Disclaimer: Hakuouki belongs to Hiraku Naki
The night was cold, with harsh midwinter wind howling through the trees and rattling the frames, keeping all who wished to sleep wide awake.
Chizuru shivered, and snuggled deeper inside her nest of blankets in a vain attempt to find warmth. Goosebumps dotted her arms as she tossed and turned. The night had been long, and despite her best efforts, sleep continued to elude her. Sighing, Chizuru braced herself for a long, gruelling night.
Suddenly, the howling ceased and a serene silence fell over the headquarters of the Shinsengumi. For a moment, she froze; shocked by the abrupt change. Then, slowly, she crept to her window and gasped.
It had been snowing, an unnaturally large snowstorm for Kyoto, and the inner courtyard was blanketed in white. As quietly as possible to avoid the wrath she'd certainly incur if she was discovered, Chizuru quickly exchanged her sleeping yukata for her day clothes. After making sure she was sufficiently protected against the cold, Chizuru cautiously opened the door and plunged into the snow.
Hijikata woke up with a start. Only a couple hours earlier, he had succumbed to his battle against fatigue and abandoned the tedious documents, sleeping soundly despite the incessant wind.
Now however, muffled footsteps in the silent courtyard shattered any and all fatigue he had left, and his body tensed in the dark. Reaching for his sword, Hijikata rose with a predatory grace, his movements causing not a single disturbance, making not a single sound.
Only the arrogant and the foolish dared intrude the Shinsengumi headquarters; after all, they did not gain their fearsome but much-admired reputation for nothing. Still, for caution's sake, he decided to observe the intruder from the window.
What he saw made him furious, then want to throw himself against the wall in disbelief. Chizuru, the girl they'd found on Kyoto's streets, was playing in the snow.
Initially, he had thought she was trying to escape. It was the obvious conclusion anyone would have made, and it made him furious. Did she really expected to make it out alive?
Seething, it had taken him a few moments to register the girl's actions. Instead of searching for an escape route as he had supposed, Chizuru proceeded to flop on the ground and wheel her arms and legs back and forth, creating an imprint of her body in the fresh snow.
He stared, at loss for what to think. She would risk his, as well as all the captains' displeasure, just to play in the snow?
Slightly amused by the thought, Hijikata stepped back, melting into the shadows. His eyes however, never left the petite figure prancing about outside as they glimmered slightly with mirth.
At the same time, each of the captains woke up in their respective rooms with a start.