smile on his face.

The page was surprised, to say the least. The last time she had patrolled with Harada and Heisuke…

There was so much blood on the ground, her's and that of the men she intended to kill that day. Her eyes drifted to the ground as she remembered how angry she became as the ronin were ready to cut down a small child, the screams of the mother filling the air-

"Mei?"

Mei's eyes blinked as Inoue's confused tone brought her back to reality. "O-Oh… Sorry. I'll change quickly and meet them immediately." She nodded slightly, her eyes softening a bit. She got to her feet before walking to her room, having to pass Chizuru's on her way there. They weren't tasked to watch over her as often anymore, something Mei was a little grateful for. Changing into one of her dresses, she slipped her swords into their scabbards and headed for the front gates.

The trio, and the rest of the patrol, slowly came into view as she neared her destination, and immediately Heisuke lit up.

"Mei! It's awesome you came." Heisuke smiled.

"Yeah, we were worried you were to busy to come." Harada shared a smile of his own before setting his spear on his shoulder, "You ready to go?" He asked.

Mei chuckled, "As ready as I'll ever be." She hummed, knowing the dress itself would gain attention. Hopefully, none that would cause trouble.

As soon as they entered the city, Mei remembered why she hated patrols in general, so much. The sensation of eyes on their group, the revulsion the people of Kyoto would display at the sight of the Shinsengumi. It was irritating to watch and be unable to say a word. The people feared and were disgusted by the famed "Mibu Wolves" but said nothing as all they could do was talk behind their backs and pretend they had any pride.

Her closest friend seemed to catch her irritation and smiled a bit at her, "Hey Mei, you alright there?" Harada chuckled, setting a hand on her head a bit.

"The people of this city are more annoying than I remembered." Mei whispered back to her friend, pushing his hand off her hair gently before she fixed it.

"HEY! What did you just say!?"

The group stopped for a moment to see what the commotion was.

"Defying the Imperial Warriors is no better than shooting an arrow at the Emperor!"

"What the hell?" Mei couldn't help but whisper before she and the Captains moved towards the shouting. A group of thugs came into view, unkempt and greasy hair, dirty skin, and ragged clothes. Before they could further assess the situation beyond the thugs bothering the townspeople, Heisuke moved forward to aid whomever was getting the brunt force of the thugs rage.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing!? The Shinsengumi are here. Pipe down!" Heisuke growled, his hand on his sword as he glared down the thugs.

One of them became disgruntled, "Hm, the Mibu Wolves..?!" In response to seeing the light blues, he and his friends drew their swords.

Mei sighed deeply as she stepped away from the men and allowed the captains and their soldiers to handle it. From where she stood, Mei could see this would be quick. Harada was a God with the Spear, no swordsman could match it. Heisuke's skill was nothing to scoff at either, his small stature gave him a bit more advantage compared to the ronin. Shinpachi was a skillful captain as well, one no one should take their eyes off. One of the ronin seemed to have caught on to the gaping difference in their skill and tried to run for it. Heisuke chased after him of course but Mei wasn't about to let the man get away either. The two of them weaved through the crowd trying to catch up, Mei being closer to the Ronin than Heisuke, but the crowd did limit their speed and ability to reach out and grab him.

Out of nowhere, a stranger stepped in front of the fleeing man.

"Just where do you think you're going? If you didn't do anything suspicious, there's no need for you to run." But, he hadn't drawn his sword, let alone seemed at all intimidating compared to the larger man.

"MOVE!" The ronin growled before punching the samurai in the face. "Who do you think you are? You're just a two-bit punk. Stay outta this!"

Mei frowned, "Seems to me you need to learn some manners, sir." She hissed, grabbing the mans wrist and twisting it behind his back. "I'll snap it in half if you keep struggling, so unless you want to lose it, I suggest you just give up already." She smirked, much like her master before she kicked the back of his knees and forced him onto the floor. "Sit boy."

"H-How dare you!" The man screamed, glaring as the Captains as the rest of the patrol surrounded them.

Mei rolled her eyes before some of the soldiers took the man from her and arrested him, giving her a nod of thanks. Ignoring the judging eyes of some of the onlookers, mei turned to the man that helped them in subduing the Ronin.

"Thanks for helping. We owe you." Heisuke smiled.

The man on the floor however, looked less than pleased. "I didn't do this for you, so save your thanks for yourself." He wiped the blood off his lips with the back of his hand, standing to his feet and adjusting his posture sheepishly. Even if the others couldn't hear the man, his words were clear in Mei's ears, "I guess the rumors are true. The Shinsengumi are nothing more than a bunch of hooligans. Pfft. He was right all alon-"

Heisuke seemed to have heard too, his expression twisting to one of anger, "Where do you get off calling us a bunch of hooligans?"

"Everyone in Edo is saying it. Shinsengumi: a bunch of selfish, self-absorbed, bloodthirsty murderers." The stranger snapped harshly. Now all the captains heard him.

Harada grabbed the smaller male by his collar and shoved him against the walls, "What the hell did you just say?" Harada dared, his eyes narrowed as he looked equally as pissed as the rest of them did.

The stranger struggled, "Why are you shooting the messenger! He asked me so I answered!"

"Well, why don't you man up and tell us what you really think? Not just the hot rumor floating all around. Open up now." Harada growled, growing more and more agitated by the man's attitude.

"W-Wait, I already told you that I had nothing to do with this bullshit. Hey you!" He looked at Mei, "Come over here and give me a hand!"

Mei glared, "... I'm a page of Captain Okita, the 1st Division Captain of the Shinsengumi. I don't answer to an ill-informed, loudmouth child." She snapped, looking more annoyed than even Harada. He had insulted the Shinsengumi than had the nerves to ask her for help. He was obviously picking a fight saying what he did.

"Give it up man. Once Sano's on a roll, there's no stopping him. He doesn't play around, especially with jokesters. Mei is the last one you want to start with too. She has a worse temper than the rest of us here, be happy Souji ain't here either." Shinpachi sighed, looking at the stranger with pity. "If you want any chance of making it out of here, I suggest you apologize to me and my friends."

"So, is that what people in Edo are saying about us, now?" Heisuke asked, looking a bit dejected. In response, Mei set a hand on his shoulder.

The stranger closed his eyes, "Well…" He turned away awkwardly, and a piece of paper dropped out of his inner pocket and in front of Mei, between her and Harada.

"Hm?" Harada looked down.

Mei walked over, crouched down and picked it up, but as she did so the stranger reached out to snatch it from her.

"Wooooah there!~" Shinpachi smiled as Heisuke helped hold the boy back and Harada set a hand on their chest. "Where do ya think you're going?"

"Yeah? You should know better than to reach for a lady like that." Harada hummed.

Heisuke nodded, "Anyways, why are you acting so suspiciously?"

The men were holding the loudmouth back as Mei opened up the paper and examined what was on it. Immediately her body tensed and her eyes widened, "...?!" Closing it she glared at the man. "You have 5 seconds to explain where you got this drawing, or you're going to have way more problems on your hands than you have to deal with." She threatened, slowly walking over to him. The white hair, crimson eyes, and unmistakable blue haori in the picture were undeniable.

All three men looked at her a bit confused.

"Huh? What's on it Mei?" Shinpachi asked, and without turning to him, Mei handed over the folded paper to him.

Now Shinpachi examined it, immediately passing it to Heisuke before both looked at the stranger coldly.

"None of you know who you're dealing with. You won't get away with this! I'm a samurai!" The stranger yelled just as Harada got a hold of the paper.

Harada answered sharply, "We don't care. You're going to answer us right now." The whole situation was turning into an open interrogation, one party in full control and demanding answers.

The stranger saw his options and plainly looked defeated, "An acquaintance from Edo gave it to me."

"Who is this acquaintance?" Harada pressed.

Mei thought about it. Edo? Who was in Edo that could've seen Serizawa Kamo as a Fury on that night, let alone know about furies at all. She found it a bit familiar. Looking around, Mei suddenly sensed a familiar presence and locked eyes with familiar orbs. Lan. It was Ryunosuke…! Mei turned back to the stranger just as he spoke his name. "Souma… " The samurai was struggling and complaining throughout the situation, so Mei took it upon herself to try to calm him down before they drag him back kicking and screaming. "... Calm down. Regardless if you haven't done anything outwardly wrong, this drawing… is a concern to us. Just stop giving us trouble. You said so before right? If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you trying to run away?"

The male looked at her surprised before childishly looking away, obviously miffed as his words were used against him.

Thank you everyone! Please review, favorite and follow! Glad I could get this up quickly.

I love hearing from you guys, especially with all these bots and trolls spamming the reviews lately and getting me annoyed. I'm thinking about moving the story onto another platform just to avoid them.

Anyways, thanks again! I appreciate you all.

Love,
Chess