Loudly, brightly

by ladykrueger

Tragedy can break the liveliest of people. But sometimes, when all hope seems to be lost, the sun rises again, marking the start of something new. Something that is loud, bright and wonderful.

14. Leaving, staying

Hello world!

I had this chapter locked and loaded, and… I forgot to post it, lol. Go figure. But it's finally here!

As you may have noticed with the last few chapters, I've decided to throw away any shame, and just write write write Souji into (almost) all the scenes. He's there in the canon version? Great, put him in. He's not there in the canon version? Even better, put him in! This scene is something non-canon? Why, put him in right now! This trend will continue in the foreseeable future. And I. Regret. Nothing.

Enjoy!

---

The steady hum of a nearby river sounded delightfully peaceful. Despite the fact that this year's April was unusually cold, the chilly breeze felt gentler today thanks to the sun, which spread its warm rays on the cloudless sky. Shizuka inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the fresh, spring aroma. Then she turned to her companion.

"Are you sure you don't need any more help?" She eyed an impressive amount of bundles in Harada's hands. He also had a basket on his back, various vegetables filling it all the way to the top.

"I'm good," he offered her a wide smile, but she was still staring at him somewhat usurely. "You're already helping plenty."

"What do you mean? I'm barely carrying anything," she countered. Harada gave her two packages to hold, and both looked way smaller and way lighter than any of his. "Just give me some more."

"I'm telling you it's fine. Besides, it's me who owes you." She glanced up at him with a furrowed brow. "For tagging along."

"C'mon, this is nothing."

"You would be surprised just how much others hate going grocery shopping. Plus, most of them are useless at it."

"Can't say I'm all that great at it either…" Harada shook his head at the doubtful tone of her voice, and sighed heavily.

"At least you can tell if the vegetable's gone bad. That makes you better than three quarters of them."

"Stop. You serious?" She asked with wide eyes, and once he nodded she broke into a disbelieving laughter. "So how come no one's died from food poisoning yet?"

"It's solely thanks to me, Hajime, Yamazaki and Inoue-san that they are still alive and breathing." She started giggling again, and his overexaggerated frown cleared up at that.

Since it was widely known among the captains that Shizuka was a poor cook, she was usually assigned other duties, and one could find her in the kitchen approximately once in a blue moon. Because of that, she was not fully aware of the ins and outs of the meal preparation process. By extension, she has never left the headquarters to do grocery shopping before either.

"You seem to be a natural at that," he said, pointing to the purchased goods. "Never seen anyone bargain as well as you do. If only I knew I would've started taking you with me sooner, and spared myself some headache from dealing with the others."

"If you're not just pulling my leg and really consider me helpful, then I'll be happy to join anytime." Her words earned a wide grin from the tenth division captain.

"Yes, I really think you are a great help." A brief silence fell between them, and then he glanced down at her. "Good thing you got so much better in the kitchen. If not for that, it would've taken me longer to realise this." She narrowed her eyes, uncertain of the direction of his talk. "But since you've stopped cutting your fingers, haven't burned anything in such a long while, and can actually make some tasty side dishes now, I figured why not try and take you with me!" Shizuka looked at him with a scowl, but the man seemed completely unfazed. The captains tended to tease her about her prowess in the kitchen (or lack thereof), and because it annoyed her to no end, she would purposefully avoid helping out with food.

"I take it back. You can go with the other captains next time." Her grouchy response made him laugh, and her pout deepend at that.

"I'm just messing with you. But it is true that you've made lots of progress."

"It's all thanks to Inoue-san," she said, slightly appeased.

"Yes, that man has the patience of a saint." She glared at him again and he put his hands up defensively. Since they were both occupied with numerous bundles, the view was quite ridiculous, and Shizuka pressed her lips together to not let out a giggle. "Not that he had to use it with you! I'm just saying."

"Yeah, right." He searched for her eyes, and once she finally acknowledged him, he unleashed his best pleading smile onto her.

"So… You'll continue to come with me, right? You won't abandon me? Please, I don't want to go with Shinpachi. He couldn't tell the difference between tomato and persimmon if his life depended on it." This time she failed to suppress a chuckle, and to Harada it was a clear sign that she had forgiven him. He nudged her with his elbow to seal the freshly established peace. Just as she was about to respond, she stumbled suddenly. Sanosuke paused next to her and glanced worriedly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. But my sandal isn't," she said, shooting daggers at the broken shoe which almost made her fall flat on her face.

"Let me see," the man said, and before she could reply he dropped the packages and got on his knee in front of her, a focused frown on his face. He grabbed the sandal and inspected it for a moment before untangling a piece of his bandage-like forearm guard.

All this time Shizuka was balancing on one foot so that her tabi doesn't get dirty. Unfortunately the ground near the riverbank was uneven, slippery and strewn with stones of various sizes, making it somewhat challenging to find balance. Harada glanced up briefly, and noticed her wobbling. He took one of the two bundles she had out of her hand, and put it away.

"Hold onto me," he then said, and guided her palm onto his broad shoulder.

"Thanks," Shizuka beamed down at him, and he grinned in response. He quickly set out to fix her shoe, and after a few moments he presented it to her proudly.

"Try it on. Is it tight enough?" She put the sandal on and took a testing step.

"It's great!" A mocking smirk appeared on her face. "Maybe you should consider a career change, Sano-san. You'd make a splendid shoe maker!"

"Ha ha, very funny," he said, but the sparkle in his eyes belied the dry tone.

"I mean it!" Harada lowered his head, but she managed to catch a smile. Then he cleared his throat and stood up finally. She has already retrieved her share of the groceries, and before the man got around to it, she snatched a few of his as well. He tried to take them back, but she dodged his hand and moved away.

"You just have to have the last word, don't ya?" he shook his head. She shrugged smugly at that, making him snort. "Let's get back to the headquarters before Hajime starts searching for us."

"He does take the meals very seriously," she agreed with a giggle.

"He's also very skilled with a knife…" Sanosuke murmured, and they looked at each other.

"Let's hurry. Or we'll both end up as one of the ingredients for his soup." He nodded and they picked up their pace. "Hm… but on the other hand…" she started musing out loud, and the man glanced at her curiously. "Maybe then it wouldn't taste so bland?" Harada's eyes widened momentarily, then he burst out laughing. His merry cackle echoed far and wide, carried with the Kamo River's flow.

---

Once they had arrived at the headquarters, they headed straight for the kitchen. Saito did not seem displeased with their arrival time, and they smiled at each other in relief.

"You can give them back now, you thief," Harada said, and took the bundles from her.

"Here I am doing you a favour and you're calling me a thief? I'm shocked and very, very hurt, Harada-san," she said in faux offense, and the man smirked, seeing right through her performance. Then a frown appeared on his face.

"It sounds so strange coming from you. Don't call me that."

"Whatever do you mean, Harada-san?"

"Ah, stop!" he said with a laugh. "It's weird!"

"Is it not your name, though?" Saito said, clearly puzzled.

"I know, I know. But Yukimura-san here," he glanced at her with a half-serious scowl. "Has been calling me by my given name for so long that it feels unnatural to be called by anything else."

"It's better than being called a thief. Wouldn't you agree, Saito-san?"

"Yes, definitely," the man said. "Why would you call Yukimura a thief in the first place? That is hardly polite." Shizuka grinned at Sanosuke, who got caught between her playful pettiness and Saito's righteous spirit with no way of escaping.

"I was just making fun of how much of a busybody she is," he explained, effectively killing the joke, but the third division captain still looked skeptical.

"I do not see any correlation between the two," came a completely oblivious, deadpan reply, and Shizuka masked her chuckle with a cough.

"Never mind," Harada said with a defeated sigh. He glared at the girl, who seemed to be having the time of her life. "Apologies for calling you a thief, Shizuka-chan."

"Apology accepted, Harada-san," she answered with a wink.

"Ah, seriously?"

"Would you look at the time? I need to go to the courtyard," Shizuka said, and began making her exit.

"The courtyard?" Saito asked.

"I'm sparring with Heisuke today." The man nodded, and glanced at Harada briefly. The tenth division captain was currently unpacking the groceries, and kept badmouthing Shizuka under his breath; she heard all of his grumbling, but it was light-hearted enough so she decided to let it go.

"May I join you?"

"Sure!" She smiled encouragingly at him, and he followed her out of the kitchen. At that Sanosuke's head shot up from an array of vegetables, his eyes widened.

"Hajime? Weren't we supposed to prepare dinner together?"

"No. Inoue-san is supposed to help today, I believe."

"But didn't you nag us to hurry with the grocery shopping? You didn't do it cause you wanted to get ingredients fast?"

"I didn't nag. I merely pointed out that the sooner you depart, the sooner you will return. And the sooner you can get started on preparing the meal." Saito's definite answer put a pout in Harada's face, but the man didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Let us go, Yukimura."

"Yes, Heisuke must be waiting already." She peeked from behind Saito at Sanosuke, and when their eyes met she offered him a blinding grin. "See you around, Harada-san." With that she and the third division captain started towards the courtyard.

"Yukimura… Do you dislike being called that?" Saito spoke up, a tad clumsy continuation of the earlier conversation, and she glanced at him. "In Sanosuke's case it is a question of familiarity with the person calling him. What about you?" She considered it for a moment. Throughout her stay with the Shinsengumi, she got to hear this name time after time, but it still felt somewhat foreign to her. Kurai, though its use forbidden, was still etched too deep in her heart for her to even begin thinking of accepting any other name as her own.

"I don't mind it. But I do prefer just my given name."

"I see." He paused, and she noticed a faint blush spreading on his face. "Then should I… call you by your given name as well?"

"That would be nice," she said gently. He beamed at her, of course in his own reserved way, and she reciprocated.

"Then please, call me by my name as well, Shi- Shizuka-san," he said unsurely, and Shizuka couldn't help but smile again, a little stumble of his just too adorable to ignore.

"Sure. Pleased to make your second acquaintance, Hajime-san," she teased, cocking her head towards him; the redness of his cheeks deepened.

"Likewise, Shizuka-san," he said with a tiny bow, and she bowed as well.

They have just entered the courtyard and spotted Heisuke right away.

"There you are, Shizuka-chan!" he waved at her, and lowered his head slightly towards Saito. "I thought you copped out, haha!"

"Oh please, I would never pass on the opportunity to beat you up, Heisuke," she replied with a lovely grin. The discrepancy between the honey-dripping sweetness of her expression and the threatening choice of words made the younger man laugh out loud. Saito decided to be a spectator, and sat down on a nearby bench.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Shinpachi, who appeared from around the corner, presumably lured in by the sound of voices, exclaimed jovially. "Even Hajime's here!"

"I was feeling rusty, so I wanted to train a little," Shizuka said. Then she stood behind still giggling Heisuke and put her hands on his arms, a mischievous smirk lighting up her face. "And Heisuke here volunteered to get his ass handed to him."

During winter Shizuka became very lenient towards herself when it came to training. Instead of the usual four to five times a week schedule, she was barely mustering up motivation for two sessions, and even those plans failed at times. But once the spring came, her lazy bones also came back to life, and she decided to be as dedicated as possible, especially after she discovered just how much negligence has dulled her skills. If Father w... I would've never heard the end of it. As usual when thinking about him, she felt a pang in her chest. These days, however, whenever the memories of the past came to her mind, rather than being hurt and miserable she found herself feeling more and more sentimental. It was easier to remember and focus on the happy moments, and the feelings of guilt, though not weakened, became manageable and did not take her breath away anymore.

Shinpachi cracked up at her comment, bringing her mind back to the courtyard.

"I would love to see it," he said, and plopped down on the bench next to Saito.

"It's the first time I'm hearing about this," Heisuke said with a grin. "Contrary to you, I've been diligent in my training, so there's no way I'll lose."

"Ha, diligent! Good one, kid!" Shinpachi mocked, and the younger man turned to him. "Shizuka, he's been lazier than all of us combined." Heisuke was throwing daggers with his eyes, but the second division captain did not care in the slightest. "Don't glare at me like that. You know I'm right. You've been moping around the entire winter." Shizuka was looking at their exchange with an amused frown, but when Todou's angry stare shifted into something almost akin to anguish, her own eyes widened in surprise. Heisuke did seem off at times lately, but she didn't really put much meaning behind it. She assumed it was winter gloominess, since most captains - and her as well - appeared to be afflicted with something of this sort. Shinpachi-san sure is observant when he wants to.

"Wh-what do you mean moping around? I've never been moping around!" he exclaimed, avoiding eye contact with both Shizuka and Shinpachi.

"Sure you haven't," the man summed up. She could see that Heisuke was uncomfortable, though she did not know the reason for his odd behaviour.

"That's rich coming from you, Shinpachi-san," Shizuka said in an attempt to redirect the man's attention to her. "If anyone has been lazy lately it would be you." She succeeded, and Shinpachi began a squabble with her, Heisuke forgotten. She stole a glance at the younger man; his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Anyway, I don't have time to argue with slackers," she cut off a particularly elaborate sentence of Shinpachi's, and offered him a snarky grin as she did so. "Heisuke, c'mon. It's between us, young people." Heisuke burst into laughter at that, and they stepped away towards the open space of the courtyard while ignoring Shinpachi's offended huffing and puffing.

Facing each other, they readied their swords. Shizuka wanted to use their blades instead of bokuto, and after some pleading the eighth division captain yielded to her request.

"So, Heisuke… Shall we?"

"Ready when you are," he said with a sweet smile.

"By all means, don't hesitate."

"Ladies first, Shizuka-chan." They kept exchanging empty pleasantries for a longer while, waiting for the other to attack. Shizuka had no intention of moving first, since she wanted to test her quick draw, which she's been training these days.

"Will you move today?" Shinpachi whined, and her eyes darted to him momentarily. In that moment she felt a chill, and in the corner of her eye saw that Heisuke made a move. Finally.

He jumped towards her smooth and fast, but wavered ever so slightly when he observed that she's yet to draw her sword. When he was blade's length away she finally reached for Kenmyoren; their swords clashed, and she noted with satisfaction that Heisuke almost lost his grip, his eyes widened. She had the upper hand.

"You shouldn't have hesitated," she beamed at him, and attacked relentlessly.

While Heisuke was not as strong as Shinpachi or Hijikata, he was incredibly nimble and quick on his feet, more so than any of the captains she sparred with before. For that reason, the advantageous start was soon forgotten, and she had to be on high alert in order to keep up with him. At the same time, she was trying to throw him off with powerful strikes and force him into defense. He was managing to avoid a fair share of her attempts, however, and make her sweat with rapid counterattacks at the same time. Shizuka felt oni powers stirring, but she suppressed them without a second thought. Instead, she pushed herself some more, and tried her best to keep up with Heisuke's pace. While sparring, she observed, analyzed; the eighth division captain's moves, besides being lightning fast, had some sort of elegant fluency to them. I think he mentioned once that he's stayed at Itou's dojo for a while… This skill's from back then? Or from after joining the Shinsengumi? It's not just Hokushin Ittō-ryū, seems like he experimented on it some. Either way, everything about this technique - from footwork, dodging, and all the way to attacks - was very impressive, and perfectly executed.

Soon she learned of yet another one of Heisuke's skills - his stamina. The minutes that had passed since they started have already moved into double digits, and her breathing was slowly but surely getting more laboured, but he seemed to be completely fine. Don't tell me. Is he getting… faster? Shizuka did in fact notice that Heisuke's moves have become, against all reason, even smoother. Are any of them even human?!

Even after spending so much time with the Shinsengumi, she was still in awe of their abilities, as a group too, but more so as individuals. The captains she ate with and laughed with on a daily basis were truly splendid swordsmen, so talented in their respective, unique styles that she wished to learn them all just to come close to their level.

Shizuka and Heisuke separated briefly; she felt first beads of sweat form on her forehead, but she didn't let her increasing fatigue show. I need to speed it up, or I'll run out of stamina. She lunged at him swiftly yet again, but his defense was impenetrable. For the most part, their sparring match looked exactly like that: either of them would close in and attack, but fail to break through the other's guard, and after a few minutes of a fierce exchange of blows they would fall back, readying for another round. I need to get through to him somehow…

"Are you ready to give up, Shizuka-chan?" Heisuke taunted with a pleasant smile.

"I was about to ask you the same, Heisuke-kun. We can clearly see who's losing here," she got back at him without missing a beat. A frown which clouded his face momentarily did not escape her gaze. She smirked. Maybe riling him up some more will do the trick? And who's better at that than… "Wouldn't you agree, Shinpachi-san?" She didn't even have to look at the second division captain to know what his answer would be.

"Yeah, Heisuke, just surrender. Shizuka has you in the palm of her hand," the man laughed. While that was not necessarily the truth, Shinpachi must've felt that this opportunity to tease his younger friend was too good to pass up on, so he mercilessly made use of it. Heisuke was visibly angry, but still focused on her, which came as quite a surprise. I thought he'd start bickering with Shinpachi-san immediately… He's really into it. She noticed his feet shifting, and knew that he was about to charge at her. How should I break through that defense of his? At that moment, as she was adjusting her own footing, she felt a familiar pressure in her tabi, and instantly came up with an idea. If I can't get through, I'll just lose. And then win.

Heisuke rushed towards her, his katana lowered slightly. Upward slash. Perfect. She closed in as well, purposefully aiming downwards, and the moment their swords clashed Kenmyoren went flying, knocked out of Shizuka's hands by the captain's attack. She avoided the swing of his blade, and reached for the Claw, her movements fast as lightning. Then she sprung up, aiming for his neck.

"Ha! I wo-" Heisuke started, but the words died in his throat as he felt the cold weight of the tanto right by his jugular. "Ugh…"

"Did you now?" she looked up at him with a smirk. He stumbled backwards, and she straightened herself, flipping the Dragon's Claw cockily.

"I-I did! You lost your sword first."

"Had it been a real fight, you would've lost your life first," she pointed out with a benevolent smile. "So who's the winner really?"

"I vote Shizuka!" Shinpachi chimed in from the bench, and the girl and Todou made their way towards the two captains to get their opinions. Shizuka beamed at her supporter gratefully, and glanced at Saito.

"Hajime-san? What do you think?" The man tensed slightly, Shizuka suspected it was due to use of his given name still, then a pensive expression appeared on his face.

"Apologies, however I do not condone using such… underhanded tactics," he gazed briefly at Shizuka, who offered him an encouraging nod. "Heisuke disarmed you first, Shizuka-san."

"She let him disarm her!" Shinpachi countered. "She did it on purpose to end the stalemate!"

"I am well aware. But that doesn't change the fact that she lost her sword first."

"Eh, Hajime, you're so inflexible." The third division captain didn't honour this remark with an answer.

"So it's a tie," Heisuke said with a pout.

"I guess so," Shizuka agreed.

"I vote Heisuke too," a new voice interrupted, and they all looked towards the corridor it came from. Harada was leaning on the wall, a cocky smirk plastered onto his face. "Food's almost ready, by the way."

"Oh yeah! Thanks, Sano-san!" Heisuke cheered happily, then glanced at Shinpachi with scorn. "Glad at least you have properly working eyes. Unlike someone." While Shinpachi jumped to his own defense, Sanosuke pushed himself off the wall and stepped down onto the courtyard. His eyes were focused on Shizuka, and once she looked at him he smiled knowingly. One thing she knew was that he would never say no to making a little fun of Heisuke - he was just like Nagakura in that regard - so the fact that he took his side so readily was unusual. Oh, so that's his revenge for calling him 'Harada', she realised quickly. So petty. She returned the gesture, and her lovely, sugary grin caught Sanosuke off guard.

"Okay, my loss then. Thank you for being the decisive vote, Harada-san." The tenth division captain's smugness visibly weakened at her remark.

"No… Not this again," he murmured under his breath, and she found his distress so humorous that a chuckle escaped her mouth before she could stop herself. His miserable eyes found hers; they were sparkling in mischief.

"I guess I found your weakness, Sa-no-san," she said finally, and he breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"You made it a weakness, you vixen."

"Be careful not to cross me then," Shizuka blinded him with yet another brilliant smirk, and he smiled back almost right away.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He went away for a brief second and returned carrying Kenmyoren. "There."

"Oh! Thank you." After offering her another grin, Harada glanced around their little gathering.

"Let's head to the common room." Everybody was in agreement, so they started towards the place briskly.

"Heisuke, I definitely want a rematch," she spoke up to the younger man as they were making their way down the corridor. He glanced at her for the briefest moment, and she noticed the same sorrowful look he had before flash through his face.

"Ah… Ye-yeah. Sure," he said with a weak, fleeting smile. What's wrong? He seems really down for some reason.

"That's a promise. You're going down for sure this time," Shizuka grinned at him, trying to lighten up the mood, but her words seemed to have the opposite effect. His expression became even more tense, and she still had no idea why. "Hey, you okay?" She gave his shoulder a little squeeze, and looked at him with concern. He finally stopped avoiding her eyes and this time offered her a genuine - though still tad strained - smile.

"Your tanto ploy must've done a number on me," he joked, but his gaze lacked the usual liveliness, betraying him. He's lying. She was worried for Todou, but since he didn't seem ready to share whatever it was that was bothering him, she decided to not push any further.

"You see? Yet you still argued for your win…"

"Because I won fair and square!"

"Let's just agree to disagree," she concluded.

"By the way, Shizuka," Shinpachi spoke up, and she glanced at him. "That was some true assassin-like move you showed there. Where'd you learn that?"

"Nowhere. I guess it's just a natural-born talent," the girl said, and a tone of mock bashfulness in her voice made the captains laugh. Even Saito let out a small chuckle.

"Not only is she a splendid spy, but also an assassin in the making. Shizuka really is a one person army," Harada teased, and she shrugged with an innocent smile.

---

After the meal Shizuka and Heisuke spent some time in the resting area. Their discussion has naturally harked back to their sparring match; they praised the other's skill and exchanged feedback. Once Shizuka had mentioned the rematch, however, Heisuke's cheery demeanor vanished just like before. Seriously, what's wrong? I didn't want to pry, but he seems just so… sad.

"Heisuke, is everything alright? You've been kinda off today." He gazed at her, and for a split second some sort of resolve appeared on his face. Shizuka waited, but the determined glint had been extinguished just as fast as it showed up. She searched his face, making him look away. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" she said, a gentle smile on her lips. The sounds of early spring took over momentarily, as the girl and her companion fell silent. After a minute or so she noticed his body shifting in her direction.

"I know. Thank you, Shizuka. I just…" he paused, as if unsure about what words to choose. "You will know in due time. I'm sorry."

"Hey, there's no need to apologise. I shouldn't poke around if you're hesitant in the first place." She exhaled loudly, and stood up. "So if anyone should apologise, that would be me."

"No, Shizuka. I know where you're coming from, so don't be sorry. If anything, I appreciate the concern," he grinned up at her, finally showing her his usual, bright smile, and got on his feet as well. "You going somewhere?"

"I'm kinda craving something sweet, so I was going to search the cupboards in the kitchen."

"Oh, I'm down for some snacks! Let's go." They headed down the corridor arm in arm, speculating about what kinds of sweets they would find.

While passing near the captains' quarters their ears caught the sounds of lively chatter. Shizuka glanced at Heisuke, and he nodded, so with one mind they decided to investigate. The noises led them straight to Hijikata's room. It appeared that not only her and Heisuke got drawn in by the commotion; from the other side of the corridor were coming Harada, Shinpachi and Saito, and Okita already stood by the door, peering inside. Hah, he's always there first when something happens.

"Come in, Souji, come in!" they heard Kondou's cheerful voice. The group approaching from the opposite end noticed Shizuka and Heisuke, and Shinpachi waved vigorously. They got to the door before the captains, and peeked in like Okita did earlier.

"What's going on?" Heisuke asked. Shizuka glanced around; Hijikata had three guests: Kondou, Inoue, and Souji, but what caught her attention (besides the first division captain, naturally) were numerous dangostacked into little pyramids, right in front of her.

"Heisuke, Yukimura, hello! Come and help yourselves!" The commander turned to Inoue with a big smile. "Good thing we bought a lot, Gen."

"Indeed," the man agreed. By the time Shizuka and Heisuke found free space to sit, dango in hand, the three captains appeared in the doorway.

"Is there some left for us?"

"But of course! There is enough for everyone." Shinpachi dived for dango, fast like an arrow let from a bow, and grabbed two skewers.

"Shinpachi-san, are you serious? Why'd you take two?"

"A big man like myself needs lots of sustenance." He devoured half of the dango in one gulp. "Even when it comes to snacks."

"Knock it off with the excuses. You're just being greedy!" Heisuke yelled, but Shinpachi not only ignored all the complaints, but also when Heisuke reached for the next skewer, he snatched it away. Before any fights erupted, however, Hijikata - who up until now was sitting quietly by his desk and writing - stood up, and reprimanded the two captains into silence. Inoue gestured at the still impressive pile of snacks, so the vice commander took one and returned to his seat. Having received an earful, Shinpachi and Heisuke calmed down and started conversing with Shizuka and Harada, who found a spot next to her.

While talking with the captains, Shizuka felt the back of her head searing more and more as the time went on. She finally glanced back, and was greeted with Souji's crooked smile. Her eyes fell to the dango in his hand, and a similar smirk appeared on her own face.

"Hm… I thought you said you didn't like dango, Souji-san," Shizuka said to him, leaning back slightly. Kondou caught her words, and stared at the first division captain in surprise.

"Really, Souji? I was sure you love it!" She put her fingers under the nose to hide her snorting, but Okita saw right through her, and showed her a very strained, very insincere grin.

"I do like it. Shizuka-chan must've misunderstood me."

"I could have sworn you said that it's too sweet for you, or something," the girl pretended to ponder deeply for a moment, then her expression cleared up and she beamed at Kondou. "But maybe I really did misunderstand."

"Probably," Okita answered, and stared at her with a very contradicting expression: his eyes were narrowed as if in annoyance, but the sparkle in them definitely implied amusement; similarly, his smile seemed to express slight ire, but at the same time was strangely pleasant. She held his gaze, displaying just how much she enjoyed throwing him to the wolves. Souji's face cleared up, and to her shock she noticed something akin to fondness appear. She felt her face warm up slightly. After a beat that felt like years he peeled his eyes off of her, but not before offering her a playful wink, as if admitting defeat.

Okita's attention then focused on the straight back of the vice commander. Shizuka's gaze also travelled there curiously. Hijikata was yet to move from his spot by the desk to get another fill of dango, and seemed to be completely engrossed in writing. The brush was moving for a longer while, and Souji's eyes never left it. After some time the vice commander at last set the utensil on the brush rack by the inkstone. Uh oh, there we go, she thought, seeing how Okita sneakily approached Hijikata's spot. The vice commander was just putting away a small book, and while mid-air, Souji's hand swooped in swiftly, and took it away. Don't tell me it's…

"Oh, you have so many new ones, Hijikata-san! Quite a prolific author, aren't you?" Hijikata sprung to his feet in utter panic, and aimed for his possession frantically. Unfortunately Souji was faster, and was dodging all the attacks with no effort. They were prancing around for a moment before Souji moved the book, and himself, out of the vice commander's reach. He stepped closer to the doorway, using almost all of Hijikata's guests as a human shield, and began turning the pages of the haiku book.

"Give it back this instant, Souji!" the vice commander roared while trying to maneuver between the captains to close the distance. If it weren't for Kondou-san he without a doubt would've stepped all over us, Shizuka thought with a snort. The commander himself seemed to be very amused by the situation, and failed to realise how perturbed Hijikata truly was.

"I remember this one! Shizuka, do you?" Okita lowered the stolen book towards her, and she gave it a cursory glance. It was the haiku she heard the vice commander recite back in January, written down in neat, elegant lines.

"Souji! Stop it, dammit!" Hijikata's angry pleas fell on deaf ears, however. He closed the distance finally, but Souji's evasive maneuvers were truly top-notch; he kept waving the book in front of Hijikata - while continuing to peek into it - but far enough that it was impossible to catch it. At once he spun around, and began crossing to the opposite side of the room again - back to where Shizuka was - all this while basking in the attention he was receiving. Judging from their merry laughter, the spectators of the entire incident seemed to have almost as much fun as the perpetrator.

"Wow, this one is so cute!" Okita exclaimed, and cleared his throat, as if readying to read it out. At this point Hijikata was positively losing his mind out of embarrassment, and the impish side of Souji reveled in his reaction. Hijikata-san will kill him, there's no doubt. The elusive captain ended up by her side once more, and Hijikata trailed closely behind. And if he doesn't kill him, he'll at least beat him up black and blue. Not that he doesn't deserve that but…

She waited for the opportune moment, and once the first division captain's gaze focused on Hijikata, she stood up and easily snatched the haiku book. Okita froze in surprise, and a low gasp spread among others at the unexpected development.

"Seriously, Souji-san. You're too childish." From the corner of her eye she could see that Hijikata stopped as well, unsure of her motives. The book was opened, so her gaze was automatically drawn to the black strokes of a brush which were forming yet another haiku.

Laying in the sun

Shiny black back stretches once

And nods off peaceful

Oh my, it's so silly, she thought, delighted. There was a stray cat roaming around the headquarters from time to time, but it was so skittish that she only saw it once, and as it was escaping too. She vaguely remembered that its fur was dark. Hijikata-san's seen it, and for long enough to write about it too? And it didn't run away from him?

"It really is cute," she said absentmindedly, and her words sent Hijikata back into a panicked state.

"Shizuka, I'm warning you. Give it back right now." Having the famed haiku book in her own hands, she understood the giddiness that Souji must've felt. Part of her wanted to read them all, and tease the vice commander about it for days on end. She flipped through some pages, ignoring Hijikata's words and slowly approaching steps. Upon reading one particular haiku, her eyes widened. Oh.

A dance in the wind

Pale petals flutter and fall

And ascend anew

The composition struck a chord with her for some reason, and she found herself going back and forth between the lines in awe. The memories of spring walks with Father flooded her mind. They used to take them quite often, sometimes just to look at cherry blossoms. I really like this one.

Shizuka's instinct of self-preservation proved to be much better developed than Souji's. Moreover, there was a weird, newfound feeling of respect towards Hijikata's creative endeavors blooming within her. That's why, even before he approached and could try to retrieve his possession, she handed it to him first. His hands grasped the book greedily; the angry eyes fell on her for a moment, but it was nowhere near the intensity of a glare that he then addressed at Okita. Shizuka sat back down, unfazed.

"And here I was thinking that you'd help me out again. Gotta say, I'm quite disappointed," she suddenly heard right in her ear. She looked over at the first division captain. Though his tone was full of reproach, his mischievous eyes belied the harsh words. He was ignoring all the deathly stares sent his way, his attention focused solely on Shizuka.

"Well it seemed like you were going straight into the beast's mouth, and with a wide smile on your face at that, so I felt like I had to step in," she explained, and felt a puff of air ruffling her hair as he let out a scoff.

"Oh, please. 'A beast's mouth'? Hijikata-san is less harmless than a baby rabbit."

"You didn't get smacked only because Kondou-san is here. But what will happen after he leaves?" Okita shrugged indifferently, and she glanced at him with a grin. "I know it was your usual repertoire, but you went too far this time. You need to know when to pull back, otherwise…" She moved closer to him, and he leaned in as well. "He will never let his guard down around you again. And you don't want that, do you now?"

"Hm…" He paused to muse over her words for a moment. "Okay, you might be onto something."

"Of course I am." Just let this go, before he really cuts you down.

"Still, I think I could've gotten more out of that."

"Yeah, and meet your demise while you're at it," she mocked, making him chuckle.

"I'm sure you would've saved me." She gazed at him for a moment, looking for any sign of sarcasm, but to her shock he seemed to be perfectly serious.

"If I had to…" she murmured somewhat shyly. Okita got to his feet, and made his way towards the steadily dwindling supply of dango. He bent over to grab one, and she noticed that Hijikata's entire body tensed in alarm. He's going to remember that for a long time. Souji also caught sight of the vice commander's agitation and sent the brightest, most cheerful smile his way, making the man scowl in distaste. A very long time. The first division captain smoothly made his way back. Then he bent over towards her and presented her with a skewer.

"Here."

"Oh, you don't want any more? But you like them so much." Souji appeared to be immune to Shizuka's teasing in this particular moment, because the only reaction she got out of him was a fleeting smirk. "Maybe you do prefer the sweet ones after all?" Their eyes met, and hers widened slightly seeing how his were: challenging, provocatory even. Wha…

"Maybe." She reached out, and took the dango from him. Their hands brushed against each other briefly, and judging from his expression she was not the only one who felt a strange, fuzzy quiver running along the fingertips.

"We'll make a second attempt, then. My treat," Shizuka said quietly. Okita stared at her stunned for a longer beat, but her expression did not waver under his studying eyes; then his countenance relaxed and he nodded. She looked away, her lips pressed together to suppress an elated smile which was pushing itself onto her face.

Souji moved outside and sat next to Saito on the porch, and Shizuka turned to the captains, who were seated nearby. For a good while she was trying to focus on their chatter, but soon it turned out that any and all attempts to regain her composure were hopeless.

---

She's just finished tidying up the common room after breakfast. Shinpachi, who was supposed to be helping her today, was nowhere to be found, so she had to do everything alone. Disappearing when there was work to do tended to happen to him from time to time, and today, Shizuka became the victim of his playing hooky. Is that because I've been calling him an old man often lately? After dealing with a mess in the common room she decided to find Shinpachi and pay him back handsomely.

The girl went out, and stretched her arms to get rid of fatigue. The sun was shining brightly and she found herself momentarily blinded, her hand instinctively moving up to cover her eyes. However, even though the sun was out - spring in a full swing - an occasional chilly breeze prevented Shizuka from fully enjoying this calm day.

"Good morning," she heard a pleasant voice and turned around.

"I wouldn't exactly call it good," she said tiredly. Okita chuckled and she removed the hand from her eyes at the sound. She finally had a good look at him and gasped quietly, then rushed towards him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yelled. The man glanced up at her, his eyes widening.

"Uh, sitting?" he said, observing her stride. Before he could react she grabbed a little towel from his shoulders and covered his head with it.

"Why are you out and about with wet hair? You're asking for a cold!" she scolded harshly.

"I sweated throughout the night, so I needed a bath. Washed my hair too while I was at it, and wanted to let it dry in the wind," Okita summarised, but Shizuka just scoffed.

"In this freezing cold wind? That's just great," she spat out in exasperation. He let her rub at his hair for a minute, while she kept chastising him. "Not only is he skipping breakfast, now he's also prancing around with water dripping from his hair, and in this cold too…"

"It's not really dripping," he opposed weakly.

"Quiet."

After a moment he reached up to stop her.

"I'm fine Shizuka, you can..." Okita started, but she slapped his hands away, surprising him.

"I said quiet. I'm not moving until your hair is completely dry." Her tone left no place for any argument. Okita knew her well enough to be aware that once she's set her mind on doing something, it was almost impossible to change her mind. That's why he decided to humour her and let her do what she wanted.

"I'm going to be bald by the time you're done," he teased after a while, looking up in her direction. The upper half of his face was covered by the towel, so she could only see his smiling mouth and the tip of the nose.

"Maybe that was my plan all along," Shizuka deadpanned, and he let out a little laugh.

"Please don't do that." She didn't answer, but her movements became slower and more delicate, energetic rubbing replaced by gentle pats.

"Look ahead," she instructed, applying a little pressure to his scalp, and he straightened himself obediently.

Shizuka kept the towel on for some more minutes, massaging his head. Then she removed it, and ran her hand through his hair a few times to make sure it's dry. Okita's eyes were closed and he seemed very relaxed, a hint of a smile gracing his features. Her treatment left his hair all disheveled, so she started fixing it. As the last touch she brushed some stray strands away from his forehead. The girl peeked from behind to take a look at him.

"So..." she spoke up to grab his attention. His eyes opened slowly. "You want your usual Kondou-san-inspired hairstyle?" He stared at her for a moment in bewilderment, her comment catching him completely off guard. She gazed down at him with a smirk, and seeing how smug she was he chuckled in amusement.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yup, pretty obvious," she answered right away.

"You have no mercy, Shizuka." Souji placed his hand on the chest as if he were in pain, making her snort.

"Stop whining," she told him, already used to his frequent dramatics. Before he could even protest or stop her, her fingers tangled themselves into his hair again, and having snatched a tie from his thigh beforehand she put it up into a knot skillfully.

"And done!" Shizuka took a step back to inspect her work, and after a moment an approving murmur escaped her lips. "Looks good." Okita reached out curiously to feel his hair.

"I could've done it myself, you know?" he noted, and turned around to look at her. She just shrugged. "Shizuka-chan is such a busybody sometimes." Okita tried to agitate her, but she had none of his teasing. She knew she had the upper hand this time. A crooked smile appeared on her face and she leaned towards him slightly.

"Is it Kondou-san enough?" The man looked up at her, mimicking her grin.

"It is. Thank you, Shizuka," he said, having seen right through her attempts. She glanced at him unamused, but after a moment sat down next to him, propping her chin on the palm. For a longer while they were sitting on the steps, comfortable silence between them.

Soon they both started listening in on the sounds of the town. As the morning was slowly making place for the noon to come, the sun climbing higher and higher in the sky, the commotion on the streets was becoming more audible. Street vendors were advertising their goods in loud voices, trying their best to tempt the passersby to have a look. The characteristic creaking of the wooden carts, each loaded with various merchandise could be heard clearly, just outside the entrance. Ever since they've changed the headquarters to Nishi Honganji, thus moving from the outskirts to the center of Kyoto, such noises became an inseparable part of the living experience.

She gave him a side glance, and their eyes met briefly.

"It suits you," she said with a smile. Okita looked surprised for a second, then he smirked and shrugged.

"I know, right." She stared at him, and seeing how smug he was, a grimace appeared on her face.

"Ugh, I take it back," she murmured in distaste.

"There are no take backs," Okita said in amusement. They were looking at each other for a moment. Then his eyes closed, his chin went up and he smoothed his hair with the most self-satisfied smile she's ever seen. She broke out into laughter immediately.

"You're ridiculous," she summed him up, and surprisingly, besides showing her his trademark crooked grin, he made no comeback. Then he stood up, and offered her his hand, which she accepted without much hesitation.

"The morning unit will be back soon," Okita said absentmindedly. She couldn't hear the troops just yet, but judging from the positioning of the sun, Souji's words were correct. I'm pretty sure the next shift is his… She figured that was the reason why he stayed near the entrance. These days his condition seemed to have improved slightly, presumably due to the increasing temperature, so Hijikata allowed him to head patrols two to three times a week, given that he reports to him beforehand. With a nod she glanced towards the gate.

"So… You coming?" His tone made it seem like there was not much to the question, just a mere offhand remark of his, but she noticed that his wandering gaze kept coming back to her suspiciously, almost as if he was impatient to hear her answer. Does he… want me to go?

"I'm not sure. I was going to find Shinpachi-san and get my revenge on him…" she wondered out loud.

"What did he do?" Souji leaned in curiously.

"We were supposed to clean up after breakfast together, but he ditched me." The first division captain put his hand to the mouth in a very exaggerated expression of shock, and she nodded heavily, masking her merriment with a sigh.

"That is indeed a serious offense, Shizuka-chan."

"Exactly. So I don't know if I can join. 'Debts' should be settled as fast as possible after all." Souji inclined his head without a word; they were both having a hard time remaining serious at this point, but each enjoyed the banter too much to be the first one to break character.

"If you let him think he got away with it for some time, he will for sure lower his guard. So come with me." Shizuka looked at him, fascinated by the idea. "And once we return, I'll help you ambush him. Deal? After all, revenge is a dish best served cold."

"Hm… I like your thinking. Deal." Okita grinned at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"You were my accomplice before, and a perfect one at that. It's only fair that I return the favor, isn't it?"

"One-for-one type of man, huh?" she teased, and he shrugged innocently at that.

In the meantime the morning patrol had returned to the headquarters; while one group of men was slowly dispersing, Okita's troops began gathering by the entrance, and waited for their captain. Souji stepped away for a moment to grab his belongings (and get permission from Hijikata), and once he returned he went straight up to her.

"Let's go then." He motioned at his second in command, and the men moved out. Once the troops began their patrolling, Okita and Shizuka, as usual, took the rear.

"So… Why did you want me to go? So much that you're willing to become my partner in crime?" Okita hummed musingly, and she strained her ears.

"Just because," he said finally, and she blinked a few times, caught off guard.

"Just because? What kind of reason is that?"

"You tell me." His cryptic reply left her quite dumbfounded. She looked at him in order to read something from his face, but to her surprise he looked even more confused than her. Seeing this, Shizuka decided to prod just a little bit further.

"Aw, you wanted to spend some time with me?" A mocking smirk prepared especially for him faded away as he looked at her, the intensity of something in his gaze leaving her stunned.

"I think so," he admitted without a fight, and peeled his eyes off of her. She felt blood rushing to her face, so she turned away, fanning the blushing cheeks discreetly. Why is he so honest all of a sudden? Making me nervous…

After fessing up in regards to her tagging along Okita was remaining silent, so Shizuka let him be for now, satisfied enough with the current progress of their peculiar relationship. I don't think I'll get anything more out of him for now. She focused on looking around the stalls, and let her thoughts wander leisurely. For some reason, however, she kept feeling like somebody was observing her. She glanced around, and locked eyes with some of the soldiers from the division. They looked away immediately, but the happening was odd enough to give her a pause. What in the world? She leaned in towards Okita ever so slightly.

"Is it just me, or are some of these guys looking at us funny?" Shizuka said in a low voice. There was no response, so she glanced at Souji. His face was unnaturally neutral, as if made of stone, but his eyes failed to maintain similar composure.

"They are Itou's men," he said stiffly.

"What are his men doing in your division?" Her question left him even more tense, and she pressed her lips together, afraid she spoke out of turn.

"He put a few of his men in each division," came an answer. How come I haven't heard about it?

"When?"

"Some time before Shimabara. You might not be aware, since you haven't really gone out on patrols these days." That's true…

"What a sly bastard," she murmured,

"I wholeheartedly agree." His eyes were boring holes in the soldiers' heads, and feeling the ominous air behind them, the men instinctively sped up. Once the distance between them increased, he glanced at her with an unsettling smile. "I wish I could just kill him, but Hijikata-san won't even hear about it."

"There you go with your killing fetish again," Shizuka tsk-tsked at him. Okita's nerves seemed to have calmed down a little at the snarky show of reproach; he even managed a small chuckle. "But I have to agree with you on that one, I'm afraid."

"So, since we are so in agreement, why don't we…"

"Go against Hijikata-san and take care of this?" He nodded keenly. "Are you serious? Do I need to remind you that Kondou-san is also supporting this asshole?" The mere mention of the commander took all steam out of him, and now he was not even trying to conceal his frown. She was wondering how to appease him. "I've heard them talk about this once. Hijikata-san will take action, but he needs a clear, indisputable reason." She searched for his eyes, and gave him a small smile. "And unfortunately Itou being an absolute waste of space is not it."

"It is in my book," he said with a scoff, but she could tell that he was back to his usual self. She giggled at his grumpy remark.

"Good thing we don't do things by yo-" The words died in her throat and she froze, staring ahead. Wait, is that...

"Shizuka?" Okita spoke up, peering into her face worriedly, but she was too distracted to notice. Before he could say anything else, she ran off down the street, following a small figure in the distance. Nagumo! I'm sure it was them! Shizuka was weaving between the people while trying not to let the familiar silhouette out of sight, and after a minute or so of sprinting, she finally caught up.

"Nagumo-san!" she called out breathlessly, and the person in front of her shuddered, startled. "I knew it was… you." Nagumo turned around slowly, with a smile that appeared one second too late plastered onto their face.

"Ah, it's you. Long time no see," the person said. They sounded calm and polite on the surface, but Shizuka could clearly distinguish a tinge of restlessness in their voice.

"Apologies for startling you." Shizuka lowered her head, then fastened her eyes on the stranger. "I saw you in the crowd, and decided to approach."

"Oh, no need for apologies. I am quite fine," Nagumo said, but again, there was something off about it. What Sano-san told me… I need to question them about it.

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, and sorry for dropping it on you so out of nowhere, but I need to ask you… do you have some business with the Shinsengumi perhaps? I think one of…" Shizuka tried to deliver the inquiry as impartially as possible, but Nagumo still stiffened.

"I don't," they interrupted Shizuka mid-way. "Your friend must have mistaken someone else for me." Shizuka froze at the last part, noticing their slip-up. Friend? I've never mentioned who saw them. I haven't even said that they've been seen in the first place yet. She got her expression under control instantly, and looked at Nagumo with a smile. They're lying. I need to corner them somehow.

Just as Shizuka was about to start, she felt a hand on her arm.

"Shizuka, here you are. Why would you…" Souji paused, spotting Nagumo. His grasp on her tightened slightly, and he took a step forward.

"You… Nagumo, right?" he addressed them, and Shizuka could've sworn that Nagumo's eyes narrowed momentarily. Then they offered Okita a tiny nod.

"Greetings."

For a while now, since Shizuka caught up to them, she sensed that something was off. She wasn't sure whether her perception was influenced by Sano's story, but the current interaction with Nagumo seemed very different from their first meeting, and having more intel, she had no difficulty spotting the abnormalities. The stranger, besides being clearly caught off guard, appeared to be almost… averse. Good manners could no longer mask certain agitation in their voice and movements.

"What a coincidence seeing you here," Souji said pleasantly, but Shizuka knew this tone all too well. He was wary, and ready to take action if needed.

"I would love to chat some more, but I am afraid I must excuse myself now," Nagumo replied, cutting off any attempts at conversation. Okita tried to stop them, but after offering a hasty, lackluster bow, they drew away, not stopping even when the first division captain called out after them. Shizuka lost them in the crowd almost immediately, and cursed under her breath. The nagging feeling of uneasiness, which would not subside after her talk with Harada, has strengthened significantly.

Suddenly, she felt a strong presence looming over her, and looked up to meet Okita's emerald eyes. He was glaring at her.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that?" His tone was serious and rebuking, and her own eyes widened at his reaction. What's with him now? Didn't he joke around and say he'd kill me the last time I ran off? Why is he so intense all of a sudden?

"I just saw them, and had to confirm something…" she said weakly.

"What if it got dangerous? What would you do then? You should've told me first."

"How dangerous could it be? It's broad daylight, and I have my sword with me," she countered, having recovered some of her composure. He was staring at her without a reply for a moment, and just when she thought that he'd given up, he trapped her arm in an iron grip and led her off the main street.

"See how easy it is to drag somebody off into an alleyway? Even though it's broad daylight and you have your sword with you."

"Please, this proves nothing. First, I didn't exactly resist you. You think I'd let someone suspicious take me away like that? Second, Nagumo is much smaller than you, so I could easily handle them. Third…" In that moment she yanked her arm away, unsheathed Kenmyoren in a flash, and before Okita could react she rested it on his torso, its mune almost brushing against his neck. "I have my sword with me." She glanced up at him with an innocent smile, which turned into a satisfied smirk once she saw shock in his eyes. Then he let out a small chuckle, his gaze softening into something similar to admiration. She put away her sword, and took a step back.

"I rest my case. Shizuka-chan is amazing, and can defeat anyone." There was a fair share of mockery in his voice, but Shizuka decided to let it go this time, since his expression was telling a different story. She turned back towards the main street. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hijikata-san was right about her," he muttered under his breath, and she looked over her shoulder.

"What did you say?"

"Ah, nothing. Nothing at all." I think I've heard Hijikata-san's name though… Okita joined her on the street, and they resumed their walk.

"So… I no longer trigger your killing fetish?" Shizuka said, one part of her still feeling cheeky, while the other actually curious. He glanced at her with a hard to interpret look.

"I think I got too used to you. I don't want to kill you anymore, even when you so blatantly disregard my words," she stared up at him in shock, and his lips stretched out into a charming smile. "Or maybe I just got soft."

"Ha.. haha. Maybe," she trailed off, not sure how to act in face of Okita's sudden rush of honesty. He seemed all the way genuine, but it felt like there was still a lot he was withholding. He lessened the distance between them, but was still too far to reach just yet. His recent words and actions left her hopeful, yet she was not sure what that hope pertained to.

"What was it?" the subject of her musings and struggles spoke up, and she glanced up at him blankly. "The thing that you wanted to confirm with your 'double'." His question brought her meandering mind back to the present moment.

"Ah, that. They've been spotted by the Sanjo-ohashi Bridge, but their appearance was suspicious. I was hoping to get something out of them in relation to that."

"Suspicious?"

"They've been dressed like a man." Okita's gaze shifted to her upon hearing the news. "I mean, it's not like that in itself is a cause for concern, but Sano-san said that th-"

"Sano-san?" Souji cut her off in the middle of her sentence, but she didn't think much of it.

"Yes. It was Sano-san who saw them and told me about it. According to him Nagumo was acting very dodgy that day."

"So you've acted out like this just now because of what Sanosuke had told you?" Okita continued his questioning. She blinked up at him a few times, surprised by the direction in which he took the conversation.

"That's right. I needed to check whether they seemed hostile. While I'm not sure about that yet, they definitely are up to something, just like Sano-san said." Souji's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Hm… You seem awfully close to Sanosuke. Enough to run off without a word and potentially endanger yourself just because of what he's said to you." Why is he so hung up on Sano-san all of a sudden? Her brain quickly offered a memory of his weird behaviour during the Shimabara mission meeting. Do they really not like each other?

"Yes, we're close. So I have no reason to distrust his words," she agreed, and the moment she did, the same expression she saw that evening flashed through his face. Annoyance. I really need to ask Sano-san about this. I don't think I'll get anything out of this guy here. "But that's not what's important now. I feel… I feel like Nagumo might have something against the Shinsengumi…" Shizuka's voice lost its momentum towards the end of the sentence and it ended in almost a whisper. Upon hearing her words, Okita's demeanor changed in an instant; his features were suddenly void of any emotion, but she could see the storm raging in his eyes, and the stiffness of his body.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, and a chill ran down her spine.

"It's just a gut feeling. I don't have any evidence to support this, but I can just sense it." She laughed lamely, glancing away. "Call me foolish or irrational, but that's just how I feel."

"You may be foolish and irrational…"

"Hey!" she exclaimed, and sent a glare his way.

"But not for that reason," he carried on gracefully. "Because it so happens that I feel exactly the same." Shizuka gazed up at him, and they were looking at each other for a beat, mutual understanding in regards to the odd stranger forming between them. "And I'm no fool."

"Is that right?" she said, and he nodded with a stoic expression, his eyes closed. She suddenly remembered her encounter with Saito back in the day, when he joked in almost the exact same way, and a giggle escaped her mouth. I would've never thought that those two have something in common. I guess they rubbed off on each other. He cracked one eye open at the sound, and gave her a side-glance.

"What's so funny?"

"I just thought that you and Hajime-san must be really good friends." At that he stared at her, taken aback.

"So random. Why is Hajime coming into the picture all of a sudden? Wait… 'Hajime-san'?"

"Yes, Hajime-san."

"Since when are you close enough with Hajime to call him by his name?"

"We've always been close," she said without much thinking, and Okita's brows shot up at that. Then he shook his head.

"So… Why mention him all of a sudden?" She took a few big strides, leaving him slightly behind, and then once she came up with an appropriate answer, she turned around with a sweet smile.

"Just because. Not important," she singsonged cryptically, throwing his earlier words back at him. Her reply brought a frown onto his face; she knew that he hated being out of the loop.

"First Sanosuke, and now Hajime…" he murmured, crossing his arms on the chest.

"Hm?"

"Not important," he said, mimicking her, and turned his head away. "Let's get a move on."

"Yes sir." She was glancing at him from time to time, and each time she saw his pout - which for now seemed to be a perpetual feature of his face - she was more and more entranced. How cute.

---

Shizuka was munching on one of the cookies which she managed to smuggle into her room. As always, Kondou was making sure that a variety of sweets can be found in the kitchen, and since some days ago she didn't have a chance to make use of that fact, tonight she decided to go for it.

"I forgot to find Sano-san after the patrol," she murmured under her breath. After returning to the headquarters, her mind was so occupied with Okita and his unexpected words that anything and everything was forgotten, and all she could do was wander around in daze for the rest of the day. Shizuka managed to get her head straight only when it was time to sleep, and unfortunately it was too late to seek Harada now. He has a morning patrol, I can't bother him now. I have to find him tomorrow, then. She finished the last of the snacks and plopped down onto the futon.

Suddenly the door to her room opened with a loud thud. She immediately found Dragon's Claw under the bedding and clutched its hilt. The silhouette in the doorway was shrouded by darkness, but thanks to oni powers she could discern the blue robe that he was wearing.

A soldier? What is he doing here? She stood up and glanced his way warily.

"You shouldn't be here," she said, but there was no reply. She stepped closer. "Leave right now." Is he… shaking? What is going on? Up until now the face of the intruder was covered by his hair, so she had no way of identifying them, but when she got closer, their head shop up out of nowhere. Once his eyes fell on her, she tensed in alarm; they were darting mindlessly, and after a second she noted a flash of red.

"Hngh…" the man grunted, as if resisting the transformation, but soon the bloody redness had overpowered the natural hue of his eyes. The moon peeked from behind the clouds and illuminated his whitening hair.

How did a rasetsu get loose?! she wondered in shock and readied the tanto.

"Bl-blood. Give m-me," rasetsu hissed at her, and without any hesitation lunged at her with his sword. Shizuka blocked the attack without much problem, but unfortunately miscalculated its strength; her arms gave in just enough for the blade to slash through her skin. She cursed under her breath and glanced at the intruder. Just as during her last encounter with those creatures, once it caught the scent of blood it completely lost all sense of rational thought and started swinging haphazardly, which made quite a racket and demolished her room. I need to end this quickly. She dodged one of the sloppy attacks, closed the distance between them, and cut into rasetsu's sword holding arm, paralyzing it for a moment. Shizuka knew that the injury would heal quickly, so before it had a chance to, she slashed the enemy's throat to immobilize them for even longer. Rasetsu let go of the sword and clutched at his bleeding neck with a gurgling wail. The Claw might be too short to… Kenmyoren was unfortunately out of reach, and she cursed herself for putting it that far her eye caught the falling sword, and instinctively her hand followed suit. Once she grabbed the hilt, she swiftly drove rasetsu's own blade straight through their heart.

Shizuka inhaled deeply to calm her frayed nerves and heightened senses. She glanced at her arm to assess the injury. The slash was moderately deep, and bled quite profusely, staining the sleeve of her white sleeping garment. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching. There was no time to hide the torn, bloodied robe by changing clothes. The only thing she could do was suppress her powers so that the wound wouldn't heal immediately. Just as the gold in her eyes shifted back into blue, Hijikata entered her room, accompanied closely by others.

"Shizuka!" he exclaimed. As he approached her his gaze landed briefly on the body by the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Just then the vice commander noticed the reddened cut on her sleeve and frowned. He grabbed her arm to inspect the wound.

"You call this fine? The whole floor's red with your blood!" She glanced down and noticed that the bleeding was indeed heavy enough to make a little crimson puddle by her feet.

"Eh, you're overreacting. Most of it isn't mine." He gritted his teeth, but before he could rip into her, other captains formed a circle around her.

"Shizuka-chan!"

"Shizuka, are you okay?"

"How did the rasetsu get in here?"

"You're bleeding, we need to treat the wound!" She was looking at their faces, and seeing how worried and attentive they all were brought a tiny, appreciative smile onto her lips.

"She's… smiling? Is she in shock?" Heisuke said, confused.

"Maybe she's delirious?" Shinpachi pressed his palm against her forehead. "She doesn't have a fever." She pushed his giant hand away with a scoff.

"Delirious? What are you on about? I said I'm okay."

"We should take care of that arm of yours. You're gonna bleed out at this rate," Harada said, his face strained.

"It's but a scratch," she reassured, but it didn't do much for the men. They continued to fuss over her despite her protests. While they debated whether the injury would need stitching or not, she glanced at Hijikata, who was pushed away by the gathering of captains. He was looking at the entrance, his expression incredibly tense.

"Sannan," he said, and her eyes darted towards the man anxiously. He shouldn't be here. There's too much blood. The man in the doorway paused upon hearing his name, then gazed at everyone, a smile plastered onto his face.

"I heard commotion and…" he trailed off. His tone and expression were as calm and collected as they come, but Shizuka noticed his clenched fists. Even in the dim light of the moon it was easy to see that they turned white. Heard? Or… smelled? He entered the room and crouched beside the body of the rasetsu. It has just started to disintegrate, and he was observing it all closely, as if analyzing the process.

"Yukimura!" another voice joined the assembly in her room. "Are you alright?" Kondou rushed to her - captains moving away to make space for their commander - and clasped her hands in his. The image of his pained face tugged at her chest uncomfortably so she hurriedly assured him that she's fine. He examined her frame closely and his watchful gaze almost instantly fell onto the injury. "Yukimura…" Anger flashed through his eyes briefly, and he turned to the captains. "Heisuke, please get Susumu immediately." Shizuka's heart swelled at all the care from the men. They're making such a big deal over nothing, she thought, but didn't complain out loud, and let herself be pampered just a little.

As the men started to calm down slightly, her eyes fell to the pile of clothes that used to be a Shinsengumi soldier. She wondered whether the captains knew him. Will I get in trouble for this? It was self-defense, but still… Sannan was still crouched by the remains, and it seemed like the men had forgotten about him. Even Hijikata, who noticed him first, was now standing near Kondou, and discussing something with him in a low voice. For some reason Shizuka's gaze kept going back to the first sergeant. Then, an uneasy feeling that bothered her ever since Sannan entered her room turned into pure dread as she noticed his finger dip into the bloodstain on the floor. A bloodstain she left. What the hell is he… He lifted his hand and slowly put it to his mouth. Did he just… lick it?! She saw his eyes widen, then a little smile formed on his lips, and all colour drained from her face. Before she had a chance to react he stood up, acting completely indifferent.

"Why is it so noisy this late at night?" somebody exclaimed at the doorway suddenly, and all of them went rigid, having recognised the owner of the annoyingly meowling tenor. "Why are you all gathered here like…" he started, but seemed to have forgotten his words halfway through as his accusatory glare fell on Sannan. "San- Sannan-san?!" Just how… What is happening here?!"

"Itou-san, let me explain," Kondou tried to placate the man, but Itou was in too great of a shock.

"Explain?! A seemingly dead man is alive and well! How are you going to explain that?" Hijikata and Kondou exchanged glances quickly, and the commander approached Itou and ushered - or more accurately dragged - him out of Shizuka's room. They could hear the military advisor's outraged yelling for a longer while, but once two men went away far enough, a dead, suffocating silence fell onto her quarters. This is a complete disaster…

"I brought Yamazaki," Heisuke appeared in the corridor, and behind him stood the spy. They must've seen Itou on their way here, because both their faces wore the same deafeated expression as the rest. Hijikata, who was frozen solid for a good moment, seemed to have finally gotten over the shock of Itou's sudden appearance, and went up to Shizuka.

"You can't stay here. Come with me." He looked over his shoulder at the captains. "Get back to your rooms. Yamazaki, follow us." The commands issued were quick, cold, and terse, and having recognised Hijikata's distinctive tone, the men stirred obediently.

The vice commander led them down the corridor without a word. Shizuka knew that at this moment any attempts at striking up a conversation now would not be appreciated, and Yamazaki seemed to have deduced enough to remain quiet too. After a minute of walking in complete silence they arrived at Hijikata's quarters. He let them in, and stood guard outside while Yamazaki tended to her wound.

"The cut is quite deep, but I don't think there is a need for stitches. It was a clean slash, fortunately, and you did a good job of lessening the impact with your tanto. Now that it has been treated it should heal with no issue." He stood up, and so did she. "Please remember to change the dressing regularly and apply the salve every time you do so."

"Thank you." Shizuka lowered her head in show of gratitude, and he returned the gesture politely.

"You should get some sleep, Yukimura. It is the best medicine after all." As Yamazaki was leaving, Hijikata offered him a quick nod. Shizuka also made for the door, but the vice commander blocked her way.

"Where do you think you're going? You're staying here for the night." She raised her eyebrow at his words, and his gaze darted sideways. "Your room's a mess, and there are no spares."

"So… You want us to… spend the night? Together? Just the two of us?" she asked, feigning obliviousness. Hijikata started coughing violently, and she had to look away to stop herself from laughing at his horrified expression. Then she felt his glare on her, and met his eyes innocently.

"What nonsense are you spouting?! You stay here. I'll stay somewhere else."

"Didn't you just say that there are no spare rooms?" His mouth went agape for a split second.

"I-I'll figure something out," he grumbled.

"Don't you want to have a slumber party with me?"

"Shizuka!" At this point the embarrassment in his voice was growing fainter, and she knew that he was about to get angry. She raised her arms in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I understand. No party tonight." Hijikata's head dived into his open hand, and he rubbed at his temples in exasperation.

Once he got his composure back, his eyes focused on her. After Yamazaki bandaged her arm, she put the stained robe back on, and the vice commander seemed to be staring down that spot in particular. He went deeper into his room, and after rummaging through a few drawers for a moment, he held an article of clothing out to her.

"Here. Change into this."

Before she could react, he put the robe on his desk, turned away again, and slid open a large compartment.

"These are clean. Use them," he said, and put a big pile of bedding on the floor. She was looking at him with slightly widened eyes, his grumpy solicitude catching her off guard.

"I'm fine. There's no-"

"So you want to sleep in this bloodstained, tattered rag and dirty the sheets I'm lending you?" he cut her protests off swiftly, and grabbed the clothing.

"A r… rag? That's kinda harsh."

"We need to throw it out. It's bad luck."

"What kind of superstition is that?"

"Stop talking back to me and just take it," he shoved the robe into her grasp; she noted that while doing so he avoided her wounded left arm. A small smile appeared on her face.

"If this is how it is to be under your care, then I extend my most sincere gratitude for bestowing me with such an honour," Shizuka enunciated in over the top manner and bowed deeply. She glanced up with a wink. "It sure is great." Hijikata was just looking at her for a moment, his eyes all out of energy and defeated. Maybe I overdid it? Then a long, loud sigh escaped his mouth, and he headed for the door.

There were two reasons why Shizuka teased the vice commander despite experiencing tonight's unnerving events. One: the opportunity that he willingly offered up to her like a gift was just too tempting to pass up on. She couldn't help herself when he himself got them into such a potentially suggestive situation, she had to pull his leg a little. The second reason she remembered of when she noticed that he was leaving. She didn't want to talk about this, hence the stalling and ill-timed jokes, but deep down she knew that it shouldn't be concealed.

"Get some sleep," he said.

"Hijikata-san. I need to tell you something." He turned around, irked.

"I don't wanna hear any…" he began, expecting more ridicule, but a serious frown on her face gave him a pause.

"Would you mind closing the door?" He obliged without hesitation.

"So? What is it?"

"It's about Sannan-san." Shizuka tried to find the right words, but had a hard time doing so. There is just no way to make it sound not creepy, is there? Ugh… "Back in my room… When he was crouched next to the rasetsu he…" Hijikata was waiting for her to speak, as she continued to struggle to present the news in at least partly neutral light. "I'm pretty sure he tasted… my blood," she managed to say at last, and Hijikata almost recoiled.

"What?!" He pursed his lips, having realised how loud his exclamation was, then stepped closer. "What are you talking about?"

"He touched the bloodstain on the floor, and then put his fingers to his lips."

"Are you sure? 'Pretty sure' is not good enough." Shizuka remembered Sannan's expression, his unsettling smile, and looked up at Hijikata.

"I'm sure." The confidence in her voice was enough for him; he nodded in assent.

"Don't tell anyone for now. And don't confront him. I'll take care of this." It seemed like the vice commander wanted to add something, but was unsure if he should. "He's not very stable these days," he said finally, and searched her face for a reaction. The grim understanding in her expression was all the answer he needed. Oh, I know.

Hijikata instructed her again to rest, and went up to the door. There was one more thing bothering her, and she decided to get it over with all at once.

"Will I be punished?" she asked, and the man stopped in the doorway.

"Punished?" he echoed confused.

"I did kill one of the Shinsengumi after all." She was looking away, suddenly feeling nervous.

"He was not one of us. Not anymore. But you are. It's good that you didn't get hurt more than that," he said, pointing with his chin at her arm. Shizuka's racing heart calmed down at this declaration. "Besides, self-defense is not something to be punished for. You did well." She held back a smile. "Wait. Actually, you should get punished. You didn't call out for anyone," Hijikata remembered, and the smile that she was suppressing withered before it could appear.

"Didn't that apply during the Nijo Castle mission, and the Shimabara mission only?"

"That applies at all times."

"Come on now, you can't just make stuff up," she complained, and he smirked at her.

"I'm the vice commander," was his only reply, and she had no way of countering such a boastful, yet still factual statement. Having seen that he'd won, he exited the room all poised and cocky, and slid the door shut behind him. "Go to sleep, kid." Demon.

Shizuka arranged the bedding, and sat down with a yawn. The strain of tonight's events has finally caught up with her; once the adrenaline wore off, she felt just how exhausted she was. She took off the bloody robe, and grabbed the clothing that Hijikata had given her, inspecting it. Another yawn escaped her mouth, so she quickly put it on.

"This is huge," she murmured, and lifted her arm slightly. Her limb seemed to have been swallowed up by what looked like a never-ending sleeve. "Why are they all so freaking tall?" she wondered.

She could feel oni powers rush through her body, trying to heal the slash on her arm, but she was doing her best to keep them under control. There was a big possibility that Yamazaki would be asked to look at the cut again in the nearest future, and she'd have no explanation for the astonishing healing speed had the wound suddenly disappeared. Restraining the powers was very taxing, however; the fact that injuries of various sizes and types healed instantly and she didn't have to worry about them much, felt perfectly natural to Shizuka. Oni powers were an extension of her very own being, so going against them put a big strain on her. She lay down heavily and kept pushing the healing current away from her arm. The gold in her eyes flickered in and out until she fell into a restless sleep.

---

Some days later, Shizuka woke up to the incessant sound of knocking. She forced open her eyes, and glanced around, half-awake; judging from the dimness of her newly arranged quarters it was after dawn, but still too early for breakfast.

"Just who…" she murmured tiredly. She made herself look more or less presentable - which was not easy considering her hair was long, long overdue for a trim - and slid open the door.

"Sano-san? What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" She looked up into his face, and noticed how anguished he looked. "What's wrong?" The grogginess caused by an early wake up call disappeared immediately.

"Hijikata-san told us to gather in the common room."

"Sano-san, what is it?" The man continued to avoid her eyes, which made her even more nervous.

"Get dressed. I'll wait for you." She nodded, and retreated to change into her hakama. Just what is going on? The last time I saw Sano-san so off was when Sannan-san was injured… Her hands froze momentarily, a knot on her hakamashita undone. Is somebody hurt? She made a quick work of it, and exited her room, a hair strap in her hand.

"Let's go."

While they were making their way down the corridor, she put her hair up into a ponytail; she was waiting for Harada to say something, but he was uncomfortably silent. The closer they were getting to the common room, the worse his expression was getting, so she decided to not press him further, and just wait patiently for the events to unfold.

The door to the common room was slightly ajar, and Harada let Shizuka in first. She sat down on her usual spot, and glanced around. Kondou, Hijikata, Inoue, two spies Shimada and Yamazaki, as well as Okita were already here, but there was no sign of Shinpachi, Heisuke or Saito anywhere. She also noticed that Sannan joined them too. The girl remembered his creepy behaviour, and looked away in disgust. Meanwhile Harada sat down next to her. Judging from the depressing stillness in the room, he was not the only one aware of what had happened. The door opened wider, and Shinpachi entered, his expression different from that of the rest. He appeared to be livid. He shut the door, and stomped over to his spot. On the other side of the room Hijikata stirred and cleared his throat.

"We called you here to make an announcement." For some reason, he appeared to be seconds away from snapping, the last word coming out almost as a hiss. Wait, where are Heisuke and Hajime-san? "Itou has left the headquarters with his men and… with some of the troops." The moment he said it, she knew the answer to her question. "Todou and Saito left with him as well."

The way the vice commander said their names, the way he used Heisuke's family name rather than his given name made Shizuka shiver. He was cold, so very cold and distant. It sounded like he had already written them off as turncoats.

"Why?" she asked. She was unsure whether Hijikata would be angry or if he would even reply, but she didn't care. They wouldn't just leave for no reason. I don't believe it. The vice commander glared at her, showing that she better not expect any answer from him.

Kondou shifted in his seat, and decided to take the burden of explaining upon himself.

"It seems that Itou-san has had doubts about our alliance for a longer time now. He told me that our paths have begun to diverge too severely, that Shinsengumi has changed, and he can no longer ignore that." The commander's eyes fell on Sannan for a brief moment. "And the recent situation was the last straw for him, I'm afraid. Seeing Keisuke shocked him a great deal, and he felt that he can't trust us anymore."

"More like he can't find any dirt on us anymore," Shinpachi spat out. Kondou, quite unlike himself, didn't counter the statement and didn't make any attempts at diffusing the situation. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth.

"Some soldiers agreed with his view on things and decided to join him, and Heisuke and Hajime were among them."

"You're telling us Hajime and Heisuke decided to follow that insufferable bastard?" Okita spoke up, a scornful smile plastered onto his lips. "Well that makes them traitors, right?" She stared at the floor, feeling uneasy from Souji's words. There must be something more to it. It just doesn't make any… Suddenly she remembered Heisuke's recent behaviour: his anxious expression and avoidant eyes, his unfinished sentences and guilt-ridden silence. Now, with this revelation, it all made sense. He's been considering it since then? Is it because he's known Itou for a long time? Did that scumbag pressure him into leaving? Shizuka knew Itou well enough to suspect that there might've been some sort of manipulative plot hatched to make Heisuke leave the Shinsengumi. The captain was not stupid by any means, but everybody was aware of how good Itou was with words. She wouldn't put it past him to twist them around enough to get in Todou's head. But that doesn't explain why Hajime-san left. He has no ties to Itou, and I'm pretty sure he's immune to his poisonous tongue. So why? Compared to Heisuke, Saito was a lot more reserved, both in actions and in words, but she was sure that he had no warm feelings towards Itou. That's why his sudden departure was a lot more surprising. She glanced briefly at Okita; on the surface he seemed calm, but his slowly whitening knuckles indicated that he was clearly holding a lot back. He's close with Hajime-san, so he may be feeling more betrayed than others…

"Souji…" Kondou tried to chide him, but an attempt was so weak that it came out barely louder than a whisper. Shizuka gazed at the commander, and almost immediately had to look away because his pained, miserable expression was too much for her to bear.

"He's right," Hijikata said, but his tone was belying his cold words. He sounded stiff to the point of rigidness, and as if at war with himself. The conversation did not continue after that, and each and every person in the room was left to battle with their emotions on their own.

The suffocating silence dragged out for so long that the sun had already made its way onto the sky properly, marking the time for breakfast. Inoue was the first one to mention the meal by offering to go and prepare it.

"No need, Inoue-san. It's my turn to cook today." Shinpachi stood up. "My and…" he paused, then turned on his heel and headed towards the door, a quiet swear word escaping his mouth as he left.

"I'll go help him," Harada got up to his feet as well.

"Me too," Shizuka chimed in. Sanosuke was looking at her unsurely for a moment, but she showed him her most stubborn face, silently indicating that she'll do as she pleases anyway. With a small smile he nodded, and helped her up.

"Why don't we return here once the breakfast is ready? Let us get some fresh air in the meanwhile," Kondou proposed, and the men moved out of the room and split up in haste.

Shizuka walked arm in arm with Harada towards the kitchen.

"It's Shinpachi-san and… Heisuke's turn, right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it," Harada confirmed.

"Oh boy, he's probably made a real mess in there by now," Shizuka joked, but her mediocre delivery did not inspire any laughter in either of them.

"Let's hurry." Even before they entered the corridor where the kitchen was located, they could hear loud banging noises, so they sped up. Once in the doorway, they looked around; the kitchen was not in a disastrous state as they had feared, but Shinpachi was so violent with all the utensils that it was a surprise they were still intact.

"Need a hand?" she started as neutrally as possible. Shinpachi's head whipped backwards, and seeing her and Harada, the fury in his eyes eased significantly.

"Sure," he replied somewhat brusquely still. Without saying anything more, the two entered the kitchen and busied themselves with preparing breakfast. For a longer while the only sounds were coming from pots, ladles and cups. None of them wanted to speak up, but finally Shinpachi broke first.

"I don't get it." Shizuka and Harada exchanged glances.

"Just stir the soup so that there is no froth. What don't you get?" she said.

"I'm stirring, I'm stirring!" He bustled around the pots briefly, before turning to her. "Wait, that's not what I was talking about." She knew exactly what he meant, but tried to distract him just a little, so that his anger lessens some more.

"So? What is it?"

"I meant that… nonsense from before. I just don't get it. Why would they just leave without a word?"

"I'm just as confused as you, man," Harada said.

"I can barely, barely, if I really force myself, understand why Heisuke would do that, but Hajime-san? That's just ridiculous." Both Shinpachi and Harada stared at her.

"You understand? Are you serious?" the second division captain exclaimed in shock.

"Think about it. He's known Itou before; we don't know the extent of their relationship. They may have been closer than Heisuke's been telling us." She glanced at them with an unamused smirk. "Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd lied about it, considering everybody despises that bastard."

"Yeah. Ever since Itou appeared Heisuke was kinda stuck in the middle," Harada agreed.

"Also, we all know how well-spoken Itou is. Heisuke was probably tricked into agreeing before he even realised it." Shinpachi pondered over her words for a moment. He was just cutting chives, and his eyes paused on the cutting board for a moment.

"You're right. That brat ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer," he said, waving the knife in his own hand for emphasis. "It would be very easy to deceive him…"

"And Itou would know the exact words to do it," Harada added. The conclusion they've reached helped Shinpachi calm down further, and redirected his resentment towards the person truly deserving it in their eyes - Itou.

"But hey, you made a good point there, Shizuka," Harada spoke up after a moment, while preparing the bowls for the soup. The girl and the second division captain looked up from their tasks. "Heisuke might've been an easy target, but why did Hajime follow that bastard as well?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's completely absurd. Maybe he's being blackmailed," Shizuka theorised.

"Maybe he's hit his head real hard," Shinpachi joined the brainstorming, and earned brief looks of disdain from both Shizuka and Sanosuke.

"Maybe he's a double agent," the latter proposed, and they all looked at each other with wide eyes.

"That actually makes sense."

"It totally does!" Nagakura's tone was almost back to its usual liveliness, before losing half of it a moment later. "But then why would Hijikata-san hide it from us?"

"Because it's a secret operation, genius?" Harada remarked sarcastically. "The less people know, the better, that kind of thing."

"True, but if there really was something up, I don't think they would hide it from Kondou-san too," Shizuka spoke up. "And did you see him earlier? He seemed so upset. I wouldn't put it past Hijikata-san to try and fool us, but Kondou-san wears his heart on his sleeve. He wouldn't be able to pretend like this."

"Yeah, such a big decision would have to go through the commander, I think." Harada agreed with a heavy sigh. "And here I thought we were onto something."

Their excitement was very short-lived, and sombreness too persistent, so when the three were making their way back to the common room with food, their mood did not experience much of an improvement compared to when they were leaving. The same could be applied to the rest of the captains. Shizuka was quite certain that today's breakfast was the quietest meal she'd had ever since she first started living with the Shinsengumi.

---

In the course of the next month or so the headquarters and its inhabitants returned to the routine, at least on the surface. Nobody was speaking about the captains and soldiers who departed, but their absence took a toll on almost all aspects of their everyday life. All the duties, like patrolling, going on missions, or even something as mundane as preparing meals, had to be adjusted or even arranged anew entirely to cover for their diminished numbers. The first few weeks were a real struggle, but with time they've managed to find some kind of system. Working out the trivialities, however, did not mean that the headquarters were just as always. The captains, the higher-ups, and Shizuka had a hard time getting used to the new situation. The common room seemed way too spacious, the sparring matches became infrequent, and the meals were significantly quieter.

After one such dinner, Shizuka, Harada, Shinpachi and Okita remained in the common room. The second division captain had to resort to begging in order to make it happen; Sanosuke was against it, since Nagakura wished to liven up the gathering with sake, but he was no match for his friend's obstinacy.

"It's not like we're going to get hammered. Just a drink or two, no more. I swear!" he exclaimed, seeing doubtful stares from everyone. "We finally have some spare time, so let's relax."

"Don't you have a patrol in the morning?" Shinpachi stared at Shizuka, then his eyes darted towards the entrance in panic, as if he expected Hijikata to spring up from the ground there and then. A second later realisation hit him.

"No I don't! Dammit, you gave me a scare, Shizuka!" His silliness got a few chuckles out of the three. Shizuka, a smile still lingering on her face, looked around the modest assortment of snacks. She grabbed a mochi, but paused mid-bite, having noticed something.

"Sano-san, why am I the only one without a sake cup?" She turned to Harada, who brought out the ochoko. "I only have a cup with-" she cut herself off as she took a sip. "With water."

"Ah, sorry. It was out of habit," he said, and she raised her eyebrows at his awkward tone. A habit?

"I feel like having a drink tonight," she whined and promptly got on her feet. "I'll bring my cup myself then."

"I really don't think that's a good idea," Harada murmured and both Shinpachi and Okita nodded along: the former quite zealously, the latter with an amused smirk.

"Why?"

"Ah…" Harada ruffled his hair, his gaze avoiding hers. "If we get you drunk and you happen to stumble upon Hijikata-san, we will all die. You included."

"What are you talking about?"

"He kind of… banned you from drinking."

"What?!" she yelled in surprise, and sat back down unconsciously. "When?! Why?!"

"After your birthday celebration," Shinpachi said, baffling her further.

"How come I've never heard about it?"

"He said it after you left back then."

"Oh, so I can't drink because of something he said after I left? Without my knowledge and agreement?

"Yes?" Nagakura tried weakly, but she gave him an angry stare.

"Please, don't be too hard on us, Shizuka. We are simply trying to prevent an unnecessary disaster."

"Aren't you going a little overboard? It's just a drink."

Okita, who until now was just listening to their verbal tussle without contributing, turned to Shizuka with a brilliant smile.

"Shizuka-chan, they are by no means going overboard. If anything, they are not cautious enough." He shared not-at-all serious looks with Harada and Shinpachi, annoying her. "Your drunk self is quite… dangerous."

"Extremely dangerous," Harada added. Shinpachi was sipping sake and silently agreeing with the captains' words. Her glare travelled between the captains ominously. Not only did they seem to be privy to something she had no idea about, they also basked in the fact, and it vexed her to no end. Hmph, aren't they the best pals now.

Some time ago Shizuka finally managed to ask Harada about the alleged animosity between him and Okita, and he confirmed that no such thing exists. Their excellent cooperation tonight further proved his words.

"Just what are you on…" she started but before she could say anything more, Souji locked eyes with her and mouthed 'piggyback' at her. Her face flushed immediately, and she felt that the battle had been lost. All she could do was give up on the idea of drinking lest he discloses the embarrassing details of their return that night.

"You all suck," she concluded with a pout, making the man laugh in delight.

At once the door to the common room opened, revealing none other than Hijikata. They all went silent, expecting a thorough scolding, but the vice commander looked - to their great surprise - completely uninterested in their little get-together. His stare focused on Shizuka, and she shifted unsurely in her seat.

"Shizuka, you have a guest," he said, and her eyes widened.

"A guest?" What in the world? Before she could figure out the identity of a visitor, a small silhouette peered from behind Hijikata.

"Hello, my dear friend," Sen greeted her with a wide smile. Shizuka stood up, and started towards the lady.

"Sen! What brings you here?" She noticed Kimigiku and offered her a little bow.

"I will be leaving Kyoto for a few weeks, and I wished to see you before I depart." She glanced at Hijikata over her shoulder, then focused on the captains, who were listening in curiously. "Since your benevolent vice commander allowed me in, could I ask you gentlemen for some privacy? It won't take long." Sen offered them a charming smile, but they seemed reluctant.

"Let's give them some space," Hijikata gave his approval, and the men finally moved.

"Many thanks," the lady chirped as they were passing her on the way out.

Once the door shut, Sen guided Shizuka to sit, and sat down herself right in front of her. Kimigiku found a spot some distance away.

"Can't believe Hijikata-san actually agreed." Sen shrugged with a sly smile. "So, why are you being so secretive? I assume you didn't come here just for a chat?"

"I wish I did." Sen inhaled deeply, her cute face turning firm. "Let me skip the pleasantries then. As I mentioned, I will be away for some time, and I felt like I just have to warn you."

"Warn me? What are you talking about?"

"Ch- Kazama will come for you." Sen looked at Shizuka, gauging her reaction. He did say so before… But how does Sen know about this?

"You know him?" she asked, but she had an inkling about the answer already. During the Shimabara mission, when Sen helped her get away from the oni, Shizuka noticed that they seemed to be acquainted with each other. The things have become so hectic afterwards that it has completely slipped her mind to inquire about it.

"Yes. He's from a pureblood clan from the West. Let me tell you, he's a real piece o-"

"A pureblood… Wait, how do you…" she stuttered quietly. Sen smiled, and suddenly Shizuka felt a flow of power in the air. It enveloped her visitor, turning her hair white for the briefest of moments. "You're an… oni? But I didn't sense it at all."

"Oh, I'm quite good at concealing it. One of the skills I picked up throughout the years." Is this one of the abilities Kazama was talking about?

"I don't know what to say."

"I know you must have many questions. Let me try and explain."

Sen began a moderately brief summary of the state of oni clans. Some families used to cooperate with humans, and the ones who did not were persecuted by them. Hearing this, Shizuka remembered how Father used to tell her that oni should never mingle in human affairs. So that's why he was so vehement about this. Humans were wiping out oni clans? Don't tell me, Yukimura too?

"Because of that our numbers have greatly diminished. Consequently, pureblood onis are nearing extinction. But you… Are you aware of who you are?" Shizuka looked at her nervously.

"Father told me that we belonged to the Yukimura clan."

"My dear, you didn't just belong to the clan. You are the heiress of the Yukimura household." She flinched hearing that. It was not the first time, but it still sounded surreal, and wreaked havoc in her mind.

"That Kazama guy said the same thing. But Father never told me anything about that." Sen looked at her with a compassionate smile.

"He was probably trying to protect you. Yukimura was once the greatest clan of the East, but they were also one of the families who didn't want to work with humans." She paused momentarily, and Shizuka didn't need to ask further about what has become of them - the weighty silence sufficed for an answer. "He might've thought it would be safer for you not to know, at least at the time."

"Do you perhaps have some information about what happened in my… in Kurai household?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know a lot. Although we heard of each other, Kurai-sama always kept his distance from other onis, which made investigation difficult. I tried to dig into this regardless, but for some reason I keep hitting a dead end. The only thing I know is that a man named Sawamura is somehow related to all this."

"Yes, I'm aware of that as well." Sen looked at her with widened eyes.

"You are?"

"Father told me that night." Shizuka wasn't sure whether she should tell Sen everything she knows. There's Matsumoto-san, and Yukimura Kodou. Maybe she knows more? The lady must've sensed her hesitation; her hand covered Shizuka's and she smiled gently at her.

"It's okay, Shizuka." The girl squeezed Sen's palm gratefully.

"You mentioned that Kazama is a pureblood, right? He said that I'm one too. I guess that's…" Sen nodded somberly.

"That's why he wants you."

"He did say that he wants me to be his 'bride'... What a crazy bastard."

"Not only that. He has enough power to make it happen too." Sen explained that after the Yukimura clan's annihilation, the Kazama clan, as the second biggest family, has naturally become the leading force of the oni race.

"They were always hellbent on prolonging their pureblood lineage. And just when the elders start to pressure Kazama, the heir apparent, you show up in front of him. Not only a pureblood, but also a descendant of the Yukimura clan. No wonder he's completely lost it over you." That's why he said he's pressed for time back then?

"How do you know all of that? About his family… situation?"

"Oh, the elders from the Kazama clan are quite shameless. They were sifting through young female onis to find Chikage a suitable match, so it is a well known fact among the families." The question must've been written all over Shizuka's face, because Sen chuckled. "Yes, they inquired into our clan as well. But since my ancestor fell in love with a human, and settled down with him, my blood is not pure enough for Kazama. Quite unfortunate," she said, feigning regret. Then she caught herself, and a serious strain returned to her face. "If push comes to shove, you will not be able to fend him off."

"I've seen enough of him to know he's not the type to give up if I tell him 'no'."

"He's the type to chase after you to the edge of the world once he sets his mind on you." Sen leaned in slightly. "That's why I've come here. I want to protect you."

"Protect me?"

"Yes. We may not be as powerful as Kazama, but they can't disregard us since our family is senior to theirs. If you come with me, you'll be under our protection, and Chikage won't be able to do as he pleases that easily."

"I don't want to burden you with this."

"And I don't want to see you waste away by that fiend's side." Sen put her hands on Shizuka's arms.

"I can't leave this place."

"I'll convince the Shinsengumi, so please think about it. When he comes they will not be able to protect you."

"What exactly do you mean by that, little lady?" a new voice bellowed, and the door opened with a slam. Shizuka gaped as all the captains, Hijikata and Kondou, as well as Yamazaki and Shimada poured into the room, and stood around her, some of them shielding her subtly, their wary eyes focused on Sen. I was too out of it to check for anyone's presence. Since when… Did they hear everything?

"We can protect Shizuka, thank you very much," Shinpachi continued.

"I am by no means trying to belittle you, gentlemen. However, Kazama is…" she paused and glanced at Shizuka. Having understood what Sen was driving at, she gave her a barely noticeable shake of the head. Luckily, the men were too agitated to notice their silent exchange. "He is a very powerful figure. Crossing him might cause some serious repercussions for your group."

"Do not worry, we can handle any repercussions just fine," Hijikata said, and she stared at his back in shock. He was not the one to throw words around recklessly, so this sudden declaration meant he was ready to fight if necessary. "If anything, he's the one who's going to be in trouble if he just barges in here and starts making demands."

"Please, you do not understand wha-"

"No, you don't understand. You think the Shinsengumi will just let some random bastard enter the premises and take one of ours?"

"Toshi, calm down," Kondou said, and Hijikata's tense frame relaxed slightly.

"I am very calm."

"Miss, as retainers of the Shogun, the Shinsengumi cannot be treated lightly. If he trespasses, we will not hesitate to respond in kind." Kondou's words were uncharacteristically firm, and received approving murmurs from the rest of the men.

"That Satsuma scumbag is welcome to try us," Shinpachi added.

The commander ignored boisterous remarks from the captains that followed, and turned to Shizuka, his gaze warm and tender.

"More importantly, Yukimura. What are your thoughts? Do you wish to leave with lady Sen, or stay here?" The men fell silent at the unexpected words.

"Kondou-san," Hijikata said. She understood why the vice commander seemed so wary. Though everyone treated her like one of them, she wasn't an official member of the troops, and wasn't allowed to leave the headquarters. I never even had my status of a captive revoked. What Kondou just offered her was a way out of here, and that was why the captains were so taken aback. She could leave with Sen and never look back. She could forget about her time here. I could even try and get my revenge with Sen's help. She said she's heard about Sawamura too. And I'd have that asshole off my back. But… Just the thought of leaving the Shinsengumi made her feel completely and utterly miserable. Their fates happened to coincide at the exact moment when she had nowhere to go and no one to turn to, and she would be forever grateful for that chance encounter. This rowdy group of men became something akin to a family to her, and having spent all those months with them she wished to continue being by their side, and continue to aid them.

Shizuka gazed briefly at the men; their anxious expressions were telling her that this affection was not one-sided. They reminded her of all those instances when they've made her feel at home and appreciated, when they treated her like one of them, when they worried for her. Her eyes stopped on him. He didn't seem as worried as the rest of the captains, but she noticed a dark tinge staining his emerald eyes; the intensity of his stare was making her whole body tense up. Ah, goddammit.

She looked at Kondou with a serious expression.

"Can I perhaps…" she gestured towards the door, and Kondou hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, of course. Please take your time." He took a step back and smiled gently at her. "We will be waiting here."

"Thank you." Sen offered her parting words, and left after Shizuka along with Kimigiku. Once they were some distance away from the common room, Sen spoke up.

"So, what is your answer?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Sen. I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I don't want to leave this place. I don't want to leave them." The lady smiled at her, a little sigh escaping her mouth as she did so.

"Ah, that's what I thought. I knew you'd reject me."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. I have a pretty good idea of why you want to stay."

"What do you mean?"

"Is it perhaps… because of one of the captains?"

"What? N-" Shizuka started denying out of reflex, but the words of response dispersed as Sen and her innocent inquiry unknowingly triggered an avalanche of emotions which quickly destroyed all the peace she's been struggling to maintain and swept up her heart. She has been wondering about this for a long time now, albeit only in the deepest corners of her mind. For the most part she has been escaping from the truth, and it has been working out to some extent. This small question cornered her, however, and made her realise how visible her feelings have become. It shook her to her core. She remembered his eyes from a moment ago. I guess I should finally stop dancing around it and just own up to it.

"Yes." Once this word left her mouth, she felt like all the walls crumbled, leaving her completely exposed. It was a new and scary feeling, but she welcomed it with more enthusiasm than she had initially anticipated. She finally felt free, like a burden that has been nagging at her for a longer while has been finally lifted. "But only partly." She felt her face warm up, but despite feeling bashful she looked Sen in the eyes. "I'm fond of all of them, and feel good here. And I want to be of help, as much as I can." Sen nodded in understanding. They have just reached the entrance, and she clasped Shizuka's hands with her own.

"I will be back soon, so if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me, right?"

"Yes, Sen. You have no idea how happy I am to have met you."

"Right back at you." Sen's grin faded slightly, and she stepped closer. "I will try to find out more about Kazama's plans. Hopefully he won't make a move just yet."

"I know he's down West for now." Sen stared at her in shock.

"How do you know that?"

"I met him by chance - I think - at the beginning of the year."

"And he… didn't do anything?"

"He walked with me to the headquarters, and we talked some." Sen's eyes widened further at that. She glanced briefly at Kimigiku, who stirred slightly.

"He met you outside, on your own, and he didn't kidnap you on the spot? That's unbelievable."

"He was going on about oni customs and traditions, and that it wasn't the right time or something," Shizuka recalled.

"Hah, that sounds just like him on the other hand. He's so thick headed sometimes…"

"Well, with luck he stays in this hiding hole of his for all of eternity," Shizuka grumbled, making Sen giggle.

"Yes, that would be ideal," she said and gave the girl's hands one last squeeze. "Stay safe, my dear. And feel free to use my name. Who knows, maybe it will prove helpful considering his obsession with propriety."

"It just might. He's such a weirdo after all." The oni chuckled again at that. "You stay safe too, Sen. And thank you for everything." Sen smiled, and both women started towards the gates. Shizuka watched as her newfound friend disappeared down the street.

She then turned back on her heel and made her way back to the common room. She opened the door, and could've sworn that everybody gathered there had collectively flinched. There was a brief, heavy silence, lined with a question all men were too nervous to ask.

"Kondou-san may have given you a free pass, but that doesn't mean I will too, and-" Hijikata spoke up first, and she pressed her lips together to hide a quickly widening grin.

"So… How exactly are you planning on protecting me?" she cut in, and the captains stared at her. "I rejected an incredibly tempting offer, so I really hope you have some highly advanced, fool-proof strategies up your sleeve."

"What, are you suggesting we're incompetent n…" the vice commander immediately took offense, before realising what her words truly meant. "You… rejected it?"

"Yes. So now you're stuck with me," Shizuka shrugged with a smirk, and the next thing she knew, she was surrounded by excited, happy faces.

"Of course you should stay here. You're one of us!" Shinpachi laughed jovially. She felt a touch on her arm, and looked up to see Harada's amber eyes.

"Good call, Shizuka." He offered her a soft smile, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you for trusting us, Yukimura." She looked at Kondou, a small blush creeping up her face.

"Ah, that's…"

"As she should. That bastard is no problem for us," Hijikata said in his usual, grumpy tone. Then suddenly a tiny shiver ran up her spine, her body sensing Okita's proximity as he joined their little circle. She gazed at him, and witnessed one of those rare instances when his expression was easy to read; this time it showed contentment.

"I would be truly heartbroken if I were to lose my favourite accomplice," he murmured close to her ear so that only she could hear, and she felt her skin tingle everywhere his breath reached.

"I knew you'd become a sad mess without me, so I just couldn't bring myself to leave," she smirked at him playfully. She was pleasantly surprised that she can keep such good composure, considering the whirlwind of emotions she experienced mere minutes ago.

"I'm glad you couldn't," she heard. Just then, somebody called out to her. She glanced away, and just as she was turning to Shinpachi, she felt her hand brush past Souji's. The touch barely lasted seconds, but her heart was on the verge of bursting out of her chest.

After Harada and Shinpachi walked her back to her room, she spread out the futon in haste, and fell onto it heavily. She undid her ponytail, and let the barrage of thoughts flow undisturbed. Once the image of a certain emerald-eyed captain popped into mind, however, her calmness disappeared, and her chest tightened, not painfully and not pleasantly, but somewhere in between. If this keeps up I'm going to have a heart-attack sooner or later. I guess… I really have fallen for him. She turned on her side.

"Question is, what is he thinking in that weird head of his? Does he…" Does he have feelings for me too? He's always so confusing. Unfortunately Shizuka had no time to ponder further, because banging on the door startled all thoughts out of her. What the… She instinctively moved toward the door, but paused briefly as she assessed the situation. Few quick steps, and her fingers closed on Kenmyoren. She also stuffed the Dragon's Claw in her tabi.

"I won't make the same mistake twice," she murmured. With the sword unsheathed she positioned herself next to the door. Just as she was considering piercing a hole through it, a familiar voice called out.

"Shizuka-san, it's Shimada." She hid the sword, opened the door immediately and stared at the spy. He was clearly agitated.

"Apologies for alarming you, but…" he trailed off, and glanced down the corridor. "Do not get any closer!" he yelled and reached for his sword, but before he could do anything he went flying backwards, and the impact knocked him out.

"Shimada-san!" she exclaimed in alarm. She didn't make it to him, however, because her arm got trapped in an iron grip.

"Pathetic weaklings," she heard a well-known, deep voice, and looked up straight into crimson red eyes. So he decided to emerge from his hiding hole after all, huh? What ridiculous timing.

"Didn't I tell you I'd rather not see you again?"

"And I believe I have told you that I'll come back for you." He grabbed her other arm, and leaned in."And I am a man of my word."

"Unfortunately," she hissed at him. She tried pushing at him away to get free, but to no avail; the golden hue was intruding onto his red irises constantly, making him significantly stronger than her. "It's not very polite to manhandle your potential bride, you know? So why won't you… let go… Let go of me!" Her own eyes flashed brightly, but that just made him tighten his grip.

"If you struggle I will have to render you unconscious. I would rather not do that to my future bride." Let's play along for now. Considering Shimada-san came to get me, the rest must already be aware that this bastard's here. Probably not only him… A sudden thought entered her mind, and her heart began racing in worry. What if they're having a hard time? What if someone… Dammit! She took a quick inhale to calm herself. Losing my cool will help no one now. They will be fine.

"Lead the way then," Shizuka said with mock courtesy. He looked at her with slightly widened eyes, but her uninviting expression quickly cleared up his doubts. "For now." Somehow, Kazama seemed to have found her answers encouraging enough to start a conversation.

"I still cannot understand why you are so determined to stay here. Associating with humans has never brought on anything good to our kind, and it never will."

"That's why you're working for Satsuma? Ah, apologies. After all, onis 'do not work for no one'. So what exactly are you doing with them, then?" She did not expect an answer, and indeed did not receive any. A low sneer escaped her mouth.

"They will betray you. That is how it always ends."

"Yes, sure. You've said that before."

"You know it too. That is why you have not told them who you are." She stared at him unfazed, but her heart froze momentarily. "Once they find out about your true nature, they will try to use you." As if on cue, she remembered Sannan's horrifying taste testing from a few weeks ago. Even though she was trying to conceal it, Kazama must've noticed how perturbed she was, because he continued to seep poison into her mind. "Our blood is invaluable; sooner or later they will try to take it from you to experiment on those… abominable imitations." Does he know about rasetsu? Are they that notorious already?

"Whatever do you mean, I wonder…"

"Yes, we are wondering the same," she heard Hijikata's voice all of a sudden. He was standing in front of them along with Harada and Shinpachi, his eyes burning. They had just arrived at the courtyard near the exit, and besides the captains it was empty. "Why don't you let go of her, and talk with us instead?" The vice commander's hand rested on the hilt of his katana. "I'd love to have a good chat with you."

"Same here," Shinpachi said with a smirk. Shizuka could sense the other two onis lurking nearby, biding their time. Then a different kind of sensation hit her keen senses, and she glanced sideways. Sannan, along with a group of rasetsu, was making his way towards them. What the hell?

Kazama flinched; she wouldn't have known had she not been held by him. His eyes narrowed viciously, and he must've given some sort of signal to his allies, because they appeared right by the entrance.

"Hey spear guy, why don't you dance with me instead?" Shiranui cackled while waving his hand at Harada. The tenth division captain responded to the invitation, and they locked in battle, while Shinpachi approached Amagiri.

"So, what is it gonna be? Will you let her go, or do I have to make you?" Hijikata spoke up again, but Kazama didn't have much of a reaction, his gaze still focused on Sannan. His grip loosened slightly, almost as if he had forgotten about her. Maybe if I wriggle just a little… She barely moved her arm, however, before his head whipped backwards, and his eyes trapped her own in place. There was something odd about them; their redness intensified, and seemed to be moving, like a bloody liquid. Don't move, she heard in her head. He let go of her arms, freeing her, but she found herself unable to move. What is… going on? She struggled for a little more, but her body was completely still, as if separated from her mind. How did he… She let the oni powers run through her limbs, but it didn't help in lifting Kazama's command. She could only watch helplessly as he jumped high up, a feat noteworthy even for an oni like him, and then dived straight for Sannan.

"Foul wretch," he said.

"Sannan!" Hijikata called, but Kazama had already landed a hit on the first sergeant, besting him with almost no effort. He then stood over Sannan, staring at him in disgust as the man was slowly gathering himself up.

Dammit, c'mon! Shizuka kept trying to move, but it felt like her frame was stuck in a block of ice, and couldn't break out of it. Just what kind of sorcery is this… Is that what he meant when he said he had other powers? Her eyes were stuck looking ahead; Hijikata rushed towards Sannan just as Kazama raised his sword, aiming for the sergeant's chest. No! The oni's eyes flashed golden and she knew that it was over. The moment their blades clashed the vice commander couldn't withstand the impact, and his sword was flung in one direction, while the man was blown away backwards. He hit the ground hard, rolled a few times, and once his body finally stopped, he could barely stand. Kazama seemed to have lost interest in Sannan, and smoothly made for Hijikata, his blade ready. No, no, no! I need to… MOVE! Shizuka suddenly felt a strange surge of power, something far more overwhelming, and immeasurably stronger than oni powers. Her body finally felt hers again, and without much thinking she pushed Hijikata, who was still hunched over, away from Kazama's path. The oni noticed her at the last moment, and managed to move his blade enough so that it only struck her shoulder instead of the torso. He stared at her in shock for a moment, then his lips formed into something almost akin to a smile.

"You have broken through my bind. You truly are a splendid oni, Yukimura Shizuka."

"My name is Kurai, you bastard. Now get lost," she said and unsheathed Kenmyoren.

"You would forsake your name and stay among those worthless humans? When you have this much power?" He glanced at Hijikata, who was still unable to stand behind her, then at her protectively outstretched arm. His smile faded. "Let us see how accepting they are when confronted with who you truly are."

"What are you…" she started but her words trailed off when she felt Kazama's oni powers burst out of him, and quickly envelop her. How is he… He's going to make me turn! Surely enough, Kazama's hair and eye colour shifted into that characteristic for the oni kind, and she knew the same happened to her. The wound healed instantly.

"This is the real you. You are not human. You do not belong here." Her sword-wielding arm started shaking in anger mixed with a fair dose of fear. With her secret exposed she had no way of knowing what the Shinsengumi's reaction would be. She couldn't bring herself to look back at Hijikata.

"You really love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" she heard near her ear, and the next thing she knew, Kenmyoren was out of her hand and she was pressed against the vice commander. He stepped forward, motioning her behind him, and pointed the blade at Kazama with bravado. "But I just can't stand the nonsense you're spouting, so I'm gonna need you to shut it." Kazama's stare hardened unpleasantly.

"She is not human. You do not deserve to have her amongst you."

"Not sure about deserving her or whatnot, but look around you, you fool. You crawled into the den of the wolves of Mibu. There are no humans here in the first place," he said with a laugh. Then he glanced down at her briefly, and the reassurance in his eyes almost brought tears to hers. "So she fits right in."

"Hijikata-san…" she stuttered, her voice shaky.

"I'll deal with you later," he answered in a low voice, and she couldn't help but chuckle at how unconvincing this threat sounded. "For now we have this pain in the ass to take care of," he pointed at Kazama with his chin.

"Sure." The oni continued to glare at them. She felt his powers withdraw, his hair and eyes returning to their natural colour.

At once she heard footsteps from deeper within the headquarters, and after a short moment Kondou and Yamazaki appeared by their side.

"You have trespassed onto the territory of the Shinsengumi, official retainers of the Shogun. I would have let you go, but you have injured my men." The commander unsheathed his sword and stepped forward, shielding Shizuka and Hijikata. "And this I will not forgive."

"Yamazaki, take Shizuka away," Hijikata instructed, and she gazed at him in shock.

"What? No! I can help you."

"You will help us by getting out of here, kid! Yamazaki," the vice commander beckoned.

"Yes," the spy nodded and grabbed her forearm. "Let us go." Kazama didn't seem too happy with the events unfolding, but Kondou was keeping him too occupied to allow any opposition. Shizuka was trying to stall, but Yamazaki's grip was strong, and his steps insistent.

"Yukimura, please. You need to get out of here!" he exclaimed while rushing away from the entrance courtyard, and towards the captains' quarters.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, struggling to free her arm from the man's grip. "I can help, dammit!" Yamazaki stopped in front of one of the rooms and opened the door.

"I will help. You stay here," he said in a stern voice, and with that he shoved her inside, shutting the door as he left.

She managed to keep her balance after the man roughly pushed her in, but as she took a step, she tripped on something right in front of her, and tumbled over. She braced herself for the impact, but the landing was surprisingly soft. And warm.

"Hm, gotta say I've never taken you for that type of girl," she heard a familiar voice from underneath, and found herself looking straight into Okita's emerald eyes. The mischievous glint made them sparkle beautifully, and she got momentarily lost in them. "Never thought I'd be getting attacked in my bed like this tonight, especially not by you," he continued in a low, husky voice, making her almost forget about the havoc outside. She blinked a few times, trying to get a hold of herself.

"You'd prefer one of the captains instead?" she scoffed at him. "Get off me!"

"Can't say I would. And it's you who's on me." Shizuka made an attempt to stand up, but in that moment Okita's hand found its way to the small of her back, pressing her against him. A surprised gasp escaped her lips, and his mouth curled up into a cheeky smirk.

"Tell me, Shizuka, how is it? Does it feel good here?" he said, and she glared at him in return.

"Do you have any idea what is happening out there? Those bastards appeared again, and the guys need help, but you're busy playing games!" she hissed at him, but he didn't seem to care much.

"They can handle it. Besides, isn't this about you? Going out is a sure way to get caught. You should stay here," he reasoned, and propped himself on his elbow, the other hand still on her back. His face inched towards hers. "I for one would rather you stay." His words caught her off guard, and she stared at him with wide eyes, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

"Stop teasing me," she said weakly.

"Who says I'm teasing you?" She was searching his eyes for any signs of lie, but his gaze was genuine. He meant what he said. Her face now resembled a camellia in full bloom.

They were looking at each other for a long charged moment; the distant clanging of swords disappeared, drowned out by the frantic racing of her heart. He can definitely hear it… If he did, he made no indication of that, and continued to gaze straight into her soul. Her hands were resting on his chest, as she was trying to lessen the impact during her fall, and with utmost shock she noticed that his heart was quickly reaching a state similar to hers. That gave her a little bit of confidence to test his reactions. She glanced sideways and made an attempt at moving away. It was weak, meaning she could not free herself without him letting go first, but noticeable enough so he could not ignore it. The moment she lifted herself up his grip changed; his arm took a tight hold of her waist, and she found herself even closer to him than before. Instead of just pressing her against him, he was now embracing her. Her eyes darted back to his face but he appeared to be unaware of it, his stare hazy and strangely frozen.

"Souji…" she started, but having done so, she finally noticed what he was so focused on; any and all words were forgotten. His gaze was stuck on her slightly parted lips.

"Yeah?" he said absentmindedly, his emerald eyes still fixed on her mouth. She wanted him to continue, she longed for it, but deep down she felt like they shouldn't. Despite having acknowledged her feelings, Shizuka was too proud to act on them freely. The fact that Okita has never given her a clear sign - only a variety of mixed signals and maybes - only made her sink into her stubbornness and anxiety further. She was childishly refusing to be the first one to give in.

"Think hard whether you really want to do it," she whispered, and her words seemed to have broken whatever spell he was under. He blinked a few times, and glanced up at her with widened eyes.

"What?"

"I don't hear swords anymore," Shizuka changed the topic. "Could you let go?" Somewhat startled, he complied immediately. "Not sure what that means…" she mumbled more to herself than to him. Who won? She pushed herself off of him, but before she could stand up, he caught her hand, and pulled her back onto the futon, so that they were sitting across from each other.

"Where do you think… Wait, what is that?" He glared at her arm.

"Hm?"

"Show me your arm," he said in an unusually dry tone.

"My arm?" she echoed. Before she could react properly, he moved closer in an attempt to inspect the cut on her shoulder. She shook his approaching hand off but it didn't do much to alleviate his concern.

"Why is there so much blood? Are you hurt? Was it those bastards?" With each question his face was growing darker and darker, and soon his expression looked positively murderous.

"Ah, it's uhm… It's not…"

"Not what?"

"It's nothing much. Will heal soon."

"That's not the problem. The problem is getting injured in the first place. And it's not the first time either," he said.

"That one was hardly my fault."

"I'm not saying it's your fault." He let out an exasperated sigh, and looked up at her, worry furrowing his brows. "Just… try to avoid it if you can, okay?"

"Okay. I'll make it a habit not to jump in front of swords from now on," she beamed at him snarkily, making him laugh. Then a serious frown appeared on his face, and his stare focused on her.

"Shizuka, about just now, I…

"Shizuka? Where are you?" A sudden voice put a stop to whatever Souji was about to say.

"I left her with captain Okita."

"Oh, good job."

"What impeccable timing…" Okita sighed; he seemed to be unsure whether to be annoyed or relieved with Hijikata's interruption. The door opened, revealing the vice commander and the spy. They stared wide-eyed at the pair on the futon. Seeing the petrified grimace that slowly creeped onto Hijikata's face, both Shizuka and Okita, independently of each other, but somehow unanimously, decided to explain nothing about their current position.

"Wha…" the vice commander managed to utter.

"What happened? Are you all okay?" She glanced at both men. They looked disheveled, but didn't seem to have any major injuries anywhere. "What about Kondou-san? Sano-san? Shinpa-"

"Slow down, kiddo. All in due time," he said. Then his expression tightened up, and she knew what was coming. "But before that… Don't you think we need to have a talk, you and us?" Uh oh.

"Yes. I guess we should." Shizuka got up to her feet and stepped closer to him.

"Let's go to the common room, then." Hijikata gazed at Okita, and motioned at him with his head. "You come too, Souji. Shizuka has a lot of explaining to do, and I don't feel like repeating it all to you afterwards." Having said what he came to say, the vice commander turned in his heel, and headed down the corridor, with Yamazaki right behind.

"Oh, Shizuka-chan was up to no good? Colour me intrigued," Okita said almost giddily and stood up. She was in the doorway, and glared at him over her shoulder.

"I was not!"

"Sure you weren't," came a doubtful, teasing reply.

"Why am I even trying to explain anything to you…"

"Shizuka! Souji! Get a move on!" Hijikata's voice echoed, and she sped up, Souji's steps close behind her. Once they arrived at the common room, Shizuka hesitated in front of the door. It will be okay, right? Hijikata noticed her stalling, and waved her over with a somewhat ominous look on his face.

"Come in," he said, and all eyes in the room focused on her. Will it?

---

Yay! Another one down! And what a long one at that! Not patting myself on the back by any means (maybe just a liiiiiittle bit?), cause who knows when I'll go MIA again… Anyway, feel free to leave feedback!

See you soon!