"No."

"Chizuru," Sen whined across the phone line, drawing out the last syllable of her name. "He's only going to be here for dinner… There's no reason for you to not come home after class!"

"I'll come back to the apartment when he leaves. I'm sorry, Sen, but your cousin is…" Chizuru paused, seemingly trying to find the right word.

"An ass?" Sen supplied helpfully.

Chizuru exhaled loudly. "Yes. Yes, he is. A condescending one who has been rude to both me and the guys on multiple occasions."

The aforementioned guys were Chizuru's long-time friends from Mibu High School and Shinsengumi University. She'd even lived with them when her father had opted to go gallivanting around the world for his "research"—research he still had yet to finish or return from. She and the guys had all been one big, dysfunctional yet happy family.

After college, though, they'd found themselves heading in different directions. Saito had gone to the University of Aizu for graduate school, while Hijikata had gone to Hakodate School of Fine Arts for an MFA. Souji and Kondo had gone with Yamazaki, much to Souji's dismay, to pursue alternative treatments for their ongoing health problems. Heisuke, Sanosuke, and Shinpachi had moved to another city for work, and last she heard they'd opened a gym. She wasn't entirely sure where Sannan had gone.

"Chizuru? Did you hear me?"

"Oh! Sen, I'm so sorry. What did you say?" Despite the fact that Sen couldn't see her, Chizuru felt her face flush. She hadn't meant to let her thoughts wander.

"I said, what if Chikage apologizes?" Sen said.

A laugh bubbled up out of Chizuru. "Kazama? Apologize? Sen, nothing short of witchcraft or divine intervention is going to get that to happen."

"Hmm… You may be right, but I am the family princess," Sen replied primly, referring to a childhood nickname that had lingered well into adulthood. "Come home after class, and I guarantee you he'll apologize."

Chizuru sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Fine. But I'm not hanging out with you guys—I'll say hello and that's it. Oh, lunch is over. I've gotta run."

Facing re-energized elementary school students was a far more pleasant prospect than what Sen was subjecting her to.

After her student teaching and evening classes were done for the day, Chizuru reluctantly made her way back to the apartment she shared with Sen and Kimigiku. The latter wouldn't be home until the following morning, since she worked full time as a bartender.

As she unlocked the door, she could hear voices, and she took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

From the small dining room, four pairs of eyes stared at her.

"Uh, hi, Amagiri. Shiranui. Sen…" She made eye contact and smiled at each as she said their names. Then she slanted her gaze toward the remaining person and barely lifted the corners of her lips. "Hey, Kazama."

Sen leapt up from the table. "Chizuru! There's leftovers in the fridge for you. Don't worry—I didn't cook, Amagiri did."

Chizuru grinned. "Thank goodness. I don't want another round of food poisoning, thanks."

Her roommate mock glared at her. "It was one time!"

Behind her, Shiranui held up his hands and proceeded to count out all ten fingers, mouthing "at least" to Chizuru. She giggled.

Sen whirled around, hands on her hips. "Shiranui, don't even start. You're hardly better."

As they sniped back and forth over who was the worse cook, Kazama shoved back from the table and slowly approached Chizuru.

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, saying nothing but noticing the room had gone very quiet.

As Kazama opened his mouth to speak, Sen suddenly interrupted, "Wine! Oh, we're completely out of wine already."

Chizuru stared at her, confused, and Kazama merely lifted an eyebrow in question.

Sen looped an arm through Shiranui's and the other through Amagiri's, as though trying to pull them out of their seats.

"Amagiri, Shiranui, and I are going to go get some wine." The two men exchanged glances and shrugged. "Don't kill each other, okay?" Sen added sweetly.

Then, the princess in residence proceeded to push them out the door, winking at Chizuru as she left.

Chizuru sighed and shook her head.

Kazama cleared his throat, and Chizuru met his scarlet gaze head on. "Yes?"

"Before I was rudely interrupted, I was going to say that Sen informed me that I am to apologize to you for—and I quote—'being an ass,'" he said, rolling his eyes.

Chizuru resisted the urge to repeat the gesture. "Yes, I can tell you're truly, genuinely repentant. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go relax."

Before she could leave the kitchen, he grabbed her arm. "Tell me just what it is you think I've done to warrant remorse? As I recall, I've done nothing to you."

Anger washed over Chizuru, and she jerked her arm away, glaring at him. Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before responding.

"Well, let's see, Kazama. In high school, you told me I was shaming my family by 'shacking up with' my guy friends, even though my father had approved it." Chizuru held up a finger.

"Then there was the time you told me I was not living up to the Yukimura family name and, again, shaming my family by attending Shinsengumi University." She raised another finger.

"Oh, and how about when you said that a Yukimura should aspire to more than being a teacher? Not to mention the time you said that girls who go into education are doing nothing more than looking for a husband." She held up two fingers. "What was it you called it?"

"An MRS degree," he said quietly, his tone oddly devoid of the derision it had held the first time he'd said it to her.

She might have noticed the change had she not been so worked up. Instead, she continued. "Ah, yes, that's it. Let's not forget you referring to me as 'your woman' when we've never even been on a single date, and even if we had, I certainly don't belong to you. And that doesn't even count the numerous times you insulted my friends!" Chizuru finished, flinging her hands up in exasperation.

Kazama said nothing, but his lips twitched as though he were trying not to laugh. Seeing it only fanned the flames of Chizuru's annoyance, and she stomped off to her bedroom, slamming the door.

Not five minutes later, she flung the door open, her clothes now more casual than the work appropriate attire she'd worn during the day. Kazama openly smirked at her, and she ignored him, walking over to the TV and turning it on.

Then, she pressed the power button to her GameCube and grabbed a controller.

"What are you doing?"

Feeling uncharacteristically snarky, Chizuru replied flippantly, "Making a cake. What does it look like?"

He sat down next to her on the sofa, close enough that she caught a hint of his faintly citrusy cologne.

He smells nice.

She shook herself mentally. Smelling nice and being a condescending jerk were not mutually exclusive.

Chizuru glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, omnipresent smirk firmly in place.

"What?" she asked, wishing he'd leave her to play her games and relax in peace.

He gave a low chuckle. "Your anger—while not unfounded, I will admit—is amusing. That's all."

She felt her cheeks heat. "Okay…" Then, "You know, that sounded suspiciously close to an apology."

Kazama shrugged. "If that's how you choose to interpret it." When she didn't rise to the bait, he added, "Since presumably you're not playing a cake-baking game, what are you playing?"

When the title screen loaded, Chizuru gestured to the TV.

"Super Smash Bros. Melee?" he asked.

A demonic little impulse coursed through Chizuru, and she turned toward him, giving a deceptively sweet smile as she handed him a controller. "Want to play?"

He took the proffered controller and grinned widely. "Suit yourself. But don't go whining to Sen again about me being mean to you when I beat you."

Chizuru nodded. "Then the same applies to you," she said cheekily. His crimson eyes widened fractionally.

When they chose their characters, Kazama laughed. "Seriously? Jigglypuff?" he asked, scorn dripping from his voice.

"Oh, Marth? That's Hijikata's favorite too," she said casually. Kazama frowned.

"Tch. I'm surprised he even plays the game," he muttered.

"Kondo always managed to convince him. Even when Souji took particular pleasure in killing him every time he respawned," Chizuru said, giggling at the memories.

Chizuru set the match for stock mode, each of them with ten lives. Once the level loaded, it took less than thirty seconds for Chizuru to send Kazama's Marth rocketing off the screen.

Next to her, Kazama jolted and twisted his body to stare at her.

"What the hell was that?"

"Hmmm? What was what?" she asked innocently.

Mumbling something about a fluke, he refocused on the game.

Marth hit the screen shortly thereafter.

"Damnit!" Kazama snapped, sitting up straighter and leaning forward. Chizuru knew that posture. She'd seen her guys do it many a time, and she'd done it herself. Game on.

Despite Kazama's best efforts, Jigglypuff wiped the floor with Marth, and victory was Chizuru's.

"Hey, Kazama, I thought you said you were going to beat me?" Chizuru asked, watching the muscle in his jaw twitch as he clenched his teeth.

"Again," was all he said.

Five rounds and forty-two deaths on Marth's part later, Kazama had lost all his cool collectedness, and Chizuru was feeling giddy.

"Remind me again who is superior to whom? Who is shaming whose family?" she couldn't resist asking.

"You cheat. I don't know how, but you cheat," he said, lip lifting in a sneer. "I bet without your precious Jigglypuff, you'll be a pathetic insect compared to me."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, okay. I'll use Samus then."

Four rounds and twenty-seven deaths from Marth later—Samus was her second-string character—Kazama threw his controller across the room.

"If you break it, you have to replace it," Chizuru said dryly.

He retrieved the controller and examined it. "It's fine." Not that a measly controller would have set him back or anything.

"So about that pathetic insect comment…" she began. He glared at her.

Spreading her hands wide in a placating gesture, she tilted her head toward the GameCube. "Would you like to try something different? To regain your family honor?" she offered, grinning.

Kazama's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Such as?"

Holding back giggles that threatened to escape—who knew Kazama would be so competitive over video games of all things?—Chizuru said, "Mario Party? It's basically luck, so you wouldn't have to worry about me 'cheating,'" she said, using air quotes.

"Fine."

She was unsurprised by him choosing the title character, and she went for her usual Peach. Unlike with Smash Bros, however, Kazama made no comment about her choice of character.

As they played through the map, Kazama cursing and Chizuru giggling nearly incessantly at his continued bad luck, neither noticed how much time had gone by, nor that their friends had yet to return.

And when he came in dead last and she won, the controller flew across the room again.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Chizuru put a hand over her mouth, trying—and failing—to contain her laughter. There, sitting on her apartment sofa, was the high and mighty Kazama Chikage, heir to the multinational Kazama Corporation, pouting.

Over losing a video game.

Chizuru doubled over onto the floor, holding her sides. Gasping for air, she choked out, "If it makes you feel any better, Heisuke is terrible at both games. He loses every time."

"It doesn't." Kazama's tone resembled that of a petulant schoolboy, and Chizuru had to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand.

A moment or two later, she finally collected herself, looking up to find Kazama regarding her, an odd expression on his face.

Taking stock of his handsome features, blond hair tousled from the innumerable times he'd run his hands through it in frustration, bloodred eyes locked on her, Chizuru finally realized what was different.

He was smiling. A real, genuine smile.

When a tiny gasp slipped out, he arched an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She averted her gaze briefly before meeting his eyes once more. "Well…you're smiling. I think that's the first time I've seen you actually really smile."

Kazama snorted. "The same could be said for you. This has to be the first time I've seen you relaxed around me."

Chizuru's mouth dropped open slightly. He was right. When had that happened?

She felt a flush creeping up her neck into her face. "I… Well, I… I mean, it was…" Before she could finish, her stomach growled loudly.

I must be neon red by now.

Kazama had clearly heard her stomach, giving a bark of laughter. "Hungry?"

Chizuru nodded sheepishly.

He stood and extended a hand to her. "Come on, I'll buy you dinner."

She accepted his help and stood as well. "Why, because you lost?"

"Perhaps." Then he smirked, the arrogant expression she was all too familiar with. "Or, maybe I just want to take a beautiful woman out to dinner."

Though she heaved a sigh and shook her head, Chizuru couldn't deny the trickle of pleasure that flowed through her at his words.

Chikage might not be that bad after all…

Just before they left the apartment, a sudden thought occurred to Chizuru and she groaned out loud. "Sen…"

At his inquiring look, she explained, "She—they set us up. There's no other explanation."

Kazama considered her theory and nodded. "Then…" His expression grew sly. "Perhaps we should return the favor."

She hesitated before agreeing. Though she loved her friend dearly, Sen was far too meddlesome for her own good.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Kazama guided her out the door and toward the parking lot.

"Let's plot our revenge, Chizuru. This is one fight I know I can win."

Chizuru smiled. "There's a first time for everything."

Author's Note: I... I have no idea where this came from. It's been a while since I've written for Hakuouki, and I've never written Kazama, so apologies if things are too OOC. Chalk it up to too little sleep last night or a rushed job for KazaChi Week ;-)
A side note: I have a close friend who routinely abused Jigglypuff in Smash Bros, so that comes from personal experience. That rat bastard.