HAKUOUKI: Back in Time

Chapter 4

~Why not listen to music while you read?~

"Oh, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself. I am Kondou Isami, Chief of the Shinsengumi." "Toshi over there commander and Sanan is our colonel."

"Ah...Kondou? Why are you telling them all of this.?" sighed Hijikata. "Uh...Why, do you think it is a bad idea?"

"Well, unless you really think these kids need to know all our secrets, maybe you should keep your mouth shut." replied the man called Nagakura. "Exactly! Why bother anyway? We don't owe them anything." agreed Toudou. 

"...Well, let's get back to the business at hand. Can you run through what happened last night?" Kondou said trying to change the subject. Kondou's glance moved to Saito, who gave a small nod and began to speak.

"Last night we were on patrol when we encountered some wandering ronin. They drew steel, so we fought." "Some of our men subdued the ronin, but in doing so exposed their failure." As he finished, Saito turned to look at us, causing me to flinch.

"I didn't see anything." burst the person next to me with anxiety.

Hijikata softened a little at the person's response but Saito remained expressionless and the smile on Okita's face did not change.

In a serious tone Toudou said, "Huh, You sure you didn't see anything?"

"Yes, I didn't see anything." "Really... Well if that's true, then I don't see what the problem is."

"Wait a minute. I thought Souji said you two helped out some of our men or something..." Nagakura stepped in.

"That's not true!" "I was running away from the ronin and they saw her so grabbed her... And then some people with the Shinsengumi uniforms showed up..."

I nodded slightly in agreement.

"Then that means you saw them slicing up those ronin, right?"

We can't deny that. We definitely saw something we were not supposed to see.

"So in other words, you two actually saw everything. The whole ugly business." Harada said in a sad tone.

We are losing here and losing bad.

"You two got an honest heart. That's not really a bad thing, but..."

Our presences had not been a good thing for the Shinsengumi. Would their next words be the ones that condemned me to death for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? I want to go home so badly. 

"I won't tell anyone! I promise!" the person blurted in urgency.

"Lets just kill them." said Okita in a cold voice.

"Don't be so cold, Souji.  What do we gain by murdering a civilian?" scolded Kondou.

" This person doesn't even look like one of our civilians though." Souji said while looking at my clothing. "Who are you and where are you from anyway?"

My hands started to shake at this point. I was not a civilian in this era. Killing me here would not grieve a single person here, but I still had to try right?

"I...I am Suzumori Haruna. I am from Kyoto..." I said softly "I don't know anyone from here that dresses like that." said Hijikata.

"I don't really know how I got here either to be honest. The last I checked it was 2015 so..."

"Are you saying you are from the future? Do you really expect us to believe that?" said Okita with a grin plastered on his face. "Do you have any proof?"

That is right. I need to prove that I am from the future. Thinking of a way to prove it to the Shinsengumi, I take out my phone and explain to them.

"Uh... This is called a cellphone... It is used to contact people in long distances." I say while handing them my phone.

The chief of the Shinsengumi turns the phone in different directions and starts to press buttons when there happens to be a flash and he almost drops the phone.  

"...You just took a picture sir." I hesitantly say. "A picture?"he says with curiosity. "Yes... um would you like me to show you how it works?" "Sure." he says with his interests piqued.

He moves closer to me as I show him how the button works and he starts to take pictures of everyone in the room.

" Ha ha ha. You must really be from the future to have such an amazing box." he chuckles as he speaks.

"Can't we just kill them Kondou?" asks Okita again. "I will say it again Souji, It will do us no good to kill civilians." "Okay. it was just a joke"

"Then make it sound like one." Saito sighed.

"But surely, there must be something we can do? After all, we're talking about children." Inoue says sadly.

"I've no wish to kill them either, but we can't discount the chance that they could reveal information about us." say Sanan before turning to Hijikata. "I would like to hear the commander's opinion."

With the responsibility of his position invoked, Hijikata had no choice. He sighed and glanced around the room.

"Last night we had to kill some men who broke the code. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And I imagine you say that's all there is to it?" says Sanan.

"Well, they probably saw something, but I doubt they really understand what it is."

"Even so, this is serious. We have bigger things to think about. We have to keep it under wraps." Nagakura says as he intervenes. "If rumors get out that soldiers of the Shinsengumi are thirsty for blood, that would  be problematic."

"I think Souji has a point... Still, I'll do whatever Hijikata and Kondou tell me too." Harada says.

"I think we should let them go."Toudou said with a troubled face. "Its not like they know why they went nuts, you know."

Why haven't I thought about that. My eyes went wide for a split second and caught the attention of Hijikata.

"Shut it, Heisuke." he says seriously and coldly.

"A man should always be prepared to face death although I don't really know what to say about a woman." Nagakura says while looking at me.

"Hijikata... Since we can't reach to an agreement, can i end them back to their room?" spoke Saito while looking at us. "If you hear something you shouldn't while here, then we'll have no choice but to kill the both of you."

"True. Can you take care of them?" Hijakata says in agreement.

"Shall we go?"