HAKUOUKI: Back in Time

Chapter 57

~Why not listen to music while you read?~

The next day, Chizuru and I decided to go to her old house in hopes that we might find something useful regarding the documents Doctor Matsumoto used to create the medicine. It was clear that no one had been there in a long time and the yard was a mess.

"If he had left behind anything about the rasetsus or the Ochimizu, then it would be in his room." I nodded and we proceeded into his room. I suddenly stopped and Chizuru seemed to have sensed it too. There was someone else there. I reached for the handle of my sword, ready to pull it out any second until the person spoke.

"Who's there?" Chizuru seemed to recognize the voice considering how wide her eyes were.

"Father...is that you?"

Chizuru's father?! The shape in the back of the room stiffened and then slowly turned around and walked toward us.

"Chizuru... It's been a long time. You've grown."

"Father!" She ran to him and they embraced tightly.

"Show me your face. I go away for a little while and suddenly you've turned into a woman, but who is that person?"

"Oh! She is Suzumori Haruna, we became friends when I went to Kyoto." Her father's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing my name as hi worn hand stroked her hair gently.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Yukimura. My name is Suzumori Haruna..." I said while bowing.

"What have you been doing since you left for Kyoto?" His hand stopped as soon as she asked but then smiled.

"I've been hiding with... Well, never mind that. Tell me about you. What have you been doing?"

"I..." She poured out everything that had happened to her since she had arrived in Kyoto... How she'd met the Shinsengumi and agreed to look after us, and how we lost the war in Kyoto and left to take refuge in Edo.

"I see... It sounds like you've gone through a lot."

"Oh, no.... It wasn't that bad."

"Chizuru...while you were in Kyoto, did you meet anyone who claimed to be a demon?"

He knew...

"Yes, I did. There were men who call themselves demons. Their names were Kazama, Amagiri, and Shiranui. Oh, and there was a woman named Sen too..."

"I see. Then one of them must have told you... I am not your real father."Kodou wasn't her biological father? If he wasn't... then who was he? "But even if you aren't my real daughter, I've always thought of you as such. In fact, I've raised you as...more than a daughter, I suppose you could say..." Then suddenly, the warmth from his voice disappeared and his hand tensed. His face...

"You see, you two are going to be those demon's wives. At first it was going to be just you who would be providing Kazama his children but then this one appeared." He turned his head and smiled a horrifying grin at me. "Now with her here too, we can bring strength back to the demon clans.

"What...?"

Did he just refer Chizuru as Kazama's wife? And did he just decide to take me and wed one of them too?

"A great war will soon consume this country. The Tokugawa shogunate will be swept away and chaos and disorder will rule Japan. While those foolish humans slaughter each other, we demons will take back what is rightfully ours! That is our purpose!"

"Where have you been?"

His mouth twisted into a wider grin and he laughed. "You haven't guessed? I was taking shelter under the wing of the domain who will rule this country in place of the Tokugawa shogunate: the Satsuma!"

No way... A chill ran down my spine and Chizuru stepped back from him.

"Now come with me! Become their wives and help us found a brave new world!"

"No! Never!" She shoved him away, took my hand and ran.

"There you are, Haruna... Did I really raise you to be this disobedient? And to forcibly take someone with you too."

Father or not, I couldn't watch anymore. I pulled out my sword and faced him.

"You dare pull our blade on me? Time to correct that oversight then. Disobedient children must be punished!" His eyes began to glow a golden light and those horrifying horns appeared on his forehead.

"Now, come with me. We are going to help Lord Kazama make a new world."

"Wh-Why...?!"

"Chizuru, run back to the Shinsengumi and get one of the captains. I will give you a few minutes."

"B-But."

"Don't worry. I can probably handle him better than you can. Lets help each other and get someone, okay?" She nodded and sprinted off and I turned back to Kodou.

"Do the horns bother you? I do have some demon blood but it's much thinner than Lord Kazama's, or yours. In fact, I was so close to being human that I might as well have not been a demon at all. But thanks to the Ochimizu, the strength of my demon blood has increased a hundredfold!"

"The Ochimizu?! You mean, you're...?" He had turned himself into a rasetsu, using the very Ochimizu the he had created?

"Now, after I punish you and take back Chizuru, we can go to Lord Kazama and his paradise!"

I swung my blade at him the moment he finished his words. The swing was accurate but my blade pierced nothing but air. I turned around immediately to find him again and swung my sword once more. Again and again, I hit nothing but air. This won't do... Will I have to transform to match his speed? I swung again but this time, he caught the sword with his bare hands and flung it away from me. Oh, no! What am I going to do? I won't be able to get fight him unless I transform!

"Haruna, get down!"