and please, believe me when I say (closed)

[ex_onslaught851]

WHO: Yukimura, Saitou, Zhao Yun
WHAT: Conversations about the aftermath + Nagashino + feelings things
WHERE: Resistance Army Camp
WARNING(S): To be determined?

[So we have a Saitou/Yukimura conversation and a Zhao Yun/Yukimura conversation happening up in here. GOOD? GOOD.]

Comments

[dragonrises]

[Zhao Yun had to go and check on his men, once he was cleared by the healers to move about the camp freely. After all, he brought them straight to a battlefield and then got himself injured, he'd better go make sure they made it through all right. Most of them did.

But now he's back in the officers' tent to sit and think. Not much else to do while healing and waiting for orders from elsewhere]

[ex_onslaught851]

[After Saitou and Zhao Yun had dragged him back to camp, Yukimura had been asleep for most of the time since then. The mental toll on him had been worse than the physical, but he was beginning to recover slowly. Even so he wasn't allowed to stray too far on his own, just in case.

Regardless, he too had a duty to his men, and so once he'd been cleared to he'd gone to check up on the casualties from Nagashino. It was high... too high for his liking, and the guilt which had become an all too familiar feeling as of late returned in full force.

When he returned to the officer's tent himself, he caught sight of someone else-- someone he recognised, and it was hard to ignore the way his heart leapt in his chest, though that too was quickly overwhelmed by guilt. There was much to talk to him about, it seemed, but he wasn't exactly sure that Zhao Yun wished to speak with him right now. Still...]

Zilong?

[It had been a long time since he'd called him that. Hopefully he didn't mind Yukimura doing so.]

[dragonrises]

[he turns with a fond little smile - it has indeed been a long time, and it's nice. Music to one's ears, in fact]

Yukimura. Have you wriggled out from the watchful eye of the healers, too?

[ex_onslaught851]

I have - though it took me quite some time. It seems as though they were rather determined to keep me.

[And they hadn't let him forget about the fact that he'd been quite keen to hold onto two certain warriors, too.

The smile is easily returned, and Yukimura crosses over to join him.]

Are you feeling better?

[dragonrises]

[yes, extracting himself from that grip had been interesting. But his cuts and bruises are healing nicely beneath his clothes]

More or less. I feel better when I'm able to go about my duties, and not stay cooped up in bed somewhere. What about you?

[ex_onslaught851]

I still feel quite... tired, admittedly. But I do not wish to continue to sleep my days away. I too feel better when I am able to be productive.

[Not that they'd let him do too much at the moment, but Yukimura was doing his best with what he had.]

[dragonrises]

That battle took a lot out of you. Let yourself recover. Though, I can certainly understand wanting to stay busy. You look well enough. [color back in his cheeks, and all that]

I will remain here with my men until I receive word from my lord. It could be a while. I hope that is acceptable?

[ex_onslaught851]

[Speaking of colour in his cheeks, Yukimura flushes slightly at his words.]

You and your men are welcome to stay for as long as you like, Zilong. That has always been the case, and it will never change. There is not much here, but I hope that you will be comfortable enough.

[dragonrises]

I am sure I will. It cannot be worse than some of the places we had to hole up in while searching for my lord, so long ago. [wow, it really had been some time, hadn't it? It's almost nostalgic, now]

It is good to have the chance to fight by your side once more.

[ex_onslaught851]

[That makes Yukimura smile again.]

Yes, I am sure that you have dealt with worse. Still, hopefully the hospitality here is not quite that bad, and thankfully the circumstances we have reunited in this time are not as dire as all of that.

It is good to see you again too, Zilong.

[dragonrises]

[he eases into a chair left by one of the healers] So. [hmm now how to approach his curiosity...?] Lord Saitou. He is from your country, is he not?

[ex_onslaught851]

[Oh, Yukimura knows where this is going. Not that it will stop him from answering Zhao Yun's questions truthfully.]

Yes. Though he is from nearly three hundred years after my own time.

[dragonrises]

[an obvious blink of surprise] That long? I had no idea. He seems to be a fine warrior, either way. Surely, we would not have made it out of that battle alive if not for him.

[a skillfully short pause, so that the next question doesn't come off sounding wrong] How long has he been a member of the coalition?

[iaijutsu]

[Saitou makes a point of staying busy, but he's efficient about it, and there comes a point where even he has to run out of things to attend to - especially in a camp where there are plenty of other workaholics around who won't stop at anything until everything's in order.

So with all else taken care of, and having gotten some training done besides (because the last thing he wants is to get rusty), he's found the deepest patch of shade he can in the camp, and he's taking a moment to meditate and get his thoughts straight.

There has, after all, been an awful lot to think about.]

[ex_onslaught851]

[An awful lot to think about indeed. Yukimura feels rather guilty about indulging in his need for sleep so easily, but perhaps this time he can excuse himself. Besides which the healers were reluctant to discharge him until they were satisfied that he'd gotten enough rest, and that had taken a while in its own right.

Now that he's back on his feet again, Yukimura is restless. It comes with not knowing what to do next-- or what's going to come next, though for a change this has more to do with the personal matters weighing on his mind than the war itself. For a time he finds himself wandering aimlessly, making small talk with some of the soldiers that he knows, who are glad to see him back on his feet.

A lot of them know about the mind control, of course. But thankfully, no one has thought to say anything directly to him about it, and for that he's grateful.

Perhaps in some ways it's no surprise that he's somehow drawn to Saitou's hiding spot, though once he stumbles upon him, Yukimura doesn't say anything at first. Instead he simply watches him for a few moments, not wanting to disrupt him at a time like this. ... not that he's exactly been quiet on the approach.]

[iaijutsu]

[Saitou gives it a few moments after he hears the footsteps, to see if whoever's approaching says anything, but after a bit of silence, it seems clear enough that the ball is in his court, and he opens his eyes.

And he's - not surprised, exactly, to see that it's Yukimura, rather than some random soldier with some minor issue that needs his attention right now. Not surprised, but he wasn't expecting Yukimura in particular, either. It's a more welcome interruption than most would be.]

You needn't worry that you are interrupting, Yukimura-dono. I'm glad to see you back on your feet.

[ex_onslaught851]

[That earns a small smile from Yukimura- he wonders if he's becoming too predictable, or if it's just a trait of Saitou's to pick up on things that others may not. Either way, he finds that he doesn't mind it- not like he normally would with other people.]

Was it that easy to tell? But... thank you. Are you doing well, Hajime-dono?

[iaijutsu]

It was not difficult to infer, no.

[Though it wasn't so much a matter of Yukimura being predictable as it was a reasonable assumption for anyone with half a sense of courtesy to hesitate in such a situation. And Yukimura being nothing if not polite, the simplest explanation was more than likely the correct one.

He gestures for Yukimura to take a seat next to him - if he wants to, of course.]

I am well, yes.

[Or as well as could be reasonably expected. But to say it is as many words would likely only give Yukimura something to question or a reason to watch for evidence that Saitou was functioning at anything less than one hundred percent, and he's not about to let something slip that easily.]

[ex_onslaught851]

[The offer is taken quite happily, though as Yukimura makes himself comfortable next to Saitou, he can't help but mull over his words. He looks as though he hadn't gotten into a fight at all, which is the strangest thing about all of this. He'd seen what had happened first at Ueda, and now this- perhaps it was time to ask about it.]

Hajime-dono... if you do not mind, there is something that I wished to speak to you about.

[iaijutsu]

What is it?

[Though given that Yukimura looks...a little awkward at best, vaguely troubled at worst...

...well, Saitou's not expecting it to be anything light and inconsequential.]

[ex_onslaught851]

About the oni... you said that "they are strong and fast, and heal from wounds in mere seconds".

[Yukimura pauses for a moment, gathering his courage.]

However, those are traits that I have seen you display in battle, as well.

[iaijutsu]

[He knew it had to happen sooner or later.

It was a difficult enough secret to keep in Kyoto, and given the circumstances, only more difficult to hide as long as he was here. Someone would have to notice sooner or later, and Yukimura did pay closer attention to him than most. And all things considered...Yukimura should know. With as much time as he spent around Saitou, it didn't feel right to keep it under wraps, not when one bad day on Saitou's part could put him in mortal peril.

Saitou had never spilled a Shinsengumi secret to anyone outside the organization before. Then again, there were a lot of things he hadn't done before Orochi's world happened. He could keep the shogunate out of the story easily enough; the existence of rasetsu and ochimizu would be difficult to hide here, but as long as he kept their origins obscured... Maybe Hijikata would understand his reasoning.

And if not...well, the usual punishment for breaking the Code was somewhat beyond him now, but he'd take whatever he had coming to him, regardless.]

Your suspicions are not wholly incorrect. I am not an oni...

[His voice is quiet - quiet, but still even. He's not ashamed of what he did. He'd do it again, if he had to.

And yet there's something very uncomfortable about confessing it for the first time to someone who doesn't know any of the background, any of what led him to that path.]

...but I am no longer human.

[ex_onslaught851]

[For a time, Yukimura isn't sure what to say. Instead he focuses on mulling over those words, thinking of what Saitou has told him. That he's no longer human... The news surprises him, but it doesn't bother him, for reasons that he can't entirely understand. Perhaps it is because Saitou has risked so much for him, because there's too much between them that the thought of judging him for something like that...

The thought doesn't even cross his mind.

Instead, after he's thought about it for a moment, Yukimura reaches over and places a hand on Saitou's shoulder. Maybe he shouldn't, not when others could walk by at any time and see this, but-- he senses that perhaps Saitou might let him, just this once. Considering the circumstances.]

I will not ask you what happened to cause you to take that path, Hajime-dono. But I wish for you to know that the knowledge does not change anything between us. And nor will I tell anyone - that is your decision to make. And you needn't tell me anything more than this.

[Even if he doesn't entirely understand how it might have happened, it doesn't take a genius to realise that the thought of talking about it makes Saitou uncomfortable.]

[iaijutsu]

[It's a surprise - and yet not, really. He wouldn't have expected anyone to take that so easily...but in a land full of sorcery and demons, where so little has made sense, Saitou has to suppose that some things are just easier to take than they might have been, once upon a time.

And it's not like there's any great shock to Yukimura refusing to be judgmental. Isn't that one of the very qualities that so impressed Saitou before?

But even so.]

I do need to tell you more, Yukimura-dono. My presence here poses a risk, and I should have made you aware of that long before now.

[There hadn't seemed much point when they were trapped in Ueda. There was nowhere else he could go, and he'd always figured that if he felt the bloodlust coming on, if he knew it was getting to be too much, he'd just take a jump off the walls and see how much damage he could do when he was beyond saving. He owed Yukimura that much.

They aren't holed up in a castle anymore, though. He's remained at Yukimura's side, even once they reached the main army and could have split up and fought separately at any number of battlefields - he's done that by choice.

And while Saitou has no intention of losing control, if he's choosing to stay by Yukimura, the man has a right to know what he's getting into by accepting Saitou's presence.]

[ex_onslaught851]

If you wish to tell me, Hajime-dono, then I will listen to everything that you have to say. You have my support. That will not change. And if there is something that I can do to ease your burden… I will be more than happy to do it.

[Not that he’s sure yet just what it could be, but he remembers what Zhao Yun had said – that he had believed Saitou to be lost to them, at some point in the battle. Did it have something to do with that? There was no way to know for sure unless he listened, and he wasn’t going to pester Saitou with questions. Whatever he felt as though he wished to share, Yukimura would accept that gratefully. Otherwise, he’d simply be patient.]