(no subject)

[hakodate]

WHO: Hijikata Toshizou. Possibly also you.
WHAT: Looking for something very important.
WHERE: All around the main camp.
WARNING(S): Shitty haiku, if he ever finds it.



[Today in your main camp, there is a samurai.

On a mission.

No matter where you've chosen to hang out today, you've probably seen him at some point. Rummaging around in whatever boxes or stacks of supplies are out, checking the ground, talking to people just out of your earshot...it seems like he's looking for something.

And judging by the way he occasionally mutters something grumpy and possibly profane under his breath, he doesn't seem to be finding it.

What do?]

Comments

[unobtrusively]

Do you need some help?

[ Souji's been watching him for a while and finally decided to approach the other man.]

[hakodate]

[He sizes the other man up and considers for a moment. Because sure, another pair of eyes is helpful, but only if it's someone who isn't going to pick it up and read it -

- oh, what the hell. He sighs.]

Have you seen a book, about so big, says "Hogyoku" on the cover?

[unobtrusively]

...You mean Toshi-san's haiku book?
[ Because obviously he's seen it before, several times. ]

Why are you looking for it?

[hakodate]

[One: why the hell would this kid recognize it...and yet not its owner? Two: what's with that almost accusatory tone? Three: It's a very short list of people who can address Hijikata as "Toshi" and get away with it, even if it's not exactly direct, in this case.

There are a lot of things wrong with this, and they're not adding up right.]

People tend to look for their things when they lose them.

Mind telling me who the hell you are?

[unobtrusively]

So you're claiming you own his book? [ That gets an arched eyebrow and a sharper look before one hand drops to the sword at his side.]
Okita Souji.

And who are you? Because you aren't Hijikata Toshizou.

[hakodate]

[All that skepticism and thinly veiled hostility is mirrored and just about doubled on Hijikata's face, although he doesn't reach for his own sword yet. The hell does this kid get off saying that?]

Bullshit.

[scioni]

[ The man sticks out like sore thumb when he moves with such lack grace. Silent panic in his tracks, clearly missing something important. But he only catches the tail end of his search, it seems - unable to realize exactly what he's searching for. In his mind, however, there is only one thing within Hjikata - no, the Shinsengumi's possession that is worth the stress. ]

Heh. To run into you here, as well... Don't tell me you've lost sight of her, already.

[ Because Chizuru's the important possession he's looking for, right? ]

[hakodate]

[...misconceptions Hijikata is not going to bother correcting: this one.

But of course Kazama would have to show up when he's already busy, in a bad mood, and not really in the mood to deal with his sorry demon ass.]

Not your business.

[scioni]

It is my business when what's rightfully mine... [ albeit in the shinsengumi's care ] ... has gone missing.

[ an easy misconception. with the way this hiji-whatever manages to jump in every time the girl is in trouble, he's surprised that she isn't anywhere in sight. but he's less concerned than he should be; she's got great luck managing to escape trouble nearly unscathed all that time... ]

[hakodate]

She's not yours, but I'm afraid I don't really have the time to argue with your sorry ass about it right now.

[Truthfully, he is worried about Kazama's presence, but he's not about to give Kazama the satisfaction of telling him so.

As if they needed one more thing to worry about in the middle of all this shit happening.]

[wolfthatbarkstheloudest]

[OH HEY, HE KNOWS THAT PERSON! Maybe.

...except the last time that he saw him, he had longer hair. Who did he dishonor that he had to have it hacked off? And dress weirdly? Is he even the real Hijikata? Maybe he's looking for his clothes.

...and his hair, though Heisuke's really not sure how one would even reattach that. Sorry, buddy, but you're on your own there.]

Hijikata-san?

[hakodate]

[OH HEY, HE KNOWS THAT VOICE!

Except the last time he heard it, Heisuke was kind of dying.

He stops right where he is for a moment, not turning around. It'd be easy enough to just write this off as a dream - hell knows he's seen the dead enough times that way. Except...

...except they're in the middle of crazy time vortex land surrounded by legends of the past and demons that are a lot uglier than the ones back home. Right. Is talking to the dead really that much stranger of an idea?

(No, but it's a much harder one.)

One long pause later, he finally turns around - when he's reasonably certain he can face Heisuke and keep a straight face.]

What?

[wolfthatbarkstheloudest]

[Yep, definitely Hijikata, but the clothes are all wrong and the hair...]

...What are you looking for?

[Regardless, Heisuke probably doesn't know where it is, but that doesn't mean he can't help look!]

[hakodate]

[He wasn't exactly expecting to see Heisuke with his hair still there, either, but just ignoring it suddenly feels much easier than even trying to explain what he expected to see from Heisuke.]

...a book.

[wolfthatbarkstheloudest]

... A book.

[Oh sure, like THAT explains everything right there. Dammit, Hijikata! Why does he have to be so-- oh. Oh OH...

A book.

Most likely THAT book.]

Are you sure you had it here? I mean, since this isn't exactly home or anything... Maybe Souji saw it!

[sadistsword]

[There is no way Souji wouldn't know that person. He is seen him enough to recognize him probably anywhere, no matter where it was. Even if his looks hadn't given Hijikata away, the way he was cursing

If it isn't Hijikata-san. What are you doing here, looking so strictly at everything?

[hakodate]

[Oh.

Actually, now that he thinks about it - ]

Looking for something that's missing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Souji?

[sadistsword]

[Looking totally innocent here in case that was an accusation or something.]

What is missing, Hijikata-san?

[hakodate]

[He sees this innocent look and doesn't buy it for a second.]

My poetry book.

[sadistsword]

Awww, that's not nice at all. Why do you always suspect me first, Hijikata-san?

[Totally guilty, but raising his eyebrows as if he was terribly hurt.]

[unrelenting_sword]

[ Clearly the obvious answer is to perch on one of the stacks, reading from a familiar book. AMIRITE? Because Hijikata needs more trolls in his life, and at least this one is prettier than he is.]

[hakodate]

[He's already yelled at his Souji, met another Souji, and by now, his patience is wearing pretty damned thin...

And then he sees exactly what this guy is reading.]

Where'd you find that?

[unrelenting_sword]

[ Souji looks up and blinks before tucking the book away in his yukata.]

Why are you interested in it? [ It's one thing to use it to bait Hijikata-san, but he didn't even let Tetsu have the real thing.]

[hakodate]

Because it looks an awful lot like the one I just lost.

[unrelenting_sword]

That doesn't mean it is.

Yours might be somewhere else around here though. [ Souji slidss off the stack to stand, studying the other man for a moment. ]

Perhaps you should keep looking if it's that important to you.