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

Chapter 22

When she arrived at Shinsengumi Headquarters, it was already abandoned—taped up with yellow and left to rot. As she stood there, remembering the day she'd first visited with Sougo, her hand twitched. She wanted to draw a blade, and cut down the tape, but she couldn't do that. Not when there was no one there to fill it up with pranks and laughter.

So instead of a kunai, she took out her phone, and dialed Sougo's number.

No answer.

She called again, and again, and when her last call went to voicemail, she shoved her phone back in her pocket, and went off to look for him.

He was nowhere to be found. Neither was Hijikata, or Yamazaki, or Saitou, or any of the others. (F/N) found herself silently cursing the fact that she'd never gotten Hijikata's phone number, but then again, why would she have done that? She never could have predicted anything like this would happen.

Frustrated and feeling more like a corpse than a human, (F/N) looked around, and noticed it had gotten dark. How long had she been out there? Two hours? Three? It hadn't even occurred to her to find a place to stay.

Her first instinct was to drop by the compound and mooch off of Sougo's generosity, and she felt a stab of pain in her chest at the realization that was no longer an option. She wracked her brain, running through her list of friends who might be willing to take her in. Soyo was still at the Palace. Zenzou and Sa-chan lived too far away to be conveniant...

Oh, right! Kagura-chan's family!

(F/N) quickly turned around, and hurried towards the Yorozuya's apartment. She'd only been there a handful of times, once to help Kagura brush her dog, and again just a few days earlier, but with its red exterior, and the rowdy bar underneath, it wasn't hard to find.

(F/N) breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it in the distance. She hurried over, and mounted the first step of the staircase, but as she looked up at the darkened windows, all she could think of was the last time she'd been there. The empty looks in everyone's eyes, Gin hobbling around on crutches...

How can I impose on them at a time like this...

(F/N) slumped down on the stairs, staring down at her hands. When she thought about it, all she'd ever done was mooch off other people's kindness. That's how she'd been with her parents, the Shinsengumi, Shigeshige...She'd taken, and she'd taken, and she never gave anything in return. She hadn't even thought to take any money with her when she escaped.

Just for once, it would be nice to earn an honest living.

She heard a door open behind her, and looked up, expecting to see Kagura or one of her friends stepping out, but the apartment remained cold and barren. Instead, an old woman emerged from the bar downstairs, holding a cigarette pinched between her fingers. She looked up, and (F/N) froze.

"Who're you?" the woman muttered.

"Um...I'm a friend of Kagura-chan's," she answered, standing up and dusting off her clothes. "My name is (F/N). I was just going to ask for a favor, but it's late, so I think I'll come by another time."

The woman took a draw from her cigarette, and blew it into the cold night air.

"Remind them to pay the rent next time you see them. They're three months behind."

Ah, so she's the landlady.

(F/N) nodded, and reluctantly took a step forward. Once she left, what was she supposed to do? She had no home, no money, no idea how to get a job...she didn't even have any other friends nearby.

Maybe I should give up and stay here for the night...or call Zenzou and see if he can send me some money...

"Is something wrong?"

(F/N) flinched. She'd been so lost in thought, she'd forgotten the woman was there.

"Nothing!" she insisted. "Nothing's wrong! Everything is absolutely fine!"

The woman narrowed her eyes, and (F/N) mumbled a 'goodnight' before hurrying to leave. With any luck, sleeping on a park bench wouldn't be as bad an idea as it sounded.

Before she could test that theory, however, the old woman called out.

"You seem like a nice girl," she said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "How would you like to work in a bar?"

(F/N) looked over her shoulder.

"A what?"

Author's Note: Hello! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please remember to vote. Thanks!

-Marguerite Partello