#it was about soujis... ahem... 'faces'...

[cuteteacakes]

{🧵} - Tumblr did a thing again where I got notes for an old post and now Jet is feeling a certain way and can't concentrate on his plushie repairs.....

[nadertigerkay]

Tales from Peter Parker: Foreign Exchange Student - Devils on a moonlit night: Epilogue

Epilogue

In the city of New York resides one of the tallest buildings in the city. 'Fisk Towers', a building that deals in mainly financial and market exchange all in the service of Wilson Fisk. Considered by many as one of the richest philanthropists in world providing his wealth for the betterment of humanity. Yet behind that facade lies the enigmatic and calculating criminal mastermind known as, The Kingpin.

A crime boss with an ever reaching and growing control on almost every facet from crime, politics, science, law enforcement and now the super powers race. In his office the Kingpin is seen conversing with a subordinate on the phone. While on his phone his other hand is pushing on a click pen, as it CLICKS and POPS calming his mind.

"Unfortunate about the shippment but than, that's what a backup shipment is planned." Kingpin said smugly

As the Kingpin continues to listen his expression turns from calm to slowly becoming shock. Breaking the pen in process of what he hears.

"And your absolutely certain?" He ask still keeping his calm etiquette manner.

"I see thank you for the update, be certain the pay 'The Enforcers' bail 'Rose' I will let you handle proper punishment." He concludes as he hangs up to make another call.

This time he leaves it on speaker as he listens to the phone ring awaiting the pickup. Finally it stops the caller answers:

"Hello old friend" The caller responds.

"I trust my shipment is under way?" Said the caller his voice slightly muffled by the background noises of monitors.

"Unfortnatly "old friend" your shipment was halted by my cities local vigilantes." Kingpin informed conveying a blatant truth with no stutters of fear.

"Regrettable but I have my own sources of quirks, I had hope to test my powers on the mutant genome." The voice sounded slightly disappointed but quickly relaxed.

"But there's more." Kingpin quickly interjected.

"It appears one of your Yakuza representatives-"

"Yakuza? Kingpin I never sent you Yakuza they don't even work for me much less respect me." The voice cutoff Kingpin, his tone came off surprised as if he rarely displayed the sensation.

"Face it old friend you've been, hehe- (ahem) duped." The voice said with a smug tone sounding almost delighted by Kingpins manipulation.

The Kingpin unfazed by the remark and condescending manner THE voice projected, proceeded to respond.

"I would hold off that boldness, All For One." Kingpin lets go of all pretenses as he calls The Voice by his name.

"Upon arrival to protect the cargo, these Yakuza had your authorization codes along with a special incentive I had assume by you to strengthen our partnership."

"What...... incentive Kingpin?" Said AFO as he slowly loses his mocking demeanor.

"Why from your Nomu stockpile." Kingpin said with such a coy mannerism.

"You insufferable, gluttonous pig you make dealings with Yakuza that have my weapons all without contacting me first!" Said AFO clearly losing his temper.

"Who was the leader of this group so I may make an example of his ilk!"

Kingpin once again unfazed by AFO outburst, an emotion he rarely hears displayed by his friend, takes the time to lite a Cuban cigar. Inhaling from the cigar and its flavor begins to reply.

"I was about to say that "old friend" one of the Yakuza muscles, Souji the thunderer was the leader."

"Souji?!" A brief pause came over AFO as he heard that name. Realizing his outburst was overriding his usual cold, calculating mind he stepped back to reassess the situation and remember.

"Kingpin, Souji the thunderer was killed 2 years ago by an insane vigilante of delusions." AFOF now calmed.

"I know which brings me to my next reveal, an hour ago a autopsy report of his capture revealed he was already operated upon and before he could be further explored his body immediately decomposed to dust."

"Remind you of any group "All For One"?" Kingpin knew the answer but seemed to waited for AFO answer on the subject to test his knowledge.

"I do unfortunately, I thought I had removed that mystical cult from my empire during my reign. But if "The Hand" have returned and are making a move on my operations it could very well jeopardize ALL of our  business endeavors." He said with a bluntness, emphasising to Kingpin how all parties should be concerned.

"Agreed, we can not assume Souji was their last resurrected Quirk user, I will begin to coordinate in having our "Pro heroes" and vigilantes if need be to deal with The Hand once and for all." Said Kingpin.

"I look forward to hearing all the details Wilson however there is just one subject we must deal with, I want my Nomu back." said AFO.

"Regrettable "Old friend" but I have already made plans to bid your marvelous creation to whoever is highest bidder." But as Kingpin finished he felt a tight squeeze on his neck looking diwnbtp seeing a human hand emerge from a small shadow like portal.

"I admire you greatly Kingpin but my admiration can only go so far." AFO voice now echoing from the portal, his arms veins bulges as the coiled tighter on Kingpins throat.

"I will,l...... ssseeee ....  To its..... Proper return!!!" Kingpin struggled grassping for air.

The hand of AFO lets go of Kingpins throat, retreating back to the portal erasing its existence.

"Splendid Kingpin, I look forward to OUR future business together "old friend." AFO voice sneered on the speaker as he hanged.

Rubbing his neck Kingpin returns to seat from the experience to make another call.

"Get me the numbers of all Maggia dons, its time for the summit."

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

Author note: Peter Parker: Foreign exchange student is a comic written and drawn by @alexdrawsagain

[mikinaaaa]

Desires - Hakuoki Fanfiction - Chapter 14

Hi Guys! Sorry for not updating last week. I was packed with piles of works and got something to do that required my full attention. Here’s the update!

I love the scene that the picture told about. I’ve seen the scene in the movie first, Hakuoki: Kyoto Ranbu. And when Otomate also included this scene into the Shinkai series, it really makes me happy! 

All the editing credit goes to @impracticaldemon and @nalufever​ :D

Just read and enjoy the story. Here goes!

Chapters of the story:

Prequel - Prologue - I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI - XII - XIII - Omake

@hijichiweek @kirakirachiizuru

Miyuu

-XIV-

Chizuru stood in front of the stove to check if the rice was cooked enough or not.

'Hm… It needs five more minutes to be done.' After that she took the vegetables that she had washed before and began to chop them. She worked alone inside the kitchen. It wasn't her shift to work in the kitchen, but she decided to prepare the food for the others, for all the Shinsengumi's members. Why though? Because the others were busy with the preparation for the upcoming battle. The Shinsengumi were in the middle of a war, which later would be known as the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.

While preparing the food (she wanted to make onigiri), Chizuru's mind drifted to the events that happened not too long ago. In the short span of time between her encounter with Sannan and, ahem, her little intimate moment with Hijikata (she could feel the blush that crept to her cheeks; she always felt giddy and embarrassed when she remembered that event) and now, even more events had happened.

There was movement in the political world. An order was given to begin the Imperial Restoration. The Shogunate era had come to an end. The Emperor would be restored to power and his court would once again rule the nation. The position of Shogun was abolished and Kyoto's Military and Judiciary Commissioner positions were eliminated. All that the Shinsengumi had fought for and believed was falling to pieces...

Also, Kondou and Okita were wounded. Kondou got shot when he was on his way back to the Shinsengumi Headquarters from Nijo Castle. He was riding a horse with some of the members walking beside him, when out of nowhere there had been a gunshot and next thing Kondou knew his right chest was burning with pain, blood was pouring from his chest and he was collapsing onto his horse. His wound was severe enough to threaten his life back then.

No one knew who shot the bullet, but it was highly suspected that the one who did it was someone from the Satsuma and Choshu Alliance.

And for Okita... He became a rasetsu. Apparently, he heard the news of Kondō being shot. Hijikata didn't want for the First Captain of the Shinsengumi to know about this news, but word spread around the compound before the fukuchou could stop it. Then, one night when Chizuru came to Okita's room to check on his condition (Hijikata asked Chizuru to check on Okita), she found the room was empty. She also found an empty vial with small traces of its previous contents beside Okita's bed. Chizuru knew then that Okita had drunk the ochimizu and likely went out to get revenge for Kondou. Everyone that had known Okita long enough must have known his affection toward the Chief of the Shinsengumi. It wasn't a strange thing for him to seek out vengeance for Kondou Isami. Chizuru exited Okita's room and brought the empty vial. When she met Hijikata she told him the situation and showed him what she had found. The two took off immediately, looking for the newborn rasetsu. They found him unconscious on an empty street with gunshot wounds. There were also a few corpses of Satsuma and Chosu soldiers scattered around Okita's unconscious body. It looked like Okita had acted in revenge for the attach on Kondou, but the question was, who had injured the rasetsu? Later, Hijikata carried Okita to the Headquarters and he asked Yamazaki to treat Okita's wound.

When Chizuru looked at Hijikata later the same night when they stood not too far outside Okita's room, she had a hunch that the fukuchou was blaming himself inwardly. Even though his face didn't show any of his emotions, the clenched hands and the way his eyes looked straight ahead, cold and sharp at unseen enemies, showed how Hijikata was suffering inside. She wanted to ease Hijikata's heavy feelings, as he had with her previously. But she also knew that if she blatantly expressed her worries for him, he wouldn't admit it. So, in her subtle way, she dared herself to brush her hand against his clenched one. He turned his head to look at her. She didn't speak or turn her head to look back at him. She just stood in silence beside him.

Nothing happened and they were in that position for several minutes. Hijikata then turned to walk away, but Chizuru could hear the solemn word which he said only above a whisper before he left.

"Arigatou."

Since her intimate moment with Hijikata, even though her bond was still incomplete, somehow… she could feel that something had changed. Like how with just that one word she knew that Hijikata's inward turmoil had lessened, and he was not as tense and hurting as before. She knew that the man had caught the feelings that she conveyed but didn't say it out loud. That he was not alone; that he could tell her what was on his mind, if he wanted; that if he pondered on the blame and guilt too long, it wouldn't do him any good. The pull to complete the bond was there, as strong as before. But again, somehow the bond had become something that wasn't a bother anymore. Before, she always dreaded that the bond would be a hindrance and would trouble their life. She remembered the atmosphere and the high tension in the compound during the first couple of months after they had 'accidentally' bonded at Shimabara. She tried as hard as she could to control her desire to be always with Hijikata. It was hard, but she could manage it in the end.

Chizuru didn't know that the reason she could control her desire for Hijikata -at last- was because the man himself had become able to control his desire for her. Hijikata's talk with Kondou when the chief visited him in his room had helped him released a little bit of his built up tension, which had built up because of the secret that he couldn't speak of to a soul: of the fact that he and Chizuru had slept together. He could manage his feelings again after that talk. Neither realized that it was because of each other that they had managed to control their desire. And it would be only much later that these two would learn and know that their feelings were affecting each other, because of the bond.

"Ouch!" Chizuru cut one of her fingers. A trickle of blood flowed from the cut. She brought her cut finger to her mouth and sucked the blood that came out. The blood tasted bitter in her mouth; just like her feelings when the New Year came that time.

When the New Year was just around the corner, the Satsuma and Choshu Alliance formed an army and marched on the capital. There were some matters that the alliance found intolerable from the resigned Shogunate and that's why they decided to attack Kyoto. In response, the Shinsengumi moved to the Fushimi magistrate's office, and prepared for war. They had pledged their loyalty to the Shogun and they would serve their masters untill the end.

It dampened Chizuru's feelings to hear that the Shinsengumi would go to war. She had never liked violence, much less a war, where many people would get injured and some of them would lose their lives. In all her life, the time which she spent with the Shinsengumi's members was one of the happiest times of her life, but it was also one of the saddest times that she had experienced. Nevertheless, she never showed this weak side of herself to the members. She didn't have any right to be weak. She really, really, really, wanted to help the Shinsengumi. They were her family. With the little support she could offer, she tried her best to help the Shinsengumi's members for the war. Since Yamazaki was busy assisting the captains in the battle, Chizuru took over his job to treat the wounded soldiers. And she also decided to take kitchen duty as her responsibility. She wouldn't be able to help in the front line, that's why she would support the members from behind, to provide any need they might have.

Chizuru pulled her finger from her mouth. The blood had stopped flowing. And because of her being an Oni, the cut was already healed without leaving a scar. Her thoughts drifted again to her talk with Heisuke from the other night. She met the Eighth Captain of the Shinsengumi when she came to visit Okita outside his room.

"Heisuke-kun," Chizuru greeted Heisuke.

"Chizuru? What are you doing?" Heisuke asked her, while he closed the door of Okita's room.

"I came to check on Okita-san. Yamazaki-kun is busy with assisting the other captains so I thought I could take over his job to look after the others' health," answered Chizuru.

"Oh…. Souji is sleeping. I came to have a little chat with him earlier. You know, about, 'that'  thing."

Chizuru knew what Heisuke referred to, about Okita being a rasetsu now. Hijikata had asked Okita once where he got the Ochimizu, after the latter regained his consciousness and was well enough to be asked (interrogated). Sannan had denied that he was the one who gave Okita the Ochimizu. But when Hijikata asked about this, the latter didn't say whom he had received the ochimizu from. He just said that Sannan was not the one who gave him the ochimizu.

Heisuke looked at the yard in front of Okita's room. He let out a small sigh and said, "Souji told me that he drank the ochimizu and became a rasetsu because he wanted to be useful. His illness has hindered him to be useful for the Shinsengumi, for helping Kondou-san." His face turned wistful, "I know exactly how he feels about wanting to be useful for the Shinsengumi. This place… is the only place that has accepted us for who we are. The only place where we…. where I can call home." Heisuke finished in a longing tone.

Chizuru had heard the rumor about Heisuke's background story, about him being an illegitimate child from Todou's family. She didn't give much thought about the rumor. Although she couldn't do much with Heisuke's family issues, she could relate to finding the Shinsengumi a home. She knew that feeling very much.

"That's why I want to be useful for the Shinsengumi. I don't want to die yet, even though I have to become a Rasetsu in the end." Heisuke said the rasetsu word in distaste. Him becoming one didn't mean that it would change his mind of what kind of creature the rasetsu was; a monster.

Talking about Rasetsu made Chizuru remember the news that she just heard. "Heisuke-kun, is it true that Sannan-san wants to augment the Rasetsu squads?"

Heisuke turned to Chizuru with an uneasy look. His face was clouded over. "Ehm, eh, yeah…. Of course," Heisuke said in heavy tone.

"What do you think of this matter, Heisuke-kun?"

"M-me?" Heisuke was surprised by Chizuru's question. No one had ever asked his opinion about Sannan's actions regarding the Rasetsu squad. Sannan was the one that usually handled every matter that related to the rasetsu. So, he was caught off guard by Chizuru asking his opinion. "Well, I… Hmm…"

Heisuke averted his eyes from Chizuru. He looked everywhere but at the woman. Of course, he had his thoughts about this issue. He never voiced his thoughts out loud because it contradicted the things that he had done as a rasetsu and he felt that he was being a hypocrite. 'But Chizuru will never judge you for whatever things you have done.' His inner thoughts told himself. He looked back at Chizuru. The female oni was still at the same position with the same expression as when she had asked the question.

"You want my honest opinion?"

Chizuru nodded.

"I don't agree with most of Sannan-san's decisions about the rasetsu squad. But, I am a rasetsu. I did decide to drink the ochimizu, to prolong my life. But… I'm not gonna lie, I'm worried about what will happen to me. If I don't do this, what can I do? Isn't this the purpose of the existence of the rasetsu?

"The rasetsu squad already exists. We can't pretend it doesn't. And this is the right time to make the squad useful. It doesn't matter what I think of this matter. I still have to do it and I will do it."

Thinking about the rasetsu always made Chizuru feel guilty. Fortunately, she could control this feeling and didn't dwell on the guilt longer than she should; courtesy of Hijikata.

She continued her cooking while wondering how long the war would last this time - and hope that it would end soon.

---

Hijikata was in a bad mood. If not for the dire situation that they were in, he would surely follow what his mind told him to do.

To punch everyone that dared to cross their line of action. Either they were stupid or foolhardy, he didn't want to know. One thing he knew was they had tried his patience on the things that they shouldn't have.

Who was Hijikata angry with? What had they done to anger the fukuchou and turn on his oni switch?

He made a mental list of who had grated on his nerves the most, for the past several weeks.

The first was Okita.

Honestly, it wasn't a strange thing anymore for Hijikata to get annoyed with Okita. Their history had gone back to the Shieikan's time. But this time, it took the cake. The baka had turned into a RASETSU, for a reason that the fukuchou could -somehow- understand. Hijikata knew that Okita wanted to get revenged for Kondou. He also wanted to get his hands to the someone who had made Kondou like that and he would make sure the person responsible for Kondou's injury would wish for death rather than meet him. BUT, the baka had beat him to revenge. Not only that, he had been shot with a silver bullet - the weakness of the rasetsu. And for whatever damn reason, Okita didn't want to tell him who had given him the Ochimizu and who had shot him. Good thing he didn't lose his composure and strangle the sick man right there and then.

He had a hunch. The person who gave Okita the Ochimizu and later shot him with the silver bullet was the same person, whoever the jerk was.

The second was the Satsuma and Choshu Alliance.

He really didn't understand what else these greedy people still wanted. With only that silly reason, of something that they found intolerable from the resigned Shogunate, they incited a war. As soon as Hijikata heard the news, he called Saitou from his assigned duty and gathered the entire Shinsengumi group into the assembly hall to give the direct order that they would be going to Fushimi. They would prepare for war, a battle between them and the Satsuma and Choshu Alliance. Kondou was still bedridden then, so he took over as vice commander to lead the force.

How greedy and hungry for power could these people be? What else did they want? Not to mention the foreigners who were increasing each day in Kyoto, which Hijikata didn't like one bit. The war that frankly speaking should be easy, with victory was already in their hands because of their advantages, was gone, because the enemy used westerner's weapons and tactics. In the end, the Shinsengumi were at a tremendous disadvantage with their traditional weapons only; using katana and spear. If they were fighting sword against sword, the Shinsengumi would emerge as champions. Being samurais were not in name only, their skills were top notch.

Hijikata gritted his teeth and closed his eyes when he remembered the third person who had pissed him off.

In the middle of the war, when the Shinsengumi was in the Fushimi magistrate's office, an uninvited guest came. Well, two uninvited guests, to be exact.

The self proclaimed demon princess; Sen-hime and her bodyguard, the ex-maiko, Kimigiku.

The princess came to tell him about the Shinsengumi Rasetsu recent activity; of them attacking innocent people for sparring partners and of them murdering people on the street to test their strength. And it came as shocking, dismaying news to Hijikata. Sannan had told him about his thoughts of wanting to augment the squad. But he didn't know how he would augment the Rasetsu. When the fukuchou learned Sannan's method to strengthen the Rasetsu, honestly, he was speechless. Sen and Kimigiku strongly suggested that Hijikata disband the Rasetsu squad.

'It is not as easy as it sounds, damnit.'

Sannan and Heisuke, also now Okita, had become rasetsu. What should he do? What about his companions, his comrades, if he were to disband…. to kill the Shinsengumi rasetsu?

Then the princess DARED to ask Chizuru again to come and join with them. Hadn't they already covered this issue the last time these two visited the Shinsengumi? Sen-hime said that now the situation had changed (about the upcoming war). That's why she came and asked Chizuru, again, to leave the Shinsengumi and join them.

Yeah, the war would soon break out in Kyoto. Yeah, Chizuru was a woman and she would maybe get injured - or the worst, she could die (Kami forbid that). And yeah, it would probably be safer for her to go with these two female oni. He knew and understood their situations already, thank you very much.

But…

BUT!

Hijikata felt like there was a feral animal that wanted to be released from inside. Chizuru was his. No one should ever try to take her away from him. Even though this thoughts would disturb his line later, becoming so possessive and territorial over Chizuru when the woman was not really his (Chizuru was a free woman to do whatever she wanted), his instinct, his desire was the one that compelled his actions. He sent a cold and murderous glare to the two female oni. He didn't say a word. But the two must have caught his message loud and clear with the way he looked at them. In the end, Chizuru didn't go with them.

'Good riddance.'

The words flashed in Hijikata's mind when he saw Sen-hime and Kimigiku leaving the magistrate's office.

Later, for the rest of the day, Hijikata followed Chizuru around wherever she went. He even debated with himself whether he should stay at Chizuru's side, and sleep near the woman when night came. The pull to be near with Chizuru was very, extremely strong...

In the end, he opted to train his body until morning near Chizuru's room at the Fushimi magistrate's office. This or he had to take a cold bath to calm his body and mind. And with his past records, it was obvious which one he would take.

And that was the top three on Hijikata's list of who had grated on his nerves the most. No one else was brave enough to get close to the fukuchou when his oni mode was in full blast. Well, except for one person.

"Hijikata-san."

Hijikata was sitting alone at an empty table in the Fushimi magistrate's office hall. He looked to his right where Chizuru was standing, her hands carrying a tray of onigiris.

"Please take one of the onigiri," Chizuru offered to Hijikata.

He was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. Nevertheless, if there were food, he would prioritize wounded soldiers to be given food first. Then the other Shinsengumi members, and then the captains. He always insisted on being the last person to be look after. He was their leader, and it was his responsibility to take care of his subordinates.

"Give to the others first. I can still manage," said Hijikata.

"Don't worry, I have made enough for the entire force," replied Chizuru with a small smile. "The others won't take the food if you don't take yours first. So, please."

Hijikata contemplated Chizuru's words, then he looked around the hall. All the captains that were in the room (Harada, Saitou, Nagakura, Inoue) stood not far from Hijikata's table. They nodded to agree with Chizuru's words. His eyes returned to the woman beside him.

"What about you? Have you eaten?"

"Like I've said already, I made enough for the entire force. My share was included in the count. And yes, I have eaten my share." Chizuru assured Hijikata.

Growl~

"Shinpachi, can't you do something about that sound?" Sano teased his fellow captain. The growling sound was from Nagakura's stomach.

"Shut up! I can't help if I'm hungry and my stomach is asking to be fed," complained the Second Captain of the Shinsengumi. "Hijikata-san, please take the onigiri. If not, the others will not let me eat. And we know that you haven't eaten anything today. If you don't want to be confined in the same room with Souji, you'd better take care of your body in this bloody war."

Saitou nudged Nagakura with the hilt of his sword for his disrespectful way of talking to the fukuchou - hard.

"Itai!" yelped the brawny man, "What the hell was that for, Saitou?!"

"Please take the onigiri, fukuchou," said Saitou, ignoring Nagakura's exclamation.

"Toshi-san, Isami-san won't be happy if you neglect your health," added Inoue.

Hijikata sighed, and in the end took one of the onigiri, but he didn't eat.

"I will take one then," said Hijikata in a solemn tone. "Thank you for the food, Yukimura."

"You are welcome, Hijikata-san. Don't forget to eat the food." Chizuru walked to the other captains to give them their shares of onigiri.

Hijikata's eyes followed Chizuru's movements until the woman was out of his sight. He looked at the onigiri in his hand.

It was warm…

And somehow his bad mood had lessened a bit.

---

Growl~

"As I thought, you were lying when you said that you'd eaten already."

Chizuru whipped her head around to look at the voice's owner who stood not far behind her. The woman knew by heart who the voice belonged to without looking. "Hijikata-san."

Chizuru had been washing the dishes that she had used for her cooking at the back of the magistrate's building. Then suddenly her stomach had let out a growling sound - that was when Hijikata had come into the picture. She felt her cheeks turn red, embarrassed from getting caught in her lie.

"Sorry..."

Chizuru didn't realize that the fukuchou had followed her since she'd left the hall to distribute the rest of the onigiris. Something had told Hijikata that Chizuru was lying to him when she'd said that she had eaten.

"What are you saying sorry for?" Hijikata approached Chizuru, "It's me who should say sorry for not realizing your burden."

"I'm okay!" Chizuru said frantically, "You don't have to worry about me. And… I'm not lying when I said I've eaten. It's just…" Chizuru looked at her fidgeting feet.

"Just what?"

"Just… Not enough to satiate my hunger." Her cheeks got more red at her little confession. They were in the middle of a war. They didn't know how long the war would last and their supplies of food were limited. She prioritized the Shinsengumi over herself - she could manage, and so far no one else had noticed her actions.

'I'm not a good liar to begin with. How foolish of me to think that I can deceive a perceptive man like Hijikata-san with my lies.' Chizuru berated herself inwardly.

"Is that the truth, or are you just getting better at telling lies?" Hijikata inquired.

"It's the truth," Chizuru looked up into Hijikata's inquiring eyes, "I was never good at telling lies and you know it." For any lies the woman had ever told Hijikata, most of it was found out immediately - especially if he was the one that she had lied to. This time was no exception.

"Okay, I believe you," said Hijikata. Then he reached from inside of his haori and took out the onigiri from before. He handed the food to Chizuru, "Eat this."

"No! That's your share! You haven't eaten anything since yesterday." Chizuru rejected the offer and shook her head vigorously. "I'm okay, Hijikata-san. It's not a big deal. I have been able to hold my hunger since the war started and I know I can also manage this time too."

Hijikata raised one of his eyebrows at Chizuru's last sentence. "You have been holding back your hunger this whole time?"

Chizuru bit her lower lip. It hadn't been her intention to let Hijikata know about this information. In her panicked state of imagining Hijikata would not eat, Chizuru's mind jumbled and she didn't filter her words. It would be terrible if he gave his food to her and failed to replenish his energy; this was very dangerous while they were in a war.

Even though it was subtle, she could hear the angry tone that laced Hijikata's tone.

"...Sorry."

Hijikata wanted to face-palm.

"Don't say sorry if you don't mean the word," reprimanded the fukuchou, "Next time, if you feel hungry, don't cut your shares for the others. This is an order."

"...I understand," said Chizuru in a meek voice.

Hijikata opened his shares of onigiri (it was covered with a bamboo leaves) and divided the food into two. He ate one part and gave the other to Chizuru, "Now, eat this."

"But-"

"Or should I shove it into your mouth?" Hijikata ignored Chizuru's protest. He stared at the petite woman unblinking.

Chizuru took the rest of the onigiri from Hijikata's hand reluctantly. She stared into Hijikata's hard gaze. "Arigatou-gozaimashu," Chizuru said. She took a little bite of the ongiri. When she swallowed the food, she then realized how hungry she was. In less than a minute the onigiri was gone.

Hijikata wanted to laugh at how eagerly Chizuru took every bite.

'She looks like a chipmunk with those puffy red cheeks when she ate,' Hijikata thought amusedly. When Chizuru finished the food, she didn't realize there were some grains of rice stuck to her cheeks. Hijikata stretched his right hand and wiped the rice from Chizuru's cheeks.

"You eat like there's no tomorrow, you know," Hijikata said with a wry smile, while he ate the leftover rice. The gesture made Chizuru's cheeks redden (she swore she was a living tomato from the red of her cheeks) if that was possible. A beautiful shade of red, in Hijikata's mind.

"...Sumimasen," said Chizuru, embarrassed.

"It's good that you know. Just don't try this foolish act again. You are part of the Shinsengumi. We will survive this war together. I promise."

'It will be over my dead body if I let something to happen to you.'

"Hai," replied Chizuru.

"And don't over exert yourself," Hijikata patted Chizuru's head then turned to leave the woman.

"You too Hijikata-san."

Hijikata didn't turn around to reply and kept walking. He waved one of his hands instead and that was a good enough answer for Chizuru.

"Please be safe," Chizuru whispered her quiet prayer, "all of you."

---

During the war, the Fushimi magistrate's office was set on fire and the Shinsengumi had no choice but to retreat from Kyoto. Cannons pounded the Fushimi magistrate's office and the ground of the building shook with each impact. The situation was terrifying.

The decision to retreat was a hard one. Hijikata had to swallow a bitter pill making that decision. If they got stubborn and stayed to continue the war, the Shinsengumi could be wiped out. It was a dire life or death situation. All the captains said to Hijikata that the situation was not in their favor. They had done all they could, but the result was negative. There was nothing else they could do…. Except retreat. They were helpless against the firearms of the Satsuma and Chosu Alliance.

The Shinsengumi was Hijikata's life. His and Kondou's dream. That's why being defeated was hard to accept. The fukuchou ordered the retreat with a long, ragged sigh. His knuckles turned white. His eyes were burning with fury.

"We're pulling back," commanded Hijikata, "But we haven't lost. They will pay for this."

Chizuru didn't know if the others noticed Hijikata's eyes were not only burning with fury. She could see the bitter and desperate agony behind those purple eyes.

They couldn't win this war alone. They needed reinforcements. Hijikata's intention was to send Yamazaki or Shimada to ask Yodo Castle for help. The castle's master was known to have an allegiance with the Shogunate after all.

"Please, let me be the one to ask for the reinforcements."

The woman had heard the conversation from the beginning. To be honest, all the members were exhausted and barely had energy to walk back to headquarters. Not to mention many of them were injured. That's why she offered herself for this task.

"No," Hijikata answered.

"Please, Hijikata-san!" implored Chizuru, "Please, let me help! It's not a hard task. I just have to go to the castle and ask for Yodo's master to send reinforcements. It's not like I'll be throwing away my life or have to fight a dangerous enemy."

"..." Hijikata furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

"Toshi-san, I will go with Yukimura-kun," said Inoue, cutting into Hijikata's thoughts. "It should be okay if one of the captains go, isn't it? Even though it's just me."

"...Alright. I will wait for the good news you two will bring." Hijikata agreed in the end with a heavy heart. Chizuru and Inoue soon departed for Yodo Castle.

There was this uneasy feeling that tugged at Hijikata's heart. The fukuchou hoped that his decision to let Chizuru go to Yodo Castle to ask for reinforcements was the correct one.

He didn't know how wrong he would be. Not long after Chizuru and Inoue left the magistrate's office, Hijikata received news that the master of the Yodo Castle had changed his allegiance from the Shogunate to the Imperial forces.

He felt his heart drop to his stomach. He left to go after Chizuru and Inoue after hearing the news. He had never run as fast as he did at that moment.

'CHIZURU!'

 To be continued

[eliz1369]

All Types of Courage

Rating: T (though not for Shinpachi’s lack of trying) Ships: SaiChi, HaraSen, & kinda Brotp Amagiri/Saito Length: ~2800 words Setting: Star Wars AU

Sorry this is so late, and also sorry, because I’m sort of, kind of, maybe hijacking this SaiChi&Friends day to indulge my love of Star Wars. (Not sorry. May 4th only comes once a year after all) This focuses more on Saito and Amagiri than it does SaiChi specifically. Of course, it also turned out way longer than I intended and somehow HaraSen ended up in there… *Ahem* Anyway, hope you all enjoy.

“Sen, maybe…”

“Don’t even think about it, Chizuru.” Sen said as she began buckling herself into one of the two passenger seats in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. “He’s nothing but a big bully.”

“Yeah, a big bully with a lot of big guns…” Heisuke muttered under his breath as he stood in the cockpit doorway and eyed the sleek, heavily armored private yacht, flanked by a pair of TIE Interceptors positioned in front of them.

Sen shot a glare at him before pointing Chizuru to the other passenger seat.

Harada’s grin was confident as he glanced back at her from the pilot’s seat. “Don’t worry. Just sit back and relax. We got this cover-”

“Are you rebel dogs listening to me? You have five minutes to surrender and give me the girl or-”

Nagakura rolled his eyes as he reached forward to press the comm button.

“Not really, but go ahead and keep talking. Oh, and the answer is no, and you can stick it right up your-”

Harada cleared his throat, cutting Nagakura off.

Releasing the button, Nagakura turned and winked at Chizuru with a mischievous gleam in his eye as he flipped to the encrypted channel they had set up for the group.

“Like Sano was saying, we got this. Besides, there aren’t many people better than your boyfriend when it comes to handling that little toy fighter of his. Right, Saito?”

Chizuru felt her cheeks flush at the mention of the man she had quite unintentionally fallen in love with and who was currently sitting in one of the three x-wings arrayed behind them.

“Ah,” Saito affirmed, his tone carrying neither pride, nor embarrassment at the praise. Though after a brief pause he added, “An x-wing is not a toy.”

Okita’s laughter crackled over the comm, “Oh, you’re in for it now. Be careful what you say about Hajime’s ship.”

“Can we focus?” Hijikata interjected. “The blonde bastard has stopped talking and he isn’t going to just sit there forever.”

As if on cue, the pair of Interceptors peeled away from the yacht, speeding into a wide pincer formation. Despite everyone’s reassurances, Chizuru felt her nerves return and she bit her lip anxiously. As much as she was grateful for everyone’s support, she also feared for their safety.

“Saito, stay with the Falcon in case Kazama brings his ship in, Souji and I will handle the Interceptors.”

Chizuru let out a soft breath at Hijikata’s order. She couldn’t help but feel safer knowing it was Saito watching over her. She knew without a doubt that she could trust in his skill and his promises. He had said he would protect her, and he would.

Saito’s and Okita’s acknowledgments were cut off as Harada said, “Leave the Interceptors to us and Saito. I hate to admit it, but our shields won’t last long against that yacht if it does engage. Those Interceptors aren’t making it home without him, so if you can get him to run, they aren’t gonna want to be left behind.”

“Right. You catch that Souji?”

“I never did like wasting time on small fry.”

Hijikata’s and Okita’s x-wings shot over the Falcon’s canopy, their afterburners fully lit as their s-foils opened into attack position.

“Oi, is that you in that hunk of junk, Harada?”

Harada frowned as he eyed the two incoming Interceptors. “Damn it, Shiranui? How’d you get this channel?”

“He just insulted our ship, and you’re worried about the encryption?” Nagakura grumbled, clearly incensed by the jibe.

“Magician’s don’t tell their secrets, now do they. How about a challenge? You and me, one on one. Or three on one, I don’t really care. Oh, and don’t worry, I haven’t passed this on to Tall-blonde-and-High-’n-Mighty.”

Harada hesitated a moment before he said, “Saito, you good with handling the other guy?”

“Affirmative.”

As soon as Saito’s acknowledgement came through, Harada was already beginning to stand.

“Alright Shiranui, you got yourself a deal,” clapping Shinpachi on the shoulder, he began to maneuver his large frame out of the crowded cockpit. “Heisuke, you’re with me. Take the belly gun.”

Sen’s mouth gaped open as she stared at Harada.

“Wait, he’s flying?”

“You bet sweetheart. Shinpachi‘s the best flier I know. He can do things with this ship others can only dream of.”

Shinpachi grinned as he hopped into the pilot’s seat. “Aw, Sano. You’re making me blush.”

Behind her, Chizuru heard Heisuke mutter, “Yeah, if by ‘things’, you mean almost getting us killed.”

“Oi! That was only once! ...Well okay, twice, but the second one wasn’t on purpose!”

The fact that only the second near death experience had been an accident, left Chizuru with more questions and concerns, than actual reassurance. None of the banter seemed to reassure Sen either, who looked like she was warring between wanting to smack someone, and taking the controls herself.

Harada paused to rest a hand on Sen’s shoulder. “Come on, trust me.”

Sen took a deep breath and after a moment, a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she said, “Okay, but you’ll be hearing from me if this goes sideways.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, sweetheart.”

With that, Harada and Heisuke left the cockpit, leaving just her, Sen and Nagakura.

“All right ladies and gents, hold on tight. We’re about to do some fancy flying.” Nagakura turned to yell over his shoulder, “Oi, Sano, Heisuke! You got less than a minute before I start plastering you to the walls.”

Somehow Chizuru didn’t think he was kidding.

Still shouting, Nagakura slapped the comm. “Hey, Shiranui, lets see how good a flier you really are! First to three tags is the winner!”

Saito had no doubt that the crew of the Falcon would be able to handle themselves against a single Interceptor, especially with their pride on the line. They were a rowdy and rather disorganized bunch, but even in the short time since circumstances had shoved them together, he had found them to be more honest and trustworthy than most people who didn’t break the law on a regular basis.

Rolling his x-wing into a smooth right turn, Saito brought the nose of his ship to face the remaining Interceptor. As he did so, he flipped the switch to lock his s-foils in attack position.

“Shadow, set turbolasers to 500 meters.”

He didn’t know what kind of fight he was going to be in for, but he preferred to keep his focal point close. Interceptors were faster and more maneuverable. He wasn’t about to waste energy on wild shots.

His R2 unit beeped a short affirmative.

Much like him, the black, little R2 unit was short and to the point, rarely engaging in the scolding and bickering Souji usually got into with his own droid, Echo.  At first he hadn’t intended on naming the droid, but Souji had insisted, under threat that he’d name him himself. It had been one more thing that had set them apart among their former imperial brethren. In the end, he’d simply settled on naming him after his black color, but the droid had seemed to like it and took a certain amount of pride in just how discrete he could be.

To Saito’s surprise, the Interceptor wasn’t racing toward him. Like himself, it seemed to hang in space, waiting, analyzing. Not something one usually associated with a fighter jock.

A light lit on his console, and over the background thrum of the other’s chatter, shadow twittered that he had an incoming message.

Even though he had a strong suspicion of who was trying to contact him, he asked, “Who is it from?”

Shadow burbled the droid equivalent of a shrug as text scrolled across the small monitor in the console.

Sender Unknown. Message carries Imperial markers.

That confirmed for Saito that the message had to be coming from the Interceptor facing him. Based on who the Falcon had been talking to and the unusual actions of his opponent, he thought he knew who he was facing.

He took a careful, calming breath before he flipped the comm switch and said, “Yes?”

“I am glad you agreed take my call.”

He had been right. It was Amagiri…

He had fought the man hand to hand to a standstill only a few days previous. In the end Amagiri had let him and Chizuru go, at great risk to himself. It would be a poor way to repay him for his kindness if he killed him here. Saito couldn’t help but feel that if he found an opportunity to let Amagiri live, he would take it. Not at the risk of Chizuru or the others, or course.

“What do you wish to discuss?”

“While I do not begrudge you your relationship with Yukimura, Lord Kazama does, and I am afraid this is one more thing which separates us this conflict. Before we begin, I wished to inform you of who your opponent is, and that I am regretful things must end this way.”

“As am I.”

Silence lingered for a moment and having nothing else to say, Saito closed the channel.

At the same moment he eased his x-wing’s throttle forward, Amagiri’s interceptor began matching him. The was one of the most dangerous moments for a fighter pilot. A head on pass meant his opponent had just a good a chance of hitting him as he did of hitting them. With easy movements, he jinked his fighter in random directions, always making sure to keep Amagiri within his firing cone. Green shots splashed across his forward shield at a rate far faster than he had ever seen an Interceptor fire. The starbursts blurred his vision and he only managed to get off two relatively sure shots before they rocketed past each other.

He pulled hard on the stick, knowing the Interceptor’s superior maneuverability meant he had a good chance of Amagiri ending up on his tail. This time Souji wasn’t there to watch his back.

His internal compensator couldn’t quite match the forces of his turn and Saito felt himself pressed back into his seat.

He had taken some heavy fire on that first pass, so he risked a quick glance at his shields, but to his surprises, they showed almost no drain. That shouldn’t have been possible, unless… Unless Amagiri had lowered the power of his shots to increase his firing rate. Using the fire as a screen to make up for his ship’s dangerous lack of shields.

Clever…

It would seem Amagiri was skilled at more than just hand-to-hand fighting.

His turn wasn’t sharp enough. Shadow gave a short warning trill and a quick glance at his scanners showed Amagiri closing in on his tail. Green bolts began flying past his canopy. One or two connected with his shields, taking significant chunks out of their meters.

“Shadow, divert power to rear shields.”

Having snapped off his order, Saito yanked back on the stick, pulling the nose of his fighter up and over. As he did so, he rolled so that he was now flying in the opposite direction from which he had started.

Green streaks again traced over his canopy. His maneuver hadn’t worked. Not that he had really expected it to. A tactic as clever as the one Amagiri had used wouldn’t come from a novice pilot.

Saito felt a tremor run through his ship and multiple flashing red lights on his console told him that one or more of Amagiri’s shots had pierced his shields. Nothing critical seemed to have failed yet, but enough was enough.

He knew Shadow would be furiously doing what he could to repair the damage and reroute systems. The sooner he ended this the better.

Shoving hard on one of the foot pedals, he dropped his forward thrust to zero, sending his fighter into a flat spin. He braced his arm against the side of the cockpit to help fight the forces overwhelming his inertial compensator. 

Hold… Hold…

At just the right moment, he released the pressure on the pedal and threw his thrust back up to full. He found Amagiri right in front of him and snapped off a shot before rolling away. He knew even as his finger had depressed the trigger that the shot would go wide, and it did, skating right past the upper tip of the Interceptor’s wing.

Again he killed his thrust and sent his fighter into a flat spin, the fractions of a second it took for the ship to rotate feeling far longer than they actually were.

This time when he re-engaged his thrusters, Amagiri’s ion engine was dead ahead of him.

Instead of firing off a turbolaser blast, he flipped over to photon torpedos. The clear tone of a lock sounded in his ears, but an uncharacteristic screech from Shadow made him glance down at the screen.

Recomend proton torpedoes inoperable. Damage to system may result in catastrophic failure if used.

“Acknowledged.”

The text cleared from the screen, replaced by notifications as Shadow brought one system after another back to life. Even if the system was registering operable, clearly he droid had noticed something that caused him concern.

Amagiri threw his ship into a sharp dive and Saito followed him, matching every jink, twist, and turn. Amagiri was certainly better than average, but he was no Souji when it came to handling an interceptor.

He had several clear shots, but instead of flipping back over to his turbolasers, he said, “Shadow, reopen communications with Amagiri.”

When the droid gave an affirmative beep that the connection had been opened, he said, “Will you yield?”

This was a risk. Amagiri could say one thing and then take the opportunity to turn on him, but everything he had seen of the man thus far had told Saito that Amagiri would keep his word.

There was a long pause as Amagiri threw his interceptor into a series of tight rolls that Saito barely kept up with. He could hear the warning tone from the interceptor continuing to sound over the comm, and eventually…

“I will yield.”

With those words, Saito disengaged his torpedoes, probably to both Amagiri’s and Shadow’s relief, and decreased his thrust, letting the interceptor pull away from him.

Slowly Saito let the chatter over the group’s encrypted comm filter back into his consciousness.

There seemed to be an increasing amount of swearing coming from the Falcon, much to his displeasure. He knew how uncomfortable it made Chizuru, even if she never actively voiced her disapproval.

Neither ship seemed damaged at this point, and when a red beam washed over the interceptor, he thought the conflict would be over. to his surprise, instead of being destroyed, the ship seemed perfectly fine as it continued looping, scoring a hit on the Falcon’s upper turret.

“Damnit,” Shinpachi shouted, “What are you doing up there Sano? Sleeping?!”

“Ha! That’s three! Looks like you losers owe me a lift outta here!”

“Fine… but if you touch one wire on this ship, I will personally throw you out of the airlock,” Harada said.

With Chizuru seemingly out of immediate danger, Saito turned his attention to the only remaining threat.

The yacht’s pristine hull was now scored with turbolaser fire and arcs of electricity danced across its surface where one or two torpedoes had bored their way through the hull’s armor plating.

With a flicker, the ship’s rear shield collapses and one of the x-wings scored a direct hit on the engine.

That seemed to be more than enough for Kazama, because his ship began an about turn as it tried to escape the conflict.

“All right Souji, that’s enough.”

One of the x-wings, who he assumed was Okita, fired off one more shot, blowing out one of the large canons that had given them so much trouble in their last encounter with the ship, before he turned and followed Hijikata back toward the Falcon.

A beep from Shadow informed him of an incoming call from Amagiri.

“Saito, your reputation is well earned. It was an honor to fly against you.” There was a short pause before Amagiri said, “May the Force be with you.”

“And you as well.”

With those final words, Amagiri turned his Interceptor in the direction of Kazama’s ship. In moments, the fighter had darted into the small hanger and the Yacht leapt to lightspeed.

Saito took a deep breath as he turned his fighter toward where the falcon was trying to dock with Shiranui’s Interceptor.

Their fight with the Empire was far from over, and he doubted Kazama was finished with them, but for now, they had won. For now, Chizuru and the people he cared about were safe. For now, they had peace.

[akuriyou]

Hakuouki Fandom Tag Game

-- tagged by @hakuoukiandmocha11 (that was unexpected haha XD)

-- How and when you got into this glorious fandom:

HAHAHA That’s a story in itself.

SO.

I never knew what Otome was until... ooh... 2015? Maybe it was 2014. In any case, I didn’t have a clue. My cousin spammed me a shit ton of Hakuouki stuff in the past along with other Otome stuff, but I never really paid much attention to it. Until then. I also didn’t even pay attention to the company name when I picked up the PS3 game case. I literally walked into GameStop, browsed the PS3 section, and saw this game. And me, being a historical Japan geek (although I know almost nothing about it), saw this game that involved the Shinsengumi and started freaking out. I jumped on it thinking it’d be a rad game.

Little did I know, it would be a rad game in a completely different way.

I really didn’t think it’d be a romance novel until I started playing. Like I read on the back that it was, but I was expecting it to be more like... half-cutscenes and then fighting, you know? Cuz that’s the kind of game I play. And man, was I hooked. Still am. My best friend can attest to this. I am so diligently waiting for when Shinkai comes out in North America.

I didn’t watch of the anime. It just... didn’t click with me. I tried to, but I just stared at the screen with a dead face. I did watch the movies, though, and a few of the OVAs. I still have yet to watch Reimeiroku. I should learn Japanese and play the game XD

-- Favorite character in terms of development.

Oh man. I think Souji-kun. He was a little shit at first to me and I kinda disliked him, but when I actually played his route, I grew to love him. He’s the cutest out of all of them, I think, in terms of how he loves you. And the way he presents himself to others and hides who he really is... I don’t really know how to put my feelings on him into words, but I definitely say Souji-kun on this one. (He’s such a precious baby - protect him).

-- The character you’d get along with most in real life:

Err... This is hard, cuz I’m kinda awkward and don’t have the best social skills. I tend to blurt things out before I think about them and... yeah. If I really sit here and think about it, it’d probably be either Toshizou or Kondou-san. Toshizou because although he’s scary as fuck, he gets things done, is very orderly, and knows what to do. I feel like I tend to gravitate towards people like that.

As for Kondou-san, he’s like a daddy! Well, he is one, but, well, I think a good number of people could get along with Kondou-san because he’s such a charismatic guy. He’s nice to be around and is very kind and open. I respond well to those kinds of people and is when I act my stupidest. I also feel like if we were friends, we’d be constantly trying to make sure the other isn’t being burdened too much or the like, haha XD

I think I’d also be cool with the baka trio, however, I fizz out really quickly in high-energy settings like parties, so I’d mostly be a party pooper who tries to enjoy the atmosphere with them. Though, I don’t think they’d particularly mind, especially Sano-san.

-- The character you are most like:

Hm. This one is also a tough one because as I was sitting here, thinking about immediately putting down Heisuke-kun, I thought about Shinpachi-san. They’re similar, but I think I’m most like Shinpachi-san. Loud, not exactly boisterous, but blunt and awkward. He smiles a lot and tries to be everyone’s support, but has a quick temper and is quick to yell. I’m similar in that regard, although I try to be calm and support like Sano-san (HA! HAHA! HAHAHA!)

-- Least favorite character

Oh. Uh. Well. I didn’t play Reimeiroku or watch it, but Serizawa. Just from the accounts I’ve seen, I just can’t stand him. 

OH. NEVER MIND, I JUST THOUGHT OF ITOU. I can’t stand Itou. Just his pompous ways and the way he holds himself and - ahem. The one thing I can’t stand about him the most would be the way he talks. But that might’ve been the point.

-- Personal favorite husband:

Oh fuck, really? 

HAJIME-KUN. YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE. (Okay, but honestly, Yamazaki-kun and Shinpachi-san would be wonderful husbands.)

-- Favorite route:

Toshizou’s. Fight me.

-- Who you wish had a route:

Kondou-san. Not in a romantic way. Nonononono. Do. Not. Go. There. Just like... as a father-figure. I know he dies and all that, but it’d be wonderful if you could interact with him more and see him acting all fatherly-like and warm fuzzies all around. I just want more Kondou-san loves. Is that bad?

-- Least favorite route:

Heisuke-kun’s. I say this without hesitation because of how Sannan-san turned out. I really love the guy (though I didn’t at first), but this... and plus, I love Heisuke-kun and all, but his route was the least interesting out of all of them.

-- Favorite Chizuru ship:

Toshizou/Chizuru or Souji-kun/Chizuru

-- Top 3 ships overall:

Ibuki/Shizu; Toshizou/Chizuru; Souji-kun/Chizuru

-- Do you write/draw/contribute to the fandom in some way? If not, do you have any recommendations? Link us to them!

I have a couple of fanfictions ideas down, but I don’t have a lot written or posted because they involve OCs and all that and I hate for my OCs to be Mary Sues and I’m a perfectionist, so I don’t know if they’ll ever go on the internet. (Holy shit, that looked like a run-on sentence).

Otherwise, I’ve drawn a shit ton of my OC in the Hakuouki universe. I have some lying around, waiting to be posted, but I don’t really have the time to finish them quickly. I hope it will be soon, though.

Overall, I hardly contribute at all. I have everything confined in my own little shell... I need to break out of it.

Okay. That’s it for me today. I’ll tag @aciddollies because she’s the cousin that spammed me way back when and the only one I know who likes Hakuouki that follows me. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to though. I just said why the hell not when I saw this. XD

Now then. Time to go watch One Piece Film: Gold.