風間千景

He wasn’t moving… The only change had been him giving a polite demand to tell him what happened. What on Earth made him think that he would be the person she wanted to talk to? He was the last person she wanted to see. I wonder if they’d think we really were in everything together if they saw me right now… That would certainly land her in more trouble. 

It wasn’t anything as bad as Kazama was thinking, but it was certainly heartbreaking and depressing to her. Instead of gracing the older oni with a proper response, she merely brushed his hand off of her shoulder and began to stand up. Tell him what happened… Voicing her feelings was only a burden to everyone. 

She'd brushed him off so easily, but that didn't deter him. If anything, he complete lack of demand in her tone only made him all the more curious and concerned. Sure, there probably wasn't much he would be able to do for her, but he could at the very least listen to what was on her mind. Besides, it would take a lot more than her telling him to leave her alone to drive him away. Didn't she know that by now? Kazama had come back time after time, and he would continue to do so until he took her away from this place. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't quite getting that through her head at the moment.

Now only if she would voice her feelings and fears to him. 

She had been sent out to deliver some reports to Matsumoto for Yamazaki, but could it really hurt to just sit on a bench and take a moment to try and collect her thoughts after she’d done what needed to be done? Surely taking a few minutes wouldn’t have any negative sort of effect, right? It was crowded out in town today, and no one would be stupid enough to try and kidnap anyone in such a crowd—even an oni.  Not like anyone would want to take such a useless monster anyways…

Something happened then as if to try and prove both of those thoughts wrong: Kazama sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She hadn’t even looked up to know it was him—she knew it was a fellow oni and really, the arm was far too heavy to be Sen. He didn’t do anything to try and pick her up or knock her out, so he wasn’t there to take her. Not even wants a burden like me. The silence was first broken by the man quietly saying her name, and then again by Chizuru’s own soft and surprisingly dull voice.

That hadn't been what he was expecting from the girl. Usually Chizuru would have jumped at the touch, demanded that he let her go with a flushed face. Instead, all he got was a tone void of emotions, and she hadn't even moved to push him away from her. What... what was wrong with her? Kazama had never seen her behave in such a way before that the only thing he could concern himself with was who the hell had dared to hurt her.

It dawned on him then. Could the Shinsengumi have abandoned her?

He was getting close again. 

"I look like a man—as usual."