|COMPLETED| The Emotion Love - Heisuke x OC

Chapter 20 ~ Day At The Hotsprings

~ Tsukino ~

"Tsukino!" I opened my eyes, sitting up slowly. Another restless night. The door opened quickly, the sound of it slamming to a stop throbbing in my ears. Looking up slowly, I saw Chizuru standing there, a big smile on her face.

"Yes...?" I asked, a yawn escaping my opened mouth. I shrunk into myself, putting a hand to my ear as Chizuru squealed. Light yet heavy footsteps came closer towards me before a thud, the ground shifting beside me. Through sleepily, teary eyes, I could see Chizuru jumping with excitement.

"You've been asleep for most of the day, you missed lunch you know," Chizuru said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I managed to get permission from Hijikata to go to the spa for a few hours, just before the festival. Come on now!"

Chizuru shot up to her feet, dragging me along with her. I was currently only in a thin black sleeping kimono. I lazily swatted her hand away as I walked over towards my small wardrobe, opening it and taking out the black kimono with orange.

Chizuru left as I changed quickly. Chizuru emerged quickly as I was looking at my swords, placed in their respective spots on a holder. I was grabbed by the hand, my hair still in a mess as she dragged me out of my room, racing down the halls also in a kimono as we made our way towards the spa.

~ Kazama ~

Two girls raced through the quarters of the Shinsengumi, one of them being Chizuru. The other girl had long spiky black hair, tied loosely as the tips rested on the small of her back. Why would the Shinsengumi have two girls running around?

My eyes narrowed. Amagiri and Shiranui sort of had a point. The girl with Chizuru did look like Tsukino, except her hair was much longer. Last time I had seen her, she was shorter, her hair reaching her shoulders.

I looked over at the room they had just come from. The girl with the long black hair. If she was Tsukino...

I stood in her room seconds later. I scanned it, looking around silently. A small desk was to the side of the door, sitting in the corner. Beside it was a black stand, holding a katana and it's pair, a wakizashi. The sheath of both swords was a glossy black, the hilt of the blades matching.

I walked closer, picking up the smaller one and drawing it from its sheath. A black blade that was like a burning shadow. Hence the name Moeru Kage. There was no mistaking it, as the name itself was engraved on the blade too. A blade that I knew very, very well. That did not mean anything. Someone could have found it, selling it to someone.

My eyes widened as I looked down at the desk. How had I not seen it before? Slowly, I reached down, picking up the object. A scarf made of the best silk, a pearly white with dragons, barely visible, decorating it. This scarf... This had been a gift for Tsukino on her sixteenth birthday before she died.

I dropped the scarf gently on the desk. How was this possible? Tsukino was meant to be dead, yet she was alive and well. But...but how? How was she alive? How come she had not come back to me?

My jaw tightened. She had been alive for the past two years... But, a smirk made its way to my lips. Maybe I would leave a gift for dear Tsukino. It was her birthday today, so it was only right to get her a gift. I had missed out last year.

~ Tsukino ~

I sighed as I submerged in the natural, hot springs water. Chizuru was directly across me, her whole body under water till her nose. I, however, was only submerged in the water till my chest, enough to cover my breasts.

"It's so peaceful here," Chizuru breathed. "Being able to soak in the water, your muscles relaxing, along with your whole soul." I nodded my head in agreement, taking in a deep breath before letting it out. It seemed the water was also good for my back as there was no need to put the paste on it. Maybe I should come here more often.

I looked over at Chizuru, a sly smile on her face. This was very odd behaviour for her. "Tsukino, I heard that Heisuke asked you to go to the festival with him." I arched a fine black brow at Chizuru in question.

"Is there a problem?" Chizuru's sly grin widened as she made her way over towards me. What was going on through her mind? Heisuke had only asked if I had wanted to go with him, what was wrong with that?

"Do you like Heisuke-kun?" Chizuru sang. My eyes widened, more in confusion than surprise.

"Like?" I said, a bit confused. "What do you mean by that?" Chizuru seemed to grow gloomy.

"Ah, that's right," she trailed off. "You don't know many emotions do you?" I nodded my head in clarification. But, I did know what the meaning of like was. It was when you favoured something. For example, when you liked a certain kimono. You favoured it more than the others.

"Like is when you favour something more than other things," I explained. Chizuru nodded her head. "I favour you more than Toshizo. I favour Heisuke more than Souji. I favour Hajime more than Shinpachi. What is wrong with that?"

Chizuru started laughing, a hand in her mouth. She stopped as we both turned towards the entrance, three others coming in. We both looked away, straight at each other with Chizuru smiling broadly.

"Then let me rephrase that. Do you love Heisuke?" I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Love? I had heard the word many times, yet I did not understand it. The emotion it brought.

"Love?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "What exactly is love?" Chizuru's mouth slightly opened in disbelief, but she regained her composure quickly.

"Love? Well, I dunno how to explain it myself. But, I'll try to." Chizuru was silent for a minute, her brows furrowed together as she thought, from what I could tell. She sighed, a hand on the back of her neck as she laughed nervously.

"Love is when you like someone, except the emotion, is much stronger. You feel different around them, and you always want to be with them. You're happier when they're with you, when they do the little things that please you."

I was lost. Love? An emotion that was similar to 'like' but stronger? I nodded my head slowly at Chizuru. "I do not know if I 'love' Heisuke. I see him as a friend. A very close friend." Chizuru nodded her head slowly as if she did not believe me.

We both stayed for a while longer, around two or three hours. More women came along, their voice filling the area. Both Chizuru and I were getting quite...annoyed with the noise, so we both decided that we would leave now, getting ready for the festival. Many of the women here were talking about it.

I got out of the water first, a hand over my chest. There was enough steam to fog everyone's vision, so I did not have to worry about people seeing my back and the scars it held. The same went for my hands.

I looked over my shoulder behind me, seeing Chizuru gaping. "Tsukino, I never knew they were so big..." I laughed lightly as I walked forward, grabbing a towel that I had laid beside me before I had entered the waters. I laughed lightly as I wrapped it around me, Chizuru doing the same.

"That is because I bandage my chest," I explained. "I do not like it when men ogle my breasts, it is very uncomfortable. And it hides some of the scars on my back." Chizuru nodded her head in understanding as we left, going into a room to get dressed and go.