Chapter Text
Dark clouds churned overhead, blotting out the summer sun and casting the Shinsengumi courtyard in a greenish hue. When Hijikata flicked on the tv this morning, he had been greeted to a special weather report, warning the residents of Edo about an upcoming storm. Apparently, hail was a possibility, news Ketsuno Ana delivered with an upbeat attitude and a smile. But her disposition, cheerful as it might be, failed to make her report any less of a nuisance. Any deviation from the routine would make people harder to manage—both his officers and the average citizen.
The Shinsengumi would be operating as normal, with instructions to take shelter and help civilians to safety should hail actually occur. Their duties didn’t disappear simply because of a storm—a fact Hijikata had been repeating to his subordinates since the forecast had been announced. The next officer to complain about patrolling would be committing seppuku for wasting his time.
Hijikata holed himself up in his office to hide from the incessant complaining and occupied himself by flipping through recent civilian reports. Sightings of strange beings across Japan had increased as of late and Edo was no exception. The government’s official stance blamed uncatalogued species of Amanto, while the people grumbled about yōkai. Hijikata didn’t believe in such creatures and pitied the officers whose job it was to document this nonsense.
As thunder reverberated through the courtyard, Hijikata's thoughts drifted to Kondo, hoping he wouldn’t get delayed by the bad weather. Not necessarily for Kondo’s comfort, though that was a consideration as well, but because he anxiously awaited an update about his meeting. Those in attendance were far above Hijikata’s pay grade and due to the sensitive nature of the topic being discussed, Kondo couldn’t give him a single detail before he left. He probably wouldn’t be able to share anything now either, but that wasn’t going to stop Hijikata from trying.
Hijikata’s eyes snapped to the jiggling lock of his office door before it sprang open, revealing an exhausted Kondo.
“How did the meeting go?” Hijikata asked, taking another bite from his bowl of rice, doing his best to seem casual and not like he had been counting down the minutes until Kondo’s return.
Kondo leaned against the doorframe with a grimace. “I’m sorry, Toshi. I did my best to get you out of it, but they wouldn’t listen.”
Fuck. They had brought him up at the meeting? It’s no wonder he had been excluded from it then. Maybe they were about to take disciplinary action against him. He shuddered at the thought of being placed on leave again. Kondo must have noticed his discomfort because he gave Hijikata an encouraging smile.
“You’re not in any trouble, but I know you’re not going to like this new assignment.”
“New assignment? I don’t have time for anything but my current duties. I already work longer hours than anyone else on the force.”
Kondo held up a hand. “I know, I know. Believe me, I tried to tell them that. They are demanding I cut some of your duties to make more room in your schedule.”
“Which duties?” Hijikata asked through clenched teeth. His patience had been expended hours ago; this new information might make him grind his teeth to dust.
“I got officially reprimanded for misusing my vice commander,” Kondo said in a mocking tone. “They said I never should have had you doing patrols, that it was beneath you. They gave us a little more funding, at least. Said we could hire a few more officers to pick up the slack.” He leaned in with slightly raised brows, as if that offer was any consolation.
Kondo’s explanation only made Hijikata angrier. He liked doing patrols. It was the best way to build rapport with common citizens. “What else?”
“They said you should be delegating more of your paperwork to your assistant. How is Tetsu doing, by the way?”
The vein throbbing in Hijikata’s forehead might actually burst at this. Who were they to make such decisions when they weren’t intimately involved with daily operations?
“He’s made a lot of progress, but no way in hell is he ready to take over that side of things.”
Kondo gave him a sympathetic look. “You are still the Vice Chief of the Shinsengumi, Toshi. And you’ll be able to oversee all the duties you delegate. Hell, when you’re in the office, you can still do them yourself if you want. But you’re going to have to travel for this assignment, and things still need to run smoothly while you're gone.”
Hijikata pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. “Okay, what is the assignment?” A deafening crack of thunder interrupted their conversation and for a brief moment the lights went out. Good thing he wasn’t superstitious, or he might have taken it as a bad omen.
Kondo’s eyes were temporarily transfixed on the ceiling lights before flicking back to Hijikata. “They are putting together a special task force to investigate the strange sightings that have been reported lately. They want you as the lead investigator due to your excellent police work, but they made it very clear to me the request is a formality. We don’t actually have a say in it.”
“Who will be working under me?”
“That’s the thing. They’ve only hired one other guy—a consultant of some sort. He has experience with a ton of different Amanto from his time in the war. He’s known for his fighting abilities and will basically be your bodyguard.”
“Sounds like an interesting guy. When do I meet him?”
“I’m glad you think so because they sent a car for him as soon as our meeting ended. Conference room three whenever you’re ready,” Kondo said, patting the wooden doorframe and darting off toward his own office.
Hijikata abandoned his lunch with a sigh and headed for the conference room. He slid the door open, pursing his lips the second he recognized those unwieldy silver waves and dead-fish eyes. Yorozuya. He made for great company over a bottle of sake (or two, or three) but his laziness made him a terrible prospect as one of Hijikata’s subordinates. The stress of trying to meld their polar-opposite work mentalities would surely put a strain on their friendship. “Don’t tell me you’re the consultant?”
Yorozuya, who had been slumped against a wall with his eyes closed, sat up with a groan. “Don’t tell me you’re the accomplished detective? God, you are going to be such a pain to work for. Can I get additional compensation for my pain and suffering at least?”
Kondo appeared in the doorway, clutching a case file in one hand, and let out a good-natured laugh. “Not a chance. But I think you will be more than happy with your pay.”
“This doesn’t work for me. I’d be better off working alone.” Hijikata turned to leave, but Kondo grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him back into the room.
“I told you this wasn’t optional. Besides, you and Gin-san work well together. This could be a good thing.” Kondo sat cross legged at the conference table and motioned for Hijikata and Yorozuya to join him.
They frowned at each other instead. “You’ve got mayo smeared across your lips, Mayora. Been eating dog food again?”
Hijikata wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb, when what he really wanted to do was wipe that newfound smirk off Yorozuya’s face. “Because we’ve gotten off to such a great start so far, Kondo-san.”
“Welcome to the task force.” Kondo showed no intention of slowing down for their feud. As he launched into his explanation, they reluctantly joined him at the table. “Top brass really believes all these supernatural sightings can be tied back to Amanto activity. You’ll be checking out the reports and arresting the offending Amanto. You only have two orders—take detailed field notes and bring in all perps alive. You’ll report directly to me.”
Hijikata absentmindedly tapped a thumb on the table as he mused over those instructions. There would be no guarantee they could take every single perp alive. It was an outlandish thing to even request. Typical. The higher up in command, the less they seemed to understand how things worked in the field. Oh, well. He would do his job the same as he always had—peaceful civilians would be protected, offenders would be arrested, and threats would be killed. Top brass could take a hike if they didn’t like his methods.
“Here is your first case,” Kondo said, cracking open the file. “You leave tonight for...” He searched the first page of documents. “Kawagoe.”
“Tonight? I thought we had time to hire officers to cover my responsibilities?” Hijikata asked, eyes wide and incredulous. He could already feel a stress-headache buzzing in his temples.
“Don’t worry about it, Toshi. Saitou and Sougo can help with the new hires.”
“Tell me you aren’t serious. Saitou isn’t going to say a word, and Sougo will be napping. They aren’t going to be any help at all. Harada and Takeda are more suited to the task.”
“If that would make you feel better about leaving, I’ll ask them instead.” Kondo raised his palms in surrender, and his easy acquiescence allowed Hijikata to breathe a little easier.
“Okay, I’m sure you three will be able to figure it out. I’ll spend my last few hours in the office preparing Tetsu, then.” He crossed his arms and looked over at Yorozuya, whose half-lidded eyes looked duller than usual. “Do you need to make any arrangements before we head out tonight?”
Yorozuya shrugged. “Not, really. Kagura’s with her father. I just need to let Shinpachi-kun know he’ll be in charge of Sadaharu. Guess I’m not as important as the Vice Commander.” He shoved a finger in his nose as he spoke, a move that never failed to make Hijikata scrunch his nose in disgust.
“Familiarize yourselves with the case file and be at the Shinsengumi front gate by five o’clock. I’ll be working on next week’s patrol schedule, so I can ask you any questions while you’re still here, Toshi.” Kondo slid the folder across the table as he stood to leave.
“Thanks, Kondo-san.” He couldn’t remember the last time Kondo had taken initiative on a logistical task, but Kondo always knew how to put him at ease. Hijikata supposed he would only be a phone call away if Kondo or Tetsu needed him; the Shinsengumi would be fine in his absence.
He picked up the file and read its contents out loud for Yorozuya. “Sightings of a shadowy figure have been reported in Kawagoe for the past three weeks, along with a rotten fish smell in several of the area’s establishments. Rumors are running rampant about a kuro bōzu.” He scoffed. What a waste of time. “This case is based on nothing more than a black cloak and a bad smell? Easily explained by a traveling vagrant’s fashion choices and a lack of efficiency on the part of the city’s sanitation services.”
He arched a brow at Yorozuya and waited for a response, but he just stared back with a bored expression. “It’s causing a bit of hysteria,” Hijikata continued, flipping through pages of witness testimony. “Especially amongst the women, since that’s who kuro bōzu usually target. But there are no reports of any such attack.”
“Yet,” Yorozuya said in a dull tone, elbow on the table and cheek lazily resting in his palm.
“Don’t tell me you believe in yōkai?”
“I’ve seen ghosts and demons. Yōkai exist,” Yorozuya said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Of course, ghosts exist,” Hijikata whispered, looking around nervously. “Because some people cling to this world upon death. But there is no basis for the monsters you are talking about.”
Yorozuya shrugged. “Then how do you explain the uptick in supernatural activity?”
“Tch, nothing more than a response to the recent regulations imposed on Amanto. They no longer have free rein to do whatever the hell they want. Naturally, their activities would continue; they just have to be more secretive about it. People get one little glimpse of something they don’t understand and they jump to the supernatural. There is always a logical explanation.”
“We’ll see if you still think that by the end of our little trip.”
Hijikata rolled his eyes. “Main gate by five o’ clock. I’ll see you then.”
Hijikata stepped down onto the stone below the engawa, setting his suitcase aside just long enough to slip into his shoes. He wondered whether Yorozuya would actually be able to make it somewhere on time. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to hold his hand through basic punctuality. He opened his umbrella and headed down the cobbled pathway just as the drizzle started to pick up.
Approaching the main gate, he couldn’t help but frown at the sight of Yorozuya’s damp hair and clothes. “You don’t own an umbrella?” he asked, stepping close enough for his oversized umbrella to shield them both.
Yorozuya shrugged. “I gave it to Kagura after hers broke. Guess I forgot to buy another one.”
Forgot, or couldn’t afford to? Hijikata knew finances could get tight for Yorozuya at times, but he hoped his finances weren't can’t-afford-an-umbrella-tight. “Don’t worry about it. We can share for now. I’ll order you one of your own when I get back to the office—a perk of being our new consultant.”
Yorozuya didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the thin mist blanketing the ground. “Hold the umbrella, would you?” Hijikata asked, reaching in his chest pocket for a pack of Mayoboros. He had only taken one hit off the damn thing before Yorozuya yanked it from his lips and placed it between his own.
“What’s going on with you?”
“Can’t a guy smoke an occasional cigarette in peace?” Yorozuya held the cigarette between two fingers, a pronounced frown etched into his face between drags.
A gust of wind whipped Hiikata’s hair from his forehead and this time he had to shield his lighter’s flame with his hand as he lit his cigarette. He breathed in slowly, his cigarette tip flaring to life as he stole a glance at Yorozuya. The past few times he had drunk himself into a stupor, he had rambled about Shinpachi taking on a larger role at the dojo and Kagura leaving. “When does Kagura come back?”
“No idea. Whenever her father needs a break from being a parent, probably.”
So, his hunch had been correct. No wonder he seemed to be in a foul mood; those kids kept him grounded. Not that they were kids anymore, but Yorozuya still referred to them that way. It wasn't altogether surprising to see him struggle in their absence. God knows Hijikata had struggled to have any semblance of a life without Kondo, so he knew the feeling well.
Hijikata hummed his acknowledgment and took another drag of his cigarette. “Keep your focus on the case, Yorozuya. Do that and you’ll have some good stories to share with her when she gets back. Knowing Umibozu, she’ll have plenty to tell you.”
Hail no larger than peas pelted the umbrella just as they were bathed in the glow of headlights. Hijikata stepped closer to Yorozuya, avoiding the small lumps of ice as he put out his cigarette, and held out his portable ashtray for Yorozuya to do the same. As soon as the car came to a halt, they rushed into the backseat, clutching their bags close. Outside, the storm intensified, hail hammering the roof as they headed for Kawagoe.
The deep, metallic clang of the town’s bell reverberated through the air as they walked toward the hotel’s entrance. Thankfully, the storm had already passed through here. Gintoki lagged behind, enduring the humidity of the evening to listen to the last few hauntingly beautiful notes. He counted the number of strikes with a sigh. It was only six o’ clock and a long evening with Hijikata sounded like an absolute drag. He had come to like him well enough, but without a few drinks under his belt, the guy was wound tighter than the inner coils of a Justaway.
By the time he entered the lobby, Hijikata was already mid-conversation with the attendant.
“Should be under Hijikata Toshirou.”
Gintoki arched a brow at the one, singular room key handed to Hijikata. “Is there also a room under my name, or…”
“I only booked one room.”
Gintoki blinked slowly at this revelation. Not only would he have to work under the ill-tempered Mayora, but now he would be forced to share a room with him as well? Would he have no breaks from him at all? They were going to be at each other’s throats like the good old days by the end of this trip.
“What the hell do you mean you only booked one room? How damn cheap can you be? I thought the Shinsengumi was a well-funded organization?”
“Well-funded does not mean made-of-money. Not that I expect you to know anything about managing finances,” Hijikata quipped, hurrying ahead as if he could escape Gintoki’s complaints.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Gintoki said with a playful smirk. He caught up to him just outside the elevator, where Hijikata waited off to the side. He placed a palm on the wall and leaned in, blocking Hijikata’s path to the now opening doors. “Is this how you finally make a pass at Gin-san? I knew this day would come. I bet our room will only have one futon too. By mistake of course,” he said, giving an exaggerated wink.
Hijikata curled his lips in disgust.
“There are no futons at all. It’s a western-style room, dumbass. And for the record, I would never make a pass at someone who disrespects the sanctity of mayonnaise.”
“Sure, whatever you say, Boss.” Gintoki hoped addressing Hijikata with an extra thick layer of sarcasm would get under his skin. He didn’t enjoy the thought of Hijikata being his superior, but got the distinct impression Hijikata relished every minute of it. He almost wished Hijikata had been making a pass; what fun it would have been to reject him and knock him down a few pegs.
Gintoki whistled as they entered the room. Two western-style beds, with white quilted comforters and plush pillows lined the back wall on either side of a shared nightstand. Gintoki placed his bag on the bed furthest from the door, only to see Hijikata’s bag placed on the same bed, nearly simultaneously. Their eyes met across the mattress.
There was a brief moment of pause as they considered one another. Gintoki broke the stillness first, diving headfirst across the mattress to grab Hijikata’s suitcase. He fully intended to pitch it across the room, but Hijikata’s reflexes were sharper than he had anticipated, and he managed to grab it just in time.
“What the hell are you doing with my bag? Have you lost your mind?”
It might seem like a small thing to quibble over, but this wasn’t just about a bed. This was about precedent. And he wasn’t going to let Hijikata establish the precedent of calling all the shots.
“I was here first,” Gintoki said through clenched teeth, pulling on the suitcase with the advantage of a firm grip on the handle.
“Like hell you were!” Hijikata growled, his scowl deepening as the bag started to slip from his grasp.
“There is no way you beat me to this bed with your smoker lungs!”
“As if your sweets addiction doesn’t make you sluggish!”
“This is my bed and I’m not moving!” Gintoki yelled, finally prying the suitcase from Hijikata’s hands. He threw it onto the unclaimed bed with a grunt.
“Are you a child, Yorozuya? Why do you care which bed you get? They are exactly the same.”
“If they are the same, then you shouldn’t mind taking the other bed, Hijikata-kun.”
Hijikata lifted a foot up and kicked Gintoki’s bag off the bed before he could react. “We both know I was here first, but this is a waste of time,” Hijikata said, making his way to the spare bed.
Gintoki plopped down onto the lush comforter, lying with hands behind his head and a satisfied smile spreading across his lips. Because if he were to be completely honest, Hijikata’s bag had settled onto the bed a fraction of a second before his own.
“Smug bastard,” Hijikata mumbled under his breath, unpacking his suitcase while Gintoki continued to laze victoriously.
He could unpack later. For now, he just wanted to take in the moment.
Once Hijikata’s yukatas were hung with care and the rest of his belongings tucked away in a drawer, he snapped his fingers at Gintoki. “You’d better not be asleep. Let’s find a bar. It’s too late to question witnesses but it’s a good chance to scout the area.”
“Drinking on the Shinsengumi’s budget?” Gintoki said, hopping off the bed with a grin. “Count me in.”