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?

Notes: Much thanks to kamorgana, April-san, Susan, Mara and Midori for 
reviewing! And yes, there will be Himura in it, although no love 
triangle.


II. Lightning

To Okita's dismay, he was doubly disappointed on both accounts. No 
matter how hard he scoured the city, the assassin was simply nowhere to be 
found although there were reported clashes with the fifth and seventh 
troops. A total of ten men had been lost and Isami was beginning to get 
angry, even threatening to go out himself to fight this elusive killer. 

And as for meeting Saitou Hajime... He would probably have more luck 
finding the killer first. He had barely caught a glimpse of Saitou's 
shadow before the man was out of the headquarters, doing his rounds. And if 
he wasn't out patrolling, he was busy conducting his investigations and 
writing reports. Saitou wasn't committed, he was obsessed with work! 
Before he knew it, Okita channelled all his frustrations into one swift 
jab with the bokken and was rewarded by a cry of pain and a fallen 
opponent. Biting back the apology on the tip of his tongue, instead he 
helped his partner up, exchanged bows and left the dojo. 

"What's wrong with you?" Hijikata fell smoothly in step with Okita. 
"You usually aren't that harsh during practise." That was true. Okita saw 
no point in beating his fellow colleagues to a pulp. His usual method 
was to halt the 'killing' blow at the point where wood touched skin. 
That was enough to establish that he could have taken them down. 

"I'm fine. Just a bit moody, that's all. It's been a week and still I 
haven't encountered this assassin. What do I have to do? Go out there by 
myself?" As soon as the words left him, Okita's eyes lit up just as 
Hijikata's darkened with disapproval.

"I forbid that Souji-kun."

"But Toshizou-san-"

"I will not let you go out against this killer without any backup from 
your unit. You may think the sight of you alone is very tempting bait 
but I can't risk having any harm come to you. It would deal a blow to 
the men's morale."

"I can fight better than the first and second unit members put 
together," Okita said matter-of-factly. "If this assassin is capable of killing 
me, than he certainly is going to kill any men I take with me. Besides, 
the rules do not allow them to retreat once I sustain a fatal injury. 
So it really will be a fight to the finish for him and me, irregardless 
of the presence of my unit or not. I'll be saving you needless deaths 
this way."

"I still forbid it."

"Toshizou-san! I will not be treated like a child," Okita warned. At 
once all semblance of childlikeness dropped from his features and he 
stopped in his tracks. "I am after all the First Captain and it is my duty 
to protect Kyoto and the Bakufu. And I know that getting rid of this 
assassin falls within those boundaries."

"I thought I gave you another job to carry out."

"Oh, that. I'm working on it. But I think Saitou-san can be safely 
trusted to come to our side if Serizawa should revolt. He is a sensible man 
and a smart one at that. He knew that I approached him with a dual 
purpose and stopped me once he had given me all information about the 
assassin. I doubt that he will support a pompous egoist like Serizawa. I'll 
continue to keep an eye on him however."

"You do that." Hijikata stared off into the distance for a minute 
before turning back to Okita. "I did not mean to sound patronising Souji. 
Personal affection aside, as an organisation, we really cannot afford to 
lose one of our best men."

"I know," Okita muttered. He didn't agree with what Hijikata was trying 
to do, keep him protected when what he did best was going out to the 
battlefield but he would acquiesce to his superior's orders until he 
could convince him otherwise.

"Anyway, keeping an eye on Saitou and getting close to him is going to 
take up a lot of your energy and time."

"I'm beginning to realise just how much. He's always off on patrols or 
else doing his investigations. It is hard trying to get close to him."

"I'll see if I can arrange something. In the meantime, please 
understand my reasons." 

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

And thanks to Hijikata Toshizou's arrangements, Saitou and Okita were 
often scheduled for off-duty on the same days. He even managed to get 
Okita into the investigations team that Saitou had formed. Over a period 
of three months, these changes had been implemented gradually and in 
the most undeliberate manner but still, Saitou was not fooled and Okita 
knew that as well. Most men would have shown their resentment in petty 
ways or through outright rudeness. Either that or they would have taken 
the opportunity to butter up to him. Saitou seemed not to be in the 
least affected that his leaders had moved a spy next to him and right 
under his own nose at that. There was no occasion where he slighted Okita 
unnecessarily; the rebukes only came when Okita bungled matters, and 
that had been only once and due to his inexperience at the job. But 
otherwise, Saitou ignored Okita.

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

The air was especially dry today, Okita thought as he walked down the 
street. At the sight of his uniform, the crowds parted like water, not 
even a single whisper was heard amongst the people. There would 
definitely be talk later, but only when he and his unit were safely out of 
earshot. 

Four hours later, he returned back to the headquarters, subconsciously 
pleased by the fact that every single person they had stopped today had 
managed to produce proper identification. Okita did not like killing, 
nor did he dislike it. Necessity would move his blade, or passion to 
best an opponent. But he had no special thirst for blood, unlike a certain 
Jin'e Udo whose name was filtering through the ranks due to his 
uncontrolled killing sprees. And above all, he never forgot what he was 
fighting for. Death was unavoidable but the preservation of life, of a way of 
life as they all knew it was the first and foremost goal of all. 

He retired to his room only to discover that there was a stack of 
reports waiting for him. "What? Again?" he sighed, flipping through them as 
he dropped to his knees beside the table. Pleasure and displeasure 
flowed through him simultaneously. Pleasure because Okita knew that Saitou 
would not have given him any work at all if he did not at least feel 
that Okita was competent enough to handle it. Displeasure because this 
was also Saitou's way of getting back at him. Cold and impersonal as he 
was, there was still some part of Saitou Hajime that was not completely 
untouchable. Leaving the reports to one side, Okita cupped his face 
with both hands, a slight frown marring his brow. There really was no 
basis for his analysis of Saitou's personality, aside from the interaction 
over the past few months. Saitou had never been friendly to him at all. 
But Okita had an instinct for sourcing out what a person was really 
like and so far his instinct had not let him down. Yes, Saitou Hajime was 
truly an interesting person, an enigma that Okita wished to unwrap 
slowly at his leisure. 

It was close to midnight when he finally completed the last report. 
Rubbing sleepy eyes, Okita was just rising to his feet when he heard the 
sound of men trooping down the corridor. Quickly pushing the shoji 
aside, he came face to face with Saitou who had been about to knock on the 
door. "Oh," he exclaimed in surprise. "Saitou-san, I was hoping to run 
into you."

An unfathomable expression flickered across those hooded eyes, like 
lightning over a dry summer sky. "You're done with the reports?"

Okita nodded and went to retrieve the papers. "Yes, here they are. You 
can check them-"

"There's no need," Saitou interrupted. "I don't doubt that everything 
is in order." And with that, he walked off.

Okita's mouth almost fell open. That last comment could almost be 
considered a compliment. "Saitou-san!" he called. The taller man turned 
around and Okita's pulse quickened. What he was about to do would have its 
own consequences, none that were detrimental to the group as a whole. 
'But only to whatever friendship I wish to have with him.' 

His eyes must have deceived him for Saitou could have sworn that Okita 
had blushed. Surely the lights and shadows were playing tricks. "Hn?"

"Would you mind if I spoke to you?"

"About what?"

"It's a private matter." The men had been filing down the corridor 
while they had been speaking but now as those words left Okita's lips, a 
few of them actually turned around, openly curious looks on their faces. 
But when Saitou glared at them, they quickly scurried off to their own 
rooms. "Err...maybe it's not a good idea..."

"Don't be ridiculous. Come on, let's go." 

There weren't many people, aside from Isami and Toshizou, who could 
reduce him to feeling like a young foolish boy but Saitou had that 
annoying effect on him. Swallowing his annoyance, Okita silently followed the 
other man to his room. He would rather have had the talk in his own 
room, on his own ground. 

"What is it?" Saitou got right to the point the moment the door closed. 
Setting the papers down, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms 
across his chest. He had a rough idea about what Okita was about to 
say, he had known it would have happened sooner or later.

"Saitou-san, we both know that you are aware that it was Hijikata-sama 
who placed me in your investigations team, amongst other things."

Saitou nodded. 

He wasn't going to make this easy. Not that he was trying to embarrass 
him... 'Why do I have to feel embarrassed anyway? I was just doing my 
duty,' Okita reminded himself firmly. "I was supposed to keep an eye on 
you, to discover where your loyalties lay in case of a revolt by 
Serizawa."

"Was that all you did?" 

Okita blinked. There was an unmistakable second meaning beneath that 
innocent sentence. The candlelight flickered in spite of the closed 
windows, shadows lengthened over Saitou's lean features. The man was 
inscrutable when he wished to be. And suddenly Okita wondered just how much of 
his insight into the man had been a genuine result of his own efforts, 
and just how much of it had been given to him by Saitou. He had not 
detected any pretensions on Saitou's part though.

"Yes, that was all."

"And what did you find?" Saitou asked smoothly, as though they were 
discussing a casual matter and not a topic that could make or break his 
career in the Shinsengumi. 

"You are an intelligent man, perhaps one of the most intelligent we 
have. You will choose whoever puts the Bakufu and the Shinsengumi's 
interests before their own."

"And therefore that places me in Kondou and Hijikata's camp." It was a 
bold statement, almost insolent sounding to those who did not know 
better. Okita laughed then. 

"Yes, and with me as well." Okita allowed a moment of intense silence 
before continuing. "I'll report to Hijikata-sama tomorrow and let him 
know of my opinion. And I'll have Yui reinstalled back for duty on your 
team."

"I'd prefer if you didn't do that."

"Ah?" 

"You're much better than Yui. I would rather you remain on the team, if 
that's possible."

For one moment Okita had the oddest sensation that he was being drawn 
into a game that he had no idea was being played. He didn't like being 
caught off-guard but at the same time, he couldn't escape the excitement 
that thrilled in his blood. "That can be arranged. But...why?"

"Why what?"

"Saitou-san, please be honest with me as I am being with you. I was 
asked to spy on you. And you still trust me enough to want me to work with 
you?"

"Sometimes you can be incredibly naïve Okita." Saitou relished that 
instant when Okita's mouth dropped open, his face completely stripped off 
all emotion but surprise at Saitou's sudden audacity. "Did you think 
that I would sit idly by and allow you to work with me without knowing at 
least what kind of man you are? As long as I put the Shinsengumi's 
interests before my own, I have nothing to fear from you. I've watched you 
Okita. And I know you much better than you think I do."

He had underestimated Saitou Hajime. Badly. In terms of skill they were 
neck to neck even. But other than that...Hijikata had been wrong to put 
him on Saitou's track. "I see," Okita said softly, feeling terribly 
naïve and foolish all at once. It was a humbling experience. "It appears 
that you've got the better of me Saitou-san. Looks like we are even."

A low mellow laugh escaped Saitou, his first in many, many long months. 
"Not even. I've got the upper-hand."

"We'll see," Okita replied, a small smile twitching at the corner of 
his mouth. "I take it we understand each other then." That was about as 
open as he would be with his offer of friendship. Besides, Saitou would 
see it for what it was.

Saitou lifted a brow and lazy golden eyes swept over Okita. "We do," 
the older wolf replied in dark silken tones. 

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

"Did you think it was wise?" Hijikata looked at Kondou questioningly. 
For the first time, he felt doubtful about the course of action they had 
taken.

"It got us the results we wanted, didn't it?" Both leaders were in 
Kondou's room and Okita had left a short while ago after giving them a full 
account of what had happened. "Saitou's loyalties are with us now."

"They always were Kondou. It's only that it took Okita to make that 
clear to us."

"He was the only one that we could have sent. Nobody else is as 
trustworthy as he is, or a more ideal figure of what a Shinsengumi member 
should truly be like."

Hijikata shook his head. "You used Okita to win over Saitou to our 
side, or at least to convince him if someone like Okita was loyal to us, 
than we could be trusted as well. You'd better hope that nothing else 
comes out of this strange friendship of theirs."

"What else could happen?" 

Hijikata stared at Kondou. Sometimes his good friend could be 
unbelievably dense when it came to matters of the heart. There had been a 
strange light in Okita's eyes that he had been unable to hide, an odd 
excitement that radiated from him. " Hopefully nothing," he muttered, draining 
his cup.