Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan Hakuouki Hakkesturoku Hakuouki Reimeiroku Hakuouki Sekkaroku OVA

Once, long ago and far from here, there was a boy named Jax, and he fell in love with the moon. Jax was a strange boy. A thoughtful boy. A lonely boy. He lived in an old house at the end of a broken road. getting into trouble. And he never laughed. !ome folk said, "what can you ex ect of a boy who lives alone in a broken house and the end of a broken road#$ !ome said the roblem was that he never had any arents. !ome said he had a dro of faerie blood in him and that ke t his heart from ever knowing %oy. He was an unlucky boy. &here was no denying that. 'hen he got a new shirt, he would tear a hole in it. (f you gave him a sweet, he would dro it in the road. !ome said the boy was born under a bad star, that he was cursed, that he had a demon riding his shadow. Other folks sim ly felt bad for him, but not so bad that they cared to hel . One day, a tinker came down the road to Jaxs house. &his was something of a sur rise, because the road was broken, so nobody ever used it. "Hoy there, boy)$, the tinker shouted, leaning on his stick. "*an you give an old man a drink#$ Jax brought out some water in a cracked clay mug. &he tinker drank and looked down at the boy. "+ou dont look ha y, son. 'hats the matter#$ Everyone who saw Jax could tell there was something different about him. He didnt lay. He didnt run around

",othing is the matter,$ Jax said. "(t seems to me a erson needs something to be ha y about, and ( dont have any such thing.$

Jax said this in a tone so flat and resigned that it broke the tinkers heart. "(m betting ( have something in my ack that will make you ha boy. "what do you say to that#$ "(d say that if you make me ha y, (ll be grateful indeed,$ Jax said. "-ut ( y,$he said to the

havent got any money to s end, not a enny to borrow to beg or to lend.$ "'ell, that is a roblem,$ said the tinker. "( am in business, you see.$ "(f you can find something in your ack that will make me ha y,$ Jax said. "( will

give you my house. (ts old and broken, but its worth something.$ &he tinker looked u at the huge old house, one short ste away from being a mansion. "(t is at that,$ he said. &hen Jax looked u at the tinker, his small face serious. "And in you cant make me ha y, what then# 'ill you give me the acks off your back, the stick in your hand, and the hat off your head#$ ,ow the tinker was fond of a wager, and he knew a good bet when he heard one. -esides, his acks were bulging with treasures from all over the four corners, and he was confident he could im ress a small boy. !o he agreed, and the two of them shook hands. .irst, the tinker brought out a bag of marbles all the colours of sunlight. -ut they didnt make Jax ha make Jax ha y. y. &he tinker brought out a ball and cu . -ut that didnt

&he tinker went through his first ack. (t was full of ordinary things that would have leased an ordinary boy/ dice, u nothing made Jax ha y. ets, a folding knife, a rubber ball. -ut

!o, the tinker moved on to his second ack. (t held rarer things. A gear soldier that marched if you wound him. A bright set of aints with four different brushes. A book of secrets. A iece of iron that fell from the sky0 &his went on all day and late into the night, and eventually the tinker began to worry. He wasnt worried about losing his stick. -ut his acks were how he made his living, and he was rather fond of his hat.

Eventually, he reali1ed he was going to have to o en his third ack. (t was small, and it only had three items in it. -ut they were things he only showed to his wealthiest customers. Each was worth much more than a broken house. -ut still, he thought, better to lose one than to lose everything and his hat besides. Just as the tinker was reaching for his third ack, Jax ointed. "'hat is that#$ "&hose are s ectacles,$ the tinker said. "&heyre a second air of eyes that hel a erson see better.$ He icked them u and settled them onto Jaxs face. Jax looked around. "&hings look the same,$ he said. &hen he looked u . "'hat are those#$ "&hose are stars,$ the tinker said. "(ve never seen them before.$ He turned, still looking u . &hen he sto still. "'hat is that#$ "&hat is the moon,$ the tinker said. "( think that would make me ha y,$ Jax said. ed stock

"'ell, there you go,$ the tinker said, relieved. "+ou have your s ectacles0$ "2ooking at it doesnt make me ha y,$ Jax said. ",o more than looking at my

dinner makes me full. ( want it. ( want to have it for my own.$ "( cant give you the moon,$ the tinker said. "!he doesnt belong to me. !he belongs only to herself.$ "Only the moon will do,$ Jax said. "'ell, ( cant hel you with that,$ the tinker said with a heavy sigh. "3y acks and everything in them are yours.$ Jax nodded, unsmiling. "And heres my stick. A good sturdy one it is, too.$ Jax took it in his hand.

"( dont su

ose,$ the tinker said reluctantly, "that youd mind leaving me with

my hat# (m rather fond of it0$ "(ts mine by right,$ Jax said. "(f you were fond of it, you shouldnt have gambled it away.$ &he tinker scowled as he handed over his hat. !o Jax settled the hat on his head, took the stick in his hand, and gathered u the tinkers acks. 'hen he found the third one, still uno ened, he asked, "'hats in there#$ "!omething for you to choke on,$ the tinker s at. ",o need to get tetchy over a hat,$ the boy said. "( have greater need of it than you. ( have a long way to walk if (m to find the moon and make her mine.$ "-ut for the taking of my hat, you could have had my hel in catching her,$ the tinker said. "( will leave you with the broken house,$ Jax said. "&hat is something. &hough it will be u to you to mend it.$ Jax ut the s ectacles on his face and started walking down the road in the direction of the moon. He walked all night, only sto slight behind the mountains. !o Jax walked day after day, endlessly searching0 Jax had no trouble following the moon because in those days the moon was always full. !he hung in the sky, round as a cu , bright as a candle, all unchanging. Jax walked for days and days until his feet grew sore. He walked for months and months and his back grew tired beneath his acks. He walked for years and years and grew u tall and lean and hard and hungry. 'hen he needed food, he traded out of the tinkers acks. 'hen his shoes wore thin he did the same. Jax made his own way, and he grew u clever and sly. &hrough it all, Jax thought about the moon. 'hen he began to think he couldnt go another ste , hed ut on his s ectacles and look u at her, round bellied in the sky. And in time he came to think he was in love. ing when she went out of

Eventually the road Jax followed assed through &inu4, as all roads do. !till he walked, following the 5reat !tone 6oad east toward the mountains. &he road climbed and climbed. He ate the last of his bread and the last of his cheese. He drank the last of his water and the last of his wine. He walked for days without either, the moon growing larger in the night sky above him. Just as his strength was failing, Jax climbed over a rise and found an old man sitting in the mouth of a cave. He had a long grey beard and a long grey robe. He had no hair on the to of his head, or shoes on the bottom of his feet. His eyes were o en and his mouth was closed. His face lit u when he was Jax. He came to his feet and smiled. "Hello, hello,$ he said, his voice bright and rich. "+oure a long way from anywhere. How is the road to &inu4#$ "(ts long,$ Jax said. "And hard and weary.$ &he old man invited Jax to sit. He brought him water and goats milk and fruit to eat. Jax ate hungrily, then offered the man a air of shoes from his ack in trade. ",o need, no need,$ the old man said ha offering them all the same.$ Jax shrugged. "As you will. -ut what are you doing here, so far from everything#$ "( found this cave when ( was out chasing the wind,$ the old man said. "( decided to stay because this lace is erfect for what ( do.$ "And what is that#$ Jax asked. "( am a listener,$ the old man said. "( listen to things to see what they have to say.$ "Ah,$ Jax said carefully. "And this is a good lace for that#$ "7uite good. 7uite excellent good,$ the old man said. "+ou need to get a long ways away from eo le before you can learn to listen ro erly.$ He smiled. "'hat brings you out to my little corner of the sky#$ ily, wiggling his toes. "-ut thanks for

"( am trying to find the moon.$ "&hats easy enough,$ the old man said, gesturing to the sky. "'e see her most every night, weather ermitting.$ ",o, (m trying to catch her. (f ( could be with her, ( think ( could be ha y.$

&he old man looked at him seriously. "+ou want to catch her, do you#$ How long have you been chasing#$ "3ore years and miles than ( can count.$ &he old man closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded to himself. "( can hear it in your voice. &his is no assing fancy.$ He leaned close and ressed his ear to Jaxs chest. He closed his eyes for another long moment and was very still. "Oh,$ he said softly. "How sad. +our heart is broken and youve never even had a chance to use it.$ Jax moved around, a little uncomfortable. "(f you dont mind my asking,$ Jax said, "whats your name#$ "( dont mind you asking,$ the old man said. "!o long as you dont mind me not telling. (f you had my name, (d be under your ower, wouldnt (#$ "'ould you#$ Jax asked. "Of course.$ &he old man frowned. "&hat is the way of things. &hough you dont seem to be much for listening, its best to be careful. (f you managed to catch hold of even %ust a iece of my name, youd have all manner of ower over me.$ Jax wondered if this man might be able to hel him. 'hile he didnt seem to be terribly ordinary, Jax knew he was on no ordinary errand. (f hed been trying to catch a cow, he would ask a farmers hel . -ut to catch the moon, erha s he needed the hel of an odd old man. "+ou said you used to chase the wind,$ Jax said. "8id you ever catch it#$ "(n some ways, yes,$ the old man said. "And in other ways, no. &here are many ways of looking at that 9uestion, you see.$ "*ould you hel me catch the moon#$

"( might be able to give you some advice,$ the old man said reluctantly. "-ut first you should think this over, boy. 'hen you love something, you have to make sure it loves you back, or youll bring about no end of trouble chasing it.$ "How can ( find out if she loves me#$ Jax asked. "+ou could try listening,$ the old man said, almost shyly. "(t works wonders, you know. ( could teach you how.$ "How long would that take#$ "A cou le years,$ the old man said. "5ive or take. (t de ends on if you have a knack for it. (ts tricky, ro er listening. -ut once you have it, youll know the moon down to the bottoms of her feet.$ Jax shook his head. "&oo long. (f ( catch her, ( can talk with her. ( can make :" "'ell thats art of your roblem right there,$ the old man said. "+ou dont really want to catch her. ,ot really. 'ill you trail her through the sky# Of course not. +ou want to meet her. &hat means you need the moon to come to you.$ "How can ( do that#$ he said. &he old man smiled. "'ell thats the 9uestion, isnt it# 'hat do you have that the moon might want# 'hat do you have to offer the moon#$ "Only what ( have in these acks.$ "&hats not 9uite what ( meant,$ the old man muttered. "-ut we might as well take a look at what youve brought, too.$ &he old hermit looked through the first ack and found many ractical things. &he contents of the second ack were more ex ensive and rare, but no more useful. &hen the old man saw the third ack. "And what do you have in there#$ "(ve never been able to get it o en,$ Jax said. "&he knot is too much for me.$

&he hermit closed his eyes for a moment, listening. &hen he o ened his eyes and frowned at Jax. "&he knot says you tore at it. ;ricked it with a knife. -it it with your teeth.$ Jax was sur rised. "( did,$ he admitted. "( told you, ( tried everything to get it o en.$ "Hardly everything,$ the hermit said scornfully. He lifted the ack until the knotted cord was in front of his face. "(m terribly sorry,$ he said. "-ut would you o en u #$ He aused. "+es, ( a ologi1e. He wont do it again.$ &he knot unraveled and the hermit o ened the ack. As he looked inside, his eyes widened and he let out a low whistle. -ut when the old man s read the ack o en on the ground, Jaxs shoulders slum ed. He had been ho ing for money, or gems, some treasure he could give the moon as a gift. -ut all the ack held was a bent iece of wood, a stone flute, and a small iron box. Of these, only the flute caught Jaxs attention. (t was made of a ale green stone. "( had a flute when ( was younger,$ Jax said. "-ut it broke and ( could never make it right again.$ "&heyre all 9uite im ressive,$ the hermit said. "&he flute is nice enough,$ Jax said with a shrug. "-ut what use is a iece of wood and a box too small for anything ractical#$ &he hermit shook his head. "*ant you hear them# 3ost things whis er. &hese things shout.$ He ointed at the iece of crooked wood. "&hat is a folding house unless ( miss my guess. 7uite a nice one too.$ "'hats a folding house#$ "+ou know how you can fold a iece of a er on itself, and each time it gets smaller# A folding house is like that. Exce t its a house, of course.$ Jax took hold of the iece of crooked wood and tried to straighten it. !uddenly he was holding two ieces of wood that resembled the beginning of a doorframe.

"8ont unfold it here)$ the old man shouted. "( dont want a house outside my cave, blocking my sunlight)$ Jax tried to ush the two ieces of wood, back together. "'hy cant ( fold it back u #$ "-ecause you dont know how, ( ex ect,$ the old man said lainly. "( suggest you wait until you know where you want it before you unfold it the rest of the way.$ Jax set the wood down carefully, then icked u the flute. "(s this s ecial too#$ He ut it to his li s, and blew a sim le thrill like a 'ills 'idow. ,ow everyone knows the 'ills 'idow is also called a night%ar. !o it isnt out when the sun is shining. 8es ite this, a do1en night%ars flew down and landed all around Jax, looking at him curiously and blinking in the bright sunlight. "(t seems to be more than the usual flute,$ the old man said. "And the box#$ Jax reached out to ick it u . (t was dark, and cold, and small enough that he could close his hand around it. &he old man shivered and looked away from the box. "(ts em ty.$ "How can you tell without seeing inside#$ "-y listening,$ he said. "(m ama1ed you cant hear it yourself. (ts the em tiest thing (ve ever heard. (t echoes. (ts meant for kee ing things inside.$ "All boxes are meant for kee ing things inside.$ "And all flutes are meant to lay beguiling music,$ the old man ointed out. "-ut this flute is moreso. &he same is true with this box.$ Jax looked at the box for a moment, then set it down carefully and began to tie u the third ack with the three treasures inside it. "( think (ll be moving on,$ Jax said. "Are you sure you wont consider staying for a month or two#$ the old man said. "+ou could learn to listen %ust a bit more closely. <seful thing, listening.$

"+ouve given me some things to think about,$ Jax said. "And ( think youre right, ( shouldnt be chasing the moon. ( should make the moon come to me.$ "&hats not what ( actually said,$ the old man murmured. -ut he did so in a resigned way. !killed listener that he was, he knew he wasnt being heard. !killed listener that he was, he knew he wasnt being heard. Jax set off the next morning, following the moon higher into the mountains. Eventually he found a large, flat iece of ground nestled high among the tallest eaks. Jax brought out the crooked iece of wood and, iece by iece, began to unfold the house. 'ith the whole night in front of him, he was ho ing to have it finished well before the moon began to rise. -ut the house was much larger than he had guessed, more a mansion than a sim le cottage. 'hats more, unfolding it was more com licated than he had ex ected. -y the time the moon reached the to of the sky, he was still far from being finished. ;erha s Jax hurried because of this. ;erha s he was reckless. Or erha s it was %ust that Jax was unlucky as ever. (n the end the result was the same/ the mansion was magnificent, huge and s rawling. -ut it didnt fit together ro erly. &here were stairways that led sideways instead of u . !ome rooms had too few walls, or too many. 3any rooms had no ceiling, and high above they showed a strange sky full of unfamiliar stars. Everything about the lace was slightly skewed. (n one room you could look out the window at the s ringtime flowers, while across the hall the windows were filmed with winters frost. (t could be time for breakfast in the ballroom, while twilight filled a nearby bedroom. -ecause nothing in the house was true, none of the doors or windows fit tight. &hey could be closed, even locked, but never made fast. And as big as it was, the mansion had a great many doors and windows, so there was a great many ways both in and out. Jax aid no mind to any of this. (nstead he raced to the to of the highest tower and ut the flute to his li s.

He oured out a sweet song into the clear night sky. ,o sim le bird trill, this was a song that came from his broken heart. (t was strong and sad. (t fluttered like a bird with a broken wing. Hearing it, the moon came down to the tower. ;ale and round and beautiful, she stood before Jax in all her glory, and for the first time in his life he felt a single breath of %oy. &hey s oke then, on the to of the tower, Jax telling her of his life, his wager, and his long, lonely %ourney. &he moon listened, and laughed, and smiled. -ut eventually she looked longingly toward the sky. Jax knew what this foretold. "!tay with me,$ he leaded. "( can only be ha youre mine.$ "( must go,$ she said. "&he sky is my home.$ "( have made a home for you,$ Jax said, gesturing to the vast mansion below them. "&here is sky enough for you here. An em ty sky that is all for you.$ "( must go,$ she said. "( have been away too long.$ He raised his hand as if to grab her, then sto desire.$ "( must go,$ she said, looking u ward. "-ut ( will return. ( am always and unchanging. And if you lay your flute for me, ( will visit you again.$ "( have given you three things,$ he said. "A song, a home, and my heart. (f you must go, will you not give me three things in return#$ !he laughed, holding her hands out to her sides. !he was naked as the moon. "'hat do ( have that ( can leave with you# -ut if it is mine to give, ask and ( will give it.$ Jax found his mouth was dry. ".irst, ( would ask for a touch of your hand.$ ed himself. "&ime is what we make y if

it here,$ he said. "+our bedroom can be winter or s ring, all according to your

"One hand clas s another, and ( grant you your re9uest.$ !he reached out to him, her hand smooth and strong. At first it seemed cool, then marvellously warm. 5ooseflesh ran all u and down Jaxs arms. "!econd, ( would beg a kiss,$ he said. "One mouth tastes another, and ( grant you your re9uest.$ !he leaned in close to him. Her breath was sweet, her li s firm as a fruit. &he kiss ulled the breath out of Jax, and for the first time in his life, his mouth curved into the beginning of a smile. "And what is the third thing#$ the moon asked. Her eyes were dark and wise, her smile full and knowing. "+our name,$ Jax breathed. "&hat ( might call you by it.$ "One body0$ the moon began, ste ing forward eagerly. &hen she aused. "Only

my name#$ she asked, sliding her hand around his waist. Jax nodded. !he leaned close and s oke warmly against his ear, "Ludis. And Jax brought out the black iron box, closing the lid and catching her name inside. ",ow ( have your name,$ he said firmly. "!o ( have mastery over you. And ( say you must stay with me forever, so ( can be ha y.$

And so it was. &he box was no longer cold in his hand. (t was warm, and inside he could feel her name, fluttering like a moth against a window ane. ;erha s Jax had been too slow in closing the box. ;erha s he fumbled with the clas . Or erha s he was sim ly unlucky in all things. -ut in the end he only managed to catch a iece of the moons name, and not the thing entire. !o Jax could kee her for a while, but she always sli s away from him. Out from his broken mansion, back to our world. -ut still, he has a iece of her name, and so she always must return.

And that is why the moon is always changing. And that is where Jax kee s her when she is not in our sky. He caught her and he kee s her still. -ut whether or not he is ha y is only for him to know.