A story when Hijikata was young…
September 1847
Japan…
Well, a rainy day for the boy named Toshizo Hijikata. With him, it looked like nothing more after all. Only had older brother and sister cared for him, he had to be strong. But sometimes, he felt he couldn't.
He went off to the bed of his old farming house…
"なぜ私はかかわらず、それを理解するする必要がありますか？" (Why I have to understand it, though?)
He was still trying to learn something though…
And yeah, at that night, it was remaining like that…
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Until Toshizo found that, something shiny in the nearby forest. It had something strange on it…
"Huh?"
He just put up nothing, going out and check what inside there though. It was the light that shiny inside the forest. At the rain, the forest… shine? No way!
He wanted to figure why. So he entered himself. And just like something mythical, the more steps he walked, the larger shining thing became wider and wider…
"ねえ、あなたは誰ですか？" (Hey, who are you?)
He only wore his late father's farming hat when he went into the forest. But as the rains started to stop, was the time something happened. Hijikata moved further, but less trees and when he arrived… it was…
…was…
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He walked out, and then, he looked into the scene. It… looked not like Japan, not like his house anymore…
"ねえ、ここで私は？" (Hey, where am I?)
With a 12 years old boy, his feelings had a bit of strange: it wasn't like his house, but rather a large building. With some piece of cannons, with some men wearing white uniforms and…
…he looked to himself: his farming clothes… changed into… a modern uniform, with a military uniform and a Western sword. He also saw the picture… the God met humans… even he saw the chandeliers, some amber painting…
He was…
"ここはどこ？" (Where am I?)
As he was still in surprise, suddenly…
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"BOOOOOM!"
A part of the room collapsed. That's meant… war! He smelt it. Toshizo had to run out, run to the corridor, with his new ever black boots. He came out, and he saw that… he was just standing… in…
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…larger than a Japanese castle, it was…
…with a flag that have tri-colors: green-white-red with an eagle symbol in the middle flying… he realized, he was in…
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"Tomar sus brazos! Los americanos son aquí!" (Take your arms! The Americans are here!)
What language is this? Toshizo couldn't understand though, so he looked out. And when he checked out, he had encountered with a man… running to him…
And this man looked to Toshizo…
…Toshizo also had a bit of surprise…
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"Hey, no te das cuenta de algo, privado?" (Hey, don't you realize something, private?)
Toshizo didn't understand, so he shook his head. However, the man, the Lieutenant, he yelled:
"Los yanquis habían llegado cerca de la capital, cada mexicanos deben permanecer!" (The Yankees had come close to the capital, every Mexicans must stand!)
Wow… so Toshizo just realized, he was in a foreign land, an unknown place, which would be called in the future…
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…Mexico. How could be, from a forest jumping into a fortress? He would never understand though.
When they looked each others, it might be… a part that would change the life to Toshizo… once and for all…