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

[souredsweet]

[he still seems to be in a bit of a hurry, but apparently not enough of one to slow down a little for a curious bystander!]

Traveler? Nothin' like that; I'm just visiting from out of town.

[it seems like he's jovial enough, at least. as with the earlier conversation she overheard with Kaoru, he doesn't seem to be a malicious person judging on tone alone.]

[derepressed]

[That he doesn't seem malicious is, at least, a relief... but the fact that he was discussing Kodou's research with Kaoru at all is still a cause for concern, she thinks. She can't really afford to judge based on first impressions here.]

I see... Ah, I suppose if you're visiting you wouldn't have a recommendation for an inn, then? [A small sigh.] If you're visiting, you would most likely be staying with the person you came to see...

[souredsweet]

[that has the man shaking his head, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the busier night sections of the street.]

I'm not staying long enough to impose on anybody. If you're lookin' for an inn, there's a whole row of 'em down that way that're good for staying a night or two.

[derepressed]

I see... thank you for your assistance.

[Well, damn, that was vaguely useless. She was hoping to hear him say, "Oh, I'm staying at such-and-such inn, and they do good business" - then she could investigate that place, maybe even get into his room and see if she could find any evidence of what brought him to Edo. But if he's not staying long enough for that...

She'll bow politely and excuse herself. She'll just have to follow him from a distance... or, on second thought, head back to the house. If she's not there when Kaoru returns, that... could be potentially bad. Back to the Yukimura residence it is, then - hopefully she can beat him back there.]

[souredsweet]

[the man nods and says his "you're welcome" before turning and heading off! but that might be a good sign in and of itself, since he does seem to be heading in the direction of the imperial city... and he doesn't stop at even one of the inns he pointed out as being good.

but as she turns to leave, she won't be spotting Kaoru if she decides to look around the market to see if he's still around. WHOOPS... BETTER HURRY HOME THERE, FRIEND.]

[derepressed]

[He is conspicuously absent, isn't he. She's going to have to pick up the pace - which doesn't give her a whole lot of time to mull over the man heading in the direction of the imperial city. That does confirm her suspicions, though... as if the conversation she'd overheard hadn't.

She might have to sneak into the house through a window or a back entrance, if he's already on his way there or - heaven forbid - at the house already. That's okay. She'll just... make it work, somehow.

And hopefully not draw too much attention to herself on the way in. Oops..!]

[souredsweet]

[chizuru's gonna get arrested by the cops for being so dang suspicious clearly!!

no okay her trip back is probably uneventful, and it even seems like Kaoru hasn't actually entered the house yet! but he's definitely heading there, and at the rate they're both going, he's probably going to be getting in first unless she does something about it. he's got a bag in his hand, presumably filled with whatever he sought to purchase to solidify any alibi he might come up with. despite the content of the conversation, he doesn't seem to be in a broody mood, either.]

[derepressed]

[...yeah, he's definitely going to get there before she does. At this rate, she thinks she has two options - hope that the door to the spare room being shut makes him think that she's already gone to sleep so that he merely goes straight to his own room instead of checking on her, or... catch up to him now and make some excuse about having wanted to see the sights in Edo.

...she'll take a risk and call out to him after adjusting her path so it looks like she's coming from a different direction!]

Ah! Yukimura-san!

[souredsweet]

[WHAT A NERD. Kaoru's a nerd too though, considering he jumps noticeably when his name is called out, whirling on his heel to search for the source of the voice and--

oh, it's Chizuru. WELL THAT'S A RELIEF. also confusing?? he looks confused...]

Ah... Nagumo-san? What are you doing out here...?

[derepressed]

[Whoops, he sure does look confused... she hurries a little to catch up with him and offers him an apologetic smile.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.

[And then her smile becomes more sheepish than apologetic.]

I had a little trouble falling asleep... I thought that I might go for a walk. This city is really amazing, don't you think? There's still so much to see even after the sun goes down...

[souredsweet]

[gosh Chizuru!! while he seems a little nervous at first, he doesn't seem to notice any deception and relaxes the longer she talks. by the time she moves on to describing the city being alive at night, he's smiling again.]

Mm, it is. Living in this area is good for the people who prefer to do things in the evening, I think. [BUT THEN his smile fades a little, some worry taking its place.]

Still... Wandering alone at night at this hour can be dangerous. If you want to see more of the city at night, I'll go with you, all right?

[derepressed]

Ah..?

[She hadn't really considered the danger. Which, perhaps, is normal enough - a noble young lady wouldn't ever be in a whole lot of danger. There would be people looking out for her safety regardless of where she went and what she was doing.

And then, of course, there is the fact that Chizuru is a demon, and in this lifetime, she was never taught to repress her powers in order to keep her secret. She's been free to allow them to develop as they normally would. If anyone were to try anything, she is fully confident in her ability to handle it.

...but she likes the thought of getting to see Edo with Kaoru, and so she smiles apologetically.]

Of course... my apologies, Yukimura-san. I suppose I didn't think it through well enough.

[souredsweet]

[a sigh! he seems vaguely exasperated, but not upset. of course, a person of a high-standing noble class wouldn't really know just how dangerous it got in Edo. especially not someone from Tosa, where the streets were far, far less dangerous.]

You don't need to apologize. Just keep it in mind, all right? The streets are busy here at night, but they can also be filled with people that you wouldn't want to run into.

[well

it isn't a lie!]

[derepressed]

[On the plus side, these are, at least, not the streets of Kyoto. They're marginally safer! ...in that there's less chance of a rasetsu running loose.

Probably. Unless Kaoru's ochimizu dealing isn't just limited to the shogunate and potentially the Shinsengumi... Which is an unfortunately likely scenario, now that Chizuru thinks about it.]

I see... I'll remember that. Thank you for your concern.

[souredsweet]

[wow gosh chizuru, so little faith in him and his luck...!]

You don't need to thank me for that. [a smile! either way, he'll turn and gesture back toward his home.] I can take you out tomorrow night. I hope that's all right; I'm a little tired...

[derepressed]

[To be fair his luck was pretty shit in their first life, and that's all she really has to go on here.]

Of course. [Back to his house it is!] I don't want to put you to any inconvenience. I can wait until later if you weren't already planning to go out... [...she says that, and yet she's got this look on her face like she really wants to go.]

[souredsweet]

[well she's not too far off track...

BUT HE SEES THAT!! HE SEES THAT LOOK OH NO. it makes him hesitate as he reaches out for the door. even though he does want to collapse on his futon and sleep until dawn, there's something in his chest that almost aches when he sees that expression. more surprising still, it's an old sort of ache, like something nostalgic. like he's seen this before - like saying "no" just isn't something he wants to do.]

—Um, actually... I just remembered that I forgot something at the market.

[derepressed]

..eh?

[He looks so tired... Her expression shifts to one of concern and her brows knit together.] What is it? I'll be very, very careful... I can go get it for you, and you can get some rest.

[souredsweet]

We can go together.

[sounding very insistent!! despite the fact that he's tired, for some reason, he'd rather take her out into town if that's something she wants - and it sure seems to be.]

[derepressed]

...but you're tired.

[As much as she wants to go out into town (and she does, getting to explore the streets of Edo with her brother is something she desperately wants), she doesn't want him to push himself for her sake.]

Please, let me help you. I'll go get whatever it is you've forgotten and bring it back for you, and we can go out together another night, when you've had more rest.

[souredsweet]

[NO CHIZURU!! now he is Determined.]

I'm not that tired. I'm not unused to staying up late, anyway, so this isn't really a problem for me at all. If you don't want to go, though, I guess that I could go by myself...

[wow he can employ older sibling sneak tactics even without remembering he's the older sibling.]

[derepressed]

[And his tactics are a resounding success because her eyes go wide and her head snaps up immediately.]

No, if you're going to go, I want to go with you..!

[The more things change, the more things stay the same.]

[souredsweet]

[good lord, how apt. Kaoru smiles a little at that, bringing one hand up to cover his mouth. it seems that even in this version of reality, he hasn't shaken that habit.]

Then I guess we should both go.

[and he'll hold his arm out!]

[derepressed]

Mhm!

[She links arms with him, smiling faintly - and then she tilts her head to one side.] What was it that you forgot...? Where are we going to go to get it?

[souredsweet]

[NO HE HASN'T THOUGHT THAT FAR AHEAD... but he only pauses for a second before answering very smoothly:]

Dessert. [yes.] I've decided that we'll need some. It's a gift to celebrate such a nice night. So we can head to the night market, if that's fine...