[fic] Just Before You Close Your Eyes (Haruka4)
Title: Just Before You Close Your Eyes
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, Ruby Party, and their respective actors.
Warnings: Set just shortly after the end of the drama track 病風吹く空へ. Chihiro happens upon the aftermath of Iwanaga-hime's drinking contest, so there are spoilers for the ending. Contains references to overuse of alcohol. (orz)
Just Before You Close Your Eyes
Chihiro's footsteps echoed back at her with a metallic sound, something she attributed in the back of her mind to the ancient and rather mysterious walls of the Ametori-no-Fune. Consciously, she took no note of the sound and simply continued along the corridor that led to the ship's outdoor garden pavilion.
A rather loud noise had pulled her from a restless slumber not long before. After a handful of minutes had passed with no sign of sleep's return Chihiro had gotten up and dressed. She thought a walk through the ship would calm the nerves that kept her senses alert for the cries from guards that would signal intruders. The guards were at the entrance to every hall that night, and by the time she reached her destination she had seen more than a dozen.
The cool night air brought the heavy summer scents of flowers and earth into the interior hall, and they wrapped around her even before she stepped out under the open sky.
"Hey, Chihiro, what're you still doin' up?" Iwanaga-hime's voice greeted her with a slight slur just after Chihiro made out the woman's outline a short distance ahead of her. Despite a few bottles that lay on their sides next to her, no doubt long empty, the general knew who had come through the doorway without even turning her head to look. Chihiro mentally added that to the list of reasons why she admired the older woman.
"Something woke me," she answered simply as she moved closer. This made Iwanaga-hime shift just enough to look over her shoulder, so Chihiro elaborated. "A loud noise of some sort, but I don't know what it was."
Rather than show concern, the woman snorted and nodded her head off to her right side. "I bet it was that one. Silly things, should've known they couldn't beat me in a drinking contest!"
Her remark, mostly to herself as she had once again picked up a sake cup and lifted it to her lips, turned Chihiro's attention in the direction indicated. When she neared enough that darkness no longer covered the figure from view Chihiro wondered how she could have missed him in the first place. Not far from where Iwanaga-hime sat Sazaki lay sprawled out with limbs splayed and wings similarly unfurled. Light snores changed into louder sounds that indicated a deep sleep. Chihiro wasn't sure whether to laugh or show concern, so she did both. "What... what happened?" Her puzzled face sought out an explanation from Iwanaga-hime as she knelt beside him and tried shaking a shoulder gently. Sazaki remained oblivious to the world and slept on.
Iwanaga-hime waved the hand the held her half-empty cup carelessly, and a few drops of clear liquid spattered the ground around her. "Everyone else deserted me, so I asked these two to drink with me." A soft laugh shook her shoulders. "Lightweights, the pair of them, despite all that talk. Sazaki's head is gonna hurt like hell in the morning!"
Unsure just why the general sounded so triumphant, Chihiro looked down at Sazaki again, but he showed no sign of stirring. Only then did the other woman's words register. "Wait... two?" Brow furrowed, Chihiro looked around and realized she had missed another figure in the dark. He too lay on the ground, curled half on his left side and half on his stomach, and his slate blue wings and hair blended into the stone with the lack of light. Eyes wide with disbelief, Chihiro asked, "Karigane too?" Since it didn't look like Sazaki would wake anytime soon, she stood and moved over to the other man.
"He lasted longer than his leader," Iwanaga-hime offered with a nod toward her newly-refilled cup. "Not much fun for drinking company, though. Too quiet, that one." Chihiro shook her head as she watched the general toss back the no-doubt strong liquor like it was water and doubted anyone in the world could out drink her.
A pang of concern shot through her when she knelt next to Karigane. At first she couldn't see any movement from him, but when she leaned closer she noticed his breathing in the faint rise and fall of his right shoulder. Relief flooded her, and she wondered just how much the both of them had managed to drink before passing out. A cup lay tipped on its side nearby just beyond the place where the tip of his right wing rested against the ground. The left remained curled against his back, just barely above the stone floor he had been unfortunate enough to collapse against. Chihiro wondered why his right wing had spread across his body as if to protect him.
Slowly, so as not to startle him if he awoke, Chihiro reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder. Like she had done a few minutes ago to Sazaki, she shook gently and tried to rouse him. A few seconds passed with no response.
Behind her, Iwanaga-hime scuffed the stones as she got to her feet. After a long yawn she mumbled, "headin' to bed, you should do the same, Chihiro," and wandered back toward the ship's interior.
"But, shouldn't we get them inside?" Chihiro called after her, half-turning to look in the older woman's direction.
The shuffling footsteps stopped, and instead the sound of Iwanaga-hime's quiet laugh reached her ears. "They'll be fine, as long as they sleep it off. You don't have to worry." Before Chihiro could protest again, she disappeared through the doorway.
Despite the half-hearted attempt at reassuring her otherwise, Chihiro looked at both men again and didn't feel right just leaving them there. Sazaki continued to snore away, so she tried to wake Karigane once more, and again she received no reaction. Curiosity got the best of her then, and she hesitantly moved her hand toward his outstretched wing. For a few moments it hung there, close enough that she could almost feel the softness beneath her fingertips before she lowered them to actually touch. The barest brush of her fingers over the spread of delicate feathers that composed his wings made Chihiro pull her hand back quickly as if she had overstepped a line that she had no permission to cross.
Just as she sat back, Karigane's brow furrowed and his eyes blinked open. Chihiro held her breath and watched his expression as it changed from tired to confused to irritated. When he finally raised his head and noticed her, his eyebrows drew together in what looked like embarrassment and he stared at her without words. Intending to ask him if he felt all right, Chihiro opened her mouth, but he spoke first. "What are you doing here?" Rather than his regular brusque tone he sounded hesitant, as if afraid of the answer to his quiet question.
Chihiro blinked back stupidly for a second, then shook herself. "I couldn't sleep, and I found Iwanaga-hime here, and you and Sazaki were asleep on the ground..." From the look on his face he didn't completely understand. "She just went back inside, but I didn't think it would be good to just leave you both here, and since Sazaki won't wake up..."
A stiff nod answered her before Karigane looked over at the redhead. "I can get him back to his room. You needn't worry."
It was Chihiro's turn to frown. "But you're..." She trailed off, unsure how to point out that he was likely still too intoxicated to manage the dead weight of the other man without sounding rude. He looked flushed, she assumed from the amount of alcohol he had consumed. "Let me help."
Lips pursed in an annoyed look, Karigane shook his head before he winced and brought a hand up to his temple. "I'll get one of the other men. Go to sleep." In a softer tone he added, "Worry about yourself instead. Who will rebuild your country if you collapse from exhaustion?"
Chihiro blushed and ducked her head. After taking a breath she nodded and stood. "All right. I'll leave Sazaki to you if you're sure..."
Karigane stood as well and folded his wings gracefully, leaving no room for doubt when he gazed back at her. "Yes." For a moment he looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead he stepped over to Sazaki's side. A long-suffering sigh lowered his shoulders as he mumbled something Chihiro couldn't hear.
Rather than earn more irritation from him, Chihiro took two steps back. "All right... Good luck, Karigane." A soft sound that might have been an affirmative but seemed more like a complaint was his only reply, so she directed a weak smile his way and continued. "Goodnight."
He looked up at that, surprise on his face for a moment before it melted away into the night. "Goodnight." Their gaze held briefly before he turned his attention back to his leader with a perplexed expression.
Satisfied, Chihiro headed inside and back down the way she had come toward her room. A secret smile curved her lips as she went back over the typically awkward conversation with Karigane in her head, then thought about the moment she had touched his wing. Color bloomed in her cheeks when she considered asking him if she could do it again, but she pushed that compulsion back into a corner of her mind to consider later. For the time being, she had to focus on the return and restoration of her country.
- - -
Title refers not to Chihiro going back to sleep, but to the final thoughts Karigane had before falling asleep under the alcohol's influence. (Also the reason why he was flustered upon waking and seeing Chihiro there.)
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, Ruby Party, and their respective actors.
Warnings: Set just shortly after the end of the drama track 病風吹く空へ. Chihiro happens upon the aftermath of Iwanaga-hime's drinking contest, so there are spoilers for the ending. Contains references to overuse of alcohol. (orz)
Just Before You Close Your Eyes
Chihiro's footsteps echoed back at her with a metallic sound, something she attributed in the back of her mind to the ancient and rather mysterious walls of the Ametori-no-Fune. Consciously, she took no note of the sound and simply continued along the corridor that led to the ship's outdoor garden pavilion.
A rather loud noise had pulled her from a restless slumber not long before. After a handful of minutes had passed with no sign of sleep's return Chihiro had gotten up and dressed. She thought a walk through the ship would calm the nerves that kept her senses alert for the cries from guards that would signal intruders. The guards were at the entrance to every hall that night, and by the time she reached her destination she had seen more than a dozen.
The cool night air brought the heavy summer scents of flowers and earth into the interior hall, and they wrapped around her even before she stepped out under the open sky.
"Hey, Chihiro, what're you still doin' up?" Iwanaga-hime's voice greeted her with a slight slur just after Chihiro made out the woman's outline a short distance ahead of her. Despite a few bottles that lay on their sides next to her, no doubt long empty, the general knew who had come through the doorway without even turning her head to look. Chihiro mentally added that to the list of reasons why she admired the older woman.
"Something woke me," she answered simply as she moved closer. This made Iwanaga-hime shift just enough to look over her shoulder, so Chihiro elaborated. "A loud noise of some sort, but I don't know what it was."
Rather than show concern, the woman snorted and nodded her head off to her right side. "I bet it was that one. Silly things, should've known they couldn't beat me in a drinking contest!"
Her remark, mostly to herself as she had once again picked up a sake cup and lifted it to her lips, turned Chihiro's attention in the direction indicated. When she neared enough that darkness no longer covered the figure from view Chihiro wondered how she could have missed him in the first place. Not far from where Iwanaga-hime sat Sazaki lay sprawled out with limbs splayed and wings similarly unfurled. Light snores changed into louder sounds that indicated a deep sleep. Chihiro wasn't sure whether to laugh or show concern, so she did both. "What... what happened?" Her puzzled face sought out an explanation from Iwanaga-hime as she knelt beside him and tried shaking a shoulder gently. Sazaki remained oblivious to the world and slept on.
Iwanaga-hime waved the hand the held her half-empty cup carelessly, and a few drops of clear liquid spattered the ground around her. "Everyone else deserted me, so I asked these two to drink with me." A soft laugh shook her shoulders. "Lightweights, the pair of them, despite all that talk. Sazaki's head is gonna hurt like hell in the morning!"
Unsure just why the general sounded so triumphant, Chihiro looked down at Sazaki again, but he showed no sign of stirring. Only then did the other woman's words register. "Wait... two?" Brow furrowed, Chihiro looked around and realized she had missed another figure in the dark. He too lay on the ground, curled half on his left side and half on his stomach, and his slate blue wings and hair blended into the stone with the lack of light. Eyes wide with disbelief, Chihiro asked, "Karigane too?" Since it didn't look like Sazaki would wake anytime soon, she stood and moved over to the other man.
"He lasted longer than his leader," Iwanaga-hime offered with a nod toward her newly-refilled cup. "Not much fun for drinking company, though. Too quiet, that one." Chihiro shook her head as she watched the general toss back the no-doubt strong liquor like it was water and doubted anyone in the world could out drink her.
A pang of concern shot through her when she knelt next to Karigane. At first she couldn't see any movement from him, but when she leaned closer she noticed his breathing in the faint rise and fall of his right shoulder. Relief flooded her, and she wondered just how much the both of them had managed to drink before passing out. A cup lay tipped on its side nearby just beyond the place where the tip of his right wing rested against the ground. The left remained curled against his back, just barely above the stone floor he had been unfortunate enough to collapse against. Chihiro wondered why his right wing had spread across his body as if to protect him.
Slowly, so as not to startle him if he awoke, Chihiro reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder. Like she had done a few minutes ago to Sazaki, she shook gently and tried to rouse him. A few seconds passed with no response.
Behind her, Iwanaga-hime scuffed the stones as she got to her feet. After a long yawn she mumbled, "headin' to bed, you should do the same, Chihiro," and wandered back toward the ship's interior.
"But, shouldn't we get them inside?" Chihiro called after her, half-turning to look in the older woman's direction.
The shuffling footsteps stopped, and instead the sound of Iwanaga-hime's quiet laugh reached her ears. "They'll be fine, as long as they sleep it off. You don't have to worry." Before Chihiro could protest again, she disappeared through the doorway.
Despite the half-hearted attempt at reassuring her otherwise, Chihiro looked at both men again and didn't feel right just leaving them there. Sazaki continued to snore away, so she tried to wake Karigane once more, and again she received no reaction. Curiosity got the best of her then, and she hesitantly moved her hand toward his outstretched wing. For a few moments it hung there, close enough that she could almost feel the softness beneath her fingertips before she lowered them to actually touch. The barest brush of her fingers over the spread of delicate feathers that composed his wings made Chihiro pull her hand back quickly as if she had overstepped a line that she had no permission to cross.
Just as she sat back, Karigane's brow furrowed and his eyes blinked open. Chihiro held her breath and watched his expression as it changed from tired to confused to irritated. When he finally raised his head and noticed her, his eyebrows drew together in what looked like embarrassment and he stared at her without words. Intending to ask him if he felt all right, Chihiro opened her mouth, but he spoke first. "What are you doing here?" Rather than his regular brusque tone he sounded hesitant, as if afraid of the answer to his quiet question.
Chihiro blinked back stupidly for a second, then shook herself. "I couldn't sleep, and I found Iwanaga-hime here, and you and Sazaki were asleep on the ground..." From the look on his face he didn't completely understand. "She just went back inside, but I didn't think it would be good to just leave you both here, and since Sazaki won't wake up..."
A stiff nod answered her before Karigane looked over at the redhead. "I can get him back to his room. You needn't worry."
It was Chihiro's turn to frown. "But you're..." She trailed off, unsure how to point out that he was likely still too intoxicated to manage the dead weight of the other man without sounding rude. He looked flushed, she assumed from the amount of alcohol he had consumed. "Let me help."
Lips pursed in an annoyed look, Karigane shook his head before he winced and brought a hand up to his temple. "I'll get one of the other men. Go to sleep." In a softer tone he added, "Worry about yourself instead. Who will rebuild your country if you collapse from exhaustion?"
Chihiro blushed and ducked her head. After taking a breath she nodded and stood. "All right. I'll leave Sazaki to you if you're sure..."
Karigane stood as well and folded his wings gracefully, leaving no room for doubt when he gazed back at her. "Yes." For a moment he looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead he stepped over to Sazaki's side. A long-suffering sigh lowered his shoulders as he mumbled something Chihiro couldn't hear.
Rather than earn more irritation from him, Chihiro took two steps back. "All right... Good luck, Karigane." A soft sound that might have been an affirmative but seemed more like a complaint was his only reply, so she directed a weak smile his way and continued. "Goodnight."
He looked up at that, surprise on his face for a moment before it melted away into the night. "Goodnight." Their gaze held briefly before he turned his attention back to his leader with a perplexed expression.
Satisfied, Chihiro headed inside and back down the way she had come toward her room. A secret smile curved her lips as she went back over the typically awkward conversation with Karigane in her head, then thought about the moment she had touched his wing. Color bloomed in her cheeks when she considered asking him if she could do it again, but she pushed that compulsion back into a corner of her mind to consider later. For the time being, she had to focus on the return and restoration of her country.
- - -
Title refers not to Chihiro going back to sleep, but to the final thoughts Karigane had before falling asleep under the alcohol's influence. (Also the reason why he was flustered upon waking and seeing Chihiro there.)