Hakuouki: Shattering Fate

Chapter Two: The Winds of Change

With the men of the Roshigumi discussing Serizawa's insult to the shogun, the Honjou Inn incident was brought up. She lightly moved closer to Okita, as if to try and keep him calm. She knew he was bitter about the event, as was she, but there was no sense in getting worked up over it again. She discreetly grabbed his sleeve, giving it a soft tug to let him know she was there. She was bitter and so was Okita, but her gentle reminder calmed him just enough. He avoided an outburst. She went with them to see the Shogun arrive in Kyoto, trying not to let on that she knew Ochimizu had just been presented to Serizawa back at the headquarters. That was a situation she was not yet able to confront. She instead spent her time watching Sano, Okita, and Saito practice. Ibuki was dragged into it, taunted by Okita as usual, much to her amusement. Poor Ibuki did not see Okita's humor in the same way she did. Hijikata's lecture moments later reminded her of what she needed to do, as much as she didn't want to focus on it at the time. Okita noticed her change in behavior and gave her a pat on the head, smirking. It worked.
Later that day, the child Yuu, ran by scared. Okita explained to Ibuki that the boy lived there before noticing Saito and Shinpachi covered in blood. Sayaka came running the moment she heard Yuu's cry of fear, brushing past the shocked Okita and Ibuki to check Saito and Shinpachi for any visible injuries. Relieved at the fact the two were okay, she smiled and retreated to Okita's side, receiving a barely noticeable smile from Saito at her concern. She sat beside Okita as the two cleaned up and explained what happened to the group, Hijikata and Sannan now present. Hijikata's passionate dislike of Serizawa and strong desire to raise Kondou up to an honorable position always inspired Sayaka, who gently approached and told the men that she was confident they would succeed in the long run, as a fire so fierce was near impossible to quell. The group smiled and laughed, appreciating her support, before they continued their work.

 
Night came and as Sayaka, restless, wandered the grounds she caught sight of Okita training. Noticing Hijikata watching from the side, she simply smiled and remained out of sight as she wandered. She drank some tea with Saito before heading back to her room. Her discussion with him about the skill of the rogue samurai proved rather interesting and she knew that eventually she would need to investigate some on her own.

Hearing that the Aizu clan was officially placing the Roshigumi under their charge, Sayaka smiled. She remained quietly off to the side of all the men, studying their faces. They all seemed so genuinely excited that she couldn't help but beam until Serizawa was mentioned. Scowling from the corner, she continued to watch the expressions of the men. As expected, they were displeased but hid it well. Once suckered into going drinking at Shimabara with Serizawa, Sayaka elected to go along and observe. Serizawa did not object to the presence of an additional pretty woman, but she remained by the side of Okita. She listened quietly to his exchange with Serizawa, placing a hand on his arm to calm him as best she could. It took the added interruption from Saito to truly end it. She knew he had killed and was unphased by Serizawa's assertion, contrary to Okita. Sighing softly, she continued to do her best to provide him some semblance of comfort. When Serizawa inevitably began acting up again, she remained patiently by the men from the dojo. Sano and Shinpachi helped the geisha leave while Heisuke fetched Hijikata, Sayaka quietly spoke with Saito about keeping an eye on Okita's temper before returning to the emerald eyed man. She knew it was no use trying to distract him and instead offered him her unwavering support. She knew it had hit him rather hard. She remained beside him until he went to his room to sleep before sitting outside under the stars alone to contemplate what course of action she would take. She knew Hijikata and Sannan's rules of conduct would be submitted to Serizawa shortly. The time was approaching.

The men did not necessarily enjoy the new rules, but she applauded their honesty and Okita's love for Kondou. Saito's calm thinking was correct, as was Okita's warning to Ibuki. She sighed and nodded in agreement as Ibuki walked off, looking at the others with a faint smile. At least she knew that the dojo men would be okay. They had to be. The dinner chaos that ensued made her laugh, watching as Saito spoke fondly of his meal before nearly murdering Ibuki with his chopsticks to protect it. She playfully stole a bit from Okita only for him to give her a sly smile and steal twice as much from her. He usually didn't eat more than necessary but it was more of a game and he clearly wanted to win. Things quickly calmed down, however, and she finished her meal quietly. She could feel Okita growing tense again, but wasn't sure what had bothered him. When he stood to leave for his alleged sword practice, Shinpachi piped up and received a glare from Sayaka. His bloodthirsty side has revealed itself. She remained seated as he claimed to desire to kill rogue samurai. Hijikata's request that he return to Edo would not go over well and she knew it. She waited for him to leave, then followed quietly behind. His emotions were evident, but she did nothing to intervene. She knew that this was something necessary for Okita. As much as she desired to stop him, pull him into an embrace and comfort him, she knew it was ill-advised. It was bad enough seeing him that way, but knowing that she too wanted to feel the weight of a sword in her hand and fight made it all the more difficult. She had sparred with Souji and Saito, even Hijikata, various times but since arriving in Kyoto, it had seemed to occur less and less often.

She knew Okita's past, as he had discussed it with her back at the dojo. Orphaned, left at the dojo by his sister, and harassed by the other students, he had struggled since he was a child. While she knew Kondou had shown him love and that all the men she viewed as her family also saw Okita as a close friend, she was personally determined to make sure he knew he was loved. The emotional outburst he faced at that moment, however, she couldn't stop. He needed to calm down without her interference this time. He had always fought his hardest, but she wondered if he had any clue what battles were in store for him. She knew, to a certain extent. She knew when she had to interfere. Seeing him on the bridge, she waited until she was confident he had cooled his head enough before she approached, standing beside him.

 
"Okita-san, I understand how you feel. I will always be here to support you. You will never be obligated to tell me anything, but don't forget, you can confide in me. I would sooner die than betray you," she whispered, then wandered off without looking back. Okita was not given a chance to reply. He remained on the bridge until Kondou and Ibuki arrived. She knew what was coming next. She lurked in the shadows and listened as Serizawa informed Okita of Tonouchi's desire to eliminate Kondou. She watched he laughed maniacally, smiling softly. As terrifying as his behavior could be for others, she couldn't help but find everything he did somewhat endearing. She observed as he manipulated and killed his enemy, waiting until he had done his duty to approach.

 
"I see you have made a choice. While Kondou-san and Hijikata-san would disagree, I have to admit that I approve of your action. I doubt I would have been able to ignore such a thing myself," she admitted.

"Sayaka-chan, don't get cheeky with me. I'll kill you," He stated slyly but quietly, "How long have you known?"

"Okita-san, you will be the first to know that I am not of this world. I know a decent amount of the things that were and the things that will be without anyone needing to tell me. I've known fragments of your past and future since before we met. The same applies to Kondou-san and the others. I simply wanted you to know that you have me on your side and that I am working to ensure a successful future for you and the other men from the dojo," Sayaka confessed, getting a stunned look from Okita.

It seemed for a moment as if he didn't believe her, but he nodded silently in understanding. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she left, whispering for him to be careful as she disappeared into the night. Some situations, she simply couldn't dig him out of. By the time he returned and was spotted by Heisuke, she was feigning innocence while sitting among the others. She would walk with Saito afterward, calmly conversing with him about swords as if nothing had happened. Saito knew better than to inquire about the situation, knowing that there was something unique about Sayaka, and simply went along with it. She remained with him as she cleaned his sword, leaving Okita to his own devices. She loved him as he was. She would do nothing that would drastically alter his development as an individual, only do her best to keep him alive and in good spirits when she could.