Laughter could be heard throughout the house.
Chizuru had one hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles as she ran. She could hear Hijikata struggling to control his own mirth as he chased her. A part of her worried that this might put too much strain on his body, as she had only recently declared him completely healthy, but they had been at this game for ten minutes now and he hadn't once seemed to be in pain. Plus, she added, she should have more faith in her own nursing skills. Hijikata was not as difficult a patient to manage as in the past, so neither of them suffered from unnecessary stress.
She'd gotten so lost in thought that she failed to realize her pace had slowed until she heard Hijikata chuckle. She spun around, squeaking as she ducked beneath his arms when they tried to catch her in an embrace. At the same time, she dove to the floor, rolled toward the doorway, and stood. Hijikata watched all of this happen with an impressed visage. Chizuru placed her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him before running away. Hijikata blinked in surprise at her cockiness, but soon grinned and renewed his chase.
"You can't catch me!" She called over her shoulder.
She dashed into their bedroom and leaned against the wall next to the door. Hijikata ran into the room, not noticing her hiding place. He stood in the center of the room with his back to her, confused, and she gave an exaggerated laugh that made him spin around with wide eyes. She waved at him, then fled. He cursed under his breath at his own foolishness.
"Is old age catching up to you, Hijikata-san?" She teased."You're not as alert as you used to be."
Hijikata was close behind her now and making another attempt to grab her. She let him think he was about to be victorious, seeing his smirk from the corner of her eye. He opened his arms, and she spun away a second before his arms would have closed around her, causing him to hug thin air. She continued spinning until she reached a window. She cocked her head, not caring that her face showed how much she was struggling not to burst out laughing.
He narrowed his eyes as he slowly moved toward her. She was seemingly at a dead end, and she couldn't run in the other direction unless she wanted to run straight into him. For each step he took closer to her, she stepped backwards. He was so certain of his victory that he ignored her obvious amusement. Not that she blamed him; after all, it was a reasonable assumption. What else could she do? Jump out the window? Yes, exactly that.
Chizuru turned her back to him, slumping her shoulders in apparent resignation. She didn't need to turn around to know his facial expression was the perfect picture of smugness. He made a beeline for her, and she jumped out of the window, landing a little too roughly afore hurrying to her feet.
Hijikata was gaping at her through the window. She shrugged and crossed her arms.
"Are you going to give up?" She asked."I don't mind winning, but if you give up so easily-" She was interrupted by rapid footfalls as he rushed to the exit of their home. She heard the door open and jumped into the window back into the house. Hijikata arrived a moment later, vexed and impressed with her. She twisted around so her back faced him and was about to run when his arms reached through the window and pulled her against it. He didn't try to pull her outside, just held her in place while she struggled to break free.
"What were you saying about old age catching up to me?" He whispered into her ear. She squealed when he pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.
"I surrender!" She cried laughingly."I surrender!"
He released her and walked away, leaving her rolling on the floor as a giggling mess. A minute later, he was back inside the house and looming over her. As soon as she looked up at him, he lifted her and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She yelped whilst he carried her away, playfully hitting his back.
"Hijikata-san!" She couldn't stop laughing."What are you doing?"
He did not respond, and kept walking until he reached their bedroom, where he tossed her onto the bed. She landed with another yelp, still laughing as he hovered over her and even as he covered her mouth with his own. Well, her laughter lasted for a second after that before she moaned and wrapped her arms around him.
He broke the kiss, bringing his lips to her neck and running his fingers along her side.
"I won," he whispered against her skin, making her shudder."And now I get to claim my prize."
Chizuru couldn't agree more.