Once upon a dream (Hakuouki fan-fic) (Hijikata x OC)

Chapter 16

Tori's POV

*BOOM!* *Shouts* *BOOM!*

I shot up from my sleep. I was still in a confused panic as I whipped my head left and right trying to figure out the situation. 'Cannon fire?' I wondered. 'Oh! Cannon fire!' I realized quickly. "How you feeling, Tori?" Sanosuke asked out of nowhere. 'What? Why is he asking that? We have more important things to worry about' "Uhm fine" I answered slowly. He half smiled. "Alright good, we gotta go" He said simply. He helped pulled me to my feet after fixing his clothes, which I noticed were slightly messed up. 'Wait...Had I been sleeping on his lap?' "Let's go!" He ushered both Chizuru and I. Shaking the odd thought out of my head, we both nodded and scattered quickly behind Sanosuke to find the other Captains.

When Chizuru and I finally caught up to the gathered Captains we were suddenly called to a halt. "Wait there Shinsengumi!" Said one of the Aizu soldiers. We all turned to look back at him. "We were ordered to stay on standby" He continued. 'Ooooh this is my favourite part' I mentally fangirled while anticipating Hijikata's response. As if on cue, he whipped his head around to glare at the soldier. "We're on standby to provide needed support when those Choshu bastards launch an attack" Hijikata's words gave me chills. His voice was so deep and husky. Don't even fight me it's true.

"But the order to move hasn't been given yet" The soldier argued. I scoffed at how pathetic he sounded. "This is why you're reserves" I thought judgmentally. Everyone's attention turned to me. "O-oh shit did I say that out loud?" I stuttered in embarrassment. I got a blank stare from Hijikata. Was he going to continue or let everyone stare at me weirdly?. "Floor's yours" Shinpachi chuckled nudging me forward. I stumbled forward nervously, swallowing a lump that had formed in my throat. I took a deep breath preparing my words. I squared my shoulders and held my head up confidently. "When conflict arises there are 3 human instincts. Fight. Flight or Freeze. You, Samurai, are only trained to do 1 of those things, sitting around doing nothing or running home to Mom are not options" I voiced toughly. I was fairly confident in my words and I'd stick to 'em. The soldiers seemed taken aback by my boldness, they looked to Hijikata as if to see if he'd A) Agree with me or B) Scold me for speaking out of line. However, they didn't fully realize that I was not held back by those restraints as most women were.

Hijikata simply narrowed his eyes back at the soldiers. "That being said. If you have even a shred of pride in your job you pricks will stop talking about orders and do something!" The growl that left his lips was beyond sexy. 'I love it when he's in charge. Uhg..' I groaned dreamily. Immediately after the words left his mouth he turned on his heel and sprinted off to catch up with the rest of us as we took off in the direction of Hamaguri gate. He hadn't been the far behind and Chizuru and I were slower due to being shorter and having less stamina than the men so he caught up to us in no time. "Well said" I praised. He spared me a glance. "You should learn to keep your mouth shut" 'ouch' I winced at his cold words, my shoulders shrunk back. "However..." He continued. His tone was slightly warmer than before. "...I found your words of bravery enlightening" I brightened up at his words. "Really!?" He didn't reply but I was still ecstatic. He actually thought what I said was cool. "Fight. Flight or Freeze" He mumbled to himself under his breath. "I'll have to remember that" He muttered leaving me to join Kondou-san up front. I inwardly squealed.

"Stay back!" I was suddenly stopped by the force of someone's arm coming out to stop me. "It was a Shinsengumi soldier, one of Saito's. I moved to question his reasoning but when I peeked ahead I saw trails of blood. My eyes followed the trails which lead to puddles which lead to bodies. My eyes went wide and I heard Chizuru gasp next to me. The both of us huddled together like scared children. *Cough* I'm not a child *Cough* We watched as the captains and their men surveyed the area and its damage. They concluded it was safe, the enemy was no longer in the area. Dead or injured Satsuma and Aizu soldiers littered the area around the gate. Cannons weres scattered and there were gunshot holes littered across the scene. Hijikata nodded to Sanosuke and Saito to split up and gather information. The two of them quickly took off in different directions. "...Still...To think they'd raid the emperor's palace. Just what are those Choshu bastards thinking?" Kondou-San voiced. If you asked me, his question was rhetorical but it didn't stop Inoue from giving him a reply. "Don't ask me, Sir...If they would go this far-" There wasn't a need to finish his sentence, we all pretty much understood. The Choshu were waaaaay out of line on this one.