A/N: More OkiChi. Can't seem to get enough of this ship. Can't seem to get enough of this series, goddammit. I know Okita is a year higher than Chizuru in the games, but for the sake of romance and cheesiness, let's just pretend they're in the same year level. This story draws inspiration from the many Hakuoki seiyuu live dramas.

Reviews appreciated, my style of writing can use some improvement.

Love Notes

'I think the madness started the moment we met and you shook my hand. Did you have a disease or something?'

Being one of the only girls in an all-boys school did not truly have any perks. For one, she was always being stared at or whispered upon. There were boys who ignored her – thankfully – and boys who were simply disgustingly rude. Others who were a gentleman and treated her like a fragile object and boys who flirted with her endlessly. But Yukimura Chizuru did not mind at all, she had her childhood friend Heisuke to help support her whenever she needed it. He had made a point of punching anyone who would make her cry, if any guy in the school would ever do that to his friend. The teachers were kind as well, albeit a little odd, like Shinpachi-sensei making bets in the hallways and somewhat creating a gambling environment in the school… and Kondou-sensei practicing kendo outside his office and creating a ruckus whenever Hijikata-sensei caught him redhanded.

Despite her looking extremely out of place, she liked it here. The way the teachers taught was engaging, and she did well on her test scores. She was actually learning, that was all that counted. And of course, it wasn't just Heisuke who was looking after her, but his friend as well, a young man named Okita Souji. They were all in the same year level, but Okita was in the class next, while Chizuru always found herself in the same homeroom class with her childhood friend. She had no complaints, of course.

He was an interesting character, surrounded by all sorts of rumors. She had heard stories of how he would casually utter death threats to people he didn't like, not even afraid of the disciplinary committee or the student council. In fact, he had even been caught having a standoff between Nagumo Kaoru, staring the young boy down trying to get in through the school gates a few minutes after the bell sounded, or glaring at the intimidating Kazama Chikage after a heated argument. It seemed as if Okita was afraid of nothing. He was also known to be a playboy, as the stories go, especially with the girls from the all-girls school not too far down the road. That was why she was surprised to know that she had even caught the young man's interest.

Chizuru had chosen to believe that the rumors were false, even if Okita did have that sort of personality at times. He was a tease, a prankster, he loved to entice a reaction out of her, much to her exasperation. But beneath that trickster and sometimes cold exterior, he did have a warm inside. He did… well, care. Okita may seem indifferent at times, but in reality he was one of the most observant people she knew. She fondly remembered the time where she had gotten into a sticky, very unwanted situation with the head of the student council, the young man that was a level higher than her, with piercing scarlet eyes and a crown of blond hair. It wasn't out in the open either, he could have done what he had wanted, but it was Okita who had saved her. As if he had materialized out of thin air, he had stopped Kazama's advances at the last second and defended her with such passion and persistence, it was as if he had feelings for her, but that was impossible, right?

None of that mattered, not when he had gotten sick. He never admitted it, even going to school despite his obvious fever. He rejected Yamazaki's inspection, same with Sannan, even Kondo, who had expressed concern over the young man's health. But no matter what anyone said, even her, he did not want to change his mind. In fact, he had raised his voice at her, called her annoying and loud. But she still wanted to help him.

So she made him porridge, without green onions – he had expressed his dislike for them quite a while ago, but she had remembered – and packed it for him and had delivered it to him first thing in the morning while walking to school, bumping into him as usual. He was surprised but… there had been a smile on his face. He looked happy, even with bags under his eyes and his general tired and rumpled appearance. For lunch, he had eaten it right in front of her, a seemingly happy expression so bright and prominent it made her blush. And for the following days, she concentrated on making the young man lunch, although he wasn't so pleased at her routine at first, he had come to accept her 'gifts'. Within the week, he had recovered from his bout of fever. Well and healthy once more.

It was the start of a new year. Second year level, a new classroom, new classmates. Chizuru sighed in nervous anticipation as to who might be in her class. The students had designated seats, so she took her own second row to the last, one seat away from the window that overlooked the school grounds below. There were butterflies in her stomach, what if there was no one she recognized in her class? Just as she was about to panic, she heard a pleasant and familiar voice.

"Oya, Chizuru-chan, are you in my class this year?"

She looked up to spot Okita, a small smile on his lips, taking the seat next to hers and blinking green-eyes at her good-naturedly. It had been an entire break since she had seen him and the last time it had been a fever driven mad Okita.

"Okita-senpai! Ohayou!" she quickly stumbled over her initial surprise, a small smile spreading over her features, making a small dip of her head as if to bow.

He laughed, "Are you that excited to see me?" There it was, that teasing tone that she grown used to. There were times he said the strangest things, just to see her blush. "Did you miss me?"

"U-um…"

His voice was drowned out by the sounding of the bell, followed by the stomping of footsteps as the rest of the class filed into the classroom. From where she sat, she spotted Yamazaki near the front, but her friend Heisuke was nowhere to be seen. Chizuru slumped in her seat, so this year she wasn't going to see Heisuke except on lunch breaks… but at least she had company. She glanced at Okita sitting beside her, his attention focused on their homeroom teacher. She didn't even notice the blush on her face when the young man turned to look at her, their eyes connecting, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Though mathematics was always a subject Chizuru tried her best to focus on, it was clear that to Okita, that was not the case for him. As Hijikata-sensei scribbled down the notes to the mathematics exercise they were working on on the blackboard, with the young girl diligently taking them down on her notebook, she was very well aware of Okita Souji staring at her from his seat on her right. Unable to hold herself together, she turned her head slowly towards him, until her brown eyes blinked at him confusedly. Noticing this, he grinned at her warmly, before tossing a folded piece of paper over to her table, the movement swift and quick.

She was surprised, with a small tinge of pink on her cheeks, she unfolded the piece of paper, and scrawled upon it in his handwriting was; "You know, I haven't really thanked you for making that porridge for me."

Chizuru blinked at the piece of paper blankly, before turning to look at him. His attention was gone from her now, looking at the blackboard, but even with his fingers masking his mouth, with his chin resting on his palm, she could see the corner of his lips quirked up in a smile.

"You don't have to, Okita-senpai." She leaned over and poked him with the end of her mechanical pencil, handing back the paper note very un-discretely. Nevertheless, he reached for it nimbly with his fingers and deftly unfolded it with one hand, reading it and writing back his reply.

"That's adorable, Chizuru-chan. But I should. Well, since you thanked me for saving you from Kazama, I suppose I should do the same, eh?" He tossed it back, eyes kept on the board in the front of the classroom.

"This is different though..."

"I don't think so. You're actually a handful to look after, you know? But I guess that's also me, too."

"You were sick! I had to make myself useful..."

His smile widened. From her spot, she could see something stir in his green eyes, but she couldn't decipher them at all. He was an enigma sometimes, a man who hide his feelings well. "Ever since you cooked food for me, I think I've learned to eat any kind of food. Thanks for always being there and looking after me, Chizuru-chan~"

"O-oh. You're very welcome, Okita-senpai. I'm just glad you're feeling better now." She couldn't stop her heart from fluttering. Was that the impact of just the simple act of making food for someone she had been concerned about? She didn't know what he was thinking of when he had tried her food, he had remained silent as he had ate... she had thought it was just food, but to Okita it meant something more and deeper.

"If you ever get sick yourself, I'll make you porridge. Without green onions."

"Eh?! No, no. You don't have to trouble yourself for me." Now her cheeks were glowing pink, the heat rising to her face. She was a mess and Okita knew it. The way he was looking at her now, reading over the note and preparing to write her own response was amusing. She was so innocent and pure, unlike a lot of girls, she had a special place in his heart.

"And I'll cheer you up whenever you feel down, just like you do."

Chizuru didn't even have the time to respond to his note before he handed her another one.

"I'll be the one who's always by your side. I don't think I can give you up to anyone else. c;" He had even included a wink face, much to her embarrassment. As she read over his second note, she turned to look at the now shuddering figure of Okita, who was trying his best not to laugh in the silence of the classroom.

She didn't know to feel. She had only known Okita for a year, but that year was eventful, and she had gotten to know the boy very well. He treated her well and the day she had been saved from the student council president was a day she would never forget. The day where she saw a different side to the otherwise indifferent Souji. It was that day she thought, what if she had caught his attention after all? At first, she thought it would be impossible, Souji wasn't someone who openly revealed his emotions and motives, but was more expressive than Saito. But the more time she spent with him, the more he seemed to change. And the more she changed too. It was just a simple thought at first, but soon her heart began to thump a little too quickly and a little too hard whenever she got too close to him. And that time he almost embraced her... her face had turned red, her heart was leaping out of her chest... she had a hard time understanding why.

Okita relished that sort of reaction from her. She was just too adorable, he could not get enough of her.

Deciding to write another note, he thought about writing a poem that would surely turn her face red. But what sort of poem? Okita recalled one of Hijikata's poem books, filled with the cheesiest, gag-worthy haikus and English poems he had ever stumbled across in his life. The violet-eyed teacher had left the notebook in the classroom after a lesson where he had accidentally found it. It was an... amusing read. Remembering one of the poems, he set to work.

"Every time I see the cherry blossoms petals scattering in the wind like tears around me... I always think of y-"

A slender hand snatched the piece of scrap paper from his hands, prompting both Chizuru and Okita to look up.

At the looming figure of Hijikata.

As the teacher scanned over the both of them, eyes full of suspicion, the green-eyed boy simply smiled and waved happily at his teacher. Chizuru, on the other hand, looked shocked, her face becoming even more tomato red, knowing that on that piece of paper was another one of Okita's attempts to tease her. Scattered around her were the papers containing his affections, scribbled notes that would be embarrassing for her teacher to see. Even worse, what if he read them out loud? Glancing up at him from under her lashes, she watched as he peered down at the paper he had snatched from her friend, mouth open and prepared to read it out loud when...

His face began to turn pink. His expression was angry, but it also help shock and surprise. Even embarrassment. His glare, just as intimidating as Kazama's, was aimed directly at Okita, who did not seemed to be fazed one bit. In fact, his green-eyes met the teacher's, a silent battle of the wills. If Hijikata read it out loud, it would be easy for Okita to turn the situation around knowing that it was one of his terrible poems. Gritting his teeth visibly, he slapped a detention notice over Okita's desk, along with Chizuru, before storming back towards the front of the classroom and crushing the paper in his fist, obviously fuming.

"Okita-senpai, what was on that piece of paper?" Chizuru asked him curiously, wearing a surgical mask over her face and pounding two blackboard erasers together, her eyes squinting to avoid the dust from the erasers getting into her eyes. After what had happened in the classroom, the two of them had been assigned to clean the dusters in all of the second year classrooms and stay in after school. She had also taken the opportunity to catch up on any homework she had missed. She thought Okita would have been angry, but he didn't seem to care less about the situation.

"Ah, if you want to find out, why don't you help me, then?" he wondered aloud, one hand clutching a baton and absentmindedly slapping it against one of the erasers.

"What do you mean?"

With a grin, he placed the items on the table, before stepping in a little too close to her and gently taking ahold of her wrist. "Let's go, Chizuru-chan~" he chuckled. Who knew the new girl attending the school last year made such a big impact on his life?