"A/N: Just some things you should know before reading this: one, this is not post-anime, it's right before everyone in the Shinsengumi starts turning into Rasetsu (minus Sannan, of course); two, I realize that, in the end, Chizuru ended up with Hijikata, but I can't help but be fond of Heisuke, so let me dream all I want; three, the Rasetsu that they encounter are part of Kodou's army, but they don't know that; and four, Sannan does not make an appearance in this story, nor does Kondo, so please, don't leave reviews saying that I left them out. They are elsewhere. Anyway, I just figured you should know those four things before you read this story. I hope you enjoy."
A fierce battle had been raging all night between the Shinsengumi and the Rasetsu. Hijikata, Saito, and the others were handling the situation out front, leaving Chizuru alone inside headquarters. She wandered from room to room, gathering supplies and making sure no Rasetsu had gotten inside, when she ran into trouble in Sannan's room. She was going through his desk drawers, looking for some medicine to suppress vampiric urges, when someone broke down the doors. She turned and saw a hungry Rasetsu lying on the floor. A few moments later, a young man jumped through the wall where the doors had been and he stabbed his blade right through the Rasetsu's skull.
"Heisuke-kun!"
"Chizuru! What are you doing here?"
"I was looking around for some medical supplies. I need to gather a few more before I can go out and help the others."
"I see, well then, you better hurry. Yamazaki is going crazy out there trying to tend to the wounded and fight at the same time. He could use your help."
Chizuru nodded and returned to rummaging through all of the desk drawers. She quickly moved things around in search for the medicine and finally found it in plain sight in the bottom drawer. She grabbed all of it and put it her supply bag. She slammed the drawer shut and hurried to her feet.
"I found it!"
Heisuke smiled at her and ran out the door, looking back to make sure she was following him. A couple more Rasetsu came running around the corner, completely blood crazed. Heisuke swung his sword and sliced them all to pieces, sending trails of blood in every direction. He stepped over their slain bodies and kept running until he was back out on the front lines with the others. He stopped momentarily and looked back at Chizuru, smiling playfully at her.
"Yamazaki is down that way. Most of the Rasetsu from that direction are dead now, so you should be safe. Once you two finish up there, come back down this way. The fight should be over by then, so you guys won't have to worry at all while you take care of everyone."
"Alright! Be careful, Heisuke-kun!"
"Always am, aren't I?"
Chizuru smiled at her friend and watched as he turned and ran off into battle. He took his place by Sanosuke and Shinpachi and wielded his sword with courage and grace. She let out a small sigh and then took off to find Yamazaki, sure that he was worn thin from running all over the battlefield, serving as a medic and a warrior. She found him tending to a wounded soldier, bleeding to death due to a sever tear in his side. Blood continued to pour from his broken body as Yamazaki quickly gathered his last remaining materials and bandages to stop it.
Chizuru kneeled down next to him and opened her supply bag. She took out a handful of bandages and gently pushed Yamazaki aside so she could finish wrapping him. He drew his sword suddenly and shoved it right through a lone Rasetsu. Drops of its blood landed on Chizuru and the dying soldier, but she continued to work. She finished up quickly and, with the help of Yamazaki, carried him off to the side of the field.
"We have to leave the injured off to the side until the battle is over. It's not safe, nor effective to take them back into headquarters."
"Understood."
They scoured the rest of the perimeter in search of more wounded, but they found none. They turned around and headed toward the front lines. The battle had been pushed farther back, thankfully. Hijikata, Saito, and Okita were handling a thick bunch of Rasetsu, while Sanosuke and Shinpachi were taking turns killing off the smaller groups. Chizuru's eyes scanned the field for Heisuke, but during her search, she didn't notice that Yamazaki had branched off. When she did finally take notice, she found herself face to face with another Rasetsu.
Her eyes widened and she skidded to a halt before the enemy. Its red eyes stared soullessly at her and it licked its lips and showed its fangs as it was about to attack. It had its sword drawn and held in the air, ready to strike, when it was suddenly forced to its knees and beheaded. Behind the now-dead beast was none other than Heisuke. Chizuru's eyes glistened and her lips curled into a smile as he walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright, Chizuru?"
"Ah, yes, I am. Thank you, Heisuke-kun."
"You really should pay more attention. The fight may almost be over, but it's still dangerous out here. You need to focus and stay with Yamazaki."
She had completely forgotten about him and that she was supposed to be helping him take care of the wounded. She looked around and found that he had stolen her supply bag and continued to bandage everyone up, while she had been distracted and landed herself in trouble.
"Yamazaki-san..."
"Go back over there and help him. I'm sorry to say, Chizuru, but he's got his hands full, so he won't be able to watch out for you if you're not with him."
Chizuru nodded and then hung her head slightly. She didn't like that she always seemed to be in everyone's way. She needed to pull herself together and do her part to help win this battle. She balled her hands into fists and looked Heisuke in the eye with fierce determination. He blinked a few times, surprised to see such a powerful look emanating from someone like her. He quickly recomposed himself and smirked at her and then they both set off in opposite directions. He went back out to the battlefield and she went over to Yamazaki. He scolded her briefly for being so reckless and she apologized. They both continued working; glad to see a few of the men they patched up get back out onto the field.
Just when it seemed like the fighting was over, everything stopped. Any voices or background noise faded and time moved incredibly slow. Chizuru turned and saw that a sword had been violently rammed into Heisuke's back and pierced right through him and came out through his chest. It was incredibly close to his heart and everyone knew it. They all watched as he fell to his knees and spat blood out of his mouth. The Rasetsu that stabbed him pulled the blade out and lunged in to start drinking his blood, when a spear was hurled at him and hit him right in the neck. He fell by Heisuke and died almost instantly.
Sanosuke ran over to his friend and put his hand on his chest, attempting to stop the bleeding. He grabbed his spear and then moved Heisuke in a position where he was laying down. Okita and Shinpachi finished off the few remaining enemies, while Sanosuke yelled out for a medic. Yamazaki bolted up and over to his side, ready to begin working. Everything was still quiet for Chizuru and she appeared to be frozen. She tried to will herself to move, but nothing was happening. Her eyes were locked on Heisuke and she watched his eyes squeeze shut and then shoot open, his teeth clench and then his mouth open to scream out in pain, and his hands claw at the dirt and then ball up into fists.
She watched in horror for a little while longer until Shinpachi came running over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He shook her gently to pull her out of her daze. He looked at her, clearly concerned, but she stood up quickly and ran over to Heisuke. Everyone had circled around him and Yamazaki, but Chizuru pushed her way through them and hovered over him. Shinpachi joined the group and watched as she went down to her knees and took his hand. He looked at her with a half-lidded gaze and watched as tears formed at the brim of her eyes. He squeezed her hand tightly and put on a playful smirk, or attempted to, anyway, for it came out more like a grimace.
She whispered silently to him that he would be O.K. He somehow managed to hear her, but he quickly yelped in pain. Chizuru looked around and saw that Yamazaki and Okita were picking him up and brining him inside. She stood up with him, still holding his hand, and walked with them. She stayed by his side and helped Yamazaki patch him up like she was supposed to be doing the entire time. The others took the responsibility of helping the wounded inside and they tried to fill as few rooms as possible while still leaving room for the two medics to work. Then they went back out and buried their fallen comrades and disposed of the Rasetsu's bodies.
"Yukimura-kun, I think I can handle this from here. Why don't you take the rest of the supplies and tend to the others."
"But Yamazaki-san, I want to stay and help with Heisuke-kun."
"I know, but his wounds are deep and are going to take a lot of time for me to patch up. The others still need help and you're the only other medic around here. Please, do as I say and go help them."
Chizuru hung her head, yet again, and agreed. She reluctantly stood up and grabbed the supply bag and headed for the other rooms. She spent the rest of the night applying bandages and even cauterizing a few men until the dawn broke. When the last man was bandaged and sleeping, she wiped her brow and shut the door. She stared out at the morning sun and sighed. She was exhausted from staying up all night. She glanced to her left and saw Yamazaki leaving Heisuke's room and she ran over to him.
"Yamazaki-san! Um, I... I apologize for last night. I let myself get distracted and left you to do all the work. Then with Heisuke-kun..."
"It's alright, Yukimura-kun. Being a medic out on the battlefield is tough and it's easy to get distracted by seeing so many of your comrades engage in battle. I know you were trying to help and I know that it's hard to watch as someone you care about falls and is in pain."
She blushed at his words and averted her gaze to the floor. Yamazaki smiled lightly and grabbed her arm. He looked her sternly in the eyes and nodded. Then he shifted and began walking past her. She turned and watched as he walked away, somewhat confused. He didn't stop or look back at her when he spoke, but he told her what she wanted to hear.
"I'm going to check on the others. He's resting, but you can go see him, if you like."
Her eyes lit up and she yelled out a 'thank you' as she ran towards his room. She slid open his door carefully, positioning herself in front of the morning sun so it wouldn't land in his eyes. She looked down at his broken form and let her eyes soften. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her as she kneeled down by his bedside. She gently moved a few stray strands of hair from his face and softly laid her hand on top of his. His breathing was a little heavy and he was sweating slightly, but Chizuru stared lovingly at him anyway.
She let herself get lost in her thoughts as she remembered various memories of her and Heisuke. She recalled the first day they met and how they got off to a first-name basis right away. She remembered watching him fight with Sanosuke and Shinpachi at dinner time over who needed the most food. She remembered the look he had on his face when he told her that no one would lay their filthy hands on her as long as he was around. The playful yet serious tone in his voice sounded in her ears and she smiled. This boy cared for her so much and she didn't even react when he needed her.
She started to sulk at her lack of action earlier when she overheard two Shinsengumi soldiers walking outside. They were talking about the fight earlier and she concentrated on listening in to their conversation.
"Man, that was some battle. Too bad about that Heisuke kid."
"Yeah, I heard the only reason he got hurt was because that Rasetsu was going to attack that female medic."
She drowned out the rest of their conversation and locked her eyes on the door.
Heisuke-kun got hurt protecting me...?
The tears that were brimming at her eyes earlier had resurfaced now and she did nothing to stop them from falling. She silently cried her eyes out, tightening her grip on Heisuke's hand as she did so, and buried her head in his bedding. She soon found herself asleep at his side, still gripping his hand and tearstains on her cheeks.
Later in the evening, Heisuke's eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked around in an attempt to refocus his vision and saw that he was back inside headquarters, in his room. He tried to sit up, but quickly laid back down as pain shot through his upper body. He clenched his teeth to stifle a groan and took a deep breath. He tried to move both his arms, but only one was cooperating with him. He looked down at his other one and saw that Chizuru had a tight grip on his hand.
"Chizuru-chan..."
The young girl opened her eyes slowly and pushed herself up. She looked around the room, trying to remember what happened, and then her eyes settled on Heisuke. She blinked a few times until she could see him looking directly at her. He had a surprised look on his face, but it turned into a playful one quickly. He smirked and squeezed her hand, letting out a small chuckle.
"Morning, sleepy-head. I wish I would have known you were gonna sleep with me last night, I would have moved over a bit to give you some room."
Chizuru blush furiously and quickly pulled her hand away and put it to her face.
"H-Heisuke-kun! No, I didn't-! I just-! I wasn't doing anything! I-"
"Ha-ha, calm down, Chizuru. I'm just messing with you."
She removed her hand from her face and put it in her lap. She was now kneeling at his side, once again, this time a relieved look on her face. She was still blushing, but she was glad to see Heisuke acting like his normal self. She smiled happily at him and then let out a soft sigh.
"How are you feeling?"
"Just fine, thanks to you."
"No, don't say that! It was Yamazaki-san that took care of you, not me! I... I was too busy being useless... to help you."
"No, Chizuru, you weren't useless. You've never been useless. Don't say things like that."
"But, Yamazaki-san... he's the one who did all the work. He was out there the entire time helping people and fighting. He's the one who tended to you. The only work I did was after the fight, in the other rooms with the rest of the men. I'm sorry I didn't help you. I was just sitting there, frozen in place. You got hurt protecting me and then you needed me and I let you down. I'm sorry..."
Tears started to fall again as she trailed off. She started feeling horrible all over again and let a wave of pity crash over her. She gripped her hands tightly to her clothing and shut her eyes. Just then, a hand touched her face. She opened her eyes and saw Heisuke gently moving his thumb over her skin, wiping away her tears. She started to shake and he pulled her down to him, wrapping her in a hug. He stroked her hair and whispered 'Sh' over and over again. He planted a kiss on her head and closed his eyes.
"No, Chizuru-chan... no. You're always there when I need you. I know you must've been so scared and I'm sorry you had to go through that. But I'll be alright and these wounds will heal. Will you please stay with me now and help me get better?"
She pushed herself off him and nodded, wiping her own tears away. He smiled tenderly at her and she did the same to him. Then he gently grabbed her arms and pulled her back down and into a sweet kiss. It was innocent and light, but filled with emotion and love. Chizuru stayed with Heisuke long after he was better and he kept his promise to protect her. He stole kisses from her every chance he got and they stayed together, even when he was turned into a Rasetsu. They pulled together and survived, strengthening the Shinsengumi and fighting for their country under Kondo and Hijikata.
"A/N: Well, what did you think? This is my first Hakuouki story, obviously, and I just finished watching the series today. I was so heartbroken when Heisuke died! I apologize to anyone who hasn't gotten to that point yet, but that is the other reason why I stated in the beginning of the story that I wish for you to let me dream. I'm a fan of Chizuru and Hijikata, but I liked Heisuke better. I don't really know why, I just did. Anyway, enough of me rambling. I hope you enjoyed the story. I tried to keep everyone in character as best I could and keep the dialogue to a minimum. Please let me know what you thought in a review. I hope to write more for this pairing in the future!"