Disclaimer~ We don't own Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan, or anything relating to it. Zan nen desu ne?
Chapter Six
You've Been Served
Asaji raised herself from the ground and brushed off her dirty kimono. Dead leaves and dirt fell to the ground as she smiled and followed Sayo into the house. She was eager to get out of the direct sunlight; she burned easy and didn't need a permanent blush on her cheeks.
"Where are you two going now?" Hajime questioned, not looking up from his hands. The shade was beginning to move and the tips of his fingers were glowing as the sun touched them.
"To do more work for you, Saito-sama." Sayo bowed and walked into the house, hoping he sensed the bitterness in her words.
The two girls walked into the cool inside. Their damp clothes clung to them as they walked through the empty halls. Asaji stuck close by her sister's side; secretly she had a fear of getting lost. They stepped into the men's shared bed room, where half rolled futons and mats lay sprawled across the floor. Pillows and sheets where clumped in various piles throughout the large space.
"It smells terrible in here." Sayo waved her hand in front of her nose and laughed, hoping to lighten the mood.
Asaji followed her sister's example and plugged her nose as she stepped further into the room. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you have most of the boys all in one place… I'm sure Hijikata-san is glad to have his own room." She laughed slightly.
"There are their clothes. Don't be afraid little Asaji, help me carry them outside, I'm sure there's nothing living in there… but be cautious none the less."
Asaji glanced at the clothes and turned to her sister with a frightened look. "What would be…living in there…? Maybe we should go ask Hajime-san to inspect it first!"
"Don't be silly, I was only joking," Sayo replied.
She grabbed a handful of clothes and shoved them into one of the cloth bags; Asaji followed suit and began putting clothes into her own bag.
"I hope I'll be able to carry this… There are quite a lot of clothes here… I guess there are a lot of guys living here, but…"
Just then Hajime walked by, glancing curiously at the two girls. "You ladies doing alright?"
"If there's something living in here, I will run!"
Hajime paused, giving Asaji a slightly confused look before continuing on his way.
With one last push, the clothes were securely in the bags. Sayo laughed as Asaji attempted to lift up the lumpy bag.
XXX
Sayo and Asaji made their way outside to where a large wooden bucket sat idly by the water pump where they had left it.
"You can set the clothes down now, I'll get some water. Do you want to find the soap?" Sayo asked. "I think there's some in the storage shed."
"Okay!" Asaji said with a smile; she set the clothes next to Sayo's bag and wandered over to the small building, muttering, "This time I won't mess up… I will find soap without being beaten by a Ninja…"
With a determined nod, Asaji opened the storage shed doors revealing Yamazaki; he tossed up a bag of powdered soap, catching it as it came back down, then repeating the process.
"Ah, Asaji-chan," he said with a bow. "Nice to see you again."
Asaji quickly lowered her head. "Nice to see you, too… And so soon… Ano… May I ask you for a huge favor?"
"… Yes?"
"May I please have that soap? Sayo-sama and I need it to wash clothes…"
"I don't think she'd be too happy to know you asked for help from someone who is not your… ally," Yamazaki replied with a smile.
"Well… You can't be my ally if Sayo-sama doesn't want me to be yours… But… You can be my friend still…" Asaji said, pausing, and then nodding her head. "I can choose my own friends."
Yamazaki's smile broadened. "I'm happy to hear that…" he said, looking awkwardly at his hands before handing her the soap. "Here… Asaji-san."
"Please, call me Asaji-chan, or Asa-chan like Heisuke-kun calls me. Yama-sama…" As she said the new nickname a smile crept on her face.
"Yama…sama? I don't know if that's the best choice…"
"Oh dear, I've got to go help Sayo-sama," Asaji said with a bow. "It was nice seeing you again, Yama-sama. I hope we can see each other more often!"
As Asaji ran out, Yamazaki put out his hand to stop her. "Wait…" he said, but she was already gone.
He turned to look at the ground. "Yama-sama?" There was a slight pause before a thoughtful smile appeared on his face.
XXX
"What took you so long?" Sayo asked as Asaji rejoined her; she pulled out another large blue robe from the pile and placed it in the water.
"Sumimasen," Asaji said, bowing. "I…couldn't find it…it was…hiding…tricky soap."
She wagged her finger at it and handed it to her older sister, who raised an eye brow. "Okay then…" she said, pouring some soap into the water. "Can you mix that? I'll start putting in these robes." She pulled out some white clothing and made a face. "They really do expect us to do all the laundry, huh? I don't feel that we should be touching such personal items…"
"Well…at least we're doing something to help them? Just…close your eyes and wash them? It might make it much less painful…? Then again we might end up spilling all the water and messing up…so…maybe that wouldn't be a good idea," Asaji ranted before pausing thoughtfully.
Sayo laughed softly and put the undergarments in the water, splashing Asaji playfully.
"Ah! Hey!" Asaji exclaimed, stepping back; she laughed and splashed her back.
Hajime, trying to keep an eye on them, walked by at that moment. "Try not to waste water," he said. "Mottainai."
Sayo rolled her eyes as he passed then turned back to her sister ready to make a joke about Hajime. Her eyes grew wide with terror. "Wait… Asaji… are you bleeding?" She examined the young girls face carefully, then looked down at her own hands.
"Ehh?" Asaji stopped mixing the water and looked around in panic. "What could have…?"
Hajime, always listening, stopped walking and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
"Y-yes, everything is just fine…" Asaji jumped up, positioning herself between Hajime and the red water. "Sayo-sama, what happened?"
"It must have been… the soap! Asaji, what did you take from the shed? Please don't tell me you took the powdered red dye?" She grabbed the empty paper package. "Oh Asaji…"
"It wasn't me! It was Ya—"Asaji cut herself off and averted her eyes. "I'm very, very, VERY sorry, Sayo-sama… I don't know what I was thinking…" She fell to her knees. "Gomenasai."
"We're going to be in so much trouble… There's no way they won't notice this!" Sayo held up a pair of bright pink underwear. "They're going to think I did it out of spite… Oh why did I have to show such disrespect…? I should have known better!"
Asaji opened her mouth to say something, but closed it once again, putting her face down to the ground. "It's my fault; I will take all the blame."
Hajime, seeing Asaji now bowing before her sister, began to talk back over with curiosity. He was on patrol, but didn't want to hover for fear of distracting the girls from their duties.
"Of course I won't let you do that!" Sayo grabbed Asaji's chin and pulled it up so she could peer into her blue eyes. "I would never let you fall subject to their punishment."
"What's going on here?" Hajime was now standing above them and peering down into the dark blood red water. "Are those…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Hijikata-san's under robes?"
Asaji looked up at him sadly. "It's all my fault. I used the wrong soap. I should've been more careful… Am I going to be killed for this?"
"What? No. We're not heartless enough to kill a young girl over something as simple as discoloured undergarments, but I advise you not to try it again… pour out this water and start over, use soap next time."
"Yes, Hajime-sama. I'm very, very sorry. It will never happen again."
Hajime walked away to give them space to correct their mistake. He shook his head in disapproval. What had they gotten themselves into? Were these two capable of anything? How had they survived so long without perfecting simple tasks such as laundry and scrubbing floors?
Yamazaki walked up to them, stepping softly, not making a sound. He watched silently as they dumped out the wasted water, turning the dirt around them red. "What happened? Finished already?" Though he knew they weren't even close.
Sayo looked up and shot him a nasty glare. How dare he make such an unhelpful comment.
Asaji looked up also, though she was more excited to see him. "No, we actually have to fix a mistake that was made on… my part… I got the wrong soap. It was so wrong, it stained Hijikata-san's robe the colour of sakura blossoms." She held up the robe for him to see.
"Oh?" Yamazaki took it upon himself to look slightly upset. He knew it was his fault. "But wouldn't you have used the soap to wash the clothes…?
Sayo set the bucket down and sat back, leaning on her hands so she could have a better look at him. "Of course she would have thought to use it for nothing but… why do you ask?"
"It just seems that… The dye bag should have been set far from the soap storage… It doesn't seem like a likely mistake, unless someone had placed the dye in the wrong spot." Yamazaki stopped to ponder the incident. He hadn't intentionally given Asaji the wrong bag, how could he gave grabbed the dye instead of the soap? He wasn't one to have accidents.
Asaji looked awkwardly at the ground. "No, no… I don't want anyone else taking the blame… it was my fault and mine alone… I should've been more careful… Hajime-san said I won't die because of it, so no worries." She wasn't about to let her new friend be punished, even if it was his doing.
"Let's not dwell on the mistake, I'll go and fetch the soap this time, as to avoid further accidents." Sayo picked herself up off the ground.
"I'm very, very sorry, Sayo-sama." Asaji bowed as her sister walked away.
"Well, I'm glad that was settled before it got any worse…" Hajime commented.
Yamazaki didn't move, still deep in thought. How had this happened?
XXX
Later that day, after the clothes were cleaned and hung out to dry, the rest of the Shinsengumi men had returned. A few sat idly the dining area, occupying their pillows.
Shinpachi entered and sat down, stretching out his tired limbs. "I wonder where that cute little maid is. I haven't seen her all day." He smiled and looked around expectantly.
The door began to slide open, with two elegant fingers peaking out around the wooden frame.
"There you are adora—" Shinpachi stopped speaking as the person emerged into the room, realizing the red hair didn't belong to the 'cute maid' but Sano.
"Expecting someone else?" Sano smiled.
Shinpachi glared at him.
XXX
The real Sayo was in the kitchen fussing over her little sister and the mess they were making out of dinner. Asaji squeaked as her hand was burned by boiling water, leaking out of one of the large pots.
Souji, now home, peeked his head in with a smile. "Everything okay in here…?" His smile faded as he looked around.
Asaji turned and saw him standing there with an uncomfortable expression. "Y-yes, Souji-san, we're doing fine… please, do not worry, everything is under control…"
"Dinner will be ready shortly… please go wait out with your men." Sayo tired to shoo him out of the room with a wooden spoon.
"I don't think I can let you go through with this. You two already managed to mess up your other chores, washing the floors with Miso paste, washing clothes with red dye, yes I know about that, Hijikata has a strong patience, but it won't last forever… he'll throw you out if you serve that to him!"
"What's wrong with our cooking?" Sayo demanded.
"… There's a pile of salt sitting on top of the rice, and you are aware that you're cooking your sleeve, right?"
Sayo shrieked and pulled her sleeve away from the fire.
"Sayo-sama!" Asaji hit her sisters sleeve repeatedly trying to make sure it didn't catch on fire. "Please be more careful! I only have one Onee-san."
"Okay, step aside ladies. Let a…capable man handle this," Souji said.
"Did someone say they needed a man? Well, look no further!" The three turned to see Shinpachi standing in the doorway, posing. "Sayo, your man has arrived."
"Where?" Sayo said, looking around. "I don't see him."
"All this hard work must have made you cross eyed, for I am right here!" he said, standing in front of her and posing again.
"I hear you talking. But I can't understand what you're saying."
"If you're going to be in here, Shinpa-san, get to work!" Souji said, forcing a ruined bowl of rice into his arms.
Shinpachi glared at him and took to the rice, turning to throw it out.
"Wait! You shouldn't throw it out! Being wasteful is not good! Mottainai! Hajime-san said so!" Asaji interjected.
Shinpachi turned and looked at her. "It's beyond repair. We'd do better to start over," he replied with a knowing nod.
"Now step aside and let us help," Souji said with a smile.
"But…it's our job…and if Hijikata-san finds out…" Asaji said with a shudder.
"Let them help. They're doing it for our best interest… I think," Sayo said; she looked at Souji who smiled an evil grin in an attempt at being friendly.
"I won't let you down!" Shinpachi said with a salute.
"San Q," Sayo said with a bow. "Would you like us to help out, or…?"
"No! Please sit back and learn how real cooking is done."
"Eh, Souji… You're not a co-" Shinpachi was cut off by Souji holding his lips closed with a pair of cooking chopsticks.
Asaji giggled into her sleeve. "It looks like they're capable enough," she said, glancing outside of the kitchen. "Is everyone else not home yet?"
Souji shook his head and stirred the pot in front of him. "They're home. Shinpachi and I are just the first ones ready for dinner."
XXX
After the two men had finished cooking, they set their utensils down and exchanged smiles.
"I think I hear them coming in… We better get out of here so they don't suspect anything…" Souji said.
"Yeah, now all that's left for you two to mess up is carrying the trays out into the other room," Shinpachi said.
"If either of you slips up, I'll kill you both," Souji added with a smile.
The two men slipped out of the room quietly as the two sisters to gather the trays to be served.
Sayo balanced four trays on her arms and hands, and somehow managed to slide open the door. "I hope you guys are hungry… really, really hungry…" she said, trying to smile.
"Just looking at you makes me hungry," Shinpachi said.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Kondou choked back a laugh as he held a cup of tea to his lips.
"It smells…good," Hijikata said, trying to give Sayo a comforting smile.
Asaji came out of the kitchen with two trays in her hands. "I…I'm not as skilled as Sayo-sama," she said with a weak smile; she set the two trays in front of Souji and Heisuke before scurrying back into the kitchen and bringing out two more.
Sayo moved off to the side of the room to watch them eat. "Where's Sano? Shouldn't you wait for him?"
"He was in here earlier, why don't you take his spot? Come eat with us," Shinpachi beckoned, patting the spot between him and Heisuke.
"I'd really rather not…"
"Leave her be, Shinpachi. Eat your food," Hijikata ordered; he brought up his chopsticks, full of rice, and popped the food in his mouth, chewing and pausing before making a face.
"What is it Koucho?" Hajime asked.
Hijikata set down his chopsticks, but didn't say a word. Everyone but four people in the room knew why.
"Now what was that about?" Souji asked, glancing at Hijikata. "Don't you think they did a good job cooking everything?"
He smiled and happily ate the food in front of him.
Hajime tasted a small amount of fish, chewed it, and then looked at Souji. "This… tastes like your cooking."
"You think so, too?" Hijikata questioned.
"Heh, what are you talking about? This tastes nothing like my cooking…" Souji shrugged, and Sayo gave a small smile as Sano entered the room.
"You're late," Hijikata pointed out sternly.
Sano ignored him, and turned Shinpachi. "Come here big guy!" he said, lunging at him; he held a paper in his hand as his lips collided with Shinpachi's.
"Iyaaa! What are you doing? Have you lost your mind!" Shinpachi exclaimed, trying to push off his fellow Shinsengumi member.
Sano rolled over off of Shinpachi and handed him a crumpled note. "You've been served," he said with a wide grin and a bow.
Shinpachi un-crumpled the note and saw that Heisuke's name had been crossed out and his own was written in.
"You got home free, Heisuke-kun," Asaji congratulated, patting her best friend on the back.
Heisuke smiled proudly and turned to Shinpachi with a smirk. "That'll teach you to do things like that."
Shinpachi wiped his mouth and glared at everyone. "I didn't do anything wrong..." He pouted and folded his arms across his chest.
"I think a few of us disagree," Hijikata said; Sayo, Hajime and Souji raised their hands in agreement.
Heisuke joined them by raising both of his hands.
"Tch..." Shinpachi said with a roll of his eyes. "I was hurt, too, you know!"
He pointed accusingly at Sano, who frowned. "Hey, what are you trying to say about my kisses?"
Asaji gave a small smile. "Anyone want more tea?" she asked, holding up a tea pot.
Sano took a mouthful of rice from Shinpachi's bowl. "That's strange… this food is terrible."
"It is not!" Shinpachi protested.
Sano raised an eyebrow at Shinpachi's defensive outburst. "You don't have to defend it just because it's Sayo's cooking…"
"This is great food, what are you talking about?" Shinpachi exclaimed as he took a huge mouthful of food.
Souji calmly held a tea cup to his lips. "Tastes fine to me, too," he added, drinking it and keeping a casual exterior all the while.
Hajime pushed away his tray and stood up. "I'm going to see if there is anymore daikon left over from yesterday."
"Hajime! Don't be rude. Sayo and Asaji worked hard to make this for you." Souji gave him a look of disapproval.
"Don't you have any manners?" Shinpachi scowled.
Hajime looked over at Sayo who stood nervously in the corner. "I would be more courteous if Sayo was in fact the one who made this, but I am positive it was you two who had something to do with this awful flavour."
"Well, I best go start in the dishes…" Sayo said quickly.
She made her way toward the kitchen when Kondou grabbed the hem of her robe. "Matte Sayo-san, who exactly…cooked this food?"
"I uhm… I…" Sayo's face began to turn a pretty shade of red.
Kondou looked up at her expectantly.
"We made a few mistakes… We… honestly don't know how to cook," she replied, flinching.
"I say we kill them," Souji suggested.
"What? But you forced us to let you cook!"
"I don't recall forcing you to do anything…"
"Even if it was us who cooked it, Hajime could be a little more gracious! We spent all of that time to make you food!" Shinpachi said.
"Sayo-san, why would you let them take over the duties we specifically entitled you to do?" Hijikata asked.
"Well… Souji… Souji said you would throw us out for messing up another one of our chores, and I didn't want to take that chance. I know that by throwing us out he meant you would kill both of us! I didn't want your hospitality to end so I figured if we let Shinpachi-san and Souji-san cook you wouldn't notice…"
Hijikata grunted as Sannan turned to him. "Hijikata-san I think we should let this go unpunished; they had good intentions, after all."
"If you two promise to do your own chores from now on, I suppose we can let this one slide," he finally spoke.
Sayo bowed down on the floor graciously.
As if what Sayo had said, replayed through his mind, his posture straightened, almost rigidly, "What other chores did you mess up?"
"We better go clean the kitchen," Sayo said, scurrying out and dragging Asaji with her.
XXX
As Hijikata walked up to his bedroom door, he slid it open and noticed a stack of folded robes placed neatly on his futon. "Oh, my robes," he muttered, lifting up the top layer. Underneath the sky blue coat were the bright pink colored robes. He peered down at them a moment before realizing what they were. "What is the meaning of this?"
In the hallway, Souji happened to be passing by when he heard Hijikata's exclamation. He peeked his head in and saw the pink undergarments. "Why, Kouchou, I didn't know you had a pair of lucky underwear."
"What are you talking about? These aren't mine!"
"They look like they belong to you… what a pretty color, if I may say so."
"They were mine, but someone must have-" he paused and sighed. "So that's what they did… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, if they continue to ruin our property…"
"We'll kill them?"
"Well, no, but…I'll figure something out," Hijikata replied, looking sadly at the pink under-robes in his hands.
Suddenly Yamazaki jumped in the room from the window. "Wait, Hijikata-san, I have a confession…It wasn't Asaji-san and Sayo-san who ruined your underwear. It was…my fault."
"Yamazaki? You? But why?"
"It was a simple mistake, though an unforgivable one."
Hijikata paused thoughtfully. "I don't see what you gained by telling me the truth…unless the girls threatened you?"
"Sayo-san doesn't even know about it."
"And Asaji?"
"I gave her the wrong soap, but she does not know I'm telling you now," Yamazaki replied as he bowed. "Please, do not punish them because of my wrong doing."
Hijikata looked down at the bowing Yamazaki curiously. "Okay… I will not mention this to them, but I will have to punish you."
"Make him wear the underwear!" Souji suggested.
"I feel I'm above something so childish," Hijikata said.
"Childish? Make him suffer the indignity that he so carelessly forced upon you. Think about it. Yamazaki…in…pink."
"I don't feel I'm worthy of such a horrendous punishment," Yamazaki spoke in a slightly appalled tone.
"Horrendous, huh?" Hijikata said.
XXX
In another part of the house, all the other Shinsengumi members sat around a table, talking and sipping their cups of late night sake.
"So here's how we're going to get away with this," Shinpachi explained to Sano who nodded.
Before he could finish that sentence, the door slid open, causing everyone's heads to turn. There in the door way stood Yamazaki wearing nothing but the pink under robes. He tried to keep a blank expression; he didn't want anyone to know the embarrassment he was feeling. He was stronger than that.
"For god sakes, man, put on some pants!" Shinpachi cried.
"Wow, Yamazaki, is this one of your disguises? I hardly recognize you…" Sano added.
"Are those…mine?" Sannan asked removing his glasses.
Everyone paused and looked at Sannan with wide eyes.
Translation Notes:
Sumimasen - Sorry
Gomenasai - I'm very sorry
Mottainai - Don't waste
SanQ - Thank you (3Q)
Koucho - Commander
Iya - No (I protest)