Author's Note: I hope that you are all still enjoying this new version of a familiar story. Unfortunately, this is the last of the fully written chapters, which means that I have writing as well as editing to do before posting in future. I do have the next chapter well underway, but I like to reread carefully before posting.

I am committed to (1) getting to the part of the story where I can start laying out my own particular plot twist and (2) finishing the story. As anyone who has ever written knows, finishing - especially finishing without rushing - can be extraordinarily difficult. Your encouragement will really help, so thank you in advance for "reading and reviewing".

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Chapter 6 – Remember That We Are Not Your Friends

Two weeks passed, and Chizuru still hadn't really been allowed out of her room, let alone out of the compound. She discovered that she had a guard watching her almost every moment of the day, and wondered how long that would last. Since they wouldn't trust her with any of the regular soldiers, her guard was always one of the captains, which made her worry that they would eventually get tired of such a waste of resources and lock her away somewhere less pleasant. She had given up on being let go, but she didn't think that they would kill her either.

Over the course of those days, she got to know some of the captains better, and she heard more about the Shinsengumi as an organization, mostly from Heisuke, whose friendly disposition and open manners always cheered her up. They had started out by talking about their favourite parts of Edo, and gone on from there. He seemed to enjoy to talking to somebody who didn't constantly interrupt or mock him.

Among other things, she learned that it hadn't been very long since differences of opinion between high-ranking members had led to the departure of a number of soldiers and the reorganization of some of the divisions. It all seemed to be connected with the strange behaviour of Serizawa-san, who had been the co-leader of the Shinsengumi at the time.

Chizuru had heard of Commander Serizawa before this. He had originally come from Edo, like Kondō-san and the others, and had eventually become notorious in Kyoto and Osaka for how he terrorized civilians and any who opposed him. There were whispers of assassination in connection with his sudden death not long before Chizuru left Edo.

"Anyway," Heisuke was saying to her late one afternoon, "Serizawa-san brought quite a few guys with him from Edo. So, when he, um, died, many of them asked to leave and Sannan-san and Hijikata-san thought it was better to let them go instead of keeping men who might be disloyal. Kondō-san was able to persuade a lot of unranked soldiers to stay, actually, but not the captains."

"Could you – the Shinsengumi, I mean – have forced them to stay?" Chizuru asked curiously.

"Sure. One way or another." Heisuke shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. "I mean, well, the penalty for desertion under our Code is, um, committing seppuku, so most guys don't leave without permission, right? And Hijikata's pretty strict about the Code. The men call him the Oni no Fukuchō."

"The Demon Vice Commander? And… seppuku?"

Chizuru must have looked as upset as she felt, because Heisuke hurried on.

"Anyway, you were asking about the divisions, right? And how come we're missing some captains? Well, Sōji's always been Captain of the First, and he's incredible with a sword. We're all really good, of course, but Sōji's scary. He's been training since he was just nine years old.

"Shinpachi's Captain of the Second. He's really strong too, and he's beaten Sōji now and then. Not often though," the youngest captain mused reflectively, "and usually only when Sōji loses his cool."

"And Saitō-san is Captain of the Third Division, but there's no Fourth or Fifth Division?"

"Well, yeah, because we're still trying to replace some of Serizawa's captains. Not to sound arrogant, but there really aren't very many swordsmen around who even come close to our level. Plus a lot of the better trained guys are from samurai families and don't want to join a group like ours."

Chizuru nodded her understanding.

"Heisuke-kun, is Saitō-san a good swordsman?"

Heisuke shook his head seriously.

"No, he's not good. That's like, I dunno, saying water is a bit damp… Do you understand what I mean?"

Chizuru thought about it.

"I think so. He taught me how to look after my kodachi."

"Man – you got that lecture too?! I swear sometimes Hajime-kun is stricter than Hijikata-san. But he and Sōji, when they really start to move, you keep thinking somebody's going to end up in a box. They're really different, but they both use a sword like it's just part of them. You've never seen anything like it."

But she had, maybe. In her memory, there was a whisper of cloth, a bright blade, and three monsters dead, each killed with a single, perfect blow. She didn't like thinking about it much, that terrible combination of grace and horror. Was that what these men really were? Beautiful violence?

"Gen-san is Captain of the Sixth," she said, with forced cheerfulness. "Was he also from your dojo in Edo?"

"Yeah. He's great. Maybe not as strong, but he's a really good teacher and I don't know what we'd do without him, you know? And he keeps his head and doesn't run into trouble like, um, some of us do. The men really respect him."

"Gen-san seems like a very good and honourable warrior," agreed Chizuru firmly, shutting away the disturbing memories.

"Right. After that there's me, Captain of the Eighth. No Seventh or Ninth. Anyway, not to boast, but I'm really good too, even though I'm the youngest. There's always some big jerk who thinks he can take me down just because I'm not built like Shinpachi or Sano. It's always kind of fun when I get to wipe the floor with them."

Chizuru had to smile at the obvious satisfaction in his voice. She bit off a piece of thread and handed Heisuke his newly mended shirt. She wasn't allowed to do much, but Gen-san had started bringing her the general mending and spare thread, and in the last few days Heisuke usually arrived with something to be repaired. He seemed to be hard on his clothes.

"Thanks, Chizuru-chan! That's way better."

"You're welcome, Heisuke-kun, it's kind of you to keep me company."

"Ah, yeah, I guess…" He scrubbed at the top of his head, as he often did when embarrassed.

"Hey squirt, are you making Chizuru-chan fix your clothes again?"

Harada-san was looking in through the window at them.

"And aren't you supposed to be out here keeping an eye on the place, not in there chatting up the lady?"

Heisuke jumped up, turning red and picking up his katana. The newly mended shirt fluttered to the floor.

"Oh shut up Sano-san! And give me a break. What am I supposed to be keeping an eye on anyway?! It's a garden."

"Well, you might have noticed Hijikata-san coming out of the main house just now…"

"What!"

With a yelp, Heisuke rushed out of the room, leaving the door open and Chizuru staring after him holding the discarded shirt. Harada-san burst out laughing.

"That was… too funny..." he gasped, as Heisuke looked frantically up and down the wooden walkway while trying to put his katana back into his belt.

The Vice Commander was noticeably absent.

The younger man stormed up to his faithless friend and gave him a hard shove. Chizuru, who had cautiously approached the open door, saw Harada-san just wave him away, evidently amused.

"I'll get you for this, Sano," Heisuke growled, turning back to Chizuru.

Mutely, she held his shirt out to him. He took it with a long-suffering look, muttered something that sounded like "good evening", and stalked off.

Chizuru looked at Harada-san, who was watching the retreating back with a fading smile.

"Um, Harada-san?"

His strange, amber eyes shifted to her.

"Yes, Chizuru-chan? Ah… You don't like it when we give Heisuke a hard time do you? But that was awfully funny you know… And really, I was doing him a favour."

Chizuru frowned.

"A favour, Harada-san?"

"Well, what if it really had been Hijikata-san?"

"Would it really have been so bad? He was just waiting for his shirt, and keeping me company."

She sounded defensive and maybe a little forlorn. Harada-san walked over and leaned against the door frame, tucking his thumbs into his belt. He was no longer smiling, and his face was grave.

"The Vice Commander would have been very angry with him, Chizuru-chan. Heisuke has a good heart, but he lets his guard down too easily and he chatters. I was there for longer than either of you realized. Do you really think Hijikata-san, or Sannan-san, would have treated him kindly for telling you about our recent problems, or about our captains?"

A large hand gently lifted her chin, so that she had to look up and meet his eyes.

"We don't trust you yet, Chizuru-chan. We can't. And the Vice Commander has risked as much as he can for now by letting you live. You have to understand that."

With an effort, Chizuru blinked away sudden tears.

"I understand, Harada-san," she whispered.

He let go of her chin and stepped back, allowing her turn away from him. Dusk was falling, and the shadows in the room would give her some privacy in which to gather her courage and recover her dignity. He tilted his head up to look at the rapidly darkening sky, apparently intent on the first, faint stars. Internally, he sighed as he recognized and overcame a strong inclination to comfort the girl. He wondered how the others were going to handle having such an unusual creature around them every day.

"So, I was actually here about dinner," he said, once he thought she had composed herself enough to save face. "Shinpachi and I were going to eat with you this evening, if that's OK with you."

"Yes, Harada-san. I would be pleased to eat with you and Nagakura-san. Arigatou gozaimasu."

"Good girl." Somehow, he managed to convey genuine appreciation for her self-control instead of condescension. "May I come in now? I'll fix up the brazier for us. With the sun gone, it's gotten cold."

While Shinpachi and Sano spent a comfortable hour eating with Chizuru and discussing the relative merits of Kyoto and Edo, their superiors were planning an urgent visit to Osaka. Yamazaki and Shimada, the Shinsengumi's leading intelligence officers, had uncovered a plot to ambush an important merchant caravan that had left Kyoto for Osaka two days before.

"If we take horses and travel light we'll be able to catch up to the caravan before it reaches the really dangerous spot on that route," Sannan noted, frowning at the map they had laid out on a low table between them.

"There aren't many who can ride well enough," Kondō objected mildly.

"I can and Sannan-san can," Hijikata replied immediately. "We only have two horses immediately available to us anyway. I'll arrange for a small group of soldiers to come after us as quickly as possible, but we should be alright. Serizawa at least did us the favour of making the local scum fear our blue coats."

"Of course, so did everyone else," murmured Sannan.

"Kondō-san, can you do without us for a few days?" Hijikata asked. He ignored Sannan's comment, although he agreed with the sentiment.

"I think I can just about manage," his former teacher replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You'll spoil the girl, I suppose," the Vice Commander groused.

"And he won't be the only one," Sannan sighed. "They're trying to stay guarded around her, but Heisuke-kun is hopeless, Inoue-san wants to take her under his wing, Harada-kun is already struggling against his own nature, and even Sōji-kun seems to be in the area more often than necessary."

"It's hardly surprising, Sannan-kun," said Kondō, with an understanding smile. "The girl is alone and needs our help. They're all of them good men with true warrior hearts. We walk a difficult path between being good men and loyal soldiers. And you know… you and Toshi are hardly as indifferent to the girl's situation as you pretend."

Sannan inclined his head slightly in reluctant agreement. He deplored the effect of having such a pretty innocent among them, but at this point they'd just have to hope for the best.

"Hmm. Well, Nagakura-kun appears to be keeping his head, at least for the moment, and Saitō-kun doesn't talk much in any event. And I do trust Harada-kun to keep an eye on young Heisuke."

Hijikata did not voice his growing suspicion that Saitō had taken an unusual interest in the girl, partly because it seemed so unlikely and partly because he wasn't sure of the nature of the interest. On the other hand, he could usually read the reserved young man better than most.

There was a strong bond between the Vice Commander and the Third Division Captain, forged from genuine, mutual regard as well as recognition of the other's unyielding sense of duty. Hijikata knew that he had often demanded more from Saitō than from the others, relying on the other man's strength almost as an extension of his own formidable ability. All in all, it was a good thing that Sōji's wild brilliance and Harada's intuitive kindness acted as a foil to prevent Saitō from losing the ability to be a human as well as a weapon. Hijikata was uneasily aware that sometimes he missed that comradeship himself.

"Then we are decided, Sannan-kun, Toshi? The two of you will ride out ahead of the men?"

"Yes, Commander," Sannan responded immediately, looking at Hijikata and recalling the latter to the original conversation.

"Hai, Kondō- san. We'll leave at first light tomorrow. Good night."

Final note: Yes, I do have a bias for a particular lefty as well as a fondness for Harada's warmth and practical humour. But I enjoy writing about all the guys, as you'll find out! And I know we're still waiting for the demons... They're coming!

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