A/N: This story does not include Chizuru. It happened before she came to the Shinsengumi. For those who are expecting to read about the historical events that happened during the anime, i recommend you not to continue reading this one. I am planning to focus on the romance part so you may find this cheezy if you are not interested in that. I am planning to create situations of my own but I will still try my best to follow the main theme. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. This is my first fanfiction so i hope you review! I am actually against writing fanfictions at first out of fear but I loved Hakuouki so much I decided to throw all those fears out of the window. Okay, I've probably already said too much, so here it is!

The night Yukimura Chizuru found herself running amidst the falling white snow with two rogue men at her heels; she was convinced that she won't be able to see the sun rise again. She believed the snowy night to be the final twilight of her life, her breath stolen from her body with the sharp blade of a katana. She was gasping for breath when she found a dark alley and dove behind the well on the sidewalk, hoping that it will somehow conceal her small form. Her sense of safety was short lived, however, as she heard the unmistakable piercing of a blade into flesh and the agonized screams of the men pursuing her. Her brown eyes widened in pure terror as she watched two new shadows assaulting her pursuers, the laughter of the attackers wild and crazy in her ears.

Hearing the dull sound of a body falling and the scuffle of sandals in the soft snow that has gathered in the ground, she fell back, shaking into the shadows of her hiding place. She knew it was hopeless. Chizuru first saw the bloodied tip of the sword. Then came the sky blue robe with white patterns. The maniacal panting of the man holding the weapon tore her gaze and she felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared back at the bright red eyes of the monster in front of her. He was covered in blood and his hair was white. He did not seem human. His twisted sadistic grin was proof to that. The monster lifted his sword and Chizuru found herself closing her eyes and raising her arms in front of her. A scream was ripped away from her throat as she waited for the pain and burn of steel slashing through her flesh. She prayed that it will be quick.

But the pain never came. For what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, she heard the sickening sound of flesh being punctured with something sharp and deadly. Chizuru opened her eyes to see the monster fallen and bloodied on the ground. A man with dark hair was standing in front of her, holding a katana covered with blood. He had the same uniform as the monster but he was human. At least he looked human to her as she caught a glance of his blue eyes. She did not have time to fully take in his appearance though as she jumped and shrunk back to the shadows when a voice sounded off not too far from her hiding place.

'What a pity…I wanted to kill both of them myself. You were fast this time, Saitou-kun.'

'I only did as my duty required,' the man who killed off the monsters answered stoically.

Chizuru heard footsteps approach and saw the figure of a brown haired man with cold green eyes. Her blood froze in her veins as he looked at her and smirked. His smile promised pain and death and for the third time that evening, she felt sure that she would undoubtedly meet her creator before dawn. A new set of footfalls approached and she found herself staring at the tip of a sword which glinted under the light of the moon.

'Listen, don't try to run. If you try to run, I'll kill you,' a man with long black hair stood up in front of her, his robe and hair waving in the wind. Amidst her fear, she found herself holding her breath as she thought about how beautiful he is with the snow falling around him looking like off-seasonal cherry blossoms. That was when she started to lose focus. Her emotions overloaded with fear and her nerves strung to their limit, her gaze started to blur around the edges as she stared at the samurai in front of her. The last thing she remembered was the short prayer of thanks she sent to the gods before darkness fully consumed her. If she was going to die, at least she will not be conscious to experience it.

'My my, did she faint because you scared her, Hijikata-san?' the green-eyed man asked playfully as he knelt before the fainted girl.

'Vice-captain, what do we do with the bodies?' the one with the dark hair asked as he also knelt and studied the men he just slaughtered.

'Just remove their coats and let the inspectors handle the rest,' the man called Hijikata answered calmly.

'What do we do with this one?' his brown haired companion asked.

It took a while for Hijikata to answer.

'We'll take her back to the headquarters with us.'

'Eh? Is it safe not to kill her? She saw what happened,' he asked the man who is clearly in charge, worry etched on his face.

'We'll decide what we do with her after we return,' with that, he turned around with an unreadable expression on his face.

Yukimura Chizuru was not exactly mistaken in her belief that her life will end that night. The Shinsengumi, a group of warriors protecting the interests of the shogunate were a ruthless pack. They follow strict orders and don't take a moment to hesitate using their swords to protect their beliefs. They are also keeping a dark secret. A secret that no other living being outside their group is allowed to know. That is why Hijikita's decision to not end the girl's life right then and there was more than just out of character but a violation to their rules. But he was vice-captain and his words cannot be questioned. That's why Souji Okita, the man with the cold green eyes did not say another word as he lifted the frail frame of the girl into his arms and followed him into the night. Saitou Hajime, having finished removing the light blue robes off their fallen soldiers also looked at the figure in his friend's arms, a questioning look on his face. Without a word, they trodded after their vice-captain with Yukimura Chizuru warm, breathing, and alive with them.

For all they know, Hijikata's unreadable expression morphed into a pained one the moment he turned around. When Okita asked him what to do with the girl, he was just about to give the order to end her life when something stopped him. He did not know what it was but a painful squeezing in his heart led him to give out a different order. Now, his eyebrows are scrunched together as he tried his best to figure out what happened. It was a memory…yes…a memory…

'A girl will come into your lives, Hijikata. You will know it was her once you see her. Do not kill her. Do you understand? Whatever happens, protect her. Do not kill her…'

A faint voice of a woman sounded off in his head. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate in remembering her. What he only managed, however, is a blurred vision of a girl with red lips. Feeling a headache forming at the back of his head, he finally opened his eyes and sighed. Yes, whatever it is, they'll just decide what to do with the girl they found tonight at the headquarters.

Akane closed the book with a sigh. No matter how many times she read it, her eyes still stung with tears afterwards. She leaned her head and gazed at the sakura drifting on their branches above her. She was in a meadow not too far from their house, sitting underneath the lone sakura tree on the small hill overlooking their town. It was her most favorite place in the planet and she makes it a point to visit it every day after school. Strangely enough, she always finds herself wanting to read the book about the Shinsengumi every time she can afford to stay under that tree for a long period of time.

She looked at the ancient book on her lap and ran her fingers over its beaten up cover. She already forgot the number of times she read it and the number of tears she shed for it. The deaths, the blood, and the sadness. They all tugged at her heartstrings until she has no other choice but to cry for the poor souls that were broken and wasted during that time.

But there was another reason why Akane was so fixated with the book.

Every time she picks it up, the voices inside her head were silenced. Yes, she can hear voices though she has long established that she was not crazy. No, her mother said she was just…different. It's okay she said, it was natural for us descendants of the oni, she said.

Akane was five when she first heard them. She can still remember her face lighting up with a smile when her mother assured her that everything was normal about her. After a couple of years, however, she realized that what was normal for her family was not average for the people around her. The girls she played with can go to sleep without a voice lulling a lullaby in their heads. The boys that she went to classes with don't have to scrunch their faces just so they can concentrate on what the teacher was saying because murmurs were whispered to them unbeknownst to others. No, Akane was not crazy but she wasn't normal either.

The voices haven't tried to hurt her though. Sometimes they sang lullabies to her; sometimes she can hear them giggling softly every time a funny racket goes on in front of her eyes in the classroom. There are also very rare moments that they seem to tell her stories. Stories of a great war. A great love. Of bloodshed, and of loyalty and friendship. They don't harm her, yes, but sometimes she just can't help but wish that she was alone in her head.

She only gets that peace every time she holds the book.

The book was a part of the vast family library of the Taka-shiis. She first knew about it when she was eight. They were asked by their homeroom teacher to write a short paragraph about their hero. Akane can still remember running towards her mother excitedly that afternoon, squealing to her that she's going to tell her classmates tomorrow that her mother is her greatest hero. Her mother, however, simply gave her that soft smile of hers and patted her head. Let's go to the library together, Akane, she said. Your mama is not the real hero. There, I will show you the real person you should admire.

Hand in hand, they walked towards their library filled with books old and new. It seemed just like a couple of days ago when her mother opened the double doors of their library. The sound of the racket of voices that instantly echoed in her head the moment she set foot on the room was still clearly etched in her memory. They were more agitated, excited, and frightened than usual. Akane winced and tugged at her mother's arm leading her inside.

'Mama, mama. My head is blurry.'

'Yes, I know my dear. Hush,' her mother said, the angelic smile still on her face.

'I don't want to go. They don't like this place,' she tugged at her mother's hand once more but the older woman continued to walk, leading her into one of the farthest corners of the room. She was just about to cry and throw a tantrum when her mother slowly ran a finger on the spine of a dusty book from one of the shelves, gracefully pulled it, and gave it to her. She shook her head but the woman just smiled and offered her the book again.

'Here, touch it.'

Her eyes brimming with tears, Akane finally surrendered and took the book from her. The moment her fingers grazed the cover, sudden silence invaded her thoughts. The voices were gone completely and she looked back at her mother in shock.

'You are a special girl, Akane. Read this book and etch its story in your heart. The people there are the true heroes. It's time you know about the story of our ancestor, my darling,' her mother said with a faraway look on her face.

After she finished reading it for the first time, the voices in her head became calm and rare. Since then, she always visits the library to borrow the book. It was a blessing to her.

Now, as she turned to gaze again at the sakura blowing gently in the wind above her, she gave a silent thank you that she was not born in a world so sad and hopeless. The heroes during the time of Yukimura Chizuru, her ancestor, all died with honor, but still they died even before their time. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. Then she heard it in her own mind. A sole voice. Soft and feminine.

'It'll come Akane-chan. It'll come soon.'