Chapter 4: Playing Dress Up

It's been hours and I still can't it put on. Why didn't they make this a little simpler? Akira looked down at her kimono. She may have never seen one before in her era but she saw plenty of women as she was running away in this one. She knows, for a fact, that kimonos didn't look like hers. Her kimono's sleeves ended on her elbows, the rest dangling awkwardly. Her neck line was down to the bottom of her breast looking like a huge shirt, the bottom of the kimono was crooked and longer than her body, and there were still two other sash looking things she didn't put on yet. She didn't even know where they went! At least I got the under garment and the socks right, she comforted herself.

At that moment, she wished she had learned more about her father's culture. She had already put her bed away and tied up her hair in hasty bun, her soft curls falling down the loose areas. She wished she was back home. She wanted to be in jeans and a t-shirt, and have a hair straightener to keep her hair in place. She didn't want to have to worry about being killed or an angry samurai captain. Saitou is probably going to be really mad.

The young man told her to come to his office early in the morning before he went off to patrol. She imagined that he already left to patrol, and was upset because she didn't show up. She truly didn't know much about Saitou, other that he was a very serious person dedicated to his job; so it was easy to imagine he would come to lecture her later. She sat down on the floor, giving up. Maybe I should get to the translation. What were the words again gu-ra-di-o…?

Deep in thought, she didn't hear the door open behind her.

"It's quite brave of you to disobey orders," said a cold voice.

Akira quickly turned her head to see behind her. The young samurai in question watched her with an extra cruelty in his eyes. She quickly turned away upon seeing his eyes. Fear consumed her. She searched for her words, but when she found them, they all stayed in her throat. The menacing man's eyes were piercing her from behind.

"I couldn't put on my kimono," her voice was a soft whisper, barely managing to make the words leave her lips. Her shoulders began to tremble, waiting for the man's judgment.

He examined her shaking body. She's frightened. That's to be expected. Her kimono was indeed put on incorrectly. She looked like a child trying to dress herself to show off to her parents. Except her parents weren't here and he found it less than amusing that the woman claimed she couldn't put it on.

"If that's the case how did you manage to dress yourself before?" His voice was more chilling than before. Even he knew that. He waited for the girl to apologize and get dressed on her own after she recognized her own child-like behavior. She turned to him again. Her eyes showed the same hint of sadness they did yesterday. Saitou got lost in her eyes; they were magnificent. Magnificent in the sense of acceptance. She did not defy his logic, nor did she apologize for her own behavior. She simply accepted the way things were.

She let her gazed drop and her voice echoed softly, "this world gave me this kimono. To be honest I have never seen a kimono before I even came here."

"You still insist on that?" Saitou was beginning to question her sanity. She was not lying, but perhaps she lived in the lie, therefore she thought the lie to be true, and that is why she showed sincerity in her eyes.

With all the bravery she could build, she returned her gaze to his eyes. They were cold and scary, but Saitou never questioned her when she looked into them. In fact, he seemed to accept her explanations the more she looked.

Again Saitou saw that her eyes weren't lying. He asked her to stand, so she did. She walked to his direction and stood in front of him. He examined the way she put on her kimono again. She really is a child, yet he was slightly disappointed to find that her undergarment was put on correctly. He blew the thought away. I am a man after all.

His hands untied the first sash, keeping it technical. It was a little more difficult to hide his amusement on how she put on her sleeves. Even a child could put on their sleeves right. He guided each of her arms out of the sleeves; the kimono falling behind her. He went behind her and picked up the kimono.

"Spread your arms," he commanded, and she spread her arms.

He put slid the sleeves on each of her arms. She was about to commit the same mistake she did before until Saitou stopped her. "You don't put your arm in the first hole of the kimono," his deep velvet voice whispered into her ear. The girl removed her arm from there and slid it until the end of the sleeve thinking how curious it was that he was helping her get dressed.

He then turned her so would be facing him again. Her thoughts began to wonder again why he was helping her. She did not ask for the help, she was merely stating what she could not do.

He slid hands on her thin waist and pulled the sides of each kimono towards him, making sure the edges matched. He then swiftly placed the right side of the kimono on waist, and slid the left side up her abdomen on her left waist. "Hold it." She held the fold. It was so graceful; she didn't notice the once long kimono was now a bit below her ankles.

He grabbed the first sash. His body was close to hers as he tightly wrapped the first sash around her body twice. He could smell the sweet aroma of her body and feel his hands slide along the outline of her waist. He tied the sash tightly and tucked the loose ends on the inside of the sash.

Next he arranged the loose top part of the kimono. He entered his hands on the side holes of the kimono using his hands to smooth out the front and back. When arranging her back, he could not help as to put her in his embrace as he did. Akira blushed lightly. She had never been held by a man before. His arms were strong and firm. And rigid. She noticed that Saitou was tense, most likely uncomfortable he was dressing a woman.

"What's wrong?" she asked hoping he wouldn't answer.

Saitou immediately avoided her eyes when she looked up at him. "Lift your arms again," he told her ignoring her question.

She raised her arms more hesitantly this time. He assumed she felt the tension in his body, as he was doing what he had never done before - dressing a woman. He had undressed several, but not dressed them.

Saitou placed the sash on her upper back. He kept it there for a moment, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he began to wrap the sash right below her breasts. Akira's eyes widened as she realized Saitou's uneasiness. Her cheeks turned a pink color as he finished right on the center. He tied the sash and again hid the left over cloth under the sash.

He continued to smooth out the back and the sides of the kimono. As his hands were correcting the sides, his hand accidentally touched her breast. He turned a light pink color while she turned crimson. "I apologize" he said.

He quickly put on her obi, the last decoration of the kimono, avoiding as much physical contact as possible. The tension in the air was heavy. She thanked Saitou shyly. He brushed it off, "don't let it happen again."

She nodded her head, relaxing now that he returned to the part of himself that she knew.

They went into his office, ready to discuss the rules and expectations the Shinsengumi had for her during her stay.

Author's Note:

I apologize for the last chapter if it seemed kinda crappy. I was half asleep when I wrote it and before I knew I had posted it. Lesson learned - don't touch laptop when I wake up from naps XD. Anyways, I worked really hard on the first half of the chapter, and the second part...well I got too technical and I felt like I lost my inspertation. It's still kind of slow right now But I promise to pick up the chapters. Please review, I love critics :D