Hakuouki: Dragon Circles in Quiet Summer

Chapter 29

There hasn't been any incidents yet. But I'm closely watched at all times. I've even caught Yamazaki watching me at late hours of the night as I sat in the trees to watch the sky.

It's been a few days since Fuyu left but now he surprises me now at breakfast. I cheer as I give him a tight embrace before taking the chest back to my spot.

"It's heavier than it looks." He says only a little annoyed.

"What's that?" Kondou asks and Fuyu sits down to wait and see what's in it.

"Some early memories I've actually loved." I say as I lifted it up in the air. I let it fall to the ground with a bang and it pops open. "I lost the key." I mumble when they eye me weirdly.

"Thankfully I didn't drop that." Fuyu says. I squeal, girlishly as I opened it up. I didn't even have to look. What I really wanted was at the vary top above the papers the concealed the inside.

"You guys can go through it!" I call as I drag Souji up.

"I can't go though it?" He pouts.

"Later!" I say as we run out the door.

When we're on the bench under the tree I turn to him. "What are you gonna do?" He asks with a grin.

"Well..." I feel myself blush a little. "Ryou and me did this thing where we promised, no matter what, to swear that we'd..." I take a deep breath. "To swear that we'd do one right thing that we'll never regret no matter what. At the time he said I was too young and I should wait until I experience something better than the shadows or jobs of protection. But he set his promise to me. He gave me this and said that he'd never regret me, not any part no matter the cost."

I open my hands to reveal a thin jade stone rectangle no longer than a pinky on a black leather necklace. On it was engraved 'promise.' "I stopped wearing it when he died but... Now I'm certain of one thing I'll never regret... You." I say and I put the necklace on him. His eyes are wide as he stares into my eyes and then to the jade pendant.

"Sakura..." He pulls me to him and gives me a slow kiss that relieved any nerves I had about giving him this.

"Does this mean you'll be my-" He begins with a grin.

"Wife makes me feel weird." I mutter with red cheeks. He looked at the necklace and ran a thumb over the inscription.

"I'll take that as a yes." He says making me roll my eyes.

"Assuming, you're assuming. And you shouldn't assume when my brother is here." I say making him laugh as he held me close to him and began to kiss me softly.

"I think we should get back. It would be awkward for Fuyu if he came out to this." I say making him sigh.

"Fine, but I'll just only annoy him a little bit." He grins. Before I can question him he has me up on his back as he ran back to the room making me laugh.

I was still laughing as he settled me down. I notice Fuyu scowl. "Sakura, these are some good drawings of you." Kondou says showing me the sketches of me doing various things like training, sitting in the tree, and other things. In the end there was a smaller portrait.

"That's Ryou and me. He was always drawing." I say with a chuckle as I remembered he was always with those pages while I trained, touching them up or creating more.

"Hey..." Heisuke says looking closely at the photo. "Isn't that the same necklace as the one in this picture?" He was unknowingly observant, surprisingly.

"This is a letter that spoke of promise with no regrets and disregard of the consequences." Saitou says holding up a folded piece of paper. I take it from him smirking as they all stared at me and him.