A/Note:

Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, and a special thanks to those who have taken the time to review. \(^u^)~

I also very much appreciate the Favourites and Follows, both the new (thank you for joining!) and the old (thank you for sticking with me!).

I hope you enjoy this chapter... there's something for everyone, or just about!

~ImpracticalOni

Chapter 57 – Fragments, Past and Present

[I] - The Shinsengumi

Heisuke tossed in his sleep. Once again he saw the invaders, with their strange faces and old weapons, dripping with blood. Once again, bloodied froth crashed on the rocky beach. Unbeknownst to the restless dreamer, a trickle of blood once again ran down his face from the wound that Amagiri had inflicted with nothing but a gloved fist. A ray of moonlight coming in through the open window momentarily shone whitely against a few strands of bleached hair. Then the wind picked up again and the moon was hidden by dark cloud.

Sōji was restless. Kondō-san had retired to bed long before he, Heisuke and Shinpachi-san had gotten back from their unusual night out. He wondered what Saitō and Harada were doing and was torn between concern for their loyalty and frustration that he wasn't part of their little club. And why had Hijikata-san shown up in the middle of the night? Why was he spending so much time with the Oni?

Sōji hesitated briefly, then grabbed a jug of sake and two cups and walked purposefully toward Sannan-san's quarters. He was worried about the Deputy Commander, who he'd always liked for his willingness to follow Kondō despite being from a more prestigious family and better-known ryu. But more than that, he sensed an ally in the scholarly man. Maybe they could work together to ensure the future of the Shinsengumi? Kondō's Shinsengumi, that is.

Shinpachi was in bed but not yet asleep. It had been a long day and he'd gotten little rest between his late night and early morning shifts. The problem was that he had a lot to think about. He didn't have Sōji's problems with Hijikata, but he shared some of the green-eyed man's concerns about where the Shinsengumi were heading if valuable captains like Saitō and Sano became more embroiled in Oni affairs. Moreover, he'd read the signs even before Saitō had finally opened up: most of them had some kind of Oni blood, and Shinpachi had decided that he was alright with that; it appealed to his sense of logic. He figured it wasn't really different than being built taller or stronger or more talented. Life wasn't fair. On the whole, having Oni blood was a bonus and you had to accept that there might be some bad with the good.

On the other hand, he liked the Shinsengumi for what they represented: a chance to be with a group of like-minded swordsmen (plus Sano!) who took life and practice seriously when necessary, but could also cut loose from time to time. He had a feeling that things were going to change sooner rather than later now, and he couldn't yet predict where the Shinsengumi was going to land.

In the crowded sleeping quarters of the regular soldiers, Takeda Kanryusai was once again pondering how to improve his situation. He had been made a vice-captain in the First Division after the Ikedaya incident, but he knew that the only thing that had prevented Okita-san from complaining was that Kondō-san had recommended the promotion. Moreover, Kondō-san had been gone since the night of the raid, which meant that he hadn't received his privileges as vice-captain yet – such as a change of living quarters.

Not that he really wanted to be a vice-captain. There were vacant captains' positions open, and if the Shinsengumi decided to recruit more men then Takeda planned to talk Kondō-san into giving him his own unit – preferably the Fourth or Fifth Division. With Kondō-san's return today he had high hopes for the immediate future… His only concern right now was to make sure that the girl – really, did anyone with eyes take her for a boy? – didn't tell anyone how minor his injury had been when he'd left the inn during the middle of the battle. The truth was that he wanted to be an advisor not a warrior. Warriors died young, in his experience.

Takeda closed his eyes and yawned. Of course, the girl was probably sharing the bed of one or more of the Shinsengumi leaders, so he'd have to be careful how he went about watching her. On the other hand, she seemed very young and timid, so she probably wouldn't say anything about him in any case. He fell asleep still undecided how best to deal with his one weak spot in his quest for advancement.

[II] - Oni Lord

Saitō and Chizuru had only gone part-way toward the bath-room at the back of the house when the former came to an abrupt halt. I should have remembered sooner, thought Saitō, stopping his wife-to-be with a gentle but unmoveable hand on her arm.

"Chizuru," he said, still enjoying the use of her first name, "I should not have brought you with me. My injuries will heal and you are already fatigued. Chiharu-sama is far less tired than she was and that is your doing. I do not want you to heal me further."

Chizuru smiled at him. For once she didn't shrink back at his poorly-phrased concern for her well-being. Just a few days ago she would have assumed that he didn't want her with him.

"Oh no, Hajime, I've learned how to control it when I heal people now. Osen-chan and Haru-chan helped me. I'm fine."

Saitō noticed the slight emphasis she still put on his first name, as though she were reminding herself to use it. She was very earnest.

"You have been healing me since we left the room. Please do not." He was surprised and pleased when she immediately stopped.

"The Vice Commander said that I should look after your wounds," she said demurely, eyes veiled by long, dark lashes.

"The Vice Commander said that you should inspect my wounds," Saitō corrected, almost smiling. "Which you have already done."

"You have at least two cuts on your legs that need cleaning. I was unable to get all the cloth fragments out – they've dried into the blood and require warm water."

"Chizuru," Saitō said gravely, "what are you suggesting?"

Chizuru flushed under his steady stare.

"N-Nothing… But please let me make sure that the bath is drawn properly and the water is hot and clean." Saitō was a little shocked to see that there were tears in her eyes. She blinked them away and continued. "That was very hard for you and I wanted to be there. You are very brave, of course, but I wish that you didn't keep getting hurt. And don't tell me it was nothing, because that isn't true!"

He really couldn't help it. She was adorable and she was his and it had been a very long day. Her small form fit snugly into his arms and against his chest, and he realized (again) that he was completely infatuated. Also, in Oni form, with his senses heightened by the recent Trial, he could appreciate her scent and soft skin and warm lips even more.

It was, perhaps, an unfortunate time for a teenage boy to come wandering down the stairs and into the long hall in search of his family (not to mention something to do, since he was far too excited about everything going on to wait patiently for his elder sister). It was doubly unfortunate that he happened to have the look and presence of a Kazama.

Kichirō was slammed up against the wall with a speed and force that would have done credit to his older brother. It gave him a sudden appreciation of the gulf between him and an adult Oni lord. He had absolutely no idea who the stranger was, but he could fully appreciate the significance of the four horns and the blazing aura.

Since he couldn't breathe – one of Saitō's clawed hands was around his throat – he called out his surrender mentally instead, although it was a little garbled. And despite the life-threatening situation he was desperately embarrassed by what he'd stumbled onto unawares.

Forgive me, lord! You hold my life! Gomenasai deshita!

He was set down almost as quickly as he'd been thrown against the wall. A very pretty Oni girl (Kichirō was impressed that he noticed that before anything else) had her hand on the man's lean, muscled arm, and a very pleasant, soothing feeling began to calm his jangled nerves. It reminded him a little of his sister, but sweeter and less… commanding. Of course, he didn't know very many Oni girls, and this one seemed to be about his age. Too bad she was taken – she seemed awfully nice…

There was something almost like a growl from the male Oni in front of him and he had to force down a yelp. He was a Kazama, after all, and he had never been a coward.

"I am so sorry, Kichirō-san," the girl said in a voice that went perfectly with her delicate face and large golden eyes. "It has been such a difficult day, you see… and we thought that you were upstairs asleep..."

Chizuru was lying through her slightly pointed teeth of course. They'd known the boy wasn't asleep. She was amazed at how calm she was, under the circumstances; she even felt the strangest desire to laugh – either at Saitō, who truly did look and sound like an aggrieved Oni lord, or at the poor young Kazama boy, who was so clearly shocked and mortified.

"I… regret… any hurt I may have caused you," Saitō finally managed, a little stiffly. His golden eyes were still blazing.

The others reached them at that point. Chizuru was surprised it had taken so long – she could only assume that events had moved even faster than she had realized. Saitō relaxed immediately upon seeing Hijikata-san and Amagiri-san, even though Amagiri-san looked even more forbidding than Saitō at the moment. Hijikata-san and Harada-san, who had arrived last – though not by a great margin – were now the only ones present not in Oni form. Kichirō had shifted as soon as he hit the wall, and both Osen-chan and Kimigiku-san had long white hair and horns.

"What are you doing down here?" demanded Amagiri in severe tones.

"Kichirō! I told you to stay upstairs!" exclaimed Chiharu at the same time.

Neither of the older Oni sounded happy. Chizuru could tell that all of the adults present were rapidly assessing the situation. She thought that Hijikata-san and Harada-san seemed slightly amused, though, now that the first emergency was over. She saw them exchange a flickering glance, and even managed to catch the gist of whatever passed between them. Something about – drinking money? Apparently Harada-san had been correct about something and was pleased about it.

Chizuru cleared her throat. To her surprise, both Chiharu-sama and Amagiri-san turned to her immediately.

"There was no real harm done, Haru-chan," she said rather apologetically to the Oni woman. For just a moment, she felt a pang that Chiharu was just as lovely in her Oni form as in her human form. Then concern for Kichirō-kun overcame her slight envy. "I truly believe that it would be best if we were all properly introduced and then Saitō-san can bathe and change. There is no reason to… to be worried about a simple misunderstanding."

Sen and Kimigiku regarded Chizuru with fond pride. Saitō was clearly fully in control of himself again, his pale face expressing only a kind of stoic politeness that ignored his state of undress and the remnants of battle-wounds. The two humans were obviously inclined to laugh about the whole thing. Chiharu didn't think that Hijikata-san and Harada-san fully appreciated how badly it could have gone – and then she sternly reminded herself that they were probably quite good at assessing dangerous situations. Amagiri gave Chizuru-chan a respectful half-bow.

"Of course, Yukimura-sama," he said in his deep, quiet voice. His stance shifted from tired irritation to polite formality. Chizuru was impressed by the transformation. Like a stage manager, but with perfect dignity, he placed Chizuru and Saitō on his right and Kichirō on his left.

"Yukimura-sama, Saitō, may I present my cousin, Kichirō-sama, Heir-designate to the Kazama Clan and the Duchy of the West. Kichirō-kun, this is Yukimura Chizuru-sama, Heir-apparent to the Yukimura Clan and the Duchy of the East. This is her promised husband, Saitō Hajime-sama, of the Sakurai clan. Sen-hime intends to ratify the betrothal within the next hour or so, after the usual formalities." Appropriate bows were exchanged between the three parties. "Also, you will want to congratulate Saitō on having just completed his Three Trials. He is the first Part-Oni to do so in many hundreds of years."

Kichirō bowed again: "Congratulations on your betrothal Saitō-sama, and also on your transformation."

Chiharu turned to Saitō and smiled at him: "Congratulations from me as well, Saitō-sama. I will remove this graceless boy from your presence. Sen-hime, Kimigiku-san, I will help you arrange things. Amagiri, please take whatever time you need to recover your energy."

"Is there anything that I can do to help, Sen-hime?" asked Harada. He found himself staring slightly; he had forgotten how appealing the princess was in her Oni form.

"Or if you like," said Hijikata, who had been taking Kichirō's measure, "I could discuss swords with Kichirō-kun while Harada argues the merits of spears."

Kichirō was surprised when Chiharu gave a tired smile and said: "Very well, Kichiro-kun. Why don't you and Hijikata-san go out into the front garden? And… yes, that's better."

Kichirō had shifted back to human form. He was quite impressed with this turn of events. Chiharu hadn't even scolded him for coming down in his favourite sleeveless shirt, which he wore rather loosely belted over his hakama. Then again, as his eyes took in Harada-san's attire, he could see that he still had some ways to go if he wanted to truly stand out.

"I am pleased to meet you, Hijikata-san, Harada-san," he managed politely. His eyes strayed to Hijikata's wakizashi, which looked surprisingly long for an honour blade.

Hijikata nodded to him, oddly less at ease now that he saw the image of the man that both Sōji and Saitō had described from the Ikedaya. Apparently he was getting used to white hair and horns. But he was still curious to find out what this rather enthusiastic young Oni was like. He could see that Harada was a little torn, though. The spearman was always exceptionally kind to the scared teenage boys that the Shinsengumi seemed to attract. Or maybe kind wasn't exactly the right word. Hijikata remember a certain Ibuki Ryunosuke who Harada had tried to civilize with a combination of encouragement and thumps on the head. Still… he hadn't missed the way Harada's eyes had strayed to Sen-hime. He barely managed to restrain himself from rolling his own eyes.

"Why don't we leave Harada here to entertain the women, Kichirō-kun," Hijikata said blandly. "He can show you pretty tricks with his pig-sticker later. Although… Sen-hime, do you need Chiharu-sama's assistance in the next fifteen minutes? She can come out and make sure that her brother doesn't overdo things."

Sen was startled by the suggestion – did the Vice Commander admire her cousin? When she met his deep purple eyes, however, she reconsidered. He was reminding her to think about how it would look if something did happen to Kichirō while the boy was alone with Hijikata of the Shinsengumi. The man was astute. Apparently it wasn't all just good looks and an irritable temper.

Amagiri had already slipped away. So had Saitō-san and Chizuru-chan, which was a good thing, although Sen wondered for a moment if her brown-eyed cousin was actually going to follow the Vice Commander's advice and try to look after her lover's wounds while he bathed. She sighed – given how shy the two of them were, it seemed unlikely. On the other hand…

"Princess?" Kimigiku looked a little concerned.

Sen shook herself out of her strange reverie. It occurred to her that they were all very tired. Hijikata-san and Harada-san were both unreadable, although one looked serious and the other smiled. Kirō-kun would be dancing with impatience if he weren't feeling so self-conscious at the moment. Sen caught Hijikata's impassive regard and blushed slightly – she tended to forget that she was only a few months older than Kichirō, but the Vice Commander somehow managed to make her feel just how young she was. Slightly embarrassed, she gave them all a warm smile and went on as though nothing had happened.

"Haru-chan, please keep an eye on my guests for me if you would be so kind. Harada-san, your assistance would be appreciated, if you'll come with me? Kimigiku, would you fetch what we'll need?"

Chiharu had observed as much as she could of the proceedings, but was hampered by not knowing the players very well yet. She gestured politely for Hijikata-san to precede her down the hallway toward the front door, but he turned instead to her brother.

"There must be practice swords in there. Fetch them if you can find them without disturbing Amagiri-san."

"Hai!" said Kichirō enthusiastically. It was at least one in the morning, by his best guess, after a couple of very strange days, and now he was going to spar with a real, live human swordsman!

Well, mostly human, anyway. He had heard from Kyō that some people had started calling the purple-eyed Shinsengumi leader the Demon Vice Commander, which Kyō found very funny; however, Kichirō wasn't altogether sure it was a joke. Since nobody ever told him anything, he'd have to wait and see. Besides, Hijikata-san was much less intimidating and much more approachable than Saitō-sama. Harada-san had described Saitō-sama as one of the best swordsmen in Kyoto, but rather quiet. Personally, Kichirō found him rather terrifying. Of course, there were circumstances, obviously, even if Kichirō didn't know precisely what they were.

He found the bokken easily, being careful not to disturb Amagiri's meditation. He liked Amagiri very much, but he tended to be more serious – about everything – than Kichirō found strictly necessary. The only time Amagiri seemed to let his guard down was with Kenshin, and not often even with him. Running back along the now-empty corridor with the wooden practice swords, Kichirō thought how nice it was to have people around who smiled more, like Osen-chan and Harada-san. And he was determined to do his best for Hijikata-san. It was really too bad that he was still so tired after the gruelling journey.

[III] - Fencing

When he reached the front garden, Hijikata-san and Haru-chan had obviously only just arrived themselves, since they were just sliding on sandals over their tabi. Kichirō was momentarily at a loss, but his sister waved him over.

"If my sandals are here, then yours are too," she said, smiling. "Osen-chan's household is always very efficiently run, thanks to Kimigiku."

"Thank you, Nee-san," Kichirō said rather distractedly, as he hunted for footwear. "I found the bokken, Hijikata-san. Are we really going to spar?"

"Why don't you show me a bit of your style, first," the man suggested, helping Haru-chan down the front steps with an offhand grace that Kichirō immediately envied and decided to copy one day.

For just a fraction of a second the boy pictured himself assisting Yukimura-sama in the same way – she smiled lovingly at him, of course – and then he shuddered and resolved not to go any further down that path. Having spent his entire life around Onii-sama, he knew it was better to tread very carefully around Saitō-sama and to assume for now that this new and unknown lord could read his thoughts and feelings unless he was very careful.

He carefully took up his preferred stance, the bokken feeling a little light in his hand compared to his usual katana. He glanced at Hijikata-san, who was standing some feet away, arms crossed and eyes intent. It occurred to Kichirō that the night was unusually windy and it smelled of storm. Soon, he thought. He began a half-time practice pattern, and his focus finally shifted from Hijikata-san and the weather to what he was doing.

"He's very good," Hijikata said quietly to Chiharu, without turning his head. "Did his brother—your older brother—teach him?"

"Yes. But although Chikage is an excellent swordsman, he doesn't love the art the way Kichirō does."

"Hmm."

Hijikata could feel the young woman studying him, even though neither of them moved their eyes from boy sliding back and forth across the grass nearby. It came as something of a shock to him to realize that he could see far better in the dark than he used to. He sent a silent acknowledgment to Saitō, who had obviously been dealing with far stranger and more obvious changes over the last few days.

Although he was tired, and was being kept from his rest and his duties for far longer than he had anticipated, Hijikata experienced a rare moment of peace. Chiharu-sama stirred slightly and he could tell that now she was looking at him.

"We ran into a minor inconvenience on the way here," she said, choosing her words with care. "Three ronin thought that a girl and her brother would be easy prey."

"Their mistake," Hijikata responded wryly. "Did he kill them?"

Chiharu's usually warm voice became a little chilly. "No. We do not kill without need." For some reason, honesty compelled her to add: "Though I will admit that it was a near thing in one case, and the man may not survive his injuries. Also… in my opinion we could have simply avoided them."

Surprised by her candour, in a world where appearance was critically important to men and women with any claim to status, Hijikata half-turned to look at her. She met his gaze without difficulty, her eyes the same clear purple as his own, although it was hard to tell in this lighting, of course.

"Many boys long to test their blades," he said neutrally. The girl couldn't know his concern over Sōji, who not so long ago had been determined to kill somebody just to prove himself. Serizawa Kamo, former leader of the Shinsengumi, had set the boy up perfectly to act as his assassin, and Hijikata wasn't sure that the taint of that man had ever quite left the First Division Captain.

"Well, Kichirō knows the rules. No killing, no drawing attention to ourselves. But… you are right. He wanted to test himself against them."

"To give you an idea," Hijikata told her, looking away from Chiharu's bright hair and lovely face back to the boy in front of them, "Saitō could take down three ronin of the type you describe and choose exactly how they would be hurt and where. Or he could kill them. He could do that as a human, let alone now."

Chiharu was silent, unsure what to say. Finally, Kichirō stopped and bowed.

"Well, this should be interesting," Hijikata said to Chiharu, stepping forward briskly. "Your form is good, Kichirō-kun! Shall we see how you do against an opponent?"

"Hai!" Kichirō took up a high guard stance, his face alight with the idea of fighting one of the leaders of the Shinsengumi. He wondered if really ought to, since this man was only a human, but he couldn't resist.

"Chiharu-sama, you may give the signal," Hijikata said calmly.

"As you wish, Hijikata-san."

Chiharu moved a little closer, lifting her hand. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she was pleased that the Shinsengumi Vice Commander had assumed that she would know what to do. Then her hand came down:

"Begin!"

[IV] - Sen & Harada

Sen led Harada into a room that he hadn't seen before, one that was clearly designed for rituals of some kind. He recognized none of the designs as religious, however.

"So… what is left to do tonight? It seems to me that you've accomplished quite a lot."

Sen put down a bowl that she had been wiping clean of dust (although it had already looked clean to Harada). She took a step toward him and smiled a little shyly.

"Well, first, I need to perform the blood rituals." Seeing his somewhat horrified expression, she waved her hand vigorously in front of her face. "No, no, no… nothing like what you're imagining, I assure you."

"It really didn't sound good, Sen-hime." Harada put a big hand on Sen's shoulder. "But now I remember that you said something about blood-testing before a clan head is confirmed – or before you will give permission for two Oni to be married. So that's what this is about?"

"Yes. Although the Test of Mind was very clear, to be honest, and the extra horns. Plus, I don't think they should delay their marriage for too long, do you?"

Harada laughed.

"Is it really proper for a young princess to even allude to such things?" he asked, tilting her chin up slightly so that she couldn't hide behind her eyelashes as easily. "But I'm not saying you're wrong. I just hope I get invited to the wedding. Or the naming ceremony. Whichever comes first."

Sen gurgled with amusement and Harada wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. After a moment, she relaxed and leaned into him, her soft cheek pressed to his bare skin. She could hear his heart beating.

"I like being close to you, Harada-san."

"Thanks. I like being close to you, too. Although…"

"What?" Sen was suddenly anxious and tried to pull away. The arms around her remained steady.

"Although, being this close to you, and in your cute Oni form, especially—Well, my mind keeps thinking about things that proper young princesses shouldn't allude to."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm." Harada kissed the top of her head. "Really. ... As if you didn't know."

[END]

A/Note: Happy Almost-Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers! Hooray for the long weekend!