A/N: hope you lot enjoyed the first chapter, and i hope you also enjoy this chapter. anyway, enjoy!
disclaimer: i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me.
Chapter 02: Believers Never Die
The bell rang for first period to end after what felt like an eternity as the students slowly dispersed out of the room in groups or couples or singles.
She yawned and stretched her arms to the ceiling, rubbing her neck gingerly.
"I think my leg's asleep… Kawa-chan, ya might have to drag me to second period!" He wheedled, earning a look from the black-haired boy.
The brunette girl chuckled as the aforementioned girl looked at her friend and rolled her eyes knowingly.
She walked around her desk to kick his leg.
"Ouch!" He barked.
"Your leg seems fine to me. Come on, get your lazy ass up before it's time for us to go home." She mused, shrugging her bag over her shoulder. "Chizu-chan, where's your next class?" She asked the girl as she trotted to her side.
"Um, History, I think…?" She looked at her schedule a second time before she nodded. "Yeah, History!" She said lightly.
Kawa smiled gently at her and then glanced at her schedule, grimacing. "Great, my brother's class…" She muttered.
Chizuru blinked and looked at her. "Your brother has the same class as we do, or…?" She wondered in slight confusion.
"No, her brother teaches that class." Hajime explained as he went to her side, the Jump comic tucked under his arm.
"Ehh? No way, Kawa-chan, I didn't know your brother was a teacher!" She exclaimed in awe.
Souji huffed and chuckled as he came to the girl's side.
"Yep, that's her brother all right; 'Oni-Sensei' Hijikata. He's kinda scary, though, so ya might wanna stay back a few rows from the board." He declared grimly, glancing at the girl to see he'd spooked her a little and hiding an amused smirk from her brown eyes.
Chizuru shuddered. "Um, Kawa-chan, is he really that scary?" She asked hesitantly.
Kawa rolled her eyes again and scowled over at Souji. "No, he's not that bad. Souji's just messing with your head; he does that a lot, so you'll get used to it. If he does worse, I'm gonna kick his ass for it, though." She shrugged. "But no, my brother's okay. He's kinda strict about homework and assignment due dates, but other than that he's nice." She explained lightly.
Hajime smirked slightly at her. "Your explanation excellence is almost as good as mine is, Kawa," he mused aloud, perking her ears.
She blushed and then chuckled softly, smiling at him. "'Almost', nothing. I live with the bastard; if I wanted to sneak out, I've got a stable alibi." She quipped.
"You live with Saitou-kun?" Chizuru asked alertly.
Both teenagers blushed the same shade of red.
Kawa cleared her throat and shook her head. "N-no, we don't live together. I was saying that I live with my brother." She explained, blushing still at the idea.
What if they did live together? Eventually? She shuddered and blushed again.
"Whoa, really? Cool! So that means you could know all the answers to quizzes and stuff, then." Chizuru declared, stirring her from her reverie.
She laughed gently and nodded. "If I wanted to be lazy, then sure." She said with an innocent shrug.
She smiled sheepishly. So I must sound lazy for saying that, she thought.
Kawa placed an arm across her shoulders gently. "It's okay, Chizu-chan. Hell, you stick with us, and I'll help out with homework or whatever, okay?" She assured her, acting as an older-sister figure to the girl.
Chizuru blinked and then nodded, smiling at her. "Thanks, Kawa-chan." She said.
She smiled lightly. Poor kid, she thought; this girl didn't look to be older than sixteen at most, and she automatically stuck to their little group because Souji was the first to talk to her. She must not be good at making friends, she mused with an internal shrug.
But then again, it wasn't like she herself was very good at making friends, either.
Most of the girls in their year hated her because she knew Souji, Hajime and the other boys in their group since freshman year; because she knew the most popular and most handsome boys in the school she was considered an outcast by the rest of the female body of students. It shouldn't have bugged her, but it did sometimes and it just made her feel like she was infected or something.
She inwardly huffed. Typical, she thought as she brushed the feeling away.
:::::::::::::::oD:::::::::::::::
A small group of girls that were in his class glanced at him as he had his back to the classroom, writing down key points from his teacher's edition of their history book.
He glanced back at feeling eyes on him; the girls that'd passed by met his gaze and giggled simultaneously before quickly rushing to their desks.
He rolled his eyes habitually and turned to the board again, glancing down at the book in hand.
Did women really think he was that handsome?
He huffed inwardly at the ludicrous thought and banished it away.
Eventually they all turned into figments of his sister, one way or another, and that was probably the one thing that made him shudder.
"Yo, Hijikata-sensei!" A voice declared from the doorway, perking his ears.
He looked to see Souji, Hajime, Kawa and a new girl had entered; he inwardly groaned.
Any class where Souji and Kawa were in was a class that worried him.
Even though he had known Souji since he was nine, the idea of him and his little sister putting their heads together to cause trouble threatened to give him early gray.
He scowled knowingly at his usual greeting.
"I see nothing deters your casual demeanor, Okita," he returned, pointing out that he was more casual with his uniform than most of the other students were (aside from being overly familiar with him because they were neighbors).
Souji waved him off lightly, laughing. "Is that any way of greetin' your favorite student? Geez, Hijikata-sensei, I'm hurt!" He declared dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.
Kawa rolled her eyes habitually and elbowed her old friend. "Let some air out of that head of yours, idiot. Nii-san, this's Yukimura Chizuru; she's gonna be in our class now!" She said lightly, ushering the younger girl forward with an arm.
Chizuru looked up at her older brother with slightly wide eyes; he really was handsome. Her cheeks burned as she locked gaze with his stern violet stare that also seemed to widen slightly in something akin to recognition.
As if he knew her from somewhere in the past…
He cleared his throat and nodded slightly. "Yukimura; I'm glad to see some new blood around here. Take a seat wherever you'd like," he instructed, looking kind almost for an instant.
She shook her head and nodded back, blushing more. "R-right!" She declared, following Hajime as he skirted around Souji and Kawa to go to his seat, Chizuru at his heels.
Souji followed them, glancing back at Hijikata-sensei briefly before he shrugged and waved it off.
Kawa looked at her brother to see he was still slightly stunned. "Toshi, are you all right?" She asked quietly, stepping forward to grab his sleeve.
He nodded and shooed her hand away. "Go to your seat." He instructed gruffly, perking her ears.
She nodded slightly and glanced at him before obeying and going to sit next to Hajime.
Why did he feel like he knew that girl…? Who was she? And more importantly, why did he feel as if he once loved her, in a past life?
What the hell was going on?
The rest of class went on as a dull blur to his mind; his thoughts kept wandering to that girl. Of course he dared not look over at her; he wasn't an idiot. It's just… she reminded him, of something he felt he should remember.
Before he knew it, the nasal sound of the bell rang out overhead, pointing out that class was dismissed.
He cleared his throat and closed the book, assigning the homework and watching his students rise out of their desks to exit the room.
His sister looked over at him with a worried light in her eyes; she skirted around passerby students as he looked at the text book again. "Toshi," she began, perking his ears.
He looked up at her curiously. "Is something wrong?" He wondered.
She shook her head, reflexively holding onto the strap of her black backpack. "No, everything's fine. I was just wondering if you were doing okay." She replied, meeting his violet eyes.
He looked down at the textbook for the third time. "I'm all right." He glanced up to see her friends were waiting on her outside of the room. "You'd better get moving, before you're late for lunch." He warned, returning to his usual self.
Kawa made a face and sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll see you for third period," she replied, letting it slide; she patted his arm gently before leaving the room.
Toshi glanced after her leave and sighed a little. "Damn her perceptive skills," he muttered.
"What's with the long face; did your sister shrink your shirts in the wash again?" A familiar voice wondered, perking his ears.
He looked at the form of his friend Harada Sanosuke standing in the doorway. "Harada-san," he greeted.
Sano smiled good-naturedly at his old friend, walking forward into the room with his arms behind his head. "S' been a while since I've seen you make that face, Hijikata-san." He pointed out lightly.
Toshi made a face and huffed. "It's nothing of your concern," he remarked, trying to dismiss his friend's suspicion; but he knew Sano was as perceptive as his sister, so of course, that vain prayer was instantly shot out of the sky.
He chuckled. "Whatever you say. The cafeteria food tastes like shit here; wanna go scower the city and see what we can find?" He offered calmly.
He smiled slightly at his offer and nodded. "I suppose a little fresh air wouldn't kill me," he mused.
Sano smiled again and turned to lead the way. "Let's get moving before the lunch hour is over, then," he mused lightly.
Toshi followed until they were walking side by side.
"Oi, Shinpatsu, I wanted that!" The familiar whine of the youngest of their group, Todou Heisuke, sounded as they entered the cafeteria.
Both Souji and Hajime exchanged a look; Kawa rolled her eyes.
Nagakura Shinpachi chuckled and handed the small carton of chocolate milk to his younger friend, moving forward in the line. "Quit whining so much, Heisuke; a man never makes up excuses for himself." He chided lightly.
Todou Heisuke scowled at him and huffed, "don't pull that shit with me, especially when you're hogging the chocolate milk, Shinpatsu!" He snapped indignantly.
"Um, who are they?" Chizuru wondered from her place next to Kawa.
Kawa smiled patiently. "Just two friends of ours; oi, Heisuke-kun! Shinpatsu!" She hollered, waving to them as they were almost at the end of the lunch line.
"Kawa-chan!" Heisuke replied lightly.
"Hey there, beautiful!" Shinpachi chimed with a wolf-whistle.
She blushed slightly and then laughed. "We'll see you two outside," she offered lightly, turning to head outside of the cafeteria; the freezing temperature inside made having a sweater seem like she was wearing paper to keep her warm.
Besides, the sun really felt good today...
"Heisuke-kun and Shinpachi-san seem really nice," Chizuru pointed out as she followed her, Souji and Hajime at the rear.
"They're okay; Heisuke's your age, actually, Chizu-chan. Shinpachi's a senior like me, Souji, and Hajime, but he's graduating early this winter." Kawa explained calmly, finding a spot beneath a large tree and plopping down, dropping her bag onto the ground.
"Wah, really? That's cool." She mused lightly.
"Yeah really, the lucky bastard. We're stuck in this hell until next summer." Souji mused as he made a face.
Chizuru chuckled quietly.
Kawa smiled at him, thinking back to her brother's strange face, earlier.
I hope Toshi-nii is doing okay, she thought.
A/N: it looks like the memories are starting to come back.. but how will Kawa and Toshi handle it? how will they break it to the gang?
until then, review neh? thanks~