Hello! I'm here with a new story! To be honest, I've been obsessed with Otome games, and Hakuoki is one of my favorites hence why I wrote a story on it. However, I also really liked Hakuouki Reimeiroku and Demons' Bonds which are connected to the original game. That's where I got this crazy idea! I would put it under a crossover tab, but I can't seem to find it and since they are canonically connected I thought it was just easier to put it under just one category. Also, I apologize for any Oocness.
You should know what the story is about from the summary I made, but I will give a quick overview again. Chizuru is heading to Kyoto to search for her father when she comes across two amnesic people. Their encounter is predestined as sinister forces begin to arise in Japan, forcing each to bear a heavy burden as those they know and care for are inevitably drawn in. The past and the future shall collide in a tale to save both humans and Demons!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki, it's side stories, or Demons' Bonds. I only own an OCs featured in this story.
Enjoy!
This is a story of a young girl's journey to find her missing father, of a woman's path to accepting herself and her powers, and of a man's cursed fate against his desires. A tale of three people with a hidden connection to an ancient power, destined to meet the Shinsengumi and the race hidden from humanity's eyes. A prophecy that will determine not only their own fates but for all of Japan and the world. Can they discover the reason for their meeting and save history? Or are they doomed to fall victim to the evil forces and watch as everything they ever love be destroyed?
"Chizuru...Chizuru…"
Who...is calling me?
"Find...the blue haired man cursed...to wield an ancient sword and...the woman with red eyes...who is not of this time…"
Blue haired man? Red eyed woman? What are you talking about?
"Hurry...Hurry and find them...Or else all of Japan...no, the world, shall be lost…"
Wait! Who are you? What do you mean? Please, don't-!
Suddenly, Chizuru's brown eyes snapped open as a loud noise woke her up.
"Ebisu! Dai! Get up here and clean up this mess!" A shrill voice yelled. A pair of delightful shrieks soon followed.
"No way Momma!" They yelled back. Chizuru looked around her surroundings, recognizing it as one of the inn's quaint rooms. Chizuru sighed as she sat up, her black hair falling down just below shoulders. The young girl gingerly touched the tips of her hair.
"It feels so strange to not have such long hair anymore…" She whispered to herself. However, Chizuru knew that there was no other way. It was far safer for her to travel as a man than a woman in order to search for her father.
"Father…" Chizuru thought sadly. Her father, Kodo Yukimura, was missing. Kodo has promised to send her letters after leaving for Kyoto, yet recently Chizuru never received any more letters from him. Fearing the worse, the young maiden decided to head to Kyoto to search for him. Biting her lower lip, Chizuru quickly got ready. Though she was near Kyoto, it would still take most of the day to arrive at the city. After getting dressed and having a light breakfast, Chizuru resumed her journey to Kyoto.
"Hm...If I keep going at this pace, I should make it before the sun sets…" The girl murmured to herself. "Maybe I can get some investigating done by then." Chizuru adjusted the kodachi at her hip. The weapon was a family heirloom gifted by her father who taught the young Yukimura how to properly wield it. Her fingers lingered on the hilt of the kodachi before taking it out, staring at the reflection on the blade.
"...Chizuru Yukimura…"
Chizuru immediately placed herself in a fighting stance, eyeing her surroundings warily.
"W-Who's there?!" She called out. However, only the wind greeted her. The girl in disguise frowned. She had definitely heard someone call her name. Yet, there was no one there. Then, from the corners of her eyes, Chizuru saw someone. A woman stood there with long flowing white hair and and two long white horns, her golden eyes staring at Chizuru. A kimono, decorated with flowers, was wrapped loosely around her body, revealing the pale skin and red marks. Chizuru backed away slightly as the woman raised her arm towards the Yukimura. Suddenly, a single tear rolled down the sides of her face as the woman dropped her arm back down.
"Please come...Chizuru..." The woman whispered before she turned and walked away.
"W-Wait! Who are you and how do you know my name?!" Chizuru questioned. However, the woman continued to walk away. With a groan, the Yukimura quickly replaced her kodachi and set off after the strange woman. The horned woman led Chizuru deep into the forest, still walking at a surprisingly fast pace. It concerned Chizuru that she couldn't catch up to the woman, even though the girl was running. Eventually, Chizuru came across a small stream where the woman suddenly disappeared before her eyes. Blinking frantically to ensure she wasn't hallucinating, Chizuru quickly looked around for the woman. However, she was nowhere to be found. Just as the maiden was prepared to give up and return back onto the path, she noticed something near the bank of the stream. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized it was an unconscious man with short blue hair. Quickly, Chizuru rushed over to him.
"What…? Two people?!" Chizuru gasped out in her head when she saw another person underneath the man—a raven haired woman. Though she did not who they were, Chizuru's instincts as a doctor kicked in and she quickly went to help them. Gently, the girl managed to pry the man off and laid him on his back beside the woman.
"Thank goodness! They're still breathing." Chizuru breathed out as she began to look for any wounds. Besides a slight injury on the man's temple, there seemed to be no other injuries. Rummaging through the bag by her side, Chizuru produced a roll of white cloth and proceeded to bandage the man's head with it. The girl had just finished wrapping when her eyes landed on the man's weapon which he tightly gripped. It was very similar in design to her own blade, with the only difference being that there was blue rope tied instead of red. Curious about the katana, Chizuru reached out to touch the weapon. Suddenly, a hand snatched at her wrist, shocking the Yukimura as amber, almost orange, colored eyes glared at her.
"Don't...touch this...katana!" The man gritted out before he hissed in pain, letting Chizuru go to hold his aching head. "Ugh! My head!"
"Be careful! I just wrapped your injury!" Chizuru scolded slightly. "I found you and this woman by the stream. What happened?" The man grimaced as he turned to look at the unconscious woman before back at Chizuru.
"I-I think we were...I mean...Gah, I can't remember!" He yelled, gripping his katana with both hands. "All I remember is my name and that I have to protect this woman along with my blade! That's...all I can remember…" The man looked downward. "I don't know why I have to protect her. Hell, I don't even know her name!" Chizuru gave a comforting smile.
"It seems that you have amnesia. But, it's good that you at least remember your name! That will help us figure your past." She reassured. "My name is Chizuru Yukimura. What is yours?" The man's eyes turned slightly golden as he answered.
"Ibuki. Ibuki Ryunosuke." The man answered. "Nice to meet you, Chizuru."
Although their first meeting came off to a rocky start, Chizuru saw that Ibuki wasn't a bad man. He was rough with his language and had a temperamental attitude, but the man quickly became cordial and sympathized with her story.
"Man, you're looking for you father? Gotta say you sure have some guts to look for him." He said after Chizuru finished explaining. "But, even if you disguise yourself as a man, it can't fool everyone. Hell, I could tell that you were a girl, even without your name." Chizuru blushed.
"My disguise is good enough that I've gone unnoticed by many men." She countered. Then, Chizuru looked over to the woman. "She still hasn't woken up yet." Ibuki sighed.
"I still can't figure out why we were doing by the stream. I may not have all my memories, but something in my guts says we weren't from around here." The man said as he reached over to brush the woman's bangs away from her face. Chizuru looked more closely at the woman. She was definitely beautiful, more so than any woman Chizuru had ever seen. Yet she wore clothes and carried weapons like a fighter—was this woman trying to disguise herself as a man like Chizuru had? Ibuki took the woman's hand into his, a worried expression on his face.
"You seem to care deeply for this woman. Do you think she could have been your lover?" Chizuru asked. Ibuki shook his head.
"No, I don't feel like that towards her." He replied. "I don't know what exactly it is I feel, but I know that I have to protect her, even at the cost of my life." Chizuru nodded slowly as she took the woman's other hand to recheck her pulse. However, immediately as she did so, something strange happened. Chizuru and Ibuki stared in shock as a ring of light surrounded the three of them. Then, red marks began to etch onto their respective arms that held the woman. Within seconds, the ring of light disappeared but the marks remained.
"Ah...what is this?" Chizuru questioned as she looked at what had just been imprinted on her skin. Crimson lines and curves were tattooed all over her arm. The Yukimura looked at Ibuki and saw the same pattern but mirrored on his arm.
"What the hell just happened?!" He shouted, flailing his marked arm in the air. "Did we just get cursed or something?!" As Chizuru attempted to calm Ibuki, she heard a soft moan.
"Hm..." The woman groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head. Then, she opened her eyes to reveal red orbs. "Huh...?"
"Oh, you're awake!" Chizuru said. "Are you alright?" The woman stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Who...are you people?" She asked cautiously. Chizuru frowned for a moment. Though it was understandable that the woman wouldn't know her, it seemed that she also did not recognize Ibuki. Could she also have amnesia?
"My name is Chizuru Yukimura." The girl introduced herself before moving her hand towards Ibuki. "This is Ibuki Ryunosuke. Do you not recognize him? I found him with you unconscious by the stream." The woman grimaced before shaking her head.
"I cannot seem to remember." She confessed. "Not even my own name." Just as Chizuru suspected, the woman seemed to be suffering from the same condition as Ibuki.
"I guess whatever hit us did it pretty hard." Ibuki murmured, still staring warily at his marked arm. The woman eyed his arm momentarily before looking at Chizuru's.
"Those marks. I feel like I've seen them somewhere..." The woman said before she suddenly clutched her head. "Agh!"
"Don't try to force yourself to remember." Chizuru warned as she did another once over of the woman. "Ryunosuke-san also lost his memories so lets take this a step at a time." The woman nodded her head shakily before a strange expression appeared on her face.
"Snow." She suddenly said. "I think my name has to do with snow."
"Snow huh?" Ibuki repeated. "Then, why don't we just call you Yuki for now?" A small smile graced the woman's face.
"Yuki...It sounds a bit familiar. I like it." She replied before frowning. "But, what shall I do now? I cannot even remember my own home." Chizuru looked thoughtful.
"Ibuki, Yuki. Do you at least know which country you're in and its cities?" The girl asked. The two people nodded. "Then, would you like to come with me to Kyoto? Maybe someone there will recognize you two."
"That's about a good of a plan as any." Ibuki said as he stood up. He placed the katana back on his hip before reaching his hand out to Yuki. Yuki stared at his hand for a moment before she looked away and stood up by herself.
"I'm not helpless; I can stand up by myself." The raven haired woman said rather coldly. However, she looked back at Ibuki with a small smile. "But, I appreciate your consideration nonetheless." Ibuki smiled back before looking at Chizuru.
"We should get going. It'll be nightfall by the time we reach Kyoto." He said. "In the meanwhile, we can inform Yuki of your situation." Chizuru nodded and the three of them began their journey to Kyoto, unaware that the Wheel of Fate had already been set into motion.
...
After some initial stumbles and confusion, the group arrived at Kyoto. Just as Ibuki had predicted, it was nightfall when they reached Kyoto. However, eager to begin her search for her father, Chizuru attempted to seek out Dr. Matsumoto who Kodo trusted greatly. After asking a few people still on the streets, they soon arrived at the doctor's place. Unfortunately, it seemed that Matsumoto was out of town from quiet some time.
"Ugh...Couldn't he have picked a better time to leave town?!" Chizuru groaned out, threatening to bang her head against the wall of a building.
"Well, it can't be helped if he's out. He is in service of the Shogunate after all." Ibuki reminded.
"Hm...Is that so?" Yuki asked. "I've never heard of this Mastumoto though. But, it could be due to my amnesia." It seemed that Ibuki's and Yuki's memory losses varied. While Ibuki could not remember who he exactly was or his own past, at least the man knew of his own name and the current events in Japan. Yuki, on the other hand, did not remember anything other than the fact her name contained the character snow and what country she was in. However, the woman was very comfortable around Ibuki, indicating that perhaps they were close before they lost their memories. Chizuru sighed.
"It's getting late. We should hurry and find a place to stay." The girl said sadly. "I was hoping I would find some clue of my father today but I guess I wasted too much time." Yuki and Ibuki winced at her words. Chizuru immediately realized what she said. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I'm glad I helped the both of you." Yuki thought for a moment.
"Now that we are on the subject, how exactly did you come across us, Chizuru?" The woman asked. "The stream was quite off from the path to Kyoto. Did something happen?" Chizuru was conflicted. Would the two of them believed that a horned woman had led her to them before suddenly disappearing before her eyes? Thankfully, Ibuki changed the subject.
"We should hurry and find someplace to stay the night." He interrupted, a hard look on his face. "Kyoto is a city full of ronin and I'm not eager to meet any of them." As he said that, Ibuki tightened his grip on the katana by his side. Chizuru was slightly surprised by Ibuki's expression, but perhaps he was well accustomed to danger before and his instincts reminded him of that. Yuki frowned as she gripped her own blade.
"Perhaps it is too late to consider that option now." The woman calmly said as she pulled out her katana. Briefly confused, Chizuru suddenly felt a presence behind and turned to see three ronin. Chizuru gripped her kodachi tightly. It seemed that they had been too careless. One of the ronin smirked.
"Well, what do we have here?" He asked. "A pup with a sword, a woman who thinks she can fight, and a man who's cowering behind the both of them!" The other ronins laughed at his words. Chizuru flinched slightly at their words while Yuki narrowed her eyes. Ibuki growled at their words, his anger visible in his expression. But, what surprised Chizuru was that he did not take out his blade in order to defend his honor.
"Ryunosuke-san, do you not have any intentions to fight?" Chizuru asked as the ronins drew closer. A conflicted look flashed through the curlean haired man before being replaced with a hardened expression.
"I can't. I swore that I would never be a samurai." He spat out. "I refuse to fight like them!" Yuki tsked at his response.
"Then why do you even have that katana?!" She scolded harshly. "Because of your selfish wish, we won't be able to fight properly! Do you want to prove these ronins right?! Do you not care about your own life?!" Ibuki gritted his teeth.
"I just can't OK?!" He yelled before grabbing Chizuru and Yuki. "Just run!" Immediately Ibuki turned and ran away with them.
"Get back here!" One of the ronins demanded as they chased after them. As they ran Chizuru hoped that the ronins would eventually stop chasing them but it seemed unlikely. Eventually, Ibuki led her and Yuki into an alley to hide.
"Quickly! Behind here!" The man ordered, guiding the group behind a tall stack of wooden panels. Yuki glared at Ibuki as the ronins continued to search for them, holding her katana close to her body.
"You...just what made you swear to never wield a sword?" She hissed out. "As of now we are simply waiting to be discovered!" Ibuki clenched his fights tightly as he eyed the ronins from behind the wooden panels.
"...Those ronins made me remember of my hatred against samurais." He answered. "My father was one and I vowed never to become like him. That's why I couldn't fight." As Yuki continued to fume, Chizuru made a sudden realization.
"Ryunosuke-san, if you made a vow to never become a samurai, then why do you have a katana?" Chizuru quietly asked. "Surely you would not need it. Yet you claim it has importance to you." Ibuki stared at his katana as he attempted to answer. But no words came out of his mouth.
"I-I...I don't..." He began to stutter. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream broke through the air. Yuki quickly pushed Ibuki and Chizuru behind her as she peeked to see what had happened. Her eyes widened in shock as crazed laugh filled the night.
"The ronins...are being slaughtered by men in blue coats!" She gasped out. "Their eyes...their hair...They aren't human!" Chizuru covered her mouth as another pained scream was sounded.
"W-What the hell are you?!" The last ronin demanded. Another maniac laugh answered him before the last ronin was slain, his gurgled scream piercing the air one last time. Yuki covered her mouth and narrowed her eyes in disgust.
"They are drinking from the corpses!" She whispered. "What are they...?" Suddenly, Yuki froze. She turned towards Ibuki and Chizuru pulled them towards her just as a sword swung down, breaking the wooden panels.
"Stay behind me!" Yuki ordered, brandishing her katana at the cackling monsters who slowly began to surround them. Chizuru's eyes widened in fear as she saw their red eyes and startling white hair, blood marring their blue coats. Yuki gritted her teeth as she parried an attack from one of the humanoid monster before stabbing her blade into its body. However, it merely cackled and swung its katana as the body healed, as though the attack never occurred. Yuki pulled her katana back and jumped backwards as the blade struck down.
"Ibuki! Take Chizuru somewhere safe! I'll cover for you two!" Yuki yelled as she parried another attack. Chizuru quickly shook her head.
"No! We're not leaving you alone with these monsters!" She argued, bringing out her kodachi. "I can help fight!" Yuki began to retort when the bloody monster surprised her, swinging down on her shoulder.
"Gah!" She screamed, as the woman kicked the monster away, clutching her bleeding shoulder.
"Yuki!" Ibuki shouted. Yuki hissed in pain.
"I'm fine! Go now while I can still fight!" She gritted out, holding her katana out. The blue haired man was conflicted. Chizuru tugged on his shoulders as Yuki continued to defend them.
"Ryunosuke-san, please! Help Yuki-san!" She begged. "Is your vow more important than her life?! Didn't you say you were suppose to protect her?!" Ibuki looked back and forth between her and Yuki, questioning his desires and beliefs. Chizuru frowned. If he wouldn't help her then she would. The girl pushed Ibuki aside and ran to Yuki who suffered another injury across her cheek. Chizuru jumped in front of the woman and blocked an attack.
"Chizuru?! What are you doing?!" Yuki yelled, parrying an attack from the side. Chizuru gripped her kodachi tightly. She knew very little of how to wield the kodachi other than the self defense techniques her father had taught her, the Yukimura's inability linking to the fear of using such blades. Coupled that with the former men's regenerative ability and strength, Chizuru was far outmatched. However, just as the former human swung his blade down, the katana was thrown out of its hands as a new blade entered the fray.
"Ryunosuke-san!" Chizuru cries out as the blue haired man positioned himself in a fighting stance, the moonlight shining off his katana with a silver gleam. He gave Yuki and Chizuru an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to man up." He apologized. "While I'm still determined to not become a samurai, I'm not willing to let people die for my own problems." Yuki scoffed as she wiped the blood from her cheek.
"For someone who says he hates wielding swords like a samurai, you are know how to hold one properly." Yuki noted. Chizuru frowned slightly. The wound from Yuki's was gone and she noticed that woman could easily move the shoulder that had been previously stabbed. Could Yuki be like her? Suddenly, the monster rushed towards them. The three companions readied themselves when something else surprised them. A bright gleam cut through the night. Within seconds the three monsters collapsed, no longer moving. A splatter of blood landed on Chizuru's cheek which she hurriedly wipes off, disgusted with the feeling and smell from it. Yuki narrowed her eyes and pointed her katana towards the darkness.
"Who's there?!" She demanded. A soft tsk answered her from the darkness.
"Yare, Yare. Is this the kind of thanks we get for saving your lives?" The voice playfully asked as two men stepped forth into the light. Chizuru widened her eyes in shock when she saw two men stand before them, wearing the same colored coats that were on the fallen men. One had brown hair and green eyes while the other had purple hair in a ponytail and blue eyes. The purple haired man let out a sigh.
"Souji." The man began. "Were you not considering lettting them finish of these people?" The brunette hummed slightly.
"Man, you're no fun Saito." He replied. "Though you are right." Chizuru felt her legs give as she fell to the ground. The way the men acted was so nonchalant, but Chizuru could tell that the men could easily dispatched them in seconds should they want to. Ibuki growled.
"What the hell is wrong with you bastards?!" He yelled out. "You're perfectly fine with killing innocent people?!" The two men looked over as though noticing him for the first time. The man known as Souji gave a smirk.
"You guys know too much." He answered. "That's why you gotta go. You should now how things were considering how long you've been with us...Ryunosuke Ibuki." Ibuki's eyes widened in shock, his hands shaking.
"H-How do you know who I am?" He questioned. Suddenly, Ibuki dropped his katana and fell to his knees, clutching his head. "Gah!" After shaking his head violently for a few moments, Ibuki fell unconscious and collapsed.
"R-Ryunosuke-san!" Chizuru cries out, attempting to reach for him. Yuki growled at the men. Immediately, she lunged at them. Saito calmly took his blade out and parried her attack. Before Yuki could do anything more, the man slammed his hand down her neck sharply, rendering her unconscious.
"N-No! Yuki-san!" Chizuru yelled. Suddenly, a third figure emerged from the light, brandishing their katana at her. Chizuru blinked her eyes in surprise as the light shone down on their face, revealing amethyst colored eyes and long black hair in a ponytail.
"Luck is not on your side tonight." The man coldly said. Though Chizuru realized how dire the situation was, she couldn't help but be amazed as the light shone down on his smooth, dark hair, reminding her of the cherry blossom petals as they fell. Then, their eyes met. The Yukimura had not doubt that the man would be willing to kill her, yet his eyes shone something behind his cold demeanor.
"Reluctance? Mercy?" She wondered as the girl tried to decipher his thoughts. Then, Chizuru noticed his eyes wander to where Ibuki laid. A brief look of shock and disbelief flashed before his eyes before they settled back into their cold gaze.
"I will kill you if you run." The man warned. Chizuru nodded as she sheathed her kodachi. The man stared at her briefly before putting his own blade away, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Oi, Hijikata. Is it alright to leave them like this?" Souji asked. "They've seen a lot already. Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of them?" The man known as Hijikata gave a deep scowl.
"So we should just kill people now?" He questioned. "No, I'll see what to do with them when we get back." As the men continued to talk, Chizuru heard a soft groan from nearby. Yuki was slowly waking up, her eyes blinking slowly. With a hazy expression she looked up towards the men in blue coats.
"Kazuya? Chitose?" She murmured out. Immediately, all eyes were on her. Realizing that something was wrong, Yuki snapped opened her eyes with alertness as she stood up and jumped away from them, brandishing her katana at them.
"Who the hell are you people?!" Yuki demanded. Hijikata narrowed his eyes as he reached for his katana.
"Wait, Yuki!" Chizuru quickly called out as she grabbed the woman's arm. "It's best just to listen to them for now!" Yuki stared at the girl as though she suggested something incredulous.
"I know who these people are. Those blue coats...They are part of the Shinsengumi!" Chizuru quietly elaborated. "They are known for their cruelty in cutting down people!"
"You are not doing a great job trying to convince me to stand down!" Yuki hissed. However, after the pleading look Chizuru gave, Yuki reluctantly put her katana away. While keeping an eye on the men, she took Chizuru closer to Ibuki where he was still lying unconscious. Hijikata eyed the man with a strange expression.
"Why in hell is he...?" He murmured before shaking his head. Chizuru stared the man. Then, as though realizing something, bowed her head to the three Shinsengumi members.
"I apologize. In all the confusion, I forgot to thank you for saving our lives." She said as the girl raised her head. Yuki gave her an incredulous stare, and she wasn't the only one. Both Saito and Hijikata had a confused expression. "I-I know it seems...weird to say that but he told us we should give thanks so I-" Chizuru paused a Souji began to shake from laughter.
"Ha, ha! I did say that, didn't I?" He laughed out, wiping the stray tear that formed in his eye. "Gomen, I didn't think you'd take it seriously!" After laughing for a minute, the samurai calmed down. "You're welcome. Name's Souji Okita. Nice to meet a kid with manners. Your companion could learn a thing or two from you." At that, Yuki narrowed her eyes at the samurai, her hand twitching as though wanting to reach for her sword. However, the amnesiac woman didn't even touch the hilt, no doubt knowing that the Shinsengumi might think of it as the beginning of a potential attack.
"Says the pot to the kettle!" Yuki barked out, clearly losing her temper at this point. Chizuru widened get eyes and looked worriedly at Souji. However, instead of being annoyed or angry, the samurai seemed amused.
"So you do agree with me!" He said, laughing again. Yuki began fuming again, but thankfully Hijikata intervened then.
"Souji, enough!" He ordered with a scowl before returning his attention to Chizuru and the others. "You two, bring Ryunosuke with you and follow us. I don't need to remind you what the consequences may be if you resist." Chizuru and Yuki eyed each other before resigning to his orders. What else could they do in this situation? As they disappeared into the night, a lone woman appeared on the roof a nearby building, having seen everything. Her golden eyes turned from the recent scene to the moon above. Then, she disappeared, leaving behind only three words.
"It has begun..."
Thus the the tale of our protagonists begin. With Chizuru and the others taken by the Shinsengumi, what fate will befall them? And who was that mysterious woman that brought them together? What were those strange marks before? Until Next Time...
Welp, that's all I have for now. I'll say it now but I suck at keep an update schedule as I have other stories to write about. I also have a canonical plot relating to all the stories, but this is NOT included. (Well, not now anyways...)
R&R! Until Next Time!