"Um… Hijikata-san? Thank you…"

Hijikata had heard her, but he didn't turn. Instead, he called out to one of his men in the courtyard, "Oi, what's the status of the injured?"

As the man began to report, his own internal thoughts were a chaotic mix of practical details and a vision of gold and white that he couldn't get out of his head. He could deal with an enemy breaking into their headquarters. He could deal with an attempted abduction of Chizuru. He could even deal with the super-human, and if the supposed princess was to be believed, mythical abilities of these so called Oni. What he couldn't deal with in that moment was the girl currently sitting on the ground behind him.

Seared into his mind's eye was a girl—no, woman—whose hair shimmered as white as a Fury's under the moonlight, but whose eyes shone with the golden glow of the sun.

Yes, the princess had told him that, like her and her guard, Chizuru was not human, but seeing it for himself made the fact all too real. He couldn't in one breath call Kazama and his henchmen monsters and in the next look at Chizuru and say the same.

From the moment they had found Chizuru on that bitterly cold night, everything they had learned about her situation had practically labeled her as a danger.

Her father was the man who had brought the Water of Life to them, and subsequently betrayed them by presumably joining the Shogunate's enemies.

They had, quite rationally, kept her as a prisoner, offering the hope of finding her father as a way to keep her from causing trouble. Neither of which should have endeared her to them.

Now they had found out she wasn't even human and a significant portion of her people had chosen to ally themselves with those who oppose the Shogunate.

If he only had those facts to go on, Hijikata would have said without a doubt that Chizuru would betray them. With what she knew, it would be in their interest to head the problem off before it became one, as distasteful as the thought was.

He nodded a dismissal to the man reporting to him, before turning toward his room. Sannan and the captains would be able to handle the rest. Right now he was of little use with his head in the state it currently was.

As he walked, he could still faintly feel the warmth of where he had held Chizuru to his side.

He had meant what he said to Kazama. There were no humans in the house of the Wolves of Mibu. Chizuru would belong with them as long as she desired to stay, because her situation wasn't the whole of who she was.

She had astounded all of them by working her way into their affections with her genuine and kind nature. If he was honest with himself, he had come to care for her more than was appropriate or safe.

She had made known her desire to help them in any way she could, taking on whatever task she could get with a smile. By now she'd had several opportunities to run, but had taken none of them. She'd even had the option to leave only a few hours ago, and she had chosen to stay.

More than that, she had just thrown herself in front of a sword to protect him. Even with her hands shaking, she had stood firm against an opponent she could never hope to beat. Then, when Kazama had revealed what she was for all to see, she hadn't wavered for a moment in her determination to oppose him.

Almost without thought, Hijikata stepped into his room and closed the shoji behind him. As he settled down at his desk, he reached over to pick up the small cup sitting off to one side. It was still half full of the tea that Chizuru had brought him that afternoon.

Yes, she was a conundrum, but the more he examined his feelings, the more he realized that what she was paled in comparison to who she was. White hair and golden eyes didn't hold a torch to her honest heart and a deep devotion to those she cared for.

Hijikata sighed in exasperation at the sentimental thought as he set the cup down. She wasn't a threat and that should be enough. His growing attachment was something he would have to deal with… well, later.