Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me.

"Everyone listen up: we just received a letter from Lord Aizu, the Kyoto Police Commissioner. He's going to officially place us under his charge!" Kondou-san announced proudly to the men gathered.

A round of awed responses and cheers came from the group, excitement buzzing in the air.

Niimi spoke up, as much of an ass-kisser as ever, "it's amazing how Serizawa-sensei swayed the Shogunate!"

Kawa covered her mouth daintily to suppress a snort; how did he do that? That old bastard couldn't sway a dog to eat his own shit even if he tried, she thought.

The meeting ended with Serizawa deciding they would celebrate by going to Shimabara, excitement never leaving the meeting room as the men dispersed and slowly left the room to tend to their tasks.

"Oi Kawa-chan, you come too!" She blinked when Shinpachi's voice stirred her from her thoughts; she looked to see he was standing next to Serizawa, gray eyes curious and slightly baffled at his invite before she smiled cheesily and waved him off.

"I'd rather pass on the invite, to be honest, Shinpatsu…" She tried to excuse herself.

A long arm wrapped around her waist, surprising her slightly, before she looked up at his green eyes. "C'mon, we're all going; 'sides, it'd be much better to stare at you than the brothel girls." Souji urged calmly, smirking at the slight pink that stained her cheeks.

Kawa huffed and looked away shyly. "Fine, fine," she muttered in defeat.

Saitou rolled his eyes at the brunette's method of getting her to go with them. "Your antics cease to amaze, Souji," he muttered, inwardly slapping his forehead.

::::::::o|o:::::::

That man's barking laugh was starting to get on her nerves.

She abstained from looking over at him and sending him a stinging glare, looking at her eaten food and sipping sake from the small cup in her hand, putting it back on the tray.

The light buzz of the alcohol burning her throat gently made her briefly shiver; she shook her head softly, pursing her lips.

"Oi, Okita, you sure are a funny brat, staring at us men instead of the geiko." That man's slightly-slurred drawl perked his ears, stirring him from his thoughts.

She looked at her companion curiously, seeing that he had indeed been staring off into space… or rather, if she knew him better –and at this point, she did, at Serizawa. Her brow furrowed softly.

He huffed, reverting to a slightly-sadistic-yet-teasing tone that made the crease on her brow deepen. "Nah, not really; ta be honest, I'm not really interested in places like this." Not when the whores look like shit compared to Kawa, he inwardly added, smirking at the older man.

This briefly surprised him. "Eh, then why'd ya come?" He wondered.

"Ain't it obvious? I came because I figured it'd be a great opportunity to cut ya down." His smirk widened.

Kawa spat out her drink, coughing before Saitou whacked her back gently. "S-Souji!" She coughed, looking at him in alarm and surprise. Has he finally gone mad? He's joking, he has to be… She looked at his eyes trained on the older man and felt a shiver roll down her spine.

No, he wasn't… He wasn't joking.

Serizawa's booming laugh surprised her; surprise slightly flickered on the brunette's face before it faded as quick as it had come, his green eyes stoic.

"'Cut me down'; a snot-nosed shit like you? What a joke!" He crowed, aiming his fan at the younger man like an accusatory finger.

He grit his teeth, glowering at him.

She shivered again at seeing the cold look in his jade green eyes, putting her cup down and tugging on his sleeve, seeing his fingers curl in the fabric of his green hakama; her brow furrowed.

"But your death threats mean nothin' to me. Although, I can't say the same when it comes to that Hijikata bloke." He mused aloud, studying the brunette's reaction with a calculating stare, beady gray eyes focused as if he hadn't downed so much booze.

"'Hijikata-san'?" He repeated, cocking a brow.

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of her brother, her fingers gripping his sleeve. You should be afraid, you overgrown dog… Very afraid, she thought grimly.

"When that man glared at me, I even felt chills for a split second!" He admitted to the quieted room. "Compared to his threats, your death threats are nothin' more than childish prattle to me." He drawled, studying his reaction once more.

Souji's lip curled. "Is that so? I'd be willin' to truly kill ya if that's the case…" He growled softly.

"Souji," having heard enough, Saitou spoke up from above the rim of his cup, blue eyes closed.

Kawa briefly felt relief at his beckon, making a mental note to thank him later on once they were safely back home.

"He's killed more than just one or two men." Serizawa pointed out, making the couple glance at the stoic man next to them. "He's far more imposing than you." He chuckled, smirking at ruffling Souji's feathers effortlessly.

She bristled, gray eyes hard. "Serizawa-san, please, that's enough." She declared, speaking up since earlier.

He snorted. "Keep your mouth shut, whore. You may be that bastard's brat sister, but there are rules here in the Roshigumi, and you're lookin' at the one in charge. Know your place and keep your nose to yourself." He growled in slight annoyance.

Souji growled under his breath; Kawa kept her glare on him, her anger starting to overboil again.

"For the man in charge, you really have a knack for fucking things up and terrorizing people wherever you go." She knew Toshi would scold her later for speaking out of turn, but she couldn't stop; her hands curled into fists as she saw his eyes sharpen at her words. "I'd rather die in the streets than be ordered what to do by a cowardly drunken dog like you, Serizawa. And for the record, you're not half the man Kondou Isami is." She snarled coldly, feeling surprisingly calm even though she could sense and nearly taste the tenseness in the room that had become like electricity.

"You damn whore!" He snarled, flicking his wrist and sending his fan flying at her.

'FWHACK'.

Souji's eyes widened: Sano, Shinpachi, and Heisuke blanched: Saitou's eyes opened and widened a little.

The fan fell into her lap softly as a thin trickle of crimson trailed down her forehead from the narrow cut to her right temple, dripping down her chin onto the dark navy fabric of her hakama.

Kawa lifted a hand to aimlessly wipe the blood from above her right eye, closing it as her hand brushed against the closed lid. "Is that all? Pfeh and I was expecting a more harsh beating! I really don't see why nii-san hesitates to run ya through; there's nothing to be afraid of… You're not a threat to Hijikata Toshizou, or to me, Hijikata Yasakawa." She grinned cheekily, brazenly.

"Insolent bitch, how dare you!?" Niimi was the one to shout this time, leaping to his feet just as his master did, albeit faster and a bit clumsily.

Serizawa glowered at the insolent female, katana preparing to fly from his scabbard. "You… you fucking whore…" He snarled, lunging.

"Forgive the intrusion!" The room stilled instantly at the overly-accented female voice that came from outside.
Two geiko appeared at the doorway, both girls bowed respectfully.

She lessened her grip on the hilt of her katana, slightly relieved and yet slightly rattled, retreating to sit down between Souji and Saitou as Serizawa stiff-leggedly retreated to his seat.

Momentary peace passed as the young geiko –Kosuzu or something like that was her name—was introduced and made to perform the typical geiko arts (Shamisen-playing, fan-dancing… both were things alien to Kawa, but she couldn't help but think both arts were beautiful in their own way).

:::::::o|o::::::

She pouted up at him as he placed the bandage on her cut.

"Is he still mad?" She asked quietly once he had put the first-aid away, looking down at her lap.

He took a glance at the back-hall behind her room, looking at her to see she was looking at her folded knees, her hands in her lap as the amber glow of the lantern near her highlighted the mane of black hair that fell down her back; he sighed. "Not sure, we won't know 'til he comes over." He replied.

She flinched slightly and nodded, her gray eyes on the old scars that had faded on her wrists and hands, particularly on her right arm. "Right," she murmured.

He huffed quietly at the penitent vibe she gave off, shuffling to her side and pulling her into a hug.

Kawa blushed and squeaked slightly in surprise, quieting when his arms tightened before she snuggled into his chest, positioning herself to sit in his lap and fold her arms on the back of his neck.

Souji smiled slightly, running his fingers through her thick hair. "If it lightens things, I've never been prouder. I know ya didn't bring it up, but you defended my honor and pride. I'm glad… But you're still the most reckless, beautiful woman I've ever met." He praised, his breath at her nape, making her shiver in his lap.

She reared back to shift her weight and look into his green eyes, blushing softly. "Of course I did; hell, I had to. I hate that man as much as you do, and the fact that you're the man I love, it was a given that I defend you. Besides, someone had to throw him off his pedestal." She shrugged innocently, smiling warmly despite her words.

His hand in her hair brought her head closer, bumping her forehead gingerly with his, making her wince a little before she blushed again and pouted, earning a chuckle from him. "You're one hell of a woman, Kawa." He mused, upturning his lips to kiss her deeply.

She blushed deeper and shivered once more, her arms squeezing his neck before she relaxed and eased into the kiss, kissing him lovingly and curling her fingers in his shaggy hair.

A knock sounded on the door from the back-hall, making them jump slightly, his arms pulling her to his chest protectively as his body tensed on reflex.

"Kawa?" Her brother's voice breached past the flimsy shoji door.

He mentally cursed his friend's untimely intrusion, reluctantly letting her slip out of his lap to get to her feet and fix her hair and haori, shuffling to answer the door as he moved to sit by the lantern, gathering his katana to his side and propping it against his left shoulder.

"Nii-san," she nodded once opening the door, letting him enter before closing it behind his entrance.

He briefly spared the lanky brunette a look, sensing that he had interrupted something, before turning to his sister; his shoulders slumped in a weary sigh. "You're lucky you only got away with a scrape." He began.

She nodded slightly, her eyes cast down. "Toshi, about what happened…" She started to explain.

"I'm not finished." He stated, seeing her wince; she nodded again, fidgeting slightly under his scolding stare. "That man can be hard to deal with, you know as well as I… Both of you." He spared the brunette another look; he glanced at him and smirked cheekily before his violet eyes returned to the quiet form of his sister. "For now, we've calmed him down. Of course he's still the same rotten bastard that he is, but that's normal… I had half a right mind to smack you upside the head for speaking out of turn the way you did, especially in public." He saw her cringe slightly, keeping her head bowed.

"Nii-san," she murmured.

Toshi sighed again, placing a hand on her shoulder and surprising her; her gray eyes lifted up to meet his violet eyes that had softened in something she could assume was a mixture of pride and satisfaction. "But I'm grateful that the scrape on your forehead is the only damage done. Even though you said the things you said, and almost got killed for it," at this his eyes tightened before calming again, "thank you for sticking up for Kondou-san and myself." He finished, further surprising her.

Kawa's widened eyes softened and she nodded, smiling up at him as her body relaxed. "Is the mighty Hijikata Toshizou going soft on me?" She wondered, poking fun now that the coast was clear.

He blinked before he huffed, smirking gently and tousling her hair. "Don't think you're totally off the hook just yet, little sister. As far as anyone in the compound is assured, you're technically in hot water with Serizawa. 'Course that doesn't mean you can't fight your way out of it." He reminded, glancing at the bandage on her temple briefly.

She huffed as well and pulled his hand off her head, folding her arms at her chest. "I still detest that man, and I swear that I'll fight anyone who tries to hurt you, Souji or Kondou-san. I may be the only woman here but that doesn't mean I'm a push-over." She promised stubbornly.

Both men blinked at her words before they seemed to smile at the same time.

Her brother nodded, violet eyes soft once more. "I wouldn't expect less from the woman who shares my family name." He mused, turning to leave the room through the front door.

The brunette smirked lightly, straightening and stretching his arms. "Methinks ya really are goin' soft on our princess, Hijikata-san," he teased his friend, looking at him with one open green eye.

Toshi smirked at him, huffing as he opened the door. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be heckling, Souji?" He quipped calmly.

Souji chuckled and shrugged aimlessly. "Ain't it a bit late for you to be scoldin' yer own sister?" He remarked.

He only rolled his eyes and spared said woman a brief smile, once again sensing something between the man he stood next to and his sister, before exiting into the quiet night and closing the door behind his leave.

"I thought he'd never leave," he mumbled, blinking when he felt two hands take his face in their grasp before his lips met her softer ones, surprising him; Souji calmed in her hold and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest once more and kissing her hotly, his hands trailing down her hips to her rear to grope lightly, hearing her squeak and grumble curses against his lips, making him grin.

Kawa retracted in his arms, blushing and panting slightly, stroking his cheekbones gently in her grasp and watching him pout briefly when she broke the kiss before he leaned into her touch, his arms around her leaving no room between them so she distinctly felt something poke her abdomen below, a fresh blush staining her cheeks red before she focused on his pleased face and exhaled. "Are you alright, y'know, from earlier tonight?" She wondered softly, taking him by surprise.

Souji opened one green eye at her question, mulling over his answer and curling a finger in a lock of black hair on her shoulder aimlessly as he thought. "I still hate him, now more than ever that he hurt you even if it's just a scratch…" His strong shoulders slumped again in an exhale. "But knowing that you're safe and not bein' forced to commit suicide for what you said, I'm better than earlier." He admitted.

She nodded slightly, blushing a little when he nosed her cheek, his mouth lowering to land kisses on her neck. "I'm glad to hear that." She replied.

He smiled, leaving a small love-bite on her neck and kissing it gently, lifting his face to stare at her. "'Course seein' ya rattle his cage like that really made me proud to love a woman like you." He added, smirking.

Kawa smiled back, sighing. "I forgot to thank you for bringing me back to my room the other night." She mumbled, looking away out of shyness.

Souji blinked before smirking again, kissing her gently. "That kiss you pulled a minute ago was payment enough." He purred against her lips, making her shiver for another different reason entirely.

She blushed more and pouted slightly at his making her shiver in his arms, gently smacking his chest with the back of her right hand. "Go to bed already; s' been a long night." She scolded, pulling out of his grip.

He pouted cutely, making her giggle, before he smiled in reluctant defeat and sighed, nodding. "Yes, ma'am," he saluted her with a hand, turning to the door as she followed him.

"Sleep well, Souji," she wished.

Souji turned to pull her into another kiss, only this one seemed to carry a hungry edge to it that made her tremble, pulling back to grin softly at her baffled expression that made her look adorable. "Doubt it, with the friggin' boner ya just gave me, Kawa-chan," he teased with a wink.

Kawa's cheeks flared red before she stammered out a huff and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Get going!" She barked, flustered at his perverted comment.

With a chuckle and sly grin, he stepped out into the night and shut her door behind his leave before retreating to his own room in reluctance.
Well, there goes that random-as-fuck idea to do it tonight, he thought, pouting to himself.

:::::::o|o:::::::

"Those rules are definitely too strict." He complained, arms crossed.

She ran the cloth along the length of the short sword's blade.

"If Kondou-san thinks those rules are necessary, then I'll obey them, too." He offered nonchalantly.

The youngest member of the group gathered continued to draw lines in the dirt. "That goes for me, too, but I don't like my friends gettin' tied down by those rules…" He pouted.

"Those rules will come in handy once we start getting new recruits from now on." He mused.

"I know that! But it's kinda different from how I imagined it…" The younger brunette exclaimed, quieting as he mulled over their newest reality again.

"That reminds me, Kawa-chan. Given that you're here because Hijikata-san took you in on the last wish of your father, will you also follow those rules? To be blunt, women aren't allowed to wield a sword, let alone be enlisted in an organization like the Roshigumi…" The most stoic of them all pointed out, looking to the only female present.

She blinked at being singled out, noting that five sets of eyes were on her now, his included; her cheeks colored slightly before she put down the sword in her lap, sighing. "Nii-san wrote them, no doubt, to keep that old dog in check; a wise decision, even if it is quite literally a double-edged sword. But just because I'm a woman I don't expect to be treated like a princess. Not once did I think that, even when nii-san took me in and let me stay with you lot. So to answer your question, yes, I'll obey them." Her face softened and she smiled wryly at his blue eyes. "Besides, I wouldn't be a woman of my word if I didn't stick it out with you lot over some silly rule book." She added with a cheeky glint in her gray eyes.

The green-eyed brunette smirked, being the first to recover, pulling her by his arm's fold on her back to nuzzle the side of her head, making her squeak and then pout at his public display of affection. "That's my girl," he mused happily.

The rest of the men deadpanned when she smacked him upside the head, making him let go to rub the large bump gingerly and pout; she folded her arms over her ample bust, cheeks red, a huff on her breath. "How many times do I hafta tell ya not to call me that, Souji?" She scolded calmly.

The tallest of the brunettes present smiled cheekily. "Aww, aren't they cute together?" He teased.

The couple blinked before their faces turned a matching shade of pink at his words.

"Shut up, Sano!" They barked in chorus.

A sweatdrop formed on her brow.

Between Saitou off in his own world when it came to miso soup and Shinpachi and Heisuke bickering over their food, Kawa finally felt like this part of her daily life was beginning to not only become the norm but also something that was beginning to not phase her.

Geez, she thought, sipping her own bowl of soup absently.

"Oi, Ryunosuke, take someone else's food before they get yours!" Said oldest brunette barked over the banter he and his younger friend shared, earning another deadpanned stare from the only girl present.

"R-right!" Ibuki nodded, taking their advice, before he rounded on the one person he should not even have considered rounding on (and her brother wasn't the one, either): Saitou. "In that case…!"

As quick as when drawing the sword from the scabbard, a pair of chopsticks were poised at his unguarded throat, making the bluenette freeze and choke out a yelp of surprise.

"If you need me for something, wait until I finish eating… In the world of beasts, you don't have much room to complain if a stronger beast kills you for disturbing its' meal." Saitou deadpanned, a slight vein twitching on his brow. "Also, this is one of my favorite dishes: don't ever go after it!" He added lowly.

Ibuki nodded dumbly and fell back on his backside, slightly shaken. "R-right, my bad!" He yelped.

Kawa snickered, taking a sip from her cup. "Coulda told ya twice not to bug Saitou-kun; s' kinda like disturbing a cat during it's nap." She mused lightly.

Saitou sweatdropped. "I'm glad to see you also sympathize when it comes to guarding one's food, Kawa-chan." He mused.

She giggled and winked. "No problem; don't blame you one bit, Saitou-kun."

"Oi, oi, what the hell happened to bein' nice to the new guy?" Shinpachi wondered of her, perking her ears.

Kawa deadpanned, sipping her soup heartily. "Can't be nice to the corpse of the bakkero who disturbed Saitou-kun's meal during his last moments in this world, now can you, Shinpatsu?" She remarked coolly, popping a clump of her diminishing rice into her mouth and chewing.

She blinked when he went back to whatever conversation Sano was having with Ibuki, looking at her companion sitting at her right and noting that he was eating rather quickly; she tilted her head to one side, looking down at her own food and finishing her soup, picking at her rice.

"Thanks for the meal." Souji mused a few minutes later, stirring her from her thoughts, as he started to get up.

"That was fast, Souji." Kondou-san noted aloud, making him pause.

"Yeah, I was gonna put in a bit of sword practice. Every second counts, after all." He replied calmly, slightly surprising her, as he stood and went for the doors.

"Practicing right after you eat is bad for ya," Shinpachi chimed.

He huffed. "Well I'm not lucky like Shinpatsu and Hajime-kun. I'm dyin' to slay a bunch of those roshin." He declared, slightly surprising the rest of the room's occupants.

Kawa's eyes sharpened before she recalled that night she'd found him practicing in the courtyard, looking at her unfinished rice as her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Heisuke also tilted his head to the side slightly. "Neh, Souji, haven't you been actin' odd lately?" He wondered.

Toshi scowled at the brunette. "Souji, I want you to go back to Edo." He declared, seeing his frame tense at the request.

Souji tried to laugh it off. "That joke ain't the slightest bit funny, y'know." He quipped, green eyes widened a little.

"Lately, Serizawa-san's influence is making you go on about killing and the like, and you're still a kid: he's making you lose sight of yourself." Toshi continued as he glanced over at him.

Kawa looked at her brother, the crease in her brow deepening. "Nii-san…" She began to speak up.

Souji gritted his teeth. "Hijikata-san, you're just sayin' that because ya don't like that I stick by Kondou-san, don't you?" He snapped, glaring at him.

Toshi's violet eyes were stern and stoic at the same time. "If that's what you want to believe, go ahead." He replied calmly.

"Toshi, why bring this up so suddenly?" Kondou-san asked, confused on the reason he had yet to reveal.

"We came to Kyoto to install peace, but all he wants to do is kill; it's all he thinks about." Toshi explained gravely, scowling at said brunette again. "We can't let someone like that stay here!"

Souji's hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Souji," Kondou-san began.

"No way; there's no way in hell I'm goin' back! I came here to stay and help you, Kondou-san!" Souji shouted, turning on his heel to throw open the door and bolt into the night.

"Souji!" Kawa jumped to her feet to go after him.

"Let him go, Yasakawa. He'll be back." Toshi stopped her before she could take off, seeing her look at him alertly.

She glared at him and scoffed, her hands fisting at her sides. "Regardless, I still have to go after him. You may think he's hopeless, but he's not! Souji can't help it if he hates that man. But apparently you don't give a damn about what happens to your friend if he gets hurt out there." She declared angrily, turning to bolt after the brunette into the night.

"Kawa!" Toshi called until he heard her footsteps disappear, cursing under his breath. "Damn it, that girl is too headstrong for her own good, sometimes…" He muttered, scowling at where she sat mere minutes ago.

review please; thanks~ ;D