Because of You

Chapter 1: Arrival

I looked back down at the crinkled map and smiled. This was it—Shinsengumi HQ. I sighed in relief knowing that I'd finally be able to eat a decent meal and get a good night's rest; I mean, I love the outdoors and all, but living off of plants and berries for an entire week wasn't exactly what I'd call home sweet home. Living with a bunch of dirty men certainly appealed to me much more than spending another night out alone on cold earth.

I was able to get passed the gate without too much trouble from the guards. The only thing that bugged me was that they insisted that they search me despite the fact that the only thing I was carrying was the employment flyer, a map, and a picture of my brother.

As I had to pass into Kyoto to arrive in Mibu Village, it wasn't inconspicuous how the townspeople thought of the Shinsengumi. For "Protectors of Kyoto," I hadn't expected for there to be so much hostility towards these swordsmen. After witnessing the people's behavior, I expected the Shinsengumi to be bare and plain. I would have thought being so feared would have kept the wages for them low to the minimum.

However, I was proved wrong.

"Wow," I whispered. At first sight, the Shinsengumi appeared like an ordinary training dojo, with its simple borders and low security gates; however, within its gates was an entire village. There were rows upon rows of Japanese-style rooms and dojos, with their translucent shoji doors and wooden decks. The road I had come upon, I guessed, must be the main path, because it was the largest of the Shinsengumi's many dirt roads.

I walked forth, sight-seeing as I went. The place was enormous, much beyond my expectations. There weren't many people out, which I was slightly grateful for, as I knew I must have looked like a fool staring at everything.

My fingers began to twitch with excitement, despite my earlier mood.

I stopped abruptly when the sounds of screams and shouts reached my ear. Searching for the source of the noise, my eyes landed on a dojo to my right. Its open door was crowded with people trying to see inside.

The crowd began to jeer and the yells became more prominent. Curiosity got the better of me; so I walked over and, weaving my way past the crowd, peeked inside.

I could hear screams and loud thumps coming from a dojo to my right. Curiosity got the better of me as I walked over. Many people crowded around, watching the sparring match that was playing out inside. The dojo was void of any furnishings and people, save for the two combatants trying to get at each other's throats. It had a simple laced wallpaper and wooden flooring.

CRASH!

A boy with unruly, blood red hair went flying through the room and landed with a thud on a bare wall. He was considerably short and looked no older than thirteen. He was covered from head to toe with armor that seemed too big for him.

"Aw, has our little puppy-boy had enough already?" another red- haired boy shouted from across the room. This boy's hair was shorter; he seemed several years older than the other boy, although he wasn't much taller.

The resulting laughs reverberated through the room and off the wooden floors.

"I am not a puppy!" the shorter boy shouted back, charging forward with his bokken positioned in his hands. (1) He lunged at the older boy, swinging his weapon blindly left and right; his opponent easily blocked the attacks with his own wooden sword.

"That kid won't win swinging his sword like that," I muttered to myself.

"Tetsu!"

Someone screamed behind me. A man with ruffled brown hair came running up to the dojo, frantically waving his arms. The two combatants halted and turned to the direction of the voice.

"Tatsu?" the short boy murmured. Seconds later he was on the floor once again with the worried man on top of him.

"Tetsu, you idiot!" The man had Tetsu in a tight hug. "Do you know how worried I've been? You are supposed to be working as Hijikata-sama's page, not sparring! How many times have I told you?"

Tatsu turned to glare at the other boy, who shivered slightly.

"It was just a little fun game, Tatsunosuke," the boy laughed nervously.

I couldn't help the small giggle escaping my lips.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and jumped five feet in the air. Instantly my pulse raced and my breathing went ragged. Instinct took over as my nerves thrummed and I immediately swung my arm towards my attacker. Halfway my attack was stopped and I was met with deep, amethyst eyes. Instead of anger, a warm smile crossed his face.

"Hello, miss. What are you doing here at the Shinsengumi?"

Despite the fact that he looked so young and could have passed for a woman with his long hair and slender face, I certainly hadn't expected him to catch my attack. On top of that, he asked the question so politely, it surprised me. I had almost attacked him, and yet he acted as if nothing had happened, or as if almost being attacked by an innocent bystander was a common thing that happened everyday…then again, it probably was a common thing here in Kyoto.

"Uh, sorry," I stuttered. I lowered my arm as I felt a blush creep to my cheeks. He merely smiled down at me. "I saw a flier advertising for help in the kitchens." I held up the flyer and the crinkled map.

"Oh, I see. Would you like me to escort you to the kitchens, then?" he asked.

"No it's quite alright. I don't want to be a bother." I tried to hide my face as I blushed even more.

"No, it's okay. I'm off duty for now, so I have some free time," he reassured me.

Off duty? That meant he was also one of the Shinsengumi members. Though, judging by the way he dressed (a simple white kimono), it was hard to tell.

"Ok, thanks," I thanked him as he led me to the kitchens. "By the way, my name is Shinomura Hikaru…sorry I almost chapped off your head earlier," I drifted off and turned my head.

He just laughed and shrugged it off. "That's ok. You have very good reflexes for someone your age. My name is Okita Souji."

What surprised me most about him was that he didn't mention anything about me being a girl. Usually when most people would see me fight they would only compare me to other girls and women, but here he was, comparing me to men and women, as an equal. I wasn't sure whether to be suspicious or flattered.

"So, who did you come with?" he asked suddenly. I gave him a strange look, making him laugh. He tried again, "You didn't come here on your own, did you?"

"It doesn't matter if I came here alone or not. All I want to know is if I can get a job here," I snapped. So there was an ulterior motive to his kindness!

"You know, it is dangerous to be walking around by yourself with the Choushu clan stronger than ever."

I turned to look at him. He wasn't even fazed by me. All I could see in his eyes was a true concern. I turned away.

"Sorry, but I can take care of myself. I'm not some weak little girl who doesn't know how to survive on her own," I said, this time a bit more politely.

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself, but it is still dangerous to be out alone," he argued, still with his cheery voice. I sighed. "Here we are,"

We finally arrived at the kitchens. It was a bit smaller than I thought it would be, only about the size of the dojo, give or take a few square meters.

"Ayumu-san!" Okita called as we entered through the doorway. My jaw dropped as I took in my surroundings. The kitchen was, in fact, not small. On the contrary, it was huge!

This gives a whole new meaning to 'it's not as big as it looks', I awed. It seemed this place was full of surprises.

A short, black-haired woman came running down the stairs from our right with a pot full of water in her hand.

"Oh! Hello, Okita-san. I wasn't expecting to see you today," she said cheerfully.

"Hikaru-chan here came looking for a job here in the kitchens. Do you have an opening for her?" Okita asked.

She looked at me as if just noticing I was there. "Oh, so you are the one who answered the flier? I'm glad you came. We have needed some extra help with all the extra mouths to feed." She grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the room. I glanced back to find Okita walking back outside, his long, violet hair swaying behind him.

"So, young lady, where did you come from?" she asked.

I couldn't exactly give her a direct answer, since I had been traveling most of my life like a rurouni. I racked my brains for a place where it would be difficult for people to ask questions.

"Uh…I sailed in from Okinawa," I told her. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"Okinawa?! My, you sure have come a long way here. And you can speak our language so fluently! How in the world did you get our flier, then?" she asked.

I forgot! There's a different dialect in Okinawa. I mentally slapped myself. "My friend sent me the flier," I lied once again. I had really gotten the flier from some random person who was advertising several different flyers in Yokohama.

"Ok, this is where you will be working. I hope you don't mind cooking." She showed me into a crowded room of pot, pans, and cooking ingredients. It had a long stove with eight burners along the center of one wall in the room and several storage cabinets

"Sure, I don't mind cooking, but am I going to be the only one doing the cooking?" I asked. If I had to do all the cooking, I wasn't going to last a day.

"Oh no, dear, of course not! Two other young ladies like you will be helping you. You will only have to work in the mornings and evenings and you will have Sundays and Mondays off. The faster you work, the more time you will have for yourself," she explained.

I was grateful that I would have days off and free time. Ayumu must have noticed my expression because she smiled.

"Well, it's gettin' late," she said as she glanced out the window. The sun was already setting and the sky was getting considerably dark. "You can start working tomorrow. I'll send someone to wake you up, okay?"

"Uh, sure. Thanks again," I answered. She smiled and started walking out the door.

"Come on, honey. I'll show you where you are sleeping," she called me over. I ran to catch up with her as she led me around the corner of the kitchens to the housing of the Shinsengumi.

We walked through rows of rooms before Ayumu finally stopped and turned down one of the middle rows. The paths were deserted save for a few swordsmen who were patrolling the grounds. They waved as we passed by.

Finally, we stopped at the sixth room. "Here's your room, Hikaru-chan. It's a bit bare, but this is all we have right now separate from the men," she apologized and opened the door. The room was indeed dark and empty. The only things inside were a pillow, blanket, and a paper lantern with simple flower patterns.

"It's all right. I don't mind," I reassured her and stepped inside. She followed me in, pulling out a match and lighting the lantern.

"It's a bit quiet, but much better than the men's rooms. If you need me, you know where to find me." She put out the match and walked towards the door.

"Good night, Hikaru-chan."

"Good night," I answered. She waved and walked outside, shutting the door on her way out. Yawning, I dragged myself over to a corner of my room where my blanket and pillow laid neatly folded. I took them up and settled myself down, covering myself in the warm cotton.

"I'd better get some sleep now, or I will be a total mess tomorrow."

I yawned again and turned over.

(1) Bokken: wooden practice sword

A/N: As you can probably see, I didn't change much…but enough to alter Hikaru's personality. I hope she doesn't seem like a total b---- now. And also, Hikaru's not from Okinawa. Well, I think that's pretty much it. Nothing else really to say.

-Serena