On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Edo Period II

"This is the Shinsengumi's headquarters." Kirino said.

"We finally found it." Taiyou muttered.

It was a building much larger than any of the ones they've seen so far. Despite that, its height was just about the same, so it was rather hard to spot. What gave it away was the white and blue banner hanging over the gates. It was something no other building had.

Upon closer inspection, they found a wooden sign that clearly states it was their destination.

"What are you doing? Let's go in already!" Kinako turned to Midori, who seemed to be using every bit of energy she had not to act recklessly.

"What do we do if they suddenly attack us?" Kariya asked.

"We'll be fine! Kondou-san was a nice person!"

"True..." Thought he said this, Taiyou still had an unsure look on his face.

That seemed to be all Midori needed to her to let herself go. "Okay then, we'll have to take our chances!" She said, rolling up a sleeve.

But before they could, footsteps came from behind them.

"Someone's coming!" Fei warned.

They all hurried into the bushes to hide. From there, they saw a familiar dark green haired boy. He was in Kondou Isami's clothes.

"Zanark?"

"Why is he wearing that?"

"What's he scheming this time?"

Kimiko watched as his back grew smaller and smaller as he walked further and further away. She felt her arm being grabbed, and only then did she realize she was reaching out to him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Kyou..." She turned away from his questioning glare. "I wanted... to ask him things."

"Ask him things?" Midori repeated. "You mean about how you know his whole team and stuff?"

"Well, that too... But I was going to ask if he's okay, first and foremost."

"Huh?!"

"I know he's the enemy, but I can't help it! I can more than sympathize with the whole 'unstable powers' thing. It hurt me a lot... So I just want to know if he was hurting too..."

Tsurugi kept staring at her before letting go with a sigh. "Even so, now's not the time. He's without a doubt planning to mess with us again, so ask him when it's all over."

Well, she can't go against that. "Alright, fair enough."

~~~~~

They decided to fall back and wait a little further away. Staying by the gates for too long would only make them suspicious.

"Waiting here is fine and all, but how do we tell who's Okita Souji?" Kariya asked.

"That's easy." Midori said. "Just see whether or not they're a hottie."

"... Are you sure that's alright?"

"Of course! There's no way Okita Souji isn't a hottie."

"Who knows what reality has in store for us."

"Kariya!"

"So," Kinako spoke up to cut their banter off. "When is he going to come out?"

"That'll be when he goes to patrol the city." Midori replied. "Just sit back and wait in the meantime."

"Patrol the city, huh?" Fei muttered. "No matter how much they try to control the ronin, it's not like they can stop the workings of time."

Kirino's gaze went from him to the sky. "Perhaps the Shinsengumi are simply trying to uphold the warrior code that the Bakufu samurai lost. Like us trying to protect soccer right now."