Author's Note:

First a big thank you to PoivronRouge for some extremely timely and helpful historical advice regarding the July/August period (western calendar) between the Ikedaya Incident and the Kinmon Rebellion. She has reassured me (with both specific and general examples) that the period between the two events was as turbulent as I had thought, and the Shinsengumi were quite likely to have been put on alert intermittently in the weeks prior to the battle itself.

Second, I'd like to congratulate nakigaoyuu for having posted review #500 for this story (for chapter 78)—she has been a faithful reader and a consistent reviewer, and her help with my use of Japanese within the story has been much appreciated.

Finally, a few of you suspect that Chizuru's slightly uneven mood might be because she is pregnant. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I note that it would be extremely unusual for a woman to be affected by pregnancy so early on (it's been at most 2-3 days).

However, women all react differently to pregnancy (seriously, it's a very broad spectrum even for so-called "ordinary" things like morning-sickness), and being extremely sensitive emotionally could also mean a tendency to react more quickly to hormonal changes. Let's face it… what do I know about Oni hormones? (Well, actually, quite a lot, since I'm the author-sama—and thank you to nakigaoyuu for that title and to nyapowa for some interesting discussions on the power of Oni hormones!) And I suppose one could also speculate about why our lovely deus ex machina, Suzuka-hime, made a point of being "present" for the wedding night, and whether that could affect things. So… I'm not saying you're wrong. ;)

Many, many thanks to all my readers for making it to Chapter 80! I had expected to have covered the Kinmon rebellion and the latest on Kazama and Shiranui by now, but there are in fact a few things to consider first. Gomenasai!

One question: Would you prefer me to use a glossary of Japanese terms at the end of each chapter? (Or even at the beginning?)

Final thing: Please feel free to stop by my tumblr page (impracticaldemon) if you'd like to see the pictures/images that I post there along with my chapters. A search of "teachings of demons" on my page will find you what you're looking for.

~ImpracticalOni

Chapter 80—The Calm Before the Storm, Part II

[I]—The Princess and The Warrior

Sen woke up in a surprisingly good mood the day after the calamitous events at the Yukishima estate. As the Gift of Foreknowledge ran in her family (courtesy of Suzuka Gozen), and always strengthened in the girl or woman who became the Princess of the Oni, she had been trained to evaluate her dreams before turning her mind to current events, so that one didn't contaminate the other. This morning, she found it difficult to decipher which dreams represented possible visions of the future, rather than wishful thinking—the first time that her dreams had been so pleasant in a long while.

She felt a pang of sadness when she suddenly realized that Kimigiku wasn't in the house. Her companion and protector had been absent before, of course, but those absences had been infrequent and temporary. Now, if everything went right, she would be away a great deal. Sen got up and resolutely reclaimed her good spirits. Kimigiku—it was hard to think of her as Kimiko—would always be very close by, and they were likely to see each other frequently, perhaps even daily.

It was going to be odd not to have Kimigiku's help to dress, or her company at breakfast though. Even as the thought crossed her mind, there was a polite "excuse me" at her bedroom door and she realized that her early morning visitor wasn't her servant Mika as she had expected—it was Haru-chan.

"Come in!" she called, rising quickly and straightening out the pretty yukata in which she slept. She had given Chizuru two of her spares to take back to Shinsengumi headquarters with her. They weren't a perfect fit, but close enough.

Sen's cousin came in with a smile. She was dressed informally, although her hair had obviously been brushed and tied back.

"Ohayo! I thought you must be missing Kimigiku… And we didn't get to talk much last night did we? You muttered something about your uncle Satoshi-sama and needing to get some sleep. Honestly, you looked so fierce that Kichirō and I thought we'd just let you get to bed."

By this point, Sen was eyeing Chiharu suspiciously.

"Alright, what did I miss last night?"

"Nothing earth-shaking. Although I'm afraid that I lost my temper a little with Vice Commander Hijikata, and I feel embarrassed about that." When Sen looked both confused and skeptical, Chiharu gave a gurgle of laughter that made her sound more like Sen than her usual serene self. "Well, I did and I am—but at least I made him listen to me! And I wanted to ask you—"

"Stop," commanded Sen imperiously. "Was Hijikata-san here last night? Why didn't you tell me? Did he come just to see you?"

"No! Honestly, Osen-chan, just because you have developed a strange weakness for a certain Shinsengumi officer—not to mention a soft spot for Saitō-sama—doesn't mean that we all—"

"Hah! I saw the way you looked at him—and don't tell me it was just because he rescued Kichirō-kun because you didn't even know what had happened yet!"

"No, really Osen-chan, don't tell me I looked as sappy as you do around Harada-san because I won't believe you."

"I look sappy?"

"Yes. A little. Besides, you were holding hands with the man—it's not as if we didn't all notice."

"Well compared to Chizuru-chan and—"

"That's not the point! And besides, Osen-chan, I notice that they usually behave very carefully in public. It's not really their fault that everyone can tell how they feel—especially with Chizuru-chan. Saitō-sama is surprisingly difficult to read, except where his wife his concerned."

"Haru-chan… Saitō-san is… very reserved. I'm sure that if it were up to Chizuru-chan she wouldn't mind holding hands in public."

There was a moment of silence, since Chiharu agreed with Sen on the final points.

"Well, none of that is relevant," Chiharu said at last.

"How was your walk in the moonlight?" asked Sen, smirking.

"Well-chaperoned," retorted her cousin.

Sen considered this. "Ye-es," she conceded. "I suppose that Kichirō-kun was probably there, if he knew that his idol was on the grounds. And I suppose that Hijikata-san claimed to be there just to escort Yamazaki-san to check on Amagiri. I know Saitō-san was going to ask on Amagiri's behalf." She frowned, obviously thinking things over.

Chiharu, who knew her cousin quite well, despite the irregular frequency of their visits, let her put her thoughts in order. It was frustrating, but not surprising, that Osen-chan was thinking more about lovers than politics at the moment. However, it turned out to be both—as Chiharu should have known it would be.

"We do have a lot to talk about, Haru-chan. And you were very kind to come in this morning. Thank you! I've been fretting a bit over my uncle—drat the man!—and I've also been thinking about Amagiri's situation with Kameko and of course Kenshin."

"And about your red-head?"

Sen grinned unrepentantly at Chiharu. "Yes, I've been thinking about him, too. You should reconsider your opinions about the Shinsengumi, you know. Although you already have, haven't you? All joking aside, what do you think of Saitō-san? And Hijikata-san? And even my red-head?"

"Is he really yours though? I know that Kimigiku was worried about that."

"Yes, he really is," said Sen, without hesitation. "Stop dodging the question."

Chiharu sighed. Osen-chan always somehow turned conversations around to whatever was uppermost in her mind.

"Where are your combs? I might as well fix your hair while we talk. Mika is bringing tea up to your sitting room, so we'll go there."

Once settled in Sen's cozy parlour-dressing room, Chiharu answered her cousin's questions.

"Saitō-sama is a full Oni, and stronger than I would have believed possible until I saw him fight yesterday. He has borne out the potential that Amagiri obviously saw in him and more. In fact, if he continues to develop and refine his Gifts, he will be a kind of walking example of the truth of the Okikurune legend of the Fourth Trial. I wonder if you've thought it through completely? I mean, exactly how did Saitō-sama become an Oni and such a powerful one at that?"

Sen nodded, winced as the comb yanked at her hair, and stopped moving.

"Yes, I have thought about it. I didn't realize that you'd seen it too, though. Because although it's true that Amagiri—and I, to a lesser extent—helped him survive the Trial of Body, we haven't really talked about how he managed to already be turning into an Oni in the first place. Amagiri was dubious, and I know Chikage doesn't believe me, but I sensed no part-Oni—certainly none of that calibre!—in Kyoto a year ago. And Kimigiku—Kimiko—I wonder if she'd mind Okiko?"

"Get on with it."

"Yes ma'am!" Sen-hime dutifully resumed her discourse. "Well, Kimiko told me that she only knew about them—the Shinsengumi part-Oni—because of the letters. They were all exceptional, which is not uncommon for those with some Oni heritage, but they weren't developing into Oni."

"But in the legend that you described, your ancestress was given the Gift—the power—to transform part-Oni into full Oni." Chiharu paused in her work. "Is that correct?"

"Yes. And that gift would occasionally—rarely—manifest in her descendants."

"So if Suzuka Gozen, a powerful sorceress with power directly from the gods, manipulated the events of Saitō-sama's conception and birth in the first place—"

"Including ensuring that his mother was far more connected to her own Oni heritage than was likely after three hundred years—"

"Then he was probably far closer to being a full Oni in the first place than we realized and his overall strength begins to make more sense," concluded Chiharu. "Plus—"

"It seems likely that Chizuru-chan has inherited the Gift that allows part-Oni to become Oni," agreed Sen.

"Yes." Chiharu rose and put the combs away. Then she collected the tea and breakfast that Mika-san was bringing down the hallway to Sen's rooms.

Long-used to looking after herself and her two younger brothers, despite her elder brother's insistence that she should rely more on their servants, Chiharu set the light meal out on Sen's table. For a while, both young women were silent, either eating or thinking things over.

"Do you… do you suppose that she manipulated—almost created—most of the others the same way?" Chiharu asked at last, rather timidly. "It sounds absolutely fantastical."

"It seems possible, at least," Sen replied cautiously. "In Saitō-san's case, though, we have to remember that his power is also reinforced both by being an acknowledged head of his clan—extant or not—and by being married to his mate."

"Yet another instance of the double-edged nature of the Fourth Trial," murmured Chiharu. "If you are fortunate enough to find the right person, and circumstances are right, then you benefit. But if you end up married or otherwise bound to the wrong person—which seems just as likely, to me—then you not only lose the opportunity to become stronger, but your children—assuming you are able to have any—are actually weaker than they should be."

"And what if you find the right person, and then they are taken from you somehow? I would think that any benefits from passing the Fourth Trial might fade—you might even weaken or fall ill. Who knows?" Sen was scowling at her neatly-shaped and slightly sweetened onigiri as though it was personally responsible for the ills that had befallen her race.

"Suzuka-hime would know," Chiharu replied. She smiled a little. "I believe that the ever-logical Saitō-sama pointed out that we should just ask her—at the next opportunity, presumably."

"Yes, and then he set the matter aside and turned his attention to rescuing Kameko," grumbled Sen.

"No," Chiharu corrected her firmly. "He turned his attention to eliminating Yukishima-sama as a threat to Amagiri and Kenshin." She shivered slightly. "He's really quite a ruthless man, you know."

Sen shrugged. "That's what Kimiko always says. But since he saved both our lives, we can't really complain, can we?"

"Agreed."

"So, about your moonlight stroll with Hijikata-san? You said something about having lost your temper with the poor man?"

Chiharu rolled her eyes expressively.

"Hijikata-san is just as ruthless as his subordinate, Osen-chan."

"Yes, but he's very handsome. Maybe he could rescue you next time instead of your brother."

"That's just it. Listen to me, Osen-chan." Chiharu waited to make sure that she had her cousin's undivided attention. "I don't want to need to be rescued by anyone. I'm not saying that I object to being rescued—I'm sure that Hijikata-san, and Saitō-sama and even your red-head need each other's help from time to time. But the truth is that Saitō-sama killed twenty rasetsu and then took on a powerful, fully-trained clan head and her brother. My brother is capable of such a feat—is probably still stronger by virtue of training if nothing else—but there isn't a single female Oni who even comes close."

"Kimigiku?" suggested Sen, although with a trace of doubt in her voice.

"Possibly. And if not then she has other skills and Gifts that compensate. But she was trained as a warrior and she was born of a strong union. There was no question that those two loved each other, was there?"

"No," Sen agreed, although without much enthusiasm. She preferred not to think of Yukishima Chiyoko-sama and her husband Yukishima Amagiri Hideo-sama. Although the Yukishima matter would require her attention today and for many days to come.

"Well, I am the full-blood daughter of the Lord of the Western Clans," Chiharu continued. "So why shouldn't at least try to be as strong as my brothers?" She saw Sen's expression and laughed ruefully. "I'm not saying it will work! There's too much against me. But I proved to myself that I could successfully Fast Travel—far better than Amagiri ever thought I could, traditionalist that he is. So I asked Hijikata-san if he would allow one of his officers to train me—and Kichirō, of course—and he agreed."

Sen looked shocked for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"I thought you said that they were all ruthless savages!"

Chiharu reddened a little, because she had certainly thought along those lines for quite a while. "No, Osen-chan, I said that they were ruthless. But nobody else will give me a fair chance, and training with strong part-Oni will probably be of more use to me anyway, since I'm not really strong enough to compare to any male Oni. And Kimiko is going to be far too busy to help me, I suspect." The blonde paused, then added defiantly: "Besides, I want to use a sword and spear. With the greatest respect, Kimiko is a shinobi, not a warrior."

Sen was literally speechless. Chiharu, correctly interpreting her cousin's reaction, shrugged uncomfortably. Finally, Sen pulled herself together enough to say: "But Chikage!"

For some reason, that thought struck the princess as very funny—her overbearing cousin wasn't keen on women over-stepping their proper bounds and he wasn't going to be amused by his sister's choice of instructors either. The more she pictured his reaction, the more she laughed, tears forming in her eyes, while her lovely, well-bred cousin scowled at her. The scowl only made things worse, as Sen, trying desperately to catch her breath, pointed helplessly at Chiharu's crossed arms and angry purple eyes and gasped "Hiji-Hiji—now you look like Hijikata-san!"

[II]—The Oni Prince

While he might fairly be called a lazy man, Prince Satoshi of the Okikurune rarely procrastinated without a purpose. Over the course of several self-indulgent decades, he had discovered that procrastination inevitably led to more work. Consequently, having decided to inform his overly-prudish niece that he had a son—and knowing that said niece would likely inform said son about the relationship in the near future—he decided to get the task over with as soon as possible.

He left Yase at about ten-thirty, having determined that Nagakura Shinpachi, Captain of the Second Division of the Shinsengumi, had returned to his quarters after a moderate practice session with his men. He had left word with his major domo that he would be out for the rest of the morning: as much as he respected Yukishima Kimiko-sama, she had a tendency to be overly critical of how he employed his time, and therefore it was easier to maintain as much of a separate existence as possible while they both lived under the same roof. He was perhaps surprisingly sympathetic to her reasons for not returning to her own estate in Yase immediately—he had helped her to oversee the interment of the various bodies, after all—but he was not one to seek out extra intimacy with his guests, either.

Satoshi was smiling to himself as he approached the Shinsengumi compound in the suburban village of Mibu. He had heard from Osen-chan the night before that the Shinsengumi Vice Commander was becoming somewhat irritated by his continuous Oni visitors and their disturbing effect upon the Shinsengumi's efficient operations; consequently, Satoshi was looking forward to interrupting the man this morning. His careful scrying had shown him that Hijikata-san looked just as much like his Yukishima ancestors as he'd been told, and appeared to have the Northern temperament to go with his purple eyes. Shiranui Toshio's eldest bastard (assuming that there weren't more of them somewhere) seemed much more interesting than the undeniably competent but dour Sakurai lordling that his niece Yukimura Chizuru had married.

The beautifully-dressed Okikurune prince handed one of the guards on duty a note for Vice Commander Hijikata, requesting a few minutes of the executive officer's time. The guard bowed deeply and disappeared into the compound immediately, while the other guard chatted—far more freely than he was supposed to—with the unusual visitor, who listened with flattering attention.

About ten minutes later, Hijikata-san stalked out of the compound and glared at the latest Oni to disturb his busy life. He couldn't remember meeting this man before, but he had gotten used to looking carefully for resemblances; moreover, based on the well-formed characters at the end of the polite note, this was Sen-hime's uncle and the man who was mostly helping her deal with the mess at the Yukishima estate in Yase. Including the bodies of the rasetsu.

"Okikurune…-sama?" The hesitation before the honorific hadn't been entirely intentional, but Hijikata was getting tired of all the ceremony. He had even considered asking Kondō-san to meet with the man, before thinking through the possible consequences.

Satoshi smiled faintly at the young Yukishima. The man's bloodline—and potential—was stamped all over him, together with the personality that had always kept Satoshi from being on intimate terms with the Oni family closest to his own in terms of alliance and physical proximity. Even disregarding Chiyoko-sama's unfortunate… well, insanity… they were an intense bunch, with a tendency to get overly-focussed on a particular task or course of action. What the French called an idée fixe. Satoshi was in the process of learning both French and English, although the merchants with whom he dealt had no idea of the true nature of their client, of course.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Hijikata-san" Satoshi murmured politely. "I shall be brief, but it is a matter of some delicacy."

"Of course," muttered Hijikata, purple eyes still examining his visitor.

"Also, I would like to congratulate my niece on her marriage, unless she is occupied. I have brought her—and her husband, of course—a small gift to mark the occasion."

The two soldiers on guard at the entrance had given up all pretence of not watching the scene with considerable interest. Hijikata had to hold onto his temper with both hands—figuratively speaking—in order not to swear or grind his teeth loudly enough to be heard. He and Kondō-san were still debating exactly how to advise the regular soldiers about Saitō and Yukimura's marriage—not to mention Yukimura's true gender—but this man apparently had no qualms about announcing the girl's presence to anyone listening. Okikurune Satoshi-sama (if he had read the name correctly) apparently lacked the discretion of Amagiri-san and the other adult Oni that Hijikata had met, such as they were. And yet… Despite the man's air of upper-class carelessness, and the almost too-fine silk kimono, and the sloppy way that he carried his sword—despite all of these things, Hijikata got the impression that this Oni might just be the most dangerous of those that he'd met so far.

For the sake of appearances, Hijikata took a moment to consider the stranger's request. Then he bowed—slightly—and indicated that they would go inside to speak. The distinct twinkle in the man's eyes reminded him of Sen-hime, which did not improve his mood. He might or might not be dangerous, but Hijikata could already tell that the visitor was going to be annoying.

Harada was training his men in the outer courtyard, and Hijikata saw his eyes sweep over Okikurune-sama with interest. Only a tiny stiffening of his shoulders indicated that he had guessed the nature of the visitor, but Hijikata beckoned him over. It had occurred to him that the Oni prince was the closest thing that Sen-hime had to a father or guardian, and after all, why should Hijikata be the only one made uncomfortable by this visit?

"Okikurune-sama, please allow me to present Harada Sanosuke, Captain of the Shinsengumi's Tenth Division. Harada, this is Okikurune Satoshi-sama"—he glanced at the Oni to confirm that he had the name correctly and received an approving nod—"the uncle of Sen-hime."

"And Yukimura Chizuru-sama," Satoshi added pleasantly, inclining his head in response to Harada's bow. "I understand that you admire my niece, Harada-san—ah, the unmarried one, of course. I was disappointed to have missed the ceremony, I must admit. I haven't seen little Chizuru-chan since she was four, you know—I was overjoyed to hear that she was alive, although somewhat surprised that she had formed an alliance when she was so young."

The prince's tone and expression was bland, but it was impossible to miss the note of warning in his words. For the first time since he had met the man at the gate, Hijikata saw no hint of amusement in Okikurune-sama's blue-grey eyes. He thought that Harada might have his work cut out for him if he was going to convince Sen-hime's uncle not to meddle in his romance with the Oni princess. One more aggravation that the overworked Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi did not need right now. He raked his eyes over Harada, whose expression had become distinctly guarded.

"Harada, please let Yukimura know that her uncle is here and would like to pass along his congratulations. If she is free, then she can come along to my office to speak with Okikurune-sama. If not, then I'm sure that she and Saitō can visit him another time."

Harada bowed. "Excuse me, Okikurune-sama, Vice Commander." He jogged back to his men, told them to take a short water break, and left in search of Yukimura.

"He seems like a nice enough young man," Satoshi told Hijikata, as he followed the latter to his office. "Comes from such an interesting family, too, from what I hear."

"Well the gods know that I can't disagree with that," Hijikata replied pointedly. "Assuming that we've both heard the same thing."

Satoshi took a seat near Hijikata's desk, the twinkle back in his eyes. "You may have a point, Vice Commander Hijikata. Try not to worry too much, however. I am always very reluctant to involve myself in Osen-chan's affairs—ah, so to speak."

The Okikurune prince smiled benignly, but he could tell that Hijikata was anything but relaxed. Despite what Sen-hime might think, Harada-san's commanding officers—or this one, at least—would already be considering just how much havoc an astute adult Oni with a serious grudge might wreak on their organization. Especially since Satoshi wouldn't necessarily stop at (or even start with) physical destruction if Sen-hime was harmed or seriously compromised in some way.

"With all due respect, Okikurune-sama," said Hijikata, with an edge in his tone that warned Satoshi not to push him too far, "you mentioned that your discussion with me would be brief."

"Yes, of course. After speaking at some length with my niece Osen-chan, I concluded that you were the best person to approach on this, ah, issue. You see, it appears that my son has become more involved in Oni matters than I had hoped, which means that I should probably have a word with him before he does anything rash."

"Your son?" repeated Hijikata with obvious foreboding.

"Yes, my son, Nagakura Shinpachi of your—Second Division, was it?"

"Godsdammit I knew it had to be something like this! And I suppose that you've always known it?"

"Oh yes," replied Satoshi calmly, ignoring Hijikata's scowl. "But why would I interfere with the boy when he was doing perfectly well for himself?" He leaned forward persuasively. "Vice Commander, just consider for a moment. Shinpachi loves swords, brawling, drinking, and women. He's here with a group of ronin—and I truly mean no insult—because the way of the samurai—of the bushi, if you prefer—has decayed to the point where it is more about status and ceremony than honour and swordsmanship. Since I'm not particularly interested in status and ceremony myself, except as they affect my own comfort, I sympathize with the boy."

"You're saying that you've kept everything from him purely as a favour to Nagakura?" Hijikata's voice dripped with scorn.

"Mostly, yes," said his increasingly unwelcome guest, unmoved. "Frankly, I didn't think there was any chance of him developing significant Oni powers, and the life-expectancy of the members of my family has been distinctly limited over the past few decades. Shinpachi has made the best of the advantages conferred upon him by his Oni heritage—he's strong, fast and heals quickly, for a human—and he has had the freedom to do what he wants. Compare his life to that of Osen-chan. Both of her parents are dead—and her father was a dreadful man, frankly, even for a Kazama—her closest relatives other than myself were killed in a brutal way together with all of their relatives and dependants, and now she has discovered the long-standing treachery of the clan entrusted with her protection. Do I really need to go on, Vice Commander? I took you for an intelligent man."

Hijikata's jaw worked.

"No," he ground out at last. "But what the fuck am I supposed to do with this information, Your Highness?"

"Nothing," Satoshi replied patiently. "As I said, I just thought that you should know that I'm going to speak with the boy today."

Hijikata pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're supposed to be on alert—preparing for a major battle…"

"Oh, I can help you out there," Satoshi told him. "I have very good sources within the Imperial Palace. The Chōshu are currently attempting to resolve things directly with the Emperor. I would guess that you have more than a week before you really need to worry. If you like, I can even arrange for you to find out more… officially?"

"I really, really hate this," growled Hijikata, not even trying to be polite anymore.

"If it's any consolation, Vice Commander, so do I." Satoshi rose to his feet. "And now I am going to speak with my son. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to meet Chizuru-chan and her husband—the young Sakurai—before I go."

Hijikata was in fact somewhat consoled by the fact that he wasn't the only one put out by the way that the Oni and human worlds seemed bent on colliding around him. However, he'd be damned if he didn't have the last word in his own office.

"I'll make sure you get to see them," he promised, standing as well. "But if you think that I believe for one second that you don't know Saitō's name—and probably his sandal-size and favourite food—then you are sadly mistaken."

Satoshi bowed politely, allowing the overburdened man his point. What really disturbed him, however, as Hijikata accompanied him to Nagakura's room, was that he was becoming genuinely interested in this improbable group of part-Oni. As for the rest… well, half the grocers in southern Kyoto knew that Saitō-san was very particular about tofu.

[III]—An Anxious Husband

It was not a good day for crime in the streets of Kyoto. Not only was Okita-san of the Shinsengumi's First Division already known to be a quick man to draw a sword, but Saitō-san of the Third Division was in a particularly unforgiving mood it appeared. Normally the morning patrols were the easiest, but the city was tense with the news that the Chōshu were being denied access to the Imperial Palace and armed conflict was imminent. Whether it was a case of more masterless samurai coming into the city in anticipation of battle, or more young hotheads taking up arms, Kyoto seemed to contain more than the usual number of swaggering warriors. Those who were with the sonno joi, the faction that was militantly opposed to the Shogun, and who got in Saitō-san's path that morning, did not fare well.

Okita's patrol came upon the aftermath of one such struggle late in the morning, to find Saitō overseeing the removal of three injured men and two dead bodies. The street was deserted, although many eyes peered through curtained windows and doorways nearby.

"A little messy for you, Saitō," remarked Okita, surveying scene.

"How so?" asked his colleague in his usual cool tones.

"Well… you rarely kill guys in the middle of busy streets. Did they attack you?"

Saitō hesitated. "They were more insulting and aggressive than usual. Given the military situation, it seemed expedient to end the matter quickly."

Okita raised his eyebrows a little at that. "I'm hardly gonna complain. See you later then."

Saitō considered Okita's comments. It wasn't that this particular group hadn't deserved what had happened to them. He knew for a certainty that at least two of them had planned to join in any concerted attack on the government forces. However, he could tell that he was more on edge than usual, which was disturbing. A period of meditation—and seeing Chizuru—would help.

The Third Division returned to the compound shortly before noon for lunch. Saitō was both pleased and surprised to find Chizuru waiting for him near the gate. It was unlike her to draw attention to herself around the regular soldiers. She bowed politely and he gestured for his men to go get cleaned up for lunch.

"Saitō-san, there is a visitor who wishes to see you. He is waiting in Nagakura-san's quarters."

Chizuru's eyes were scanning him, of course, taking in the blood on his uniform coat. For a moment he felt defensive, but then he realized that her concern was entirely for him; in fact there wasn't a hint of judgment in her face or posture. Apparently reassured that he was unhurt, she followed him in silence as he walked quickly to their room to discard the coat and head-guard and to wash his face and hands. She seemed to understand instinctively that he would prefer to ask his questions in privacy, especially since he could guess that this was an Oni matter.

The moment that he was moderately clean he turned to embrace his wife. Judging by the fervour of her response, she had missed him, too.

"I'm sorry, Hajime," Chizuru murmured, embarrassed. "I'm sure it will get better. I mean, you were just out on patrol…"

Saitō nodded. He felt the same way: he truly hoped that this continual edginess when he was away from Chizuru would pass; given their situation, it was tremendously unhelpful. He could only suppose that most Oni marriages factored in a space of time for the new spouses to be together during this period.

"Amagiri and Kimiko-sama have both said that it will be difficult for some time. They did not say for how long." Saitō forced himself to let go of Chizuru so that he could finish making himself more presentable.

"Yes, Hajime. I hope you don't mind that I waited for you before speaking with Okikurune-sama. He is Osen-chan's uncle, you see, and… I don't really know why he would come here just to offer us his congratulations. Harada-san brought me the message—I was out in the garden—and he said that Prince Satoshi was quite a character." Chizuru repeated Harada's words dubiously, as if unsure of the exact meaning.

Saitō was thoughtful as he quickly combed and retied his hair. He disliked keeping anyone waiting, but he also preferred to be tidy, especially when he didn't entirely understand the purpose of a meeting. The fact that the man was with Nagakura raised certain possibilities, of course. He wondered if Chizuru had considered the implications—one never quite knew, with her. Aloud, he said:

"If he is Sen-hime's uncle—on her mother's side—then he is your uncle as well, Chizuru. He most likely knew you when you were very young."

Chizuru ducked her head in the way she did when she found an idea slightly troubling.

"Y-yes, Hajime. It's just very strange to me. And I still have no memory of—of anything!"

Saitō put a hand under her chin and kissed her. He had quickly discovered that it was an effective (and pleasant) way to reassure her.

"I am glad you waited for me," he told her. "These things are better faced together." He didn't add that he would have been upset had she chosen to meet an unknown Oni lord, for the first time, without him present to protect her. He hesitated, remembering her unexpected tears that morning, then decided that it was better to err on the side of caution: "You look very nice. I know that it must disappoint you not to be able to wear a proper woman's kimono. However, the rose colour suits you and your hair is… very pretty."

He was red by the time he was done, despite having worked out the words throughout the less active portions of his patrol. The Vice Commander and Harada had no difficulty with such things but they didn't come easily to him. Even now, the words sounded wrong to him. Chizuru had a strange look on her face, too. He was trying to figure out what to do next—other than hurry off to meet this new relative—when his wife hugged him tightly and sniffed slightly as though trying not to cry.

"Thank you, Hajime," she said into his kimono. "I'll be better now, I promise."

Since he had no idea what to say in response, he tentatively patted her back and waited for her to let go. Fortunately, she pulled herself together almost at once, and gave him a cheerful smile. The cheerfulness seemed slightly forced, but Saitō decided that it was best to move on to the task before them. He could only assume that the Vice Commander had approved this visit and would understand if they were late for lunch.

[IV]—Father and Son

Shinpachi had had a reasonably normal morning, up until the Vice Commander arrived with the visitor. He'd given his division a break, because of the heat, so they'd only trained for an hour after breakfast and then he'd given them the rest of the morning off. Of course, he couldn't deny that part of it was because he'd wanted to bathe and then have some time to himself just to think. There were way too many things going on all at once, and contrary to appearances, he preferred to have things more or less sorted inside his head. It saved trouble in the long run.

He wasn't especially surprised to hear Hijikata-san's voice outside his room—the Shinsengumi were on alert, after all, and there were always things going on around the compound—but he was surprised to look through the half-open door to see a tallish, finely-dressed man with a foreign appearance with the Vice Commander. That brought him to his feet to open the door in person instead of just calling for his boss to come in.

"Ohayo, Vice Commander," he said, sliding the panel fully open.

He couldn't make out the expression on Hijikata-san's face, but the man seemed tenser than usual, which was saying something. Since there was no way that Hijikata-san would allow a known enemy into the compound—except dead or tied up—and it seemed unlikely that the Vice Commander would be bringing an official higher-up to Shinpachi instead of Kondō-san or Sannan-san, he could only assume that this man was one of the so-called Oni that Saitō and Harada had gotten mixed-up with.

"Visitor for you, Nagakura," said Hijikata in clipped tones. "I'll let him introduce himself—I've got to get back to work. Saitō and Yukimura may be showing up at some point as well. I'm putting you in charge of maintaining our security while your guest is here."

Without allowing either of the other men a chance to comment, Hijikata-san bowed slightly to the visitor and stalked off. Nagakura blinked and quickly stood back from the door.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," he told his so-called guest, with a polite bow. "Please come in."

"Ohayo gozaimasu," the man replied, coming in and taking a seat on the floor. The room was moderately tidy, but the visitor's fine kimono and light summer coat looked very out of place somehow. "I am Okikurune Satoshi," he continued, once Shinpachi had sat down opposite him. "I believe that you have met my niece—my sister's daughter—Princess Osen? And you are also reasonably familiar with some of the recent events involving the Shinsengumi and the Oni clans generally?"

Shinpachi was by no means a slow man, but he had the feeling that his guest operated on an altogether different level of intelligence than most people. Nevertheless, the sensation that he was about to become more… personally… involved with what Hijikata-san termed 'the damn Oni', was quickly permeating his consciousness.

"Yes, sir. I have met Sen-hime, as well as Kimigiku-san and I was, ah, present for yesterday morning's events. I take it that you know who I am?" Shinpachi's palms suddenly dampened with sweat as a particularly unpleasant—or at least unwanted—idea came to him.

"You are Nagakura Shinpachi, absent by choice from your family and currently serving with the Shinsengumi as Second Division Captain." Satoshi saw Shinpachi's eyes narrow and felt his sudden tension. "As you are beginning to suspect, I have come to see you because I am your natural father. Your organization's involvement with the Oni, especially here in Kyoto, made it important for us to meet."

"Well… hell. Sir. I mean…" Shinpachi scrubbed at his cheek with one large hand.

"I quite understand," Satoshi told him sympathetically. "I wouldn't have bothered you with this, but with Osen-chan quickly becoming as inquisitive as her mother—not to mention her, ah, attachment to your friend…"

Shinpachi gave him a frankly jaundiced look. "You were about to be found out anyway so you thought you'd come clean first? That's not exactly heart-warming to hear, you know."

Satoshi raised his eyebrows. "I said that I can understand how you must feel. That said, I also credit you with some brains and expect you to use them."

"Being your son and all?" Shinpachi asked, grimacing.

"Exactly." Satoshi's tone was uncompromising, and there was a slight warning that he was prepared to be tolerant, but only to a point. He was pleased that the boy was prepared to accept the truth when he heard it, but he needed him to get past the 'injured child' stage quickly, in order to move onto more important matters.

"This is a lot to take in—ah, I'm sorry, but how should I address you? Harada actually tried to explain the set-up to me yesterday, so if you're Sen-hime's mother's brother then you're a prince? And to think I was trying to get away from all the more useless etiquette stuff about being a proper vassal…"

"Exactly," Satoshi said again, but more gently this time. "I have kept an eye on you since you were born, actually. And despite other pressing needs—such as the situation with the Yukishima, for example—I am prepared to sit here and answer your questions. Since you are rather past the age of calling me otou-san, why don't you call me by my first name?"

"Satoshi…-sama?" Nagakura asked, dubiously. His head was spinning, but not as badly as it might have been if he hadn't already had certain suspicions.

"Yes, that sounds reasonable, I think. Unless you would prefer that we keep things on a strictly last-names basis? That seems unnecessarily cold though, don't you think?"

"Sure…" Shinpachi blinked, as he was processing several things at once. "Ah, feel free to call me whatever you'd like—um, you know what I mean. I'm not a formal kind of guy."

"Thank you. I will take you at your word and call you Shinpachi, since I am not much for formality myself. Besides, I have been aware of you for what, twenty-five years now? I will be suitably formal in public, if necessary, don't worry."

"Yeah, sure—that's fine with me." Shinpachi still sounded dazed and he knew it. He suddenly felt a greater appreciation for what Saitō and Harada—and even Yamazaki—had been going through. "Hang on a sec, does that mean the princess is my cousin? And Chizuru-chan? Damn! Now I'm even more upset about missing that wedding!"

"Ah, for what it's worth, I was not happy about being excluded either," Satoshi murmured. "Unfortunately, I was not in a good position to complain."

"I suppose not!" Shinpachi found himself chuckling and had to pull himself up short. It was one thing to accept the probable relationship, another thing to start liking the man too quickly. "So… Satoshi-sama. I have quite a few questions for you, and not tons of time, since I'm on patrol this afternoon with Sano—you said you know who Harada is right?"

"Yes. I have made it my business to find out a great deal about Harada Sanosuke-san."

Shinpachi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He's got a bit of a temper and he's a little quick with his fists sometimes, but he's a pretty good guy. Or is this about the princess?"

Satoshi shook his head. "Please remember that I only found out about his interest in Osen-chan recently. No, my interest in him was because he has been my son's best friend for several years now."

There was a long silence, while Shinpachi turned that statement over in his mind.

"Okay… I think I'm beginning to understand, a little," he said at last, meeting his father's eyes. "But if we only have a bit of time now, then will I be able to speak to you later?"

"Yes. Your Vice Commander seems to be a very practical man and I have explained the situation to him."

"No wonder he looked so pissed. I don't think he's recovered yet from Saitō getting married."

"Indeed. I don't think any of us have fully internalized that, ah, development yet."

"No kidding. How well do you know Saitō?"

"I have sufficient information to understand why his commanders and comrades would be surprised by his marriage."

"Ah, yeah. Not exactly one for the ladies, our Saitō. Or he wasn't."

"No. And before you ask, yes, I am well aware of your adventures—and Harada-san's—to-date in Shimabara and elsewhere. Also, to be clear, it doesn't trouble me; I'm not a hypocrite. That being said, if it weren't for the fact that your friend seems to have given up women for some reason over the past several months, I might feel differently about his particular situation."

Shinpachi studied Satoshi carefully. "You aren't married I take it?"

"No. Nor do I wish to be. As you may have already become peripherally aware, there is a great deal involved in forming such a bond between Oni. Also, not being a Westerner, I fully believe that it is extremely important to marry the right person." Satoshi paused, as if uncertain about commenting further, but when Shinpachi didn't say anything, he continued: "There are very few full-blood Oni left, and not even very many half-bloods such as yourself. Part of the reason is that many Oni simply aren't drawn to anyone, physically, until they meet the right person—or at least, not strongly enough for them to want to be vulnerable in that way."

"You're thinking of Saitō?" Shinpachi asked, curiously.

"Yes, except that Saitō-san isn't—or wasn't—a full-blood Oni. But from everything I've seen over the past two years—and I didn't track him closely until he arrived in Kyoto—he's always had something of the traditional Oni about him. It's certainly the only reason I can think of that a Westerner like Amagiri-san would take to him as he did. On the whole, I think that Saitō-san's background is just part of a bigger mystery. And I'd prefer to talk about that later, if you don't mind."

Shinpachi grinned. "And I'd better not mind, is that it? Okay, let's get back to more general things, then. For example, I want to know about you, but then, I also want to know about me. Am I going to go through what Saitō did and one day try to change into a full Oni? And you know, you said you had reasons why you never tried to contact me, even after I'd left home. I think I'd like to hear some of them. Because I may be starting to get an idea, but I still want to know what makes a father leave his kid ignorant for twenty-five years."

[V]—New Meetings and Old Memories

Chizuru followed Saitō along the corridor to Nagakura-san's room with some apprehension. The only thing she'd heard from Osen-chan about her uncle—who was also Chizuru's own uncle!—was that he was fussy and over-protective. Oh, and she'd said that he'd be good at helping her figure out how to bury the bodies because he was good at solving those kinds of problems. That was confusing, but didn't make Chizuru feel any better. Fortunately, Saitō's presence was reassuring, even though his thoughts and feelings were particularly impenetrable at the moment.

"Shitsurei shimasu," Saitō said, once they reached Nagakura's door. It was closed, despite the summer heat, although the window was open for ventilation.

"Come on in Saitō."

Saitō walked into the room, his eyes going immediately to Chizuru's uncle. He'd been unable to sense the man until he could see him, but to him that suggested significant power, rather than the reverse. He took in the resemblance in colouring to Nagakura, together with the intent look on the latter's face and concluded that his assumption about the nature of this visit had been correct.

"Good afternoon, Okikurune-sama," said Saitō, bowing politely. "It was kind of you to come all the way here to see us."

Shinpachi felt the dynamic in the room change immediately. He received the distinct impression that Satoshi-sama hadn't been quite as prepared for Saitō as he'd thought. On some level, Shinpachi felt slightly pleased that this Oni prince could still be surprised by something. On another level, it was irritating to realize that his… father… was automatically more wary around another full Oni than he had been thus far with the rest of the Shinsengumi. Both feelings disappeared immediately when Chizuru-chan, coming into the room dutifully behind her husband, took one look at Satoshi-sama, turned white and fainted.

[END]

A/Note: Oh, I have too many interesting things to write about! My outline now includes one additional chapter before reaching the Kinmon Rebellion. However, I promise that they will be important, or at least entertaining chapters.

I'd like to add a special note to Eliz1369 who recently wrote about her concern that her story was progressing too slowly. All I can say is that she should be fine if her readers are even half as forgiving as mine. Thank you to all! Also, as always, your comments and reviews mean a great deal to me, so if you get a chance—please take the time to add a note (even on Guest!).