Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki. :)
Chirp chirp.
His eyelids twitched slightly.
Birds? Am I hearing the sound of birds?
He tried to pry his eyes open but it seemed that his body wasn't listening to him.
Where? Where am I?
He managed to crack his eyes opened but his vision blurred. He squinted and blinked a few times, feeling disoriented.
"Oh! You are finally awake." A soft feminine voice spoke.
Aghast, he turned his head slightly in the direction of that voice. That was when he felt the pain.
Argh. It dawned on him that he was covered in bandages all over his body. He tried to sit up, but moaned when he felt a sharp searing pain on his chest.
"You must not move. You're still not well." A pair of pale hands reached out towards him and pushed him down lightly on the futon.
He laid back and stared at the ravishing young lady sitting beside him intently.
A delicate face with rosy cheeks. Her long black hair travelled down her waist. Clearly, she was a lady from a noble family for she was clad in a kimono made from pure silks and embroidered with elaborated flower markings.
"Are you alright?" Her beautiful violet eyes were filled with worry.
He was about to respond when it all came back to him. There was the battle against the Choushuu army. And then, there was him giving an injured Hijikata and Yukimura a chance to escape from Aizu.
He remembered himself barely surviving from the battle as he limped his way through the forest before collapsing at the foot of a tree. He felt his last bit of strength draining away as he gazed up at the azure sky, waiting for death to take him away.
Please... Let the both of them be safe. Slowly, he began to shut his eyes.
When he woke up, he was flabbergasted to find himself miraculously alive.
"I am fine," he replied. "But why am I here?"
She smiled at him before explaining how she had found him while she was travelling back from Osaka with her servants and guards. And how they tried to save him desperately.
"I have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Furuka Kumiko, Head of the Furuka Merchant Group. How should I address you?"
"Saitou... Saitou Hajime." He was surprise that it was a lady leading a merchant group. Moreover, she was very young.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Saitou-san." Staring at his face, she chuckled softly. "Was it really surprising for a lady to be the head instead of a man?"
"N-no, I didn't mean to be rude..." Saitou began.
"Don't worry, you aren't the only one who reacted in that way," she said, smiling.
They locked eyes for a brief moment before she looked away.
"You must be tired from all the talking. You should rest more." She lifted the quilt until it reached his shoulders. She was about to leave when she heard Saitou muttered a "thank you" before he lapsed back into sleep.
Smiling, she closed the door silently and left.
It has been three months since he had stayed at her mansion. He was now her bodyguard.
"Thank you for saving me. I am indebted to you. What should I do to repay you back?" Saitou bowed deeply.
"I want you to live your life well. If you are happy, then I am satisfied."
"Then, please allow me to remain by your side and be an assistance to you. Onegaishimasu, Lady Furuka."
Saitou did not regret saying those words to her. Ever since he had met her, he realised that there was something more about her than meets the eye. She was, unlike any other females, brave and capable. She was amazingly intelligent and was a responsible head of the merchant group.
However, she was shouldering a heavy responsibility after the death of her father. She had to take over her father's position since she was the only child. Her mother had died after giving birth to her. After learning about this, Saitou felt a stronger urge to protect her.
Furuka was able to use a bow. Perhaps this was why he was able to talk comfortably to her. He was always shy to other women, but not towards her. He felt that he could be himself whenever he was with her, and that she understood him.
He was aware that his feelings for her was something that was forbidden. But he could not stop himself.
"Saitou-san, are you there?" Furuka called out.
"Yes, Lady Furuka."
"I would like to go for a night stroll. Will you... accompany me?" She asked, albeit hesitantly.
"Of course, Lady Furuka." Saitou slided the door opened and guided her to the garden. They stopped beside the pond.
The bright moon in the night sky shone down at them. Furuka gazed up, her face illuminated by the moonlight.
She was utterly beautiful. Staring at her wholly took his breath away.
However, she had a troubled look on her face. She allowed a sigh to escape but it was barely perceptible.
It was impossible for Saitou, who was always by her side, to not notice it.
"What's wrong?" He asked gently.
She turned her head towards him, her eyes filled with sadness.
"There are many noblemen asking for my hand in marriage recently but I haven't given a single reply to anyone yet," she responded.
"And...why is that so?" Saitou asked reluctantly. "Do you...have someone that you like?" He swallowed hard.
"Yes," she replied softly. "But he wasn't one of the noblemen who asked me to marry him."
She has someone that she likes... He felt an aching feeling in his chest.
"What's he like?" Saitou asked quietly.
"He's strong and kind. When he fights, you can see the honour in him." Her eyes lit up as she speaks about the man that she loved.
"But my love for him could be my own one-sided affair. I don't know if he sees me in the same way as I do." She continued bitterly. "I am afraid of rejections. However, I am aware that if I continue this way, I won't get my feelings across to him."
Saitou did not wish to listen any further but he could not say it.
"Where is that person?" He clenched his fist to keep his emotions in control. He knew that he did not have a chance to be loved by such an amazing noblewoman like her.
She took a deep breath before replying.
"He lights up my whole world. I don't care about his social status. I love him for whoever he is. He is my everything." Her voice quavered slightly.
"And that person...he's here. And he's standing right before me." She stared straight into Saitou's eyes.
"That person is you, Saitou."
Her lower lip trembled as she stared at him, waiting for his response. Saitou was stunned. He wanted to say how much he loved her too, but he did not where to start first.
And so, he did the only thing he had wanted to do for very long.
He stepped towards her, cupping her cheeks with his warm hands before leaning in to give her a kiss.
When they broke apart, Furuka felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She felt his feelings through the kiss that they shared. Her heart simply burst with joy knowing that he loved her too.
They held each other's hands tightly. Their feelings were made known to each other.
"No matter what happens, we'll stay together, right?" Saitou smiled at her.
"Yes." Furuka beamed radiantly.
There would definitely be people who were against them to be together. But they believed in the trust and the love that they shared together would never break them apart, no matter what happens.
Hello readers! :) Here it is! My very first one-shot fanfiction. Saitou is my favourite character from Hakuouki and I was wondering what would happen if he was still alive after the battle. xD Please please please rate & review! Share with me your thoughts, okay? Do check out my other stories as well! :D