[murder was great and all, but lili has other things to do.
she texts kara everyday as far as her timeline goes, even though she doesn't completely understand how all the messages and time travel works. their tweets go back and forth since without anyone really around to bother, she finds herself bored and without much to do - except to get into more trouble. she wanders a little too far into the back alleys one day and overhears some talk of a drug trade that's starting to fester in some villages surrounding the capitol - and she's not sure if it's nadai, but why wouldn't she go check?
which is pretty much how she's in the middle of looking over some maps, trying to devise a way to get her ass out of the capitol as stealthily as possible so that the king and her attendants can't stop her.
she's at least leaving her oracle bell out so that she can see if someone from the village tries to contact her -
as she also tries to decide whether or not she wants to tell kara about her latest plan, or if what he doesn't know won't worry him?
it's not like he has time to come with her or anything.
[ kara texts lili as much as he can, between chores and missions and expeditions. It turns out to be less often than he might like, but then, he’s never been that talkative, in person or over text. all he can do is hope it doesn’t bother her too much, but lili’s messages are frequent enough that it doesn’t seem to be a problem.
the issue, then, is the war, which hasn’t stopped just because he was trapped in a village for a time, or because he finished the enkyou mission without anyone breaking. it continues for years to come, enough that kara starts to lose count, but he keeps lili updated when she asks, or whenever someone does something particularly ridiculous in the citadel. the saniwa even grants him some time to visit her, here and there, until one day, all of them are called to the courtyard.
the war with the history revisionists, their saniwa says, having come out of their room for a rare appearance before them, is over. each and every sword warrior will now have the freedom to choose what to do with their lives from now on, with or without a master - they need only tell the saniwa how they want to move forward, and it will be done.
it's almost impossible to believe that the war has ended after so long... and kara knows exactlky what he wants, but he lets the others talk to their master first. he can wait - besides, he’d promised not to show up unannounced. so while the others are discussing what to do with their newfound freedom, he finds the oracle bell and taps out a quick message:
[lili, internally, as soon as she sees that text come through: hm. fuck.
but... well, it's not like she has anything immediately pressing on her plate aside from this? she thinks that she doesn't want to linger too long without taking action, but ookurikara would understand if she needed to run off and take care of something that was important to her, she thinks.
so she texts back:
of course. just you?
or will she have to figure out how to arrange accommodations for more than just one sword? she could probably figure out how to get them put up at an inn for their stay...]
it takes… about a month, for all the swords in the citadel to figure out what they want, talk to the saniwa about it, and start moving. slowly, they all start to disperse, leaving the citadel to go help their former masters, to wander the worlds, to watch humanity develop… kara doesn’t pay much attention to what any of them set out to do. there are only three, maybe four swords that matter as far as that goes, but they already know what kara plans to do, after this. they'll be parting ways yet again.
but not for good, this time. they've promised to come see the two of them, just as he's promised to lend his sword, if they need him.
for lili, it’s probably a few days at most - he tries to give her time to set things up, once she’s given her consent. once all the swords have gone, once he’s seen sada off - to go give tadamune fashion advice, he thinks - kara steps through the gateway and into kouka, eyes already scanning the immediate area for lili. ]
[a few days is enough for her to be able to get an inn room prepared - the truth is that she'd prefer that kara stay closer to where she is in the castle, but it's a little harder for her to make sudden demands when she herself is a guest. normally that wouldn't stop her, but she'd rather not have word get back to her father about her wanting an extra room for a visitor he's never heard of.
and who he will probably never hear of, if she has anything to say about it?
but the portal will open conveniently in the heart of the capitol, where people at least won't look too hard at kara for carrying around a sword, so long as he doesn't point it at anyone. it's actually not too far from where lili is, but she's also in the middle of trying desperately to find a way to stave off her boredom, and she's currently marching her way around town and actively trying to head into the shadier parts.
it's a little crowded though, and she's on a mission, which means that she's not even going to realize they're so close to each other up until she bumps right against him in the rush - ]
[ somehow he isn't surprised that they'd find each other this way. kara's expression softens when he realizes it's her, though he doesn't smile just yet. he wants to see how she'll react, before he lets himself feel too relieved. ]
[it's sort of settling in that he's back, close enough to touch, and she can't deny that he's happy to see him.]
Yeah.
[she's always going somewhere, but she will make a beckoning gesture for him to bend down a little bit, like she's going to tell him the secret location of where she's headed
if he does, she doesn't actually do that, she's just going to kiss his cheek before she loses her nerve]
Ahem. Wanna come with?
[WHAT IF SHE PRETENDS LIKE SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WEIRD, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S OBVIOUSLY BLUSHING?]
[ welp. guess kara is her security guard now. he's probably used to this by now though, so whatever, he'll follow without hesitation. ]
Whenever you're done out here, we need to talk - away from everyone else.
[ important sword business, in addition to important... drug trafficking business? whatever this is. but kara's thing can wait, since they're already out on a different mission. ]
she doesn't continue her warpath just yet, because that sounds - concerning?]
... this can wait, if it's important.
[she figures kara wouldn't bring it up if it's not important? she'll try to be considerate for once in her life and it's only because she cares about him enough to stop her nonsense for two seconds]
but also tsuru being tsuru because he's the entire reason kara's found himself enrolled in college with the rest of the dategumi? mitsutada's studying culinary arts, sada is into fashion design, kara got thrown into veterinary studies which is... a little overwhelming, if he's honest. it's not like he was ever a healer, but tsuru probably looked at the program, saw animals were involved, and thought it was fine.
it's. not fine. between suddenly finding himself in a "modern" era that's nothing like the ancient japan or kouka he's come to know and having all this coursework assigned to him, he's actually struggling a lot! and it's... way more exhausting than going on missions ever was, in a very different way. honestly, he'd rather fight than be stuck in lectures for hours on end.
he's told tsuru as much, of course - not that it seems to matter. really all that kara wants to do is go back to kouka and wait for lili to reincarnate again... he may not know how it works, or where or when it will happen, but he's learned to keep his eyes open for her by now. the problem, then, is that tsuru seems to think he needs a break from waiting. how that translates into this new form of torture, kara will never know.
and somehow it's really annoying that tsuru turns out to be right about him needing to leave kouka, even if it was for the wrong reasons. he wonders, once again, if tsuru knew lili had been reincarnated already before dragging him here, or if he even knows at all.
that stops being important though - at least when he's somehow being strongarmed into helping with lili's student council campaign. how is he supposed to help, when he doesn't really know the first thing about politics? ]
it seems like that's the general gist of her latest incarnation - the daughter of a family with a bloodline linked to nobility, whose father is currently a fairly prominent politician, and his only flesh and blood has no greater goal than to usurp his seat from right underneath his nose. as someone who grew up knowing that she could be the targeting of kidnapping, she sees no reason to be afraid of a little bit of competition or just a smattering of exhaustion. if anything, she's only grown to be even harder to control since she hit college.
and there doesn't appear to be any end in sight.
today, she's dragged ookurikara out with her to go shopping, because she got tired of seeing him wearing the same hoodie one too many times. rather than any ratty t-shirts, she lets her fingers run over the fabric of a v-neck before turning him to eyeball his chest and shoulders for the most innocent reason yet and then go to pick out a size.]
Girls don't like me.
[a beat]
Well, sorority girls don't like me - ever since they heard that I think their stupid excuses for hooking up with gross men and calling their paltry auctions charity are better off abolished in favor of actually volunteering time or providing donations at a shelter, so that they can actually do something meaningful.
[she does not seem to have any intent of taking that back]
But that doesn't mean they won't vote for me if given the proper nudge from someone easy on the eyes.
Hence, your help. Tsurumaru, Mitsutada, and Sadamune's too - if they have nothing better to do. Yona already said that I can borrow her gaggle of [pauses. mansluts?] gentleman as well.
[gentleman was absolutely not her first word of choice]
It's annoying - but I was told I ought to sway at least some of their vote rather than just giving up on it.... It's not my fault they don't listen to the actual things that matter.
[ some things never change, even across lives... how many times has she dragged kara out for new clothes now? he's losing track. and he still hasn't relinquished his hoodie just yet, even as she eyes him for sizing. it's good for hiding the tattoo, because apparently that gets him more attention than he'd like in this era
and he won't speak for tsuru and the others, because he knows they'll all have far too much fun helping lili's cause, but as for himself... ]
Those girls already know I'm not interested in them.
[they're literally going to the changing room and she's going to play it safe and at least for this shirt, she'll grab two sizes to switch between. she's pretty sure her first guess is right, but just in case - it'll help him to have options too!! soon she's going to snatch that hoodie and he's never going to get it back
as for that statement, she waves a hand]
You don't know that for sure... and you don't have to pretend to be interested in them - it's just a matter of hearing my cause from the right voice.
[because they won't listen to her! for some reason! even though lili is clearly right!!
she runs into this trouble in every era]
You don't have to help if you don't want to, though...
[but this new facet of her campaign will steal her attention for a bit so if he doesn't agree then they won't get to hang out that much....]
[she thinks that whoever it is that he's staying loyal to, they're very lucky...
so maybe she should stop thinking about him that way?
(... she won't, really, because in every lifetime she's not smart or impressive enough to know how to put aside her own feelings. but she'll at least entertain the idea and try not to homewreck)]
I think it'd suit you.
[the inside lining is red? she opens it to show him]
Do you know how to ride a motorcycle? It'd look especially good that way.
[can you believe that lili is trying to turn kara into a hot bad boy]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swords are time traveling cheaters
she texts kara everyday as far as her timeline goes, even though she doesn't completely understand how all the messages and time travel works. their tweets go back and forth since without anyone really around to bother, she finds herself bored and without much to do - except to get into more trouble. she wanders a little too far into the back alleys one day and overhears some talk of a drug trade that's starting to fester in some villages surrounding the capitol - and she's not sure if it's nadai, but why wouldn't she go check?
which is pretty much how she's in the middle of looking over some maps, trying to devise a way to get her ass out of the capitol as stealthily as possible so that the king and her attendants can't stop her.
she's at least leaving her oracle bell out so that she can see if someone from the village tries to contact her -
as she also tries to decide whether or not she wants to tell kara about her latest plan, or if what he doesn't know won't worry him?
it's not like he has time to come with her or anything.
right?]
no subject
the issue, then, is the war, which hasn’t stopped just because he was trapped in a village for a time, or because he finished the enkyou mission without anyone breaking. it continues for years to come, enough that kara starts to lose count, but he keeps lili updated when she asks, or whenever someone does something particularly ridiculous in the citadel. the saniwa even grants him some time to visit her, here and there, until one day, all of them are called to the courtyard.
the war with the history revisionists, their saniwa says, having come out of their room for a rare appearance before them, is over. each and every sword warrior will now have the freedom to choose what to do with their lives from now on, with or without a master - they need only tell the saniwa how they want to move forward, and it will be done.
it's almost impossible to believe that the war has ended after so long... and kara knows exactlky what he wants, but he lets the others talk to their master first. he can wait - besides, he’d promised not to show up unannounced. so while the others are discussing what to do with their newfound freedom, he finds the oracle bell and taps out a quick message:
Can I come see you? ]
no subject
but... well, it's not like she has anything immediately pressing on her plate aside from this? she thinks that she doesn't want to linger too long without taking action, but ookurikara would understand if she needed to run off and take care of something that was important to her, she thinks.
so she texts back:
of course. just you?
or will she have to figure out how to arrange accommodations for more than just one sword? she could probably figure out how to get them put up at an inn for their stay...]
no subject
it takes… about a month, for all the swords in the citadel to figure out what they want, talk to the saniwa about it, and start moving. slowly, they all start to disperse, leaving the citadel to go help their former masters, to wander the worlds, to watch humanity develop… kara doesn’t pay much attention to what any of them set out to do. there are only three, maybe four swords that matter as far as that goes, but they already know what kara plans to do, after this. they'll be parting ways yet again.
but not for good, this time. they've promised to come see the two of them, just as he's promised to lend his sword, if they need him.
for lili, it’s probably a few days at most - he tries to give her time to set things up, once she’s given her consent. once all the swords have gone, once he’s seen sada off - to go give tadamune fashion advice, he thinks - kara steps through the gateway and into kouka, eyes already scanning the immediate area for lili. ]
no subject
and who he will probably never hear of, if she has anything to say about it?
but the portal will open conveniently in the heart of the capitol, where people at least won't look too hard at kara for carrying around a sword, so long as he doesn't point it at anyone. it's actually not too far from where lili is, but she's also in the middle of trying desperately to find a way to stave off her boredom, and she's currently marching her way around town and actively trying to head into the shadier parts.
it's a little crowded though, and she's on a mission, which means that she's not even going to realize they're so close to each other up until she bumps right against him in the rush - ]
Hey!
[and then she looks up and]
Oh... hey.
no subject
Going somewhere?
[ isn't she always though ]
no subject
Yeah.
[she's always going somewhere, but she will make a beckoning gesture for him to bend down a little bit, like she's going to tell him the secret location of where she's headed
if he does, she doesn't actually do that, she's just going to kiss his cheek before she loses her nerve]
Ahem. Wanna come with?
[WHAT IF SHE PRETENDS LIKE SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WEIRD, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S OBVIOUSLY BLUSHING?]
no subject
but then he'll straighten, hand resting on the hilt of his sword as usual - like nothing's changed at all. ]
Yeah.
[ as if he would say no ]
You found more problems?
no subject
but only a second because his question manages to prompt her further and she nods, her focus shifting]
Mm. I heard something about more drugs that are being circulated in villages close by - so I'm gonna go trade for some information.
My normal guy isn't around... [because ogi got fucking stabbed] So I have to find someone else who'll fess up.
[so she's barreling straight into the shady part of town again]
no subject
Whenever you're done out here, we need to talk - away from everyone else.
[ important sword business, in addition to important... drug trafficking business? whatever this is. but kara's thing can wait, since they're already out on a different mission. ]
Where are we going, exactly?
no subject
she doesn't continue her warpath just yet, because that sounds - concerning?]
... this can wait, if it's important.
[she figures kara wouldn't bring it up if it's not important? she'll try to be considerate for once in her life and it's only because she cares about him enough to stop her nonsense for two seconds]
no subject
[ well, no, he can't exactly day it isn't important. it's very important, actually? but not as pressing as a mission set right in front of him. ]
...It can wait. Let me help you with this first.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
how do swords go to college without money
but also tsuru being tsuru because he's the entire reason kara's found himself enrolled in college with the rest of the dategumi? mitsutada's studying culinary arts, sada is into fashion design, kara got thrown into veterinary studies which is... a little overwhelming, if he's honest. it's not like he was ever a healer, but tsuru probably looked at the program, saw animals were involved, and thought it was fine.
it's. not fine. between suddenly finding himself in a "modern" era that's nothing like the ancient japan or kouka he's come to know and having all this coursework assigned to him, he's actually struggling a lot! and it's... way more exhausting than going on missions ever was, in a very different way. honestly, he'd rather fight than be stuck in lectures for hours on end.
he's told tsuru as much, of course - not that it seems to matter. really all that kara wants to do is go back to kouka and wait for lili to reincarnate again... he may not know how it works, or where or when it will happen, but he's learned to keep his eyes open for her by now. the problem, then, is that tsuru seems to think he needs a break from waiting. how that translates into this new form of torture, kara will never know.
and somehow it's really annoying that tsuru turns out to be right about him needing to leave kouka, even if it was for the wrong reasons. he wonders, once again, if tsuru knew lili had been reincarnated already before dragging him here, or if he even knows at all.
that stops being important though - at least when he's somehow being strongarmed into helping with lili's student council campaign. how is he supposed to help, when he doesn't really know the first thing about politics? ]
...You want me to help with what?
[ don't they have exams coming up soon ]
no subject
it seems like that's the general gist of her latest incarnation - the daughter of a family with a bloodline linked to nobility, whose father is currently a fairly prominent politician, and his only flesh and blood has no greater goal than to usurp his seat from right underneath his nose. as someone who grew up knowing that she could be the targeting of kidnapping, she sees no reason to be afraid of a little bit of competition or just a smattering of exhaustion. if anything, she's only grown to be even harder to control since she hit college.
and there doesn't appear to be any end in sight.
today, she's dragged ookurikara out with her to go shopping, because she got tired of seeing him wearing the same hoodie one too many times. rather than any ratty t-shirts, she lets her fingers run over the fabric of a v-neck before turning him to eyeball his chest and shoulders for the most innocent reason yet and then go to pick out a size.]
Girls don't like me.
[a beat]
Well, sorority girls don't like me - ever since they heard that I think their stupid excuses for hooking up with gross men and calling their paltry auctions charity are better off abolished in favor of actually volunteering time or providing donations at a shelter, so that they can actually do something meaningful.
[she does not seem to have any intent of taking that back]
But that doesn't mean they won't vote for me if given the proper nudge from someone easy on the eyes.
Hence, your help. Tsurumaru, Mitsutada, and Sadamune's too - if they have nothing better to do. Yona already said that I can borrow her gaggle of [pauses. mansluts?] gentleman as well.
[gentleman was absolutely not her first word of choice]
It's annoying - but I was told I ought to sway at least some of their vote rather than just giving up on it.... It's not my fault they don't listen to the actual things that matter.
[sooooo eye candy bribes it is!]
no subject
and he won't speak for tsuru and the others, because he knows they'll all have far too much fun helping lili's cause, but as for himself... ]
Those girls already know I'm not interested in them.
[ do they, kara, do they really ]
no subject
as for that statement, she waves a hand]
You don't know that for sure... and you don't have to pretend to be interested in them - it's just a matter of hearing my cause from the right voice.
[because they won't listen to her! for some reason! even though lili is clearly right!!
she runs into this trouble in every era]
You don't have to help if you don't want to, though...
[but this new facet of her campaign will steal her attention for a bit so if he doesn't agree then they won't get to hang out that much....]
no subject
[ kara is suffering
but he goes along with her easily enough despite that, heaving a sigh ]
...I'll try to help. But Mitsutada and Tsuru will do better.
[ they actually like people for one ]
no subject
[she will say that but also]
You don’t need to say yes if they ask you out though.
[in fact
she would rather he said no
but!! they’re not dating or anything!! so she can’t demand it!!!!!]
no subject
I won't.
[ he wants nothing to do with those girls?? he's only staying because lili and the dategumi are here smh ]
[1/2]
no subject
wait ]
I mean - you can, if you want. If there’s someone you would want to -
Not that I think you would want to, or anything!
But-
[
off to go look at jackets!!!!!]
no subject
it's... nice, to see that again. ]
There is someone.
[ her ]
But not one of those girls.
no subject
... oh.
[someone...
probably not her.]
... well, that's good. You should stay loyal.
[back to looking at this jacket! is it a leather jacket? yea]
no subject
[ even if she
doesn't know about him yet
haha
but anyway he's eyeing the jacket, trying not to be too obvious about how familiar this is ]
...Why that one?
no subject
so maybe she should stop thinking about him that way?
(... she won't, really, because in every lifetime she's not smart or impressive enough to know how to put aside her own feelings. but she'll at least entertain the idea and try not to homewreck)]
I think it'd suit you.
[the inside lining is red? she opens it to show him]
Do you know how to ride a motorcycle? It'd look especially good that way.
[can you believe that lili is trying to turn kara into a hot bad boy]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)