Hello!
This is my first fanfiction. English is not my mother language, but I tried my best for it to be understandable. It probably swarms with all kinds of mistakes, I apologize in advance. It's mainly Hakuoki ff but there are some Toki no Kizuna references since it's the same setting.
I don't own Hakuoki or Toki no Kizuna characters, just my own OC.

Prologue

Small shrine in the outskirts of Kyoto, December 1607

- "I guess I reap what I sow…"- the girl murmured silently, unable to speak any louder. Her throat was crushed just a few moments ago. Thin trail of blood slowly leaked from her mouth. She was too wounded, too tired and too much in despair to feel pain anymore. At least physical. Of course those wounds are nothing to oni like her, but now she can't move even one finger. She was laying in a circle of scrapped talismans, with her hands binded by sacred ropes.
- "How ironic. To be stopped by my own spell…"- she chuckled with a hoarse voice, as blood was blocking her windpipe.

- "Indeed." - Said man standing above her, smiling viciously. - "All this couldn't turn any better. Now sleep my snowy princess…"

She couldn't see his face anymore, she lost her sight first. Then the rest of her body started to feel light, like it didn't belong to her anymore. She could still hear some noises, but they sounded distant and unrecognizable now. After a few seconds she couldn't hear anything. With the last bits of her consciousness she was thinking of her family - her brother Kazuya, other oni in Yukimura village. Her friends in other clans. If she had only said something to any of them, then maybe she didn't end up lying in the pool of her own blood, caught in a spell she developed herself. How much she wanted to see them now. To be lectured by her brother how irresponsible she was. Or be laughed at by Chitose for her foolishness. A single tear springed in her eye. She cursed her naivety... and her oni blood that didn't allow her to simply die and be free. By a few seconds her heart stopped beating and her mind dived deep into the abyss.

White haired man with horns and strange red markings over his body placed his hand on her cheek and caressed it, wiping off blood from her chin with his thumb. He was looking at her limp body with admiration. She was indeed beautiful - long black unruly hair, deep violet eyes, skin white as porcelain. She was dressed in elegant white robes, now painted with her blood.

- "Yukimura Reiko. How pitiful." - he picked her up and placed on a stone altar surrounded by similar sacred ropes. As he clapped his hands, all scattered talismans started to cover her body from head to toe until the whole stone was covered along with her. After he left, suddenly cold wind started to blow and soon snowstorm approached - "Hmm… Is it your anger, my snowy princess?" - man chuckled to himself despite harsh coldness.

Winter 1863

Snow petals started to cover streets of Kyoto outskirts, soon making a thin, fluffy blanket. It was a cold evening and there weren't many people around to disturb the peacefulness of the scenery. Afterall it was quite dangerous to wander after sunset. Everybody knew that streets nowadays were full of ronin who didn't even blink an eye when killing someone for a few coins. Capital was a dangerous place afterall. And the outskirts were even worse. Poor, unguarded places like this were homes of bandits, where the watchful eye of the law didn't reach to them.

This time it wasnt fear of being robbed or killed that made people stay at home. It was unusually cold and people knew - soon there will be a snowstorm. Everybody who lived in the area was aware that it will be a very VERY cold evening. It was a strange phenomenon. Every year on this day the weather will be unpleasant, so they mostly stay at their homes. Only outsiders would wander on the streets on this accursed day.

- "Aww shit! What with this freaking wind just now!" - a young boy with a long ponytail and huge blue-green eyes shouted visibly irritated - "It was normal just a few hours ago!"

- "One could expect a coldness in december." - Another said calmly to his companion. He was also wearing similar haori, however was much reserved.

- "I don't mind the cold, Hajime-kun. It's just really, really cold!" - boy continued, hiding his hands in sleeves of his haori.

Hajime just sighted silently. His blue eyes were cautiously scanning the area, as if looking for something.

- "Heisuke." - something caught his eye, as he placed hand on the hilt of his sword - "It seems that this rasetsu stays hidden somewhere in this shrine." - Hajime pointed at a small stain of blood spread on the wall near the entrance.

- "Yeah. It looks like it." - Heisuke furrowed his brow and drew his sword ready to use it. - "That shrine is pretty creepy even without rasetsu over there, though."

Both of them approached the old gate and entered cautiously. Darkness, and howling wind made it even harder to hear anything dangerous. It was strange. Even if they were inside, the cold inside the shrine was even more intimidating than outside. There was no harsh wind, but it was as if the shrine was the source of this weather. When Heisuke's eyes adjusted a little to the darkness inside, he spotted a strange stone altar covered with old talismans.

- "Maybe it is a cursed shrine?" - Heisuke muttered while looking around.

Hajime didn't respond, but the altar also picked his interest. There was something unusual in it. He had never seen a similar before. Scrolls on the walls were old, but well kept. Same with almost everything inside.

- "Actually I remember some folks at Shimabara saying that some kind of god was worshipped here. But it is supposed to be helping men find good women…"

- "Heisuke." - Hajime says coldly. - "It is not time for this…" - he scowled but before he could say anything else, a shadow leapt at them from behind the altar.

Once light reached it, it revealed a man with white hair and red eyes. Or was it really a man? His face pictured one thing - insanity. It acted more like a wild beast. His clothes were bloodied, but the man wasn't wounded. Soon he launched at a green eyed boy. Heisuke blocked his attack with his sword and knocked him away with a kick. However impact left his arms numb, and his foot slightly bent causing him to hiss painfully. But it was enough time for his partner to act. Hajime quickly drew his sword and beheaded the man with one swift motion, spreading blood around. It was over in a few seconds. Hajime shaked off excessive blood from his sword before putting it back in the sheath.

Heisuke sighed, before doing the same. - "That was indeed fast, Hajime-kun… Well. One down. One to…!"

Before he finished another one sprinted through a gate escaping outside. Hajime quickly dashed after him. Heisuke scowled painfully, before he leaned his back on an altar. His foot was hurting too much. It wasn't even a second before a strange shockwave pushed him on the floor. It was followed by an ear-splitting bang, as if thunder struck just behind his back. Staggered Heisuke tried to get up, but that blast shook him so much that he couldn't balance himself. Crawling on the floor he looked behind himself to look for the source of the explosion. What he saw left him even more shocked and speechless.

There was a young, beautiful woman sitting on the altar. She was covered in scraps of fabrics - remainder of her clothes and paper talismans. Shimenawa ropes were hanging at her neck, hands and feet. Her dark, unruly heir was still hanging in the air, slowly covering her face. Heisuke caught only a glimpse of it, but it was enough for his heart to skip a beat. Girl didn't seem to notice him at first. All she did was look at her limbs as if making sure she could move them. She was panting and gasping for breath. Heisuke was too dumbfounded to say anything. He wasn't sure if it was reality or dream. Things like that don't usually happen, right?

After a few minutes of silence, the girl finally noticed a boy laying on the floor. She opened her mouth slightly but words didn't come out. They were just staring at each other in silence.

- "Oi! Heisuke! Are you ok?" - Another voice and footsteps came out from outside. Tall, red haired man in similar haori showed up - "There was a huge...What in the-? Heisuke, what's going on here?! Who's that?" - as soon as he noticed the girl he freezed.

- "Sano! I-I don't know! There was some kind of explosion and all I saw next was her sitting there!" - Heisuke finally got up, but he was still in shock.

Man called Sano rushed closer to the girl but she jerked back and shouted with a wheezing breath.

- "Halt!" - as soon as she said it, they stopped in their tracks and couldn't even move a finger. She looked at them suspiciously then her eyes darted to the entrance. There was a commotion outside and it looked like a fight broke out.

- "What is going on here...I can't…"- Said a taller man, struggling to move.

- "Yeah. Is this really happening, Sano? It's not a dream right?" - said Heisuke without taking the eyes of the girl.

Girl slowly looked around.

- "What is this place? And who are you?" - she furrowed her brows.

- "Are YOU asking us that? You showed up suddenly! And that freaking explosion!" - Heisuke shouted trying to break out of invisible chains that bound him.

She looked at him for a moment then answered, trying to stay calm.

- "I'm a little confused you see. To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I'm really alive. Can you tell me who you are and what happened here?"

- "Tsh. Captain of the Eight Division of Shinsengumi. Toudou Heisuke." - Boy said reluctantly.

Then the girl looked at another man probing him to answer as well.

- "Captain of the Tenth Division of Shinsengumi. Harada Sanosuke" - Taller one said in a slightly calmer manner.

- "Shinsengumi? Never heard of that before. But you're samurai, correct? Who's your lord?"

They looked at each other confused. It was hard to believe that she didn't know who they were. Their headquarters were nearby, and even if they aren't well liked, everyone has heard of "The wolves of Mibu" by now.

- "Hmmm. Shogun I guess. Or Matsudaira?" - said Heisuke as if wondering to himself.

Girl wasn't satisfied with his answer. It was too strange and vague to her, but before she could continue, commotion outside picked her interest. Spell she casted on started to wear off a little, as they could move by now. Taller guy looked troubled by her appearance. He took off his blue haori and throwed it at her.

- "Here. It may not be the best option, but I guess it's better than nothing." - as he said, she realised she was almost naked. Her robes were destroyed and just a few talismans were covering her intimate parts. As he did it, Heisuke was red as boiled crab by now.

- "Oh, thank you." - She accepted reluctantly, and covered herself with a asagi-iro uniform. She wanted to say something else, but a sudden noise interrupted her and the remainder of shrine gates were sent flying just near her head.

Both Heisuke and Sano were shocked and quickly turned to entrance. There was a corpse lying on the floor. Soon two white haired men entered the building. Their eyes were bloody red, and faces grimaced in unpleasant scowls.

- "Blood…blood…" - One of them repeated like a mantra.

- "They completely lost it." - Sano looked at them bitterly.

Girl however was much more in shock. Intruder looked too familiar to her. White hair, red eyes - she knew what it meant. Those aren't humans. However, they didn't look sane to her. They aren't themselves anymore. But before she could do anything, two creatures ignored Sano and Heisuke, and as if driven by some primal instinct leaped at her like wild beasts.

- "Don't move!" - She shouted firmly.

Monsters stopped, as she ordered them. That left Sano and Heisuke speechless. Before they said anything two others came inside and quickly ran toward halted men with murderous intent.

- "Wait-! I..."- Girl rushed to stop them, but her legs failed her, and she landed hard on the floor. Next thing she saw was splashed blood and two bodies lying lifelessly on the floor. Soon her vision started to blur.

- "Huh? It seems we have a new member. Didn't know we allow women though." - One of them looked amused, as if he was at a festival.

- "Nothing changed, Souji. We still don't." - Said another one, hiding his blade.

- "You're too stiff, Hajime-kun." - continued man with the same jovial tone.

- "Is this really what you should be thinking right now?" - Hajime said wearly.

- "Yeah. That's an interesting recruit you have here, Sano." - Souji said, looking at the girl sitting on the floor. With the last ounces of strength that she had she lifted her head and glared at the grinning man standing tall before her. It was her limit. Unable to say anything, she lost consciousness.

- "I guess we can't leave her like that." - Heisuke interrupted - "So what should we do?"

- "It seems like she stopped those rasetsu just by telling them so.. Am I correct?" - Hajime stated, looking at Sano and Heisuke.

- "Yeah. She did it before too." - Sano said reluctantly. - "One word and we couldn't move a finger."

- "Never took you for a submissive type, Sano." - Souji said amused.

- "Shut up, Souji. You'd be the same in my place." - sighted Sano exasperated.

- "We should take her to the commander." - Hajime suggested.

- "Or maybe just kill her." - Souji replied, still grinning.

- "Souji!" - Heisuke shouted. Rest of them just scowled at him.

Souji just sighed.

- "Tsh. Ok, fine. I'll take her…" - he gave up and picked a limp girl off the floor. - "But someone has to clean this mess instead." - he added as he readjusted the girl on his shoulder.

There was another strange thing that happened this evening. They probably didn't notice it in the heat of battle but the weather wasn't that harsh anymore and the expected snowstorm never came.