The prank [Hakuouki fanfiction]

A boring afternoon

Souji P.O.V:

It was an ordinary day at the Shinsengumi. A day of hellish heat like all the others of this month. 'Well, what did you expect? It's August after all...' I thought walking out of my room. 

I was bored. It was an afternoon absurdly hot and I didn't know what to do. "I could train a little..." I said to myself but I immediately changed my mind. I was already sweating enough, thanks.

'I could tease Chizuru a little.' tempting idea, but where was she now? I could have gone looking for her, but I didn't feel like it. Walking absentmindedly through the veranda I saw a corner of the garden shaded by some trees. The lower part of the trunks was covered with thick flowering bushes high up to the waist. "That looks like a cool place." I said speaking to myself. I decided to go and look for refreshment under the foliage of those trees. However, when I passed the bushes, I realized that someone else has had the same idea...

Lying with his head resting on a trunk, Saito was sleeping with his ankles crossed, his right hand behind his head and his left hand abandoned on his stomach. His daisho lay on the grass to his right, in perfect order as usual. "Hey there, Hajime!" I greeted "Are you also looking for relief from the heat?" I asked him. I expected him to open his eyes, or at least to answer me, but instead he didn't react. I raised an eyebrow, "Are you ignoring me?" I asked approaching. He didn't do anything even when I got less than a step away from him. 

I crouched down and prodded him on the shoulder with a finger; his only reaction was to turn his head away muttering something in his sleep. I raised an eyebrow again 'Seriously?' I was perplexed. It was getting interesting. As a further test, I grabbed his left arm and raised it, still nothing. I let go of the arm that fell limply over his abdomen and Saito quietly continued to sleep. An amused grin popped on my lips: it was getting truly interesting.

I finally had something fun to do. I looked around: I needed something. I don't know... what about flowers? A few stems? Whatever would have gone well. I spotted a rather tall weed not far away, 'Here's what is right for me!' I thought, tearing off the stem. I went back to Saito and, lowering myself again, I put the stem between his lips. Incredibly the stem stayed on and he didn't wake up. I began to giggle for no reason. The heat and boredom were now the least of my thoughts.

To catch Saito in such a state was an once-in-a-lifetime event; I had to take advantage of the opportunity.

'What else could I do? ' I asked myself watching him sleeping. My eyes fell on his scarf, both of its ends were free so it didn't take me long to unroll it off his neck and rolled it up roughly on his head. Taking care that many tufts of his indigo hair popped up here and there giving him a look as ridiculous as possible.

 I could no longer keep myself from laughing but I had to be careful: if he woke up I would have been in trouble. Getting up I started looking around again for inspiration. 'The flowers of the bushes could be right for me...' I thought looking at them thoughtfully 'But how do I put them? ' I went back to looking at Saito while I was thinking. Then, with a very specific idea in my mind, I went to work with an ever wider grin.

I was about to finish my personal version of embellishment of his kimono when a voice behind me made me jump. "Souji! What are you... whoa!" I turned and found Heisuke, who was trying not to burst out laughing by pressing both hands over his mouth. 

"Shh..." I said placing a finger on my lips. "Are you crazy?" he whispered approaching "If he wakes up, he'll kill you!" he continued, eyeing in particular the collar of the sleepyhead's kimono but I chuckled "If I were you I wouldn't worry so much. Look here." I said lowering myself to take the arm of the captain of the third division again. I raised it as I had done before and let it fall again. Heisuke shivered holding his breath when the arm landed limp for the second time without Saito waking up. 

A few moments passed and Heisuke relaxed. "Damn, he's sleeping just like a stone!" he whispered with an amused twinkle in his light blue eyes. Curious, he lowered himself to admire my work: now the collar of Saito's black kimono was adorned with thirty little white flowers inserted between his skin and the fabric. Heisuke looked at me with a devilish smile. "I got an idea..." he whispered, "I'll be right back!" with those words he turned and ran out of the bushes.

While waiting for Heisuke's return, I crouched near Saito's feet. I untied his sandals and took them off, then put them inverted and tied it together. That was hilarious!

Heisuke returned after a while with his arms full of objects: two brushes, a sock, a red rose and an inkbottle. I watched him put everything on the ground. "What do you have in mind?" I asked raising an eyebrow. He looked at me smiling diabolically "What do you think brushes and ink are used for?" he asked in return, lifting the objects in question. Realizing where he wanted to going, I looked at him answering his grin with mine. "Really nice thought, Shorty!" I whispered, ruffling his hair and ignoring his complaints about his nickname. I took one of the brushes and Heisuke grinned opening the inkbottle. "He'll kill us for sure when he finds out," he said "But it will be worth it." He dipped the brush in the ink and began his masterpiece. I didn't wait and soon we found ourselves giggling like crazy. 

At least until a third voice petrified us on the spot.

"Souji, Heisuke!" Hijikata's voice exclaimed, we both jumped up and turned towards the vice-commander, hiding the brushes behind our back. Luckily for us, he hadn't come down from the veranda so he couldn't see Saito because the latter was covered in bushes. "What are you doing..." he changed his mind even before finishing the question. "In fact, no. Better not ask you... rather, have you seen Saito? I've been looking for him for a while." At the sound of his name, Saito mumbled something in his sleep. Heisuke and I looked at each other sweating cold "No, absolutely!" we replied in unison. 'Don't wake up! 'I prayed in my head trying to seem as casual as ever. Hijikata frowned but decided to let it go. "In case you meet him, tell him I'm waiting for him for the report on what happened last night." he said before leaving.

Heisuke and I looked at each other again and with a sigh of relief. We turned around, ready for the second round. Before continuing to paint, I put the stem between his lips again, in muttering he had dropped it.

Once satisfied with our work, we laid the brushes. "I like it." Heisuke commented with a pleased nod. I glanced at the sock and rose, so far unused. "What about those?" I asked pointing to the objects. Heisuke looked at me with a grin "Do you really think we are leaving his ponytail untouched?" he asked and I nodded "Very well, what's your idea?"

Saito moved his head when I touched his hair. I stopped waiting to see if he would wake up but he continued to sleep as if nothing had happened so I went on. I untied his ponytail and tucked most of his hair into the sock; unfortunately, it didn't contain all of them so I folded his indigo hair so that the tips sprouted out from the edge of the sock. Before tying Saito's hair and the sock together, Heisuke slipped the rose into it.

We took a couple of steps away to admire our work as a whole. "Really beautiful, don't you think?" I said. Heisuke nodded. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. Our laughter stopped suddenly when Saito took a deeper breath and his eyes moved under his closed eyelids. Fearing that he was about to waking up we hurried to hide. I disappeared behind a tree and Heisuke jumped the bushes to hide behind them.

 I leaned over to peek, Saito didn't open his eyes but I saw him remove his right arm from under his head to place it on his stomach next to his left. This done, he remained motionless and continued to sleep peacefully. After escaping the danger, we went out of our hiding places. "Incredible..." Hesuke commented shaking his head in amazement "After all we've done to him, he's sleeping." I looked at Saito's hands, they were now both at our mercy and I would not have missed the opportunity.

"Heisuke?" I called him with a grin on my face, again. He looked at me sensing something "Yes?" he answered full of expectation and my smile widened.

"How much ink is left?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the first part! Leave a comment if you feel like it, I'll be glad to read it! ;)