Author's notes and warnings: A side story to Makoto. Not quite a prequel but it could be read that way if you want. No tangible plot, I don't think…I just wanted to write a light piece for them since Makoto tend to be quite angsty. But after getting this back from my wonderful friend, Xellas, I was told it's not that light after all. :sweatdrops: Well…I tried.
Summary: 1It's Souji's 18th birthday and Hijikata was elected to take him to a whorehouse. Purely my insanity and has nothing whatsoever to do with history. :grins:
Disclaimer: Souji Okita and the rest ot the people mentioned here are not mine… :huge sigh:
Warning: Small sex scene involving Hijikata and a courtesan. Complete disregard for history, gomen…well, except for maybe the timeline. I think I'm pretty close.
Special thanks to all my reviewers for taking the time to let me know what you think of Makoto. (Shin Sankai, Ling ling, Artoki, Little Myy, Senbi, Yuna, Yammy, Sakusha, Maguscrowley) :bows: Arigatou gozaimasu!
by Moonraven
"Nani?"
Toshizou Hijikata wasn't the type of man that was prone to twitching but he was pretty sure that was exactly what his face was doing. Twitching.
"Come on, Toshi! He needs this and you're just the man for it," Isami Kondou, Hijikata's best friend and current master of the Shieiken dojo, encouraged. "Just one night. You might like it."
"NANI!" Hijikata felt more than just his face twitching. What the hell was his best friend suggesting?
"Maa, maa, Hijikata-kun, that's a great idea." Keisuke Yamanami, another so-called friend, smiled amiably as he nodded in agreement. "It's past the time for Souji to learn these things and I can't agree with Kondou-san more about who should teach him."
"How do we know he doesn't know it already?"
"Hijikata-kun, he spends ALL of his time with us or with those kids at the temple. Can you honestly think he's learning THAT…THERE? He certainly hasn't learned it here…" At this point, Yamanami stopped and looked around uncertainly. "He hasn't…has he?"
Kondou shook his head, looking appalled. "Toshi?" They both turned to Hijikata, eyebrows raised.
"NO!" What the hell kind of man did they think he was, anyway? Okay, so he would have LIKED to…but that wasn't the point, damn it!
And they couldn't have known that…could they?
They both nodded, satisfied. "Then that settles it." Yamanami was smiling infuriatingly again.
"But...but..." Hijikata couldn't even begin to form his reply; he had no idea what to say to begin with, let alone form coherent sentences. "Why me?" Two thoughts flashed across his mind: one was that they KNEW he harbored desires for Souji and were making fun of him. The other thought was, what made them think Souji would want HIM, Hijikata, to be the one to take his virginity?
Kondou and Yamanami nodded (they seem to be doing a whole lot of that lately, he thought grudgingly) to each other sagely and then both turned to him. Kondou smiled and said, "Toshi, who would be the best person to show him the prettiest girls at the Red Lily. I'm sure you know all of them by now and you know Souji. You can recommend the one that is best for him."
Girls…?
"Sou, sou." Yamanami nodded again eagerly. "Don't get him the aggressive one...he'll run. Maybe someone non-threatening - a beginner, that way they can learn together."
"If you know so much why don't YOU take him?" Hijikata asked, outraged. He was immensely relieved that they hadn't meant for him to...to…well, to actually be the person to 'break' Souji in, yet that feeling was suddenly eclipsed by another emotion completely. He was disappointed as well. He knew that he was undeniably excited at the thought of bedding Souji...it was a feeling that had crept over him slowly in the past year so two...but to actually have visualized it with the encouragements of his friends...and then have that taken away...
"No, no…that wouldn't do, Hijikata-kun. He's so much closer to you and would feel more comfortable if YOU were to go with him, ne?"
"Sou, sou," Kondou parroted Yamanami's earlier line. "It has to be you, Toshi."
"Well...how do you know Souji wants to go?" Hijikata was feeling slightly queasy. Screwing women was something he was good at and had done quite often, but to do so knowing that Souji was naked and being initiated into the wonderful world of sex...in the same building...and not by him...that didn't bode well for him at all.
Kondou looked thoughtful but Yamanami just smiled that frustratingly sweet smile at him. "Hijikata-kun! He's eighteen. He must at the least be curious if not downright DYING to have sex. I can't believe that YOU waited until you were eighteen?"
Hijikata glared at him. "I am not Souji. He seems...so young."
Kondou sighed. "I know Souji is a bit younger at heart than most kids his age but surely this is old enough even for Souji?"
Hijikata tried again. "Don't you remember the last time Harada took him to see a whore? Souji had nightmares for weeks! Good thing they didn't get a chance to do anything before he ran back home!"
"He was 13, and Harada was an idiot...still is," Yamanami replied smoothly, not even batting an eye at the insult to one of their close acquaintances. Then he suddenly looked thoughtful and turned to Kondou. "Mou, Kondou-san, was it the Red Lily? I wonder if the girl still works there."
Kondou looked up at the ceiling and tapped his finger on his chin. "Hmmm...I'll have to find out." He looked down at Hijikata and winked. "If she is, you might have to take him somewhere else, na, Toshi."
Hijikata groaned. There didn't seem to be anything else he could do to dissuade his friends. It seemed as if he would have to take Souji and leave him to someone else's care.
"Cheer up, Toshi. I've never seen you look so glum about visiting the women. If you keep this up, you'll scare Souji, na."
"Hai, hai." Hijikata sighed and reclined back on the tatami floor. For one brief moment - well, it wasn't very brief; he actually dwelled on it a while - he wished that Souji would have a really, really bad time.
"Maa, Hijikata-san. I don't want to go in."
They were in front of the Red Lily and Souji was looking doubtfully at the sign. Hijikata took a puff from his pipe and let out a long stream of smoke. He'd given his words to Kondou and he would carry out his promise, no matter how he felt.
"Think of it as another game, Souji. You always love new games."
Souji turned quizzical eyes on him. "But this one seems to make many women unhappy, Hijikata-san."
Hijikata glared at his young charge. "They are not unhappy and they get paid plenty for it, trust me."
"Not all of them. Kondou-san had to help you get out of some jams in the past; they didn't look happy to me."
"These aren't THOSE women. Besides, they were fine!"
Souji tilted his head to the side; one hand tugged absently on his long hair while the other tapped gently and thoughtfully on his cheek. "Mou...but that's not what Sakura-san said last week, ne? Oh, and Mika-san said that in addition to seppuku, people like you should first get castrated." Hijikata choked on the smoke and coughed in outrage, but Souji went on as if nothing happened. "Let's see...Yukiko-san said that you are a low life and the-"
"Souji..." Hijikata managed to grate out between painfully gritted teeth. "I get the picture. You don't need to recall all of my failed relationships-"
"Those were relationships?" Souji looked mildly surprise. "Kondou-san said they were disasters."
Hijikata glared some more but that didn't seem to affect the boy. "I'll have to have a word with your Kondou-san it seems. And I don't even remember half their names, how is it that you do?"
Souji pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Hmmm...I heard that some cultures believe that every time you have sex, you lose a part of you." He glanced sideways at Hijikata, his eyes twinkling mischievously and then shrugged. "Maybe that's where your memory went."
Hijikata suddenly felt a headache coming on. A very big one at that. He rubbed the spot between his eyes to relieve the pressure but it only seemed to be getting worse.
"Do I even WANT to know where you got this bit of information?"
"Ah...Gen-san had a very interesting conversation with Takeshi-san, you know the man who sells vegetables at the market—well, no, you wouldn't know. Anyway, Takeshi-san's daughter works as a maid at Edo castle and they get all kinds of fascinating people staying there-"
As Souji went on and on, Hijikata's headache went from mild to bad and then on to worse. He didn't wait for the young man to stop talking before he grabbed Souji's wrist and dragged him bodily into the Red Lily.
Kondou and Yamanami were definitely going to pay...big time!
Hijikata relished the eager body beneath him. The woman moaned and he flicked his tongue out again, lavishing the hardened nubs almost lazily. He'd always loved this…carnal activity - especially now, it allowed him to forget the disastrous couple of hours prior to this. THIS had always been his escape, be it from his family, friends or himself. It provided him with hours of pleasure and none of the strife his life seemed to have attracted.
The woman moaned again in appreciation as he moved lower, giving her navel the same treatment as her breasts. Most people thought that he was arrogant and selfish and only used the women for his pleasures alone. They were wrong. Not the arrogant part, he took full pride in that but because he WAS arrogant, the sounds these women made, the uncontrollable desire trembling through their bodies…the begging, even the clawing, these things fed his ego much more effectively than were he to just fuck them for his release alone. Che! Idiots…and they thought they knew him so well.
Hijikata took his time with the woman and by the time he slid his throbbing hardness into her, she was wailing for more.
"Hijikata-san."
Hijikata blinked; his pleasure-filled mind couldn't connect this particular voice with his current activity. He shook his head vigorously to rid it of the thought of Souji. Was that boy going to plague him now as well?
Hijikata thrust deeper, harder but he could still hear that voice calling to him. He closed his eyes and focused on the feel of his shaft moving in and out of the hot, wet sheath. Focus.
"Hijikata-san!"
At that point, the woman screamed. Hijikata opened his eyes and looked down at her quickly; that was not the scream of pleasure, it was one of fright.
The woman did look frightened and it took Hijikata an extra second to feel another presence in the room. Though he did not sense danger, Hijikata rolled off the courtesan and grabbed his sword, unsheathing it and pointed it towards the intruder in less than a heartbeat.
The woman squeaked at the sight of drawn sword and tried to scoot out of the way.
"Mou…" Souji pouted and scowled at Hijikata. Then he turned to the terrified young woman on the futon, waving his hands frantically in his attempt to calm her. "It's alright. I'm sorry. We won't be long. Please don't be frightened."
Souji was dressed as he had been when they had arrived at the Red Lily and he was sitting primly on folded legs next to Hijikata's futon. Hijikata blinked at the tensai and then blinked again.
"Souji!" Sheathing his sword, Hijikata got up, not bothering to cover up his nakedness and walked up to the young man to glare down at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Souji looked up sheepishly at him then his eyes widened at the sight of Hijikata's cock hanging in front of his face. "Waaa…at least put on some clothes, Hijikata-san." Souji looked away quickly and Hijikata wondered if that was a blush highlighting the younger man's cheeks.
Hijikata didn't move. "You know what I was doing and you still barged in so deal with it. Now, what the hell do you want?"
Souji didn't look pleased but after a few seconds, he turned and looked right into Hijikata's eyes. "I called several times from outside but you wouldn't acknowledge me. I had no choice."
Hijikata was well aware that his body was reacting to having Souji on his knees so close to his naked cock. How many nights had he dreamed about those soft lips enclosing around him…Oh, shit! Hijikata turned around abruptly. He did not need Souji to see the twitching and hardening of his flesh. THAT would truly be disastrous.
"We have trouble downstairs," Souji continued as Hijikata grabbed his yukata. "I thought you might be able to help them out."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Angry men with swords. I think it's more than a drunken brawl. Please come."
Hijikata frowned as he picked his sword up and slipped it into the sash at his waist. "Stay behind me."
"Mou, Hijikata-san. I TEACH kenjutsu!" Souji protested, but stayed behind him nonetheless.
"With a wooden sword," Hijikata pointed out.
"And beat you in our last match," Souji countered.
"With a wooden sword," Hijikata repeated.
Souji was silent and Hijikata smirked to himself. He could just see the boy pouting. He certainly felt the glare at the back of his head.
"I'm not a child."
"Tell me that AFTER you screw a woman. I'm willing to bet Kat-chan's dojo that you haven't done that tonight."
"How…do you know?"
Hijikata rolled his eyes. He paused in the middle of the stairs and turned to give Souji a knowing look. "Oh, please."
Even in the dim light, he saw the pink tint that colored the younger man's cheeks and had to restrain himself from grabbing Souji and pinning him to the wall. Aside from the fact that it would probably ruin their friendship, it was hardly the time or the place. He could already hear the commotion coming from the common room further down.
Hijikata sighed. "Tell you what, we're going to try and see if we can do this without anyone getting hurt. I do have unfinished business upstairs. If that doesn't work and trouble comes our way, I'm trusting you to watch my back."
Souji grinned and nodded eagerly. Hijikata had to fight another urge to grab the younger man. This night certainly hadn't turned out anywhere near what it was supposed to.
"Ready?" He asked the bubbling Souji who was still nodding vigorously. Hijikata laughed. "Let's go, then."
"Let me see that." Hijikata reached for Souji's arm but the younger man turned away.
"It's nothing."
"You're bleeding, Kat-chan's going to kill me." He tried again, encircling the smaller body with his arms.
"What? The great Toshizou Hijikata is afraid of someone?" Souji teased, his voice full of laughter as he turned around to face Hijikata. The older man froze. How many times had he envisioned this? Souji was in his arms, smiling up at him…
He shook his head quickly and took a step back. His body was already feeling the warmth that the thought brought on and that was not a good thing. Not now.
"Hmm…well, I was supposed to get you laid and instead I got you hurt…even Yamanami would have my head for this."
"What? Yamanami-san is in on this as well?" Souji was too busy being irritated to notice that Hijikata had taken a hold of his arm. "Mou, why is everyone interested in my love life?"
"What love life?" Hijikata asked absently as he bandaged the cut. "It's just sex."
Souji was silent for a long time and when he spoke again, his voice was quiet. "Speaking of which, isn't there someone waiting for you?"
Hijikata finished his ministration with a gentle pat before releasing the arm. He shrugged dismissively. "I've already paid so I'm sure she'll be just fine. Probably moved on to someone else."
"But…I interrupted you."
"Yeah, well…I seemed to have worked out my aggression on something else, ne?"
Souji looked up at him then, his gaze searching. But he didn't say anything and after a short silent moment, nodded and looked away. Hijikata didn't know what to make of that. Uncertainty was a feeling that he wasn't sure he cared for, so he quickly moved on.
"So, what did you and…er…what's her name do?"
"Midori-chan," Souji supplied smoothly. "We played cards."
Hijikata laughed and ruffled Souji's hair. Times like these helped to curb his desire for the young man. Souji was still very young deep inside despite his age. He felt like a pervert thinking sexual thoughts about the tensai.
"Can we come back here again?" Souji looked up at him hopefully.
Hijikata stared at the upturned face. "What…why? You've decided that you prefer sex to cards?"
Souji blinked at him, his eyes huge as saucers. "Hijikata-san! I want my candies back! Midori-chan won a lot from me, she's a formidable card player."
"You brought candies with you?" Of course he did. When was Souji without candies? Hijikata shook his head and smiled warmly at the younger man. "Yeah, Souji, we can come back. Whenever you want."
Souji grinned back and then they started back towards the Shieiken dojo. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Souji spoke, "Hijikata-san." His voice was soft and hesitant.
"Yes, Souji?" He glanced sideways at the young man but Souji was staring straight ahead.
"About…sex." Souji paused again, uncertain.
"Don't worry about it, Souji. If you want, I won't tell the others that you played cards."
Souji shook his head. "Thank you but it's not that. It's just…well…" He stopped and ducked his head, his long hair falling to cover his face. "You'll laugh."
Knowing Souji, he probably would but that was hardly the reassurance Souji needed.
"No, I won't."
Souji pushed his hair back and gave him a sidelong glance. Then he turned back to the path in front of them.
"I think…I would want it to be with the person I love." Souji's voice was so soft, had Hijikata not been prepared for it, he wasn't sure he would have heard.
Well, that was certainly funny to Hijikata since there's a large pool of money out there somewhere betting that Hijikata would never find love. But to a young sap like Souji, it was as serious as the bushido. Instead, Hijikata said, "I think I'd want that for you, too."
Souji turned and gave him a strange look that Hijikata interpret as disbelief. "What? You don't think I want you to be happy?"
Souji smiled. "I know you do, Hijikata-san. Thank you."
They walked the rest of the way in silence and when they reached the dojo, Souji turned and gave him teasing smile, his eyes twinkling in the clear moonlit night.
"Tonight was…a unique gift for my birthday, Hijikata-san. Thank you."
Hijikata smiled back; it was hard to do otherwise when faced with a playful Souji. "Wait until you turn nineteen and see what we have planned for you then."
Souji pretended to look scared. "Not going to send me off to join some rebellious causes, I hope?"
Hijikata looked thoughtful for a second then grunted. "Sounds good, those foreigners do need to go home but not without me, ne, Souji. Someone's got to be there to keep you out of trouble."
Souji rolled his eyes and then sighed. "Well, as long as we're together, I think we could take on anything!"
A warm fluttery feeling flooded Hijikata's chest at those words. Together…
He ruffled Souji's hair again affectionately. "Yeah, Souji. Together." And as he said it, Hijikata realized that it was a promise to himself as well as to Souji. They would be together in any capacity that Souji would allow…he could not imagine existence without this lively young man by his side.
They would be together.
Come what may…
- chapter end -
Note:
Most historical notes placed Souji's birth year at 1844. Let's see…that makes 1862 the year Souji turned 18. The next year would be 1863 (duh!)…the year they joined the Roushigumi bounded for Kyoto where they later became the Shinsengumi. I'm not sure where the idea that Souji was 15 when he became captain of the first squad came from…he was at least 19 if not 20 when the formal Shinsengumi was finally formed. He did look awfully young in the Kenshin OVA, though. :shakes head:
Shieiken dojo is where Isami Kondou (and his adopted father before him) taught the sword style Tennen Rishin Ryu. It was also a common practice for students (and friends) to practically live at the dojo, hence you see them going back there at the end of the chapter.
About Harada taking Souji to the whorehouse… Poor Sanosuke, I do pick on him but historically, they may not have met until a couple of years later.
Thank you for reading!