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

Chapter Ten
Memories

Asaji stood, feeling small and afraid in surroundings unknown to her. She shivered in her faded blue robes, the hem fraying at the ground, a result of her tiny feet stepping on the long fabrics too many times.

New sounds and smells filled her as people pushed past hastily, not taking any notice to her as she looked up a set of clean wooden steps. She knew she didn't belong in such a place, but a man with calloused hands pushed her forward into the warm glow of lanterns.

"Move your feet, child," he scolded. "I can't afford to deal with your nonsense any longer."

Asaji swallowed hard, pushing down the ball of fear swelling in her throat. She shuffled forward, trying to get away from the rough hand squeezing down on her shoulder. As she was about to force herself up the steps, the curtains were pushed open and out emerged the most beautiful thing Asaji had ever seen.

All the noise and confusion seemed to stop, the world freezing around her. Asaji found herself and the women standing together in silence, as if they were the only two people in all of Nippon.

She couldn't stop herself from looking into the almond shaped eyes, planted in the middle of an ivory face. Beads hung down like wisteria along her cheeks, dripping from a royal blue flower pinned neatly into the Geisha's large hair. The soft lights made the golden leaves shine against the creamy silk of the brilliant kimono, filling Asaji's chest with soothing warmth. Something she hadn't felt in what seemed like ages.

Memories flooded back to Asaji; she hadn't seen a Geisha since her father's parties. Parties that now seemed like children's fairy tales and the taste of her father, quickly fading from her mind.

The Geisha floated down the stairs, not breaking the look she shared with the small girl. Her eyes held no bitterness or malice.

Asaji began to cry, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. The man's grip loosened, for he was clearly taken by the sight of such a beauty.

The Geisha reached the end of the steps, her wooden zori clicking as they hit the cold stone. She knelt down carefully in front of Asaji and with a delicate hand; she reached out slowly as if to pet a frightened rabbit. The woman gently touched Asaji's ice cold cheek, and brushed away her tears before stroking her dirty hair softly away from her face.

Asaji's shoulders jerked involuntarily from a held in sob. She dared not make a sound.

The Geisha's deep red lips parted, revealing perfect teeth, the color of her painted face as she smiled. "Don't be afraid little one," she whispered for only Asaji's ears.

But before her fear could disappear the curtains of the okiya were pushed aside again and out stepped a haggard old woman. The reverie was shattered, and the world began to rotate once again.

"Pull your sleeves from the ground!" the elderly woman scolded. "Don't touch such filthy animals. You're late already; do you want to dirty yourself with such a reputation?" Her voice was gravelly and biting, like a rabid dog's growl.

"Her eyes are moving really fast, that's a good sign she's still alert." A voice came from beside her, but it didn't belong to the man, still mesmerized by the Geisha at her feet. "She's probably just dreaming."

The lanterns faded, becoming small orbs of light taking the people with them until Asaji's vision became a thick blackness.

"So she'll be okay?" Sayo spoke, looking down at her sister. "Oh, her eyes are flickering; I think she's coming to."

Asaji frowned, having difficulty opening her heavy eyelids. She wanted to escape the darkness that had fallen over her. She wanted to see the Geisha's smiling face once again.

"She's… frowning, that's not a good sign," Yamazaki said.

Her blue eyes revealed themselves, settling on Sayo who leaned over her, a look of worry chiseled into her forehead. "Did you… Did I…" Asaji paused, her throat was unbelievably dry. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Yamazaki explained.

Asaji sat up, her arms wobbling beneath her. "Where are we?"

"We're back at the Shinsengumi house, how are you feeling?" Sayo put a hand on her forehead gently.

"You should lie back down; do you feel dizzy or nauseated at all?" Yamazaki knelt beside her, studying her face carefully.

"We're back home…? That means… someone had to carry me…" Asaji tore her eyes from Sayo's and looked away, ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Sayo-sama… I didn't mean to, I mean… No, I feel fine, just guilty."

The door slid open and Heisuke peeked in. "Is she awake yet?" He spotted Asaji sitting up looking embarrassed and slightly dazed. "Asa-chan! You're okay!"

"Heisuke, could you go get some tea for Asaji, onegai," Yamazaki asked, not looking away from his patient.

"Hai, for Asa-chan."

Sayo took Asaji's hand, and helped her to lie back down. "What do you think caused her to faint like that? Nothing like this has happened before…" She trailed off in thought.

"I don't know, she was fine moments before we stepped into…"

"Yes strange," Sayo cut in quickly. "Asaji you should go back to sleep, get some more rest."

"Actually it's best if she stays awake, and talking. At least until we're sure she doesn't have a concussion."

"Oh… really?" Sayo looked down at Asaji, and stroked back the hair from her face. "Asaji, have you hit your head recently?"

Asaji kept her eyes to the ceiling, still afraid to look at her sister.

"…Asaji?" Yamazaki tried to move into view.

"I'm no good at talking for long periods of time… Sayo-sama has all the good stories…"

"But she's not the one that could have a possible head injury."

"But… my head doesn't' hurt. I feel fine," she dismissed.

"Even so…"

Heisuke stepped back into the room, carrying a steaming cup of ochya. "Are you feeling better now? You scared me back there, what was that all about?" He placed the tea in her hands.

"She was feeling ill, that's all," Sayo said.

Asaji knew well what her sister's tone meant and kept any details she wanted to share to herself. "Yeah, I… just lost it for a second, that's normal right?"

"Actually…" Yamazaki started.

"Ooh, tea! Thank you very much Heisuke-kun!" Asaji tried desperately to change the subject. Sayo helped her lift her head so she could take a sip. "Delicious."

"Yeah, no problem." Heisuke sat down next to Yamazaki.

"Where are Shinpachi-san and Sano-san? They're not still making fun of Hijikata-san, I hope… or singing about rice fields."

Sayo smiled at her. "No, no, I put them to bed, don't worry about them."

Yamazaki shook his head in disapproval.

"I hope one day they'll let me go with them without making such a big deal of it," Heisuke said.

"When you were asleep, did you dream about anything? You looked pretty restless." Yamazaki turned his attention back to Asaji.

"That's not important, dreams are private after all." Sayo set Asaji's head back on her pillow and took the tea from her hands.

Yamazaki glanced at Sayo suspiciously.

"Yeah, it's funny that you mention dreams… because I had a really colorful one… it was like I was actually there, seeing the people smelling the scents… I'm not exactly sure where I was, but it had a familiar feel to it."

"I love those kinds of dreams! Where you feel like you're actually there, even if you don't know exactly where you are." Heisuke smiled.

"Aren't those dreams funny… I've had a couple like that myself, once I dreamt I was eating my favorite sweat bean cake, I swear I could taste and smell every bite… the strangest sensation," Sayo said, brushing the dream off as nothing.

Yamazaki watched her carefully as she spoke.

"Do you think you men could leave us alone for a bit? I'll keep her awake, don't worry." Sayo smiled sweetly in response to Yamazaki's accusing gaze.

He stood up, letting it alone for the time being. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate."

"Thank you again, Yama-sama, Heisuke-kun." Asaji tried to smile at them, but she was tired and the small amount of energy she had was quickly fading.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Asa-chan!" Heisuke smiled and waved as he and Yamazaki left the room.

"Are you really alright little Asaji? What happened back there?" Worry spread of Sayo's face once again.

Asaji frowned. "I don't know… I remember spying on you in the tea house." She blushed. "Well, we weren't really spying… I mean… I didn't mean to…" She paused, recomposing herself. "The last thing I remember seeing was you in your kimono… and then waking up here, after having that crazy dream… I wish you could have been there with me! Oh Sayo-sama you should have seen it! The most beautiful woman I've ever seen! But oh, there were these two retched people… I felt so small… Do you think… Do you think this could have been one of my memories?" She paused to watch her sister's reaction.

Sayo was no longer looking at her sister, her eyes moved as if she was deep in thought. Quickly she regained composure and looked into Asaji's sweet blue eyes once again. "Maybe… Though let's hope your memories don't include any 'retched people', ne?

"Yes… I suppose you're right." Asaji frowned. "I hate not being able to remember… I can barely remember mom and dad sometimes." She sighed sadly. "I wish you would just tell me stories of what happened, after the accident…"

"I told you Asaji, it's important for you to remember things on your own. If I have to tell them to you, you're not ready to remember them," Sayo spoke bitterly, her voice strained; she had explained this too many times before.

"I'm sorry…" Asaji apologized, but this time she didn't look away. "Is something wrong?"

Sayo shook her head, folding her hands in her lap. "Spying, ne? Did you see anything interesting?" She didn't want to put her sister under any more stress, not when she was in such a poor condition.

"I saw something that I wish I would've never seen; Shinpachi and Sano singing!" Asaji laughed into her sleeve, trying to relieve the tension tightening in her chest. There was no use arguing with Sayo, for she knew how their conversation would end. "Oh and Hajime was hitting on some Geisha… that was a new thing to watch. Heisuke-kun got more out of it than I did, though… He's going to use it as blackmail!" Asaji nodded knowingly. "How was your evening out?"

"It was… interesting to say the least. It was somewhat of a breath of fresh air, believe it or not. I think I actually enjoyed myself a little."

"A little?" Asaji smiled. "That's more than I'm sure you'd admit in front of them…" She laughed, showing a hint of the wisdom she held inside. "The Samurai here are really nice to us…"

"Yeah…" Sayo paused in thought. "They really are…"

XXX

Late the next morning Shinpachi stumbled into the dining room, pulling his green bandana over his eyes. "My head is not in a good place right now," he moaned.

"Is it ever?" Sayo goaded.

"I don't understand how you're not in as terrible shape as the rest of us, Hajime hasn't even gotten out of bed!"

"Well my dear Shinpachi, I'll let you in on a little trick of mine…"

"Eh? What is it?"

"Don't drink anymore sake than it takes to wet your lips." She winked at him.

Shinpachi smirked. "Aren't you a witty one?"

Sano dragged his feet into the room, rubbing his face with a tired hand. He nodded at Shinpachi as he sat down on his pillow. "Hey, you're already up."

"You feeling as bad as I am?" Shinpachi asked, taking a seat next to him.

Sano stretched his muscular arms, reaching them high above his head. "Nah, real men can handle the morning after."

"Real men? Hey!"

"Hajime up yet?"

Shinpachi crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. "No."

Sano smiled and shook his head.

"You really can handle your sake that well, Sano-san?" Sayo watched him; she didn't fall for his act.

XXX

Heisuke sat on the steps of one of the main pouches, watching Asaji happily scrubbing the floors. "I still don't see why you got up so early…"

"My name is Asa, ne?" She smiled at him, looking up from the rag for only a moment.

"Well yeah… but…"

"I… caused a lot of problems yesterday; I don't want to be a nuisance around here…"

"Don't worry; you're not a problem at all!" Heisuke reassured her.

"Thanks Heisuke." Asaji stood up and turned to him. "Well, the floors are all done…" She put her hands on her hips.

"That means it's time for fun!" Heisuke threw his arms into the air, nearly hitting Hijikata in the face.

"Asaji-chan, I need you to do something for me…" Hijikata winked at her, speaking in a seductive tone.

"And there goes fun time…" Heisuke dropped his arms to his side, hanging his head.

"What is it Hijikata-san?" Asaji asked, concerned.

"Since most of our men are in… bad shape. I need you to accompany Souji into town, to do a bit of shopping. If you're feeling well enough?"

"I'll go too," Heisuke offered.

"I need you to help Sayo with the other captains; they've been giving her a hard time…"

"Sorry Heisuke-kun." Asaji turned to Hijikata and bowed, clutching the damp rag in her small hands. "I will go with Souji-san… do you know where he is?"

"He should be in his room. Feel free to see him whenever you're ready to leave." Hijikata nodded to her and walked away.

"Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow." Heisuke pouted, waiting to speak until Hijikata was out of sight.

After Asaji hung her rag to dry and poured out the dirty water, Heisuke escorted her into the house where Shinpachi and Sano sat, rowdy as ever.

"Please, don't throw things… I'll make more tea," Sayo pleaded, nearly ready to start pulling out her long hair.

Sano reached over to pick up his now empty cup off the floor.

"I'm… sorry…" Shinpachi apologized to Sano as if it pained him deeply.

Sano sighed. "No, I'm sorry."

The two of them hugged, slapping each other on the back like the manly men they were.

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Sayo… she is the one who has to clean up after you two…" Heisuke pointed out, looking around at the spilled tea and broken bowls scattered across the floor.

"Oh dear… what a mess… I'm sorry I can't help you clean up Sayo… but Heisuke is here to help!" Asaji tried to smile at her sister.

Heisuke, too, forced a smile. "Yep, cleaning up after these two is what I live for…"

"Hey… that's basically what we're doing with our lives." Asaji narrowed her eyes at him, detecting his sarcasm.

Heisuke put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"

Asaji took a deep breath, collecting her courage. "Well, I'm going to go get Souji-san now…"

"Oh, how come? You're not leaving me, are you?" Sayo raised an eyebrow.

Shinpachi let go of Sano and turned to Sayo. "Where's that tea?" he demanded.

Sayo sighed. "Coming… coming…" she waved to Asaji and walked into the kitchen.

"Please, Heisuke, take care of my sister." Asaji begged him.

"I promise on my honor—" Heisuke ducked as Shinpachi threw a pillow at him. "—that I will try my best not to die as well."

"… Good enough for me." Asaji smiled and attempted to step over the broken dishes on her way to the bedrooms.

Heisuke threw the pillow back at Shinpachi before following Sayo into the kitchen. "How long have you been putting up with those two?"

"Since they crawled out of the depths of hell. They've been arguing all morning about who's more of a man. This apparently is proven by who can break the most dishes." Sayo poured warm tea into fresh cups. "I wish they would have followed Hajime's example and stayed in bed. I'm not used to dealing with men the morning after they've been drinking…"

"Oh? But you've seen many drunken men then?" Heisuke teased.

"… No, why would you ask that?" Sayo snapped, getting defensive.

"Huh? I was only joking…"

"Oh," Sayo laughed nervously. "I'm sorry." She set the cups on a tray and picked it up, preparing herself for reentering the room.

"It's about time." Shinpachi snatched the tea from Sayo before she could place it in front of him.

"Quit being so grumpy… If you break these ones, I'm not getting you more," Sayo warned.

"But that's your job, ne?"

"And your job is to fight; I bet even I could take you this morning, and I've never held a sword."

Shinpachi narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're on… except could we do it in here? The sun is kind of bright today…"

Sayo rolled her eyes.

XXX

Asaji sat in front of the room shared by the captains, taking a deep breath before she whispered, "Shitsureishimasu," and slid open the door. "Ano… Souji-san…"

Souji sat in the middle of the room on a folded futon mat. He held his katana unsheathed in his hands and ran a coarse cloth along the silver blade. As Asaji stepped nervously into the room, he looked up, flashing her a smile. "Yes?"

"I was told by Hijikata-san to accompany you to the store today…" She bowed.

"Oh, really? He wants me to go in… Great. I suppose you're ready to go now? Best get this over with…" Souji stood, speaking with an exaggerated annoyance to hide his true feelings. He would quite enjoy Asaji's company on this errand.

"H-hai." Asaji moved out of his way as he pushed through the door.

XXX

Shinpachi took a large gulp of tea. "Ahh…" He sighed.

"You're going to burn your mouth if you keep drinking it like that," Heisuke warned, sitting back and watching him drink.

Shinpachi waved his hand dismissively.

"Real mean drink their tea like this!" Sano flexed.

Sayo leaned on her hands and knees mopping up the spilled tea. She swept up broken pieces of cups as she worked.

Sano leaned over to Shinpachi, whispering, "When she's bent over like that I can see down her kimono."

Shinpachi smacked the tea out of his hand. "Don't stare at her! Keep your filthy eyes to yourself!"

"Darn it Shinpachi…" Sayo cursed, watching the tea hit the ground and smash against the hard wood floors.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do! If I want to stare at a lady, I will!" Sano yelled, and knocked the tea out of Shinpachi's hand.

"…This is getting messy." Heisuke grabbed a second rag and began helping Sayo. "You two should start acting like adults!"

"Exactly why I am free to look at her." Sano pointed rudely at Sayo.

"You can't!" Shinpachi restrained himself from an act of violence forming at his fingertips.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Shinpachi stopped yelling and frowned.

Sayo sighed and turned her attention back to the spilled tea.

XXX

"Don't get lost back there," Souji teased as he glanced back at Asaji who struggled to keep up with his quick pace.

"Why are you…walking so fast?" Asaji asked, slightly out of breath.

"It gets things done faster. Going slow wastes time."

Asaji sighed and looked down at her feet, silently telling them to go faster. In front of her, Souji suddenly stopped, and Asaji ran into his back. "Sorry…. I…wasn't paying attention…"

Souji turned and held back a smile. "We're here," he said, pointing in front of him to a long dirt road surrounded by busy shops. Children ran through the street, chasing each other and laughing, some searched the gutters for dropped coins with which they could buy sweets. Customers flooded the shops, shouting numbers as they bartered for lower prices.

"Okay," Asaji said, taking out the list of things they needed and following Souji forward.

"Irashai!" A store keeper called out to them as they walked past. "Need some fish? Freshly caught this morning. Finest in this town. How about a nice big one for you and your wife? I bet she could make a great dinner out of it."

Souji stared at him for a moment. "My wife?" he repeated, glancing back at Asaji. "Oh no…no, no, she's not my wife…we're not married."

"Sumimasen. Your girlfriend then. You better snatch her up before someone else does. She's a pretty little thing."

Asaji blushed. "Th-thank you," she stuttered and bowed. "Um…I'm going to see…whatever is over there," she said before stumbling away.

Souji watched Asaji leave and turned to the shopkeeper with a slight frown; the shopkeeper simply smiled back.

"I guess they could make some fish for dinner tonight…"

"Great!" the shopkeeper replied, handing him a large fish wrapped in paper.

Souji took it and looked around for Asaji, but quickly realized she was lost in the crowd. "Now where did she go…" he muttered. Souji spotted her brown hair by a gift stand; he walked over and stood behind her. "Were these on the list?"

She jumped and spun around revealing an embarrassed expression; Souji held back a laugh and glanced up to see what she had been looking at.

Rows upon rows of Calligraphy sets lay spread out on the table. The one that caught his eye was the one closest to Asaji's hand. The outside was an emerald green color, while the inside lining was a deep red. The top held five Calligraphy brushes, each a different color. They had a gold band wrapped around the top and bottom, finished with a small character written on the end.

On the bottom laid a small, white brush holder, complete with small, detailed blue designs, a small container of red ink, and two small blocks with ornate dragon designs on the sides of them.

It seemed that this one also caught Asaji's eye, too, as she had one small hand tentatively touching the top of it, obviously trying to be careful.

"N-no, these weren't on the list… I was just… passing by here and stopped to look at them…aren't they pretty?" she asked with a smile. "I've seen so many kinds, but I don't recall ever owning one."

"Yes, they are quite pretty," Souji said, handing her the large package in his hands. "I got fish for dinner."

"Great, it looks good," Asaji said, glancing at the list in her other hand. "Let's see…"

She turned around and started making her way to the next shop. Souji hesitated, glancing once more at the Calligraphy set, then looking up to see Asaji already at the next shop. He sighed and hastened to catch up with her. He reached her moments later and looked at her sternly. "If you get kidnapped, it'll be hard for me to feel responsible with your running off so much…"

"You should take care of your children better!" one of the shopkeepers said. "Why don't you make up for it by buying you daughter some nice, healthy vegetables?"

He smiled down at Asaji, who stared up at him sadly. "I think I liked it better when they thought I was your wife…" she muttered.

Souji held back a laugh and turned to the shopkeeper. "She's not my daughter, she's my—"

"Oh, my mistake! Your girlfriend!" He looked once more at Asaji. "You look so young, I'm very sorry."

Souji smiled. "Sure…we'll take some vegetables…" He handed him some coins and, once he was given the vegetables, handed them to Asaji.

"She sure looks young to be your girlfriend, though," the shopkeeper muttered again, giving him a disapproving gaze.

"How old do you think I am?" Souji asked with a glare. "Come on Asaji dear," he said, putting his arm around her and guiding her away, looking back at the shopkeeper over his shoulder. "The shopkeepers in Kyo sure are over friendly…you'd think this sword around my belt would help them keep their mouths shut…"

Staring at the ground, Asaji tried to hide her blushing. "Yeah…I'm sorry…"

"No reason to be sorry. It was his mistake, not yours. I don't think you look too young."

"Thank you. I'm almost an adult, and I thought I looked like it…but… I suppose not," she replied with a sigh.

"Forget about it, let's just go home. Was there anything else on your list?"

Asaji looked down at it and nodded. "We need lots of rice, tea, a few different spices…and maybe some tea glasses if Sano and Shinpachi continue to break things as they were when I left…"

Souji let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure Hijikata-san will stop them before it gets that far. How much rice does it say we need?"

Asaji glanced down at the note, then back at him. "A lot…"

Souji smiled. "We can probably get it over there," he said, pointing to a small shop a few steps away.

As the two walked over there, Souji talked to the man working there, telling him how much rice they needed. The man nodded and handed him two large bags of rice; Asaji looked up at Souji as he effortlessly lifted them up and turned to her. "Okay, next up tea?" he asked.

She hesitated before nodding her head, finding her mouth non-responsive. She fell in line behind him as they made their way to a small place where they sold tea ingredients, and furtively glanced up at him. His long blue sleeves were drawn down slightly from having the rice set on his shoulder, and she could see part of his arm. She blushed noticing for the first time the indents along his arms from his muscles.

"You know, when you said a lot, I was expecting more than this," Souji said, interrupting her thoughts; he turned back and smiled at her.

"W-well, it's a lot for someone like me to carry…" Asaji pointed out, quickly jerking her head to the side to hide her prolonged staring.

Souji seemed to be satisfied – with either her answer or her reaction, Asaji wasn't sure – and he turned back around as they entered a small shop selling different spices and herbs, as well as other tea ingredients.

Asaji went to work right away, picking out the different things on the list and handing the bunch to the old man sitting behind a desk. After she bought them, she took the basket she had brought with her, already filled with the fish and vegetables, and made room for the rest of the items she had obtained.

"Is that everything?" Souji asked.

"I believe so," Asaji said, double checking the list; when she had made sure she didn't forget anything, she looked up and paused, staring in the distance. "Is that…Hajime-san?"

Souji turned and followed her gaze. "It…looks like him. What is he doing, I thought he was still in bed?"

As they grew closer and closer, Asaji realized he was holding a small, ornate hair clip in his hands, examining it closely.

"Are you buying that for your Geisha friend, Hajime-kun?" Souji asked.

Without looking up, the clip slipped from Hajime's hands, making a small clanging noise on the table where the rest of the hair accessories laid.

Asaji looked up at Souji with a small frown; she didn't know he had found out the details about the events that went on at the tea house. Brushing it aside, she figured he found out a lot of things just by being a good listener.

Finally turning to them, Hajime's face was smooth and expressionless. "What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"Nothing as exciting as what you're doing," Souji replied, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hajime said. "I'm getting this for Yamazaki-san. He needs it for his Geisha disguise, and he asked me to purchase it while he's away on a mission."

Souji continued smiling, giving the impression he didn't buy Hajime's story.

"That's so kind of you," Asaji said.

Hajime acknowledged her compliment with a look before turning back to Souji. "Now, if there's nothing else you need, I will be on my way," he said, picking up the hair clip once more.

With one hand, he took out enough money from one pocket and handed it to the old woman running the small stand, and put the hair clip in his other pocket, continuing on his way, not looking back.

Translation Notes:

Nippon - Japan
Zori - The wooden sandles that Geisha wear
Okiya - A house where Geisha live
Sake - Rice wine or liquor
Asa - Morning
Shitsureishimasu - Excuse me
Ano - Um
Irashai - Welcome (to our shop)
Sumimasen - Sorry
Kyo - The capitol (Kyoto)