Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki in any way shape or form.

A/N: Not exactly a long chapter, but I like how it turned out. Please review ^^

Chapter 1

As I was running from these creatures I had to ask myself; why wasn't I fighting back? They didn't seem strong at all. Just mad. I turned back to see if they were still chasing me. Their red eyes and white hair seemed strange to me. Their katanas were outstretched toward me; their eyes contained no level of sanity. So what was this hesitation I was feeling? I couldn't shake this feeling of innocence in them, somewhere buried deep within their souls. The sky blue of their uniforms shined in the moonlight. Before I knew what was happening, I was falling. I must have tripped when I was watching them. I cursed myself for being so clumsy. I was better than this. I drew my katana before I hit the ground on my shoulder, pain shooting through my arm. For an instant I lost control of my hand and my katana fell. Again, I cursed. The two crazed men stood above me, their laugh ringing through my ears. As I reached for my katana, a flash of light saved me. Blood rained down on me as the two men fell to the ground, life leaving their eyes. One man stood among the bodies, now pointing his katana at me. I already had a firm grasp of my own katana, but I was in no position to strike at him. With him standing and me on the ground, I would be dead in a matter of seconds.

"Who are you?" he asked, his blade not wavering.

"A better swordsman than you," I spat back. Though he did not smile, I could see the smirk in his eyes. He doubted me, or thought I was bluffing.

"A better swordsman would have been able to defeat these two without a problem," he replied, gesturing to the two bodies on the ground. I began to stand up slowly, but the man put the tip of his katana to my throat. "Don't move or you will be dead in a second."

"If I am not allowed to stand then how am I suppose to prove myself to you?" I growled through clenched teeth. I couldn't die here. I had better things to do. In one smooth motion I lifted my blade and swung at his legs. He seemed surprised at this movement and stepped back to avoid the blow, giving me just enough room to stand. I took a fighting stance and the man smiled a bit, but only for a second. He came at me with his katana with faster speed than I had originally anticipated, but his moves were predictable. I dodged all of the slashes and waited for the perfect moment to strike out. It came quickly and I let the blade guide my hand. It cut into the flesh of his side, but not a deep wound. Though he did not show it, his shock was evident in his eyes. I sheathed my blade and took on a cold expression myself. "A warrior is nothing if he is unable to wield his weapon. Be lucky I did not aim for your arm."

"I'm sure he's very lucky." A voice from behind caused me to turn, but the tip of a blade was at my neck. "You are skilled for a woman, I will give you that." How could I have not seen this second man coming?

"Are you going to kill me?" I snarled. Chances of my survival were bleak, but I wasn't going to go down easy.

"No. Not yet anyway. Saitou, you okay?" the second man asked. So the first man's name was Saitou.

"It's nothing I can't handle," he replied, covering his wound with his hand. He was lucky it was just a shallow wound. If I had desired it, he would be as dead as the two men at my feet. But I had not felt any true hostility when fighting him.

"So little girl, what are you doing here?" the unnamed man asked.

"That is none of your concern," I snapped. I glanced at my surroundings. The only ways out were the way I came and the two directions that the two men were standing in. I could probably get past the wounded one with no problem, but with his new backup I would surely be killed. I could take on two enemies at once, but only if they are both in front of me. One in back and one in front, even a wounded one, were not very good odds for me. If I attacked the one behind me, I may be able to have enough time to escape since the first one was wounded. No, that wound wouldn't stop him it wasn't deep enough. I cursed myself for being generous.

"Do we at least get to know your name?" the man behind me mused. I thought about telling him that was also none of his concern, but if I was going to die, I might as well make sure someone knew my name.

"It's Akita," I replied.

"Oh, that's just like my name." After that there was a sharp blow to my skull and the world turned black.