Disclaimer: RK is not mine but Nobuhiro Watsuki's.

Summary: In an era where trust is hard to come by, Okita Souji and 
Saitou Hajime have a binding friendship. Against the backdrop of an 
unfolding war and the threat of an unknown assassin, two friends find 
themselves at the point where sometimes, being just friends is not nearly 
enough...

Warning: This is a story centring around Okita and Saitou. Yes, it will 
be yaoi-ish. No, I will not apologise for it. If it offends you, then 
please stop reading now. As for my characterisations of Saitou and 
Okita, there will be OOCness although I will do my best to make things 
believable. Also, I've meddled with history and made up events. This is 
fiction, neh?


THIS SIDE OF DESIRE

I. Gathering Storm

The smell of rain was overwhelming. Sharp, clean and clear, it broke 
through the haze of fatigue that hung on him like a heavy web. A storm 
would break tonight. When the first few drops hit his face, Saitou drew 
back and shut the windows. Glancing down at his blood splattered 
clothes, he knew that he should be on his way to the bath for a thorough scrub 
and change of attire. 

When he stepped out of the bathhouse, wet hair slicked back in a low 
tail, he saw a small figure approaching down the corridor. With his 
delicate build, large honey brown eyes and heart-shaped face, Okita Souji 
might have been mistaken either for a very young boy or an innocent girl 
early in her teenage years. In truth, he was neither. At the age of 
twenty-two, he was the famous First Captain of the Shinsengumi and anyone 
stupid enough to be fooled by his appearance often ended up dead or 
eventually dying of grievous injuries. He was also almost a complete 
stranger to Saitou. Although he had known of Okita ever since he had entered 
the Shinsengumi, it wasn't until this year, when he was promoted to the 
rank of Third Captain that they had been formally introduced. 

The corridor was narrow and as they passed, Saitou and Okita inevitably 
ended up brushing against each other. Saitou would have simply carried 
on walking but Okita turned around and so did he. Fellow colleague or 
not, Saitou was not going to turn his back on any man as dangerous as 
Okita. Even within the Shinsengumi itself, all was not completely well. 
Politicking had set in and it was being circulated that Kondou Isami and 
Hijikata Toshizou were uniting against Serizawa Kamo. Meanwhile members 
spied on each other and although nobody spoke openly about it, everyone 
knew that the wolves of Mibu did not reserve their fangs only for the 
official enemy. It did not pay to be careless within the pack. Saitou 
himself took no sides but he had heard and even seen for himself that 
Serizawa was a hot-headed fool, dangerous with a blade, sly and clever but 
still a fool. The man would bring about the fall of the Shinsengumi if 
he were ever to take over it completely. But if it was anyone's duty to 
discipline him, it was Kondou's and Hijikata's, not Saitou's unless he 
was specifically ordered to take care of it.

"Saitou-san, I heard you met with the mystery assassin tonight." The 
words were well enunciated, the tones dulcet and gentle. No wonder it was 
rumoured that Okita Souji had a great many admirers both within his 
unit and in others as well. He was beautiful, skilled with a blade and 
educated, Saitou observed. 

"I did. He killed one of men, most probably two. The doctor says Yoshi 
will not live out this night. We'll see." 

"What was he like?" There was a subtle gleam of excitement in Okita's 
eyes that he did not bother to hide. "The men say he is a devil, 
red-headed and golden-eyed, moving faster than a torrential flood and just as 
unstoppable."

"The men have a great way with words and exaggeration," Saitou said 
dryly. To his surprise, Okita chuckled. "He is no spirit Okita-san. He 
bled this night and I was close enough to smell the sweat on him. He is a 
man like you and I."

"But too much for our troops to handle. So be it," Okita seemed to be 
speaking more to himself than to Saitou. For the first time, Saitou felt 
a flicker of interest in the younger man who stood before him. In his 
voice Saitou could hear something that reflected his own feelings, a 
yearning for an opponent who would not fall easily, a measure that one 
could use as a personal standard. A hated enemy that one could actually 
respect on the basis of his skill and lack of fear. There had been death 
in the assassin's eyes tonight. He would not hesitate to kill or be 
killed in the line of duty. That was something Saitou and all true 
Shinsengumi had in common with the Ishin shishi fighter. 

"You will meet one of these nights, Okita-san. Believe me, you will. 
Perhaps you will be the one to kill him. But only if I don't do so 
first."

A smile that was best described as cheeky crossed Okita's face. "My, 
you sound a little possessive Saitou-san. You wish to claim this assassin 
for yourself then."

"Like I said, he is fair game for whoever meets him the next time 
around. And if you don't mind Okita-san, I still have some work to do. 
Goodnight," he said, thus neatly ending a conversation that he did not wish 
to prolong. For beneath Okita's questions and sincere interest in the 
unknown assassin, Saitou sensed another intention as well. Okita had not 
stopped him simply to ask questions; he was also trying to enlarge upon 
their miniscule acquaintance. For what purpose, Saitou could only 
guess. Okita was extremely close to Kondou and Hijikata, it was impossible 
to offend him and not offend them in turn and vice versa, any friend of 
his also came into their favour. Although both of them held identical 
ranks as Captains, in terms of political clout within the group, Okita 
was definitely in a higher position. 'Maybe he wishes to bring me over 
to Kondou and Hijikata's side,' Saitou mused. Should there be a stand 
off between them and Serizawa, it would definitely be to their advantage 
if all of the captains, or at least a majority of them, were on their 
side. Saitou smirked derisively. He had no intention of being a pawn in 
some power play that would tear their group apart. If he was going to 
have to take sides, he would do so of his own free will and according to 
his own judgements. To tell the truth, he was a little disappointed 
that even the Shinsengumi could not put aside their squabbles and 
concentrate on destroying the enemy first. But Saitou had never been naïve even 
as a child and he was definitely wiser than he was three years before 
when he had first joined the group. It was human nature to grasp for 
personal power and advantages. It didn't take a seer to foresee the 
oncoming clash between Serizawa and the other two leaders. The only question 
was when would it occur and how many casualties would result from it. 

.... ...... ..... .....

Okita chewed his lower lip thoughtfully as he pushed the door aside and 
entered the bath. After a quick scrub, he entered the tub, slipping 
into the warm water gratefully. The night had been unusually chilly and 
his body, already exhausted from numerous battles and patrols around 
Kyoto had been screaming for some rest. He hoped Nagakura would be fine by 
the next day; pulling double duty for two units was beginning to take 
its toll on him. Always slender in spite of numerous attempts in his 
youth at stuffing himself to put on more weight, he was fast approaching 
thin. But for the moment, Okita's mind was more preoccupied with the 
reception he had received from Saitou Hajime, the notorious Third Captain. 

There was not one man in the entire Shinsengumi who had not heard of 
the Third Captain and his deeds. Fearless and second to none on the 
battlefield, Saitou was equally well-known for his principles. In fact, he 
was so trustworthy that Hijikata had decided to put him in charge of 
investigating members who were suspected of being corrupted. "That man 
will investigate even me if I come under suspicion," Hijikata had remarked 
and Kondou had agreed. But Saitou Hajime was somewhat of an enigma as 
well. He got along fine with other people as long as they left him alone 
or did not annoy him. He did his duty, was fiercely loyal to the group 
but no one was close enough to him to consider themselves his friend. 
Nobody really knew where he had come from or what he had been before the 
Aizu han sponsored his entry into the Shinsengumi. 

'Wonder what that's like, to have no friends,' Okita thought soberly. 
He was incredibly fortunate to have Isami and Toshizou as his friends. 
Indeed, sometimes they were more like older brothers and although they 
were fair, there were occasions when he pressed them to let him handle 
the more dangerous missions. Okita's eyes narrowed as his thoughts 
shifted over to the mystery assassin. From Saitou's words, this new 
adversary was indeed dangerous. If his eyes had not deceived him, Saitou had 
not gotten off scot-free from tonight's encounter either. Normally the 
latter moved with a fluid grace. Tonight he had moved just a fraction 
slower, a fraction more stiffly. 'Probably wounds on his legs. And maybe 
his back.' Okita had never sparred with Saitou before but he had seen 
some of the other captains' sessions with him. With the probable 
exception of himself, there wasn't a captain in the Shinsengumi that Saitou 
could not take down. 

"You will meet one of these nights, Okita-san. Believe me, you will." 
Saitou's words echoed in Okita's ears. A shiver rippled up his spine and 
goosebumps rose on his smooth skin. Yes, he would meet the assassin 
some day, he felt sure of it. And yet as he pondered over when and where 
the encounter would take place, he couldn't help but think of the next 
occasion when he too would meet Saitou again. 'Hopefully sooner than I 
will this assassin. Hopefully.'