FIC: Jidai Monogatari, Original, Entire Shinsengumi, PG-13. WARNING

Title: Jidai Monogatari (Chapter 6)
Author: Shimazu Masayoshi
E-mail: patriot014@...
Source: Original
Main character(s): Entire Shinsengumi
General Rating: PG-13
Warning: This chapter has sexual activity in it-- not in great detail,
but there nonetheless. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: This story is entirely mine, and is not based on anything.
You _may_ read it, but if you try to steal it, I will get the entire
Shinsengumi to descend on your head and Aku Soku Zan you mercilessly.
Thank you.

Chapter 6

Dawn found Hiro eagerly practicing sword cuts in the courtyard,
taking advantage of the fact that he had the day off. However brief it
may have been, his time with Yuki the night before had left him
energized. In an effort to work off the energy, he'd woken up just as
the 2nd Unit headed out on patrol before dawn, and made use of the
morning quiet to practice his technique by himself. Just as he brought
the wooden sword downwards to a chudan stance, parallel to the ground,
he felt someone's presence nearby. Turning around, he saw a man with a
long fishbone between his teeth, leaning on a wooden practice spear
that nearly towered over him.
"Ah, Harada-sama! Good morning!"
Harada Sanosuke, the captain of the 10th Unit, started to laugh amusedly.
"And what a good morning it seems for you, especially. I heard about
how you got a `breath of fresh air' last night." He paused for a
moment, apparently very amused at the way Hiro's face suddenly turned
pale. "Don't worry, don't worry. I won't tell anyone. But I can help
you and your wife, if you're looking for some time alone."
He motioned to Hiro to come closer, and whispered something in his
ear. Slowly, Hiro's face lit up even more.
"Thank you, Harada-sama! Thank you!"
"Shut up, idiot," he said, good-naturedly. "You'll wake up
Hijikata-san. Don't want him finding out, now do you?"
Hiro shuddered.
"Nope, definitely not."
************
Nakamura Midori, the woman in charge of the kitchen, was also up
before any one of her colleagues, and was beginning the preparations
for breakfast, hoping to get as far along as she could until her
assistants arrived.
Just as she was about to start slicing some takuan pickles, Midori
noticed a familiar figure—with a familiar fishbone—lean in through the
doorway.
" `Morning, Mi-chan."
"Good morning, Sanosuke-sama," she answered with a smile.
"How's work?"
"Well, you know…the 3rd Unit is off-duty today, so I've got extra
work on my hands. You…um…need anything?"
"Actually, yes. I have a favor to ask…" He strode over to her and
whispered an explanation in her ear.
"Yeah, I heard about it, too…I'll help you out, Sanosuke-sama."
*********
Around half an hour later, Yuki strode briskly into the kitchen, with
a wistful smile on her face. The events of the night before were still
vivid in her memory. She'd wished to spend the whole night with Hiro,
but knew that it wasn't possible. So, in as high spirits as possible,
she'd come to throw herself wholeheartedly into her work. She bowed to
Midori, and would have started helping with cooking the rice, had
Midori not stopped her.
"Yuki-han…I have an…errand for you to run."
*********
Hiro was ecstatic. If what Harada had told him worked, it'd be a
perfectly convenient and legitimate way for him to spend off-duty time
with Yuki. All that was left to do was to find Saitou and ask about
the 3rd Unit's next patrol.
Almost at that moment, Saitou emerged from his room. In no time, Hiro
was standing next to him and bowing profusely.
"Saitou-sama, good morning."
"Good morning, Tokugawa-san."
"I have a question."
Saitou appeared intrigued—not exactly sure of what was going on, but
probably possessing some inkling of what Hiro had in mind.
"Yes?"
"When are we back on duty?"
"Not until just before noon tomorrow. Why?"
"Oh…" Hiro blushed visibly. "I…was planning on spending some time in
the city, and wanted to be sure that I'd be back at the right time."
Saitou nodded—slowly.
"I see. Well then, have a…good time, Tokugawa-san."
Hiro bowed quickly.
"Thank you, Saitou-sama."
Everything finally taken care of, Hiro picked up the straw hat that
he'd left leaning against the outer wall, and tied it on as he passed
through the gate. With a nod to the gatemen, he was off.
Things were definitely looking up…
********
Yuki left the headquarters quickly and quietly, her feet moving almost
of their own accord. What Midori had helped arrange was wonderful—and
since Harada was Midori's lover, Yuki sensed that he'd played no small
part in all of this, either. Then again, like the history books said,
he was known for being the kind of person who knew of such places and
things—among which was Yuki's destination, the Yanagi-ya inn.
Blissfully unaware of anything but her destination, she kept walking…
*********
After a brisk, two-mile hike, Hiro arrived at the Yanagi-ya. Unlike
other inns, the innkeeper didn't stand outside and advertise his
establishment. Hiro only saw him after he'd entered the building. The
young innkeeper was apparently, was a good friend of Harada, and Hiro
didn't seem surprised when the man told him that the captain came by
and rented a room regularly. Perhaps that was why the man didn't need
to advertise like other inns—he had a guaranteed, good income—and
where anyone from the Shinsengumi or Military Commission went, high
regard was sure to follow.
The innkeeper showed Hiro to a small, 2nd floor room, looking out onto
the street, and excused himself, saying that he'd keep an eye out for
anyone `looking' for him. Slowly pacing over to the window, Hiro noted
that the day had begun in earnest, and life moved along just the same
as ever. Just like it probably still does, `back' in the 21st century,
Hiro thought with a chuckle, as he removed the swords from his belt
and placed them carefully on the provided weapon rack by the wall. The
screen next to the rack caught his eye. It was painted with a scene
depicting the triumphant entry of Tokugawa Ieyasu into Osaka, after
the fall of that castle's garrison in 1615. Hiro grinned as he found
the figure of his ancestor, aging yet still proud and fierce, riding
into the castle with his head held high.
The room's door slid open, suddenly bringing him back to attention in
the real world.
Turning on his heel, he saw Yuki standing in the doorway, clutching a
woven straw mat with one hand. She bowed and closed the door behind
her. Hiro slid the window shutter closed, as well, and stood up.
"I'm…supposed to be getting daifuku sweets as a surprise for the
serving women, according to Midori-san," Yuki said with a smile.
"Harada-sama sent me to `investigate' the area for him…" added Hiro.
In the blink of an eye, they found themselves with their arms wrapped
around each other tightly, almost as if each one was afraid that the
other would vanish if not held onto firmly. Melting into each other's
embrace, they relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from their
collective consciousness. For a time, they could be their own selves
again.
"Hiro…it's been so long…" sighed Yuki. "So very long…"
He smiled as she looked up at him, reaching a hand out to caress his face.
"I love you, Yuki-chan…"
Slowly, gently, they brought their lips together in a deep, warming,
heartfelt kiss, which sent a sudden wave of euphoria rushing through
both of them, from head to toe. Then they sank down onto the empty
futon, which lay waiting…and nature restored to them the oneness that
they had to deny themselves in the outside world…
***********
They arose early the next morning, hoping to get back to headquarters
before the 3rd Unit's scheduled patrol. After getting dressed and
paying the innkeeper a decent amount, they stepped out into the
sunshine. Hiro tightened the sash of his swords, and glanced at Yuki.
"Shall we be going?"
"Only if you promise to do this again soon."
He smiled.
"Of course. And being one yourself, you know that a samurai's word is
true."
They started walking—unable to hold hands, but walking closer
together than they had the day before, basking in the glow of the left
over euphoria and giddiness. Life would be so much easier, now that
they had a way of relieving this particular tension in their
relationship. And if anyone said anything, it wouldn't matter. They
didn't need to care about what anyone said—it was their business, and
perfectly legal in any time period.
Suddenly, the sound of swords being drawn brought the euphoria to a
crashing halt. Hiro's hands instinctively went to his own swords, as
he turned around to see who had drawn on him.
"I am Takada Gennosuke of the Kyoto Mimawarigumi," announced the man
with the drawn sword. He was tall, well-groomed, and wearing a haori
more muted in color than that of the Shinsengumi—as befitting a member
of the Mimawarigumi, which also operated under the auspices of the
Kyoto Military Commission, but was made up of more well-to-do
individuals than the Shinsengumi's ex-farmers and masterless samurai.
Takada stepped closer, the tip of his sword rising slightly.
"Present identification now, or prepare to die."
**********

ADVERTISEMENT
Title: Jidai Monogatari (Chapter 7)
Author: Shimazu Masayoshi
E-mail: patriot014@...
Source: Original
Main character(s): Entire Shinsengumi
General Rating: PG-13
Warning: The usual-- swords, sake, and sex. You know...business as
usual in the Bakumatsu.
Disclaimer: This story is entirely mine, and is not based on anything.
You _may_ read it, but if you try to steal it, I will get the entire
Shinsengumi to descend on your head and Aku Soku Zan you mercilessly.
Thank you.

------

Chapter 7

"Present identification now, or prepare to die."
Hiro was enraged. He didn't care who the man worked for—time travel or
no time travel, Hiro was a Tokugawa, and despite the general humility
he had, retained certain aristocratic tendencies. To be told "prepare
to die" from a no-name middle-class samurai was like a slap in the
face. As a respectable heir of the Tokugawa clan, Hiro needed to keep
his honor and dignity intact.
Slowly, he started to close his hands around each of his swords'
handles, ready to slash the man in half when he felt Yuki's hand
gently restrain his own. Startled back to full awareness, Hiro took a
deep breath to calm himself, bringing his humility back in control of
his mind, and deciding on being courteous instead of impulsive. Taking
a step back, he bowed low.
"I am Tokugawa Hirotada, a patrolman of the Shinsengumi 3rd Unit. I
have no quarrel with you or your unit, Takada-san."
Takada snorted.
"Feh…Tokugawa, indeed. I want proof. Now."
Hiro reached into his sleeve, and pulled out his Kyoto Military
Commission identification paper which he'd received right before his
first patrol with Saitou. He held it out to Takada humbly.
"Here is all the proof you need."
Takada's two assistant patrolmen moved in as their leader took the
document with one hand and scanned it quickly, keeping his sword low
but ready to strike as he did so.
Hiro winced. An agonizing eternity passed as he thought of how much he
wanted to keep his head attached to his body, how he wanted to fight
at the Battle of Ikedaya, and how he wanted to live through the
Bakumatsu. Lost in these and other thoughts, he almost missed the
sound of Takada's sword being sheathed.
The Mimawarigumi patrolman bowed.
"I…see, Tokugawa-san. My apologies. As you know, we can't take any
chances nowadays. At any rate, your papers are in order. You're free
to go."
Hiro took back the paper, folding it carefully and putting it back in
his sleeve. He bowed, not wanting to take any chances.
"I humbly thank you."
**********
Hiro and Yuki paused. Having covered the rest of the way without
incident, they had finally neared their destination. Ahead of them lay
the gate of the Yagi estate, which seemed to gently beckon them back
to work and the real world. They turned to face each other for one
last time.
"Well, back to work," Hiro sighed.
Yuki nodded. Rather impulsively, she leaned in and gave him a quick
kiss on the cheek.
"Neh, anata," she whispered sweetly, "Again, I hope we have the
opportunity to repeat this sometime soon." She giggled as Hiro blushed
bright red, conscious as ever of the social constraints and standards
of propriety of the age.
"Me too," Hiro murmured. "As long as the Mimawarigumi doesn't kill us
on our way home next time."
"Deal."
They took one last, longing look at each other, and then proceeded for
the gate.
*********
Upon making it through the gate, the first thing Yuki did was proceed
to the kitchen to find Midori. Sure enough, there she was, working
quickly with the other women to make soup for the returning 5th and
8th Units.
"Ah, Yuki-han! Welcome back!"
Yuki bowed politely.
"Good to be back, Midori-san."
"Did you, um, get the errand done?"
"Yes. Yes, I did," she said, stifling the urge to laugh. "Thank you
for allowing me to go."
Midori exchanged a knowing glance with her.
"Only you could've done it. No one else, Yuki-han."
Yuki bowed again in gratitude. Pulling a tasuki sash out of her
sleeve, she tied her sleeves up and went to work.
**********
Hiro yawned. The 3rd Unit had been patrolling since noon, and they
hadn't had any trouble—not even from the Mimawarigumi. Of course, the
tired, bored mood had led to joking amongst the patrolmen as they
continued to make their rounds. Saitou didn't seem to mind—he even
joined in at times. The general atmosphere of the Shinsengumi was too
`brotherly' for any of its members—with the possible exception of
Hijikata—to be continually serious for any extended duration.
The men's conversations covered everything, from politics to the
weather to the latest sumo matches. Finally, Hiro was hit with the
question he'd been expecting since the morning.
"So, Tokugawa-kun, did you have a good day off?"
Okada Shichinosuke, a patrolman who'd immediately befriended Hiro on
his first day, tried to intervene.
"What Tokugawa-kun does on his time off is his…um…business…Right,
Tokugawa-kun?"
Hiro snickered at the comment. Okada had quickly proved himself to be
possessed of a sharp wit, and constantly made clever remarks left and
right, this one being no exception. He cleared his throat and tried
his best to follow up on the good-natured jab.
"Yes, it was my business, Okada-kun."
"Was it a pleasure doing business, Tokugawa-kun?" somebody asked
between guffaws and chortles.
"Did you have any associates?" asked someone else. Unable to restrain
themselves any longer, the entire 3rd Unit burst into howls of raucous
laughter.
"Shut up!" ordered Saitou suddenly. "Talk all you want, but I won't
have you people doing this while on duty!"
Dead silence. Suddenly, someone spoke.
"Neh, Saitou-san, do you need a business associate?"
Saitou tried to keep a straight face, but in vain. Suddenly, he burst
out laughing with the rest of them.
"I can't believe you people…" he muttered disbelievingly. "This is
supposed to be the toughest city in the entire realm to work in—how
come you guys are still alive with such an attitude? How can this, in
all seriousness, be called a combat-ready unit?"
This time, Hiro had the answer.
"That's simple, Saitou-sama. We're the best of the best. That's
because the Ishin Shishi stay away from our sick sense of humor at all
costs."
*********
Yuki wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and
sighed. The naginata class had gotten off to a good start. After
lunch, she'd received word by way of Midori that Kondou had approved
of her teaching the women how to use the naginata, and so the first
class had been scheduled for the early evening.
"Very well done," she told the women, who all stood leaning on their
wooden practice naginata, sleeves tied back, hair tied up in tenugui
bandannas, and looking similarly sweaty and tired.
"Very well done indeed. You've all got great potential."
Very well done for the very first day…and besides, I don't know which
of these women will end up where…hopefully I'm teaching them something
not entirely useless…and hopefully I'm not changing the course of
history too much, she thought. Then, smirking to herself, she added,
At least I get to have longer classes here than `back' in 2004…and no
one can really complain of techniques which are `hard' or `too
aggressive'. After all, we are in a life-and-death struggle here.
Yuki bowed to the women.
"Thank you. That will be all for today."
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, sensei," they said in unison. "Thank you
very much, teacher."
With that, some of them headed for the baths, eager to relax for a
time, while the others finished the necessary chores for the
Shinsengumi. As agreed before the class, the groups would switch after
a certain amount of time, allowing for equal "down time" in the baths
for everyone.
Just as Yuki was about to head over to the baths, she quickly glanced
over at the main building, feeling a chill run down her spine as she
did so.
Hijikata Toshizou was standing outside his room, arms folded across
his chest. He shot Yuki a glare. Even though no words were spoken,
Yuki got the message.
Keep yourself in shape. I'm watching.
**********