I don't own PMK or any of it's characters, I only own Din and Setsuna.
Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy because my Bleach DVD finally came in the mail so I can finally watch it and start on my fanfic for that series. Anyways, hehehe, this is where everything is going to get good!
Enjoy!
Three months had passed since Tetsunosuke had turned sixteen and things couldn't have been better in the Shinsengumi. No one had gotten in a large argument or snipped at one another; everyone was getting along well. Yamanami and Din were talking full time, as well as her and Hijikata. Tatsunosuke spent his free time with Din or Tetsunosuke and always enjoyed it, while Souji came closer to Din from having her sleep in her room every night. Everything seemed almost perfect until September rolled around. That was when everything would change for the worst.
"Hurry!" Souji said as he stuffed Tetsunosuke into a closet. "Hirai-sama will be here any minute!"
Susumu walked into the room with a red wig on and a scar across his face. "Hurry up already Tetsu-kun!"
Souji managed to get Tetsunosuke into the closet as Hirai, his daughter, and Hijikata came into the room, laughing. Not knowing where to go, Souji hid in the closet as well and covered Tetsunosuke's mouth. Susumu quickly left the room and waited for his signal.
"Splendid work at the Ikeda-ya sir," Hirai said as he sat down across from Hijikata.
"Your words are too kind," Hijikata said in a friendlily tone. "I offer you thanks on behalf of Kondo-kun."
"I've heard you like a demon in battle," Hirai began once more.
"We merely did enough to fulfill our duties." Hijikata looked towards the young daughter, she blushed heavily.
"Ah! I almost forgot! I don't see your page! I wanted to meet him—"
Hirai was cut off by Hijikata's gentle laugh. "I do not think he is worthy enough to meet you Hirai-sama!" Stepping echoed through the nearby hallway. "Oh, it would seem that he has arrived."
Susumu walked into the room fully dressed as Tetsunosuke, fooling Hirai and his daughter. They both sat there shocked to see that the rumors they had heard were so different from the truth.
"Tetsunosuke Ichimura, my new page." Hijikata pointed to him.
"My name is Ichimura." Susumu bowed. "I am honored to meet you."
Susumu bent down and began serving tea to the two guests while keeping his head down to show respect.
"No, no the honor is all mine." Hirai laughed. "But this is very surprising, you see I've heard so many rumors about you two and another person. It's funny that they've turned out so wrong. I'd heard that Hijikata-sama was a "demon inside and out" "a yakuza with wild hair."
Hijikata laughed. "It is truly as they say."
"Father!" the daughter said as she turned to him.
"And I'd heard that Ichimura-san is "a cannonball that never hits the enemy," "a pup in warrior's clothing". Such ridiculous stories! I've also heard that you have a woman working here that you've taken a liking to!" Hirai continued.
"No they are true," Susumu interjected as Hijikata twitched slightly at the mention of a woman. "I still make many mistakes."
Tetsunosuke twitched in the closet while Souji covered his mouth as well as his own to make sure that his laughter didn't slip out and give away everything.
After more talking, Hirai and his daughter left to go about their business elsewhere. Hijikata waited until the two of them were gone to light up his pipe and begin smoking.
"Man," he hissed, stretching outwards. "I've had enough of that "yakuza" rumor. At least he was polite. Wasn't he Yamazaki-kun?"
Susumu reached upwards and slipped the wig off of his head. "As bad as the rumors are about you vice commander, even more leaked out about Ichimura. Some even got out about Din-chan."
"You did a nice job on that wig," Hijikata said, changing the subject.
"I made it with animal hair, not human hair."
Suddenly loud bangs came from the closet, and Tetsunosuke and Souji emerged, Souji laughing as he did so. Tetsunosuke grabbed the tape on his mouth and ripped it off, ignoring the pain.
"What's the big idea?!" he yelled. "Why did you lock me up in the closet?! And I'm gonna get you back for those things you said!"
"Too funny!!" Souji managed to say through his laughing. "You did an excellent job on the "transformation"!!"
"Thank you." Susumu bowed.
Meanwhile Tatsunosuke was walking around the market place with Din walking beside him. Things had become stronger between them; they were always going out to get food together, and always talking before lights out. They had also began to talk about personal things in their lives but Tatsunosuke had no idea about Hijikata and Din being together once, ten years ago, and she didn't want him to find out.
"So when are you going to meet Tetsu-kun?" Din asked as she picked up a small basket of apples.
"He should be here after Hirai-sama leaves," Tatsunosuke answered. "We're supposed to go and get something to eat together. Why?"
"Because that's when I'm going back to the Shinsengumi to train." Din grabbed basket of vegetables and placed them with the apples. "And I've got to make lunch for this afternoon before someone bites my head off."
They walked around together, laughing and talking for an hour until Tetsunosuke came running around the corner. Din then said goodbye to Tatsunosuke, and walked on home while saying goodbye to Tetsunosuke as well. Now together, the two Ichimura brothers walked over to a dumpling store and began eating.
"Am I really that bad?" Tetsunosuke asked his older brother after telling him what Hijikata had done. "Or am I just not cut out to be the vice commander's page?"
"Not today at least," Tatsunosuke answered back, taking a drink from his cup he had bought.
"We'll see…I feel like he's starting to show the nasty side of becoming an adult." Tetsunosuke popped a dumpling into his mouth.
Tatsunosuke sighed. "Don't say that Tetsu-kun. When a man gets over thirty, he can have two different sides to him."
"What about a woman?" Tetsunosuke teased. "Din-chan doesn't have two different sides does she?"
"No." Tatsunosuke shook his head back and forth. "Well not that I've noticed. Regardless, you've seem to have grown a lot in a couple different ways. You know since then."
The two became quiet. Tetsunosuke looked over towards his brother to see him looking off into a crowd as he pushed a dumpling into his mouth.
"Tatsu-nii? Are you still mad?"
"Dunno." Tatsunosuke stood up. "Nature calls. I'll be right back."
Tetsunosuke sighed as his brother walked away. He's still angry. He thought after his sigh.
Din was in the kitchen, delivering the food she had just made to the higher-ranking people such as Hijikata and Kondo. She had no idea where the Ichimura brothers were but she figured that they would be back for lunch later. Carrying everything on a tray, she walked into Hijikata's room and set it down.
"There." She sighed. "Everyone's fed."
"I have something to tell you." Hijikata crossed his arms, telling her to sit so she did so. "The room in the next to Kondo-kun's has been cleared out and I want you to move in there tonight."
"What about Souji-kun?" Din blinked. "I don't want to leave him alone after all of his time."
Hijikata closed his eyes. "Souji-kun is starting to get sick and I don't need you getting sick as well."
Din sighed heavily. "I guess you're right. It might be nice to have my own room again."
She reached down in front of her and began eating the food she had just cooked. Hijikata watched her eat for a moment, and then began eating himself; happy to taste the thing she always used to make him ten years ago.
"Nagakura-kun, Heisuke-kun, and Kondo-kun have all gone to talk to Ito-sama," Hijikata said. "I don't know when they'll be back."
"Ito-sama?" Din raised her right eyebrow. "I've never heard of him."
"I'm not looking forward to him coming." Hijikata took another bite of his food and swallowed. "But we'll need him."
"I think we're fine the way we are." Din took in a deep breath. "But you're the tactician."
Tetsunosuke's day had been beyond weird. He had met a young, dark man he had never seen before and another member of the Shinsengumi had arrived, a young man by the name of Saitou. The two men seemed to know something about him, Saitou telling him that Suzu was still alive and well, and the darker man having a weapon he had never seen before. Thinking that everything was happening too fast for him, he ran down to Shimabara to take his mind off of things.
Hijikata, on the other hand, decided to train himself in secret when Yamanami walked into the room and began to watch him.
"You haven't changed a bit," Yamanami said as he watched Hijikata train. "You still train in secret."
"You haven't changed either. You still come to watch me train in secret," Hijikata answered back. "You're just as bad as Din."
"Was she just in here?" Yamanami raised his right eyebrow. "I was looking for her earlier." He laughed. "But I guess you're right. I'm sorry."
Hijikata moved his sword down once more while Yamanami lowered his head. This was it; he had to talk to Hijikata about what was on his mind now.
"I'm sorry," he said once more; Hijikata looked towards him. "For some reason ever since I've been here I've been constantly going against your opinion. I wonder why? It was never like that before."
Hijikata moved his sword down once more. "I don't have time to sit around thinking about the past."
Figuring Hijikata was right to move on, he did it also. "I heard that Ogura Ito will be joining us."
"He practices the Hokushin Itto style like you, but that's all Todo-kun has told me." Hijikata moved his sword down again. "I don't think I'm gonna get along with him at all sorry. But I have a feeling I'm going to have you deal with him."
Yamanami looked up from the floor. "About that…would you please demote me to the accounting division?"
Hijikata's eyes widened as his listened to Yamanami talk.
"As you know I'm very good with an abacus," Yamanami continued.
"I have no reason to." Hijikata swung once more. "No good reason."
Yamanami reached down and grabbed his sword handle. "My sword isn't good anymore. The blood that got on it when I killed Kamo-sama a year ago has completely rusted it. It's…no good anymore."
"That's a pathetic excuse." Hijikata moved his sword upwards. "You're not the only one who killed Kamo-sama. Me, Souji-kun, and Kondo-kun did too but our swords aren't rusted."
"I…" Yamanami's hand began to shake. "I could never be like you and I don't want to be."
Hijikata stopped moving and smiled as sweat slipped off of his face. "Ah you don't say. So you're sword's completely dull, huh?"
Yamanami's eyes widened as he grabbed the handle of his sword and began to pull it out just a bit to prove to himself that he could.
"Then draw it," Hijikata hissed. "What's wrong? Draw it. It's not really rusted at all is it? It can still cut. Can't it?"
He couldn't take it anymore. He hated how Hijikata had to be right about everything, and push everyone around. He grabbed his sword off of his hip, held it above his head, and slammed it down on the floor.
"You!!" Yamanami yelled. "You think you can manipulate me however you want!? It makes me sick! If I didn't do what you want, you'd kill me! And if I got in your way, you'd kill me! Do you think you can play games with a person's life? I…I am NOT your pawn!!"
Yamanami turned away from Hijikata and stormed out of the room, leaving his sword on the floor. Hijikata watched the other man walk away, and then picked up the sword off of the floor.
"That was dramatic."
He looked back up to see Din standing in the doorway with sweat dripping down her face. She was in her black training outfit and fanned herself as she walked into the room.
"I wonder what's caused him to think that?" Din thought out loud.
"I don't know." Hijikata looked away. "He said he was looking for you."
Din sighed. "I'll go talk to him."
Yamanami walked down the wooden flooring, thinking about what he had just done over and over again until he noticed that he had slammed into someone.
"Ow!"
He looked forward and saw Tatsunosuke sitting on the floor, holding his head, and the papers he had been carrying all over the floor.
"S-Sorry Tatsu-kun." Yamanami began to pick up the papers.
"It's okay Yamanami-sama," Tatsunosuke replied as the other man handed him a paper. "Thank you."
He handed the dark red head another paper. "Sorry."
Yamanami then stood up and walked away with his head down, and without saying another word. Tatsunosuke watched him walk away but was suddenly hit with a stomach cramp.
"Hey mister you dropped a book!"
Tatsunosuke looked over to his right and saw a hand reaching up and holding a book he had dropped. "Oh thanks!"
He reached over to grab the book to see black hairs with a bump in the middle of it. Not knowing what or who the person was, he stood up and began to run away when the person grabbed his kimono.
"Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! You dropped a BOOK on my head, man! Don't you owe me an apology or somethin'?" the man said.
"Your head?" Tatsunosuke asked.
"What else does it look like?"
Tatsunosuke turned around and looked. "Hey you're…that strange—"
"Mysterious nice man!"
"You mean 'nice guy'," Tatsunosuke corrected.
"Yeah you can say that too," the man said, popping up and grinning at the dark red head. "So you know English man?"
"Yeah…anyway, what are you doing here?"
"What?" The man stood up and dusted himself off. "I came to see you of course! Sorry but I followed you here. I really wasn't expectin' you to lead me right to the Shinsengumi quarters. But the minute I saw you, I could tell." He grinned. "You're the Peacemaker's son aren't you?"
Tatsunosuke sat down and glared towards the strange man. He hadn't really seen him when he had met him before when Tetsunosuke had run off after him. He had no idea who he was but he figured he'd sit down and listen to what he had to say.
"It's amazin'! The more I look at ya, the more ya look like 'em. All you need is a beard and you'd look exactly like him! He's pretty well known in the underworld so I bet that face of yours has gotten ya into a lot of trouble. Hasn't it?"
The dark red head thought of how his face had gotten Tetsunosuke involved with Suzu and that strange man they saw and how it looked like the man who killed their parents. His face had gotten them in trouble.
"I don't know who you are but…my parents died two years ago. You have nothing to do with me and my brother so leave us alone." Tatsunosuke lowered his head as he spoke.
"Relax man. I'm not like those guys that tried to kill your brother," the strange man said, reaching back to grab his hat. "In fact," he kneeled down, "it's just the opposite. Tatsunosuke, and Tetsunosuke Ichimura, you're different from everyone else here. Come with me! Together we'll clean up Japan!"
Tatsunosuke shuttered. This man…I can't let him meet Tetsu-kun. He thought.
"Please leave." Tatsunosuke stood up. "I don't care what happens to the Shougunate, to Japan, or even the world."
The sound of light footsteps caught the strange man's ears causing him to look to the right corner of Tatsunosuke and there he saw Din running towards the spot where the two stood. She was looking around back and forth until she spotted the man.
"Ryoma?" she asked, stopping in her tracks, next to Tatsunosuke.
"Din?" he asked, blinking. He stood up and looked back towards the woman.
"RYOMA!" she yelled happily.
She ran as fast as she could to him, and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He laughed loudly and wrapped his arms around and began to spin her around as they both began laughing.
"Ryoma!!" Din said as she laughed. "You're back! You're back!! You said you wouldn't be back for two years!!"
"Yeah I know! My trip ended early!" He grinned and stopped spinning. "What are you doin' in a place like this?"
Din moved her nose next to his. "I'll explain it to you later! But right now I've got to go do something, I'll meet you tonight at the docks."
What's Din-chan doing? Tatsunosuke thought as he watched the two. Does she know him?
"I'll see you then." He grinned.
Din hopped off of Ryoma, and took off down the way she had gone before without saying anything to Tatsunosuke. He looked away, figuring that something had happened that he couldn't or didn't understand. Suddenly the noise of someone coughing caught their attention.
Ryoma turned away. "Listen, don't say anything about me alright?"
"Huh?" Tatsunosuke blinked. "Okay."
Souji stepped up to where Tatsunosuke stood, coughing a bit. "Hi Tatsu-kun!" he said happily.
"Okita-san! You finished your patrol?" Tatsunosuke asked. "Thanks a lot."
"Thanks for sorting those papers but it's funny seeing you here, Ryoma!"
Tatsunosuke looked towards the bush where Ryoma had disappeared to and saw that his hair was sticking out of the bush. Seeing that he had been caught, he popped out of the bush.
"Okie-chan! Long time no see! You're still as cute as ever!" Ryoma yelled.
"Ahaha! And I still have no idea what you're saying!" Souji laughed.
Is he a friend of Okita-san's as well? Tatsunosuke thought as he watched.
Suddenly the two drew their weapons and headed for one another. Ryoma guarded himself with his gun while Souji pressed down on him with his sword. Knowing that his gun couldn't keep up with Souji's strength, Ryoma hopped away from him.
"You haven't really changed. You always did have a rough way of saying hello," Ryoma said, moving his hand to get rid of the pain.
"Unfortunately I'm on duty now, and I can not let you get away." Souji moved his fingers to his mouth and blew.
His whistle caught the attention of all of the men around him and they all came to help him. The men surrounded Ryoma as he stood in the middle and grinned at them all.
"You're a wanted man Ryoma-san, so why'd you come to Shinsengumi Quarters? Did you find another person you want to scout?" Souji asked.
"Of course!" Ryoma grinned, moving his thumb back towards Tatsunosuke. "I'm still trying to scout you too! But there are three more people I'd like to have around. This place is a goldmine of useful talent."
"You think so? That's great! Well then Ryoma-san, feel free to take a nice long look from jail!"
Ryoma moved his gun towards the men. "Not thank you!!"
He fired his gun, causing three men to fall to the floor in pain. Now seeing his opening, he jumped upwards, grabbing a tree branch, and pulled himself up onto the wall behind him.
"I'll have to say goodbye for today but I'll be back! Dragon boy, say hello to Iron boy for me!" Ryoma yelled. "I'm Japanese! My name is Ryoma Sakamoto! The guy who's going to be the Peacemaker of Japan! But I really want to the Peacemaker of the world too!"
With that, Ryoma jumped over the wall, leaving Tatsunosuke behind to look up towards the wall and wonder what had just happened in front of his eyes. Little did he know that now, his relationship with Din was going to take a long, harsh turn.
R&R please!