Hakuouki: Demons Within

薄桜鬼9

薄桜鬼9

T H R E E M O N T H S L A T E R

I had grown very accustomed to living here, and thought nothing of my other home. I became close friends with everyone, and loved helping cook meals and clean the headquarters. Then again, I helped out wherever I could. I learned about the furies within the Shinsengumi, and the pains they face daily. It saddened me to know the very sun caused them harm, and that the thirst for human blood was so unbearable at certain times. Also, tensions between Heisuke and Okita began to rise.

I was out in the courtyard with Heisuke, sitting beside him on the bench.

"So...are you worried? About the other furies, I mean." He asked, staring at the sky.

"I suppose a little bit... As long as we kill them there's not much to fear."

"But they're so many of them lately...ever wonder where they're coming from?"

"I do sometimes, I'm too focused on not getting bit and staying alive though. This... And an oncoming war isn't a good combination."

"Yeah, I hear ya." We both sighed.

"Well we should probably get to our posts." I reminded, standing up.

"Yeah. Talk to you later, Kaori!" Heisuke said as he ran through the gate. I smiled and walked towards the back gate to my post. I was to check the belongings of travelers and report any suspicious items.

As usual, my post was busy during the fall. People were rushing in and out before the cold crept in, and tried to gather goods for the hunting season. An old woman came up to me smiling, and handed me her bag. I smiled and gently prodded through her belongings, and then gave it back to her.

"All clear!" I said, allowing her to pass. The man behind her wasn't as pleasant. He tried to walk right through the checkpoint.

"Sir!" I yelled, stomping after him. I grabbed his shoulder, but instead of yielding he pushed me aside and yelled, then began to run. I blew the whistle for Heisuke to leave Harada's post and come help me with mine. We decided to split his unit on alternate days, and that's what we've done. I darted after the man, slowly gaining on him until I was close enough to pounce. I hit my head on a rock and it began to bleed, but it didn't stop me. The man squirmed beneath me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold him long. Luckily, Heisuke's men came up from behind me and detained the man for disobeying rules. A few hours later, my shift was over.

"So what happened there?" Heisuke later asked me.

"Some guy chose not to follow the rules and trued to bypass the checkpoint." Heisuke laughed.

"What an idiot." I rolled my eyes.

"I know." I agreed with him. We walked over to the well to cleanse our faces and joined the rest of the off duty Shinsengumi members for dinner. Heisuke sat and held an open mouth grin, then practically inhaled the food. I laughed and slowly began to eat my noodles. I didn't hear the sound of Heisuke's noisy slurping and looked up to check on him. He had a strange look on his face, and stopped eating. With a full mouth, he said:

"This tastes....reaaaallllyyy salty." His face twisted, and he ran out of the room to spit it out and came back in with a sad face.

"Hahaha! Maybe cuz you stuffed your face too fast Heisuke!" Nagakura joked. Heisuke frowned.

"It was one of my favorite dishes..."

"Just rinse it off." Saito stated coolly. Heisuke brightened up again and ran off with his bowl. Okita sat silently in the corner of the room, slurping his noodles down with practically no sound. He seemed upset. Normally he would have teased Heisuke, or made some sort of wise crack. But instead, he sat emotionlessly in a corner. Saito finished and left his dishes on the floor for me to clean. It was a job of mine. Right as Nagakura got up to leave, Heisuke walked in while inhaling his noodles again. The obnoxious slurps he made were hilarious, I couldn't help myself from laughing. Okita and Nagakura glanced at me as if I were crazy, and at that time I probably looked like I was. Nagakura smiled and left. Heisuke finished his bowl with a satisfied breath and set it down.

"Thanks for the meal!" He smiled, then went to catch up with Nagakura. I did agree with Heisuke- the noodles were very salty. Now it was just me and Okita.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked. He turned to look at me.

"Yes. Why?" He answered rather defensively.

"You seem sad. Or maybe... Is it getting worse?" I questioned, my voice full of concern. He glared at me.

"No, I'm fine." He spit. He left his cup in the room and rushed out. I finished my meal alone, and solemnly wondered just what he was going through. I went to my room for the night, but just couldn't get him out of my head.