Sannan/Chizuru for Levy

[cannotcrossdress]

Chizuru always tried to find the silver lining in things. It was one of her tricks to surviving tragedy, which seemed to be plaguing her at every turn, ever since her father disappeared. Maybe retreating to Edo was the best choice in the long run. It was her hometown, after all...and who knows? Maybe her father would return home at some point between...whatever it was he was doing.

Without the streets of Kyoto, she could no longer see the phantoms of those who had fallen. They hadn't followed them to their new base, a fact which both saddened Chizuru and left her grateful. There were new squads here to be led, and there was little place for her mourning here.

Instead, she chose to focus on those who were living--or, perhaps it was better to refer to them as those who were still walking.

Speaking of silver linings...

Chizuru never quite forgave herself for not stopping Sannan from taking the ochimizu when he had. It seems that once the General Commander partook of her father's dubious elixir, it opened the floodgates for the other captains to follow his example. Heisuke...then Okita...

But his spirits seemed to have lifted. Or was he playing her the fool? Heisuke was alive, which was better than the alternative, and Okita was still bed-ridden. They never breathed a word of regretting their decision, but Sannan seemed to avoid the subject entirely, instead speaking of the future of the product, rather than his past.

It was as though his injury had never happened. She tried not to take it personally...but she'd come to enjoy serving him in whatever capacity she could, be it special meals to suit his handicap, tending to the ghost pains that came after his arm had healed...

She hadn't noticed that she'd started gravitating his direction whenever he entered her line of sight. She'd managed to find a way to be of use to everyone, save for him. It struck her as odd--and as a busy-body, somewhat unacceptable. She wasn't neglectful, so he had to be keeping her at an arm's length. Well, that was going to end, starting todaynight!

Comments

[makkuro]

Every cloud has a silver lining. Of course seeing the good in such a time was always ideal. San'nan couldn't be bothered to see it any differently. But maybe he only saw it that way because he hardly wanted his choices to make little to no difference. But he could not accept that. He could not allow himself to have become this monster just to have his efforts and time wasted. So he spent all his time working and perfecting the ochimizu till he could make an army that would be worthy of fighting alongside the shinsengumi. Locking himself away in his studies for days at a time was nothing unusual. But typically he would at least show his face at one point or another. It wasn't anything bad, but San'nan was diligent in working on his projects. It was a product of not wanting to fail the shinsengumi yet again.

He will not be made useless again, not if his new found power and knowledge had anything to say about it.

[cannotcrossdress]

Secluded in his room, as expected. It was not the same place as it was before, when she'd first arrived, it was joined in the same building as the captains and commanding officers...but now, with the development of the Rasetsu corps, Sannan had grown even more distant, as much literally as figuratively.

It made it difficult for any of Chizuru's efforts to seem in passing, as any attempts to do the man any favors were quite obviously out of her way, even if it was just to bring in some tea.

"Excuse me, Sannan-san..." She remained knelt at the closed door of his room, her eyes still slowly adjusting to the lack of light that seemed to reflect the lack of life in these cold, empty halls. In the distance she could hear the disturbing sounds of the undead stirring, moaning in hunger.

...could they smell her presence? She wasn't sure, but she found her breathing had gone shallow and her body still. She listened for movement. Maybe he wasn't there?

[makkuro]

At first there is only silence from beyond the door but then the soft foot falls indicates that someone is at least there. The door will slide open with a soft whisper of motion and Sannan will be staring down at Chizuru from his position before her. His brows knit in mild consternation before easing slightly back into something more relaxed. He almost looks pained as his gaze lingers on the young woman in front of his door but it's a fleeting emotion and he returns to his normal stoic mask.

"Yukimura-kun? I'm sorry I didn't hear you outside the door. I hope you haven't been waiting too long." He gives her a soft smile before moving back inside his room, motioning her to enter if she wished. His room as usually is lined with books, which gives the air a musty but not overbearingly so, odor. And on a small section of his desk is his equipment to make more ochimizu for the ever growing army of Rasetsu. The strange and live altering liquid sat in its various vials casting a somewhat reddish glow about the room where the moon's beams hit it through the open window. He'll turn back to Chizuru then, "you're certainly out late tonight. Is something wrong?"

He knows his presence isn't always just needed for help or discerning problematic occurrences, but he has been growing distant from the others for quite sometime. He felt as if he didn't exactly belong there anymore, though he knew this to not be the case. He rather just be a threat to himself than the others as well, should he ever lose control again, it would be best if he remained at arms length towards everyone. A lonely existence to be sure but he had no one to blame but himself.

[cannotcrossdress]

Chizuru was quick to shake her head at the notion that she was in any way inconvenienced. Not when it was more likely that it was the other way around. She hadn't missed that flash of concern on your face, Sannan, but she knows better than to draw attention to it.

"I wasn't interrupting something important..?" She is surprised that he moved away from the door and back inside. Was it an invitation? It had been some time since she'd been inside Sannan's room, and it was the first time to be in it since they became transplants to Edo.

She knew it was probably because Hijikata had barred her from entering rather than Sannan refusing the company, but...

...he spoke to her again, upon returning to his desk. That had to be permission enough to step inside. "...excuse me..." She muttered the formality beneath her breath and stepped inside and resumed her usual seiza position, sliding the door shut behind her, leaving a small crack of the hallway within view for propriety's sake.

"I wanted to reach you when you were awake--" She had come prepared with questions, if only to maintain the appearance of having come with a impersonal purpose. "--but I've been cleaning the rooms of all the commanding officers...I wanted to get to yours next, though we need to make arrangements." She knew you were a secretive private person, so she figured it was only polite to provide ample notice.