Disclaimer~ We don't own Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan, or anything relating to it. Zan nen desu ne?

Chapter Two
What a Monster

The air in the room seemed tenser than it had been moments before as Hijikata stared down at the girls. Asaji and Sayo kept their eyes to the ground for fear of what might happen if they met his violet gaze. Shinpachi, Sano and Souji stood back straight and silently hoping the Shachou would go easy on their guests.

Under Hijikata's intense glare, Sayo gathered up all her courage, looked up at him and spoke. "Please...don't kill us. We promise not to say anything. I don't even know what those things were...please...don't kill us. We're only young girls," she begged, flinching as she said the last words.

"I don't feel it would be wise to let you go free," Hijikata said as he calmly sat down in front of them.

"But...if you kill us...then we can't..." Asaji squeaked before sighing and turning her gaze to the floor. "I guess it's no use..."

"You can't...what?" Hijikata asked.

"It doesn't matter, does it? If you're going to kill us it won't matter at all..."

"We'd be willing to hear you both out."

As he said those words, Asaji looked at her sister with a glint of hope; Sayo noticed this and gave her a dirty look in return.

"We...we're trying to avenge our parents," she said simply, looking away.

Hijikata paused, looking thoughtful. "That is something I can respect, but that still doesn't answer the larger question: what use is it to us to keep you alive?"

"Please let us work for you...to pay back our debt...for saving our lives..." Sayo persisted.

"We will let you stay...until we decide what further to do with you," Hijikata said. "Nagakura, take them to one of the holding rooms and stand guard. Harada gather the other Captains."

Shinpachi picked up the girls, and lead them out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

XXX

"What are we going to do? There's no way we can make it out of here alive..." Asaji said sadly.

"I will not let you die. No matter what, you will make it out of here. I promise," Sayo said, slouching her back against the wall of the room they had been placed in. "I just have to think up a plan first...in the mean time, you should get some rest."

Asaji attempted to turn to her sister, but fell over instead, her hands still bound. Her speech was muffled by the old tatami mat.

There was a slight pause before Asaji managed to turn over and look at the ceiling. "I wish they were still making jokes about you..." she said, sighing then rolling over to face the wall. "Good night, Sayo-sama."

Sayo rolled her eyes. "Good night, Kanojou."

XXX

Hijikata stood in front of his fellow soldiers, clasping his hands together behind his back as he spoke. "We'll be guarding the girls periodically, each one of you will be assigned a time, I don't think they're capable of much but… We can't take any chances, not after what they've seen, understood?"

"If that's the case, those two should be the first to watch them." Souji pointed toward Shinpachi and Sano who were thumb wresting in the back, clearly feeling they weren't obligated to pay attention.

Shinpachi looked up from their game, causing Sano to defeat his thumb. "You know I would but… I've got to go make dinner. If you'll all excuse me." He stood up and bowed before rushing out the sliding door and into the kitchen.

"Yeah, and I've got to go help." Sano stood also, bowing and slipping out quickly before the group could protest.

Hajime sighed and folded his arms, "You'd think they'd be a little more respectful…"

"Well, then you're up for the position. Ganbatte!" Souji smiled.

Hijikata gave Souji a stern look, pressing his lips together tightly before speaking. "Souji you will accompany him, since you're so quick in giving away the honour."

XXX

They next morning Sayo and Asaji woke early, for it was difficult to sleep in such an uncomfortable position, not to mention the fact that they were being held against their will with the fear of being executed hanging over their heads. Sayo knelt in front of her younger sister, bending down so that she could unite the coarse rope with her teeth. After a few failed attempts at pulling and chewing she managed to free the small childlike hands.

Relieved she pulled the rope off, keeping a tight grip of it with her teeth and turned toward the door in a final yank. There, standing in the archway was Hajime, holding a tray of breakfast in his hands. He stared at Sayo, not sure what to make of her. Sayo stared back, frozen, rope dangling out from the sides of her mouth.

"You know… If you'd waited a few more seconds we'd have brought you real food…" Souji peeked his head in, spotting the unusual scene.

Asaji brought her now separate fists to her eyes and rubbed the tiredness from them. "Hey, my hands are free…?" She looked around at everyone standing before her. "Good morning…" Her eyes shifted from Hajime to her sister, whose gaze was still locked on each other. "Are they having a staring contest…?"

Souji reached an arm into the room, placing his hand over Hajime's eyes. "Not anymore." He smiled before removing his hand and walking over to set a bowl of rice in front of Asaji.

Asaji looked down at the food. "Wow, this is a lot of food for a prisoner. Thank you very much," she said, smiling.

Sayo spit out the rope. "We weren't trying to escape...I was just..."

"Practicing magic tricks?" Souji suggested.

Sayo flinched as Hajime placed a plate of food down in front of her; she nodded a thank you.

As the two Shinsengumi members turned to leave, Sayo said, "Wait, aren't you going to untie my hands so I can eat?"

Souji turned and smiled. "Think of this as a punishment. We don't like magic around here...unless they're card tricks. Those are pretty cool."

"I didn't know you could do magic tricks, Sayo-sama!"

Souji turned back and shut the door behind them, leaving Sayo and Asaji alone in their room.

Taking a bite of rice, Asaji glanced at her sister, who was struggling to get her ropes off. "Do you...um...need some help?"

"I'd ask you to untie me, but I don't want you to be punished also...this is fine. I can manage," Sayo said determined.

She bent over and somehow when she straightened back up had rice stuck to her forehead.

"Oh dear..." Asaji said.

Just then they heard laughter from outside their room.

"Hey..." Asaji said suspiciously; she walked up to the door, and opened it quickly, revealing no one. "Oh, I thought I heard something...guess not."

When Asaji turned back to her sister, she saw more rice cling to her forehead. "Are you sure you don't want help?"

"No...No, I'm saving this for later," Sayo said, trying to look up at her forehead.

"Okay...if you say so..." Asaji hesitantly sat next to her sister. "I'm here if you need any help, though."

XXX

"Itadakimasu!" Clap.

Back in the main house, the Shinsengumi members happily ate their food, while discussing what they were going to do with the sisters.

"So, what are we going to do?" Shinpachi asked.

"They said they want to work here to repay their debt. I'm thinking that's not such a bad idea," Hijikata said thoughtfully, filling his chopsticks with a large bite of rice.

"Is that really wise? With as much as they know..." said their commanderas he furrowed his brow.

"It's better to keep them where we can see them, Kondou-san. If we're going to keep them alive that is."

"I agree," the boy with the long, brown ponytail spoke. "It'd be nice to have some people my age around. I'm sick of all you old men."

Sano grabbed the boy in a headlock. "Who are you callin' old man, little boy!"

"Aw, Heisuke-kun wants a play mate!" Shinpachi teased.

"Get off me! Let go!"

Souji sat back against the wall and smiled. "Looks like things around here are getting more interesting..."

"Well," Heisuke said, jumping up and bowing. "I believe it's my turn to watch them...since everyone else is here..."

"Are you sure it's not Hijikata's turn? I believe he was next in line," Souji pointed out.

"I wasn't aware our shift ended," Hajime said.

"So you wanted to continue watching them?"

"If you two were supposed to be watching them, what are you doing here?" Hijikata asked, slightly annoyed.

Hajime and Souji pointed accusingly at each other. "He was supposed to stay through breakfast," they said in synch.

Hijikata rubbed his temple. "I'll take the next shift. Who knows if they're even still in the room!"

XXX

Outside the window where Asaji sat were the newly blooming flowers of Spring. The Sakura trees stood in the center of the courtyard, the branches swaying slightly in the soft breeze. "The scenery is pretty...they're lucky to live in a beautiful place like this..."

Sayo sat on the other side of the room against the wall, her arms still tied behind her back. "Yeah...beautiful..."

Asaji knelt in front of the large round window, enjoying the slight breeze that blew past. It'd been a while since she had been in some place so serene and peaceful. She enjoyed the flowers spread among the soft green grass, the smells were all so different then the city she was used to. Suddenly Hijikata jumped in front of the window, breaking the daze she had fallen into.

"Ah!" Asaji screamed, falling over.

Hijikata continued to walk around the building until he was at their door; he slowly opened it, took a cautious step in and looked down at the lying Asaji. "My...apologies..."

Asaji quickly sat up, and smiled to cover up her blushing. "No problem...it's not the first time that's happened, trust me," she said, glancing at her sister.

Sayo simply shook her head in disapproval. "Have you come to collect the dishes?"

Hijikata's expression turned to one of offense. "No, I, the Vice President of the Shinsengumi, will not be 'collecting your dishes'."

"My bad..." Sayo said with a shrug.

"I'll take care of the dishes! Don't worry!" Asaji said happily; she picked them up and ran toward Hijikata.

Hijikata turned to grab her, but she swiftly moved away from his reach; Hijikata turned and glared at Sayo.

She raised an eyebrow at Hijikata as he continued to stare at her.

"You know you have rice on your forehead..."

"You know one of your prisoners just escaped..."

Hijikata glared. "Shinpachi!"

A few moments later Shinpachi stepped into the room and saluted in a Western-fashion. "Hai!"

"Watch her!" Hijikata commanded, running out of the room.

"Yes sir," Shinpachi responded before turning to the red haired girl; he waited until Hijikata was gone before speaking with a playful smile, "So...we're all alone, huh?"

As he said this, he slowly started walking toward her. Sayo, on the other hand, stood her ground. He got closer and closer until he raised his hand and...flicked her in the forehead.

"Itai..." Sayo said, rubbing her forehead.

Shinpachi laughed. "Turn around."

"No," she replied with a glare.

"Suit yourself."

Sayo held out a rope, the one that was supposed to be around her wrists. She held back a smile as she watched his reaction.

Shinpachi's eyes widened. "How did you...?"

"Think this is the first time I've been tied up?"

"Kinky."

Sayo sighed and rolled her eyes. Who was this guy?

XXX

"Maybe I should've asked where the kitchen was..." Asaji said thoughtfully as she made her way through the seemingly endless hallways.

Shrugging it off, she knocked on the first door. "Excuse my rudeness!" she said, sliding it to the side. "Kitchen...kitchen...sumimasen!" She opened another door, but still no luck. "Sumimasen!"

Finally she found the room she was looking for, complete with bowls, a stove and a basket of fresh caught fish. Walking in, she felt slightly proud of herself until the door shut behind her. She spun around and met eyes with Souji.

"Looks like someone's lost," he said with a smile.

"Um...no, I found the kitchen," she said, holding up the dirty dishes in her hands. "I need to wash these."

"Ah, is that right? Well, we actually have a schedule here of who does the dishes..."

"But I haven't signed up yet, so I can just take care of these..." Asaji said, turning to a deep bucket filled with water.

Just as she did, Souji was next to her with the dishes in his hands.

"Hey..." Asaji said, turning to him. "Can I have those back, please?"

Souji smiled. "Why don't you try to take them from me?"

XXX

Flopping on the floor with his legs spread apart, Shinpachi leaned back on his hands. "You're not gonna try and escape are you? I don't feel like running..."

"Nah, not right now. I haven't come up with a good enough plan yet," Sayo assured him.

"Have a seat then."

He patted the ground next to him, Sayo carefully sat down on her knees across the room.

Shinpachi laughed. "What's your name? I don't recall ever being formally introduced."

"Matsumae...Sayo. My sister..." Sayo said, nodding toward the door. "..is Matsumae Asaji. And what can I call you?"

"The name's Nagakura Shinpachi...you?" Shinpachi paused to wink at her. "You can call me Shinpachi."

Sayo blushed, followed by Shinpachi's deep chuckle.

XXX

"I would take it back...but I'd rather ask politely for it..." Asaji said, holding out her hand to Souji. "Please?"

Souji smiled. "You always make it look like you want your hand held," he said, taking her hand.

"No, I want those," she replied, pointing with her free hand to the dishes in his other hand.

"I think you're asking a lot, being here for less than a day..."

"I'm just trying to help..."

Asaji lunged forward to get the dishes, but Souji laughed and moved back, making Asaji miss.

"Pretty please?"

She tried again, and Souji continued to laugh and dodge her. Deciding she would try another method, Asaji feinted one way to throw him off. But when she tried to go the other way, she tripped over his robe, and fell on top of him.

After a slight pause, Asaji picked herself up and quickly moved next to him, bowing. "Go-go-gomenasai!" she exclaimed, her face turning as red as the kimono she wore.

Souji, his laughing never ceasing, sat up and looked at her. "You wanted more than just a hand holding, huh?"

Asaji leaned down until her face was resting on her hands. "I'm very, very sorry..."

"No trouble. It was worth it to see you worry about it like that."

"I'm very sorry..."

"Well, we'd better get up before word gets around," he said, pulling her up and brushing her off, allowing the mood to get somewhat serious. "You never did tell me your name..."

"I...didn't think you'd want to know the name of someone who you were all ready to kill just yesterday," Asaji said, looking away.

Souji smiled. "I knew they wouldn't really do it. Hijikata's not one for violence to women. I just like to...poke the bear with a stick, if you get what I mean..."

Asaji side glanced at him. "Really?"

"Of course...but one little mistake and I will kill you," he said, smiling a little more. "Now, name please?"

"I'm...Asaji...Matsumae Asaji..."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Okita Souji."

"Okita-sama..." Asaji said, making a mental note of it, to which Souji laughed.

Asaji jerked her head up, blushing a little. "What...?"

Souji opened his mouth to speak when the door flew open, revealing Hijikata.

"I found the kitchen..." Asaji said quietly.

Hijikata glared at her, and then turned to Souji.

"Hey, I found her. She was trying to do the dishes," Souji said, shaking his head sadly. "What a monster..."

"Souji, get back to whatever you were doing before," Hijikata instructed. "She needs to come back to her...room with me." He stared intently at the two.

"I'm very sorry..." Asaji said, looking at Souji and bowed. "I'm very, very sorry..."

Souji waved his hand dismissively. "Just remember what I said... One false move and..." His voice faded as his smile broadened.

Asaji nodded and watched her feet as she walked out of the room.

Souji waited a few moments before looking at Hijikata with a smile. "I think I'm going to like these new arrangements."

Hijikata watched him a moment before following Asaji out, harshly shutting the door behind him.

"I'm very sorry...I just wanted to help..." Asaji apologized once again to Hijikata when they were both outside.

He waited a bit before replying, "I understand."

"Huh?" Asaji said, looking up at the back of his head as she followed along behind him.

"You and your sister's fates have been decided."

She involuntarily and quietly gasped.

Hijikata turned to her. "You will be allowed to stay here as long as you work. Your terms will be discussed tonight."

XXX

Sayo looked at the floor awkwardly, while Shinpachi watched her. "I think it would be fun to have a few girls around for a change...It really hurts a man having nothing to look at but a bunch of other guys in the bath house..."

Sayo's mouth dropped open slightly.

Shinpachi laughed. "I'm only joking...about the bath house part," he said with a sigh. "It really would be nice to keep you and your sister around for a while...put you to work."

"I would like to agree with you on this one thing...but, even though staying here means staying alive, my sister and I have things we need to do..."

"Well, hopefully you can hold onto that thought...for a while longer."

Sayo kept her eyes down in defeat, clasping her lips tightly together.

"Shinpai shi nai de kudasai," he assured her. "You and your sister will be treated well here. As long as you behave...or not."

He smiled seductively, causing Sayo to laugh quietly before covering her mouth.

"Finally, a smile."

"It slipped..." Sayo said, blushing. To her relief their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Shinpachi looked at her. "You gonna get that?"

"What?"

He nodded toward the door. Sayo stood up hesitantly, and walked toward the knocking. She opened it to see the man with long, dark bangs in front of his face, and a light, expressionless face, known as Hajime.

"Hi," Sayo said.

Hajime opened his mouth to say something but decided not to, and closed it again. Reaching over her head, he brushed Sayo's face with his long sleeve and pushed the door open further so he could step past her.

"Ah, Saito, what a pleasant surprise," Shinpachi said.

Hajime looked down to see his comrade sprawled out on the floor. "Have you seen Hijikata-san?"

"You just missed him. He ran out looking for the other little one," Shinpachi informed Hajime.

Hajime looked at Sayo before looking away.

"I'll help you look for him," She offered.

Shinpachi laughed. "Nice try."

"I'll wait for him to return. It shouldn't take him that long to track down the girl," Hajime said.

Sayo took this moment to step outside and shut the door behind her, sighing with relief. "Now which way did she go..." she muttered, looking down the hallway and noticing Hijikata and Asaji walking her way. "Kuso..."

Translation Notes:

Shachou - President
Tatami - Straw matting
Kanojou - Little one(girl)
Ganbatte - You can do it!
Itadakimasu - I'm digging in
Itai - Ouch
Sumimasen - Sorry
Gomenasai - I'm very sorry
Shinpai shi nai de kudasai - Please don't worry
Kuso - Sh*t