A/N: New characters are introduced, and we see the beginnings of actual plot.

Chapter 2

He watched out of the corner of his eye as the tall figure of Hijikata Toshizou stood and stepped down from the raised platform. The part of him that wasn't concentrating on his opponent wondered where the vice-commander was going and felt a sense of urgency rise up in his chest. Hijikata couldn't leave now; he hadn't had a chance to prove himself yet. Just as he was about to turn his head and see where Hijikata was going, his attention was rudely brought back to the match by a whack that caught him squarely on top of the head. He winced and backed up quickly, hand automatically going to rub the sore spot. He glanced up to see his opponent smirking at him.

"You shouldn't let your eyes wander, boy," said the man with the gray-streaked hair tied back in a short ponytail, smugly. "You'll lose sight of what's right in front of you."

"Che, I don't need lessons from an old man like you," the younger man replied, adjusting his grip on his weapon. His head wasn't the only thing sore at the moment. Grudgingly, he dropped back into his stance, shinai at the ready, and took a few clearing breaths.

His opponent smiled, amused by the reply. "Looks like I'll have to beat the lesson into you, then," he said, easily, and then charged.

"You can try if you want," said the young man, defending against the strike with a smooth parry, "but you shouldn't concern yourself with others." He countered with a thrust of his own.

"You have some spirit, I'll grant you that," said the older man through gritted teeth as he caught the attack and held it with his weapon. "What's your name, boy?"

"Sasaki Jiroh, and I'm not a boy," grunted the younger man, pushing back.

"Well, you're certainly not a girl," ground out the older man, dryly, holding Jiroh at bay. "Nobu Takafumi," he said between grunts. "Pleased to meet you."

With a cry, they broke apart. Each man dropped two steps back into a defensive stance, breathing a bit heavily. They noted their mirrored actions, and Nobu grinned.

"You're not too bad," he said, wiping his hand on his pants, "for a kid."

Jiroh was about to say something in kind when a voice cut him off.

"Hey, you two over there."

They looked up. It was the Kyokuchou, signaling to them. The two looked at each other, each with one eyebrow raised. Did he mean…?

"Yes, you two, both of you," said Kondou. "Come over here."

Jiroh frowned slightly and saw an equally questioning look on the face of his new acquaintance. Were they in trouble? Talking too much, perhaps? He shrugged.

They approached the platform slowly and stopped just before it, Nobu bowing low and Jiroh bowing low enough.

"You wished to speak with us, Kondou-san?" said Nobu, since he was the older one.

"Ah, come now, there's no need to be so formal," said Kondou good-naturedly. "I just wanted to know your names and your han."

"Nobu Takafumi, from Aizu," replied Nobu, still bowed politely, though not as low.

"Sasaki Jiroh," said Jiroh, simply, "from Takasu."

He stood upright, holding his shinai to the side, and ignored the look Nobu was giving him out of the corner of his eye.

"Sasaki-kun, eh?" said Kondou, thoughtfully. "I remember there being a fairly prominent family by the name of Sasaki from Takasu. Are you by any chance related to them?"

Jiroh felt himself stiffen slightly, and forced himself to relax. He exhaled slowly.

"Yes," he said, evenly. "My uncle was a retainer for Matsudaira Yoshitatsu-sama."

"Are you referring to your father's older brother?" asked Kondou, leaning forward. Jiroh nodded. "Do you have any other uncles?" A shake of the head. "What about you? Do you have any older brothers?"

Jiroh paused, slightly irritated. Where was this heading? "Yes," he replied, slowly. "One older brother."

"Ah," said Kondou, sitting back, nodding as if that explained everything. "Second son of a second son, eh? That's tough."

Jiroh blinked, unsure what to say to that. Part of him bristled at being summed up so casually, but part of him was just surprised that the easy-going man before him was so perceptive. Either that, or he was being way too obvious. He wondered what gave him away.

"You looked like you had something to prove, although to whom I'm not sure," said Kondou in answer to the unasked question. "I would even guess that you have a younger brother too." He paused, and smiled when Jiroh's incredulous look confirmed his guess. "Your movements show that you've had formal training, part of a gentleman's education, but your skill goes beyond what's called for in polite society. Someone decided to let you continue practicing the sword, rather than groom you for public life. You also have the bearing of someone who's accustomed to a certain status, but you lack the sense of entitlement of a first son, and your willingness to work hard for something you want shows that you're not used to having things given to you, as you would if you were the youngest son in your family."

Jiroh stared openly at Kondou, amazed and a bit resentful. All this, just from watching him spar?

"Don't be so surprised," said Kondou, placidly, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "I've seen many swordsmen come through these gates, each one with his own history and his own ambitions. One quickly becomes adept at reading men's hearts." He gave Jiroh a piercing look. "What do you hope to gain from joining the Shinsengumi, Sasaki-kun?"

Taken aback by Kondou's directness, Jiroh let slip the first thing that came to his mind.

"Honor."

Kondou considered him gravely. "A noble pursuit," he said, after a moment. Then he turned his attention to the other man. "And you, Nobu-kun?"

"Purpose," said Nobu, without hesitation.

Kondou nodded. "Also a worthwhile pursuit, though more practical. Perhaps this is a good demonstration of the effects of age on one's goals," he mused aloud, rubbing his chin slowly, a twinkle in his eye.

Jiroh looked un-amused while Nobu unbent himself and seemed to relax for the first time around Kondou. Kondou smiled.

"Ah, that's better," he said, which caused Nobu to redden slightly and tighten up again. Kondou gave a wry smile, but then got back to business. "Sasaki-kun, I want you to trade places for a bit with the short man sparring with Shinpachi. See if you can get him to fight you seriously."

Jiroh turned to see where Kondou pointed and nodded, his eyes lighting up at the prospect. He hadn't expected to be given a chance to prove himself so soon, but he was going to use this opportunity to the fullest. His body was practically tingling at the thought of challenging Nagakura Shinpachi. Eyeing his target, he noticed that the second unit captain looked much younger and smaller than he'd imagined.

His smile took on a slight edge. Nagakura-san was reputedly one of the strongest members of the Shinsengumi, though rumor had it that even he wasn't able to best Okita-san in a match. Still, Jiroh felt his hands flex in anticipation. He wanted to challenge Okita-san one of these days, soon, but it was just as well to measure himself against the second unit captain first.

Kondou turned to Nobu.

"Go ask Saitou-kun for a match," he said, pointing the third unit captain out for him. "Pay attention to the way he uses his footwork to give the illusion of stillness. You two have a similar fighting style, and you could learn much from him."

"Yes, Kyokuchou," said Nobu solemnly, bowing low again.

Kondou accepted the bow and they were dismissed.

Jiroh was deep in thought as they walked back towards the middle of the training area, until he felt a light thwap to the back of his head.

"You shouldn't look so eager to lose to a man half your size," said Nobu, smoothly.

Jiroh raised a brow. "You sure change directions fast. What happened to all the politeness and formality from a moment ago?"

Nobu gave a small smile. "Kondou-san has my respect. You, on the other hand, look like you need someone to keep you from getting ahead of yourself."

Jiroh scowled and muttered something about "old farts who should mind their own business," though it lacked venom.

Nobu laughed. "I'm definitely not old enough to be called an old fart, but I thank you just the same," he said. "Good luck with Nagakura-san, and I hope to see you again after today."

He gave a short wave over his shoulder as he turned off to seek out the third unit captain.

Jiroh watched him weave between the sparring pairs and thought about what a strange and unexpected person Nobu was. Then he shook the thought out of his head and, turning, went in search of the pint-sized second unit captain with the flame-colored hair.

Kondou watched as the two figures separated, and thought about the look in the younger one's eyes when he gave him permission to spar with Shinpachi. He shook his head slightly to himself, amused. This one reminded him a little too much of a certain red-headed page, especially his eagerness to leap before he looked. Ah well, contrary to what Hijikata might think, a little enthusiasm never hurt anyone. Besides, he'd learn soon enough why Souji was called a genius swordsman. Kondou paused at that last thought, a sudden tightness in his chest catching him off guard. He would have to talk to Toshi about Souji soon, but that would have to wait until later. He had other things to take care of right now, as he spotted another interesting figure among the recruits. Yes, the coming months were going to be good months for the Shinsengumi, he thought.

Glossary and Notes:

Han: feudal domain

Daimyo: feudal lord

Jiroh: traditionally, the second son in a samurai household is nicknamed Jiro.

Matsudaira Yoshitatsu: daimyo of Takasu han. Father of Matsudaira Katamori (military commissioner of Kyoto, the man in charge of the Shinsengumi)