Chapter Title: Before It is Done

Chapter Rating: PG-13

A/N: I've been watching Hakuouki lately and it inspired me to write a fan fiction. Don't really have a problem with any of the characters but you will find them to be OOC, especially Chizuru. There will be a lot of unanswered questions, if you haven't seen the series it might not make complete sense but it will in the course of the story. And no I haven't forgotten about The Crying Dead, I am working on chapter four. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki, or any of the hot studs in it, /sad face.

People say life gets better, if you only give it time. They say time heals all wounds, they say it will stop the hurt, eventually. People also say revenge won't take away the pain, but will only make it worse. Chizuru didn't believe what people said or believed. She only had experience to go by, and experience told her time did not heal wounds, and didn't stop the pain. Experience told her revenge was the best pain killer out there, that it was the only way to right the wrongs done to her, done to her begging mother and crying brother. Done to her father who valiantly fought to his death, for their sake. For their sake he died, for his spilt blood, she'd kill.

It had been five years since she last saw her family, heard their screams, smelled their blood. Five years since she'd burned her dojo down, and left forever. Two months since she'd run away from her beloved teacher to become a wandering swordsman. Three weeks since she'd assassinated one of her family's attackers. It had taken awhile to get used to having blood smear her sword, her hands, her conscience. But it was only the beginning, the beginning of a long hard path piled with corpses and muddy with crimson liquid.

Chizuru realized too late she'd been too wrapped up in her thinking. The streets of Kyoto were now empty, the flow of strange faces and screaming children were gone. The hot, stale air of evening was replaced by the cool breeze of night. The only illumination to guide her step was the full moon glowing from above. It seemed to her it was awfully quiet, considering only moments ago people were yelling from every corner. Even the animals were silent. However she was new to this city, this was her first day here. Perhaps there was a sound ordinance, she couldn't be sure. Still it didn't explain why the crickets and birds were eerily hushed.

Something was abnormal about this town, there was a tension in the air, like the moment a deer senses a predator in hiding but neither move both waiting for the perfect time to flee or strike. Chizuru frowned knowing she had no money for a room and would have to sleep out on the streets for the night. Usually this didn't bother her because she was always camping outside, it was different here though. For the first time in a long while she actually felt frightened, she would never admit it, not even to herself, but deep down she wanted her father to be there right then. To tell her she was being silly and that there were no monsters, it was only her imagination. Only he was dead, and she knew all to well monsters were not fictional.

Moments later she found a dirty hovel behind a stack of firewood in an alley. There no one would bother her and she could rest for the night. Hours later she awoke to someone's desperate cries for help. She could sense them coming towards her hiding spot, running frantically from whatever was chasing them. Slowly she crawled out of the burrow, still groggy and stunned from being awoken so suddenly. "Help! Somebody help me! Please!" He came running out of nowhere, and nearly tripped over her. Instead he fell over the pile of firewood, destroying her sleep area. "Oh God, he's coming, he's coming for me."

He didn't seem to notice her, banging his head on the dirt ground and mumbling nonsense. "Who is coming for you?" He startled, clumsily swinging his arm towards her and missing by about two feet. "Stop it, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you."

He just stared at her, rather dumbly like she had sprouted wings and spewed fire. "You can't help me, nobody can. He's impossible to kill!"

The dry look she gave showed she didn't believe him, "Calm down, nobody is impossible to kill. Everybody dies." She whispered harshly, "Now tell me who is following you."

He didn't answer, completely petrified, frozen to the ground, watching the darkness with wide brown eyes. Someone…something was moving at an alarming speed towards them. "Get up and defend yourself." She commanded, standing herself with her katana and short sword out in front of her defensively.

Whatever it was, it was powerful. Chizuru could feel his potent energy seep into her core, it was breathtaking. She knew now why the boy was in such a hysteria. Even as her heart hammered, and her hands shook, she took control of her frenzied emotions just as her teacher had taught her. She couldn't afford to let fear consume her. There could be no distractions or she would surely die, and everything she had worked for would be lost.

"Well what do we have here? Another plaything?" He emerged from the shadows into a shaft of silver light, tall and intimidating, beautiful and deadly. Scarlet eyes peered at her from beneath a shock of white hair, she couldn't look away from them. "Dessert, perhaps?" He smiled, showing off two rows of jagged teeth, like a shark's maw. A tongue flickered out licking away the red stains.

"Leave now, and I will spare your life." She was in trouble, the potent aura emanating from him told her as much. The way he carried himself with such lethal grace, every movement smooth like flowing water. He hadn't even drawn his sword, he probably didn't need it judging by the claws on his hands. What had she gotten herself into? If only she had left before, he wouldn't have known she was there. Now she couldn't escape, there was no way she could outrun that thing. Not only was her life at stake, but the boy's was too. She had to fight, and she had to win.

He laughed a little, an unholy sound that sent goose bumps down her arms. "Is that so?"

Chizuru whirled around when he disappeared, just in time to be sent flying into a wall. Everything went black. Blood warm and sour gushed from somewhere within her mouth. Her body felt like it was shattered, every bone working to mend itself within seconds of breaking. It hurt, it hurt a lot, but she'd been hurt worse. It would take much more than this to stop her.

Color was returning to her vision when she heard him approach, she kept absolutely still. "Done already? My, humans are weak." The katana lay several feet from her, but the arm that was pinned beneath her body held onto her short sword. When she felt he was close enough she flipped herself over bringing the short sword in a wide arc above her.

Chizuru stared in amazement, he had blocked her attack with his bare hand. Blood slid slowly down the shining blade, she held on even as it streamed down her arm. She was no match for his brute strength, the weapon wouldn't budge when she tugged on it. Who was this guy? Never had she seen or heard of anyone with this kind of power and speed. Now she knew why everyone had slipped indoors so suddenly when the sun had gone down, why the animals were silent, with this thing prowling for victims it was a wonder anybody still lived there.

The boy who had been frozen with fear before apparently saw this has his opportunity to run. He took off without looking back, Chizuru had never seen a human run so fast. Really though she couldn't blame him, the situation was dire. Her odds were rapidly decreasing.

The blade was jerked from her weak grip and carelessly thrown aside with a clatter. Chizuru tried to scoot back, but he was already there picking her up effortlessly by the collar of her haori. He held her level to his face, and so close she could smell the blood on his breath. "You're friend left you. How sad, he didn't even stay for the grand finale."

"Let me go." She hissed, glaring hatefully into his spine-chilling eyes, trying to hide her fear. He leaned in closer, smelling the curve of her neck. She could feel the graze of his razor teeth glide roughly over her skin.

"You are a feisty one. Are you not afraid of death?" He asked almost gently, obviously interested.

She swallowed hard, uncomfortable with him being so close, his breath hot on her neck. "I'm not scared to die, and I'm certainly not afraid of you. I would gladly die, if not for this burden I carry."

He paused, and pulled back, staring her fully in the face. His eyes, no longer burning scarlet with blood-lust, had changed to an intense green, his hair no longer bleached, instead a soft auburn. "And what is that?"

"There is something I must do, something important. I must not die before it is done."

He tilted his head inquisitively and half-smiled, "You should be glad little one. I ate earlier, and for now my curiosity is hungrier than my appetite." He let her go and she slid slowly to the ground. Chizuru closed her tired eyes when she heard the ring of steel being pulled from its sheathe, thinking it was the end for her.

"I'm sorry." Mother…Father…Brother…Forgive me, please…

The hit came fast, but not fatal, to the base of her skull, and she knew only darkness. Okita picked her up again throwing her easily over his shoulder. Satisfied she was still breathing he began walking back the way he came, towards the Shinsengumi headquarters.