Title: Aegis of Dóchas
Author: That Dastard Cerberus
Characters (central focus): Yukimura Chizuru, Hijikata Toshizo, Saito Hajime, Okita Souji, Harada Sanosuke, Toudou Heisuke, Kazama Chikage, Senhime,
Pairings: Undisclosed
Rating: T
Warnings for the reader: AU, not disclosing ships yet, characters slightly different due to different universe
Setting: AU where oni are wizards and medieval Europe-ish feel
Summary: Magick is everywhere, and it's now a part of Chizuru's life since everything literally burned in front of her. Indebted to a wizard who saved her life, she now serves him all the while learning the ancient arts that were kept from her since childhood. Before her, an unknown future. Behind, tragedy and long forgotten betrayals. And besides her… an arrogant and very lazy master.
Genre: Supernatural, angst, romance, friendship, hurt & comfort
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Idea Factory/Otomate does. But if I did . . . well, let's just say some people would lose their sanity, while others would . . . erm . . . yeah.
-::Aegis of Dóchas::-
-:Chapter 1 – It all burns:-
The sun fell, and the orange sky retreating behind the horizon while small specks of light began to appear in the blackening sky. Chizuru adjusted the telescope a bit, wanting to get the perfect angle for the night stars. It was a rarity these days for her father to permit her to be out so late, considering the rumor mills seemed to spin new tales of bandits and raids of fire.
Of course, her father was not a man who believed feeble pub chatter. He was a scholarly man and a master apothecary. He was also the man who scared away all the boogeymen from her bedside and gave her safety and nurturement. And yet, in spite of all of that, he was a worrisome man when it came to her wellbeing. He didn't jump every time she cough, mind you, but he seemed resistant towards her leaving the hut when night crept closer, demanding she be inside before the sun even left the evening sky.
But for once, he gave her permission to be outside after dark. His one condition, however, was that she must be visible from one of the windows of their small home, so he could keep a dutiful watch.
She giggled lightly at that. He was probably watching her like a hawk from the kitchen window right now, sipping some chamomile tea with his dark eyes burning with a fatherly protectiveness. She had wondered how on earth he was going to deal with the coming spring festivals, where possible suitors would begin to seek out their potential brides. Not that Chizuru had anyone in the village she liked and vice versa, but still, the thought humored her.
Once the sun completely left the night sky, Chizuru leaned towards the eyepiece with one eye closed. Her vision filled with the brilliants specks of the vast blanket of black above. She couldn't resist the grin on her face as she lifted a hand and slowly guided the telescope to the left, her gaze catching more glittering stars.
When the last sunray has disappeared, it was like the sky brightening in soft blue light. Wispy blue clouds glowed softly, and millions of small blue lights colored the black sky a deep indigo. It was always a beautiful sight, but through the lens of her telescope, it was an even more alien world. It felt like she was floating in the void of the sky, surrounded only by celestial sparks. It was…
…peaceful.
She was about to blissfully sign when her starry voyage was interrupted by a large black shape. Startled, she shoved the telescope away without pulling back, jabbing herself in the eye in the process. Grunting in pain, she covered the offended eye with a hand, her good eye looking around desperately for what that shape was.
A little bit away, a crow landed on a rock, cawing loudly and spreading its wings out. Chizuru stared at the bird for a moment before letting a giggle out. Of course. A telescope made everything in its sight far bigger than it actually was. And considering she was staring up at the sky, she guessed that the crow had merely flown over her telescope before landing on the rock.
She promptly returned to her stargazing, despite her other eye still hurting from smacking the eyepiece. Eventually she heard her father calling for her, and she pulled back, carefully this time, about to pack up the equipment away when she caught sight of the crow again.
It was looking directly, cawing before flapping its wings. It took off, soaring over her head before disappearing in the woods behind the hut. She watched it go before returning to her task, folding the telescope up and heaving it over her shoulder.
Funny how that bird had still been there the entire time. She wasn't sure. After all, all crows looked alike.
Far away from the hut, a hooded figure sat atop a black stallion, the shadows covering all features from view. The crow from before soared above the hooded figure's head, and the figure responded by holding out an arm. The crow glided down, claws extended and grasping the thick cloth, eventually settling with a wag of its tail feathers.
The stallion snorted and pawed impatiently at the ground as the rider shifted the arm. The crow bounced up, placing itself on the robed shoulder, cawing and wagging its tail feathers again.
The figure moved again, lifting one arm up and gesturing with two fingers forward. From the shadows of the trees emerged more robed figures on horseback, and together, they moved swiftly through the dark forest.
Morning came and went, with father and daughter in routine. First came rising along with the sun, followed by dressing in appropriate attire and fixing breakfast for the two of them. Chizuru's mother was no longer with them, the reason why she never knew. Her father refused to speak of it.
Not that she minded much, regardless. She had no memories of her mother, or any memories of her early childhood. She thought it the best, considering that sort of topic always saddened her father. It was past, and there wasn't much she could do anyways.
Following the morning meal, Chizuru and her father separated towards different tasks. She cleaned the kitchen and made both beds, while her father gathered gardening supplies and went outside, into the woods behind their hut to gather important ingredients for potions and herbal remedies.
Since that sort of task normally took all morning and even parts of the afternoon, Chizuru found herself often alone in the small hut, left to her thoughts as she washed clothes and cooked her own meal for lunch. Her father always packed his own lunch, so there was no need to make for two.
After lunch, Chizuru went towards the market in the village. It was a common occurrence for her, even if she didn't buy anything. The villagers were very friendly, and, unlike home, it was lively and relieved her of the growing sense of loneliness.
She spent most of her afternoon there, waiting for evening to come where her father would return home. Upon checking the position the sun was in, she began to make her way back when something caught her eye.
A book store's wooden sign, painted in brilliant red and golds, was before her, with the door wide open and welcoming.
Chizuru's eyebrows furrowed. Should she…? Well, it wasn't like she'd be long, she thought as the cozy looking shop drew her in. Just a peek inside before leaving.
The "peek inside" turned into a long visit and purchase of a single, empty leather bound book. Not that she regretted the purchase. The book, with its bare parchment begging to be filled with inked words, had practically thrown itself at her. At least, that was the excuse she told herself as she tucked the volume in her robe, intending on sneaking it past her father, before skipping merrily down the path towards home.
She was halfway up the hill when she felt… something off.
No, not off. Something was horribly wrong. A sick chill ran down her spine, and she froze in place, brown eyes wide in terror as cold terror swallowed all the joy she had before. Why? Why was she feeling this way? What was this foreboding feeling deep in her gut?
She didn't have time to ponder the reasons, as a shrill shriek shoot through the sky, drawing her attention. Her feet moving of their own accord, she raced up the hill, making it up to the brow.
Her house was dark, and three horses, two brown and one a midnight black, stood near the entrance. Chizuru's heart hammered in her chest as she sprinted towards the hut, only to hear the shrill cry from before, this time, however—
It was directly behind her.
Whirling behind her, she had no time to react as the club came down towards her head. By some miracle, her foot slid under her, the club barely grazing the top of her hood before the attacker stopped, trying to regain balance and not fall as she did.
In that split second, she scrambled to her feet and darted past the attacker. Unfortunately, they grabbed her cape, pulling her down onto her backside. Grabbing the brooch that clipped her hood in place, she released the cape, throwing herself off down the face of the hill, rolling roughly down to the bottom head first.
Her head spinning, she struggled to push herself up. Halfway up, her nostrils flared, catching a whiff of smoke. Painfully raising her head, she saw a brilliant orange, unlike the evening sky above her head, and past the orange was the unmistakably black smoke of fire.
A familiar shriek caught her attention, and she saw a body being flung towards the moment. She cried out, practically crawling away as the charred remains landed meters in front of her. Upon seeing the corpse, she shrieked in horror, clawing and kicking off the ground to her feet, stumbling uselessly away from death.
What was happening, what was happening? Why was this happening? Where was her father?
The forest, once a beautiful and mysterious protect of her home and the small village, suddenly burst open, unleashing hell itself, as men wearing armor charged out of the trees, screaming murder and carnage.
Chizuru let out a sob as she changed direction. She watched in horror as soldiers charged towards the direction of the village, weapons raised and torches lit. It was a raid. Oh god, it was a raid, just like the rumors said!
She ran and ran, tasting iron in her mouth as she wheezed. Away, she had to get away. She coughed harshly, gasping desperately as her legs grew shaky and stumbled. Thundering hoof steps echoed behind her, and she cried through her gasping. She was being chased, she wasn't going to make it, she wasn't going to survive this raid and worse yet, she still didn't know what happened to her fath—
Her legs gave in, collapsing underneath her. Her face slammed into the dirt, and all the wind rushed out of her stomach as her hidden journal dug into her stomach. She felt the rush of wind as a horse steeped past her, and another neighed behind her. Vision blurred and breathing heavy, she found she had not even the strength to lift her head. All she could see before blacking out from exhaustion was a hooded figure hovering over, reaching out to her, two unbelievably red eyes glowing unnaturally in the low light.