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Gajevy Week 2017: Chapter 3—Gajevy of the Shinsengumi

Summary: Gajeel has convinced Levy to join the Shinsengumi as an alternative to trying to live homeless on the streets of Kyoto. But what can an undersized girl of seventeen do in the middle of a bunch of burly warrior-types without giving herself away? More importantly, will Gajeel tell her more about the mysterious "People" who she is supposedly related to? And will she ever get to learn more magic?

Words ~ 4300

Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, especially to those who have taken the time to leave reviews and comments on FF, AO3 or tumblr. Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Special thanks to Shell1331 (tumblr @shell-senji) for constant support and to boogey56 for her reviews and for the NEW COVER ART for this story!

Chapter 3—Gajevy of the Shinsengumi Prompt: Day 2 & Day 3—Longing & Pillow Talk (Ch.3, Part II)

[I] - Staying Busy

There was surprisingly little time to talk, and Levy discovered that her new mentor hadn't been kidding about her servant days being good training for her new life as a page for the Shinsengumi. As she was too junior (and allegedly too new to Kyoto) to be allowed to deliver messages, her duties included kitchen duty—prep work and cooking—cleaning, laundry, and lessons. She also ran general errands within the compound and helped out on regular shopping trips. It was a good thing that she was used to being up before dawn and had always had unusual stamina for her size.

In fact, the Shinsengumi day started a little later than at the inn, but Gajeel-san had decided that before dawn was her only decent chance to bathe and train with her short-sword, although the ordering left something to be desired. Strangely, the brutal hours didn't seem to bother Gajeel-san, who was presumably adding an extra hour on to his own busy days.

Fortunately, the whole Shinsengumi compound—which included both the officers' quarters and the regulars' more crowded accommodations—was in an uproar for a few days following the raid on the Ikedaya Inn, making Levy's arrival far less noticeable than it might have been otherwise. The other thing that helped was that Gajeel-san introduced her to the two other lieutenants that he shared a room with.

Yamazaki-san was there when Levy first arrived around mid-afternoon the day after the raid. He was a slight man—or rather, he wasn't tall, which meant he looked slight beside Gajeel-san—and a few years older than most of the other Shinsengumi lieutenants. It turned out that he had qualified as a doctor before joining the police force, and he acted as the Shinsengumi's chief medic.

"Yamazaki! I'm afraid I've stuck us with a new roommate—but the kid's tiny, so no worries."

Yamazaki, who had been writing notes in a journal of some kind, had looked up with a neutral expression, which had sharpened to something like interest within about ten seconds of surveying Levy. Levy knelt just inside the door and bowed as protocol required. Gajeel-san closed the door behind them and sat down as well, although the way he lounged against the wall was in stark contrast to Yamazaki-san's neat posture.

"It appears that you have brought us greater worries than floor-space, Tani," Yamazaki said softly, once the door was closed.

Gajeel-san shrugged. "She's safer here than on the streets of Kyoto, and I didn't think you'd give her away. No idea whether the Vice Commander caught on or not—and I'm not planning to ask, if you don't mind."

Yamazaki-san—that is, Yamazaki-sensei, since he was a doctor—continued to examine Levy, who began to feel uncomfortable. She was also annoyed with Gajeel-san: he hadn't told her that he was going to tell anyone. Although he hadn't actually done so, of course.

"Most of the captains will figure it out eventually," Yamazaki observed and Gajeel grunted in agreement. "Very well, boy, what is your name?"

Levy almost gave her real name—there was something rather compelling about the man for all of his reserved demeanor—but she caught herself in time. She'd suggested Aoi as a first name, since she was used to answering to that name, but Gajeel-san had been firmly against it. He'd said that since she was trying to hide her blue hair, nothing about her should suggest the colour blue to others.

"I am Yukimura Aki," Levy told Yamazaki with another bow. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Hmm. You told her to say that, Tani? How interesting." Yamaki-sensei looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he just shook his head. "Welcome to the Shinsengumi, Yukimura-kun. On the bright side, I am definitely in need of an assistant, and you seem, ah, brighter than most." (1)

Gajeel-san seemed to relax at that point, although he didn't actually move.

"Dōmo, Yamazaki. What he means, shrimp, is that he'll work you like a dog but you'll learn lots if you keep your eyes and ears open. The kid really needs to learn how to write, Yamazaki."

Again, there was a stillness about Yamazaki-san that suggested he was hearing more than Gajeel-san was saying. He responded with brief nod, however.

"I'll do what I can. But I thought his name was Aki, not Ebi?" (2)

Gajeel-san chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, but he's so tiny, y'know?"

Yamazaki-san ignored the other man this time. "Put your things in that corner, Yukimura-kun. Then come here and show me what you can write, no matter how little. We may as well start now, since you should know at least the basics if you're going to pass for a boy."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Yamazaki-sensei. I can read more than I can write, but… not very much."

For the first time ever, Levy felt ashamed of her illiteracy. As a girl and a servant it had never been a problem, but her existing skills seemed terribly inadequate for the purpose of assisting this obviously well-educated man. She put her things in the space indicated, including her short-sword. She hoped she wouldn't be expected to write and study while wearing the clumsy thing. Gajeel-san frowned, as she had expected, but Yamazaki-san didn't seem to care one way or the other, and his own swords were sitting on a rack on the wall nearby.

She sat down cross-legged beside her new teacher, took the slate and stylus that Yamazaki-san handed her, and wrote the few words that she knew: light, rice, egg… It occurred to her that she knew more than she had realized, or at least, she must have figured out how to write some of the words that she had learned how to read for shopping purposes. The characters were malformed and very childish, but mostly legible.

Yamazaki-san looked at her sharply. "I thought you said that you could write very little."

Levy bowed. "I haven't tried to write in a long time, Yamazaki-sensei. But I did learn to read certain words, for running errands, and I seem to be able to… figure out?... how the characters should be written. I'm sorry if what I said was misleading."

"Mmm. Well, it's not too surprising, I suppose. And your style needs a lot of work."

"Yes, sensei." Levy hesitated. There was one other word she knew—a simple one—but for some reason she was reluctant to write it. Still, she wanted to do her best. "I can also write the word iron."

For some reason, both Yamazaki-sensei and Gajeel-san seemed to become very still—that same, very attentive stillness that Levy had noticed before with the medic when he'd been studying her. Gajeel-san spoke from behind her:

"Can you now? That's very interesting, shrimp. And did you just happen to pick that one up, or did you learn that before—when your dad was around?"

"Before," Levy said automatically, although she hadn't realized that she knew the answer until she spoke. More slowly, she added: "But… I think I was told not to use it? Or be careful with it?" She turned a little so that she could see Gajeel-san without putting her back to Yamazaki-sensei. "That doesn't really make sense, does it?"

Gajeel-san gave her one of his sombre looks, the kind that made him look much more like an oni than a human, somehow.

"It makes loads of sense, kid, but we'll have to talk about it another time. Right, Yamazaki-sensei?"

"Yes," responded the medic briefly. "Also, Yukimura-kun, you will not refer to me as sensei except when we are working together here. Otherwise it makes me a target for our enemies. Do you understand? One should always strive to be… unremarkable to others, on the whole. It is—usually—safer that way."

Levy stored up the words, and how they were spoken, in order to consider their full meaning later. She had the distinct impression that there were different layers of warnings being given. Fortunately or unfortunately, she had many other things to ask questions about.

"May I ask why you are called an Inspector, sensei?" Gajeel-san had used the term earlier.

Yamazaki-sensei hesitated a moment and then shrugged. "We—my colleague Shimada and I—are involved in collecting information for the Shinsengumi executive. That includes keeping an eye on disciplinary matters within the Shinsengumi."

"Oh. Thank you." Levy reviewed the explanation in her mind. The main point seemed to be that the Shinsengumi spied on everyone, including their own people.

"I have to go," said Gajeel, rising. "How are the captains doing, Yamazaki?"

"I was just writing up my notes when you came in," Yamazaki said dryly. "Okita-san has bruising and cuts, but nothing to explain why he was coughing up blood. He could be sick. I'll be keeping a close eye on him. Maybe Yukimura-kun can help."

"You think?" For some reason Gajeel-san looked uneasy. "Guess it makes sense though. What about Heisuke-san?"

"Tōdō-san is still badly injured," replied Yamazaki, with a reproving look at Gajeel. "It's a serious head wound and he's lucky he's so tough—it would have killed most people. He'll be out of commission for a while yet. Will they give you a squad?"

"Don't know. Our Oni no Fukuchō hasn't said what he's doing yet." (3)

"I take it from your hopeful look that you'd like your young cousin to stay here?"

"Yeah, that would be good, thanks."

Gajeel-san raised a hand and slipped out of the room, moving much faster and far more quietly than his size would suggest possible. Levy suddenly felt bereft. Her mentor might be intimidating, but at least he had invited her here. Yamazaki-sensei was much harder to read and she still didn't know what he thought of her—or about the fact that Gajeel-san wanted him to teach her to write. Most men that she had known simply didn't bother with women at all, except for cooking and serving food, and sex. From what Keiko-san had taught her about sex, it was best avoided if at all possible, although it was an unavoidable consequence of marriage, of course.

"I take it that you do not have family—other than Tani, of course—here in Kyoto?"

"No, sensei. That is, I do not know of any."

"I see. Did Tani tell you who is who in the Shinsengumi?"

"Hai. The leader is Commander Kondō Isami, who is a strong warrior. The Deputy Commander is Sannan Keisuke-san, but he is currently injured—his arm, I think?" When Yamazaki-sensei nodded, she continued. "Then Hijikata-san, the Vice Commander, who deals with daily matters and discipline—he is very strict—then there are several Captains. I have memorized their names."

Yamazaki-sensei raised a hand to stop her. "No need. Tell me, though, when did you learn all this?"

"While we were walking here, sensei."

"You have a good memory."

"Yes, sensei." No point in false modesty, Levy decided. She wanted to be valuable to this man so that he would want to help her.

"You have heard me mention Okita Sōji-san, Captain of the First Division, and Tōdō Heisuke-san, Captain of the Eighth Division. Okita-san is known as the Sword-Saint and Tōdō-san is the youngest of the executive officers."

"Yes. They were injured last night." Was it only last night? Gods I'm tired.

Yamazaki-sensei nodded, and she sensed that he was interested in what she could remember, despite himself. "Alright, tell me about the other captains."

Levy brought the necessary information to mind. She had always loved the way her mind arranged things for her, so that she could easily find something she'd heard once before.

"Nagakura Shinpachi is Captain of the Second Division. He is an excellent swordsman and a strong leader." She hesitated, and then added: "He likes to visit Shimabara more than most." (4)

When Yamazaki-sensei didn't comment or look concerned, Levy was heartened and continued.

"Saitō Hajime-san is Captain of the Third Division. Gajeel-san said that he is quiet and very dangerous." Levy paused again, unsure how much she should be repeating of her erstwhile cousin's explanations. "Gajeel-san is Saitō-san's Sub-Captain, but he often works with Okita-san and Nagakura-san as well."

Just as she finished her sentence, the medic tilted his head, as though hearing something outside.

"Ah, my colleague is back."

Sure enough, the door opened to admit the second-biggest man Levy had ever seen.

"Shimada," Yamazaki said at once, "this is Yukimura Aki, a distant cousin of Tani's. He's going to be sharing the room with us—blame Tani—and acting as a page."

Levy had the impression that Yamazaki was trying to ensure that Shimada-san didn't react badly to finding a stranger in his quarters. It seemed like a sensible precaution with a man Shimada-san's size.

"Ah." Shimada-san eyed her thoughtfully from under heavy brows and then smiled, looking all at once much less intimidating. "Good afternoon, Yukimura-kun. Excuse me while I get some things. I need to bathe and change."

It was true that Shimada-san looked grubbier and less well-dressed than the others. It occurred to Levy that he had been out gathering information in the city. The big man grabbed clean clothes from a small chest and left again.

"Yamazaki-sensei?"

"Yes, he knew you were a girl," Yamazaki responded at once. "But he'll play along like everyone else, since Tani wants him to. Remember this, though: none of us will cover for you if you make an obvious mistake; it could cost our lives. So it is up to you to play your role well. Now, I must return to work. I will give you two words to copy out on the slate while I am busy. We will leave brushes and ink until another day."

[II]—Pillow Talk

It was extraordinarily frustrating, but Levy didn't have a chance to learn more about the People, and her mysterious heritage, until several days later. She obeyed Gajeel-san's order implicitly when it came to dealing with anybody other than her roommates, which meant that she spoke very little beyond "yes, sir" and "here it is, sir" during the day, except when she was working for Yamazaki-sensei. Sleeping arrangements were far less trouble than she'd expected, because Shimada-san and Yamazaki-sensei were frequently out all night and she was up before dawn.

Every morning, she and Gajeel-san would go to the dojo to work on her weapon skills. Despite his apparently care-free attitude, Gajeel-san was absolutely focussed when it came to her physical training.

"You have to be able to draw your sword and put it away again without hurting yourself," he told her the first morning. "Otherwise, we're both in a lot of trouble. We'll talk about the other things later, I promise."

Over the course of the five or six days following her arrival, Levy met or ran errands for all of the executive officers of the Shinsengumi other than Sannan-san, who appeared to be something of a recluse. It was evident, however, that each officer had made a point of seeking her out, and she began to realize that suspicion bordering on paranoia characterized most of the higher-ranked Shinsengumi. Okita-san and Saitō-san scared her the most.

Okita-san began by scowling at her—he was unhappy about being consigned to his bed, apparently—and spent most of his time in her company either asking her prying questions or teasing her. He mocked everything she did, especially the way she wore her sword "like a child about to overbalance at any minute". She saw him most days, to bring food and clean his room, and he never failed to conclude her visits by reminding her that her position was precarious:

"You may or may not be Tani's cousin, and I know you're under his protection. But never forget that if you screw up or betray us then we'll have to kill you."

The strangest thing about Okita-san was that she had seen him smile once, when Commander Kondō had come to visit while Levy was tidying the room. It was as if the sun had come out from behind a bank of storm clouds. Okita-san had a dazzling smile, the kind that made people want to smile back for no reason. Sadly, he didn't share that smile Levy.

Saitō-san hadn't said very much to her—he didn't say much to anyone. He was about average height for the Shinsengumi, about five and a half feet tall, and looked slight, like Yamazaki-sensei. But Levy had seen him take apart a practice target in under ten seconds with three methodical swings of his sword, which he seemed to use right- or left-handed with equal facility. Gajeel-san told her that Okita-san and Saitō-san were both very strong and not to mess with them, ever. Because they hadn't been in public at the time, Levy had rolled her eyes at him and told him to lecture somebody who needed to know. He'd laughed and called her "not so dumb after all, for such a tiny thing."

By the end of her first week with the Shinsengumi, Levy had realized that Okita-san and Saitō-san both registered as dangerous to her in the same way as Gajeel-san had from the beginning. The difference was that she no longer felt afraid of Gajeel-san. The only other people who gave her that same sense of danger were Vice Commander Hijikata—who she rarely saw—and Harada Sanosuke-san, the tall, red-haired Captain of the Tenth Division. Harada-san didn't seem to care that everyone stared at his red hair, which he wore in a low pony-tail that hung most of the way down his back. Harada-san was friendlier to Levy than the other captains, and seemed to smile more often as well, but the Tenth Division Captain already had a young relative to act as a page and general errand-boy.

The eighth night that Levy spent with the Shinsengumi was very unusual, because when she set out her thin futon in "her" corner, she realized that she was the only person in the room. It was an excellent opportunity to change her underclothes—the simple white nagajuban and fundoshi (5) that almost everyone wore—without quite so much care as usual. The men had taken the approach that it was up to her to avert her eyes if they were changing (which she did, mostly), but Levy was more cautious, after all the warnings that she'd been given.

She was just starting to drift off to sleep, exhausted as usual, when the door slid open and Gajeel-san came in. He stood in the doorway for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the deeper gloom—he wasn't carrying a lantern—and then he put away his swords, fetched his over-sized futon, and stretched out on his back near Levy as he usually did. Levy was always impressed by how silent and efficient he could be in almost complete darkness.

"Still awake are you, Shrimp?"

"Yes, Gajeel-san."

"Good. Yamazaki and Shimada will be gone for several hours, if not all night, so we can talk a little about the People now if you want."

Levy sat bolt upright. "Now? Of course!"

"Hush your voice and lie down or we won't be talking about anything except how you nicked your hand this morning when you tried to re-sheath your sword."

The admonition was serious and the incident embarrassing enough that Levy had no desire to hear about it again. She whispered an apology and hurriedly put her head back down on her pillow. Then she turned to face Gajeel-san. He huffed a breath out—in amusement or annoyance she couldn't tell—and then he began to talk, his eyes light red embers in the dark.

"'The People' is how we refer to those of us who use magic in this country, which is to say those who come from one of the four great clans. Not every descendant of the great clans can still use magic, but it is fair to say that anyone who can use magic must have the blood of one of the great clans in them. We are not the same as what humans call the yōkai, but it's fair to say that some of the legends about yōkai are about us. My clan are sometimes confused with the legendary oni—yes, I know you've thought it—and I understand why, but actually I'm a descendant of an even smaller family, whose powers come from the dragons themselves."

Levy had to put both hands over her mouth to prevent her exclamation of surprise from echoing around the room.

"Dragons, Gajeel-san?" Her voice sounded high and incredulous, even to her.

"Believe it or not, Shrimp." He sighed, and there was a note in his voice that Levy could not place at first.

"… You… miss them, Gajeel-san?" Levy blurted out, as it finally clicked for her.

"I said to keep it down, Aki, and I meant it."

"Yes, sir."

There was a long silence, and Levy began to be afraid that Gajeel-san had decided to stop the lesson for the night. And yet… The longing in his voice—for his home, for others of his kind, for something like family—had been palpable. She couldn't see his face, only the shape of his head on his pillow, a darker shadow that was his mass of black hair, and the gleam of red eyes.

"Hmph. Alright. The clan that we call the Oni—the demons—are also relatively rare, although their people are more common than the descendants of the dragons. They typically work with elemental magics as the Dragonfolk do. Then there are the Yōsei, (6) who are the most common and generally the most human-like, although usually lighter and smaller than most humans, with unusual hair, eyes or both."

The red eyes shifted from looking at the ceiling to looking at Levy, who had wisely kept her hands over her mouth. Her soft brown eyes had lightened to a bright hazel, as they tended to do when she was excited about something. Gajeel-san nodded at her.

"Yeah, that'd be your folks, most likely, though writing magic isn't too common. Just for sake of completeness, then, there's also the Doubutsu no ke, the animal shapeshifters, but… I've never seen one and I don't know if they still exist."

"How… could they not exist?"

"The humans have been trying to stamp out magic in the world for a long, long time, Shrimp. Why do you think we're so careful? An' from what I remember about the animal folk, human hunters loved to catch them in their animal forms 'cause they were big. Anyway, it's not like everyone only has kids with their own kind or within their own type, you know? So most people descend from more than one of the great clans these days."

Gajeel-san sighed. Then he reached over and patted Levy head.

"It's a tough world for the People these days, kid. Worse since the Split. But that's politics an' it'll have to wait for another time."

Levy uttered a faint protest. "But, Gajeel-san—"

"Yeah, I know. An' I promise that you'll learn more soon, okay? Have you spotted any more of us around? Like I said, there are a few… exiles… in Kyoto."

Levy pondered the question. She was pretty sure that she was sharing a room with more than one of the People, but she hated to guess wrong and look stupid. Still, this was Gajeel-san, and even though he teased her, he also seemed to be fond of her for some reason.

"I think… Yamazaki-sensei? And maybe Shimada-san as well?"

"Hmm, you could be right," Gajeel said noncommittally. "Who else then, do you think?"

"Okita-san. But he scares me. I don't think he likes me very much."

"Ah yes." Gajeel-san sounded sad again. "He used to be one of the happiest people you knew. Always up for a scrap, mind you, so that hasn't changed… but he lost a lot, so he did."

"So I was right?" Levy prodded.

"… Who else?"

"Hmph. You aren't really helping, are you? Well, if I'm right about Okita-san, then Saitō-san—he's scary too, but not so mean. Just—cold? And Harada-san. I like him, but I haven't worked for him much."

Gajeel-san yawned ostentatiously.

"Well, you've got a good imagination, Shrimp, under that blue hair o' yours. Should be interesting."

Despite Levy's further protests, all she got was another pat on the head and a firm "shush". Annoyed, but too tired to want to start anything, she finally gave up and said goodnight.

She had a lot to think about.

Endnotes:

(1) One meaning of "Aki" is "bright". Yamazaki might also be aware of Levy's unusual heritage, in which case he might simply assume she is intelligent just as Gajeel did, based on physical characteristics (size and hair colour).

(2) Ebi is "shrimp" in Japanese (more or less—just go with the simple translation).

(3) Oni no Fukuchō (demon/ogre Vice Commander) was the nickname given to (real life) Shinsengumi officer Hijikata Toshizō because of his ruthless disciplinary measures; he was the second-in-command of the Shinsengumi and eventually its leader during the civil war of 1868-69 between the Shogun's forces and the primarily south and south-western provinces of Japan (who were eventually backed by the Emperor).

(4) Shimabara was a sanctioned red-light district of Kyoto where men went to drink and be entertained by both performers and prostitutes (who might be one and the same, although this was not always the case).

(5) A plain under-kimono and simple underwear (made of folded cloth and ties).

(6) Yōsei are really a Japanese adaptation of the western concept of "fairy". However, the concept suited my story.

A/Note: Thank you for reading. This story is becoming more complex than intended, but will be completed within the scope of Gajevy Week (not so sure about the dates). Also, NEXT CHAPTER: REVEALS on some FAIRY TAIL characters within the Shinsengumi! Please review or leave a comment, like, kudo or reblog as appropriate to the medium (FF, AO3, tumblr). :)

~Impracticaldemon

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