IC Journal

[willing_sheath]

CANON TIMELINE

September 1845--Born
(June 1849--Kenshin born)
May 1854--Enishi is born, mother dies, Tomoe age 8/9
Spring 1862--betrothed to Kiysatto Akira, marriage set for Spring 1863, Tomoe age 16/17, Enishi age 6/7
Fall 1862--Kiyosatto joins Mimawari-gumi, wedding delayed to Spring 1864, Tomoe age 17, Enishi age 7
(Early 1863--Kenshin quarrels with Hiko and leaves, joins Kiheitai and is taken to Kyoto with Katsura Kogoro, Kenshin age 13/14)

1864
Early March--Kiyosatto is killed in Kyoto
April 4th--news of Kiyosatto's death arrives from Kyoto
Mid-April--Tomoe runs away to Kyoto
Late April--Tomoe arrives in Kyoto and is found by the Yaminobu
Early May--Meets Kenshin and is brought to the Kohagiya
Mid-May--discussion of "madness" with Katsura Kogoro
Late May--window incident, "now a sheath to hold back your madness"
June 5th--Ikedaya Affair
July 18th--Kinmon Incident
Late July--Kenshin and Tomoe are married and go into hiding outside Otsu, Tomoe age 18, Kenshin age 15
Late December--Enishi arrives in Otsu
December 31st--Tomoe dies, Tomoe age 19, Kenshin age 15, Enishi age 10

Comments

July 1864

[willing_sheath]

We were able to speak to Katsura-san. Kyoto's Choshuu faction has been destroyed and members of the clan are being pursued as enemies of the emperor. Katsura-san will remain in hiding as will Himura-san, waiting for word from Katsura-san through Izuka-san.

They have had a house prepared outside of Otsu. He asked me to stay with Himura-san and pose as his wife... because a young couple will draw less attention than a young man living alone. He asked me to take care of him... so I imagine that role he had for me has fallen into place. Despite it all I've let him use me after all...

Himura-san shocked me again, or perhaps I've shocked myself. If I were to try to run back to Edo now would be the time... With all of the chaos perhaps they will have lost track of me... but there is no way for me to know that... so I told him I had no where to go. At first he seemed to revert back to how he was at the very beginning, telling me that everyone had somewhere to go and that he would provide the travel funds if I needed them before admitting that it was the coward's way out.

And then he looked at me and his face changed. His expression was so open... his eyes were so gentle... the polar opposite of how he had been when I met him. "I don't want it to be for show... I want to be with you until death parts us..."

I forgot everything else in that moment... with the way he was looking at me. Everything but the man I had seem him to be... and I couldn't refuse. I didn't want to.

What does this make me? What kind of woman am I? I have not forgotten Kiyosatto-sama. He is still here in my heart... I still love him as strongly as I ever did... and yet I have agreed to marry the man who killed him... Even if I tried to tell myself it is part of the Yaminobu's plot I know I would only be lying to myself. The conflicting feelings I have are real, not part of some act. What kind of woman does this? What kind of fickle heart do I have?

I don't even know who I am betraying anymore... Kiyosatto-sama... Himura-san... or both...

Re: July 1864

[girlofsteele]

[Ana has no idea who Tomoe is betraying, either. if she's betraying anyone. countless sappy songs had been sung about finding love again after another lover died, but so far as she knew, none of them were about falling for the guy who killed. it's...difficult to contemplate.

maybe Tomoe's just more forgiving than Ana is?]