Prompt: "Just smile. I really need you to smile right now."

Ship: HijiChi

Length: ~600

Hijkata gave an exhausted, internal sigh as he stepped off the small boat that had carried him and the last of his men from their one remaining ship in the harbor of Ezo. On the outside he kept up a strong facade for his men. They had lost their last hope for gaining the upper hand against the Imperial Navy and now there was nothing to do but wait and fight to the bitter end. If he couldn't face it with dignity and strength, then how could he expect the same of his men?

On the inside though, he allowed himself to feel the bone deep chill in his sore limbs from the damp that permeated his uniform. He was just as exhausted and disillusioned as his men, but he couldn't show it.

As the last of the men trudged toward the fort, and the food and rest that waited for them, they revealed the petite figure of his page with her hair pulled into its usual neat ponytail. He honestly wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she had been up all night and waiting for him at the dock since the ship first laid anchor. He truly didn't deserve her dedication.

Chizuru smiled softly and relief shown in her eyes as she walked over to stand next to him. Both of them looked out over the ocean and the barely rising sun. The normally beautiful pinks and oranges beginning to stain the sky reminded him more of the spread of blood across wet fabric. Chizuru didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. He knew she had seen far too many times the disillusioned and and broken expressions of men returning from a lost fight.

"Are you sure-" he started, but Chizuru knew what he was going to say and she cut him off with a firm nod of her head.

"Yes. My place is here, Hijikata-san. Here at your side…" She looked up at him, her expression serious. "No matter what happens."

Chizuru let out a muffled squeak as he abruptly pulled her into an embrace. He was almost just as surprised at he was by his actions, but as much as he wanted to protect her from himself and the horrors of war, he also desperately needed her near him. Where he was cold, she was warm. Where he was stiff and rigid, she was soft and yet still seemingly unbreakable as she leaned into his embrace. Her arms came up to wrap around him with a strength belied by her small size.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Hijikata-san?"

Her voice came out small and slightly hesitant as she pulled back just enough to meet his eyes.

He ignored the thought of anyone who might see them as he moved one of his hands to cup her cheek. They could think whatever they damn well pleased about the status of his relationship with his page. Her eyes showed confusion at his action and her skin warmed even further under his cold fingers as a blush crept across her cheeks, but she didn't pull away.

"Just smile. Right now, all I need is your smile."

Her expression shifted rather comically from confusion to surprise and her blush darkened even further.

"...And some of your tea," he added, his own mouth pulling up slightly at the corner. "That will set more than a few things right."

Just as he hoped, Chizuru's lips pulled into the smile he had come to love and rely on. She even let out a short laugh that was the sweetest sound he'd heard in far too long.

"Of course, Hijikata-san."