Author's Note:

There is something about these kinds of chapters-the "chapter after the critical plot point"-that is very hard to write ( shell1331).

It seemed important, however, to bring things back to the Shinsengumi: to Hijikata and Harada, to Souji, Shinpachi and Heisuke, and of course to our favourite (well, my favourite!) ninja.

I'd like to thank everyone who read the last chapter and posted a review or sent me a note, but I will have to postpone my personal thanks a bit longer: it's awfully late as I post this. I hope you all know that I really do prefer to respond to all reviews as well as to thank you here. It's just been one of those weeks.

nalufever / danceswithseatbelts : Yes, you should definitely play and/or watch Hakuouki! We'd love to have you join us in our craziness. :)

PS Kazama... the original... very shortly hehehehehe

~ImpracticalOni

Chapter 61 - He Did What?

[I] - Do You Mind?

Harada thought that Hijikata's approach was sound. For one thing, it stuck fairly closely to the truth. For another, it meant that Shinpachi, Heisuke and Sōji would get to find out a lot more about what was going on, which Harada thought was only fair. Harada had attempted to tread carefully around the subject of Yamazaki. Not because his situation was any different from that of the others, but because if Osen-chan's and Amagiri-san's guesses were correct, then Hijikata, Saitō and Yamazaki were all brothers to an escaped Chōshu spy and sympathizer. Hijikata had said very little on the subject except that he would talk to Yamazaki himself.

The servants, Akio-san and Mika-san had brought tea and refreshments not long after Kimigiku-san had taken the unconscious Osen-chan up to bed. Harada had been working very hard to keep his mind off the Oni princess, but as the tea was served, and his discussion with Hijikata was put aside, he found his thoughts returning to her. He was worried about her, and there didn't seem to be much he could do to help.

The truth was that he didn't quite know what to make of her: sometimes she seemed terribly young; most of the time she shone with a kind of bright interest in life that he found immensely appealing; and occasionally she seemed every inch a powerful Oni princess. Harada was drawn to her, but he also found her… complicated. He had a slight suspicion that he hadn't so much kissed her as she had kissed him, despite how it had seemed at the time. But was that so bad? For some reason, the petite, fiery, magenta-eyed Princess of the Oni wanted to be close to him. Her flirting was unpracticed but seemed completely genuine.

"Girl on your mind?" Hijikata's voice was low, but held a definite smirk.

"Yes." Harada saw no point in denying it; he knew he'd been abstracted and the Vice Commander was always observant. Besides, for the past few minutes his mind had wandered away from her intriguing personality to dwell on her petite but softly rounded form. When he had kissed her she had made a very warm, feminine little bundle in his arms. It had been somehow unexpected and very pleasant.

"Hmm. Well, do me a favour and make an effort to think about something else, will you? It's even more difficult to ignore with you sitting there smiling to yourself."

Harada stared at him blankly, and then comprehension dawned and he reddened slightly. He wasn't easily embarrassed, but as soon as he realized what Hijikata was inferring—that the newly-married couple might be partially responsible for his current train of thought—he felt like he was intruding on something altogether too private.

"Harada-san."

Harada looked up in surprise as Amagiri crossed the room and sat down with them.

"We have neglected you in order to deal with other emergencies. Given that you seem to be trying to work out your Gifts on your own, why don't I teach you one or two basic things now? Hijikata-san may be interested as well."

Hijikata looked at him expressionlessly. "I am interested," was all he said.

The Oni nodded. His expression seemed as calm as ever, without any outward sign of the earlier impatience. Harada, trying to follow Hijikata's request to think about other things, wondered what the man really thought about his upcoming meeting with his overlord, but even as the spearman pursued this thought he received a stinging back-hand across his right cheek that he hadn't seen coming. Except that neither he nor Amagiri-san had moved and Hijikata-san just looked confused.

"What – what the hell was that?!" Harada demanded, one hand raised to his cheek and amber eyes blazing.

"You have a tendency to pry," said Amagiri sternly. "Oni children are taught manners as they grow up; foremost among them is that just because you're curious doesn't mean you should go looking."

"But I—"

"In your profession, of course, it is important for you to have as much information as you can discover about your surroundings and those about you. But when you are dealing with Oni Gifts, and other initiates to the Gifts, chasing down a stray thought or feeling can be dangerous, as I've just shown you. By seeking to find out what I was guarding in my thoughts, you left yourself vulnerable to me."

Ignoring Harada's rigid countenance, Amagiri turned to Hijikata.

"Harada-san has unusually strong Gifts of Soul and Mind for a man who has not even passed the Trial of Body and is almost entirely untrained. As you may have noticed, however, that also makes him susceptible to reacting to the thoughts and emotions around him. Both you and I, Vice Commander, became aware very quickly that we were sensing the edge of certain feelings that no doubt Saitō and his wife would prefer to keep entirely to themselves. It was only to be expected given so strong a connection between two such potentially powerful Oni. Your reaction, Hijikata-san, was to guard your mind against the sensation, for various reasons—that is, once you determined that there was no threat."

Hijikata nodded slowly, brows slightly lowered. He didn't appreciate watching one of his own men disciplined by somebody else, but he could see where Amagiri was leading his lecture and he knew that time was short.

"Unlike you, Harada-san did not fully appreciate what was going on—likely because what he sensed aligned with something that he was thinking about already." The cool, sky-blue eyes gave Harada a measuring look. "In a sense, his own talent may have betrayed him into thinking that the feelings were his own, because he could perceive them so easily. In any event, as long as he is the more talented and trained of those around him, there is little danger to him when he tests the defenses of others, although he may unknowingly give offense. However, if the other person is more talented, or more skilled, or both, then they may be able to use the connection to his mind to make him believe whatever they wish."

"So you made me believe that you had slapped me?" demanded Harada. "Why?"

"You tried to test my mind, Harada-san—you were curious how I really felt. Even if it was unconsciously done, that kind of prying is considered unacceptable by the Oni – or at the very least bad manners. Also, I wished to warn you… for the future."

Harada, as laid-back as he generally was, had something of a quick temper. Knowing this, and knowing that Amagiri was watching him closely, he made a point of trying to close his mind and suppress his anger and resentment. When he did so—and he was pleased with his control—he noticed that he lost a lot of the constant input that had been troubling him over the past several days. In one way it was a relief; in another it felt like going deaf.

"That was well done, Harada-san," Amagiri said, with a flickering glance at Hijikata that seemed to evaluate what the other man was picking up from the exchange.

"Thank you," replied Harada politely, grievance set aside in the interests of trying to understand the rules of this new world into which he seemed to be falling. "But this is no good either. If I shut out too much then I'll be useless on patrol or in a fight."

Amagiri shrugged.

"It will likely be a challenge for you, in the beginning. But it isn't very different from what you already do. You already sift and discard a great deal of what you hear and see and otherwise perceive at any given time. Nor do I think that you will jeopardize yourself or others while you are learning. Your most critical faculties—the ones that perceive danger or malicious intent—will almost certainly remain alert and they are far sharper now than they ever were."

Both Shinsengumi were listening intently, and the Oni had to respect the intelligence and discipline that allowed them to set aside prejudices and outright disbelief for the sake of potentially hearing something of use to them as warriors. He tried to force himself to focus on what he had actually come over to say, but found his mind suddenly and disturbingly hazy with strong magic.

Despite what he had implied to Hijikata, Amagiri had been uncomfortably and profoundly aware of the union being consummated between Saitō and Yukimura Chizuru-sama almost from the beginning. In fact, the possibility of such an attunement was one of the reasons that he had very much wanted to leave as soon as possible after the wedding ceremony ended. When Hijikata-san had raised perfectly valid objections to this plan, he had reminded himself that in the past, all important unions of this kind had been carefully monitored, as strong Gifts of Soul and Body could actually be a danger to those involved and even to those around them. Therefore, he arguably had some duty to his adopted kin to remain.

However, even on the outermost periphery of sensation, and even with his personal barriers firmly in place, he was finding this particular act of witness to be as difficult as he had suspected it would be. His incomplete union with Yukishima Kameko—consummated only in the body and not through the binding ritual of blood and the recognition of clan and Princess—was like a half-healed wound, and painful in ways that he had shared with nobody, even during the worst of the storm over Kameko's pregnancy.

Strangely, both the old grief and the current burning, aching longing faded quickly, leaving him more whole and at peace than he had felt in a long time. He blinked, and saw that although Harada seemed to be a trifle unfocussed, Hijikata was regarding him steadily and with an expression best described as smug.

"Feeling more rested now?" the Shinsengumi Vice Commander inquired politely. "A little less ragged around the edges?"

Amagiri ignored the slightly satirical tone. With mind and body both suddenly, almost absurdly fit, he was prepared to acknowledge the point, but not to waste any further time on speculation or explanation.

"It was worth waiting, Hijikata-san," he agreed. "And now I must go. Here is my advice to both of you: first, use the Oni Gifts with caution—treat them as you would a weapon that you have the barest idea how to wield; second, take no opponent too lightly when it comes to the Gifts—strength is often the deciding factor, but skill can make up for a great deal and even the greatest strength can be turned against the wielder."

He rose on the last word, and Hijikata and Harada stood up with him. Harada was unusually silent, although alert. The three men exchanged bows, and then Hijikata walked with Amagiri to the outer door of the practice room, the one that led onto the engawa and from there either out to the road or into the woods. Hijikata slid the panel closed behind them.

"Amagari-san," said Hijikata, as the tall Oni turned to go.

"Yes, Hijikata-san?" The porch was dark and the garden beyond even darker. Only the faint gleam of light-blue eyes and the white serpents on Amagiri's jacket were really visible in the gloom.

"Thank you for your assistance. Also… if things don't work out—one way or another—you are always welcome to join the Shinsengumi."

Amagiri seemed startled, then offended, and then finally thoughtful. Or maybe it was all just a trick of the shadows and an overactive imagination, thought Hijikata.

"I will hope that we do not meet as enemies in the future," he said at last.

A bare instant later, Hijikata knew that he was completely alone on the porch. A little to his surprise, he found that he was honestly concerned about the other man's fate. He quickly set that aside, however. The fate of the Shinsengumi had to come first.

[II] - The Captains, Part I

Souji sat under the porch of the small gatehouse attached to the main gates, listening to the heavy rain and alert for any indication of the return of Hijikata-san and the Third and Tenth Division Captains. How long were they going to be, for the gods' sakes? It was past three in the morning, and the green-eyed swordsman was beginning to think that they had stayed the night in town on account of the storm. To be fair, the wind was still bad and thunder still grumbled ominously from the southwest. Waiting out the worst of the storm—maybe sleeping until just before dawn—would not be unreasonable.

Sōji saw a tall, familiar figure sprint across the main courtyard, and identified Shinpachi-san long before his eyes could have made out any details through dark and rain. He had begun to take it for granted, this ability to know when people were around and who they were, but after's today's revelations he had begun to rethink things. As Sano-san had said of himself at some point earlier that evening, it was as if his "sixth sense" had become more acute over the past few months. That slightly unreal acuity had always been something that Sōji and Saitō had shared; it was part of the reason that they had always been best matched against each other. Sōji frowned at the darkness as he contemplated the raw power he had briefly sensed in Saitō earlier; it had been disconcerting and worse, it had reminded Sōji of the blond man from the Ikedaya.

"Storm woke me up," Shinpachi said laconically, wiping rain from his face but otherwise apparently indifferent to his damp clothes.

"I tried to sleep and couldn't," Sōji replied.

"Sano's not back yet."

"None of them are."

"Hmm."

"Think they've been eaten by the Oni?"

"Huh – no." Sōji considered the question more carefully. "Besides, his poetry may suck but Hijikata-san's okay in a fight and Saitō and Sano-san aren't bad."

"Haha. Yeah, but—"

There was a polite cough from overhead. Two swords came out in unison, but when Shinpachi and Sōji dashed out from under the overhang to look up, faces grim, they saw only Yamazaki, barely visible in the darkness and soaked to the skin but apparently undisturbed by either the storm or the steel. Once he'd been acknowledged, the Shinsengumi's shinobi vaulted down and all three men moved under the porch.

"The Vice Commander and Harada-taichō will be here shortly. Okita-taichō, the Vice Commander said to tell you that if you were up out of bed in the rain, after your recent injury, you would be confined to your quarters for a week." Yamazaki paused to allow Sōji to stop cursing. "He also mentioned that if you were simply unable to sleep and happened to have warm sake available, he would be happy to stop in to discuss the latest events."

Shinpachi laughed and slapped Sōji on the shoulder.

"Alright – warm sake it is! And since you and Hijikata-san barely drink, there'll be more for me and Sano! Oh come on Sōji… just, I dunno, let him win one for a change."

Sōji rolled his eyes at Shinpachi.

"Well, at least you admit that he usually loses."

"Nope. I'm not going there, I'm just trying to get you moving. Yamazaki-kun!"

"Hai!"

"Did the Vice Commander mention me at all?"

"Yes, Nagakura-taichō. He said that if you were also awake—"

"Like that idiot Sōji—" Shinpachi put in, grinning.

"—Then you were free to join them. In Okita-san's room, sir."

"Where's Saitō?" demanded Sōji flatly. "Is he already back?"

Shinpachi frowned. "Yeah, good question. Where's Saitō, Yamazaki-kun? And how is Chizuru-chan? Is everything alright?"

Yamazaki's normally expressionless face assumed a masklike quality.

"The Vice Commander said to tell you that Saitō-taichō and Yukimura-san have gotten married and will not be returning until tomorrow."

"Fuck," said Nagakura succinctly, shaking his head. Then he snickered. Then he turned red and shook his head again. "That can't be right. I mean… Saitō? And besides—"

"Married?! Like this evening?! Are you serious or is Hijikata-san just screwing with us for the entertainment value?" Sōji was staring at the Shinsengumi's shinobi, trying to decide what would make him look like more of a fool—taking the statement at face value or denying it and then finding out it was true.

"That is the message I was to pass on to you, Okita-san," Yamazaki said, face and voice still blanker than usual.

Sōji opened his mouth once more but Shinpachi shook his head decisively.

"Thanks, Yamazaki-kun. The Vice Commander will meet us in Okita's quarters?"

Receiving a polite nod from the shinobi, Shinpachi started off immediately, and Sōji reluctantly followed.

[III] Commander & Vice Commander

Yamazaki, now dressed in dry clothing, was waiting just inside Hijikata's quarters as instructed when the Vice Commander returned.

"You told them? They were both waiting?"

"Hai."

"What about Heisuke?" Hijikata was rapidly changing his clothes. He was glad that Yamazaki had lit a small lamp.

"Tōdō-kun is asleep." Yamazaki hesitated, then continued. He disliked wasting the Vice Commander's time with unnecessary trivia, but in this case… "He appears to be having a nightmare, sir."

When Hijikata-san turned sharply on him, still knotting his sash, Yamazaki wasn't wholly surprised.

"About what?"

"If it is like previous nightmares that he has now mentioned to me, then some kind of battle on a rocky beach and many dead, including children."

"Well, then go get him up – he might as well listen to the current nightmare as relive an older one."

"Sir?"

Hijikata, who was putting his swords into his sash, looked up at Yamazaki, frowning. It was unlike the shinobi not to immediately obey a clear order. On the other hand, Yamazaki was no doubt a great deal more tired than Hijikata just at present. The Vice Commander was trying not to think about why he was feeling so refreshed. Unfortunately, it was all really related to the same whole.

"What is it, Yamazaki?"

Two sets of nearly-identical purple eyes stared into each other, and Hijikata recognized with something of a shock that this was very likely his brother he was speaking with; moreover, it was very likely that Yamazaki's unusual hesitation concerned Saitō—or whoever the hell he was now—who was brother to both of them. It was strange, though; Hijikata had been quite mindful of those relationships forty-five minutes ago when he had first spoken with Yamazaki out on the rain-drenched streets.

"I apologize for asking, Vice Commander, but is Saitō-san… alright with this arrangement?"

Hijikata hesitated for a moment and then decided to tell the unvarnished truth.

"Yes. Clearly." He was unable to keep a certain dry humour out of his voice. "However, it is also correct to say that the lady's relatives were quite anxious for the marriage contracts to be entered into immediately… under the circumstances."

"Under the circumstances," Yamazaki repeated woodenly. There was a moment's silence, and then Yamazaki bowed. "I understand, Vice Commander. Shall I fetch Tōdō-kun now?"

"Yes. You may tell them I will be slightly delayed but hopefully not for long. After that, you may either join the party or go to bed."

"Yes, Vice Commander." Yamazaki bowed again and withdrew.

Hijikata took a moment to himself to smooth and retie his hair, mentally reviewing what needed to be done. Well, their story would have to do. He rather thought that Yamazaki didn't quite believe that Saitō had actually compromised the girl—Sen-hime had been all too cheerful about that story, for some reason—but on the other hand… The way things had been going it might not have been so far from the truth.

The Vice Commander was still thinking over the matter as he stepped out of his room, looking immaculate. No, he mused to himself, reviewing everything one more time, on the whole it wasn't exactly Saitō's resolve that I doubted—although he had to smirk when he thought of just how wound up the normally stoic captain had been for the past few days. But really, it was the girl. Ridiculously innocent and perfectly prepared to do anything he thought was right. I don't think she ever really understood the effect she was having on him. On the whole, Saitō had probably made the right choice for both of them, under the circumstances. Still, he wondered if things would have been different without the fucking Oni involved at every turn.

Somewhat soothed by having his thoughts to himself—probably for the first time all day—Hijikata stopped in front of Kondō's door and called a polite, but clear apology for intruding. After waiting a few moments, he called again, and was rewarded by a quick "come in" from within. Not surprisingly, Kondō was rubbing at his eyes and looking very concerned.

"What is it?" the Commander demanded, rising as soon as Hijikata entered the room.

Hijikata did not have to feign irritation: "It's not exactly an emergency, Kondō-san, but you'd be upset if I didn't tell you as soon as possible. It's about Saitō."

Kondō had sat down again, cross-legged, upon hearing that there was no immediate emergency, but his eyes sharpened at this, and there was an edge of worry to his voice when he echoed: "Saitō-kun? Is he alright? But wait—I thought they all went out this evening?"

Hijikata nodded as he sat down opposite his friend and commanding officer.

"They did. From what I understand, they drank for about an hour or, maybe a bit more, and then Yukimura fell ill."

"Yukimura-chan? But surely they didn't give her sake?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it. Saitō's been very, ah, protective of her lately."

"Yes, I gather that several people—you included, Toshi, and Sōji, too—think that there might be some kind of serious attachment forming, which could be a problem."

"Well, Yukimura didn't want the others to give up their evening off, so Saitō apparently offered to take her to her cousin's home, which wasn't too far away."

"Yes, and?"

"There appears to have been some kind of… misunderstanding."

"Toshi, enough of this! You didn't wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me about Saitō and Yukimura-chan and a misunderstanding!"

"Well, actually… they've gotten married."

Kondō's jaw dropped. Then he shook his head and tried to smile. "Honestly, Toshi, you've never done all that well with sake, really, I mean—"

Hijikata bit back a retort and continued with some force:

"Kondō-san, I'm telling you: Saitō brought the girl to her cousin's and was told to take her up to a room because the lady was in the middle of receiving important visitors. The visitors had arrived much later than expected and things were in an uproar. By the time the dust settled, Osen-sama was appalled to find Saitō and Yukimura had been left for quite some time alone together."

"Well—but that doesn't seem too bad, does it? I mean really, wasn't the girl ill?"

"Apparently so. However, when Osen-sama went to tend to her personally, she found her cousin tucked into a futon and Saitō with his arms around her."

"What?! Saitō-kun?!"

Hijikata had to laugh a little, if nothing else but because that part was probably quite true based on what he'd seen lately.

"I know, Kondō-san… but the thing is… When I was summoned over to resolve matters regarding Saitō, Osen-sama was pressing for a marriage." Hijikata paused—well, that part was true too.

"But—the boy's hardly in a position to marry?! What could possibly be gained by it? Because if you tell me that Saitō's fathered a child on an innocent like that I'll laugh in your face. "

Kondō was both justifiably upset and visibly confused. Hijikata wondered briefly what the Commander would think if (or when, if the Oni were to be believe) Yukimura bore a child sometime in the next eight or nine months.

Hijikata sighed, and it wasn't feigned.

"I agree. But the girl—Osen-sama—is sixteen and rather wilful. I've had conversations with her mentor and bodyguard, Kimigiku-san, who seems sensible, and with a family friend who knows the family well. Both confirm that Osen-sama has very romantic notions in her head, will happily give her cousin a fine dowry, and firmly believes that Yukimura wants our Saitō as a husband."

"Madness! Has she no guardian to control her?"

Kondō was frowning, but Hijikata could see that he was fully awake now considering the problem.

"Kondō-san… These people—these Oni—they have their own internal hierarchy. I know it's crazy. I know it sounds like a storyteller's fantasy. But we have seen these people do impossible things. And unless Sannan-san, and Harada and I are all having the same hallucination, Saitō is clearly related to them, even though it's just as clear that he never knew about it."

Kondō's hazel eyes were watching Hijikata's face with careful concentration now.

"Go on."

"Well, it appears that aside from any romantic notions, Osen-sama wished the alliance because she believes Saitō to be not only one of their own kind but quite possibly heir to lands and honours in his own right…"

"Well, as for the first part, he does have purple hair—and blue eyes—and it would explain his strength and speed. As long as you believe in Oni in the first place. And they think he may have connections to one of their noble families? "

"The ancestry of both parties was verified through their own, ah, records. Though I assume it pained Saitō to hear that his mother had deceived his father—he didn't say much—the upshot was that he has a direct claim to both land and title through the written acknowledgment of his father's family. At the same time, Yukimura's family is apparently at least as well connected—from the perspective of the Oni—and her cousin has evidently decided to promote this match for her. Rather, er, forcefully."

Kondō appeared to relax a little, and Hijikata thought he knew why. If nothing else, his friend was a romantic and a traditionalist. Moreover, he had a decided weakness for the nobility.

"So… to put it in simpler terms, there are perfectly normal reasons for Osen-sama and her family to wish to promote the match, involving both property and honour. And, now that I think of it, discovering that young Yukimura has been staying here unchaperoned and has fallen in love with a warrior—there is some validity to their concern for her reputation. Hmm."

"Yes. I still don't think Saitō would seriously compromise Yukimura. But he is in love with her and she is in love with him. He's been quite devoted to her for some time, I suspect; we just didn't notice."

Kondō shrugged. "Why would we? I mean… Saitō-kun? I could understand it better if she'd been attracted to you, Toshi, or Harada-kun or Nagakura-kun. I mean, it was obvious that Heisuke-kun had a soft spot for the girl."

"Well, we tend to forget that Saitō's only a year older than Heisuke, if that. And I suppose it's possible that they unconsciously recognized that they were the same, ah, kind."

"Possibly, possibly… but Toshi—now that I think of it—didn't somebody say that there was a suggestion that more than just Saitō might be connected to these so-called Oni?"

"Yes. After all, you managed to gather the very best, didn't you?"

Kondō snorted in amusement. "You're suggesting that we've ended up with a collection of men with some kind of Oni blood? Yes, of course you are. And that's what you, and Sannan-san, and Sōji were trying to tell me earlier. Very well, summarize the situation for me."

"Things were in an uproar when I arrived at Osen-sama's house. She insisted that although it was late, under the circumstances, she wanted the marriage contract ratified immediately, subject to verification that Saitō was who they believed him to be. Saitō was a little stunned, but I can only describe him as surprisingly willing."

The men exchanged looks, and then smirks.

"Didn't want to wait, I take it?" Kondō asked, shaking his head.

"That pretty much describes it," Hijikata responded, remembering the icy dousing that he and Harada had given the impatient bridegroom. He would have to share that story with Kondō later—the Commander would enjoy it and Saitō was going to have to live with whatever comments were coming his way.

"So you approved the match?

"I didn't say no. Part of the hurry was that one of Osen-sama's guests was on the point of departure and she wanted him to be a witness to the contract. Actually, to be honest, the man was the one who saw Saitō through the fever we mentioned to you earlier. Personally, I find him the most rational of the lot, so I was just as pleased he was there."

"Even though he injured Heisuke-kun?" asked Kondō, who apparently hadn't forgotten everything from the earlier discussion.

"Yes. And the Satsuma are allies of the Aizu, although hardly friends."

"Saitō should have asked for my approval before he ever allowed himself to go so far with the girl that there was even a hint of a problem."

"I agree."

"But in your view, it is not disastrous?"

"No. I don't like it, and I think he's too young, but we both know that he's more than capable and he takes his responsibilities seriously. For what it's worth, I did threaten him with discipline or dismissal if he mismanaged things, and I personally believe that having a sixteen-year-old princess pressure you into a midnight marriage is mishandling things. So if you choose to dismiss him then that's reasonable. But…"

"We don't want to lose his services, especially right now."

"Exactly."

"And he may have made a good match."

"Correct. In fact, I believe that Osen-sama even has some friends within the Imperial court and the northeastern clans such as the Aizu. Allegedly, Saitō's inheritance and Yukimura's are both in the east. It will take time to find out how true this is, of course."

"And Yukimura-chan's father?"

Hijikata suddenly felt exhausted, not such much in body as in spirit.

"That's another problem. The Oni believe that the Yukimura-sensei that we know may only be her uncle and that he may have had a hand in the deaths of her real parents before kidnapping her and bringing her to Edo as a young child."

Kondō stared at Hijikata and then burst out laughing.

"Alright Toshi—enough! It's worth approving this match just to find out whether any of this fantasy is still true in the morning! Knowing you, you're going to go work out the logistics of everything now, so I'll leave you to it and get some sleep. You can't tell me that Osen-sama—who I will have to visit tomorrow, of course—allowed Saitō to bring his bride back to a barracks on their wedding night?"

"Ah, no."

"Then do as you see fit until I've had chance to pay a visit to this "princess". Depending on how annoyed you are with Saitō, you might want to consider giving him an extra day or two of leave."

Kondō yawned and Hijikata gave him a half-wry, half-affectionate smile.

"I knew we could sort it out between us," he acknowledged.

The Commander was still chuckling as Hijikata left the room. Saitō was lucky that Kondō was prepared to be lenient; on the other hand, Hijikata knew that for the present, he and Kondō needed to keep things as normal as possible. How possible that was remained to be seen.

[IV] The Captains, Part II

By the time Hijikata opened the door to Sōji's room, foregoing any polite warning as a privilege of rank, the atmosphere was surprisingly festive. Hijikata, who had been expecting annoyance, surprise, questions and other things along the same line, discovered instead something of an impromptu party.

Ordinarily, he would have scowled the lot of them into silence, since rowdy drinking at four in the morning in the captains' quarters was not allowed. Instead, he was met with a wave of goodwill from his subordinates that made his eyebrows rise as high as they could go. His eyes immediately went to Harada, who was sitting comfortably against one wall smiling benevolently, a cup in one hand and a jar of sake in the other. He only met the amber eyes for a moment, but he almost took a step back when he heard the man's voice in his head.

Sorry Vice Commander. … I was just trying to help. Shinpachi started the toasts to the, er, groom. Then it got out of hand.

"Hijikata-san! Nice of you to join us."

Ah. It appeared that Sōji hadn't completely succumbed to Harada's insistent cheerfulness; no matter how well things were going, the First Division Captain always had a special note of sarcasm saved up for Hijikata. It was almost reassuring to find that some things remained constant.

The noise level went down suddenly, mostly because Nagakura had put his hand over Heisuke's mouth. Yamazaki was sitting quietly in a corner, but his usually watchful gaze appeared a trifle blurred, and Hijikata saw that Sōji was kindly refilling his cup, green eyes gleaming.

"So, Sano's given us most of the details," Nagakura said, over the sounds of Heisuke's protests. "And he swore that you'd answer the rest of our questions. But we got kind of bored waiting and besides, we felt that we should celebrate the happy occasion. I mean, it's not every day that a guy gets— Hey!"

Hijikata, still standing just inside the room, saw Heisuke go tumbling away from Nagakura, who was rubbing his solar plexus and wincing. Harada stretched out a long arm and fielded Heisuke before he crashed into the wall.

"Well, you called the meeting, Hijikata-san," drawled Sōji, leaning back on his hands. "Why the wait? Yamazaki-kun just said that you might be a while. When does the runaway groom get back?"

"Seriously, Hijikata-san—is Hajime-kun married, I mean like, you know, actually married?" Heisuke was rubbing at his head. "I mean, to Chizuru-chan?"

"Well who else would he marry, moron—honestly…" Nagakura rolled his eyes. Then he snickered. "Maybe it's a good thing really… I swear he's been so cranky lately…"

"Yeah, as opposed to, you know, chatty and happy-go-lucky like usual," murmured Sōji. "I don't know about cranky exactly, but from what I saw the other day maybe it is just as well. Or at least – is that the story, Hijikata-san?"

The atmosphere became a little less relaxed, and everyone seemed to wait expectantly for an answer.

"I was just speaking with Kondō-san," Hijikata said, closing the door and sitting with his back against it. He ignored Sōji's pointed question with the ease of long experience.

"Now?" asked Sōji.

"Yes, of course now. Saitō really did marry Yukimura, earlier this evening, so of course I had to speak to the Commander as soon as possible."

"Is Hajime-kun going to have to leave the Shinsengumi, Hijikata-san?" asked Heisuke, sounding upset.

"No. Kondō-san has decided to give his permission for the match to the extent that Saitō can continue with the Shinsengumi. He's planning to visit Yukimura's cousin Osen-sama tomorrow, since she's the one who arranged the marriage and is providing Yukimura with some kind of proper dowry."

"Yeah, I know that Kondō-san would do the right thing for Hajime-kun," said Sōji, "but the whole thing's weird. I mean, isn't part of the reason she's here—other than being too cute to kill, I guess—the fact that she's Kōdō-sensei's daughter? Could she even get married without his say-so? And why did her cousin arrange the marriage. And why tonight for the gods' sakes? Couldn't Hajime-kun keep his hands to himself for another few days?"

"You're the one who said he couldn't," Hijikata said, with a hint of impatience.

"Well, did it really matter anyway? You can't tell me that Saitō would run off on a girl anyway."

"Oh shut up, Sōji—I want to hear what Hijikata-san has to say. Talk about being cranky lately…"

Sōji glared at Nagakura but the other man just shrugged at him. The two of them had always gotten along well; Nagakura's easy camaraderie took the edge off Sōji's prickliness, and their rivalry was centred entirely on their sword skills. Hijikata was momentarily envious of the way Sōji's glare bounced off Nagakura and then just… stopped.

"Please go on, Vice Commander," said a polite voice into the silence.

Everyone started a bit, having forgotten Yamazaki sitting quietly in his corner. Sōji gave the shinobi a light fist-bump on the shoulder.

"Good to have you here, Yama-chan," he said with a grin. "It's almost like having Hajime-kun back among us. Not that things will ever be the same…"

"No," said Heisuke, mournfully, "they really won't. And where will they stay? And what if—" Heisuke's thin, boyish face reddened, and his voice dropped to a whisper, "what if they, you know…"

"Oh for the gods' sake, Heisuke, I think that ship has already sailed, you know?" Sōji grinned mischievously. "Because, seriously, I think even Hajime-kun's already figured that one out by now, tofu-brain."

"That's—that's not what I meant!" cried Heisuke, going from red to crimson.

From his left—Harada, probably—somebody muttered: "Actually, I hope Chizuru-chan likes tofu…"

"Well, what did you mean, shrimp?" demanded Nagakura impatiently.

It's like herding cats, Hijikata thought, watching through rapidly-narrowing eyes.

"Well—you know—kids!" Heisuke finally said, more loudly than intended.

There was a short silence.

"You know, that's not a bad question," said Sōji reflectively. "Not that we have anything to hide or anything, right Hijikata-san. I mean, it's not like there any problem having toddlers underfoot or anything—all perfectly safe, really."

That tore it really. But even as Hijikata lost his temper, Harada stretched and yawned.

"Honestly, Sōji, enough already. Besides, if Saitō had kids they'd probably be out doing drills as soon as they could walk."

"Yeah, seriously," agreed Heisuke, his face lightening a little.

There were snickers all around. Sōji leaned back, eyes hooded, and Hijikata decided that he'd better take Yamazaki's advice (of all things!) and find out if some other, different Oni faction was trying to get at the Shinsengumi through Sōji. He had to agree that the kid—man—really wasn't himself. Sōji was always protective of Kondō and the Shinsengumi, but this was just… off, somehow.

"Okay," Hijikata said, over the lingering amusement, "let me say what I've got to say before I die of old age." He glared around at them and got several nods and a respectful "hai!" from Yamazaki.

"First of all, the strange men at the Ikedaya call themselves Oni. You've all heard that now?"

Another round of nods.

"The women who were here the other night also claim to be Oni. Frankly, let's just go with that for the sake of argument. Whatever they are, they aren't human."

Heisuke opened his mouth to ask a question, but Nagakura thumped him lightly on the head.

"According to the women, Sen-hime and Kimigiku-san, there are three so-called Trials that Oni need to pass to be considered fully mature. They also seem to distinguish full Oni from part-Oni. To put it bluntly, Saitō's at least a part-Oni, and his body's been forcing him through the Trials. Probably because of something that the blond guy from the Ikedaya did. Even the Oni themselves aren't sure.

"Anyway, thanks to Heisuke's opponent from the Ikedaya, Saitō made it alive out of the first Trial. Since then, he's been trying to master the other two Trials so that he doesn't go insane. He finally managed the third one earlier today. I was there, and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen. I don't know what it is, but it's not a joke."

Hijikata paused, but nobody said anything.

"After that, Sen-hime made it very clear to me that she wanted him married to her cousin—Yukimura—as soon as possible. It was Saitō himself who asked to get married immediately."

"So what you're saying," said Nagakura, just as Sōji drew a breath to protest, "is that Saitō isn't actually human anymore?"

Hijikata studied their faces: Nagakura, Harada, Sōji, Heisuke, and Yamazaki. But he wasn't the one who answered the question.

"That's right, Shin, he's not." Harada's eyes were fixed on his friend. "Hasn't been for a while now, definitely not since the Ikedaya."

"W-what?!" cried Heisuke. "What do you mean—not human? Is he like…um…"

The youngest captain stopped, unwilling to put the question into words. Harada looked at Hijikata, who answered the not-quite-question.

"He's not a rasetsu, if that's what you mean. Although there are some weird similarities. Minus the craziness—if the Oni are telling us the truth. But the main thing is this…"

Hijikata looked around at them again. Time to put the cards clearly on the table.

"Every person in this room is probably in roughly the same place as Saitō was before the Ikedaya. Part-Oni, that is.

"Even you, Hijikata-san?" asked Sōji, green eyes brilliant in the lamplight.

"Even me. If the Oni are correct."

Other than Heisuke, who was obviously stunned, the reactions were limited. Nagakura and Sōji had obviously already been thinking about it; Harada already knew; and he knew that Yamazaki had already put it together.

"So… here's what I suggest: Business as usual while Kondō-san and I decide what to do about Saitō's situation. Then a meeting with Sen-hime and Kimigiku-san."

"That's just… jeez…" said Heisuke, frowning slightly. "I mean, should we even have Saitō back here right now?"

Hijikata and Nagakura just looked at him. Harada stared at the floor. Sōji voiced the obvious conclusion:

"Heisuke, what the hell? You know the score: we either trust him enough to have him back here—and we keep an eye on him—or we kill him."

[V] - Betrayed

As Sen-hime had told the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi, a formal betrothal between Oni was nearly impossible to break. Typically only death or calamity could remove the bond. What Sen had not told Hijikata was that Chizuru had once been betrothed to Kazama Chikage. She had been only four years old, and so the betrothal contract was less stringent than usual. In particular, Chizuru was given the absolute right to change her mind after she passed her first Trial-that is, after the first time she shifted to Oni form. When fire and explosions, backed by treachery, wiped out the Yukimura, fifteen-year-old Kazama Chikage had been stunned and his parents had grieved with him. But it had always seemed to Kazama that while the betrothal bond had weakened it wasn't wholly gone. He told nobody of this, for fear of ridicule, and time went by. But less than a day after Amagiri left, he felt that small, tenuous connection disappear entirely. And tonight... tonight he knew that his promised bride had been taken from him entirely, he could feel the imprint of another bond remove even the hope of reviving his own rights to Yukimura Chizuru as a mate.

Amagiri would return very soon, he could tell. And there would be consequences.

[END]

A/Note: Well, lots to come in the next few chapters... And I note that Hijikata apparently was actually seeing the future that time when he daydreamed about little Saitous out training in the courtyard with their dad... lol Yes, definitely things to be sorted out Heisuke, Nagakura and especially Souji.