Trying to Kill Each Other Doesn't Count as Flirting (or Does it?)

Chapter 14

"Well..." the Shogun mumbled, "we have a car waiting outside...you should probably pack..."

"Packing! Yes! Of course!"

She said a quick goodbye to the two as they left the room. Then the door slid closed and, finally, she found herself alone with Okita.

He stood in the corner, a small, barely-noticeable pout on his face. (F/N) took a moment to appreciate how adorable he looked, then raced across the room, and flung her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Sougo. Really."

She drew back almost immediately, but decided to leave him with one gift—a small kiss on his cheek. Then, while he was still too stunned to notice her blush, she turned her back, and started rummaging through the closet, looking for a bag.

Oh, my god! I'm such an idiot! That was way too obvious! He's bound to figure it out! Ugh, I'm such an idiot! I'm never going to be able to look at him without blushing again!

I'm never...going to...again...

(F/N) paused with her hand halfway to a suitcase. That was right. She'd never thought about it before, but with her parents dead, Sougo was no longer obligated to be her bodyguard, and if he wasn't her bodyguard, their deal was off.

She'd never see him again.

One tug, and the suitcase came crashing down, setting her off balance for a moment before she steadied herself, and set it on the floor. When she left, she'd no longer get to see him everyday. She'd never train with him again, laugh with him again, or poison Hijikata with him ever again. That didn't sit right with her, and she found she couldn't keep the cold seed of dread from growing in her chest.

I can't let that happen. I can't let that happen at all.

"Um—hey, Sougo..."

"Hm?"

She flinched. She hadn't intended to speak—she hadn't intended for any of this to happen at all, but she had to do it. She couldn't let him get away.

"Um, so I was just thinking, you and I aren't going to see each other for a while..."

"What are you talking about?"

"So—well—there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while, and—" She froze. Even with her back turned, she could see that shit-eating grin on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "did I forget to mention? The Shogun said I've done such a good job of being your bodyguard, he wants me to continue. Looks like we'll be stuck together a little longer, Hitotsubashi Princess."

(F/N) flinched. "Oh—um—that's nice..."

"And?" he asked, the smirk still evident in his voice. "What's that you were going to say? Were you going to ask me to stay? Beg me not to leave you? Huh?"

Blood rushing to her ears, she turned around, and hurled a kunai at his face.

"No, I was going to ask you to go die in a ditch, you stupid asshole!"

~o0o~

Sougo liked to think of himself as someone who was always capable of thinking clearly. It was something he prided himself on—his ability to never get flustered. He was unshakable.

But in that moment, all he could think was, 'she hugged me again! And kissed me, too!'

It had only been on the cheek, though. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have grabbed her by the arm, and said 'you missed' as he captured her lips, but that girl could shake him like no one else ever could, and, as he watched her run around her new room, trying to find a place for this and that, all he could think was 'she kissed me. How can I get her to do it again?'

That girl had turned him into an idiot. That was the only explanation. Why else would he have gone up to the Shogun after a long night of committing treason, and asked him to take her in?

And, more importantly, why else would he have added one more small request: that he be reinstated as (F/N)'s bodyguard, after having so openly objected to the job only months earlier?

Yes, that was the only explanation.

His love for (F/N) had turned him into an idiot.

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please remember to vote! Thanks! Also, the Shogun Assassination arc is coming up soon, so beware of spoilers!

-Marguerite Partello