Hello again, dear readers! I like this chapter a lot, hope you'll enjoy it too.

Thanks to ImpracticalDemon for beta reading!

Chapter VII. Neighbourhood.

They tended to have a very late dinner. The dinner tended to evolve into a long talk, watching movies or even jam sessions. Their neighbours undoubtedly adored these displays of wild energy late in the evening. The local policeman knew Shinpachi's face, but somehow Shinpachi managed to avoid serious trouble. Nobody remembers the details now, but maybe the policeman had a soft spot for rock or even industrial. Let's pay tribute to his indulgence.

That evening, however, they were too tired to mess around.

"What d'ya think, guys, does Chizuru-chan have a boyfriend?" Heisuke asked musingly, poking his rice with chopsticks.

"Dumbo, what sort of boyfriend would let his girl hang out with us?" Shinpachi smiled. "She practically spends all of her time with the band."

Sano nodded. "She doesn't look like she has a partner, gossiper-kun." At that moment he felt a vibration in his pocket. Here she is, he thought, taking out his phone and leaving the room. The conversation didn't last long.

"I'd say she may have one by the end of this year," mumbled Sano returning.

"What?" Heisuke goggled his eyes.

"Oh, Heisuke, don't listen to me, just hoaxing." Sano smiled. "I have some urgent business now. Take care." He took his car keys and left.

...

Chizuru's heart was racing. Phone calls always made her feel uncomfortable.

"Hello?"

"Mm, good evening, Harada-san. Sorry for the late call." She was anxiously walking about the room.

"Hi, Chizuru-chan, never mind. Those two will never let me go to bed before midnight." She heard Heisuke-kun and Shinpachi-san being extremely noisy in the background.

"Harada-san, could you do me a favor? Would it be too much trouble for you to pick me up and drive to the headquarters now? Mmm… Can I stay there for some time? I've already packed my belongings."

"Sure thing... but are you okay?" he asked anxiously. "Did anything happen? What's this all of a sudden?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Can explain it to you later. I made up my mind a while ago, it's not spontaneous." The words followed one another as she was worried that Harada-san would not understand.

"Okay... Do you live near the Marketplace? I guess I'll pick you up in twenty minutes. The roads are empty now. Text me your address. See you." To her relief he agreed immediately. She thanked him and hung up. What a gentle person Harada-san is.

Chizuru didn't know why she hesitated to ask Okita to help her with her move. After all he also had a car. She was afraid of his possible disapproval or whatever reaction he would come up with. He had that intimidating vibe around him and Chizuru felt like she was disturbing his privacy. Although she certainly had every right to live in the headquarters as a band member. It was not Okita's private property or anything. Thus she decided to team up with Harada-san and rely on his support.

…

While planning her escape, Chizuru had worked out a semblance of agreement with her parents. She had built a line of defence by focusing their attention on her need for a suitable place for rehearsals and maintaining the classical music practice. Of course, she avoided to mention the particular location of that suitable place. The family disagreement was rapidly getting out of hand and Chizuru decided that separation would do them good.

Her luggage consisted of a suitcase with clothes, electronics and cosmetics, two violins, an amplifier and two large trash bags, filled with remaining shoes and clothes. She also took some memorable trinkets and books. Leaving her usual surroundings was hard, but Chizuru was determined to get away.

Harada-san arrived on time. He packed her stuff into the car and they left for the headquarters.

"So, Chizuru-chan, what happened?" he asked immediately. "Surely it must be something rough for you to prefer living with Souji. I didn't call him. Wanna see his face, when we come up out of blue." A faint smile curved his lips. Poor Okita.

"Well, Harada-san, I'm not going to live with Okita-san." Chizuru frowned. "Besides, I heard he often sleeps out." She didn't expect that sort of question to appear so soon.

"Yep, he does. By the way, you can call me Sanosuke or Sano. Enough with this Harada-san thing. Oh, sh-shit! Where did he come from?!" He braked hard to avoid the pedestrian who'd jumped into the road out of nowhere. "That jerk… Sorry, Chizuru-chan. The suicide volunteers are especially active at night."

"Oh, please don't mind me." It was unusual to see Harada… Sano-san lose his cool composure. "So… I've been having a hard time with my family for several weeks now. They saw some live clips and they completely disapprove of me playing with the underground band. They think I'll ruin my future. Oh, it's such a shame!" Chizuru buried her face in her hands. It was extremely uncomfortable for her to cause trouble while she was still a newbie.

"Sorry to hear that," Sano-san said slowly. "I'm sure they just want you to be happy, wealthy and all that. I can imagine how the whole thing must look to an outsider. A bunch of freaks is not the best frame for a girl like you." He smirked. "We are already used to such attitudes, some even look forward to it, but you haven't confronted that shit yet. And the worst thing is to deal with your own family. I get it…" He fell silent. "Are you sure this was the best way out? To quit home and move to the base?"

"Well, if I had enough money to rent a decent room, I would have moved much earlier," answered Chizuru. "Not only because of this conflict. We'll settle it somehow. It's very inconvenient to practise with everyone around. Besides, every multi-apartment building has a pair of sensitive neighbours... You know, in orchestra times I spent a lot of time at our base in the Harbour district. Practically my second home. I'm sure it will be more convenient to live in the headquarters. Will anyone mind my presence there, do you think?" She was very nervous about the band's reaction. Okita and Hijikata-san worried her the most.

"Chizuru-chan, relax. You're one of us now, and we'll help you out. I'm sure Heisuke and Shinpachi won't be very happy to leave you in Souji's custody. So you should expect some regular guests." Sano-san smiled. Chizuru burst into laughter of relief.

The small peaceful quarters of Marketplace and Pine Park changed into the wide streets of the Workmen district. Then the car dived into the hectic grid of the Slums' streets. The houses here were motley and eclectic. Vernacular architecture, she recollected the term. Some streets basked in the electric lights, others were gloomy and dark. Chizuru felt goosebumps on her arms just by looking at them. It was pretty late already, but the illuminated streets looked rather lively.

"I still doubt Hijikata-san's decision to set our new base here," Sano-san mumbled, turning to the western part of the district. "I know his reasons, but… Please, take care of yourself and try not to leave the base without Souji, especially after sunset."

"Is it that dangerous?" Chizuru asked, her eyes widening. That thought had never crossed her mind before. Meanwhile, the Western Slums looked more deserted and dilapidated than ever. Black holes of broken windows flickered in the twilight.

"I'm not sure. Souji says the danger of the Slums is being purposely exaggerated by the local authorities but you shouldn't let your guard down anyway. Especially since you are going to live in the western part. In fact, some people will say you've gone nuts like Souji to willingly live here. Hmm… Oh, here's our base." Sano-san turned into the dark yard.

The alleyway was desolate and dark, the mansion gates were open. Chizuru noticed Okita's car parked in the shed some distance away. One first-floor window was glowing in the dark. Chizuru's spirits were not at their heights; her self-doubt started again. She got out of the car, breathing the cold night air.

"Chizuru-chan, please, go get Souji. I cannot let you stay here alone." Sano-san gave her a hesitant smile. Chizuru nodded and proceeded to the mansion. She opened the door with her key and entered the hall. Okita was sitting in the kitchen with a laptop and headphones on, dressed in old jeans and a shirt with rolled up sleeves. She knocked the wall to get his attention. Okita's eyes widened and he blinked in surprise. A second later his lips formed a lopsided smile.

"My my, if it isn't Chizuru-chan visiting me again. Welcome to Western Mordor." He approached her with widespread arms.

"Glad to see you too, Okita-san." She returned his wry smile. "Sorry for the late visit, but could you please follow me? Sano-san is waiting outside." She restrained herself from more detailed apologies.

"Oh, so Sano-san is here too," he muttered. He put on his jacket in the hall and they went outside.

"Evening, Souji!" Sano-san raised a hand. He couldn't help but smile at Okita's complicated expression. "We have a special occasion here. You see, Chizuru-chan is going to be your neighbor for some time." Sano-san couldn't have put it better, in Chizuru's opinion. "I hope you'll look for some more appropriate accommodation at least," he added, turning his face to her.

"Not sure yet, although some Slum-scapes are a great motivation. Please, bear with me, Okita-san." Chizuru bowed.

"Hmm. You'll see that I'm not the worst thing about this house. You shouldn't ask me to bear." He smiled nonchalantly. "So you got me here to help with Chizuru-chan's luggage, right?"

"Yup," said Sano-san opening the car's trunk. "It's not much though."

Together they took her belongings to the second floor. There were three small bedrooms and a bathroom. The lights in the hall were dim.

"This is a guest room, this room is mine and that one, I guess, is yours," Okita pointed at the room opposite to his.

He put the suitcase into her room and turned a worried face to them.

"You'd better sleep in my room tonight. Pick up your jaws." He snickered. "I bet that you don't want the company of… insects. You can make that trash more suitable for life tomorrow."

"Oh, listen to him, Chizuru-chan!" Sano-san rolled his eyes.

"Come on, be a good girl. You don't get such generous proposal every day."

"Alright, thank you, Okita-san! Are you okay with that?" Chizuru couldn't bring herself to ask for details, although she suspected cockroaches were the mysterious insects.

"Don't worry about me," he smiled.

"Well, I'll drop by to check up on you tomorrow. And we have a rehearsal soon. You'll have time to settle things. See you!" Chizuru thanked Sano-san and he departed, leaving them alone.

"I'll bring you a futon." His face grew serious as if the mask had vanished from it. Chizuru nodded. "Hijikata-san's made a warehouse out of the guest room. In case of siege perhaps."

She waited for him in the hall, unsure what to do. Does he mind my presence? She had a sudden insight into Sano-san's words about peoplesaying she's gone nuts like Souji to willingly live here. It felt like there was a solid line was drawn between the two of them and the sane world.

Okita returned with a futon and invited her into his room. The lights there were dim as well but she could see how bare his environment was.

"Make yourself at home." He rolled his own bed into a bundle, took it and proceeded to the exit. "Fear not, you'll get used to it. This place sure has its benefits too. If rats don't show up. Sleep well, we can talk tomorrow." He grinned and left. She heard him settling a bed in the other room. He was very nice after all, trying to comfort her in his odd manner. Definitely, he must be joking about rats!

Chizuru visited the bathroom, which was very worn out, but had traces of Okita's attempts to arrange it. Then she returned to his room. It was a narrow box with one window and walls freshly painted in violet. A cool yet warm color. Some boards of the old wooden floor were creaking. The furnishings consisted of her own futon, one of Okita's synths (another one stood in the rehearsal room), his suitcase, a low table and a hanger with his winter outerwear. There was also a small reading lamp on the floor with a number of books and notepads nearby. She bent down to take a look. There was a shabby paperback of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", Robert Heinlein's "Orphans of the Sky" and three notepads with traces of frequent usage. She added the titles to her mental profile of Okita, unsure how to interpret the information, and went to bed.

Chizuru was scared of the dark house, so she left the lamp on. This new home promised to be a serious challenge for her. The night tranquility was filled with noises of all sorts. She heard dogs barking, floorboards creaking by themselves, breezes blowing and unknown things rustling. The damn house itself was breathing. Soon the nervousness of the day took advantage of her and she fell asleep.

At three in the morning, an insomniac Okita saw a streak of light coming from his/her room and went in to check. The girl had fervently rolled herself into the blanket and curled up near his books. Messy strands of her long hair spread out on the blanket. Poor thing, he thought, and smiled. Okita knew the creaky floorboards perfectly, so he noiselessly turned off the lamp and left.

…

The next day Chizuru met Okita only at noon. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. Tea and a bowl of rice were his breakfast. It was a strange feeling to see him wandering so casually about the kitchen, with old 'home' jeans on and his hair down. Her presence didn't seem to embarrass him in the slightest. On her part, Chizuru felt a bit tense, excitement mixed with fear in her mind.

"You know, a kind person like Sano-san would say that your parents love you no matter what and all that jazz," declared Okita, looking out the window. "But don't expect that from me. Maybe you hurt their ego. Perhaps they brought you up to be a living monument to their achievements and you ended up screwing that." His smile was almost amused and not a fraction compassionate. "Everyone has the right to be selfish; I don't blame them. Not all parents love their children, after all. The world's not fair. You must always be on guard not to let it knock you down. So cheer up!" He finally shrugged.

That certainly wasn't a way to comfort her. Chizuru looked at him wondering what kind of life experience could influence him in such way.

"Thank you, Okita-san…" she mumbled nonetheless.

"You still can marry some very important guy to secure your social status so that they'll be happy," he added with a smirk. "Rich girls can break bad whenever they like."

"Precisely what I am doing right now," she retorted. Breaking bad. "You're so supportive." Why is he always like this? You never know if he's serious or not.

"Please, bear with me!" Okita smiled, raising his hands.

So their co-living and co-working began. In fact, Chizuru rarely encountered him at home, as he was often absent. Anyway, she felt embarrassed asking him about his whereabouts. He didn't owe her anything, right?

The house they inhabited turned out to be the real pain in the neck. It had problems with water supply, with insects, with old wooden windows that refused to open or to close and creaked horribly. In fact, almost everything in the house creaked horribly. Chizuru suspected that heating in winter would be a real disaster because the mansion had a coal boiler in the basement.

They say common troubles can bring people together and that started to happen in some way. Accustomed to safe and wealthy housing, Chizuru was afraid to sleep alone in the dark old mansion. Every evening they locked all the doors carefully and she proceeded to her room with the big old-school lantern that Okita fetched from some dumpsite. The lights in the hall and on the main stairs were awfully dim, but no one cared to replace them. Chizuru often stayed up until very late waiting for her eyes to close by themselves. Okita once found her sitting with the lantern on the dark staircase afraid to walk to the kitchen for a glass of water. He led her there by the hand and forced her to sleep in his presence. He was teasing as always but never hesitated to help her. Chizuru's fears seemed to amuse him in some way. However, he often slept out so she had to cope with her fears alone.

Chizuru faced a complete lack of useful things like comfortable clothes, warm blankets or kitchen utensils. She spent some of her savings to organize her everyday life. It was her very first time creating her own household, no matter how brutal it was.

Occasional phone calls with her parents added fuel to the fire. Since Chizuru was already twenty one, she had every right to live by herself and her parents didn't oppose it. The real problem was her occupation. For the time being they settled on discreet neutrality.

…

The first feedback the band got after the R-club show was acceptable. Hijikata-san considered it brilliant; Okita thought it was better than expected. In fact, the majority of their fans were involved in constant debates about the new member. Chizuru found social media feeds overflowing with her blurred photos. She received tons of friend requests and some new job offers. The hype started to overflow the boundaries of the local underground.

…

"Hajime-kun, don't you think Chizuru-chan looks down?" Souji asked his friend when the rehearsal room was finally empty. They had stayed behind after the evening rehearsal to collect their stuff.

"I guess moving out has not been easy for her," answered the muffled voice from the corner. "I cannot understand it since I have lived on my own for a long while, but it may be tough for her."

"Oh, I see. Her folks seem to misjudge us for some criminals or something." Souji frowned. "Bastards call her every evening telling her annoying shit. Then her cousin calls her telling more crap..."

"Souji. Don't be so rough." Hajime turned to him, his tone slightly reproachful. "That is none of our business. Although we can try to cheer Yukimura up. It will be no good if she starts to slow the work down due to her personal matters."

"Reasonable as always, huh? What could we do?... Hmm." Souji's face lightened in an instant. The devilish expression Hijikata-san disliked the most appeared on his face. Not for nothing was Hijikata-san so cautious.

…

"Okita-san, what are you reading? The rehearsal is about to start!" Chizuru found him chuckling over some notebook in his room. Her worries were a little exaggerated because only Hijikata-san had come on time. He was examining his records in the basement.

"Take a look here, Chizuru-chan. The guys are late anyway." He tapped the floor beside him and offered her the notebook. The strands of her hair brushed his shoulder as she dropped at his side.

Chizuru looked over the page and snickered.

"Wh-what is it?

Even though it's spring

I feel cold sleeping in this old shack

and I see the moon."

They burst into laughter. "Ridiculous! Who's that? Hogyoku. Is that your pen-name, Okita-san?"

"It's a secret. Just read." He smiled, enjoying the moment. Making Chizuru-chan laugh at Hogyoku's expense is priceless.

"The sun rises.

Inevitable as always.

I wonder, why? P-ha-ha. Definitely, why does it rise?"

That moment they heard a roar from below.

"SO-OUJI!"

"Seems that Hogyoku'sdiscovered the loss. Keep it to yourself for now." Okita winked at her and disappeared from the room.

"W-wait, Okita-san! Damnit!" Chizuru ran to the first floor hiding the notebook under her sweatshirt.

Chaotic noise from the backstairs reached her ears. She stumbled into Shinpachi-san, Sano-san and Heisuke-kun entering the main hall. Hijikata-san was nowhere to be seen.

"Did Hijikata-san start being a sporty-boy? Way to go!" Shinpachi-san said with wide eyes.

"Nope, he's just chasing Okita-san." Chizuru drew out the notebook. "For this." She waved in the direction of the kitchen and the pack quietly followed her. Soon the room rocked with laughter. Saitou-san came in blinking in surprise.

"Hajime-kun, take a look here!" Heisuke-kun called him.

"So our poet-in-chief has not gotten rid of his early verses," noted Saitou-san, looking through the pages with a stiff expression. The corners of his lips, however, were trembling.

"Bastards!" gasped Hijikata-san, appearing in the kitchen. "Give the fucking book over." Tousled hair and mad eyes made him look really intimidating. The smiles withered.

"You are welcome, Hijikata-san," Saitou-san handed him the book.

"Thanks." He nodded shortly and headed to the basement.

"Buddy, you're no fun," said Shinpachi-san. Saitou-san spared him a stern glance.

"Did you get rid of your teen poetry, Sano?" Shinpachi-san asked his friend with a sly smile.

"Burnt it all when I turned eighteen," Sano-san answered quickly.

"My my, I didn't expect you to be that stealthy." A smiling Okita squeezed into the kitchen looking at Chizuru. "Good job."

"Looks like there's the second Souji here," said Heisuke-kun, rolling his eyes. "We can hardly handle the first one."

"Let's go comfort Hijikata-san." Sano-san returned to the hall. "That was hilarious, but never do it again. Who's gonna do the dirty work if Hijikata-san has a heart attack?"

The pack spent quite a time reassuring Hijikata-san and making the vows of obedient behavior. He eventually surrendered and sentenced them to extra work. That was a perfect moment to establish some of Serizawa-san's recommendations, but Hijikata-san had mercy.

…

"Chizuru-chan, let's go!" Heisuke-kun called to her. "We can drive you home."

Everyone had gathered in the hall. Sano-san was observing the ceiling. He didn't tell them, thought Chizuru. She imagined their faces when they found out the truth and…

"Mm, you see, Heisuke-kun, I live here now..." she started. They instantly made that particular face.

"Wow! Did Souji blackmail you?" The rascals started chuckling. "He has some dirt on you, huh?" Even Saitou-san cracked a smile.

"Oh, come on, guys!" she protested meekly. Okita's hand grabbed her shoulder. He leaned forward to face the men.

"Keep calm and don't get jealous, pals. You couldn't expect me to live in this hole alone!" Okita smirked. Sano-san sighed.

The exchange of sarcastic words continued for a bit. Finally, everyone left and Okita turned to her. His smirk faded.

"What's with that face?" he asked. "Well, maybe it was a little much. But I bet you don't want to lecture them on your family problems. Smile and joke back, they'll get used to it."

"Okay, but... Anyway, I don't need any excuses to live here with you." Oh, really? "How did you escape Hijikata-san?" She changed the topic.

Okita looked up, a smirk curving his lips again. "I drew his attention to the back stairs and then quietly hid in your room." He glanced at her, as if asking 'How's that?'

Chizuru chortled to hide her confusion. Her room contained clotheslines stretched between the opposite walls, no furniture and the occasional mess. "Probably the last place for Hijikata-san to check. You're never dull."

"You've already occupied my room once, it was my turn today."

"Indeed. By the way, it's supper time. Wanna eat?"

"Thank you, I'll pass. Good night." He headed upstairs.

Chizuru heard the click of the door being shut and went to the kitchen. It wouldn't be bad to have a close friend, she mused. A confidante who could listen to her and give some advice. She couldn't decipher Okita's demeanor, not in the slightest. The sounds of synth from the second floor reached her ears.

...

Outro: Thanks for the signs of your attention, it's really motivating. Thanks to Shadow Cage for the review! I appreciate that you find time to write me these kind words.

...

As you could notice this chapter contains a tribute to the infamous episode about Souji stealing Hijikata-san's poetry book. It is presented in some Hakuouki Drama CD. I find it brilliant but I like it even more in Peacemaker Kurogane (15th episode). I advise you to pay attention to this series if you haven't noticed it before. I laugh every time I watch this episode, it's really adorable. And the portrayal of Shinsengumi in Peacemaker Kurogane is so careful... I enjoy it a lot.