Author's Note:

Thank you to all for the terrific response to the last chapter. I tried to PM those I could, but I'd also like to thank Anon (Guest) for their review and Random Person (Guest) for taking the time to say the story brightened things up a bit - it's more encouraging than you know.

OK, so this chapter sets the stage for a few things, explains a few things and wraps up a few things (well maybe tidies some loose ends). Also, quite clearly neither Hijikata nor I have had enough sleep recently, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nobody (red1Rogue) will want immediate revisions to the story. Saitō is doing pretty well right now, so he can take a joke, right?

Oh, and we needed some Yamazaki time, right? Please see Hakuouki Otogisushi Episode 6: "Rest, rest, rest, rest,..."

Finally, I'd like to leave you all with a quote for Hijikata:

"I get up really early, and I go to bed really late.
Sometimes I get tired, but it's not important.
I have an exciting existence, and there's so much to do."

- Martha Stewart [ImpracticalDemon ducks and runs, horrified that Martha made it onto a story page]

Chapter 28 – A Day of Rest?

[I]

Yamazaki had watched Harada and Nagakura put Okita back to bed.

The Shinsengumi's chief medic and only shinobi didn't approve of Okita-san, but the green-eyed man was the First Division Captain and was therefore entitled to respect. He listened in expressionless silence as the three other men quickly exchanged what little information they had, interspersed with the kind of insults that generally passed for humour between them. Yamazaki hoped that Saitō-san would not be ill for too long. He admired the Third Division Captain and worked hard to be like him: loyal, tireless and lethal. He didn't really understand his apparent tolerance for Okita-san, who often seemed to mock the Vice Commander.

"Quick, somebody pinch Yamazaki – he's dreaming of Hajime-kun again! Or was it Hijikata-san this time?" Okita's eyes glinted and his mocking tones grated, but Yamazaki made a determined effort to ignore them. It was annoying how often there was a hint or more of truth in his pointed gibes. On the other hand, the barbs had become even more pronounced of late, and Yamazaki suspected that whatever was wrong with the First Division Captain was behind the worst of the ill-humour.

"May I examine your chest and back now, Okita-taichō?" he asked politely. Saitō-san was always polite.

"If you must. Maybe you should examine Sano and Shinpachi too – they're looking a little the worse for wear, ne?"

Yamazaki examined Okita's torso and had to admit that the bruises were healing very quickly; faster than he would have thought possible, really. He wasn't satisfied with Okita's general health though. He would have liked to keep a closer eye on the captain, but Okita-san had a knack for knowing if somebody was lingering nearby. And then there was the fighting.

He'd found out about it by accident several months ago while out scouting in the city. On orders from the Vice Commander, he had become skilled at following some of the better-dressed newcomers to Kyoto to find out who they met with and to ensure that they weren't active members of the sonno joi. Usually they weren't of course, which meant that Yamazaki grew quite familiar with Shimabara, Kyoto's famous red light district, though not in the way that other soldiers and officers did.

During one of these missions, Yamazaki had come across one of Kyoto's many illicit night-time activities, specifically, prize fighting. While not as entertaining as sumo, of course, it wasn't bad. He had been surprised, but not shocked to see Okita-san stripped to the waist, hands and face well-wrapped, taking on all comers. And winning, naturally. Even while the shinobi had been debating what to do next, a silent form had walked out of the shadows between bouts, taken the bigger captain by the arm, and dragged him away.

Other nights it hadn't just been prize fights. There had been ronin and thieves routed; even a young woman saved from two half-drunk so-called samurai. The girl had kept her honour, her purse and her life. Yamazaki recognized that he likely would have intervened himself, had Okita-san not been there. But he wouldn't have killed both assailants and caused the hue and cry the next day, either.

He had reported the matter to the Vice Commander, of course, who would have been forced to take official note of it very soon. Fortunately, at least in Yamizaki's view, a recent sparring match with Saitō-san had not gone well for the First Division Captain, and it appeared that Okita-san had given up his nighttime prowling since then.

Finished his task, he turned to Nagakura-san and Harada-san.

"Oi! Not even a comment to let me know if I'm at death's door yet?" teased Okita.

"You aren't dying," responded Harada which a slight smile that seemed unusually forced for the good-natured red-head. "And we have to go check on Master Forerunner."

Master Forerunner was what they called Tōdō-kun, because of his tendency to leap into battle – with just about anyone or anything – well-ahead of his squad or his back-up. Yamazaki and Tōdō-kun were about the same age, but Yamazaki couldn't bring himself to call the man Heisuke as he had suggested. After all, he was the Eighth Division Captain. Tōdō-kun had been a compromise. Like most compromises, neither of those involved was pleased with the result.

"Later, Sōji. Rest up so you can get back on patrol, yeah?" Nagakura waved a hand in Okita's general direction and Yamazaki slid the door closed.

"Don't worry, Yamazaki-kun," Harada told the shinobi kindly, "we're fine. Bruises and scrapes don't last long for us. You know that."

"Hai." Yamazaki did know that; almost all the captains healed surprisingly quickly given the punishment they took. But he found it very strange that Harada's face, especially, looked noticeably better in just the fifteen minutes since he'd first come running up to the Deputy Commander along with Nagakura-san. Since it was odd, Yamazaki had wanted to verify his observations. However, he forbore to insist on examining the captains' faces (and likely torsos, arms and legs).

Yamazaki led the way to Tōdō-kun's room nearby, but was stopped from actually opening the door when Harada's big hand abruptly came down on his shoulder.

"I just think you should open that door very, very carefully, okay?"

Yamazaki was suddenly feeling the same way, and he could tell that Nagakura-san had noticed something as well. So with a soft affirmation to the Tenth Division Captain, he knelt down and slowly slid back the door. Almost from the start he realized that something, or more likely someone, was pressing up against the panel.

Taking his time out of respect for the youngest captain's head injury, Yamazaki gently supported Tōdō-kun while sliding the door far enough along so that he could take the man's weight fully off the panel. Nagakura-san immediately slid the door open so that he and Harada-san could see how their friend was doing. There was an obvious trail of blood down the pale, narrow face, and the bandage was red in the area of the wound, but at least it was no longer bleeding.

"He's fine, just unconscious," muttered the shinobi, partly to himself and partly to the two much bigger warriors hovering over him.

"I'll get him back into bed, Yamazaki-kun. Do you have bandages here?"

"Yes." He was carrying a square bag attached by thongs to his belt – opposite his swords of course – and he quickly peeled away the old bandages and washed the head wound. It was the third time that he'd done this within about twenty-four hours, and normally he would have been sure that there would be a scar now. But under the old bandage, the wound was partially-healed now, which made no sense since it had obviously been bleeding not very long before.

"The main head injury was sustained a day ago?" he asked the two captains in surprise.

"Well… yeah – I mean, you treated it," responded Harada, confused.

Wordlessly, Yamazaki showed them that the formerly gaping wound was now closed, although there was still a crease under the newly formed skin. All three of them stared at Tōdō-kun for a minute or so. As if aware of their scrutiny, long eyelashes fluttered apart and the Eighth Division Captain was looking at them through half-open lids, eyes more teal than aqua in the lantern light.

"Hnh? Shinpat-san? Sano-san?"

Yamazaki felt momentarily put out and then realized that because of the angle of the pillow, his patient was staring almost straight up and couldn't see him.

"Hey Heisuke, Yamazaki-kun's going to look after you, okay?"

"How're you feeling, Heisuke?" That was Harada, who obviously wanted to get back to the commanders and find out what was going on, but still wanted to touch base.

"Um… better than yesterday?" The young captain's eyes finally opened completely. "Is somebody going to tell me what happened last night? No – hang on. It's still night?"

"Good, you're okay," Harada concluded, sounding relieved. "Come on Shinpachi."

"Yamazaki, take a look at him like Sannan-san asked, okay? We've got to get back. Don't forget you're back on guard at Saitō's room when you're done."

"Yes, Nagakura-san. I won't forget."

Tōdō-kun immediately tried to get up to follow the other captains, but Yamazaki was expecting that and held him firmly in place. Half-healed was better than blood running down his face, but he needed a lot more rest. And probably food.

"Tōdō-kun, you must stay here. The Deputy Commander himself asked me to check on you and ensure that you would rest." Well, Sannan-san had implied that Tōdō-kun should rest. He wouldn't have asked Yamazaki to look in on the captain if he didn't think he was hurt and should be resting. And Hijikata-san would prefer it if Tōdō-kun didn't come to the meeting.

Fortunately, the Eighth Division Captain actually was exhausted, so Yamazaki didn't have too much trouble convincing him to stay put. The medic-shinobi was starting to feel a little worn around the edges himself, but Hijikata-san and Saitō-san frequently worked long hours without sleep. Consequently, he felt no real regret at returning to his post rather than to his room.

He wondered if something Yukimura-kun had given Tōdō-kun could have effected that accelerated healing he had seen. It was puzzling, and therefore suspicious. On the other hand, maybe Yukimura-kun would be allowed to participate in Shinsengumi matters more often now and she could become the chief medic. He had been impressed with what he had seen so far – although always from a distance – and thought that he could always teach her from time to time if there were skills she lacked. Also, Saitō-san approved of her.

Of course, it bothered him that there was so much going on right now that he didn't understand and wasn't being told. Among other things, why was he guarding Saitō-san's room? The man was ill, obviously, but the impressions he had gotten throughout the long evening, the whispers he had heard, all suggested that he was also being disciplined. Which seemed impossible. Except that Yamazaki was a noticing sort of person and the first thing he had noticed upon entering Saitō's room earlier to assess his condition was the absence of the captain's swords. And there had been that awful scream, too. He still couldn't quite believe he had passed out.

He was still musing over the missing swords and the disturbing whispers about the Third Division Captain, brows knit over watchful purple eyes, as he as he knelt on the wooden boards by Saitō-san's door. Then he paused, abruptly focussed on an unexpected sound: he could hear voices within the room and one of them sounded like the taichō. He debated going in to check on the captain's condition, but he felt that the commanders had been clear. He was to guard the door and not enter the room. After another moment he recognized Yukimura-kun's voice and he relaxed a little. She would look after Saitō-san.

[II]

Not long after hearing and sensing Hijikata-san and Amagiri-san approaching, Saitō had remembered that there was another presence nearby. When Yamazaki had first joined the Shinsengumi, he had taken part in Saitō's training classes like most new recruits, although his actual sword skills had been a little better than average. Not long afterward, the Vice Commander had seen the potential in him and had asked Saitō to train him in some of his own techniques for watching and moving in silence and how not to be noticed. Not that Saitō had ever been a shinobi. But stillness and silence had always come naturally to Saitō.

Saitō had noticed Yamazaki when he had first returned to his post outside the door. But he had apparently taught the man too well how to be overlooked. And he had been preoccupied; in fact it was shocking that he had been distracted to that extent. Whatever his own embarrassment, Saitō was more worried about Yukimura. It might not be prudent for others to know that she was an Oni. Or she might not want too many people to know about sitting like this with him.

The message came just as he was going to move Yukimura to a proper distance, even if it risked waking her. The shinobi will not enter, a voice in his thoughts told him quietly. He recognized Amagiri-san's tones in his mind, deep and distinctive and sounding amused.

Then he heard the Vice Commander say: "We're coming in."

The door slid quietly open, and Hijikata-san crossed the threshold, followed by Amagiri-san. The latter closed the door behind them. Saitō looked at them briefly, his face impassive, and then bowed his head by way of greeting. There did not seem to be any graceful way to extricate himself from the situation without either waking Yukimura or being rude to both the Vice Commander and the Oni who seemed to have saved his life.

The fleeting smile on Amagiri-san's face was less embarrassing than the moment of disbelief etched on the Vice Commander's countenance, followed as it was by a barely smothered laugh. Both were better than his superior officer's remarks once he had recovered a little from both surprise and amusement.

"I thought I might have to order you back to bed, Saitō. I didn't realize that I would have to commend you for having just enough sense not to be found there… under the circumstances."

"I am very sorry, Vice Commander, Amagiri-san. I realize that this may appear… strange. I assure you that I did nothing to worry Yukimura in any way. She must have just been very tired. Nothing inappropriate passed between us."

"Hnh. Unfortunate for you then," smirked Hijikata, who had discovered that however he looked at it, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. If it was going to cause a lot of trouble down the road, he might as well get some use out of it now.

Saitō continued to look down, still impassive except for a tell-tale flush of colour on his cheekbones. Amagiri watched as the girl shifted slightly, possibly disturbed by the voices. Without any change of expression, Saitō adjusted his position so that she would be more comfortable. He might be embarrassed, but it wouldn't stop him from doing what he felt was the right thing.

"It is… not uncommon for one newly-shifted Oni to pull another along," Amagiri told him seriously. "In fact, I came here to see if I could help you regain your human form before I leave."

"And I came here to let you know that Sannan-san and I have determined that you have paid a sufficient price for your transgressions. There will be no further punishment."

Unable to help himself, Saitō looked up hopefully.

"No, I didn't bring them with me. I wanted you to stay in bed and rest. But… you look a great deal better than when I saw you last. I will leave Amagiri-san here with you. If you are able to regain your normal – ah, human – form, then you may fetch your swords yourself just before lunch in about five hours."

Amagiri's brows rose.

"I assumed you would wish to stay for this."

"No, I've changed my mind. Partly because I'm not sure what's more troubling – Saitō with horns or Saitō holding a girl – and partly because I really need to sleep."

"You are not worried about your security?"

"No more than I was ten minutes ago," Hijikata responded sourly. "Should I worry?"

This elicited a slight smile.

"Īe."

"Good luck then. Saitō, we'll speak after lunch. Try not to get yourself into any more trouble in the next five hours, will you? Oh… and if it's a boy you can name him after me."

On this valedictory note, which caused the Third Division Captain to look first confused and then blush red to his ears, the Vice Commander walked out. He was going to have a bath, breakfast in his room, and then a nap. And he might skip the breakfast.

Behind him, Saitō was still red and tongue-tied. Amagiri was apparently staring out the window, which would have been more effective had the shutters been open. Eventually, he turned and came over to sit down across from Saitō and the sleeping girl.

"We may need to wake her," Amagiri warned. "You are going to find it difficult to attempt the shift while you are touching and she is in her Oni form."

"Tell me what to do."

"Focus. In some ways this may not be too hard for you. You are an adult and have had the same form your whole life. Imagine yourself as you were, and then become the image. If the pain from the burn is too distracting, then I will help you."

The pain from the burn was not distracting; along with most of the others, Saitō had a high tolerance for physical discomfort. The soft form now somehow curled under his right arm would be the greater challenge. It hadn't been so bad when it was just her head on his shoulder. Now he drew in her in scent with each breath. Of course, Amagiri-san was just being polite.

Saitō closed his eyes and tried to focus, slowing his breathing, not allowing anything but the image of his true self to form in his mind. But that was wrong. It was merely his other self. Indigo hair. Dark blue eyes. Chin and ears less noticeably pointed. Piece by piece he built the picture.

He would have succeeded, except that he took a final deep breath at the end. Suddenly in his vision he was holding a small young woman with soft dark brown hair and wide imploring eyes. He bent his head down to hers and his arms tightened around her…

Whack! Something cuffed him, less than gently, on his left ear.

"Not bad. Try again."

Saitō's eyes snapped open. Amagiri was still sitting there, face impassive, looking neither irritated nor disgusted.

"Sumimasen deshita," the younger man said quietly. It surprised him, but he didn't feel embarrassed, only regretful that he had failed.

"It is normal. Try again."

This time it was much easier. He simply made sure to include her presence – the sense of her – in the image from the start, so that she was never an interruption or a distraction. In just a couple of minutes, he felt himself shift, and while it wasn't comfortable it wasn't painful either. He opened his eyes.

"Well done, Saitō. That was much faster than most young Oni would manage under such circumstances. And you have learned one of the key disadvantages of the Oni form: it is harder to concentrate and harder to stay calm and analytical."

"Arigatou gozaimashita, Amagiri-san."

Saitō felt a strong sense of relief at being back in his normal – no, human – form. However, he no longer had the same feeling of restrained physical power, he realized, even though he hadn't even noticed it until now, when it had gone. And yet…

"Have I changed even in my human form?" He was pleased that he hadn't stumbled over the expression this time. It was a little odd at his age and with his past, but he felt the same ingrained respect and duty toward this Oni that he would toward a senior family member.

"Yes, of course," Amagiri told him. "If you hadn't then you would harm yourself any time you used too much of your Gifts in this form. And we will discuss the Gifts later."

"Wakarimashita."

"Hmm. There is much we still need to talk about, but also a need for rest and for the mind to absorb what the body has learned."

Saitō nodded.

"I will try to return this afternoon. In the meantime, please remember two things. The first is that under stress you may still have trouble controlling your form; that just takes time. The second, and forgive the intrusion, is that neither you nor Yukimura-sama are fully in control of your reactions to each other at this time. If I did not have a great respect for your self-control I would not have allowed her to stay with you at all while I dealt with other matters with your commanders."

Amagiri saw the look of consternation – almost desolation – that flickered across the other man's face, and he raised a hand.

"Chotto matte, Saitō. I did not say it was not real. I only said that right now it is more difficult for either of you to control your reactions. It is not good or bad, it just is. Once more time has passed since the Ritual of Body, it will take less effort. Remember, I am not telling you this for your sake alone."

He held the younger man's eyes until he was certain that the message was clear. After a moment, Saitō's shoulders relaxed a fraction.

"I have much to learn," he said simply.

"And you have likely made yourself a dangerous enemy," Amagiri noted.

"I understand. He did say that he would return for her."

Amagiri rose and walked to the door.

"I will go now. In future, if you wish, and if we are in private, you may use my given name."

Saitō looked at him in surprise.

"Ah… Kyūjyū-san?"

"Sou desu. Ohayo gozaimasu, Hajime-kun."

The door closed softly behind him and Saitō realized a moment later that he could not sense the Oni's presence nearby. Or Yamazaki's. The Vice Commander had probably sent him off to get some sleep. Actually, everyone seemed to want to sleep but him. He stole a glance at Yukimura curled up against his side. It took him a moment to realize that Yukimura's hair was dark again and the small horns had quite gone.

Both the Vice Commander and Amagiri had warned him to be careful, although in slightly different ways. He felt his cheeks start to redden again when he thought about Hijikata-san's comments. He knew that the Vice Commander would never say such things when Yukimura was awake, but still…

Saitō considered what to do next. He felt more clear-headed than he had since the Ikedaya, and also more fit. He could tell that he wasn't quite in perfect form again, but he certainly didn't feel like somebody who had just gone through a violent fever and a massive shift in body and mind. In fact, at this moment he simply felt well.

Reaching a decision, he got to his feet, carefully shifting Yukimura into his arms. He wasn't sure what gave him the courage to hold her like this; perhaps it was just that it had to be done. The tug on his senses came immediately, but although he felt the longing, he continued to the door, opened it, and walked down the short length of the engawa to the girl's room. He felt confident that he could probably sense anyone who was actually out and about before it would be a problem. And it would be a good deal better for Yukimura to wake up in her own room, for more than one reason.

He settled Yukimura onto her own futon, spent a minute or two just watching her sleep and then had to force himself to leave. It was more difficult than he had expected, but he managed to go without doing more than brushing his hand across her forehead to move a strand of hair.

Once outside again it was easier. He had already decided what he would do. First bathe, then eat, then work on his sword forms – though sadly with only a bokken. He needed to find out if his timing was going to be off. He had the sense that his reflexes were better, that he was faster and stronger – but accuracy, precision and timing were everything.

Amagiri made his way wearily down the path to Sen-hime's lovely house on the outskirts of the city. In some ways he was happier than he had been in a long time – not that you would know it from his face – because some of the shades of his past had finally been laid to rest when Saitō had survived the Trial of Body. On the other hand, he could not yet see his way between the competing needs and duties of clan, lord and personal honour. It was tangled.

It was at this moment, just a few steps from Sen-hime's cool and gracious home, that a familiar presence registered on his tired faculties. Ah well. It had only been a matter of time, after all.

A/Note: Hope you had fun! Complaints may be addressed to The Shinsengumi, Kyoto, Japan circa 1864. Kudos may be sent to ImpracticalDemon in the form of reviews, comments, PMs...

Just kidding. Thank you for continuing to stay with the madness that is mine!

And as a preview for future chapters:

I see a bad moon rising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see bad times today.

Don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise. - Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival