Hakuoki: Saito's bad endings

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Background information and links to previous posts

TIME FOR SOME BAD ENDINGS.

Specifically, Saito's bad endings, because if I'm going to suffer I might as well go all in.

Which I did! HOORAY FOR SUFFERING.


** Spoilers**

So I have played another game by this company, Amnesia: Memories, and the bad endings for that involved a lot of the love interests murdering (or in one case, caging and drugging) the protagonist despite being regular human university students. So I am guessing the bad ends in a game about vampire samurai are going to get a trifle dark. I'm especially worried how the Kazama bad ends will go.

BUT I HAVE TO SEE. The empty spaces in the CG galleries taunt me!

The first is one I was really curious about at the time: What happens if you choose "Make him endure" the first time Saito experiences bloodlust, after his fight with Stabdad at Chizuru's old house.

OH GOD. So he doesn't eat you like I thought he might. Instead he just sits there looking very sad, and afterwards walks ahead back to headquarters. But then as Chizuru is locking up the house behind them...Stabdad puts his hand over her mouth, ties her hands, and then forces the vampire serum down her throat D:

Stabdad: Don't worry, everything will be fine now :)

AND THEN THE MADNESS TAKES HOLD OF HER MIND. THE END.

I didn't even get a CG! (Illustration of the scene)

...I should probably be glad I didn't get a CG.

WELP. LET'S JUST KEEP THE SAITO BAD END TRAIN GOING.

So! I restarted the final chapter of Kyoto Winds with Saito on Low Romance instead of High. The text is identical up to the fight with Amagiri except for a few seemingly unremarkable lines I can't remember the originals of.

Now for a good end you're supposed to say SAITO JUST RUN WE GOTTA GO SAVE THE SHINSENGUMI. But instead I pick "You can win, Saito!" which is not, on the surface, a Bad End kinda choice a la "Make him endure it".

Instead of being encouraged, Saito freezes up, with a grim look on his face.
Amagiri: You understand, don't you? I will never lose the upper hand. Be proud, it takes a good swordsman to know when he is beaten.

But then the plot continues. I guess that was just a little extra Low Romance push.

...said plot being, Saito and Kazama get into a fight and Kazama sadistically tortures him. Saito looks so sad ;_; *remembers why I hated Kazama so much*

Oh god so the bad ending choice is to go with Kazama so he'll stop hurting Saito.

Kazama: Interesting. So you agree to become my bride, and submit to me for the rest of eternity?

AHHH

Saito, covered in blood, his voice a croaking gasp: Do you have so little faith in me? In the Shinsengumi?
Me: NO SAITO I LOVE YOU I'M SO SORRY
Chizuru: But you'll die!
Saito: As long as it is my duty to protect you, I will do so, even unto my death *takes vampire serum*

And then the fight continues the same as before for a while. But over time Kazama gains the upper hand, because Saito's sprit has been broken ;_;

Kazama knocks away Saito's sword.

Kazama: This was fun but playtime is over. Time to show my bride who she is coming home to :D

NNNNNNooooooooo

AND THEN

CHIZURU JUMPS IN FRONT OF THE BLADE

SAITO LOOKS AT HER IN HORRIFIED SHOCK AS BLOOD SPATTERS THE SCREEN AND IT GOES TO BLACK

Kazama: How could such a noble female demon risk her life for such a pathetic loser of a man?

FUCK YOU KAZAMA

Saito cries out for Chizuru to hold on, but she thinks it's fine like this. If it wasn't for her he'd have never have been targeted by Kazama. With her last thoughts she hopes the Shinsengumi will continue on without her.

THE END

And now for the unrequited love ending YAY FUN.

Ok so I use a save from the point where I chose to go with Kazama, and choose to believe in Saito this time. So he does a lot better!

But he's still at low romance, and during a pause in the battle he tells her to go. "When you are beside me I am unable to fight with the strength necessary" :( She tells him to promise to follow and he says he can't promise that.

Chizuru runs away, sadly.

Kazama: Just buying time for her to escape with your death, huh?
Saito: And yet you let me do it.
Kazama: You act like killing you and catching up with my wife-to-be is going to be hard.



And then some friends came over to watch Leverage, which was a nice break (a bunch of sad soldiers with PTSD were mistreated but then the bad guys were defeated and EVERYONE WAS FINE, what a concept) It was only after they left that I realised the image above had been sitting on the kitchen monitor the whole time.

ANYWAY

We cut back to Chizuru running through the forest. She hears a sound of someone coming towards her.

Me: OH GOD IS IT GOING TO BE SAITO'S SEVERED HEAD

But it's....

Yamazaki!

Yamazaki: Chizuru! Where's Saito?
Chizuru: Back there fighting Kazama so I could escape ;_;
Yamazaki: I see. If you continue down this path, you'll be safe. We will follow you.
Chizuru: Yamazaki ;_;
Me: Yamazaki ;_;

Back when I did this path the first time I didn't even really care about Yamazaki very much, isn't it great how I saved this ending until after I'd gotten attached.

Chizuru wants to turn back, but she can't let Saito's sacrifice be in vain ;_;

Back at the castle, the captains try to keep hopes up about Saito's return, but the ship is ready to sail. Perhaps it is time to let go of that hope.

BUT THEN, THROUGH THE DOOR...

COMES SAITO

Saito: I apologise for being late.
Hijikata: THAT'S OK :D So did you beat Kazama?
Saito: ...let me talk to you about it in private...

Later, he comes to Chizuru's room. He looks at her with longing for just a moment. And then he says he has told Hijikata he doesn't think Chizuru should stay with the Shinsengumi any more.
Chizuru: But why ;_;
Saito: We have discovered that your father is our enemy. Surely it would be painful for you to be with us when we kill him. We will find a safe place for you to stay.
Chizuru: I see :( Then I have one last question: What happened to Yamazaki?
Saito: ... :(
Chizuru: :(
me: :(

And so Chizuru resigns herself to leaving the Shinsengumi, and can only hope they will fight better without her by their side.

THE END

I got a new, melancholy credits I hadn't seen before. HOORAY.

None of these gave me any new CGs, but I realised the missing Kyoto Winds Saito CG might be because I didn't start following a walkthrough until partway through. *follows walkthrough*

OH HEY LOOK IT'S THE MYSTERIOUS MISSING LOVE INTEREST SAKAMOTO. He is the dude who shows up one time in a scene you'll probably only get if you're pursuing Saito. Though he introduces himself as "Umatairo Saitini" which threw me off. I knew this dude was lying about himself!

HA. I finally found the missing scene, and it was some fight-flirting between Amagiri and Saito with a bunch of sensible restrained intensity and quiet mutual respect :D

*holds onto this brief flicker of light as I move onto the Edo Blossoms bad ends*

Time for the "unrequited love" ending: replaying the penultimate chapter with low romance and low corruption.

Aw. Saito is about to stay alone and make a final stand, and instead of being all I WILL STAY, Chizuru has a moment of doubt about staying to join him in certain doom.
Hijikata: Can't decide huh? Ok: You're staying with Saito!
Saito: What?
Hijikata: Your odds of survival are higher if you have someone to protect.
Me: Saito's odds, yes. Chizuru's odds...not so much.

Saito looks quietly glad to have a purpose, but there's no bittersweet makeouts this time. Instead there's just some understated pining. (These "unrequited" love ends are more like tragic missed opportunities which is...not better /o\)

And then the plot continues as before and we come to the final battle between Saito and Kazama.

Heisuke arrives, but alone, and he thinks maybe Shiranui killed Harada and Nagakura :(

Kazama: Oh look another insect to squash.

Saito: Heisuke! You must leave this place! And take Chizuru! I will meet with you afterwards.

D:

Chizuru: But he promised me we would stay together until the end :( Heisuke you have to let me go back I have a bad feeling I'll never see him again!
Heisuke: I can't deny his dying wish :(
Chizuru: Oh :(

He gets her outside and then says he's going back in oh no

Heisuke comes back, eventually, to tell her that Saito is dead :( Chizuru wishes she could have stayed with him, even if it had meant dying. She thinks of the times they spent together, and how she will never experience anything like that again.

Heisuke asks what she wants to do next, and offers to take her with him to meet back up with the Shinsengumi. Chizuru says she'll stay here.
Heisuke: But everyone staying here is going to die.
Chizuru: ...

He's so understanding and sad and gentle it breaks my heart.

THE END

*takes a breath*

Now for the Bad Ending.

I replay the same events, but with low romance and high corruption, which means their relationship is poor and Saito is losing to his vampire nature. I clicked "Make him endure it" instead of "Give him blood", sure Chizuru was going to get eaten. But instead he just shudders in pain in her arms, telling himself it will be over soon. Saito ;_;

During the battle with Kazama, Amigiri tells Kazama there's no merit in killing this human (Amagiri <3)

Kazama: Pfft, merit. It's survival of the fittest. And how better to discipline my wife than show her how I deal with impudence?

Chixuru is filled with despair. Will noone come to save Saito? But then, the sliding door opens! It's...

FUCKING. STABDAD.

I literally said OH NO OH NO so loud it scared off the cat D: D:

HIM AND SHIRANUI ARE BACK FROM MURDERING HEISUKE, HARADA, AND NAGAKURA

Shiranui: They didn't do too bad for humans :)

You can see Saito's heart breaking

AND THEN

KAZAMA

KILLS HIM

Chizuru falls to the ground

And when she looks up, there is a shadow over her

Amagiri: I am sorry, Yumikura Chizuru. The least I can do for you is end your suffering.

AND THEN HE KILLS HER

THE END

fuck

FINE. I'M FINE.

LET'S FINISH THIS. LAST TWO BAD ENDS GO GO

So I make Saito endure bloodlust just before a battle and he eventually loses it, hacking madly at a downed enemy so that he is splashed with blood. He gets a sprite with a blood crazed smile that I have never seen before D:

Amamgiri: A pity. I thought you would be different :( Well, if you must give up your humanity, the least I can do is kill you with my bare hands.

Chizuru: No!

She leaps in the way...and the screen goes red, and then black.

The last thing she hears is Saito saying her name.

THE END

This time I make him endure bloodlust just before the ambush on headquarters, where Hijikata and Kondou stay behind while Saito and Chizuru help evacuate everyone else. And then I choose "Why don't we go back".

And he says yes D:

Jesus Christ Otomate why couldn't you just have him kill me, it would be less painful (AND YES I MEAN ME NOT CHIZURU)

FUCK THAT'S RIGHT ON THIS PATH SANAN BETRAYED THEM

He's all smug to the enemy soldiers about the Shinsengumi having not paid him respect. SANAN D:<

Sanan: So, as per our agreement, the new improved vampire serum?
Imperial soldier: How about we repay you with a silver bullet instead :D

AND THEN THEY KILL HIM

SUCKED IN, SANAN

Then Saito blocks the passage of the soldiers towards Kondou and Hijikata.

And oh look Shimada is here too :(

They fight bravely, but are slowly being overwhelmed. Saito goes into vampire mode.

Imperial soldier: Vampire huh? I got the tool for that :)

Saito is shot. He cries out, and falls.

Chizuru can't believe it, and runs out to him.

She hears more gunshots, and thing begin to blur. And then they go black.

THE END

Well.

That was a fun way to spend an evening!

MMM. YES.

FUN.

I think that may be it for me and bad endings for...possibly forever. Unless I finish the rest of the game and want some new content THAT badly I guess.

Or am in the mood for having my heart ripped from my chest.

But I finished the gaps in my gallery! (It was all images of Saito clutching his chest in pain)

And if the theme of the bad endings is watching your love interest suffer, maybe the bad Kazama endings involve watching him suffer. I think I could handle that right now.