What makes history (Hijikata x OC)

Réconfort

I adore that chapter. There's just something about the setting that is really peaceful.

I didn't have to reach Hijikata's room to hear the rumble of his voice. Fukuchō was still awake, from the likes of it, sitting upon the engawa in the night.

Was he worried about our patrol? Or unable to sleep altogether? It certainly wouldn't be the first time he wandered the compound aimlessly, seeking appeasement from his ever-running mind. Those shoulders of his held the world, and never faltered.

As I approached, drowning in the shadows to better hear the lilt of his low voice, I spotted a pair of white ears upon the ground. Only thus did I realise that he was actually talking to Neko. My cat friend sat upon the ground, tail swishing gently, facing the Vice Commander with catlike nonchalance.

The night was so silent; winter had chased away insects and birds. The slight breeze that came from upper lands disturbed the few remaining leaves that desperately clung to the trees. Other than that, there was not a sound to be heard, except for his voice.

"Are cat's lives easier than humans?" he asked gently.

I froze in my tracks, allowing the low rumble to soothe me. Like thunder rolling, far away, carrying the hopes of a good rain to wash away the day's dirt. Hijikata's voice was a present to the world, especially in moments like those. Moments of peace.

His dark hair rested upon the purple hakamashita, bangs gently swaying as he observed Neko, the cat who'd made such a mess of things one day prior.

"Meow," she answered, her expression placid, but her eyes twinkling in the night.

The picture of them both under the moonlight, partaking in a conversation only psychics could possibly understand, was mesmerising. I momentarily wondered if I should turn tail; they both seemed so peaceful. I held my breath, frozen under the engawa's shadows in hopes he might not remark me.

Before all this, before being the Keeper of Time, I'd had trouble appreciating the precious moments of life. A student, hellbent on rising up in the world, living at too fast a pace to enjoy her surroundings. The occasional mountain trip with my parents were the only moments I found myself shutting my brain down to enjoy the wonders of nature. And the ocean, of course ... watching the ocean was something else altogether. But without its mesmerising waves and hidden power, I found myself trapped in the swirling pace of modern life.

After all this fighting, after facing death, and dealing it, I'd learnt to enjoy the slightest bit of beauty in the world. Legolas and the elves had taught me to look for it; they marvelled at the slightest flower, in the harshest conditions as well. This teaching followed me ever since, and I found that Tristan – as a scout – was attuned to nature like no other.

The Japanese way of life, through meditation and rituals, was just another push. And despite his short temper, Hijikata was a poet at heart. Through his eyes, beauty bloomed in the most down-to-earth situations. I'd remember my whole life how his features relaxed when he took a whiff at that cup of green tea in Kondō's office, the first time he confronted me. Serenity, for only a moment...

"Meow."

Hijikata gently chuckled when Neko gave him her most pleading expression; did she expect him to nourish her?

"Don't give me those eyes," he chastised with a chuckle.

His amusement got me to smile, and I suddenly felt the urge to join him. Would he be amenable to share? The instant I stopped regulating my breath, Hijikata's head whirled around, hand flying to his hip.

"It's just me," I murmured, rounding the engawa with my supple leather boots. The moonlight greeted my face and his features softened. I moved without haste to avoid scaring Neko away, but the cat only watched my approach with a typical feline expression. One that sometimes lingered upon Okita's face when he tried to look careless.