I don't own Hauouki or any of it's characters.


Chapter 14

Silence…

So tense that it covered the clearance like a thick winter blanket, the air toxic and heavy.
Heisuke stood in a battle stance, feet ready to move, hands clutching his katana's worn hilt, the heat from Harada's body next to him beating nervously against his own.

The enemy was in the forest, hiding in a leafy cloak of darkness, a strange putrid smell floated from the wall of infested trees looming before them, reminding Heisuke of Susumu's report and the creatures he had spoken of. As his gaze flitted towards Harada, he could see his friend holding the same thought, anticipation etched on his face, maybe even fear.

Waiting…

They had been standing there, ready to strike, for what seemed hours, hearts drumming in their chests, blood rushing to their ears. As a single drop of sweat slowly crawled down the side of Heisuke's cheek, he wondered if the attack would ever start, then…

A glint.

Heisuke's eye caught the flicker and with a cat-like instinct he leapt sideways, a shuriken passing him with a mere inch. Crouching on the ground where he landed, he heard Harada's voice pierce the thick air.
"Come out here and fight you cowards!"

An answer came in a low rumble of growls.
Moments later they spilled from the dark corners in the camp, growling, yelping, bloodthirsty eyes glowing like sickened embers of a dying flame.
Once they might have been human, but that was long lost, their hands now leathery claws, their feral grins dripping with poison.

Those claws raked the air, hunting for flesh. The fangs glistened in the moonlight, craving blood. They came in waves of rancid stench and chilling cries, murder the only thing on their minds.

Still, the Shinsengumi did not hesitate, Harada's spear crushing bones, Heisuke's blade slicing undead flesh, their bodies following inborn movements honed for killing, their weapons singing the praises of the gods of war.

Heisuke could hear his men fight close by, heard their gruesome deaths as their bodies thudded to the ground, their cries as they were raked and bit.
Here is where the elite and fortunate are chosen.
The thought darted through his mind as he severed a head, the monster's last breath exhaling as a panicked cry, the thick fluid from it's veins spraying in a jerky arc.

Here we shall see our future.

Okita forgot.

As his blood surged, veins filling with battle lust, Okita forgot his painfully diseased lungs, he forgot that he had to explain himself to his friends. As the tension of a few moments ago evaporated in the night sky, he forgot about the woman that plagued every second of his thoughts, he forgot about the worry he held for her, in battle and blood he found a blissful emptiness, Okita smiled a bloodthirsty smile, a toothy grin that became larger with every second that the sky grew more bloodstained.

Without thought Okita and Hijikata covered each other's backs, turning to face whatever came from the dark recesses surrounding them. Two deadly katanas glinted in the fast dimming night sky, held by two deadly men, their attackers hesitated momentarily, plainly these men were different, far more capable, strong, fearsome.
This knowledge only halted them for a few seconds, before they once again rushed forward.

A step forward.
A sweep of his blade.
Hijikata had killed the first beast without any effort, casually returning to his guarded position next to his friend.

First blood seemed to open a floodgate, and the darkness suddenly came alive with writhing limbs, claws and fangs, devilish cries echoing from hundreds of thirsty throats.

Not far off, the sound of others battling for their lives could be heard, the clear echo of weapons clashing and orders shouted ringing in Okita's ears, it only served to excite the Shinsengumi even more.
They were ready and a flurry of blades met the attacking chaos.

The two men performed an unpracticed but meticulous sequence of attacks, a dance of blades arching beautifully in the night sky, painting what little light was left with wet, red streaks.

Strike. Cut. Slice.
The night cried crimson tears.

"There are humans!" Hijikata shouted as he severed a limb off something not undead or mutated, the clatter of a blade and the spray of berry coloured liquid accompanying the now useless piece of flesh.
Okita scanned the sea of contorted faces, noting where the more human-like eyes where, he glanced at Hijikata and gave a slight nod. They moved in unison, their deadly dance starting with the graceful twin-sweep of two razor-like katanas. Their targets were the humans and they carved a bloody path to find them.

Kasumi sat watching the carnage from her hiding spot, frustrated as her body begged to join the battle, even her injured arm twitched in anticipation, pain all but lost in the coiled muscles of her body.

Only a few meters from her perch, blades were hissing and claws were scratching, blood and ooze already covering the once green grass. Men and monsters died as she drew her Wakizashi from it's sheath, the hissing blade momentarily catching the moonlight, she looked down at the metal her brow furrowing as her mind left the battlefield for an instant.

She had been surprised when she saw Sanosuke Harada and Heisuke Toudou caught in the middle of battle.
She had not expected to see the Shinsengumi here and her thoughts immediately turned to her red-haired obsession. Her eyes darted from one face to another, when she could not find him, she felt both relieved and disappointed. She would not have to face him, which made her release a soft sigh, but a worry also crept into her mind.

Why was he not here? She felt a flutter of worry in her chest, a fear she could not describe.
Her mind raced through possible answers as she stared down at the battle before her.

Sumi, focus! She berated herself as another Shinsengumi died before her eyes, his blood pooling under him like a newly hatched butterfly's wings.

She would have to wait for answers. Her orders were clear, wait until the third wave of attacks.

Death came swiftly for most of these sad husks, their putrid blood already coating the ground in an odd colour of green.
Hijikata noticed the smell immediately and tried to warn Okita to stay out of the gory mess, but as he looked up, he realised that Okita was not there, transfixed by blade and blood, he was lost in a world of bloodlust.

Okita barrelled through the enemy forces, not nearly as composed as usual, he hacked and slashed, his face contorted in a grimace of plain frenzy, even releasing a sick laugh on occasion. He wasn't covering himself and Hijikata had to scramble to cover his friend's obvious unguarded attacks.

Hijikata looked on as his friend became a monster himself, a new fear growing in his chest as he saw a man that didn't fight to live, but a man that fought to die.

Heisuke was out of breath, his limbs tired and numb.
He looked over to where Harada was dealing with the last of the creatures, their dying shrieks echoing off into the distance.
He sighed, he needed rest. His eyes were heavy as he closed them for a moment.

He heard Harada limping towards him, opening his eyes he saw blood running down Harada's leg in thin rivulets.
"Are you okay?" Harada uttered.
Heisuke nodded, his breath coming too quickly for him to answer.
"I think one of them bit me." Harada complained looking down at his blood soaked pants.
"You…better…have…that…looked…."

Heisuke's broken sentence was interrupted by another shriek coming from the trees, as he looked up, he saw more creatures materialising from the darkness.
"Fuck" was all he heard from Harada as he slowly heaved his body up, katana swaying in his hands.

Will this ever end? Was his last thought before he sliced through the first of the new wave of creatures, his own strength betraying him as he only nicked his attacker.

They were everywhere, a wave of deadly chaos overwhelmed the Shinsengumi and the remainder of their forces. The creatures knew they had the upper hand and fought with a new vigour.

Kasumi saw her cue, a red flicker in the distance, and jumped off the her perch to hit the ground running, her Wakizashi sliced through the night sky as she ran to meet the enemy, the tension releasing from her body the moment her blade hit flesh.

Heisuke saw his own death, he expected every breath to be his last.
He could not lift his arms anymore, his feet only moving slightly in the body strewn clearing. He could see his death approaching in the form of a particularly large mutated mess, he was ready, his body spent.

He gathered his last strength, lifted his katana for the last time, he would not go down without at least hurting this beast.

It came towards him, clearly set on being his executioner, the beast stopped a few steps away, glaring at Heisuke with intent, blood and bile dripping from it's long fangs. Heisuke inhaled deeply, his last breath and used his last strength to vault forward into the huge creature's chest, his katana extended to puncture the things' heart.

He hit in full force, hearing his own voice crackle a desperate chortle.
The body before him crumpled as he collided with it, like a ragdoll it fell to the ground, Heisuke landing on top of the foul-smelling mess with a thud.

Darkness, Numbness.
Is this death? Am I dead?
Heisuke's mind raced, he couldn't move, his body reaching it's limit with his last desperate leap, everything around him was dark.

I must be dead. Panic set in, his now lifeless heart seemingly thumping in his chest, his mind screaming.

A sound penetrated his skull, someone was calling his name. He knew that voice.
Painstakingly he pried open his eyes, something he had thought he lost mere seconds ago.

"Susumu?" he murmured.
"Thank the gods." Susumu's voice rang in his head. "I thought I misjudged…I thought we were too late." the relief in Susumu's voice softly flowed over Heisuke, bringing stinging tears to his eyes.

Heisuke Toudou was not ready to die.