A/N: Here's chapter 9. Constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the reviews, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hakuouki or any of its characters.


Chapter 9

The next morning, Hijikata gathered all the captains in the meeting room. He sighed and his face tightened into a scowl. "The Choshu are retaliating. They're really pissed that we took away their little toys. Last night, Heisuke and his division were ambushed during patrol, but they managed to push the Choshu back. They'll probably want to get us back for that as well, so be alert when you're out on patrol alright?"

Okita let out a mirthless laugh and his glittering, forest-green eyes narrowed into slits. He tilted his head at Hijikata. "What, Hijikata-san, you think we can't protect ourselves from a bunch of losers who don't know how to properly wield a sword?"

Hijikata turned his scowl on Okita, his bright, purple eyes blazing. "Souji, this isn't a laughing matter. I'm being serious. What if they attack you with more men than they had when they fought Heisuke?" He crossed his arms across his chest.

"I'll kill them." Okita said simply, his eyes boring into Hijikata's.

Hijikata sighed and looked away. He stood up and headed for the door. "Anyway, just stay on guard." He said, and he left the room.

Kondou's kind eyes followed Hijikata's figure as he left. Then he turned to Sannan-san. "There are still some things I need to discuss with you."

Sannan-san adjusted his frames. "Alright." The two of them stood up and exited the room.

Shinpachi stood as well and he scratched the back of his head, his eyebrows creasing. "Man, this is a pain in the ass." He complained.

Sano chuckled; he looked up at his best friend. "You've got that right. Why can't they just let us go about our duties in peace?" He raised himself to stand next to Shinpachi and they headed towards the door together.

Heisuke sprung up and hurried to join them. "You two sound like old men. Where's the fun without a little fight here and there?" His light blue-green eyes flashed with excitement.

Sano tilted his head back to give Heisuke a condescending grin. "Hey, come on now, we're not going back to that again, are we?" The three of them left the room quibbling.

"Well," Okita heaved himself up with a grunt. "I'm going to get going too. I've still got some stuff I want to take care of." He smirked down at Aoi. "Aoi-chan, do you need me to protect you?"

Aoi snorted and looked away. "As if I need someone like you to protect me." She joked. Okita chortled and Aoi flashed him a small, lopsided grin. He sauntered out of the room, leaving Aoi alone with Saito and Inoue. Her face became serious. "What do you guys feel about this?" She asked, looking from Inoue to the dark-haired man sitting next to her.

Inoue dropped his gaze to the ground. "Hmm…" He contemplated. "It is a bit bothersome, but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem to the Shinsengumi. It's probably only a temporary skirmish." He smiled kindly at Aoi. Then he stood and excused himself.

Aoi turned to Saito. "What about you? What do you think?" She tried to read his emotionless face, but he betrayed nothing.

Saito blinked and then turned to stare at Aoi with his dark-blue eyes. He examined her features carefully, and then he looked away, his face hidden by the shadows created from his long bangs. "I think Inoue-san is right. The Choshu and the Shinsengumi have always had bad blood. This isn't anything new. But that isn't to say we don't need to exercise precaution. It would be unwise to be too relaxed."

"I see…" Aoi dropped her head, her fingers twitched.

The slight movement was not missed by Saito. "Is there something else you want to say to me?" He fixed his sharp eyes back on her face.

Her light-blue eyes widened a bit and she looked up. "What?"

"You look troubled." He said softly. "Is there something bothering you?" Saito's deep voice seemed to resonate in the empty room.

Aoi let out a wry laugh. "It seems like you know me too well, Saito-san." She sighed and smiled. "I can't hide anything from you." There was a sort of tenderness on Saito's generally stoic face. Her face fell a bit. "I feel strange."

Saito's face hardened. "What do you mean?"

She slowly wrapped her arms around her body and squeezed. Her eyes tightened. "I have this strange feeling that something's going to happen."

He frowned. "Since when have you been feeling this?" He asked.

Aoi avoided his gaze. "Since yesterday, after Heisuke had returned from patrol and told me that he was ambushed by the Choshu." She gave Saito a small smile. "It's probably nothing though."

Saito narrowed his blue eyes. "You shouldn't disregard it so easily. Have you told anyone else about this?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, you're the first person."

Saito's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "I see." He closed his eyes, a tiny smile playing on his face. The smile soon faded and Saito rested his gaze back on the girl. "Could it possibly be someone was looking at you?"

Aoi brought the thumb and index finger of her right hand up to her chin. Her eyebrows wrinkled in thought. "No, there wasn't anyone outside besides me and Heisuke and his unit. I'm pretty sure of that. Besides, it wasn't really the feeling that you get when you're being watched. It was just a weird sensation that ran across my back, like something had touched me, but not really." She paused and looked confused. "I'm sorry if this isn't making much sense."

Saito was quiet for a moment, deep in thought, though it didn't show on his face. "Have you ever injured your back before?" He asked her.

Aoi tried to recall all the injuries she had ever attained, but she could not remember ever receiving a back injury. "No…" She replied, pursing her lips.

"I see." Saito gracefully stood up. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Aoi looked up at him and smiled kindly. "No, I think you've been of more help to me than I could ever repay you for." She said to him. Then she added quietly to herself, "in more ways than one."

Saito arched a slim eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Aoi gasped. "Ah, it's nothing. Thank you!"

Saito gave her one last parting nod before leaving.


Later that afternoon, Aoi went out shopping with Sano. They walked side-by-side down the dusty road. Sano looked down at his companion. "Watch out for the Choshu, okay? There are people out there who can recognize us as part of the Shinsengumi even without us wearing our jackets."

Aoi nodded in consent. "Alright."

They stopped in front of an open-air store selling fruits and vegetables. Sano picked up two daikon radishes, examining them. "Hmm…" He brought each of them close to his face so he could look at their flaws with his light, golden eyes. Then he weighed them with his hands. "Hmm…they're both pretty much the same to me. What do you think Aoi-chan? Can you tell the difference between them? Which one's better?" He questioned her, holding out the radishes for her to investigate.

Aoi looked at them. "Um, I guess I've never really had a good eye for this stuff. My aunt and uncle always got mad at me when I brought back bad vegetables." She laughed in embarrassment.

Sano groaned and squeezed his golden eyes shut. "Man, I brought you along because I thought for sure you save me from being berated by everyone! Whenever I go out shopping, everyone complains about how I bring back spoiled fish and rotten vegetables!" He grinned down at her, his white teeth flashing in the bright sunlight. "I'll have you take half the responsibility this time!"

Aoi giggled. "Very well Sano-san, I'll take half the responsibility if everyone complains about the bad food. I guess, for now, take the heavier radish."

Sano looked warily at the slightly larger radish in his left hand. "Hmm...I guess more is always good, right?" They picked out some other vegetables before paying, and then they were off to buy fish. "Which one looks better?" He held up a fish in each hand for Aoi to look at.

Aoi stared at them for a bit, tilting her head every now and then. They both looked like the same dead fish to her. She looked up at Sano who raised his eyebrows. "Which one smells better?" She asked.

Sano looked a bit reluctant to smell the two dead fish he was holding. But in the end, he brought his nose close to smell them. He quickly turned his head away and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "They both smell the same to me." He coughed out.

"Is that so?" Aoi scrutinized them carefully.

Sano looked down at her with a weird expression. "You know, I think I like fish a lot more after it's been cooked."

The corners of Aoi's lips turned down as she decided on the fish she wanted. She pointed at the one in Sano's right hand. "I like that one more. Get that one." She commanded.

Sano looked at the fish she had indicated. "This one? If you say so." The two of them chose several others using the same process. By the time they were done, the sun was setting. "Oh, we've got to get back to headquarters soon so they can cook dinner." Sano said gazing at the orange sky. He reached down and grabbed Aoi's hand. "Hurry." He pulled her along as they ran down the street together back home.

During dinner, Heisuke took a bite of the fish and made a face. "Man, this fish is terrible. Who bought this?" He cried.

Shinpachi put a piece of the fish in his mouth and chewed. His eyes widened. "Heisuke's right! This tastes like crap!" Aoi and Sano exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

Sano chuckled. "Are you guys sure it isn't the cook's fault for cooking the fish badly?" He golden eyes rested on Okita's face.

Okita raised an eyebrow. "That can't be the case if I was the one who cooked it. You two went shopping together? Tell me the next time you guys plan on going shopping again, so I'll know to eat out instead."

Aoi looked at Saito. Maybe he would stand up for her. "Um, Saito-san, how does it taste?" She asked tentatively. He was eating the food normally, so she hoped that he didn't notice the bad taste of the fish.

He glanced down at the fish and picked up his rice bowl. "The fish is…" He paused. Then he looked at Aoi who was staring at him with a hopeful expression. He closed his eyes. "…quite terrible."

Aoi's mouth dropped open. "Saito-san, not you too!"

Kondou chuckled. "Well, it could be better. Maybe we should have sent Harada-san shopping with someone else instead."

Aoi hung her head and sighed, her bangs covering her blue eyes. "It can't be that bad." She took a bite of her fish and made a face. The room broke out in laughter.


The next afternoon, Aoi was cleaning her katana in her room when Hijikata's voice rang out from the other side of the sliding door. "Aoi, do you have a minute?"

Aoi glanced at the door at called out, "Yes, just a second." She gently laid her katana down on the ground and then padded over to the door to find out why Hijikata had called her. She slid the door open and the vice-commander's tall build filled the doorway. "Did you need something from me?" She asked politely.

"Yeah," Hijikata said. "I want you to go with Saito on the night patrol today." He ordered.

Aoi's eyebrows drew together. "Alright, I understand. Does Saito-san know?" She tilted her head back to look into the tall man's purple eyes.

Hijikata turned to leave. "Yeah he knows." He said, folding his arms. "I've already informed him." He strode down the hallway.

She closed the door and went back to cleaning her sword. "The night patrol huh?" She thought to herself. It was rare for her to be assigned to that shift. She pondered it for a bit, but she couldn't think of why Hijikata would consign her to the night shift with Saito. She shrugged and focused on lightly tapping the powder ball against the blade her katana. The same tingling sensation she had felt the night before ran across her back and made her hands pause. She set the powder ball down and twisted an arm to feel her back, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She sighed and picked up her powder ball again. She worked efficiently yet carefully, cleaning her blade.

After dinner, Aoi went with the third unit to patrol the dark streets of Kyoto. They quietly traipsed down the main street which was illuminated by the lights of the shops and restaurants lining it. Saito's cobalt eyes slid to the right, looking down at Aoi, but he raised his voice so the entire squad could hear. "Stay on alert. Watch for anything suspicious."

"Yes sir." The third division responded in unison. They turned a corner to patrol the dark alleys. The nonexistent moon made it even harder to see.

Aoi and the third unit walked silently in darkness. Their pupils dilated slightly so they could adjust to seeing in the dark. When they reached a larger intersection, Saito suddenly stopped. Aoi tilted her head to look, from under her black bangs, at the man standing on her left. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Saito held up a hand, silencing her. Then he slid his katana from its scabbard. He glanced around. "Who's there?" He called out. "Show yourself."

There was nothing for a moment, and then men poured from each corner of the intersection, running at them with their katanas held up. "It's the Shinsengumi! Attack!" The ones in the front roared.

The rest of the third division and Aoi unsheathed their katanas. Saito yelled back at his squad, "It's the Choshu, attack!"

There was a clang of blades striking and Saito cut down the Choshu man who had lunged at him. Someone yelled from the back of the group. Saito turned his head, his blue eyes flashing like lightning. "What's wrong?" He called out.

"They're attacking us from the back too!" One of the Saito's men bellowed. "We're surrounded!"

Saito slashed at a man in front of him. Red blood spurted from the wound and he fell with a cry. "What?" His lips parted and his eyes narrowed. "Push them back. Don't give up!" Saito encouraged his men.

Aoi slashed and stabbed. Men fell before her blade and crimson blood spilled from their wounds. The sleeves of the dark green kimono she was wearing flapped from the speed of her movements, her long black hair fluttering out behind her. From behind the men she was fighting, she saw one slip out from the fray and run away. She chanced a glance at the man fighting beside her. "Saito-san, one of them ran away!" She yelled.

Saito's lean, muscular body never stopped moving as he replied. "I don't think he is running away. He has most likely gone for backup." Saito raised his voice so his squad could hear. "They've gone for more backup! We need to hurry up and finish this. Push them back!"

It seemed like the third division of the Shinsengumi was winning. There were men lying dead on the ground, but Aoi didn't recognize any of them as belonging to the Shinsengumi. Soon, the Choshu were being overpowered. But as soon as one of the Shinsengumi cheered "We're winning!" More enemies streamed from the connecting alleys, tipping the scale.

Aoi heard several cries. Saito charged forward to meet the oncoming enemies. "Don't give up! We can overpower them!" His long dark-purple hair swished about his face and his long white scarf billowed out behind him. Two men charged at him. Saito dodged the attacks and slashed his sword at one, his blade glinting, and then sunk the tip deep into the heart of the other man. Aoi stared at him, transfixed. It was like he was some sort of god that had descended. His motions were so elegant and beautiful, yet not one movement was wasted. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a man lunging at her. She tore her gaze of Saito to block the attack and plunged her sword into her assailant's stomach.

The fight continued without an apparent end. There seemed to be an endless amount of Choshu men. Aoi cut down a man who had tried to stab her. She glanced over at Saito and her heart nearly jumped into her throat. He was fighting several men at once. As soon as he slashed at one, another would immediately attack. He was so preoccupied he didn't seem to notice one enemy sneaking up behind him. The Choshu's sneer widened so that Aoi could glimpse his crooked teeth and he raised his sword quietly as he neared Saito, preparing to deliver the fatal blow. Aoi screamed out, "SAITO-SAN!" But he didn't hear her. "Dammit." She thought to herself. Aoi quickly parried an attack aimed at her and ran towards the man who had saved her life so many times before. She threw herself between Saito and the flashing sword, her back exposed.

"Saito-san…" She repeated his name. He quickly sliced at the men in front of him and turned around to see the deadly silver blade of the Choshu man's katana just inches away from Aoi's skin. Time seemed to slow down and Saito's eyes grew wider and wider. He reached out a hand to push her out the path of the sword, but he was too late. Aoi felt the cool metal blade pierce her skin and she felt an exploding pain across her back. She let out a gasp. She saw her scarlet blood spill onto the dusty road, clotting it, and she looked up into Saito's beautiful, deep-blue eyes which held more emotions in those few seconds than she had ever seen before. She gave him a small wry laugh. "Now we're even right?" Aoi sighed. Her vision blurred and she collapsed forward into Saito's strong, outstretched arms


A/N: This is my longest chapter by far. It's a little thank you for sticking with me and this story until now! Sorry if this sort of sounds like a goodbye note. Don't worry, it's not, I don't plan on dropping this fanfiction. What's going to happen to Aoi? Who knows…anyway, as another little thank you present, there's a poll on my account where you can vote for what you want to happen to Aoi and Saito, if you want them to become furies (rasetsu) or not. Please vote! Their future depends on it! Oh, and if Saito does get turned into a fury, don't worry, I don't plan on killing him! Unless you guys want me to…but that's just plain depressing…anyway, please vote!