Author's Note:

I am now within about a chapter of the next major historical event-the Battle of Hamaguri Gate, also called the Kinmon Rebellion.

The current chapter sets the stage for this, even as Saitou is trying to figure out when and how he going to extricate Kazama Amagiri Kenshin, visit his father, and prevent his wife from healing every lost soul she comes across. It's a long chapter, and took some time to write, because I wanted to let the characters tell the story, and they each have a different perspective on what is going on.

Thank you to everyone who sent me reviews and comments on the last chapter, and especially to Poivron Rouge for putting me out of my misery: it was nice to see a nice round 600 after staring at 599 reviews for three weeks. I'm odd that way...

Thank you also to new readers - it gives me confidence to know that I can keep you interested for the length of three books! I hope you'll stick with this story.

~ ImpracticalOni

Chapter 89—Mind Games

Part I—Long Distance Call

Shiranui Kyō was not the most sensitive Oni of his generation—or so he was fond of pointing out whenever his more outrageous behaviour got him into trouble with his own kind. It might even be true, at least in terms of the Gifts of Mind and Soul—but that was more of a comment on the unusually strong abilities of Kazama Chikage, Kazama Chiharu, and Princess Sen than an objective assessment of Shiranui himself. Also, as Amagiri never failed to tell him whenever they met for any length of time, Shiranui preferred not to acknowledge his own strength in certain areas. The truth was that the careful scheming of Shiranui's grandfather and great-grandfather had resulted in a noticeable strengthening of the clan's main line—along with the subtle indications of inbreeding.

"And why the hell am I thinking about this crap now anyway?" Shiranui demanded out loud, scowling at an unfortunate tree, but not so irritated that he deigned to take a pot-shot at the squirrel that rushed away into the evening gloom at the sound of his voice. In fact, he never shot at animals, but he refused to admit that this was a matter of compassion—and long-held Oni values—rather than a shortage of ammunition.

He had left the Satsuma camp later than planned, as things had turned out. It was his own fault for having stopped for a drink while still within Kazama's reach—though the gods knew he'd needed the drink. As a result, he's been forced into another discussion regarding recent events, and his second parting with his cousin had been far more strained than the first. For some reason, Kazama had pushed him even harder than in the past to give up his involvement with his close friend Takasugi and the Chōshu in order to concentrate on the problems within the Shiranui clan; in the end, only the intervention of Amagiri Hideaki had prevented an open rift.

Shiranui wished very much that Takasugi was waiting for him at the end of today's journey—and not just because the Chōshu were probably about to get their butts handed to them in the near future by attempting too much, too soon, and with too few troops. Nor was it solely because he missed the most exciting lover that he'd met since first discovering sex as a source of entertainment—although an hour or two of that kind of distraction would go a long way toward alleviating his present mood. Mostly, he wanted to talk to somebody smart and trustworthy about what was going on within the Oni clans—and how it might affect human matters and the balance of power in Japan as a whole. Takasugi Shinsaku had a tremendous gift for seeing things clearly, and he was the one person Shiranui had ever met who seemed to accept him entirely for who he was.

"Wonder what he'd do about Kazama's current snit-fit?" he muttered to himself. "And what the hell is going on with Amagiri, anyway? I'm supposed to be the crazy one, dammit! What possessed him to put his life on the line for some Shinsengumi yes-man?" Shiranui's ability with Fast Travel was only moderate, but he could tell that he was raising a small wind around him and he rather liked the effect. I feel badly for Hideaki-kun, that's for damn sure—or I would if he weren't just as stodgy as Amagiri but without even Amagiri's itty-bitty sense of humour.

Even as these thoughts chased each other through his mind, he could tell that he was losing the battle not to think about the man who was at the center of Kazama's extreme ill-temper: Shinsengumi Captain Saitō Hajime, former nobody-in-particular and now apparently the acknowledged head of a long-dead Oni clan. Husband of the last known Heir to the Eastern Clans. Illegitimate son and unwanted brother… Shiranui slowed his pace as the aggravating face with its even more aggravating indigo hair—only a few shades darker than Shiranui's own—appeared clearly before his mind's eye.

"And how the hell do I know what my father's going to do about it?" he snarled.

His final discussion with Kazama had been unpleasantly tense. Amagiri's defection was never touched on directly, but to Shiranui it had seemed to permeate most of the conversation. In any event, having mastered enough of his rage to contemplate more than his immediate grievances, Kazama had begun to give some thought to how the other Oni clans would react to the sudden existence of a formerly-human, entirely human-raised Oni lord. For the most part, Shiranui had simply let Kazama talk, but inevitably Kazama had wanted Shiranui's views on how his father would handle the situation—including Sen-hime's declaration that Shiranui Toshio-sama was Saitō's natural father.

Shiranui was well-aware of his father's inherited love for "good" marriages, and he suspected that this bias would overcome any concerns that Lord Shiranui might have about offending his wife and existing children by acknowledging a bastard son. A match between an acknowledged son and the Lady of the Eastern Clans would suit his father very well. At the same time, the marriage tie would make it far more likely that Lord Shiranui would agree to acknowledge Yukimura Chizuru as the Lady of the Eastern Clans in the first place. Shiranui hadn't bothered to sugar-coat any of this for Kazama, who was perfectly capable of drawing the same conclusions for himself. On the other hand, Shiranui hadn't said anything at all about his personal feelings on the matter, and Kazama had been willing to assume that Shiranui would regard the freshly-minted Oni as an insulting irritation at best and a serious danger at worst—which wasn't far from the truth.

None of it's my problem, Shiranui told himself. Except that you promised to acknowledge him as your brother, he argued back. He may have all the personality of an empty bucket, but you gave your word to consider him your brother if he passed the Trials. Shiranui swore aloud, put his hands on his hips, and glared up at the rapidly darkening sky.

"I'm done with Oni politics, Amagiri! Wasn't interested before, not interested now. It's fun to watch the rest of you get your tail-feathers in a knot, but that's it. Okay? My life is mine. Your protégé may be my brother, but so what? It might stop me from killing him, but that's about it. And who knows what'll happen if we end up on different sides of this human war that's coming?"

Only abnormally quick reflexes kept Shiranui from literally falling over from surprise when he suddenly got an answer to his rant.

"You always did underestimate your power, Kyō," said a clear voice in his mind.

"Amagiri?!"

"Indeed."

"I wasn't trying to reach you."

"…"

"I really wasn't!"

"What is it that you wish to discuss, Kyō?"

"Nothing." Shiranui suspected that he sounded sullen, rather than composed.

"I cannot help Kazama Chikage-sama any further, Kyō. I can only hope that he will eventually understand the difference between arrogance and pride, and see that the first inevitably corrupts the second. His vision of what it means to be an Oni is distorted."

"I believe in Takasugi and his dream for Japan," countered Shiranui, somewhat obscurely. "That's it. I'm never going to see things the same way as you do."

"That is possible, of course. But I doubt that you will find your way as obvious as you'd like it to be."

There was a long moment of silence, and Shiranui became aware of the steady drain on his energy that indicated that he was—against all probability—responsible for this contact with Amagiri. He was about to cut the connection, when his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why did you do it Amagiri? You're a traditionalist to the core—why did you have to rescue a captain of the Shinsengumi, of all people?"

Amagiri's answer came back without hesitation; he must have thought the matter through several times already, after all.

"Sen-hime asked for my assistance. That meant that she judged the matter to be one of importance. Also, I agreed with her that the situation had arisen directly because of Kazama-sama's actions—actions that were clearly contrary to the proper conduct of any Oni, let alone one of Kazama-sama's stature. Finally, I must admit to personal interest: I could not understand how a part-Oni of Saitō's kind could exist, and I was drawn enough to the man to wish for his survival."

Shiranui could feel his jaw drop; he'd never expected Amagiri to be so frank with him. His former mentor hadn't even bothered to point out that Saitō's position with the Shinsengumi was irrelevant, from Amagiri's perspective at least. It took a moment for the younger Oni to regain his usual flippancy, and it sounded weak, even in his own ears.

"Well, I have to give you credit for sowing far more chaos than I ever have. And what do you think of this marriage of his?"

"They suit each other and will do well together. It would be better if he were to leave the Shinsengumi, of course, but those are not matters to be resolved in an instant."

"That's it? Seriously? I mean, maybe they're a cute couple—I wouldn't know—but holy shit Amagiri! The girl's practically royalty and Saitō's just a hitman for the bloody bakufu!"

"Your judgment is clouded, Kyō. Your brother is a great deal more complex than you acknowledge. The fact that his current allegiance is to those who oppose your friend Takasugi does not alter either his abilities or his value to the Oni."

"Yeah, yeah… whatever. Anyway, it's getting difficult to hold this connection, so I should be going, okay?" He could tell that Amagiri was amused by his graceless retreat, but he didn't care. Even as he banished Amagiri's face and voice from his mind, he remembered the demon-killing blade sitting in Kazama's room and wished that he could have somehow conveyed his—dismay? sympathy?—regarding Amagiri's punishment. Upon consideration, perhaps it was for the best; Amagiri was probably sick to death of sympathy by now, since he was stuck surrounded by women in Kyoto.

Part II—A Night Out With the Girls

Souji

Sōji made a point of keeping his more irritable comments to a minimum while he worked with Sen-hime. He told her that it was a matter of efficiency, and for the most part it was—he was quite serious about learning what he needed to know and then getting back to his regular duties. At the same time, Sen-hime had surprised him by sticking wholly to the lesson; she'd made no further comment regarding his probable relationship to the Kazama clan, nor had she responded to any of his carefully baited teasing regarding Harada. It had been disconcerting and somewhat annoying.

Before they'd started, he'd asked her to see if anything had changed with respect to the influence on his mind that she'd detected before. He'd been optimistic that she would find some kind of improvement, but he hadn't gotten the response for which he'd hoped.

"I can't tell, Okita-san. I'm not saying that there is no difference, but you must remember that I did not examine your situation completely to begin with. You were—understandably—resistant. Your personal defenses to direct mental attack are considerable. Unfortunately, as I said before, it appears as though they have been compromised in specific ways over time. Whoever did this was exceptionally gifted."

"But I'm sure that something happened! Something went wrong, but I was able to fight it off—possibly with Yamazaki's help. And I really feel like there's less of a problem now."

"What was the trigger?"

Sōji had hesitated, and then said, very softly, "Saitō admitted the nature of Chizuru-chan's… condition."

Sen had clearly been surprised—and concerned.

"I guessed, that's all," Sōji had hastened to say. "It's not like Saitō was going around telling people."

"I see. That makes sense, I suppose… and I expect that you rarely guess wrong."

"Meaning?"

"You are very perceptive. A natural talent that you have trained. You are also observant, which isn't quite the same thing. In any event, it is a powerful combination."

"But somebody still got to me," Sōji had muttered, frustrated.

"Yes. If I had to guess, somebody with similar talents. More than that, somebody good at understanding and exploiting certain types of weakness."

"What do you mean?" Not that he hadn't understood, but he'd been curious what she'd say.

"Okita-san… You excel at finding and exploiting weakness—for example, you know exactly how to make every one of your comrades uncomfortable. Now you have met somebody with an even greater—or better trained—talent for the same thing."

"Fine, guess I'd better fix that, right?"

Sen had given him a steady look that had made him uneasy.

"I think it's up to you to decide what you need to 'fix': do you wish to reduce your own weaknesses or improve your ability to exploit the failings of others?"

He'd been unable to restrain an annoyed laugh. "Both, obviously. What is your point?" But he'd known, really, what she was suggesting; he just didn't like it. She'd hesitated, and then shaken her head. Just one more person who didn't want to take on his 'bad attitude'. Apparently, she'd caught that thought.

"What good would it do for me to tell you that you have a tendency to be resentful and bitter? You know yourself better than I do, presumably. I will be plain with you: you've been attacked through those negative perceptions and emotions to which you cling the most tightly."

The anger had come bubbling to the surface—people always thought they understood him better than they did—but it had been tinged with a "what if". What if she was right?

"I'll think about it," he'd heard himself say, to his own surprise. Then he'd gone back to his original point. "I still think something's better now."

"You may be correct—as I said before. But your situation is complicated, Okita-san. You have no wish to become an Oni except to the extent that it will make you more useful to a human organization, on behalf of human interests. This sets up a peculiar conundrum, in my opinion: you have an Oni's natural ability to become what you believe in most strongly—more than most part-Oni, I suspect; and you have your Kazama ancestors' unusually strong potential for the Gifts of Mind; but you believe that you shouldn't become an Oni. You truly dislike the idea of standing in two worlds like Saitō-san."

"So?" Sōji had hated the feeling of being analysed. But he'd also been uncomfortably aware that he'd sort of demanded the analysis.

"So what if the relief you felt—the sense of being less vulnerable to attack—wasn't so much a change in external or imposed circumstances as some kind of internal acceptance of being Oni? At least to the extent of being able to directly reject part of the manipulation?"

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" He'd been holding onto his temper with both hands by that point. But he'd come to the Sumi that evening absolutely determined to get as much as possible out of the evening—with a view not to having to repeat the experience, of course.

Sen-hime hadn't answered the mostly rhetorical question. He was glad for that, actually.

"It's possible that Yamazaki-san helped you to undo some kind of malicious magic," she'd said instead. "But it's just as likely that his rather surprising ability to see various energies helped him to sever whatever connection had been formed, or was forming, to your assailant. In which case you may feel more at ease now simply because you are more confident in your ability to defeat whatever 'hooks' are still in place."

Relieved by the return to specifics, Sōji had just nodded and abandoned the topic. He'd been disappointed—he'd hoped that the princess would tell Hijikata-san that he was now free of outside influence—but that was life. It just sucked for him that he kept having to rely on Hijikata's fanboy to help with the damn spy. Determination to become self-sufficient had helped him to remain civil throughout the rest of the evening's lessons, even though it hadn't been much fun.

Having to spend time celebrating with the new captains in between lessons had been a challenge, but Kondō-san had been happy to see him there, and he'd made sure to limit his time in Takeda's vicinity. Since it was expected of him, he'd made a point of congratulating the repugnant kiss-ass. However, he'd made sure that Kondō-san couldn't see his face when he'd assured Takeda that he would be sure to keep an eye on him for a while—to make sure things were going okay. He was pretty sure the guy had gotten the message.

Yamazaki

Working with Yamazaki-san was easy, in that he was polite, attentive, and had a disciplined mind. Chiharu was very relieved not to be dealing with Okita-san, and suspected that the feeling was mutual, although he seemed to be in rather fey spirits in comparison to the surly, combative attitude of earlier in the day. However, she quickly discovered that trying to instruct Yamazaki on the basics of perceiving and blocking mental attacks was oddly pointless. He noticed virtually everything and his ability to shield himself was already very good for somebody with no access to the higher Gifts. After the first few minutes she'd simply asked point-blank:

"Yamazaki-san, who taught you to shield your ki?"

"Saitō-san. Is there a problem, Chiharu-sama? I know that I am not yet as capable as the captain."

Chiharu had been at a loss for what to say. She had become tired of trying to deny the evidence of her own eyes and senses.

"There isn't a problem, Yamazaki-san," she'd ventured at last. "You are just more advanced than I'd expected."

Yamazaki had remained silent, no doubt patiently awaiting instructions. Chiharu thought that this passivity was at least partially assumed, or learned; there was an underlying spark in him that suggested that his calm was enforced, at least to some degree. She'd been told that he'd left his father's traditional medical practice in order to become a warrior. That suggested a more adventurous spirit than was immediately visible.

"Would you permit me to examine your aura more closely?" Chiharu asked, after a few moments of silence. "I give you my word not to do more than ensure that you are not at risk of overextending yourself."

The shinobi's unsmiling purple eyes held hers, and then he nodded gravely. For no apparent reason, Chiharu felt almost afraid. Not of Yamazaki-san, exactly, but of the potential that he represented to change the world—the Oni world—as she knew it. With an effort, she remained calm and extended her focus outward. She wove a very delicate web of Soul magic about her student, and felt Osen-chan glance curiously her way. No, not just Osen-chan—Harada-san as well.

Yamazaki-san already knows most of what he needs to know in order to use most of the higher Gifts of Soul, she explained to Sen. I want to make sure that he is still… well. She assumed that Osen-chan would pass along her comments to Harada-san. Personally, she found Harada-san even stranger than the rest of the Shinsengumi—his aura made her quite prepared to believe that Suzuka Gozen was his mother, whatever that meant.

Chiharu could tell that Yamazaki-san was following what she was doing, at least to a point. She kept her examination superficial, for fear of somehow setting off any magical booby-traps that she, Osen-chan and Chizuru-chan hadn't found before.

"I don't understand it, Yamazaki-san," she said eventually, "but you have developed further as an Oni just in the past day—or at least since the last time we met. I am concerned that something has happened to accelerate the process again, but at a loss to know what to do. I cannot detect that any outside influence—or magical force of any kind—is acting on you at the moment."

Yamazaki-san frowned slightly. "I do not feel unwell," he stated. "In fact, I feel better this evening than I felt earlier in the day." After a moment's thought he added, "I also felt no obvious ill effects after assisting Okita-san."

Osen-chan walked over at this point, followed by her—by Harada-san. Heisuke-kun had gone with Okita-san to whatever party it was that the Shinsengumi captains were supposed to attend. Kichirō looked up in interest from the corner of the room to which he'd retreated; Chiharu thought he must be bored, but so far he'd remained as unobtrusive as promised. If anything, he was more pensive than was normal for him.

"Maybe you could tell us again what happened with Okita-san," Sen suggested.

Since he'd already been over it once—and had the Vice Commander's permission to discuss the matter—Yamazaki described the sequence of events. Harada-san's eyes gleamed with amusement when he mentioned 'accidentally' stepping into Captain Takeda's path.

"I didn't realize that you'd formed a magical lens in order to study the problem better," said Sen, obviously startled.

"Did you learn that from our discussions earlier today?" asked Chiharu, equally taken aback.

"Yes, Chiharu-sama," answered Yamazaki. Sen-hime's statement didn't seem to require a response. "You made a point of using and demonstrating the technique more than once."

"But you don't feel unwell now?" pursued Sen.

"No, Sen-hime. I am quite well."

"I'm happy to hear it, but please, Yamazaki-san, be careful about using such a construct. We still haven't quite ensured your safety after all—from a sudden power overload, I mean."

"I understand, Sen-hime, but I cannot be overly cautious either."

"Why not let Yamazaki try it now?" suggested Harada. He only shrugged when Sen and Chiharu both turned to glare at him. "I know you're worried about him, but he's right—too cautious is just as bad as too reckless in our line of work. So let him show you what he can do, and if you can't detect any problem then let it go."

"But there has been a definite change," Chiharu protested. It didn't occur to her until she saw Harada's smile that she'd betrayed a certain amount of personal concern for the Shinsengumi shinobi. She reddened slightly.

"Then we need to figure out what caused it," Harada said calmly. "You good with that, Yamazaki?"

"Yes, Captain."

Sen-hime glowered at the spearman for a moment, and then sighed.

"Well, alright then. Yamazaki-san—if you would?"

Despite the discomfort of having so many eyes trained on him, Yamazaki nevertheless felt that he did a creditable job constructing a basic lens—or sigil or whatever it was called. Through it, he noted the crisp greens and blues of Chiharu-sama's aura, together with a soft purple haze and—he abruptly let go of the construct, not because of anything he'd seen, but out of simple fatigue.

"It's a direct drain on his stamina," noted Sen-hime coolly, from his right. "Far more than it would be for one of us."

"Agreed. But it was well-formed and there was no sign of anything otherwise amiss." Chiharu's tone was thoughtful. "How do you feel Yamazaki-san?"

"I'm fine," Yamazaki replied automatically.

"He's tired, but he's fine," commented Harada, from his left. "I mean, when Saitō really lost it you could just feel things go out of control."

"Yes, but we're trying to avoid getting anywhere near that point," noted Sen, a little defensively.

"Sen-hime? Chiharu-sama?" Yamazaki waited until he had their attention. "I appreciate your assistance tonight as well as earlier. However, Amagiri-san has offered to provide any further training and Hijikata-san agrees that this is an acceptable option. Amagiri-san has the experience of dealing directly with Saitō-san and I believe that he will balance any concerns for my health with my duties as a member of the Shinsengumi."

Neither of the women were happy about the implication that Amagiri-san might be a better instructor. On the other hand, they couldn't deny Yamazaki's logic. Moreover, Sen-hime was supposedly very busy at the moment with other matters, and Chiharu-sama was only in Kyoto temporarily. In fact, Yamazaki didn't entirely understand why they were working with Chiharu-sama at all, given her presumable allegiance to her older brother; however, both Hijikata-san and Saitō-san seemed to approve of her. Yamazaki found her distracting, which was both unexpected and a little troubling.

"Makes sense to me," Harada said into the silence that had formed. Yamazaki was relieved to be drawn back from his thoughts. "I'm hoping to speak with Amagiri-san myself."

"Not my uncle?" Sen asked provocatively.

Chiharu-sama gave her cousin a withering look, and Yamazaki had to restrain himself from similarly indicating his disapproval. The princess had made no real secret of her preference for Harada-san either previously or this evening; however, it was not the appropriate time and place for such comments, in Yamazaki's opinion. The Shinsengumi were here on business.

"No, I figure he'll have his hands full with Shinpachi," Harada replied calmly. Only somebody who knew him well, or an Oni gifted in reading emotional nuance—in other words, everyone present except Kichirō—would realize that he wasn't entirely comfortable with Sen's familiarity.

When Yamazaki took his leave of Sen-hime and Chiharu-sama, he wasn't surprised that the captain didn't accompany him immediately.

"I'll be with you in a minute, Yamazaki-kun," Harada told him. "And if I don't catch up with you then I'll see you later—okay?"

"Actually, I'm heading out to find Shimada now, Captain," Yamazaki responded. Although he wasn't back to his regular duties, he was supposed to keep a general eye out on tonight's patrol—and a watchful eye out for the rogue Oni.

"That's right—should've remembered. Well, don't let Shimada or Magoshi stir up trouble. They can be real hotheads if you aren't careful."

"Yes, Captain." Yamazaki couldn't help but smile slightly—not only was Shimada the very picture of good-natured calm, but Saitō-san's second-in-command was hardly one for wild behaviour. The mild joke was somehow reassuring, and he was sure that Harada-san intended it that way. With a final nod to all, including young Kichirō-kun, Yamazaki left to track down the Shinsengumi's night patrol.

Once the Shinsengumi Inspector had gone, Harada turned to an apprehensive Sen and touched her lightly on the shoulder. To her surprise, he didn't censure or scold her.

"Long day. You alright?"

"Oh…" Sen had to blink back sudden tears.

"Hey—it's okay. Between Sōji and Uncle Satoshi I think most of us are a little frayed."

Sen looked warily up at him. She could tell that he was making a significant effort to ignore her cousins' presence just across the room.

"Uncle Satoshi?" she ventured at last.

"Well, he keeps trying to make a point of it, don't you find?" Harada quirked an eyebrow.

This time, Sen smiled. "Yes, I agree. I've never seen him get so involved before."

"He's a complicated guy. Have you ever thought that he may be worried about you?"

"Yes, but… honestly, I've seen more of him in the past week than I have since—ah, in the last two years."

"It's been a busy week." Harada removed his hand from her shoulder. "And I've gotta go before somebody—probably Shinpachi—gets sent to track me down."

"Nagakura-san isn't coming by, I gather. But Heisuke-kun and Okita-san will be back."

"Yep. And Hijikata-san will drop in toward the end to train Haru-chan and Kichirō."

"I haven't forgotten."

"I'll bet."

With that, Harada inclined his head to Sen, bowed slightly to Chiharu (and incidentally to Kichirō), and slipped out of the room.

Hijikata

Chiharu tested the weight and balance of the sword in her hand and conceded that Hijikata-san had chosen a suitable weapon. She'd been surprised when he'd shown up with actual katanas, rather than bokken, but his explanation had made sense: given his limited time and theirs, it was more useful to work with the real thing than with wooden practice swords, especially since there was to be no sparring.

While Chiharu adjusted to the borrowed sword, Hijikata-san spoke with Kichirō and got him started on a quarter-time footwork-oriented drill. Normally, Kichirō was impatient with such things—his brother hadn't spent a great deal of time on footwork with him at any point—but his admiration for Hijikata-san appeared to be firmly intact. Chiharu had noticed with both amusement and dismay that he'd even made a point of tying his hair up much more neatly and firmly than usual this evening.

"Do you have a blade of your own?" Hijikata asked her, once her brother had begun his pattern.

"Yes, but although I brought it with me to my cousin's, I haven't trained with it since leaving home. I will have to become accustomed to wearing it."

Hijikata-san studied her appraisingly. "How so? Are you planning to start wearing hakama for more than training? It would be rather unconventional, to put it mildly."

"I have been considering it, at least when travelling. Though not like the boys' clothing that Chizuru-chan has been forced to wear—although I understand the reasons for it." Chiharu added the last part hurriedly, so as to sound less critical.

She adjusted her grip a final time. For whatever reason, she wanted to do well in front of this man. It wasn't exactly like wanting to show off; it was more that she wanted to make him take her seriously. Plus, the fact that he was probably far too used to being admired by women annoyed her.

"Your grip is too tight and your stance is too rigid. Since Saitō told me that you did fine with him—and he doesn't pay empty compliments—I assume that you're just less comfortable with me. Or is it the sword?"

Chiharu felt an unusual desire to curse, but like Osen-chan, she found herself somewhat hampered by convention and lack of knowledge. Instead, she drew a deep breath and steadied herself. She was unable to tell if the man was baiting her or simply stating the truth, but she suspected it was both. He seemed even more on edge than the last time they'd met.

"It is not the sword. But it is true that I know Saitō-sama better than I know you, Hijikata-san."

"Well, it's good to know that Saitō doesn't intimidate you as much as he does your kid brother. I thought you found him rather, ah, barbaric, though?"

Chiharu lowered her katana. "I thought your time was limited, Hijikata-san," she said pointedly.

The Shinsengumi Vice Commander nodded. The polite, slightly mocking smile left his face.

"Yes, that's why I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is you want from me." He forestalled her immediate rejoinder with a quick gesture. "You see, fighting—real fighting—is all about killing the other guy before he kills you. Or even hurts you, because getting hurt isn't a great option either when you can't regenerate—wounds don't always heal well. If you've got a clear advantage in strength or skill—or manpower—then you can worry about finesse. I mean, I could send Sōji out to patrol on his own, if I didn't mind a string of bodies. I'm not saying that he can take anything that gets thrown at him—numbers are a factor, and maybe guns—but my point is that as long as he doesn't have to be careful, and everyone's okay with the idea that he may kill a few innocent bystanders along the way, he can handle a lot." He paused, taking in Chiharu's icy expression with a clearly dismissive shrug. "You don't have it in you to kill, and you don't have enough strength to protect yourself in a serious fight. I'm not saying you don't have other ways to win a fight—but why learn to use a sword?"

"Why do you care?" Chiharu demanded, controlling her voice with an effort. "What is it to you, Vice Commander Hijikata? We had a bargain; you agreed to it. Are you trying to renege? Or is this some strange attempt to make me lose my temper so that you can tell yourself that women are impossible to train? You have no concerns about training my brother—Kichirō—why are you only demanding answers from me?"

For some reason, Hijikata-san didn't respond, or even react. His purple eyes were hard, and his face was stern, but Chiharu couldn't sense what emotion lay behind the uncompromising expression. Not surprisingly, Kichirō was staring at them.

"Ah… Hijikata-san? Is there a problem?"

Hijikata glanced at him. "Kichirō-kun. Why did I have to save your life yesterday?"

The boy flinched slightly, but did his best to answer. "Well… I suppose because I didn't think to use a strike to the heart or head?"

"But why didn't you? You were outnumbered and you had no idea of your enemies' strength."

Kichirō flushed at little. "I—I didn't—I wasn't sure if I should kill them. I mean, by the time I realized that I needed to kill them, I wasn't sure I could manage a lethal strike without leaving myself open." He frowned. "But I was going to try, Hijikata-san—I wasn't just going to give up."

"What if they'd attacked your sister?"

"That's different." Kichirō's tone was sharp.

"Why is that different?"

The boy looked at him in obvious confusion. "Female Oni must be protected, Hijikata-san. On top of that, my sister is a pureblood descendant of the main line of the Kazama Clan. I mean"—he waved his free hand as if to say 'it's too obvious to explain'—"well, she's just, um, more important that anyone else?" Another slight pause, and then he reddened. "Plus she's my sister."

Chiharu suddenly sighed, defeated more by that last, awkward admission than anything else. She was still upset with Hijikata-san, but no longer overcome with anger.

"Hijikata-san? Why the questions? Why now?"

The Shinsengumi Vice Commander seemed to be deep in thought; Kichirō's response seemed to have caught him off-guard as well. Chiharu was confused—the hard tension that she'd sensed moments before had gone, but she could sense that he was very angry. A moment later, he swore violently, and Kichirō hurried to stand next to his sister.

"Hijikata-san?" Kichirō sounded distinctly uneasy.

The door slid open and Harada stepped quickly through. "Vice Commander?"

"Oh for fuck's sake—I suppose—ah perfect. Konbanwa, Sen-hime. Anyone else?"

"What on earth is wrong, Hijikata-san?! Haru-chan?"

Hijikata stalked over to the window, so that his back to the others. Nobody said anything—aloud, at least.

"Chiharu-sama," Hijikata said at last, his voice perfectly neutral. "I apologize for giving you the impression that I would not train you in the way that you requested. I am perfectly prepared to do so. Unfortunately, it did not occur to me that I might not be free of the effects of yesterday evening's encounter with our rogue spy. I had assumed that since the encounter was clearly unplanned, there was no significant risk of other problems. I am… not happy… that neither I, nor my officers, at least considered that the spy might have planned for a chance meeting."

Harada frowned. "The guy didn't have more than two seconds, tops."

Sen glanced at him. "He must be reasonably good at shielding himself. Maybe you only became aware of him at the last moment—the most complex part of his spell for instance. It's not impossible. I take it that something just happened that put Hijikata-san at odds with Haru-chan and Kichirō-kun, and that Hijikata-san believes that the incident arose because he was affected by the unknown Oni?"

Kichirō just looked confused, although he was clearly relieved that Sen had arrived. Chiharu was staring fixedly at Hijikata's back, right hand holding her katana point down, but angled so as not to mark the floor.

"That sums it up, Sen-hime," answered Hijikata. He turned around, and his eyes swept the room. "Harada, I take it that Heisuke's done with Sen-hime and has gone back to join the others?"

"Yes, Vice Commander."

"Saitō hasn't shown up or gotten in touch with you over anything?"

"No, Vice Commander."

"Well then—first things first. Can you tell if anything is wrong, Sen-hime?"

Hijikata felt Sen's scrutiny, and reminded himself that he'd asked—well, ordered—his officers to undergo the same review. He couldn't be absolutely sure, of course, but he didn't feel as though she did more than a quick scan—the mystical version of a once-over, if there were such a thing.

"There is nothing wrong now," Sen told him a short time later. "And although there is some evidence of prior tampering, it was superficial. Your defenses are exceptional, Hijikata-san."

"Just not good enough," Hijikata snarled.

"It depends how you look at it," Sen replied quietly. "If the magic was intended to trigger ill-will leading to catastrophe, then it failed in its ultimate purpose. It's clear that you had already shaken off the effects by the time I arrived. Also, it will be even harder to trip you up the next time. As I told Okita-san earlier, I believe that he—the rogue Oni—only focussed on one person, and he chose the person who had emotional hooks that he could work with. That's always the best way to get around natural defenses, ne? Attack the natural weaknesses."

"That would be my understanding as well," put in Chiharu, who had been unusually silent throughout. Sen and Harada noticed that Hijikata avoided looking at her.

"You said that a rogue Oni was clearly your responsibility, Sen-hime," Hijikata said in uncompromising tones. "What can you do about him?"

Chiharu stiffened, and Sen smiled at her. Her cousin was taking her responsibilities as Sen's protector very much to heart.

"I have been periodically looking for him," she replied calmly. "It takes effort, but it's also taking him effort to stay concealed. I'll find him sooner rather than later, especially if he continues to be so active. Unfortunately, I have several different matters to attend to at once."

"So right now, the best we can do is be on our guard and keep trying to find him—through various methods?" Hijikata didn't bother to conceal his frustration.

"I'm afraid so, Vice Commander. But then again, that was why you wanted your officers to have some basic training, right?"

"Mm."

"Are we done for the evening, then?" asked Chiharu.

Kichirō looked rather disappointed, but said nothing. Harada reached over and lightly tugged the blond pony-tail, his actions obvious enough not to startle. "If it's just a matter of footwork and stance, I can help you out." He laughed at Kichirō's expression. "I know I'm not Hijikata-san—or Saitō—but I have been known to train with a sword from time to time. Right Vice Commander?"

Hijikata managed a slight smile. "Don't let him kid you. He's damn good with a sword—just has this weird preference for the pig-sticker."

"Yes, Hijikata-san. Thank you, Harada-san." Kichirō bowed slightly to both men.

Harada gave the kid points for politeness and stood up. "Come on then. Looks to me like your sister wants to have a word with the Vice Commander."

"If you have a moment, Hijikata-san," put in Chiharu. Without waiting for the man's assent, she glanced at her cousin. "Will you keep an eye on Kichirō for me?"

With some concern, and much forbearance—as Sen told her cousin over tea later on—the princess nodded, and crossed the room to where Harada-san was asking Kichirō to show him what he'd been working on when things 'got strange'. She did her best to ignore the distinct coolness she could sense from where Chiharu was sitting with Hijikata-san.

In fact, Chiharu was feeling more unsettled than anything else. The righteous indignation of before had given way to uncertainty, and Hijikata-san didn't seem inclined to help her out. At the same time, she appeared to have his attention, and he showed no impatience to leave.

"You really don't want to train me," she said at last, trying—mostly successfully—to sound calm and collected.

"I've said that I will," was the equally calm response.

"Yes. But at some level—and not too deep!—you think it's a waste of time. Why?"

"You are basing this on questions that I asked you under the effects of"—he winced slightly—"malign magic?"

"Magic that only worked because you were vulnerable to it. In other words, those were questions that were already in your mind in some way."

Hijikata looked away from her for a moment, and then met her eyes. The man really did have an unusual amount of presence for a human—or even a part-Oni. It didn't help that he looked so much like his Yukishima cousins and ancestors.

"Have you considered the possibility that it's a lot more complicated than that?" he asked at last. "For example, those are questions that I've asked many of our would-be recruits—that Okita, Saitō and Harada have asked many men in a variety of ways. At the end of the day, there are lots of reasons that men—and boys—want to join the Shinsengumi. Some believe in a cause and hope that the Shinsengumi share their ideals. Some want to be part of a group that still follows the warrior code in more than name alone—which is not very different from the first reason. Some are samurai who want to be warriors instead of bureaucrats. Some want a place where they can strive to be samurai even though they weren't born into the right family. Some just want a job. And in every case it eventually comes down to guts, loyalty and willingness to kill under orders."

When it appeared that he'd stopped, or at least paused, Chiharu jumped in:

"But I'm not applying to join the Shinsengumi, Hijikata-san. I just want to make sure that the next time I need to protect somebody I care about, I can do it without needing to be rescued—or at least without being in such dire need of rescue. Oni aren't supposed to be killers, and I believe in that principle. We've evolved past that point. Chizuru-chan shouldn't ever be forced to kill. Neither should Sen-hime, although she likes to think of herself as capable of anything. But at the end of the day, somebody has to take on that burden. Even Amagiri, who always seeks a non-violent solution, and prefers non-lethal force, can kill at need and probably has. I know that I can't become willing to kill—not the way you mean it. But I want to be capable of killing, when I believe it's necessary. It would have helped me the other day."

"Your elder brother seems perfectly willing to kill, based on what I've been told—and from what I can read between the lines."

Chiharu nodded reluctantly.

"You… may be right. I don't know. I admit that we were raised to think of humans as beneath consideration, due to their numbers and their greed—for wealth, land and power. That belief may influence Chikage-sama's actions. But that isn't the point right now, is it?"

"If the point is whether you'll get your training, then I've said that you will."

Frustrated, Chiharu tried again. "I need you to take me seriously."

"Why does it matter? For whatever reason, I've taken you seriously enough to commit time to you that I don't really have."

"Why can't you believe in my resolve to see this through?"

"Chiharu-sama, this is not a good use of time for either of us." Hijikata prepared to rise.

"Please—Hijikata-san!" Chiharu did her best to swallow her pride. "Let me answer your question before you go."

All too aware that Harada and Sen-hime could perceive at least the more overt emotions associated with their conversation, and in an effort to be fair, Hijikata nodded. It wasn't the girl's fault that he was still, despite his best efforts, angry and embarrassed by what had happened. It also wasn't her fault that the less rational part of him believed that she was far too attractive and female to be a dedicated warrior. Besides, he was slightly curious to know what reason she would give for caring about his opinion. He doubted that she'd fallen a victim to his good looks and charm, and he couldn't imagine her wanting his help so much that she'd stoop to flattery.

"I will listen, Chiharu-sama." He did his best not to sound as reluctant—or as tired—as he felt.

"It matters because I am an Oni," she said, lowering her eyes. Hijikata had the strong impression that even the appearance of meekness required an effort of will, and it caught his attention—as was no doubt intended. "It will be much harder for me to attain my goals knowing that you—my teacher, the leader of the men who might teach me—believe my efforts to be pointless. Belief matters. I had thought—from what I had seen of you and our last conversation—that you were at least neutral to my proposal.

"I admit that I still struggle to value you and your captains as perhaps I should. The beliefs of a lifetime are not easily set aside. But my anger and dismay tonight have shown me that your belief in my resolve matters. I cannot entirely account for it, but I know better than to disregard it."

Hijikata stirred slightly, barely restraining himself from rubbing at the bridge of his nose. He needed to go back to headquarters to be on-hand in case of disagreements between inebriated captains and vice-captains. He needed to finish drawing up how the men would be assigned in case they were called upon to fight the Chōshu. He needed to sleep. But first he needed to deal with Kazama Chiharu-sama. Kissing her wasn't an option, even if she had offered him tea earlier—or at least the day before. Gods I hope they're all keeping their snoopy little minds to themselves. I'm obviously too tired to think properly.

"You've made your point, Chiharu-sama," he said aloud, successfully forcing back the fatigue enough to put his more useful thoughts into words. "To be honest, it isn't easy for me to picture you in the role you have in mind, and I'm still not too sure about Oni mysticism. But you've convinced me that your resolve is genuine—surprisingly few people can sacrifice their personal pride to achieve what they want." He glanced briefly at the group across the room, knowing that Harada and Sen-hime were almost certainly listening in. "I'll make a better effort to believe that you have what it takes to learn how to fight."

"Arigatou gozaimashita, Hijikata-san."

Hijikata sensed genuine relief from young woman—you'd think I'd offered her jewelry, not a vote of confidence in her potential ability to kill people; it's ridiculous—followed by concern. He pushed himself to his feet to forestall any offers of assistance.

"Hijikata-san, are you—"

"I'll be fine, Chiharu-sama. Harada—time to go. Kichirō-kun, show your sister what I showed your earlier."

"Yes, Hijikata-san." If Kichirō was surprised by the abrupt end to his lesson with Harada, he was too polite to say so.

Hijikata bowed to Sen-hime. "Thank you for arranging things this evening, Princess."

"You're welcome Hijikata-san. Have you resolved matters?"

The Shinsengumi Vice Commander managed a brief smile, and inclined his head to Chiharu-sama, who was wearing an unusually uncertain expression. It made her appear both younger and more vulnerable, and Hijikata had to quickly restrain himself from expressing the opinion that she belonged back on her family's estate—wherever the hell that was—and away from Kyoto. Even in a plain kimono and dark hakama borrowed from the absent Kimigiku-san, she looked much more like a sheltered princess than the determined, blood-streaked warrior that he'd seen in the devastated Yukishima manor house.

Harada, of all people, came to his assistance, his amber eyes reflecting a rueful understanding of Hijikata's thoughts. If nothing else, the annoyance of having one of his officers see through him gave him the energy to respond lightly to Sen-hime's question.

"Of course, Princess. We have agreed not to be distracted from our goals by the ineffective plots of an unknown thug."

He saw Chiharu-sama look surprised and then smile. It made him realize that she didn't smile very often, which he decided was just as well. He was far too busy for that kind of distraction right now.

Part III—Not On My Watch

The new Fifth Division Captain nodded encouragingly to Kondō-san, who was talking animatedly about the recent increase in new recruits. He didn't feel entirely comfortable with Okita-san's sharp green eyes on his back, but reminded himself that if nothing else it looked good for him to be returning to headquarters in the company of the Commander and the First Division Captain.

Some ways behind Okita-san, a group of captains and vice-captains were clustered around Nagakura-san, who appeared to be engaged in a debate with Tōdō-san over the drinking capacity of… demons? A wave of laughter followed some comment of Tōdō-san's, and Takeda smiled to himself. Whatever the alcohol tolerance of demons, it appeared that most of the officers other than himself and Okita-san had exceeded their own limits. Since Kondō-san had drunk very little sake that evening—just enough to properly congratulate the new captains—Takeda assumed that the Commander would be pleased with his own carefully demonstrated temperance.

"Nagakura-san and Tōdō-san appear to have enjoyed their sake," he commented at an appropriate moment, smiling tolerantly at the antics of his colleagues.

"Yes, it's good to see them in such high spirits," Kondō responded cheerfully. "It's too bad that Toshi insisted on taking Harada with him back to headquarters—but I'm sure he had his reasons, as usual."

"Oh of course, Commander. Hijikata-san is always very attentive to matters of security and discipline." Takeda made a show of pausing to think. "Although… I had heard that Hijikata-san and Harada-san are quite popular with the ladies?" He allowed a moment for the insinuation to sink in. A derisive noise from behind him made him start; somehow he'd forgotten Okita-san's watchful presence—an unusual mistake on his part.

"Didn't realize you had a sense of humour, Takeda-san!" Okita's tone was somewhere between sarcastic and jeering. "Hijikata-san might do a lot of things, but womanizing when half the officers are drunk and there's only Saitō to look after things at headquarters really isn't one of them. Don't you agree, Kondō-san?"

"Well—of course, Sōji. But I'm sure that Takeda-kun didn't mean anything by it, eh?"

Takeda backpedalled gracefully. "Of course not, Kondō-san! I was just remarking on how well, ah, liked they must be in certain quarters, as it were."

"True enough! We've all been pretty busy though—makes it nice to spend a few hours relaxing together like tonight."

Too intelligent to pursue a losing cause, Takeda decided to take a different tack.

"It was generous of you to allow Saitō-san's, er, marriage, Commander. Of course, I realize that he's more than proved himself as a dedicated officer, so I don't expect there to be too much talk among the men."

Kondō-san hesitated for a moment, confirming Takeda's suspicion that there had been something very odd about the so-called marriage. Not that he had any desire to interfere with a woman under Saitō's protection, married or otherwise; it wasn't worth the risk.

"Ah well, better this way really," Kondō said in close to his usual positive tones. "We did agree to protect her, after all—and Saitō-kun's a good man."

"I think Takeda-san's wondering if they're really married, Kondō-san. His mind seems to be running along those lines at least…" Okita spoke lightly, but there was a distinct warning in his words. "Come to think of it, though, it'd be entertaining to see what Saitō thinks of your suggestion."

Kondō-san looked back at Okita-san. "Now, now Sōji, no need to stir up trouble. Takeda-kun doesn't know Saitō-kun as well as we do—or, Yukimura-chan. I can tell you're a little worried, Takeda-kun, but there's no need. The circumstances are just a little unusual, that's all."

Even Kondō-san was kindly but firmly warning him off, Takeda realized, annoyed but even more curious now. "Of course, Kondō-san," he said aloud, ignoring Okita's knowing expression and infusing his words with deference and a hint of apology. "I know that you would never do anything that wasn't in the best interests of the Shinsengumi. You have a true gift for building loyalty among the men. I hope that I haven't been misunderstood—I suppose that after a few cups of sake I allowed my curiosity to get away from me."

The Commander responded suitably, and went back to discussing how best to build up the strength of the Shinsengumi. Okita-san remained entirely silent until the three men parted ways in the main courtyard of Yagi House.

"Don't worry, Takeda-san," he said at that point, with his distinctive, sardonic smile. "I didn't misunderstand you. Oyasumi."

Part IV—A Slice of Mostly Normal

At about the time that Sōji was saying goodnight to Takeda, Hijikata was holding a short and mercifully normal meeting with Harada and Saitō. It was a relief to be able to take Saitō's report—"there were no problems"—at face value, and an ever greater relief to not have to go into details about what had happened with the spy. Saitō had understood the problem perfectly without having it spelled out, and he hadn't felt the need to comment one way or the other on Hijikata's decision to go on training the Kazama girl to the extent that time allowed. All three were in agreement—again, without the needs for any great discussion—that the spy remained one of their greatest problems.

"For what it's worth," Harada put in, as he stood up to take over Saitō's patrol of the compounds, "Sen-hime has actually been searching for the guy. I assumed she'd told you, but it might have gotten missed in the confusion."

"Must have," said Hijikata. "What is she doing about it?"

"Well, in between everything else, she periodically takes a high-level look at the city—you know, kind of puts it under a lens. Problem is, although an Oni really ought to stand out for her—according to what she told me, anyway—it's a pretty big city. Also, there's no guarantee he's staying in or close to Kyoto. Anyway, I gather that dealing with, ah, all of us, plus the Yukishima problem, has been a bit much."

"No shit."

"We all need more time than we have, it seems." Saitō's response was more emphatic than usual, and Harada nodded.

"Well, I'm off," the spearman said, when no other comments were forthcoming.

"Have fun," said Hijikata. "This is the price you pay for getting to spend time with the Princess."

"Oh?"

"You drank a lot less than usual and didn't make an ass of yourself with Heisuke and Nagakura. That means you're fit to patrol while I go make sure everyone's home and not trying to hurt each other."

Harada grinned. "So be it. Goodnight Saitō."

"Harada."

Once Harada had left, Hijikata turned to Saitō. "Just one more thing, and then you can go off duty."

"Yes, Vice Commander?"

"How is Yukimura?"

"She is well. Mostly."

"Have you two sorted things out?"

There was a long pause. Saitō appeared to be turning various responses over in his head.

"There was no actual disagreement, Hijikata-san. I am sorry if my personal concerns troubled either you or others."

"Okay, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

"But—"

"Give your wife my regards, if she's still awake."

"Yes, Vice Commander."

"Goodnight, Saitō."

[END]

A/Note: Oh yes... and I haven't forgotten that there's also the matter of Chizuru's Trial of Mind. As Hijikata-san would say: "It's complicated." (To which Chiharu probably wants to reply "No it isn't stop being so sexist and teach me how to fight already.") (Too many voices in my head.)

~Imp