Thank you CamillaFierce,XxSapphire-fandomsxX, Marialena-Princess Of The Moon, Pale Blossom, OniKuShita, Lunardusk, Wings Of Silver Wishes, 5namida and Nagato-Chan19 for your lovely reviews.
To Pale Blossom: We, really, cannot blatantly reveal everything yet. Read on and your question will be answered!
-And here we are again, I hope you all enjoyed reading the last chapter we published as much as we did writing it! We have so much planned for you to enjoy so be sure to keep an eye on our future updates! Sorry if you felt there was a delay, I've been busy playing Kyoukaroku and giggling over Kazama pulling a duckface...There isn't much to say here apart from I'm now going by a new pen-name, the old one held too many painful memories so I felt a fresh start was required! So I guess I should reintroduce myself – I am the co-author now known as Pookax (points to you if you know where I get the name Pooka from) or if you prefer, Emi.
Pookax
-Thank you for reading and thank you for your kind support. We apologize for the slight delay. My University obligations, a car accident, family matters etc kept me away from writing as much as I'd have liked to during holidays. We are very enthusiastic about this story and what follows certain scenes. That is why we hope you are as excited as we are for future updates. Please enjoy! Many new people appear in this chapter, so keep your eyes peeled!
Aen Silver Fire
Worth Fighting For
~Chapter 3~
The encampment stretched for what felt like, to her untrained eyes, miles. Lines upon lines of propped up canvas tents swayed gently against the breeze. Anxiety began to eat away at her insides as she realized that this was her destination and there was no chance of turning back without causing a ruckus. She began to tell herself over and over that she had come this far, even with a little entourage of critters both great and small, and she had no choice but to see this through to its conclusion no matter how dire it may be.
Reluctantly she led the horse, Chikage, to a adequate albeit small stabled area which thankfully had a bountiful supply of hay and water. A small smile graced her lips as she leaned forward to press her body against its firm stature in a gentle embrace, so not to spook the temperamental beast, her fingers toyed once again with his golden mane. She had become quite attached to this magnificent steed despite its very unique personality. "You will be catered to, Chikage, do not worry and enjoy the hospitality!" Her voice hushed as she continued, "Also... Please, ignore Shiranui-san, he's just trying to push you so he see how foul your temper truly is."
So that is what a woman's embrace felt like, Kazama thought. This young girl had introduced to him a myriad of new feelings, each of which he struggled to understand. And now he was left, all alone, in a warm stable which was certain to become his new home. A part of him felt incredibly uneasy, what if the girl was never to return and he was trapped here or worse, adopted by some obese lord with little thought on hygiene? No... He told himself, he had not grown fond of the girl with big brown expressive eyes and a dense mind, he certainly had not.
"Feeling a bit down? Don't tell me you're getting attached to the girl-boy?" A voice hissed from beneath him, laced with torment and arrogance through and through. "You're naught but a cow now, waddling from place to place, with a gender-bender for a rider."
'Do not test me, Shiranui.' Kazama wished he had the ability to scowl, to make many a face in frustration at the man, lizard, who proudly stood before him.
"Whatever happened to those dreams of yours, plaguing the world with many of your miniature Oni babes? At this rate, you'll do better finding seven mules and taking this sad show of snow-cow and the seven mules on the road."
Defiant neighs erupted from the stable.
Speaking of the wily lizard, she wasn't quite sure where he had disappeared off to as he was so fast on those little stumpy legs of his. He would likely pop up somewhere where she least expected it, that did seem the type of stunt Shiranui would pull on her poor heart.
For a military encampment, she had to admit, it truly only looked to be a manor set upon a vast plot of land which, along with the tents, reached as far the eye can see. It had to be one of many encampments as there had to be so many new recruits due to the conscription notices every family received.
She found herself wandering aimlessly for a while across the vast grounds in a daze. She would definitely need to learn the layout of the land and commit it to her memory to avoid getting lost in the future. The sweet scent of flowers tickled at her nostrils and when she finally brought her eyes from the floor, she found herself in a small courtyard surrounded by the most beautiful blooms she had ever seen.
"Aah..." She smiled to herself, completely none the wiser to the pair of indigo eyes set firmly upon her back. "To think that men manage to find the time to grow flowers in a military encampment-"
"And what do you think you are doing?" A gentle voice called from behind. She, in urgency, snapped her head towards the location the voice emanated whipping her hair wildly as she did so. The man behind her was quite tall with hair reaching down past his shoulders in the deepest shade of black imaginable. The folding fan which he wafted back and forth, to shoo the humidity, only further accentuated his overly feminine features. She knew this man from somewhere, yet her brain could not place this face to a name and it only puzzled her further.
"O-oh! I apologise..." She waved her hands in front of her body over and over, her cheeks involuntarily heating up from embarrassment, her body quickly descended into a deep bow, "I... got lost, I apologise. I am here as I was called upon through a conscription notice."
"A new recruit, hm?" The man hummed to himself as wicked smile curved on his lips, "Then you should surely be with the other men unless you'd rather I brought you to the Vice-Commander so you could introduce yourself to him and explain precisely what you were doing in this inner courtyard alone in a time of war..."
"I-I... The Vice-Commander?" She spluttered, disbelief rife in her voice.
"Yes, you had better explain yourself to him and quickly, follow me." The folding fan in his hand snapped shut further implicating the need to hurry.
She had heard the rumors surrounding the Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi, none of them all too pleasant. He had no time for fools and even less time for those he deemed unfit.
Thoughts circulated through her mind as she followed the man down many of the winding hallways until he stopped before a sliding door, calling out his intentions to enter in the most insufferable polite tone he could muster. With little choice but to follow him in, she too made a rather undignified entrance and was quickly shoved to her knees in front of a stern faced man whose icy glare froze her on the spot.
Her body bent forward into a polite bow before her Vice-Commander, the demon of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata. The man who seemed all too familiar to her caught her eye, his indigo slits weighing up her worth merely from her outward appearance. Her lower lip was soon being torn apart, teeth working overtime due to the overwhelming anxiety as neither man said anything directly to her and she wasn't quite sure of the correct etiquette when it came to introducing one's self to their superior for the very first time.
"Name?" The frustrated man spoke, hand resting upon his forehead in disbelief. With so many new recruits, he had been working more and more over time in trying to contain the reckless behaviour they so frequently brought with them. Uncouth, untrained and a damned pain in the backside, he thought, how could things have ever come to this...
"Yukimura, sir, Ch-" she caught herself before uttering her given name, "Yukimura Kaoru, sir." For days now she had been referring to herself as Kaoru, forcibly eradicating the need to present herself as Chizuru yet in the first instance of feeling pressure, she almost gave herself away to the very man who would surely execute a woman for being so bold to waltz in a compound of men in such a disguise.
"Yukimura, hrm? To think, you'd leave such a lovely sister behind with no one to care for her well-being..." The man from earlier retorted, a sly smile gracing his otherwise delicate features.
"Itou-san, that is enough." The Vice-Commander, Hijikata, interrupted. "Now, Yukimura, explain to me as to why my advisor has brought you before me."
After a long and detailed explanation, Chizuru down-turned her gaze to the floor and patiently awaited her judgement.
Would her journey end before it had truly begun or would the demon of the Shinsengumi take pity on her plight?
"So, after receiving the conscription notice from your sister – you immediately made your way here on horseback and despite your haste, you arrived a day late. Usually I would be in charge of administering adequate punishment for your misgivings, but even I know that having received the paper in such short notice, there would be little chance of arriving on time from such a far off town... I'll take pity on you this once but any more mistakes and you're gone, Yukimura, I cannot afford to have tardy men within the ranks."
"I-I..." she paused and bowed her head down as low as she could manage, her forehead touching the mat beneath her, she continued with a murmur, "Thank you, sir."
"Now, get out of my sight." He sighed, "Your only choice of a bed is with several other men known for their rowdiness so it would be prudent for you to go and introduce yourself. Be gone."
Without needing to be told twice, Chizuru heaved herself from the floor and exited the room, not before bowing once again to show her gratitude to the Vice-Commander. He certainly wasn't as frightening as the rumors told, there was even a hint of peculiar kindness in his voice. As she walked away from the room she swore she heard the man, now known to be called Itou, question the Vice-Commander's decision of letting her go so easily.
Reluctantly, she willed her legs to move forwards. Chizuru heaved a sigh, racking a trembling hard through her tightly-secured hair, lamenting once more for the abrupt loss of her once long, playful and charming locks. Even the ruthless knots that usually formed on their moderate length would be welcomed now; anything to distract her from the horrid fact that she could retain neither her long hair nor her identity.
"Marvelous," a –now disturbingly familiar- voice groaned, "You are as bright as the sun."
Chizuru abruptly veered to the side to regard the owner. She blinked repeatedly, her long –not at all manly- eyelashes fluttering with the gesture. The dragon was nowhere to find. A peck at her back signalized that he had actually been hiding behind her black traveling haori all the while she was submitted under Hijikata's frigid and austere glare.
She shrugged her shoulders, wordlessly telling him to move from his hiding place for her to properly face him. In a very unexpected display of obedience, the creature complied and reared his head from beneath the haori to stare at her intently, eyes narrowing at her briefly. The girl heaved a sigh, and frowned slightly upon realizing that from Shiranui's own shoulder, the lucky cricket was peering over at her closely.
Strange. A moment ago she would have thought of them as nothing but enemies. At least, Shiranui seemed to regard the other two animals in her company as such. She had long ago resigned to her fate. She did not retain even a single tiny hope of comprehending why Shiranui was calling Chikage with the name Kazama or why he was referring to subjects very much outlandish to her, when she accidentally happened to sight them whispering to each other. To be more precise, Shiranui was doing the whispering, whereas the beautiful steed did nothing but neigh and stomp his hooves against the turf angrily. She only hoped this was a modest manifestation of communication between creatures of the animal kingdom, a normal interaction of sorts, and not a blatant sign of herself being relentlessly deluded by ghosts; or worse.
"What do you mean?" she dared question, breath escaping in deep weary sighs, indicative of her trepidation and anxiety.
"Heh," he snorted and shook his head exasperatedly. "Do you even know how to get to your tent?"
Her already very hesitant steps were abruptly halted. Quite frankly, she had no earthly clue as towards where she was heading; much like she had none when the Military Advisor detected her and brought her before the Vice-Commander only previously. Of course, it would be ludicrous, brazen to say the least and very unbecoming to return back to Hijikata's office and ask for directions. He was the Vice-Commander; no one to mess around with. The only other person she knew was the ebony-haired man named Itou, and she was more than disinclined to direct her query to him. If push came to shove, though, she would be left with no other choice.
Resuming her disorientated steps, she stilled her gaze downwards, locking her cinnamon colored eyes at her shoes— until another pair suddenly slid into view. At the sight of the person, she distinctively felt the agile petite form of Shiranui shift in the folds of her clothing, retreating back to his hiding place. This was, in a strange way, a form of reassurance she was not turning demented. Because, if the creature needed to hide from prying eyes, then that connoted it was really alive and existing and very much visible; not just a figment of her imagination, an illusion her nous created just to strengthen a false reality of reassurance and provide consolation when there was none. Unbeknownst to her, another sigh of relief left her lips.
She slowly raised her head to cast her sullen gaze upon the person before her. She was met with a sight of a solemn man with bright sharp purple eyes, hair colored a sweet brown and cut short, except from a low strand of hair brushing over his back.
"Why are you here? Are you a new recruit?" he suddenly questioned, voice, eyes and expression painfully void of any coherent emotion.
Chizuru needed to gulp before replying, "I am. . ." It was quite obvious she had probably been padding towards the wrong direction. Why else would a soldier demand her to explain why she had been there? And, naturally, Chizuru did not, in any possible way, wish to be hurled in front of Hijikata again for snooping around places she was not supposed to.
"Is that all you have to say, girly?" a low groan from Shiranui whispering to her ear, had her involuntarily shudder, jaw clenching in self-accusation. Was that really all she could handle to utter out, all she could muster? This was nothing but the very start of her herculean struggle. If she wished for this mission to meet an end, to be feasible in the first place, she had better start embolden herself, strengthen her defenses and commence a proper plan of attack; or, at least, attempt to.
The man allowed his incisive hues to wander the entirety of her physique, before returning to still his eyes upon her face. If he wished to pose another query, Chizuru could not know. Because she suddenly find it to herself to rouse decisively and demonstrate enough bravery as to ask what she needed to, whilst a, impossible to conceal, shadow of mental pain and strain was looming over her features.
"Please, please direct me to my tent!"
The well-calculated words Saito Hajime just paid only acted to stir the room into –even rowdier than normal, which was a perfect cause for concern by itself- action. He uttered his conjecture callously, in nonchalance that could only pass only when pointing out mundane matters such as the weather. And yet, Saito's remark could hardly be described as mundane. On the contrary, it was a very pressing and alarming matter, that after being pointed out, did anything but put his comrades at ease.
Okita cocked an eyebrow and, in a nonetheless lackluster manner, that had always been one of his characteristic traits, decided to ask, "Is this certain, Hajime-kun?"
The mere fact that the taciturn swordsman took the liberty to note what he did, could only mean that Saito, too, most likely, was starting to feel the fingers of discomfort snaking their way around his neck. For Souji, though, the issue at hand was not solely unpleasant. He chose to regard it a magnificent chance to hone the power and better the severity of the impact of his witty remarks instead, whilst also allowing himself to be thoroughly entertained. "How did you come by this information?"
Saito heaved an inaudible sigh, "It is to be expected, isn't it, Souji?"
The green-eyed man titled his head to the side, almost playfully, "Hm?"
At the far left side of the tent Toudou shook his head fiercely and batted his eyes twice, struggling to organize his scattered thoughts and conclude to what, exactly, Saito was aiming to convey after this. . . revelation of sorts. "What are you talking about, you two?" the innocent, albeit quite worried, veneer of his voice only stressed Heisuke's surprise and trepidation.
Hajime wordlessly inclined his head and pointed his gaze at the bunks situated in the tent, that only moments ago they all still fought over. Frail-looking wooden sets of two beds, lined up at the west side of the cumbersome exclusively canvas-covered room, were deemed enough to host soldiers hailing from all clans and families of Japan. Despite their particular circumstances, this group was also meant to be given sleeping quarters, similar to those of all the other men. None could argue or complain about this state of affairs. The only objective at hand was to bolster the Shinsengumi's power, win the War against the Choshuu, not whine over negligible details such as the distribution of tents was.
After a sharp intake of breath, Hajime voiced the obvious, "The beds can contain six people."
A raucous groan with an accompanying scowl followed Saito's words. Nagakura blinked in bewilderment and titled his head to the side. He gyrated and wiggled around himself for a moment, tapping a finger at his chin skeptically, and earning an incredulous askance glace from Harada in the process. ". . . three, four, five. . ." Shinpachi mumbled pensively, whilst swirling around.
Until Sanosuke thought it fit and proper to finally put an abrupt end to this tragic and facetious display. Groaning behind gritted teeth, Sano took matters in his own dependable hands by placing one of his toned ones at Shinpachi's shoulder and forcefully halting him in his tracks. "Stop rotating like a whirligig! The beds are freaking six!" Harada spat out, putting more pressure at his grip emphatically.
It was really a wonder how a man of high-standing, as Shinpachi truly was, hailing from a proper samurai family, could demonstrate such density at times. The most probable cause of it was the man's genuinely kind nature. This very nature, though, was nowhere to be found when Shinpachi assumed a fighting stance and readied himself to prove his worth as a proper swordsman. And, consequently, the fearsome side of Nagakura Shinpachi could not, even remotely, be gazed upon at the moment, when he was being nothing but jolly.
Frowning at Sanosuke's indignant reaction, Shinpachi snorted at his closest friend and promptly veered to regard Saito. "So?" Shinpachi wondered.
"Saito means to say, Shinpachi," Sanosuke pinned his friend down with another stare, before finally releasing him from his painful grip. Shinpachi faintly grimaced, stubbornly deciding against rubbing the sore spot that Sano left in his wake, seemingly unperturbed by the forceful gesture. "-that one more person needs to sleep here."
"No way!" Heisuke's violent proclamation had Souji curl his lips into a crooked dissatisfied smile. The riled boy's voice was, admittedly, too clamorous for his own -and the others'- good. "We gave our damnest to get a tent all to ourselves! We were trying to convince Hijikata-san through our blood and sweat again and again! And now that we finally did—"
"Yes, yes!" Shinpachi readily agreed, providing Heisuke with the leverage and incentive he needed to continue.
"Why should an intruder comes waltzing in? This tent is ours."
"Because we are five, Heisuke," Saito nonchalantly insisted, deadpan, moving towards his own bunk, that, unfortunately for the man, had been right next to the boisterous boy's, above Sanosuke's own.
"Your words are not self-explanatory, Hajime-kun." Heisuke pointed an accusing finger at the taciturn man, tapping his foot against the ground in a desperate attempt to make Saito halt and properly turn to face him, reiterate his first argument carefully and further clarify. For it still made no sense to Heisuke's eyes why he, no, they should share what they so greatly strove to acquire for themselves with a man of probably questionable background, whom they had never encountered in their lives nor were particularly willing to.
"Your possessiveness is a little worrying, Heisuke. Ours? Did you pee at the corners to assure ownership?" Sanosuke laughed under his breath at the ludicrous mental image that he suddenly created.
Heisuke growled in agitation and scowled poignantly at the man, momentarily tearing his gaze away from the reticent left-handed swordsman, "That is not funny, Sano-san!"
"The new recruits are numerous," Saito finally decided to note in order to put an abrupt end to the imminent scuffle he could clearly see lurking in the horizon, should Harada decided to retort. "The Vice-Commander is already struggling to divide men in divisions, fairly distribute the provisions and dispense the tents. Should the need arise, a person will have to be placed in our tent."
"B-but!" Heisuke cried out, his agitation creeping up at his voice in even more pronounced manner. A melancholic expression settled itself on his face, clouding his –otherwise mirthful- teal eyes with a cloak of despondency.
Much to Heisuke's chagrin, "I do not reckon you have a choice on the matter," Saito uttered out lowly, voice laced with a great sense of dreadful finality.
"Well, to be honest," Shinpachi started, crossing his muscular arms over his broad chest, "Hijikata-san will yell up a storm if we dare complain."
"That goes without saying," Sanosuke agreed, moving to sit at his own mattress, right next to Souji's. "And it leaves a sour taste in my mouth to complain again. The fact that we know Hijikata-san, Sannan-san and Kondou-san from our Shieikan days does not mean we should exploit them. That's very unmanly. We shouldn't have asked to be put together in the first place."
"Hm?" Souji suddenly perked up, leaning closer to the bunk next to his own, where Sanosuke was seated, eyes narrowing briefly, "Why can't we exploit what we can, Sano-san? Don't tell me you regret being put in the same tent as us. . ."
Nagakura's azure eyes widened in shock and trepidation, "Is that true, Sano? Is it?" he nearly cried out. "You're a—"
"Calm down, Shinpachi. I never said I regret it," Sanosuke insisted, snorting loudly at their paralogism.
"Then why did you—"
"I concur with Sano," Hajime nonchalantly remarked once again, closing his eyes for a brief moment pensively, at the same time putting an abrupt end to Shinpachi's imminent complaining tantrum. "The Vice-Commander had been kind enough to allow this absurdity on our part. I won't allow him to be further exploited by—"
"Oi, oi, Hajime-kun," Souji interjected, pulling himself into a standing position, "First, wasn't Kondou-san the one that gave the final approval? And second, don't use 'exploit' so callously again and again. You make it sound like we are criminals."
"Even though I cannot deny the Commander's authority and clemency, the Vice-Commander is the one in charge of dividing the troops," Saito insisted, "And you used this word yourself just a minute ago," he countered, casting an askance glance at his comrade, not fully turning to regard him.
Souji rolled his eyes, releasing a sigh of frustration. "It was a figure of speech. And Sano-san used it first, mind you."
"Don't lay the blame on me now," the russet-haired man protested, furrowing his eyebrows at the infamous green-eyed prankster. "And we did take advantage of our connections, don't deny that, Souji."
Okita huffed dramatically in indignation, rolling his eyes at the -not at all subtle- implication. Was is that unrighteous to kindly ask for a tent for all past comrades of Shieikan to be put together? Their request was not unreasonable nor it was particularly troublesome, Souji thought. Placing a list of familiar names in the same tent could hardly be that great of a nuisance for the Vice-Commander, right?
It was undoubtedly true that Hijikata-san vehemently refused their application at first. Shortly after, though -exactly as Heisuke remarked, through their blood and sweat, since Hijikata-san is no easy man to convince- they managed to be placed in sleeping quarters full of men of their trust, their friends. It was to be expected that none of the men would happily welcome the notion that a stranger could rupture the pleasant atmosphere of camaraderie they had created here. Still—
An awry, sardonic smile soon came to play upon Souji's lips. A gleam of mischief started burning strong in his bright green eyes, that started glowing in great intensity. A sudden possibility presented itself to him, causing his shrewd smile to be more emphatically pronounced, "Ne, why don't we scare the lad away?"
"Eh?" Heisuke abruptly veered, almost vaulted closer to the other man. Suddenly the very prospect of being mischievous on another's, most definitely a completely unwanted weakling's, expense brought a tint of glee in Heisuke's grim expression. "What do you have in mind, Souji?" Completely by instinct all men leaned closer, staring intently at Okita.
"Simple," Souji winked devilishly, "Shock him enough for him to demand to change tents."
"That's. . ." Shinpachi rubbed the nape of his neck skeptically, "-not a bad idea, but—"
"Doesn't that mean we'll get another one then?" Sanosuke finished Shinpachi's trail of thought.
"Not if we pester Hijikata-san enough." Souji snickered impishly.
At that, Hajime could not help but protest, "Souji!" As he had specifically declared moments ago, Saito Hajime would not allow, if he could have a say in it, his Vice-Commander to be exploited or even remotely annoyed. Especially when the person at the opposite side of the receiving end, Hijikata, was Souji.
"Stop being a mood-killer, Hajime-kun. I promise no blood will be spilled."
Souji's promise did little to pacify Hajime; it put him in greater alarm instead. For, if Souji did not aim to draw blood, then he surely had devised a hellish plan to conduct, instead. And certain times, Hajime would prefer watching rivers of blood saturating the earth with deep scarlet rather than being coerced to watch Souji's schemes come to fruition; such was the sheer absurdity of his machinations.
"Stop complaining and listen to my plan," Okita persisted. He allowed on more sinister grin to settle on his expression and promptly commenced explaining thoroughly. And Saito Hajime could only sigh and sigh, until no amount of air could satisfy his insistent exhalations.
"Do you understand?" the man stressed again, eyeing Chizuru carefully. His persistence, albeit helpful, had Chizuru frown. He must have regarded her as someone very dense. And the worst thing of all was that she had no way to prove him wrong in her current -quite lost and convoluted- state.
"Yes," she finally assured, shaking her head affirmatively. "Third tent after I cross this lane." She pointed where he showed her to emphasize that she had, indeed, understood him.
"On the right," he insisted, arching an eyebrow worryingly at her.
"Yes, on the right!" Chizuru repeated, attempting to smile confidently. "Thank you, Yamazaki-san." She bowed deeply to the kind man, thanking the heavens that she happened upon him the most optimal time. What, really, could the repercussions have been if another man, of less patience and understanding, were to have encountered her here? She would probably be killed for a wholly different reason that being a woman; for being a prying spy.
"Please make sure not to get lost again," he advised, eyes narrowing at her inquisitively, "Yukimura-kun, is it?"
"Yes," she confirmed. It surprised Chizuru a great deal how much more calmly she had managed to utter the name Yukimura Kaoru, instead of her own, when the man introduced himself moments ago. Of course, her words were not uttered nearly as calmly as they were supposed to, but, still, for Chizuru the fact that she was bettering each time she greeted a person was only a cause for joy.
"You need not worry about me, Yamazaki-san. I am certain I will find my way," she attempted to reassure again in response to Yamazaki's intense gaze of concern. The brown-haired man heaved a worried sigh, but ultimately decided against pressing any further.
"I-I'll be on my way," she finally bid farewell, relieving him from the arduous task of putting up with her bewilderment, and silently trod towards the lane she was instructed to follow. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing pattern, lifting a hand and clasping it close to her chest, upon her galloping, beleaguered with unease heart.
"Eyes on the road, Kaoru," Shiranui stressed the name, dragging out the last syllables emphatically. "And, just so you know, if you continue with all these ridiculous pleasantries, you are going to be kicked out in a matter of seconds."
Chizuru suddenly felt the overwhelming need to huff and complain for his disturbing remarks. She needed no meaningless advice from— On a second thought, that's exactly what she needed Shiranui for; advice. What could have passed as a negligible detail for others, was a crucial matter of life and death for Chizuru, quite literally. For, if it was revealed that she was, actually, a woman the only thing that awaited her was a gruesome, horrible death. She had to keep reminding herself that insistently.
"Wh-what did I do wrong this time?" she stammered out, biting at her lip in agitation; agitation directed solely towards her own self. Why couldn't she be more knowledgeable and better-adapting to wry situations?
His first response was to slap her cheek with his tail, making her slightly wriggle in annoyance. "You are too kind, girl! Oh sorry, boy." He scowled mockingly. "You are acting like a freaking woman. Let me remind you, kid, you are no longer one!" he added with a great sense of admonishing insistence. "Regardless of what you have between your legs, aren't you supposed to be Kaoru now?" he slanted his eyebrow upwards emphatically.
"Y-yes," she nodded, swallowing in trepidation. Arguing with the tiny dragon would serve no purpose at all. And, the most disturbing detail of all was that he was undoubtedly right through and through. "What should I do then? I. . . don't understand."
Shiranui rolled his eyes and huffed, "Be more curt," he simply spat out. "And I was serious before. Eyes on the road. You don't want to miss your tent, do you?
"Even if you say so. . ." she murmured, heaving a deep sigh indicative of her tiredness. Suddenly, her steps were ceased. Only to be replaced by a massive throbbing pain of agony. She pivoted around slowly to stare at the thick cloth surrounding the secluded area that would soon officially become her sleeping quarters.
This was it. Her tent stood proudly before her, almost whispering to her threats; devour her inescapably, eat away at her life.
A small nudge at the nape of her neck suddenly served as a reminder that she was not completely left alone to plummet into the depths of the unknown. She had Shiranui, her tiny talking dragon, her lucky cricket colored like blood itself, and a proud, beautiful horse waiting for her at the stabled area of the encampment. She was not alone. And. . . She was not even a she anymore.
She- He was Yukimura Kaoru, and he would never hesitate again, for such was the path unfolding in the horizon, that demanded her—no, him to demonstrate fortitude, valor, bravery and not cowardice. She did not retain the luxury of doubt or apprehension. She was stripped away of her innocence, of her womanly nature, of her freedom; the only thing Chizuru still needed to do is discard her fears, fist her hands and march forwards.
The thought deposited itself into her mind with resolute conviction as she made one decisive; albeit very small, step. Completely against her will, her breath escaped in shallow desperate bursts. She paled and gulped, willing her hand to move and push the canvas of the entrance aside. She squinted her eyes, fighting against the hammering pain against her ribcage. She tapped her foot against the ground, refusing her disabling uncertainly and neared.
"Kyaaa!"
Authors' Note
And on we go into the den of wolves! The mystery man of the first chapter was finally revealed here*cough*Itou*cough*. Many of you tried to guess his identity. Few to none succeeded... do not fret, though! The request for you to match which Hakuoki character is who in the Mulan Universe is still pending, although most of the crucial characters have already been revealed. We are still accepting guesses.
Due to certain circumstances we have no control over, the next chapter might be a little delayed. Rest assured, though. We are working on it as much as we can. We apologize in advance.
Thanks for reading! Your nice comments can only bring us joy, so, please, do not hesitate to leave us with your thoughts if you enjoyed this chapter.