Birds chirped in the trees, and the wind blew softly in the warm Spring air. The sky was a soft blue with very few clouds and the sun at its highest, smiling down at the world below and gracing them with a comforting warmth. Children laughed as they played with their friends and family, sparring young samurai enjoying one and others company. Parents watching with loving eyes. Babies crying at the soft touch of life. Everything seemed peaceful in this world. Seemed, being the operative word. And this is where the story begins... In the Capital, Kyoto.
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
She glared daggers at him. Waiting for him to make a move. Her hands bound behind her back, along with her legs and rope between her teeth. She seemed like a trapped animal staring into the eyes of the hunter. The moonlight shined into the room behind her, creating an almost halo effect, outlining her form.
"Come now, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just here to watch you till morning. You should rest." He said with a smirk.
She made an almost animalistic sound resembling a canine's growl. She struggled fruitlessly against the rope binds and bit at the rope in her mouth, no doubt in her mind that she was just creating mark on her skin. She could feel the stinging pain of the rope digging into her skin. She could smell her blood in the air, despite the wound being very small.
"Shhh, I haven't done anything. Say.. Woman, did you know.. tomorrow might be your last day to live?" He grinned.
-earlier that day-
As the Spring day reached its highest peak, Kyoto seemed lively with life and activity.
Busy.
People hurrying to jobs, others hurrying home to family's, some just lounging about without a care in the world. And in one particular part of Kyoto, it wasn't quite as busy as everywhere else. Some of the people there were more on edge than other parts of the capital as if they were hiding something, others were in no rush to do anything. The streets barely had anyone walking them, and those who were, were plain and weren't anything special or recognizable.
Except one…
A woman.
She wore a black silk Cheongsam (Traditional Chinese Dress) with pearls outlining a silver dragon wrapping around her slim waist and torso, starting from the middle of her bust. The slits at her sides started from her mid thigh showing a very large amount of skin, revealing a white fox tattoo coiling itself around her left thigh; a match to the red one on her left arm. It was a dress that not a single person would wear in Japan, let alone in the country's capital city. Long pink hair was held up by a hair tie where two golden bells hung just beneath it, behind her neck.
"Look at that... She must be from China.."
"She just has to be... "
"No one in Japan wears those dresses..."
People who saw her pass by stared at her awestruck, and those she noticed staring, she would smile a polite smile and nod before continuing on her way down the street. While she walked, she walked with purpose.
"Look at this, men. A stray cat." A deep voice roared and shook the streets, making her turn around, her cold blue hues looking for the source of the voice. "She's easy on the eyes. For a stray."
She showed no signs that being called a strayed cat had bothered her; which for most women would've been incredibly insulting especially in her position.
There, before her, stood Kamo Serizawa. A man known for his irrational, brutal and hostile personality. Especially towards the women he encountered. "What's a woman like you doing in Kyoto?" It was more of a demand than a question.
The foreigner looked from the gorilla of a man to those around him. She noted that behind him stood a few men. Some with faces that would agree with Serizawa's antics and others that seemed... against him. Those men were stiff, jaws clenched and visibly uncomfortable being near him.
"..." She said nothing in response to his demand however, instead simply staring at him as if he was a fool.
"Oi! Didn't you hear me- I'm talking to you!" She began to walk away, only for him to grab her by her arm, harshly. "Don't turn your-" But he was cut off.
She wheel kicked him in the side of his head, making him release his grip. Then she jumped high in the air and roundhouse kicked him on the opposite side, and stepped on his shoulder as leverage to push herself off and flip a few feet away from him. She had an annoyed look on her face despite the impressive display of combat ability.
Serizawa glared at her as if she was trash now that she disrespected him so plainly in public, "Grab her!" He ordered the men. He watched her frame take a more defensive form as she readied herself for a fight. As the men charged at her, she jumped in the air, flipping above them, and kicked the closest one in the back, sending him stumbling into the two that were to attack from behind. She landed on her feet then went low to the ground and kicked at one of the mens feet, which made him fall to the ground.
"You all can't handle one girl!?" Serizawa's voice boomed, startling her; momentarily forgetting he was present. She turned just in time to see him swing a fan at her.
Her eyes widened and she acted fast, ducking down and letting the fan cut a few of her hair's before she jumped away little ways away. But, she was too caught up to notice Okita Souji and Hajime Saito behind her.
"Too bad Miss.." Okita mumbled before Saito hit the back of her neck with the butt of his sword, knocking her out. Okita catching her.
As everything went black, the woman limply gripped onto her captor and gritted her teeth before ultimately falling into unconsciousness.
-later-
"What were you thinking Serizawa!?" Shouted a man with raven black hair and dark purple eyes; fuming with annoyance. "That's not what the Roshigumi are about!"
"She disobeyed and disrespected me in the middle of the city. She will get what she deserves, and she will die tomorrow. She will set an example all of Kyoto can see." Serizawa was adamant about punishing the woman. She had openly disrespected him and his men and he was not going to allow her to live because of such antics.
"You're going to kill her!?" Ryunosuke Ibuki, his newest servant, said surprised and horrified. "She's only a woman! You can't-"
"Speak only when spoken to, mutt." Serizawa growled at the bluenette.
That shut Ryunosuke up.
"She needs to be punished. If we just let her live after those stunts in the street, we'll be a laughing stock in this Capital."
Serizawa wasn't completely wrong. But killing her? It was a bit far.. So thought Kondou, Hijikata, and Sanan. "Please, reconsider an alternative. If we just recklessly kill civilians, we may lose the public and Lord Aizu may not consider our proposal." Sanan said, with an almost pleading tone. The bespectacled individual knew what the repercussions were if they weren't to punish the woman for her actions but he was very aware of what killing her would do as well.
"What do you propose to be the alternative... Sanan..." Serizawa said darkly.
The room went silent. They didn't know what to do with a woman, but killing her was wrong!
"I say we just question her in the morning... No ordinary person could have moved like her." Okita said. To be quite honest with himself, he didn't care whether she died or not, but He could tell that Kondou did, and he would do anything for the man that was like a brother to him. "I mean, afterwards if she still doesn't talk, put her in fights, I guess. and if she loses, the winner gets to decide what happens to her. Sounds fair. Doesn't have to be a fight either, but a wager..." Okita said, almost offhandedly, as he slipped his hands into his sleeve.
"Never thought you'd sound the least bit sane, Souji." Hijikata jibbed.
Okita shrugged, "it was just a thought."
The room went silent again. Okita had a good thought, it wasn't bad, but Serizawa was never rational. Would he really consider that as an alternative? There wasn't a doubt in their minds that he was going to refuse. Even Okita thought the man was going to decline.
"Fine... "
"But Serizawa- wait... Did you just..?" Ryunosuke was at a loss for words. Not just him, his other subordinates looked at him genuinely shocked. The brute of a man never, EVER, conceded to an argument especially to the men Hijikata and Kondou brought with them. His response to Okita's suggestion was beyond surprising.
But of course, Serizawa was still Serizawa.
"I said Fine. Let's go with that child's idea. If you all are adamant about keeping her alive. Also, since it was your idea, boy, you have to watch her till morning and question her, and you fight her. If you lose, you must commit Seppuku." The room was deathly silent, "And if she Loses, well... you said it yourself. You choose what happens to her." Serizawa seemed to enjoy the annoyed look on Okita's face but the man in return said nothing. "Good... Now that this is settled, I'm going to retire till tomorrow." With that, he left the common room, with Ryunosuke in tow. Not sparing a glance at Okita as he departed for the night.
"Tch... I don't see why I have to take care of some woman."
"You'll do fine, Souji." Kondou said. Giving Okita a warm smile.
"Kondou-san..." Okita's eyes travelled over the older man, his orbs only widening but a fraction, before he looked down at his lap.
"I'm sure you will win, and you will do the right thing. You're smart like that." Kondou added. Making a small blush cross Okita's cheeks. "Now, you should start watching her. As I was told what was displayed out in the streets she is quite skilled. We don't know what she is fully capable of so please, make sure she doesn't do anything rash."
Okita, obediently, nodded and got up before leaving. Kondou seemed to trust him and that was enough incentive for the wild samurai to push forward with his situation. He spared no one else a glance as he left to see their captive. When he reached the room they were keeping her in, she was there.. waiting for him. Sitting on her legs and her back to the open window.
She glared daggers at him. Waiting for him to make a move. Her hands bound behind her back, along with her legs and rope between her teeth. She seemed like a trapped animal staring into the eyes of the hunter. The moonlight shined into the room behind her, creating an almost halo effect, outlining her form.
"Come now, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just here to watch you till morning. You should rest." He said with a smirk. To her, his eyes glinted with this unmistakable irritation and something far more wild than she had seen in a man. And that threatened her.
She made an almost animalistic sound resembling a canine's growl deep in her chest, struggling fruitlessly against the rope binds and bit at the rope in her mouth, no doubt in her mind that she was just creating mark on her skin. She could feel the stinging pain of the rope digging into her skin. She could smell her blood in the air, despite the wound being very small.
"Shhh, I haven't done anything. Say.. Woman, did you know.. tomorrow might be your last day to live?" His smirk pulled wider into a mocking grin at her expense.
She stopped moving and looked at him with wide eyes. Her surprise was unmistakable before it was replaced with a realization.
"Yeah... Although, you get a chance to fight for your life. It's better than what that man wanted to do to you." Okita said as he watched her slowly back up towards the window, as much as she could manage. "He was gonna behead you tomorrow at the front gates for all of Kyoto to see. He was gonna leave your body there to rot." He watched as her eyes showed pure horror and fear before she shut them and reopened them to glare once more. He walked over slowly, closing the door behind him, and a wide grin appeared on his face. "Don't try to scream, or I'll kill you." He removed the rope in her mouth.
Despite not knowing him for long, and despite the playful tone he used. She knew she would be cut down if she did anything like scream for help; not that she could anyways. "..." She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
"Ehh? Can't talk or what?" That could be why she didn't respond to Serizawa in the first place… Okita thought as he dropped the rope to her side.
She looked at the floor and slowly shook her head.
"A mute? Or it hasn't always been that way...?" He asked as he sat in front of her with his legs crossed and stared her awaiting a reply of some sort.
The woman looked up at him with a look that said, 'How do I answer that?' She was only slightly irked since she had just admitted her inability to speak to him.
The look made him laugh. "Haha! Sorry forgot!~" He lied, "Well, blink once for the first and twice for the second. Kay?"
He's a child… Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she relaxed and looked back at him, waiting for his question again.
"So I ask again.. You a mute or it's hasn't always been that way?"
She blinked twice.
"I see... So then I can't really interrogate you unless I untie you, and that's not gonna happen~ So I guess we're left with the other option." He sighed deeply. "That's a drag but considering what you showed on the street, it might be fun." He grinned at her. "Wanna hear the rules?"
She nodded lightly, Interested in knowing what the terms were, though she doubted she would ever lose to a samurai.
"We fight tomorrow, assuming in front of the whole Shinsengumi, and if you lose I get to choose what happens to you. And if I lose... I have to commit Seppuku." His eyes drifted close as if he went into deep thought.
So if I win.. he dies? Being in charge of the mans life in her victory didn't seem appealing to her, her lips pulling back into a frown. She didn't know him, she couldn't say he deserved such a fate. But I can't lose. There are things I need to set right.
Second revision of this chapter, I'll be doing that a bit more to other chapters I'm sorry but I am also working on Chapter 26/27 as well so please bare with me.
I am also furiously working on my other two fanfiction chapters plus a new one I am thinking of writing for Demon Slayer; or possibly have this Fanfiction become a crossover (if Mei continue's to live on after the men oop spoilers) after the inevitable of this anime and game. Let me know I'm really interested in knowing what you all would like to see since this is my favorite fanfiction to write for. If this does happen to become a crossover I will want a beta and possibly co-author it with someone as in bouncing ideas off each other and discussing plot line and twists with them. Again most of that idea is speculation but since demon slayer takes place only a few decades after Hakuouki's timeline and some of it happening IN Hakuouki's timeline it'll be convenient, un-messy and I would be able to extend this story much farther than the 45-50 chapters I originally thought.
Another thing is I might move platforms (though unlikely since this one is way easier to navigate than AO3) just because I want more people to read this story and the many others I have and haven't posted. I truly love all my characters like they were real people and I want people to be able to connect or love them too. They are all representations of people I've met or are currently in my life so I hope you can understand why I take so long on my chapters and want them recognized.
Sorry, I've been ranting too much. Please follow, favorite, share, and review my fanfictions. Let me know your thoughts because they really do help motivate me to write more. Thank you so much for your time! Happy New Years everyone and I hope i hear from all of you!
P.S. Thank you so very much to everyone who has already favorited ad followed this story so far. It's been a wild ride~
-Chess