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starzkiTitle: The Sickness, Chapter 3: You Must Learn to Stand Up For Yourself 'Cause I Can't Always Be Around
Author:starzki
Genre: Horror/Action/Romance
Rating: M Word Count: 5165
Warnings: Violence/Character Death
Story Summary: Alternate Universe. Sousuke Sagara is the long standing, long suffering bodyguard of Lady Kaname, the only daughter in a wealthy family. She has recently been married off to a distant cousin in the hopes that she produce an heir and will never be forced to leave her home. No one expected the zombie apocalypse. In time, it’s only Sousuke and Kaname fighting for survival and just hoping not to get bitten in this strange, new world.
Chapter Summary: Kaname, her father, and Sousuke leave the safe room and confront the changes in their lives and in the world.
LINKS: ff.net, AO3
NOTES:
CAUTION: HERE BE SPOILERS for the chapter. If you're reading this first, you may want to follow the links above to the story so that you don't learn the major plot points before you read them. Just saying.
As far as this chapter goes, I really wanted to explore the character of Kaname's father. I portrayed him as overly strict and protective of Kaname in previous chapters, but I wanted to show in this chapter that he was the way he was for a reason. He'd lost his wife and all he had left was his daughter. He could very easily have moved on with his life, married again, and had a son, a true heir to the company, but he didn't. In that way, he is his own failure to the family name.
But he had to shift that responsibility that he couldn't take, himself, to Kaname in order to set her up for the life that was intended for her. She deserved her house, the business, but it could never be hers, so Lord Chidori set up what, to him, seemed like the next best thing.
The fact that Kaname is her own person, is stubborn as hell, and was completely in love with Sousuke set her at odds with her father and his wishes. And it would have really been impossible for Lord Chidori to accept a relationship between his daughter and a servant. It's just not done. Sousuke would never have thought it possible and would never have acted on his feelings either. The hierarchy was there and it wasn't something that they ever thought would go away.
Until the zombie apocalypse, that is! I think that Lord Chidori is truly the one out of all of them who had lost the most because of the zombie apocalypse. His name and family no longer mean anything. Everything that had been built for generations and generations was just completely gone. Sousuke, though, still deferred to the older man, though, so Chidori had to set him straight. Sousuke is the one in charge now. Their survival all depends on him. It's not about duty any more.
So Chidori (I stopped referring to him as Lord Chidori as soon as Sousuke realizes that the title no longer means anything) lets Sousuke know that Kaname loved him, too. It's a bit manipulative, but Chidori wants to be sure that the boy he hired will stay by Kaname's side no matter what.
I will admit, writing the scenes where they move from place to place is not my favorite. I'm less of an action writer and more of a relationship-explorer. I hope I did well in explaining any of the action scenes. I also loved how Kaname was hesitant at first, but when it came down to it, she can crack zombie skulls with the best of them. And just a note, the safe house signs look something like this:
And so to the finale. I had to get rid of Chidori. He creates a huge blockade for me having Sousuke relate to Kaname in any real way. He would always defer to her father and I need him out of my way to tell the story I need to tell. (Bonus information: I initially wrote his death scene on Father's Day!)
But I wanted Kaname and her father to come to some understanding. I wanted them to have a moment he could explain himself, express his love for her and she could forgive him. It's cheesy and cliche and I loved every second of writing it. The whole dynamic was, in part, inspired by Tori Amos's song "Winter."
I deeply love this song. It also inspired another story of mine, "To Be Proud," in the Inuyasha fandom. It really explores the often complex dynamic between fathers and daughters.
Don't hate me for killing off Chidori. Or do. I won't tell you how to feel. But if you're as into the Sousuke/Kaname relationship as I am, I promise much more interaction between them now that they're all they have left. :D
Thanks for reading!
Author:
starzki Genre: Horror/Action/Romance
Rating: M Word Count: 5165
Warnings: Violence/Character Death
Story Summary: Alternate Universe. Sousuke Sagara is the long standing, long suffering bodyguard of Lady Kaname, the only daughter in a wealthy family. She has recently been married off to a distant cousin in the hopes that she produce an heir and will never be forced to leave her home. No one expected the zombie apocalypse. In time, it’s only Sousuke and Kaname fighting for survival and just hoping not to get bitten in this strange, new world.
Chapter Summary: Kaname, her father, and Sousuke leave the safe room and confront the changes in their lives and in the world.
LINKS: ff.net, AO3
NOTES:
CAUTION: HERE BE SPOILERS for the chapter. If you're reading this first, you may want to follow the links above to the story so that you don't learn the major plot points before you read them. Just saying.
As far as this chapter goes, I really wanted to explore the character of Kaname's father. I portrayed him as overly strict and protective of Kaname in previous chapters, but I wanted to show in this chapter that he was the way he was for a reason. He'd lost his wife and all he had left was his daughter. He could very easily have moved on with his life, married again, and had a son, a true heir to the company, but he didn't. In that way, he is his own failure to the family name.
But he had to shift that responsibility that he couldn't take, himself, to Kaname in order to set her up for the life that was intended for her. She deserved her house, the business, but it could never be hers, so Lord Chidori set up what, to him, seemed like the next best thing.
The fact that Kaname is her own person, is stubborn as hell, and was completely in love with Sousuke set her at odds with her father and his wishes. And it would have really been impossible for Lord Chidori to accept a relationship between his daughter and a servant. It's just not done. Sousuke would never have thought it possible and would never have acted on his feelings either. The hierarchy was there and it wasn't something that they ever thought would go away.
Until the zombie apocalypse, that is! I think that Lord Chidori is truly the one out of all of them who had lost the most because of the zombie apocalypse. His name and family no longer mean anything. Everything that had been built for generations and generations was just completely gone. Sousuke, though, still deferred to the older man, though, so Chidori had to set him straight. Sousuke is the one in charge now. Their survival all depends on him. It's not about duty any more.
So Chidori (I stopped referring to him as Lord Chidori as soon as Sousuke realizes that the title no longer means anything) lets Sousuke know that Kaname loved him, too. It's a bit manipulative, but Chidori wants to be sure that the boy he hired will stay by Kaname's side no matter what.
I will admit, writing the scenes where they move from place to place is not my favorite. I'm less of an action writer and more of a relationship-explorer. I hope I did well in explaining any of the action scenes. I also loved how Kaname was hesitant at first, but when it came down to it, she can crack zombie skulls with the best of them. And just a note, the safe house signs look something like this:
And so to the finale. I had to get rid of Chidori. He creates a huge blockade for me having Sousuke relate to Kaname in any real way. He would always defer to her father and I need him out of my way to tell the story I need to tell. (Bonus information: I initially wrote his death scene on Father's Day!)
But I wanted Kaname and her father to come to some understanding. I wanted them to have a moment he could explain himself, express his love for her and she could forgive him. It's cheesy and cliche and I loved every second of writing it. The whole dynamic was, in part, inspired by Tori Amos's song "Winter."
I deeply love this song. It also inspired another story of mine, "To Be Proud," in the Inuyasha fandom. It really explores the often complex dynamic between fathers and daughters.
Don't hate me for killing off Chidori. Or do. I won't tell you how to feel. But if you're as into the Sousuke/Kaname relationship as I am, I promise much more interaction between them now that they're all they have left. :D
Thanks for reading!
