September 18th 1863
Rain was pouring down on Kyoto that night. Inside of a restaurant was Haruka, along with a few others. Nagakura, Heisuke, Ibuki, and Saito. There was a lot of food and sake. In fact Nagakura and Heisuke had already started digging into it.
"Aren't the others coming..?" Ibuki asked.
Haruka took a sip of her tea. "I tried asking them but they declined."
"I believe they didn't want to exert your generosity too much." Saito said.
"Exert it!?" Heisuke said. "This is like the nicest thing anyone's done for us!"
"Yes, well, I wanted to apologize for being too forthcoming at Yamao.." Haruka sighed. "I lost my composure so I thought maybe some food and sake would be enough."
Nagakura grinned. "I'd say it's enough! But can we really have as much as we want?"
Haruka nodded. "Sure. I can cover it easily."
Heisuke's eyes were filled with joy. "Thanks, Ka-san!"
Haruka and Saito looked surprised and looked at each other for a second as they were seated next to each other. "What..did you call me?"
Heisuke's eyes widened when he realized his words. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to say that! I just…You kinda act like a mom to us.."
Haruka blinked. "I do?"
Nagakura nodded his head. "Yeah! You're as scary as Hijikata-san! But I feel like I listen to you more, maybe because you chastise us like a mom would her kids."
Haruka looked between Nagakura and Heisuke and then took a bite of fish. "…I don't mind if you call me that."
"Wait, really?" Ibuki said, confused.
"If it makes you more comfortable, then fine."
Heisuke's face lit up again. "Ka-san it is!" He had a big grin on his face and Haruka was reminded of someone. She looked a bit lost in her thoughts as she continued to eat. Nagakura, Heisuke, and Ibuki continued to be loud and enjoying themselves. Saito saw how quiet Haruka was and got a bit closer to her to check on her.
"Are you feeling ill?"
Haruka snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at him. "Oh. No…I just..had some memories from years ago come back.."
"Were they good memories?"
Haruka just chuckled. "More like bittersweet…"
"Bittersweet memories can be the best ones, you know?" All five of them turned to the voice who just spoke. It was Kondou. He entered the room and closed the door.
"Decided to join us after all?" Haruka said.
Kondou sat down near them. "I decided it was a bit rude to decline your offer, Shinomi-kun."
"You were alright to decline. Just cause I'm some official doesn't mean you have to take everything I say to heart."
"Didn't we just say you are really scary?" Ibuki pointed out.
Haruka just shrugged and took a sip of her tea again. "When I want to be."
"So, bittersweet memories," Kondou started, "Anything you'd like to share about them?"
Haruka set her cup down and just sat there looking down at it. "Seeing Heisuke overjoyed just reminded me of my younger brother."
"I do..?" Heisuke said.
Haruka nodded her head. "Been a while since I've seen him…Guess I just miss him."
"Why don't you go back home and visit him?" Nagakura asked.
Haruka froze a moment before looking up at him with a small smile. "I'm too busy, I'm afraid. Always on the move. It's been that way in my family for years."
"You said you were the leader, right?" Ibuki said while eating some rice.
"Yeah. Everyone before me has done the same job I'm doing since the Tokugawa Shogun began. It's a sort of treaty that doesn't just keep my clan safe but all of Ezo as well."
Nagakura looked at her, his face a bit worried. "Isn't that a lot for one person? I mean, that's a whole island isn't it?"
"Sure it is. But there hasn't been much trouble since we're so isolated."
"I imagine winter over there is harsh." Kondou said.
"Maybe for you guys but…It's actually very beautiful."
Saito looked over at Haruka. "I'd like to see that myself one day.."
"Oh! Me too!" Heisuke said.
"It would be so cold though." Nagakura said, shivering at the thought.
"Yeah but imagine how many snowball fights we could have!"
"Oooh. You got a point there, Heisuke!"
Ibuki just blinked, not really getting it. "Snowball fights? Really? Sure you two aren't little kids?"
"Come on, Ryuunosuke, doesn't it sound like fun?" Heisuke grinned at him.
"Sounds more like I'd be pelted with them if I joined you guys.."
Heisuke's eyes widened. "Wha-! No way, I play fair and square!" Then he had a deadpanned look. "Shin on the other hand…"
"What was that Heisuke!?" Saito just sipped his tea as Nagakura and Heisuke fought. They even dragged Ibuki into it. Haruka just went over to Kondou and poured him some sake. They made eye contact, knowing they just had to wait a bit longer for things to finally be over with.
Shota laid down on the roof looking down at the Maekawa residence Serizawa stayed in. "Is this man ever going to bed or what? Any longer and they will lose their chance." He then took a glance up to the sky. "And I'm out here in the rain…At least it'll just be a minor cold."
Shota has been uneasy since last night. He had a dream that involved something monstrous with red eyes. "I hope that doesn't actually mean anything…"
He looked back down at the building and saw the light go out. "Oh! This is their chance!"
After 30 minutes, Shota saw Harada signal to the others. Soon Hijikata, Okita, Sanan, and Gen got into their position as Harada kept looking out. He also noticed Yamazaki was nearby as well. "Is he keeping guard too..?"
Shota snapped his head when he heard loud yelling. He leaned over the roof a bit to get a closer look into the room. His eyes widened when he saw there was blood in the room already. "What…happened in there..?"
He quickly got up and jumped to a different rooftop and found a better spot without being noticed. He saw a woman with blonde hair, dead, in Serizawa's futon. "What the hell…? Wait, that's that mistress isn't it? Why did he kill her? Because it's his end?"
Then he heard fighting. Metal against metal. Struggling sound came from the room. Shota leaned just a bit closer to see. At that moment he saw Hijikata cut into one of Serizawa's arms. "Oh. He got him."
However, he saw Serizawa talking, reaching into his kimono, and a glint caught his eye. "No..He…wouldn't?" And he saw him drink something as the rain poured down harder. Even with the loud rain, you could hear his groans and a final roar as his hair turned white and his eyes red. Serizawa turned into a fury.
And then there was the frenzy, Serizawa knocking Okita, Sanan, and Inoue into walls with loud crashing sounds. It was enough to gain the attention of Harada and Yamazaki as they ran into the small courtyard.
"The hell!?" Harada said, as they saw Hijikata fighting against Serizawa.
"Is that..?" Yamazaki looked bewildered.
"Damn it! Hang on!" Harada quickly ran in to help while Yamazaki stood there. He didn't know what to do and didn't carry a sword at the moment. Then he sensed something. He looked around a bit before looking at the spot Shota was in.
"Get us back up!" He yelled.
Shota's eyes widened. "He sensed me..!" He weighed his options for a second before jumping from rooftop to rooftop to get help. Yamazaki looked relieved when he saw Shota's shadow leave the spot he was looking at.
"I'm gonna have to get Haruka-nee! I have no choice! Serizawa may lose himself if they don't take care of him!"
Back at the restaurant things were calm. Nagakura was standing up stretching. "I think we had enough for tonight. Right, Heisuke?"
Heisuke yawned. "Yeah. Plus we got rounds in the morning. Thanks again, Ka-san."
Ibuki stood up. "I'm just full so..I don't think I can eat anymore."
"Are you guys sure? Cause I can cover everything." Haruka said before taking a glance at Saito.
"I'd like to eat more but there's always next time, right?" Heisuke smiled at Haruka. Then the three of them started to walk out. Saito spoke up.
"I can't let you three leave."
The three men stopped and looked confused. "Hajime-kun?" Heisuke said.
"What's going on?" Nagakura had a look on his face that he figured something was happening when he looked back at them.
"You can't leave. Not yet." Saito looked at them, his eyes were narrowed and serious. Haruka looked between all three of them and Kondou just sat there quietly.
Nagakura turned to fully face them. "There's more to everyone just declining your offer, isn't there, Haruka?"
"Well…"
"What is it!?" He yelled.
"H-Hey, Shin, wait a sec! Let Ka-san talk!" Heisuke looked at him confused, nervous, and a bit upset.
Haruka was about to say something when she sensed something behind the shoji door that led outside. "Haruka-nee?"
"..Shota?"
Shota opened the door and entered a bit, absolutely soaking wet. He saw everyone was tense in the room. "Trouble. Serizawa, he..turned into a fury.."
"He what!?" Haruka stood up immediately.
"I-I don't know why he had it but the others are barely hanging on!"
"Wait, you guys were killing Serizawa while we were here!?" Nagakura yelled.
"That doesn't matter right now!" Haruka yelled back.
"Oh yes it does!"
"Look, if Serizawa is a fury, then we have no choice right now!"
"Why can't we have a choice!?"
"Because he-" Haruka stopped herself when she saw Ibuki run off past Shota. "Ibuki-kun!" Haruka ran after him.
"Ryuunosuke!" Heisuke was right behind her, along with Shota. Nagakura ran after them and Saito went after Nagakura.
Kondou remained there in the empty room. "…I thought this would go smoothly…But he's putting up one last stand…" He looked at the rain through the opened door. "Be careful.."
Ibuki ran as fast as he could through the rain to get back to Yagi. Behind him he could hear Haruka and Heisuke calling for him. When he ran to the courtyard he was held back by Yamazaki as he saw Serizawa knock Harada away and then fight Hijikata.
"H-Hey! Stop it! Don't kill him!" Ibuki yelled out.
"Ibuki! We can't!" Yamazaki yelled.
Harada tried to stand up as he glanced at Ibuki. "Idiot! Get out of here!"
Ibuki struggled against Yamazaki, to break free from his grip. "No! You don't have to kill him! Serizawa-san's ill! He-!"
"It doesn't matter!" Hijikata shouted as he fought. "You've seen what he's done! It can't go on like this! Something has to give!"
Ibuki stood there frozen at the scene. Was there even anything he could do? That's when Hijikata was knocked down as well, leaving Serizawa to make his way to Ibuki.
Ibuki looked more terrified than he's ever felt in his life. Not even almost dying before Serizawa found him felt this way. He could run, but his feet are frozen in place. Serizawa managed to toss Yamazaki to the ground before reaching for Ibuki. He closed his eyes shut.
"MOVE!" Ibuki was suddenly pushed out of the way. He landed with a hard thud as he looked back at what happened. In Serizawa's grip was Haruka, being lifted off the ground by her Kimono.
"Ka-san!"
"Haruka-nee!"
Ibuki saw Heisuke and Shota by the entrance. His eyes then flew back to Haruka who was struggling to try and get him to let her go.
"The pretty Okuzume came to save a mutt. How noble of you." Serizawa sneered.
"Noble? I just didn't think you should try and hurt an innocent kid." Haruka gasped as Serizawa held tighter. That was when Gen, Sanan, and Okita regained consciousness and saw what was happening.
"Shinomi-san.."
"Shinomi-kun!"
"Haruka!"
"Hear that? They're calling for you. Worried about a little Okuzume." Serizawa's grip got tighter. "But I know you ordered this, didn't you?"
Haruka just smirked a little. "Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. You're nothing but trouble, you know!"
"And you're sent to clean up that trouble, right!?"
They just stared at each other. At the entrance was now Saito and Nagakura. Both of their eyes widened at the scene.
"Shinomi-san!"
"Haruka!"
"You are the cause of my own problems." Serizawa stated. "If you never came here, all this wouldn't have happened."
Haruka saw Hijikata and Harada standing up. Her eyes then focused back on Serizawa. "Please. The Aizu would have kept calling for your death without my involvement. You're too much of a damn risk!"
Serizawa just saw red. "Me!? A risk!?" He grit his teeth. "I know what to do with you…It's time the pretty Okuzume made her exit!"
Haruka's eyes widened as Serizawa flung her into the courtyard wall. She let out a gasp before falling to the ground. The others had their eyes widened as she was just tossed like paper.
Serizawa then made his way back to Ibuki, holding his sword in his hand. Ibuki turned his attention back to the monster in front of him. He couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Serizawa just raised his sword high and swung.
Ibuki closed his eyes shut tight. But he didn't feel pain. He heard metal hitting metal. He opened them and saw Shota blocking the attack with his arm. That part of his sleeve had a metal plate on it to protect it from sharp weapons.
"You.." He managed to say.
Shota stared at Serizawa, pissed off. "You are gonna pay for hurting Haruka-nee…"
"You aren't even using your sword. It's worthless on you."
"Worthless? It's just for backup!" Shota used his strength to push Serizawa back. He managed to make him stumble before going for a punch. Serizawa saw that and dodged out of the way, kicking Shota in the back.
Shota didn't fall and used the momentum to turn around and kick Serizawa in his side. A grunt came out of him as his kick connected. They both backed away before running at each other. Try as he might, Serizawa couldn't keep up with Shota's speed as he dodged his swings.
Meanwhile, Haruka was starting to gain consciousness again as she was starting to get up. Heisuke saw that from the corner of his eye and ran over to her. "Hey, hey, easy, Ka-san.." He said a bit quietly to not gain attention from Serizawa.
"What happened..?"
"Serizawa flung you into a wall. After that he went after Ryuunosuke but Shota stopped him. And well..now they're fighting.."
Haruka looked up at the fight in front of her. Shota is good at fighting with his hands and body. But it wouldn't be enough to kill Serizawa. Heisuke, though, was looking at her face and saw a cut on her head. "Hey, you're bleeding.."
Haruka just ignored Heisuke and stood up. "Hold on, Ka-san! You're hurt!"
Haruka just took some steps forward towards Shota and Serizawa. She watched Shota's movements before sprinting forward, her hand on her short sword.
Shota dodged a slash of Serizawa's sword, moving backwards away from him as Haruka ran past, her sword drawn, and pierced Serizawa's heart.
"Y-You…?" He grunted you.
"You always liked demons, didn't you?" Serizawa looked at her face. The only thing he could see through her hair were glowing blue eyes. "Then you're lucky to be killed by one."
Haruka took a glance at Ibuki before pulling her sword out. Ibuki thought he saw remorse for a second, but he still felt afraid. Serizawa was now just dead on the ground in the pouring rain. His blood mixing with it and being carried away.
Hijikata, Harada, Sanan, Okita, and Inoue came over. They were injured but they would recover just fine. "She just took him out.." Harada said.
In that instant, Ibuki took off running. "Ryuunosuke!" Heisuke called out. Hijikata just ordered Heisuke, Saito, Nagakura, Harada, and Okita to go find him. A second later, Haruka's sword clattered to the ground and she stumbled forward a bit, holding her head with one hand.
Hijikata quickly held her up. "Hey, you okay?"
"Just..A bit dizzy. Don't worry.."
"You got thrown into a wall, Shinomi-kun." Sanan said.
Haruka just looked up at Sanan. "Yeah..that…was new for me.."
Hijikata saw the cut on her head. "You need to get that looked at."
She just waved him off and got him to let go of her. "It's fine."
He then had a scowl. "Don't be stupid. You're hurt and you got thrown into a wall. You could have broken something."
Shota walked up. "I can take care of her. Haruka-nee, I'll take you to your room."
Haruka sighed. "Alright, fine. If it will get you all to be quiet about it."
Hijikata nodded. "I'll bring you some medicine. Go."
Shota and Haruka left the courtyard. Hijikata looked over at Yamazaki. "Yamazaki, get Shimada and take care of Serizawa. We'll have a funeral in a few days."
"Got it." Yamazaki left, leaving Hijikata, Sanan and Gen alone in the courtyard. The rain had come to a stop, and you could smell the wet ground. Hijikata's eyes then landed on Haruka's sword. He picked it up and looked at the other two. "I'm going to return this. Gen? Can you go get Kondou-san?"
Gen nodded his head and left. Sanan walked over to Hijikata. "I have to say, I am impressed with our new friend."
"Impressed? More like she was reckless…"
"Yes, but if she didn't have her companion, or stayed unconscious, I don't know if we could have beaten Serizawa-san."
Hijikata raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have given up that easily. There would have been some opportunity to kill him. Shinomi just found hers." He then began to walk out of the courtyard.
Sanan watched him as he had a small smile on his face. "Things are going to get much more lively after today."
"You don't have to do that, you know…"
"I do if we want to keep things secret."
Shota was wiping away the blood on Haruka's head and face with a wet cloth. He put it down and picked up some bandages and started to wrap it around her head. "I hate that I have to act injured when these things happen. The damn thing is healed already."
"Yeah, well they don't know that. Besides, it's only for…" He started to count on his fingers. "Maybe three weeks? Four to be safe."
"Just don't make it too tight."
Shota finished securing the bandage and then stepped back. He looked at his work and smiled. "There. Perfect! No one will suspect a thing."
"Good." She sighed. "Now what to do about your situation…"
Shota just crossed his arms. "Well, I'm out in the open, aren't I? No use going back to the shadows for now. I'll just join you."
Haruka closed her eyes and thought about it. There really is no point to him hiding from the Shinsengumi now that they've all seen him. And if needed, he can go back into that position when needed. "Okay, you can stay. Just don't make things more chaotic."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Shimu barked at Shota. He had one of the bloodied cloths in his mouth. "Ah! Shimu, no! Come on, I have to clean that up…" Shota extended his hand but Shimu ran out the door to the veranda. "Shimu!"
Haruka just gave a short laugh. "I think Shimu wants to help out after being stuck in here the entire time."
Shota sighed. "Alright, come on Shimu, Let's go wash out these cloths and your fur." He left with Shimu down the hall to find somewhere to wash them. He passed Hijikata without a word following the Shiba Inu. Hijikata just kept walking to Haruka's room.
"I brought you some medicine." He said, then held out her short sword. "And to return this."
Haruka blinked. "Oh, I did drop that didn't I..Thanks."
Hijikata handed Haruka her sword and then knelt down and placed the tray on the ground. "It should make you feel better quickly." Haruka leaned over and saw the tray contained some powdered medicine and hot sake.
"Hot sake?"
Hijikata glanced at her. "Yes. You take the medicine and drink hot sake afterwards."
Haruka made an unappeased face. "What?" Hijikata asked. "I don't like hot sake.."
Hijikata blinked, unsure of what to even make of that comment. "...Really?"
"Sorry. I mean I don't drink much in general anyway."
"Not a high tolerance?"
"Oh no. I can handle it. Just have to be careful around it for other reasons." Haruka thought back to one night in particular on her way back with Iba and Motoyama to Edo. She really didn't expect Motoyama to not handle his sake, and well…let's say it ended up with him kissing her.
He handed her the medicine and sake. "Well, you have to drink it this way or it doesn't work."
Haruka took a bit of a closer look at the medicine. "What is this stuff? I've never seen it before.."
"Ishida medicinal powder."
"Ishida…" Haruka's words trailed off as something flashed in her mind. Her eyes widened as she had a realization. "No way…" Slowly, she looked at Hijikata. Hijikata just raised an eyebrow at her.
"Is there something on my face?"
"You…" Haruka studied his face a bit more. "You're that peddler from years ago!"
"..Huh?"
"You're the one my father stopped for directions to Shiei!"
Hijikata sat there confused, looking at her. Did she look familiar? His eyes slowly widened as a memory of a girl that looked at him with doubt. "You were that girl with a sword!"
"You definitely are him then…" Haruka looked down at the medicine. "Can cure anything, huh?…I still doubt it."
Hijikata got slightly annoyed at that. "Oh, just take it already.."
Haruka took the medicine and drank the sake straight after. She froze for a moment before she shivered at the bitter taste and gave a strained laugh. "How is it so bitter…?"
Hijikata just had an amused look on his face. Haruka noticed and stared at him. "What are you smiling at?"
"It's nothing." His face then returned to a neutral one. "So..The kid?"
"Shota, you mean?" He nodded his head. "He's one of my retainers. He usually sticks to the shadows and is actually pretty good at fighting hand to hand. He's a year younger than me too."
"He's younger but your retainer?"
Haruka nodded her head. "Shota was brought up for his role as I was with mine. Besides, we grew up together, it only makes sense." She then placed the cup back on the tray. "But now that basically all of you guys saw him, there's no point for him to go back into hiding. Hope you don't mind one other person here. He can even stay here with me if room is a problem."
"It's fine. We still have a few spare rooms." He then crossed his arms. "Your plan almost worked, you know. But I never expected Serizawa to have a vial of the water of life."
Haruka just sighed. "Neither did I. I'm just happy he's gone now."
"That's cold, even if he was a troublesome man."
Haruka shrugged. "I've seen more in 10 years than you probably have. People like Serizawa…I can't tell what their end goal is but it's always the same path. I hate it."
"Why's that?"
"Because the last thing they see at the end is me. And it always ends in two ways, regret, or fear."
"So what did he have?"
Haruka thought back to what had happened earlier. When she pierced his heart, her eyes staring into his. They weren't filled with hatred, regret, or fear. They were filled with-
"Peace."
"Peace?"
"Yeah. As if he was happy it was all over with. That's just weird, isn't it?"
Hijikata looked away from her. "Maybe he was just happy things were done with…Or he finally saw a demon worthy of killing him like he kept saying you were."
"He said what?"
"He kept telling me if I wanted to make the Shinsengumi into something that I should be a demon. And when we met you…Well, I believed he had respect for you as the Shogun's Demon and pointed you out as an example later."
Haruka just sighed heavily. "Then he was a fool. Run this group how you like, just don't lose sight of your end goal." She looked up at him. "I'm feeling tired now..We can continue this conversation another time."
"Sure." Hijikata picked up the tray and stood up. "Take it easy and rest. We'll take care of things." He then exited her room and closed the door behind him. When she heard his footsteps fade away, she laid back down on her futon, exhausted.
"I may not be hurt..but I'm just really tired and sore..Maybe I should just rest." Haruka closed her eyes and fell asleep.
A few days had passed, Haruka had mostly stayed in her room pretending to recover and Shota brought her food. The Shinsengumi had a funeral for Serizawa, with the excuse given to the other captains and soldiers that he had attacked Haruka and needed to be punished by death.
Most of the soldiers knew it would have eventually happened as Serizawa caused much chaos. So attacking a high official was one suited to that punishment. Haruka was fine with her being used as an excuse to keep everything secret.
One morning, Shota was wrapping the fake bandages on Haruka's head again. "Okay, there. I think you're ready."
"Ready to introduce yourself properly?"
Shota smiled. "Yup! Are you ready to get back to work?"
"Nope."
"Aw, come on. It's not that bad."
"We haven't gotten information in a while, Shota."
Shota put his hands on his hips. "Well, I'm sure it'll come at some point! Come on! I want breakfast!"
Haruka chuckled. "Okay, Okay. Let's go surprise them I guess." Shimu barked in agreement and they left the room together. Shimu led them to the common room and opened the door himself and ran inside. He made his way over to Hijikata and barked at him. "Shimu?" He said, noticing the excited Shiba Inu that ran to his side.
"Sorry, he's still very excitable." Haruka said as she appeared in the doorway.
"Ka-san!" Heisuke yelled. "You're up! Wait, are you okay? Should you be out of your room?"
"Calm down, Heisuke." Harada said. "She looks fine to me."
"Thanks for worrying about me, Heisuke, but I'm fine."
Kondou looked over at her. "I'm sorry that happened, Shinomi-kun."
Haruka just waved her hand in front of her. "It's fine. I'm not dead and no one could have predicted what happened." Shota popped his head in the doorway. Haruka noticed and moved out of the way. "By the way, this is Shota Sasaki. He works for me."
Shota moved into the doorway and bowed. "I'm glad to finally meet you all properly."
"You're the one that protected Ibuki." Saito said as Shota stopped bowing.
"Yeah, that's right."
Haruka looked around the room for a second. "Where is Ibuki-kun?" There was a pause in the room before Okita spoke up.
"He died."
"Died?"
Okita tilted his head a bit. "Yeah. He fell into the rushing river after the storm that night. Remember? It was pouring."
"Really…" Haruka didn't seem like she believed it, even if it came from Okita. She just sighed. "If that's what happened, then I feel sorry for him." She sat down along with Shota. Shimu came and laid on her lap.
"I've been meaning to ask you something, Shinomi-kun." Sanan asked as she turned her attention to him. "We've received money from Aizu as a reward for dealing with Serizawa-san. Might there have been a mistake?"
Haruka just blinked. "Oh? Maybe there was a mistake in the letter I wrote about the event. My memory is a bit fuzzy about that night." She gave a small smile.
Several faces in the room lit up at that. She didn't need the money or respect that came from Serizawa. If it put the Shinsengumi in better standing with Aizu and Kyoto, she was happy with it. "And what about your assignment with Kodo?"
"Well, I haven't been called back or anything. I'm assuming I'm still investigating as much as I can. Hope you don't mind us still sticking around."
"We don't mind. You and Shota bring something different to the group." Inoue said. "Shimu too." Shimu wagged his tail faster as he heard his name called.
"You know, if you are staying with us, why don't we have a rematch, Haruka?" Okita grinned at her.
"Why?"
"Come on, it's been a long time since Shiei."
Haruka just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe when I'm not still recovering from almost becoming as flat as a Senbei."
"I'll take that as a promise."
Hijikata looked at Okita. "Souji…"
"It's fine, Hijikata-san. He'll just keep bothering me if I don't."
Then they heard a growl. A stomach growl. They turned to the direction it came from and Shota had a bit of a red face. Haruka just gave a small smile. "Right, breakfast…"
Inoue stood up. "I'll get you both some."
Shota looked flustered. "Ah! You don't have to do that!"
"Nonsense. You both are still our guests after all."
"H-Haruka-nee!"
Haruka just looked to the side. "What do you expect me to do? Stop him? If Inoue-san wants to, why not let him?" Shota just stared daggers at her hoping she would feel his sharp stares. She just sat there completely ignoring his attempt to get her to intervene. It got a laugh out of everyone in the room.
December 1863
Haruka and Shota had made themselves comfortable in the Yagi Headquarters. They met a few other members, like Sakai who worked as an accountant, and the other captains that were kept away from the water of life, such as Tani, Matsubara and -
"TAKEDA!"
Haruka was in the kitchen with the captain of the 5th division, Kanryuusai Takeda. She was staring at him pissed off. "That can't be it, Takeda." Next to Takeda was a basket full of vegetables. He just crossed his arms and tilted his head away from her, scoffing.
"Of course it is. Don't you see how much I bought. And it's of good quality as well."
"And yet with what I asked, the amount of money I gave you, and the change doesn't add up." Haruka said as she crossed her arms looking at him. "I have to give this to Sakai-kun. Check your pocket again, Takeda."
"I'm telling you that is all I have!"
"I don't believe you!"
"Then you should go yourself if you want to look over change!"
"What was that!?"
"If you want things done correctly, you should go yourself! Or is that above you!?" Sparks were flying between the two as they locked eyes.
"It's not, Takeda! This is about keeping track of things! If you can't do that with change then what kind of captain are you!"
"Then you shouldn't be a lazy official that can't go buy things herself!"
"Me!? It was your turn! I went last week!"
Around the corner of the door was Heisuke and Saito watching. Ever since they were introduced to one another, Takeda and Haruka have had terrible chemistry together. As things got heated, Heisuke looked up at Saito.
"Hajime…this is bad..if they keep fighting, someone is gonna draw their sword!" Heisuke whispered.
"Hm..You're right. Let's intervene." Heisuke blinked as Saito started to enter the kitchen, quickly following behind him. "Is there a problem?" Saito said.
"Ah, Saito." Takeda quickly changed his demeanor into one that was calmer. "Shinomi-san is saying I didn't give her the correct change."
"You didn't and you know it…" Haruka was still pissed.
"Uh..Takeda..Can't you just check your pocket again?" Heisuke asked.
"Surely that couldn't hurt." Saito added on.
"Hm. Fine." He reached into his Kimono. After a few seconds his eyes widened and he had a slightly phased look on his face. He pulled his hand out and had more money in his hand. "It seems I may have had more…"
"See! Problem solved! Just hand it over to Ka-san!" Takeda hesitantly handed over the change to Haruka, who took it and let out a breath. "I'm taking this to Sakai-kun." Haruka just left to find Sakai, Takeda also left in the opposite direction as soon as she was out of his sight with his head held high.
Heisuke just let out a big sigh as his shoulders slumped. "We should probably tell Hijikata-san not to pair them up anymore…Right?" Saito just nodded his head. "That would be best to avoid more conflict. At least until he speaks to her again."
Haruka made her way down the halls to find Sakai in his room. "Sakai-kun? Are you busy?"
Sakai looked up from his book towards the door. "Oh. Shinomi-san? I'm not that busy, did you need something?"
Haruka came over and handed the change over to him. "This is the change from the market run."
Sakai took it in his hand and glanced at it. "Oh, thank you. You're one of the few people that are on top of this stuff."
"Yeah, well, I had a fight with Takeda to get all of it."
He looked uneasy. "You fought Takeda-san?"
"It was just a verbal argument. Turns out the rest of it was in his pocket."
There was a quick sigh that escaped from him before he smiled. "Well, misunderstandings happen, Shinomi-san…"
"I know. But Takeda is stubborn. Anyway, I need to go to work on dinner. Goodbye, Sasaki-kun."
"Oh! Goodbye, Shinomi-san!"
Yamazaki was looking around Yagi for Shota. He had checked his room and then found himself back there. "Where is he…?" He looked in his room but found no one. He crossed his arms and thought for a second as he walked back out to the veranda. "Sasaki-san?" He called out.
"Yeah?" Shota popped out from the eves of the roof,upside down, as he appeared in front of Yamazaki's face. That startled him and he jumped back a bit. "You were on the roof? What were you doing up there?"
"Napping."
"You take naps on the roof?"
"Only when it's a nice sunny day. Plus no one ever checks the roof. Well, except Haruka-nee." He then flipped down onto the veranda and stood up. "So, what did you need?"
"Is..there any way that you could teach me some ways of doing your job?"
Shota blinked and tilted his head. "Hm? Why?"
"I feel it would benefit not just me but the Shinsengumi if my work was better than it currently is." Shota smiled and then hopped off the veranda, motioning to Yamazaki to follow him into the small courtyard. Yamazaki quickly followed behind him.
"Well, first, one thing is that you have to have a purpose."
"That's-"
"Not the Shinsengumi. Just saying you want to benefit the Shinsengumi isn't enough." He turned to face him. "Like me. Sure, I benefit the entire Shinomi clan doing my job but my purpose is to protect and serve Haruka-nee. Do you have something like that?"
Yamazaki looked down as he thought back to the one meeting he had with Hijikata. When he told him how even though he was just a child of a farming family, peddling Ishida medicine for years before joining Shiei, and wanting to become a samurai by working up the ranks to help Kondou's dream of being one. It was a story he could relate to as he wanted to become one instead of following his family's footsteps as acupuncturists and medical fields.
"I…"
"That look tells me you do. Don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It's the Vice Commander."
"Hijikata-san?" Yamazaki nodded his head. "If he's your purpose to serve and protect then don't lose sight of it." Shota then thought for a second. "Yamazaki? Do you carry a sword?"
"I have a wakizashi, but I barely use it, preferring knives and Kunais."
"Go get it. You need to learn it."
"But I'm not-"
Shota smiled at him. "Hey, I like Kunais too and everything but if you at least don't know how to draw a sword to defend yourself then what's the point of being a samurai. Even Harada-san carries one."
"I-I'll go get it!" Yamazaki ran off to go get his sword as Shota stood there waiting. "This is gonna be interesting. I'm not as good as Haruka-nee but maybe I'll teach him something." After a few minutes, Yamazaki came back.
"Good. Now, what we'll do is come at each other, full force." Shota then got a good distance away from Yamazaki. However, Yamazaki had a nervous look. "Are you sure?"
Shota just nodded his head and drew his sword. Yamazaki hesitated for a bit before drawing his. There was silence in the courtyard as the sun shone above. Suddenly, a gust of wind passed by and both of them ran towards each other. Their swords clashed together and were even at first before it was clear Shota had a stronger force behind his sword.
"Hey! That's not bad, Yamazaki! You probably don't need that much more training!" Yamazaki's eyes widened in surprise. Normally, when he trains under Okita, he's not praised like this. Shota, however, was honest about everything, his smiles were all genuine. Yamazaki stopped struggling before lowering his sword, making Shota lower his and tilt his head. "Something wrong?"
"You..aren't as harsh as everyone else when it comes to training."
Shota nodded. "That's just how I choose to look at things. Well, more like I was trained that way."
"As part of the Shinomi-clan? But Shinomi-san isn't that way."
Shota chuckled. "Well, not the Shinomi-clan's way. The Sasaki-clan's way."
"Wait, are you not part of the Shinomi-clan?"
"I am. The Shinomi-clan took my clan about 4 generations ago. We were basically banished north and made a home there." Shota put a hand on his hip. "Due to them taking us in, we offered our services as spies and protectors. And one of the rules is to not let anything really bother us unless necessary."
"Is that why you're alway happy?"
"Pretty much. Everyone before me dealt with it differently. I prefer to look on the bright side of things. Like teaching you. It will be a fun activity for me when I'm not busy. Would you like that, Yamazki?"
Yamazaki took everything in with an unreadable reaction on his face. It would be fun? That was a strange way for him to see things but he didn't seem bothered at all when he asked him for help. Yamazaki nodded and smiled a bit. "I'm fine with this."
"Alright! Then let's start with meditation."
"Meditation?"
"Yes, meditation. How do you think I'm almost undetectable most of the time?" Shota then remembered something. "You actually have a good sense of things considering you sensed me on that one day."
"That's..what that feeling was?"
"Your senses were probably heightened because of how tense everything was. But I can teach you how to do that without being pushed to your limits." Shota then sheathed his sword and sat on the ground. "So, let's meditate." Yamazaki joined him and they spent the rest of the afternoon working on his senses.
Late December 1863
Snow had piled up in the courtyard overnight as the Yagi Headquarters started to wake up. Haruka was in the kitchen brewing some tea. She had a pale pink hanten over her normal outfit as it was cold outside and throughout Yagi in general. People were waking up a bit late to keep warm a little longer. But there was nothing a bit of warm tea couldn't fix.
Hijikata had passed by the kitchen when he noticed Haruka there. He found it a bit amusing seeing her in a hanten. "Aren't you from somewhere much colder than this?" Haruka heard him and turned around to see him in the doorway.
"Yeah, but I'm not an idiot to go out without some warmth." She then pointed to the tea. "Want some?"
"Sure. Sounds great right now actually." Hijikata made his way over as Haruka poured him a cup. He glanced at the hanten before speaking again. "Pink, huh?"
"Yup. Pink. I didn't pick it out. But I can't deny a present like that."
"Who gave it to you?"
"Hm. I think it was Matsudaria himself one time after an assignment." She handed him a cup of nice warm tea.
Hijikata raised an eyebrow as he took the cup from Haruka. "You think?"
"I've…gotten many gifts in the past where they were trying to kill me. So forgive me if I don't exactly remember where I got something from."
Hijikata froze before he took a sip and looked at her. "How many people exactly did you piss off?"
Haruka just shrugged and took a sip of her tea, leaving Hijikata baffled at how she managed to do that. The fact she didn't seem bothered made him think she was either way too comfortable in her situations or more insane than he thought. He sighed and sipped his tea. "Your tea is not bad."
"Thanks. I'd ask to try some of yours but I know you're banned from the kitchen."
Hijikata choked on his tea. "Who the hell told you that!?"
"Souji."
"That little-!"
Haruka chuckled. "He wanted to play catch up and tell me everything I missed since I left. And that just happened to come up." She then tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. "But please tell me, how exactly did you mess up porridge?"
Hijikata's face was slightly red as he turned to her. "That is none of your business!"
Haruka laughed. "Alright. I don't ask any further." She then smiled at him. "You're much better when you're commanding than cooking anyway."
Hijikata cleared his throat as he tried to compose himself. "Is that supposed to be a complement?"
Haruka looked into her cup. "I guess. Heard you're now being called the Demon Vice Commander. Now we share a title together."
"Is that really a title worth sharing?"
Haruka took another sip of her tea before answering. "Being a demon is a heavy thing to carry. Trust me. There's a lot of trust and faith behind that." She then set her cup down, only drinking half of it. "Well, I'm going out today. I found a lead, so Shota and I are heading out to check on it."
"In the snow?"
Haruka made her way to the doorway and turned her head back to him. "I'm from a much colder place, remember? Little snow isn't going to hurt us." She then turned back and exited the kitchen. Hijikata saw her disappear before looking at her cup she put down. "A lot of trust and faith, huh..?"