Note: Hi! Back for the last three chapters!

Well, I don't know what else to say except: Thank you for having followed this fiction. Thank you for your patience in regards to my publication of its chapters, that really wasn't easy! Finally, it will be better the next time now that I have a clear and precise calendar. ;)

I don't say you goodbye! No, we'll meet next summer, right? For the Season 2 of Hanamaru, Zoku, and then for Katsugeki too, isn't it?

I also hope, for those who don't do it already, that you will follow the sequel of my original Fanfiction The Past of the Cherry Blossoms Tree, which is also a fiction based on the universe of Touken Ranbu.

In any case, enjoy these last three chapters and: Good Reading!

Chapter Ten: October - Kannazuki (神無月): Truly important memories.

The year is 2205 A.D.

To annihilate the History Retrograde Army who schemes to alter history

Them, who were born from swords,

Engage in mortal combat as well!

Dance? Now? Kogitsunemaru, let's just move on to the story, would you?

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They were too numerous! Way too numerous! Yet, at each strike, each sword swinging in the air, the corpse of an enemy fell, collapsing on the floor, bleeding on the tatami before disappearing in a flood of fine black and red particles. The tension was at its utmost, and the reality of the situation abruptly hit him as if someone had thrown a glass of iced water in his face. The "no returning point" was going to be crossed. The ultimate end. And there was nothing he could do about it...

A soft music strangely resonated in the far away, like the one of a matsuri. The repeating beat against the skin of the Wakaido; the cords of the Shamisen that were endlessly strummed; the subtle breath inside the Shakuhachi; the slight harmonised rhythm of the Koto and the Biwa... And suddenly, all of this stopped...

"Hey, you. "

The sound of footsteps drawn his attention and he turned at the same pace that his sword, eyes widening at the same time as a gasp escaped his slightly opened mouth. All the memories, the dreams were coming back into his mind at his sight. A torrent of feelings making his head spins again and again. The run in the staircase, his hand tightening his grip on his sword; the fight against the anti-shogunate ronin, twirling in the Ikedaya Inn like in a dance session; Kiyomitsu breaking itself, sinking into the ground, a stream of blood slipping off his own lips, crashing on the parquet, a pool of blood as a proof of his weak condition; his left hand moving aside from his mouth as he tried to get up, still wanting to fight with his comrades until the very end even if all the enemies were now charging at him after seeing his weakness.

"I've never seen you before, are you new? "said the member of the Shinsengumi in a soft, almost suspicious tone, and when his voice reached his ears, all he could think about was how much he wanted to cry. "That sword looks like a splendid piece of work. "

"Ah, this... " hesitated his Toudan, hiding the object with his haori so that the man would not recognize it. But could he still call Yasusada 'his Toudan'?

"If you aren't going to use that sword now, just when do you plan on using it? " asked Okita Souji in a rhetorical way before walking toward the entrance, yelling: "Come on! "

"W-Wait! " exclaimed Yamatonokami, stretching his hand toward his 'former' master

"This is a Shinsengumi raid! "

He opened his eyes in a heavy breath, his heart still beating hard in his chest. Turning his head toward the window of his room, he blew again, calming himself down a little. What a strange dream... No, not a dream, a vision... a slight perception of the future. A warning of his next failure.

Closing his eyelids for a few seconds, the Sage stretched his arms all over the chabudai, resting his head on them as he let his glare became blurred. Is there was no solution at all? Was his dear Uchigatana doomed to never get over his past? Tears appeared at the corner of his eyes and he rushed to erase them by rubbing them with his sleeve. All this sadness, all these regrets... How cruel were the Gods, to put so much suffering in the soul of a being who knows nothing about how to endure the ordeals of life! And how sorry he was, for not being able to help him in any way.

The October leaves were blooming all over the trees of the citadel, touches of yellow, orange and deep green colouring the garden and the courtyards. The wind was icy, making him shiver as he was still wearing a summer thin hakama under his haori until the laundry was done and dried. Passing a hand through his cherry hairs, he let out a sigh. Now what? What he was even supposed to do? As much as he wished he could, he didn't have the right to force his blade to never thought about his former master anymore, or at least, he didn't allow himself to do that, contrary to some other Saniwa.

Well, I guess I'm only torturing myself by thinking about that now when, obviously, it's not the time to do so.

His only job, for now on, was to welcome Akashi Kuniyuki as soon as his fellow "wards" were leading him to his room. (*1)

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The sliding doors opened furtively, an aubergine-haired head slipping into the small opening.

"Hello, excuse me. " said the voice belonging to that more or less unfamiliar face, as if he had nothing to do here.

"Enter. " declared the boy with a smile, straightening up on his chabudai as the young man settled in front of him.

"I'm known as Akashi Kuniyuki. Nice to meet you. " he introduced himself immediately, and the Saniwa could not help but notice how much his manners, which showed his total desire to do nothing too tiring, looked almost like Kiyomitsu's when he had arrived in the Citadel.

"Anyway, although I was made by the founder of the Rai school, I'm basically not motivated to do anything at all. " he continued without worrying that the Sage was still not answering him. "Well, treat me gently, okay? "

Yes, it's exactly like Kiyomitsu. the latter thought, giggling on the inside.

"You know you're here for a reason all the same? " he finally asked innocently.

"You see, my lack of motivation is actually my selling point. Try not to expect anything out of me. " explained the Tachi with a knowing smile and the boy just nodded with a conniving laugh. (* 2)

Rising from his seat, he went to the dresser and grabbed a red rectangular box that he opened, getting a small gold bell out, which he extended to his Toudan nonchalantly.

"Here, take this. "

"Thanks. Let's see... " announced Kuniyuki, catching the object he makes twirl in front of his eyes, questioning: "Eh, what's that? "

"Let's say it symbolizes your arrival here, and also your existence as a Touken Danshi. "

"Well, I think that's appropriate. "

"If you have any questions, you can easily ask the others for help. And Hotarumaru arrived the day before, so he already has a clear idea of the estate. "

"Right. If I think of anything, I'll ask Hotarumaru and the others. "

Akashi stood up lazily from the ground, slightly opening the shōji to get out, and without closing them behind him, began the conversation with his two companions who were waiting for him in the hall.

"Man, what a talkative person. " claimed the Tachi, scratching the back of his skull, and the Saniwa, shaking his head with amusement, stopped himself from pointing out that he was the one who had spoken the least. "Now then, what time is dinner? "

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The boy posted himself carelessly against the wall of the corridor while two of his Touken Danshi were fighting in front of him. A certain testing, resulting more or less from a kidnapping and having gone wrong, being the reason for the conflict between Mutsunokami and Yagen. Currently, the Sage didn't know if mingling with the conversation was a better idea than letting things settle on their own, the Uchigatana shouting again at the Tantou, who, calmly, retorted with an unstoppable logic.

The stairway leading to the attic, in which was the secret laboratory of the Toushirou, was still pulled down, and some emanations of smoke continued to come out of it regularly, proof of the failure that was the experiment.

The guinea-pig and the mad scientist seemed both to never run out of arguments, and he was sincerely unaware of whether he was able to curb the scientific impulses of the Tantou as well as he could calm the ardours of the Uchigatana.

"Enough, both of you. " he sighed, straightening up, folding his arms over his chest.

"He wanted to kill me! " exclaimed Yoshiyuki, his gaze filled with terror and standing at least two meters away from the little blade.

"Do not say nonsense, it was just a little experience of nothing at all. The drugs I gave you had absolutely no side effect. " indicated Yagen, a hand sweeping the air. "At last, I think... " he whispered after a moment, raising his eyes heavenward as he thought.

"Drugs?! Because there were several?! " said the Saniwa, stunned and worried, his irises slipping on the Tosa's sword who was slightly hiding behind him.

"He didn't stop making me swallow tons of weird liquids! " added Mutsunokami, his face taking a sudden white tinge as he remembered his captivity.

"I was trying to test the sedative effects of the starfish I picked up when we went out to the beach. " explained the Toushirou, still calm.

"Why did you test them on me?! " cried out the Uchigatana practically in tears.

"You volunteered! " justified himself the Tantou justified himself as if it was obvious.

"You set me up! "

And that's when the argument resumed even more. The boy sighed again, a jaded look on his face as he leaned against the wall anew. At this point, it could well continue until the end of the day.

Randomly turning his head to his right, he saw Keisuke approaching him quietly and understanding that he had to get back to work, he shifted again, stating:

"Very well. New rules of the citadel. " he said tiredly. "First, no experience on any living beings whatever they are. "

"But! " lamented the Toushirou.

"Yagen... " he threatened gently, although frowning.

"At your commands, General. " whispered the little sword, disappointed.

"Second, access to the attic is no longer allowed to Mutsunokami. " continued the Sage, turning to Yoshiyuki, who quickly gave his answer:

"That suits me perfectly! "

Nodding his head, he waited for the two Toudan to take separate paths before taking Keisuke in his arms and walked to his office.

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He opened the western-style door and was surprised to discover that all his others kitsune were in the room. Konnosuke, sat on the desk, was studying some data with Eisuke while Daisuke, slumped on one of the sofas, was engaged in a strong discussion with Yūsuke about the best recipe for fried tofu. As for Shinnosuke and Ryonosuke, who were seated on the windowsill, they were enjoying the hot sun of the middle of this afternoon.

"What's happening? " asked the Saniwa with a soft smile, releasing the little fox who quickly joined his comrades on the sofa, seeming to have chosen his activity for the hour to come.

"An intrusion into the citadel. " announced Ryonosuke without any urgency in his voice.

"What do you mean? " was surprised the Sage in narrowing his eyes, sitting at his desk, ready to intervene.

"Oh, it's nothing. " Yūsuke immediately reassured him, chuckling lightly. "Just a Tanuki a little too absent-minded and Akashi Kuniyuki who really doesn't know how to catch it without causing a mess around him. "

The Saniwa frowned again for a minute before blowing, preferring not to look any further. The explanations would come quickly, either in the form of a story told by one of the Toushirou brothers or by the gossip of which Kiyomitsu was so fond of.

A few minutes later, a sweet smell of roasted sweet potatoes mixed with that of burned leaves floated in the air, and he could hear in the distance, as his Toudan enjoyed the feast, some mocking laughter enlivening this moment together. At that instant, after two blows were knocked on the door, Honebami entered, an impassive look stuck on his face as always.

"Is everything going well with the others? " he questioned the Wakizashi who looked outside for a second before answering:

"Everything is in order. "

"Well. In that case- "

The alarm signalling the imminent attack of the history by the Retrogrades interrupted him in his sentence and, displaying the map on the desk while catching a sheet of paper, he contented himself by saying, a malicious smile on the lips:

"Perfect. I precisely wanted to try this team combination. "

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An icy wind was blowing between the foliage of the trees as he stood knelt before the altar, his hands clasped together, his eyelids closed, his breathing slow and steady. The golden bell above him moved with the rhythm of the rising breeze, a clear clang ringing every time throughout the sanctuary. The sun setting calmly on the horizon made the cold all the more biting while the sky was coloured with light shades of pink and red. And the moon, barely perceptible but already very high in it, was perceived at occasional intervals as several white cotton clouds came to cover it inexorably.

The soft music of the matsuri was still vibrating in his ears, and the images of the battle of the Ikedaya Inn kept flitting in his mind, distracting him and inevitably interrupting his prayers. His morning prediction sounded like a dangerous warning to which he hadn't been unable to find a solution, finally pushing him to his last entrenchments since he had left the citadel for a few hours now to seek advice from the Gods. Standing up, he sighed wearily while observing around him with curiosity; a strange sensation making him shivers all over as he shook his head energetically to try to free himself from it.

"It's getting late, we should go home. "

Turning to the little fox who had just murmured these words, the Saniwa nodded benevolently and leaned over to take the animal in his arms. A long way was waiting for them to return to the citadel as the temple was at the opposite of the latter, bordering the village on the edge of the northern woods, at the top of a hill high from several meters.

Standing up back straight, the Sage narrowed his eyes at the sound of a broken branch on his right and watching the surroundings, he smiled with amusement when an all-black furred kitsune approached slightly towards him. (* 3) The creature stared firmly at the boy for a minute before bowing his head in a way of greeting, fleeing deeper into the forest.

"What was that? " said the fox still into the Saniwa's arms.

"An answer to my unfinished prayers... " declared mysteriously the latter in smiling all the more, slowly descending the steps of the ishidan that would lead him on the return path.

"I hope it's auspicious... "

And as he ended up passing the doors of the estate, a dazzling golden glow illuminated the outer courtyard, stopping him short. He closed his eyes for a moment and reopened them on the silhouettes of the team he had sent on an excursion. Laughing with embarrassment, four of them were discussing some joke they had been victims following the mission, pushing Ichigo and Yagen into a vain process of understanding.

"Everything went well? " he asked, advancing towards his Toudan.

"Aruji! You will never guess what happened to us! " exclaimed Tsurumaru with a big smile, delighted to have someone with whom share the surprise that had livened up his outing.

"Ah yes? I can't wait to hear that. " he replied, squinting his eyes again, smiling gently.

"In this case, I will take advantage of this moment to write my report. " indicated Hitofuri, bowing to the Sage, heading for his apartments when the latter nodded his approval.

"A white kitsune played us a nasty trick, you know! " Kuninaga began to tell even before getting settled.

"Really? I'm curious to know what it did. " chuckled the boy, enchanted, walking through the citadel to the main room accompanied by the white-haired Tachi, the other team members on the heels.

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It was a cool morning on the citadel, the bright sun making its way over the trees with orange and carmine leaves, in the middle of a blue-ocean sky filled with white clouds like snow. The plain all around the estate had taken a yellow-green colour and the close stream was flowing more forcefully under the frequent rains of this season.

The feeling that had assailed him at the arrival of Okita Souji's former Uchigatana at the end of last year, and which had driven him in a constant doubt until recently, had abruptly disappeared at the sight of the black kitsune the day before, and he was now dreads of the future attack of the Ikedaya inn with less anxiety as the revelation of a greater prospects had calmed his nights, allowing him to sleep without making the least nightmare.

The shōji opened without any warnings and he straightened up in front of his chabudai, a soft smile stretching his lips as Yamatonokami taught the respect before entering a room, to his comrade of arms and that this one brushed his advice aside with a wave of his hand.

"Aruji, hello. " said Yasusada, crossing the doorway, smiling quickly.

"Hello to you both. " he replied in the same tone as his Toudan sat down in front of him.

"Why did you call us? " asked Kiyomitsu, stretching, yawning of fatigue due to waking up at dawn.

"An old friend of yours is going to join us soon, I thought you'd both like to take care of him. " explained the Saniwa in pouring some tea to the latter, which he took without hesitation.

"Hmm... someone we know? " questioned the Uchigatana in a blue hakama, taking a sip in his own cup.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I can't ask this service to Hachisuka, he may not appreciates. " indicated the Sage, nibbling his bottom lip while looking behind his shoulder embarrassedly.

Kashuu looks wide at the mention of the pink-haired sword, and suddenly understanding the meaning behind his allusion, laid his hands flat against the work table while exclaiming:

"Hachisuka? So, it means that...! "

"Exactly, it's him. " confirmed the boy, accenting his smile.

"Nagasone-san! " proclaimed Yamatonokami, understanding in his turn.

"Take this. " declared the Saniwa as he slipped the little white paper man on the chabudai to his Touken Danshi, adding: "And I'm counting on you two to tell him everything he'll need to learn about how the citadel works."

"Alright! " said the two blades in one voice, getting up and heading for the exit, Yasusada holding the piece of paper firmly between his fingers.

The doors closed behind their shadows already in a hurry to go to the summoning room and he smiled a little more while giggling. The time of worry was coming to an end... at least, for now...

Endnote:

Wadaiko or Taiko: Taiko is an art of playing the drums in Japan. The word taiko (太 鼓) means "big drum" in Japanese but refers to the different kinds of drums in Chinese. As a result, the Japanese prefer to use the more specific term wadaiko (和 太 鼓, literally "Japanese drum"), long associated with Japanese history.

It has a skin that is tightly mounted to its wooden body and sound is created by beating the drum intensely with drumsticks to make it vibrate. Legend has it that during the war-torn era in Japan, the daimyos (Japanese feudal lords) used these taiko drums to lead their forces and boost their morale.

The practice of wadaiko involves a demanding bodywork as intensive as the one required in the practice of martial arts.

Shamisen: The shamisen (三味 線, "three scented strings") is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument. It's a long-handled lute with a smooth touch.

The body of the shamisen is generally placed on the right knee of the kneeling player, with its neck held by the player's right hand, and when it has become stable, it is played with a large ivory plectrum called a Bachi.

Shakuhachi: The shakuhachi (尺八) is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown bamboo-flute, originally a Chinese instrument. As a wind instrument, the shakuhachi belongs to the "flute" category of musical instruments. You can create sounds with this kind of flute by blowing into the obliquely shaved mouthpiece that is found on the upper edge of its body.

Koto: The koto (箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument. These instruments are stringed on their wooden bodies, allowing you to make sounds with them by plucking the strings using a pick-like tool that fits on the fingers, or with the help of your bare fingers and fingernails.

It's used exclusively in events and festivals dedicated to worshipping deities.

Biwa: The biwa (琵琶) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument. It is a short-handled lute derived from Chinese pipa (琵琶). The body is entirely built in a single block of hardwood, and the handle is only the extension of the body where are tied silk ropes. Its shape as the sound it produces recalls that of the Indian sitar.

It is often used in narrative storytelling. The biwa is the chosen instrument of Benten, goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese Buddhism.

(* 1): Since Akashi Kuniyuki self-proclaimed being the guardian of Aizen Kunitoshi and Hotarumaru, because Akashi's smith, Rai Kuniyuki, was the father of Rai Kunitoshi, whose works include Aizen and Hotarumaru, these two little guys are logically his wards.

(* 2): These sentences come directly from the Touken Ranbu Game quotes. After the mark (2), it's the episode dialogues.

(* 3): As we know, kitsune are the messengers associated with Inari, the Shinto deity of agriculture.

Generally, the servants of Inari, are represented as entirely white foxes, an auspicious colour. They have the power to protect from evil, and they sometimes serve as guardian spirits. In addition to protecting the Inari sanctuaries, they are empowered to intervene on behalf of the peasants and to help them especially against the Nogitsune, those fox spirits who do not serve Inari and cause problems.

But black foxes and nine-tailed foxes (Kyūbi no kitsune) are also considered as auspicious.

In order to explain the episode to those who don't know:

Kitsune are often represented as pranksters, whose motives range from malice to malevolence. Stories tell of kitsune playing tricks on the over-proud samurai, greedy merchants and commoners, while the cruellest (Nogitsune) abuse poor traders and farmers, or fervent Buddhist monks. Their victims are usually men, while women are more likely to be possessed.

Which explains what happened to Kogitsunemaru and the others. To thank him for saving him from the Retrograde, the white kitsune created the illusion of a blacksmith hut where he (Kogitsunemaru) and his comrades could warm up while waiting for the rain to stop, and it has healed their wounds and repair Kogitsunemaru's comb through magic.

Ishidan: are long stone staircases that are found very often in the Shinto shrines, usually before the great sacred gate (Torii).

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To be continued...

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Right, huge endnote today. Must say that talking about musical instruments take a lot of places! ;) And then I absolutely wanted to explain the passage of the episode with the white kitsune and to make a comparison with what happens on the side of the Saniwa, those who don't know the Japanese legends about kitsune are often lost in those moments.

In short, in the next chapter! Chop-chop!