Memories of a Demon (Hakuōki)

First Partrol

"I swear that girl smelled just like an Oni. I mean, so long as she causes no harm, I see no reason to persue her. I am, however, required to enter her into our records," Kurohime thinks out loud to herself as she sharpens a sai. She gingerly touches the talisman around her neck when she finishes.

"Kurohime," Okita says from her open doorway.

"Ah, Okita, I thought I was meeting you at the gates?" She says, not looking at him as she examines the blades of her sai.

"I came to see if Hijikata gave you a uniform." Okita says.

"Toshizo-kun and I decided that I would continue to wear the uniform of my guild so that any demons in the area know who they're dealing with." Kurohime says as she pulls on a dark purple haori with the word "one" embroidered on the back in black.

"One?" Okita questions as Kurohime situates her weapons.

"Indeed. Just as you are leader of the first troop, I am first ranking hunter in the Japan branch." She explains with a smile. Okita hears a screech pierce the air and a small bat flies into the room, landing on Kurohime's outstretched arm. She scratches its head and take a small note from a carrier on its legs.

"Hello there Kiren, what do you have for me tonight?" She reads the message and Okita notices slight changes in her demeanor. Her smile shifts into a grin, her eyes glinting in anticipation.

"Oh, we'll have a good hunt tonight. Would you like to help, Kiren?" The bat crawls onto her shoulder, getting lost in her hair, an apparent yes.

"What does it say?" Okita inquires.

"It's a report from the Fifth. There will be demons of some sort in the area later on in addition to three rasetsu prowling around," Kurohime says excitedly. "We should get going." She puts a straw hat on that, when she tips it a certain way, conceals her face in darkness. The two of them join the rest of the first troop as they leave the compound. Kurohime raises her arm, with Kiren the bat on her finger tip, and makes a strange whistle noise, almost like a chirp. The bat flies out into the night sky.

Patrol goes fine at first until Okita notes that they're heading into a more abandoned area of the city. Kurohime's head snaps up as Kiren makes a noise overhead.

"Time to have some fun," Kurohime says. A darkened figure drops down from a roof in front of the troop, then another and another. Their eyes glow red and their hair is silver, their faces twisted into inhuman snarls. Before Okita can even draw his sword, Kurohime gracefully rushes forward a sai in one hand her other hidden, searching around in her sleeve.

The first rasetsu bares it's teeth at Kurohime, his claws swiping at her. Okita watches, almost in awe, as Kurohime slides past it's outstretched claws and shoves her sai upwards through its head, the blade entering through its jaw and sticking out the crown of its head. While violently pulling it out, she flings several throwing knives at the other two. The blades embed themselves deep in the rasetsu's throats. Blood spatters on Kurohime's clothes and across her face. She collects her knives from the rasetsu, whose bodies are now dust.

Kurohime takes three vials from her sleeves and takes a sample from each pile before handing them off to Kiren who flies off into the night sky. The winds pick up suddenly, blowing the piles of dust away.

"I believe this commences my time on the patrol," Kurohime turns back towards the rest of the troop and her appearance causes many of the men to gasp. Okita almost can't believe the sight before him. Kurohime is covered in blood, her face splattered with intricate patterns. Her white hair is matted with blood and dust from the rasetsu and blood drips from her fingertips. She has an eerie and satisfied grin on her face.

"Please do tell Toshizo-kun that I'll return at sunrise." She says before she scurries up the side of the nearest building, gone in seconds.

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No one talks for a long time but Okita can see the looks of unease that pass between the men of the first troop.

"Did you see her face?" Someone whispers, finally breaking the silence. "She grinned with blood dripping down her face."

"Do you have a death wish?!" Another says urgently. "She'll surely kill you if she hears!" Okita is about to dismiss the claim but finds himself hesitating. He knows, deep down, that Kurohime could possibly kill the man without hesitation...