practicality | (no subject)

(no subject)

Okita Souji, captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi of Kyoto, and assistant to Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizou. I was born in Edo, though.

[...]

And I'm twenty-two. Funny how I never figured that out.

There are a lot of people who are important to me here, but there are a lot of people important to me at home, too. And promises I made - to my friends, to my superiors, to myself - that I can't break. So I'm going to go back, and I'm going to bring Digit with me. I hope he and Saizo don't fight. But I'll be back, I'll come to visit everyone. And if you want to come to Kyoto, there'll be rooms, and I'll show you around the city. I know where all the best sweets shops are, too ♥

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I don't know. [Yamazaki glanced down thoughtfully. He had to admit, he had no idea how any of this worked. Even free of Fugue's influence, even without so much of the strangeness that had made this place what it was... it still made absolutely no logical sense.] We can only speculate about what might happen when we leave... about what might be possible. Until we've gone, I don't think we'll know.

However... I know that I can't go to your time. I, at least, need to return to where I left off. [He looked back at Okita.] Having learned what I've learned about the future from you, there are some things I would like to attempt to change.

[Speaking of which...] ...You're not sick yet, in my time. [Not as far as Yamazaki knew, in any case.] I wonder... if I were to take this place's medicine back with me, if you could be prevented from ever becoming sick, or at least treated before it becomes serious.

[...Ah. He hadn't thought about that, in a while. But it looked like what Sniper had suggested might be right - that he might be able to change things, bring things back with him. Though...]

For you... what year is it?

[He should have thought to establish just how far apart in time they were, of course... just how much time, or how little, he would have before he caught up to Okita.]

It's the first year of Genji, shortly after the events at Ikedaya. The Gion festival has just concluded.

[There's a small, sad smile at that.]

...I was still sick, then. Just that nobody knew. Though I think Hijikata-san suspected.

It's been about three years since that, for me.

[That Okita had actually been sick for that long honestly didn't surprise Yamazaki overly much. The man had hidden it well... but he was good at that sort of thing, after all. Good at saying he was fine when he wasn't.

Three years, though... that was longer than Yamazaki had expected, seeing as Okita hardly seemed to have aged at all. But a lot could potentially be changed, in three years. A lot could be improved, and a lot could be averted. He found that bit of information rather encouraging. And Okita couldn't have been very sick yet, if he'd carried on for that length of time. Yamazaki regarded him stoically.]

Whether it would work or not, I can't say. But I'd like to try, if you'll permit it. [And he'd prefer to have Okita's permission. Even after so many months of the two of them interacting as equals here, thinking of Okita as a superior officer again felt natural to Yamazaki. It felt right.]

[He thinks about it, and then nods]

I don't mind. I can tell you how the medicines are supposed to be taken, and what the side effects are.

[Yamazaki returned the nod.] I'll write it down, before we go. [He didn't have anything to write in at that moment except for his journal, but he'd be taking all of his notebooks with him.

As for actually getting Okita to take the medicines, if the man wasn't able to go back to that time with him... perhaps Yamazaki could talk to the Vice Commander about that, if he already suspected. Or perhaps he could work something out with Ichimura to slip it into his tea. Or... distract Ichimura. That might be the easiest.

He'd figure it out. He was a shinobi, after all--he was trained in various ways to secretly poison people, and the same tactics could probably be applied to secretly medicating them.]

...When are you planning on leaving?

Umm... probably tomorrow. Maybe the day after. I still have to say goodbye to everyone, and make sure the shop is taken care of.

[He pauses thoughtfully]

...Do you think it would be alright to bring Digit home, too?

[He nodded once again.] That's reasonable. [Yamazaki himself could have probably been ready to go within a couple hours; it was just a matter of collecting what possessions he wanted to take. There were only a small handful of people that he was at all concerned with saying goodbye to. But he'd wait for the other man.

At Okita's question he hesitated, then glanced away momentarily.] ...I'm taking Taichou.

[Souji grinned a little at that]

I'll take Digit too, then. We can tell Hijikata-san we found them as strays. I know he won't argue with me. And I'll keep them from fighting with Saizo.

[Yamazaki hmph-ed slightly in amusement.] I don't think he'd believe I willingly brought a stray home. Perhaps you should claim responsibility for both of them.

[...And if he and Okita ended up separated by three years again, well, he'd just have to tell the Vice Commander that a dog followed him home and wouldn't leave. Which would in fact be entirely true.]

[Souji laughed - it did seem a little unbelievable.]

I guess I could~ He'd probably kind of angry, though.

[...Not that... that thought particularly fazed him]

[He'd been half-teasing, but if Okita was willing to take on the brunt of the blame, Yamazaki wasn't going to argue. And the Vice Commander was normally kind of angry, but he didn't feel it was necessary to point that out.]

...Please let me know when you're ready to leave, then.

[...Teasing? From Yamazaki? Of course Souji didn't catch it. He nodded, though]

I will. And I'll get everything ready to give to you, too.

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