Hakuouki: Hitsuzen

The Pale, Dreamlike Sakura

"Charge!" a young man of the ex-bakufu forces shouted as he led his men in a rush attack against the enemy. "Follow me!"

"What?!" Hijikata said, startled. "Cover for Takigawa's division!" he immediately ordered the riflemen, who wasted no time carrying out his order.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"URRAAAHHHH!!!" Takigawa and his men roared as their swords clashed with the enemy's and bullets whizzed past their heads to find their targets. Despite their rash actions, or maybe because of them, they somehow managed to overwhelm the enemy to achieve victory.

"We did it!" Takigawa said, feeling very pleased with himself and with the men who fought beside him, as they walked over to regroup with Hijikata. "We were so overbearing that it made 'em lose their nerve!"

"Takigawa!" Hijikata called sternly, stopping them in their tracks. "What the hell were you doing?!" he demanded with a frown, his brow deeply furrowed with his sharp eyes narrowed in a glare. "You gave me a heart attack." He let his expression lighten a little. "But you did good out there," he praised them.

Takigawa smiled and laughed, feeling relieved. "I was confident that you would back us up, Hijikata-san."

"You little—! Don't let this go to your head," Hijikata scolded him lightly, laughing along with them.

"We're winning one skirmish after the next!" one of the men from Takigawa's division exclaimed excitedly.

"We did it! Our formation in Futamata is invincible!" one of Hijikata's men agreed.

"We'll never lose as long as we've got the Army Minister with us!" another added cheerfully. Even though everyone was tired and worn out and dirty from fighting, they were all in high spirits thanks to their success. The low light of the sunset was warm on their faces.

Chizuru hated to interrupt, but she knew she had to. "Hijikata-san, a messenger from headquarters is here to see you," she informed him. Hijikata's expression fell and became serious again as he turned to look at the messenger and frowned. He could tell from the look on the other man's face that he hadn't come to them bearing good news.

Chizuru busied herself by assisting with repacking and organizing their supplies while they waited for Hijikata to return and announce their group's next course of action. It had grown dark, and she could hear an owl hooting nearby.

"Chizuru," Hijikata said, getting her attention.

"Yes?" Chizuru asked, turning to face him. His expression was grave.

"Prepare to retreat," he told her in a calm, quiet voice despite his frustration, even though he was so obviously disappointed.

"We're preparing to retreat?" she asked, concerned. It was something of a shock since they had been doing so well.

"Yeah," Hijikata confirmed as he looked away and the crease in his brow deepened. "They broke through Ootori-san at Matsumae Pass. Although we're still unscathed, we won't be able to return to Hakodate if they cut off our retreat," he explained grimly.

"Is that right...?" Chizuru said reluctantly, disappointed on his behalf, as well as for everyone else who had fought so hard. It was a shame, but if they didn't pull back, then they would all become sitting ducks. "And here everyone worked so hard. It's a pity, isn't it?"

"!" Hijikata winced and clutched at his heart as he suddenly fell to his knees, grimacing and gritting his teeth, bent over in pain. His eyes widened as they glowed rasetsu red. His hair turned white, too, and he began panting, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself as sweat dripped from his face.