Toudou joined the Rasetsu corp as expected as second of Sannan. The captains also told me that the young man was tasked with keeping an eye on his superior. Sannan still had his sanity but he had been acting strangely lately. He wasn't giving full report of his night rounds and was often wandering around with hungry eyes. It seemed that coping with the bloodlust was starting to get difficult and we feared that Sannan would soon reach his limit after three years of intense internal battle which was already far above average for a Rasetsu. Chizuru told me that he was working on a better version of the serum and on a medecine for the bloodlust but I highly doubted that it would be effective. The Ochimizu was a curse and now, with what happened to Toudou, i feared it would take us all, in the end.
Apart from the Aburano Koji incident, the political situation was stable although tensed. The Shogunate had troops stationed not far from Kyoto and they were far more important than the imperialists ones. The Echos of the second Choshu expedition were bad. The Choshu, joined by Satsuma, had crushed the shogunate forces completely and that gave a lot of confidence to the Kyoto imperialists. Checkpoints were installed to check on all the people getting in or out of Kyoto to find any weapons or secret messages.
I was in the courtyard as usual, repeating my iai moves under a lot of hostile gazes. The men weren't trusting me anymore, thinking that I was a traitor. I knew this would happen when I accepted the mission in the first place and I just chose to ignore them. With time, things will get better and anyway, nothing could taint my happiness these days. I was back in the Shinsengumi, with my comrades, under the orders of a commander I deeply respect and I've been granted the right to marry Chizuru. Amongst the scorned gaze though, a familiar face stepped out to join me.
« Tetsuya. » i saluted my former second.
« Kumichô. » he bowed « It's good to have you back. »
« I am not your captain anymore Tetsuya but I thank you for welcoming me back. I am also pleased to be a part of the Shinsengumi again. » I bowed in return, putting my sword back into its scabbard.
« Kumichô, you will always be my captain. With your consent, I shall go and ask Kondou-san the right to resign from my position as captain of the third division of the Shinsengumi. That position is yours. »
« You earned it. » i replied calmly.
« I am not a fool enough to think that i would ever have got it if you were still around. My position is only due to your departure and the faith you always put in me. Now that you are back, i feel I am an impostor. »
I didn't reply. I didn't know yet if I would be given back a unit, be under the orders of another captain or maybe join the Watch. Only thing I knew was that Tetsuya was a capable man and a good strategist and that his position was well deserved.
« Kumichô » he continued « My... The third division is going on a round. We would be honored to have you join us and wear the blue haori once more. »
I looked into his eyes and saw that his proposal was genuine. He really would like to have me going on round with him. I was blessed to have so much loyalty in my men.
« Alright. » i nodded « but you will call me Saito. I am no captain. »
He bowed and we both went to take our Haori. Before putting it on, i brushed my hand on the fabric. This Haori represented everything i believed in. Kondou-san, the Bakufu, the warrior way, honor... and « Makoto » on the back, sincerity. I put it in and joined the ranks under Tetsuya's command. Most faces were familiar but there also were a few new ones.
We started walking in the streets behind Tetsuya until he turned to us.
« Kum... Saito. Please, step out of the rank and walk by my side. It really makes me uncomfortable to have you behind me. »
I nodded and joined him at the head of the column. It was a direct order from a captain and therefore, I obeyed without question. I first took position amongst the men to show Tetsuya that I considered him the leader of this division but if it was disturbing him so much that he wasn't alert, there was no point. I felt him relax once I took position at his right, to not outrank him. I saw him hesitate, probably feeling that I would be more in my place at his left but he didn't say anything.
We walked quietly in the streets of Kyoto. I was glad to see that my former unit was still as disciplined as when i left. They were walking in rank and in silence, alert. I was proud to see that my second really managed to keep them so controlled.
« You did a good job, Tetsuya. » i praised him in my toneless voice « the discipline of this division reflects on your leadership. »
« To be fair, K.. Saito » he replied, embarrassed « I think they all want to impress you. »
Without stopping to walk, i turned around briefly and what i saw in the gaze of my former men nearly overwhelmed me.
Proudness. Loyalty. Trust. Devotion.
« I know that you must face a lot of animosity at the headquarters. » continued Tetsuya « but this antipathy comes from men who don't know who you really are. I think I can speak for all of the third division when I say that we want you back. »
I nodded. I always have been severe with my men and always have I expected nothing less than the best from them. Still, they wanted me back. I was blessed with their loyalty.
We finished the round in silence and i put the blue haori back where it belonged, with the rest. I would probably ask Hijikata-san to join the third unit once more. Why not under Tetsuya's leadership.