[Touken Ranbu] I've Drifted for So Long

Thoughts surged and ebbed like scenes in a revolving lantern,

Some memories lingered, too far out of reach to touch,

Countless night-blooming cherries withered in the splendor of March,

Like the past, no matter how brilliant, they can never be sought again...

--A Lan, "A Thousand Dreams"

'Life is like catkins tossed before the wind; joys are fleeting, and sorrows are fleeting too--'

* The words in the quotation marks are excerpted from Wang Guowei's "Caisangzi" and have little to do with the main text (?).

Reader's Note:

1. The end of the year is drawing near, and I suddenly realized I haven't started a new story this year. So I dug up a very old outline and wrote this on a whim. Updates will be whenever inspiration strikes. The blurb is just a jumble of words. This is actually a Touken Ranbu fanfic centered on an original female saniwa. As for the CP... believe whatever you like!

2. The setting includes elements from Hanamaru, Katsugeki, and my own headcanons. It's full of old tropes, has logical flaws, and probably includes plenty of familiar elements, so just read it casually.

3. To keep the story from getting too long, the swords in the honmaru will be limited to the lineup in Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru. Swords added to the game afterward will not appear in this story. Thank you for understanding. Some swords may also be out of character, so please bear with that too, QAQ.

Theme: The past cannot be changed, but the future can still be pursued.