The world was going to change. It was inevitable, and Saito knew it. However, he also knew that as the world changes, the beings in it tend to do the same. Whether it was for the better or for the worse, he could never tell. That was why he decided he would only believe in what didn't change.
For so long, he had succeeded. He stayed with the Shinsengumi, doing whatever they told him to do, and, according to Okita, he seemed the same as when they first met. Saito was one who didn't like change.
But, maybe it wasn't always bad. It brought that girl to him, after all. That sweet innocent child who had a habit of getting in trouble even without trying to. She was a strange girl, but everyone in the Shinsengumi welcomed her. At first, her presence was a burden, but it gradually grew into a gift.
If she was there, then maybe he could leave without feeling guilty. He had always wanted to be there for the Shinsengumi, but apparently it wasn't meant to be. Even the sakura trees were telling him that their time was coming to an end. Everything was changing when the only thing he wanted was for time to stand still and allow him to spend time with the ones he fought so hard to protect.
Now, it was his turn to go. If she was there, then he could leave with a the comfort of knowing the vice-commander wouldn't be completely alone. It was his turn to bear the "truth" flag while leading his army of true warriors to a battle where their fates would be set in stone.
If only things would stay unchanged. But not everything was like that, so it was his job to protect what would remain the same.
Saito wasn't that surprised when he found that girl waiting for him outside the camp. A look of despair was clear in her eyes as she stared back at him.
"Saito, don't you die either," she pleaded quietly.
He couldn't help but smile at her sincere request. How could the world be so cruel? How could it make a girl like her suffer the loss of everyone she had cared for? It was so…
"I promise I won't in the name of the Shinsengumi," he told her.
Walking away, he knew he would never feel this sense of burning desire ever again. Maybe if time had been kinder, he could have lived the rest of his life in the somewhat peaceful world the Shinsengumi had made for themselves. Too bad it wasn't meant to be.
It was now his turn to fight for the unchanged to the very end.