Disclaimer: Hakuouki is a visual novel game by Idea Factory. (They make a bunch of cute guys! Drools. So I always look up new series just so I can stare at them~) Hakuouki then was adapted into an Anime by Studio DEEN. And today, the Anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. (I got this information from Wikipedia and I believe the information is accurate. I wouldn't know though!)

Author's note: Yay, I was able to update this within 2-3 days! XD Now, I hope I can update again after 5 days or something. (^.~) Sorry for any obvious mistakes you see! Enjoy reading!

"Forever" will not keep us connected

Chapter 28

The next quiet morning, Haru was having a peaceful breakfast with Chizuru and Shinpachi. They were just in a small room where they felt more at ease in. When Haru picked up her chopsticks with her left hand to start eating, Shinpachi frowned, "How many times do I have to say it, Haru-chan?"

She looked at him and he was pouting. They were just next to each other while Chizuru was across from them, giggling at the man. Shinpachi picked up Haru's bowl of rice and took her chopsticks from her fingers.

"Either have me or Chizuru-chan help you eat," Shinpachi eyed her almost shyly.

Haru smirked and he picked up the rice with the chopsticks childishly. 'You keep saying that, but you're always blushing,' she wanted to say as she chuckled at the thought. Haru opened her mouth and Shinpachi begun to feed her.

As the two continued the same process, Chizuru's eyes lowered bit by bit to Haru's right arm. Chizuru did not know why, but Haru's hand was missing under the sleeve. Not being an expert though, Chizuru could sort of tell her right hand was chopped off by a blade before. Chizuru could not help it but stare and wonder every time. It was disturbing to think who could have done so much to Haru, who seemed to be quite a harmless Oni.

Haru could write a little to communicate with Chizuru and Shinpachi, but she does not wish to carry ink and paper with her every time. So, she just gestures around to request what she needed.

During midway of finishing up breakfast, Haru slightly looked away and Shinpachi blinked at her. 'What is it, Kuroro?' Haru asked in her mind.

'I'm just sitting here and wondering…' a boy's voice said.

Haru smiled, which confused Shinpachi. She patted on his head and he frowned and they both continued eating together. 'About what?' Haru inquired.

There was no emotion in the boy's voice when he responded, 'I'm a bit shocked that you're not afraid to have everyone hate you for what you're doing. I know this was our decision… however, the blame is all on you.'

'Oh, what everyone thinks doesn't bother me at all,' Haru smiled wider. When Shinpachi fed her a thin layer of meat, she opened her mouth and he offered it to her. 'But I do worry for Kanon hating me forever…'

'Why is that?' Kuroro curiously questioned.

Wiping her lips softly, Haru mentally told him, 'Because she called me her friend.' And Haru did horrible things to Kanon and she would continue to.

'Kanon won't hate you any time soon,' Kuroro stated, as if he was reminding her about something. 'Akiko-san not only sealed Kanon's full power, but also the hate inside Kanon.'

Haru already knew that. She lowered her eyes and breathed slowly. "Haru-chan?" Shinpachi tilted his head at her. "Are you full?"

She nodded and toned Shinpachi's voice out right after. 'Do you think Kanon's hate will come back if we…' she trailed off in her sentence and just smiled. 'No. Never mind.' There was no point in asking. Haru must remember this was the path she had chosen.

Recalling the gentle face of Akiko, Haru remembered that woman was always so caring toward Kanon as if she was her own daughter. Sealing Kanon's hate was Akiko's own personal wish, which was unaware by Kanon herself. Haru raised her eyes to Shinpachi and Chizuru, who were now talking to each other and smiling at each other.

This scene would not last forever. Haru's lips curled upward and she knew she would have to bid her farewell to the two of them eventually… and they would certainly be upset with her when they learn the truth what she had been up to.

'I am meant to lose friends,' Haru understood calmly. 'Kanon, Chizuru, and Shinpachi…' People had always preferred to leave her in the end. And she was mentally prepared for it. She was already used to being hated by humans and Onis alike as well. As long as no one pitied her, which she detested, Haru could still live without anyone's aid.

[…^…]

"Hey, Amagiri," Kyou called with the wave of his hand.

The two Onis were awake all night, watching over the two sleeping humans who had yet awoken by the sunlight. Sanosuke and Hajime must have been very tired. They both lay across from each other, which a campfire was between the two. At first, Hajime objected to the idea of lighting up a fire in the night for he felt the enemy could ambush them, but Kyou mentioned he would not allow anything like that to happen. Therefore, the two humans slept by the warm fire and were fast asleep last night.

Kyuuju glanced back and checked behind Kyou's walking figure to see if the humans were disturbed by the other Oni's voice. Since they were far enough from hearing range, Kyuuju looked away and asked, "Yes, Shiranui?"

When Kyou was at his side, his hands were on his hips and his eyes to the taller Oni. "How did you meet Haru?" Kyou inquisitively questioned. It was something on his mind for a long time now, but he never gotten the chance to ask.

"It was after Kazama became a stray Oni," he answered without much thought. Kyou nodded slowly as Kyuuju continued saying, "When I left him, I planned on returning home… however, along the way, Haru-san approached me. That was the moment she casted her mind control on me."

"That's quite some time ago then," Kyou rubbed his chin, furrowing his eyebrows. In truth, he wanted to try to think about the matter a little more. But with no clues to go on about… "Oh," Kyou lifted up his head and snapped his fingers. "Why don't you head back to your home and ask about Haru? You live with Kazama, don't you? And Haru was married to Kazama's little brother, yes? Maybe someone there may know something that we don't."

Kyuuju's expression remained unfazed and stayed the same. "…What if home is no longer a place to return to?" he asked, but more to himself. "What if Haru-san had already used her power over the Onis clans? She did murder Kazama's sibling, but what of the aftermath? What could she have done when we were not around?"

"Ah, true," Kyou scowled, kicking up dirt for a second. He sighed and frowned while glancing around the emptied forest. A white and black butterfly fluttered a few meters away and was gone behind a tree. "Man, it's like… we can't trust anyone…"

"Correct," Kyuuju had observed. "That is why it is best to regroup with Saitou's friends in Edo. Harada mentioned it last night, do you remember?"

Sneering, Kyou did not look at him. "Of course I do," he smirked. "Whatever Harada says, goes."

[…^…]

With her head bobbing down, Kosuzu snapped her eyes awake. The first thing she searched for was Ryunosuke, who was laying on her right. She had slept by his side the whole night. He was sleeping soundly and even snored a little. As she moved to sit up, she smiled with relief at his healthy face. Then she wrapped herself in her arms from shivering. She had no time for making a fire for she could not bear to leave him alone. So, she simply stayed close to him for warmth and hoped he felt her warmth during the cold night.

Grass rustled interrupted her peaceful morning. Kosuzu hurried up on her feet and her eyes followed the sounds. It was coming closer and she walked around a tree carefully.

"Oh, it's you again." Her eyes met the gaze of a man with the black eye patch, who was only about twenty-five meters away. She stared at him, trying to remember where she had seen him before and he was smiling as he stopped walking. He rubbed the back of his head. "Boy, oh boy, this is actually good. I walked all night and I finally found one of you by chance," he smiled politely, sensing she was putting up her guard.

Kosuzu blinked and then recalled his face as well the tone of his lax voice. "You're that man from the hospital," she let out a small smile. What were the chances of meeting him here?

"My name is Ren," he introduced himself, keeping himself at safe distance. He wanted to be friendly, but he wanted to warn her first. "And I'm with Yuma. And I think we're friends with Hajime still…"

There was a pause. She slowly backed away before inquiring, "Are you…?"

He raised his hand, smiling a little. "I am no longer in Haru's mind control anymore," he told her.

It would have been better if he never mentioned it at all… yet did he want to gain her trust first by being aware of his identity? What should she do now? With a single question, she asked, "Is there something you want?"

"I want to find Haru," Ren replied, folding his arms to his chest. He became serious and slightly looked at the sky for a moment. "Yuma's on his way to find Kanon and they might search out for Haru by then. But I have no idea where to even start…" With a grin, he looked at Kosuzu and winked. "Which is why I want to ask, may I stick with you?"

Carefully, Kosuzu read his expression. He seemed honest enough. And there were not any of those red light anywhere, therefore if he tried anything she would not hold back from using her super strength to stop him. 'Unless he has a hidden power,' she wanted to note, staring at Ren for a long time

Ren chuckled, which caused her to flinch. "I won't harm a little girl," he assure with a firm nod. She smiled and seemed not so worried about it. "Shouldn't we get going though? I'm concerned about Yuma."

"Oh," she looked back. Walking off, she said, "But Ryunosuke's still asleep."

"There's another person here?" Ren blinked a couple of times. He walked forward and eventually went around the tree and saw her picking Ryunosuke up to make him lean back against the tree. "Yikes, he hurt his head? I hope he doesn't get amnesia."

Kosuzu eyed him with disapproval and he just chuckled right back. "First, we must take him to a doctor," she said softly. "Do you know where we are?"

Ren shrugged, "Not exactly, since I'm not really from Japan… so I don't know the names of cities, but I do remember seeing a town north of here when I walked around."

"You are not from Japan?" she stared with her eyes widened. "Are you… a foreigner?"

Lazily, he smirked as if it was something he rather not talk about. "Something like that, sure," he nodded to her. "…I'm half-Japanese, who worked as an assassin." Opening up to the others was the first step to trust each other. That was Ren thought. Therefore, he could only hope this girl can put her trust in someone like him.

[…^…]

The rocky ground woke Kanon up. When she opened her eyes, she realized her head was on Souji's lap and he looked down to her. He seemed relieved and she asked, "How long was I out?"

"The whole night," he replied, his hand smoothing down her hair. He was up all night and watching over her too. Not only him though, because Akio stayed awake and kept an eye out for any possible enemies.

She felt awkward when he touched her hair, but she remained where she was. Her head felt heavy and her whole body felt exhausted. "Where are we?" she inquired, her eyes moving about.

Souji lifted up his head and looked over to Akio. The carriage stopped and Akio glanced back. "We just arrived in a town," Akio notified.

Before anyone moved, Kanon sat up. Her eyes now lay over to Little Fukui. Since he was within reach, she wasted no time and touched his fingers. The white light emitted from her body and then glowed around the child's body. Akio stared and was just stunned. Souji watched the pale face of the boy becoming more alive. As the light faded away, Kanon seemed to pant and Souji grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you all right, Kanon?" he questioned.

She turned her head to nod at him. "Yeah," she replied. Her gaze went back to Little Fukui. "He should be good now… but it may take time for him to wake up…"

Souji smiled and could not help but feel thankful for her power once more. He would not have the boy dead either since he was still so young. There was still a future for the boy. "We'll take care of him in the meantime then," Souji said, moving out the back and getting off the carriage.

Akio had already done the same and he went to pat on the heads of the horses gently. "You two must be hungry," he murmured with a concerned expression. The horses softly grunted, accepting the older man's touch. Akio then looked to Souji, who walked around the carriage. "Should we head to the hospital first?" he questioned. He was still surprised with Kanon's power. It was really handy.

While Souji stretched, Kanon peeked her head out the front of the carriage. "Yeah," Souji nodded away, his eyes scanning their surroundings. The houses seemed sturdy and a few people walked the streets to tend their business. A brown furred cat strolled by the fences of the town too. "Then we can get something to eat afterwards," Souji decided for them, his eyes looking to Akio.

"Why are we going to the hospital for?" Kanon frowned at them. Both men eyed her seriously and she sensed they were worried about her. "Me? Are you guys saying I need to see a doctor? What for?"

Souji pointed at her and she blinked with confusion. "We're going to make sure you're healthy," he smirked a bit. "You're pregnant, remember?"

Slightly blushing, she said, "So what?"

"You can't heal yourself from that."

She shut her mouth and tried to think of something to counter him. However, Akio took the reins and lead the horses and the carriage down the street. "Just sit back and let the man take care of you," Akio uttered rather sincerely.

Kanon narrowed her eyebrows as Souji walked beside the moving carriage. He smiled at her and she gave him a pout. "You're so calm about this, aren't you?" she commented with disbeliefs. "When did you become understanding, Souji?" He never once freaked out about her or even teased her, so it puzzled her a little.

At the back of his mind, he was hiding something. And he refused to show it to her, so he just smiled. "Because you come first," he only told her.

She still did not believe him, but for now she let it slid. Her eyes avert from his smile and she suggested, "Can't we just find an inn? I don't want to sleep in a hospital since we don't have money to pay for any fees… right?"

Akio nodded, "Then we shall look for an inn. Following that, the Souji guy can go find a doctor for you."

"It's Okita Souji," the green-eyed man noted with a chuckle.

"Okita it is," Akio merely nodded. "I am Yamamoto Akio."

"Yamamoto-san," Souji smirked at the older man's back.

Kanon blinked and slowly pointed to herself, "You can call me Kanon, Akio."

"And you will be calling me Yamamoto," Akio corrected her, looking over his shoulder to her. He lightly glared and she smiled uneasily. "Do not address me by my first name."

"Why not?" she asked, lowering her pointing finger.

Souji snickered, "Isn't it obvious, Kanon?" He looked at her playfully and mentioned, "People only call each other by their first names if they're very familiar with one another."

She instantly said, "But you and I aren't familiar with each other, Souji."

"That's because you like me," he grinned. She grimaced at him and decided to ignore the subject. "Come on, admit it, Kanon," he pressed teasingly.

Whereas she raised an eyebrow, she mumbled to herself rather clearly, "Why would I like you anyway?" Souji frowned right away at her thought. "There's nothing good about you… and all I can recall was the times we fight."

Just when Souji was going to remind her about the kiss he planted on her cheek and on the back of her hand, and wanting to ask her if she even felt a thing during those times, Akio loudly announced, "Here's the inn."

"That was fast," Souji fixed his eyes to the right. The two-story inn seemed small, but welcoming. The wood of the building seemed stable and there was almost no dust on every inch of the inn.

"Oh," Kanon suddenly giggled. "Souji's white hair is the only good thing so far." Souji glanced to her and she continued to giggle with her head lowered. He smiled with a sigh and just shook his head at her.

'White hair?' Akio raised an eyebrow, slightly looking over to the two of them. Now, he recalled about Souji's unusual transformation. It was the same as those creatures that they had fought against yesterday. Was Souji connected to them somehow? Akio was very confused, but decided not to show it and just go with the flow. 'If Saburo-sama entrusted them to me, I won't ask,' Akio turned his head away and waited.

Souji held out a hand to Kanon and she blinked at it. "Come on down," he was smiling.

She had a pause, but took his hand and she moved out of the carriage. He gripped on her hand as she jumped a little and her feet landed safely on the ground. "Gah," she quickly covered her mouth.

"Feeling ill again?" Souji lowered his head to meet her eyes with slight concern. He let her hand go during that second.

Nodding, she desired, "I need to go to the restroom…" Her eyes lifted up to meet his gaze and he looked like he wanted to go with her. "No, you stay here and get Little Fukui to bed. The restroom shouldn't be too far inside the inn anyway."

He frowned a bit and backed away. "Fine," he shrugged, twirling on one foot. Then he went to the carriage to get Little Fukui.

Kanon moved toward Akio and she looked up at the older man, who seemed taller than last time. "Thanks for taking us here," she smiled.

"There's no need to thank me," Akio said, sighing down to her. She tilted her head with a small pout. "I am simply doing this for Saburo-sama."

"I still got to thank you either way," she smiled wider. Patting on his arm, she turned toward the front door of the inn and went in first.

Akio watched her back quietly and then dusted his arm slowly. He was just not used to physical contact with strangers. Especially with a young woman. That was all, really. She seemed nice, so he waited until she was gone to brush his arm.

[…^…]

By the time Kanon came back from the restroom and entering the lobby, she only saw Akio waiting by another hallway. There was one older woman too and she behind the front counter and she was calculating as she mumbled behind a book.

Kanon approached Akio and asked, "Where's Souji and Little Fukui?"

He had his arms crossed and he was leaning back against the wall. When he looked at her, she stood in front of him and she was looking around. "Okita had put the kid behind this door," Akio informed her. "And he went out just a moment ago. He didn't say where he was going."

She narrowed her eyebrows and breathed out a sigh. "I'm getting hungry, so he better be back soon," she remarked in a harsh tone. But instead of waiting, she walked away from Akio. "I'm going to see if he's outside then."

"I'll be here," Akio called to her.

She waved as to show her gratitude to him and exited through the front door. The sun felt so nice and warm, so she stretched her arms to enjoy it for a second. Upon hearing voices, she instantly knew they belonged to Souji. It was just around to her right and she rushed over the grass to follow the voice. Then there was another voice, which made her pause in her steps.

It sounded like Yuma.

Picking up her feet, she ran around the corner of the building and she just caught the sight of Souji unsheathing his katana. In which he had just swiftly stabbed it through Yuma's chest, close to his heart.

"Souji!" Kanon exclaimed with a scowl. She could only see Souji's back and a little bit of the right side of his face. He was smirking to Yuma and his eyes lusted to kill.

As for Yuma, who appeared to not have bothered to dodge the blade, his eyes were calm at first and he did not look over to Kanon. The moment when Kanon cried out, Yuma's eyes became a glare and he only focused them on Souji, who still held the tip of the katana into his chest. Blood spilled down his chest and Yuma showed no pain. Only anger. Or was it something else? Yuma's eyes were filled with mix feelings, but definitely anger.

And what just happened between the two of them? Why was Yuma suddenly here of all places?

Thanks for reading!