It was Hijikata's last year in high school and he had asked the other male to the prom where they had their first dance, with their eyes closed the world around the two young men disappeared as they danced the night away.
Several years later the same two men got married, their wedding photo sat framed on the shelf and as the time went by it saw everything while it slowly faded. The day they brought their son home from the orphanage, another year went by and their daughter came home as well. It was there as the children grew, to see all the nights when the younger of the two men was gone on tour and watched as his husband would sit alone at night texting him as long as he could, as well as Christmases or birthdays that they would have to skype him. The two children grew quickly and before anyone knew they went to high school, then college before moving out. The younger males health was always quite fragile and he soon got too sick to sing.
They decided to move into a smaller house and once everything had been packed and taken away they walked through the house hand in hand one last time, stopping in the living room they held each other close and danced again just like they had all those years ago. Slowly moving to the music they had in their minds as darkness soon fell and it became time to leave, they took their wedding photo off the shelf and went to their new house where they hoped to grow old together.
Before they even got the chance to fully unpack Sochin got sick again and Hijikata had to take care of him, he got better several times but it would never last for long, one night he looked up to his husband who was knelt beside him and held a hand to his cheek. 'After all these years you still stand by me… You've sacrificed so much… Thank you.' The young man refused to stay in a hospital and died that night in his sleep with the other male holding him close.
He woke up early but didn't get up as he felt the limp body in his arms and just held his lover close, tears flowing down his cheeks. He reported the death later that day and wouldn't even be in the room as they took the young man away. He didn't talk to anyone for days and almost missed the funeral.
Slowly things got better and he was eventually able do things normally despite memories of the other still showing up. A couple more years pass and everything went downhill for him once more as he got the news that Kondo had died in his sleep, the man was like a father to him and besides the children he had no other family left. He was never able to recover from that but he forced himself to move on and continue working until one day when he wasn't paying attention…
Hijikata opened his eyes just as his life finished flashing before them. His body was weak and sore as he looked around he could see his children looking down on him. He just smiled up at them and looked at the hooded skeleton at the foot of his bed as he accepted death like he was an old friend. He mouthed a 'thank you' and closed his eyes as the machines malfunctioned and he was reunited with the love that he had lost many years before and was happy once again.