𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ 𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐤𝐢 [ON HOLD]

⇛ 𝐂𝐇. 𝟏𝟕

a few days had passed and keiko had gotten much better.

it was near the evening and none of the shinsengumi captains were in sight. keiko was wondering around looking for them. it wasn't until she got closer to one of the rooms that she heard loud talking. she hurried around the corner and to the room, greeted with a marvelous sight.

a squeal left keiko's mouth at the sight of heisuke. he had chopped his whole ponytail off and was wearing some type of western clothing: a white collared shirt, black skin tight trousers, brown long boots, black fingerless gloves and a purple coat hung around his waist.

"is... is that my heisuke!" she cried, hurrying to stand in front of him and get a better look.

"it's me alright!" he said, showing off his clothes.

"your hair is shorter than mine!" keiko exclaimed, pointing to her hair that was up to her shoulders and then to his hair that no longer reached his back.

"does it look good?" he asked. he didn't seem too sure and was looking over his shoulder at his back. "it feels too light."

"i love it! now i can do this." she reached over and started running her hands through his hair. when it was longer it had been harder to do that.

"stop it." he was about to knock her hands off then stopped himself, a smile on his face. "wait. that feels nice. continue."

she was basically giving him a head massage then stopped to look at his appearance again.

"you look really really good." she told him, her neck burning and heart racing as she avoided eye contact. it wouldn't be a lie to say she found him a ton more attractive.

"t-thanks. i'm glad you like it." then a smirk appeared on his face. "but you won't even look me in the eye?"

"it's just—"

her chin was lifted up by his fingers so that she was staring into his eyes. "please look at me, kei."

she practically melted right there. her eyes stared into his, searching for his motive behind making her incredibly flustered. he didn't know himself. what he did was a surprise to him, but he loved the way her cheeks went red and the sound of his own heart beating.

"what are you two lovebirds doing out here? come inside." shinpachi's head stuck out the room they were standing by. the two moved apart quick enough that he missed that moment of tension.

"right!" keiko rushed in to get away from what had happened. when she entered the room she gasped at the way everyone looked. they were all wearing western clothes and some had different hairstyles. only okita was missing.

"what do you think?" sanosuke asked.

"you all look so cool!" keiko exclaimed, a hand on her mouth. "but why are you dressed this way?"

"hijikata told them to put on western clothing." chizuru told her. the two girls were the only ones not dressed any differently.

"can i wear western clothing, hijikata?" keiko asked the man who was sat on a chair in the corner of the room.

"are you going to join us in fighting?" he asked in response.

"of course i will." she replied, in an a tone to suggest it was obvious.

"then if you'd like to you can but we haven't made you anything." he told her.

"could i go into town? i'll be only a couple of minutes. i know where to buy western clothing." there was a shop she had seen once when she went shopping with kazama.

"take someone with you."

"alright, kei, let's go!" heisuke chipped in straight away, putting an arm around her shoulders and guiding her out the room.

"i didn't even pick you." she said even though she would have picked him. they left the shinsengumi and headed straight to the shop in town.

"is this it?" heisuke asked looking at the shop hidden down some narrow alleyways and separated from other shops.

"yup! come on." she took him inside, the door making a quiet bell sound signalling the workers.

"how can i help?" the worker asked, eyeing the western clothes heisuke was wearing. "western fighting clothing?"

"yes, please."

with a nod the worker guided them towards the sets of clothes. keiko was thankful it was already in sets so she wouldn't have to mix and match. she brushed her fingers across the clothes, there were things similar to heisuke and saitou but she wasn't sure.

"hey... you'd look so cool in this." heisuke said, grabbing her attention. she turned to look at what he was holding up. she took it from his hands and headed straight to the changing rooms, in love with just the sight of the clothes.

she put everything on then looked at herself in the mirror. she had on brownish tight trousers with some belts on, a white blouse with a black corset and long darker brown boots that went up to the top of her calves.

she stepped out the room. "heisuke, don't i look like a pirate?"

he spun on his heels to look at her finished look. his wide grin fell and instead was replaced with a gape. "a hot pirate." he mumbled.

"what was that?" she asked, but shook it off when he didn't reply. "anyways, i should look like a boy, right? but quite clearly i look like a girl."

"well y-"

"it's my breasts isn't it?" she cut him off, staring into the mirror again.

"ah keiko!" he exclaimed at her sudden words.

"oh sorry!"

she got flustered realising what she had said to him and slid the shoji shut, her bandaged hand resting on her chest. although, it had been many days since she got the injuries, her healing wasn't working as well so she had trouble using her hand and would get pains from her chest and shoulder.

"it's fine!" he yelled back, his voice muffled by the shoji in between them. "i think you could make it work and still look like a boy. maybe if you wear a blazer like the others."

"no... the blazer will be too much. i think i'll get rid of the corset." she replied. the corset showed her figure and without it she'd look more like a boy. but she decided she'd still buy the corset anyways in case she felt like wearing it when she was alone. "all done."

she left the rooms wearing the clothes, corset in hand and paid the worker the money then left the shop.

"we should get back quick. hijikata won't appreciate us being late."