I don't own the Hakuouki anime or any of it's characters.
Chapter1
He woke with a start, arms flailing, grabbing at nothing. His lungs were empty, no breath came to him until the painful burst of coughs erupted from his chest, it made him cringe and writhe in agony, still he was thankful for the air that came with the pain.
He sat up, wiping blood from his mouth, pondering his most recent dream.
She was there, again, long legs, a walk, an imagined smile, he could still hear her laugh echoing in his head, for days she had haunted him, sometimes saving him, sometimes not and on occasion he was the one doing the saving. She still had no name or face always just a dark ghostly outline with a beautiful, rich voice.
When did I decide your voice is beautiful? He thought to himself.
Okita gingerly raised a hand to his face, he was feverish again and a slight layer of perspiration covered his brow.
"Dammit, is this how it's going to be from now on?"he muttered dragging his pained body from his futon, a heavy sigh left his lips as he stood. Why are you constantly on my mind? Tying his Obi he couldn't help but chuckle at himself. "Looking for a last wild fling Okita Souji?"
He shook his head knowing that it wasn't the answer, for some inexplicable reason he yearned to know her, more of this shadowy silhouette in his mind, her name, her face, he needed to know her. Why? He couldn't tell.
/
He found himself searching for her every moment of the day, he scanned every road when on patrol, every corner when out with his friends, listened intently to every conversation just to hear her voice, he hoped to find her, even returning to where he had first met her more than once. He could not explain the obsession.
"You're a silly man Souji" he muttered to himself on the way to breakfast. "What has got into me?"
"I see the aging has affected your mind now!" Heisuke's voice pulled him from his musings. "You're even talking to yourself!" he grinned.
"Shut you're mouth Heisuke-san" Okita grinned. "It's a sign of intelligence, it's the only good conversation around here."
Heisuke shot him a quick glance and burst into laughter. "Well at least age hasn't caught your tongue yet. Let's get a move on, I'm starving and curious about this new girl."
"New girl?" Okita asked with a raised eyebrow, his interest immediately piqued.
"Yes, Chizuru's cousin or was it friend...I can't remember. She arrived last night, she's staying here until she can return home, everything was washed away in the Ibaraki floods last week."
"Oh" was all Okita could muster as his mind raced. Could it be her? Or is it a coincidence?
Okita's pace increased as he rushed to see this woman, leaving Heisuke behind, slightly confused at his friend's haste. " I guess he must be hungry too" Heisuke shrugged looking on as Okita's shape quickly disappeared ahead of him.
/
He nearly ripped the door from it's rail, jerking it open in hope of seeing this girl. To his disappointment he only saw Sannan-san sitting at his regular place near the head of the dining table.
"Okita? What's wrong?" Sannan asked worriedly when he saw Okita's tired face.
"Nothing." Okita smiled halfheartedly, obviously lying. "Just tired..."
"Oh, are you having trouble sleeping?" Sannan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You could say that." Okita sighed. "My dreams have been...vivid...to say the least."
Sannan leaned backwards, closely inspecting Okita's face, it was clear that he was thinking about all the possible reasons for Okita's sleeping problems, then a slight smile graced his lips.
"You know, some say our dreams reflect out thoughts and emotions, there are even those that believe they give a glimpse into our futures." Sannan chuckled. "I for one, am not such a romantic fool though"
"You can say that again." Sanosuke Harada chimed as he came through the door. "Not a single romantic bone in that man's body." he grinned while pointing at Sannan. Harada and Okita both laughed, knowing the statement to be very true, they had all witnessed Sannan's disinterest in any kind of romance, many a girl left with a broken heart.
"Harada-san."Sannan smiled. "Maybe I will make myself the perfect woman one day."
An awkward silence fell over the room, Sannan's preoccupation with the sciences and his constant experimenting had become a worry to many of the members of the Shinsengumi. He spent days locked up doing...whatever he did, no-one really wanted to ask what happened behind those doors.
Harada's stained laughter filled the room. "Now that my friend will never happen, there is no such thing as a perfect woman!"
"Lies! All lies!" Shinpachi Nagakura thundered as he burst into the room, nearly taking the already battered door with him. "All women are perfect, especially when they are not wearing anything" he laughed a hearty laugh and brutally smacked Okita on the back. "Don't you think Okita-san?"
Okita could only nod as he tried to keep the newly awakened coughs under control, his chest ached and stars burst into his vision as he held his breath. Sannan gave Okita a strange look, suspecting something was wrong.
"Are you sure you are alright Okita-san?"
Okita shrugged, trying his best to look non-chalant.
"I'm fine, like I said, just tired" he couldn't help but notice how strained his voice sounded.
"I heard something about a new girl" Nagakura grinned, an mischievous glint in his eye. "Where is she?"
"Stop drivelling like that Nagakura, you might stain the floor." Sanosuke laughed.
"We're all very loud this morning." Commaned Kondo commented as he and Hijikata entered the room.
"Indeed." Sannan commented. "There's some excitement around our guest."
"Guest?" Kondo looked confused for a few moments until it dawned on him. "Oh yes, Chizuru-chan's cousin." Kondo laughed. "Now boys, we all know the rules, no fooling around unless it's at the Inn and no relationships, especially with guests on the property." Kondo was blatantly staring at Nagakura, his eyes turning from friendly to a very serious glare. "Is that understood?"
Nagakura's face visibly sagged as he nodded in understanding, a loud sigh escaping his lips. "I never get to have any fun."
/
"Morning everyone." Chizuru's soft voice somehow penetrated the madness around the breakfast table.
Okita's heart jolted at the sound of her voice, this was the moment. He turned his gaze slowly, Chizuru stood in the doorway, a tall girl standing behind her.
"This is my cousin, Asuka Yukimura, she will staying here for a while." Chizuru bowed in front of the commander and vice-commander.
The girl stepped into the room. She's pretty. Okita thought to himself.
Her long hair was wound in a bun at the nape of her neck, her eyes a deep brown colour, warm and inviting, her lips round and full. Okita noticed Nagakura fidgeting next to him, clearly also thinking this girl was beautiful. She smiled a beautiful, innocent smile, her lips parting to speak.
"I would like to thank you all, of the Shinsengumi, for welcoming me and honouring me with the cordiality of offering me shelter until my home is suitable for living again." she bowed deeply, her words were rehearsed and too formal, her eyes stared at the floor throughout her thank you.
Okita's heart sank a little.
It wasn't her, the voice didn't match, the cheeky challenge, the sultry purr, the richness was missing. He was sure his shadowy dream would not stare at the floorboards while talking. This girl was only that, a girl. As she moved past him, Okita noticed the absence of an enticing sway in her hips.
He sighed, she wasn't who he was looking for. His head drooped visibly as he started eating his breakfast, not even tasting the delicious tuna Saito had prepared. His thoughts once again returned to places he could continue his search, his friends forgotten and drowned in their own chatter, the only one that noticed Okita's change in mood was the always observant Sannan. He frowned slightly, wondering what was bothering his friend.
/
"Sumi-chan?" the old woman asked for the third time, lightly tugging at her rolled-up sleeve.
"Oba-chan?" the young woman turned, her mismatched eyes startled as she stared at the greying, wrinkled woman.
"Are you feeling alright my child, you've seemed distracted lately." worry was evident in her eyes.
Laughing it off, the woman grinned a mischievous grin. "I'm fine, just tired Oba-chan...my dreams have been...vivid lately."
The old lady smiled knowingly, a little chuckle in her chest as she looked at the tall woman in front of her.
"I was saying you should check the safety cables before we leave Sumi-chan, I think I saw some of them fraying."
"Yes Oba-chan, I'll do that right away!"
As she turned to head to the supply wagons the old lady cleared her throat to catch the woman's attention again. "And Sumi-chan, have someone look at that cut on your arm, I don't know how you manage to hurt yourself all the time."
The woman turned back to face her senior, looking down at the angry cut on her left arm, she shrugged.
"Just being me." Her face split into her trademark skew grin and she sprinted off to the supply wagons, her raven black hair glistening in the sun as the strands danced in rhythm to her steps.
The old woman watched her shrinking form and smiled. "You are a different breed Kasumi-chan, bless and protect the man that ever tames you."
I have to apologise, I rushed this chapter when I realised what the date was, I promised myself I would update once a week and it kinda creeped up on me! Well there's always time to rewrite and fix things, I'm hoping this will be one of very few uneventful chapters.
