Hello world! The second chapter's out, yay! Without further ado (and since I have no idea what to write here), let's go!

When Shizuka woke up, she instantly wished that she hadn't. Even though it was mostly healed, the wound on her stomach still ached like crazy. Also, not knowing why, she felt incredibly numb. She blinked few times to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room and tried to move, only to find herself tied up.

Well, that explains the numbness, she thought, gazing at the ropes, as she tried to sit down. However, since her hands were tied as well, she had to settle for kneeling instead. Somebody really did his job well, her ribs were so squeezed that she could only take shallow breaths. The material covering her mouth only made everything worse.

She looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, wondering where she is. Nothing in particular caught her attention, nor gave her any clue about her location. The room was mostly empty, she didn't even find anything to cut her ropes with. Damn it. I won't be able to just rip them. There's no way, even with oni powers. What am I... She suddenly remembered something. Wait! Did they?

If she was lucky enough and whoever captured her hadn't searched her properly, then she had a chance. She lowered her back towards her right foot and then closed her eyes in relief, as she felt the bulge in her tabi. She started her task right away.

Shizuka was manoeuvring for quite a while, trying to get the Claw out, but that proved to be quite a big problem. With her hands tied, she had to really stretch herself to reach it. While moving like this, her breathing became even more shallow, as the ropes were tightening further around her chest. The pain from the wound was still appearing from time to time, giving her even more discomfort. After a moment of struggle she finally managed to take it out though. She only hoped that she haven't made too much noise. It was still dark outside, with only dim glow preluding the oncoming dawn, but they might've kept watch over her, who knew.

She held the hilt of her tantō firmly and aimed at the ropes. It was a tricky job, to keep cutting without dropping the dagger, especially with her wrists restricted like that, but fortunately she did it without a bigger problem. She freed both her hands and then proceeded to cut the ropes on her torso. Soon, she could take a deeper breath and she did so happily.

She looked at Dragon's Claw with satisfaction, glad that having around became a habit. It was obviously because of Father's... Ah...

She suddenly felt overwhelming weakness and had to steady herself with her arms. The pain kicked in again, but this time it was different. Oni powers couldn't do anything about it. She wheezed raggedly and put both her hands on her chest. She found herself breathless, even though the ropes were no longer there. Shizuka looked down at her clothes and noticed that the dark stains were everywhere. Her body began to shake uncontrollably and she had to bite down on her clenched fist to prevent herself from screaming out. It all came flooding back, bringing tears to her eyes again. So... It wasn't just a nightmare.

It took her a while to calm herself down just enough to think straight. What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Without him I have nothing. No family, no home. Nothing. The despair started surfacing in her thoughts again, but just then she remembered his words.

"And also... Sawamura... remember th-"

He didn't leave her with nothing. She knew what to do, she had purpose. Her eyes ignited with determination. First let's get out of here.

She approached the door and opened it as quietly as she could. The courtyard before her looked rough, bushes were growing wildly with no rhyme nor reason, but it had a strange charm to it, especially bathed in the pre-morning mist. But she didn't have time to admire its mysterious beauty, she had to get out of here. Once she made sure there was no one around, she exited the room and headed to the right with the hope of finding an entrance fast.

Ever since she started, she kept having this weird sensation and was unable to figure it out. She felt like she had forgotten about something important. Before she left, she double checked the room, also the Claw was safely hidden back in the tabi. She finally decided not to think too much of it and continued to sneak through the compound.

A while passed, but Shizuka still couldn't find the exit. She was moving carefully, trying to not make any sound. Also, she had already stopped multiple times, freezing when she heard the tiniest noise, in the result her pace became awfully slow. Part of her just wanted to make a run for it, but she knew it wouldn't end well. She didn't know this place, so if she was to speed through blindly, she could easily get lost. Or worse, and more likely, get caught. She still didn't have the slightest idea who had captured her, but seeing how she got tied up and gagged, she could easily assume that their motives weren't very peaceful. But on the other hand... When she woke up, she was covered tightly by a blanket, even though the nights were already getting warmer and warmer. And most of all – she was still alive.

But maybe they kept me like this so they can... Damn it. Once she realized that this was most probably the reason, she became even more confused. Why would they want to interrogate me? Because of the incident in the house? It's nobody's business what happened there. Unless...

She focused on remembering the events from earlier, and after a while she was able to recall men she'd seen before she lost consciousness. They were talking about "their job", then unsheathed their swords. And this thing at the end, what was it? It was surrounding them...

She suddenly found herself facing a tall man. She was so surprised that she backed out reflexively. She looked at him and recognized the clothes. The men before. They were wearing blue, just as him. Her eyes widened. The Shinsengumi?

Fortunately, she recovered quicker than the man and reached down to her waist, towards the hilt of Kaneyasu.

Nothing. What?

She glanced down, only to see that there was no blade. She realized that they must've taken it, and finally understood the strange feeling from way back. But that was not the issue. They took Father's sword. They took Kaneyasu. I must get it back. She didn't even flinch when the tip of a spear touched her chest, too concentrated on the missing katana.

"Just where are you going?" the man spoke politely, but she could see his arms tighten on the weapon, ready to thrust in case she did something suspicious. But she didn't care. She glanced up at him, the intensity of her stare taking the stranger aback.

"Where is my sword?" she asked quietly, barely holding her raging emotions back. The man looked at her with a little smile.

"We took it, of course. But it seems you were able to free yourself without it just fine." He eyed her from head to toe with a curious expression.

"Give it back," she said, ignoring his comments. She was now furious. How dare they take Kaneyasu away from me. I'm.. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden yell.

"What the hell is going on, Harada?" They both turned around, towards the voice. There was a man with long hair standing there, his expression far from pleased.

"Oh, Hijikata-san. I was just bringing him to the common room."

"Why he's not tied though?" the man inquired with a deep frown and shot a scary glare at her.

He? They think I'm a guy? She glanced at her clothes, just now remembering that she was still wearing her blue practising hakama, not a very womanly outfit. And she was covered in blood, a lot of it staining her face as well. Not ladylike at all. The girl remembered that the attackers back at the house also mistook her for a boy. She couldn't blame those men for doing the same, considering her appearance, but... She still felt offended. Upon seeing Hijikata's stare she turned away, to his annoyance. Harada was looking at them for a moment, confused, in the end facing the man.

"Well, about that..." He scratched the back of his head, trying to find the right words.

"He was trying to run away," the new voice said and another man stepped out of the shadows.

Just how many of them is creeping around here? she thought briefly. The new soldier looked at the man called Hijikata with a smile, and rested his hand of the hilt of his sword in the leisure gesture, though Shizuka could sense the tension rising.

"Should we just kill him?" he said lightly. The words were oddly familiar and she glanced at him. This was the man she saw back at the house. Well, this guy is a little too fond of killing for my liking. What's his deal? A snort escaped her mouth, making the men stare at her with surprise. She just looked away, angering Hijikata again. He inhaled deeply and turned to his companion.

"No killing. We need to interrogate him first," he said and she didn't miss the hidden threat. "Follow me, the others are waiting already."

Then he headed deeper inside the compound. She felt a hand on her arm, gripping it in a strong hold. She decided to follow obediently, since she needed to get the blade back. I can't do much without it. Showing oni powers is no good, so I won't stand a chance without a weapon. Once I have it I could try to get away, there's only three of them. She looked at the men, concentrated on their movements. They didn't seem very alert, but Shizuka could feel something more to it. The gave off a vibe similar to... his.

She was still analysing her situation, in the meantime their odd group finally reached the destination. They entered, pushing her in front of them. As she glanced around the place, her hope for escape died quickly. Nine men in total. Three I could handle, but nine? There's no way. Crap...

The man with the spear guided her to the very centre of the room and gestured her to sit. For a while all of them were just looking at her, the awkward silence making her uncomfortable. After what seemed like an eternity, one of them finally spoke. And only annoyed her more.

"Is that a witness? So small and skinny, are you a kid?" he asked turning towards her.

"You're the one to talk, Heisuke," the other man said, voicing Shizuka's thoughts. "You're a kid too," he laughed, ruffling young man's hair, an action the younger clearly found irritating. He slapped the hand away with a pout.

"At least I'm not an old man like you, Shinpachi-san."

"Oi, brat, what did ya..."

"Silence," Hijikata's voice cut in, ending their bickering immediately.

"Sorry for this ruckus," the man sitting in the middle spoke with an embarrassed smile, the apology catching her by surprise. She didn't let herself get relaxed though. You need to keep your guard up, she remembered. She hardened her gaze, making his smile fade slightly. He was looking at her for a moment and then continued.

"You're in the Shinsengumi headquarters" he stated, confirming her earlier conclusions. "I'm this troops' leader, Kondou Isami." After that he gestured at the man sitting on his left, introducing him as Sannan Keisuke. The man gave her a quick nod and looked away. Then Kondou turned towards the man who was constantly glaring at her.

"And this is our vice commander, Hijikata Toshizo..."

She was looking at Kondou wide-eyed, his speech leaving her confused. Why would he tell me all of this? Hijikata seemed to be of the same opinion, cause he interrupted the commander mid-sentence.

"Kondou-san! Why would you tell him all of this?" he yelled with a displeased expression. Kondou stared at Hijikata for a second with surprise evident on his face.

"Oh, I shouldn't do that?" he asked, his childlike obliviousness making her crack a little smile. The vice commander just sighed, rubbing his temples with his palm. Kondou didn't notice this display of resignation and turned towards one of the men.

"Saito, tell us what happened first." One of the men looked up and nodded. She recognized him as the other soldier she'd seen back in the house.

"Yes, commander. We followed the failed soldiers and the trace led us to Kurai household." When he mentioned Harunosuke's name Kondou's eyes widened, though he didn't say anything. "When we arrived they were already... dead."

The short pause caught her attention. Soldiers? There were no soldiers... Suddenly she remembered something. Those oni-like creatures were covered in blood, but they were wearing... Blue. So those freaks were from the Shinsengumi troops? What the hell? In the meantime, as she was considering this, Saito was finishing his report.

"The vice commander decided to take the witness with us. That is all." They all nodded, acknowledging his words. Then Hijikata turned to look at her, his face stern.

"What were you doing there?" he asked, not wasting any time. Shizuka already thought through her options earlier. She decided to tell the truth, at least for now, and see how this would turn out.

"I lived there," she answered simply, making all men look up at her. Kondou especially was observing her closely. Then he reached behind him and took out something Her eyes sparkled with recognition. Sagami Kaneyasu.

"Why do you have this blade?" he asked seriously, his gaze not leaving her face. His question triggered the memories of earlier events, but she didn't let the pain that struck her show in her expression.

"It was given to me," she said, her voice strong.

"By who?"

"By Fa... " She almost told him by reflex, but stopped herself. He didn't want me to use our name anymore. I can't admit I'm his daughter and then say I'm Yukimura. I don't even know if they're friends or enemies. She still didn't understand everything that had happened, but she trusted Father's judgement. If he told her to hide her identity, he must've had his reasons. She'd do this his way.

"By Kurai-sama" she said quickly, hoping that they haven't noticed her hesitation. "He entrusted it to me before... " She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but there was no need to, since everybody knew the details.

"And who are you to receive such a valuable thing?" Hijikata inquired, eyeing her suspiciously. She went through her possibilities and decided to go with the safest option.

"I was a maid in Kurai household."

"Oh, a maid. That explains... " Kondou murmured with understanding, but then he must've realized something because he stopped mid-sentence and looked up at her with aghast. "Wait, a maid? Meaning, you're a girl?!"

Upon hearing those words, the men who were bickering earlier cried out in surprise.

"Wha? What do you mean a girl?" They seemed just as stunned as Kondou was, earning Harada's chuckle and Hijikata's heavy sigh. After a minute, they recovered enough to start asking questions.

"If she's a girl why is she dressed that way? How are we supposed to know for sure?"

What a bunch of idiots.

Harada grinned slyly and looked at her.

"Why don't we strip her to find out?" he proposed, making her send a death glare his way. The two men looked like they were seriously considering this, however Kondou didn't get the joke.

"What are you talking about? This is unforgivable!" he yelled outraged, a blush colouring his cheeks. Harada raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and flashed a smile at Shizuka, which she ignored.

"That won't be necessary. She's a girl alright," the man with emerald eyes said, speaking for the first time since they got here.

"And how do you know that, Okita?" one of the idiot duo asked. The man turned his eyes towards her.

"It was me who carried her to the compound, after all," he said while looking right at her, a cocky smile on his face. The whole room became awkwardly silent at his words, the meaning behind them blatantly obvious. He... He was feeling me up?

Shizuka had to stop herself from reaching for Dragon's Claw and burying it in his chest. Instead she was throwing daggers at him with her eyes, her fist clenching the fabric on her leg. He looked really amused at her reaction, only angering her further.

"Souji!" Kondou scolded loudly.

"He did not do anything," the calm voice spoke. "I was with him the entire time, so was the vice commander." Saito glanced at Shizuka, his eyes assuring, making her a little at ease. Still, she didn't plan to forget Okita's words.

"That's mean, Hajime-kun. You didn't have to tell her."

"Enough of that!" Hijikata cut in annoyed. He turned towards her, coming back to the main subject again.

"Why would Kurai-san give his sword to a maid?" he asked, apparently still not convinced by her story. She understood where Hijikata was coming from. A sword is like a lifeline for a swordsman. If one was forced to give his treasured blade away, it wouldn't be given to just anyone.

"Because I was the only one left alive. I was knocked out at the very beginning and when I woke up I found Kurai-sama in the backyard. He decided to leave the sword to me." Kondou nodded sympathetically, but the vice commander was not satisfied.

"You were knocked out? Then you didn't see the attackers?" he threw the questions at her.

"I didn't see anything," she said, hoping that Hijikata will understand her words the way she wanted him to. Better hide it. I don't know what they'd do if they'd find out that I know about those monsters. He was staring at her, his eyes unreadable. The man remained quiet for a while, as if considering her answers and then resumed his questioning.

"How did you, a maid, know Kurai-san so well? To the point where he gave you his sword? It doesn't seem like a normal master-servant relationship to me," he prodded, not minding that Kondou was quietly calling his name in attempt to stop him.

"Well..." She was at loss for words. Again, the vice commander had a point. She was a woman and a servant, and Father was the master of a household, a noble. She wouldn't be even allowed to look at him, yet alone talk to him freely. True, circumstances might have forced them to interact, but still, it all sounded suspicious. Not to mention the fact, that Shizuka was terrible at acting like a maid. Hijikata's hard glare didn't leave her face, he was waiting for an answer. She decided not to think too much and tell the truth again.

"It's true, that we didn't share normal master-servant bond. Kurai-sama was... different from your everyday nobleman. He treated us all very well," she said with a little smile, forgetting herself for a moment. Men eyed her with curiosity, but Hijikata still doubted.

"It still doesn't explain why..." he started, his voice bringing her back to reality. She straightened herself and cut in.

"He was teaching me swordsmanship," she said loudly. Her statement left all the men dumbfounded, including Hijikata (what she noticed with satisfaction). This was probably the first time they've heard about something like this.

Only Kondou, who was watching her closely since a while back, appeared to be unfazed. He smiled and his grin kept growing, until he broke out laughing, a sudden outburst getting everybody's attention.

"Kondou-san?" Okita spoke hesitantly, looking at the man with concern.

"To teach a young lady swordsmanship, really... That's just like him." he chuckled quietly and Shizuka looked up at him wide-eyed. "Ever since I met him, he was always ahead of our time," Kondou said pensively, more to himself than to others. Hijikata turned to him.

"You were acquaintances with Kurai-san?" he asked shocked.

"Well, more or less."

"How come you haven't mentioned it once?"

"I knew him way before you joined the dojo, Toshi, so I never really thought about mentioning it. And you didn't ask either," he stated earnestly.

"Kondou-san..." he murmured with resignation, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth.

Shizuka was really surprised at first, but something occurred to her. So that's why he was always defending them... He knew the commander himself.

Then Kondou turned to her with a gentle, soothing smile.

"He must've been really fond of you," he said simply, but his words meant world for her. It may have made her heart clench painfully, but somehow she was also happy. She managed to crack a little smile in return.

"Thank you," she answered, her voice barely louder than a whisper. They were looking at each other for a while, silent understanding forming between them. Okita was observing them closely for a while and then spoke, his tone eerily cheerful.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" he asked, bringing the group's focus back onto the main topic.

"She said she doesn't remember a lot. It's not surprising, given a hell she's been through," Harada reasoned, earning affirmative nods from most of the men, especially Kondou. Only Hijikata and Okita were sceptic.

"We don't know if she's not lying to us," the latter countered, his voice suddenly ice cold. "I say we should just kill her, to make sure she doesn't spill anything." She looked at him unamused. There he goes again with his killing fetish. What's with this guy?

"Don't even think about it! We can't go around killing innocent civilians, we are supposed to protect them!" Kondou reprimanded him harshly, making the man glance at him with repentance.

"That was just a joke. A joke," he said unconvincingly.

"Then make your jokes sound like jokes," Saito deadpanned and Shizuka almost broke out laughing at Okita's expression.

It seemed Hijikata had more to say, but Sannan beat him to it.

"We haven't asked her the most essential question yet, Hijikata-kun."

"Which is?" He leaned towards the man with a frown, an indication that he might've overlooked something important a clear jab to him. Sannan didn't mind Hijikata's glare and shifted his eyes onto Shizuka.

"What is your name?" he asked with a polite smile. Hearing men's groans, they must've just realized it, and honestly, she was the same. She turned to Kondou quickly.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself properly. My name is Ku... Yukimura Shizuka," she said and bowed in a greeting gesture. There was no response, so she raised her head, only to see that all the men were staring at her again. Did they notice my mistake? she wondered, their silence making her nervous. Hijikata broke out of the daze first and looked at the man behind her.

"That's it for now. Innoue-san, take her back."

"Yes, of course," the man answered and raised from his seat. He went outside and she followed. Once they distanced themselves from the common room, Innoue stopped suddenly and turned to Shizuka.

"These men... Sometimes they don't think at all," he sighed and gave her a warm smile. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

"No I'm not," she answered a little taken aback by the man's kind expression. Her wound healed long ago, even before Harada caught her. He nodded, relief evident on his face. Then he pointed at a nearby well.

"In that case, why don't you clean up a little? You must be quite... uncomfortable like this," he noticed tactfully.

True, Shizuka felt really filthy with the blood all over her. The clothes were not even nearly as bad as her face and neck. She glanced at him gratefully and accepted the offer. Once she finished washing, she breathed out in relief. It felt great to get rid of all those stains.

"Thank you very much," she said to the man and he smiled again.

"Oh, it's nothing. But now, let us go on. We'll both get in trouble if they won't find you back in the room," he explained.

I could run away, but they still have Kaneyasu. I guess I have to wait for now. She sighed and followed Innoue back.

In the common room, the men waited for commanders to talk. It was quiet for a while now, and it was weighing down on everybody. Finally, Sannan broke the silence.

"Yukimura... It's not a common name. What do you think, Hijikata-kun?"

"You mean she might be related to him?" Harada inquired.

"The hell if I know. It's a pretty long shot. But he did mention his daughter once, didn't he?" Hijikata turned to Sannan.

"Yes, he said something about his long lost child."

"Hmm..." That was all the answer Hijikata had given, his expression tense. "We won't exclude that possibility for now. Maybe she'll be useful later on," he concluded after a moment.

"What about more pressing issues, Hijikata-san? She might have seen the soldiers," Okita cut in. "It doesn't matter whether she's Kodou's daughter or not. If she's a threat to us we should just..."

"Enough," Kondou spoke, his voice serious. "We won't do anything to her, understood Souji?" He looked at him with stern eyes, making the younger man lower his head with a sigh.

"Yes, Kondou-san."

The commander then glanced at the men at his side and gave them a little nod.

"There's no choice. She'll stay here for now," Hijikata stated and all men looked up at him.

"Hijikata-san, you know she's a girl, right?" Heisuke said, earning the vice commander's glare.

"Of course I know, you fool," he hissed and the boy flinched slightly. Hijikata was rubbing his temples, exhaust visible on his face.

"She'll stay in the Yagi house, so the other soldiers won't see her. I want you to watch her." He glanced at every captain separately and they all nodded in agreement. "And don't let her out."

"Meeting's over," Sannan spoke up and the captains slowly emptied the room, leaving the three men in charge alone.

"What are you planning, Kondou-san?"

"We all know, that what happened in Kurai household wasn't just ronin or bandits, Toshi," he looked at him knowingly, surprising Hijikata with his insight.

"Certainly," Sannan said. "But do you suspect someone, Kondou-san?"

"For now she'll remain here. This child's been through a lot, she needs rest." Kondou ignored the question and stood up. "Speaking of resting, you two get some sleep. It's only dawn," he ended, gazing at the first beams of sunlight emerging on the horizon. Sannan and Hijikata were looking at him as he left and then faced each other. They both knew Kondou was not telling them everything, but for now they decided to remain silent. They trusted their commander.

Shizuka was laying on the futon again, but couldn't fall asleep. Her head hurt awfully, its regular throbbing driving her insane. Everything has happened so fast, she still had a hard time processing all the events. Most of things were too agonizing to think about. After a while of exhausting struggle with the pain attacking her from every possible direction, she noticed that it's useless. It still ached the same way. So she finally decided to shut her heart out completely. She'd bury the memories of happy days deep inside and focus on present.

Feelings make you weak. I can't allow myself for weakness. She had a goal and was determined to see it through to the end. I'll destroy the Sawamura family, she vowed.

She glanced out the opened window, the dawn already lighting up the surroundings. This sunrise marked the end of her life. From now on, I'll be just existing. And I'll avenge all of you.

Shizuka looked away, the beautiful glow suddenly too bright, too hopeful for her to handle. She closed her eyes.

And then... I'll follow you, Father.

And, the second chapter is done! The story's finally getting on the right tracks, and I think it will go more smoothly from now on. And Souji made his first appearance (okay, second, but the other one was too brief, so yeah)! Let the fun begin!

Thank you for reading and feel free to share and opinion. See you soon!