#mutsumata

Mutsu finished the last third of her eighth portion of rice with a single bite and put down her bowl. Despite the huge amount of food she had just consumed, no one around her batted an eye. After so  many years, everyone in the Kaientai was used to the amount of food a yato like her could eat in one sitting. Maybe if Sakamoto was a penny-pinching man he would complain about the costs of it, but so far it had never bothered him.

“Thank you for the food” she said to Oyama, one of the crew members working at the kitchen, and who had helped her serve her meal. Oyama began the task of cleaning up the table, and Mutsu was helping him stack plates on top of each other. At that moment, Aikawa, who was in charge of everything going on at the kitchen, came in carrying a box full of vegetables that were to be used for that night’s dinner.

“Oyama-kun, is this yours?” Aikawa asked, gesturing to a heart-shaped box adorned with a golden bow.

“Ah, that?” Oyama said, with a visible blush on his face. “Yeah… I received it from Akane-san for Valentine’s Day”

“So Akane-chan is into you, huh” Aikawa laughed before resuming her duties. “Have you thought about what you’ll give her next month?”

“I asked Hosoda and he suggested getting her white chocolate, but I don’t know how to make it myself so I’m probably going to buy it.”

“Well, if you get the ingredients maybe I can help you,” said Aikawa with a warm mother-like tone. Oyama’s blush deepened, but he accepted the offer with a polite nod. “Akane-chan is a very sweet girl, be sure to treat her right.” Changing her focus to the vice-captain, the older woman smiled “What about you, Mutsu-san? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day where you’re from?”

“No, or at least not that I know of” Mutsu replied. “I only learnt about it after meeting Sakamoto. I don’t really know what’s the point of it.”

“Oh well,” began Aikawa, speaking calmly as she set up a big pot for use. “If we look at it in a realistic way, it’s just an excuse to sell chocolate. But it can also be the day when someone gathers the courage to make their heart be heard. Personally, I like to see things the more romantic way, I love how this season can quite literally bring out the sweetest sides of people.”

“I see...” Mutsu replied, not sure she completely got it yet. Having finished the task of helping Okawa with cleaning, Mutsu excused herself from the kitchen to go to the control room, where she found Sakamoto overlooking their route back to Edo, already their third visit there this year.

Normally, the Kaientai didn’t visit Earth so often, but after the end of the war they had been helping with the reconstruction of Edo, mostly by using Sakamoto’s business skills to better their relationship with other planets. Because of this, they had to come back often so they could report back and discuss future strategies, but Mutsu was sure he also wanted to enjoy the extra time with his longtime comrades.

Not that she really minded. She wasn’t familiar with the idea of having a planet to call home — her place was always in space, but she had grown to appreciate Edo and the people there. Even before the war, she had already worked with Gintoki and Katsura, as well as their teams. The girl that Gintoki had taken under, Kagura, was very adamant in showing Mutsu around Edo, and the two had become close.

Besides the Yorozuya and the Joui faction led by Katsura, through the reconstruction meetings she was now familiar with some of the people working with Nobunobu, like the Mimawarigumi and a handful of officials who had been there since Shigeshige. Takasugi’s Kiheitai also took part, giving Mutsu the chance of knowing them better than she’d had the chance back when they were to Rakuyou.

“We’ll land in approximately two hours” said Tanisaki from his seat next to the ship’s controls. Standing right in the middle of the control room, Sakamoto laughed but was interrupted by a wave of nausea. Mutsu stood next to him, overlooking the rest of the crew there, smiling to herself and looking forward to this visit to Earth.

“...we’ll meet again as soon as Sakamoto comes back with their response,” said Katsura, closing off that day’s meeting.

“Ahahaha in that case I guess it’s time for some drinks, right Kintoki?” Sakamoto said to the man sitting to his left, who always looked like he would rather be anywhere but those meetings. No one seemed to pay much attention to them except for Katsura. The rest of the attendees were already used to the three of them acting like idiots, and had better things to do than engaging with them — except for the new shogun, who they sometimes managed to drag along with them.

Mutsu left the room and walked to the exit without a hurry. She could hear Sakamoto’s laugh fade off as he left with Gintoki and Katsura. The trip to the planet they were set to visit was almost a week long, but she didn’t feel like dragging her captain back to the ship just yet. The weather in Edo was finally warming up and she wanted to enjoy it for a little longer. Maybe Kagura could take her to good places to eat.

“Wait!” she heard someone calling for her.

Turning around, she found one of the members of Takasugi’s Kiheitai, Kijima Matako. Mutsu didn’t know much about her, as they had only spoken on a few occasions during these meetings. While they were nowhere near close, Mutsu found her presence to be enjoyable.

“I know it’s a lil’ late but I, uh…” Matako looked down and held her hands in front of her, offering Mutsu a small red box with a white ribbon tied around it. “I don’t really have any experience with confectionery but, I… hope you’ll like it.” Even though Matako had turned to the side trying to hide the blush on her face, Mutsu could still notice the red color on the tips of her ears.

Not sure about what to make of the situation, Mutsu took the box and was thinking of how to politely accept the gift, but didn’t get the chance to. “Well I’ll… see you around.” And with that, Matako left, walking fast so she could catch up with her commander and the other two men accompanying him, already a good distance ahead on them on the same direction Sakamoto and the others had taken not that long ago.

Now alone, she carefully untied the ribbon that kept the box closed. Removing the lid, she found an array of a dozen heart-shaped bombons, some with simple patterns made with different kinds of chocolate on them. Mutsu stood there for a while, looking at the content of the box. It wasn’t every day that something took her by surprise — she was used to the unexpected and all sorts of strange things. But this was something she’d never imagined.

It can also be the day when someone gathers the courage to make their heart be heard, she thought back to Aikawa’s words. Matako had given her this so she could hear what was inside their heart?

But doesn’t her heart belong to her commander?, a voice in Mutsu’s head asked. At least that had been the impression she got when meeting them in Rakuyo. If she compared Matako’s reaction back then to how Mutsu would’ve acted if it had been Sakamoto in Takasugi’s place, they seemed to be coming from different kinds of affection. But maybe she had just gotten the wrong idea. Or maybe things had changed over the past year. With every other thing in the universe changing at a fast rate, was it unthinkable that feelings could develop and evolve in a similar fashion?

The present she had just received told Mutsu that, at the very least, she had somehow managed to occupy part of Matako’s thoughts, and that it was strong enough that it prompted to act on them at a time mostly associated with romantic love. How serious or how deep were Matako’s feelings, she had no way to know just from the chocolates. However, according to what she’d heard earlier in the kitchen, she was now supposed to give a response.

What was her response exactly, though? She would be lying if she said Matako had been crossing her mind on the daily. She had thought of her a couple of times while thinking about Edo during space trips, despite the fact they hadn’t talked much or spent time together outside of these meetings.

Mutsu pondered about how she felt towards the other woman as she walked through Edo, not following any path in particular and just letting her feet take her anywhere they wanted. She soon found herself at the port, the changing colors of the water as it moved and reflected the sun helping her clear her mind.

Matako was the only woman in the Kiheitai, and one of the few people Takasugi —a man that Sakamoto respected deeply— seemed to trust. Just like Mutsu, she was skilled with the use of guns, always carrying two out of fashion pistols with her. She dressed in a less traditional way than anyone else she had met from Earth, making her stand out. Mutsu was certain there were people that saw her and shook their heads in disapproval, but Matako didn’t seem to care. She was comfortable and paid no mind to what strangers’ opinions were. Being honest, Mutsu found this attitude to be attractive.

Also, despite the roughness she usually carried herself with and all her attempts at appearing intimidating, Mutsu could tell she was rather gentle on the inside. One of the occasions it showed through was every time she bickered with Kagura. Despite constantly calling the young girl a brat, a sister-like warmness was almost tangible under her annoyed tone, and a small smirk appeared every time she was called Makko — the nickname Kagura had given her.

When visualizing Matako in her mind, Mutsu saw her with the playful grin of someone who was proud of their position and almost dared anyone to try her, sharp eyes taking everything around her with caution, crossing her arms in front of her but with her hands ready to jump into action at any moment. But she also saw her softening up when her eyes met with one of the other members of the Kiheitai, with a care that exposed her attachment to them, grown over the years they had spent together as comrades if not as family.

Maybe she was being selfish, but Mutsu found herself wishing that she could make Matako light up in a similar way, make her lower her guard and show her all the affection she was willing to give to those who were dear to her. She wanted to get to know Matako better and discover more of what else was behind her furrowed eyebrows. Maybe she would slowly get attached to her like she had to Edo the more she explored its streets.

She opened the red box again, smiling at the sight of its contents. Taking out one of the bonbons, she bit into it, taking her time to taste the dark chocolate shell and the caramel filling. Mutsu felt warm inside and closed her eyes to focus only on the treat. While it was obvious this wasn’t the work of a professional chocolatier, the effort that had been put into it was evident. It may not have been made by expert hands, but if it was conveying what laid within Matako’s heart, Mutsu wanted to taste more of its sweet bliss in all of its flavors.