A/N: Hey all! I'm so, so sorry about the long wait for this chapter! I don't know what it was about this chapter, but it took me forever and a half to write. I would sit down to try and write it, and I'd get one sentence in and hit a road block. But... it's here now! And in this chapter we're following Chizuru rather than Keiko. So we'll see how that works out. Enjoy!
Chizuru awoke slowly, almost painfully. Her eyes still felt heavy and she was sore all over, despite having slept entirely through the night. She tried to groan and stretch out her sore limbs, only to realize that her mouth was gagged and her wrists bound. Her eyes widened, fear racing through her.
The previous night's events suddenly came rushing back to her, reminding her of how she had found herself in this situation at all. She had grown over-confident, thinking that her disguise as a boy was enough to keep her from harm. However, the city of Kyoto really was a dangerous place, filled with dangerous people.
Chizuru remembered the ronin trying to steal her precious family sword, then chasing her through the city streets under the moonlight. She had hidden from them, and then… Her eyes widened at the memory. Those… those monsters had attacked the ronin. Pure white hair, and eyes the shade of freshly spilt blood, with wide, hungry grins spread across their faces. They were wearing blue coats…
Chizuru could only just remember the men who saved her from those terrible creatures - three men from the Shinsengumi. The first, a tall, sarcastic man with reddish brown hair who, if she were honest, was actually kind of frightening in his own right. Second, a quiet man wearing a white scarf with purple-tinted hair, he was the one who had disposed of the monsters. And finally, a very handsome, stoic looking man with a long pony-tail. He seemed to be their leader, and it was after meeting him - and having his sword pointed at her face - that Chizuru finally was at her limit and lost consciousness.
Now, she found herself lying on a futon, her wrists bound a little too tightly behind her back and her mouth gagged.
Before she could begin to think of a way to escape, she heard the doors slide open behind her. She turned her head to the side and saw a middle-aged man with kind eyes. He looked down upon her with gentleness and pity, and when he saw the state she was in he hastily set about untying her.
"This is no way to treat a guest of ours, now is it?" He seemed to be talking to himself, seeing as she couldn't respond even if she wanted to. "Here. I'll loosen the ropes for you." He spoke gently, and Chizuru felt relieved that she could at least wake up to someone a little less scary. The man adjusted her wrists so that they were in front of her rather than behind her back, and finally, he took the cloth silencing her away from her mouth.
"My name in Inoue Genzaburo. If you would please follow me." He still spoke gently, still had that same kindness in his eyes, but Chizuru felt her blood run cold at the notion of following him anywhere. But, she had little choice in the matter.
As the man - Inoue - helped her up from her futon, he spoke about other men in the Shinsengumi. She presumed, the men who had found her last night. "They've been discussing what to do with you since morning. For now, they've decided to hear about what exactly you saw last night." As he said this, Chizuru could swear she saw something flicker in his eyes. Suspicion, perhaps.
She only nodded numbly, following Inoue obediently towards her fate. He must have picked up on her fear, perhaps it was the shaking of her hands or the quivering of her lips that gave it away. He turned to her abruptly, a warm smile on his face.
"I know they seem scary, but they are all very kind I can assure you. You don't need to worry." He tried to reassure her. She didn't feel very reassured.
"Oh…" She managed to force out. Her voice felt strained, her throat tightening around the sound as though she were being strangled. She swallowed, trying to suppress the anxiety building up within her, and continued following Inoue through the Shinsengumi compound. In an effort to help calm her nerves, Inoue began to tell her of all the captains of the Shinsengumi. She was barely able to pay attention, but she got the gist of what he was telling her.
After what seemed to Chizuru an eternity, the pair finally reached the common room. Inoue glanced at Chizuru for a moment before nodding slightly and opening the door.
There, Chizuru was met with the leaders of the Shinsengumi.
A heavy silence filled the air as she entered. All eyes were on her, scrutinizing and pointed like knives. She looked around the room at the men present, nervousness filling her gut and making her fidget furiously.
The frightening man she had met the night before, whom she remembered to have introduced himself as Okita Souji, was the first to break the silence. "Good morning. I take it you slept well?" Chizuru eyed this man suspiciously. Although his words were pleasant enough, his tone suggested otherwise. As though he were mocking her.
"Well, it wasn't particularly… comfortable." She said timidly. A mischievous smirk played on Okita's lips. "Is that so?" he said quietly, his smirk growing slightly. "Because when I went to have a look at you earlier, you didn't budge. No matter what I poked." Chizuru's eyes widened, and she gasped, but he didn't allow her the opportunity to speak yet.
"Yes, you were knocked out cold. You looked so snug and cozy in your sleep too."
"W-what?!" Chizuru exclaimed. She jerked backwards involuntarily, away from him. Her hands shot up to her chest, concealing herself unnecessarily. Suddenly she heard a frustrated sigh from beside Okita, and her eyes turned slightly to the left.
"He's only teasing you. Souji didn't go anywhere near your room." It was the quiet man with the scarf, Saito Hajime, who had spoken up. Chizuru let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, her hands falling limp onto her lap in relief. Okita looked as though he was going to say something else, when the third man she had met the night before spoke up.
"Shut it. You sound like a bunch of kids." He said, his voice firm and authoritative. She remembered him to have introduced himself as Hijikata Toshizo, the vice commander of the Shinsengumi. Upon his order, the other two fell silent, and all Chizuru could do was watch and wait.
"So, Hijikata-san, this is your witness?" She heard a young-sounding voice chime in from the opposite corner of the room. She turned her head, only to see three men sitting together. The one who spoke was a boy not much older than herself with a long, chestnut coloured ponytail. He had startling blue eyes, and despite himself he looked incredibly kind. When he looked at her it wasn't cold with suspicion, but with warmth and pity. "He's a real stick huh? Just a kid…"
"You're calling him a kid, Heisuke? That's rich." A louder, older man blurted out towards the boy. So the younger one was Toudou Heisuke then. She examined the older man, and the first thing she noticed was the scale of him. He was very large. He had messy, dark brown hair held out of his face with an intricate green headband. What stuck out to her the most was that, despite the lighthearted joke he had just made to his comrade, his eyes seemed… almost hollow. They looked as though they would have been a stunning shade of blue, if only they didn't look so sad. She assumed him to be Nagakura Shinpachi
She saw the man glance idly to something across the room, only for him to quickly avert his gaze and stare pointedly at a wall. She heard the third man - a very tall, handsome redhead who she assumed to be Harada Sanosuke - say something, but she was distracted by what she thought would have been the equivalent to an elephant standing idly in the middle of the room.
What the large man with sad eyes had been staring at almost longingly - a woman.
Chizuru thought back to what Inoue had told her, but she couldn't recall him saying anything about a woman amongst the Shinsengumi. She stood leaning against a post across the room, holding a large spear-like weapon against her chest. She wore strange clothing as well. She had pants and a tight black shirt, and flat shoes rather than sandals. Her long hair was tied gently into place around the ends, but otherwise was left alone. Everything about her was strange. And, Chizuru noticed, her eyes looked the same as the loud brunette's had been. Hollow and sad. And she was staring just as intently at the man as he had been her, just that she didn't bother to look away.
Chizuru idly wondered what could have happened between the two for them to have such an emptiness in their eyes.
Upon her inspection of this strange woman - and her bewilderment of why nobody else seemed to be surprised by her - Chizuru had missed the banter between the three men. They seemed to have finished, with Heisuke muttering something about 'old bastards', and now attentions were back onto her. Everyone in the room was now staring intently at her, their eyes full of suspicion and distrust.
"I apologize for all of this frightening behaviour." a tall man with round glasses and a kind smile spoke up, looking over at Chizuru with gentleness. "Please, don't let the men unsettle you."
"Oh…" She managed to force out. Despite the man's gentle appearance, she still felt the fear clutching at her throat, causing it to close without her consent.
"Are you serious? You're the scariest out of all of us, Sanan." Hijikata suddenly spoke up, his brows furrowed. Chizuru looked around the room to see the rest of the men nodding solemnly, and the lone woman staring towards Sanan with an untrusting gaze.
"Oh? I can understand their feelings, but for our demon of a commander to feel such as well…" The man called Sanan let out a dramatic sigh as he turned away from Hijikata. He had a look of fake dejection, and Hijikata smirked as he shook his head.
"You're lucky to have a friend like Sanan, Toshi." A large, friendly looking man spoke up. He was seated in between Hijikata and Sanan, and his position was such that everyone else in the room was facing him. Chizuru turned her attentions towards him, and a large grin spread across his face as he addressed her. "Oh, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself! I am Isami Kondou, Chief of the Shinsengumi!" Although this man - Kondou - was very loud and exuberant as he spoke, he sounded so gentle and kind. Unlike the rest, there was no animosity or distrust in his eyes. Not even pity. This man seemed genuinely kindhearted, and Chizuru hoped desperately that perhaps he would be kind enough to spare her.
"Uhm… When you say 'Chief'... Do you mean to say that you are the most important man in the Shinsengumi?" She asked hesitantly. Kondou chuckled in response.
"Well, I wouldn't call myself the most important. It's more accurate to say I represent everyone." He started, before turning his head towards Hijikata. "Toshi here is the commander, and Sanan is our colonel." Kondou seemed like more of a proud father than the leader of a feared military group. Hijikata cleared his throat loudly, gaining Kondou's attention.
"Uhm… Kondou-san? Why are you telling the kid all this?" Hijikata asked, his brows knit together to form a small wrinkle between his eyes. Kondou looked at him questioningly, his head tilting to the side in confusion.
"Why, do you think it's a bad idea?" He asked slowly. She heard Nagakura huff in mild annoyance. "I mean, unless you want the kid to know all of our secrets, maybe you should keep your mouth shut." He said incredulously.
"Exactly!" Heisuke butted in. "Why bother anyway? We don't owe him anything." Despite his words, Heisuke looked guilty. Chizuru gulped nonetheless. If the one who looked as though he would be kind wouldn't show any mercy, then perhaps she really was going to die in this place…
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Harada looked over at Kondou and let out a pleasant bark of laughter.
"We've already brought him here. It's not like telling him who we are will hurt us." He said with a gentle smile on his face. Kondou's spirits seemed to brighten at these words, and he turned his own kind smile towards Chizuru once again.
"Let's get back to business then. Can you give me a full report of last night?" Kondou asked, his gaze directed at Saito. Saito nodded, his brows furrowed as though he were in deep thought. He paused for a moment before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"Last night we were on patrol when we encountered some wandering ronin. They drew steel, so we fought." He began. "Some of our men subdued the ronin, but, in doing so, exposed their failure." Saito spoke the last sentence with strained precision. Chizuru could tell… He was choosing his words very carefully.
Then, he turned his cold gaze towards her.
"I didn't see anything." She blurted instantly, her fists clenched. Hijikata stared at her with a heated glare, and she could feel that everyone in the room was looking at her with similar expressions.
It was the strange woman standing in the far corner of the room who spoke up, her clear, chime-like voice breaking the uncomfortable silence. "If that were truly the case, you wouldn't be here right now." She said, her cold eyes narrowed. "Lying is not going to get you anywhere, dear."
Chizuru stared at her in disbelief. The way that she spoke was authoritative, although in a different manner than when Hijikata spoke. Her voice rang through Chizuru, and she felt almost bound by what the woman said. She gulped, staring at her hands.
"I- I was running away from the ronin." Chizuru started. "Th-then some people with Shinsengumi uniforms appeared… Really, they sort of saved me." She heard Nagakura sigh.
"So you saw them slicing up those ronin, right?" He said, his voice sounding strained. It was as though he was trying to keep his patience. It made Chizuru even more nervous.
"W-well, uhm…" She couldn't find the words to say. The strange woman's words were still ringing in her head, but her nerves were getting the better of her and, despite her best efforts, she seemed to be failing horribly at articulating herself.
"In other words, you actually saw everything. The whole ugly business." It was Harada who had put her unfortunate fate into words. Chizuru could only stare at her hands, balled into fists on her lap, and pray to any god who would listen that her life be spared.
Chizuru steeled herself, tightening her fists, and finally looked up to the leaders of the Shinsengumi. She did her best to wear a determined expression, despite the crippling anxiety she felt tearing her apart. "I… I won't tell anyone! I swear it!" She was grasping, desperately, at anything that might save her. She had heard the stories, back in Edo, of the ruthless Shinsengumi. Her mind was reeling, searching for a way out of this horrid predicament.
"It seems unlikely that you are an enemy, however, despite your good intentions, you could be taken for interrogating." Sanan spoke up, his kind voice betrayed by his cold eyes. He glared down at her before continuing in a much more sinister tone. "Do you think you could handle torture?" He asked. Chizuru couldn't stop herself from whimpering and recoiling away from the man. From the corner of her eye, she saw Okita nodding his agreement.
"We have no way of verifying your word. It wouldn't be very smart to just let you go." He said, a manner of indifference in his tone. He sighed before allowing his shoulders to slouch slightly, leaning one of his hands on his hip. "Let's just kill the kid and be done with it. You want to keep someone quiet, that's the surest way to do it." Chizuru felt her mind go blank at his words. She didn't want to die, she was terrified of the idea, but upon these statements she could almost see her chances of life slipping away from her. And despite herself, the anxiety was weighing down heavily upon her. She heard the strange woman in the corner click her tongue disapprovingly.
"There are other ways to resolve problems besides; 'stab it until it goes away'. Honestly Okita, I cannot fathom how your mind works." Her lovely voice was filled with disdain. From the way the woman was glaring at him, Chizuru guessed that there was some kind of prior animosity there. Okita chuckled. "Awwe, come on now Ayama-san. It was just a joke." His playful smirk returned to his features.
"Perhaps it should have sounded like one then." She heard Saito speak up, and turned to see him glaring at Okita.
"I would like to hear the commander's opinion. Commander Hijikata?" Sanan spoke up, directing everyone's attentions towards the dark-haired commander. He sighed and glanced at Chizuru, before turning his gaze towards his men.
"Last night, we killed members who broke our code." He began. "This kid shouldn't have been involved at all. While it is likely that the kid saw something, I highly doubt he really understands what it was he saw." Chizuru perked up slightly at these words. Perhaps her fate was not yet sealed.
Nagakura scoffed. "Even so, this is serious. We have bigger things to worry about. We've got to keep this under wraps. If rumours break out that soldiers of the Shinsengumi are thirsty for blood, it would be… problematic." He spoke decisively, and she could see some of the other men present nodding their heads in agreement. Even she couldn't argue anything… His words made sense. However, to her astonishment, one of the men seemed pensive about the situation.
"I think we should let him go." Heisuke said, his brow furrowed. "I mean, he doesn't know everything about it, you know?" His eyes looked hopeful as he looked around the room. However, a thick silence fell at his words. Hijikata glared at the boy.
"Shut it, Heisuke." He barked, and Heisuke's eyes widened upon realizing his mistake. "Oops…" He murmured, sending an apologetic glance towards Chizuru. He looked like a puppy who had just been scolded. She heard Okita snicker.
"Uh-oh." He said, his voice teasing. "Well, this is going to make it harder for us to just let you go…" He allowed the words to hang in the air, his eyes narrowed as he looked towards Chizuru. Just like that, the spark of hope she had felt was put out, and she let out a light whimper of fear. Nagakura crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at her.
"A man should always be ready to face death. You should make peace with yours." He said, as though he were lecturing a child. Chizuru had honestly forgotten about her disguise, and even at being called a man she was so overcome with anxiety that she said nothing. She heard the woman - Ayama - let out a frustrated sigh before she stepped away from the post she had been leaning on.
"Commander… It is clear that we are torn about the child's fate. Keeping them here is only going to lead to being forced to kill them… If it's alright, I think it would be best to take the child back to their room." There was that authority again. Chizuru could sense a strange power coming from this woman, something she had no understanding of. It was other-wordly, something she had never seen before. Stranger still, was how no one else seemed to sense it. Hijikata turned his head slightly towards her.
"Are you volunteering to escort the kid?" He asked, and Ayama nodded her head once. She walked towards Chizuru with purpose. Once she was beside the younger girl, she reached down and took a firm, yet also gentle, hold of Chizuru's arm, hoisting her to her feet. Chizuru wobbled a little, unsteady from her anxiety. Ayama held her still for a moment, eyeing her with what looked to be concern. Once she determined that Chizuru could stand on her own, she released her arm.
The two turned to walk out of the room, and as they passed by Heisuke, Chizuru could have sworn she heard him mutter an apology to her.
They walked back to the room she had awoken in, neither of them speaking. Once they were there, Ayama finally broke the silence. "I'm going to untie you. I seriously doubt you're going to try anything. You don't seem so foolish to me." She took hold of Chizuru's hands as she spoke, grimacing as she noticed the slight rope burn around her wrists. She began to gently untie the binds, her hands working quickly to free Chizuru.
"My name is Ayama Keiko, by the way. It must have surprised you to see me in there, since I am a woman. Or, perhaps it was reassuring, considering your predicament." She eyed Chizuru, a playful smirk on her lips. Chizuru rubbed her wrists, taking a step back from the woman in front of her. "Tell me, why would a girl be walking around the streets of Kyoto dressed as a boy?" Chizuru's head snapped up, her eyes widening.
"H-how could you tell?" She blurted. Ayama chuckled.
"It's not very difficult, if you really look. Although I'm certain that Heisuke and Shinpachi-san are fooled, I don't really think any of the others are. Well… Maybe Kondou-san."
"Oh…" Chizuru looked down, not sure of how to react. Her anxiety was still pressing around her, nearly suffocating her, and she couldn't get a read on Ayama. It made talking very difficult.
"So? Why are you trying to disguise yourself?" Ayama pushed. Chizuru did her best to swallow her nerves and answer honestly.
"I just thought it would be safer for a boy to travel to Kyoto than for a girl…" She said, her voice sounding small and frightened. Ayama nodded. "That's smart. Kyoto really isn't a safe place right now, but a boy is less likely to be harassed. So, where were you travelling from?" Ayama's voice was soft and inviting, so when she gestured for Chizuru to sit down she did so without hesitation. She felt as though the anxiety was finally starting to die down, and Ayama's gentle touch and kind eyes were helping Chizuru to relax a little.
"I came here from Edo. I'm looking for my father." She said, her voice a little more confident than it was before. Ayama nodded. "Is he missing?" She asked gently. Chizuru nodded.
"He left our home to come work here in Kyoto just over a year ago. He would send me letters often, but about six months ago the letters suddenly stopped. I was so worried… I decided to leave home and come here to search for him." Chizuru looked up at Ayama, determination in her eyes. She had been so overcome with fear that she had forgotten her purpose. Ayama smiled at her, and it was a smile full of kindness.
"Perhaps you should tell the others your story as well." She spoke gently, and Chizuru felt that she could trust in this strange woman before her. "It may change their perspectives a bit."
Ayama rose from her seat then and promptly nodded at Chizuru. "I'm going to get some of them, I will be back soon. Sit tight." With that, she strolled confidently out of the room. Upon her departure, Chizuru felt her anxiety begin to build up again. She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment, before slowly exhaling in an attempt to calm herself down.
Chizuru thought back on everything that had just happened. She could tell that the odds were not in her favour, but she had hope that at least some of the people here seemed kind. She thought of Ayama gently leading her away from the glares of the men, of Heisuke quietly apologizing to her for inadvertently making her situation worse, of Kondou pleasantly introducing himself and speaking to her with warmth in his eyes. Perhaps if she could appeal to these people, she might yet make it out of here alive.
On top of that, she hadn't told everyone that she was a girl yet. Ayama had said that everyone else probably already knew, but she had heard a few of the men referring to her as a boy. Perhaps this may also change the perspectives of her captors.
As she pondered these things, she wondered who Ayama would bring back with her. She only hoped that she didn't decide to bring back Okita with her. Chizuru wasn't sure how much more of his sadistic teasing she could take.
She heard a knock on the door frame and squeaked in surprise. Admittedly, she hadn't done a very good job of calming herself down. If anything her racing mind had only put her even more on edge. So with a shaky voice she called out for her visitors to come in.
"Jeez, you're so mousy. Man up already!" The loud brunette called out as he entered her room. He was followed closely by Saito, Heisuke, Harada, and finally Ayama. Chizuru swallowed a lump in her throat as the group gathered in her doorway.
"The kid would like to try and offer an explanation for us." Ayama said casually, a calm smirk on her lips as she eyed her companions. Saito sighed quietly as he turned to face Chizuru.
"It is unlikely we will spare you out of sympathy. As long as you understand that, say what you wish." He said in a monotonous voice. Chizuru gulped and clenched her fists, trying desperately to push through her nerves. She opened her mouth to try to speak.
"You know," Heisuke suddenly blurted, cutting her off before she could begin. Chizuru looked over at him with an unimpressed glare. "A man should know when to accept his fate." He looked quite pleased with himself in that moment, acting as though he were giving her some kind of deep wisdom. Chizuru gaped at him, and as she looked towards Ayama, she could see that the other woman was also unamused by Heisuke's 'wisdom'.
Chizuru turned her attentions back to Heisuke, all of her previous anxiousness being replaced by a sudden anger and irritation. She glared at him furiously. He flinched at the look in her eyes and took a hesitant step back. "H-hey… What's up with you?" He asked shakily.
"Just now, you said 'A man should know when to accept his fate.' You even interrupted me to say something like that. You don't think there's anything wrong with killing a man without hearing him out?" Chizuru accused, glaring daggers towards the boy. Heisuke stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, but soon regained his composure and he glared right back at her. He pointed at her, standing up straighter to reach his full height… although he still wasn't that much taller than her.
"You oughta watch your mouth. Don't you get what's going on here?" He started, his brows furrowed as he leaned over Chizuru's petite frame. "Maybe you should start acting like a man, hm? Accept your fate. We all must do our duty."
Chizuru placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward threateningly. Her anger towards the boy gave her a newfound courage, so she pushed herself and took an angry step towards Heisuke in an effort to seem more intimidating than he was.
"But I'm not a man." She shot back at him.
Heisuke's eyes went wide, and she caught him do a once over of her entire body as he took a step backwards. She huffed and backed away from him, her right hand leaning on her hip as she did so. Heisuke seemed pensive, he looked at her again before averting his eyes. His brows knit together in thought, and he looked her over once again. He chuckled nervously as he seemed to be examining her face.
"Y-yeah, right… You're trying to tell me you're a girl?" He said incredulously. Chizuru glared at him before answering with a definitive "Yes."
"WHAT?!" Heisuke and Nagakura both shouted at once, their eyes wide and disbelieving. Harada chuckled from a spot he had claimed in the corner of the room, while Ayama seemed to be beside herself laughing. Heisuke turned his eyes towards her, and seemed to have another realisation that put him in even more distress.
"YOU KNEW!" He shouted at her. With tears in her eyes and her arm clutching her stomach, she nodded. "Of course I knew! I knew as soon as we saw her last night!" She choked out through her laughter. Heisuke put a hand to his forehead and stared at the ground. His eyes looked as though they might pop out of his head, they were so wide.
"I can't say I'm surprised, there is something a bit lady-like about her profile." Harada said with a lazy smirk on his face. Nagakura shook his head vigorously.
"How the hell were we supposed to know that!?" He shouted. "G-girls aren't supposed to wear pants!" He concluded his reasoning, and was met by an unimpressed glare from Ayama.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat as she glared at him, and he nervously turned his attention to her. However, upon the two of them making eye contact, they both sighed and averted their eyes. Nagakura shook his head and turned to leave, his footsteps heavy as he left.
Chizuru watched the interactions between the two of them curiously before Heisuke took a tentative step towards her. He reached a hand up to nervously scratch the back of his head before looking at her sheepishly. She couldn't help but to notice that he looked… kind of cute.
"S-sorry about… What I said…" He forced out the words, but she appreciated them nonetheless and nodded her thanks. "S-so, uhm, what's your name then?" Heisuke asked. She offered him a shy smile at his friendly gesture.
"My name is Yukimura Chizuru."
A/N: OH. MY. GOD.
This chapter took me FOR-FREAKING-EVER to write! I was basically just trying to incorporate chapter 1 of the game, and I couldn't decide whether to do it following what Chizuru see or following what Keiko sees. I wanted to write in more of Chizuru's struggling with the high levels of stress and anxiety that would come from being abducted and threatened by a group of renowned killers. I was going to write in all of the first chapter of the game, but this alone was 9 pages so I just said screw it and I will throw in some form of exposition in the next chapter. Hopefully you all got at least some satisfaction from this chapter... Leave a review of what you think of seeing things from Chizuru's point of view rather than Keiko's. I'm thinking of switching between the two every few chapters, depending on what is going on at the time.
Sorry again for the long wait for this chapter guys! Thank you so much for all the favs/follows! 3