Chiyeko has admired the Shinsengumi ever since she first heard of them. So when a trip to Kyoto goes wrong and causes her to cross paths with her heroes multiple times, how will she react?
This trip to Kyoto throws the peaceful life of Chiyeko into...
It's cold...The unnatural temperature of my room woke me up. I sat up and saw that my outer door was open. I quickly scrambled to my feet and grabbed Aka Tatsu before looking around my room. I relaxed when I found it empty. Well, whoever was here is long gone now...I sheathed Aka Tatsu before closing the door. As I went to put my sword back by my desk, I noticed a piece of paper atop it that wasn't there before I fell asleep for the day. "What's this...?" I put down Aka Tatsu and picked up the paper. It was blank on the side that was facing me, but no one would purposely place a blank piece of paper on my desk so I turned it over. There I saw a short message written in a style familiar to me;
Chiyeko, Tonight meet me in the abandoned castle deep within the forest. It's time to make a decision. Chikage
"It's time to make a decision...? Wait...!" He must be talking about that offer he made me a month ago! "So he finally wants an answer..." There was a knock at my door and I went over to open it. "Oh, hey Heisuke" "Hey Chiyeko, what's that in your hand?" "A message. Chikage wants to meet me in some old abandoned castle in the forest tonight" "Why?" "He wants my answer to his offer" "Oh, well let's not keep him waiting" "You willingly want to see my brother? Are you sure you're the real Toudou Heisuke?" I teased causing Heisuke to roll his eyes. "I get it, we don't get along. But I'm not letting you go into a forest at night by yourself. Since, if you remember, there is someone trying to kill you. Plus the Imperial Army is still around" "Mhm, fair points" "Come on then, let's go" Heisuke grabbed my arm to pull me out of my room, but I quickly pulled back which caused him to stop and look at me confused. "Nani?" "In case you haven't realised-which I'm pretty sure you haven't-I'm still in my sleeping kimono" "Ah...right..." He scratched his nose awkwardly as he let me go. "I'll just let you get changed now..." "Arigato" I closed my door and quickly changed before letting my hair down and grabbing Aka Tatsu. I then opened the door and joined Heisuke outside my room. "Now we can go" After briefly informing Hijikata-san that we were meeting someone, we left our headquarters and headed into the forest. "Can't say I'm thrilled to be here again. Nothing, but bad memories in this forest" "Please don't remind me, I've purposely been trying to push everything that happened here to the back of my mind" "Oh, gomen..." "Don't worry Heisuke, it's not your fault. It's only natural to want to voice your displeasure at something you don't like. Minna does it" "True, but-" "But nothing! Now let's go find this castle Chikage's talking about" "Wait, you don't know where it is?" "Why would I? I've only ever lived in one castle and it's nowhere near here. And besides, I've only been in this forest twice. Against my will I might add" "Well, that's true...But then why does he want to meet you there?" "Beats me. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say because it's isolated and abandoned. That means that we won't be interrupted, whether it's accidental or on purpose" "Kazama sure is strange" "Where do you think I get my strangeness from?" "Sometimes I forget you're related to that annoying little-!" "Watch it Heisuke" I warned. "He is my brother and I won't take kindly to you insulting him" "Gomen..." "Apology accepted. Now let's get searching!"
After twenty minutes, we finally came across the castle Chikage wanted to meet in. "Wow, that is a really old castle" The walls of the long abandoned castle were covered in moss and had vines growing on and around it. "How'd he even find this place?" "My brother is extremely resourceful" "Well there's no point standing around out here" "Right you are Heisuke, let's go in then" We stepped into the castle and wandered around until we found the common room which is where we also found Chikage. "Chiyeko, I've given you a month to think my offer over. I'd like an answer now" I already knew my answer long before I had come here. My place is having loads of crazy adventures with the man I love by my side, not giving up and living peacefully with Chikage. "I appreciate the offer Chikage, I really do, but...I'm gonna have to turn you down. Gomenasai" "Turn me down...? Gomen, but I can't accept that. The Shinsengumi have caused you nothing, but pain Chiyeko! I'll be taking you whether you like it or not" "What happened to respecting my wishes?!" "I am only doing what is best for you, even if you can't currently see that" "What are you talking about? The Shinsengumi haven't caused her pain! She loves working with us!" "The Shinsengumi haven't caused her pain? Clearly, you're more dense than I first thought" "Nani?!" "How many times has Chiyeko gotten hurt because she fought in battles with you?! How many times has Chiyeko nearly died because the Shinsengumi couldn't protect her?!" "Chikage please stop, I-" "I will not stop Chiyeko. This imbecile cannot keep you safe" "I've protected her plenty of times!" "Really? Because she's even experienced pain that was caused by you!" "I have never-!" Heisuke tried to argue against this, but Chikage wasn't about to let him. "You've caused her various types of pain! You are the one who introduced her to the Shinsengumi which got her hurt many times! You are the one who left her for those Guardian fools and caused her emotional pain!" "That's..." Heisuke had no comeback to Chikage's exclamations. "You are the one who continued to fight in that burning building when my sister was begging you to stop and leave!" "I..." Heisuke fell silent and had a look of guilt on his face. How does Chikage know about the Guardians? He wasn't even with me for that event. "I will be taking her" "I want to stay with Heisuke! Why can't you just accept that?!" "Because as your elder brother, I know what's best for you. He doesn't care about you like I do" His lack of concern for what was important to me felt like an insult and I began to grow angry, but before I could lash out at Chikage, Heisuke took a step forward. "I may have hurt Chiyeko many times. I may be the reason she's a fury now. And yeah, I may fail to protect her sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her. So don't you dare say that! I have and will always love Chiyeko!" Heisuke drew his sword and took up an offensive stance. "And that's why I will never let you or anyone take her away from me!" "Heisuke..." His passionate declaration of his love for me caused me to blush and a warm feeling to bloom in my chest. "If that is the way you want it then I will take her by force" "I'd like to see you try" Heisuke charged towards Chikage with his sword raised. Chikage lifted his sword to block. Their swords clashed loudly which emitted a metallic echo that resonated through the room. "You won't win this fight" "I can do anything I set my mind to and right now it's set on beating your ass!" "How baka can you be?" "Damare!" They glared at each other as they spoke. Chikage jumped back from Heisuke and quickly followed up with a heavy swing of his sword. Heisuke gritted his teeth as he countered Chikage's attack. He then glared at Chikage as he lightly parried his second strike. "You forcing her to live a secluded lifestyle will only make her suffer!" Heisuke yelled as he brought his sword down sharply. "I will give her anything her heart desires, I will make her happy!" Chikage blocked Heisuke's attack easily. Heisuke's managing to match Chikage's fighting ability...! I believed in Heisuke, but Chikage had been using a sword longer than Heisuke had been using one. It was clear who was more superior when it came to sword fighting, yet Heisuke kept on fighting. You can do it Heisuke! As their swords exchanged blows, Chikage looked over at me with a smile full of confidence. Only Chikage can be so confident in the midst of battle...Their fight had become a much more serious one, their swords clashing countless times. "You're only delaying the inevitable Kazama! Because if you really knew your sister then you'd know that no matter who wins this fight, she's gonna do what she wants to do!" Heisuke pointed out as he parried Chikage's blade again. "What are you saying?!" "I'm saying that you don't deserve to take your sister away!" He declared rather harshly. Heisuke, you're pretty brave to insult Chikage like that...You better win this... "Nani?! How dare you?!" Chikage's expression lost its arrogance and confidence. "Gomen, but it's true! Chiyeko loves me and if you really wanted what's best for her, then you'd let her be with me. The man she loves with all her heart!" Heisuke... "You do not know anything!" Chikage's expression was now one full of anger. He put more strength behind his attacks and it wasn't long before Heisuke was put on the defensive. Eventually, Chikage swung his sword down swiftly not giving Heisuke enough time to dodge his attack. "Oh no!" I exclaimed reflexively. Heisuke's katana blocked Chikage's blow, but only by the skin of his teeth. Chikage's sword was dangerously close to Heisuke's face. Heisuke let out a grunt of frustration as he kept my brother's sword at bay, but I could see that he was struggling which caused me to call his name out of worry; "Heisuke!" Chikage looked at Heisuke, the confident smile back on his face. "If your strength lessens even by a fraction, my sword will stab you right through your head..." "Tch...!" "Chikage, please stop this!" Unfortunately, my desperate plea was ignored. "This is the end for you! Die!" "Iieeeeeee!!!" Heisuke! I reached a hand out towards the two, strongly wishing that I could save Heisuke. That's when it happened. Blue and purple strips of light began to circle around me. I felt strength swiftly building up within me, but along with that strength came a strange and hot feeling. My body felt heavier than usual and my legs began to shake. "Chiyeko...!?" Heisuke exclaimed out of shock. A sudden wind whipped up around me and spread outward, causing both Heisuke's and Chikage's clothes and hair to flap in the wind. Whatever was going on, it caused Chikage to lower his sword. Both men stared at me with their eyes wide open. "Chiyeko, you're..." "It seems you've awakened your demon powers" Chikage stated with mixed emotions on his face. "Nani...? My demon powers...?" Just then, my body became unbearably heavy and I could no longer remain standing. In addition to that, my temperature became much higher, causing me to begin to burn up. "What's...happening...?" I collapsed on the spot. "Chiyeko?!" Heisuke tried to run to me, but Chikage held him back. Heisuke...I tried getting myself up, but my body's temperature had me in a daze and I quickly found that I couldn't move on my own. "I suspect her body is reacting in this way because she is a fury now. The Water of Life running through her veins is most likely being fought against by her demon blood which is why she can't move" Chikage explained with a hint of sadness mixed in with the anger in his voice. "Once her body completely accepts the Water of Life, she should be able to use her demon form freely with no restrictions" "I don't care about that stuff! She needs me!" "You cannot do anything to help her. This is something only her body can rectify" "God, you're so annoying! If Chiyeko is in pain the least I can do is comfort her! But it looks like I'll have to defeat you first!" Heisuke glared at Chikage as he quickly adjusted his stance. "In your dreams" "Uagh...!" I let out a cry of pain. Damnit...! My body won't listen to what my brain is telling it to do...If only I could get my body to accept the Water of Life...that way my demon blood would stop fighting against it and I could help Heisuke... "Chiyeko, you should rest while your body is rejecting the changes the Water of Life brings" Rest...? Rest where? "There's a room in this castle that is not as rundown as the rest, let me take you there" "As if I'd let you do that! You'll probably just run off with her!" Chikage began to approach me, but surprisingly Heisuke made it to me faster. "Chiyeko, daijōbu?" Heisuke gently spoke to me as he held me close to him. "As long as you're with me, I'm fine...Heisuke..." I smiled weakly. "Chiyeko..." Heisuke stared at me for a few seconds before bringing me into a gentle embrace. "It makes me happy to hear ya say that, but don't hesitate to tell me if you need a little help" "Hehe...I'm glad you're with me Heisuke..." I quietly giggled. "Ahh...!" For some reason, pain was beginning to blossom in my heart. "Ittai...yo..." "Chiyeko, what's wrong?!" Since I couldn't move, I was unable to show Heisuke where the pain was. I guess it was lucky that I could still move my mouth in the way that I wanted to. "My heart...ittai-yo..." "...Gomenasai Chiyeko. If I didn't worry you so much then this wouldn't have happened..." "It's my job to worry about my boyfriend...so it's okay..." "Trust you to say something like that" Heisuke chuckled. "You know me well..." I chuckled back. "Now go...and lose this fight..." "Hey!" "I'm kidding...Do your best Heisuke..." "When it comes to you, I'll always do my best" He kissed me softly before letting me go and standing to face my brother. "Well Kazama, are you ready to finish this? Because I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible to let Chiyeko rest" Oh Heisuke... "What are you spouting now? Looking after Chiyeko is my role" They silently glared at each other for a few moments before they both transformed. Heisuke into his fury form and Chikage into his demon form. Their battle had now escalated into a far more intense one. "You cannot best me fake, just give up and let Chiyeko come with me" "How many times do I have to repeat myself? There is no way I'm letting you take Chiyeko away from me! So why don't you take your own advice and give up!" "Save your delusions for your dreams. You are the one who needs to give up" They both took a step back and squared off against each other. Their blades clashed repeatedly as they glared intensely at the other. Their battle is so intense...! I can't take my eyes off of them...! "You really don't know when to give up, do you?!" Heisuke yelled through gritted teeth. "The same could be said for you!" Time passed and neither showed signs of exhaustion or fatigue. This could go on forever...! I noticed that the more their swords collided, the more they avoided using their swords to block. Their swords would get stuck in walls or would sharply slide across the pillars which obviously wasn't good for a castle this ancient. A cloud of dust floated down from the ceiling paired with gravel and pebbles which rained down on us. I closed my eyes to protect them from the dust and coughed as said dust entered my throat. At this rate, the castle may expire before their fight does...! I opened my eyes and watched them fight once again. They're fighting so intensely and here I am, unable to move an inch...I felt extremely annoyed with my body. However, my thoughts soon turned to Heisuke and I started to worry about him. Although, he had been able to keep up with Chikage's fighting ability thus far...It won't be long before he begins to tire...Though, it seemed that he was not the one I had to be worrying about as eventually, the relentless tremors caused the castle pillars to fall one after another and the ground beneath my feet to crumble. "Nani...?" As I was still being burned up by my blood fighting the Water of Life, I couldn't move at all. I knew it! The castle's beginning to collapse...! Suddenly, the pillar closest to where I had collapsed began to fall in my direction. Oh no! It's going to crush me! I tried screaming for help, but my inner battle had left me with no strength and only a groan escaped my lips. I don't want to be squished! Someone help! As if hearing my thoughts, Heisuke turned towards me and his eyes widened. "Chiyeko!" Heisuke's exclamation gained Chikage's attention who also looked in my direction with wide eyes. Along with the pillars crumbling, the foundation of the castle itself began to collapse and joined the gravel that was raining down from the ceiling. The walls also began to fall inwards and our surroundings were covered in a large cloud of dust. The pillar continued to fall and I closed my eyes tightly. However, I felt no crushing pain. "Daijōbu?!" Two voices simultaneously asked. I opened my eyes and gasped. "You guys..." Chikage had stopped the pillar's descent and Heisuke was shielding me with his body. They had worked together to save me just before the pillar collided with me. "You saved me...both of you..." Heisuke and Chikage exchanged glances at my words. "Thanks to the two of you...I'm just fine..." I smiled. "Wait a moment while I move this pillar out of the way" Saying that, Chikage carefully got rid of the pillar. While he was doing that, Heisuke questioned me with a voice full of worry; "You didn't get hurt, did you?" "I'm fine Heisuke, really...You guys intervened before I could get hurt..." "That's good to hear" Heisuke let out a sigh of relief. "My body is very hot though and I still can't move..." I complained. "It'll take longer than that for your body to accept such an alarming change" Chikage stated as he joined us again. "I know, it's just frustrating-!" I stopped talking as I noticed the castle was swaying. "The castle...!" "The castle won't stand for much longer, take Chiyeko and get out of here. Quickly" "Leave it to me! Hold on tight Chiyeko, alright?" Heisuke scooped me up and I tried to wrap my arms around his neck, but then remembered that I couldn't move. "I can't..." "Oh yeah...Then I'll just have to be extra careful with ya, won't I?" Heisuke grinned before running out of the common room with Chikage. Heisuke carried me carefully as Chikage led the way through the collapsing halls of the old castle. We dodged falling pillars and other parts of the building as we ran towards the entrance. The moment we made it outside, the castle collapsed in on itself and a tall ring of dust escaped the now ruined building. We coughed as it swiftly passed us. When the dust settled, I took a deep breath of fresh air. "That was a close one" Heisuke stated looking a little spooked. I don't blame him, we were so close to being crushed underneath all that rubble. "It's okay Heisuke" I tightly hugged him as he carried me. "We're all okay" "You're right...I'm glad you're safe Chiyeko" Heisuke hugged me back as he smiled, relieved. "I'm glad you're safe too...Heisuke" The Water of Life was still not used to my demon form causing me to smile with a gasp. At least I can move a bit now..."I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the only one who was...safe. Without you Heisuke, I-" "It's okay Chiyeko, I feel exactly the same. Without you, I'd never feel the same again" Heisuke lowered my feet onto the ground, but kept a strong, supporting grip around my shoulders. "Chiyeko, you make me stronger and bring me unbelievable happiness. I never want to lose that" "Same here, you get me through things I wouldn't be able to get through on my own and I don't think I'd ever feel happy again if you left me..." "It's a good thing I don't plan on leaving you then, isn't it?" Heisuke's kind smile warmed my heart. "It seems you're happier with Toudou now...You've grown up so fast and no longer need your big brother. I'll be going now" Having watched the scene between Heisuke and myself, Chikage muttered before turning to leave. Chikage... "...Kazama" "Do not worry yourself. I have no intent of defying my sister's wishes any longer" He said this without turning around. He then began to walk off. "Wait...!" He stooped, but didn't turn around. I stumbled over to Chikage and wrapped my arms around him. I leaned the side of my face into his back and closed my eyes, to hold back the tears.
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I don't want to lose anymore family..."So because I'm happy with Heisuke, that means I don't need my brother in my life? Well, you're dead wrong about that..." I tightened my hold around him. "I do need you Kage...You're my family and I can't lose another person important to me..." I choked back a sob and tightened my hold around him even further. "I just can't..." I heard Chikage let out a gasp before he sighed. He pushed my hands away and turned around to wrap his own arms around me. "Gomenasai Yeko..." He stroked my hair and held some of it up. I saw that it was back to its original blonde colour. "You're right, I can't leave you yet. And even though I'm not happy with your choice of partner, know that I support your decision" "Arigato Chikage..." "You should go back before your Commander gets suspicious" "Alright" We released each other and I smiled happily. "I'll see you around Chikage" "Hai, I'll see you later" Chikage walked deeper into the forest and we walked back the way we came. Be safe brother...
DISCLAIMER: SOME lines or scenes MAY have been taken or adapted from Hakuōki/Hakuouki: Memories of the Shinsengumi. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO ALL CHAPTERS!!!
