Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my Shinohara and some side characters.
Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)
Rated Teen for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes (rating may change to Mature in the future as story progresses, readers have been advised).
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Kiss Of Snow
By: Swanna
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Chapter 7: First Night of Patrol
Shinohara jumped down from the top of a building she'd been padding along and landed gracefully on the snow-covered ground.
"This way," she stated silently, leading the group of three men to a narrow and isolated passageway from the main streets.
In the silvery light that had turned darkness into twilight, their blue haori coats should've shone like beacons, but they were invisible. As leaders of the Shinsengumi, they knew how to use the shadows of the night to hide and conceal themselves. No one would see them if they didn't want to be seen.
Above them the moon hung, a bright saucer in the sky, visible even through the thick clouds. For long moments, they stood and watched through the dark for any sparse movements in the night.
"This is a waste of time. It's going to be another night that we return to our quarters empty-handed," Shinpachi muttered, already feeling demoralized.
"Hunting takes patience, skill and a little luck," said Sanosuke from a short measure behind him.
Shinpachi ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and heaved a heavy sigh as he peered across the streets.
They waited.
Standing further away from the group, the demoness disregarded their trifling exchange as she continued to actively survey her surroundings. Occasionally a whisper of a scent in the cold wind had her lifting her nose into the air. Perhaps demons also had an enhanced sense of smell to find their prey in the darkness. After all, her unrevealed abilities were still a mystery to Hijikata. What if her real ability wasn't her unique mastery of swordsmanship or agility? What if her true abilities were something greater?
If that was so, then the biggest threat here would not be Rasetsu but pureblood demons if they chose to be an enemy of mankind. In all likelihood, this could be why their race had been decimated by humans many years ago.
"Let's just call it a night," Shinpachi's voice cut into his thoughts. "It's not happening."
"Guess we will try our luck again tomorrow," Sanosuke said, agreeing.
"What did I tell you? A complete waste of time!"
Shinohara glanced their way but remained reserved.
"They aren't going to show up just because we wish it," Hijikata added sternly.
Just as the men began leaving the alley, the sudden sound of sword scraping scabbard caught them off-guard. Hijikata turned and saw the demoness moving her hand towards the blade, slicing her palm. Blood was dripping from her self-inflicted wound, tainting the white blanket of snow below her feet red. As if she hadn't done enough damage, she began clenching her hand into a tight fist, spilling more blood.
Hijikata rushed over and grabbed her wrist; it was small and delicate. Her initial reaction was to wrench her arm away from him and that only got him to grip it tighter.
"What are you doing?" he scowled at her, both startled and annoyed at the same time.
She met his gaze in the dark and said in her silky voice unconcernedly, "What needs to be done."
Hijikata would have retorted but to his astonishment, the lacerations mended immediately, leaving her blood-covered palm woundless. He could not believe the sight before his eyes as he had only heard of such powers in folklore.
"Is she alright?"
He moved closer to her, deliberately barricading her from the men's vision with his back. The floral springtime scent of hers filled his senses as he leaned closer. She was motionless when he took out his handkerchief and quickly wrapped it around her palm, hiding it.
"She's fine, it's just a minor cut," Hijikata lied.
Suddenly out of a cluster of huge, empty barrels across the adjacent path, two shadowy figures emerged. They were constantly sniffing the air for the scent of blood, revealing their fangs; their unearthly crimson eyes glowed blazingly in the darkness.
"Are…are those the Rasetsu that we've been trying to track down?" Shinpachi asked, sounding somewhat breathless.
"These men have nothing human about them," Sanosuke commented, staring straight at them with vigilance. His hand was already reaching for his spear.
"Silver hair and glowing red eyes are their transformed phase," Shinohara began as she strolled over towards them slowly. "During their transformation, their strength and speed will be at their peak. You will have to be faster, more accurate if you want to take them down."
Smelling the blood from her palm, the Rasetsu grew excited and charged at Shinohara. She avoided the attack effortlessly and spun around, kicking one of them in the shoulder, sending him to the ground.
"If you take your time to dispatch them, their wounds will heal and you only succeed in depleting your stamina."
As if to demonstrate, she lifted her sword and slashed hard at the flesh of the standing Rasetsu's abdomen. Her sharp blade scored a long, straight cut which spurted blood at once. Although the regeneration speed wasn't as instant in comparison to Shinohara, the Rasetsu's wound had already begun to heal.
"Wh-what?! My eyes must be playing tricks on me, Sano!" Shinpachi gaped in surprise.
"You idiot. There's nothing wrong with your eyes. His wound is closing by itself."
The two Captains were both somewhat transfixed but Hijikata knew it wasn't terror that held them, it was the uncertainty of the unknown. It was the intangible made real that stayed their hands, as they grappled with the idea that such creatures could really exist.
"Aim for two vital areas; head and heart." Shinohara thrusted her sword at one of the Rasetsu's chest while the other lurched at her. She pulled out the blade and whirled around to plunge the second Rasetsu in the heart, turning both to ashes simultaneously.
"I'm in love," Shinpachi declared with a palm over his heart, his voice low.
"Should I be laughing?" Sanosuke asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Why would you even laugh at me about something so serious?!"
"When are you ever not deliriously in love?"
"I wouldn't need to constantly look around if you didn't always steal all the women!"
"That's enough, both of you. We just ran into two Rasetsu and you two still have the mood to quarrel?" Hijikata silenced them. "We should return to our headquarters for the night and share our findings with the others during the morning briefing."
They started heading back as Shinohara walked beside Hijikata at a distance willingly, keeping her gaze on the path before her.
"You know, Shinohara-" Shinpachi began as he came up to her, wedging his way in between them.
"Asuna," she cut him off, reminding him how she preferred to be addressed.
"Asuna," he corrected himself. "I think I've heard you talk more tonight than you have in the past week since you joined us."
Silence met his statement. A silence so long that, in the end, Shinpachi had to change topics in an attempt to revive the conversation again.
"I am quite impressed with your talent on the field! I don't believe I've ever seen a woman battle like that before. Where did you learn your sword skills from?"
She hesitated momentarily. "My father and my guardian."
"They must be great warriors and very skillful. Where are you originally from?" He probed.
"South of Japan."
"Where, South of Japan?"
"I have no desire to share my past or lineage any further." Her curt reply and stony expression brought his attempts at conversation to a quick end.
Smirking, Sanosuke threw an arm over Shinpachi's shoulder and pulled him to walk ahead together. "You need to learn to take a hint from women and leave them alone when they want to be left alone."
Hijikata noticed that the demoness didn't like to talk about herself at all and he could see that she liked discussing her family even less. It was as if Shinohara Asuna were encased in a shell where nothing could get in…or out. Whether she preferred to keep to herself, or she simply wanted to bury the horror of her past, he couldn't comprehend that kind of loneliness. Though he was a loner by nature, he knew his comrades would lay down their lives for him. Saito wouldn't blink. Neither would Souji or any of the other Captains.
He closed the distance between them as he didn't want their private conversation to be overheard. "What you did back there was unnecessary."
She glanced his way, trying to understand his implication but remained quiet.
"Even though you're a demon, I don't need you to mutilate yourself just to draw out Rasetsu."
"I do what I want to do."
Hijikata felt an unexpected stroke of pride from her. There was strength in the female next to him. He knew all too well by now that nobody could make this demoness do anything she didn't want. Not wanting her to misread his intention and think that he was trying to control her, he explained further.
"Although you may heal quickly, I'm sure you still experience pain when you are injured."
She dragged her gaze from the street ahead of her and turned to him again. Her face underwent a subtle shift momentarily as if she was trying to process his comment, but then she disregarded it.
"I'm not afraid of pain," she gave a dignified answer as she lowered her voice. "I'm a demon, I don't fear pain or death."
Shinohara started walking off but he followed after her. "By the way, I don't believe you've mentioned your ability to heal instantly."
"It's a touch."
"Any other 'touches' I should be aware of?" he gave her a piercing look, though it may have been too dark for her to notice.
"Why should I disclose my abilities to you? Humans have been trying to eradicate us for years and exposing my strength to a mortal would only seem reckless and illogical."
It appeared this demoness trusted him as little as he trusted her, and he didn't blame her. Trust wasn't something so easily obtained, it had to be earned through strong actions rather than placating words.
During Hijikata's adolescence he'd learned the hard way that if he wanted to survive, he had to start out with a healthy dose of cynicism. But once someone had earned his trust, he turned it over to them completely and even devotedly without reservation.
Although he didn't trust her either, somehow it irritated him that she hadn't even hesitated when she made that comment.
Suddenly Shinohara paused in her steps and shifted her focus to an empty alley on her right. She began trekking towards it. Worrying about the appearance of more Rasetsu, Hijikata hurried after her even though she'd already proven that she was more than capable of taking them down without aid.
But there were no signs of Rasetsu. With her back still facing him, she bent over as if she had discovered something. As he approached her, he realized she had found a black kitten curled into a little ball leaning against a stone.
"Is everything alright?" Sanosuke asked, peering in from the street.
"Yes, it's nothing." Hijikata looked over his shoulder and answered casually. "Why don't you both head back to the base first and we will join you shortly."
The Captains complied and retreated, leaving Hijikata alone with the demoness. When he crouched before her, their eyes met for a short moment before she lowered hers to the kitten again.
"Its body is cold."
He was taken aback as she reached out to stroke the kitten with her fingers soothingly. Her touch was gentle, almost feather-light as if she was afraid she would hurt it. He certainly didn't expect to see a tender side to the same demoness who had attacked his comrade for blood only days ago.
"It probably strayed from its litter." The small animal was weak and passive; it was no bigger than his hand.
"It will die out here," she said it so unemotionally that he would have mistaken her to be unsympathetic. But there was a flicker of warmth in her eyes when she spoke those words.
Eyes wide, Shinohara watched with curiosity as he picked up the kitten carefully; its fur was damp and frigid from the snow. He settled it inside his haori coat, in the hopes that some of his body heat would warm it up. Hijikata didn't know what had gotten into him, and he didn't want to know. He only knew that deep down, this fragile animal needed their help and he felt like he should do something.
"Like you said, it will die out here in the cold if we don't do anything to help it."
Not waiting for her response, Hijikata rose and strolled out of the alleyway with the demoness trailing closely behind.
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Soon after they arrived back at the headquarters, Heisuke and Shinpachi were already at the entrance.
"Where are you going?" Hijikata queried with knitted eyebrows.
"We're going to the red-light distr-" Shinpachi clasped the boy's mouth with his hand, effectively stopping him from continuing further.
"We're going to get some liquor." He turned to Shinohara and explained almost too eagerly, "We're out of liquor, so we're just going to a store for restock. We aren't going anywhere suspicious."
The demoness stared at him blankly. In her mind, she was probably wondering why he felt the need to offer her an explanation. She may possess a vast knowledge of the demon realm that they were unversed in, but Hijikata highly doubted she had the slightest clue when it came to men.
"You both have morning duties-"
Hijikata's preaching was interrupted when the kitten emerged its head from inside of his coat, letting out frail mews. An awkward silence descended upon them as the Captains simply gaped at him, their jaws dropped.
He adjusted the hem of his coat to cover it again and continued casually, "As I was saying, you both have morning duties so don't stay out too late."
"Should I go and inform Saito to start his night watch of Asuna-chan now that you've returned?" Heisuke offered after he recovered from the strange sight.
"Don't speak about me as if I'm not standing right before you." A cool comment but Hijikata wondered what had driven her to make it. Demons shouldn't know how to take offense, because to take offense, they'd have to feel.
Throwing a quick glance at the demoness next to him, he answered, "No, I will inform him myself later."
With that being said, he walked off and Shinohara followed suit.
"A-am I seeing things, Heisuke…? Or is there actually a cat inside his attire?" He overheard Shinpachi ask.
"Hijikata-san always looks so stern and capable, but that rare sight definitely made him less intimidating," Heisuke added.
"You got that right, kid. That was surely a once in a lifetime spectacle." Both men chuckled and left the entrance to start their nighttime venture.
As they reached the front of Shinohara's chamber, Hijikata turned and very tenderly moved the kitten from his palm to hers. "Hold onto it and wait for me inside your chamber."
He quickly left before the demoness had the opportunity to refute his order, and headed towards the kitchen. At this time of night, he doubted there would be any leftovers, especially when their headquarters was always full of hungry men, but he still wanted to try his luck.
Fortunately there was some leftover rice porridge in a porcelain pot on the stove. Hijikata poured the remaining amount into a clean bowl and left the kitchen.
Recalling his two Captains' reactions earlier, Hijikata knew his behavior was completely out of character, as evident by their amusement. But he was having difficulty finding any humor in it.
He derived no benefits from his position, unlike some of the other Vice-Commanders he had met and known. He served Kondou-san and the country with his great knowledge, his noble example and his constant readiness to aid others. Complete obedience and loyalty from his men were formed on the basis of his ethics and his austerity. Hijikata was aware that he had to be more mindful of his actions if he wanted to retain their respect for him as their leader.
As he found his way back to the demoness' chamber again, he knocked on the door but received no response. He knew she was inside as there was a soft flickering of candlelight glowing from the room.
Hijikata knocked harder this time and declared, "I'm entering."
The moment he set foot into the room, the same floral scent drifted to his nose as he scanned his surroundings. It was the first time he'd entered her chambers since she'd starting residing with them. The room was empty and bare, yet she had kept it orderly and clean. He slid the door closed behind him and joined her at the corner, placing the bowl down on the tatami mat.
"What is that?" she asked, curious.
"It's rice porridge."
"What is rice porridge?"
"It's rice boiled in large amounts of water until it softens into gruel," he explained as he stared into a pair of striking aquamarine eyes he found incredibly easy to look at.
She, in fact, was very easy to look at. Her face was a sculpture of beauty, chiseled features outlined by a slender jawline. Although she was tall for a woman, she had an air of confidence about her that made her appear larger in stature than she really was.
To his astonishment, Shinohara reached her finger into the bowl and dipped it into a mound of rice porridge. Then she slipped her finger into her mouth. Hijikata fully understood it wasn't meant to be seductive, but he'd never been so aware of the inherent sensuality of the act. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was feeling the stirrings of desire. Perhaps it had been too long since he was in the company of a female.
"It has no flavor," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Seasoning is not good for animals."
"Why not?"
Hijikata almost wanted to grin at her hunger for trivial knowledge that should have been beneath a demoness like herself. Her budding curiosity was obvious. "We can't share all our food with animals as it can affect their digestive system, causing health issues. Sometimes it can even kill them."
Frowning, she averted her gaze back to the kitten. "It's not eating the porridge."
Hijikata picked it up gingerly and lifted it to his nose level. It seemed wrong that it was little more than a fluffy feature in his palm. "Beggars can't be choosers. You must eat if you want to live on."
"Animals can't understand human language."
This time, he didn't bother to suppress his grin. "You would be surprised. Even if it doesn't understand my words, it will get the message and act accordingly. Animals can tell when you are being docile or hostile towards them."
He released the kitten and placed it back on the tatami mat, right in front of the bowl. They watched as it stretched and let out soft mews.
"How is the human child?"
Hijikata was taken aback by her sudden question. "Takeshi's fine. He's regained consciousness but we are confining him to his bed for now."
He must admit, sometimes he was rather baffled by this demoness' erratic nature. She preferred complete seclusion and withdrew from humans when they were around her. Others who didn't know her real identity as a demon made clever jokes about her in her absence. She was aware, though she seemed not to be. When accused, she did not defend herself with words. She did not defend herself at all.
When Hijikata had accused her of causing Takeshi's injuries two days ago, she simply stood her ground, held her tongue and observed. It was as if she wanted him to realize his own shortcomings and errors. She was not concerned with retaliation but Hijikata knew that he owed her an apology, as it was only appropriate for him to admit his mistake.
"Regarding that day, I jumped to conclusions and I-"
"It's eating," Shinohara looked at him with a meager curve of her lips.
It was the faintest smile he had ever seen from her. And then she seemed to withdraw even that as she lowered her head and stroked the kitten while it was lapping up the food.
As soon as the kitten licked the last drop of rice porridge, it moved towards Hijikata and tried pawing its way up his legs. She watched intently with interest.
"Alright, you take care of it now," he gently handed the kitten to her for the last time as she held out both palms.
The night was getting rather late and if he stayed in her chamber any longer, unfavorable rumors would begin to spread like wildfire. Not that this demoness would care or mind, but she was still an unwed woman after all. There was a reputation of decency for both of them.
"I…I don't know how to take care of it," she confessed, showing vulnerability for the first time.
She was indeed full of surprises tonight and they almost made her a little more…human.
"Feed it twice a day. Most of the time it will be roaming around the compound on its own. Just make sure you don't take a bite out of it when you crave blood," Hijikata found himself teasing before he could even stop the urge.
It felt like he'd slapped her. "I won't. Our thirst cannot be quenched by animal blood."
There it was again, the bleak reminder that she was a demoness who preyed on humans for blood. Perhaps it was the breath of fresh wintry air that lacked her scent, but suddenly Hijikata's mind was steered back to reality as he was reminded of their differences.
"Good to know. All the more reason we have to be extra vigilant around you."
X X X
AUTHOR NOTE:
Hi again, everyone! Since I've took such a long break from this story, I decided to work on chapter 7 in the past week so that I could update this weekend as compensation. I hope readers who've been following this story like this chapter because there are finally some 'fluffs' going on between Hijikata and Asuna (and trust me, I've had such a fun time writing it too - can't wait to write more).
Thank you to those who have reviewed / favorited / followed this story, I'm glad that you guys gave this fic a chance and that you're enjoying it so far! It always made me happy to know that Asuna is so loved by you guys.
Special thanks to Astrid Claire for pointing out the pairing error. Somehow it was showing Heisuke x OC instead and I had no idea how that happened but it was corrected now, all thanks to her bringing it to my attention.
Lastly, I will definitely try to post chapter 8 soon but I cannot promise it will be as quick since I got three other fics that I desperately need to update as well.
Thanks again and I will see you all next time!