as said in the summary, this is a short story. i don't own any of the characters in Hakuouki; they belong to IDEA Factory.
the only character i own is Kawa.

enjoy!

She perked her ears. "Osaka again?" She wondered quietly as the meeting dismissed.

"Kawa, you are to stay behind with the others and man the fort. Am I understood?" Her brother asked, perking her ears again and stirring her from her reverie.

She looked at him and pouted. "Aww, can't I go with you, Toshi-nii..?" She wheedled.

He scowled sternly. "No, you are not; the only woman who is permitted to go with us is Chizuru. You are to stay here in Kyoto with the others. And for the love of God, don't get into trouble." He explained.

Kawa pouted again and huffed. "Oh fine, be a jerk! You're still so mean, Toshi-nii..." She snapped, storming away from him down the walkway.

Souji sighed and sidled up to her side, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Don't take it too hard, Kawa-chan; ya know how he is. Besides, ya don't wanna hang with us or what?" He replied, looking rather hurt.

Her cheeks warmed and she scoffed. "I know; and I do, I just felt like getting out. Been cooped up in this place for a long while, starting to feel like a bird." She muttered the last bit.

Saitou Hajime shot a look at the ever-friendly Okita Souji, rolling his eyes.
"Souji, Nagakura-san mentioned something about going to drink sake tonight. Were you planning on going?" He asked calmly, interrupting the two friends.

Kawa looked at him and shirked from her friend's arm over her shoulders to turn to the usually-stoic man. "He wants to go while Toshi-nii, Sannan-san and Sano are out? That's a first." She wondered.

He looked at her and smiled slightly. "Apparently so. Kawa, did you want to come along?" He asked.
She nodded. "You know as well as I that Shin-chan and Heisuke need some form of female supervision when they go drinking. I'm game." She smiled lightly.

He nodded back and smirked softly. "I figured as such. Well, Souji?" He wondered, looking at the brunette standing behind her.

Souji huffed and allowed a confident smile to grace his lips. "If Kawa's going, then it'll take two of us to keep her in check, so you can count on seeing me there, Hajime-kun." He said lightly.

Kawa cuffed him over the head, making him flinch. "Idiot, I'm not that bad at drinking! Not as much as Shinpachi and Sano and Heisuke are, anyway." She barked indignantly.
Hajime sighed quietly and reached for her wrist as she made to hit her friend a second time, stopping her. "Calm yourself, will you? It's apparent that you wouldn't need a drop of sake to make you brash." He reasoned with a patient tone, seeing her blush at his instinctive grip on her wrist.

She looked away humbly and huffed. "You worry too much, Haji-kun." She remarked, blushing still.
He smiled to himself at her reluctant defeat. "Somebody has to, when your brother is away." He replied coolly, ignoring her when she stuck her tongue out.

The four men looked at the geisha presented to them in awe/ curiosity.

She scowled slightly and sipped her sake, fighting a wince at the sting the drink left in her throat as it went down, popping a piece of fish into her mouth and chewing. Men are such idiots, she thought.

"... Man, Chizuru-chan looked so pretty when she was made up like a geisha last time, remember?" Shinpachi's voice stirred her from her brooding mind, perking her ears.

Heisuke made a face at his friend's wistful expression, blushing. "Shaddup, Shinpatsu, yer too old for her anyway! Chizuru-chan isn't that kinda girl..." He barked defensively.

"Well it's not like I woulda ever taken advantage of the poor girl, Heisuke! Geez, just because you've got a huge crush on her, ya act like a freakin' guard dog!" Shinpachi quipped as he downed another shot of sake.

His face turned a shade of dark red at his friend's declaration before he stuffed more food into his mouth. "I-I do not... Yer such an idiot, Shinpatsu..." He grumbled defeatedly, his cheeks burning more.

The geisha smiled between the two men, refilling the sake bottle on Hajime's tray. "This Chizuru-chan must be something special, for you to think about her like that," she offered in a kind tone.

Souji poured himself some more sake. "Damn right she is; with her and our lovely lady here, the Shinsengumi wouldn't be the same without them around. Ain't that right, Hajime-kun?" He said confidently, elbowing the quieter captain.

Hajime glanced at the aforementioned woman to see her blushing slightly and shooting her friend an embarrassed scowl; he smiled at her and nodded. "Very. A little feminine gentility never hurt, especially in the company of men." He elaborated calmly, sipping his sake.

Kawa blushed more and huffed, stealing the sake bottle from his tray and pouring herself another shot. "Shut up, it's not as if I'm afraid of breaking a damn nail around you idiots. With you guys getting injured or acting like total morons, it's hard to maintain being femine and worryin' over you at the same time." She argued indignantly, the rosiness from the strong drink making her cheeks burn more.

The geisha looked at her and seemed to smile as she poured more sake into Shinpachi's bottle. "My my, I must admit, I feel envious of you, Yasakawa-san! Not every woman can live within an environment that has very little female company." She offered, perking her ears.

She looked at her and smiled slightly, rubbing behind her neck. "It's not much to be envious of, Miss Hatsumori, really! I've lived with these guys for over two years, so to me, it's not anythin' special." She said humbly.

Souji looked at her from sipping his sake before he smiled lightly at the geisha. "Miss Hatsumori, would you kindly dress this tomboy up like a geisha?" He asked curiously, stilling life in the room.

Hajime almost choked on his sake; Heisuke and Shinpachi looked up alertly; Kawa widened her eyes and spat out her sake.

He dodged her right fist that was intended for his nose, catching her wrist as she swore vehemently at him and blushed furiously. "What's the big deal, Kawa-chan? I bet ya look twice as gorgeous as usual if you dress up!"

"Honestly, Okita-san, I don't think Kawa would like being made up like a doll..." Hajime began to defend patiently despite having almost choked on his drink as the mental image of seeing the tomboy in such refined clothing made him shiver in pleasure.

Hatsumori looked over at the angered woman and smiled sheepishly. "I would be honored to!" She said lightly.

"EH!?" Kawa sputtered in surprise from being blocked by the man she was trying to kill for suggesting a ludicrous idea, her gray eyes wide.

The woman smiled innocently at her.

"Then that settles it!" Souji declared jovially, grabbing the girl's wrists and dragging her after the geisha as she stepped out into the corridor and held the door open for him to usher the angered and bewildered tomboy after her exit.

"D-damn it, Souji, I'm so going to kill you for this..!" Kawa vowed loudly, yelping when he released her wrists and snatched her swords, throwing her out of the room; the geisha closed the door behind her before dragging her down the corridor to the changing room.

Souji sighed complacently and went to sit back down next to Hajime. "My work is done," he said lightly.

Hajime glanced at him. "You do realize Hijikata-san will never approve of allowing you to force Kawa into a kimono..." He reasoned.

He waved him off. "Don't worry so much, Hajime-kun! She's gonna be just fine," he remarked calmly, returning to his unfinished dinner.

He frowned at him and exhaled.
"One of these days, that carefree attitude of yours is going to get you in trouble, Okita-san," he mused more to himself.

:::::::::::::::::::::oO::::::::::::::::::

The door opened wide.

All four men widened their eyes in surprise.

Hijikata Yasakawa stepped into the room, being careful of not tripping on the borrowed kimono, her eyes cast down in embarrassment.

Hatsumori smiled lightly behind the shy young woman. "Well, gentlemen, what do you think?" She asked the occupants of the room.

Hajime ignored the blush burning his cheeks at seeing her look so... gorgeous.
Souji had to swallow a remark, looking at her from head to toe, at the tomboy twenty-two year old that often spoke her mind and was never afraid of wielding her sword in combat.

Wow, he thought.

Kawa had been forced into a purple kimono that almost looked pink in the amber light of the room, blue on the collar and sleeves with a floral design on the said parts of the robe, and a wide green obi that tied in the front.

"K-Kawa, are you in there...?" Heisuke spoke up slowly, perking her ears.
She huffed quietly and scowled. "Who else?" She grumbled.

Shinpachi finally tore his gaze away from the woman they'd forced to be dolled up, blushing and chuckling. "Yep, that's her all right. Damn Kawa, you're beautiful!" He exclaimed.
Kawa blushed and sputtered a huff. "Shut up, Shin-chan." She retorted, finally looking up to scowl at her friend's blue eyes.

Souji finally flashed his usual confident smile.
"Now I know that's you in there, Kawa-chan; no other woman as damn gorgeous as you woulda been spouting remarks like that." He said nonchalantly.

She turned a stony look on him. "You, I'm still mad at you." She spat, her hands clenching into fists.
He looked at her before he shrugged. "For what? All I asked was that ya look like a girl for once. If it weren't for your boobs, noone would be able to tell that you're not a man." He explained.

Kawa threw Shinpachi's cup at him, watching it connect with his forehead. "Bastard! Just keep your mouth shut for once in your damn life, Souji!" She exclaimed angrily, storming out of the room and throwing the balcony door open, slamming it shut behind her as she fled the room.

Souji rubbed his forehead gingerly as a small red mark appeared where she'd thrown the cup at him. "Ow, geez... What the hell did I say?" He grumbled.

Hajime looked at him and sighed, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get her. If you go anywhere near her, she'll most likely kill you." He reasoned, straightening to his feet and exiting the room through the balcony door, closing it behind his exit as he went in search of their friend.

::::::::::::::::::::oO::::::::::::::::::

She scowled out at the darkened night, leaning over the balcony ledge.
She'd stopped crying a few minutes ago; her makeup was probably smeared by now, but she didn't care.
She was just mad at Souji for making her look like a fool.

"Idiot loudmouth," she spoke to the night, spitting at the ground.

"I'm glad we agree on the fact that he really is a loudmouth," a familiar voice said, spooking her; she looked at the walkway to see Saitou Hajime walking towards her.

Kawa smiled slightly, looking away as he joined her on the balcony. "Kind of glad you're the one who came to look for me; if it were Souji, I woulda killed him for it." She mused, looking out at the night.

Hajime smirked at the mental image of seeing her beating him, following her gaze. "I know you would've, that's why I came instead. Can't have you killing one of our own with your brother away in Osaka." He shrugged.

She looked at him and laughed quietly, her gray eyes soft. "Aww, you're no fun, Hajime," she teased.
He made a face, earning another laugh from her; he looked at her kimono again and his own gaze softened at seeing her look so beautiful. "Other than being angered with Okita-san, are you all right?" He wondered quietly, perking her ears.

She nodded and looked out at the night, at the lanterns dimly burning on the other side of the building. "I'm all right. Thank you, for worrying." She replied.

Hajime nodded, looking at her outfit and quieting. "You really do look beautiful, dressed like that. I've never seen you wear something other than that vest and hakama," he admitted, looking at her surprised gray eyes.
Kawa blushed, her cheeks burning a shade of red, before she looked away humbly. "Well take a good look, because it's probably the last time you're ever gonna see me in this getup." She said with a huff, lifting her sleeve to wipe away the makeup from her face.

He frowned. "Do you not like it, or...?" He wondered.
She shook her head. "I never liked looking too feminine. Even as a little girl, I hated it when my mother would make me wear something pink." She admitted.

Hajime lifted a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You really are a tomboy," he mused with a soft smile.
Kawa blushed and nodded, smiling rather proudly. "And proud of it," she amended, meeting his blue eyes.

He allowed the smile to remain on his lips, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, making her blush again.
She shivered at feeling his lips on her skin, lifting a hand to stroke his hair. "Hajime," she said softly.

He looked at her, his blue eyes soft. "Close your eyes." He instructed gently.
She blinked. "Eh, but why...?" She asked.
He rolled his eyes. "Just do it." He insisted patiently.
She sighed and obeyed, closing her eyes as instructed.

Hajime reached to gently take her shoulders in his hands, ducking his mouth to press onto hers in a soft kiss.
Kawa's eyes flew open at the unfamiliar feeling, her cheeks burning a shade of dark red.

He pulled away when her eyes opened, looking at her concernedly. "Did I scare you?" He asked quietly.
She lowered her gaze embarrassedly, nodding. "A little."
She looked up at his slightly expectant blue gaze, gingerly reaching to hold his face in her hands, pulling him forward so his lips met hers a second time.

Hajime's cheeks burned slightly before he closed his eyes, kissing her slowly.
Kawa pressed forward, crushing her lips against his eagerly, as she folded her arms around his neck.

He curled his fingers in her up-kept black hair, feeling her lean onto his chest, as he drew back into the balcony post.
She felt his hand that wasn't buried in her hair trace down her ribs to her waist, his fingers digging into the silk of her kimono reflexively, his tongue gingerly asking entrance; she kissed again, permitting him to go further.

Hajime wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing harder, hearing her moan softly.
Kawa curled her fingers in his raven hair, pressing her breasts against his chest and making him groan her name between kisses.

He grappled for her obi, digging his nails into the fabric as he crushed his lips against her own soft lips, hearing her moan his name quietly as he started to pull the combs and other adornments out of her black hair.
She felt like melting into his arms, but kept herself from doing anything else. "H-Hajime," she panted softly, pulling away from his mouth.

He looked hurt as his blue eyes gleamed with a rawness that made her insides curl up. "What?" He groaned softly, looking at her gray eyes for some sort of reason as to why she'd interrupted him from letting her hair down.
She shook her head. "Not here." She replied.

Hajime recognized what she was referring to and nodded slightly, cupping her cheek. "You're right." He reluctantly detangled her arms from his body and took her hand. "Come on, before someone sees." He urged, dragging her after his lead back to their room.

Kawa blushed slightly and smiled at him, feeling his fingers squeeze her own in his grip as he led the way.

She buried herself into the blankets of her bed, shivering at the slight feel of cold coming from outside.
Someone knocked on her door, perking her ears; she sat up, looking at the silhouette of the figure on the other side of her door. "Who is it?" She asked quietly.

The figure seemed to smile. "Three guesses who," he said with a familiar confident tone in his voice.

She frowned as she recognized that voice, hugging her arms. "I said I was still mad at you." She reminded pointedly.
He seemed to frown back. "I know, I've got the mark to prove that." He seemed to sigh. "It's cold out here, can't you let me in? Please?" He added as he seemed to rub his arms.

She quieted before she sighed and reluctantly got out of bed to open the door to see Okita Souji standing before her.

She nodded inside her room, closing the door behind him and turning to him as he walked inside. "You have seven minutes." She stated, crossing her arms at her chest.

Souji looked at the stand where her two swords were perched, his hands still on his arms. "You drive a hard bargain, Kawa-chan," he mused.

Kawa glared at him. "Souji..." She began.

He placed his hands up in surrender before he dropped them and bowed respectfully. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, earlier tonight." He apologized humbly.
She lessened her angered stance and quieted again, walking past him to grab a blanket from her bed, draping it over his shoulders.

Souji looked up at her when he felt the blanket descend on his shoulders, holding onto the folds as he stared at her in slight confusion.
Kawa sighed. "You're forgiven. But you do that again and I swear that I'll emasculate you in your sleep." She added darkly, her gray eyes turning steely again.

He smiled slightly at her threat and put a hand up in surrender. "I won't do it again," he sighed.
She nodded and smirked gently. "Good, I'll hold you to that." She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek absently, watching him catch her hand and hold it to his face. "Have you been up all night thinking about that?" She asked.

Souji shrugged and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Sorta. It's kinda been keepin' me awake," he explained.
Kawa shrugged and huffed. "Serves ya right, then," she mused.

He made a face. "Hey, Kawa..." He began when she started to laugh softly.
She sighed again and reluctantly retracted her hand. "Kidding, I'm kidding." She offered.

He rolled his eyes. "You're one weird woman, Kawa," he mused.
She giggled quietly and smirked. "Damn right." She stifled a yawn.

Souji grinned gently. "Sleeping in a cold bed won't be helpful towards gettin' beauty rest," he mused.
Kawa blushed at his underlying indication and rolled her eyes.
"Not tonight. Go to your own bed, dummy." She declared, walking away from him to open the door.

He pulled her wrist, perking her ears; he met her gray gaze and smiled again before he kissed her forehead, making her blush.
She felt him run a hand through her hair before he walked past her to the opened door. "Sleep well, princess," he wished, stepping out into the night.

Kawa watched him leave and sighed as she closed her door. "He's still an idiot," she muttered as she retreated to bed, curling up beneath the thick blankets and turning her back to the door; she sighed quietly.

Sunlight glinted off the edge of her blade.
She stared down the hay dummy, absently gripping the hilt of her katana; she closed her eyes for a moment and sighed softly.

She flew at the dummy, flicking her wrist and swinging the blade down onto the dummy as she landed gently on her feet yards behind her target.

The dummy broke in half, the top half sliding off and onto the ground with a soft 'thud'.
"Too easy," she mused, sheathing her katana with a sigh.

"You look like you're getting faster, finally." A voice declared, perking her ears.
She looked to see her brother standing before the dummy yards away; a smirk crossed his lips and his arms were folded in his sleeves as was habit.

"Nii-san, you're back!" She smiled, going to embrace him.

He lifted a brow at her sudden embrace, smiling slightly and hugging her shoulders before letting her slip free. "I didn't think I was missed that badly." He mused.
She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, habit." She glanced at his garb to see he still wore his blue and white haori over his usual attire. "Did you just get back a few minutes ago?" She wondered.

Hijikata nodded. "Chizuru was anxious to see everyone, so she basically ran all the way back here." He explained with a slightly sheepish smile.
Kawa laughed quietly and smiled. "That sounds like Chizu-chan, all right..."

She glanced at his right arm to see a sliver of bandage wrapped around his wrist; she took his wrist and saw that he had gotten some sort of injury, a patient sigh escaping her. "Toshi, honestly... What was it this time?" She asked knowingly, looking up at his violet eyes as he retracted his wrist.

He cleared his throat and slipped his arms back into his sleeves.
"Run-in with some ronin; it's just a scratch." He replied, ignoring the scolding glint in his half-sister's gray stare.

She sighed again and rolled her eyes. "I can only imagine a certain someone who shall be nameless stuck his nose in. Again." She mused.

Hijikata frowned at her and huffed. "I had no choice, they threatened her." He sniffed.

Kawa nodded patiently and crossed her arms at her chest.
"Between you and Heisuke, it's hard to tell who's the bigger hothead around here." She stated, lifting an arm to scritch the back of her head in frustration.

He scowled. "Shut up," he grumbled, looking away.

She looked up at him through one gray eye before she laughed softly, walking away from him. "Oh, Toshi," she sighed as she slipped her shoes off, folding her arms behind her head.

Hijikata made a face and followed her, slipping his shoes off and quickly at her heels. "'Oh Toshi', what?" He repeated cautiously.
Kawa glanced up at him and smiled. "Nothing; nothing at all, nii-san." She shrugged innocently.

He frowned down at her, cutting his gaze to the side and scritching the back of his head in frustration. "I see nothing ever changes with you." Brat sister, he inwardly added.

She laughed again. "Not really; oh yeah, your haiku skills suck." She added, perking his ears.

He balked. "You... how the hell did you know?" He demanded, a vein twitching dangerously on his temple.
She walked ahead of him. "I read your diary." She replied, glancing back at him and winking before she took off at a sprint.

His fists shook at his sides and he clucked his tongue. "YASAKAWA!" He bellowed as he sprinted after her.

She laughed. "Oh Chizu-chan~ Toshi-nii has somethin' he wants to tell you~!" She crowed, narrowly dodging his swipe for her legs, gaining speed as she neared the "dining room".

"YASAKAWA I SWEAR THAT I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT!" Hijikata shouted at the top of his lungs, seeing her dive into the "dining room".

"What the hell is all the commotion about...?" Sano wondered when Kawa dove into the dining room followed quickly by an angered demon vice-commander; he sweatdropped. "Never mind."

"HIDE MEEE!" She whined, scrambling to hide behind Hajime and Souji as her brother tried to get at her.

Hajime sweatdropped at the sight of the angered (and rather frightening) vice-commander, glancing over his shoulder at the young woman as she used him as a shield.

Souji glanced at Kawa and looked up at Hijikata innocently. "So, how was Osaka?" He asked with a cat-like smile.

"Cut the crap, Souji! You both stole that damn book, the book that belongs to me!" Hijikata snarled, glowering daggers into his younger friend's green gaze.

He blinked before he smiled innocently. "No idea what the hell yer talkin' about, Hijikata-san." He said in a jovial tone, feeling Kawa cling to his shoulder and poke her head out from behind his back.

Smoke seemed to be coming out of his ears and nose, reminding them of a dragon that was really pissed off, and he had that murderous look in his eyes that would scare the hell out of anyone, weak or strong.

"Um, dinner is ready..." The voice of Chizuru seemed to snap him out of his scary expression, making the rest of the room's occupants look to see the girl enter the room from the back hall with food.

She blinked and looked at the scene about her, from Kawa cowering behind Souji and Hajime, to Hijikata standing over the three of them like he was deciding who to strangle first, her brown eyes meeting his dilated violet gaze. "Hijikata-san...? What's going on...?" She wondered confusedly.

He seemed to snap to and cleared his throat, straightening his posture. "It's nothing important. Please carry on." He replied in his usual aloof tone, ungluing his feet from where they were to go to his room.

She watched him leave with further confusion and looked at her friends. "Did I miss something?" She asked.

Heisuke seemed to act first, smiling widely. "N-no, ya didn't miss a single thing, Chizuru-chan~! Come on, let's eat; I'm starved!" He declared in a light tone, pulling his bowl and chopsticks to him for emphasis.

Shinpachi and Sano acted like their usual selves, as did Kondou-san, Inoue-san and Sannan-san, leaving Kawa, Souji, and Hajime still sitting in the same positions.

Kawa gingerly pried her fingers from Souji's shoulders, smiling sheepishly. "Don't ask; Toshi-nii... well, he had a rough day." She laughed weakly.

Hajime looked at her and glanced at the doorway, sighing. "I can imagine this has something to do with Hijikata-san's personal belongings, so I won't pry further." He mused as he pulled away from her to get some food.

Souji looked at his friend and smirked. "You read the haiku, didn't you?" He guessed, a mischievous light shining in his eyes.
She nodded and returned the smirk. "Why else would he be trying to kill me?" She shrugged, following Hajime.

He chuckled.

sorry this was so short; i just had to get this out after watching the OVAs (Sekkaroku) recently.
anyway, feedback is loved, so review please! thanks~