Author's Note:
Finally a chance to find out what's happening with "the guys"!
Also, with much appreciation to those who left reviews for Chapter 49 and for my three-chapter-length "half-century" epic Chapter 50:
Scintilla of Myself, nakigaoyuu, NyaPowa, CanadianGAAP, Anon (who isn't a Guest, it turns out!), StariChanx (tch!), Spirit kagome
A special "hello!" to Sabina-san who recently started reading - it's very encouraging to know that there are still new readers trying out my story!
\(^u^)/
Chapter 51 – A Night Out
[I] - Together Again
Once most of the trays for dinner had been carried into the common room, Chizuru laid a tentative hand on Saitō's arm before he could leave the kitchen again.
"H-Hajime?"
She sounded more timid than usual, and he realized that she had sensed his annoyance. He really should have told her sooner, instead of trying to think of a way around it.
"I will not be going on patrol this evening, Chizuru," he said, turning toward her. "The Commander suggested that all the captains go out to Shimabara this evening for drinks, to celebrate our victory at the Ikedaya."
Chizuru wasn't sure how to respond, so she just waited for him to continue.
"I appreciate the Commander's generosity; however, I am concerned about leaving my men to patrol on their own with things so unsettled. I feel as though I should be with them, especially having been absent so much lately. Also… the Commander said that you were to come with us, and it is not really a respectable place for you to go."
"I don't mind," Chizuru said at once. "If I am with you and the others then I'm sure it will be fine."
"Probably," Saitō agreed. "Fortunately, the Vice Commander has given me leave to take you to visit with Sen-hime after the first hour or so. Her home is not far away and it will be more pleasant there."
"Alright, Hajime. That sounds like a good idea."
Chizuru was willing to go just about anywhere, if it would help, but she thought that her presence might make the other captains uncomfortable – or at least less relaxed. She noticed that Hajime was smiling slightly. He liked it when she used his first name – it was as simple as that. She sometimes wondered if he had any idea how handsome he looked when he smiled, however briefly.
They took the last three trays out to the common room, and found everyone there, already seated and exchanging information. Both Saitō and Chizuru could immediately tell that some of the speculation had to do with them; however, it appeared that Nagakura was having some kind of argument with Harada, with Heisuke adding indignant remarks from time to time. Okita was sitting nearby looking rather pleased with himself, as he watched the Second and Eighth Division Captains interrogate their tall friend about his new romantic interest.
"Well, I didn't know myself what was going on, Shin, so why talk about it?!" That was Harada, clearly on the defensive.
"You could have mentioned that you were going on a date with some kind of demon girl!" Heisuke snapped. "I mean look what those guys did to us! They're friends of hers, right?"
Chizuru immediately stiffened, trying not to feel hurt and failing. She was glad that she had already set down the Vice Commander's tray. She heard and somehow felt a single word from Hijikata-san:
"Saitō."
Saitō blinked, and then nodded to the Vice Commander. He gently nudged Chizuru to a place beside him, and took his own place to Sōji's left. Chizuru could only suppose that somebody had changed the usual seating arrangements.
Heisuke seemed to have frozen, his eyes wide; Chizuru had the impression that he was pinned under Harada's gaze, which was much less friendly than usual. In fact, she felt as if she could probably see what was happening if she tried, but instead she looked over at Kondō-san. The Commander turned to her at about the same moment, and he gave her a pleasant smile, apparently taking any dispute between Harada-san, Heisuke-kun and Nagakura-san as a normal occurrence.
With that, things seemed to ease for some reason. Hijikata-san relaxed (probably because Saitō didn't try to attack anyone), Harada-san made a point of examining his food, and Nagakura-san looked between his two friends thoughtfully but just said:
"Ehn, let it go for now, Heisuke – we can hear more when we go out."
"Let's eat!" cried Kondō-san cheerfully. "I have quite a few things to tell you!"
There was a general murmur of "Itadakimasu" from around the room, with a few appreciative nods to Chizuru, who had cooked the meal, and dinner began. Since Kondō-san also began to tell them a bit about his positive reception from the Aizu command, the meal was generally cheerful. Okita-san always listened carefully to Kondo-san, so Chizuru didn't have to worry about the cutting remarks he sometimes made. She noticed that Harada-san seemed a little quiet, but otherwise the meal felt normal in a way that it hadn't in several days.
[II] - Drinking With the Boys
The first round of drinks – with Chizuru firmly abstaining – was drunk to the health of Kondō-san and the Shinsengumi. Saitō insisted that Chizuru get tea and a few small snacks, so that she wouldn't feel out of place, but otherwise he was fairly quiet. On the other hand, he easily kept up with his comrades, and Chizuru was a little surprised to see how much they all drank. Predictably, Okita-san turned things to more entertaining topics as soon as everyone had had a few drinks.
"You know, Hajime-kun, you should ask Chizuru-chan to pour your sake. It would be so cute…"
"It would be cuter if she was dressed like a girl though," Heisuke commented, his eyes a little dreamy. He had a touch of red in his cheeks, but he didn't seem to be drunk – just, not quite sober. "You should be allowed to dress like a girl sometimes, Chizuru-chan – that would be great!"
There was a pause, and Chizuru almost giggled, possibly from nerves: Heisuke-kun stared wistfully at her; Harada-san shot a quick look at Saitō; and Saitō poured himself more sake, apparently unconcerned. Okita-san smirked.
Nagakura-san nodded, but he seemed distracted.
"Yeah, Heisuke's got a point. But what I want to know is how Sano met the princess again and how come we didn't see her. I mean, I know the girls like you Sano, but this is ridiculous – we see her that one freaky night, right, and next thing Sōji says you're on a date…"
Harada-san shrugged. Chizuru thought he seemed a little tired.
"Well, she asked her bodyguard to bring me a note while I was out on patrol. Then Hijikata-san gave me leave for the afternoon and I took her out for tea."
Nagakura-san didn't look convinced.
"Still sounds serious since you didn't tell us about it," Okita said, provocatively. "I take it that she has a place in town? Have you met her parents?" Chizuru realized that Okita-san wasn't actually drinking much.
Heisuke-kun, who had already had more sake than Chizuru would have expected possible for his size, stopped staring at Chizuru and peered owlishly at Harada-san.
"I never even got to see the princess…" the youngest captain said mournfully. "Maybe we can visit her sometime. What's she like, Sano-san?"
The tall red-head ran his fingers through his hair and had more to drink to buy time.
"Jeez, guys… it's been what – one date? Give it a rest…"
"Um, Osen-chan is my cousin," Chizuru found herself saying. She wasn't sure what had prompted her, but she wanted to help out Harada-san if she could. "She's very kind. Her parents aren't alive anymore though."
There was an almost inaudible sigh from beside her – Saitō, she realized – and then she found herself the focus of three very curious stares in varying shades of blue and green.
"Okay… so you're cousins for real?" Okita's bright green eyes had narrowed.
"Really, Chizuru-chan?" That was Heisuke-kun, and he didn't seem especially happy.
"Good," said Nagakura-san, looking flushed but triumphant. "So you can tell us about her then. Sano's keeping totally quiet about it, right? Which is kind of weird, unless she's really ugly or something."
"She is not ugly!" Chizuru retorted, sitting up very straight. She felt a light touch on her shoulder and looked around at Saitō, who seemed amused of all things. Chizuru found herself examining him warily, trying to determine if he was a little drunk as well, but she couldn't tell.
"Sen-hime is very pretty, Nagakura. And she even wears dresses, Heisuke. You should make sure that Harada introduces you to her."
"Thanks for nothing, Saitō," muttered Harada, reddening a little.
"I was trying to assist Nagakura and Heisuke," replied Saitō gravely. "Also, I have the greatest respect for Princess Osen. She has been of great assistance to me."
"Man, formal, aren't we?" commented Okita with a laugh. "Don't worry, Chizuru-chan. You'll know he's actually drunk if he starts lecturing about swords. … And you'd probably sit there and listen, wouldn't you?"
Chizuru flushed a little, but for once Okita-san didn't seem sarcastic. His expression was quizzical, but not harsh. He wasn't easy to read, though.
"Okay, but I want to know if she's really Chizuru-chan's cousin!" Heisuke was loud, but also rather plaintive.
"Right – good job sticking to the point, Shrimp!" Nagakura told him, reaching over to "tap" him on the shoulder.
"Ow!"
"Yes – yes, she is my cousin!" Chizuru said quickly, hoping to forestall the kind of brawl that Heisuke-kun and Nagakura-san and sometimes Harada-san seemed to enjoy – it always seemed to go badly for the youngest of the three, which she felt was unfair. "Our mothers were sisters."
"Stop it, Shinpat-san! But you didn't know she was in Kyoto?" Heisuke was trying to focus on Chizuru, fend off Nagakura, and keep his jar of sake from spilling.
Harada-san rescued the sake with one hand and shoved Nagakura-san with the other. He was looking much more flushed, now. Chizuru watched wide-eyed as the two older captains engaged in a weird kind of arm-wrestling match, with Harada-san trying not to spill Heisuke-kun's sake.
"You are correct, Heisuke," Saitō said calmly, pouring yet another drink. "Yukimura did not know that her cousin was in Kyoto. Or even that she had cousins."
"Right!" Chizuru agreed.
"Oi! Cut it out you two! I can't hear!" This, from Heisuke to Nagakura and Harada, seemed especially funny to everyone there. Okita-san laughed at all three of them, and even Saitō smiled.
When order was somewhat restored (although Heisuke's sake jar was mysteriously empty), and the two charming servers had come and gone with more sake, Okita-san leaned forward and addressed Saitō and Harada-san equally.
"Look, why not just tell us what's going on?"
"Yeah, I agree with that – especially if Sano tells us how come a princess is interested in a good-for-nothing spearman like him." Nagakura folded his arms and sat upright, looking like an irritated emperor. Chizuru could tell that he wasn't really upset with anyone though.
"Harsh…" murmured Heisuke. Then he looked imploringly at Chizuru. "Come on, Chizuru-chan, help us out, huh? Me, an' Shinpa'-san an' Sōji jus' wanna know what's goin' on."
"Oh for the gods' sake, Heisuke, it's only been an hour and you're already drunk!" But Nagakura's words sounded the faintest bit slurred as well.
"Actually, I think this is a good idea," Saitō stated calmly. "I will explain."
"Not about swords!" Heisuke intervened, looking alarmed.
Saitō gave the other captain a flat stare that seemed to actually sober him up a little.
"Whoa, Hajime-kun, that was almost, like, you know – Hijikata-san…"
"Alright, I agree too," muttered Harada. "About time, really." He downed another cup of sake, and then leaned back on his hands in his favourite pose, staring up at the ceiling.
"I think you're up, Hajime-kun," commented Okita, sipping slowly from his own cup.
Saitō nodded decisively. Chizuru noticed that he was sitting much closer to her than when they had started. She had to resist the urge to just lean her head on his shoulder… it had been a very long day.
"As I explained to Heisuke and Sōji a few days ago, there really are Oni – that's what they call themselves and they're not human so it doesn't matter. There were three at the Ikedaya: Kazama Chikage, who fought Sōji; Amagiri Kyūju, who injured Heisuke; and Shiranui Kyō, who used the pistol against Harada."
Saitō looked around and everyone nodded. Heisuke-kun and Okita-san didn't even bother making comments about their respective Oni opponents, which Chizuru found to be a nice change.
"I saw Kazama Chikage just before he left the Ikedaya; he was using some kind of magic, and it affected both Yukimura and me. In Yukimura's case, it showed her to be an Oni; in my case, it had the effect of trying to transform me into an Oni. In Oni form, a person has white hair and golden-yellow eyes, and horns."
Surprisingly, only Heisuke looked especially shocked. Okita-san and Nagakura-san seemed taken aback, but it was evident that they had already thought about things a great deal. And Nagakura-san had heard about the Oni the night that Saitō had undergone the Trial of Body.
"In summary, what we learned the night the Oni came to my assistance – from Sen-hime, the Oni Princess, Kimigiku-san, her bodyguard, and Amagiri-san – was that I was a part-Oni to begin with, and Yukimura has always been an Oni. Because of Kazama's magic, I am becoming an Oni faster than is… comfortable. We also learned that Harada is part-Oni."
"Seriously – Sano! I thought that's what they implied that one time… Why didn't you talk to me about it, moron? I was wondering what the hell was going on!"
"R-really… Sano-san's like, part-demon?" Heisuke looked endearingly bewildered. Chizuru wondered if the alcohol was helping or hindering. Heisuke seemed to have no difficulty choosing; he poured more sake.
Okita-san just sat and waited for more information, his eyes half-closed. He was still sipping slowly at the same drink.
"The day after the night that the Oni were at our headquarters," Saitō continued, "Hijikata-san, Harada and I were invited to visit Sen-hime's home." He ignored the exclamations that immediately followed this remark and forged on. "We were informed that Hijikata-san is also a part-Oni and –" Here, Saitō had to raise his voice over Okita's commentary, which Chizuru couldn't make out. "And, we learned that Hijikata-san and I, and probably Yamazaki, are likely descended from the Shiranui family."
"And here I just thought you just dyed your hair, Hajime-kun!" Chizuru could finally hear Okita-san. "But I always wondered why you picked purple…"
"Shut up for a sec, Sōji," interrupted Nagakura, leaning forward. "What about the rest of us? That's what I've been wondering, right?"
"What – us?!" Heisuke looked as though he couldn't get much redder.
"It is very probable – in fact almost certain – that you, Heisuke, and Sōji all have Oni ancestry," confirmed Saitō. "Which brings us more or less up-to-date. The one thing about the Oni that we have been told, very clearly, is that they are dying out."
"What?!"
Chizuru felt a lot of sympathy for Heisuke-kun. She really couldn't blame him for being overwhelmed - it was so much to take in. She stifled a yawn, and felt her head droop a little. Saitō passed her one of the snacks and calmly ignored the others while he made sure that she ate. It helped, a bit, and when she could focus again she saw that Heisuke seemed calmer again.
"There aren't enough women," Harada said bluntly. "Haven't been for at least a couple of centuries, at a rough guess, and it's finally hit the breaking point." He had been silent throughout Saitō's recital, a strange role reversal between the two men.
Okita-san, Nagakura-san and Heisuke-kun were studying Harada-san as if he were a rare specimen; the spearman just shook his head.
"Look, it's all crazy, what can I say? Anyway, while Saitō was off learning how not to hurt himself by overdoing the Oni powers – and yeah, there are some – I got to know the princess and Kimigiku a bit better. Saitō's had a lot more to learn, though. The Oni seem to think that I'm better off not ending up in a near-death situation like Saitō, so they're taking it slow with me – and all of us, I guess, except that I think they're stretched pretty thin. There just aren't many of them."
"But what they have is pretty damn powerful," grumbled Heisuke, unconsciously rubbing his forehead. And yet, Chizuru noticed, he seemed a lot less resentful now than before, somehow. More confused, definitely still upset, but less… angry.
"Yeah," agreed Harada.
"Hmm." Nagakura was deep in thought – although Chizuru noticed that his drinking hadn't slowed down much.
"What does this mean for us?" Okita demanded. "And for the Shinsengumi? Are you a threat now, Hajime-kun? Whose side are you on?"
"Oi, oi!" Nagakura cut in. "Enough with that, Sōji. Not now, okay? Sounds to me like we've got a lot of learning to do. And maybe there's a problem – but if there is we'll deal with it. Let's not be too quick to panic."
"Yeah," agreed Harada, suddenly sitting forward. Chizuru wondered if this was part of what had been bothering Harada-san. If so, then Nagakura's straightforward approach seemed to have helped.
"Yeah!" cried Heisuke, looking cheerful again. "This is supposed to be a party, right?! Let's have more to drink and find out more about Sano-san's princess!"
"What? No!" Harada waved his hands vigorously at Heisuke. "No – let's talk about something else!"
"Does she have a friend?" Nagakura asked, grinning. "The bodyguard was really beautiful but, uh, kind of intimidating. Maybe another cousin?"
The men – with the exception of Saitō, who drained yet another drink and then looked at his cup with a certain concern – all seemed to become more cheerful by the minute. Even Okita-san gave up on frowning at the ground (and Saitō and Harada-san), and started teasing the other three.
Chizuru found the world swimming a little. Saitō's hand was suddenly under her elbow.
"I promised the Vice Commander that I would take Chizuru away after an hour or so. We'll go now."
It seemed to Chizuru, through her haze, that Okita-san gave Hajime a slightly speculative look, but he didn't say anything.
"Don't have too much fun, Saitō!" called Nagakura. "… Aw man, never thought I'd say those words to that guy – jeez the world is weird…"
Saitō guided the half-unconscious Chizuru out of the room and down the stairs to the main level. Various serving girls and patrons looked at the staggering "boy" and laughed or looked sympathetic depending on their inclination.
"Don't let him throw up on you!" and "He'll feel it in the morning!" were among some of the more common remarks and catcalls. Chizuru just stumbled along unheeding. She had no idea why she was so tired… But it had been nice to see everyone getting along again…
[III] - A Place to Recover
Saitō carried Chizuru up the lane to Sen-hime's house. By the time he reached the door, he was very worried, although his expression remained calm. Needless to say, it hadn't taken him long to get to the house.
Somebody had obviously sensed his approach, because the door opened just as he arrived, and he was relieved to see Amagiri waiting for him. Despite his concern over Chizuru, Saitō hesitated for an instant before he entered: he sensed more people in the house than he had expected; then he remembered that Sen-hime had discovered that her cousins were on their way.
"Yukimura-sama will be in absolutely no danger from Kazama Chiharu-sama or Kichirō-kun," Amagiri told him. "Come in. We will go to one of the rooms upstairs. Sen-hime, Kimigiku-san and Chiharu-sama are all sitting in the main reception room."
Saitō bowed as well as he could without disturbing Chizuru and followed Amagiri up the stairs. He waited stoically while Amagiri set out a futon for the girl, and then he tucked her in carefully. Amagiri had already seated himself and appeared to be deep in thought; Saitō recognized – or could sense – that he was examining Chizuru.
"Yukimura-sama is just drained. She has depleted her resources and now she is sleeping to recover. Shall I ask Sen-hime to see to her? Do you know what happened?"
Saitō briefly laid out the events of the evening and Amagiri frowned a little.
"You disclosed almost everything then?"
"Everything that we are certain of, yes. Harada and I agreed it was for the best."
"Were you drunk?"
"No. In fact, it was troubling how difficult it was to become even slightly intoxicated."
"Hnh. No surprise there. Very well. I accept that you and Harada-san made the decision you felt was most appropriate with respect to your comrades. What do you think happened with Yukimura-sama?"
Saitō looked at the big Oni for a long moment, sensing a test. He was holding Chizuru's hand, unwilling to let her go until he was sure she was actually recovering.
"I think… that she did too much… to keep everything going well. Things always seemed to come right again every time somebody was getting upset. Also – but I am not sure – she affects those around her, I mean, Oni and part-Oni, doesn't she?"
Amagiri nodded.
"I think so. But I have never seen anything quite like it. Still, the abilities of the Yukimura clan were not always clear to the rest of us…"
[END]
A/Note: Thank you for reading! All Faves, Follows and reviews much appreciated!
Next chapter... Meeting the Kazamas. The Demon Vice Commander. Revelations.