reunion;;

[derepressed]

Yukimura Residence.
Edo, Japan, January 1864.

[The years have stretched on and on, agonizingly slowly. Part of it is because Chizuru lacks the child-like lack of perspective that makes time fly by so quickly in the earliest years; mostly, it's because the Nagumo are so very cruel. Time flies when one is having fun, but among that clan...

This is the first opportunity she's had in years to even consider a visit to Edo, and though she might pay for it later, she doesn't care. There's something she has to do here, and so here she is, dressed in the finery one would expect of the wife of the young master of the Nagumo. Perhaps it's strange, to see such a finely-dressed young lady in front of the humble Yukimura clinic.

She doesn't care. She just doesn't care.

She is stopped, outside the house, because it's both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The house looks mostly the same, but the subtle differences, are they there because it's not her that's living there? All the touches of a young woman are gone. Chizuru has never lived here, but Kaoru has, and -

The differences are Kaoru's touch. That eases the knot of tension in her gut the slightest bit and gives her the courage to move forward, to call into the house as though she's a patient and this is a perfectly normal visit.]

Excuse me? I was wondering if perhaps I might speak with Yukimura-sensei...

[He won't be here. She's sure he won't, sure she's remembered the timing because her memories are all that's gotten her through the years at the hands of those horrible people, but that's okay. He isn't the one she is here to see.

She's depending on the fact that it will be Kaoru who will answer her call.]

Comments

[derepressed]

[Look, if Kodo gave a damn about his bad reputation, maybe he should have refrained from doing bad things...]

...if they do have an accident, I'll help.

[She has absolutely no qualms about that, at least; the Nagumo clan has stayed alive so far because she hasn't wanted to draw any attention to the single Yukimura twin they've obtained and cause anyone to wonder what happened to the other - that could cause demonic attention to fall on Kaoru, and that wasn't something she wanted for him, either. That's the only reason she has stayed her hand in regards to that clan. But she has no problems killing for his sake, and if a group of politicians is going to die, then she will absolutely involve herself to make sure that there isn't anything leading back to Kaoru.]

But I'm glad that you won't be involved with that anymore. I'm so glad... [The part of her that used to be Chizuru Yukimura allows But what if I helped him with it instead, and got to meet the Shinsengumi again? to flit across the back of her mind, but she pushes that thought away. This isn't about her being happy; it's about keeping Kaoru safe.]

[souredsweet]

[Kodo doesn't think things through...

But his brow furrows at that, because this Kaoru can't condone Chizuru bloodying her hands for his sake. He's had enough time to work through some things, even if he hasn't had the additional development that he was allowed during the course of the game as it should have run, and he no longer wishes for this sort of "evenness".

Too little too late, essentially.]

You won't have to worry about that anymore. [A fleeting smile. He can't muster much more than that just yet, out of practice with deceit as he is.]

...I'm sorry, though. Without even realizing it, I've caused you so much concern.

[derepressed]

[Chizuru doesn't think things through either... In this twisted state, she would be thrilled if someone offered to kill her enemies for her. She wants to be protected as much as she wants to protect her brother. It doesn't even occur to her that he might not want her to bloody her hands until his brow furrows.]

You're my brother, so of course I'd be concerned about you... you don't have to apologize for that.

[She brings up a hand so that her fingertips can brush against his cheek in a fleeting, affectionate gesture, but then she's seized by a sudden fear that his apology and the furrowing of his brows means he disapproves, that he remembers the sort of person he once was and has equated that with her now. If he doesn't want anything to do with his old self, how can he want anything to do with her?]

I really, really love you... you believe me, right? You believe that I could never, ever lie about that?

[She'll lie about pretty much anything else, but... not that. Never that.]