Hakuouki: Dragon Circles in Quiet Summer

Chapter 23

~~3rd POV~~

"So Sakura's fine with the whole betrothal? I was expecting you to be half dead by now." Yui smirks.

"No but she said no and that man told her they were getting married whenever she said okay."

"Then why are you grinning?" She asks confused.

"She knocked him out after yelling at him." She laughs and he feels his arm heat up. He winces when it becomes more painful. He looks over and the bracelet falls with a section burning off. He couldn't believe it.

"Sakura!" He yells as he picks up the burning bracelet. But it stops. He sighs in relief but the tears wouldn't stop. "Get the others and search for her!" He barks. "I'm going to those filthy humans."

~~~

"Where is she!? Where is my sister!?" He yell slamming open the door where everyone was gathered for lunch. Souji was there staring at his burnt bracelet. When he saw who came in he stood up.

"Does this mean she's alive or dead!?" He asked apprehensively. "Tell me!" He says shoving him backwards. But Fuyu was shocked how much he cared. He saw his red eyes and built up tears. He clenched his teeth.

"Alive. Someone must've found a way to revive her. Where. Is. She."

"She isn't here. She left after the meeting." Hijikata answers for Souji.

"Then she must be injured somewhere. I have my men looking for her. I will meet all of you back here at nightfall. Call me if you find her or have any clues."

~~~

Fuyu is out for an hour or so when he's called back. He doesn't waste any time. "Where is she?" He asks looking around but she isn't there. Everyone looks down which worries him. Souji was glaring at the ground.

"Karou came and informed us that Takeo took her. He's disowned him and is now gone. She left this." Hijikata holds up the bracelet Fuyu gave her.

"She tried to call me... I took off her bracelet for one second... And I wasn't there when she needed me..." He falls to his knees devastated.

"Agh!" Souji yells dropping the bracelet he was holding. His eyes widen as the burn begins again. Fuyu pulls his out, letting it burn his hand. It stops again.

"What's...?" They look at it confused.

"What does this mean?"

~~~

It's been almost a week and no one can find her. But still, almost everyday the bracelet burns making everyone hold their breath. The demons have tried everything but in vein. She was still out there, at least they thought. But most of the Shinsengumi were thinking she was dead and the bracelet defective.but they wouldn't admit that.

Souji was outside as usual. Kondou and everyone have tried to lighten his mood but he remained unresponsive. Most of them had accepted her death when she was taken captive but for Souji he would never accept it.

Mei felt the lost and stopped playing outside. She only trained and when she wasn't doing that she was sitting with Souji, staring at the gate hoping for her figure to appear.

The Shinsengumi was getting worried but most of all they were worried about the appearing and disappearing demons who searched her room over and over again for clues.

Souji went in out of pure nostalgia. He missed sneaking in her room so he could stop her restless sleep. He missed how she'd press her ear to his chest because only he knew that she still questioned if he and everyone else was real. He missed her. All the sides of her. He missed comforting her and making her laugh when she was down and almost shut down. He missed the way she blushed only in front of him and only acted weird with him.

He didn't care which part of her she showed him, as long as she came back, as long as she wasn't dead.

He saw all her stuff was unpacked and lined out. Countless vials, some empty, some full. Sorted papers of her countless investigations.

He moved forward when his foot got caught on the risen tatami mat. He froze. He pushed down but something was blocking it.

He went down and looked to see what was there. He was surprised to see impossibly small folded papers. Did they miss this?

He took them out and unfolded them. He sat in the corner of her room and laid out three papers. One with writhing and the two others were instructions. He read the first one.

'Someone is watching me. Someone leaves piles of cherry blossoms for me. The first I woke up with them in my mouth and hid them before Souji woke. The second was in my sash. The third was where I sat in the tree. Today i had looked away for a second. They were in my hand, all over me. It's him, I know it. On a night I worked I was followed out, two towns before I had to go back. Everyone's in danger if I stay and dead if I leave. I came in contact with him but I could not see him. He was covered and quick. In the end I was left, beaten on the ground. I don't know how long I can hide it. How long I can keep it for them before it's too late. He can strike at any moment because he has that control over me. I have to be smart but... I know he's coming. I just need to figure out when.'

She knew... He knew something was causing her to sleep and eat less and he covered it up by  joking with her during meals by stealing the food that she wouldn't eat. He asked her about it and each time she would say that she was testing her body's endurance....

He looked at the other papers. Instructions? No they were... A list of places Takeo could be and a list of how he's made his presence known to her with predictions of when he'll come.

He looked at the list of where he could be... He couldn't show the others, they had already given up. He saw Fuyu and how each time he'd appear he'd look worse each time. No, he had to see for himself.