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 9: New Beginnings
It's such a beautiful day, Chizuru mused to herself as she walked sedately down the street with Harada at arm's length, enjoying the sunshine in the cold weather.
They walked up and down, just talking, not about Shinsengumi warfare or politics, but about herbal medicine, the seaside and the other Captains that Chizuru now thought of as her friends. They had always conversed well; not always agreeing, but there was always something to discuss. Some of the happiest hours of her life were spent in Harada's company ever since she had started residing with them.
As usual she had convincingly disguised herself as a young man running uptown on a quick grocery errand, though her heart ached for the green kimono in her wardrobe. It was one of the few dainty apparel that she had hastily packed when she'd left home to search for her father. She didn't think she would need it during her quest, since she figured disguising herself as a boy was a safer option than travelling as a lone girl. She had bought the dress years before but had never worn it. She never found anyone she wanted to wear it for, until now.
"It's a wonderful day," she commented. It was also a wonderful place just to take a leisurely stroll early in the morning and talk. "Thank you for coming out with me, Harada-san."
"Of course, we can't have you carrying all the groceries back by yourself," his smile was enticing, they enhanced his manly appearance.
The street was busy, full of knife-grinders and fruit merchants and grocery shopkeepers, but it was not crowded. The paths were clean and white with fallen snow as they left the main street and took a quieter path back to the Shinsengumi headquarters. There was a large public garden on one side of the path, and the scent of the breeze in the bare trees wafted over them.
A young woman had just turned the corner and was walking towards them. She was dressed in an alluring royal blue peacock print kimono. Her hourglass figure was well suited for the long, silky dress and she walked with a certain sway that was quite modest and feminine. As she passed them, she smiled at Harada shyly and dipped her head. He returned the smile out of courtesy.
Chizuru didn't blame the woman. Harada had well-built shoulders, and smooth, scarlet hair. His face was broad and strong, and his chest was muscular and rock hard. Whenever she walked down the street with him, other women would turn to look at him. Their difference in height had once appealed to her, but now she felt sheltered like a child.
Harada had played the role as her protector from the very first moment they'd met, and he was the one who dealt with her problems. Because of that, she'd warmed to him fairly early on. When she was ridden with sadness and feeling homesick, he would lift her spirits up and pampered her until she smiled again. He was a constant source of warmth and comfort for her.
"That girl just now, she was pretty, wasn't she?" Chizuru asked casually, not even sure why she wanted to know in the first place. Though she had to admit that part of her was curious.
"Was she? I didn't take a good look at her face." His answer seemed sincere and her unexpected fear was temporarily erased.
She scrambled to keep up with his long stride, taking at least two steps for each of his and would've fallen behind several times had he not slowed down to match her pace.
Chizuru knew she was digging her own grave when she asked, "What about Shinohara-san?"
Harada turned and lifted an eyebrow at her, finding her question amusing. "What about her?"
"Don't you think she's quite beautiful?"
"Yes, she is beautiful, I will give her that," he replied thoughtfully and her heart sank, already wishing she hadn't asked.
At least he is being honest, she thought to herself sulkily. She didn't know whether to be sad or disappointed, but she was glad he didn't skirt the truth. Tall and fair, Chizuru paled in comparison to her, physically as well as in terms of her presence.
"But there are other important things one would want in a partner besides beauty. She barely speaks and she's too impassive. It makes me wonder what she could possibly know about life and passion and the qualities a man would require from a lifelong companion," he added in a matter-of-fact tone, almost as though he could read her troubled mind.
"I don't know if I actually agree with you," Chizuru found herself saying defensively. "I think Shinohara-san has other admirable qualities besides mere beauty."
She didn't know Shinohara all that well. However, watching her confrontation with Hijikata the other day, Chizuru knew she was a good and righteous person for being compassionate towards Shinsengumi members she'd never met. She may have been a private and reserved girl, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't open up once she became familiar with everyone. She may even turn out to be the loyal and honest friend that everyone needed in their lives. Although Shinohara hadn't stayed with the Shinsengumi that long, Chizuru had seen different sides of her; she could be calm and collected or a verbally opinionated person who spoke her mind without restraint depending on her mood. Many men would appreciate her intelligence and strength.
"Then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree," he said grinning.
They walked in silence for a brief moment before she mustered enough courage to turn to him again and asked, "Then…what kind of woman are you attracted to, Harada-san?"
"I think you already know the answer," he said while looking at her, his eyes lit with amusement.
"Do I?" She blinked, confused.
Instead of answering her question, he ruffled her hair treating her like a five-year-old child. "What's with these questions anyway?"
"I…I guess the conversation with Kondou-san the other day got me curious, that's all."
It wasn't a complete lie. Chizuru had always been curious in his choice of companions, but this was the first time she'd ever had the inclination or the opportunity to pursue that curiosity.
"That day was quite something, huh?"
"I was actually more surprised to see Shinohara-san standing up to Hijikata-san, toe to toe without backing down." It was quite impressive to see a woman in such a pose.
"She's got nerves of steel, that's for sure. Seems like our Demon Vice-Commander has met his match at last," he remarked with a note of laughter in his voice.
Crossing Hijikata or any of the other Captains was just another one of the many things she never had the courage to do, unlike Shinohara. When Chizuru had met them several months ago, they had made it very clear that they would kill her without hesitation if they'd thought she would refuse to abide by their commands. And she had believed them, but now she knew better. As time had passed, she'd learned that the group of formidable samurais were actually all kind and gentle men. It was rather difficult to explain but she could not feel any safer than she did with the Shinsengumi, and she knew they would never hurt her.
"I think I messed up your hair," Harada said, suddenly taking a step closer and pulling her out of her thoughts.
When he reached out to brush her bangs, she held her breath and stiffened. She always stiffened pitifully when he was at such close proximity to her. Something that she didn't know if she'd ever get used to. Chizuru tried to stop herself from blushing but she could feel the heat rising up her cheeks when she met his gaze.
His fingers and touch were gentle, caressing the strands of her hair. "I like it when you wear your hair loose rather than in a ponytail."
His smile caused her heart to pound madly before melting like the snow in spring. Sometimes she wondered if he knew the effect he had on her. Not wanting to give herself away more than she already had, she quickly lowered her eyes to his chest but that did little to alleviate her quick heartbeats.
Chizuru shook her head, trying to clear it as she moved away to fix her own hair. "It…It's alright, Harada-san. I can do it myself."
As she was about to re-arrange her ponytail, her fingers felt the cold metal of a hairpin in her hair and pulled it free. Chizuru gasped in surprise as she looked at the accessory in her hand. It was an ornamental hairpin of overlapping lotus petals with several folds. The pink and white gradation expressed the beautiful design.
"When I saw it at the market earlier, I thought it would look nice on you and so I bought it."
"Harada-san, you shouldn't have…" she stated, feeling guilty accepting such an exquisite gift.
"But I did and I'm doing it for my own selfish reason."
Chizuru furrowed her eyebrows and wondered what he meant by that. "Selfish reason?"
"I wanted to give you something special so you will always remember me," he replied, never taking his eyes off her and that made her nervous again. "What's the matter? Do you not like it?"
"Of course I love it, Harada-san! You couldn't have given me anything I would value more," she answered eagerly, holding the hairpin to her chest.
"I'm glad to hear that. We should head back now before it gets late. Heisuke likes to whine incessantly when he gets hungry and it's annoying."
Harada started walking ahead and she watched his retreating back, smiling. Her heart was so filled with love that she thought that it would surely burst. After one last look at the delicate accessory, she carefully secured it inside her obi belt.
With a quick breath of the winter air, she made a promise to herself; she would cherish the hairpin forever no matter what the future held.
X X X
Asuna opened her chamber door and the immediate cold seeped through, hitting her face first. Somehow the sight of snow was comforting to her; she always felt at ease and poised. But the climate would soon get warmer and spring would come. The frost would melt and the earth would be young again, with flowers blooming everywhere. She walked out into the fresh, crisp air and breathed in as it gave her life. That was when she noticed no one was guarding her door for the first time.
The kitten dashed out of the room as fast as his little legs would carry him and ran towards the faint clattering noise down in the garden. She followed the kitten across the yard, moving from the shade of the house into the morning sun.
Before her in the distance stood Sannan training with his sword held steady in both hands. He lifted the weapon in the air, cutting and slashing in all directions with ease, as if his disabling injury never existed.
"Sannan-san's left hand has recovered to its natural state now," a voice spoke from behind as Hijikata emerged into view and stood next to her, their shoulders almost touching.
Asuna could feel him glancing her way, but she refused to look at him and stared stonily ahead instead.
"What made you decide to trust me?" she asked, barely able to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
She thought back to that afternoon and what had come after it in the kitchen. She had felt deeply annoyed with this man and that'd surprised her. At that moment her annoyance overshadowed any other emotions, and when it came to him, she couldn't figure out where her own emotions were coming from. Her stay with the mortals was only temporary so his distrust of her every move should've been nothing but a minor nuisance.
But it was his eyes that disconcerted her. They were startling in their violent shade, so intense and direct and intrusive whenever he looked at her; skepticism and doubt always marring his features. She didn't like the way he looked at her. It made her feel degraded and the desire to salve her pride in front of this mortal man grew proportionally.
So she decided to test him, and the results convinced her that he'd underestimated her. His perception of her was exactly what she expected from humans. They believed demons to be capable but malevolent. He thought he understood her and thinking he comprehended her motives. Not that it mattered now because she had once again proved him wrong about demons' capacity for mercy.
"I don't, entirely. If your ultimate intention was to turn Sannan-san into a Rasetsu then I'll know the measure of you."
His answer confounded her notion. Puzzled, she finally turned to him and asked, "You were willing to put your ally's life at risk just to validate your distrust of me?"
Her trained mind rebelled at the thought of such a wager. Why would he take such a risk especially when he doubted her intents? Asuna felt like her test had been reversed to measure her trustworthiness instead.
"I was validating my judgement of you," he corrected her, making an effort to keep his voice calm and even. "Wasn't that your true purpose anyway when you made me choose? Testing me, that is?"
"Yes, I was testing you. I wanted to see how you would react," she admitted without hesitation, giving him another small glimpse of the real her. "You tend to believe what you wish to see and do not question your assumptions about me."
"Given the circumstances and how we met, I don't think that should come as a surprise," he said sullenly.
Having had enough of the conversation, she straightened herself and turned to walk out when Hijikata stepped in her path. Instead of sidestepping to move away from him, she looked up into those dark violet eyes, seeing the frown knotting across his forehead.
"I feel like a dog chasing its tail," he let out a harsh breath. "Look, I know it was my mistake for doubting your good intentions the other day in the kitchen-"
"And accusing me of harming the child," she interrupted him, deliberately drawing a reaction from him and catching him off guard.
She could sense the coiled tension in him and continued watching him with curiosity.
"And jumping to conclusions about Takeshi's injury," he slowly nodded his head in agreement. "We obviously started off on the wrong foot, so maybe we can start over."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"For one thing, as ironic as it may sound, we have to take the first step by trusting each other more so we can set aside our differences."
She didn't know how to respond to that. His demand was so against any kind of rational behavior that she knew of. He must be aware that he was asking for a radical form of trust between a demon and a mortal, which was rare and strange for either race.
Asuna didn't understand him at all. One moment he was doubting her and the next he was asking for them to increase their trust in each other. Evidently the man couldn't make up his mind. A muddle of confused thoughts and feelings assailed her. For a heartbeat, then two, she just stared at him.
Unwilling to end the conversation, he continued despite her silence. "Trust is earned and built over time. I understand you also have your uncertainties towards us and it can take a long time for us to establish that trust. But I would like us to start somewhere."
Hijikata suddenly got distracted and broke their gaze as he felt the kitten trying to climb up his leg. He knelt and picked up the animal by the scruff of its neck, handling it with experience and care.
"How are we adjusting here?" He asked the kitten as he stroked its furry head while holding it in his hand. Then he turned to her and asked, "Do you have a name for him yet?"
His unexpected question confused her again and she knew it showed on her face. "Why would an animal need a name?"
He grinned at her, as if in response to some private joke that only he understood. Yet his face held the same expression of calm and satisfaction that he'd had when he was in her chamber the other night. For the second time, he lowered his guard around her.
"Names create a sense of individuality and will help foster a connection between you and him," he answered. "Maybe we should call you Yoshiro. It means happy individual, and I have a feeling that you have many years of happiness ahead."
The kitten meowed every so often as if to agree with the arrangement. Hijikata's grin grew, satisfied with the response. Holding the animal in both hands, he offered the furry creature to her. She put out a finger and scratched behind its ear, a motion that the kitten seemed to relish, she learned. It closed its eyes and purred and butted her finger with its head when she stopped. That lifted her mood.
"You should smile more often," Hijikata said, something flickered in the depth of his eyes. She wasn't aware that he was watching her or how her lips had curved inadvertently. "It suits you."
That comment seemed to knock both of them into silence, and then he said, "I have a meeting to attend, I will leave you be."
Hijikata started to stroll off but turned around again and mentioned, "By the way, I called off the surveillance so you're no longer under watch by the Captains. You have the freedom to move around the south wing at will now."
"You're not afraid of me trying to escape or attacking your men anymore?"
"I already mentioned that if I am to trust you then I have to take the first step. Just remember that it only takes a moment to destroy trust."
Asuna watched him taking his leave and couldn't help wondering if he was putting her through a trial of sorts. But she had no way of judging the veracity of that conclusion. Just like she had thought, Hijikata Toshizou was completely unlike any other humans she'd ever come into contact with.
Looking down at the kitten in her hands, she rolled the syllables and testing its new name for the first time.
"Yoshiro."
X X X
"Did Furutaka Shuntaro confess?" Hijikata inquired.
Apparently Souji and his division had arrested several Choshu spies during their patrol this morning. They had stayed hidden within Kyoto city and posed as normal citizens to carry on their underground operations as part of the Choshu Domain soldiers. The Shinsengumi were well aware of their goal but had allowed them to continue operating so that they could acquire additional intelligence and be a step ahead of them.
However, something must had happened for Souji to foil their plans and make an unauthorized arrest.
"I assured him that if he doesn't cooperate with us, he would be killed. He didn't stand a chance when Hajime-kun and I combined forces and put him under interrogation," said Souji with an arrogant smirk.
"The Choshu are planning to set the city on fire tomorrow night as a diversion and kidnap the Emperor in the midst of chaos," Saito reported sedately.
"That's ridiculous! Those bastards must be out of their minds if they think they can get away with something like that!" Shinpachi sneered with contempt.
"Now that we know what they're scheming, we must stop them before they have a chance to carry out their plans," stated Sanosuke.
"There could only be two possible hideouts that they'd use to meet up. Either Ikeda Inn or Shikoku Inn, so which one should we raid?" Heisuke asked, clearly concerned with the specifics of their game plan.
"Both," Hijikata responded immediately. He would not be taking any chances and let the Choshu soldiers get away. "We need to do a headcount and be prepared to move out tomorrow night."
The men turned to Kondou to devise a more elaborate plan of action.
The Choshu Domain was part of the imperial nationalist party and since the Shinsengumi served the shogun, both parties had been enemies for quite some time now. The Choshu Domain was known to use extraordinary measures to achieve their goals, and were more than willing to kill if need be. But to implement a plan to set the city ablaze, and having no qualms about taking innocent lives in the process was simply reckless and unforgiveable.
The Shinsengumi would also kill if necessary, but their duties were much more complex than protecting the shogunate. Due to the political wars, they were now patrolling the streets of Kyoto to restore order within the city; they were to serve and protect. It had taken a lot of sacrifice for them to make it through and get here. They weren't about to let their enemies get the upper hand and win the battle over them.
A short moment later they decided on the arrangement to divide their forces into two groups, to be led by Kondou and Hijikata himself. Kondou would be taking his men to the Ikeda Inn while Hijikata would be leading his to the Shikoku Inn tomorrow night.
"Sannan, you should sit out this mission since you just recovered from your injuries," Kondou ordered sternly.
"My hand is better now, stronger. I can maneuver a sword without difficulties," Sannan insisted.
"We can't leave the headquarters defenseless," Hijikata interjected, leaving him no other option but to agree. "Someone will need to stay behind to guard the area."
"Very well, I will help with the preparation and safeguard the headquarters from intruders then."
"You're doing so well, Sannan-san. I still can't believe you recovered so quickly," Sanosuke commented, feeling relieved for the Vice-Commander.
"I did so well because of Hijikata's medicine."
"I already told you guys that my family's medicine is very effective," Hijikata lied.
To keep Shinohara's ability a secret, he decided to deceive his comrades into believing that his family's medicine was the source of Sannan's miraculous recovery. Not even Souji or Saito were made aware of the truth. For some reason Hijikata felt it was a curse, not a blessing, for demons to have such an ability. They may possess extraordinary strength, but if exposed they would certainly become vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous individuals. Now he understood why demons had to conceal their true self and lived in the shadows among them, and that made him wonder about the demoness's past.
How she'd grown up. Who had raised her since her family's death? How did she live her life after her home was destroyed? Who was she running from before they found her?
His mind was clouded by her presence. She was full of mystery and gave minimal information about herself, except the genocide that she'd suffered through long ago. Yet there was something brewing within her that was purely elemental and fierce, a force of nature that a man would be foolish to underestimate. The longer she stayed with them, the more she intrigued him.
That was one thing his life did not need at the moment.
His whole life had been an intrigue, full of dark secrets and danger. He'd joined the Shieikan dojo when he'd met Kondou and became a samurai. He knew he was embarking on a journey of high romance and adventure. Even though the path had been one that turned him hard and cold, he had no regrets.
"Effective but it still tastes gross," Heisuke commented and shuddered in disgust.
"Nothing else matters as long as Sannan is effectively treated." Kondou started giving orders to his Vice-Commanders and Captains. "We should make good use of our time today and prepare for tomorrow night's mission. Sano and Hijikata will do the headcount and notify our members of the plan. Heisuke, Souji and Shinpachi will go through the arms cache that we confiscated from the Choshu hideout today and reorganize our armory. Sannan and I will secure the headquarters."
When the group began to disperse, Hijikata asked Souji to stay behind and talk for few moments. He waited until they were alone in the meeting room before asking, "What happened? Why did you make an arrest without seeking for our approval first?"
Souji downplayed the situation with a wry smile, "What's the matter, Hijikata-san? We captured those spies without losing one of our own men. They even made a confession of their conspiracy."
"You know you messed up when you acted on your own judgement on this matter. Others were silent about it and didn't question you, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook entirely."
After a moment of contemplation and knowing that Hijikata would be able to see through any lie that he told, Souji decided to tell the truth.
"When we passed by their hideout, there was a girl inside their store asking if they'd seen a girl with long black hair and green blue eyes, last seen wearing an ivory colored haori. I thought her description matched Asuna-chan so I rushed in without thinking of the consequences first. Those guys saw me in Shinsengumi uniform and they attacked me right away. We broke into a fight."
Hijikata took in a deep breath and let it out. "Where's the girl now?"
"I lost her in the chaos of the fight. With so many people packed into one small room, it was impossible to tell what was going on there for a while. I somewhat remember what she looks like, I will send more people to ask around the town," Souji said before Hijikata could make the suggestion.
"I didn't say anything."
"But you were thinking it."
Hijikata stared at him. Souji could read his mind just as easily as he could read his. "Yes, I was. But right now, we have our priorities and not enough manpower to go around. We will discuss this again after tomorrow night's mission."
Souji nodded in agreement and smiled, but his eyes were tight with concern. Though he didn't share his private thoughts, Hijikata knew by looking in his friend's eyes what was going on inside his head.
If the girl was really who Shinohara had been searching for all this time, then that meant the demoness would be leaving Shinsengumi very soon.
X X X
AUTHOR NOTE:
Firstly, thank you to those of you who followed/favorited this story, welcome and hope you will continue to support this fic!
And to those who took a bit of their time to review, I love you guys! Your comments are really giving me the incentive and drive to update sooner, because I know there are readers who are eager to know how the plots will unfold. And I feel bad if I make you guys wait or having you guys sending me private message asking for my whereabouts *smiles sheepishly*
Waffle: Yeah, you're never gonna finish this story until you're in your 50s…
Swanna: Shuddup! I will prove you wrong *shakes fists*
Waffle: And this chapter, too much fluff. Where's all this leading…?
Swanna: You will know later! It's called building up relationships! Geez, guys can be soooo not romantic *rolls eyes*
Yup, that was the interaction between me and my beta reader. But thanks to his help, my story does look better, so thank you!
Anyway, I will start on next chapter now. It will be super fun to write the scenes for sure. Please stay tuned for the next update and I wish everyone and their families a Happy New Year!
See you in 2019!