Author's Note:

A bit of a hiatus, but back now with lots to write!

I'm very happy to see that more people seem to be finding and reading this story: I hope that you stick with it!

I have a lot of people to thank for support and encouragement and awesome reviews, but just to mention a few for now:

ShellSenji, Eliz1369, Nalufever, HakuSaitoSan, Nakigaoyuu: Thank you!

~ImpracticalOni

Chapter 86—Denial, Resignation, and Acceptance (also, Flirting)

"No way! There is no way! I—"

Heisuke's angry denials were cut off by Sōji, who was looking tense but less overwhelmed than the younger man beside him. As usual, it was difficult to know exactly how he felt, although he certainly wasn't aiming at pleasant.

"Why should we even believe you?" he asked bluntly. "It's not like any of us can tell if you're right or just messing with us. And besides, it doesn't change anything. I'm here to make sure my mind isn't being screwed around with—which it is—and to learn a few handy tricks to keep it from happening again."

Harada was glad that he was sitting between Sōji and Sen, because all of his instincts were telling him that Sōji and Heisuke weren't safe right now—safe for Sen that is. He had been startled by Sen's disclosure, but some part of his brain was reminding him that somebody, at some point, had said that Sōji reminded them of Kazama Chikage. He found his eyes flicking over to Saitō, who had the perfectly blank expression that he got when he was prepared to act very quickly and then to Chiharu-sama. Not surprisingly, she looked genuinely upset; her face was very pale, and her hands were gripped tightly in her lap as she struggled for composure. Then it really hit him: if Sen was right—which she probably was—then Chiharu-sama was Heisuke and Sōji's half-sister. And—his mind kept focussing on the Oni bloodlines, which was weird—Sen and Sōji and Heisuke were first cousins, since their fathers were brothers.

"If I may, Okita-san, Tōdō-san," said a calm, authoritative voice, "I suggest that we start from the premise that the Princess is correct. I may not have her ability to recognize the bloodlines of the Lost Clans, but my skill is sufficient to know a direct descendant of the Lords of the Western Clans when he is before me. That being said, I believe that Okita-san's question is valid—what difference does it make?"

Harada felt the tension in the room begin to ebb slightly. Satoshi-sama was probably doing something weird, but he was damned if he could figure out what. He shot a brief glance at Sen, whose head was bowed, and then looked back toward Sōji and Heisuke. Sōji was giving Satoshi-sama the glare that he reserved for people who gave him bad choices. Right now, all he wanted to do was follow his inclination to stay the hell out of Oni affairs no matter what anybody said. But now that Satoshi-sama had endorsed his position, he wanted to challenge the Oni prince.

"It is… somewhat troubling, Satoshi-sama," Chiharu said quietly, when nobody else spoke. "On a strictly personal level, at least. Also, it is against our principles for there to be strife within the clans..." She trailed off, and Sōji immediately jumped in.

"I can see why it would upset you, Chiharu-sama," he said coolly, although reasonably politely, "but I think the best thing is to just ignore the family tie—if it exists—and move on. If you aren't comfortable teaching Heisuke and I for an hour or so because of Sen-hime's findings, then maybe Sen-hime can find the time to do it. Let me be clear: I don't intend to get involved with the Oni on any personal level, end of story. And if some of them turn out to be enemies, then the possibility of some kind of blood-relationship isn't going to affect my actions."

Everyone was watching Sōji except Sen, who kept her head bowed. Satoshi appeared relaxed, but he made Harada nervous. Heisuke and Chiharu-sama spoke at the same time.

"That's cold, Sōji!"

"It may not be so simple, Okita-san."

The two speakers turned to each other, obviously nonplussed.

"Uh, sorry, Chiharu-sama."

"There was no offence, Tōdō-san."

"Heisuke—think about it," Sōji said impatiently. He looked at Chiharu. "Chiharu-sama, I've met guys like your brother before—maybe not exactly like, but I still know the type. What do you think: is he going to welcome Heisuke and me with open arms? Swallow his pride, admit your dad was a cheat—I'm sorry, but I'm not one to sugarcoat—and acknowledge people like us as his brothers? Even if that's what I wanted I don't see it—do you, ojou-sama?"

"I… I'm not sure." At Sōji's patently disbelieving stare, she shrugged uncomfortably. "He will be very unhappy with the situation. Also, you have not been raised among the Oni, so even though your half-blood status could make you reasonably powerful among the part-Oni under different circumstances…"

"Okita-san is basically correct, Chiharu-sama," murmured Satoshi, once again siding with the Shinsengumi captain. "Kazama-sama is not actually required to recognize them as blood kin unless they undertake a full trial by blood with him present—or, of course, if they master one or better yet all of the Three Trials. I do not know him well, mind you, but it seems to me that he is likely to be of Okita-san's opinion regarding the overall, ah, nature of their ties."

Heisuke had obviously been doing some hard thinking. He had quelled his first, emotional reaction surprisingly quickly—though who knew what Satoshi-sama or even Sen was doing to keep people calm—and he suddenly jumped back into the discussion, his aquamarine eyes fixed on the blonde woman across from him, rather than on Prince Satoshi.

"What about you, Chiharu-sama? I mean, I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of your brother, but obviously Hajime-kun thinks you're okay. Sano-san does too"—Heisuke nudged Harada with his elbow, possibly out of nerves—"but he's always pretty easy on girls." When Chiharu regarded him oddly at the end of this very informal speech, Heisuke turned a bit red, but he pressed his point. "So… if Sen-hime is right, are you just going to ignore everything—me and Sōji, I mean—and pretend we don't exist? As, um, relatives, I mean."

"Leave me out of this, Heisuke," said Sōji irritably. "What's with you anyway? Last I checked you weren't all that thrilled with any of this either."

"That's… that's different, Sōji," Heisuke replied defensively, hand automatically scrubbing at the back of his neck.

"No it's not. You're just going all soft because Chiharu-sama is a pretty girl. No offence, milady." Unsmiling green eyes met equally unsmiling purple, and "milady" promptly replied:

"No, Okita-san? And yet it seems that offence was intended. However, I will overlook it for the sake of the peace of my cousin's home and so that I may properly answer Tōdō-san." Chiharu turned to Heisuke and smiled slightly, somehow making it clear that she had banished Sōji entirely from her mind. Heisuke reddened a little—again—but Sōji just leaned back appreciatively, after betraying only the tiniest flicker of irritation.

Harada watched Sōji, and discovered with a bit of surprise that he could follow the man's thoughts, more or less. He'd expected to find his colleague more like a stone wall.

Good to know we've all got some fire in us, Sōji was telling himself. Couldn't have a sister who'd back down too easily. Then he realized what he was thinking and scowled. As much as he hated to agree with Hijikata on anything, "fuck the damn Oni" just about summed it up. His mind immediately added 'you can't, she's your sister,' and his scowl deepened. It didn't improve his temper that he strongly suspected that Sen-hime's asshole of an uncle was laughing up his sleeve at all of them.

Since Harada found this last thought-reaction all too easy to relate to, he found himself smiling slightly and then directing a suspicious glance at the… uncle in question. He wouldn't put it past the man to somehow amplify Harada's own abilities just to let him perceive Sōji's state better. But then—why?

"Right now I am too surprised to know how I feel, Tōdō-san," Chiharu was saying to Heisuke. Her voice was calm and collected, and established some distance without being rude or unkind.

Harada suspected that she wasn't entirely aware of how much she suddenly looked and sounded like the highborn lady that she was. It made him realized how little of that side of her he'd seen. Then again, he'd seen her drenched in blood and sweat and near-mortally-wounded, her sword still clutched in one hand—that kind of impression tended to stick.

When Heisuke obviously had no idea how to take her response, Chiharu unbent a bit and offered him a rueful, half-commiserating smile. "If you had asked me the same question just a few days ago, Tōdō-san, I suspect that I would have refused to believe that we could, or should, ever be on equal terms. As a pureblood daughter of the Lord of the Western Clans, I am required to take my position seriously and even to consider my life to be more important than that of most other demons."

"Ah…" Heisuke was distinctly uncomfortable. He was quick to pick up on things when he bothered to focus, and it was being borne upon him that his maybe-half-sister was not much different than a daughter of one of the Imperial Houses.

Satoshi inclined his head briefly to Heisuke, saying: "Well, at least now I see more clearly why my son fell into such interesting company."

"Uh—yeah. I mean—right! Gomene—I keep forgetting about Shinpachi-san and you, um, sir." Heisuke was starting to get the glazed look that usually meant that Hijikata or Sannan had been lecturing him for a while. Harada debated stepping in, but he really, really didn't want to.

"Of course, there's a lot more to it," Sen commented suddenly into the momentary silence that followed Heisuke's rather graceless bow to Satoshi. She had finally raised her head, and Harada felt the briefest touch on his mind, as if for support. "Based on everything we've seen so far, the link to the Kazama clan is actually ancillary to the main bloodline being revived."

"Meaning?" asked Sōji, tersely.

"Saitō-san is the son of Lord Shiranui, and a grandson of the Yukishima clan, but although he benefits from those connections, the bloodline that his ki recognizes as paramount is the Sakurai, who were thought to have been destroyed in a human raid almost three hundred years ago. The same pattern applies to Hijikata-san and Yamazaki-san, although at the moment I have no more than a strong guess as to which of the Lost Clans their Oni self most likely regards as primary. With all due respect to my uncle, I doubt that his lineage—our clan's lineage—was the reason for Nagakura-san's unlooked-for but"—Sen smiled brightly at Satoshi—"fortunate birth."

"Quite," her uncle agreed, apparently unperturbed by the slightly malicious glint in Sen's deep pink eyes.

"Hold up there, Princess!" Sōji interpolated. "I understand what you're saying—I do—but—"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a better explanation," Heisuke put in, his face unusually serious. "I don't think it would change my mind either way, but I want to make sure I get it. Also, is it—could it be—the reason for those weird dreams I'm having?"

"Okita-san?" Sen looked at Sōji.

"Fine, go ahead and explain. But after that I want to talk about concrete tactics. And after that I want to leave."

Harada stirred uneasily, conscious of a desire to tell Sōji to get a grip and stop snarling at Sen. Only the sure knowledge that it wouldn't help and would probably make things worse kept him quiet. It didn't help his temper when Sōji glanced sideways at him and raised one eyebrow in a satiric "Oh? If you don't like it what are you going to do about it?" kind of way.

"Okita-san," reproved Chiharu at that point, "there is no need to speak so roughly to my cousin. Besides"—she leaned forward slightly for emphasis—"I cannot believe that Commander Kondō or Vice-Commander Hijikata would approve, given that they have both been visitors here and have requested our assistance for you in this matter."

Sōji's eyes immediately narrowed in annoyance at being lectured, and it was clear that he was very unhappy with his current situation. He responded to Sen instead of his sister—his maybe-sister.

"Please explain the situation as you understand it, Sen-hime. Afterwards I would appreciate it if we could discuss more immediate matters to do with defending ourselves from mental attack."

Sen didn't allow either the tone or the unfriendly expression to bother her. Instead, she inclined her head politely to Sōji and once again fixed her attention on Heisuke.

"At the present time, there are very few Oni clans left. The largest families are the Kazama and the Amagiri, who are both Western clans. In the East, only the Shiranui can truly be said to have a full clan. Chizuru-chan is the last living descendant of the main line of her clan, the Yukimura, and Saitō-san is the last of the Sakurai, meaning that there were no full-Oni descendants of that clan until Saitō-san passed the Trial of Body and ultimately all Three of the Oni Trials that mark our rite of passage from childhood to adulthood."

"Do all Oni have to do the Trials?" Heisuke asked, either genuinely interested, or trying not to think about being related to Kazama Chikage.

"It is possible that there have been Oni in the past who have not undergone the Trials," answered Sen. "But at the present time, all Oni must pass the Three Trials in order to be considered a full adult. This is especially important for those in the line of succession to a clan."

"And there have been part-Oni before?"

"Yes. It was very, very rare in the distant past, but grew more common as human settlements expanded and interactions grew more common. At the present time there are very few pureblood Oni, although the main clans have generally maintained their bloodlines. When the Oni clans were larger—and it is still the case for the Kazama, Amagiri and Shiranui clans, I believe—there would often be both part-Oni and Oni within the clan settlement, with everyone raised with the same obligations and traditions. But, before you ask, Heisuke-kun, the Trials have always been much harder on those with more human blood. We might look human, but a pureblood or near-pureblood Oni can shift to their other form with reasonable ease. As I believe you know, Saitō-san found the transformation to be a significant challenge."

Harada silently applauded Sen for knowing better than to allude to agonizing pain or near-death experiences. Not for Heisuke's sake—he'd already heard the details—but for Saitō's. No warrior wanted others to talk about how much something had hurt. It was embarrassing. Especially for somebody like Saitō, who took stoicism to more unreasonable lengths than most.

"One thing that has become clearer to me recently," Sen continued thoughtfully, "is that those with part-human ancestry can be quite adept with the Gifts that don't rely so much on a different form. My own clan has always been very small, and despite having a human ancestor many generations ago, and even more contact with humans than most Oni, I have little direct experience with part-Oni."

"Seems to me that the definition of part-Oni and pureblood has gotten a little unclear," said Sōji, as least somewhat to his own surprise. He hesitated, and then grudgingly continued his thought: "What I mean is… you seem to have at least some concept of somebody with impure blood still being an Oni."

"Yes. You have put your finger on a very important point, Okita-san. You see, the clans always tried to keep track of those with Oni blood—in fact, I had always thought we were successful, although now I question that assumption. That way, even half-human children could be raised in the ways of the Oni, as long as their parents were able to live and work in an Oni village. Oni from less noble clans would sometimes marry and have children with these part-Oni, and, as Okita-san says, many of those children—that is, descendants of part-Oni and Oni—would be considered to be Oni, if not quite on par with those with no human ancestry at all."

Heisuke shook his head in a frustrated way. "I'm not following—not really. That's why I asked about these Trials you talked about."

Sen nodded. "I'm making it too complicated. I'll try to sum up, but please understand that these are ideas that I'm still working out myself. You see, Saitō-san is the first part-Oni to successfully pass the Trial of Body in centuries. Even then, he would have died but for Amagiri-san's involvement, as well as what little Kimiko and I were able to do to keep him stabilized. Since Oni society requires passing all three Trials to be considered truly an Oni, no part-blood has been considered an Oni in a very long time. But that's because at some point we decided that the Trial of Body had to be the first Trial, since it makes the other Trials easier."

Chiharu cleared her throat. "Osen-chan, you're not really making things clearer."

"Right, sorry…" Sen waved a hand as if to clear the air and her thoughts at the same time. "I'll try again—a third time! Many of the Shinsengumi captains have displayed abilities that are usually only mastered after passing or being ready to assay the Trials of Spirit or Mind. What if the correct approach with part-Oni is to encourage the Oni abilities as they manifest and proceed with whatever Trials are appropriate, understanding that they may be more difficult without the Trial of Body? I will add, however, that the degree of Oni parentage is still a factor—the greater the Oni blood, the easier the Trials, of whatever kind. And then, to get back to Heisuke-kun's and Okita-san's questions, it is easier to see that part-Oni who are raised among Oni, and who develop Oni skills are really those whom we mean when we refer to Oni of less than pure blood."

There was silence. It was still all a bit… confusing.

"I thought Saitō had to take your Trial of Body or die," Sōji said, his manner now somewhere between interested and irritated.

"He did," Sen confirmed. "He had used a Gift—magic, if you prefer—of a kind that can only be used by somebody with mastery over their form. I don't know how he was able to do that in the first place; none of us do. It's what makes me speculate that there is more to all this. An innate ability to become an Oni that can be accessed by part-Oni under special conditions."

Satoshi leaned forward with the helpful expression that Harada had come to distrust just as much as Sōji's helpful expressions. "Well of course, Osen-chan—all Oni know of the Trial of Heart. We've just rather lost belief in it a little perhaps." He smiled cheerfully. "Mind you, the Western clans have abandoned the concept altogether and for the most part they do surprisingly well—at having children, I mean."

"The Trial of Heart?" demanded Sōji, in accents of disbelief. "What, like you fall in love and that gives you Oni powers?"

"Not quite," responded Satoshi, the sardonic edge to his smile now pronounced. "But I must say that you do like look your kinfolk when you say it that way! Honestly, the resemblance is—"

"Enough, uncle," Sen interposed in clipped accents. "We owe Haru-chan better than this."

Satoshi, who seemed to be hell-bent on provoking Sōji, shook his head with feigned distress. "I only meant to say that Okita-san's resemblance to Kazama-sama is remarkable when he sneers like that—and since Kazama-sama is held to be a very handsome Oni—"

Harada discovered that he had reflexively put one hand out to stop Sōji and was simultaneously glaring at Prince Satoshi. In fact, he had to quickly prevent himself from grabbing the Oni's soft silk collar.

"You're doing this on purpose, why? It's upsetting Sen-chan and unfair to both Haru-chan and Sōji."

"I'm not going to let him win, Sano-san," growled Sōji. "You can take your big paw off my arm."

"Satoshi-sama is using some kind of energy right now," somebody said calmly. "It does not appear to be active in nature. I surmise that he is measuring or evaluating something."

Most eyes swung to Yamazaki, who had been sitting quietly off to the side the entire time. Only Satoshi remained focussed elsewhere—on Sōji. The Oni prince shrugged expressively.

"I had no idea that you'd become an adept of Spirit magic, Yamazaki-san. That is remarkable, if unfortunate." When several gazes switched to him, Satoshi added: "Well, Okita-san wants to make sure that he can stay out of Oni affairs, and he's told us that his time is limited, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to find out if his various powers are reaching levels that might preclude such a choice. To save time, really. It's much easier to evaluate based on spontaneous reactions."

Sōji's green eyes blazed, but he remained almost aggressively still, teeth clench and overall expression contemptuous. Harada had to hold onto his temper with both hands, and not give into the desire to smack his potential uncle-in-law.

"Sen-hime." Saitō spoke as calmly as Yamazaki had, and Harada envied him his control. "Permit me to add to your earlier explanation."

"Saitō-san?" Sen was obviously surprised, but it distracted her—at least momentarily—from commenting on her uncle's behaviour.

"Sōji, Heisuke—I will tell you what I've been told about the Trial of Heart. Whether considered as pure myth or absolute fact, the concept is that a marriage between two Oni—especially if it includes the traditional blood ritual—will produce stronger children, and more of them, and it will also strengthen both partners. There is some evidence that the Trial of Heart does exist, based on empirical data regarding the current Oni families. What may be relevant, from our point of view, and Sen-hime's, is that the Trial of Heart is—at least according to the legend of Sen-hime's clan—also a possible way for a part-Oni to become a pureblood Oni. At least, pureblood as far as the Oni Gifts of Spirit can detect."

Since everybody seemed to be paying attention—Satoshi's face registered a kind of surprised appreciation, while everyone else just appeared stunned that Saitō had stepped in on such a topic—Saitō continued. His flat, mostly uninflected tones managed to reduce a stirring tale of legend and romance into a lecture:

"The Trial is said to derive from Sen-hime's revered distant ancestress, Suzuka Gozen, who asked the gods to show her a way to transform her consort, the legendary warrior Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, into an Oni. It is possible that like other wishes granted by the gods in legend, this wish came with a price: after Lady Suzuka's consort became an Oni, no marriage between Oni could be strong or fruitful without the partners passing the Trial of Heart; this meant that any marriage not based on a strong, genuine desire to unite reduced the chance to have children and the health of those children. It is even possible that such a marriage would weaken the partners. The implications to the Oni as a race are clear, especially since it appears that girl children have always been somewhat rare and the chance of having daughters also seems to be tied in to the Trial of Heart."

Saitō surveyed his audience, but nobody stirred except for Satoshi, who gave him a slight nod as if to say "Right, go on then."

"Somebody, who claims to be Suzuka Gozen herself, appears to be set upon re-establishing the Lost Clans—those clans that have died out—and renewing the Oni race. The large number of unusually powerful warriors among the Shinsengumi captains is supposedly the result of this plan. Therefore, while I share your sentiments, Sōji, about preferring to remain first and foremost devoted to the Shinsengumi, there may be a powerful Oni meddling with us."

Sōji was staring at Saitō, looking as unsure as Harada had ever seen him. Only for a moment, however; a second later he was shaking his head.

"That's wild speculation, Hajime-kun, admit it. I've never known you to jump at shadows."

Saitō shrugged. "I am giving you my current understanding of the situation as supported by what I've seen and been told. Either way, I agree with you that we must continue on as we have—or at least, you and Heisuke should do so."

"And you?" Sōji's tone was perfectly neutral.

"My obligations have changed somewhat, since I have a wife and can reasonably expect to have a family as well at some point. I hope that I can continue to be of service to the Shinsengumi—that is my sincere desire."

Sōji's only response was a tight nod, whose overall meaning was unclear. Harada found that he could no longer read much of the man's mood, let alone thoughts.

In the meantime, Heisuke seemed to be puzzling out Saitō's explanation in his own way. "You mean that I need to find an Oni girl and get married, like, soon?!" he exclaimed suddenly, startling most people present. "I mean… whoa… I'm not—I'm not ready for that, you know?"

"How the hell did you come to that conclusion, Heisuke?" Sōji was eying the younger man with disfavour.

"Hey! I'm just saying that I don't want to end up in Saitō's situation."

"Careful, Heisuke," muttered Harada.

"What do you mean, Heisuke-kun?" asked Sen, looking more amused than concerned.

Heisuke reddened, but he responded doggedly, with a defiant look at both Sōji and Harada. "Well, what if I accidentally use some kind of power I shouldn't and end up dying of fever?"

Sen nodded gravely, although Harada could sense a gleam of amusement. "Fortunately, Heisuke-kun, that is unlikely to happen. It is our theory that Saitō-san's situation arose mostly out of being too close to Kazama Chikage's use of one of the most powerful Gifts of Soul. I am told that you and Okita-san were also in the room, but although you were likely affected, the unconscious spirit is surprisingly well-guarded, especially if it is essentially human and cannot be touched by such magic. Conversely, Saitō-san's concern for Chizuru-chan might very well have led him to attempt to reach out to her in a way that would have left him specifically vulnerable to such a use of Soul magic. Also"—Sen directed a mischievous look at Saitō—"any strong attraction to my cousin would probably reinforce the effect."

Harada groaned internally, but tried to believe that Sen knew what she was doing; personally, he didn't think this was a good time to poke fun at Saitō. Predictably, Sōji picked up on Sen's comment and grinned.

"It was the clothes, right Hajime-kun? Seeing Chizuru-chan in your hand-me-downs made you realize that your kids would look cute in black kimonos?"

Harada felt himself tense, but Saitō had obviously been prepared for some sort of teasing and remained unmoved.

"Based on Chizuru's comments at the time, Sōji, it is unlikely that she will want to dress our children in black. I believe that she found the colour… dull."

Sōji chuckled—almost naturally, Harada thought with relief—and Heisuke looked confused. Harada felt a tentative, but reassuring touch on his mind: Sen.

If Okita-san is able to tease Saitō-san, then so much the better. Haru-chan did not mislead Heisuke-kun, but Okita-san has both the potential and the temperament to trigger a power crisis. His best protection is to remain adamantly human until I can sort out how to—how to deal with all of you!

I thought you knew how to deal with me, Harada thought back at her, with a mental smirk. He was pleased when she had to work to keep a straight face, and then annoyed when he realized that Satoshi had noticed the unspoken exchange and was smiling gently at him. He became more determined than ever to learn what he needed from Amagiri-san rather than Shinpachi's aggravating father.

Chiharu apparently felt that the conversation had gotten too far off-track—or maybe she felt badly for Heisuke. Either way, she returned to the latter's original questions, in her own gentle-but-incisive way.

"Tōdō-san, I don't know if one of the others has already explained this to you, but there are very few pureblood or even near-pureblood Oni girls or women left now. As Saitō-san implied, the number of Oni is much smaller than it once was. In any event, like Osen-chan, I think that you are unlikely to suffer the same severe effects as Saitō-san. I can clearly sense you as a part-Oni, so it is true that something has happened to give you access to your basic Gifts; however, very few part-Oni end up in a power crisis. It does happen, but it's rare."

"There, you see, Heisuke?" murmured Sōji. "In the first place, there's nobody for you to marry—especially if you accept that we're closely-related to Chiharu-sama—and in the second place, you probably don't need to get married to avoid death-by-overload, which is probably just as well for all concerned."

"Thanks for nothing, Sōji," muttered Heisuke, looking more annoyed than relieved.

Chiharu was giving Sōji an exasperated, unimpressed look that Harada found all too familiar, especially since her eyes were almost the same colour as Hijikata-san's. It didn't augur well for a tranquil relationship between the half-siblings. Sōji ignored Chiharu's disapproval with the ease of long, long practice. He leaned back slightly, eyelids half-lowered, and while his next comments were theoretically addressed to the room at large, the emerald eyes under the deceptively soft lashes were aimed directly at the blond woman opposite.

"So, with all the mysticism fully explained, thanks to Hajime-kun," he drawled, "and decisive plans underway to do pretty much nothing except wait and see what happens, shall we get on with the training? I think the idea was to arrange to meet in Shimabara later this evening using the shinobi's quarters?"

"Yes," agreed Chiharu, ignoring all but the last sentence. "However, we should at least go over the basics of mental shielding now to avoid trouble between now and then."

"It's kind of you to worry about us getting mugged—mentally speaking—while we travel across the city that we patrol every day," replied Sōji dryly.

"You're welcome," Chiharu told him sweetly.

In an effort to change the subject—momentarily, at least—Harada decided to ask about Kichirō-kun. He'd seemed like a nice kid, although an odd mixture of innocence and unconscious arrogance.

"Before we get into details about tonight, I was wondering whether you'll be talking to Kichirō-kun about, um, family matters?"

"Hey—yeah, good idea Sano-san!" Heisuke looked more enthused than he had since learning of his probable origins. "Kichirō-kun's a good guy, and he's already done some training with Saitō, right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sōji. "You just like the idea of a kid brother, right? But remember what Lady Chiharu told us: the blood relationship—even if it exists—probably doesn't mean much; we're not Oni, we're not likely to pass these so-called Trials, and we're not even part-Oni raised among their betters—and thank the gods for that. Plus"—once again, sardonic green eyes met frowning purple ones—"it seems to me that we're overlooking the fact that Kazama Chikage, who is not on our good side and who currently hates Hajime-kun—unless I misunderstood something—has the clear right to require Lady Chiharu and young Kichirō-kun to return to the fold, so to speak."

"But—" Heisuke tried to interrupt.

"Am I right, Chiharu-sama?"

"Sōji—"

"Am I right?"

"Okita-san." Sen's tone and expression were now completely serious, even severe. "Before you continue, please explain why you believe it is necessary to speak this way to one of my guests."

After a short struggle—or so it appeared to Harada—Sōji inclined his head to Chiharu in a way that at least suggested an apology. He then turned to Sen. "You think I'm still being influenced?"

"I don't know. All I can say for sure is that the coercive magic that we have seen so far—with both Oni and humans—has been complex and deeply laid. However, this is a highly charged situation; perhaps your reactions are natural, in which case I can only ask you to remember that we're trying to sort things out, not force you or Heisuke-kun into anything."

"Aren't you?" This was the heart of it, Harada knew. Sōji's loyalties were clear, and anything that threatened either the Shinsengumi or Kondō-san was a threat to be eliminated.

"Not personally, no. I will do what I can to resolve the problem of the rogue Oni and investigate why he appears to be focussed on the Shinsengumi. As part of resolving the problem I have agreed to provide you with some basic tools to protect your thoughts from entanglement. Aside from that… It is important for me to know that there are part-Oni of your potential in Kyoto, so that I can ensure the safety and security of the Oni as a whole. I am intrigued by the idea that you and Heisuke-kun may be the direct descendants of the main lines of one or more of the Lost Clans, but I have no right to impose any duty on you since you are neither full Oni nor taking any direct action that brings you within my jurisdiction."

"But Hajime-kun is a different matter, right? He could become a real problem for you, and he is under your 'jurisdiction'."

"That's true," Sen admitted. "But we are speaking specifically about you and Heisuke-kun right now."

"Mmm." Sōji's response was difficult to interpret.

"Sen-hime?"

"Yes, Heisuke-kun?"

"How sure are you—about my father?"

"I am almost positive. There is a remote possibility that you are my half-brother rather than Haru-chan's—our fathers were brothers—but as my uncle said, it is difficult to mistake the… the aura, the feel of somebody who is presently descended from the main line of the Lords of the West."

"I don't look like Kazama Chikage. And I don't—I don't know—he seemed almost half-asleep when we came across him." Heisuke gestured with his hands, unable to convey his full impressions. He and Kazama were very different, he implied.

"You closely resemble one of his more famous ancestors, Tōdō-kun," Satoshi told him. "Not necessarily in colouring, but in movement and style and, ah, energy."

Heisuke looked at him in surprise. "How would you know? Unless—how old are you?"

Satoshi laughed, and Heisuke immediately flushed and look away, embarrassed at having been so direct. "Not as old as all that!" said the prince. "But the humans are not the only ones to have written records and drawings of the Battle of Sekigahara and before. Of course, being drawn into a human war on the losing side by a leader with close ties of friendship with humans is arguably what led reactionary forces within the Kazama clan to push for and then perpetuate the strongly anti-human, isolationist stance the Lords of the West favour today."

Heisuke blinked and then frowned. Sōji scowled. Saitō remained impassive, but Harada thought he'd detected a flicker of something—regret? distress?

"This is not the time for history lessons, Uncle," Sen said sharply.

"No?" inquired Satoshi. "My mistake, then. I was trying to reassure young Tōdō-san that although he may be related to the Lords of West, he resembles the more free-spirited leaders of the past."

Harada found himself staring at Satoshi in horrified fascination. Unless he was much mistaken, the Oni prince had just managed to subtly (or not-so-subtly?) insult both the past and present Kazama clan heads, as well as Heisuke and probably Sōji. There had been nothing subtle about the warning to Saitō about the less than rosy future in store for Oni leaders who became too involved in human causes.

"This meeting is over," announced Sen. "Uncle Satoshi, I believe that you were going to speak with Saitō-san and Chizuru-chan before they left? This would be a good time to do so."

"As you wish, niece," murmured Satoshi. He bowed politely to Sen and nodded to the company at large, and then walked to the door, apparently unsurprised to find Saitō already waiting for him. "Ah, I take it you'd like a word with me before we interrupt the ladies?"

"Aa," affirmed Saitō, closing the door behind them. "I would like to discuss my wife's health."

Back in the room, Sen was issuing more instructions.

"Heisuke-kun, we'll have to put off any discussion with Kichirō-kun for later. For one thing, Haru-chan needs to decide whether or not he should be told, and for another thing, I've come to the conclusion that Okita-san is correct: right now we need to focus on some practical techniques and then plan a lesson for tonight."

"Thank you, Sen-hime," said Sōji, with less sarcasm than Harada had expected. Catching Harada's eye, Sōji shrugged. "This is what I'm here for. The rest of it is… mostly distraction."

"That really does seem odd to me," Chiharu put in unexpectedly. "I mean, aren't you curious or interested in your Oni relatives, Okita-san?"

"My goal is to serve Kondō-san and the Shinsengumi. I know that Satoshi-sama was trying all sorts of ways to push my buttons—and not just mine!—and I'm not saying it didn't work a little, but mostly I think he was passing along information in a way that would make us sit up and take notice. What I got out of it is that I can only meet my goal by staying as far away as possible from Oni problems, Oni politics and—although it may be difficult—Oni in general."

"What about you, Heisuke?" asked Chiharu.

"Me? I'm not sure. In some ways, I guess it's no different than where I am now: I wouldn't mind having some family, but my family isn't so keen on me."

"It's not that simple," protested Chiharu.

"Why not?" Heisuke looked levelly across the table at her. "Why can't it be that simple? Everyone here—even Sōji—believes that Sen's right about our relationship. So why can't you bring yourself to say 'hey, so you're my brother, nice to meet you?'" Heisuke's voice was unusually firm. "Why can't I get to know Kichirō-kun better? Why can't we at least acknowledge we're related? Where's the harm?"

"We don't lightly accept members into the clan," murmured Chiharu, "and it would all be up to Chikage anyway."

"I'm not talking about some kind of formal recognition, sheesh!"

Harada tapped Heisuke lightly—really lightly for once—on the head. "I know what you mean, Heisuke, but it sounds like everyone needs a bit more time, huh?"

"Ow, Sano-san," muttered Heisuke, for form's sake.

"I am ready to begin the lesson," said Yamazaki.

"You know, I'd actually forgotten you were here this time," said Sōji, in mock-admiring tones. "You're getting better at this whole ninja thing."

Eventually, Sen-hime walked them all through the concept of sensing energy again. Yamazaki was by far the best at it and Harada thought that he heard Chiharu say something along the lines of "shouldn't be possible". The reason for the exercise, Sen explained, was that it was your first and best line of defense.

"Basically, don't get caught," summarized Sōji, who was almost as perceptive as the ninja. "Be aware, sense it coming. So, same old same old—but with an extra dimension just for kicks."

Harada stayed out of things for the most part. He found sensing mystical energy harder than sensing people, but not by much. In fact it worried him that he seemed to have improved just in the past day. Involuntarily, he glanced at Sen, who was currently testing Sōji's current sensory range for magical energy. It had tacitly been agreed that Chiharu would work with Heisuke and Yamazaki.

Sen's hair was tied back with golden ornaments and tassels as usual. It was impossible not to remember taking those ornaments out and running his fingers gently through the silky strands. And then soft kisses that Sen had turned into heated, insistent kisses: a meeting of lips and tongues, and the feel of her hands on his bare chest and his hands wound in her hair or stroking her neck…

With a wrenching effort, Harada dragged his mind away from the intoxicating daydream and realized that the darling girl in question was smirking at him, and his hand was a hair's-breadth from her shoulder. He looked around wildly for Sōji, but he was across the room pouring himself a cup of water.

"He was feeling slightly thirsty, so I 'encouraged' him to feel very thirsty," Sen explained. "I was demonstrating that's it's easier to convince somebody to do what they already want to do."

"Do you—" Harada broke off and drew a deep breath. "Do you know how embarrassing that could have been?"

"I'm supposed to be teaching you to resist mental compulsion," his princess replied demurely. "To be honest, I'm not sure whether to be happy that you're learning so well or disappointed that I couldn't quite convince you to kiss me."

You're a flirt, hime-chan. Totally incorrigible.

I deserved a break! What an afternoon, and the evening still to come. I envy Chiharu working with Yamazaki-san. He's such a sweetheart.

He's a what?! Are we talking about the same dour, humourless, all-business-all-the-time, yes-Vice-Commander-right-away-Vice-Commander, purple-eyed ninja?

Sen gurgled with laughter, and Sōji looked up from sipping at his water with suddenly narrowed eyes. He was no fool.

"Well damn," he said, without much heat. He set the cup of water down with distaste, crossed the room, and reseated himself in front of Sen. "The thing is, now I'll never know whether you made me thirsty so that you could flirt with Sano, or whether Sano took advantage of my absence to flirt with you. Was I really that easy to distract?" The last question was asked in unsmiling earnest and Sen responded in kind.

"No, not easy exactly, but it should have been more difficult than it was. You aren't going to like this—well, you don't like much of anything, do you?—but somebody's been wearing down your mental resistance for some time."

"Shit."

"I know… It's odd, because you have excellent natural defenses. And you'll probably be annoyed, but what I've been doing is looking for—well, call them soft spots."

Sōji's face went very still, but he just nodded. "Go on. I hate this, but give me all the bad news at once."

"I don't know how much more there is, really. You can believe me or not as you choose, but I only touched the outer layer of your thoughts, as promised. So all I can tell you is that there are a very few, very specific weak spots, and my sense is that they've been ground in over time. The problem is—in terms of my diagnosis—that I've never actually seen this before. As demonstrated by the difficulty I had dealing with recent Oni issues, I'm inexperienced when it comes to real damage done to real people."

Harada watched the vision of the corpse-strewn Yukishima estate cross Sen's face like a shadow and then vanish. Oddly, he was glad to have shared that horror with her; it meant that he could help her face it.

Sōji's hands balled into fists. "Dammit! I just want to keep everyone—everyone—out of my fucking head! Sorry… I've learned bad language from Hijikata-san." His laugh was without real humour, but Harada gave him points for trying. "Anyway, I should get going. I'll even be a gentleman and take Heisuke and Ninja-boy with me. Does that earn me your undying gratitude?"

"A gentleman never expects favours in return for courtesy," Harada told him haughtily, a little embarrassed but mostly amused. Keeping secrets from Sōji was about as futile as it came, and Harada wasn't great at deceit in the first place. Plus Sōji had already jumped to all sorts of conclusions over that time he'd seen Harada and Sen at the dango place.

"Got it." Sōji was obviously itching to get away and get back into his own space. "How does ten o'clock sound, Princess? We'll get a room and then you and Chiharu-sama can come find us. Oh… and if you'd like, I'm sure we can manage some sword practice at the same time."

"No thank you," said Sen firmly. "The patrons would not take kindly to hearing swords crashing around, even wooden ones. I'll see if Saitō-san is willing to train with Haru-chan and Kichirō-kun." Her eyes abruptly locked with Sōji's, and there was no need to add the thought: They're your sister and brother whether you like it or not.

Sōji just shook his head at her, expression once again wholly closed off. "Look, Sen-hime, let me be blunt: Kazama's not going to want us any more than we want him. It's too bad that we might lose out on getting to know the kid better, but that's life. Besides, I've already got an older sister and one's enough—Chiharu-sama may or may not be older than I am, but she's got 'older sister' written all over her."

"One or both of us will meet you at the Sumi tonight at ten," Sen answered.

Harada watched with interest as Sōji collected Heisuke and Yamazaki and swept them out of the room with next to no fuss. Chiharu went with them to play hostess—although she gave Sen a very pointed look as she closed the door behind her.

Harada laughed softly and pulled Sen into his lap. "Was that a 'you've got five minutes' look? Or do you think she'll give us ten?"

"Fifteen at least. She's looking forward to sitting down in her room, on her own, to sort out how she really feels."

"Ah." Harada wrapped one arm around Sen's waist, so that she was snug against him, and then started to caress her neck and shoulders with the fingers of his other hand. "Hmmm… fifteen minutes… you may become disheveled…" He bent his head down to hers, but ignored her lips and instead traced his tongue around her ear. "Is disheveled acceptable, hime-chan?"

"It… doesn't sound… entirely… appropriate…"

"Possibly not. But worth the risk." Harada pushed the fabric of Sen's kimono back off one shoulder a little, and started to press kisses and then gentle bites into the skin, finally working his way up her neck back to her ear. He was pleased with the slight catch in her breath now as he ran his fingers along the bruised skin. "There's a lot to be said for disappearing love bites," he said with approval.

"Harada-san…"

"Hmm?"

"Why?" This is unlike you. Or is it?

Do you mind?

N-no. I was just surprised. You usually hesitate over every step down this road. And check with me about three or four times.

…I'm sorry if I made you anxious. I think I was reacting to earlier. Please don't invade my mind like that again. Harada put his forehead against Sen's. "You have this odd idea that I'm one of the good guys—and I guess I do too—but it doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't be a captain of the Shinsengumi without having spilled a lot of blood and having learned how to be a bad guy when necessary. I have no idea how Saitō—who I could have sworn was the most inept guy I'd ever met—copes with Chizuru-chan's distorted vision. But anyway… the thing is that I'm not really the trusting sort. And it's going to make it a lot harder for me to let down my guard with you if you undermine my defenses in that particular way."

Sen seemed to shrink slightly. "Sumimasen. I didn't think of that, Harada-san. I was just… teasing."

"I know. I mean, I really do. But I've spent a lot of years trying to tell the difference between a pretty girl who's interested in me and a pretty girl who's interested in something else—coin, favours, protection, whatever. It gets kind of reflexive after a while to start out assuming the worst. You made me realize that I can't even trust my own feelings now—I can see why Sōji's so on edge."

"I didn't really expect it to work as well as it did," Sen confessed. "You're usually pretty resistant to my, um, suggestions."

"You're sixteen and completely inexperienced—powerful, yes, insightful yes, brave, absolutely. But when it comes to relationships between men and women, all you have is Kimigiku-san's input. So I try to be careful. But don't… don't make me feel like I can't trust what you're telling me—even if it's to help train my defenses. I already have those defenses."

"You're not angry with me?"

"A little at first. I should have said so. I don't like being mad at you, hime-chan. I'm not angry now."

Sen moved her forehead to Harada's shoulder, and one hand pressed into the skin of his chest, consciously or unconsciously tracing a line of muscle.

Um. I was wondering… Sen's tone was still a little subdued, but no longer anxious.

Harada shifted his hold on Sen, poked her until she lifted her head with a slight smile, and then kissed her until they both needed air. They both became rather disheveled in the process.

"What were you wondering?"

"Well, it was… interesting… what you did earlier? Even if it was partly because you were upset."

"It was the wrong thing to do when I was upset."

"Yes but maybe now that you're not upset—"

"You're shameless."

"Not quite. Just curious."

You're going to have to stay curious for a bit longer then. Think about it: it's the middle of the day and Haru-chan, Kichirō-kun, Chizuru-chan, Saitō, your uncle, Akane-san, or Amagiri-san could walk in at any time.

They'd announce themselves—they wouldn't just burst in.

"See? Shameless."

"Is it part of my charm?" Sen asked, in mock-hopeful tones.

"Actually, yes." With a regretful sigh and another searching kiss, Harada moved Sen off his lap (she went reluctantly) and started to straighten her collar and hair.

"You make my toes curl when you kiss me like that."

"You'll make me blush—and that takes some doing."

"Maybe we could go for a moonlit walk later?"

"There, you look almost respectable again."

"Almost?"

"Well, you'd look respectable to most people. I know better."

They turned toward the door at almost the same time, recognizing the approaching footstep and quiet presence.

"Osen-chan? Excuse me, I'm coming in."

Chiharu entered the room a moment later. Sen gave her a mischievous look when she detected a hint of relief on her cousin's face.

"Saitō-san, Chizuru-chan and Satoshi-sama would like to see you, Osen-chan. Is now a good time?"

"Yes," replied Sen, although her heart didn't seem to be in it. "As good as any, at least."

[END]

A/Note: Thank you for reading! All reviews, comments and so on are very much appreciated!