« Saito. » I heard behind the shoji « I need you to come to my office. Now. »
« Understood, Fukuchô. » I replied, standing up from my nap.
Chizuru had left my side already, it was morning. We found a compromise with our sleeping hours. I was working until very late and joined her at the end of the night to stay by her side. As soon as the sun was starting to rise, I was falling asleep and she was waking up, letting me rest a few hours before I got back to work. She told me that I had to stop staying awake all day and that I could resist the bloodlust longer if I actually slept during the day. She convinced me to rest a bit in the morning but no more. I needed my days to work.
I stretched and dressed myself to go and meet Hijikata-san, arranging my ponytail. It was back to silky now that Chizuru was combing my hair again. I could have done it myself but it was too nice to have her take care of me. And I could work in the meantime so I wasn't losing any time. Things were getting better between the both of us and I was making a lot of efforts not to be unnecessarily harsh with her, despite my mood. She didn't speak to me about the incident that occured between us but she was head deep in her research and I couldn't help but notice that she stopped wearing hairpins and was just arranging her hair in a braid lately. It was cute and she looked nice but every time I saw her without her hairpins, I knew that the true reason behind it was because she was afraid I could hurt her again...
I entered Hijikata-san's office and was surprised to find Sannan there so late in the morning. He should have been sleeping. Anyway, his presence could only mean one thing, we were going to talk about Chizuru.
« Saito, please sit down. » ordered the vice commander and I complied with a bow « I have a few issues I need to tackle with you. »
« Ha, Fukuchô. » I said in respect.
« Sannan-san here is telling me that Saito-sensei, although back, isn't helping him with the medecine and believes you to be the cause of this refusal. »
« That is correct, Fukuchô. » I nodded.
« Care to explain, Saito ? » he asked, already annoyed. « I'm starting to have bloodlust episodes among my Rasetsu and I already told you that Saito-sensei needed to get back to her duties as soon as possible. »
I glared at Sannan. I wondered if the vice commander knew why Chizuru was that important in the creation of the medecine.
« I don't oppose Chizuru helping the Rasetsu. » I started with respect « she is currently doing a lot of research and went to find her father's notes to review them. »
« But you oppose her doing what really can help us. » said Sannan with frowned brows and visible annoyance.
« Chizuru's help will be provided as soon as Kondou-san and Matsumoto-sensei are in Edo. » I nodded to show my good faith.
« I don't see any correlation between these two things. » stated Hijikata-san.
« Fukuchô, do you know how the medicine is made ? » I asked, eyes aiming at Sannan.
« I don't. » admitted the vice commander.
« And you shouldn't either, Saito-kun. This information is classified. » replied Sannan.
« Well I do know. » I said coldly « and I want Matsumoto-sensei to be the one doing what is necessary. »
« Doing what, exactly ? Sannan-san ? Saito ? » asked Hijikata-san with peaking annoyance.
« Drain Saito-sensei's blood. » answered Sannan grudgingly « as an Oni, her blood has something special that makes the medicine more effective. »
Hijikata-san stayed silent, swallowing this new information.
« You're using her blood ? » he repeated.
« I am. » confirmed Sannan « but Saito-sensei is totally consenting to this. »
« With all due respect, Sannan » I said « I agreed to your experiments back then because Yamazaki was helping her drain it safely. I don't object to the medecine craft if that's what Chizuru desires but I won't let you drain her. I want an actual physician to help. »
« I'm starting to understand the issue here... » muttered Hijikata-san « Why don't you help her, Saito ? »
Because I'm a fucking Rasetsu.
« I have no medical background, Fukuchô. » I replied « A doctor is a better choice. It's a matter of days now before Matsumoto-sensei's in Edo. »
Hijikata-san stayed silent for a moment, thinking intensely. I could see that he was not happy to be the arbitrator of this conflict when he had already so much on his mind with the preparation of the defense.
« Sannan-san, can the Rasetsu wait a few more days ? » he asked eventually.
« I cannot guarantee that there will be no incident. » he answered.
« Well, I trust you and Toudou to take care of the problem if there is. » he said calmly « We will have Matsumoto-sensei do what is necessary. You can dismiss, Sannan-san. »
« I have another question for Saito-kun. » he objected.
« Go ahead. » nodded Hijikata-san.
« Do you still have your Ochimizu vial, Saito-kun ? » he asked me and I wondered if he knew I drank it already.
« I have it. » I lied.
« I'm asking everybody. You see, I have a vial missing. » he continued « you don't know anything about it ? »
« Unfortunately, I do not. » I said genuinely.
« Alright, then I don't have any questions. If you'll excuse me... » he replied.
Sannan bowed and left the office, his eyes throwing daggers at me. I stayed alone with Hijikata-san who furrowed his brow again.
« Do you still need me, Fukuchô ? » I asked, ready to get back to work.
« Yes, Saito. I think we need to make a disciplinary reminder. » he said before muttering « of all people, I didn't expect I would ever need to make one with you... »
« My apologies if I disappointed you in any way. » I bowed, ashamed.
« I had reports about... noises coming from your room. Walls are thin. This is a military headquarters, Saito. Saito-sensei and you are tolerated because you are both Shinsengumi members however, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. If Saito-sensei wasn't the Shinsengumi's doctor, she would have to stay in another place, just like Kondou-san's wife. If you can't keep your relationship discreet, I will have to reconsider her position. »
« Understood. » I nodded, ashamed of myself.
Not only had I hurt Chizuru and ravaged her neck but everyone in the headquarters heard us... Could the situation be any worse ?
« Good. » he smiled a little « I know it's not a pleasant thing to hear but I believe I can trust you on that issue. Last subject : your daughter. »
« Is there a problem with Haruhi, Fukuchô ? » I asked, concerned.
« She behaves, that's not the problem. But as I said, it's a military headquarters and she is not part of the Shinsengumi. You need to place her somewhere else. »
« I will ask Matsumoto-sensei if he would agree to host her. » I nodded.
« I agree, that seems to be the best solution. She will go as soon as Kondou-san's back. »
« Alright. » I agreed.
« Good, you can dismiss. » he said, getting back to work.
I bowed with respect and exited Hijikata-san's office. He didn't have to worry about the noises, I wasn't planning on touching Chizuru for a while after what happened. I'd wait for her to find a solution. May she find one soon...
I was a bit disappointed that Haruhi had to go but it was a logical choice. A military headquarter wasn't the place for a little girl and I trusted Souji to take care of her.
One thing was really bothering me though, and that was the missing vial of Ochimizu that Sannan talked about. Could it be possible that it had a link to the murder wave ? Could we have an unregistered Rasetsu on the loose ?