[fic] Memories of Midnight and Daybreak (Haruka4)
Title: Memories of Midnight and Daybreak
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, and Ruby Party own them and I give Nakahara Shigeru virtual cookies every day for being a part of Haruka.
Summary: Chihiro and Oshihito have vastly different reactions after a seemingly harmless encounter.
Notes: It's set after the ending of Oshihito's night message on the Yogiri no Sho CD, but hearing it isn't necessary to understand the story.
Memories of Midnight and Daybreak
Chihiro returned to her room at a meandering pace rather than the purposeful stride that she had grown accustomed to since she accepted her role as leader of the Toyoashihara army. Even inside the Ame-no-torifune the air grew quite cold at night, but she barely felt the chill through the weight of the overcoat around her shoulders.
A smile lit her face as she pulled one side of the cloth over the other to keep her warmth from escaping. The moment when Oshihito had picked up his coat and draped it around her smaller frame had felt like it passed in slow-motion, and she was able to do little other than stare as his garment had settled over her. Oshihito's hasty retreat a minute later had been more normal and expected than the overtures of kindness he had shown in loaning her the jacket and the faintest of smiles when he had said "I'll see you tomorrow".
The soft giggle had escaped her before she could check it, and as the sound echoed through the corridor Chihiro clapped a hand over her mouth. The coat, waist-length on its owner, went nearly to her knees, and she couldn't help the laughter that threatened to overtake her. At last she entered the safety of her room and let the peals of mirth have their way. Her cheeks flushed as she turned her face into the shoulder of the coat and inhaled deeply. Oshihito's scent, musk and sweat from long days of training, clung to the fabric as if it could smell of nothing else. If she didn't know better Chihiro would have thought herself intoxicated on it.
For a while Chihiro remained there, lost in thoughts of the swordsman and of the new facet to his personality that she had witnessed a short time ago. When she recalled the soft tone of voice he had used to tell her goodnight, her blush tinted even darker.
A yawn broke her from the pleasant daydreams, and Chihiro looked at her bed longingly even as her fingers grasped the coat's collar more tightly, loathe to remove it. After a moment she thought of a compromise and slipped the heavy garment from her shoulders to rest on the foot of the bed. The idea embarrassed her a little, but she promised herself that she would wake before dawn and that no one else would know. Comforted by her resolve, Chihiro nodded and changed into her bedclothes.
- - -
Oshihito woke just before dawn to continue the training Chihiro had interrupted the night before. Just as he was about to step out of his room he reached for his overcoat, but found it missing. Less than a second later he recalled the rest of his encounter with the Princess. Cursing under his breath, Oshihito ran a hand through his hair and considered his options.
If he went outside without something to ward off the misty cold of the early morning and Chihiro found out, then she would definitely make a fuss about it. He knew already just how persistent she could be when it came to the health of those around her. While he knew he had trained in worse weather, Oshihito wasn't sure he was willing to risk an embarrassingly unnecessary display of concern by their leader in front of his men. That ranked lowest on his list of choices for the moment.
Ideally he would have just used a different coat, but supplies were few and each soldier often had little more than the clothes on his back. Almost no one else was dedicated enough to rise as early as he did, otherwise Oshihito could have borrowed a coat from someone else. As it was, there was likely no one other than the night guards awake, and the sleeping soldiers deserved uninterrupted rest.
Oshihito had noticed, however, that Chihiro had taken to waking earlier as of late, and set off for her room in the hope that she had done so that day. The quiet knock to her door went unanswered, but Oshihito knew she might have already left or simply not have heard, and opened the door after a perfunctory "excuse me, Princess".
All was still in the room as the first rays of light brightened the eastern horizon. Three long strides toward the bed opposite the door revealed a soundly asleep Chihiro curled on her side under thick blankets. Oshihito supposed the extra bedding was necessary, given how the wall to the right opened up into a balcony that gave no protection from the night's chill. For a moment he wondered why their leader slept in such a vulnerable room, but then he remembered it was the only one within the ship large enough to fit her status.
Sighing under his breath, Oshihito gave up the idea of asking her for his coat. He took a quick look around the room but saw no trace of the garment. Just as he was about to leave, a rustling sound turned his attention back to the bed. Oshihito held his breath as he looked with trepidation to see if he had woken her, but she seemed to be sleeping as soundly as when he entered. As he looked, a shadow next to her face caught his attention and drew him closer.
Wait... that couldn't be...
Almost as if he didn't believe his eyes, Oshihito blinked a few times as if that would get rid of the fading darkness more quickly. Between the pillow and her skin, both pale in the early light, lay a dark fabric on which she rested her cheek. Oshihito stood at her bedside and reached out a hand to touch the coarse material. He immediately recognized his overcoat by texture alone, but could not comprehend just why she put it there. Though he was tempted to wake her and ask for an explanation, one glance at her soft smile kept him from acting on his impulse. The peaceful expression softened his irritation, and before he knew what had come over him he had knelt beside her bed so he could see her better in the dim light.
It seemed impossible to believe that a girl who looked so young and fragile could lead men into battle, much less give the enemy side reason to fear her skill with a bow, even though he had watched her do so successfully. Tendrils of sunlight-colored hair fell into her closed eyes, and Oshihito nearly moved without thinking to tuck the strands behind her ear. Golden eyelashes fanned across her cheekbones, and her lips turned up just slightly at the corners while she dreamed.
A loud cry from a bird outside heralded the dawn and startled Oshihito, who stood quickly. An embarrassed warmth flooded his face at what he had just done, and he turned his back to the bed so she could not unwittingly lure him back again.
For a brief moment Oshihito considered staying until she awoke so he could claim his coat, but he dismissed it with a sharp shake of his head. He had no idea if someone would come to rouse her once the sun had risen fully, and the last thing he wanted was to get caught staring at her while she slept. Swiftly, he strode back to the door and let himself out even more quietly than when he arrived. Not enough time remained to finish a decent round of training before breakfast. Instead, he returned to his room with the grim determination that he would take twice as much time for his evening exercises that day. If nothing else, the exhaustion would give him a dreamless sleep and make him forget about the way Chihiro had drawn him to her with no effort at all.
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, and Ruby Party own them and I give Nakahara Shigeru virtual cookies every day for being a part of Haruka.
Summary: Chihiro and Oshihito have vastly different reactions after a seemingly harmless encounter.
Notes: It's set after the ending of Oshihito's night message on the Yogiri no Sho CD, but hearing it isn't necessary to understand the story.
Memories of Midnight and Daybreak
Chihiro returned to her room at a meandering pace rather than the purposeful stride that she had grown accustomed to since she accepted her role as leader of the Toyoashihara army. Even inside the Ame-no-torifune the air grew quite cold at night, but she barely felt the chill through the weight of the overcoat around her shoulders.
A smile lit her face as she pulled one side of the cloth over the other to keep her warmth from escaping. The moment when Oshihito had picked up his coat and draped it around her smaller frame had felt like it passed in slow-motion, and she was able to do little other than stare as his garment had settled over her. Oshihito's hasty retreat a minute later had been more normal and expected than the overtures of kindness he had shown in loaning her the jacket and the faintest of smiles when he had said "I'll see you tomorrow".
The soft giggle had escaped her before she could check it, and as the sound echoed through the corridor Chihiro clapped a hand over her mouth. The coat, waist-length on its owner, went nearly to her knees, and she couldn't help the laughter that threatened to overtake her. At last she entered the safety of her room and let the peals of mirth have their way. Her cheeks flushed as she turned her face into the shoulder of the coat and inhaled deeply. Oshihito's scent, musk and sweat from long days of training, clung to the fabric as if it could smell of nothing else. If she didn't know better Chihiro would have thought herself intoxicated on it.
For a while Chihiro remained there, lost in thoughts of the swordsman and of the new facet to his personality that she had witnessed a short time ago. When she recalled the soft tone of voice he had used to tell her goodnight, her blush tinted even darker.
A yawn broke her from the pleasant daydreams, and Chihiro looked at her bed longingly even as her fingers grasped the coat's collar more tightly, loathe to remove it. After a moment she thought of a compromise and slipped the heavy garment from her shoulders to rest on the foot of the bed. The idea embarrassed her a little, but she promised herself that she would wake before dawn and that no one else would know. Comforted by her resolve, Chihiro nodded and changed into her bedclothes.
- - -
Oshihito woke just before dawn to continue the training Chihiro had interrupted the night before. Just as he was about to step out of his room he reached for his overcoat, but found it missing. Less than a second later he recalled the rest of his encounter with the Princess. Cursing under his breath, Oshihito ran a hand through his hair and considered his options.
If he went outside without something to ward off the misty cold of the early morning and Chihiro found out, then she would definitely make a fuss about it. He knew already just how persistent she could be when it came to the health of those around her. While he knew he had trained in worse weather, Oshihito wasn't sure he was willing to risk an embarrassingly unnecessary display of concern by their leader in front of his men. That ranked lowest on his list of choices for the moment.
Ideally he would have just used a different coat, but supplies were few and each soldier often had little more than the clothes on his back. Almost no one else was dedicated enough to rise as early as he did, otherwise Oshihito could have borrowed a coat from someone else. As it was, there was likely no one other than the night guards awake, and the sleeping soldiers deserved uninterrupted rest.
Oshihito had noticed, however, that Chihiro had taken to waking earlier as of late, and set off for her room in the hope that she had done so that day. The quiet knock to her door went unanswered, but Oshihito knew she might have already left or simply not have heard, and opened the door after a perfunctory "excuse me, Princess".
All was still in the room as the first rays of light brightened the eastern horizon. Three long strides toward the bed opposite the door revealed a soundly asleep Chihiro curled on her side under thick blankets. Oshihito supposed the extra bedding was necessary, given how the wall to the right opened up into a balcony that gave no protection from the night's chill. For a moment he wondered why their leader slept in such a vulnerable room, but then he remembered it was the only one within the ship large enough to fit her status.
Sighing under his breath, Oshihito gave up the idea of asking her for his coat. He took a quick look around the room but saw no trace of the garment. Just as he was about to leave, a rustling sound turned his attention back to the bed. Oshihito held his breath as he looked with trepidation to see if he had woken her, but she seemed to be sleeping as soundly as when he entered. As he looked, a shadow next to her face caught his attention and drew him closer.
Wait... that couldn't be...
Almost as if he didn't believe his eyes, Oshihito blinked a few times as if that would get rid of the fading darkness more quickly. Between the pillow and her skin, both pale in the early light, lay a dark fabric on which she rested her cheek. Oshihito stood at her bedside and reached out a hand to touch the coarse material. He immediately recognized his overcoat by texture alone, but could not comprehend just why she put it there. Though he was tempted to wake her and ask for an explanation, one glance at her soft smile kept him from acting on his impulse. The peaceful expression softened his irritation, and before he knew what had come over him he had knelt beside her bed so he could see her better in the dim light.
It seemed impossible to believe that a girl who looked so young and fragile could lead men into battle, much less give the enemy side reason to fear her skill with a bow, even though he had watched her do so successfully. Tendrils of sunlight-colored hair fell into her closed eyes, and Oshihito nearly moved without thinking to tuck the strands behind her ear. Golden eyelashes fanned across her cheekbones, and her lips turned up just slightly at the corners while she dreamed.
A loud cry from a bird outside heralded the dawn and startled Oshihito, who stood quickly. An embarrassed warmth flooded his face at what he had just done, and he turned his back to the bed so she could not unwittingly lure him back again.
For a brief moment Oshihito considered staying until she awoke so he could claim his coat, but he dismissed it with a sharp shake of his head. He had no idea if someone would come to rouse her once the sun had risen fully, and the last thing he wanted was to get caught staring at her while she slept. Swiftly, he strode back to the door and let himself out even more quietly than when he arrived. Not enough time remained to finish a decent round of training before breakfast. Instead, he returned to his room with the grim determination that he would take twice as much time for his evening exercises that day. If nothing else, the exhaustion would give him a dreamless sleep and make him forget about the way Chihiro had drawn him to her with no effort at all.