Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory; Kawa belongs to me.
That pained scream rang in her ears; she furrowed her brow, her hand on the hilt of her katana.
"You'll only get in the way if you follow us; let's move, princess," her lover pointed out to the bluenette, dragging her in by the grip he had on her hand.
She spared the aforementioned boy a brief smile before following his lead.
The slightly panicked tone in her brother's voice hummed in her ears even as they ran into the long corridor to corner the creature that had created that noise; she drew her katana as she stood at his back, gripping the hilt.
Whatever it was, it was definitely not human.
A pair of gleaming red eyes skidded to a halt at the opposite end of the corridor, slightly surprising her.
"Humans don't move like that." He muttered, lifting the katana in his hand up so the blade was next to his face before the creature hurtled forward at them.
In a flurry of movement, the creature had knocked him into one of the spare rooms with a loud growl.
"Souji!" Kawa lunged, yelping when the creature sent a foot careening into her jaw, making her fly back.
"Bastard!" A glint of moonlight shined and Saitou had severed the arm wielding the sword.
Her head spun as the creature bounded away outside with the arm clutched in his jaws; "Kawa," the brunette helped her to her feet, looking at her concernedly.
She shook her head and scowled where the creature had been. "Let's move," she growled, sprinting out after it with Souji at her heels.
A loud crash sounded when it made it outside, having run into both Sano and Ibuki after knocking Shinpachi out with it.
"Shit," she growled, perking up as the creature lunged at Sano; her eyes sharpened when he stabbed the creature's good arm with the spear, said enemy lifting him up by the blunt end of the spear and knocking him away. "Sano!" She sprinted past Souji's side, her katana's blade glancing off the creature's short sword.
"Kawa, get away from him!" Saitou barked.
Kawa glared at the creature's red eyes, lunging and swinging at his head, being blocked as it swiped at her, grazing her left shoulder; she grimaced and drew back, lifting her right hand to grip the bleeding cut gingerly.
Its head snapped up at the scent of fresh blood, the red gleam brightening as its eyes were set on the woman wielding the katana. "Blood… give me blood!" It snarled, lunging at her.
"Get away from her!" Souji flew at him as a blur of purple came onto the scene.
A katana's blade stabbed into the creature's right lung as a second katana's blade stabbed into its heart as a hand gripped the creature's hairline tightly.
Kawa's eyes widened slightly at the perpetrators. "Nii-san," she murmured.
Souji yanked his blade out as the creature sputtered and fell face forward when Toshi yanked his blade free and released the hairline, a muffled 'thud' sounding.
Toshi looked at his sister, at the blood that trickled down her left shoulder down to her wrist, her gray eyes slightly widened in surprise as her black hair had been loosened to flow freely down her back; his eyes softened in relief to see that she had remained unscathed. "Are you alright, Kawa?" He asked.
Kawa nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah."
"Hijikata-san, what about the monster?" Sano asked, stirring their attention away.
Souji went to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist reflexively, pulling her to his chest with a sigh.
"It's alright." He declared quietly.
"Supposedly you can kill it by either beheading it or stabbing it in the heart." Sannan-san informed as he and Kondou-san entered the courtyard.
"Is everyone alright?" Kondou-san asked of the men –plus Kawa—gathered.
"Kondou-san," Souji smiled in slight relief.
Toshi sheathed his katana, scowling over his shoulder at the trembling bluenette. "If you lack any real resolve, don't waltz onto a battlefield like that." He scolded, looking at his sister again as she rubbed her arm gingerly.
Kawa frowned softly at his words, leaning her cheek against Souji's neck and feeling him squeeze her waist gently in response.
::::::x|x::::::
She pouted slightly at him as he insisted on sitting close to her, looking at the white bandage that wrapped around her injured shoulder and exhaling.
"The Bakufu obtained this through foreign trade. This medicine is called 'Ochimizu'; if you drink this, your abilities in battle will substantially increase. But at the same time, you'll obtain remarkable healing abilities… but on the downside, you'll lose the power of thought and your sanity." The bald man named Yukimura Kodou informed the room at large.
Her eyes registered on the small vial of red liquid placed before them and her brow furrowed; I have a bad feeling about that medicine, she thought.
"Meanin' that it isn't filled with perks, huh?" That man wondered gruffly, to which the bald man nodded.
"Yes, to top it off, they can only exercise those powers in the dark. We call those who possess those powers and exhibit those abilities 'Rasetsu'." Yukimura-san replied.
Even the name sounds bad, she mused, the crease in her brow deepening.
"I remember that guy, now; his name was Iesato!" Sano piped up in recognition, looking at Shinpachi and then at Toshi.
"'Iesato'…? Hang on, didn't he come with us from Edo?" Heisuke chirped, looking up alertly.
"You used one of our guys to test out that batshit-crazy medicine!?" Shinpachi snapped, glaring at both Serizawa and Yukimura.
"Bastard," Kawa hissed, glaring at that man's beady gray eyes that looked passive, bristling.
"He was supposed to slice open his gut for breaking the code." Niimi spoke up calmly, smirking a little at the frustration in their faces. "It's the same punishment."
"The hell it is!" Both Shinpachi and Kawa snarled in chorus.
"He didn't get to die by seppuku, that's the only difference!" Serizawa defended sharply.
Kawa bristled again and glowered at him. "So you let him rot in madness? What the fuck kind of sentence is that!?" She nearly shouted.
"Yasakawa, that's enough." Toshi snapped, making her cringe at his sharp tone; she quieted reluctantly and looked down, her hands in her lap fisting and shaking a little. "Hai, nii-san." She mumbled. "Serizawa-san, I'm against using this medicine; when Iesato changed, he barely recognized us at all!" He added to that man.
Kondou looked over at said man, "I agree with Toshi."
"But according to Yukimura-dono, there's still plenty of improvement to make." Niimi countered.
Kawa glared at him as Toshi also glared, "yeah and to test it out, that means you'll have to use another person!" He snapped.
"The Bakufu ordered this!" Niimi snarled.
"There's no need to obey an unreasonable order." Toshi growled.
Serizawa spoke up again, looking smug and arrogant enough to the point where she wanted to get up and punch him in his wrinkled-dog face, "Generally, a warrior considers obeying orders from the Bakufu to be a blessing, even if they're unreasonable." He stated.
"Serizawa-san, you…" Toshi began angrily.
That man smirked. "But then again, I wouldn't expect one not born into a warrior family to understand." He drawled.
Her fists shook again; she jerked away from his side to straighten to her feet, heading to the door before she could voice something that would cost her.
"Neh, did we say something that displeased you, Yasakawa?" That man drawled, making her pause in opening the door.
There's a lot that displeased me, you cheap fuck, she thought, stifling a growl with clearing her throat; she looked over her shoulder at him, glancing at her brother's tensed face that looked as if he didn't want her to say anything else as well as the fact that he wanted her to let it go.
So instead of spouting a cheeky remark, Kawa forced a kind smile. "Nothing at all, I'm just a little tired." She lied easily, opening the door and stepping out of the meeting room, closing it behind her exit.
Toshi glared at Serizawa as Souji also sent him a cold glare before they let it drop (reluctantly).
:::::::x|x:::::::
A light knock sounded on the door. "Nii-san?"
He briefly raised a brow at the sudden visit. "It's open." He replied, seeing his sister open the door from the courtyard and noting that she'd changed into her sleeping robe, keeping her hair down.
She blinked at seeing Inoue-san having already been talking with him before she smiled sheepishly. "Inoue-san, sorry I didn't know you two were in the middle of something. I'll just talk with you tomorrow morning, Toshi," she laughed weakly, lifting a hand to rub her neck before turning to exit into the darkness.
"Yasakawa-kun, it's alright!" He saw her blink again and look back at his words; he smiled kindly at the surprised expression on her pretty face. "We were just done talking, anyway, and it's late so I'll take my leave." He shuffled to his feet and smiled again at both siblings before exiting through the back-hallway. "Goodnight."
Bless him, Inoue-san, she thought, exhaling. "I wasn't interrupting anything major, was I?" She wondered, looking at his violet eyes.
"Nah, we were just talking. To be honest, I was almost afraid I'd have to go visit you instead of the other way around." He shrugged sheepishly, watching her close the door and retreat to shuffle and sit before him.
She smiled in the same manner, looking down at her lap. "Toshi, about earlier." She bowed her head in apology, seeming to baffle him if only for a moment. "I'm sorry for my actions. And I wanted to thank you for cutting down that Rasetsu before it could get me instead." She declared quietly, straightening a little to look at him and smile meekly.
His face softened and he huffed quietly, shrugging again. "You're my little sister; it's my job to protect you, even when you act more bull-headed than me." Her cheeks colored pink at that comment before she smiled weakly. "But to what happened earlier, why did you walk away?" He asked, perking her ears.
Kawa lowered her gaze to the hands in her lap, seeing they had curled into fists on reflex and were shaking slightly; she slid her eyes closed and huffed. "You already despise that man, and if I said anything else, it would make him and his ass-kissers think you and I were plotting something against him. Besides, if I did say something when he insulted you, it probably would've been for him to stay still so my blade could rip his throat out." She mused, smirking softly at the thought of ripping that man's throat to shreds.
Toshi cocked a brow before he let her explanation soak in, huffing as well and crossing his arms in the sleeves of his haori. "I had a feeling that's why you left. Look, Kawa, you're not the only one who got pissed when he said that…" He began.
"I know you felt the same as I did, brother. That's why I loathe that man. I hate him, I hate that he insults you, I hate that he puts shit into Souji's head…" She gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tighter. "Most of all, you're my big brother, and I can't stand it when a bastard like him dares insult not just you but our father, too!" Kawa ground out, opening her eyes partly to glare at the tatami beneath her.
"If our fate wasn't bound to whatever he does to get us to power, I'd gladly kill him. Now especially that he started on that damn medicine," Toshi mused.
She nodded and frowned softly, lifting her stare to meet his with a determined light. "No matter what, I swear that I'm gonna get stronger so that I can defend your honor, Toshi." She promised.
His eyes widened slightly at her promise before his face softened again and he nodded, lifting a hand to tousle her black hair. "You're growing up after all." He mused.
Her cheeks colored slightly before she smiled softly, nodding as well and sliding her eyes closed calmly. "Living with you and the boys for as long as I have has made me grow up, what can I say?" She shrugged.
Toshi chuckled quietly, pushing her bangs back absently and seeing her open an eye up at him and pout at his gesture. "Keep hanging around Souji and that might change," he pointed out.
Kawa grumbled under her breath and punted his hand off, rearing back on her knees and crossing her arms. "Piss off; at least he's a good man." She sniffed, blushing at the same time.
He smirked at ruffling her feathers, rolling his eyes. "Not that I'm against it, but I'm surprised he decided to stay with you instead of being…" He paused for the right word.
"Lecherous? A womanizer?" She deadpanned.
"All of the above." He nodded.
She lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck absently. "I'm as surprised as you, nii-san; I imagine he's had his fair share of girls chasing him and vice-versa, but in all honesty, I'm flattered that he's stayed loyal to just one woman since you took me in." She looked at him and smiled softly in thought of that cocky brunette.
He nodded again and blinked as he seemed to remember it was late. "Shouldn't you get to bed? It's already late." He pointed out, seeing her blink.
Kawa pouted slightly and sighed, nodding. "Yeah, you're right, regrettably." She straightened to her feet, pausing short of leaving when seeing the letter on his desk; she tilted her head to one side. "Who sent you the love letter?" She wondered, a teasing smirk playing at her lips.
Toshi made a face and snorted, hearing her snicker as he looked away. "My older sister, Toku." He replied.
She blinked again before her face softened, feeling slightly envious that he still had family even if it wasn't related to her directly. "She must worry over her kid brother, if she writes to you." She mused.
He noted the softened expression on her face and nodded, shrugging. "She does, as well as warns me not to lose my temper and pick fights with the men." He replied.
Kawa snorted, doing her best to hide a giggle when he pouted at her. "Too late for that last part." She smiled cheekily.
Toshi scowled as a vein twitched on his brow. "Go to bed, Yasakawa." He ground out.
She giggled and smiled again, poking his forehead with a finger before showing herself out. "Yeah, yeah; 'night, Mr. Hot-head." She waved airily.
He scowled again, sighing when she closed the door and disappeared down the porch to her room. "Great, now there's two of them… Shit." He grumbled.
She groaned. "Why can't I go?" She whined, looking up at him.
"Because your shoulder is still on the mend; besides, Kondou-san felt it would be easier on Souji to let you stay here while he and the others go to Osaka." He replied.
Kawa pouted again, huffing and crossing her arms at her chest. "My shoulder is friggin' fine, it's you lot who're worrying over a girl…" She grated.
Toshi rolled his eyes and planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair and making her growl on reflex. "That's a man's job, smart one. Souji would maim me if anything happened to you, anyway." He remarked patiently.
"Damn straight, there." A lanky arm slung around her hips as he removed his hand, making her squeak slightly at being pulled to his chest.
She blushed and pouted up at him, seeing him smile cheekily, before she huffed and smacked his chest gently. "I'm still jealous that you get to go to Osaka, but that just means you owe me when you get back." She wagered, looking at him warningly.
Souji rolled his eyes and smirked widely, running a hand through her hair. "And I'll gladly pay off that debt as soon as possible. Stay safe, okay, princess?" He purred, making her blush more, kissing her forehead.
Kawa shivered slightly in his arms and nodded. "Don't get too sword-happy over there. I'll have to kick your ass before my brother would get the chance to." She rebutted, feeling him squeeze her hips.
He laughed softly. "I've been warned." He kissed her hard, making her tremble slightly, before she kissed back gently, pulling away reluctantly to kiss her forehead a second time.
She smiled warmly when he squeezed again before letting go, waving when they departed and watching him wave back.
Don't lose your cool over there, whatever you do, she inwardly prayed, looking at the blue color of the sky and smiling a little.
::::::x|x:::::::
THWACK.
"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his head gingerly.
She sweatdropped and smiled patiently at the bluenette, perking up at hearing Kondou-san's voice and smiling brightly; she hurried past him to go greet the men.
"Neh, Shinpatsu, was there any luck?" The youngest brunette asked before blinking as she brushed past him to throw her arms around the green-eyed brunette.
He caught her skillfully with a quiet groan, smiling in relief at seeing her present and intact as he held her tight and she nuzzled into his neck.
She smiled up at him, blinking as she noticed the rest of the men were strangely silent, shrugging out of his arms to look at them confusedly. "What happened; Saitou-kun?" She asked quietly, looking from him to the pissed Kondou-san and then to Souji, her brow furrowing in concern.
review please; thanks~ ;'D