A/N: Hey all, thanks for reading this story, I hope you find some enjoyment in it. It was ...interesting... to write this particular story... I decided, as a kind of fun writing exercise, to try something I (uncreatively) like to call "drunk writing". I drank a bunch of wine, and began writing this. I only continued writing it while intoxicated, and then I would read it the next day to see how I did. I decided I would leave it as is, with no editing whatsoever, so there are a bunch of times where you can tell the alcohol was really kicking in. Surprisingly, I think the story itself is actually quite good. I left it off open, so if you like it please let me know! If it's good, I would like to continue this story as either a continuing "drunken writing adventures" or as a proper story. So if you like the unedited drunken idiocy, let me know, or if you think that this fic could actually be worth something if I were to sober up a little like a real adult, then feel free to tell me that too! That being said, I hope you enjoy this drunken Hakuouki Fanfic, Lucky Cat!
This was, by far, the most irritated Souji had ever been. He supposed that this could be Karma for all the pranks and jokes he would pull on other members of the Shinsengumi, or perhaps the Gods were just taunting him to let him know how it felt. Either way, he was in way impressed by recent events.
For several weeks, the group's headquarters had been plagued by a conniving and elusive beast, one which sought to unravel Souji's sanity day by day. He honestly didn't know how much more of it's sick torture he could take. While he considered himself to have more patience than most men, everybody had their limits. Going weeks with missing the meat in his meals was really testing his, and he was sure that soon he would be pushed over the edge of madness.
He sat, thinking about his current predicament, beneath one of the sakura trees in the courtyard. It was just nearing the end of summer, today was a particularly breezy day so Souji thought he might enjoy the weather to help ease his troubled mind - and stomach. Just as he began to relax, almost forgetting about the lack of meat in his meals everyday, a sudden blur of white rushed past him, disappearing around a nearby corner.
"YOU!" Souji shouted in surprise. The creature had undoubtedly struck again, taking it's opportunity to steal the main course from his meal. And, of course, it was always his meal that the beast stole from. There was one time where it had taken an interest in Hajime's meal, but his icy glare had appeared to ward the thieving creature off. Until that moment, Souji had been rather proud of his own intimidating gaze. After several failed attempts at staring the thief into submission, he realized that his glower was not as refined as his quiet companions, and quite frankly he was more than a little disappointed.
Souji immediately rose from his shady spot in the courtyard and gave chase to the animal. Today was the day, he was sure of it. He would catch it, and he would be rid of it at long last. He would finally get to have his full meals again. The thought gave him a boost of extra strength, he was determined to turn the tables on this thieving beast and finally take it's head. Maybe he would cook it once he finally caught it.
He rounded a corner, a determined bloodlust in his eyes, and there it was.
Sat on one of the decks, enjoying a roasted fish, was a small lilac pointed siamese cat. It's large eyes were a bright lavender in colour, highlighted by the pale silver on it's face. It was slender, yet muscular, and had a look of mischief about it. It was completely at ease, despite Souji's murderous glare. It barely perked it's ears towards him when he began to slowly walk towards it.
He moved with precision, his intent to cut the feline into strips intent in his unyielding gaze. His right hand was resting on his sword in waiting as he approached. He was almost within striking range, only a couple steps away, when the cat stood up and looked at him with what appeared to be glee. He froze, staring intently at the cat. For a while the two stayed like that, just staring at one another, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
Then suddenly, the cat sprang forward towards Souji, leaping between his legs and dashing past him. He let out a frustrated yell as he swiftly turned and chased after the feline, not giving it enough time to stray from his sight. He ran after it, ignoring anything or anyone who got in his way. This was it, this had gone on for too long, and he was determined to put an end to it today.
"Souji, where are you running to?" He heard Hajime mutter as he rushed past him, but he ignored the question in favour of keeping up with the agile creature he was chasing. He could barely hear Hajime's slightly irritated sigh as he dashed off, and he figured that his friend would decide to calmly follow him along as he ran after the meat-thief. He would appreciate the help, especially considering that the others had outright refused to assist him in the last few weeks that the cat had been tormenting him.
He saw the feline dash to the right suddenly and disappear around a corner. He grit his teeth, a frustrated growl escaping his lips, as he pushed himself to sprint faster so as not to lose track of the little cat. It was a striking colour, in fact he found the creature to actually be quite beautiful and to be very unique, so he wasn't sure how it had remained so damn elusive over the last several weeks of him chasing and searching for it. He had initially expressed some disappointment in having to kill it because it was so unique and elegant looking, but after enduring it's daily torture for this long he had no qualms with ending its existence. He just couldn't lose track of it, not again.
He rounded the corner and leapt forward, hand ready to draw his sword, heart ready to cut open a tiny cat, all for the sake of having a complete meal. But when he looked at where his target should have been, he froze. Shock and confusion washed over him, and he had difficulty keeping his murderous glare at the sight before him.
Sitting on the edge of the mansion's well, holding the half eaten roasted fish, was a woman.
She stared at Souji with a familiar mischievous look in her lavender eyes, her long, pale silver hair falling loosely over her shoulders and down her back. When she moved her head, Souji could see that her hair had a slight lilac sheen to it. She wore a pale pink robe over a navy blue kimono with gold trimming. She had a shining silver bracelet on her left wrist, which had several tiny charms dangling off of it, gently glinting under the light of the sun. She was thin, but it was clear that she was not lacking in strength. She had a light, airy feeling about her, as though every problem that ever was would just be lifted away by her presence. Souji felt an eery relaxation wash over him as he stared at her, but somehow he didn't dislike it. In fact, he was growing rather calm under her unblinking gaze.
"Teasing you has been quite fun, Souji." she spoke wistfully, her voice ringing out like the soft wind chimes in summer. He noticed that she called him by his first name, and without any honorifics. She didn't look older than him, although she did look quite well off by the clothes she wore and the way she presented herself. He didn't mind it so much, but he was very confused as to how the woman in front of him knew his name. He would have remembered meeting a person like her.
"So was that your cat then?" He asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The woman chuckled and grinned at him, but she did not reply. Souji was deeply unimpressed by her antics, the mystery she was shrouded in quickly becoming very tedious and, frankly, quite irritating. He was far too hungry to deal with her games, that much was certain.
"Do you want this back?" her voice rang out suddenly and she gestured to the cooked fish in her hand, as if she had picked up on what he was thinking about. He stared at it longingly. He had deeply missed having meat in his meals. He licked his lips at the thought. "I can see in your eyes that you do. However, I want something in return." He looked at her in surprise then, narrowing his eyes in distrust. What could this woman want from him that he would give her over half a roasted fish?
She grinned mischievously, standing up from the well.
"Before I give you this, you must agree to a duel with me."
Souji blinked at her a couple times, his eyes widening in shock. A duel? Against her? He began to chuckle, but the more he thought about it the more he began to truly laugh. Before long he had tears of laughter welling up in the corners of his eyes and he was struggling to keep himself upright. "Really? That's all you want?" He had to suck in a breath to compose himself. "Well, I can't promise that I won't kill you, if it's a duel that you want. Especially since it's your cat that's been stealing my food." He straightened himself and stared at her, a grin now plastered across his face. Her own grin had not faltered in the slightest.
"Very well." She nodded and set the fish aside. "I will need a weapon." He had to suppress another giggle at her request. He turned to go find a couple of bamboo swords from the training area, when Hajime suddenly rounded the corner, apparently having indeed followed after Souji.
"Did you catch what you were chasing?" He questioned with a rather neutral look about his face, as per usual. Souji chuckled lightly. "Not quite." He said, stepping aside to gesture towards the mysterious woman standing by the well. Hajime's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed considerably and he reached for his sword. "Who is she?" He asked, not allowing his gaze to move from her presence. She still wore the same expression, and seemed only mildly interested in what the purple haired man was doing.
"I don't know, but apparently it's been her cat stealing all my meals. And," Souji paused, looking from her and back to his friend. "she's challenged me to a duel."
Hajime looked up at that, although he still kept his hand on his sword. He did not reply, but he did have a look of slight shock on his face.
"Would you mind if I borrowed your wakizashi, either of you? I would like to hurry this along, the fish is beginning to get cold." Her tone was still light and airy, if only a little more on the bored side than before. Hajime looked utterly offended that she would even ask to borrow someone's sword, but Souji seemed intrigued.
"You want to use real swords, even though I warned you I might kill you with bamboo ones?" His own mischievous grin had returned, and he was starting to actually enjoy the game this woman was trying to play. She probably didn't realize that she was playing with fire, and he would definitely enjoy it when she finally suffered the burns. But he couldn't ignore the fact that, despite all his warnings, her confidence had not faltered for a second.
"I am not concerned." Was all she said in reply, her grin still spread across her face. He chuckled and pulled out his wakizashi as he walked over to her, handing her the blade. She took it without hesitation, holding it in her right hand with confidence.
"You know that is a two handed weapon right?" Souji snickered as he backed away from her, readying himself for the duel. She only grinned wider.
"Perhaps I don't need both hands." She replied. Souji narrowed his eyes at her, still smiling.
Hajime stood off to the side, watching intently. He shifted his eyes from one back to the other, waiting patiently for one of the two to make the first move.
It was Souji who began the duel, lunging towards the woman with swift precision. She stepped to the side, dodging his attack fluidly rather than blocking it, lunging her sword in his direction with little effort. He blocked and stepped back before twisting and pushing forward again, but she continued to dance around his attacks. Hajime noticed that it did, indeed, look like she was dancing rather than fighting. Her dodging was fluid yet precise. She held her perfect smile the entire time, watching in amusement as Souji tried again and again to slice at her.
Souji was beginning to get visibly irritated as the duel went on. His lunges grew more and more persistent, and Hajime realised that, despite his threats, Souji had been holding back at the beginning. It didn't surprise him, really. Souji was a very closed off person, which made him seem vicious to those who didn't truly know him, and he liked to maintain that image so he often said scary things. Hajime was one who could see through all that, and he could see that this woman was also one who saw through it immediately. She had an aura of wisdom about her, and despite her age, she seemed like she had already seen enough of the world to know when someone was being genuine or not.
He watched patiently as the two fought. Souji lunged his sword towards the woman's head, she ducked and leapt back before dashing forward and swiping her own sword towards Souji's abdomen. Her strike seemed lazy, as though she wasn't really trying at all in this duel. It was as though she was just testing Souji's skills rather than actually trying to win. As soon as the thought crossed Hajime's mind, the woman's smile widened as she watched Souji dodge her latest strike, one which would have surely severed his head from his shoulders if his reaction speed wasn't so refined. She then stood her ground and blocked his next attack, holding her borrowed sword in both hands in order to better account for the strength behind Souji's attack. She pushed him off, and she switched her sword into her left hand, twisting herself around to the right instead of the left to throw him off guard. Hajime snickered at this trick, he knew that Souji would be surprised but very prepared for such an attack. They had sparred enough for his friend to know how to counter left handed swordsmanship.
As Hajime predicted, Souji's eyes had widened in surprise at the switch in the woman's posture and style, but he quickly regained his bearings and countered her attack smoothly. Her grin shone brightly and she seemed satisfied. She leapt back before he had the chance to make his attack, and in the blink of an eye she rushed toward him and, crouching, kicked his feet out from under him. Souji gasped as he fell, flat on his back. He groaned, sitting up slowly from the fall.
"You certainly are quite the swordsman, Souji. I am very impressed, indeed I think you would make an excellent familiar." She said as she looked down at him, a wide grin spread across her face. He startled at this. "Familiar?" He questioned, a surprised look on his face. She only giggled at his amusement. Hajime frowned at the ordeal.
"I think it is about time you explained yourself." He said, unimpressed. The woman's amusement only seemed to grow.
"I think I would like to test your swordsmanship as well, Saito Hajime." The radiant woman spoke his name slowly and precisely, almost as if she were teasing him. He blushed slightly and looked away from her, trying not to think about the fact that she was so… so informal with him! He was quite used to Souji calling him by his first name - they were friends after all - but a strange woman? A strange, beautiful woman?! He could barely surpess the anxiety which was welling up in his gut from the sudden ordeal. The worst part, was that she knew exactly how it made him feel.
"Well? Will you accept my challenge as well? Ha-ji-me~." Her cat-like eyes were boring into him, causing his blush to deepen. He could barely stand it. Just when he though he couldn't take any more if this, Souji got up and scoffed at thhe woman.
"What did you mean by familiar, woman?" he demanded. She laughed, her musical voice ringing out through the yard.
"Perhaps it would be best to show you…" She looked towards the sky as she spoke, almost as though she weren't even talking to anyone in particular. She looked at the two men then, a softness in her eyes that wasn't there before. They were both taken aback by the expression on her face. It made her somehow even more beautiful than before.
She started to glow then. A soft, velvet pink that seemed to radiate from within her. Soon it had enveloped her entire form, growing ever brighter until the two were almost blinded from it and were forced to turn their heads. When they looked back, the woman was nowhere to be seen. In her place, there sat a small, delicate looking lilac pointed siamese cat. She looked up at the two men with a gentle look in her eyes - completely different from the previous mischievous glare she wore before. In fact, she looked quite cute. Just then, she began to glow again, more rapidly this time. She was so bright that Souji had to cover his eyes with his arm to shield himself from the brightness.
When he looked back, in front of him sat a great white cat, as tall as the building they stood beside. She was radiant, a soft pink glow emitting from her chest. Her lavender eyes were shining so brightly he couldn't look directly into them, but he was able to see the elaborate dark purple swirls which wrapped themselves around her eyes and down her face. They also swirled around her feet and tail, and they also seemed to have a dull glow about them.
She looked down at him and he couldn't bare to look back. She was so much greater than him, her aura was almost too much for him to bare. He could hardly stand up, her presence was so overpowering in this form. He supposed that this must be her truest form, the form which she held the most power. He knew then what she was, and as he looked over he saw the realization spread across his friend's face as well.
Hajime, upon realizing just what stood before him, shot down onto his hands and knees. He bowed, apologizing profusely. He had spoken in such an ill-mannered way, to a goddess! She looked upon him with disinterest as he bowed. Souji simply stood, awestruck for the moment.
"You will not bow?" She challenged. He snapped out of his shock then, as her melodious voice rang out around him. He realized that her aura was beginning to fill the space in the yard, causing flowers to prematurely sprout from the ground and the well to fill with more water than there would normally be. He knew for sure then. She was a heavenly creature, a goddess. And it was then that he accepted her challenge.
He smirked.
"I do not accept any god," he began, staring into her glowing lavender eyes. He saw a glimmer of a grin spread across the great cat's face. "I only live for Kondou-san."