recountal | reunion;;

reunion;;

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.]

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Oh, no..! A week really... [Her voice falters, and she looks down.] ...isn't that long at all...

[It's such a short time. A single week - if that, because if the medicine is finished more quickly, she'll have no reason to stay - and then it's back to the Nagumo, back to false smiles and niceties and pressure and she knows she probably has it easier than Kaoru ever did, but it's still difficult to bear, and having experienced it herself... she's proud of him for having been so strong. There have been times when she's wanted to give up, and only the thought that her brother is safe has been enough to keep her going.

At please consider my home your own she can't help it; her eyes fill with tears. To disguise it, she looks down demurely and puts a hand over her chest.] Mm. While I'm here, I'll... help with the chores. And, I can cook...! [Which is probably strange for the wife of "nobility," bet eh.] Since Yukimura-san will be working so hard to help me... I would consider it an honor to be able to cook for you.

[he seems to be watching her with some amount of care. he can imagine that she's in a situation that could easily be considered overwhelming if it's gotten to the point that she needs to ask for such a favor from a medical professor, and even though he doesn't know her, his heart aches for her. he tries his best to make his smile a reassuring one.]

If Nagumo-san would want to trouble herself with something like that, I won't say no... I can cook if you get tired of doing so. [and his smile freezes for a second, because... that isn't right at all. he had never really learned how to cook well even with his father gone on business trips - never had much of a need to, beyond simple basic foods that wouldn't be fit to serve to a guest. he doesn't know why he offered... he quickly adds, embarrassed:]

I'm not much of a cook, though. I apologize... But I can fetch whatever you might need from the markets if you want.

It's no trouble at all, Yukimura-san... I like to cook.

[And cooking for the pair of them would certainly be easier than cooking for the Shinsengumi - though that, too, is something she hasn't done in many years. It's possible she's out of practice, given that her status had been somewhat... different, in the Nagumo family, than her status ever had been as a Yukimura and as a "guest" of the Shinsengumi.]

What sorts of foods do you like to eat...?

If that's the case, then I don't mind it...

[he's been living off of his own mediocre cooking for quite a while now. even he has his limits when it comes to how many days in a row he can just eat rice with an egg cracked into it...]

Ah... I don't really have much of a preference. [so that much hasn't changed, apparently.] Whatever you make is fine, so please feel free to make anything that you would like.

[Just rice and egg... what a sad existence, Kaoru. Geeze, boys just can't be left alone to cook for themselves, can they.]

Then..!

[She's managed to keep the tears from spilling over, and when she looks up, her eyes are bright and her smile somewhat excited. Getting to cook for Kaoru, in their home, no less... she's really very happy.]

If you haven't eaten yet... shall I prepare something?

[HE HASN'T KEELED OVER YET, HAS HE??

that said, her expression seems to take him by surprise, just a little. she must... really be enthusiastic about cooking! wow. maybe she's not allowed to cook much, being nobility-ish and all.

except then his expression becomes ABRUPTLY STRICKEN.]

Oh—! I haven't, but, ah... um— the kitchen... It really isn't in a presentable state at all right now. Please let me clean it, first!

[well he's probably about to MAYBE THAT'S WHY SHIT GOT KNOCKED OVER WHEN SHE SURPRISED HIM... because he was keeling over...]

...eh?

[The kitchen isn't presentable... what does that even mean. You're so clean everywhere else, Kaoru, what sort of culinary monstrosities have you even been dreaming up in there...

But Chizuru smiles faintly and tries to suppress a giggle.]

No, no, I'm sure I can handle the kitchen... you said for me to consider this house my own while I was here, no? [SMILING...] I'm sure I can handle a bit of a mess.

[She better not find vats of ochimizu in there.]

[it's true... WHAT IF SHE DID FIND VATS OF OCHIMIZU HUH what if she found bodies!! what if he's actually just as insane but in a different way or something, huh, what then!

or maybe it really is just a large cookery-related mess. he's apparently going to try his damndest to keep Chizuru from finding out...]

I did, but that would be asking far too much of a guest! So... ah, I can show you to your room, instead! And you can get comfortable, and by the time you're done I should be finished in the kitchen. Is that fine?

[then she'll just have to turn him loose on the nagumo clan to kill them all so she'll be free to protect him from himself, duh

...at any rate, she decides to let him have this victory, and raises a hand to her mouth to hide a smile.]

Very well. If Yukimura-san insists... I would be much obliged if you would show me where I am to stay.

[that is a foolproof plan and surely nothing will go wrong with it.

that said, his shoulders slump with some measure of relief.]

Right— Right, it's this way. [and he's off, sweeping out of the clinic to head down the hall! he walks lightly - so lightly that his feet barely make a sound, in comparison to the dumb loser crashing that was going on before. eventually he gets to the spare room and slides the door open. it's clearly been in disuse, but it isn't too dusty. just... empty. without Chizuru around, apparently neither himself nor Kodo have really done much by way of decorating.]

Will this work?

[She follows after him, her own steps light and dainty, and when they arrive in front of the spare room she peers into it over his shoulder.

My... a pair of boys just really doesn't get many visitors. Not that she and her father really received many, but she had, at least, always kept the spare room prepared in case there were any patients who needed to be kept close so that her father could keep a watchful eye on them... sunlight and fresh air and a lack of dust were paramount to good health.

Oh, well. She'll just have to tidy up a little. To her credit, she doesn't let any of those thoughts show; she just smiles graciously at Kaoru and nods.]

It's perfect... thank you. I really do appreciate your letting me stay here, Yukimura-san.

[just smiling right back! and mentally apologizes for being a moron who doesn't keep the guest room clean...]

Please, it's the least that I can do. I apologize that we don't have accommodations that are more suitable...

[high-ranking ladies having to stay in an undecorated, kinda dusty room with a futon that is a little lacking... THINGS COULD BE WORSE but they could also definitely be better. at least everything is clean, with the exception of the light dust. he is kind of neurotic about cleanliness and it shows in every room of the house (with the apparent exception of the kitchen).]

Anyway, please arrange things to your liking. The futon is in the closet and if you need anything else, please let me know.

[and with a polite bow, he's setting off for said disaster zone.]

[Her rank literally comes from her status as a demonic broodmare so really she's quite alright without having rooms befitting her status. THAT SAID...

Once he leaves, she immediately rolls up the sleeves of her fancy kimono (were she in Tosa, she would most certainly be getting some lecture about how such behavior is unseemly and how she needs to take better care of her clothing and let the servants do such menial tasks themselves) and gets to work. It's been years since she's had to do such a thing and so it takes a little more time than she would like to pull out the futon and rearrange what's in the room already into a small, pale imitation of what her room had been when she had lived here; some things she can't reproduce, but when she's done - well, she's happy with the result. It feels good, to have gone through the motions on her own like this... like she's really, truly come home.

After dusting off her kimono (because even with how clean Kaoru was, some dust did permeate the air as she was working, she makes her way to the kitchen. Once she reaches it, she pauses outside and calls out, because Kaoru really hadn't wanted her to see it, so she supposes she should give him the chance to let her know if it's okay for her to enter or not.]

Yukimura-san? I've finished. Is it alright for me to come in..?

[while she's working away at arranging the room to suit her tastes, she'll likely be able to hear him banging and crashing around in the kitchen like a giraffe... apparently there is QUITE A MESS in there. it mostly sounds like pots and pans and other common items used for cooking. there's also the sound of running water as he scrubs down the counters and makes sure that everything is in its rightful order.

however, at around the time that she's heading down the hall in the direction of the kitchen, she might hear something a little strange. it's a very light noise, a soft clink of some sort - something that sounds too light to be a pot or pan or any sort of pottery. but that's the last sound that comes from the area, and by the time she asks, Kaoru pops his head out from around the door with a smile.]

It's all right. Please come in; I apologize for the wait.

[wow that had better not be vials of ochimizu she's hearing clinking in there...

The notes she glimpsed so very briefly make her a little suspicious, but she supposes if she's to be here for a week or so she'll have ample opportunity to look into it. But it's not really something she wants to do - if she can, she'd like to pretend that everything is normal and nothing is wrong, and enjoy these few precious days that she has with her brother.

She returns his smile when he appears.]

There is nothing to apologize for, Yukimura-san. [INTO THE KITCHEN SHE GOES... how different will it be from how she remembers it, she wonders.]

[THE WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW...

or maybe Chizuru will if she snoops but gosh who would ever be that rude!!

either way, the kitchen itself reflects the general pattern of the rest of the house. it seems spartan in decor, though it isn't empty or unpleasant to be it. it just seems like not a whole lot of personal touches have been added. everything is put away neatly and there isn't dust or grime anywhere, so it's clear that this area sees much more use than the guest bedroom.

on the window ledge, there's a small vase that's filled with wildflowers. outside of that, nothing in particular stands out as being strange, out of place, or for use in creating vats of ochimizu. he steps to the side as Chizuru walks in, hands folded together again.]

I need to go to the market now, anyway. Is there anything that you'd like for me to pick up?

[If this were any other Chizuru she would most certainly never be so rude but... this is a Chizuru who's been trapped in a murderous castle and then managed to go back in time and grew up with the Nagumo family, so yeah, she's totally that rude. BUT LUCKILY FOR KAORU she will refrain from snooping until he's not around.

She can work with a spartan kitchen. It's reminiscent of the Shinsengumi and since her memories are all she has of them, anything that brings them to mind is okay in her book. She looks over the kitchen with a smile.]

...so long as you already have rice, fish, and vegetables, I think I can make do for now. [Then a light giggle -] I'll be sure to have something delicious ready by the time you get back.

[you can't grow up with the Nagumo and not become a snoop, apparently. IT'S A CURSE...

that said, this version of Kaoru is also much more trusting, so he apparently sees nothing wrong with leaving a stranger in the kitchen to cook while he moseys out to do whatever. good job Kaoru, those self-preservation instincts are strong.]

Mm, we have all of those things. The fish is out there- [pointing!] -with the vegetables, and the rice is in the lower cabinet. If that's all, I'll be going now... I'll try to make it a quick trip.

[and then he dips his head briefly in a polite gesture and backs on up to mosey out!]

I'll look forward to your return... Yukimura-san.

[She smiles and bows to him as he backs up, only rising from the bow once he's out of the room. Then she immediately sets to getting things together to cook - rice, vegetables, fish, cooking knives, seasonings... She keeps herself busy, looking for all the world like someone whose only intentions are to prepare a meal.

Once enough time has passed for him to be well on his way to the market, though, she sets some of the food down to simmer and crosses over to the flowers. They're beautiful, but in a room with no other decoration they also feel a little out of place, and so she leans down to smell them but takes a close, careful look to see if anything is being hidden nearby.

...at least it will be easy enough to explain away as her simply enjoying the scent of the flowers, should Kaoru forget something and return suddenly.]

Edited (leaving a letter off sure changed the meaning of that sentence) 2014-06-11 22:34 (UTC)

[it seems like being keenly observant is also a trait that those raised by the Nagumo obtain...! unfortunately.

that said, Chizuru seems to have a decent stroke of luck going on right now. not only does Kaoru not suddenly bust a move back through the door claiming to have forgotten his wallet or something, but if she leans in close enough, she may notice that the flowers in the vase seem a little uneven. the side that's facing the window is risen just a little higher than the side facing the kitchen.]

...

[She does, in fact, notice the uneven heights. And so, she purses her lips a little and slips her fingers into the vase to feel around the side that's facing the window - she sincerely hopes it's just a matter of uneven stems, but...]

...Kaoru-kun, what are you hiding...? [The words come out murmured, anyway.]

[it's just uneven stems!

no of course she's not going to be that lucky, wow. there seems to be a slip of paper underneath the stems facing the window. it's small and folded in half. will she take it out like a true snoop?? it's like craven castle all over again but with less blood and murder (presumably).]

[She does, in fact, fish out the slip of paper, because if Craven Castle taught her anything it's find as much evidence as possible or someone she cares about will get their ass executed. Once it's out, she opens it and smooths it over to look.

Maybe it's just... a love letter... from one of Kaoru's many admirers...]

[yes that is exactly what it is, it's a long scrawling note confessing deep admiration for the 5'2" squirrely loser that runs a podunk medical clinic while his dad is gone.

actually, the only things written on it appear to be a time and a place. the script is tidy; Chizuru will likely recognize it from when Kaoru had to write his own alibi. penmanship is apparently still a talent that he possesses...]

Edited 2014-06-13 05:33 (UTC)

...

[She commits the time and place to memory, before folding it back up just as it was and sliding it back into the vase. Hopefully it's nothing - but if it's something clandestine enough that he hadn't wanted anyone to see it... she worries it has to do with the ochimizu.

For now, she'll get back to cooking - but she has every intention of going to that place at that time, if circumstances allow it.]

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