A/N: Since the last chapter was sort of short, I've decided to update sooner, but homework got in the way and I couldn't seem to upload this chapter yesterday. Thank you to Gianti- Faith, ShinsengumiWarrior and AnimeArt for reviewing my previous chapter! Please enjoy and review!

The door opened and closed with a "clack" as Saito and Mizuki entered the room. Everyone fell silent as they turned their heads to face Mizuki, whom had immediately walked over to Yamazaki, giving him a big hug, tears of joy running down her face. Kondou cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him, and Mizuki quickly wiped away the tears.

"Now that everyone is here, shall we start with the introductions?" Kondou asked.

Everyone nodded and Kondou began, "I am Kondou Isami, the men to my left and right are Sannan and Hijikata Toshizo."

Kondou continued, "The two people in front of me are Okita Souji and Saito Hajime, and the trio of men at the back are Toudou Heisuke, Sanosuke Harada and Nagakura Shinpachi. Finally, the people who are sitting beside your brother are Shimada and Yukimura Chizuru."

Mizuki stood and bowed to them saying, "Nice to meet you!" everyone nodded as Mizuki sat down.

"We have some questions that we would like you to answer," said Hijikata.

Mizuki nodded and Hijikata continued, "Where were you when the fire started in your village? What was your purpose of being there last night? Did you tell anyone about last night?"

"Now, Now, Toshi, don't overwhelm her! Kondou exclaimed, as Mizuki began to answer.

"Well, I was visiting my friend Osen-chan, in a nearby town, and when I arrived back at the village, I found it burnt to the ground. I was worried and immediately went to find mother and father, but I couldn't find them!" Mizuki continued her tale, "I went to find onii-san in Kyoto, but I got distracted by Chizuru as she was wandering around alone and I wanted to watch over her."

Mizuki told them all she knew of last night finishing her tale and firmly added that she hadn't told anyone. Then Mizuki took out a piece of paper handing it over to everyone to see, explaining that she had found it pinned to a piece of wreckage from the house. The letter read, ' We have your parents and we won't let them go unless you surrender to us when we come to get you.'.

" It appears to be written in blood," Okita said, causing Mizuki burst into tears.

Yamazaki instantly tried to calm her down while glaring at Okita and when she finally composed herself, they all discussed about whether she would stay. When it was decided that Mizuki would stay, her jobs were to be in charge of cooking, help Chizuru with chores, and teach Chizuru to defend herself. Unlike Chizuru, Mizuki was allowed to remain as a girl since she was very sneaky and could hide quickly. Since it was around lunch time Mizuki hustled to the kitchen to cook lunch with the help of Chizuru. After lunch, an energetic Chizuru lead around a baffled Mizuki, showing her the many rooms and giving a detailed description of headquarters.

When it was dinnertime, Mizuki went to the kitchen , making a feast from the leftovers and freshly bought ingredients for dinner. When everyone finished their meal, Mizuki bid them a goodnight before retiring to her room to sleep as she hadn't slept the previous night. When she had finally drifted to sleep she had a nightmare of when her real family died. Gasping, Mizuki woke up, beads of sweat on her face, she hadn't had that dream in a long time. Trying to calm herself, Mizuki stepped out of her room, revealing her wings and took to the night sky, leaving a shocked Saito. He had seen her when he had gone out to get some fresh air.

After flying among the clouds and feeling the cool night breeze against her face, Mizuki returned to headquarters feeling more calm. As she approached headquarters, she spotted Saito sitting on the steps and staring at her. Mizuki decided to join him, so she swooped down, landing beside him. Her wings retracted before she sat down looking up at the beautiful night sky. Turning her head, she asked him if he had ever wondered what it felt like to be able to fly. Saito shook his head.

" Well, when I fly, I feel free and in charge, that no one can harm me. It's the most amazing feeling! I also feel one with the wind and it keeps my mind off things.", Mizuki said, looking at him.

Saito gave a small smile in understanding, as he felt one with his sword like it was a part of him, then both of them admired the night sky in silence, watching the clouds and stars pass by. Finally feeling sleepy, Mizuki stood and bowed towards him before returning to her room, leaving Saito, whom had gone to find Hijikata.

A/N: Hooray, I'm finally done this chapter! It took me a long time to type it down as I kept on changing things to make this chapter the best I could with the help of my sister. I feel very happy about the little quality time between Mizuki and Saito. Please review!