The Gang that Rocks

Chapter XI. The spider and the fly

Chizuru's sensitive morning sleep was disturbed by the sound of the main door opening and the staircase cracking under someone's feet. She jumped up and hurried to wrap herself in a bathrobe.

Hijikata-san was standing in front of Okita's door, sipping coffee from a paper cup.

"Morning, Chizuru-chan. You can stay in bed. I've come to get him."

"Morning... But he must be sleeping. You know... he's tire-ed." mumbled Chizuru, suppressing a yawn.

Hijikata-san twisted his lips into a wry smile. "Souji had enough time to rest in jail." That simple thesis seemed to have become Hijikata-san's new guideline. He opened the door of Okita's room.

Chizuru peeked into the room over his shoulder. Of course, Okita was sleeping, his bare, bruised back turned to the visitors. She could hear his steady breath. Cold didn't seem to bother him. The girl frowned when Hijikata-san knocked at the door frame. Okita twitched and slowly sat up in bed. He shot an annoyed glare at Hijikata-san. Chizuru turned back to the hallway.

"G'morning, Hijikata-san, I'm so-o glad to see you out of all of humanity," mumbled Okita in a low voice, still half-asleep.

"Morning?!" exclaimed Hijikata-san. "Barely. I won't have time to fill you in later, so get up and go to the basement. Time to work."

"Aye, sir!" said Okita, raising his right hand to his brow in a derisive salute. "Gimme ten minutes." Surprisingly, he didn't argue.

'Damn workaholics', thought Chizuru.

Ten minutes later, Okita went down to the first floor, washed up and running his hand through still-disheveled hair. He ignored breakfast and obediently followed Hijikata-san to the basement to discuss current work issues.

Chizuru heard his sarcastic remark, following Hijikata-san's grumbling. She got dressed, feeling herself dangerously close to the deadliest secret of the Shinsengumi. Meaning, how on earth they all managed to work together. Especially those two, considering their roles in the creative process. Chizuru's curiosity won over her better judgment and she went to the basement.

***

"Souji!"

"I kept quiet!"

"Tch. I can hear you thinking. This new approach should work."

There they were, at each other's throats again.

"Have you ever thought that you should care just a bit less about approaches and rules and tactics?"

"And you could use some discipline."

The sound of giggling made them turn their heads towards the entrance. Chizuru saw their vexed faces and doubled over in laughter. Her laughter seemed to be contagious, as Okita smirked and the corner of Hijikata-san's lip rose.

"Hey! We are trying to work here!" said Hijikata-san.

"I see how you work," Chizuru said breathlessly. "I wonder how you managed to release the whole album with this approach."

"Well, Hajime is usually here, but he's busy right now," explained Hijikata-san.

So that was the secret, thought Chizuru. If it hadn't been for Saitou-san to keep them at bay, the work would have been paralyzed.

"Wanna join us, Chizuru-chan?" Okita smiled at her. "We are pleasantly wasting time here." He was sitting at his synth and Chizuru noticed that his damaged fingers were trembling slightly over the keys.