#there's a seami tried to cover it up but alas

[kondo-hijikata]

Pairings: Established Kondo/Hijikata Rating: M Summary: It’s simple. Peddle medicine and find purpose. But after Hijikata is caught in a downpour that leads him right into Kondo’s arms, he realizes things are a little more complicated than he’d like to believe. [AO3]

This chapter features Kat-chan being a great adoptive dad to Souji, as well as a pretty damn good boyfriend to Toshi.

<< Chapter 2

.*After the Rain*. Chapter 3

Over the breakfast Kondo brought into his room for them both that morning, Hijikata had gone quiet in a most concerning way. It’d been the same pensive silence as the prior afternoon, which incited the heart-to-heart conversation that Kondo, without doubt, believed had massaged all offending ripples and creases back into smoothness once more.

They’d been together long enough and Kondo knew Hijikata well enough to know that cornering him into spilling what was on his mind would be more detrimental than helpful; therefore, he settled upon a simple inquiry regarding his companion’s well-being, while dark eyes stared into untouched miso soup.

“Toshi…” Kondo licked his lips when Hijikata’s chin lifted and his eyes tentatively found his. There was something in them—something he couldn’t rightly place, but it was clear that Hijikata had just been lost in the throes of contemplation. What it was that occupied his musing remained a mystery though, and the first step into solving it had to be a careful one. The venture forward reflected such caution as Kondo nonchalantly asked, “You all right? Still tired?”

A shrug of the shoulders preceded the reply. “Yeah.” Hijikata sat up a little taller immediately after. His lips closed and then parted again as if he’d say more, but all he eventually came out with was, “I mean...yeah. Still tired.” The hint of a rigid smile pulled at the corners of his lips and he turned back to poking at his meal.

…And that was the end of that. Discretion and prudence would yield neither insight nor reward now, apparently.

From there, an almost suffocating tension overwhelmed the atmosphere of the room, as heavy as the early humidity that settled in with the breaking of dawn. It was uncomfortable, to say the least and the obvious; the situation reeked of the strange and seemingly unfounded afflictions of yesterday. If that were true—if the same anxieties remained to plague Hijikata even now—Kondo needed to get to the bottom of them once and for all. Even if it meant repeating himself or saying aloud things so embarrassingly sincere they nearly made him blush just thinking of them, he would do it...albeit with the good graces of gentle insistence to start him on his way.

Buying himself time as he considered his next move, Kondo lifted his teacup and took a sip. He swallowed, cleared his throat. Game plan set? Nope. Ready? Not at all. Still, when he lowered it back to rest beside the rectangular plate of steamed white fish, he braced his hands against his thighs. Kondo opened his mouth and he drew a breath. “Toshi—”

...just to be derailed by the sudden rapid succession of footsteps pounding the porch boards as they closed in proximity. Like clockwork, Souji flung himself at the open doorway and held tight, rasping, “Kondo-san!”

“S—Souji! What’s wrong?!”

Looking over his shoulder and pursing his lips as if he’d been chased, Souji then stepped across the threshold and stumbled over as Kondo pushed his tray to begin rising. Before he could, however, Souji crashed to his knees at his side and groaned while leaning unto him.

“They’re telling me stupid dad jokes again.”

With his brows pulling inward, Kondo placed his hand on Souji’s head and gently pushed him off. “What?!”

“Sensei and Gen-san! They’re telling me stupid dad jokes and they’re so dumb and annoying!”

“Oh wow, it’s the end of the world,” Hijikata interjected quietly, but since Souji either chose to pay no attention to the jab or simply didn’t hear it, Kondo considered himself fortunate and let it go. The absolute last thing he needed now was these two going to war on top of everything else.

Relaxing his posture, Kondo huffed. “You really know how to worry a guy, Souji!” He gave a pat to the top of his head and allowed himself a soft smile. “I thought there was something seriously wrong with how you came running in here like that.”

“There was, though! There really, really was!” Souji insisted, balling his hands into fists and bringing them level with his jaw. “Sensei literally said ‘you can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish’ and expected me to laugh.”

Picking up his chopsticks again, Kondo cocked his head and chuckled. “Well…”

Souji’s eyelids fell halfway closed and he murmured, “Of course, you’d find that funny, Kondo-san...”

Glancing to Hijikata, Kondo felt a sliver of relief to see him eating without hesitation and assuming an infinitely more laid-back disposition. The volatile moment between them had been lost for better or worse and with nothing to do about it in the present, he supposed the sight of returning normalcy was better than nothing. Following the trend, Kondo plucked a bite of shredded daikon. “Please just humor him, would you? My father’s an old man and he wants to feel relevant.”

Souji shrugged and looked off to the side, quietly saying, “I already humor your humor, Kondo-san.”

Kondo’s chopsticks stopped midway to his mouth and lowered. “...What?” His lips closed and opened again, then repeated the same action, while blinking rapidly. Finally, he asked in a woeful tone, “You…you don’t actually think my jokes are funny? You’re just—?”

From his left, Kondo heard a soft laugh and his focus pulled to Hijikata. “Hey! Hey, Toshi, you stay out of this! This is really distressing!” With a half-pout, Kondo turned back to Souji. “...Really?”

Souji chortled and then took hold of Kondo’s hakamashita sleeve. “Ne, ne! Are we gonna go to the starlight festival this year?”

“So let me get this straight.” Letting his lashes fall for a moment, Kondo righted himself. “You insult me and then ask if I’m taking you to a festival?” Naturally, he was playing along, although there was a small part of him that felt the slightest inkling of disappointment at failing to be an adept comic.

“Aw, you know I was just kidding!” Souji pulled on his hakamashita again. “You’re plenty funny, Kondo-san!” His eyes fell closed as a huge grin overtook his face. “Sometimes even when you’re not trying to be.”

Kondo lifted his chin quickly and quirked a brow. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Besides!” Souji’s expression dampened a little as he nodded toward Hijikata, his voice suddenly less enthused when he added, “…isn’t he gonna come with us too anyway?”

“Ah…well, first of all, let’s not talk about Toshi like he isn’t here with us, yeah?” Whoops, guilty as charged. “And second of all—”

“I’ll go.”

Kondo blinked at Souji’s green eyes narrowing and then turned again to find the comfort of Hijikata’s gaze upon him. Interestingly, there was no longer any stiffness or apprehension present, almost as though Souji’s suggestion lifted all the weight that had seemed to be exerting itself upon his person.

“I’ll go,” Hijikata repeated. “And actually, I can make time for the whole day, so if you want to go fishing that morning, too…”

“Fishing?!” Souji exclaimed and clapped his hands once. “All right! I mean…if, if that’s okay with you, Kondo-san?”

“Um…” Kondo searched Hijikata for as long as he could without things becoming awkward or indicative, before looking back to Souji. The corners of his mouth eased into a smile. “Of course it’s okay. We’ll make a day of it, then.”

Over the subsequent sound of Souji cheering, Kondo looked Hijikata over once more—saw fondness in those eyes as they regarded him and the jubilant boy at his side. “You’re really all right with that?”

“Yep!” Hijikata declared in a light and nearly dismissive tone, the kind of soft voice so specific to him, and went back to finishing the little that remained of his breakfast.

And it was that moment when Kondo realized that it was he, himself, who had eaten the least at this point: a stroke of clarity which made him evaluate the situation once more.

Perhaps he’d read too deeply, or had reached a bit too far earlier. Perhaps...he was being a little too overprotective, and a bit too paranoid. They were attributes he couldn’t fault himself for however, because when it came to Hijikata’s happiness, attentions, and affections, they were things he would protect for as long as he was bestowed the honor.

Whatever the case, whether he’d made mountains out of molehills or not, there was a plan set for three days from now and plenty to look forward to. Therefore, Kondo released the worries prodding at him, and swallowed them all as he did his soup.

~

Oftentimes, when Souji showed up at random, it was more of an annoyance to Hijikata than anything. He was an obstinate child, rife with so much mischief and audacity that it might have been impressive if not so infuriating.

That particular morning, however, it was Souji’s appearance at the most perfect moment which triggered a wave of gratitude to sweep clear across Hijikata. His face in that open doorway had been nothing short of a saving grace and badly needed distraction—because Hijikata had been but one solitary, dangerous breath away from pushing himself over an edge he hadn’t even been certain of how to rightly approach. Hell, he hadn’t known if he’d been ready to, and yet there he’d been.

It occurred to him while studying his miso soup that guilt was a terrible first course for a meal, and that all the turmoil involved with coming to his decision had been the easy part. The most arduous and painful trials lay ahead, and the most pressing question now was…

Hijikata had ventured a glance to Kondo at that point.

How do you go about hurting the one person you want to protect most of all? How do you injure him when you love him with all of yourself, and still stomach the sight of your own reflection?

Samurai lived boldly. Even Kondo appeared to be ready to voice some of his own peace, something which offered the shove Hijikata had needed. Upon hearing his name, he opened his mouth at the same time.

But like the universe had seen the need for intervention, that had been the very moment Souji’s presence saved Hijikata from himself and offered an escape he hadn’t even known he needed until the aftermath. Putting this heavy conversation off for a few days would allow him the time necessary to think about what needed to be said, and most importantly, how. It might have been delaying the inevitable and prolonging his own inner turmoil, but if that meant something better for Kondo in the long run and a gentler let down, then it was worth it.

It was for that reason that Hijikata agreed to accompany them to the festival and why he’d suggested spending that whole day together. He’d give not just Kondo but himself one last memorable day with nothing but happiness, and soon after, there would only be good feelings when they’d sit down to talk the ugly matters.

A plan was a plan, half-baked as it might have been.

Therefore, when Kondo walked him to the halfway point at the lake, Hijikata could smile when they turned to each other—a soft and almost shy twitch of the lips.

“Go home safely, okay?” Kondo asked, reaching across the space separating them and brushing warm fingertips across Hijikata’s cheek as he pushed hair away from his face.

“No worries.” Hijikata offered a nod. “See you in three days.”

“I’ll...” Kondo averted his gaze and peered over his shoulder. His lower eyelids raised a touch and then he quietly finished his thought. “...I’ll miss you.”

Hijikata softly scoffed, but any rebuke he might have made was obliterated by Kondo’s mouth quickly pressing to his own: a brief kiss stolen amid the cover of nature.

“Bye,” Kondo whispered then, stepping off and waving over his shoulder.

“Bye...” Hijikata said after him so softly that he was positive that he hadn’t been heard. Only after Kondo had disappeared over the hill was when he added, “...I’ll miss you, too.”

~

3 Days Later

A patterned handball bounced to the cadence of words sang by Souji, decorating the Shieikan front entrance with circular prints in dry dirt. The lyrics faded to an eventual hum and he closed his eyes while beginning to contentedly rock his head and shoulders, finding enjoyment in the warmth of late morning sunlight. The ball got away as consequence of his shift in attention; it slipped from his fingers and rolled toward the porch—right past where Kondo busied himself drawing circles with a long stick.

Little sandals skipped against the ground, but instead of going after the wayward trinket, Souji hopped up to sit at Kondo’s side. His legs dangled over the edge as he scooted over to lean a cheek against his arm, watching with intent while so-called art unfolded before his eyes.

“Ne, Kondo-san…”

“Mm?”

Souji pursed his lips and kicked his feet a few times. “Fude-san’s gonna yell at you for drawin’ skulls in her front yard again…”

A laugh broke out at that. “No worries. I’ll erase them before she sees.”

“Whatever you say,” Souji intoned and lifted his hand to cling gently to the sleeve of Kondo’s hakamashita, continuing his observation of the wandering stick leaving curves in its wake. “I’m glad she’s not my mom. That lady’s mean.”

“Shh, no more of that. You wanna learn how to draw one?” Kondo asked without turning away from his handiwork, his lips pulled into a complacent smile. A tiny inarticulate noise left Souji’s throat, prompting another chuckle. “Suit yourself, kid.”

“Kondo-san, no offense but…” Souji paused and then lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s kinda weird.”

With his grin widening even further and his own words going just as soft to playfully imitate Souji’s, Kondo asked, “What is?”

“I mean, of all things, why draw skulls? Why not draw…well, I dunno…swords? Flowers? …Kanko?”

At last, Kondo righted himself and faced his young counterpart, the gentle expression he wore remaining even in the presence of criticism from a ten year-old. “Oh, it’s simple, really.” He closed his eyes, cleared his throat, and pounded a fist twice against his ribcage. In strong baritone, Kondo proudly announced with a nod, “It’s a declaration of what’s deep in here.”

Souji’s brows pulled inward and his eyes drifted off to the side. “You have a skull in your chest?” His gaze wandered back. “…Are you okay?”

Kondo snorted. “Resolve, Souji. I’m talking about resolve.” He pulled his arm free and mussed his hair. “This shape symbolizes death, yeah? So drawing it shows that I know my role in the world. A true samurai is ready to honorably give his life at any time.”

The confounded look persisted across Souji’s features and further furrowing of his brow had Kondo laughing heartily once more. “You’ll understand when you’re older, I promise.” He placed the stick into a smaller hand. “Here. You draw something now.”

“Like what?”

“Like…whatever you want. Something that makes you happy?”

There was but a moment of consideration before Souji’s lips twitched and with an immediate change of demeanor, he vaulted to his feet. His knees bent with a crouch and he pressed the point into the dirt, beginning with the formation of an oval. Inside of it, he placed two elongated dots for eyes, scowling eyebrows, and a large open mouth.

“Souji…” Kondo started, his tone faltering somewhere between amusement and warning, but failing to effectively become one or the other.

Long bangs and a ponytail were added next, and afterward, two horns at the top. With a precursory snicker, Souji finished his masterpiece by titling it: Hijikata-san.

“Souji!”

The stick fell to the dirt as Souji tossed his head back, laughter rising up from deep within his belly. His palms slapped to his abdomen and through the heaves, he managed to choke out, “It looks—it looks just like him, Kondo-san!”

Kondo was off the porch in an instant, his fingers jabbing at Souji’s sides in a relentless tickle attack which caused him to thrash and howl. “When’d you get to be so rude, huh?!”

Upon managing to flail himself to freedom, Souji stumbled about while wiping tears from his eyes. “Well, it’s true! That’s how he looks!”

“It is not!” Kondo stressed, despite obviously trying to suppress his own mirth, and then returned to the place where he’d been previously sitting. He patted the space next to him. “C’mere, you troublemaker. It’s hot in the sun.”

Souji accepted the invitation without protest, quickly climbing back up to Kondo’s side. However, by the time he posed his next question, the hilarity had all but disappeared and been replaced with a hint of annoyance. “Where is he anyway? He was supposed to be here early this morning!”

“Probably got caught up with something. It happens.”

Pressing his cheek unto Kondo’s bicep once more, Souji glowered. “But he promised. It was his idea to go fishing in the first place! And it’s not fair to make us wait around all day.”

“Gosh, you’re so hard on him. Cut a little slack, will you?” Kondo gave a gentle shove. “Toshi’s got a lot on his plate right now. Business is going really well and that’s a good thing.”

“Well, he still promised,” Souji grumbled beneath his breath. “And besides! You’re more important than selling some stupid medicine, Kondo-san. I would never keep you waiting like that.”

With a lopsided smile pulling into his cheek, Kondo exhaled through his nose. “It’s nice of you to say so, but that stupid medicine is his main source of income right now.” He looked toward the large fluffy clouds passing just over the edge of the porch roof. “It’s all right. He’ll get here when he gets here. I don’t mind waiting.”

“I do!” A dramatic sigh preceded Souji pushing off and flopping on his opposite side. There were a few seconds of quiet before he droned, “Kondo-san will forgive anything.”

“Aw, come on. That’s not true.”

“When it comes to Hijikata-san, it is.”

“That’s not it at all!” Kondo contended, but his voice lost its fire once he attempted to elaborate. “It’s just, well. You know…Toshi is…” He kept his chin raised and drummed his fingers upon his thighs, thinking hard about the correct way to phrase it. “Toshi is—” Whatever he’d intended to say next had been lost however, as a man in courier attire appeared at the front gate to knock the whole world off balance yet again.

He stood in the middle of the entrance with his hands pressed tightly to his sides, announcing himself with a bow. “Pardon my intrusion!”

Kondo jumped to his feet with Souji following suit, and together they approached their visitor, who’d begun procuring an article of correspondence.

“I apologize for the interruption. Is Kondo Isami-sama present?”

“That’s me.” Kondo offered a sturdy nod as Souji took hold of his hakama, studying the man with curious eyes. As they waited, Kondo’s large palm came to rest on the top of his head, and he leaned further into it.

“Ah. I come bearing a message for you. It’s been marked urgent.” When Kondo’s hand left him to receive the folded letter, Souji caught glimpse of its address and his eyes narrowed in perplexity at the sender’s name. With another courteous bow, the courier excused himself and disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

Kondo’s brow creased with concern and while he immediately began to unfold the message, Souji craned his neck and rocked on his tiptoes to not miss any detail. “Sato Nobu-san¹? Isn’t that…isn’t that Hijikata-san’s sister?”

“Aa.” The letter was pulled open and as worried golden eyes fell on the words written in beautiful calligraphy, Kondo affirmed, “It is.”

“They’re telling me stupid dad jokes again.”

With his brows pulling inward, Kondo placed his hand on Souji’s head and gently pushed him off. “What?!”

“Kondo-sensei and Gen-san! They’re telling me stupid dad jokes and they’re so dumb and annoying!”

“Oh wow, it’s the end of the world,” Hijikata interjected quietly, but since Souji either chose to pay no attention to the jab or simply didn’t hear it, Kondo considered himself fortunate and let it go. The absolute last thing he needed now was these two going to war on top of everything else.

Relaxing his posture, Kondo huffed. “You really know how to worry a guy, Souji!” He gave a pat to the top of his head and allowed himself a soft smile. “I thought there was something seriously wrong with how you came running in here like that.”

“There was, though! There really, really was!” Souji insisted, balling his hands into fists and bringing them level with his jaw. “Kondo-sensei literally said ‘you can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish’ and expected me to laugh.”

Picking up his chopsticks again, Kondo cocked his head and chuckled. “Well…”

Souji’s eyelids fell halfway closed and he murmured, “Of course, you’d find that funny, Kondo-san...”

Glancing to Hijikata, Kondo felt a sliver of relief to see him eating without hesitation and assuming an infinitely more laid-back disposition. The volatile moment between them had been lost for better or worse and with nothing to do about it in the present, he supposed the sight of returning normalcy was better than nothing. Following the trend, Kondo plucked a bite of shredded daikon. “Please just humor him, would you? My father’s an old man and he wants to feel relevant.”

Souji shrugged and looked off to the side, quietly saying, “I already humor your humor, Kondo-san.”

Kondo’s chopsticks stopped midway to his mouth and lowered. “...What?” His lips closed and opened again, then repeated the same action, while blinking rapidly. Finally, he asked in a woeful tone, “You…you don’t actually think my jokes are funny? You’re just—?”

From his left, Kondo heard a soft laugh and his focus pulled to Hijikata. “Hey! Hey, Toshi, you stay out of this! This is really distressing!” With a half-pout, Kondo turned back to Souji. “...Really?”

Souji chortled and then took hold of Kondo’s hakamashita sleeve. “Ne, ne! Are we gonna go to the starlight festival this year?”

“So let me get this straight.” Letting his lashes fall for a moment, Kondo righted himself. “You insult me and then ask if I’m taking you to a festival?” Naturally, he was playing along, although there was a small part of him that felt the slightest inkling of disappointment at failing to be an adept comic.

“Aw, you know I was just kidding!” Souji pulled on his hakamashita again. “You’re plenty funny, Kondo-san!” His eyes fell closed as a huge grin overtook his face. “Sometimes even when you’re not trying to be.”

Kondo lifted his chin quickly and quirked a brow. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Besides!” Souji’s expression dampened a little as he nodded toward Hijikata, his voice suddenly less enthused when he added, “…isn’t he gonna come with us too anyway?”

“Ah…well, first of all, let’s not talk about Toshi like he isn’t here with us, yeah?” Whoops, guilty as charged. “And second of all—”

“I’ll go.”

Kondo blinked at Souji’s green eyes narrowing and then turned again to find the comfort of Hijikata’s gaze upon him. Interestingly, there was no longer any stiffness or apprehension present, almost as though Souji’s suggestion lifted all the weight that had seemed to be exerting itself upon his person.

“I’ll go,” Hijikata repeated. “And actually, I can make time for the whole day, so if you want to go fishing that morning, too…”

“Fishing?!” Souji exclaimed and clapped his hands once. “All right! I mean…if, if that’s okay with you, Kondo-san?”

“Um…” Kondo searched Hijikata for as long as he could without things becoming awkward or indicative, before looking back to Souji. The corners of his mouth eased into a smile. “Of course it’s okay. We’ll make a day of it, then.”

Over the subsequent sound of Souji cheering, Kondo looked Hijikata over once more—saw fondness in those eyes as they regarded him and the jubilant boy at his side. “You’re really all right with that?”

“Yep!” Hijikata declared in a light and nearly dismissive tone, the kind of soft voice so specific to him, and went back to finishing the little that remained of his breakfast.

And it was that moment when Kondo realized that it was he, himself, who had eaten the least at this point: a stroke of clarity which made him evaluate the situation once more.

Perhaps he’d read too deeply, or had reached a bit too far earlier. Perhaps...he was being a little too overprotective, and a bit too paranoid. They were attributes he couldn’t fault himself for however, because when it came to Hijikata’s happiness, attentions, and affections, they were things he would protect for as long as he was bestowed the honor.

Whatever the case, whether he’d made mountains out of molehills or not, there was a plan set for three days from now and plenty to look forward to. Therefore, Kondo released the worries prodding at him, and swallowed them all as he did his soup.

~

Oftentimes, when Souji showed up at random, it was more of an annoyance to Hijikata than anything. He was an obstinate child, rife with so much mischief and audacity that it might have been impressive if not so infuriating.

That particular morning, however, it was Souji’s appearance at the most perfect moment which triggered a wave of gratitude to sweep clear across Hijikata. His face in that open doorway had been nothing short of a saving grace and badly needed distraction—because Hijikata had been but one solitary, dangerous breath away from pushing himself over an edge he hadn’t even been certain of how to rightly approach. Hell, he hadn’t known if he’d been ready to, and yet there he’d been.

It occurred to him while studying his miso soup that guilt was a terrible first course for a meal, and that all the turmoil involved with coming to his decision had been the easy part. The most arduous and painful trials lay ahead, and the most pressing question now was…

Hijikata had ventured a glance to Kondo at that point.

How do you go about hurting the one person you want to protect most of all? How do you injure the person you love and still stomach the sight of your own reflection?

Samurai lived boldly. Even Kondo appeared to be ready to voice some of his own peace, something which offered the shove Hijikata had needed. Upon hearing his name, he opened his mouth at the same time.

But like clockwork, that had been the very moment Souji’s interjection saved Hijikata from himself and offered an escape he hadn’t even known he needed until the aftermath. Putting this heavy conversation off for a few days would allow him the time necessary to think about what needed to be said, and most importantly, how. It might have been delaying the inevitable and prolonging his own inner turmoil, but if that meant something better for Kondo in the long run and a gentler let down, then it was worth it.

It was for that reason that Hijikata agreed to accompany them to the festival and why he’d suggested spending that whole day together. He’d give not just Kondo but himself one last memorable day with nothing but happiness, and soon after, there would only be good feelings when they’d sit down to talk the ugly matters.

A plan was a plan, half-baked as it might have been.

Therefore, when Kondo walked him to the halfway point at the lake, Hijikata could smile when they turned to each other—a soft and almost shy twitch of the lips.

“Go home safely, okay?” Kondo asked, reaching across the space separating them and brushing warm fingertips across Hijikata’s cheek as he pushed hair away from his face.

“No worries.” Hijikata offered a nod. “See you in three days.”

“I’ll...” Kondo averted his gaze and peered over his shoulder. His lower eyelids raised a touch and then he quietly finished his thought. “...I’ll miss you.”

Hijikata softly scoffed, but any rebuke he might have made was obliterated by Kondo’s mouth quickly pressing to his own: a brief kiss stolen amid the cover of nature.

“Bye,” Kondo whispered then, stepping off and waving over his shoulder.

“Bye...” Hijikata said after him so softly that he was positive that he hadn’t been heard. Only after Kondo had disappeared over the hill was when he added, “...I’ll miss you, too.”

~

3 Days Later

A patterned handball bounced to the cadence of words sang by Souji, decorating the Shieikan front entrance with circular prints in dry dirt. The lyrics faded to an eventual hum and he closed his eyes while beginning to contentedly rock his head and shoulders, finding enjoyment in the warmth of late morning sunlight. The ball got away as consequence of his shift in attention; it slipped from his fingers and rolled toward the porch—right past where Kondo busied himself drawing circles with a long stick.

Little sandals skipped against the ground, but instead of going after the wayward trinket, Souji hopped up to sit at Kondo’s side. His legs dangled over the edge as he scooted over to lean a cheek against his arm, watching with intent while so-called art unfolded before his eyes.

“Ne, Kondo-san…”

“Mm?”

Souji pursed his lips and kicked his feet a few times. “Fude-san’s gonna yell at you for drawin’ skulls in her front yard again…”

A laugh broke out at that. “No worries. I’ll erase them before she sees.”

“Whatever you say,” Souji intoned and lifted his hand to cling gently to the sleeve of Kondo’s hakamashita, continuing his observation of the wandering stick leaving curves in its wake. “I’m glad she’s not my mom. That lady’s mean.”

“Shh, no more of that. You wanna learn how to draw one?” Kondo asked without turning away from his handiwork, his lips pulled into a complacent smile. A tiny inarticulate noise left Souji’s throat, prompting another chuckle. “Suit yourself, kid.”

“Kondo-san, no offense but…” Souji paused and then lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s kinda weird.”

With his grin widening even further and his own words going just as soft to playfully imitate Souji’s, Kondo asked, “What is?”

“I mean, of all things, why draw skulls? Why not draw…well, I dunno…swords? Flowers? …Kanko?”

At last, Kondo righted himself and faced his young counterpart, the gentle expression he wore remaining even in the presence of criticism from a ten year-old. “Oh, it’s simple, really.” He closed his eyes, cleared his throat, and pounded a fist twice against his ribcage. In strong baritone, Kondo proudly announced with a nod, “It’s a declaration of what’s deep in here.”

Souji’s brows pulled inward and his eyes drifted off to the side. “You have a skull in your chest?” His gaze wandered back. “…Are you okay?”

Kondo snorted. “Resolve, Souji. I’m talking about resolve.” He pulled his arm free and mussed his hair. “This shape symbolizes death, yeah? So drawing it shows that I know my role in the world. A true samurai is ready to honorably give his life at any time.”

The confounded look persisted across Souji’s features and further furrowing of his brow had Kondo laughing heartily once more. “You’ll understand when you’re older, I promise.” He placed the stick into a smaller hand. “Here. You draw something now.”

“Like what?”

“Like…whatever you want. Something that makes you happy?”

There was but a moment of consideration before Souji’s lips twitched and with an immediate change of demeanor, he vaulted to his feet. His knees bent with a crouch and he pressed the point into the dirt, beginning with the formation of an oval. Inside of it, he placed two elongated dots for eyes, scowling eyebrows, and a large open mouth.

“Souji…” Kondo started, his tone faltering somewhere between amusement and warning, but failing to effectively become one or the other.

Long bangs and a ponytail were added next, and afterward, two horns at the top. With a precursory snicker, Souji finished his masterpiece by titling it: Hijikata-san.

“Souji!”

The stick fell to the dirt as Souji tossed his head back, laughter rising up from deep within his belly. His palms slapped to his abdomen and through the heaves, he managed to choke out, “It looks—it looks just like him, Kondo-san!”

Kondo was off the porch in an instant, his fingers jabbing at Souji’s sides in a relentless tickle attack which caused him to thrash and howl. “When’d you get to be so rude, huh?!”

Upon managing to flail himself to freedom, Souji stumbled about while wiping tears from his eyes. “Well, it’s true! That’s how he looks!”

“It is not!” Kondo stressed, despite obviously trying to suppress his own mirth, and then returned to the place where he’d been previously sitting. He patted the space next to him. “C’mere, you troublemaker. It’s hot in the sun.”

Souji accepted the invitation without protest, quickly climbing back up to Kondo’s side. However, by the time he posed his next question, the hilarity had all but disappeared and been replaced with a hint of annoyance. “Where is he anyway? He was supposed to be here early this morning!”

“Probably got caught up with something. It happens.”

Pressing his cheek unto Kondo’s bicep once more, Souji glowered. “But he promised. It was his idea to go fishing in the first place! And it’s not fair to make us wait around all day.”

“Gosh, you’re so hard on him. Cut a little slack, will you?” Kondo gave a gentle shove. “Toshi’s got a lot on his plate right now. Business is going really well and that’s a good thing.”

“Well, he still promised,” Souji grumbled beneath his breath. “And besides! You’re more important than selling some stupid medicine, Kondo-san. I would never keep you waiting like that.”

With a lopsided smile pulling into his cheek, Kondo exhaled through his nose. “It’s nice of you to say so, but that stupid medicine is his main source of income right now.” He looked toward the large fluffy clouds passing just over the edge of the porch roof. “It’s all right. He’ll get here when he gets here. I don’t mind waiting.”

“I do!” A dramatic sigh preceded Souji pushing off and flopping on his opposite side. There were a few seconds of quiet before he droned, “Kondo-san will forgive anything.”

“Aw, come on. That’s not true.”

“When it comes to Hijikata-san, it is.”

“That’s not it at all!” Kondo contended, but his voice lost its fire once he attempted to elaborate. “It’s just, well. You know…Toshi is…” He kept his chin raised and drummed his fingers upon his thighs, thinking hard about the correct way to phrase it. “Toshi is—” Whatever he’d intended to say next had been lost however, as a man in courier attire appeared at the front gate to knock the whole world off balance yet again.

He stood in the middle of the entrance with his hands pressed tightly to his sides, announcing himself with a bow. “Pardon my intrusion!”

Kondo jumped to his feet with Souji following suit, and together they approached their visitor, who’d begun procuring an article of correspondence.

“I apologize for the interruption. Is Kondo Isami-sama present?”

“That’s me.” Kondo offered a sturdy nod as Souji took hold of his hakama, studying the man with curious eyes. As they waited, Kondo’s large palm came to rest on the top of his head, and he leaned further into it.

“Ah. I come bearing a message for you. It’s been marked urgent.” When Kondo’s hand left him to receive the folded letter, Souji caught glimpse of its address and his eyes narrowed in perplexity at the sender’s name. With another courteous bow, the courier excused himself and disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

Kondo’s brow creased with concern and while he immediately began to unfold the message, Souji craned his neck and rocked on his tiptoes to not miss any detail. “Sato Nobu-san¹? Isn’t that…isn’t that Hijikata-san’s sister?”

“Aa.” The letter was pulled open and as worried golden eyes fell on the words written in beautiful calligraphy, Kondo affirmed, “It is.”

¹ Nobu: I ultimately chose to use the name Nobu for the sister who raised Toshi after the death of their parents. I did a lot of research in both English and Japanese to find more information on his family and came up with two names for her: Toku and Nobu. It seems that Toku was used to refer to her in Hakuouki, but I’m going with Nobu because that’s the name used on her Japanese Wikipedia page. Irritatingly, Toku is the name used on the page for her husband, Hikogoro. In any case, I love the name Nobu, so that's what I went with.

Chapter 4 >>