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

Chapter 16

On one such night, (F/N) sat in her room, twirling a kunai around on her finger, and wishing she had something to do. She knew the Shinsengumi and the Shogun were planning something, but she wasn't invited, apparently, and she hated that. She'd have to stab Sougo and Hijikata the next time she saw them.

Fortunately for her, that would happen sooner than anticipated.

The door opened without so much as a knock. (F/N) looked up, expecting to see Soyo or Kagura, but, no, it was the only other person in the world who would dare enter her room without permission.

(F/N) let a kunai fly, and Okita caught it between two fingers. Normally, she would feel some sort of annoyance at that, but instead, a smile came to her lips.

"I see you haven't gotten rusty."

"If anything, you're the rusty one." Okita stifled a yawn, and set the knife on the table by the door. "Listen, as much as I enjoy trying to kill you, there's something I need to talk to you about."

(F/N) glared at him. "If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll skin you alive."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me."

"I'll tempt you as much as I want, thank you very much."

Her cheeks reddened, and he flashed a smirk before sitting cross-legged on the floor. The expression on his face morphed into something much more serious, and (F/N) felt an uneasy twinge in her chest.

"We've been meeting up to decide what to do about the current situation," Okita explained. "We've decided to use three doubles. The first will remain in Edo, the second will travel north by sea, and the third will head west by land. Meanwhile, the real Shogun will travel by air to Kyou. You and I are going with that group."

(F/N) felt a wave of relief tinged with worry. On the one hand, once the Shogun got to Kyou, he would be safe. On the other hand, something told her the journey there would be dangerous. Kyou was a long way off, and with so many people wanting him dead...

Wait a minute...

"What about me?" she asked. "If Sho-chan is going to be living in Kyou, where will I go?"

He shrugged. "Well, that's up to you. You can either stay with the Shogun, or go to live with your relatives. Your choice."

(F/N) stiffened. She'd just found a new home—just gotten settled in, and adjusted to her new life, and now she had to go through it all over again? What was going on? Why was all this happening to her?

She looked up at Sougo, sitting across the room with an unreadable expression on his face. If she stayed with Soyo and the Shogun, she would at least have two friends, but her main reason for wanting to stay in Edo would be gone, and that thought squeezed her heart to its breaking point.

"Hey, Sougo-kun," she whispered, "how long will the Shogun be in Kyou?"

"Who knows?"

She drew her knees up to her chest, a twinge of worry stinging at her chest.

"The Shogun...won't stay in Kyou forever, will he?"

"Beats me."

She flinched. (F/N) had always liked to believe Sougo cared about her. To her, his actions after the death of her parents proved that, but there were times when she stared into his blank face, and wondered how she ever could have been so stupid.

With that in mind, she heaved a sigh, and got to her feet.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to see what the latest fashions are in Kyou."