There was something about the way the godman watched him that irritated Hijikata, though he wasn't sure just what. Whether it was the way the relentless way this guy flaunted control or the way he presented ultimatums and threats every half a paragraph of conversation, Hijikata found the idea of submitting to Homura's ideas insulting without a real rational basis for why.
.....alternatively, it could just be the way he was tossing around the mayonnaise. Or the way he kept digging into Hijikata's weak points. Or talking about "commanding Okita" and "protecting Takasugi" like both options were the same to him--interchangeable, different only because of the two different sets of results that could follow.
But even so...Hijkata found himself remembering the guy he'd met yesterday in the shower. Angst!Okita, even if he'd been testing Hijikata since the beginning by not telling Hijikata who he was...for one reason or another, Angst!Okita had decided to place his faith in this man--to follow his every order and command just as Hijikata had decided he would, long ago, for Kondo-san. Hijikata didn't want to, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that any Okita would just go around tossing fealty to any power-hungry bastard that came along, so there had to be something different about this Homura guy.
It didn't mean Hijikata had to trust him. But it did mean he had to believe the man when he said he wanted to know what Takasugi was; he had to believe the godman did mean to protect those under him, including Angst!Okita, like any half-decent Shounen-Action-Series-Leader-who-Wasn't-the-Evil-Final-Boss would.
.............................
..............................yeah, probably.
"If it's 'simple' you want," Hijikata said, picking up the stray packet and placing it with shocking accuracy and balance on top of his Tower, "Lend me a sword for tonight and I'll have his head to you by morning."
He reached over and took another of Homura's packets--that made eight left in the godman's pile--and ripped the top clear off. He licked off the excess mayonnaise at the edge with something of a cross between an irritated and taunting expression--both of which clashed with the neat, careful way he was handling the mayonnaise.
"You didn't seem to care that he was a dangerous person before. Why could I tell you now that'd make a difference?"
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.....alternatively, it could just be the way he was tossing around the mayonnaise. Or the way he kept digging into Hijikata's weak points. Or talking about "commanding Okita" and "protecting Takasugi" like both options were the same to him--interchangeable, different only because of the two different sets of results that could follow.
But even so...Hijkata found himself remembering the guy he'd met yesterday in the shower. Angst!Okita, even if he'd been testing Hijikata since the beginning by not telling Hijikata who he was...for one reason or another, Angst!Okita had decided to place his faith in this man--to follow his every order and command just as Hijikata had decided he would, long ago, for Kondo-san. Hijikata didn't want to, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that any Okita would just go around tossing fealty to any power-hungry bastard that came along, so there had to be something different about this Homura guy.
It didn't mean Hijikata had to trust him. But it did mean he had to believe the man when he said he wanted to know what Takasugi was; he had to believe the godman did mean to protect those under him, including Angst!Okita, like any half-decent Shounen-Action-Series-Leader-who-Wasn't-the-Evil-Final-Boss would.
.............................
..............................yeah, probably.
"If it's 'simple' you want," Hijikata said, picking up the stray packet and placing it with shocking accuracy and balance on top of his Tower, "Lend me a sword for tonight and I'll have his head to you by morning."
He reached over and took another of Homura's packets--that made eight left in the godman's pile--and ripped the top clear off. He licked off the excess mayonnaise at the edge with something of a cross between an irritated and taunting expression--both of which clashed with the neat, careful way he was handling the mayonnaise.
"You didn't seem to care that he was a dangerous person before. Why could I tell you now that'd make a difference?"