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

Chapter 19

It wasn't long before Matsudaira's ship came by to pick them up. Okita and Soyo were placed in hospital beds while they recovered, and (F/N) remained by their sides until the Princess woke up. That's when Maizou came in, and gave them news that made (F/N)'s heart stop.

"What do you mean Zenzou is innocent?"

"Shigeshige-sama has a scar on his chest," Maizou answered. "When I examined the body, I found no such scar. The person Zenzou killed was not the Shogun."

"Then that means big brother is still alive?" Soyo asked.

Maizou nodded, and her face lit up.

"Did you hear that, (F/N)? Big brother is okay! I can't believe it!"

She threw her arms around (F/N)'s neck, but she just stood there, frozen. A wave of relief crashed over her, almost dizzying after the events of the day, but it was soon cut short by another, horrible realization.

If that man wasn't the Shogun, that means he was actually a double. Zenzou had to have known that. If that's the case, then that means...

He did all that to protect Shigeshige-sama, and I just tried to kill him.

At some point, Maizou left the room, leaving (F/N) and Soyo alone in the infirmary, waiting for Okita to open his eyes. Soyo was still talking, but as hard as (F/N) tried to listen, she couldn't seem to focus. All she could think of was the rage in her mind as she'd tried to kill her own mentor, and what if she'd actually succeeded?

"(F/N)? (F/N), are you okay?"

(F/N) flinched, and forced a smile.

"I'm—I'm fine! It's just..."

Soyo frowned, and (F/N) was forced to accept she wouldn't be able to get out of this conversation.

"Well..." she mumbled, "I was just thinking about how I reacted when Zenzou..."

Soyo's eyes widened. "Oh...I see...well, I'm sure it'll be okay! I mean, he knew what he was getting into! He'll understand!"

"Yeah, but..." (F/N) didn't finish her sentence. She had no idea how to put words to all the horrible emotions swimming in her stomach, so in the end, all she could do was pull her knees up to her chest, and sigh.

"Zenzou always used to say I'm just a reckless kid. I guess he was right, after all."

Soyo said nothing more. They sat together in silence, each trapped in their own individual thoughts. After a while, Soyo slipped out of bed, and headed to the door. (F/N) looked up, and was about to ask where she was going when she turned towards her with a smile.

"Okita-san should be waking up soon," she said. "I'm going to get some water, so keep him company, okay?"

And with that, the door clicked closed, and (F/N) was left alone with Okita's sleeping body, wishing the whole world would just disappear.

~o0o~

Okita Sougo had never cared much whether he lived or died, so he was surprised when, covered in blood and half dead, he'd seen a beautiful girl with her arms outstretched, and tears in her eyes, and thought, 'I'm so happy to be alive.'

He'd never envisioned himself having someone to return to after a long day of work—someone who'd smile when he was safe, and cry over him when he died—so he was even more surprised when he woke up, and the first thing he felt was (F/N) throwing her arms around his neck, and burying her face in his chest.

He raised a hand to her hair, stroking it gently, and she let out a soft hum, pulling him even closer than before.

Honestly, when did this woman get so sweet?

"You goddamn idiot. If you ever do that again, I'll kill you."

Ah, there she is.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, slipping the oxygen mask off his face. "And you're the idiot. What were you thinking yelling at a yato, and trying to kill Hattori Zenzou?"

"What was I thinking?" She drew back, hands on her hips. "You tried to fight a whole army of yato, you—"

She hesitated, and her gaze fell to the ground.

"There's something I should probably tell you...about Zenzou..." Her fists tightened in her lap. "That wasn't the Shogun he killed. It was a double. He fooled us all."

Sougo felt a wave of relief wash over him. He wasn't particularly surprised—he'd thought there was something off about the situation—but it was still nice to get confirmation that he was right. He almost wanted to make a jab at her—say 'who's the idiot now'—but something about (F/N)'s expression told him it was not the time, so instead, he sat up, trying to ignore the way his ribs ached where Kagura's freak of a brother had launched him into a wall. He apparently didn't do a very good job, though, because before long, he felt (F/N)'s hands on his shoulders, trying to push him back into the sheets.

"What are you thinking?" she demanded. "You're half-dead, you moron!"

"I'm thinking this isn't over yet, and with Kondo-san and Hijikata-san traipsing around with the Yorozuya, I'm the one in charge of the Shinsengumi."

(F/N)'s expression wavered, and she moved her hands to his back and chest to help him up. Once he was steady, they left, only to be replaced by her head falling onto his shoulder, and the weight of her body against his.

Some time ago, he might have made a remark about that—teased her, made fun of her—but now, he was happy she was so comfortable with him. While she'd sustained little in the way of physical injuries, it was obvious the day had been hard on her mentally, and for him, too, though he was too stubborn to admit it. Subconciously, he put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and only then did he realize where her face was. All he had to do was tilt his chin down, and he could kiss her.

Perhaps he would have, if she hadn't spoken.

"Matsudaira-san says we're going to help reinforce the ground crew." Her eyes fell closed, and she stifled a sigh. "If you want to go, that's fine, but don't leave me behind this time, okay?"

He looked down at her, so beaten and exhausted, but still willing to fight, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Okay."

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

-Marguerite Partello