Hello, dear readers! I'm really anxious to introduce the new chapter since the main plot finally starts to move forward here. Good luck to me as I hope you'll enjoy it.

I'm always grateful for your support! Thanks, nakigaoyuu, the Guest, Shadow Cage and TK Grimm for your reviews. Thanks to new followers! It's motivating.

Special thanks to ImpracticalDemon for beta reading this chapter!

Chapter VIII. Tough luck

"No sleep again?" he asked, popping his head into her room.

"Eek!" Chizuru jumped on her futon. She'd gotten absorbed in the book and forgotten about time. "You scared me, Okita-san."

"How about being scared a little bit more? And in good company." Okita flashed her a promoter's smile. "Got some horror movies."

"Sounds good!" she answered, following him to his room.

Due to Okita's bad influence, Chizuru totally screwed up her daily schedule. They developed a habit of night film-watching when they both couldn't sleep. Chizuru was not much into films, but she didn't mind an occasional movie in Okita's company. He often asked her to watch horrors although they didn't scare him in the slightest. In fact, he found them laughable and amusing. Chizuru was not sure what was the most entertaining for him - the movie itself or teasing her for her displays of nervousness. All sudden loud sounds made her shudder.

They occupied their usual places in front of Okita's laptop when the alert of his phone broke the silence. Chizuru heard the same sound from her room.

"The band's chatroom," muttered Okita.

The pack had two chatrooms set up in the messenger. The first one was called "official". It had zero tolerance for twaddle and mostly contained Hijikata-san's announcements. The second one was informal and contained the occasional flood about this and that. The latest hot topic was Chizuru's move, and the jokes and insinuations were driving her mad. She still wasn't used to the rough and ready manners that prevailed among the pack. A couple of times Chizuru had teamed up with Okita to successfully troll everyone in the chat.

"Hijikata-san isn't sleeping either," noted Chizuru.

"Yeah, he doesn't sleep much," answered Okita. "He's so busy after all. Look." He showed her the phone.

"Urgent meeting tomorrow after 5 p.m. VERY IMPORTANT! No skipping!"

"Tch. It's been a week and a half since the last show and he's already come up with some very important shit," muttered Okita.

"At least we won't oversleep it."

"True enough." He cracked a smile and turned on the movie.

…

Chizuru's first week in the new place made a mockery of her expectations. The things she was scared of the most turned out to run smoothly. At the same time, she faced several unexpected problems. Chizuru was not an experienced cook and she didn't know how to organize their meals and how to divide the duties. However, it somehow settled by itself. To everyone's surprise, Okita seemed to be a comfortable neighbour for her.

Using a common bathroom had promised to be confusing, but Okita carried his bathing belongings to the first floor and left the room for her.

The headquarters turned out to be a real public thoroughfare. Okita couldn't find a worse place to cradle his privacy. Besides their frequent rehearsals, the band found tons of reasons to gather. Saitou-san was a regular visitor for breakfast to work over the new pieces. Chizuru was confused when she bumped into Saitou-san in their kitchen for the first time. He could be very sneaky at times. Hijikata-san liked to drop by for any possible reason. The rhythm-and-vocal section also didn't miss a chance to pay a visit.

Like never before, Chizuru was feeling alive and involved. Little by little the crack in her shell grew. Her time was filled with her favorite work, and she started to feel that her life was finally on the right track.

…

"Look, guys, it's Niimi-san's car!" Heisuke-kun exclaimed, turning away from the window. The pack was sitting in the living room. Five p.m., full team, no delays.

"What?!" Hijikata-san raised his head. "Really, it's him. No wonder, he's curious too. Serizawa-san's all enraptured."

"Who's Niimi-san?" Chizuru whispered to the others.

"Serizawa-sensei's official asskisser," muttered Shinpachi-san.

"An assistant," added Sano-san.

"Hijikata-san, tell us already, what happened!" Heisuke-kun moaned.

Shinpachi-san stood up to open the door for Niimi-san and soon returned with a small man with sharp eyes and a tightly clenched jaw. He had quite an arrogant expression about his face. The man greeted everyone and occupied Saitou-san's usual armchair. Saitou-san was always very particular about his property, so Chizuru didn't envy that Niimi-san. Hijikata-san cleared his throat and started his speech.

"Who's read the latest news?... I see," he said with a stiff expression, registering their confused faces. Saitou-san opened his mouth in an attempt to speak but changed his mind. "Responsible adults. We have a problem, guys! Our recent success is not all roses." He took out the tablet to show them several news feeds. "Some religious freaks noticed our show and now are getting their panties in a twist over our humble selves."

"And what's the problem with that?" Shinpachi-san asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not the first time we are badmouthed by a bunch of weirdos."

"The problem is, Shinpachi, that this time we are the unwilling participants in a larger game. I suspect that at least. These guys are not your ordinary fundies. There are several public organisations opposing youth corruption and shit. And their leaders are acquainted with local authorities, that's for sure."

Chizuru opened her laptop to look through the local news. She faced flashy titles like 'Corrupted society: a challenge for xxxarian youth', 'The truth about satanic musical bands', 'Musical extremism' and so on. She had been so busy with her new life that she hadn't noticed this wave. The others had obviously been too nonchalant to notice it either. The first feedback after the concert had been positive until the news spread wide enough.

The atmosphere in the room had tensed right up. In the face of dull reality, their recent optimistic spirits seemed a bit unreasonable. Parents aside, everything was going way too smoothly, thought Chizuru.

"So, to put it bluntly, we are a comfortable object to blame and gain cheap political points, right?" asked Sano-san.

"That's what I'm mostly afraid of," answered Hijikata-san. "They can bury us in no time. The local media is already in an uproar."

"How can it be real?!" Heisuke-kun asked. "Every sane person knows who we are! We don't give a shit about their religious crap." Some guys nodded their agreement.

"If you step out of your social circle once in a while, you might discover something interesting!" Hijikata-san answered, annoyance in his voice. "Come on, it's been a while since the conservative trend has accelerated. Do you think all the people you meet on the streets are that open-minded and educated?" Heisuke-kun pouted. "If they see a Satanism label, they will most likely dismiss us without understanding. To hell with the fact that we've nothing to do with satanism or whatever shit."

"I wouldn't worry about the fundies alone: such people are clearly manipulated by someone," noted Sano-san, putting a hand on Heisuke-kun's shoulder. "I'm more afraid that we can't defend ourselves worth a shit if they accuse us in breaking the law about offending religious feelings or, which is much worse, the anti-extremism law." Shinpachi-san and Heisuke-kun turned terrified eyes to him. Okita was staring at the opposite wall with a blank expression.

"I know it sounds like nonsense!" exclaimed Hijikata-san. "But if we've really caught the public's eye, it's not our cozy underground matter anymore."

"If I may interrupt Hijikata-kun…" Niimi-san started. Chizuru felt that Okita, who was sitting by her side, tensed up. Yep, she thought. Quite a shady dude.

Niimi-san continued. "Gentlemen… and lady." He nodded at Chizuru. "I'd say that we're in dire straits now, but Serizawa-sensei considers every issue a new possibility. Your sudden popularity must not be wasted." Chizuru noticed that Okita clenched his fist and then relaxed it.

"Does he have any particular proposals?" Okita asked. It was not very polite to interrupt but like hell he cared.

"Serizawa-sensei suggests striking while the iron is hot," Niimi-san continued, cutting them a sideways glance. "He is broad-minded enough to associate with various types of people. He's made an agreement with a club owner in the Central district to host your show. You have a week to prepare." Niimi-san pursed his lips.

There was a shocked silence. Heisuke-kun froze with his mouth open. Okita and Saitou-san scowled. Chizuru knew that they had planned to continue writing the new material. Thus instead of ceasing public activities in an attempt to wait out the storm they were ordered to stay in the firing line. That was undoubtedly the perfect time to ride roughshod over sensitive individuals.

"Probably, it would be better if we wait for the fuss to calm down a bit," Sano-san started carefully. "Newspapers will forget about it in a while."

"You can address your objections to Serizawa-sensei," Niimi-san retorted, narrowing his eyes. "We are also in contact with Amagiri-sensei and his protégés so you won't suffer all alone, mhm. Serizawa-sensei believes that it's your only chance to become well-known. If you accept only flawless clean ways you'll never make it, that's how he stated it. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He stood up.

"We won't hold you up any longer," Hijikata-san guided Niimi-san to the front door. The pack exchanged heavy glances.

"What the fuck was that?!" Shinpachi-san voiced the common thought.

"It means that we have to refine the setlist faster than planned," Saitou-san said. "We should have the material really nailed. And undoubtedly, we will need to postpone the new songs again."

Hijikata-san returned to the room. "So he wants us to earn the fame points by any means possible. Interesting..." He occupied the chair and reached into the pocket to pull out a cigarette pack. "I cannot honestly say that Serizawa-san's completely wrong, although it's risky. For him, it seems that everyone gains from this situation, both the fundies and the musicians."

"The dude sure wants a lot in exchange for buying us some shit," Okita said coldly. "He teaches Hijikata-san to do his work, yells at Kondou-san, messes with our membership. And now he arranges our shows for us!"

Chizuru felt uneasy, being the one who had infiltrated the membership.

"Calm down, Souji." Sano-san tried to reassure him. "We'll have the next show sooner or later. And then we'll face the freaks again. They won't leave us alone easily."

The band spent several hours discussing the plan. Their initial schedule had included writing new songs and refining the setlist until New Year's shows and then performing a small tour over nearby cities in January. Hijikata-san had already been contacting the local organizers. But the new circumstances had to be taken into account. Despite the common shock they managed to finish the meeting in relatively high spirits. Only Heisuke-kun was upset.

"It's just ridiculous!" he said. "Have they ever taken a look into the lyrics? There's nothing about mocking the religion. Well, maybe just a bit..." He turned a doubtful glance to Chizuru. Only the two of them were in the room after the band had left to cool heads and get beverages.

"I think that even if it's a bit mocking, they still have no right to oppose the show." Chizuru answered. "What happens behind closed doors has nothing to do with any outsiders. It's not free and it's not open." Okita had surely communicated his intransigence into her.

"I just don't get it how they miss the obvious things…" Heisuke-kun was unexpectedly sad. Maybe it was his first time facing unreasonable unfairness.

In the evening Chizuru received a phone call from her parents who, unlike the band, had read the news and were agitated more than ever. Since Chizuru was the only girl in the evil male band, her public reputation had become ambiguous. The whole situation was ridiculous, but she didn't know how to protect herself. Her parents were exasperated and she spent plenty of time comforting them. Okita, who observed the whole conversation with an annoyed face took her on a long walk to the Central Slums.

Chizuru made an effort to refrain from writing an angry note in her social media - Hijikata-san would probably do it better. However she received some friendly messages. One of them was from Toyotomi's Sen-chan. All in all, the community's reaction was more reasonable than Chizuru had expected. Support from dozens of unknown people made her feel more confident.

Chizuru started to understand Hijikata-san's wish to set the rehearsal base in the middle of nowhere. The place was hard to reach and no curious reporter or offended fundamentalist could bother them. Pluss the local neighbourhood was close and friendly. Many people there knew Okita. They all called him Souji and he didn't mind. He was very friendly with the landlord's children. Chizuru enjoyed seeing him turn from cocky sarcastic Okita into jolly Souji. The Slums were that rare place where children still grew up on the streets. Despite it being an early October the kids spent most of the day outside and the pack was constantly running into them.

…

Meanwhile the countdown to the next show began. Saitou-san and Okita were incredibly irritated by the fact that the work on the new release had been postponed again. The band had a lot to do with dynamics, tempo, tones, melodies, harmonies. Moreover, there were issues with the songs' presentation itself. The pack needed to find the right emotions, suitable movements, 'hit' places. The inclusion of the new member had definitely changed the accents. Chizuru was overwhelmed with the amount of work, though her contribution as a fiddler was not that much.

"People do not attend our shows to listen to the music!" exclaimed Hijikata-san another day. Okita rolled his eyes. He didn't enjoy their commander's motivational speeches.

"People long to be captured and engaged, to experience special moments, to refresh their feelings!" continued Hijikata-san. "Sano is perfect at holding the audience, and Shinpachi is very energetic, but the others still need to practice."

While the band was busy polishing the setlist and brainstorming over the suitable between-songs banter, Hijikata-san decided not to sit on his hands. He wanted to start a small informational war in the vast spaces of the local media. Their city was not a capital, but a megapolis with three million inhabitants sure had a room to maneuver. Hijikata-san engaged all available resources from his personal blog to the media willing to participate. At the same time he performed his usual work as the band's manager. No wonder he didn't have much time to sleep.

"Local authorities may have a direct contact with the religious leaders," Hijikata-san warned. "You know, the xxxarian church leaders are often encountered in the company of the Mayor and his officials. Nothing good will come from that union."

…

That week Chizuru met Okita only during breakfasts and rehearsals. He often slept out and she had no idea where he was. Their life on the base started to resemble two parallel lines. If it were any other band member she wouldn't be affected. That's how the things properly should be between the colleagues. Calm professional relations and all. However, Chizuru couldn't make herself consider things in such way. She was slightly afraid that Okita still opposed her presence in the band. He tended to have impressive mood swings and Niimi-san's words could trigger some new shit in his head.

…

Encountering the infamous Serizawa-san in the flesh was another notable event. In the middle of the week, Hijikata-san took Chizuru with him to visit the Central district's club. He probably expected some alternative reaction from Serizawa-san, but the man confirmed his reputation completely. The producer turned out to be a tough nut. He belonged to the previous generation of businessmen who started their careers in the harsh times when brute force and fear had decided so much. He had taken part in the active market partitioning and had dealt a lot with bribery, intimidation and pressure. This experience had given him a vibe of a worldly wisdom. Serizawa-san was very perceptive about people and had a perfect sense of benefit. He had barely noticed Chizuru, as if she was an empty place. Somehow it was reassuring, as Chizuru had no wish to catch his attention.

The club they were invited into was different from their previous concert grounds. It was more classy but, at the same time, more arty and quirky. Chizuru suspected it to be a nest of some refined debauchery. Hijikata-san inspected the stage, the staff rooms and the accessway and found them acceptable.

"I think Serizawa-san tests the ground in order to involve some new consumer group," Hijikata-san said on their way back. "You know, he's hard to handle and he pisses me off with his attitude, but he does the work that we fail to do." An anxious fold crossed his forehead.

"He said something about us being afraid to get our hands dirty," muttered Chizuru. She was slightly confused to see Hijikata-san doubting himself. Unlike his usual confident and energetic self, he looked spent.

"Yes, we tend to be snobbish as hell about some things and someday we may pay a price for it. Souji won't agree but Serizawa-san is our fortune in some way." When you are an adult you have no choice but to interact with the world you're given. And you inevitably change.

"Why is Okita-san so upset about Serizawa-san?" asked Chizuru. There still were a lot of things she didn't understand about the band's interactions.

"Souji tends to take some things deeply to heart," The answer was a bit vague. "And I don't know a thing he treats more seriously than our work. Sometimes I think that he's trapped by the music. More than any other member. So he overreacts. And… Souji's such a pain in the neck sometimes." Hijikata-san sighed. "But you seem to get along well with him." A rare warm smile crossed his face.

"I do my best," Chizuru snorted, recalling their obscure relations.

They continued to drive in silence. She wondered what sort of relations Hijikata-san and Okita really had under all that cover of bickering and banter.

…

Finally, the Day came. The most common mistakes had been worked out, the setlist had been nailed. The band arrived at the club to check the sound and make preparations. Chizuru chose one of her conservative black dresses to avoid unnecessary prejudice. Kosuzu-chan was finishing her makeup when they heard a strange noise coming from the front entrance. Okita jumped up and ran to the source of sound. Everyone followed him.

The main entrance was a mess. The public had been stopped attempting to enter the club. A dozen guys in sporty clothes blocked the entrance and paralyzed the crowd. Policemen were standing at a safe distance doing nothing. The fundamentalists (there was no doubt about their intentions) were unexpectedly regular. Nothing wild or freaky about their appearance.

Chizuru saw Okita and two Oni 404 guys stuck between the crowd and the fundies (how the hell did they get there?!). The rest of the pack was blocked inside. Under the sounds of quarrel ringing in her ears, her heart started racing. Chizuru was sick with fear and anxiety. He's such a pain in the neck. She rushed forward but Sano-san grabbed her shoulders. The club's security blocked the entrance as well. Meanwhile the Oni 404 frontman, wearing his elegant show attire, uttered some ultimately insulting words. Okita couldn't keep his mouth shut either. The patience of the fundie protesters run short and the mess began.

Chizuru's memory of what happened later was pretty fragmented. She remembered a number of flashes. Okita dodging the tall guy. The cops suddenly becoming active. Crowd roaring. Hijikata-san and the guys desperately trying to do something.

When she came to her senses the whole pack was already loafing by the police department's entrance. Everyone except Okita.

"Well, guys, that was the act of a real man!" Shinpachi-san was nervously pacing in front of the entrance, trying to joke. "He wanted to protect our right to play what we want and where we want."

"I must note that this right is given by the constitution and they rudely violated it!" Heisuke-kun claimed, kicking an empty can in desperation.

"I just don't get it why the police did nothing to arrest the jerks," Sano-san asked, observing the building.

Okita was somewhere inside. Earlier, while being escorted to the party van he had his damn nonchalant smile on his face. That made Chizuru want to punch him herself.

"Actually they were just standing. They have every right to stand in a particular place. They weren't breaking any laws - or at least none that the police were going to enforce. The fundamentalists have just provoked Souji and the Onis who were foolish enough to respond." That was probably the longest speech Chizuru had ever heard from Saitou-san.

"And the public!" cried Heisuke-kun. "They were also just standing! I wonder why a huge crowd was unable to pass through the bunch of freaks!"

"Maybe something is wrong with our public if they have no balls to deter ten men," Saitou-san said, looking very gloomy.

Chizuru desperately wanted to do something, but she felt totally helpless. Bizarre ideas were floating in her mind. To organise a demonstration. To tag the walls of the police department with some rebellious inscriptions ('Free Okita Souji', damn it?). To hang a poster on the facade of the opposite building. To pass some food and clothes for him. He was wearing just his shirt and jeans and it was already October and he might catch cold…

"You'd better refrain from doing reckless things, Yukimura-san," Saitou-san said, studying her attentively. "One captured member is enough."

"Sure, Saitou-san," answered Chizuru. He must have sensed her desperate urge.

Hijikata-san came out of the building. Everyone rushed to him. "What's up?! How is he?"

"He's under arrest for public hooliganism and disobeying the policemen," Hijikata-san answered sourly. "Onis are the same. Idiot!" He smashed his forehead.

"And the fuckers?"

"Same shit. They are together in the cells." Hijikata-san lit a cigarette. "The concert is derailed! I wonder if Serizawa-san considers this a promotion opportunity as well. Damn it!"

"How long is Souji going to chill out in the cell?" Shinpachi-san asked.

"Like hell I know. They say he's arrested for a night. And tomorrow it will be decided what to do with him. I'm calling Kondou-san! It's his burden, after all, not mine." Even Hijikata-san can get tired of taking care of him.

"So we'd better return tomorrow. Can we pass him a jacket at least?"

"Nope. They're so pissed off that they didn't let me talk to him," Hijikata-san answered, his voice tired. "He's already triggered them. I can perfectly imagine him saying something stupid. And, you know, they confiscate the phones. If he gets sick again, I won't trouble myself with his insurance and shit."

"Let's head home," Sano-san said. "It's been a long day; Chizuru-chan's pale. Aren't you afraid to stay at the base all by yourself?" He asked her. "Maybe you should return to your parents?"

"No way!" Chizuru exclaimed. What if they released Okita and he returned to an empty house? "I'll be fine, Sano-san, thank you." She made a wry smile, although the thought of the empty mansion was terrifying.

As the pack turned to their cars, Chizuru received a phone call from an unknown number.

…

Outro: I guess the romance development in this story is pretty slow, but that's how I see it. Our characters are a bit dense, aren't they? They need time to start trusting an unknown person. In the original game it took several years and it always terrifies me, because it's a matter of several months in this story.

...

And sorry, but I also remind that I post my illustrations for this story to Tumblr (the account is made especially for Hakuouki fanart, maybe I'll add some side notes about writing there). I guess, it's the last illustrations' spam here. The nickname is kurokiorya (since refuses to post external links). The illustrations are not a high art, but I enjoy them. Of course, I don't insist on you checking them. Just in case you are curious! See you later.