Previously:

"Geez! You're not still jealous of Hijikata-san are you?" she asked with a small frown, pouting slightly. "I told you, you don't have to worry about that. I may have loved him first, but you're going to be my last love, aside from our kids... so cut it out! Quit looking at me like that!" she scolded him, hitting him lightly in the arm when she saw the huge grin on his face, now beet red. "Come on! If we don't get a move on, it really will be too late, you know...!" she huffed, pulled on her tansu and got a good grip on the straps as she turned abruptly on her heel, and started leaving without him. Kazama caught up to her with ease and put his arm around her, still grinning proudly as his fingers brushed against her soft hair.

Chapter 64: Hakuouki

On May 10th, the former Bakufu soldiers shared their final drinks together like true warriors.

"I'm going to leave your tea here," Chizuru told Hijikata later that evening, setting the cup down for him on a table in his room. She glanced at him and saw the way the moonlight illuminated his face while he stared out the window into the night. Maybe it was a trick of the light or a figment of her own anxiety over the coming battle, but he seemed paler than usual.

"If they are going to strike, it will probably be tomorrow," he warned her without turning his gaze from the window.

"Hai..." Chizuru agreed quietly, knitting her brow with concern.

"Chizuru, are you sure—" he began to ask, finally turning to look at her, as she cut him off.

"I am going to stay with you, Hijikata-san!" she stated urgently, worried he would try to send her away or leave her behind again. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stared at her. He could see how anxious she was and the determination smoldering in her warm, brown eyes. "Please let me stay with you." Looking at her now, he could see the strong woman she had become over the past six years, and that there was no longer anything he could say or do to stop her. And he maybe shouldn't try.

"I hardly look cool when I'm always making you say that," he said, giving her a wan smile.

"Eh?" Chizuru said, a little taken aback, as he left the window to move closer and face her.

"The one I want to protect the most is you," he told her seriously. "I think I'm in love with you."

"!" Chizuru gasped in astonishment as her eyes widened, shining with hope, as her own heart skipped a beat.

"I used to think I didn't care if I died once I fulfilled my duty to lead the Shinsengumi," he continued solemnly, closing his eyes. "But now I have a reason to live."

"Thank goodness," she breathed with a voice that trembled a little in her relief, making him open his eyes to look at her again. "I am so happy that you want to live..." she told him with flushed cheeks and unshed tears in her eyes as some of all the worry and anxiety she had felt for him over the past months seeped to the surface the moment she allowed herself to relax a little. She had been so worried that he might be rushing to his death to join the others. Hijikata stared at her in astonishment for a moment before his expression softened. He couldn't hold himself back anymore after that.

"!" Chizuru said when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her securely in his arms.

"Stay by my side, forever," he told her, closing his eyes again with his chin resting against the top of her head, enjoying the feeling of finally having her in his arms. "I won't let you go even you try, so bear that in mind!" A tear escaped and rolled down her her cheek as Chizuru carefully moved her head back a little to look up at him. They were both so unbelievably happy in that moment as they gazed into each other's eyes that they couldn't help it as their lips moved closer to meet each other, and they shared their first kiss together.

—∞—

On the following day, May 11th, before the sun had fully risen, the Imperial Army had commenced an all-out attack on Hakodate. Shimada-san, Ootori-san and the Shinsengumi, who had barricaded themselves in the Benten Fortress, were attacked from the back and completely cut off from the outside.

"Prepare my horse!" Hijikata ordered as he came outside, preparing to take action.

"Hai!" a solider replied dutifully and rushed to fetch it.

"I am going to Benten Fortress to offer my help," Hijikata declared seriously. "Chizuru, aren't you coming?" he asked, wanting to keep her by his side, where he could protect her.

"Hai!" Chizuru agreed firmly, immediately catching up to him. They mounted Hijikata's horse together, and he rode out of the gate, taking several men with him. Hijikata's brow was furrowed and his jaw was set with determination.

—∞—

"Enemy attack!" one of the men from the Imperial forces shouted, running through the open gates of the area they had captured to deliver the news to his general.

"Aim!" Kuroda ordered, raising his arm to direct the formation of armed riflemen behind him. The Imperial soldiers raised their rifles and locked onto their targets as Hijikata and his men galloped towards them. "Fire!"

BANNG!!!

The sound of gunshot was like a clap of thunder as everyone fired together in the same instant.

"Outta my way!" Hijikata roared with determination, continuing his charge as the bullets whizzed past him and his horse.

BANG! BANG!

"!!" Hijikata gasped, grimacing and wincing in pain as one of the next shots hit, piercing his abdomen with a silver bullet that sizzled and burned as it tore into him.

"!?" Chizuru cried as they were both thrown by the horse, and she hit the ground hard. She winced, holding her injured arm as she pushed herself up while the rest of the former Bakufu forces charged ahead to assault the enemy who had just attacked their commander and were still threatening them. "Hijikata-san!" Chizuru called anxiously as she glanced around, trying to find him. "!" she gasped as her eyes widened in shock when she spotted his prone form lying in the dirt not too far away. She quickly scrambled to her feet and hurried over to him. "Hijikata-san!" she moved him very carefully as he rolled him over onto his back to check the extent of his injuries, careful to make sure she wasn't hurting his spine, as Sumiko had taught her to do before. He had a minor head wound that was bleeding, but it quickly became apparent that her first priority had to be taking care of the bullet wound in his side, because it was losing blood an alarming rate. "Hijkata-san!" she cried, eyes wide with horror as she stared at the rapidly growing pool of blood forming beneath him. "Hijikata-san! Hijikata-san! Hijikata-san!" Chizuru tried shouting his name to keep him conscious while she applied pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding, trying to think of what Sumiko would do if she were there. At the moment, all she could think to do aside from putting pressure on the wound was to keep him awake so he wouldn't go into shock or slip into a coma. Her breath caught in her throat when he opened his eyes again to look up at her.

"Chizuru... Are you okay?" he managed to ask, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"I am!" she responded immediately. Fortunately, it seemed the bleeding had begun to slow.

"It'll be a pain if someone comes after us," he said as she started trying to help him up. "Get away from here, Chizuru...!"

"I understand," she replied anxiously, furrowing her brow as she put his arm over her shoulders and kept a firm hold on him as she stood up, supporting him so she could help him get away from the battlefield to a more secure location. "!" she gasped and a bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of her face when she saw the blood that dripped onto the dirt from his wound. She needed to get it treated fast!

As soon as Chizuru thought she had gone far enough into the trees to obscure them from the enemy's view, she set the wounded commander down so that he was sitting with his back against the trunk of a tree and glanced around to make sure they hadn't been followed and the coast was clear.

"Hijikata-san, I don't sense any enemy soldiers," she informed him, kneeling down to remove his sword so she could get better access to treat and wrap his wound. "You should be able to rest here for a while. We need to use this chance to stop the bleeding," she added as she unbuttoned his shirt. Hopefully it would be enough time for him to finish healing.

"Yeah... Please do," Hijikata said, too weak and exhausted to argue or move. Chizuru gasped and furrowed her brow when she saw the full extent of the wound and quickly ripped strips of fabric to bind it to prevent more bleeding. The bullet was in too deep for her to be able to remove it without proper tools, but it wouldn't kill him as long as she could stop the bleeding and get him to a real doctor in time.

"Hijikata-san, as soon as you've recovered enough to move, let's go back to Goryokaku," she said urgently. "Hijikata-san?" she asked when he didn't answer, turning her attention from the wound to his face. His eyes were closed. "Hijikata-san, are you listening to me?" she asked anxiously.

"Y-Yeah... I'm listening," he replied lowly with his brow deeply furrowed, obviously still in a lot of pain.

"It will be okay," she said. "Shimada-san and the others won't go down without a fight. I'm sure they're waiting for us."

"Of course they are..." he grunted. "The Shinsengumi's name isn't just for show."

"!" Chizuru was startled by how quickly the clean bandage she had just finished applying was already being stained with his blood. "Hijikata-san? Hijikata-san, can you hear me?" she asked anxiously when he fell quiet again with his eyes closed. "Hijikata-san!?"

"Don't shout," he groaned weakly, peeling one eye open just enough to look at her. "I can hear you."

'What should I do?' Chizuru wondered anxiously as the red began to spread further across the white bandages. The blood wasn't stopping, and his breathing was becoming labored. Even though he managed to speak, he had immediately fallen unconscious again. She needed to close the wound fast, somehow, but she didn't have anything like Sumiko's clotting powder on hand to help her. 'What should I do?! At this rate, Hijikata-san will...!' Her brow furrowed with determination as she pulled herself together. No, she did have something she could use! She removed her right armguard and rolled up her shirtsleeve. Then she drew her short sword to expose the blade just enough to make a small cut on her bare forearm. 'I won't let you die!' she thought fiercely, sucking the wound until her mouth was filled with her own blood. She cradled Hijikata's face in her hands and pressed her lips against his, making sure as much of the blood was transferred to him as possible, feeding it to him like medicine. 'Please live, Hijikata-san!' she prayed desperately, hoping to save him. 'Hijikata-san!' Hijikata slowly opened his eyes again, and their red glow faded to their usual violet hue again as his strength began to return to him. "Hijikata-san..." Chizuru gasped when she saw that he was awake, relieved and grateful that her prayers had been answered. Hijikata could see tears forming in her eyes again.

"Did you hurt yourself again?" he asked, frowning and furrowing his brow with concern.

"It will heal in no time," Chizuru replied, hiding the small wound behind her back while waiting for it to close.

"That's not the problem," he said, the crease in his brow deepening along with his frown. He closed his eyes. "What man wants to make the woman he loves taste pain and suffering? Figure that much out for yourself!" he scolded her earnestly as he opened his eyes again to look into hers.

Chizuru smiled and her wet eyes shimmered as she gazed lovingly at him. "I don't want to see the man I love in pain, either," she told him. Hijikata seemed surprised for a moment, but his expression softened as he stared up at her.

"Shut up," he told her, feeling a little embarrassed but extremely happy to hear her express her feelings for him so directly out loud. They allowed themselves a moment longer to enjoy each other's company, but they both knew it was time to go. "Someone will notice we're here before much longer. Let's return to Goryokaku through the back route."

"Hai," she agreed quietly.

—∞—

"Today is the day, right?" Kazama asked Sumiko.

"That's right," Sumiko said grimly. "Be careful."

"You, too," Kazama said. He kissed her, and then disappeared to search for Hijikata, while she stayed behind to care for the wounded.

"Wait! These guys are bakufu men!" Sumiko heard someone exclaim. She turned to look, and her eyes widened when she spotted a familiar face from an ancient photograph she had seen before.

"Stop!" Sumiko called when the stretcher bearers moved to take them away. "Leave them with me. I'll treat them."

"You're going to treat the enemy?" one of the stretcher bearers asked.

"It doesn't matter who he is. If you put an injured man before me, as a doctor, it's my duty to heal him. I'll treat all the wounded, no matter who they are," Sumiko said firmly as she immediately went to work on the man she recognized. "Hey, stay with me! What's your name!?" she shouted at the heavily injured man, who was just losing consciousness, in order to keep him awake. "Don't go to sleep! I need you to stay awake until I tell you it' safe to relax, all right? Talk to me. What's your name?" She was pretty sure she already knew the answer, but...

"Miyagawa... Souichirou..." the injured man said weakly. Sumiko furrowed her brow. As she thought, she couldn't let this man die, no matter what. "Miyagawa-san, my name is Sumiko. No matter what it takes, I'm going to save you!"

—∞—

Night fell as time wore on, and Hijikata and Chizuru found themselves standing under the blooming branches of a large cherry tree.

"How beautiful..." Chizuru said as they stared up at it, watching the way the pale petals shined in the dark under the moonlight and glided and fluttered like pink snow on the cool night breeze. Hijikata looked from the tree to her.

"You look good next to cherry blossoms," he told her, eyes shining with admiration for the woman next to him.

"Huh?" she said looking at him. "You think so?" she asked a little shyly, her soft gaze reflecting the love she felt for him. "I think they look better with you, Hijikata-san." She smiled a little as as an old memory resurfaced of the first time she ever saw him. "The first day we met back in the capital, the snow dancing around you... looked like out-of-season sakura petals." So much had happened since then. "Let's enjoy looking at them again next year, okay?" she suggested gently. Their attention was grabbed by a sudden gust of wind. The fallen and floating petals swirled together, and they dispersed to reveal that they had a new visitor.

"So, there you are," Kazama remarked with a smirk.

"Kazama-san?!" Chizuru gasped, surprised. "Where's Sumiko-san? And what are you doing here?"

"Plying her trade. There are a lot of wounded, after all," Kazama replied proudly, recalling his fiancee's bravery in performing her duties as a doctor. "I've come to put an end to everything."

"I never expected you to come all the way to Ezo," Hijikata said, straightening himself up enough to stop leaning on Chizuru for support and take a step forward to face the oni, placing a hand on his sword. "It would have been a major waste of time if I was dead."

"Sumiko was confident you wouldn't be," Kazama retorted. "But she said you had important things to do and asked me to hold off until you had finished them before challenging you."

"Please don't do this!" Chizuru said sternly, actually glaring at him, as she moved to stand protectively in front of Hijikata. "Hijikata-san is severely injured. I can't believe Sumiko-san would go along with this. Does she know your intentions?"

"She understands and is prepared to face the consequences for our actions here," Kazama replied.

"What!? But—" Chizuru began anxiously, only to stop and look back at Hijikata as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Keep quiet and watch," Hijikata said firmly, gently moving her aside as he placed a hand on his sword and furrowed his brow to stare down Kazama. The oni was pleased that he had decided to accept the challenge.

"But—!" Chizuru exclaimed, still concerned.

"If someone is willing to lose everything over a fight, as a true warrior, I should accept the challenge," Hijikata stated calmly. He could see Kazama was betting everything on this last fight, and he hadn't forgotten how Amagiri had said Kazama would be disowned if he continued on like this. Besides, this was never going to end until they settled the interrupted match between them, and he wanted to make sure that, whatever happened to him, the oni would at least be unable to continue pursing Chizuru against her will. She had never actually told him about the change in Sumiko's relationship with Kazama, because she thought he had enough to worry about already.

"That's—!" Chizuru gasped, stopping short when she recalled what Kazama had told her the last time they met when he came to collect Sumiko about how he would be choosing to give up his status as an Oni if he continued to pursue Hijikata. "Hijikata-san..." She understood what he was trying to say now.

"I... I will fight for what I believe in," Hijikata said with firm determination. "Chizuru, I will win to live!" Chizuru's eyes widened slightly when, for a moment, she saw a vision of him in his old uniform, as he was in the days of the old Shinsengumi, when everyone was still together. She could see his resolve very clearly. She knew from the way he held himself so firmly and steadily in place despite the pain he must still be in that he was determined to see this through. He would not be dissuaded from his cause anymore than Kazama.

"I understand," she said quietly, deciding to trust him.

"Win to live, huh?" Kazama said with the hint of a smirk, shaking his head a little at the irony. "The more power you use, the shorter your life becomes. You rasetsus are nothing more than mere fakes." He raised his hand to catch a falling petal. "Pure-blooded Oni are on a completely different plane." The pale petal landed in his palm. "Your destiny is to wither away." Kazama turned his hand and let it slide away to float to the ground. "You're just like cherry blossoms the way you rush through life." An image of Sumiko's smiling face appeared in his mind. Unfortunately for the man before him, he also had a compelling reason to fight to live.

"I ain't rushing through life!" Hijikata retorted, preparing to draw his sword. "I just had a bunch of people who needed me." He drew his katana with care and watched as Kazama slowly did the same. "The way of life for the Shinsengumi's ideal warrior is severe!"

"Hmph!" Kazama said, adopting a more favorable stance for fighting. It was the pursuit of that elusive and fragile, yet strangely strong ideal of a warrior that kept drawing him back to these humans. Although he liked to mock them and saw most of them as unworthy hypocrites, their constant struggle to find strength in their weakness and honor in their foolishness was intriguing. Hijikata took the first step forward, and Kazama's smirk widened with excitement.

"URRYAAAHH!!" Hijikata roared as he charged straight for the oni with eyes glowing red and hair fading white. Kazama's own hair and eyes changed as he raised his sword, taking his Oni form for this final battle as he stepped forward to counter Hijikata's first strike.

FLASH! KLING! KLANG! CLASH!

The two warriors were a flashing whirlwind of clashing steel as they attacked and counterattacked continuously with such speed that Chizuru's eyes had trouble keeping up with them. Hijikata lashed out with a particularly fierce strike that sent Kazama leaping back to avoid it. The silver-haired golden-eyed oni slid through the sakura petals that littered the ground to a halt on the edge of the clearing and quickly responded by launching himself forward to attack again.

KLANG!

The oni and rasetsu locked swords. Their hands shook as they both pressed harder, each trying to gain supremacy over the other. As Kazama stared into Hijikata's glowing red eyes, he recalled the instant his opponent chose to become one, the last time they had both fought in these forms, and the words he spoke at the time.

I can't stand it anymore. Those Bakufu cowards... You pain-in-the-ass oni... You say I'm a fake? So what if I am? This whole time, we've been treated like a band of fake samurai. But no matter what, our convictions will not bend. Whether fake or not, persistence will make it true. So if I, a rasetsu, can defeat you, then I... WE can become real!

Kazama furrowed his brow as Hijikata took a step forward and managed to create a minute amount of extra force that was just enough to shift the balance between them. The oni stepped back and countered, and their fight continued. He managed to land a cut on Hijikata's shoulder, and Hijikata managed to slice his arm near his elbow. Kazama gritted his teeth against the painful sensation and the crease in his brow deepened as he quickly spun around and used his momentum to kick Hijikata hard enough to send him flying.

"!?" Hijikata grunted in pain and surprised as he landed harshly on the ground.

"Hijikata-san!" Chizuru screamed anxiously with concern, willing him to be okay and get back on his feet before he was defeated. Kazama stared down at the injured man, waiting patiently for him to stand up again. Hijikata clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth and staggered forward with a shout to lunge at the oni in another attack.

"Hah!" Hijikata yelled as their two blades clashed again in a spark of steel on steel. Kazama forced Hijikata back again, sending him face-first to the ground. Chizuru gasped with worry as blood began to drip from his reopened wound to fall among the petals. Hijikata grunted and gritted his teeth as he used his sword to support himself while he dragged himself back up onto his feet again, panting heavily. Staring at Hijikata from his position beside the tree, Kazama didn't see weakness. He saw a determination rare in most individuals of the world, human or oni. He could see why Sumiko had been drawn to him. She and Hijikata were very alike in this way. Hijikata came at him again, and their swords continued to clash. Chizuru watched, wondering how much longer the fight would last, worried about the toll it was taking on Hijikata's injured body. She hoped he would win soon. "I have things I must protect!" Hijikata declared while he continued to fight, breathing heavily from the effort it took to keep up with his inhuman opponent. "That's why I can't lose, not even to an oni!"

"Hnh!" Kazama grunted in response as their swords met again, and Hijikata glared and managed to push him back again with a roar. Kazama slid to a stop and smirked as he straightened up to face him again.

"The name 'rasetsu' that belongs to those fakes does not match the way you live your life," Kazama told him. He raised his sword and pointed it at Hijikata. "You are already an Oni," he stated seriously. "I shall bestow an Oni name upon you. You are 'Hakuouki' (demon of the fleeting blossom)." Chizuru was surprised and looked to see what Hijikata's reaction might be.

"It's not like I've been fighting to earn your recognition as an oni," Hijikata replied a little ruefully with his brow still set with determination, despite what he had said in the past. He couldn't help smirking a little, though, feeling as though through Kazama's acknowledgement of him, he may have also brought recognition for the others and the rest of his comrades who shared his fate as rasetsus. "I can't play for much longer. Is that okay?" he asked, getting ready to strike again. He needed to finish this before his body gave out on him. One last blow to settle things and finally end this.

"Naturally," Kazama said, also moving into position for the next and final attack. "Let's finish this in one strike." The two men stood facing each other, watching, waiting for the perfect chance to attack. There was complete silence. Not even the breeze moving through the cherry blossom branches could be heard. Then two men suddenly charged forward in the same instance. The petals that had settled on the ground were thrown up into the air in a rushing torrent that gently subsided to reveal the results of the duel as a metallic sound was heard.

CHING.

A sword flew into the air and embedded itself in the ground several feet away when it landed. Blood dripped onto the pale petals covering the dirt beneath them. Kazama stared down at his wounded hand with blood smeared around the cut on his cheek.

"To think I lost to the likes of him..." he muttered, closing his eyes as he clenched his fist tighter and returned to his more human form. He had only just managed to avoid a fatal wound himself by dodging at the last second when he saw a flash of Sumiko's face again and remembered his promise to her. Had he stayed his course, his sword definitely would have struck Hijikata with a mortal wound, but there was something more important to him than killing and running his rival straight through with his sword. As a result he was alive but disarmed. Despite his defeat, thinking of Sumiko and knowing that she was waiting for him and would be relieved by such an outcome, he did not feel that he had lost. The dispute between the two of them finally had a clear winner now. He turned to look back at Hijikata just in time to see him collapse with his katana still gripped firmly in his hand. Chizuru's eyes widened.

"Hijikata-san? Hijikata-san!" she cried, running over to him in fear for his life. "Hold on, Hijikata-san," she said, relieved to see that he was still alive and breathing despite his sudden collapse. While she assessed his current state of health and the damage that had been done, Kazama walked over to retrieve his sword.

"Hakuouki," he said, getting Hijikata's attention. "Make good use of your limited time in the future with what's left of your life. Let us live to fight another day," he told him with a smirk.

"Yeah... Same to you," Hijikata responded with the hint of a smirk. It seemed the matter was finally settled. At the very least, they didn't appear to be enemies anymore since Kazama had chosen life over finishing him off in mutually assured destruction. Hijikata wondered what could have brought about such an unexpected change in him.

"Ah! There you are!" Sumiko exclaimed as she came trudging out of the treeline with her tansu on her back and a concerned expression on her face. "I was starting to get worried!"

"Sumiko...?" Hijikata said, surprised to see her walking around freely without a guard.

"I thought we agreed you would wait at the field hospital. You didn't really think I would allow myself to be killed off that easily, did you?" Kazama said in response.

"No, but you were taking so long I was beginning to think one or both of you might have been too injured to come to me, so I decided to come to you instead," she retorted with her hands on her hips.

"That was dangerous. Aren't you the one who kept stressing for me to be careful about encountering enemy troops?" he scolded her with a concerned frown.

"And I'm glad you appear to have taken my advice on that, but do you really think I would die that easily?" she retorted smartly. Now who was killing off who prematurely?

Hijikata stared at the two of them, stunned by the unlikely scene before him. Chizuru was caught between bemusement and laughter. Even though they were bickering, Kazama's expression seemed kinder and Sumiko seemed happier than she had seen her in a long while.

"Didn't you tell them I was waiting on standby to patch you guys up?" Sumiko asked.

"I was just about to when you made yourself known," Kazama replied with a straight face. "As you can see, I'm fine," he reassured her. His injuries were already healing. "Your patient is over there." He pointed, and she followed his finger to look at Hijikata and Chizuru after a quick glance at her fiancé to assess his already healing cuts. She agreed that Hijikata was definitely the more serious case since Kazama's life wasn't in any danger. Especially with Hijikata collapsed on the ground. As she moved closer to her patient, Hijikata's vision blurred, and his view of everyone else went dark.