Hakuouki: Dragon Circles in Quiet Summer

Chapter 21

I wake up still tired but maybe that was everyday. I think I've just gotten use to that feeling that I can't tell anymore. I don't care to wonder the time of day as I curl up again.

"You've slept the day away, you know." I hear Souji says. I feel a hand brush my cheek.

"That means I'm stressed." I mumble making him laugh. "Shut up." I mumble grabbing his arm and pulling it around me as I laid my head against his chest.

"You're not going to get up?" He asks. I hear his grin.

"Are you going to make me?" He pauses.

"Well everyone's wondering when to get you. They know how you get when your sleepy."

"Fine..." I yawn sitting up. I notice my hair is down and sash is missing with its contents.

"It's in your room. I took them off last night."

"Pervert." I mumble as I stretch. He laughs as I run my hands through my hair. "I'm taking it easy today. Tell Hijikata I'll ignore him if he tries to get me to do something." He just continues laughing as I make my way out.

~~~

I was cleaned up and drinking tea on the stairs. "Mind if I join you?" Kondou asks but sits down without waiting for an answer.

"How are you doing?" I shrug.

"I just... I feel like every challenge we face is a result of me being here. I know it would be stupid to leave but isn't it stupid to stay?"

"Sakura, in all this you still forget the reason why whatever happens, doesn't matter." I look to him. "You're part of the Shinsengumi. So weather it's your fault or not, we have to deal with it together. You can't just keep protecting us." I grin.

"I could but I don't know how not to blame myself. I don't know how to stop protecting all of you." I whisper.

"Sakura, can I ask you a question?" I nod. "Do you trust us to make our own decisions? Do you trust us with our own lives?" His questions surprise me to the point that I almost drop the cup.

"W-what made you think that?" I ask.

"Could you answer it first?" I squirm for a second.

"No. Not to a serious extent but for minor things. Defiantly not with your lives." I say honestly making his eyes wide .

"Why?" I sigh leaning against the wooden beam.

"That's a complicated answer... Well I guess you can say that everyone who I let make their own decisions died. Whenever I try to trust someone's decision when it counts they always end up dying. I swore to protect him... But he told me if I respected him even in the slightest, that I had to stay away and wait for him. Ryou... He heard there was a fury army coming for me and he insisted I stay back and to let him fight. It was the wrong call. He ended up dead. I don't want that to happen to you guys."

He smiles patting my shoulder. "We can handle ourselves Sakura. Thanks to you we've learned many things and skills to help us. I am not saying that we don't need you but I want you to live so you can have a good life. Don't throw it away on an old man." He says making me laugh.

"Ha! Don't expect me to say, 'I'm pregnant,' anytime soon." We both laugh hard.

"What about you and Souji? I would never expect you two to-" I laugh.

"Fall in love with your former master and you're stuck to him. Can't believe it. Kids. We were only kids when we met." He nods.

"Yeah, but he's a good man. He'll treat you well." 

"I know. I'd beat him up if he didn't." I say making him laugh. "I'm glad I talked to you. It's been forever since we had these kinds of talks." He nods and we begin to talk about the stories of the past of when I was just a little girl in his dojo.

~~~

At lunch it's tensely quiet. Kondou, Souji and I notice. "What's with all the quiet?" Souji finally asks. Mei was quiet and kept her distance but even she seemed to have a new source of anxiety.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Kondou asks. They all fidget around. Even Saitou, Hijikata and Sannan.

"Okay, this is weird. Wait, is it a secret? What is it?" I ask.

"It is a secret but... You should know it..." Hijikata confirms.

"Um, okay than... Souji, Kondou. This is weird. Souji, do you know?"

"Nope." He shrugs equally confused. Heisuke begins to fidget and shake until he finally explodes.

"Just tell us because we already know!" He yells at me.

"What?" I ask extremely confused.

"And Souji deserves to know!" He yells at me.

"Heisuke, she'll tell him when she's ready." Sano advise.

"What are you talking about!?" I was getting frustrated.

"What are you hiding from me?" Souji asks grinning. I shrug.

"I don't know. What am I hiding from him?" I ask Heisuke with a raised eyebrow.

"You're pregnant!" My eyes almost pop out out of my eyes and my mouth drops open.

"W-what!?" Souji and I scream at the same time.

"Sakura... I thought you were joking..." Kondou says worriedly.

"I was!"

"No, I heard you tell Kondou-San that you were pregnant." Heisuke says and my mouth drops open.

"I was joking! I was saying I was too young to have kids!" He freezes and everyone turns to him with narrowed eyes.

"O-Oh... I might've missed that part." He chuckles but the silence is thick. It finally breaks as soon as I punch him. "Don't assume things, you idiot!" I go to sit back down.

"So you're not pregnant?" Hijikata asks.

"I. Am. Not. Pregnant." I say annoyed.

"Are you sure?" His question makes my eyes widen as well as everyone else's and they all turn to me. I feel my cheeks redden.

"I'm sure! Yep, I'm not pregnant. Let's get off this subject and drop it forever." I say in a quick voice extremely uncomfortable.

"Well have you and Souji-" Sano begins, trying to clear up the mess.

"Shut up! I am not pregnant and that's all you need to know, nothing else."

"Well..." Souji begins with a teasing grin and I am so quick to punch him.

"Shut up! I will literally beat all of you up and throw you out on the streets of you don't stop this." I rub my temples.

"Sakura... I... I contacted your brother about this." Hijikata says.

"What!? Why would you tell him that!? You guys are worse gossipers than geishas! I swear!" Suddenly my whole clan is in the middle of the room.

"We have heard the news." Fuyu says barley keeping his temper.

"I'm not pregnant!" I yell.

"It was a misunderstanding." Hijikata explain.

"Really?" They ask relieved.

"Yes!" I yell and Fuyu hugs me.

"Thank goodness." But then he suddenly pulls back. "I need to know what you've been doing with this human." He says making my cheeks redden.

"That's none of your business! All of you leave-!" The other demons arrive.

"Yo, we heard about the-" Kyo begins.

"I'm not pregnant! How many people did all of you tell!? Just... I hate you Heisuke!"