A/N:
I do not own anything to do with Hakuouki. Just the OCs...well sort of.
Chapter 6
~Of Mice and Men; the Better Plans Of Either~
I was lying in bed stroking the new skin covering the wound I had given my thumb when there was a knock at my door. As with the last four times someone knocked on my door I didn't answer. The Shinsengumi had yet to let up on teasing me about my injury, and what's worse they had started in on my drinking Chizuru's blood. On top of that, the Shinsengumi had learned certain habits. I knew that Hijikata and Saito were the only ones who would really think to knock on my door so after locking it I refused to open it. Heisuke had been the first to get me to answer the door by knocking.
He had been mid-jest when I slammed it in his face.
Again that mild mannered knock echoed off my door, just loud enough to be heard over my blasting music. I paused my music and swung open the door, furious, only to have Hajime push me into the room and walk in after me, sending a glare over his shoulder as he shut the door behind himself.
"What the hell?" I asked, talking with my hands as I often did in frustration.
He answered by grabbing my hands and looking intently at each thumb, a look of intense concentration on his face. "I'm fine!" I snapped at him, pulling my hands out of his grasp. He nodded and moved to sit silently in his corner. "I didn't say you could stay."
"You would be so rude as to kick your Sensei out of your room after he took the time to make sure you're okay?" It sounded like he was reprimanding me. So clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth in agitation I walked back to my IPod dock and turned my music back on, though I did turn it down a decibel or two.
"You listen to music a lot." He commented softly. "And the more emotional you are the louder it gets."
"You're the one who wanted to stay." I fired at him.
"I was just wondering why that was."
"I suppose it's because when I listen to the music I do, it reminds me that I am not the only one out there, you know?" I don't know why I was trying to explain something like this to him, maybe I really did want to be his friend.
"The words are sad usually though, how does that make you feel better?"
"I'm not the only one out there hurting. I suppose it empowers me. You know, makes me feel like my world isn't so grey or the only grey one there is."
"We all live in the same world Ry-chan." He reminded.
"Yeah but our perceptions of the world that we all live in changes that world for us. The way I view something is not the way you view something. And because of that we all have different worlds. And what shades those worlds is different for everyone too, what makes us happy, sad, angry…these all give us different worlds."
"What makes your world happy?"
"The people I care about, rainstorms both physical and metaphorical, and music." I told him shortly.
"Why rainstorms?" He asked, not quite understanding.
"It never rains forever, and rain helps things to grow."
I turned to him, watching him stroke his chin with his left hand as he thought. "What do you think of the people who make music?"
His question startled me because I felt it was out of left field a bit. "I think, aside from the cockier ones, they are the best kind of givers. What they do gives me comfort and peace. I admire the talent and respect those who use it."
I was about to ask why he was asking all these questions but he interrupted my train of thought by saying, "Goodnight Ry-chan."
And so with my window of opportunity closed I flicked my light switch off and went to bed. "Good night Hajime." I never did put together that once Saito entered my room the others left me alone.
I thought I was dreaming sometime that night when I heard Hijikata mutter, "So are you in Saito?" and Saito's reply, "Yeah, I found my reason." Before slinking further into oblivion.
I woke up sometime early the next morning to Cat's indignant squawk and the sound of Souji Okita's laugh coming from her bedroom. Saito was sprawled casually against my doorframe in a skull and crossbones thermal shirt and white Tripp pants with black chains latticing from pocket to pocket. His white scarf was wrapped elegantly around his neck and trailed down his lean chest.
All in all it was a pretty good thing I wasn't a typical anime character or I would have a nosebleed. Not appropriate.
With only a minimal amount of warning, meaning he waited three seconds between popping his swords seal and drawing it, Saito was flying towards me with his sword slashing in an arch to my left side. I rolled out of bed to the right and drew my sword as neatly as I could, standing ready to face him.
I heard Souji say, "She's doing better than you did, Neko." And though I really wanted to slide my eyes over to see Cat's reaction I kept focused on Saito.
It's a test. That was all I could think as I stood firmly rooted to my spot in front of the wall beside my bed. "Hey Ryane, relax a bit." I looked over to Souji out of instinct when he called my name but by the time I looked back to my Sensei, Saito's body was leaning into mine, his blade so close to my neck my skin was tingling.
"Souji," he intoned seriously, "distractions were for another, later, lesson."
"Yeah but she passed today's test. Might as well keep it interesting." Souji responded in such a carefree manner that Cat instinctively slapped the back of his head.
"You could have gotten her killed." She yelled at him, though I noted she didn't seem scared.
"Not likely, if it's Saito's blade. He's got a lot of control. Your friend is in good hands. Not that you have to worry about me or anything. I haven't killed since the night I died and, quite frankly, it's a nice change of pace." His words trailed off though and he called my name again. It was only then that I realized Hajime had not moved from his deadly position and I had been staring at him, trying not to pant. It seemed a natural reaction though from being terrified and having a deadly weapon pushed close to your jugular.
Souji called my name again, but I couldn't bring myself to turn my head and risk a cut, so instead he called to Saito. "Dude, you're freaking her out, get off." Cat called from the doorway.
When he just continued to look me in the eye Souji called out, "We have something to do today Saito, or were you going to stare at the pretty lady all day."
That worked and he, in one fluid movement, stepped back from me and sheathed his katana.
Shukke took that opportunity to pop out of nowhere and address the sword wielders. "Are you guys ready yet, the rest of the guys are waiting in the bus."
"Um, Shukke?" I began, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand.
"Nope, it's a secret I will not tell you where we are going or what we are getting, just know it is our gift to the Shinsengumi for Christmas."
"I was going to say," Again she stopped me.
"I don't care, I am not telling!"
"Chick your fly is down and you have a booger in your nose!" Cat yelled at her.
"I was trying to tell her that." I stage whispered Cat with a grin as our housemate zipped her pants and wiped her nose. "Don't spend too much Shukke." I warned at her now retreating back.
"Don't worry," she called back to us, "I will make sure they get clearance items. Nothing fancy."
Shukke's Point of View:
"This is the place." I let out a happy sigh as I parked the bus in the back of the parking lot attached to a music store, House of Guitars. "Now the other two don't know I won money on this scratch off so try to take price tags off the items you buy before we get home."
"Are you sure it's ok to spend it on us?" Sannan asked, pushing his glasses higher on his face as the group entered the store.
"Yeah, I mean we didn't get you gifts for the holiday so now would be a good time to do that while I can. You guys said you picked out what each of you would get right?" She waited for the affirmative nod and sent them on their way through the store with a wave "Go get 'em then!"
Time went by quickly within the store and I was surprised to see the sun hitting noon, even though we had gotten here bright and earlier when the store opened, but the Shinsengumi made their purchases leaving about three hundred dollars out of the two thousand five hundred I had won on the scratch off. But if I was right, I would make an interesting investment out of it.
I mean they may have never played a day in their lives, but they had courage, determination and honest good looks. With what was on the news after the party this little bit would lead to something great.
Cat's Point of View:
"You bought them musical instruments!?" I was yelling I know, but that can't have been cheap, not at all.
"Yeah, but it was all on clearance so it's okay, right?" Shukke asked, blinking innocently up at me from where she sat on the sofa.
"Clearance my ass!" I shouted, "I know you, you probably made a quick buck off a lottery ticket and bought them name brand fresh off the market gear. But whatever, we would vote to send it all back and I would lose, 'cause Ryane is a sucker. Why did you buy them instruments then?"
"It's for the Ten Ugly Battles event," Shukke announced, sitting there grinning like an idiot.
"The what?" Ryane asked, finally jumping into the conversation.
"The Ten Ugly Battles event." Shukke repeated slowly, "It was on the news the night of the party. You were so tired Saito carried you to bed so you might have missed it. You know how the Ten Ugly Men Festival comes around every summer? Well Ten Ugly Battles is a battle of the bands and the winner performs at the festival.
"Isn't it awesome?" She gushed from her seat with almost annoying enthusiasm.
"Have they ever played before?" Ryane asked exasperated.
"Fuck that! Where are they gonna practice?" I shot at Shukke, who just gestured to the living room with a 'duh' face.
"Uh, if I may?" The one with glasses looked over at me and I made sure to give him a look that said 'no you may not'. He hesitated but continued. "We know the basics of each instrument here, it's merely a matter of putting that knowledge into practice. Give us a bit of time, we will be playing beautifully."
"I'd be losing this vote too," I huffed in annoyance. "Fine, I'm going for a nice long walk in the park. Then I am going to practice my sword techniques. You have till I get back to practice. Do not piss off the neighbors."
As we are entering the main plot of this story, I feel I should put the warning out now. Any music used in this fanfic belongs to the artists that perform the songs and the companies that produce them. That being said, though the guys of the Shinsengumi will be performing songs as though they (and by exenstion I) wrote the music this is not the case and there shall always be a note on the name of the song and the artist/s for those who want to look into any song. Anyone who has a suggestion for something to be used in this story please feel free to PM me and i will note whose idea it was in likewise fashion. Thank you for reading my fanfic as always.
