Sorry for the wait, but school can be a pain; last chapter Nanako and Heisuke got together (finally!) and now it's time for the big proposal! God I'm excited to write this, I'm a romantic and a sucker for happy endings so this is fun for me to write! I do not own Hakuouki (I wish!) and enjoy!

Chapter 26: Declaration of Eternal Love

Hijikata sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose; a smile formed on his lips as he watched Chizuru play with Rina and Hane, laughing and smiling.

When he had rescued Chizuru on that fateful night so long ago, he had never expected to care for her, much less fall in love with her but he had; Chizuru, with a fierce determination and stubbornness that reminded him of his own sister, yet compassionate and intelligent.

He had been considering asking her to be his wife for a while now, but things had been so hectic he hadn't gotten the chance and he had hesitated the first time he had attempted to; now that things had quieted down after the last battle he had the opportunity to ask her.

"Chizuru, can I speak with you for a minute?"

Hijikata called, crossing his arms over his chest as the brunette girl looked up; she nodded.

"Yes, actually I have something I need to tell you."

Chizuru admitted, wincing when she saw Hijikata's frown; she followed Hijikata into his room and sat down beside him.

"You go first."

Hijikata said quietly, suddenly feeling worried; what exactly did Chizuru want to tell him?

"I've been asked to return to the East in order to become the head of the Yukimura family."

"What?"

Hijikata questioned, his violet orbs wide; Chizuru sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking over her shoulder.

"My father will most likely be executed as soon as he's found as will my brother for siding with the New Government; if I don't take over, there will be a power struggle and it will put you and the others in danger,"

Chizuru took a deep breath, continuing as Hijikata's expression turned more worried.

"Plus, I may be able to convince the Oni clans to assist you in the fight against the New Government; I'll do a lot of good as the Head of the Yukimura Family Toshi…"

"I see…"

Hijikata replied, knowing she was right; if Chizuru convinced the Oni clans to assist them, then they would be able to stand against the New Government and the Rasetsu but at the same time, he wouldn't see Chizuru for a while.

A thought suddenly came to Hijikata, a smile crossing his face; he placed his hand on a confused looking Chizuru's cheek pulling her in for a passionate kiss, breaking apart.

"Tell me, would your husband be allowed to go with you?"

"What…?"

Chizuru questioned, her eyes wide as her lover took her hands in his; she stared as he kneeled in front of her.

"Chizuru, I love you deeply; I started to fall for you back in Osaka, I felt absolutely terrified when you got injured and when I heard you had surrendered to the New Government,"

Hijikata took a deep breath before continuing as Chizuru felt happy tears prick her eyes.

"You have made me so happy, brought me back from the darkness that surrounded me since Kondou's death; you would make me the happiest man alive if you would be my wife."

"Yes, yes…!"

Chizuru exclaimed, nodding and laughing; Hijikata grinned as he stood up, picking Chizuru up in his arms and twirling her around before kissing her passionately.

"Finally…!"

The two broke apart, whirling around to see the captains and girls standing with grins on their face; Chizuru began to turn red while Hijikata groaned.

"We've never gotten any privacy, have we Toshizo?"

"No, I'm afraid not…"

Hijikata replied, though a smile appeared on both of their faces as the girls ran to pull Chizuru into a hug; they would never trade this, this family, for anything else.

"So, your fiancé is a human Chizuru-sama…?"

Chizuru narrowed her eyes, feeling Hijikata take her hand in his and squeeze it; Haruna Kamibara was a rather stern-looking woman, ink black locks were pulled back in a tight bun held in place with a green and white kanzashi flower piece and silver orbs were locked onto Hijikata.

"Yes, is that a problem Kamibara-san?"

Chizuru demanded, her tone sharp; to her surprise, Haruna's face softened and she smiled.

"No, to be honest when you sent word of your engagement we were worried Kazama had tracked you down and forced you to bend to his will,"

She paused, studying Hijikata who went rigid and began glaring; the woman chuckled.

"Though, at the same time, we didn't expect you to return with the Oni Commander."

Haruna admitted as she turning away, the fabric of her green and white kimono rustled and Chizuru and Hijikata began following her down the hallway; Haruna held a very high position on the Council, which was made up of representatives from the South, North, East and West clans and acted as the governing body for the Oni.

"So what exactly will we be discussing, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It is no problem Hijikata-sama, we will be discussing both Chizuru's induction as the Head as well as her wedding; making a decision as to whether or not to ally with you against the New Government will also be a topic as will Koudou-sama and Kaoru-sama's fate."

Haruna explained, a frown crossing her face at the mention of Chizuru's father and brother; Hijikata knew Koudou had once been respected by the Oni clans, according to Chizuru, and he could tell that she must have known him well.

"I should warn you that some members of the West Clan are a little…irritated, should I say, as some of them believe Kazama was wrongly banished."

"I was under the impression that most of the West Clan despised humans?"

Chizuru inquired, a frown crossing her face; the West Clan had been the most vocal in their hate against humans, the East (due to her mother) often supporting humans while the North and South remained mostly neutral (though they tended to side with East due to bad blood with the West).

"Yes, well apparently Ichiro-sama is attempting to mend that; he, much like his mother, never had the hate for humans his brother and father had and never believed they should be exterminated."

"He needs to be careful, with some members of the West Clan still being loyal to Kazama-san…"

Chizuru replied, worry in her tone; Hijikata swung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her on the forehead.

Haruna smiled, pleased that Chizuru had found someone; given that most of her previous suitors had been arrogant Oni nobles only interested in her for her heritage, her finding someone who loved her for her was wonderful.

"So, we'll most likely hold the wedding tonight at midnight and the induction in the morning; I hope that pleases you Chizuru-sama…?"

"Yes, though I would like to ask if we can bring the Bakumatsu captains here for the wedding?"

Chizuru questioned, both her and Hijikata decided they couldn't get married without their family attending; Haruna nodded, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes, though I have no doubt that even if I had refused you still would have gone ahead and invited them."

"Ha, ha you got me…"

Chizuru admitted, sweatdropping as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly; Hijikata shook his head, kissing Chizuru on the cheek.

"Well, if you don't mind I'll have maids escort you to your room so we can get you dressed; it's not every day one gets married."

Haruna stated, grinning as she removed a bell from her sleeve and rung it; two women in kimonos appeared in front of Chizuru, bowing before gesturing for Chizuru to follow them which the woman did without hesitation (mostly).

"Now, given that I doubt you would enjoy being in the company of male Oni I'll just direct you to your room and send in your fellow Bakumatsu when they arrive, alright?"

"Yes, thank you Kamibara-san."

"Please, call me Haruna; after all, you will soon be a member of my family."

Haruna insisted as she stopped in front of a room, sliding the door open; Hijikata bowed before entering, Haruna slid the door shut and shook her head, a smirk forming.

Oh, the council will be in such an uproar…how wonderful!

"Chizuru, how are you-oh my…!"

Aya squealed as she entered Chizuru's temporary chambers, her eyes wide in awe as the brunette turned to face her; sure Chizuru always looked pretty but now…

The girl's light brown hair was arranged in curls that fell to her mid-back, her lips and eyes done up simply; she was dressed in a white kimono that reached the floor, with pink cherry blossom designs and a red obi around her waist.

"Well, how do I look…?"

Chizuru wondered, her cheeks heating as she pushed her fingers together nervously; she stumbled back as Aya hugged her.

"Absolutely stunning, I'll be surprised if Hijikata-san doesn't stop breathing when he sees you!"

"I hardly doubt that will be a good thing Aya…"

Yukiko remarked dryly as she entered, Nanako and Reina close behind with Rina as well; the five females were dressed in elegant kimonos of different colors, Aya wearing orange, Yukiko wearing light blue, Nanako wearing red, Reina wearing violet and Rina wearing green.

"Chizuru-sama, it's time."

Haruna stated as she slid open the door, a smile on her face; Chizuru took a deep breath, straightening herself as she followed Haruna with her friends behind her.

They came to another set of doors that Haruna pushed open to reveal a beautifully decorated room; Chizuru felt her breath catch when she saw Hijikata, dressed like he had been at the ball minus the mask.

Hijikata turned, his eyes widening as Chizuru slowly made her way towards him; the brunette gave him a small, nervous smile when she reached his side.

"You look beautiful Chizuru…"

Hijikata whispered into her ear, causing Chizuru to blush as the two turned to face the priest; the bride and groom held hands, looking at the priest who began the ceremony.

"Do you, Hijikata Toshizo, promise to protect Chizuru Yukimura-hime with your life and sword?"

"Yes."

Hijikata replied immediately, purple orbs meeting the brown gaze of his bride.

"Do you, Chizuru Yukimura-hime, promise to stand beside Hijikata Toshizo in battle?"

"Yes, always."

Chizuru replied, a soft smile appearing on her lips; Aya felt tears prick her eyes, only to feel them being wiped away by a smiling Harada.

"You may now recite your vows to each other."

The priest stated, watching as Hijikata took a deep breath and began to speak in a low voice.

"Chizuru, when I first met you on that snowy night I never thought much of you but slowly you stopped becoming my ward and became so much more, my confidant and the love of my life; even when you told me the truth about you, your family, that made you so much stronger in my eyes and made me fall even harder,"

"I promise that I will love and cherish you as my wife, and will stand beside you as long as we both live."

Hijikata finished, his violet eyes staring at Chizuru; she smiled, tears pricking her eyes as she began to say her vows.

"I never expected to fall in love with you, but it slowly happened; you became my friend and partner, and I saw past the demon everyone thought you were to the man I love,"

"I promise to stand by your side, support you and trust you as long as we both live."

Chizuru finished, her brown eyes staring at violet orbs as the priest finished the ceremony.

"I pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."

Hijikata pulled Chizuru into him and kissed her as cheers rose around them; the two of them pulled back from each other and stared into each other's eyes.

"So…we're married…"

Chizuru stated as she entered the marital suite, looking hesitantly up at her new husband who smirked.

"Yes…according to Haruna, we're not to be disturbed."

"And…?"

Chizuru asked, her breath hitching as Hijikata slowly approached her; he slid his hand into her hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss and sliding the door shut.

You know, for as much as I adore romance I kind of suck at writing it -.-' Anyway, Hijikata and Chizuru are now married (and very pleased hopefully…) which means it's time for the action to pick up next chapter as the climax of the story approaches before the end.

Hope you enjoyed!