A/N: Hakuouki clearly doesn't belong to me; i only own Kawa (and this story). enjoy~
Blossoms
It felt as if she had been running for hours.
First it was those two ronin that had chased her beyond the lighted areas of the main streets, wishing to do gods-knew-what to her; to her horror, killing her seemed to be on their agenda. For one moment that seemed like a bitter silver lining in the girl's rocky introduction to Kyoto, the ronin had stopped chasing her for some reason. And just as swiftly that silver lining had come, it fled.
Daring to peek around the corner of the building she had hidden herself behind, the girl's brown eyes widened in appalled horror as she nearly came face-to-face with a deathly-pale face that stared at her through wide crimson eyes. The white-haired creature grinned maniacally and raised its blood-spattered sword to cut her down just as it had the two ronin.
The girl instinctively covered her face with her arms and screwed her eyes shut tight, bracing for a death that didn't come. She cracked open one brown eye, and then the other, when hearing a sickening 'squelch' that had been dealt to the curious beast; she gawked.
Flicking blood from his blade on reflex, the stoic captain sheathed his katana without so much as a second look at the girl, seeming to give her some sort of relief in believing he hadn't seen her (even though he did).
"Well damn, I wanted ta be the one to kill 'em." A sulky-toned voice said as the captain's companion stepped into the bloody alley; he shot a glance at the stoic man. "Ya beat me to it, Saitou-kun." He added.
"I only did what I was ordered to do." The darker-haired captain remarked blandly, glancing at the girl just as his friend did, fear coloring her face pale. He inwardly groaned; just his luck that there had to be a witness.
No matter… The girl's fate would be decided soon.
She hugged her arms reflexively, wishing she owned a thicker haori. The woman clicked her tongue and her eyes closed with a reflexive sigh.
Why did the morning have to be so damn cold? Sheesh…
Sliding open the back door to the meeting room, she shuffled inside and closed it behind her wake. "You know I'm not a morning person!" She declared, shooting a look at the occupants of the room but saving her glare for the main person who had summoned her out from a warm bed.
Scowling back with violet eyes, he refrained from pinching the bridge of his nose and instead settled for wearing her down via scowling. "I see you're as chipper as ever in the morning." He said pointedly.
The swordswoman 'humphed' and turned to plonk down next to her lover, arms folded in her sleeves.
Sharing a patient glance with his fellow brunette seated on his right, their leader looked to the room's occupants. "Well now that all of us are here, Gen-san will be present shortly with our guest." He said.
A guest? She inwardly snorted, throwing a look at their main vice-commander, sliding her eyes closed. That would explain why things seem a little darker this morning… I almost feel sorry for whatever unfortunate idiot had come across their 'retrieval' squad, she mused.
"Good mornin'~," the brunette at her side said cheerily, earning a one-eyed glance from his lover; she looked at him and then at the one he'd spoken to, both eyes opening and sharpening slightly. "Looks like ya slept well enough; ya've got the marks from the tatami mat all over your face." He said, his smirk stretching a smidge in amusement as the girl's cheeks colored pink and she instinctively covered the lower half of her face.
Her fellow lefty deadpanned, "Don't mess with her head, Souji, she'll think you're telling the truth." He reproached patiently, looking at the girl and adding, "You don't have the tatami marks on your face."
"That's no fair, Hajime-kun; ya didn't have to squeal on me." He remarked cheekily.
The swordswoman quirked a brow at the girl as she shot a look at her companion, noting her brown hair and her likewise-colored doe eyes. And Toshi dragged her here? Now I have more reason to pity her, she thought.
"Cut it out you two; that's enough barking for now." Said man quieted both captains, earning a dutiful nod from one and an eye-roll from the other.
The youngest captain present, the youngest brunette of the group by her standards, tilted his head and looked at the girl. "Ne, that's the witness? He looks too scrawny to be of any threat, to me anyway." He piped up from the back of the room.
The older female present deadpanned at his comment, fighting the urge to remark to his observation.
"…Shut up, Shinpatsu!" The brunette barked, shooing the older brunette's hand off his messy bangs, pouting at both older brunettes he had seated himself with.
The more patient brunette of the trio snickered, "Ne, Heisuke ya shouldn't be disrespecting your elders like that!" He chided.
"Whatever, Sano, you two old geezers should stow it instead!" Said boy sniffed.
"Who're you calling 'old'? Of course I can't speak for Shinpachi, but I'm not as old as ya claim I am!" The gold-eyed captain scoffed.
The older blue-eyed captain shot him an indignant scowl, "Oi, Sano, what the hell!" He barked.
"All of you be quiet!" Their kind-hearted commander barked, making the trio stop their antics and look in his direction.
The bespectacled vice-commander shook his head, looking at the girl with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the ruckus; don't be shy. Please come in, and close the door if you will." He said, seeing her nod slightly and shuffle inside, closing the door in her wake as she sat on the edge of the proverbial circle.
As their commander began introducing himself and the two vice-commanders seated to the left and right of him, the one on his left reproached, "Why're you tellin' the kid everything about us, Kondou-san?"
Blinking once, he looked at him sheepishly, "Is that a bad thing…?" He asked.
"Ya don't have to be so formal to the person you're gonna interrogate." Shinpachi agreed.
Sano chuckled slightly, "well that habit to be formal fits Kondou-san pretty well…"
Clearing his throat, Kondou resumed the main topic, "In any case! Saitou-kun, please fill us in of the events of the incident." He said.
Nodding slightly, Saitou told the tale. "Last night, two failed warriors encountered a few ronin and cut them down; luckily, we apprehended them before any more harm could be done while they were loose." He looked at the girl with piercing blue eyes. "This one was eyewitness to what had transpired."
The girl piped up, looking at the main trio, "I didn't see a thing!" She said, and at a dubious comment from the young brunette in the back, she added defensively, "I swear I didn't!"
"Well if ya say so…" Heisuke mused, still disbelieving.
Shinpachi raised a brow, "Not according to what Souji said; he mentioned you helped those ronin."
"No, I didn't! Those ronin were chasing me, and then by some miracle, the soldiers from the Shinsengumi saved my life…" The girl defended, brow contorted into a frown.
Kawa caught the bemused smirk hedging said man's lips and she ribbed him pointedly, scowling slightly at the brunette. Why doesn't that surprise me…? She wondered, making a mental note to clock him for misleading the baka trio.
"So that means you saw the soldiers that cut down the ronin, then." Shinpachi deduced.
Sano spared the girl a slight smile, commenting, "You look like an honest kid, but still…"
"Grow a pair, you two. Just kill her and the problem is solved." Souji commented nonchalantly.
"Chivalry doesn't exist with you, does it?" Kawa cuffed him reproachfully, ignoring the hurt pout that crossed his handsome face.
"Don't joke about that, it's not legal to just kill an innocent civilian!" Kondou reproached his prodigy.
Souji rubbed his head gingerly, shrugging, "It was just a joke, there's no need to get huffy."
Saitou rolled his eyes, inwardly sharing in the swordswoman's exasperation with their comrade. "Then talk about jokes that actually sound funny."
"I won't say anything to anyone, I swear!" The girl pleaded again, looking desperately to the main trio.
Brow fixed into his usual scowl, Toshi silenced her. "Stop blathering. Saitou, take her away." He said, ignoring the girl's pleas even as she was dragged back to her designated room.
Kawa rubbed her neck aimlessly, "So how's my complaining looking now?" She wondered, smirking at her 'brother'.
"Still annoying." Toshi sniffed, ignoring the blown raspberry from her.
:::::::lDl:::::::
"So you came all the way from Edo because of your father…" Kondou summarized with a sympathetic frown.
Toshi sighed, "that explains as to why a girl your age would be posing as a man." He said.
Kondou nodded once and then froze, light-brown eyes opening. "W-wait, you're a girl!?" He balked.
"YOU'RE A GIRL!?" Shinpachi and Heisuke exclaimed from the back.
Kawa slapped her forehead and groaned. "That's it, I'm buying you lot glasses for the new year!" She said.
"O-oi, what's that supposed to mean, Kawa-chan!?" Heisuke was the first to bark, pouting at the woman.
"Duh, of course she's a girl!" Souji defended lightly, pretending the younger brunette didn't bark an insult at him.
"Why didn't I see it before…? Souji, why didn't you tell me!" Kondou exclaimed in a mixture of shame and exasperation, looking at his prodigy pointedly.
"Ya didn't ask, Kondou-san…" Souji replied with an innocent shrug.
Shinpachi pondered, "Well if you're a girl, then how can ya prove it?" He asked.
"'Prove' it how…?" The Yukimura girl blinked once or twice.
Sano snickered, "maybe ya should strip just for evidence's sake."
"Eh!?" She squeaked.
"If you two seriously ever want to get laid one day, harassing an innocent girl is only gonna drive women away from you." Kawa declared, left brow twitching as she scowled at the older brunettes.
"Like you're one to talk, ya made Souji wait for years to ever get any!" Heisuke scoffed.
"Shut up!" Kawa snapped annoyedly, cheeks rosy red as she glared at all three of the baka trio.
"All of you, shut it!" Toshi ordered, watching his 'sister' wince slightly at his curt tone, glaring at the trio of captains as well as the brunette who smirked bemusedly at his hushing them up.
San'nan-san smiled patiently at the group, looking at the girl. "Sorry, but you said your name was Yukimura Chizuru, didn't you? Then perhaps you're related to Yukimura Kodou, the revered Western medicine doctor?" He asked.
Alertness highlighted her features as the girl nodded, "You know my father?" She asked of the room at large.
Toshi's scowl on his brow tightened at hearing she called the man her father; Kawa frowned.
"So you're Kodou-san's daughter…" Kondou mused.
"How much do you know, then?" Toshi asked her, seeing confusion glint in her brown eyes.
"'How much' what?" She echoed.
"Don't act stupid, I'm asking what you know about Kodou-san." Toshi hardened his tone.
She perked up and demanded, "What's that supposed to mean… Did something happen to him?"
Saitou cut in before their vice-commander could speak again, "A few months ago, there was a fire at the clinic Kodou-san worked at. He's been missing ever since." He elaborated.
"His body wasn't found, which was mystifying, so we're assuming he's involved with a case." San'nan-san contributed.
Toshi finalized, "Ironically, we've also been looking for Kodou-san. If you say you'll forget about what happened the other night and keep your mouth shut, we'll offer you protection while we look for your father."
"Don't worry, we'll find him for you!" Kondou agreed with a flash of his kind smile.
Chizuru nodded, "Thank you!"
Souji piped up, "Ne, so I guess it's good ya weren't killed… for now, anyway!" He said, smiling at the girl as she nodded a little.
"If that's the case, then you'll hafta be treated better, right?" Shinpachi wondered, smiling brightly at her.
Kawa rolled her eyes. "Ham."
"Given yer pretty soft on girls, you'll stick to that won't ya, Shinpatsu?" Heisuke joked.
"Shinpachi won't be the only happy one around here now that there's gonna be two girls sticking around." Sano laughed slightly.
San'nan-san pointed out thoughtfully, "We obviously can't treat her as a warrior, compared to Yasakawa-kun, so we'll have to think of some other way to treat her."
Toshi huffed, "then put her as someone's page, like San'nan-san or Kondou-san…" He began.
Souji chuckled, "Not to burst yer bubble, but it'd be best to let her be your page instead, Hijikata-san." At said man's glare, he grinned cheekily, "It was your idea after all!"
"Souji's right, actually!" Kondou chimed, pretending their vice-commander didn't balk at the idea.
San'nan-san nodded, "It appears you're outnumbered, Hijikata-kun. We're counting on you to keep an eye on her." He said lightly.
Toshi glared at them, groaning. "You're all insane…" He ignored the snickers and cheeky comments from the baka trio, looking at the second woman. "If she's going to be here a while, Yasakawa, you're sharing your room with her." He delegated, perking her ears.
Kawa started to protest, but for the knowing look she earned from her old friend, she sighed. "Fine. Chizuru-chan, c'mon, I'll show you to the room." She spared the brunette at her side a brief smile before shuffling to her feet and leading the way to her room via the back hall, the younger girl following.
Given they lived in a compound full of men, she supposed he did have a point… But still, he didn't have to be so uptight about it. Sheesh…
"Um, Yasakawa-chan…" The younger girl began when they entered her room, perking her ears.
She opened her closet and pulled out a folded spare futon, closing the doors. "'Kawa-chan' is better." She looked at her new roommate and smiled slightly, "only Toshi, Kondou-san and San'nan-san call me by my full name." She corrected, shuffling past her to unfold the mattress away from the door leading to the porch.
"Right, I'll remember that. Kawa-chan, if you don't mind my asking, you don't think I'll be… y'know, killed, do you?" Chizuru asked carefully, fiddling with her kosode sleeve's hem.
Blinking at the idea, Kawa shook her head and straightened from fixing the futon, placing a hand on her hip. "Nope. Sorry if the boys spooked you; Souji's usually got a… interesting sense of humor, so he didn't mean it. The baka trio won't lay a finger on you either, or it's my foot up their asses. Saitou-kun is pretty chivalrous towards girls. And Toshi…" She smiled wryly, chuckling. "Don't tell anyone, but he's a bit of a softie, when he wants to be."
Chizuru glanced at the futon and smiled slightly, "Okita-san, he seems really attached to you." She mused.
Kawa blinked again and then quirked a brow. "How do you figure?" She asked curiously.
"O-oh, um, well… He didn't mind letting you scold him earlier for saying what he said, and he didn't leave your side… It looks like he loves you." She explained, cheeks a slight shade of pink, as she relayed what she had observed between the two.
Gray eyes softening thoughtfully, the swordswoman smiled, rubbing her arm absently. "Didn't think it was that obvious…" She stifled a yawn. "Guess it's been a long day for you, huh? I'm pretty beat, too…" She mused, smiling again.
Maybe this kid wasn't so bad after all…
Once the lights were out and both girls were settled into bed, the older lay awake, letting what had been said in the meeting still process through her brain.
Why would Kodou-san just disappear like that; didn't he even think about his own child…? Kawa inwardly sighed, turning on her right to face the door. She perked up at seeing a familiar silhouette nearing the door from the porch; shaking her head, she glanced to see Chizuru was sound asleep before shuffling as quietly as possible out of bed and to step onto the porch.
Meeting his green eyes, she exhaled and smiled slightly at him, tugging on his sleeve to sit a few feet away and to the side from her bedroom door. "Your timing sucked tonight." She chided quietly.
Rolling his eyes at her complaint, Okita Souji slung his arm around her shoulders to pull her close, letting her latch her arms around his ribs to feel warmer. "Can't I come check on ya without getting scolded?" He remarked, smirking at her.
Hijikata Yasakawa burrowed her nose into his neck, sighing. "Not in this lifetime." She replied with a soft chuckle.
The lanky samurai shivered lightly at her breath on his neck, squeezing on her shoulders. "I had a feeling ya weren't sleeping just yet." He mused.
Ignoring the slight burning in her cheeks, the swordswoman huffed and rested her cheek on his collar bone. "What kept you up, then?" She returned.
"Nothin' much, just talking with Hijikata-san." He shrugged, his thumb rubbing circles on her upper sleeve.
"Hm." She murmured, closing her eyes. "Don't tell me he's sulking about his new page." She smiled amusedly at just picturing said man's balking expression.
"Basically." Souji hummed, making her giggle, and he sighed as he looked out at the cold courtyard. "Just thinks it's suspicious that the kid was present the other night when we killed those Rasetsu. 'Course, y'know Hijikata-san as much as I do…" He mused quietly.
"You think the same, then?" Kawa asked softly, lifting her head to read his eyes.
For as long as she'd known him, his eyes were always the ones to give away his real emotions he hid behind his sarcasm and nonchalance.
Closing his eyes momentarily, he let a soft puff of semi-translucent breath escape his lips as he resumed rubbing circles on her shoulder with his thumb. "He's not wrong, I'll give 'im that. But the kid's tellin' the truth; hell, she fainted just seein' Hijikata-san… Just because she's related to Kodou-san don't mean we should trust her with anything." He answered carefully, looking at her at last, and she saw a hint of uncertainty shine in his green stare.
She exhaled and nodded, the sensible part of her whole-heartedly agreeing with two men she loved and respected, whereas the more-dormant girly part of her deflated at basically hearing she had to keep her distance.
"It's been a long day, I suppose." She mused, smiling up at him.
He nodded and smiled wryly, reflexively brushing some of her bangs back. "Shame ya can't leave the kid, otherwise I'd gladly keep ya warm all night." He mused, green eyes teasing and light.
Blushing humbly, Kawa smacked his chest lightly with her palm. "Not tonight." She sighed, reluctant to detangle from him and retreat to her room. "You need sleep, anyway; you lot pulled an all-nighter hunting those accursed things." She reminded quietly.
"I can forego sleep if it means havin' you in my bed, princess." Souji pouted cutely, instinctively squeezing her shoulders.
Shaking her head with a soft giggle at his expression, Kawa kissed him gently and pulled away to get up. "Sleep, kitten." She returned, smirking at the visible twitch his left brow gave. He hated being called 'kitten'… Which coincidentally made teasing him about it that much more amusing.
Souji exhaled and rubbed his neck, watching her straighten to retreat to the darkened bedroom. "Ya can be so mean sometimes, Kawa…"
"You're a big boy; you can handle it," Kawa rolled her eyes, looking at him and offering a genuine smile. "Love you."
Blinking once, his green eyes softened as they did whenever she said she loved him. "Love you too, princess." Souji smirked fondly at his lover, straightening to retreat to his own room just as she snuck back inside hers as quietly as possible.
:::::::lDl:::::::
Kawa ran a hand through her hair absently as she made her way down the porch to check on her roommate.
Gods knew the girl was bored out of her wits; Toshi had ordered the five captains to keep guard over their room while he and San'nan-san went to Osaka on business. He hadn't ordered her to be part of the shifts mainly because she helped Inoue-san cook the meals.
Then again, having any of the quintet keeping an eye on a technically-imprisoned teenager was going to be anything but droll… Especially…
"H-how long were you sitting there, Okita-san!?"
Kawa sighed as she rounded the corner, deadpanning at the sight; yep, I jinxed it, she thought.
Said man raised a brow in mock-innocence, "Hm, ya didn't notice I'd been here? My shift was supposed to last an hour." He explained calmly, noting her roommate stood near the far post, perking up. "Isn't that right, princess?" He said, his calm smile stretching into an elated grin.
"W-wait, so you both heard me?" Chizuru asked embarrassedly, looking from one to the other, her dread growing.
Kawa spared her lover a knowing look, exhaling. "I just came from preparing dinner; I didn't hear anything aside from your startled question." She answered patiently.
"Why doesn't it surprise me that Souji was the reason I heard that bark?" Saitou wondered aloud as he had materialized next to his fellow lefty, a tray of food on hand.
"Oh c'mon, Hajime-kun, I'm not that scary! 'Sides, Hijikata-san's a thousand times worse when it comes ta scarin' the crap out of the kid…" Souji pouted sorely at his old friend, straightening from his seat under the girls' window.
Rolling her eyes, Kawa spared the girl an apologetic smile before looking at the two men. "It'd prolly be less boring if Chizuru-chan ate with us instead of eatin' here alone." She reasoned, earning a surprised look from said girl and two raised-brow expressions from Saitou and Souji.
"Hijikata-san specifically said for us to keep an eye on her in shifts, not all at once." Saitou reminded her.
Souji rolled his eyes and folded his arms in his sleeves. "Ya'd be killing two birds with one stone, Hajime-kun. 'Sides, what's one more girl around gonna hurt? Hijikata-san will chew us out one way or another, too." He said the last sentence with a cheeky smirk.
His ears slightly burned. Saitou hated being cowed, especially by the 'double-trouble duo'; but then again, thanks to how said man worded it, he couldn't argue with Souji's comment about their orders… He exhaled. "Come on, the other three are probably starving by now…" He turned to lead the way back to the dining hall.
Kawa beamed and bounced over to open the door for her roommate as Souji trailed after Saitou's lead. "Thank you, Saitou-kun!" She sang over her shoulder.
Saitou's left cheek gave the slightest tic; Souji smiled complacently at his friend's demise.
"Oi, what're you gonna do about my complainin' stomach!?" Shinpachi was the first to welcome the quartet, a hand placed over his grumbling belly as he scowled at the group.
Saitou jerked a thumb at the couple. "Ask them." He said, still slightly miffed about being subdued, placing the girl's tray down near Kawa's as he took his place next to Souji.
Sano perked up slightly at seeing the younger girl as she traipsed inside after the stoic man, both brows raised. "Why're you here?" He asked confusedly, sharing in Heisuke's and Shinpachi's confusion.
Chizuru smiled sheepishly, "Kawa-chan invited me, and Okita-san and Saitou-san gave it the 'okay'." She answered, letting said woman sit first before following suit.
"Ne, Saitou, sounds like yer goin' soft…" Shinpachi teased with a knowing smirk at the younger man.
"Forcibly." Saitou huffed, placing a piece of fish in his mouth and clamming up shortly afterward, taking great interest in his meal.
Sano snickered, "That's our Kawa-chan for you." He said, ignoring the slight tic that appeared on Saitou's cheek.
Souji shot him a look, right brow twitching. "I told ya not to flirt with my woman, Sano-san…" He reminded cattily.
Kawa handed him the bottle of sake, pulling on his cheek chidingly. "Try and enjoy the food, dummy…" She grumbled, cheeks slightly pink at his possessive pronoun.
Dinner continued at a calm pace… or as calm as it could get; Shinpachi and Heisuke bickered over their food like puppies, whereas the more reasonable quartet –that is, Saitou, Kawa, Souji and Sano, the lattermost partially included in the 'more reasonable' group mainly because he associated with Shinpachi and Heisuke—watched in half-bemusement, half-boredom.
"Sorry for the interruption everyone," Inoue-san spoke up as he poked his head into the dining room, earning seven sets of eyes to fall on him and the grim expression on his face as he added, "I've got some news from Hijikata-san in Osaka; apparently San'nan-san acquired a critical injury." He informed.
Shinpachi was the first to ask, "What happened to him?"
"From what Hijikata-san said, he obtained an injury to his left arm. It's not serious enough to warrant death, though." Inoue-san answered, the grimness still present.
Chizuru sighed, "Well that's a relief."
"No it isn't!" Heisuke piped up, confusing the girl.
Saitou took the moment to elaborate, "A sword isn't meant to be wielded single-handedly. For all we know, he probably won't be able to use a sword again." He said.
Kawa frowned at the thought, popping a clump of rice into her mouth. "That doesn't mean he won't be vital to the Shinsengumi, in some way." She mused quietly once Inoue-san left.
"Maybe you're right, princess, and if you're not, then that means we'd just have to use that medicine on him." Souji remarked in the same tone, pausing in sipping from his cup.
Shinpachi spoke up before the swordswoman could reproach him, "Don't talk like that! We can't let a vice-commander into the Shinsengumi." He said knowingly.
Chizuru blinked in confusion, looking at the group. "Sorry, but I thought San'nan-san was the deputy vice-commander of the Shinsengumi already…?" She asked slowly.
"Well, actually…" Heisuke began to elaborate.
"Heisuke." Kawa interjected sharply, scowling at the younger captain before looking at his age-mate with strangely tightened gray eyes. "Sorry, Chizuru-chan, but please forgive his slip-up. That information is, for all intents and purposes, classified. It's not wise for you to pry into such dangerous territory." She explained grimly, lowering her gaze to the chopsticks on hand and closing her eyes momentarily, resuming her meal.
A/N: so, there's the first chapter. surprised it was so long... OTL anyway~ i'll try to update soon. also, if anyone's interested, there's a bio page for Kawa on my RP Blog, shewolf-of-mibu.tumblr, just to get a better feel of this story. and if you feel totally lost, please feel free to read this story's predecessor, Tenrai-Tsumi.
*title: 'Chimamire no Hana' - 'Bloody Flowers' (many thanks to Google Translate for that)