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

December 31st 1864

[willing_sheath]

[This entry is similarly rushed, though less panicked than the last]

So much has happened in the last day that I do not know where to begin or how to untable it all--and I do not have the time to do so. My fate has been decided for months and the time has come to face it. I will go to them. I cannot take the chance of them harming Enishi, though I know it is folly to think that his fate will be any different than mine regardless of what I do. Still, if there is any chance that they may free him I must take it. I will go to them, though I have no intention of giving them what they want, though I do not know how they would use the truth regardless. I do not know how I might stop their plan from unfolding, but at the very least I can give them false information so as not to aid it.

Anata... if you read this... I am sorry... for everything. I will not be foolish enough to ask your forgiveness, not after all this time. What we have had here, even if it was built on a foundation of lies, in the end what I feel for you is real. It is true that you stole my happiness once... but you have given me another in return. You swore last night that you would protect the happiness I have lost once to this chaos... I do not expect to see you again, so the way I wish for you to keep that promise is to find the way to protect without killing that you spoke of. I know you must continue to kill in this war... but in the end, I believe that you will save so many more people than you kill... That is your truth. That is who you are. A man who wishes to protect, not a man who wishes to kill. No matter what, please remember that. No matter what do not lose yourself in Choshuu's madness.

I love you.

Farewell

Re: December 31st 1864

[girlofsteele]

[Ana's hands weren't trembling, what makes you think that?

oh. the fact that they were in fact trembling and she had a death-grip on the journal.

none of this sounded good at all and she wondered what she'd see when she turned the next page]