Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.
"Half the trouble in life is caused by pretending there isn't any."
— Edith Wharton (The House of Mirth)
Iba kept his gaze straight ahead and his expression stoic as he walked ahead of the group. Chizuru was the only one that kept up with Iba's same pace while Hijikata, Souji, Inoue, and Yamazaki trailed a few feet behind. Iba was certain the men had their concerns, especially Hijikata, but he couldn't bring himself to care about anything other than his orders.
If the Water of Life is deemed too dangerous for anyone to control...then I'm sure an order to exterminate the Furies would be made, which includes me in that tally.
Months ago, when Iba had arranged a visit with Matsumoto for medical checkups and to reveal that he was aware of the Fury experiments, Sanan had made this prediction. In hindsight, it wasn't a surprise. What else could be done to end the experiment? It shamed Iba that he hadn't considered that earlier, and that he didn't think of the other men whom he didn't know personally who drank the Water of Life. Matsumoto seemed to share his reaction, but Iba wondered if the doctor would have been as cooperative if he alone had discussed it with the Shinsengumi leaders. Iba couldn't entirely blame either party, but he acknowledged his own side's fault for not fully thinking of the consequences.
To make up for his shortsightedness and out of personal obligation to his friends, Iba spent the last few months convincing his superiors to take an active role in the experiments and ensure that they not spiral out of control. Given the political climate, forming a plan took time but they agreed that something must be done. Chizuru's letter asking for assistance in restarting the search for her father came right around the time that the shogunate made a decision.
Officially, so as to avoid making the majority of the men that weren't aware of the Furies suspicious, Iba was monitoring the Shinsengumi in general, but his real mission was to assistant and monitor the Fury Corp. If necessary, Iba was also to let the shogunate know that the Furies needed to be eliminated. He would do everything to make sure that the worse case scenario did not happen and he liked to believe the shogunate possessed similar hopes, considering from whom the orders to begin the experiments in the first place came.
Don't pity me, Iba-kun. I'm happy that I became a Fury.
Iba couldn't, and preferred not to, imagine how someone could be happy living as a creature that could not enjoy sunlight, hungered for blood, and constantly battled for sanity. Not to mention the fact that stepping outside was forbidden, and his only real duty was working on the serum while surrounded by those that had little to no control of their minds. Iba was certain that his confused sentiment was shared by most of the men.
The Water of Life resurrected the warrior within me that died when my left arm was injured.
Given the difficult circumstances the Shinsengumi contended with to rise, it was understandable that their warriors spirits were deeply cherished. Though Iba was friends with all of the founding members, Sanan was among those he wasn't very close to, so hearing just how sensitive Sanan was about his left him unsure what to think. He didn't like judging people, least of all those he considered comrades, but to attach his warrior spirit to his sword-wielding ability, to dismiss a combat-less existence as half-life, that was disgustingly materialistic.
If you were in my position, losing the use of your arm, unable to help your comrades in battle, being useless...I'm sure you can imagine my pain.
Surely, there were other options for Sanan to refill the gaps caused by his injury, and he could have accepted support from his friends. Sanan seemed like the most responsible of the men, so this odd behavior was disturbing.
Let me be clear. I never said I wanted to be human again.
Try as he might, Iba had the hardest time accepting that statement. Every time those words came up in his memory, he shoved them to the back of his mind. He was conflicted enough already, he didn't need to be filled with doubt right before the beginning of his assignment.
His troubled thoughts ended when they arrived at their destination. Iba hadn't noticed until now that Chizuru's pace quickened so she was a little ahead of him. She was clearly the most eager to get there, which was understandable given her eagenerness to start their plans and discover Iba's orders. He tried to ignore the pang in his heart at how much more difficult this situation would soon become for her.
Chizuru turned the corner and smiled when she spotted someone."Sanan-san!" She called, hurrying toward the colonel. Iba and the other men quickened their pace.
The first thing Iba saw when he turned the corner was Chizuru standing in front of Sanan while clutching the colonel's hand in both of hers and trying to quickly explain everything to him. Sanan's eyes widened and he looked above the girl's head just in time to see the others arriving. His lips formed a thin line and he adjusted his glasses with his free hand before forcing himself to smile.
Sanan released Chizuru's hand as he stepped forward to greet his visitors. His focus first went to Yamazaki and Inoue, giving them a curt nod that they acknowledged, then his gaze skimmed over Hijikata and Souji with a hint of curiosity, and finally he settled his attention on Iba, who was retrieving the letter containing his orders from his pocket.
Iba took a deep breath and bowed."Sanan-san, I'm glad to see you're well."
Sanan's face was emotionless, but his tone was polite."Iba-kun. I'm certain you're as eager as I am to begin our investigation." He glanced at the letter."But, that isn't your sole reason for coming here." A statement, not a question.
Iba extended his hand that held the letter. There was no point in stalling.
Sanan took the letter, holding it a few feet in front of him so Chizuru could also read. Both of their eyes widened, although Sanan's quickly narrowed. He sighed while refolding the letter and then placed it in his own pocket. Humming thoughtfully, he brought his hands into his sleeves. Chizuru stared up at the colonel with nervous eyes.
Sanan cocked his head."This is hardly a surprise. It is just as I predicted." Chizuru's quick explanation had likely helped too, even though she hadn't learned the full story until now.
Hijikata came to stand beside Iba, managing to maintain a calm expression despite the awkwardness Iba sensed between the commander and the colonel. Chizuru, also sensing it, wrapped her fingers around Sanan's arm. Iba thought about pulling her away, but a gut feeling told him that Chizuru wouldn't comply and that Sanan wouldn't let him.
Sanan's lips twitched."Hijikata-kun, it makes sense that you would come." Then he added in a murmur,"For once." Hijikata stiffened, deciding to pretend he hadn't heard that.
Souji made his way to Iba's other side, his usual cocky smirk present."So, Sanan-san, how're the experiments going? See, Kondou-san and Hijikata-san have assigned me to help with the reseach and investigation. And Kondou-san gave me strict orders to not tell the name of any of the Furies unless they say I can or they decide to let him see them."
Sanan's eyebrows shot up. Both he and Chizuru glanced at Hijikata for confirmation, receiving nods from the commander.
"Well," Sanan said, flicking his head at the door."You've arrived at a interesting time, Iba-kun. I've reached some potential breakthroughs. One of the other Furies overheard me muttering the name of the original Fury and claimed to know him. When I brought original to his cell, it became clear that they did indeed know one another. There were two others who cannot speak, but based on their expressions, they also knew the original and vice versa. Since you are here to monitor us, I cannot avoid telling you their names, and Okita-kun as well...after Hijikata-kun has left, of course."
Hijikata gave no apparent reaction to that, although everyone knew that a thousand thoughts must be running through his head. Although Iba felt sorry for him, he didn't blame Sanan for his coldness toward Hijikata, and he had to focus on his own interactions with Sanan if he was to fulfill his assignment and prevent Sanan's ominous prediction from coming true.
"Regardless," Sanan smoothly went on."I am glad for more assistance, especially with the recent increase in workload. The sooner we finish this prattle, the better."
With that polite yet icy declaration, Sanan led everyone inside.
Although she remained close to Sanan, Chizuru took a quick glance at Iba, not trying to hide her turmoil over what she'd just read. Iba considered saying something or reaching out to her, but just as quickly the girl turned away from him and hurried to stay close to Sanan.
Iba stifled a sigh. This was going to be a long assignment.