Author's Note:

This chapter took longer to write than anticipated, for which I apologize. There is a great deal going on (in the story), and sometimes it is difficult to know what my readers want to see more of and what can happen "behind the scenes". There are also scenes which I need to include for various reasons that may not be apparent until later on.

I am also behind on my "thank-you"s for reviews and comments. I'd like to assure you that every review is read avidly and much appreciated. I hope to catch up on responding to everybody personally if I can. For the moment, however, I'd like to at least thank a few people here:

Kuroki Orya (who is currently working on her own Hakuouki fiction in a fascinating modern AU)
BNW whose comment about Saitou getting himself some books to read echoed my own thoughts
PoivronRouge whose historical and character commentary is always excellent (and whose help with my little "glitch" re my timeline was invaluable)
Shoujothoughts (who found me on twitter, which was amazing because I'm not nearly as active there as on tumblr ~ wave!)
ThePatriarchListens (Gilbert & Sullivan all the way! But I agree that Chikage and Shiranui could be a challenge.)
StariChanx who has been there pretty much since the very beginning keeping an eye on me to make sure I treat Chizuru right! :)

Sigh. I appreciate all of my readers, so please don't feel left out if I haven't mentioned you here this time; there are several of you that I have thanked so many times that I expect you're tired of it. I've come to realize what a terrific group of people there are in this fandom.

~ImpracticalOni

P.S. I am taking requests for drabbles and short stories here and on tumblr (for Hakuouki), but updates to my main stories are a priority. Also, it helps if you have a very specific person or people in mind and a scenario (work? school? relationship? family?)

P.P.S. If you see me publishing shorter stuff in between chapters it's because sometimes I need a chance to be randomly creative in other directions!

P.P.P.S. Hakuouki Kyoto Winds (i.e., the English localization of the new Hakuouki game, will be out on May 16 in North America, May 19 in Europe): I will be playing

Quotes:

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.
— Joseph Addison

Chapter 82—All in the Family (Almost)

[I]—It's Hard to be a Prince

When Satoshi returned home, he avoided his various guests and sat for some time in his private study, contemplating the morning's revelations. He was a little surprised to find that he was pleased to have finally met Shinpachi in person. It was a pity that their first meeting had been interrupted by the drama surrounding Chizuru-chan. He was beginning to think that Osen-chan's evaluation was correct after all: the Yukimura Heir needed somebody like the young Sakurai—it amused Satoshi to use the old names—to watch over her while she developed personally, physically, and in terms of power. She had tremendous potential and might even have Suzuka Gozen's rarest and least-known Gift—the ability to change a strong human (or perhaps part-Oni) into an Oni, given enough love and determination.

Satoshi was saddened, but not at all surprised, to find out that the Chizuru-chan's other uncle had oppressed and manipulated her for over a decade. He had warned his friend and brother-in-law Yukimura Kazuhiko that his younger brother Kōdō wasn't stable. It had been part of the reason that Satoshi had gotten to know the Yukimura children Kaoru and Chizuru—he had spent a great deal of the last year before the massacre visiting the Yukimura and trying to convince Kazuhiko to look more closely into Kōdō's research. The only good thing that had come out of it was that he knew a little more than most about the Yukimura healing magic. Except that now he was duty-bound to pass that knowledge on to Chizuru-chan. The future was looking busy, which was annoying.

After another hour of careful thought, Satoshi set about writing letters to be sent to trusted agents further North, who would begin careful preparations to make the Yukimura land—or at least the principal home—ready for its new mistress. The Sakurai land, which adjoined it, would be best left overgrown. For one thing, the occasional timber cut brought in some income toward maintaining the various properties; more importantly, it would continue to provide a screen to Chizuru-chan's home.

Satoshi also took the time to write a short letter to his contemporary and fellow philanderer, Shiranui Toshio-sama. He knew that Osen-chan had already drafted a formal letter to the soon-to-be grandfather, since he had helped her with it the evening before. Osen-chan still needed to go over the letter with her cousin and Sakurai-sama—such a fierce boy!—but once she had sent it, hopefully in the care of the happy couple themselves, Satoshi believed that a personal letter from the last pure-blood prince of the Okikurune would smooth things considerably. Toshio-sama was a snob as well as a womanizer. Having Prince Satoshi confirm that the girl was the Lady of the East would make a difference.

These matters attended to, Satoshi went in search of Kimiko-sama. He still wanted to have a word with Amagiri-san for various reasons to do with Chizuru-chan's affairs, but first he thought he'd continue his efforts to draw out Yukishima Akane-san—who was Amagiri-san's first cousin, now that he thought of it. Satoshi smirked: it wasn't often that the arrogant Western lords were caught with their pants down, so to speak, especially the Amagiri; consequently, it was always good to be able to be reminded of their fallibility. In any event, Satoshi thought that the young woman might not be such a bad prospect for his son. She'd been given a very rough deal, in his view, but appeared to have avoided either apathy or self-pity. With any luck, her Amagiri blood and whatever minor Oni blood that her mother likely had would give her a reasonable measure of the Oni Gifts and would offset the dreadful inbreeding of the Yukishima clan with respect to her existing children. Michi and Mikio seemed fine, but that was something that he would want to observe more closely.

As he approached the door to the room he had given Kimiko-sama to use as an office, he realized that there was also the matter of Osen-chan's attachment to Harada-san. And Harada-san was allegedly the legitimate son of the First Princess of Yase, Suzuka Gozen. Satoshi still wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, it was preposterous. On the other, so was Suzuka Gozen—he'd met her, and he was quite certain that whether or not she was his famous ancestress, the being calling herself Suzuka-hime did exist and was ridiculously powerful. Moreover, in a bizarre kind of way it made sense that although she seemed to be attempting to revive the Oni clans through a number of illegitimate part-bloods, she had ensured that the man she intended for Osen-chan's mate was the legitimate offspring of a traditional union. Suzuka-hime might not care much about such things, but the marriage tie had mattered to Satoshi's sister Shizuka and Suzuka-hime owed Shizuka a life.

"Are you coming in, Satoshi-sama?" Kimiko called out, interrupting Satoshi's thoughts.

"Ah, yes, thank you, Kimiko-sama." Satoshi entered the office, mentally scolding himself for his lapse in concentration. Still, while he might end up being busier than he preferred over the coming weeks, at least he wouldn't be bored.

[II]—It's Hard to be a Husband

They had been sitting together for some time, each absorbed in their own—very different—thoughts, when Saitō finally broached the topic uppermost in his mind.

"I must let the Commander and Vice Commander know."

Although Chizuru might have preferred a more personal topic of conversation, she knew Saitō too well to be surprised. At the same time, his apparent lack of excitement about her pregnancy was beginning to weigh on her. There had been that one moment when he had seemed to grasp how amazing it was that they had created children together, but even that momentary reaction had seemed to be mostly a recollection of how those children had been produced. Chizuru felt an unusual pang of self-pity and allowed it to colour her reaction.

"Of course, Hajime," she murmured quietly, before sighing deeply.

Saitō was not so absorbed in his mounting concerns about Chizuru, and how they were going to manage her pregnancy and then a family, that he failed to detect the off-key note in her reply. Although he felt out of his depth—in so many ways!—even his purely human senses would have told him that there was a problem. Unfortunately, there were so many reasons for Chizuru to be upset that he honestly didn't know what was wrong.

"Chizuru?"

For a moment, it appeared as though Chizuru was going to pretend not to understand his questioning tone. Fortunately for both of them, she was too aware of Saitō not to know that his focus right now was on how to keep her safe while still meeting his obligations to the Shinsengumi. She allowed compassion to overcome her resentment: for Saitō this situation had to be acutely distressing.

"I'm sorry, Hajime." Chizuru smiled up into the face that was so close to hers. Then she laid her head back against his shoulder, reminding herself how lucky she was just to be here with him. "I was being selfish. I wanted you to be excited about the… the twins"—Chizuru couldn't help a blush of combined pride and genuine pleasure at the thought, but persevered—"but I know you must be quite worried about everything and there's a lot that we don't know. I'm glad that at least we're together, no matter what happens."

She felt Saito relax very slightly behind her, and one hand gently smoothed her hair. He was trying to decide what to say, so she made herself wait patiently.

"I think that these future children of ours are fortunate to have such a loving mother," Saitō said at last. "But I promise to do everything I can to make sure that they know their father's love as well." He reddened and stumbled slightly over the last part, but it was what Chizuru needed to hear and it was true.

What Chizuru couldn't understand was how profound—how drastic—a change there had been in his basic worldview in the past several days and how difficult it was to adjust to that change. Saitō had always been certain that to live by the sword meant to die by the sword; it was simply the most likely outcome, as well as appropriate. He wasn't afraid of death, although he'd never pursued it and did not underestimate the value of his own life. But now he had a clear obligation to live, in order to protect and provide for his family, and that knowledge had shaken him badly. Only time would tell if it was possible to have both Chizuru and the Shinsengumi. And twins. Twins!

Chizuru was sniffling again, even though his words been intended to be reassuring. Saitō was beginning to think that if it weren't midday—and he didn't have far too much to do—he could use a drink. Or even several.

"You're r-right about talking to Hijikata-san, H-hajime," Chizuru told him, scrubbing at her eyes. "Please don't worry too much about me; I know from past experience with my, my uncle's clients, that pregnant women can be a little, um emotional. I expect I'll manage better, um, soon. Really."

"Do you need to speak with a doctor?" Saitō asked, trying to resign himself to the fact that Chizuru's behaviour wasn't just the result of malign magic. "I was wondering about that. Yamazaki should be told as well, either now or soon."

"I don't think I need to see a doctor," Chizuru responded immediately, sounding a little more like her usual self. "Although eventually I suppose it might be useful. I'd rather speak with Osen-chan and Haru-chan first though and see what they recommend. Or maybe"—she tried to peer up at Saitō, but the angle was bad and she didn't really want to move—"do you think I could talk to Yukishima Akane-san? She seemed very calm and, and… she'd know what to expect I think?"

Saitō's immediate reaction to allowing his wife to make herself vulnerable to the comments of an unknown woman who had been married to Yukishima Masaru was not positive. However, he considered the matter as calmly as possible and reluctantly concluded that Chizuru had a point. Akane-san had been even younger than Chizuru when she had married and about the same age when she had borne her own twins—an odd coincidence, but most likely no more than a coincidence for once. No… not a coincidence: Akane-san's grandmother had been a Yukimura, now that Saitō thought about it. She and Amagiri were first cousins, and their grandmother would have been—he actually closed his eyes to work it out—Chizuru's great-aunt.

"I think that speaking with Osen-chan is a good idea," Saito conceded, "and if you trust Chiharu-sama then I don't mind you including her in your discussions. I'm not sure about Yukishima Akane-san, but she is undoubtedly your best source of information—as long as she does not mislead you."

"Oh Hajime! She wouldn't do that!"

"Why not?" Saitō asked bluntly. "We know very little about her and we have no idea how she really feels about the fact that I came into her house and killed most of the guards and staff. I was also largely responsible for the death of her husband, although Harada actually killed the man."

Chizuru crumpled, as memories of yesterday morning's bloody carnage flashed through her mind. Saitō, belatedly aware of having displayed a complete want of tact with his pregnant wife, held her close and once again fought down panic. Suddenly it didn't seem so bad that he'd missed the first two months of this. Except that they had no idea why Chizuru was two months pregnant. He had an idea that Satoshi-sama was the most likely person to work out that mystery, and he fully intended to speak with the man again very soon. But when?

"Sorry, sorry," Chizuru was mumbling into the front of Saitō's black kimono. "I p-promise I'll do better than this soon, Hajime. I won't be like this once I'm over the s-surprise about everything." She forced herself to let go of Saitō and sit up straight. She was unable to resist giving him a shy kiss as she smoothed the folds of his kimono, however.

Saitō was momentarily startled, but quickly decided that kissing his wife was preferable to talking about sensitive matters like unknown cousins, killing sprees and strange mystic forces. He moved Chizuru so that he could return her kiss more effectively, and devoted several minutes to ensuring that she knew how he felt about her. It was simultaneously satisfying and comforting, even though they both ended up breathless and—

"This is not going to help me organize my thoughts in order to present things properly to the Vice Commander," Saitō muttered. Very reluctantly, he set his rosy-cheeked wife down on the floor in front of him, a little taken aback to see how disheveled she'd become in such a short time.

"N-no," Chizuru agreed, blushing as she tried to drag her own thoughts back to present matters. "And we both have things to do this afternoon, right?"

"Well, I do," agreed Saitō. "I haven't trained with my men in several days, and I need to practise with the longer Sakurai blade as soon as possible. And you are supposed to be working out a schedule for looking after your garden and working with Yamazaki—although now that you know about your condition, you should probably rest more, especially in this heat. I am also concerned that the courtyard has not been entirely secure lately."

He was looking thoughtful again, Chizuru saw. She consoled herself with the memory of how he had just kissed her and wondered how she was going to convince him not to become completely paranoid over her pregnancy. For a start, she would have to regain her usual cheerful equanimity—that would help. She rose to her feet without replying and started tidying herself. When Saitō followed suit, still with that tiny, unusual crease between his brows, she smiled at him and made a point of turning for his inspection.

"I don't look any different, do I?" she asked.

"Objectively, no," Saitō told her. "But I am unable to be objective about the matter. To me, you look different because I know that you are, ah, with child. I mean that in a positive way." He knew that he was floundering and quickly returned to the main point. "I think it would be best for me to speak with the Vice Commander on my own, Chizuru. I will return as soon as I am done. Then we can decide whether to tell Yamazaki our news."

"I could help to clear up the kitchen while you speak with Hijikata-san," Chizuru suggested tentatively.

"I do not think that is necessary," replied her husband.

Reminding herself that she wanted to reassure Saitō, not worry him, Chizuru agreed with good grace to stay in their rooms. After all, she had quite a few things to think about while he was gone, and maybe if she rested a little now, then she would be less sleepy this evening. She was rather glad not to be facing Hijikata-san: she was firmly convinced that he was a good man, but he was still very intimidating.

[III]—It's Hard to be Prince Charming (When Surrounded by Oafs)

Harada's patrol was uneventful until he reached the last part of his route. He hadn't really expected anything, given the events of the day before, but when his eyes automatically searched the spot where he had first seen Kimigiku-san and Sen-hime he discovered that his Oni princess hadn't forgotten him. She was waiting in almost the exact same place as she had been that first time, and the smile she gave him was just as bright. He actually found himself reddening slightly when he realized from the muffled coughs and hastily suppressed chuckles behind him that the eight men who were with him had noticed his admirer.

He raised a hand, bringing the unit to a halt, and walked quickly through the crowd toward the elegantly-dressed young woman who stood demurely waiting for him. Not that you could call her expression demure. A number of people around them were shaking their heads either in pity or in a scandalized fashion to see such a pretty—and apparently well-born—girl falling under the spell of an officer of the Shinsengumi. He was an attractive young man, and Harada-taichō was known to be more approachable than most of the Shinsengumi, but he was just as violent as the rest of them when it came down to it and he would be among those standing against the Chōshu if they attempted to gain access to the Imperial Palace by force.

"Hijikata-san's going to have my head—or my guts—if he finds out that I've been flirting while on duty," Harada remarked, bowing politely to his princess. His princess? At moments like this it seemed improbable. Oddly unsure of himself, he adopted the tone he usually would with a pretty girl. "I'm willing to take risks for a beautiful lady, though—how may I be of assistance?"

Sen bowed—slightly—in return and then gave him a slightly sharp look. "Oh? I was under the impression that Hijikata-san was well-aware of your habit of flirting while on duty and regarded it as a useful information-gathering method when exercised with proper caution. Harada-san is much admired in Southern Kyoto, I believe."

Harada didn't respond immediately. He leaned on his spear, apparently as relaxed as ever, trying to process the situation. His heart had leapt when he had seen her waiting for him, which went against his cautious nature and made him slightly uneasy. He also felt curiously exposed by having her approach him in public this way, when she could have easily spoken to him more discreetly—mind-to-mind in fact. On the other hand, he was getting mixed messages from her on an emotional level—she seemed both determined on the one hand and vulnerable on the other. He slowly put it together, occasionally glancing around and nodding in a very friendly way at those who seemed inclined to linger nearby.

"Osen-chan, you don't need to prove anything to me, and I'd like to think that you know you don't need to make a point to the public at large to prevent me from flirting with other girls. So assuming that I haven't upset you—and I can't imagine how—and assuming that there isn't an emergency, what's up? You know I'm happy to see you—you can tell. I'm just surprised."

Sen looked down as though she'd been politely rebuffed, and murmured something vaguely like an apology. Mentally, she was much less reserved.

To be perfectly honest, Harada-san, I just wanted to see you. Also, my uncle ruffled my feathers a little, and I suppose that made me want to do something to show him that I am perfectly serious about you. I expect that Kimigiku would have made me handle things better, but she's busy—we all are.

It would have taken a much harder-hearted man than Harada (not to mention one who wasn't at least half-way in love) to resist such a confession, especially since it was evident in the mental undertones that Sen was feeling both pressured and overwhelmed. Still aware of the people around them, not to mention the curious eyes of his men, Harada smiled in a friendly way, but didn't reach out to touch Sen's hair or shoulder as he otherwise might have.

Your uncle ruffled my feathers too, hime-chan, so as long as your annoyance is with him and not me then we're good. And I did want to see you; I just didn't know how to manage it. Besides, I promised to go out with Shinpachi when we're done—you probably know why. I wish I could be there to help you more, I really do.

Harada sensed disappointment from Sen, which she quickly explained.

"My cousin told me that Hijikata-san had agreed to allow an officer to visit us to provide lessons—when it was possible, of course, and in return for suitable compensation. She and I had hoped that somebody might be able to come by this evening—since my uncle is convinced that the Shinsengumi will not need to be on full alert for several more days yet."

"I will speak to the Vice Commander on your behalf," Harada responded. "As well as to Shinpachi. Maybe we can come up with something. We'd never planned to be out late anyway."

"Thank you Harada-san." Sen bowed.

"I was a pleasure speaking with you," Harada told her, with all the sincerity that he could convey at such a time and place. He bowed, gave Sen one last smile, and hurried back to his patrol.

"Everything okay, sir?" asked his vice-captain respectfully.

"Just fine. I have a message for the Vice Commander though—I gather he knows the girl's uncle."

The man looked at him for a moment, saw the odd amber eyes go slightly hard, and decided that the Captain didn't want to be teased over this particular girl. Harada nodded at him and gestured for the patrol to move on—there was a reason that the man was his second-in-command, after all.

[IV]—It's Definitely Hard to be a Vice Commander (Or, Why Can't They Just Stay Home?)

Saitō would have preferred some time to think and meditate before speaking with the Vice Commander. Unfortunately for him, he arrived just as Hijikata was organizing his papers after lunch, and he found himself sitting across from his superior only a few minutes after leaving Chizuru, who had seen him off with a cheerful smile and only the faintest hint of anxiety. He knew that she was working hard to be less emotional for his sake, and he appreciated the gesture.

"Yes Saitō? Is it too much to hope that you've come to discuss the fitness of your men, or a pressing need for extra sword polish?"

Hijikata's expression was forbidding. He'd spent almost an hour of his morning dealing with yet another Oni intruder, not to mention the unwelcome—if no longer quite so surprising—news that yet another of his more reliable officers was part-Oni. Lunch had been almost unpalatable thanks to Sōji's heavy hand with the spices, but nobody had complained other than Hijikata because Sōji seemed to be in one of his less accessible moods.

"My men had no difficulties on patrol this morning, Vice Commander. I will have to thank Heisuke, Nagakura and Harada for keeping them in order. Also, I understand that Magoshi-kun performed well." After a brief, internal struggle, Saitō ignored the question about the sword polish. He gathered that it was meant in jest.

"Alright, let's get it over with—what's the latest disaster?"

Saitō found himself at a loss. He was very glad that Chizuru wasn't there. In fact, he was a little surprised to discover that he was annoyed on his own behalf by having the Vice Commander refer to his twins as a disaster. My twins? Saitō's annoyance fled before the shocking discovery that at some point he had gotten emotionally attached to the concept of the children, even though he still wasn't remotely comfortable with the idea.

"Saitō?" This time the Vice Commander's voice was sharp with concern rather than annoyance, and Saitō realized that his doubt and confusion must have shown in his face.

"Sumimasen, Vice Commander. I hope it will not be a disaster. It's about Chizuru. She is with child—children."

Hijikata stared at him and then his brows drew into a sharp vee.

"How do you know? No—let me guess, it was some form of Oni magic. Did Satoshi-sama do something?"

Saitō felt his face tighten as understanding for Chizuru's feelings earlier swept over him. The Vice Commander's questions were reasonable, but… couldn't he have spared a moment to say that it wasn't a disaster? Or even to begin with standard words of congratulation? The answer to both questions was no, of course. Saitō had reacted the same way, effectively.

"Yes, there was some kind of Oni magic involved. Satoshi-sama didn't do anything specific of which I am aware; however, Chizuru reacted strongly to seeing him. She recognized him from when she was a young child, which is the first time she's remembered any part of her past other than living with Yukimura Kōdō in Edo."

"Oh? Do you think she did recognize him or is she being tricked?"

"I believe she recognized him. Also, Satoshi-sama clearly did not and does not trust Yukimura Kōdō."

"Hmm. That's not good news for us, maybe. Not that I trust His Highness either, mind you. And he says that Yukimura—that is, your wife—is pregnant."

"Īe. He told me to contact Sen-hime and ask her to evaluate Chizuru's condition."

"Can you do that? Contact people at a distance?" Hijikata watched Saitō narrowly—just what could the man do now?

"No, Vice Commander. But Satoshi-sama asked Sen-hime to contact me. Unless he, she or they have completely misled me, Sen-hime herself spoke directly with me and confirmed that Chizuru is with child."

"You said children, before," Hijikata pointed out. "Which is it?" He knew he was being hard on the man, but honestly, the timing was awful.

"Children. Twins, according to Sen-hime."

"And she and her uncle know all this about a girl only—what?—two or three days pregnant? Or is there something that you're not telling me?"

Saitō hung onto his temper mostly by virtue of having asked all the same questions himself, earlier.

"Chizuru is about two months pregnant, according to Sen-hime. Nobody knows how that is possible." Saitō left it there, at a loss to know what else to say.

Hijikata was staring at Saitō, arms folded over his chest.

"You're quite sure that—"

"Yes, Vice Commander. I am quite sure."

Hijikata pinched the bridge of his nose. To Saitō's relief, he appeared to be thinking, rather than angry. His expression was forbidding, but Saitō knew him well enough to recognize frustration with the world rather than irritation with his subordinate. They sat in silence together for some minutes. Then Hijikata shook his head.

"Congratulations, Saitō."

"Ah—thank you?" Saitō was caught entirely off-guard. He could feel his expression shift to surprise.

Hijikata sighed. "Well, Amagiri-san said that it was likely, didn't he? I do pay attention to stuff, you know?"

"Yes, Vice Commander."

"And should I expect nieces or nephews?"

Saitō reddened. He hadn't quite known how to broach the matter of their relationship. He appreciated Hijikata-san mentioning it instead.

"Sen-hime didn't say."

"Most likely a boy and a girl though?" Hijikata's lips quirked into a dry smile. "I'm offended that you keep being surprised, Saitō. You must have less regard for my intelligence and knowledge of people than I'd thought. I was there for the wedding, you know. Sakurai-sama needs an heir, does he not? But until there is a girl-child, any boys belong to the Yukimura clan. So…"

"Yes, Vice Commander. I believe you are correct." Saitō finally overcame his surprise at Hijikata's understanding and added: "Although I am not sure who they will look like. I have been unable to persuade Chizuru that her appearance is… fine."

Hijikata shook his head at the younger man, the dry smile expanding into something perilously close to a smirk. "Seriously, Saitō?! Based on everything I've seen, Yukimura is the most normal-looking Oni in existence. You're going to have to try a lot harder than "fine" to convince her that she isn't the plainest girl there is. Especially if she's pregnant! Oh gods, you just have no idea do you?"

There was a pause and then Saitō looked down at his hands. "That is essentially correct, Vice Commander. I have no idea. Chizuru would like to speak with Sen-hime and Chiharu-sama. She has also asked if she can speak with Yukishima Akane-san—I don't know if you remember her."

Hijikata was frowning again, as the various problems associated with this particular pregnancy returned to the fore. On the one hand, it was completely normal for a pregnant woman—and she was so young, gods!—to want another woman to talk to. But it was going to be a challenge to have a woman in the compound as it was, and that was probably already being discussed among the men thanks to Prince Satoshi and his big fat Oni mouth. Which reminded him that he still needed to talk to Kondō-san about exactly what to tell the captains to tell their men. It would probably end up being okay in the end, as Gen-san had said—Kōdō's known connection to the Bakufu and the Shinsengumi, and then his mysterious disappearance, provided a reason for Yukimura's stay and why they had tried to conceal her. Moreover, it was highly unlikely that Yukimura would be subject to any… inappropriate… behaviour at this point. As far as Hijikata was concerned, he wasn't going to even look for the pieces of any man stupid enough to misbehave towards Saitō's wife.

Saitō was still waiting for a response, and Hijikata nodded slowly. "I remember Harada's report—I didn't meet her. Tall woman, red hair. Related to Amagiri-san but not a full Oni. You and Nagakura found her—she had children, right? Is that why Yukimura wants to talk to her?"

"Hai."

"Where is she now? Do we know anything else about her?"

"She is with Kimigiku-san—now Yukishima-sama—in the Oni village of Yase. I understand from Sen-hime that she is helpful but cautious. We know very little more about her now than we knew before."

"So you don't trust her, especially with something that makes Yukimura vulnerable," Hijikata concluded, studying Saitō with some compassion. "I doubt you'll be able to cage the girl—Yukimura—up for the whole length of her pregnancy, Saitō." Although I suppose that might not be too long at this rate.

Saitō's eyes flicked up from his hands, blue irises ringed in gold, and Hijikata realized that his thought had been "overheard". He watched in silence as Saitō blinked and the gold disappeared, but it was a salutary reminder that things weren't at all what they had once been. He hoped for everyone's sake, including Saitō's, that the man's well-known control would eventually gain the clear upper-hand over his Oni instincts.

"If you give permission, Vice Commander, then I will escort Chizuru to visit her relatives at times that do not conflict with my duties," Saitō said quietly. "I would prefer to keep her perfectly safe, of course, but that isn't possible. Or... fair."

"Seems to me that your wife wouldn't even stay in her room when faced with a direct order and a compound full of hostile men," Hijikata commented. "She wants to… be useful."

Saitō nodded. His face appeared wholly impassive, now, but Hijikata sensed something like gratitude, although he wasn't sure exactly why. Maybe he'd expected a more difficult conversation. Maybe it was just the chance to share his anxiety—in his own way.

"I can begin training Chiharu-sama as well, if you do not object," Saitō suggested, after a moment's thought.

"Harada will be disappointed. He's very taken with the princess, isn't he?"

Saitō surprised him with a slight smile. "The princess is very taken with Harada, Vice Commander." The smile faded. "I hope that he does not take her too lightly."

Hijikata's eyebrows rose a little. "That sounded slightly threatening, Saitō. I take it you're, ah, keeping an eye on things?"

"Chizuru would be distressed if anything were to upset Sen-hime."

"Your life has gotten very complicated, hasn't it, Saitō?"

"Yes, Vice Commander. It is not what I expected."

"Hells no! Gods, you'd have to be crazy to go through all this Oni crap on purpose—although at least you got a nice girl out of it, right?"

"Yes. That still… surprises me."

Hijikata's eyes gleamed. "Surprises the hell out of the rest of us too, don't kid yourself."

"… No Vice Commander. I don't."

"Let me think about your news a little before you tell anyone else, alright? Anyone else here, I mean. Except Yamazaki—I'm guessing you want to tell him."

Saitō nodded gratefully.

"And tell me if you find out exactly what's going on with Yukimura. Oh, and pass along my respects to Amagiri-san."

"Yes, Vice Commander." Saitō sounded slightly bewildered and his eyes on Hijikata's face were searching. He hadn't known exactly what would happen, but he had expected more swearing.

Hijikata met the dark blue gaze squarely.

"Look, Saitō… There's a lot going on, and I don't know where any of us will end up. But I'm not going to give up a good officer unless I really have to, okay? Just keep me informed. Oh, and wait for Harada, Nagakura and Sōji to get back before you go anywhere this evening. You can have until ten."

"Arigatou gozaimasu deshita, Fukuchō." Saitō bowed more deeply than usual, and then rose, correctly taking Hijikata's words as both reassurance and dismissal.

[V]—Schemer... You're Nothing But a Schemer...

Vice Captain Takeda heard the rumours about Saitō-san's supposed marriage to Hijikata-san's page shortly before heading off on patrol with the Second Division. It was annoying that he hadn't found a way to capitalize on the situation while the girl's gender was still a secret, but such was life. Besides, he'd already started making careful inquiries about the wealthy young woman who appeared to be Yukimura-san's cousin, based on the scraps of information he'd either overheard or been told by Kondō-san. There were more than a few mysteries around both girls.

In any event, Takeda had several irons in the fire. His primary goal right now was to become captain of the Fourth or Fifth Division, and that meant using his time looking for potential recruits. Kondō-san was always very grateful to those who brought good warriors into the Shinsengumi. Fortunately, he had some extra coin to spend on drinking just now, since a very pretty young lady who was infatuated with Okita Sōji-san was paying him to provide information to her about her idol. Ah well, women were fools, especially when it came to men and money.

[VI]—Prince Shinpachi?

"So what's the news, Shinpat-san?" demanded Heisuke, as he came into the room in which Harada and Shinpachi were sitting over a rapidly-dwindling bottle of sake. Sōji followed in his wake, hands shoved into his sleeves and green eyes inquisitive.

Shinpachi poured himself another drink and tipped it back.

"We'll need more sake," said Harada. "Is there a girl around, Sōji?"

Sōji stuck his head back out into the passage, and eventually they had more bottles and two more cups. Heisuke was anxious to find out what was going on, since he couldn't stay long.

"Does it have to do with some kind of noble lord coming to see Chizuru-chan and Saitō?" asked Sōji, sipping slowly at his drink.

"Yeah, even I heard about that," commented Heisuke. "I guess Saitō's marriage isn't a secret or anything. Still, I'm surprised that somebody just brought it up like that."

Shinpachi and Harada exchanged looks. Harada shrugged and leaned back, cradling his cup in one large hand.

"That was Okikurune Satoshi-sama, Sen-hime's uncle," Shinpachi told Sōji and Heisuke. "On her mother's side. He's also Chizuru-chan's uncle on her mother's side."

"A prince, eh? Little Chizuru-chan's awfully well-connected, isn't she?" Sōji's tone was dry. He wasn't easily impressed, but he liked to have his facts straight.

"Yes," agreed Shinpachi. He hesitated, and then added: "According to Satoshi-sama, I'm his son."

Heisuke's big eyes widened, but Sōji just nodded. "I wondered if it was something like that," he said simply. "Mind you, I already knew that the man had spent a lot of time with Hijikata-san and Shinpachi-san."

"So your dad's some kind of Oni prince?" Heisuke sounded simultaneously dubious and impressed. "But then…"

When Heisuke didn't finish his thought, Sōji finished it for him: "Then why are you only finding out now?"

"Satoshi-sama says it's because I was better off not knowing." Shinpachi shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "He's a good talker. Sometimes I believe him and sometimes I don't."

"Part-Oni have an odd sort of place in the Oni world," Harada put in. "Though I have the impression that it didn't use to be quite so unusual. Problem is that Saitō's the first part-Oni to survive changing into demon-form in a few hundred years. So part-Oni aren't really considered proper Oni anymore, even those raised within the Oni clans."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Sōji commented, raising his sharp brows.

"I listen well," Harada replied calmly.

Sōji looked like he wanted to say more, but Heisuke intervened.

"We already knew about Sano-san," he said impatiently. "I want to hear about Shinpat-san."

"There's not much to tell, really. Satoshi-sama had an affair with my mother, she ended up having me. He told me that he kept track of us afterward, but for the most part he stayed out of things. According to him, it wasn't a lot of fun being royalty and I seemed to be having fun with my life. He also said that both his sisters died pretty young and that he really wasn't too happy about either of their deaths—I guess he kind of implied that it was safer not to be related to him."

"And now?" asked Sōji.

"What do you mean?"

Sōji frowned at Shinpachi. "Well, are you going to stick around with the Shinsengumi or head off with your new dad and learn how to be a prince?"

"Hey—careful! You saying that I would just take off like that? Me?"

There was a short glaring contest between the two men, and for once Sōji didn't win.

"Alright, alright, sorry," he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But it's getting bad, you know? Saitō's not the same any more, Sano-san's neck-deep in Oni business—well, you are!—and now this!"

"It's a set-up no matter how you look at it, Sōji," Harada told him, his tone surprisingly sympathetic. "I mean, let's face it, it's just a matter of time before you and Heisuke get dragged in too, and don't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"What do you mean it's a set-up?" Sōji demanded, tacitly confirming Harada's second point.

"Every one of the Oni we've met has been surprised by how many of us there are—and that we weren't noticed sooner. The main thing is this, though: Saitō's dad may be the same as Hijikata's and Yamazaki's—"

"What?!" Heisuke squeaked.

"I'm pretty sure we told you about that, Heisuke—geez, you must have been more drunk than I realized! Anyway, let me finish. They all have the same dad, but different mothers. And it's been confirmed that their mothers all had ancestors whose clans have died out. It turns out that Saitō's ancestors got wiped out by Kazama's ancestors."

"The blond bastard from the Ikedaya, right?" Sōji eyes had narrowed. "Arrogant asshole."

"Point is, there's a good chance that it isn't the fathers who matter so much—well, I admit that your dad was a bit of a surprise, Shin—but…" Harada paused to get himself back on track. "Right. The point is it looks like it's the old bloodlines that are important—the missing ones."

"Well I don't care! I hate to quote Hijikata-san, the gods know, but fuck the damn Oni." Sōji glowered at his cup. "I know what my job is and nothing's going to stop me doing it."

Shinpachi leaned forward. "I hear you, Sōji, but what if we all end up like Saitō? Like… if the choice is between becoming an Oni and dying, you might as well become an Oni. If you make it, then great, you get stronger and faster and you don't go crazy."

Heisuke snickered. He'd consumed a fair bit of alcohol and Shinpachi tugged his cup away from him.

"If you go out on patrol drunk, Hijikata-san's going to kill you," he grumbled. "That wouldn't be so bad, but he'll probably be pissed with us too."

"I'm not drunk," complained Heisuke. "I was just thinking that Saitō doesn't seem to be crazy exactly, but all of a sudden he's married and living with Chizuru-chan. Like, whoa."

"Sounds crazy to me," Soji agreed. "Tell me this, Sano-san: do you think that becoming an Oni has changed Hajime-kun?"

Harada hesitated and then nodded. "Yes. He's less cold and more human, kind of—although I have a feeling he's just getting used to stuff—but he's also more, I don't know, in tune with Oni stuff. Like, he understands things on a gut level that I only sort of get."

"He's good at accepting things, though," Sōji murmured, almost to himself. "I expect that helps. I mean, he doesn't do a lot of wondering about what should have happened—he just goes with what is. That probably helps when you don't have any choice about stuff."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Harada agreed thoughtfully. Then he turned to the youngest member of the group: "Don't you have to get going Heisuke?"

Grumbling, Heisuke stood up and automatically reached for some money. Then he stopped and grinned.

"Hey—maybe your dad'll give you an allowance now, Shinpat-san! Especially if he's a prince. Heck, you could even pay for your own drinks sometimes!" Heisuke skipped easily away from Shinpachi's lunge. "See you guys. Let me know if anything interesting happens, okay? Sōji?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. Keep the streets safe for us tonight, alright?"

There was a ripple of laughter around the room. In all honesty, none of the four really believed that there was much out there that was scarier than they were. For the most part, they were right.

[VII]—Please Don't Shoot Or Otherwise Inconvenience the Messenger

In the end, Hijikata had agreed to allow Harada to accompany Saitō and Chizuru that evening—but only to Sen's Kyoto home. If Sen-hime was in Yase, then Harada was to return to the compound. The Vice Commander had added the comment that it was up to Sen-hime to figure out how to communicate with potential visitors; Hijikata didn't have extra men to send running around Kyoto delivering love letters. Harada had wisely forborne to say anything to this other than "of course" and "thank you". He'd left a hastily scrawled note for Saitō saying that he'd probably be at Sen's when they arrived.

When Saitō and Chizuru stepped onto the engawa of Sen's home shortly and shed their sandals, the door was opened by a slim blond figure that Chizuru would have taken for Kichirō except that she could sense far more power and a calmness of mind that Kichirō had never attained.

"Konbanwa, Saitō-sama, Chizuru-chan. Thank you for coming."

Saitō studied the young woman carefully. She didn't seem to be aware of Chizuru's pregnancy, but he expected that she was quite good at keeping her thoughts to herself. Sen-hime had contacted Saitō late in the afternoon, to ask if he and Chizuru would be visiting that evening. She had added that she had tried to contact Chizuru, but her "poor little cousin" was napping. Saitō had made arrangements for the visit—including asking Sen-hime to inform Chiharu-sama and Kichirō-kun that he would be training them for an hour or so—and then he had told Sen-hime that it was perfectly normal for Chizuru to be tired at the moment. His calm, assured tone had made the princess blink, which Saitō had counted as a minor triumph.

In fact, Saitō and Chizuru had managed to speak with Yamazaki before Sen had spoken with Saitō. The medic had been surprised to find out that the pregnancy was sufficiently advanced to be detected, of course, but his only comment had been that he hoped that the Oni could determine the cause. He had congratulated the couple in his usual serious manner, asked politely how Chizuru was feeling and agreed with her that pregnant women were often tired in the first and last stages of pregnancy. He had been rather taken aback when Chizuru had told him how pleased she was that the children would have their uncles nearby, but when Saitō had silently nodded his agreement with his wife, Yamazaki had perceptibly relaxed. On the whole, it had been almost… pleasant.

"You look very nice, Chiharu-chan!" Chizuru told the blonde woman slightly enviously, examining the pretty yukata and somehow more feminine hakama. Haru-chan could not possibly be taken for a boy.

"Thank you. Osen-chan and I were just discussing that we needed to buy you more appropriate clothes now that you don't have to dress in quite such a male fashion." Chiharu saw—or more likely sensed—Saitō's frown and added reassuringly: "We understand that it's still best for Chizuru-chan to blend in a little, Saitō-sama; however, slightly prettier colours and patterns might not be amiss. Also, Chizuru-chan should have one or two nicer things to wear, even if she doesn't wear them often."

Saitō glanced down at his wife and could immediately tell that she was about to say that she didn't need any more clothes—even though she liked the idea very much. As much as he was dubious about trusting a Kazama—even one for whom had developed a certain respect—Saitō was equally doubtful that he knew how to ensure Chizuru's comfort in terms of matters such as clothing.

"I expect you are correct, Chiharu-sama," he said firmly, overriding Chizuru's softer answer. "Chizuru should have more appropriate clothing, even to wear within the Shinsengumi compound." He smiled briefly, but with genuine amusement. "If nothing else, she would be able to put away one set of clothing that I know she finds very dull indeed."

Chiharu was very curious when she saw Chizuru blush at the comment, but neither of the pair offered an explanation. She found herself struck once again by the realization that while Saitō-sama was not a demonstrative man, he seemed to care deeply about his wife. Chiharu had grown up knowing only coldness from her father, and she had certainly never seen him look at her mother the way that this… former human… looked at Chizuru-chan. She hoped that Chizuru-chan never had to know the grief of living with a husband as arrogant and unyielding and unkind as Kazama Kazuhiro-sama. Then it dawned on her that she was tacitly approving—at least on some level—Chizuru's marriage to a man other than her brother. She forced herself to smile despite her conflicted beliefs.

"We will find a way to arrange a shopping expedition, then, Saitō-sama. Since I expect that you will wish to accompany us"—Chiharu couldn't imagine any other scenario—"we will wait on your convenience. In the meantime, Osen-chan has Chizuru's measurements and I believe that she is already having one or two things made up."

"Thank you very much!" Chizuru put in at this point, trying in vain to conceal how much she liked the idea of even just a few new clothes. She was concerned about the cost, but Saitō hadn't seemed worried. Then she remembered about the children on the way and the expense appeared especially foolish. While she struggled with what to say, Saitō and Chiharu-chan escorted her into Osen-chan's cozy sitting room on the second floor.

Her cousin was not alone. On the other hand, Harada-san wasn't the only other person there either. Much to Saitō and Chizuru's joint astonishment, Satoshi-sama was seated on a cushion sipping tea and surveying the various young people with amused eyes. He seemed both out of place and at home in Sen's personal quarters, and Chizuru briefly wondered why they were sitting here and not downstairs.

"Good evening, Saitō-sama, Chizuru-chan," Satoshi said politely, ignoring the way that Saitō was suddenly standing in front of his wife with narrowed eyes. "Osen-chan told me that she had to be at home this evening, and I still hadn't had the opportunity to see Chiharu-sama or Kichirō-kun, so I decided to visit."

"Good evening, Toshi-san," Chizuru said at once, bowing slightly. Then she turned red. "I mean Satoshi-sama."

"Please don't worry about it, my dear. It takes some time to get over the habits of youth, I believe." His eyes travelled over the assembled "youth" and he smiled benignly. "Kichirō-kun awaits you with avid attention, Saitō-sama. You seem to have made quite an impression on him."

Saitō blinked. The man conveyed a wealth of nuance somehow, but he felt no pressure on his mind. He didn't relax his guard, however. After his experience with Yukishima Amagiri Hideo-sama, he had a new appreciation for the ways in which experience trumped power with respect to the Oni Gifts.

"My brother and I look forward to training with you, Saitō-sama," Chiharu interposed politely, showing none of Sen's irritation or Chizuru's slightly child-like deference. "However, there is no rush."

Saitō hesitated. He didn't want to leave Chizuru with her uncle, but it was totally unreasonable to worry about her (and the children, whispered a tiny voice in his mind) when she was with Sen-hime and Harada. His eyes shifted to Harada and found reassurance in the sharp amber gaze.

"Before you go, Saitō-sama," Satoshi murmured, somehow sensing Saitō's decision, "I wanted to tell you that we do have some financial matters to discuss." When Saitō stared at him blankly, he explained further: "You are of age and have been acknowledged by the Princess. It is time for me to turn the management of your property over to you. There is no hurry, but there are various details of which you should be aware."

Only the fact that he already had all of his defenses firmly in place allowed Saitō to respond with reasonable equanimity: "I will endeavour to find the time to make an appointment with you, Satoshi-sama." He once again resisted the strong desire to leave with Chizuru—and to hell with the conventions, as the Vice Commander would say, except probably more forcefully. "Sen-hime, Chizuru wanted a chance to speak with you, so I will leave her with you."

"Of course, Saitō-san," said Sen, smiling at Saitō and making an unsuccessful attempt not to glower at her uncle. "We'll be fine."

Saitō touched his fingers lightly to Chizuru's cheek, in defiance of protocol. Let me know if you need me, he told her—although it came out more like a command.

I will! Don't worry, Hajime—I'll be alright, really. There's nothing wrong going on.

You worry me.

And be nice to Kichirō-kun!

Saitō discovered that it was possible to sigh out loud even in the middle of a private, mental conversation. That embarrassed him enough that he bowed silently to Sen-hime and Satoshi-sama, nodded to Harada, and escorted—swept, as Chizuru told him later—Chiharu-sama from the room.

"Your colleague isn't a very trusting type, is he?" Satoshi said blandly to Harada.

Harada smiled pleasantly in response. "That's true, but unfortunately we deal with a lot of untrustworthy people in our line of work."

The two men eyed each other speculatively. Sen made an irritated sound. Chizuru, oddly enough, had to stifle a desire to giggle. Her uncle glanced over at her and smiled. For some reason, this smile seemed far more genuine than any that she'd seen so far from him. It was… an approving look.

"Harada-san, Osen-chan, I really do need to speak with Chizuru-chan. The difficulty is that I have private matters to discuss with her, but her husband has set the two of you to guard her from me. How do you propose that we resolve this?"

"I don't really see how we can," Harada said bluntly. "I think you'll have to wait for Saitō to come back."

"Harada-san?" Chizuru sat down beside her cousin. "I don't think that Satoshi-sama is going to do anything to me—anything bad, I mean. Aside from anything else, why would he do it this way, with Hajime-san and Osen-chan and you nearby? It just seems really unlikely, doesn't it?"

"I hear what you're saying, Chizuru-chan, but I value my life. Your husband's a pretty scary guy, you do know that, right?"

Chizuru bit her lip, but wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Go ahead and speak with Chizuru-chan, Uncle," Sen said at last, into a growing silence. "I know you can do it without our permission anyway. But if we're here then at least we can help if there's any problem." Sen looked at Harada, whose eyes had narrowed in a rather unfriendly fashion. "Harada-san. I know my uncle's mind well enough that I can make life very difficult for him if he does anything wrong. I think that even Saitō-san tries to let Chizuru-chan make her own decisions—well, most of the time."

"Saitō will kill me if anything goes wrong. You're clear on that, right?" Harada wasn't smiling, and his eyes were completely serious. "I mean, I wouldn't necessarily be first on his list, but still."

"Hajime says to tell you that he won't kill you without good reason, Harada-san," Chizuru said, looking happier. "I asked." She looked at her uncle. "So please go ahead and tell me whatever it was."

Harada gave a resigned shrug and turned his amber eyes on Satoshi. "Well, I guess this is the wrong time to tell you that Shinpachi owes me money," he quipped. Chizuru saw the look that she had long come to recognize: smiling lips and hard eyes.

"More fool you if you loaned it to him," replied Shinpachi's father. "Osen-chan. I know you will be watching, but please have the courtesy to stay out of this conversation. You know better than anyone that I could have spoken with Chizuru-chan at any time and without an audience."

"Yes." Sen wasn't happy, but she didn't seem overly anxious, either.

Chizuru-chan?

Chizuru was surprised by how soft her uncle's voice was in her mind. She'd expected a more overwhelming presence. Then it occurred to her that he was probably skilled enough to project whatever he wanted. What was very strange was that this contact—Satoshi-sama's presence—felt familiar.

Um… yes Uncle? Have you contacted me before?

Not for a very, very long time. I believed you were dead. But once upon a time, yes. We can talk about the past another time, if you like.

Chizuru could sense muted emotion behind the words, but she was also getting a better idea of the strength of the will behind the mental voice—Satoshi-sama was projecting only a fraction of his real power, she could tell. She could even "feel" the similarities with Osen-chan's mind.

Yes, I know you have many things to learn, Chizuru-chan, but you have to focus on one thing at a time, especially right now.

Yes Uncle. Sumimasen.

You have the ability to heal others. However, you have also come into contact recently with wounds that you couldn't heal easily—correct? Kyūju-san's injuries were beyond you, I believe?

Um, y-yes? But he's healed quite a bit anyway, so something must have worked.

There was a moment of mental silence. Chizuru could tell that her uncle had expected her answer, however.

Your father once told me that it was possible to heal wounds that were beyond the ordinary reach of the Gifts. Unfortunately, there was a price. Such healing… Satoshi sounded unusually hesitant. Such healing could only come from one of two sources: the life force of the healer, or the life force of another person.

It took Chizuru some time to assimilate the information, and then shock raced through her. Or it would have, but a very powerful will suddenly had her mind wrapped in layers and layers of dense padding.

Not my babies! I would never do that, never!

Chizuru. Listen to me. I don't know what you've done. LISTEN TO ME! I don't know what you've done, but I think that you've harmed only yourself. I wouldn't even speculate about this with you if it weren't urgent. Think about it. You are a kind person—too kind, isn't that what Saitō-san tells you? I agree with you. You would never draw life force from another person. But if you drew it from yourself… if you actually, physically aged, then it would affect every part of you.

Chizuru finally stopped panicking and started to listen. She was trembling—but she wasn't.

You're a scary person too, aren't you, Uncle, she whispered at last.

Yes. But so are you, Chizuru-chan. And so is Osen-chan. The only difference, really, is age and training. Your husband troubles us—even Osen-chan—because he is stronger and better trained already than is credible. There are many possible reasons for that, however, even discounting dear Suzuka as an option. For example, it may be the result of undergoing the full Trial of Mind—of fully sharing the memories of the last clan head. Like Kyūju-san, I've never witnessed such a thing; I only know to avoid it.

Why are you changing the topic?

Because you are so closely attuned to your husband that if you do not stop panicking very, very soon, then I will no longer be able to keep this discussion private.

… Yes Uncle. Chizuru was not especially good at enforced calm, but she truly didn't want to upset Saitō right now. This was something to discuss very, very carefully when they were alone and he wasn't trying to deal with other people at the same time. And she didn't want to faint again, either.

So, you now understand what I needed to tell you?

Yes! I mean… yes.

And you will remember that I don't know anything for certain?

Yes. I'll try. But it sounds… possible. The two days I was here, I was so tired. I kept falling asleep. Oh!

Chizuru felt herself turning red, since she been unable to entirely suppress her memories of those two days. Not surprisingly, she became extremely flustered, and that meant—

Chizuru? What's wrong? A dearly loved voice, but!

Satoshi's mind was gone from Chizuru's on the instant. She blinked—metaphorically speaking. Then she heard Osen-chan's light, dancing tones.

Saitō-san? Chizuru-chan's just a little embarrassed, that's all.

I'm sorry, Hajime! I didn't want to worry you!

… Are you sure—are you both sure—that there is nothing wrong? Saitō's mental voice was dark with warning notes.

Quite sure, Sen told him at once. She's all red, that's all.

Yes, Hajime, I'm fine.

Then I will pretend to believe that nothing happened. I will be up in a few more minutes.

Chizuru turned to Osen-chan. "He didn't believe me!" Then, seeing that her words had alarmed Harada-san, she added: "Harada-san, there's nothing wrong! Saitō-san will be up in a few minutes."

Intelligent amber eyes studied her face, and she looked down, clearly struggling.

"You always call him Saitō-san when you're really worried about something," Harada noted calmly. "And Sōji may be right that you're possibly the worst liar of all time. What do you think, Satoshi-sama?"

The older man didn't look in the least bit ruffled.

"I think that Chizuru-chan reminds me of her mother," he replied. Then he smiled reassuringly at Chizuru, who was struggling to breathe because her cousin had her in a tight hug. "Your mother was a very good person. Osen-chan, let go for the gods' sake. There are other people present who would be more appreciative, no doubt."

Sen let go of Chizuru and shot an unfriendly look at her uncle. "You made her blush! I thought better of you!"

"It was reprehensible of me," Satoshi said calmly. He somehow managed to catch Chizuru's eye and shake his head before she could correct Sen's misapprehension. It occurred to Chizuru that her uncle probably had no difficulty at all when it came to bending the truth.

Just then the door slid open with a bang and Kichirō bounced in.

"Hello Chizuru-sama! Good evening again Satoshi-sama, Harada-san!" He managed a kind of bow all around, although it was a haphazard affair. "That was excellent! And Saitō-sama said that I wasn't too bad!"

"High praise," said Harada, trying not to laugh.

"Well, he said that Haru-chan has potential, too," Kichirō added magnanimously. "You know, Chizuru-sama, you should train with Saitō-sama as well. He's an awfully good teacher!"

"Thank you, Kichirō-kun," said Saitō, arriving silently behind him.

"Agh!" Kichirō jumped, and then smiled sheepishly.

Saitō stepped neatly around the excited teenager to take his wife's hand, heedless of observers. Chizuru, who had risen when Kichirō had come in, suddenly felt much better. Hajime would be upset by the news, she thought to herself, but they'd manage.

[END]

A/Note: Thank you for reading! All reviews and comments are greatly appreciated!