She Played The Flute[Hijikata Toushiro x OC]

Chapter 1: How It All Began

Nine year old Fujioka Ryoko had only drifted off to sleep when a loud crash from outside her bedroom had woken her up with a start. She sat upright and perked her ears, her heart banging against her chest. She climbed out of her futon and made her way to the shoji door. She rested her hand on it, getting ready to slide it open when she heard hushed voices from the other side. Unfamiliar voices. She froze.

"Did someone perhaps break in?" she thought, praying she was wrong. After all, her family was the wealthiest in the area and there had been cases when people were caught trying to break in but they would always get caught by the servants before they actually managed to step into the house and take anything. She was about to slowly slide the door open and peak out through the little gap when she heard her father yelling before there came a sound like a cry of pain followed by a blooding curling scream from which she recognized came from her mother and then another loud crash, louder than before.

Without thinking, she slid the door open with so much force it nearly came off its hinges and felt her blood turn cold. Her father on the floor, his stomach cut open. Her mother, with her upper body leaning against the wall, her head bloody and her newly bought white Yukata doused crimson with blood while a large broken antique vase laid beside her. It's pieces strewn across the floor. Both her parents lifeless like ragged dolls with their blood splattered across the walls. She began trembling, feeling sick. She took a step forward, about to run to her parents' bodies when something wrapped around her ankle.

She let out a loud gasp, nearly screaming in shock once she looked down: It was one of the servants. She was missing an ear and her clothes were painted red. She looked up at Ryoko with with one eye for the other had been sliced across. Her body was stacked on top of two other servants, their faces mutilated to the point where Ryoko almost couldn't recognize them. Those two were clearly dead.

"Ryoko-sama ..." the surviving servant spoke weakly, as her bloodied hands clasped around her leg. "Run ..."

Ryoko slapped a hand over her mouth, and began trembling while her chest felt constricted. She bent down and clasped the servants hand to her chest shakily, wanting to talk. She wanted to say something that would stop the servant from meeting death but her voice couldn't work.

"Ryoko-sama ... I'm sorry we couldn't protect your parents ..." the servant let out a shuddering breath and her hand slipped out of Ryoko's before falling on the floor. She too,  joined death that night.

"Oi, look. There's a kid."

Ryoko took in a sharp breath once five fully grown men emerged from her parents' room, all of them with knives, all coated with blood.

Ryoko stared at the scene in front of her, her eyes moving from one person to another and when she could finally comprehend what had occurred, she nearly let out a scream when someone grabbed her hand and dragged her into her room and locked the door. She squinted in the dark.

A tall, maroon-haired teenage boy with dark eyes. Her family had taken him in 4 years ago when Ryoko had found him at the side of the street near her house during a a cold winter's night. He had been living with his aunt until she had passed away due to illness. Ryoko had brought him to her house and from them on, she and her parents had treated him like family even though he took up the role to serve Ryoko.

"K-Kaito ... my parents - they -" she struggled to speak as her chest felt suffocated.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, his face pale. "Ryoko-sama, calm down. Calm down." Ryoko could clearly tell he was directing it to himself as well. "Don't make a single sound." he held her hand and pulled her over to her large wardrobe, slid it open and gently pushed her inside. He smiled guiltily. "Sorry. I know you don't like small spaces but please put up with it for now." He was about to slide it close when she stopped him by grabbing his wrist. "Ryoko-sama? What's wrong?"

"Where are you going?" she asked. Her eyes wet with tears. She hadn't realised she was crying. "Aren't you going to hide in here with me?"

He bit his lip and pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "I have to make sure you don't get hurt."

"What are you talking about?" She pulled away and only then did she notice the katana strapped to his waist. She stared at him with large, hollow eyes. "What are you doing with that?"

"I can't let them hurt you -"

"Oiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" A voice from one of the men outside sang out. "Why don't you kids come out and play with us?"

Ryoko's eyes landed on the door in worry before turning back to Kaito. "I won't let you."

"Ryoko-sama!"

"You said you would listen to everything I tell you to do!" she said sharply. "I won't allow you -"

"I'll return. I promise." He held out his pinky.

She stared at it and slowly brought out her own. This was something they always did. Every time he promised he'd do something, they made a promise through the one finger. Not once had he ever broken a promise.

They hooked pinkies.

He slowly pushed her further back into the wardrobe and slid it shut. Ryoko could hear him leave the room. But after that, nothing was heard. It was dark in her wardrobe and she felt like she was being cut off from the rest of the world. She prayed and prayed that Kaito would return and that even though she'd lost her parents, she'd still have Kaito with her. She tried telling herself not to worry about him. She expected him to come back with mostly just a few scratches. He had trained under her father who was an excellent swordsman after all.

Her wardrobe door slid open abruptly and she let out a loud gasp. A tall, handsome man stood  over her with a twisted smile. She noticed there was something large at his feet. It moved.

She shrieked once she noticed it was a person. Blood dripping from his head and a large gash across his shoulder. She jumped out of the wardrobe and knelt down right beside.

"Kaito ..." she whimpered, wanting to wrap her arms around him but was afraid she'd hurt him more.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko-sama." He croaked, dropping his head in shame. " I couldn't protect you -"

"How touching." Another man stood by the doorway, his face scarred and his head completely bald. "Don't worry. You'll both be heading to the same place after this. You should be thankful."

And before Ryoko could retort, she felt something hit the back of her head. She blacked out.

HIJIKATA TOUSHIRO

Hijikata Toushiro was beginning to regret taking his usual night stroll around town. The bitter cold bit his nose and made his fingers go numb. He buried his face deep into his scarf as he made his way back to the dojo that he currently lived in. He blinked continuously as the cold made his eyes go dry.

He enjoyed his walks at night where there wouldn't be as many people as compared to the day. Of course, no matter how much he liked the company of the man whom he greatly respected - Kondo Isao, he enjoyed some peace and quiet from time to time.

He quickened his pace, hoping the cold would go down a little when he noticed a small figure from the other end of the road. He squinted to get a better view.

He stopped in his tracks once he realized the figure belonged to a young girl with pale blonde hair. He was about to call out to them when they collapsed right on the spot.

"Oi!" he ran over to the child and knelt down beside them. Without thinking, he grabbed the limp body and began shaking it. He noticed the thin layer of clothing she wore had holes in them. There were bruises all over her body as well a swollen ankle. "Oi, wake up!"

She shivered against his body. "Please ... help ..." she said weakly, trying to keep her eyes open.

He put a hand against cheek and winced. She was freezing.

He picked her up, removing his scarf from himself and wrapped it around the girl before running back to the dojo, forgetting all about the cold.