Part two is here! Have fun reading, guys!
A few days later, when the sky has turned crimson, the sun already hiding behind the horizon, Shizuka and other residents of the Yagi house left the headquarters and headed towards the Shimabara district. Only Kondou and Innoue stayed behind to watch over the compound. It was unusual for the commander to skip such an event, especially considering the fact that it concerned Okita, but everybody knew how worried the man was about Sannan. That's why when he expressed his will to stay behind, there were no protests.
Shizuka, even if still slightly dispirited, couldn't stop marvelling at how captivating Kyoto looked at night. Despite the late hour, this part of town seemed to be everything but asleep. Groups of men were wandering here and there tipsily, their loud laughter and excited conversations filling the surroundings with lively buzz. Owners of the inns were standing in the doorways, waving at the passersby, encouraging them to enter. The red lanterns which were placed along the entire street, their light dim and delicate, provided the mood of intimacy and deepened further the feeling of enchantment. She was looking around, mesmerized. Three captains noticed her daze and slowed down to match her pace.
"You'll get lost if you keep spacing out like this, Shizuka-chan," Shinpachi said with a wide grin. She looked up and met their inquisitive stares.
"What are you looking at so intently?" Harada asked.
"Don't tell me you've never been out at night before," Heisuke joked, but Shizuka nodded, confirming. "Really?!" She shrugged indifferently. Harunosuke was a very strict man, and didn't approve of any form of leisure activities. His idea of spending free time was to train or learn, that's why Shizuka was rarely leaving the household, and of course it was never during night time.
Shinpachi scoffed and pushed Heisuke away, claiming the spot next to her. The younger man shot a nasty glare at Nagakura's back.
"Why are you so surprised? Shizuka-chan is a proper young lady. She wouldn't go around the red light district at night like you, you immoral brat," the man picked on Heisuke, and Todou as always didn't let such an attack slide. They started arguing loudly, and Shizuka just shook her head, already used to their constant disagreements. She locked gazes with Harada and they both sighed at the same time, then started laughing at the other's reaction. They left the quarrelling pair and caught up with other captains.
Once they've settled in their assigned room, Shizuka glanced around curiously. The place was quite big and empty - only few standing lamps were placed near the walls - but the captains, each of them tall and well built, had no problem filling up almost the whole space. She looked at the ceiling and gasped quietly, astonished. It was made out of flowers, at least that was her first impression. She looked closer, appreciating the painter's talent. Somehow they made it look as if the little cherry blossoms were on the verge of losing their petals, making Shizuka feel like she could experience a gentle white shower any minute. Then her eyes fell onto the entrance. The shoji door was a truly beautiful sight as well, with the intricate floral pattern painted skilfully across its entire width. She recognized the main flower of the drawing, it was a camellia.
In that moment the door opened and few geikos entered, holding food trays and liquor bottles, and Shizuka stared at them in admiration. They look so gorgeous... The women were wearing luxurious, richly ornamented kimonos, and each movement was making the material flow gracefully. Geikos had their shining locks put up in elaborate hairdos, adorned additionally with fancy hairpins. Their eyes, lips and cheeks were touched up by the colours of black, red and white, the combination of which created a mask-like perfection on each face. The girl looked down at her own clothes. She was wearing her simple blue hakama, the only clothing she possessed, and it was not a very aesthetically pleasing outfit. Her ebony hair was tied into a plain ponytail. Shizuka's mind drifted off, the sight of the women making her remember her own kimonos and accessories, now abandoned and probably covered in dust. That is if somebody hasn't stolen it all. As the other, more unpleasant memories started flowing in, her face became more and more grim.
Harada, who was looking at the girl for a longer time, turned to her and nudged her with an elbow.
"What's up? Why are you so dejected?" She glanced up at him, breaking out of the daze.
"W-who? Me? No, I'm fine. I'm great!" she told him, but her attempt was so weak, and her voice so completely monotone that he started chuckling.
"Yeah, and you sound sooo excited," Harada answered sarcastically, and she smiled at his remark.
"I'm just not used to this kind of thing, I guess." It's not a lie. At least not completely, she thought. She didn't want the man to know why she felt so pathetic.
Harada's expression softened in understanding and he patted her head.
"Relax. This is your day, so don't think about anything else and just enjoy yourself," he advised and she looked up at him.
"Maybe you're right." Harada offered her a wide grin.
"Of course I'm right!"
"Show-off," she said disapprovingly, but Sanosuke's good mood was way too infectious. She brightened up slightly and gave the man sitting next to her a grateful smile.
Few hours passed and the party was now in full swing. Most of the captains were already tipsy and she was observing them in amusement.
"I'm telling you, she was definitely looking at me," Shinpachi snapped at Harada and emptied his cup swiftly. He was talking about the geiko who's refilled their sake bottles a moment ago. Sanosuke, who seemed less drunk than his companion, just nodded, though more in resignation than in agreement. Heisuke however started laughing loudly and smacked Nagakura's arm.
"As if! Why would such a beautiful wom- actually any woman, look at you, Shinpachi-san? It's obvious that she was smiling at Sano-san!" the younger man said mercilessly. Shinpachi breathed in sharply, the comment rendering him speechless for a moment. Then he turned towards Heisuke with a nasty expression, raising his hand. Heisuke cautiously moved away.
"You insolent brat! She was looking at me, ME! Tell him, Sano!" Harada glanced at the man and chuckled awkwardly.
"Well…" Nagakura was staring at him expectantly.
"I can't exactly say that she wasn't looking at one of us," he started evasively and Shinpachi's eyebrows scrunched in puzzlement.
"What?"
"I mean, she might've been looking at me…" Harada continued, and Nagakura's eyes widened. "Or you!" he added quickly, seeing Shinpachi's frown.
"So? Who was she looking at?"
"Definitely NOT at you, haha!" Heisuke cut in, and a second later he was massaging his hurting head. Nagakura was looking around in search for other witnesses and his eyes fell on Shizuka.
"Shizuka-chan! You must've seen it! The geiko was looking at me, wasn't she?" The girl clenched her teeth, not willing to answer. She clearly saw that the woman who brought their drinks before was glancing at Harada, but she couldn't bring herself to tell this to Shinpachi.
"I didn't see. I wasn't really looking that way," she told him. He sighed in disappointment and turned to other captains. This time his attention focused on Saito.
"Saito, you surely saw. You're sitting at the perfect spot!" Nagakura leaned towards the man, waiting for his answer. Saito, whose eyes were also clouded by alcohol, straightened himself and stared at Shinpachi seriously.
"It is true that I am sitting in a position which would allow me to see which one of you was the object of attention of the said geiko. And indeed, I did witness that particular scene. It is without a doubt caused by…" Shizuka snorted hearing this convoluted yet somehow nonsensical speech, and pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Okita, who was sitting next to Saito, seemed just as amused as she was. Shinpachi was staring at the man in confusion, and just before Saito started listing and explaining the advantages of his seat in connection to the issue at hand, he stopped him in the middle of the sentence.
"Enough! Did you see, or did you not see?" Saito didn't mind the sudden interruption. He cleared his throat and looked at Nagakura again.
"I can say with great certainty that the gaze of the geiko, which is the topic of your dispute, was focused on Sanosuke." It took a while for Shinpachi to understand Saito's words and when he finally did, he expressed his outrage right away. Saito however seemed completely oblivious as to why the man was so furious.
Shizuka, Harada and Todou couldn't hold back any longer and they burst out laughing at the same time. Nagakura was acting very offended, but it took only few cups poured by the three of them to appease him. Soon he forgot about the incident, what might had to do with the amount of sake he's consumed, and they were all chatting about little nothings. Harada gestured at Saito and the man joined their little group, followed by Okita.
"Shizuka-chan, Okita, here's to both of you. Happy birthday!" Shinpachi cheered, raising his cup. The men and Shizuka joined him. Okita drank the sake slowly and glanced at the girl.
"Shizuka-chan, why aren't you drinking?" he asked. She looked up at him, freezing with her water cup still to her mouth, caught off guard with his sudden question.
"Hm?"
"The sake. Why aren't you drinking it?" Okita repeated, and Shizuka nodded.
"Ah. I've never drank alcohol before, so…", she trailed off, not knowing what to say. The truth was, she was never allowed to drink, and it didn't seem right to break this habit now. And I don't feel like it anyway, she thought.
Shinpachi and Heisuke stared at her with wide eyes.
"Seriously?!" they yelled in unison. She flinched at their intense reaction.
"Yeah, seriously." Shinpachi took a sip, called one of the geikos and asked for another sake cup. Then he turned towards Shizuka with a cheeky grin.
"Then you absolutely have to try! Here, let me pour it for you," he started, reaching for the flask, but she stopped his hand.
"No, no. There is no need, really," she answered, and his face darkened slightly.
"Why not? C'mon, Shizuka-chan, it will be fine!" Shinpachi tried to convince her, but she continued to glance at him doubtfully.
"If she doesn't want to, leave her be, Shinpachi," Harada spoke up.
"Yes, it is not proper to force your wishes and opinions on other individuals, especially when they openly refuse," Saito added.
Nagakura eventually gave up, though not without a lot of complaining. She breathed out in relief. When she looked up, her gaze met with Okita's. He offered her his trademark crooked smile, and seeing the spark in his eyes she tensed in wariness. She knew that spark pretty well by now. What is he up to this time? she wondered.
"I think you should try drinking some," he told her, returning to the discussion they've just finished. Shizuka stared at him for a moment, trying to understand what his motive was.
"I already said that…" she started but he cut in.
"You're not going to do anything fun? Even though it's your birthday party?" he said, and the way he accentuated that one word made her instantly realize why he was acting so peculiar. Damn it, she cursed, remembering her promise. Shizuka gazed at him, and he beamed at her, knowing that he's in full control. She clenched her teeth in exasperation.
"I'm not forcing you or anything, though," Okita continued in a similar manner, the sly grin not leaving his face even for a moment. She closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed in deeply to calm her nerves. Then she grabbed the cup, which was brought for her earlier, and extended it towards Okita.
"Anything for the fellow birthday person," Shizuka chirped, half-heartedly feigning excitement, and man chuckled seeing her frown. He poured her some sake and then held his own cup, moving it closer to hers. Reluctantly she did the same, though she removed her cup the moment it touched his.
She brought the vessel to her lips and emptied it all at once, the same way other captains were doing it. At the beginning she was pleasantly surprised by how sweet it tasted. However the moment later her throat started burning, and she coughed loudly, feeling dryness in her throat. She reached for her water and drank it quickly to wash down the weird sensation. The men started laughing at her reaction.
"Why would you gulp it all down? You should've drank it slowly," Harada said, chuckling.
"No, she should go strong from the start. Good job, Shizuka-chan!" Shinpachi praised her. She felt the fire in her throat die down, and smiled proudly. I don't know what's all the fuss about. It's no big deal, she thought.
She drank few more cups, most of them poured by Okita, and she was feeling better and better. The alcohol was still irritating her throat, but after getting used to it she found it kind of enjoyable. She was chatting with the men happily, a nice warmth spreading inside her body.
"Shizuka-chan, did you try this? It goes great with sake," Heisuke told her, pointing at one of the dishes with his chopsticks. She looked at the food he was showing her.
"No, I haven't. Let me…" Before she could finish her sentence, her head fell limply onto her shoulder, her body falling backwards.
"Shizuka-chan?" Harada, who luckily caught her in time, called out to her, but there was no answer. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently.
"Shizuka-chan?" The men turned to her, alarmed. Sanosuke was looking at her face for a moment, then a little chuckle escaped his mouth.
"She passed out," he said, taking the chopsticks out of Shizuka's hands.
"Really?" Heisuke exclaimed, and together with Shinpachi they started laughing.
"It is not surprising in the slightest. Yukimura is a petite person, and this evening marked her very first experience with alcohol, so such an outcome could have been easily predicted," Saito spoke up. Shinpachi poked Shizuka's arm with his finger, and when there was no response, he started laughing even harder.
"She's out cold!" he yelled, holding his stomach. Heisuke was wiping the tears which formed in the corners of his eyes. Their laughter was so noisy that seemed to be echoing throughout the building.
Suddenly, Shizuka's head shot up and she looked around slowly.
"Shizuka-chan, are you okay?" Harada spoke up to her. She turned to him, trying to focus her cloudy gaze. Then her face lit up in a lazy smile.
"Sano-chan!" the girl squealed, reaching towards him with her hands. He grabbed her shoulders and stared at her, concerned.
"Are you okay?" he repeated.
"Me? Never been better!"
"Are you sure?"
"Sano-chan, you're such a worrywart," she singsonged, her voice soft and loving. They were all looking at Shizuka, surprised by the change in her demeanour.
Next, her eyes fell on Saito, and she propped her chin on her hand, staring at him intensively. He shied away from her gaze, a faint blush appearing on his features.
"Hajime-chan, your cheeks are sooo red," she giggled excitedly, pointing at him. The man froze, the colour on his face intensifying, and that made her even more giddy.
"Your face is even redder, Shizuka-chan," Shinpachi noted with a grin. She put her hands on her cheeks and squeezed them lightly.
"Really? I can't feel it at all." Then she smiled back at him sweetly. "Yours is just as red, Shin-chan." Nagakura choked on the sake he was just drinking and started coughing uncontrollably.
"S… Shin-chan?" he stuttered. He looked at Heisuke, his eyes widened in shock. "What is wrong with her?"
Heisuke looked at the girl and shrugged his arms. He was more drunk than the rest of the captains, so he failed to notice her unusual behaviour.
"Nothing wrong with her. Shizuka-chan's fiiiiine," he said waving Shinpachi off. The girl heard her name and turned to Heisuke.
"Of course I'm fine, Hei-chan," she assured, and they smiled at each other drunkenly. Harada, who was chuckling the entire time, now broke out in laughter.
"She's totally plastered," he concluded, looking at the girl.
Okita was looking at her the entire time, greatly entertained by her drunken antics and embarrassment of his companions. He wasn't drinking as much as other captains, so he was able to enjoy the scene unfolding to the fullest. His stare finally caught the girl's attention and she turned towards him. An amused smirk did not leave his face.
"Sou-chan!" she yelled, offering him a wide smile. Before he could react she moved closer, put her hands on his head and started stroking his hair affectionately. Okita couldn't move for a moment and the others were just as surprised. Then the man took hold of her wrists, and moved his face closer to hers. His eyes were sparkling in mirth.
"So, I'm not an asshole anymore?" he asked with a chuckle, quietly enough so that only Shizuka could hear.
"You're getting there," she said and grinned at him. Shinpachi, who was sitting the closest to Okita, glared at them with displeasure.
"Hey, what are you guys whispering about?" he whined and got closer.
"Tell us, tell us!" Heisuke joined in. They both started screaming, urging Shizuka and Okita to disclose the topic of their exchange. The pair, however, remained silent and kept looking at each other, completely ignoring the commotion around them.
Hijikata was sitting in the opposite corner of the room, along with Shimada and Yamazaki. He was talking with the spies about the developments in their investigation, but the noises made by others kept distracting them. After a longer while, and numerous pauses caused by the racket next to them, the vice commander finally had enough of all the yelling and stood up, his expression sour. He walked up to the group just as Shizuka called out to Okita. Earlier he noticed that the girl was drinking sake with the captains, and one look at her was enough to see that she was very drunk. Hijikata gritted his teeth.
"Why are you so damn loud!?" he scolded, giving each one of them a nasty glare. Hearing his scream, Shizuka and Okita moved away from each other, him cautiously, her with a huge smile on her face. The men lowered their voices and started explaining themselves, putting blame on one another.
"Hijikata-san, it was all Heisuke. He was the loudest one."
"Wha? It was you, you nasty old man. Stop lying!"
The men started bickering, and the noise began all over again.
"Silence!" the vice commander exclaimed. Then he turned towards the girl with a piercing stare. "I'm pretty sure that Yukimura was the noisiest one here." Harada, Shinpachi, Heisuke and Saito started talking over each other in attempt to defend her. Only Okita remained silent, his attention focused on the girl.
Shizuka was looking at the vice commander with an unreadable expression. Just as Hijikata ordered the men to be quiet again, her gaze regained its sharpness and she leaned back, supporting herself on her hands.
"Hm… I think it's you who's the noisy one here, Toshi-chan," she spoke up, and all the noises died down in an instant. The men stared at her, some in horror, some in shock. Hijikata's jaw slacked down momentarily.
The first thing to break the heavy silence was Okita's loud laughter. Hijikata's head turned sharply towards him, his eyes throwing daggers at the captain, but he seemed completely unfazed and continued to chuckle in amusement.
Shizuka pushed herself off the floor and landed on her knees.
"What's wrong, Toshi-chan?" she said sweetly, looking up at him. She was trying to stand up, but it proved to be a difficult task. Hijikata more or less recovered from the initial shock, and his fury became even more evident than before.
"Who gave her alcohol?" he asked, his voice low and menacing. All the captains simultaneously pointed at Okita, and he glanced up at the vice commander with a smirk.
"Guilty as charged," he said with no trace of repentance in his voice.
In the meantime, Shizuka finally rose to her feet. However the moment she took the first step she got incredibly dizzy, and her limp body staggered forward. Hijikata caught her by the arms automatically, and sighed heavily in exasperation. She held onto his shoulders, steadying herself, and her stare focused on his face.
"Thank you, Toshi-chan," she said, beaming up at him. Hijikata heard a wave of choked laughter, and looked at the captains with irritation.
"Shut up!" he yelled, but men continued to snicker quietly. His cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.
The vice commander shifted his gaze onto the girl. He noticed that her eyes became hazy again, her legs weakening. He tightened his hold on her and glared at Okita.
"Souji, take her to the headquarters." The man shrugged in disinterest.
"Why me?"
"Because it's your fault, you bastard! Besides, the others are way too drunk. Move your ass!" the man exclaimed while trying to constraint Shizuka, who started fidgeting in his arms.
"Sou-chan!" she cheered drunkenly.
"Don't wanna. It's too much of a pain," Okita said and the vice commander's eyes lit up dangerously.
"I was not asking, Souji. That was an order," Hijikata uttered, seething in quiet rage. "Get moving. Now."
Okita glanced up at him and realized that the vice commander was in no mood to play around. He got on his feet with a little sigh and moved closer to take Shizuka's wriggling body out of Hijikata's hands.
"I was just joking," Okita denied weakly. He was half-carrying Shizuka, his arm wrapped around her waist. He opened the door with his foot, and just as he was about to leave he looked over his shoulder and offered Hijikata an innocent smile.
"Why are you getting so angry, Toshi-chan?" the man said and left the room, his steps slow and cocky.
"Soooooouji!" Hijikata roared, his yell accompanied by the merry laughter of other captains.
"Shizuka-chan, would you please cooperate?" Okita pleaded. The girl kept scampering around, running away from the captain's reach. She seemed to have a lot of fun. Refreshing night air helped her regain the ability to move properly, but didn't really sober her up. She looked back at him and just laughed at his words. She seemed so joyous and carefree that he couldn't help but chuckle, more than willing to forgive her the absolute lack of obedience.
They continued to walk like this, him a few steps behind her, and her running ahead and glancing back at him constantly, beaming every time their eyes met.
"Shizuka-chan, be careful," he said, seeing that she wasn't looking at what's in front of her at all.
"Don't worry, Sou-chan," the girl answered, but she turned around compliantly nonetheless.
After a while, as they were less than ten minutes away from the compound, Shizuka stumbled and fell down. Okita walked over hurriedly and crouched next to the girl. Her hair came undone some time ago, so now her face was hidden from view by a long veil of ebony locks.
"Shizuka-chan? Is everything alright?" She was silent, so Okita repeated the question. One blue eye peeked at him from beneath the thick layer of hair.
"My head… Dizzy," she murmured. Okita let out a long sigh and positioned himself in front of her.
"Hop on," he told her, looking at her over the shoulder. She was staring at the man for a moment, as if she couldn't understand his words, then she waved him off dismissively.
"I'm fine." Okita hummed doubtfully, obviously not convinced, and turned around to face her.
"You're clearly not," he deadpanned. Shizuka just scoffed and made an attempt to stand up, but to no avail. "Both then and now," he added, too quietly for Shizuka to hear. For a short while he was looking at the girl, who kept trying to raise herself up from the ground, stubbornly refusing the hand which he had offered her few times already.
"C'mon, Shizuka-chan," he tried again. "We don't want to stay on this street the entire night, right?" He brushed loose strands of hair away from her face, his voice unnaturally gentle. She squinted her eyes cautiously.
"Yes?" she answered unsure.
"Then hop on."
After a moment of struggle, Okita finally managed to put the girl on his back.
"Hold on tight," the man said and stood up. Okita resumed their walk, but his pace was very slow, because Shizuka started fidgeting again.
"So high!" she exclaimed, giggling happily. She was waving her legs in excitement, her hands outstretched towards the night sky.
"Shizuka-chan, stop moving or you'll fall down," Okita pleaded in exasperation. The girl was wriggling so much that he could barely hold onto her.
"Damn you, Hijikata-san."
To Okita's great relief, Shizuka got tired after just few minutes and calmed down. He figured that alcohol must've finally started to wear off. They continued down the street in silence, slowly reaching the headquarters, when the girl wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Shizuka-chan?" The man glanced over his shoulder to get a look at her, half expecting more drunken shenanigans. But she was facing the other way, her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade.
"He bought it. He said he wouldn't, but he did. He was always like this," she said quietly, as if to herself. "It's all my fault. I did nothing to..." The girl started sniffling, and soon Okita could feel his clothes getting damp. It didn't take him long to realize what the girl was talking about.
"You sure love to blame yourself for everything," he noted with a sigh.
"What do you know?" the girl murmured into his back.
"I know that some things are just meant to happen, no matter how hard you try to prevent them," Okita answered, and her eyes opened widely. Shizuka's thoughts were still slightly clouded by alcohol, but Okita's words entered her mind as sharp and clear as a slash of a blade. Where have I heard it before?
"There is plenty of bad guys out there, whether you like it or not. It's pretty stupid to think that you can take on everyone, right?" She lifted her head quickly, the comment triggering a certain memory.
"There are a lot of people in this world that one day will try to hurt you, be it by words or actions. You cannot fight all of them."
Shizuka was staring at the back of his head, completely shocked. How did he? He said the same thing as… As father.
"For example me. I wouldn't recommend starting anything with me," he added, returning back to his usual, sarcastic self, making her wonder if she'd heard correctly in the first place. Then she chuckled quietly.
"You're not a bad guy," the girl said, straightening herself to take a glance at him. The confidence in her voice gave him a pause, and he looked over the shoulder.
"How are you so sure? You don't even know me." Shizuka couldn't argue with that. Okita, with his questionable sense of humour and even more questionable personality, was still a mystery to her. But despite his attempts to distance himself again, captain's earlier words seemed to be still in the air, giving her comfort and completely belying his current gruffness.
"Just a gut feeling," she told him, resting her chin on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but she noticed the corner of his lip turn up in a little smirk.
Some days later, they were all gathered in the common room to eat dinner.
"You really don't remember anything?" Shinpachi asked, looking closely at the girl.
"You've asked me this like a hundred times already, and the answer's still the same," she said impatiently. Her eyes darted to Okita briefly, before falling back on her bowl.
The truth was, she remembered that night, at least partly. She could recall as far as to when Nagakura poured her a drink, another one out of many. Then there was nothing, so she assumed she must've passed out, which was embarrassing, but bearable. At least I didn't do anything stupid, she thought. For the most part. However, later on more memories came back to her, and those almost made her die of mortification. Her, running around the streets, smiling at Okita, being carried by him, crying on his arm. And… Sou-chan. She called him Sou-chan. Many times. Even thinking about it was giving her shivers.
"Let her eat in peace, Shinpachi," Harada said, having noticed that Shizuka's eyebrows furrowed in distress. He looked at Nagakura with disapproval.
"Sorry, Shizuka-chan," the man said remorsefully. "But it's just so weird!"
"What is so weird about it? Everybody has a different reaction to alcohol. Moreover, it was Yukimura's first time drinking," Saito said calmly.
"I know, but…" Nagakura murmured.
"Why are you so obsessed about it, anyway?" Shizuka questioned, glancing at the man. "Did something happen that night?"
"No!" the cacophonic sound of many voices startled her. She stared at the men utterly confused, her eyes widening. What's this all about? the girl wondered.
"Nothing happened," Hijikata said. He sounded as usual, his voice calm and collected, but a little tremble at the very end of the utterance betrayed him. Hearing this, Shizuka's head turned sharply towards him, curiosity written all over her face.
"Nothing happened," he repeated pointedly, his eyes squinting warningly at the girl. She recognized the expression, but all of this was just too intriguing to ignore. She turned to the men next to her, but before she could start asking the door opened, showing Kondou and Innoue. They were out ever since morning, meeting various people (though Shizuka didn't know any details concerning the identities of the men), and it seemed they've only returned now.
She noticed that the men were not empty-handed; Kondou was carrying a large jar, and Innoue was holding a tray with sake cups.
"Sorry we're late!" the commander spoke up, entering the room, the usual jolly smile plastered on his face. "Tachibana was chatty as always," he told Hijikata, who nodded in understanding.
Once he sat down, he turned to the rest of the people, holding out the jar.
"I was gifted this by one of my acquaintances, it's a self-made product of his household. It is supposed to be 'a sake of the best quality there is'," Kondou mimicked the boastful tone of his friend, and gestured at Innoue to distribute the cups. "Why don't we all have a taste?" He laughed good-heartedly and started pouring the sake to each man.
When the commander reached Shizuka, he offered her a concerned frown, the jar hovering unsurely over her sake cup. Seeing this, other men stiffened in nervousness.
"I was said it's pretty strong. Will you be alright, Yukimura?" She gazed up at him with a smile, and held out the cup.
"I will be…"
"No!" she heard a collective yell for the second time today, and she glanced around. All men were agitated, their anxious stares going back and forth between her cup and the sake jar. Kondou froze momentarily, then he straightened himself, looking around at the captains.
"What's wrong?" he asked. The men started shifting in their seats awkwardly. She noticed that only Okita was unfazed. Even more, he appeared to have the time of his life, his face stretched in an amused grin. Hijikata coughed, rubbing his temples as the turned towards Kondou.
"Yukimura is… not very good with alcohol," he said slowly. Commander's eyebrows shot up slightly at this explanation, then his eyes went back to Shizuka.
"Really?"
"Yes," Hijikata murmured. "That's why… she shouldn't drink," he ended, visibly struggling.
Okay, what the hell is going on? She was just as confused as Kondou was. The captains were acting incredibly suspicious, as if they were hiding something, and she didn't like to be left out, which seemed to be the case.
Kondou agreed without much prying, and she could've swore the men sighed in relief.
"If that's the case… We don't want you to feel sick, do we?" he told her, patting her on the head affectionately. Shizuka's puzzled expression relaxed into a smile at his tender gesture.
Kondou sat down and the tension in the room slowly subsided. However the girl didn't give up on her investigation. She looked at the three men next to her, remembering her idea to question them.
"Hey, Heisuke, do you know something?" she inquired with Todou. He just shrugged, his mouth full of food.
"This kid was way too drunk to remember anything," Nagakura chimed in with a snarky laugh. Heisuke grumbled something incomprehensibly, still busying himself with rice, and just settled on shooting the older man a nasty glare.
"What about you, Shinpachi-san?" Shizuka continued with her interrogation, and upon the question Nagakura's grin faded. He turned away, avoiding Shizuka's inquisitive eyes.
"I-I'm not sure, haha," he mumbled awkwardly. The man was a terrible liar, so she could tell right away that something was off. The clues were all coming into place. She was sure that something did happen after all.
Seeing that Nagakura has clammed up completely, she focused on Harada. He noticed her stare right away and raised his hands, signalling that she'd get nothing out of him either. She pouted at him, but the man just smiled apologetically.
What the hell? Just what exactly happened that they are so secretive about it? she thought, their weird behaviour bothering her. Shizuka looked around, trying to find another person to question. She glimpsed at Saito, but the moment their eyes met he looked away quickly, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. His reaction confused the girl even further.
"You want to know what happened?" she heard a very familiar voice. She turned to Okita, whose smile was alarmingly wide, his gaze full of mischief. She leaned towards him, albeit reluctantly.
"Yeah. Tell me." His grin got even bigger, and he scooted closer to Shizuka from his spot in front of her.
"Oh, I don't know if I should…" he pondered teasingly, and she rolled her eyes at his antics. Okita shot the vice commander a quick side glance, and drew nearer.
"The thing is... " he continued in this vague manner, and she scowled at him impatiently, as her curiosity started to get the better of her. Other captains were looking at one another, too shocked to interfere. Hijikata noticed the scene unfolding and immediately focused on the exchange, his stare piercing the back of Okita's head.
The man gestured at Shizuka with his finger, encouraging her to move closer, and she did so eagerly. He fell silent for a minute, savouring the attention.
"Will you do anything to find out?" Okita whispered finally and she stared up at him in surprise. He… He played me? she realised. His cocky grin was only further confirming that.
"You…" she growled. The girl offered him the most murderous glare and backed up in disgust.
"Souji!" Hijikata yelled, towering over them. The captain looked up at him with innocent eyes, meeting vice commander's vicious scowl. "What the hell are you doing?" Okita pointed at himself.
"Me? Nothing," he chirped sweetly, his act making Hijikata even more annoyed.
Then his eyes turned to Shizuka. He was trying to gauge her reaction, since he didn't trust Okita with their secret in the slightest. The girl was still shooting daggers at the captain of the first division, and seeing this Hijikata's calmed down, assured that the man haven't said anything. He gave Souji one more warning look and returned to his seat.
Shizuka spent most of the dinner grumbling under her breath, most of her mumblings a variety of different curse words addressed at Okita. He effectively directed her attention to himself, the weird behaviour of the captains currently forgotten. Why is he so damn infuriating? she wondered while looking at him. Nobody could rile her up quite the same way as he did. He seemed to be perfectly aware of that fact and was constantly making use of it.
But then, as if to contradict her judgement of the man, Shizuka remembered the night of their outing. Her angry thoughts unwittingly softened. I guess that's just the way he is, the girl figured, a little sigh escaping her mouth. Okita noticed that she was observing him and he grinned, a smirk so familiar at this point that it felt like an old friend to her, as ridiculous as it sounded. She returned the gesture, but it was a gentle rendition of his own crooked smug, and that change caught him off guard. His emerald eyes widened, his lips parting slightly. She held his gaze for the briefest of moments and looked away, turning to the men next to her. His stare remained on her for the rest of the evening.
Some time later, she was making her way down the corridor, assisted by Harada, Todou and Nagakura. The idiot duo insisted on walking her to her room, despite her loud protests, and she figured it must've been because of the alcohol they've drunk. It really was strong, she thought, seeing the occasional wobbly steps of her companions.
"Ah, that sake was goooood!" Shinpachi exclaimed, stretching his arms in a leisurely manner.
"It sure was," Heisuke agreed readily. A yawn escaped his mouth and he turned to Nagakura.
"We have patrol in the morning, right Shinpachi-san?" The man nodded. "Damn, I don't wanna…" he sighed, earning a strong slap to the back.
"Quit whining, kid. Nobody forced you to drink this much," the older man said, giving his friend an unimpressed stare. Heisuke of course took offence and they started bickering, the earlier fatigue completely ignored. Shizuka rolled her eyes and sped up in attempt to leave them behind, but the men also increased their pace, their loud voices following her closely. After a moment she turned around sharply, glaring up at the men. They were so absorbed in their fight that they haven't noticed Shizuka's figure, and if not for Harada, who positioned himself next to the girl, his arm stretched protectively in front of her, their collision might've had a disastrous outcome. Thanks to the man Shinpachi and Heisuke finally realized that Shizuka stopped, and they looked at her curiously.
"Stop following me and go to sleep!" she hissed in annoyance, and the men fell silent. "I'm perfectly capable of going by myself, okay?"
"Shizuka-chan…" Shinpachi trailed off, taken aback. She noticed that his expression fell a little and she instantly felt awful. I forgot how emotional he gets when he's drunk. Dammit.
"I didn't mean to upset you," he said sadly, and an exasperated sigh escaped her mouth. From the corner of her eye she could see Harada snickering. "We just want to make sure you're safe, that's…" She raised her hand, what gave him a pause. The girl was sure he was about to go into a nonsensical speech, so she decided to put a stop to it before it could start. She was getting really tired.
"I know, Shinpachi-san," Shizuka said placatingly. "But you have patrol in the morning. You said so yourselves, remember?" she reminded, glancing at him and Heisuke with gentle eyes. They both nodded sheepishly.
"That's why I don't want to tire yourselves more than it's necessary." They were about to protest, but she stepped in between them, linking her arms with both men. "I want you two to rest. Can you do that for me?" she pleaded with a sweet smile. They chuckled awkwardly, looking away, their shy reactions making Harada snort. She shot him a quick glare before looking at the idiot duo, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Oh, so that's what it was! I thought Shizuka-chan got mad at us," Shinpachi laughed, scratching his head in an unsure gesture.
"Of course not!" she rushed with an explanation. "Why would I get mad at you? I just want you guys to rest, that's all." Both men nodded vigorously and cooperated, though there was an obvious reluctance in their movements. Harada was watching their entire exchange with great amusement, and once the men let go of Shizuka, he pushed them towards the corridor leading to their rooms.
"Go to sleep. You don't want Hijikata waking you up because you overslept, right?" Both Heisuke's and Shinpachi's eyes widened at the mention of the demon vice commander. Their steps lost all of their earlier hesitation and they quickly disappeared behind the corner. She chuckled at the sight.
"I should've known that mentioning Hijikata would do the trick."
"Oh, you were doing pretty good without it, believe me. I want you two to rest. Can you do that for me?" he gasped, giving quite a spot on impression of her earlier actions, eyelashes batting included. She gave him a light shove and he burst out laughing.
"Don't get me wrong, I really like those guys, but damn, their drunk fights are too much for my nerves."
"Agreed. They are annoying enough when sober, but when they're drunk? That's a whole another level of obnoxious," Harada said with a heavy sigh, and the girl chuckled at his resignation.
"What about you, Sano-san? You're not drunk?" She peered at his face curiously and he offered her a warm smile.
"Not really. I have self-restraint, you know?" Shizuka gave him a look of utter disbelief.
"Self-restraint, that's rich! Remember when we went out back in August? Yamazaki and Innoue-san had to carry you back to…"
"Tha- that's beside the point!" he exclaimed in panicked voice. "The point is… not this." Shizuka bit her lip, trying her hardest to remain serious, and he looked at her with a frown. "That's not exactly my most graceful moment. Thanks for bringing it up."
"Oh, you're very welcome," she said, lowering her head respectfully. He snorted at her mocking gesture, but his pout quickly turned into a smile as she started laughing, her chuckle a sweet and pleasant sound. Their banter continued all the way to their rooms.
Today was her breakfast duty. She truly hated that chore (almost as much as sweeping the courtyard), since she was required to wake up very early and help with the preparations. The girl did not cook, as it was discovered quite early that she was a horrendous cook. Her tasks were more basic, and included handling the plates or making tea, among others. However, not knowing why, for this day Kondou called all the captains to the common room a lot earlier than usual, which meant that Shizuka had to wake up at the crack of dawn.
When she heard somebody's quiet voice at her door and opened one eye, only to see that sun was yet to rise, she turned onto other side, completely ignoring the visitor. The voice however, though remained soft and calm, was insistent, and after five minutes of listening to "Yukimura-san, are you awake?" she grumbled, a silent curse leaving her lips, and slipped out of the warm futon. She put on her hakama quickly and opened the door, revealing Saito. He seemed as collected as always, not showing even a hint of impatience or disapproval at Shizuka's laziness. He took a step back and nodded his head in a greeting gesture.
"Good morning, Yuki-" he stopped mid-sentence when his gaze fell on the girl. Her hair was still loose, a dark mass of silky stands surrounding her pale face, accentuating the cold blue of her pupils. She started grabbing her disobedient locks to tie them up in a ponytail and while she was doing so, Saito's eyes were still fixed on her. When Shizuka finally managed to make her hair look presentable, she looked up at the man with a sheepish smile.
"Good morning, Saito-san. I'm sorry for taking so long, it's just way too…" she trailed off, noticing Saito's daze. "Saito-san? Saito-san!" The man blinked few times, his eyes widened slightly, and then he cleared his throat, turning on his heel towards the road leading to the kitchen.
"Let us go. We have a lot of work to do," he said in his usual calm voice, and Shizuka nodded, still puzzled by the weird pause.
"Saito-san? Is everything alright? You seem distracted." She matched his pace, but maintained some distance, her gaze focused on the corridor ahead.
She knew that Saito was more introverted than other captains, so she was always making an effort to make him feel as comfortable around her as possible. He seemed to appreciate that, and even though he's never expressed his gratitude with words, Shizuka could tell that he was relaxed around her. She was really glad about that, as she grew fond of Saito in the course of her stay with the Shinsengumi. She liked how stoic and reasonable he was, especially compared to other captains.
"Yukimura-san… Your hair… grew quite a lot," he said quietly, and she noticed a light shade of pink colouring his cheeks. She suppressed a grin.
"It really did, didn't it?" she admitted, brushing her fingers through the long strands. "I was thinking of cutting it soon, it's so difficult to maintain." Saito slowed down slightly and glanced at Shizuka, his eyes unsure.
"If I may say something…" She nodded readily, offering him an encouraging smile. "I think this length suits you very well." For a split second, the blush on his face became even more evident.
"You think so? Then maybe I'll leave it the way it is, then. Thank you," she beamed at him, and his own lips also turned up in a little smile.
The sun was already beginning its climb on the sky, and they arrived at the kitchen accompanied by the gentle light of dawn. Shizuka stretched her arms, trying to get rid of the post-sleep sluggishness. The chilly, morning air helped a great deal in shaking off the weariness, so she was inhaling deeply, a pleased expression gracing her features. Even though it was almost December, today's weather was truly lovely.
She handed him a bowl with the freshly washed vegetables and Saito got down to business right away. His hands were sure and fast as he was cutting the carrots and bell onions into perfectly shaped cubes and slices, and she observed him closely, impressed as usual by his skill with the knife.
All of them are good at this. But I always cut my finger the moment I start… Damn it, she sighed.
"Yukimura-san, the pot," Saito's voice brought her back to reality, and she jumped down from the counter to help him out. For the next hour or so her thoughts were occupied with only one thing: don't break anything.
Shizuka, Saito and Innoue, who popped into the kitchen at one point to see if he could be of any assistance, were carrying the trays with porridge and steamed vegetables, all food prepared of course without any seasoning whatsoever. The captains were slowly arriving at the common room, and the girl could see that she was not the only one dissatisfied with the early wake up call. Shinpachi and Harada could barely keep their eyes open, and Heisuke was yawning constantly.
Even Okita seemed tired, his face pale and marked by exhaustion. Shizuka glanced at him for a moment, her brows furrowed. When she came back with his tray, she offered him a hard stare, and the man tilted his head curiously. She didn't say anything, and gave him his breakfast, and his eyes widened at the sight. The vegetables were stacked into a little mountain, and the bowl with the porridge was close to overflowing.
"Shizuka-chan, what is this?" he asked, looking at others' shares. They were nowhere near as big as his.
"Shut up and eat." She glared at him.
"But why…"
"You look like you're about to faint. Just stop arguing and eat," she hissed.
"Yukimura, could you bring us some tea?" Kondou spoke up to her.
"Yes, of course," she replied. Shizuka stood up showing Okita her back. "If I see that you've left even a spoonful, you'll have to deal with me," she whispered, looking over her shoulder menacingly, and headed towards the kitchen again. He was glancing after her retreating figure for a moment, then he picked up the chopsticks. Upon tasting vegetables, he noticed that they weren't bland, as they usually were when Saito was in charge of cooking. It wasn't the level of flavour he would've desired, but they still tasted nice. His porridge was also seasoned. Okita looked again at the entryway where the girl disappeared. A light, amused chuckle escaped his mouth.
Why did I do that? she wondered while making her way down the corridor. Now I'll never see the end of his teasing. Shit. She reached the kitchen quickly and started preparing the tea, her foot tapping repeatedly in anxiousness as she waited for the water to boil.
"Do you need help?" Saito appeared at the doorway. She looked up and smiled gratefully.
"Yes, if you could lay out the cups that would be..." Before she even finished her sentence the man was already there, putting the cups on the tray.
"...great. Thank you, Saito-san." She finished brewing tea and they left for the common room together.
"Why are there twelve cups?" she asked, glancing at the vessels on the tray.
"The commander instructed me to bring additional cups, since there will be guests joining us," he answered.
"What about breakfast?"
"I was told to bring them only tea."
"Alright then," she shrugged.
As they were reaching the common room, she noted right away that it was very quiet, only a faint buzz of few voices could be heard. This struck her as very weird, since breakfast was usually a very loud and lively activity for them, of course after everybody woke up properly. She peered at Saito, but his face betrayed no emotion whatsoever. The man slid open the door and took a step to the side, letting her through first. She entered the room and looked around discreetly.
The men seemed very tense, and they were all looking in the same direction. Her gaze followed theirs instinctively. Kondou was talking to some man, with Hijikata and Sannan close at his side. The mysterious guest had two men of his own. Must be subordinates, she concluded, noticing that they were seated slightly behind the man at the centre. Whoever he was, he must've been important enough to have servants making visits with him. His clothing was also an indication that he was of higher status; though it looked plain, the material was of very good quality. But the thing that stood out the most about the man was his posture. Even though he was sitting down, his entire body seemed to overflow with confidence, arrogance even.
Her eyes were scanning the rest of the room, when they met with Kondou's, and seeing her, his cloudy expression brightened up.
"Yukimura, there you are! Please offer our guests some tea." He seemed to be glad that she arrived, a small exhale of relief escaping his lips. The tension in the room subsided slightly. She gave the commander a nod.
Shizuka approached them and could finally get a peek at the guest's face. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight, the tray in her hands shaking dangerously. Her eyes widened in recognition and she quickly looked away, terrified.
What is Itou Kashitarou doing here?!
They could hear Shizuka's voice echoing on the corridor as she kept asking "Sou-chan" questions, many of them completely nonsensical.
"Sou-chan, do you like spring or… or the other one better?" was the last inquiry they were able to pick up before the pair has left the premises. Harada chuckled, what caught vice commander's attention right away. Sanosuke shrugged at his glare.
"What can I say, Hijikata-san? She's damn adorable when she's drunk," he said, looking at the man. Hijikata scoffed, his arms crossed on the chest.
"Adorable my ass," he murmured. "More like annoying." Harada just laughed at vice commander's gruffness.
Heisuke, his eyes even more clouded that before, stared Hijikata.
"Why are you so angry, Tosh-"
"No! Shut up, you bastard!" vice commander blew up at the younger man before he could even finish addressing him, the mere first syllables of his name making him see red. "I've had enough with you drunk morons!" Heisuke seemed to be totally oblivious as to why Hijikata was so upset. He shrugged and reached for the sake bottle, but before he could grab it, the vice commander snatched it quickly and put it away. The other captains were snickering at the scene unfolding.
"No more sake for you. And don't give me that look," Hijikata scoffed, seeing younger man's pout. Then he stood up and looked at the captains. The laughter died down under his studious glare.
"And you all. If anyone talks about tonight, I'll personally see to it that you don't see the light of another day. Understood?"
His voice was full of warning, and the captains were ready to believe he would indeed kill somebody, had the word about his embarrassment got out. They nodded, all united in opinion that it was best not to aggravate their vice commander. Doing so was the risk only Okita was willing to take.
And sixth chapter down! It was such a long one, wasn't it? As I mentioned before, this one was a filler kind of chapter, as I wanted to have some more time before introducing all those new things. In the game, this is the point where the supernatural stuff really kicks in, so we are up for some interesting stories in the future.
I'll do my best to release chapter 7 as fast as possible, so don't forget about me, guys!
I'd love to see what you think about the story, so feel free to leave a review.
See you soon!