Summary: Even if Okita Souji didn't come first to Chaldea, that honor went to her Alter Ego self, it didn't lessen her capabilities and her strength. It's with this in mind that one Master looks up at her and smiles, a new nickname in mind.

"If she's Okii-san, doesn't that make you 'Sou-chan', Saber?"

Note: Inspired by my growing love for the OG Okita Souji/Sakura Saber herself, more so after she came home to me on free Saint Quartz on the first day of the NA Thanksgiving 2021 banner (11/24/2021). Considering how much she grew on me since I started playing FGO NA during the original GudaGuda 1 rerun (I'm so sorry, Archer Nobu, I was too much of a newbie to know to get all your Ascension material), it feels fitting to give her a chapter all to herself. Maijin-san/Okii-san already got some spotlight. :)

The theme for this chapter is Nisha Senitsu, the original song used during the CM for GudaGuda 3, where Okita Alter originally debuted. I couldn't help but buy the song on iTunes, and it's stuck with me since.

Please enjoy!

Day 27: Defining Name

"Battle Finished!" rang out loudly over Novum Chaldea's speakers in the simulator, and Okita found herself exhaling a quiet breath. The blood of the dragons faded from the area as quickly as it had come, turning into fading fragments of data as she sheathed her sword.

"Mommy, mommy! Did we do good?" Jack the Ripper's voice cut through the silence that followed the simulator's mechanical churning, and Okita turned just to see the tiny Assassin rush at their Master in a hug, her knives already tucked away in her black cloak. Jack wrapped her arms around Vy's waist with a bright laugh, pressing her forehead into the hem of Vy's Mage's Association uniform. "We slashed and cut as much as we could!"

"I could see that, sweetie, you did do good," Vy said with a soft smile, gently patting the top of Jack's head as she returned the hug. "Great job out there. You're not tired, right?"

"Nope, we're still okay!" With an insistent cuddle, Jack then added in a slightly muffled voice, "What about you, Mommy? Still okay?"

"For now, Jackie," Vy acquiesced honestly, and Okita watched as Vy carefully hid a yawn with the back of her left hand, hugging the smaller Assassin a bit tighter with her right. "We haven't been training that much, so I'll be okay. Don't worry so much."

"That's hard to do, Mommy, not worrying…" Jack still pulled away from the hug once she had her share of affection, glancing up at Vy with a pout. "Robin said to watch over you in case you ever looked too pale or sleepy, Mommy, so that's what we're gonna do!"

Okita couldn't help but watch Vy out of a mix of curiosity and amusement as the Chaldean Master proceeded to turn a light pink at the mention of the green Archer. Even when not lingering in Chaldea as long as the other Servants, it was obvious even to Okita how much Vy loved Robin Hood. "W-Well, I mean," Vy stumbled, voice slowly rising in pitch from embarrassment as she covered her coloring cheeks with both hands. "R-Remind me to thank Big Robin later then, sweetie. L-Let's just get home for snacks, okay?"

"Okaaaaay!"

She changed the subject, Okita noted quietly to herself. To everyone else, she merely opened her mouth. "Did you have anything else planned, Master?"

"Eh?" was all Vy had in response to that, no doubt from the embarrassment still present on her face. Okita had to wait about another 2-3 seconds for Vy to reorient herself, pushing her ponytail past her shoulder to cough into her hand. "I-I mean, snacks was what I had in mind," she said, shutting her eyes in consideration. "We were able to farm a few Rider materials, anyways, and since it's Thanksgiving, I didn't want to push you all too much…"

"This," Kama spoke up with a huff from over Vy's shoulder, crossing their arms over their chest, "coming from the Master who can't stop overworking?"

Just like that, Vy's composure was broken yet again. "K-Kama-san, I know that much already, so you don't have to rub it in!" Pink covered her cheeks once more, and Okita wasn't sure whether to watch or just laugh as Vy turned away from the taller Assassin, crossing her arms herself. "Muuuuu…"

Okita chose to let her shoulders relax, a tiny smile of her own playing with her lips. "Then let us head back for some dango, Master?"

"A-Aye aye!"

Once the simulation had faded completely to reveal Novum Chaldea again, Okita felt herself freeze.

"Welcome back, my shooting star," the other Alter Ego version of herself said with a wave of her hand not holding Rengoku, stepping forward from her place lingering in the doorway as her yellow eyes brightened at the sight of Vy. "Was training difficult for you today?"

"Hi, Okii-san," Vy said warmly in return, shaking her head. "I'm okay, as I told Jackie. You don't have to worry about that." Still, it was telling to see Vy quickly stride up to the other Okita, gently raising one hand to pat the Alter's head while standing on her tiptoes. Okita didn't know what to make of it. And what was with her other self being called 'Okii-san'? "Thankie for stopping by to see us, though."

"For you, my shooting star, I'd do anything," Okita Alter said without hesitation, warmth filling her normally monotone voice as she shot Okita a funny look over Vy's head. Okita did her best to clamp down on the urge to click her tongue in discontent. "For now, I'm relieved to see you return safely. Should I get the oden ready?"

"Maybe dango and tea first, Okii-san, and then the oden," Vy continued in the same soft tone, withdrawing her hand in favor of gently tugging at one of Alter's. "I owe your original self that much."

"Ooh, ooh, then let us go with Maijin-san then, Mommy!" Jack was jumping up and down in the air from excitement, no doubt from the anticipation of snacks in the cafeteria. "We can get the red Archer for you!"

"As long as you don't bother Shirou too much, sweetie, then by all means, go ahead," Vy beamed at the Assassin from over her shoulder, still holding onto one of Alter's hands as she then glanced at the sullen Kama floating in the closest thing to a dark corner of the Simulator Room. "Kama-san, you can go with them too if you want."

"I do not mind the extra company, Kamadeva," Okita Alter added, giving the God of Love a look from over Vy's head. "You are free to join us if you wish for it."

"Hm," the Assassin said after a significant pause, shutting their eyes before lowering themselves to the floor, reverting to their teenage form to walk towards the door. "As long as you don't overdo it with the sugar."

"What would you want to eat then?" Jack added once Kama approached her side, tilting her head innocently in Kama's direction. "Ice cream? Mommy makes good sea-salt ice cream!"

With a click of their tongue, Kama seemed to be in visible consideration of Jack's suggestion as both quickly closed the distance between themselves and the door. "Maybe," was all Okita could hear by the time her Alter had closed the door behind them with a push of a button.

With the others gone, Okita felt herself exhale.

"Okita-san?" Okita turned at the sound of her name, finding herself looking into honest brown eyes that were all the more bigger up close (almost child-like, if Okita could call them that), and she blinked. When did Vy walk up to her? "You don't have to linger here," Vy continued, a concerned frown (or was it a pout? It looked too cute to be a frown in Okita's eyes) covering her face. "You can follow the others to the Dining Hall for snacks. You deserve that much after all the hard work you did!"

"I-I'm happy to hear that, Master, really," Okita coughed, doing her best to keep the previous discontent at her Alter out of her voice because really, Vy didn't deserve that. Not with kindness like hers. "But I lingered here out of wanting to ask you something."

"Eh?" Vy said, blinking again as the concern in her eyes melted away for pure curiosity. "What is it?"

"It's… It's not something I could ask while my other self was present," Okita admitted, doing her best to not focus on the odd sensation of heat crawling up her spine and the back of her neck, choosing to rub her neck instead. Holding her katana was much easier than this, but still, if she could… "I just wanted to inquire…"

"Hm?" Vy tilted her head at Okita again.

Okita shut her eyes and decided to throw caution to the wind, no matter how childish the thought sounded inside. "Why do you call my Alter 'Okii-san' while I am just 'Okita-san'?"

"Uh — huh?" was the very intelligent answer that left Vy's lips, and Okita jumped at how Vy's voice proceeded to pitch a few octaves higher from what seemed to be embarrassment and plain baffled surprise. "I-Is there a problem with the names? I've only called your Alter 'Okii-san' because she was the first Okita I ever summoned, not to mention how tall she is…" Vy proceeded to make a small face at the mention of Okita Alter's height, gesturing to her own short stature in comparison before shrugging in humble embarrassment. "So I haven't really thought of anything else, unless it upsets you…" Her cheeks flushed again like when Jack mentioned Robin Hood to her, the pink coloring her face enough to make it very clear to Okita that she caught her Master off guard. Oops.

"I-It's not that there is a problem, Master. I'm not upset," Okita added hastily, doing her best to sound as comforting as possible as she raised a hand to rest it against Vy's shoulder. Vy's voice going that high-pitched did not sound all that promising for Okita's nerves. "I was merely curious because my Alter is different from me and, to be fair, I…" Okita couldn't help but give a nervous, reluctant laugh of her own. How odd. A hitokiri — a former Shinsengumi like Okita — getting tongue-tied over a nickname of all things. Still, she said in a quieter voice, "I wanted a nickname of my own. To be separate from my Alter who answered your call first."

From the Alter who served you longer.

"O-Oh," Vy says, her voice pitching downwards to a more calm, tentative and thoughtful sound as she met Okita's eyes. "That… that makes more sense." The muscles in her shoulder relax under Okita's grip, and Okita finds herself relaxing too as Vy closes her eyes and puts a hand to her own chin in thought. "A unique nickname for the original Okita Souji, huh…?"

"You don't have to overthink it, Master," Okita replied soothingly, rubbing her thumb across Vy's shoulder blade through her Mystic Code. "If it troubles you, you could still call me 'Okita-sa—'"

"Sou-chan!" Vy blurted out with no preamble, unintentionally interrupting Okita's attempt to back away. "That works!"

From the suddenness of the moment, Okita found herself jumping again. "S…Sou-chan?" she murmured weakly. "Sou-chan? Really?"

"See, your Alter is 'Okii-san' from how tall she is and how she was the first Okita I got to know," Vy explained in a sincere matter-of-fact tone. With the way her brown eyes were sparkling behind her glasses, it was like she had discovered a new planet in the universe with what she was saying. "And since she's Okii-san, all I can use is the 'Sou-chan' in Souji, right? If she's Okii-san, you're Sou-chan! Unless," Vy's bright smile then dropped for almost a kicked puppy look, just as she went about tilting her head to look up into Okita's eyes, "you don't like it?"

"I-It's not that I don't like it!" Okita took her hand back from Vy's shoulder, feeling her face start to burn before blood started to climb up her throat and she coughed. Her haori, thank god, was still on her person to let Okita cover up the sudden coughing fit, and past her sleeves, she could see Vy's bewildered and worried face as her throat seized up. Damn tuberculosis. Couldn't even be cured by a Holy Grail because of how it was so integral to her apparent legend. "Hack hack — S-Sou-chan is… is fine," she eventually got out around the blood, wiping at her mouth with her haori sleeves once the fit subsided. "Just, Master, could you say it again?"

Vy, having taken a few steps closer into Okita's personal space to take out a handkerchief (it must've been in the time Okita was coughing), blinked up at the Saber as she slowly raised her hand with the cloth squished between her fingers to wipe at Okita's lips. Okita must've missed a spot. Despite the worry in her brown eyes, though, Vy did her best to smile. "Sou-chan," she said, warmth echoing in her voice as she continued wiping the blood away from Okita's chin and mouth. "It… It honestly feels like it suits you, Sou-chan, being the First Division Captain of the Shinsengumi. A swordswoman who, in spite of everything, still smiles at me and offers dango when I'm tired. A swordswoman who is just one of the best Sabers I could ever know."

Okita felt her heart skip a beat and she shut her eyes. This Master of hers. How could she be so honest? "Please, Master, could you… could you say it again?"

The white handkerchief continued to gently brush Okita's chin as Vy whispered the name, almost like a prayer. "Sou-chan."

Don't push yourself so much, you're just as important as Okii-san to me, I love you, I love you, Sou-chan.

"Vy…" Okita felt herself sigh in part happiness, part exasperation as she raised a hand to take the one Vy was using to still wipe at her face, shaking her head. "You are too kind to a murderer like me. Almost like a child…" It took feeling Vy's fingers twitch under Okita's own to make Okita realize what she said, and the Saber backtracked with mild panic, opening her eyes to meet Vy's bewildered ones. "A-Ah, I didn't mean to call you childish or anything!"

To Okita's surprise, Vy giggled, lowering their intertwined hands to instead tug at Okita's. It took a moment for Okita to realize what Vy was doing, inevitably left blinking once Vy's temple gently bumped hers. "It's okay, Sou-chan," was the happy whisper, and Vy closed her eyes while leaning into Okita's touch. The smile Okita could see on her mouth was so bright yet so, so kind. Not even Hijikata-san got to look like that when they were alive. And yet, Vy whispered, "Even so-called murderers deserve kindness every now and then. And considering how I still feel like a child sometimes in the face of you and the other Servants, I think we'll be just fine."

"A-Alright." Okita finally felt herself exhale the breath she was unintentionally holding onto since she was summoned in front of Vy and her other Alter self, a smile of her own tugging at her lips. "Let's… let's stay like this for a while, Vy."

Vy opened her eyes to stare into Okita's own gray ones, and her smile widened. "Aye. As long as you want, Sou-chan. We do have a few minutes before Jackie and the others want to start eating snacks with us."

Okita blinked slowly at her shorter Master, left with nothing but her katana strapped to her waist and the hand she was using to hold Vy's, bloodied handkerchief trapped between their fingers and all. "…I no longer have any doubts," she whispered under her breath, and once Vy was staring up at her with those confused brown eyes, Okita closed her own and smiled once more, leaning into the forehead touch. "For your kindness and for giving me another name, I shall always be by your side. Even if this transient body ceases to exist."

I don't know if I'll ever love you back in the same capacity, Master, but for you, who raised a frail Saber like me—

To Okita's surprise, Vy pulled back just slightly to bump her head with Okita's, almost scoldingly as another giggle left her lips. "Oh, Sou-chan," was the equally quiet reply, "I'd rather you live with me, you dork, not just fight for me. And I'll find a way to help you with your tuberculosis, Grail or no Grail. I studied General Biology before coming here — I can at least do that much for you if you're going to do that much for me."

I'll still love you platonically, Sou-chan. As a friend and a Servant I can rely on. You're greater than your tuberculosis.

The lotus on Vy's left hand seemed all the more poignant as Okita stared into Vy's eyes. "…As you wish, my lord. My hime." Against her own judgment, Okita relished the sight of Vy's cheeks flushing pink again. It made sense if this was what Robin Hood fell in love with, because the contrast between Vy's embarrassment and her pure, unadulterated kindness was enough to make even the most stoic of swordsmen kneel. And, of course, Okita was no different. "May you continue staying this kind for the rest of your days."

After all, Okita was not unfamiliar with kindness being the first thing to die in war. And even if their odds had given Chaldea a fighting chance, in the continuing battle against the Crypters and their Lostbelts, Okita honestly wasn't sure if she could bear to see Vy's witness that fate. Not after all this.

Edit (9/16/2022): Changed some dialogue so that Jack's lines were more accurate to their portrayal in Fate/Apocrypha and FGO. How past me forgot to include their using "they/them" pronouns is beyond me.