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Nagumo clan estate.
Tosa, Japan, June of Bunkyū 1.

["I come as a messenger of the Princess of Yase. My mistress wishes for me to see the face of the child under your care with my own eyes."

Technically, it isn't a lie. She does wish to see the ward of the Nagumo clan, and she is acting as a messenger - on her own behalf, perhaps, but on the behalf of the Princess of Yase nonetheless.

Sen is well aware that after so many attempts have gone horribly awry - her messengers being turned away or being entertained within the house but never actually being allowed to see Kaoru for themselves - that this isn't going to be easy. She is prepared to be stubborn with the men who have received her, and so she does. It's a fact that the servants have orders to placate her and send her on her way, but that is something she won't allow.

She had arrived the day before, just after noon. Now it is noon again, and she still isn't gone. Currently she is kneeling on a cushion in the room for receiving visitors, and she thinks that perhaps she has finally succeeded - a servant is dispatched to go and fetch Kaoru. She would prefer a private conversation, but that same servant will most likely be instructed to monitor them as they speak.

That's fine. Now that she's here, she's sure she can figure out a way. Things have been quiet enough lately that she has a little more freedom to act on her own (and she is acting on her own - for once, Kimigiku has no idea where she's gone, though she's left instructions with a child in the village to tell her that she saw the princess going to Tosa if she hasn't returned within two weeks), and she is sure she's up to the task of bringing Yukimura Kaoru home.

She looks up when she hears the sound of a sliding door, and smiles.]

Ah... are you Kaoru-san?

[She swears to god if they've brought some random girl to try and trick her, the Nagumo clan will become very well acquainted with just how much damage Yase can do when she's been offended.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

—if you're certain...

[She's still going to make her servants prepare the very best things anyway because it's a simple matter for her to tell them to do it. So there. She'll just have to remember not to tell him that's what she's ordered so he doesn't protest.

Sen starts to say something else, but before she can, a loud thumping noise comes from somewhere above them. She frowns, because that doesn't really sound like a demon's footstep, and looks up.]

...I assume that was an animal of some kind? [Rabbits can be loud when you're right under them. Makes it obvious where Thumper got its name from.]

I am.

[This said decisively. Kaoru wants to put as little strain on her as possible... Though this will probably end up with him being like "oh shit Yase demons live it right" since he'll see all these very best things and think they're still not as good as they could be, because gosh, Sen wouldn't trick him like that!!

But then there's the sound, and Kaoru starts a little on reflex, glancing overhead quickly.]

...Mm, it may have been. I'll go check.

[STANDING UP and moseying to the door already, good work Kaoru. At least he seems to be trying to see through the cracks first...]

[When Kaoru goes to check, he'll find nothing more than friendly woodland creatures who have apparently been alerted to the presence of a princess! The animals must think they're in a Disney movie or something, gosh.

That disturbance aside, there is nothing else to bother them during their creepy underground picnic and the rest of the visit passes peacefully enough until Kaoru heads back to the compound and Sen settles in for what is undoubtedly going to be a very long night. Time passes - how much of it she isn't entirely certain, given that she's being kept underground; has it been days or even a whole week? - and life goes on. Somewhere, she's sure, Kimigiku is on her way here.

Right at this moment, however, there is something that interrupts the routine. A servant on their rounds stops to clean Kaoru's room. This is nothing new - but the fact that the servant is clumsy and manages to trip and dislodge a floorboard is. Privacy is a rare commodity in the Nagumo household, and Kaoru doesn't get much of it. The servant goes rooting through the space under the board and comes away with the pouch Sen had given to him.

Now this is something that, by all rights, shouldn't be here. The very same servant recalls retrieving an identical pouch from the reception room the day they had taken Sen captive, and he is certain it hasn't been returned to him. Which means... well, something sneaky is going on here. The servant abandons his cleaning and exits the room to go turn the pouch in to the head of the family.

On the way, he passes Kaoru and smirks as he nods to the pouch.]

You're in for it now, brat.

[RUDE, SERVANT!! Kaoru had been in the middle of heading back to his room to grab the usual satchel that he puts lunch into so that he can deliver it to Sen, along with a few more wicks. It's more or less routine by now, for all the good that does; Kaoru wishes often that he could provide more, even as he grows used to things as they are currently.

This particular interruption is a very unwelcome one indeed, and though Kaoru is entirely prepared to brush past the man, the sight of that pouch is enough to cause him to freeze. His lungs feel impossibly trapped within his ribcage, refusing to budge as they should, and then there's that smirk and that cockiness and he can feel the weight of all his potential outs crashing down around him--

If he takes that bag, that's it. It's over.

Kaoru is not exactly accustomed to doling out harm at this point, but he's always had a wicked temper and it's only been fed by the years he's spent here. It's a combination of that and pure animalistic fear that drives him from his frozen state, breaking past his reserved reactions and causing him to launch forward with so much frenetic energy that it almost scares him.]

Give that back—!!

[He'll crash into the servant with his unimpressive weight, but his searching hands are a much larger danger, since they reach up and up and seek for his neck to wrap around. No wrestling for the bag itself happens; Kaoru seems fixed on dealing damage to this man, instead, and clearly intends on getting the bag back that way.]

[If there is anything that the servant is expecting, it isn't for Kaoru to actually fight back. The lunge comes as such a surprise that it's all too easy for Kaoru to get his hands around his neck, which lessens his ability to yell for help. Sort of hard to yell when it's even more difficult to breathe, after all.

Luckily for the servant, though, his struggle doesn't go unwitnessed. While he claws at Kaoru's hands with his free hand to try and make him let go, another servant coming out of another room spots the struggle and lets out a piercing yell. This isn't the place for a covert fight; there are loud, pounding footsteps and it's clear enough that in the next couple of minutes the area is going to be swarming with Nagumo clan demons come to see what all the commotion is.

The servant knows that all he has to do is hold out long enough for one of the family members to arrive.]

What were ya— [The words come out strangled and choked, since that's basically what's happening right now.] Hiding this for, huh? You little sneak!

Shut up, shut up and give it back!

[Kaoru can feel hands at his arms and back trying to pull him away, but his rage serves as an untapped source of fuel, driving him forward even as his knuckles and fingers are scratched raw. HE IS CHOKING THIS POOR DUDE WITH THE SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS of a future serial killer, basically. Wow. Here's your warning, Nagumo clan...

He isn't even paying as much attention to the bag anymore as he should be, instead using his pretty sizeable strength to slam the servant's head back into the door frame once, twice, three times-- each hit stronger than the last, until the wood splinters. It seems like he'd have kept going too, if it weren't for the fact that enough members show up by that point to forcefully wrench him away, and even then he still struggles forward like a spitting cat, hands lashing out wildly like he could still finish choking the life out of that man if he could just reach. The members unfortunate enough to be closest to him aren't spared either, whoops... With angry shouts and cries of don't touch me!, he violently elbows one in the stomach so hard that they drop to their knees, bringing his feet down on the shins and toes of so many people that he eventually has to be picked up (and then the kicking starts, oh boy!!)

By now, the bag has likely fallen into the hands of another clan member, one who is in less immediate danger of Death By Kaoru.]

Edited (come back here, s...) 2015-01-21 06:22 (UTC)

[The bag has indeed fallen into the hands of one of the other clan members, who is standing a good distance away as he tries to figure out what exactly it is that it contains. He sure as hell doesn't want to be on the receiving end of Kaoru's lashing out...

At least most of the wounds he's inflicting on the servants and lower-ranking family members who have to restrain him will be easily dealt with. Many of them are already starting to heal, though the first servant's injuries are much more severe - the crashing of skull against wall has splintered more than just the wood, and there are bits of what looks like bone, blood, and cranial fluid splattered across the ground. He's still breathing and he'll heal, but it will certainly take more time and he may never be quite the same.

If nothing else, Kaoru has at least accomplished that much.

The family member examining the pouch spoons up a small amount of the powder within on his finger and tastes it - his expression sours and he goes to tell a higher-ranking member what he's found. That family member approaches once Kaoru has been properly restrained, and his hand snakes out to grab him roughly by the chin and hold his head in place. Here's hoping the others have his legs grabbed so he can't kick him...]

Why were you hoarding poison under your floorboards? Answer me.

[He'll look back on the injury of that first servant one day and recognize it as the first time he ever felt truly satisfied bringing someone else pain. GOOD WORK, SERVANT...

For now, though, he's been restrained pretty well and after whoppin a few people in the face and gut with frantic pedal kicks, he will indeed be unable to get a good one in on the member that has his chin grasped so tightly. The spark of his ire has yet to fade, even so, leaving him riled and defiant as he stares back. His answer comes swiftly, biting and unpleasant.]

Because I have a rodent infestation that I've been trying to deal with.

[THERE'S SOME OF THE KAORU EVERYONE KNOWS AND LOVES. That's enough sass to have his arm twisted though, which he barely reacts to, fueled by adrenaline as he is. A different member steps forward soon after, speaking in a voice so low that Kaoru can't entirely hear what he says. The man holding his head in place, however, will be able to hear a soft:

And where do you think this came from?]

[And Random Mook #1 contributes to the cause of Kaoru being a shithead...

His sass is met with a look of absolute displeasure. While some might be amused in the ace of his defiance, this man isn't - he's just annoyed, really. Annoyed at Kaoru for being so delusional as to think he could get away with this, and annoyed with the servants for not catching it sooner. It's probably a good thing the one that found it is knocked out, because otherwise he would be in big trouble.]

I truly hope you don't think you're clever. This little rebellion of yours will only have brought you suffering when all is said and done.

[As it is, the ones in the most trouble are Kaoru and Sen. Particularly when that other family member speaks up; it brings a look of comprehension to the man's face, and he releases Kaoru's chin before brushing off his hakama pants, brisk and businesslike.]

It could only have come from our esteemed visitor from Yase.

[Because, let's be real, no one else has been in contact with their ward.

He stares Kaoru down and takes a step back, gesturing for the pouch to be handed over to him. Once it's in his hand, he looks it over carefully before nodding to himself and glancing briefly at the family member that had spoken up.]

We'll see how she likes a taste of her own medicine. See to it.

[And the pouch is handed off again... it's like keep-away. Everyone gets it but Kaoru.]

[THANKS RANDOM MOOK #1... YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED FONDLY.

More fondly than this doucheberg handing off the pouch, at least?! Kaoru immediately picks back up with his struggling again, even if it's much less effective now that he's actually been restrained.]

The princess had nothing to do with it! I got it during a trip to town - the medicine seller with the blue sign—!

[He manages to free one hand enough to whop someone in the eye with the back of his flailing fist, which is apparently the last straw for Arm Twister McGee. With one solid move, Kaoru's arm is wrenched back with enough force to pop his shoulder out of its socket. It's not as bad as he's had to deal with before, but the suddenness of the move has him crying out in shock and pain, now more focused on trying to alleviate pressure than escaping.

SEN, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS A DISCO PARTY HEADING HER WAY. At least five members who know the location of the underground chamber have come along to ensure that she can be grabbed with as little fuss as possible. The one holding the pouch stands near the front but isn't the one to open the door, which is pried back with enough force to cause some of the dirt on the interior walls to shake loose.]

The little Princess has an important meeting to attend today. On your feet!

[It looks like bag carrier 3 is expecting some resistance though, since he holds his Prized Bag aloft to preemptively silence any complaints about what this is for. He shakes it, taunting.]

Looks like we caught a little rat trying to make off with your valuable possessions.

[While he's speaking, two of the men will attempt to enter the enclosed space, intent on seizing her none too gently by the wrists.]

[Kaoru's insistence that the bag didn't come from Sen also isn't a source of amusement for the man in front of him, who just shakes his head disapprovingly as Kaoru pops someone in the eye and then proceeds to have his shoulder yanked out of its socket for his troubles.]

I won't believe your lies, so save your breath.

[He's going to need it, probably. The man barks out orders to have Kaoru moved somewhere secure and to have him properly restrained - not that he'll be able to do a whole lot with the pain of his dislocated shoulder to keep him at bay - and he goes to oversee it personally; they've already had one breach of security in that Kaoru was able to hide the poison at all; they can't allow another.

Meanwhile, Sen hears the footsteps before the group bursts in, and so she is facing the entryway already when they arrive.

The expected resistance does come; she scowls and does not rise to her feet. A moment later she regrets it when two men enter and grab her by the wrists; she's tugged up into a standing position none too gently, and she glowers at the man holding the bag. She understands perfectly why they've come, but that doesn't mean she is going to take this lying down.]

Unhand me immediately! The only rat I see with someone else's possessions here is you. I don't recall giving that to you.

[DON'T DISAPPROVINGLY HEADSHAKE AT HIM OLD MAn..... But he is indeed pretty easy to guide off with his shoulder the way it is, which he's trying to pop back into place, teeth clamped together tightly. His pain tolerance is nowhere near as high as it will eventually be, but even now it's still pretty impressive. Still, he's put back on his feet and forced to walk along with the group and struggles the entire way to the new containment area.

He will, of course, be shooting the overseer dirty looks the entire way there, even as the pain continues to grow. He'll sure be trying to make this as difficult as possible.

Sen, on the other hand, will find herself very roughly being dragged from the compound. Her wrists are being held tightly enough to bruise, and the pressure is likely just a few steps shy of being strong enough to sprain. With no regard to her royal status because they're a bunch of morons who are ALREADY BANISHED SO GOSH, SHE'S NOT THEIR PRINCESS, they'll work together to roughly tug her out into the more open main area, but not out of the underground chamber entirely.]

Don't worry your little head off, we're gonna give it back right away.

[VILLAINOUS LAUGH TRACK.

But the man is already opening the bag back up, so it's probably pretty obvious exactly what they plan on doing.]

[Enough of this petty teenage rebellion you little brat!!! Which is to say, any time Kaoru seems like he's starting to get a handle on things, the overseer nods to the arm-twister as a signal to pop that shoulder right out of its socket again, because the Nagumo clan is full of douchebags, basically. This is partially punishment for having the nerve to go behind their backs, and partially to keep him so focused on the pain that he won't have time to realize what exactly they plan to do with the poison, and thus, won't have the opportunity to try and help.

Once he is sure Kaoru is settled in and restrained, he'll mosey on off to report to the clan head because that man sure does need to know what his wayward "daughter" is carrying on with.

Sen tries to tug herself free from her captors as they drag her out, but whether it's that she's weakened from her stay here, they're just stronger than her, or some combination of the two, she isn't able to do so; they only have a minimal struggle with getting her exactly where they want her. She doesn't need to hear him speak to have some idea of what he plans to do. The fact that he'd brought the bag along at all rather than just dropping hints that they'd found something of hers in Kaoru's possession had already been enough for her imagination to leap to the worst-case scenario that they might force her to take it.

She snarls as he opens up the bag.]

I do hope you have a convincing explanation for why the only thing you'll have to give any future visitors from Yase is my corpse.

[...but after that, she keeps her lips firmly pressed together. She doesn't plan to make it easy for them to get her to take it.]

[carry on my wayward son there'll be murder when you are done... CLAN HEAD WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE PLEASED WITH THIS REPORT.

THAT SAID, while Kaoru the shithead can laugh off things like cERTAIN RUDE SHITS stabbing him into a wall with a sword and then twisting it around, Kaoru the sad baby can only take so much pain in one sitting. His struggles lessen every time his shoulder is dislocated, until he's more or less entirely focused on soothing his frayed nerves and waiting for his healing to kick in. He'll feel badly about being distracted so easily when he does figure out what's going on, which won't be too far off.

Back with the disco squad, bag-toting shithead just laughs (very true to his shitheaded nature) when Sen spits that retort out.]

You could take your pick of convincing explanations.

[They probably have a plethora on hand for situations similar to this, after all, even if the Princess of Yase is on a tier all her own.

He approaches with the bag after that though, not keen on wasting any time. Trying to pry her mouth open would take too long and he's miraculously not stupid enough to risk having his fingers bitten off, so even though it may look like that's what he's initially going for, his free hand changes course at the last second to deliver a punishingly strong hit to Sen's solar plexus. While she's reeling from that, that's when he'll grab her chin, grip vice-strong and pressed directly against her jaw joint, and attempt to empty some of the bag's contents into her mouth.]

[Clan head is basically not going to be pleased with any report coming in from this day forward because Kaoru can only become more of a shit from here... Meanwhile, far far away at Shieikan, Okita sneezes in the middle of a match because people are talking about him in brackets and gets bopped in the head with a bokken. Good job, friend.

Meanwhile the overseer is wondering whether or not to just toss Kaoru in there with Sen once all is said and done so he can see firsthand how badly he hecked up. Wow. Rude.

Sen, on the other hand, sneers at the bag-toting man. Somehow, she isn't surprised - the Nagumo clan has basically been slinking along on their underbellies for so long that of course they must have had some way of covering their tracks, but she also doesn't think any of her subjects will simply accept whatever explanation they give them.

If this goes badly, she won't be alive to find out whether or not her faith is misplaced. She truly hopes it doesn't come to that.

She is watching him carefully, but he moves so quickly and so suddenly when he does change course that she isn't prepared and the strike to her solar plexus hits home. She's left gasping for breath, and it's easy enough for him to grab her by the chin to force-feed her the poison she had so carefully smuggled into the compound for Kaoru.]

Rrghkk—

[She doesn't want to swallow, but first bits of the powder trickle down her throat before she can muster up the strength to stop gasping for air and spit it back out, and the rest soon follows. Her knees buckle and her shoulders sag; if the two holding her by her wrists were to let go, she would most certainly fall to the ground and curl up in on herself as the poison works its way through her system.

It isn't so severe, at first, but as the seconds tick by her body is wracked by tremors and beads of sweat start to roll down her face. The poison is, overall, slow-acting, but it starts from the inside and works its way out, rotting and decaying her from within. Her demonic abilities are going into overdrive in an attempt to keep it at bay.]

Nnrrgh...

[Her hair begins to bleed white, but no amount of purity in her bloodline will be able to purge this from her system. She'll be left in agony for quite a long time, either until someone gets her a dose of the antidote or until she succumbs. The irony that she's being subjected to what she was intending for the Nagumo clan is not lost on her.]

[heh okita... RUDE AS HELL, THOUGH, OVERSEER.

Back with Sen, the men who are holding her do indeed drop her, because there's certainly no point in worrying about her trying to run now.]

Get her back inside!

[This order comes while the man with the pouch ties the strings back up again. There's still a small amount left to use for various Underbelly Of The Demon World nefarious-type things, after all, so there's no sense in throwing the bag away.

The two who had been holding her before will roughly pick her up by the wrists again, though it's a short stint this time. They only stop long enough to quite literally throw her back into the darkness of the pit, but the door is still left open.

Back with Kaoru, who has finally managed to work his way through the pain long enough to actually think things through--]

—Where did they take it?

[The pouch, obviously; he doesn't bother clarifying, instead focusing on shooting the overseer as much of a nasty look as he can manage.]

[Sen is tossed back into the pit like a sack of potatoes and she lies there just as uselessly as a potato, too, because they're right; when she's right this she can't run. It's taking a fair amount of effort to stay conscious as it is.

On Kaoru's side of things, the overseer doesn't seem at all fazed by Kaoru's nasty look, probably because he knows that as much vitriol as there may be stewing within him, there just isn't anything he can do about his situation so there's no reason to be bothered. What's he going to do, fight back again and get his other shoulder dislocated? Maybe a knee...

He just returns the venomous look with a bland one and shrugs lightly, and though he knows exactly what is being done, he keeps his answer relatively vague.]

Returning it to its rightful owner, I believe.

[It's fairly obvious what Kaoru was referring to. And then, less vaguely -]

Someone who would bring such poison into another family's home must be prepared for the consequences, wouldn't you say?

[SEN POTATO, NO...... Three of the guards are dismissed, that said. Two will return to search Kaoru's room a second time just in case, and the other will go report to the overseer that the punishment has been carried out. The other two will remain impassively by the entrance to the underground area, watching as the poison takes its toll. Through her struggles to stay conscious, she may hear some of the rudeass disparaging remarks they're making. Things like serves her right or some ruler.

Back with Camp Failure, Kaoru will just STEW IN HIS INEPT FURY while that's happening, because the overseer is entirely correct to assume that nothing can be done as things are now. He's too well-restrained, too closely watched, and the looming threat of having to deal with more dislocations is enough to keep him from struggling too much, especially since he already knows he wouldn't be able to break out of his bindings before being caught.

Instead, he falls back on his words, spitting them out tersely in an attempt to conceal his growing panic.]

You won't be able to get away with this. This isn't like the thing you've covered up before.

[A frantic part of his mind wonders briefly if Sen is perhaps immune. Her bloodline is powerful, after all, and even if she may have some human blood in her - well, maybe she has some other type of defense.]

Edited 2015-01-24 02:29 (UTC)

[Well, unless Kaoru is hiding anything else nefarious under his floorboards, those two guards won't be finding anything else. In fact, even if he is, they're so proud of themselves for taking care of one problem already that they are very likely to miss the obvious. So he at least won't be getting in any more trouble there.

The overseer's response to Kaoru's statement is a sardonic smile and a laugh - it's not at all pleasing to the ear, mostly because it is absolutely malicious.]

Does it matter? It's a fact that she came into our home under false pretenses, bearing poison. Any actions we take from here on are only in self-defense.

[He sneers.]

No one can claim otherwise. No one will claim otherwise. [He leans in to fix Kaoru with an intense stare. Kaoru is included in that, apparently.] Should anyone ask, you will tell them exactly who brought that poison in.

[If there's an investigation, the Nagumo clan won't let Kaoru get away with doing anything less than backing them up 100%. If there isn't, then it won't matter. He doesn't seem at all worried, considering the first "shot," so to speak, was fired by the Princess of Yase and not by them.]

If you're so concerned, why don't you watch over her as she breathes her last?

[He sure is going to make Kaoru sit with a dying person when there's nothing he can do to stop it... Sen isn't immune, sadly, and she is very aware of what the remaining guards are saying. She looks forward to the day when she can prove them wrong.

The overseer snaps his fingers and gestures for some of the guards to drag him away.]

You can come out once she's dead.

[The only nefarious thing he's hiding under his floorboards is more dirt so GOOD WORK TAGTEAM MINIONS, clearing things out so thoroughly.

That said, Kaoru reflexively leans away as soon as the overseer leans in. As much as he wishes he could hold his own against these people, he can't entirely put away his own fear, either. But he does manage to shoot back as much of an indignant, defiant look as he can muster when the man demands him to condemn Sen along with the rest of the clan. He doesn't say so aloud, but it's clear he has no intention of playing along that easily.

But then SHITHEAD DECIDES TO GO TURBO SHITHEAD and that actually causes fear to spike so acutely in Kaoru that his mouth goes dry. It's too scary, too scary, he can already imagine the accusation in her eyes - because it's his fault, isn't it? He should have hid the damn thing better or fought harder to keep it and now the only person who has ever said that they actually want to be his friend is dying and it's irrevocably his fault.]

Wait—

[It comes out shakier than he'd like, but he's too afraid to care. He can't face that. There's no way he can, but before he can protest more fully, he's already being roughly tugged to his feet again and pulled from the room. His struggles are feeble because of his injuries and restraints, but he still makes an attempt, until they eventually decide that picking him up is the faster option. A chorus of "put me down!" and "stop right now!" follow them down the hall until Kaoru, much like Sen, is tossed into the room like a potato.

...HI ROOMMATE. Kaoru looks petrified.]

[Little do they know, he's hiding Daitsuren in the rafters... where the heck is Daitsuren kept, anyway??

Well, even if he did have it squirreled away somewhere rather than it being in the clutches of the Nagumo, it wouldn't help him now. Nothing stops him from being thrown into the room alongside Sen, and even when he is, she doesn't look up; she stays hunched over with her arms wrapped around herself, doing her best to muffle the whimpers of pain that the poison is drawing from her.

It's only a few minutes later, after the guards have taken their positions up outside the room (on the off-chance that Kaoru tries to make a break for it) and gotten all but settled in that she finally does look up.]

Ah..?

[Then she hadn't imagined it when she heard him being thrown in; she had thought perhaps it had been a hallucination. There isn't any sort of accusation in her expression, which is pained and strained - there is, however, a slight amount of confusion. A moment later, after it really sinks in that he's here, her brow creases in concern.]

They— didn't poison you too, did they..?

[She knows they didn't give her a full dose, and she's terrified they may have given the rest of it to him.]

[He keeps Daitsuren under his kimono of course...no it's probably like in the rafters or out in the woods or something weird KAORU'S SQUIRRELING METHODS ARE ECCENTRIC.

But back in the fun pit, Kaoru's sure looking traumatized already. He's never seen anyone die by poisoning before, and the sheer amount of pain that she seems to be in has him feeling sick to his stomach. An agonizing, slow death had seemed like a wonderful thing to him when he imagined the clan elders being the ones who wore it, but this is just horrifying. A chilling, awful experience.

There's no accusation present from her, at least, but that leaves him feeling almost worse than he would have if his fears were met. He doesn't deserve the concern he sees. Her question has him shaking his head rapidly, unable to find his voice just yet. No, he wasn't that unfortunate...

He can't seem to force the words out, but he does eventually force himself closer to her side. One hand reaches out tentatively toward her, but stops and hovers in the air between them instead.]

I— Can I... [A deep breath. His voice is thin, and it wavers.] ...I don't know how to make it- less painful.

[Impossible.

The only way to lessen the pain is to succumb to it entirely, and Sen has no intention of dying, though she's sure this clan intends to leave her for dead. Making this experience less painful, then, is utterly impossible - but she doesn't want to say that to Kaoru's face when he seems so distraught already.]

...you don't... have to.

[She'll gloss over the topic, and do her best not to allow the strain to become too noticeable - but there is only so much she can do, and it's plain to hear in her tone of voice in spite of her attempts to make it steady.]

All I must... must do is endure. [She takes a breath, and it's shakier than she would like.] Kimigiku. When she...

[She isn't able to finish the sentence because another spasm of pain shoots through her, and she has to press her lips into a thin line to keep from crying out. But the meaning can be easily inferred, perhaps - the poison had come from Yase. If she can survive long enough for Kimigiku to return her to Yase, the antidote can be administered. Of course Kimigiku won't be carrying it with her because she has no way of knowing the princess has ingested it, but this poison was always meant to drag out the death and make it long and painful, so there is a chance that there will be enough time for her to be rescued and brought home for treatment.

Her eyes lock on Kaoru's hand in the space between them and she reaches for it, her own hand trembling. If he allows her to take his hand, her grip will be light and delicate, but undeniably there; he can at least feel that she hasn't been so sapped of her strength that she is slipping beyond help already.]

[He will most certainly allow it, even though it's hesitant and his palms are clammy with anxiety. Sen talks about Kimigiku coming, and she had talked about taking him back with them to Yase, about banquets and becoming friends and living out a new and better life, but when things come down to it, Kaoru doesn't hold much hope in that. It's been a necessity while living in this compound. Hopes won't get a person anywhere, and no matter how appealing it may be to cling to optimistic beliefs, they usually only end up hurting the person who holds them.

Sen can hope for the best, but Kaoru will take it upon himself to try facing the grim reality of this situation. If Kimigiku hasn't come yet, what are the chances that she'll arrive in the nick of time? And even if she does, how quickly will they be able to make the trip back? No, the most likely scenario here is the one in which Sen dies alone, away from the friends and family of her mountain village, agonized and with only the hand responsible for her poisoning to hold.

At the very least, he can make sure that her death isn't a drawn-out spectacle. His grip on her hand tightens a little.]

Please try not to strain yourself...

[When he lets her take his hand, she does relax - it's a minute amount of relaxation, but it's relaxation nonetheless. She can't thank him enough for not leaving her to die here alone. As terrifying as it is to experience from her side, it must also be terrifying to watch.

She isn't so lost in the poison's throes that she can't think clearly enough to realize that.

There is something else she is thinking clearly enough to know she must speak of - what worries her is whether or not she has the strength to speak of it without making how much the poison is hurting any more obvious than it already is. Though he tells her not to strain herself, she shifts so that she can use her free arm to push herself up into a sitting position.]

Just— to be safe...

[Just on the off-chance that Kimigiku is too late, that she succumbs to this poison before she can return to Yase - ]

I should tell you what I know of... your sister.

[Of her whereabouts, and of who exactly Yukimura Kodo is and where he lives and what he's doing. So that even if, for some reason, the man does move away and take Chizuru with him, Kaoru will have something to go on to track them down.]

...I promised that... I would bring you to her. [But such a promise may not be able to be kept.] I must— If I can—... you must see her again, someday...