Disclaimer: I don't own any element of Hakuouki. This story is written for pleasure and not for profit.

A Friend Like You

Chapter 2

"The Restaurant Incident"

By Lady Yomi

Summer, August 1, 1863. Five years before Tani Sanjuro left the Shinsengumi.

The tables of the second "Mao" restaurant were packed with the always restless and suspicious customers of the city of Kyoto. They paced back and forth, skittish and on the hunt for whoever offered the best service.

The economy struggled since the start of the conflict between the Shogunate and the clans that sought to restore power to the Emperor. Scholars worried about the political crisis while common people paid the consequences, as it always happened.

These were challenging times and the Furukawa family was fortunate to have a thriving establishment on their hands. The Mao restaurant was a well-known place thanks to the many dishes that Furukawa Izanagi brought back from his homeland, Edo. Mild, fresh, and pure; these were flavors worth tasting.

The restaurant owner massaged his forehead with his free hand as he cooked four servings of Ramen at a time. He kept worrying about his eldest daughter not finding a husband. Chie would turn nineteen and start to be regarded as an over-aged candidate or, to put it less tastefully, a full-fledged spinster.

His firstborn wasn't very graceful and that made things even harder. Her freckled, sun-tanned skin was far from arousing the fascination that pale faces generated in young men, and her hair only looked clean when she tied it up in the kitchen, but worst of all was her failure to carry herself in a refined manner. She held her kimono in place with an obi that looked like it was made of burlap and walked through the streets like somebody who pushed their way through a bunch of stinking cows, grumbling and avoiding greeting passers-by by all means.

"I'm too busy to stop and say hello!" she used to moan to get out of her father's scoldings. "The radish bags weigh a ton and Mrs. Yuyume insists on asking me about our desserts every time she sees me carrying them around!"

Had she been a boy, Chie would have been Izanagi's undisputed pride. She was diligent, hardworking, passionate, and honest, always concerned about the family business and her household's reputation, but her status as a woman prevented her from performing the tasks she excelled at. Should she still be unmarried after her father's death, the prevailing law would evict her from the place. It was nonsensical to think a young woman could run a restaurant without an older brother to "watch over her" and make sure she didn't commit "womanly recklessness" when dealing with life's daily vicissitudes.

Unfortunately, getting married was the only way for his eldest daughter to keep living the way she was used to, in the home she knew, and doing what she loved; cooking.

Izanagi was a practical and determined man. When they arrived in Kyoto and he became unable to provide food for his two daughters, he resisted the pleading cries of the younger one and sent her to the nearest Okiya to be adopted as Shikomi, a maiko apprentice. It was a very sudden move, Mao had just died and they were in a foreign city, but he didn't regret his choices. Kohana was a magnificent maiko, one of Shimabara's most popular! And although his visits were poorly received by the girl (who still had a visible grudge against him), he was glad to know her safe under a profession where no one could abuse her.

If only he could say the same for Chie.

"Where's my daughter, Takayama-san?!" he shouted from inside the kitchen (which was starting to look like a sauna filled with pans all over the place). "She better not be out feeding the bums while you're covering for her again!"

Takayama Ume stopped in front of her boss, bowing quickly as she spoke in a high-pitched, panicky tone: "I, I bet Chie-chan is working hard like you asked!"

"I had no idea hard work made her invisible."

"Oh! I beg your pardon, sir?" The woman raised her head without losing her submissive position and brushed some silky strands of hair that fell over her face. "I don't underst-"

"If you don't bring her back within ten minutes I'll take half your salary away."

Furukawa Izanagi didn't have to say another word before his employee stormed off toward the shop's exterior.

"Chie-chan! I've found you at last!" gasped her co-worker as she caught sight of her.

Chie grinned at her from across the street with a huge basket full of seaweed in her arms. "Ume-chan! Did Dad already let you go out for lunch?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Ume rested her hands on her hips, shooting a reproachful glance at her. "It's Monday, he won't let me sit down until the moon gets to the middle of the sky. What took you so long? Izanagi-san just threatened to take away my pay if you didn't show up."

"Wow... he always gets cranky when it's hot, huh?" She smiled and stepped into the shop without paying much attention to Ume. The quarrels between her and her boss were a daily occurrence. "Hey, Dad! Where should I put the seaweed?"

"Where in the world have you been?!" Izanagi peeked his reddened face through the doorframe leading to the kitchen. "Did you fetch the seaweed from the bottom of the sea?"

Chie chuckled mockingly as she put on her apron to clean up the hall. "Maybe! In this hot weather it wouldn't be surprising for my clothes to dry on the way back."

Her father couldn't help but give a low laugh, dismissing the anger he'd been feeling just moments before. "Be sure to change the cushions on the table under the window."

"Sure, Dad." Chie walked casually to remove the cushions when Ume intercepted her with a smirk on her face.

"Guess what happened while you were gone!" She lowered her voice to make sure her boss wouldn't notice her. "Two Roshigumi captains were here, in the restaurant!"

"Oh." Chie rolled her eyes, annoyed at the ronin squad's mention. "Why are you so excited about those guys' visit?"

Ume slumped her shoulders, discouraged by her companion's lack of enthusiasm. "I can't believe you're not. They've done so much good since arriving in Kyoto! Downtown crime and brawls have dropped to record leve-"

"Your father would kill you if he heard you talking like that."

"Yeah, I know he hates them, but I like to keep an open mind, you know?"

"They don't think the way you do." She took a cushion and shook it by the window, covering her face with one hand to avoid inhaling the dust that hung in the air. "Warriors... that kind of people only think about prestige and power. They don't care about people like us, Ume-chan."

"Well, the ones who came here didn't look as bad as you make them out to be. You should've seen them." She smiled brightly. "The older-looking one was very polite and his voice had a calm, soothing ring to it."

"I bet he brayed like an ass." Chie laughed mischievously. "You know what they say about the eyes of love."

"Agh!" Ume raised her hands to the sky and quirked her lips to the side. "Stop being so cynical! If you'd heard him you wouldn't act so stubborn as you do now." She put a hand over her heart and took a deep breath before resuming with a smile: "He told me I reminded him of someone he met in his homeland and that the memory brought back the scent of his childhood countryside!"

"Didn't he also tell you he dreamed about you and the children you'd have in the future?"

"Oh, Chie!" She was interrupted by a sudden cough that forced her to drink a glass of water that Chie handed her from the table. This managed to improve both her throat scratchiness and her mood, so she hummed as she stated: "This is a special moment. Maybe years from now I'll remember it as the day I met the man who'd become my husband."

"You don't need a husband like that." Chie leaned against the window, squinting because of a peculiar burning that seemed to rise in her throat. "The majority of the warrior class is selfish, smug, and opportunistic. You deserve better than to be tied to some stuck-up jerk who thinks himself better than you."

"More like someone you think would be better for me."

"Huh?"

"Don't you realize how prejudiced against them you are?"

"Well..." Chie shrugged, pursing her lips into a tense line as her fingers sank into the cushion she held. "I don't mean to judge anyone, I'm just giving my opinion."

"Then you might want to know that today-"

They both heard a commotion coming from the kitchen and the conversation was put on the back burner. They discovered a thick, dark cloud of smoke billowing out of the room as they turned their faces toward it.

"DAD!" Chie rushed toward the scene but was stopped by two huge hands covered in a thin, greasy black substance she identified as soot after a few seconds of confusion. Her father was the one holding her by the shoulders without taking his eyes off her.

"Get the customers out of here and stay outside with them!"

"But...!" Her eyes went from her father's face to the kitchen, unable to obey due to the turmoil that overwhelmed her. "What's going on?! I don't get it at all!"

Izanagi grimaced, tightening his grip on his daughter's shoulders. Guilt stifled his eagerness to appear in control of the situation. "I... spilled the sake jar by mistake! It fell on the stove and...!" He bit his lower lip as he shook his head sharply. "There will be time for explanations later, you have to leave right away!"

Chie pursed her lips and nodded several times while holding back the urge to burst into tears. Her father patted her cheek affectionately and pulled her aside to go looking for the water barrels they kept at the restaurant's back.

"Chie-chan!" Ume rushed up to her amidst the customers' shrieks, covering her face with a piece of cloth she tore from her apron. "You should go upstairs to get the valuables! If this gets out of control, it'll be impossible to get into the house!"

Chie stammered an incoherent response. She was as pale as a sheet of paper and could only manage to point at the customers who pushed and shoved each other to indicate what she was told to do.

"What?!" Ume shrugged as she squinted through the smoke. "Are you listening to me, Chie?!"

The answer was no, Furukawa Chie could only hear a dizzying array of sounds all around her. Everything moved too fast and the light pouring through the windows seemed to morph into flaming tongues that engulfed the whole place with each blink of an eye. She had the feeling the flames would burrow through her lips and dry her out from the inside, like a dying piece of firewood inside a stove with no way to do anything about it.

All would be consumed, everyone would die. She felt it in her every bone.

Ume gave her a strong push that threw her to the base of the stairs as she motioned for her to go up to the floor where she and her father lived. "Go! I'll take care of getting all the customers out of the hall!" She coughed violently as she fought against giving in to her self-preservation instinct and leaving the place without looking back. "Better safe than... sorry!"

Sannan Keisuke and Toudou Heisuke were three blocks away from the Mao restaurant (where they had had lunch that afternoon), when the fire gained strength inside the building. They were about to head back to the meeting point that Serizawa Kamo (leader of the Roshigumi) ordered them to patrol when a citizen came out to meet them, sweating profusely with his face and arms covered in soot.

"Roshigumi, gentlemen!" cried the poor man between sudden fits of coughing. "Mao... the restaurant! It's... it's on fire!"

"It can't be!" Sannan opened his eyes to their widest extent as his partner examined the civilian for serious injuries.

"He'll live!" Heisuke said, giving an encouraging pat to the anxious pedestrian. "Let's go to the restaurant and see what we can do!"

"Hurry on, Toudou-kun!"

They both dashed off and it didn't take them five minutes to face the bleak scene unfolding before the terrified neighbors' eyes. The restaurant had caught fire and the lower area burned with the force of a brushfire. It wouldn't be long before the place collapsed and the humble little house that rested above the restaurant fell prey to the same fate as the unfortunate business.

"Toudou. Look at that man." Sannan adjusted the bandana that slipped over his eyes because of the sweat before pointing at Izanagi. "He was cooking when we were here earlier, he's probably the owner."

"Your tracking instincts are still as fine as ever," Heisuke joked, brushing the victims' pain aside. He saw fires like that so often the whole affair became routine. It was only material losses after all, as long as no one kicked the bucket the rest was fixable.

Izanagi worked his heart out to pass each bucket of water to the partner who followed him in the long human chain of customers and neighbors trying to quell the flames. He was so distracted he only reacted to the newcomers' third call, immediately straightening up and turning to face them as he tried to conceal his churning emotions. It wasn't proper of his family to freak out when faced with calamity, the Furukawa's always raised their chins at tragedy.

"You must be the owner of the place..." Sannan muttered with a tone full of compassion that Izanagi was inwardly grateful for. "I'm sorry to bother you with my questions at such a sensitive time, but I need to know if everyone involved came out of this unfortunate situation unharmed."

"Oh..." Izanagi turned around, his nerves were playing against him and he struggled to find the face of Ume, his employee, in the crowd. "Takayama-san, come here!"

His young waitress approached cautiously, fearing to be blamed for the disaster and locked for life in some dark Roshigumi dungeon, but meeting the gentle gaze of Sannan (whom she had served earlier that afternoon) gave her the confidence to come closer. "Izanagi-san..." She wiped a sleeve across her face to remove the smudge from her eyes. "How can I help you?"

"Chie is with you, isn't she? I don't see her anywhere."

"Chie...?" Ume blinked several times as her eyes wandered from the house to the street. "Chie didn't go out?"

"Came out from where?!" Izanagi roared, his voice low and throaty. "I told her... to get out with the customers!"

"Y, yes! Yes, I know, but...!" Ume began to high-pitchedly bawl while burying her hands inside her elaborate hairdo. "I stayed with the customers and sent her to fetch some things from the house, so she could save them and-!"

"YOU BIG FOOL!" Izanagi threw himself on top of her and held her tightly by her apron straps. "Chie is terrified of fire! She gets frozen with fear and loses her mind on the spot! What have you done?! What the hell have you done?! You... killed my daughter!"

The employee began to whimper in a fit of panic as she was shaken by her employer. Sannan immediately stepped in to separate them. "Stay calm!" he ordered in the commanding tone he seldom used. "You say a girl is trapped in there?!"

"My Chie! I'm not losing my Chie!" Izanagi tried to get into the restaurant with wild eyes.

"No!" Sannan grabbed him quickly, struggling to stop the man who fought to free himself from his grip. "If you go into that place you will surely die!"

"I'd rather die than leave my girl... my little girl alone in that place! I'M HER FATHER!" he shouted as loudly as his lungs torn by the boiling smoke allowed him to. "HER FATHER!"

Toudou Heisuke watched the unfolding scene with a disgusted grimace drawn over his pursed lips. The familiar pang of jealousy squeezed his heart and made him feel like a lonely orphan all over again, sitting on the steps of the temple where he grew up with his apathy as his only companion. He'd never cease to be surprised and annoyed by the devotion of parents like that, living proof that his own existence was a nuisance to the one who brought him into the world.

"So, Chie..." he muttered, stiffly turning to the house buried under the smoke shadows.

"Toudou-kun!" Sannan realized his plan right away. "Don't even think of going in there!" He restrained Izanagi and tossed him to Heisuke to stop him. "As your superior, it's my duty to take care of dangerous situations!"

"You've got to be kidding me, I'm much faster than you!" He tried to get rid of the old man but he knew that, should he let him go, the man would jump straight into the flames.

"I'm not one for jokes, Toudou-kun, and you of all people should know that."

"What the hell does it matter what I know or not?! The building will collapse any minute now, you won't make it out in time!"

"Maybe not, but I left my beloved Sendai to aid the helpless, and I won't go back on that promise." He threw the Roshigumi's light blue haori over his head without another word, crossing the flames like a ghost made of sky and mountain peaks.

Flaming tongues seemed to dart in and out of her throat, brushing her lungs and leaving her body only to sneak back in and replay the agonizing pain that punished her mercilessly. Chie clung to her mother's book, the one that housed all her childhood stories, as her body arched on the floor from the violent coughing that shook her. Her heart hammered in her ears and her body begged her to stand up and run away, but her fear of the raging flames that surrounded her prevented her from making the slightest movement.

She managed to climb up to the house thanks to the despair of seeing the vicious fire escape from the kitchen and spread through the dining hall in a matter of seconds, but she was seized by an inescapable nightmare after getting into the house. She thought about jumping out of the nearest window but her legs and arms refused to obey her, uncontrollably shaking at the slightest attempt to stand up.

"Mom..." she whimpered hoarsely as she dug her fingertips into the book's cover, which felt hotter and hotter. "I'm sorry!"

It was then that someone threw something cold in her face. Was it her mother? Had Mao come to free her from the pain she was in?

"Chie-san!" Sannan's voice sounded distant and diffuse. "Hold on to my neck, I'm going to...!" He was interrupted by a burst of coughing he struggled in vain to subdue. "Come on, get in!"

The girl was uncooperative and that complicated the rescue in ways that Sannan didn't foresee beforehand. Chie did nothing but shake, cough, and squirm around in panic. He had a hard time releasing her grip on his torso to move it to his neck so he could carry her on his back. He had covered her with his haori (which he soaked in water before entering) to lower her temperature and protect her from the smoke, but that handicapped him and caused his strength to dwindle as he approached the window.

"You... should be very appreciative of your father!" he shouted above the roar of the flames, his voice almost as hoarse as she was. "Few people would face a living hell like this... even with their family's life depending on it!" Chie didn't react, so he focused his eyes on hers as he pointed at the crowd huddled under the window. "Now you have to jump! Do you understand me, Chie-san? You have to jump now!"

Chie nodded spontaneously, her smoke-irritated eyes filled with copious tears. The first tear didn't slip down her burning cheeks before she jumped into the void and landed in Toudou Heisuke's arms, one floor below.

"Sannan-san!" Heisuke raised his voice, staggering under the girl's weight. "You have to get out of ther-!"

He couldn't finish the sentence.

The house's roof collapsed and Sannan disappeared along with it, swallowed alive by the fire throat he never feared to face.

Thanks for reading! See you next time!