Thank you for the reviews! :) It was really encouraging, and helped me churn out this chapter! (strictly speaking, the first chapter of the story XD).

!IMPORTANT NOTE!

The timeline of this story will actually be starting before the actual Hakuouki series. ^^ It starts at Hakuouki Reimeiroku, referenced from .com/. There are some translations here directly from this lovely site, so all rights go to Tokio for that!

On a side note, there is a 'Serizawa (Kamo)' introduced in this chapter. He is the lead commander of the Shinsengumi, known as Roshigumi right now (they haven't earned their new name yet XD). Kondou is also a commander, but his status military-wise is lower than Serizawa. Hopefully, I'll be able to capture his character and personality well enough throughout the story. I'm not exactly very historically accurate, so please forgive me for any possible errors!

No, you don't have to go to the site and read everything there. I would recommend it, but in no way is it necessary for you to know everything on there (heck, I don't either ^^").

!IMPORTANT NOTE END!

Wow, this is rather… long. 0.0 Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for bearing with me!

Ch 1 : The Banquet

It was really, really stuffy in here and extremely uncomfortable. The room was filled with multitudes of rowdy voices overlapping each other, and the clinks and clangs of sake bottles and cups could be heard every so often. My blue kimono was suffocating me, and the elaborate obi tied around my waist was just the icing on the cake.

... The fact that I was sitting right here as a serving girl just made this entire situation downright torturous. Who set me up for this, anyways? I'm pretty sure I missed the majority of the sake pouring classes. I'm supposed to play music with the others in over there in the corner, not sit here and attempt to be one of the flirtatious hostesses!

I hated this. I hated plastering a smile to my face every day and dressing like a doll. I hated being a maiko, an 'apprentice geisha'. Some of the other maiko had been sold as well, but they were all happy and excited about this. They were looking forward to the 'glamorous' life of a geisha, and of being taught by 'professionals', and were completely ignorant of all the other darker things that came with the package.

Yukiko, one of the older geisha and my onee-san, the one who'd guided me after... after Father left, had shown me what the true life of a geisha was. Never being able to act how you wanted to, always having to please the men who came here...

Even with all the years that had passed since the day I'd been sold by my father, I never forgot the raw pain and hurt. Maybe that's why my smiles always felt forced, and my laughs were always a little hollow.

I sneaked a glance at Shizuka, who was serving a rather rowdy trio across the room. Shizuka was a friend of mine, and a fellow maiko. The geisha mentoring her, her onee-san, was on fairly good terms with Yukiko, so we were sometimes grouped together in our lessons. She was much more exuberant and outgoing than me, not to mention she completely outclassed all of us in dancing. Shizuka seemed to have a natural gift for it, and she was already making a name for herself in the Shimabara district. Even most of the geisha were eclipsed by her.

She seemed to be having a grand time right now, smiling and giggling as she flirted shamelessly with the men. Her hazel eyes lit up mischievously when they met mine as I glanced at her, and a foreboding chill suddenly ran down my spine.

When she coyly twined her hands through the man's low ponytail and leaned into his ear to whisper something to him, I knew nothing good could come out of it.

Especially when he laughed and nodded.

Shizuka then stood up from her seat, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Already, the urge to face-palm was overwhelming.

All of the geisha were visibly surprised by her actions, if their varying degrees of shock were anything to go by. Sure, Shizuka was becoming well-known and had an excellent reputation building up, but... she was still a maiko. Doing something like this at a banquet was outright-

"What a daring girl," I heard one of them whisper to my right, "I wonder what Mother would do if she heard about this?"

I ignored them, my eyes fixed on Shizuka.

Sit down, Shizuka. My gaze skittered across the room, trying to analyze the majority of the men's reactions to her surprisingly bold move. A few of them seemed annoyed, but most of them were bordering on curiosity and amusement.

That was a relief.

All of them were samurai. Well, somewhat more like rogue swordsmen than actual samurai. However, that didn't change the fact that each of them knew how to wield a sword and knew how to kill.

The different swords at their sides right now served as a testament to that.

"Good evening, everyone." Shizuka gave a polite bow and put on her prettiest smile, "Eating without any entertainment is so dull, is it not? If you would permit me, dancing for everyone here would be my honor."

Ah, that's what she wanted. Of course it would be beneficial to her future geisha career if she were to perform for such a large group at such a large banquet. Also, our okiya would begin earning even more money if she were to pull off a successful hit tonight.

Maybe this is what they call killing two birds with one stone.

"Of course, that would be fantastic!" One of the men seemed quite happy and enthusiastic. He had brown hair that was neatly tied up in the back, and his strong build immediately set him apart as one of the stronger samurai present. "It's very kind of you to offer-"

"Tch, such an insolent girl," The man sitting right next to me cut in, his gruff voice abruptly startling me and almost causing me to jump, "How dare you be so presumptuous as to interrupt my banquet? What gives you the right to stand up like this?"

Shizuka was visibly startled, not having expected a reaction like that... She'd never been rejected by the men before, so I guess this was a whole new revelation for her. Especially with the attention of everyone in the room trained on her.

"I..." She stuttered, faltering and at a loss for what to do.

The brown-haired man from earlier looked over uneasily at the gruff man, "Um, Serizawa-san, is it really necessary-"

"For someone like you, perhaps," Serizawa-han glared at him, "A samurai needs to be shown proper respect, Kondou-kun."

"But surely there is no need to-" The man broke off as he was fixed with a piercing glare from the older one, "..."

...He looked like he still wanted to protest, still wanted to speak out... but there was something else... something else that was holding his tongue and staying his lips...

The palpable silence that fell over the room now was akin to a thick, weighted blanket. Shizuka lowered her head, and I could make out a small shaking in her body now.

This wasn't good.

I scanned the room to see what the geisha were doing. All of them seemed rather pale, and made no move to diffuse this tenacious atmosphere. None of them were moving to help one of their own, even though a man from this group had tried to help her.

If nothing was done to resolve the situation, quickly...

"My sister was only trying to make this banquet more enjoyable, sir." Out of all the surprised looks I'd gotten, I'm absolutely positive that no one was more shocked than myself. What in the world caused me to speak up and defend her like this? Now everyone's attention was directed towards me instead.

Lovely.

The tall, muscular man towering over me with practically fire showering the background didn't help matters, either.

I swallowed tentatively and continued, "Sh-Shizuka was only offering to share her talent and joy with everyone. Surely there is nothing wrong with this? She meant no disrespect, and she is one of the youngest of us, therefore very easily excited. The merriment of this banquet must have spurred on her rashness. If her actions have shown disrespect to you, sir, then we deeply apologize."

I bowed slightly, my heart thudding against my chest, and hoping that my words were working. Please, please, please...

"So you're saying that she should be forgiven just because she's young?" His face was really scary, and he appeared to be pretty ticked off about this. Was his authority the highest out of all the samurai in this room?

... Knowing my luck, he probably was. This banquet just got better and better, didn't it? "Age is no excuse, girl. And you seem to be as young as she is."

"T-that-that's irrelevant," I stammered, before I somehow salvaged my wits again, "I'm not saying that she should be forgiven because she's young, I'm saying that she made this mistake because she's young. Our other sisters are all older and more experienced, so they know when to speak out and when to remain quiet among guests. Shizuka doesn't know how to judge situations yet, so I beg for you to be more lenient on her. If you would grace us with your forgiveness, sir, we would be eternally grateful and do our best to compensate you tonight."

"And what would you be suggesting by compensation?" He raised an eyebrow, as if he was challenging me.

... Bring it.

"Shizuka is a very talented dancer," I chose my words carefully, trying to play my cards right. After all, if he hinted at compensation already, chances were that he wasn't holding this matter as seriously as before...

Hopefully.

"In fact, she's the best dancer in all of Shimabara." I continued, "Would it not be fitting for her to compensate her accidental disrespect with her original offer that began this misunderstanding in the first place?"

Silence fell across the room. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Inwardly, I was gritting my teeth and sweating from the strenuous tension tightly strained across the room. I'd run into stubborn customers before, but... the expression on his face, the tone to his words... something like this was unheard of. If he refused to let the matter drop, then the entire okiya would be in danger. These men were all samurai, for crying out loud! One word, one order, and we were all screwed-

"BWAHAHAHA!" I really did jump this time, my heart thumping violently when the man suddenly burst out laughing, "You've got a way with words, girl. That's some nerve you have there... Alright, then, let's see what that little dancer of yours has got."

-The air immediately became easier to breathe in, and I slowly exhaled a long breath, one I hadn't even noticed I'd been holding in. Everyone gradually began talking again after his decision, and the heavy, oppressive atmosphere from earlier was gone. The laughter and cheer of a banquet were slowly recovering, and the stirrings of merriment were showing its first stages again.

I could almost cry in relief. I never want to do anything like that again. Ever.

Yukiko caught my eye across the room this time, her violet eyes filled with relief, and a knot in me seemed to loosen. Thank goodness this was over...

"Hm. Not many people dare to talk back to Serizawa-san like that."

My body jerked for a moment, the smooth voice addressing me, and the sake bottle I held in my hands almost dropped onto the ground.

I usually stayed pretty silent and tried to make myself unnoticeable when serving the men. After all, I'd heard too many horror stories about geisha who'd attracted too much attention from onee-san. This was the first time that someone addressed me within a meal that contained something other than "more sake".

I turned my head in the direction of the voice, only to see a rather young man sipping wine from his cup. His reddish-brown hair was tied up similarly to the nicer man who'd spoken earlier, and his eyes were a brilliant emerald green. His outfit consisted of a dark red haori that was partially open, and brown hakama.

"Um, well, not really," I waited until he'd downed his sake before moving over and pouring him some more. A good hostess refills the cups, right? "I... I only did what I had to do in that situation. Besides, the man over there -Kondou-han, yes?- spoke out before me."

A small smile played around the edge of his lips, "Yeah. Kondou-san is like that... always trying to help others..."

"... He seems different," I don't know what made me speak out. I normally didn't talk at all. So why...? "He...he seems... kind." I frowned.

I trusted my instincts. They were what kept me safe from all the men that frequented the okiya... So... why were my instincts telling me that this one... this one was actually okay?

It was completely contradictory to what onee-san had taught me.

Even more contradictory was the fact that I was sitting here, voicing my thoughts and feelings to another. One of the first things I'd learned from onee-san was that it was dangerous to tell how you felt about something to the men.

After all, invoking personal opinions were one of the many ways to create attachments...

I abruptly cut off my train of thought and refilled the sake cup again.

"I'm thankful to him." I stated simply, "If he didn't say anything first, I don't think I would've been able to find it in myself to speak out for Shizuka."

"That's Kondou-san for you," There was a certain fondness in his tone as he spoke about him, "Inspiring and charismatic."

A type of companionable silence fell between the two of us, and for once I wasn't paranoid and wary of the man sitting next to me. I sneaked another glance at him, curiosity having been piqued. He certainly wasn't one of those types of men who could make others relax just by being around them. That would be Kondou-han. In fact, he was almost the exact opposite. Even though he sat in a slightly slouched position, there was a certain... well, there was a certain degree of an aura that seemed to ward off others. So far, he hadn't snapped at me or shooed me off like the many other men similar to his attitude, so I decided to just settle down and try to enjoy myself.

It wasn't often that I could loosen up amongst all the men. Or my sisters, for that matter. Ugh.

He didn't seem inclined to be joining the rowdy behavior of the ones sitting around him, though... rather, he seemed to be more interested in watching what everyone in the room was doing. His gaze seemed to be constantly focusing on one particular direction, though...

I peered over discreetly as well. What caught his attention?

... There was a young man around his age sitting there quietly as he ate his food. His long dark hair was tied in a low ponytail, and... huh. He held his chopsticks with his left hand. Neat.

"Isn't it strange to stare at a man in a red-light district?" A familiar rough voice suddenly cut across us, and it took formidable self-control not to jump again.

The man sitting next to me didn't seem to be bothered, though, still sipping his sake.

"Don't I have the freedom to pick what I look at? Besides, I'm not interested in this type of place to begin with." He replied easily.

"Is that so?" Serizawa-han arched a bushy eyebrow, "Then why did you come with us today, Okita?"

"Simple," Okita-han shrugged, "If I tag along, I might find a chance to kill you."

Something in me was supposed to run cold at those seemingly casual words. In the middle of a banquet, someone was openly talking about murder. I was supposed to be terrified and start shrieking or something, like what most geisha would do.

... I poured more sake.

The clear liquid ran scarlet for a split second in front of my eyes. I hope my hand didn't tremble like I imagined...

Serizawa-han was laughing again, "Kill me? A child like you? That's an interesting joke."

"I could kill you any time, if I'm given permission to."

The older man snorted, "A kitten hissing with its hair standing up is still a kitten. Your words pose no threat to me." His head swiftly tilted back as he gulped down more sake, "But if it's Hijikata saying this... that's a different story."

Okita-han winced, and Serizawa-han continued on, "When he stared at me at Honjou-shuku, it sent chills up my spine. The murderous intent in his eyes were genuine. Compared to that, your killing threats are like jokes."

He jabbed a hand at the man Okita-han had been looking at earlier, "I bet Saitou has killed before. I can tell that when seeing him."

The image of pale, pale skin flashed before me, and a body convulsing on the ground, trickling red...

"... Killing..." I perfectly remembered the cold, clammy hands that had clamped tightly onto me, even after the man was long dead. I remembered staring at the gleaming crimson needles that were embedded through the throat, feeling nothing but a sort of detached emptiness before guilt and remorse sparked in the depths of my mind...

... which were swiftly removed when my father spoke but two words, "Good job."

Killing that man had made my father happy and proud of me. That was the mantra that had engraved itself into my subconsciousness from experience... which quickly led to a second time, a third, a fourth, a fifth...

...

... Then, he sold me. After all those things I'd done for him...

It took quite a while for me to notice that the two weren't talking anymore. I looked up from where I'd been fiddling with the sake bottle, only to see both of their gazes trained on me.

"Eh?" I blinked in confusion, "D-did I do something wrong? Um, I-I mean, please excuse me if I-"

A shrill, piercing scream rang throughout the room at that exact moment, and my head snapped around toward the source. I could literally feel my eyes widen, and something in my heart went 'clunk' when my mind finally processed what it was seeing.

There was a dagger. A small throwing dagger, one meant for sudden, unsuspecting sneak attacks. A dagger with a sharp cutting edge, which would allow it to sink its blade into anything that was in its path.

A dagger that had lodged itself through onee-san, a brilliant scarlet seeping out as the dark color bloomed from its embedded hilt.

Ch 1 : End

*Maiko are basically geisha in-training. From my research, they address the geisha mentoring them as 'onee-san', which is a respectful way of saying 'older sister.'

*In a geisha house (okiya), all the geisha and maiko address the woman in charge as 'Mother.'

I'm saying this right now: I am not an expert in Japanese. It's just that the context of the story doesn't seem to flow very well without the suffixes added to the names, so… yups. If everything jumbles together and gets too confusing later on, though, I might take it out.

! If anyone is wondering what Serizawa means by referring to Honjou-shuku, follow the link here: . It's the last bit near the bottom. No, you don't have to read this if you don't want to. I'm pretty sure that this will be added into the story later on… it's just for those of you who are really curious.

Feedback would be appreciated! … I'm not sure how I did for this chapter… ^^"

All the same, I hope you enjoyed it! :)