HAKUOUKI: Back in Time

Chapter 33

~Why not listen to music while you read?~

I thought back on what Hijikata said. It was true that Sanan had been acting strange and the Rasetsu  Corps had been getting more and more violent.

Later that night, just as Hijikata predicted, the Shinsengumi received an official request to guard the notice board at the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge. As it turned out, the vandals were eight men from the Tosa Domain. Harada and his division were well prepared and captured them when they attacked.

Harada was given a reward by the Aizu for his service and he took the rest of the captains to Shimabara to celebrate. Chizuru and I had remained at the temple to eat dinner alone, but my heart felt like a lead weight in my chest and it chased away any appetite I might have had.

"What's going to happen to the Shinsengumi and the Rasetsu Corps...."

Almost as if on cue, the door slid open and Sanan stepped through.

"Oh, hello Sanan. Can we help you?"

"The Ochimizu is amazing! The rasetsu we have created are a complete success! Only short sighted fools would call it a failure. The simply lack a proper understanding of what we have done. With this, we have nothing to fear! Not Tosa, no Choshu, not anyone! You two agree don't you?!"

"Uh..."

I don't know how to answer, but Sanan's face looked wrong somehow. This wasn't the man I knew. His eyes glittered with something strange and frightening. It looked like madness.

He had been acting odd lately, but it was different from when he had lost the use of his arm. This was more threatening  somehow and it felt as if it was rapidly spiraling out of control.

"Say something! You don't agree with those fools, do you?! They don't understand!" 

Being closer to him, he wrapped his left hand around my wrist with fingers like steel cables and hauled on my arm, trying to pull my face up to look into his. I pulled against his grip but he was far too strong for me to overcome.

"Stop it!"

Sanan, please stop!" Chizuru cried as well.

"What're you grabbing her for, Sanan? That's not how you impress a lady. See? They're terrified."

Okita flashed a grin but his hand on Sanan's arm didn't waver. Behind him I could see Saito and Heisuke.

"Oh. I got...caught up in the moment. I lost control. I apologize."

On the other side of his glasses, Sana's eyes had returned to normal. The glint of madness was gone.

"It's good to see you back. You're earlier than I expected, though."

"Sano's gonna be drinking till morning, if Shin has anything to say about it. I didn't think I could handle that much, so I left with this pair of sticks in the mud."

"It's only the three of you then?"

Heisuke grinned. "Hijikata caught the eye of a lady at Sumi called Kimigiku. She sat next to him the whole night. Being the commander of the Shinsengumi doesn't seem to stop him from getting all the ladies..."

"Kimigiku?"

"Yeah. She was real pretty... Actually, I'm worried Sano might not have enough to pay for her..."

"I see."

That wasn't nice of Heisuke. To talk about how pretty a girl was while I had to be dressed like this. I suddenly felt very sad.

"Is something wrong? You two look unhappy."

"Oh! No, it's nothing." Chizuru and I said in unison. She must have thought the same.

"I imagine you're tired. Perhaps we should leave."

His last words were directed at Sanan, who shrugged and sighed.

"Yes, I suppose so. We'll talk another time."

"You two should get some rest."

"We will! Thank you."

Okita stopped the door just as Sanan was leaving.

"Sanan... This...this Ochimizu stuff. Does it cure diseases and things too?"

"Of course. I was a normal human being before, but I have been reborn into something completely different. I'm sure it could cure even so-called 'incurable' diseases."

"Huh..."

They started walking again and I could hear them as they moved down the hall, still talking.

"I think we'll leave Sanan to Souji for now."

Saito watched them leave, his always unreadable face stern and of course, unreadable. He remained for a few moments before leaving himself.

Heisuke had stayed silent during the exodus. When he finally spoke, his voice was sad.

"Sanan's...different."

Heisuke was quiet for a few moments when he finally spoke. He told Chizuru and I that when Harada and his men had been attacked at Sanjo Ohashi, one of them had seen someone who looked a lot like Chizuru. This strange person had tried to impede the Shinsengumi and sided with the vandals from the Tosa Domain.

Chizuru hadn't left the temple, of course, and even if she did, she wouldn't even try to get in the Shinsengumi's way.

If it wasn't her...then who?