FUKUOKA RYOKO

"Is something the matter, Ryoko-chan?" Mitsuba asked, joining her as she sat by the girl's side at the corner of the training hall. They were in the middle of a break from training and Mitsuba had brought watermelons for all of them. While everyone was still enjoying their treat outside, Ryoko had gone back into the dojo by herself after a small slice.

"No. Not really." She mumbled, hugging her knees close to her chest. She hesitated before saying, "Actually, there is."

"What is it?"

"Mitsuba-san, I heard you'll be staying in Bushu as well. Don't you want to follow them when they leave as well?"

Mitsuba smiled sadly. "Of course I want to. But Toushiro-kun said it would be best if I stayed here and after thinking it through, I think he's right."

"I can't bring myself to be as accepting as you." Ryoko said. "Hijikata didn't allow me to follow as well. I want to try persuading him but I'm scared he'll get mad."

"Ryoko-chan," Mitsuba's tone suddenly turned serious. "I know you don't want to hear this from me but I don't think it would be safe for you if you went -"

"I'm fully aware of that." Ryoko said loudly without meaning to. "Sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice." She added on apologetically, her voice softer than usual. "But I want to follow Hijikata-san. I spend more time with him more than I do myself. I know I'm being selfish -"

"You're not." Mitsuba stroked her head. "It's understandable you feel this way." She giggled softly. "I can't help but feel jealous sometimes when I see you and him. He's so fond of you."

"You don't have to feel jealous about that." said Ryoko, keeping the envy out of her voice. "Hijikata-san feels the same way you feel about him, I assure you."

"Somehow hearing that from you made me a lot happier." Mitsuba smiled, putting a hand over chest. Ryoko forced a smile at her, ignoring the slight pain in her heart as she hid the feeling of knowing that the large gap between Hijikata and her would never close and that she could never be like Mitsuba. After all, to Hijikata, she was just a kid.

***

HIJIKATA TOUSHIRO

"Hijikata-san! Kondo-san! Please let me go with everyone! Please!" Ryoko begged, blocking the two men as they were about to leave the training hall. "I won't ask for anything else anymore, I promise!"

Hijikata could feel all his patience ebbing away.  He was angry at the fact that she had been pestering them for the past three days when their answer had always been the same. He was angrier at the fact that it was Ryoko - someone he never got pissed at.

"Ryoko, we really can't bring you along." Kondo sighed and Hijikata was awed at how patient and kind he still managed to sound. "It's for the best-"

"Please!" She dropped down on her knees, her forehead touching the floor. Both Hijikata and Kondo took a step back, both just as shocked as the other. "Please-"

"SHUT IT ALREADY!" Hijikata exploded, making both Ryoko and Kondo flinch. He was extremely furious. After all, when they left Ryoko behind, she wouldn't be the only one upset. He too would be, and she was only making things more difficult for him. He had purposely been distancing himself from her so he wouldn't have a hard time saying goodbye to her but here she was causing more trouble. "You're pissing me off! I don't want to see you - get lost!"

Still fuming, he stomped off not being able to witness another second of her on the ground. But two hands smaller than his own wrapped around one of his tightly.

"Hijikata-san! Please let me!" Ryoko pleaded, attempting to pull him back. "Please!"

He pulled his hand away from her roughly, making her recoil before grabbing her by the front of her yukata. "I TOLD YOU TO GET LOST, DIDN'T I?" he yelled, enraged. 

She stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. She didn't speak. With that, he let go of her and walked off, ignoring Kondo who called after him.

***

He listened to the thundering storm. Lightning flashed, lighting up his dim room for a split second. Ryoko hadn't left her room ever since he had yelled at her and he wasn't surprised. He thought he'd giver her some time by herself but it was getting late and she hadn't had her dinner yet. He sighed and left the room, immediately getting slapped in the face by the rain. He grimaced and walked over to her room and stood outside.

"Oi. Come out. It's getting late. You still haven't eaten anything."

There was no response.

He gritted his teeth. He was beginning to feel cold. "Oi, how long are you going to sulk? I'm coming in."

He slid open the door with hint of gentleness. The lights were off and Ryoko was nowhere to be seen.

"She's not there."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Sougo appeared beside him, leaning against the wall.

"She's been gone for some time now." He said nonchalantly.

"Where?"

"Who knows?" Sougo shrugged. "But why are you concerned? Have you forgotten what you said to her this morning?"

Hijikata blinked in confusion. "This morning? What are you -" then he recalled the last thing he had said to her ; "I told you to get lost, didn't I?"

His throat felt dry. He turned to Sougo. "She couldn't have -?"

"Have you forgotten how she usually does things you ask her to do? Maybe she listened again this time -"

Without waiting for the boy to finish talking, Hijikata ran into Ryoko's room, opening up cabinet doors and looking through her closet.

"Should you really be looking through a girl's room?" Sougo said from the doorway.

Hijikata ignored him, feeling his heart pounding against his chest as a lump formed in his throat. "It's not here either." He muttered to himself, opening drawer after drawer.

"What is?"

"Her flute." He said. "She wouldn't go anywhere without it. I can't find it."

"There you have it then." Sougo said.

Hijikata felt sick as he scanned around her room, hoping he'd see her flute lying somewhere but it was nowhere in sight.

"I'm going out for a while." He told Sougo, grabbing the umbrella propped against the door. With nothing else, he left the place.

***

"Ryoko!" Hijikata yelled, his throat had begun to hurt from being louder than the storm. He struggled to see clearly in the heavy rain. He had been looking for her for about an hour and a half and she was nowhere to be seen. His feet were drenched and he was freezing. The thought of Ryoko being out in the cold by herself all because of what he said made him want to bang his head against the wall and get a concussion but his priority now was to find her.

"Ryoko!" He called again, hoping she hadn't gone too far. "Ryoko!" He looked around the spot for a minute, trying to catch his breath. "Ryoko! Where are you? Ryoko!"

Suddenly he heard it. The familiar sound of a flute. It was hard to hear in the pouring rain but it was definitely a flute. He closed his eyes and tried focusing on the music. The person playing it was clearly upset. He had never really cared about music but when Ryoko played, he could immediately tell how she was feelings. It was easier to tell how she was feeling by listening to her play rather than by looking at her face since most of the time her face was blank. He listened carefully, following the music. He made his way down a narrow alleyway and then it didn't take long for him to find her. 

Ryoko was sitting on a crate, under an old abandoned building, sheltering her from the rain.  She was drenched from head to toe, her yukata sticking to her body and her hair plastered against her face. Her slippers were also nowhere to be seen. But sure enough, it was Fukuoka Ryoko. Her fingers danced on the flute, her eyes closed. She looked calm, a huge contrast to the noisy rain but strangely, they matched well.

He approached carefully, hoping she wouldn't run away from him once she spotted him. "Ryoko ..." he called cautiously.

She flinched and opened her eyes. Her expression showed both confusion and surprise at seeing him there.

"Hijikata-san? What're you doing here?" She asked.

Instead of answering her, he took five large steps to get to her, ignoring the puddles splashing against his legs. With one arm holding the umbrella over them, her wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into his chest. 

"Hijikata-san! I'm drenched! Your clothes will get wet!" Ryoko tried pushing him away but he didn't budge.

Relief washed over him as he felt her small body in his arms. She was safe. She wasn't gone. She hadn't left. He put a hand on the back of her head and held her closer. 

"Hijikata-san?" she said, trying to move her head to look up at him but he rested his chin over head and pressed her against him. As if he was afraid that she'd disappear if he wasn't careful enough.