Chapter Two: Butai Chō – (部隊長): Commander.

Swirling in the dark sky around the space-time rift about to open, the midnight blue clouds were taking on an orange hue as they gathered. Continuing to run towards the castle, the Saniwa and his Touken Danshi redoubled their speed as they saw the halo of light growing more and more, a sign that the Retrogrades would not be very long to arrive.

"Is that it? " Izuminokami asked more as a warning than anything else.

"There are eight more of them! " reminded once again Tonbokiri to which Mutsunokami answered, challenging:

"No matter how many, I'll destroy them all! "

Suddenly, appearing in front of them in a blood-red flash of lightning that surprised everyone, two Retrogrades at once charged the former Uchigatana of the Shinsengumi and forced him to stop unexpectedly as he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Kane-san! " exclaimed Horikawa, turning around and rushing to the rescue of his longtime partner.

"Don't stop! Keep running! "

The order resonated in his ears like a distant echo as he set off in pursuit of his two missing Toudan, preferring to make sure that the latter were fine even though the rest of the team was now dispersed.

"Izuminokami! " called the Sage anxiously before landing on the ground.

"I'm all right! Don't worry! " reassured him Kanesada with a glance, turning to the Wakizashi by his side. "I owe you one, Kunihiro. "

"Well, I am your partner and assistant. " simply answered the aforesaid sword as if it were obvious, smiling.

"Sure, hotshot. " the Uchigatana confirmed with amusement before frowning. "We're quite a step behind now. Let's hurry! "

Xxxxxxxxxx

The silent fortress was standing under a full moon with a celestial white gleam, and only its walls lined with blood could testify to the horrors which had taken place within it.

"Dammit! We're too late! "

The cherry-haired boy let an inaudible breath escape from between his lips, his eyelids closing slowly to try to chase away the macabre scene that was exposed in front of him. They had heard nothing on the way, heard nothing when they got here. Not a single cry of agony or panic had reached them, and yet the carmine liquid at his feet still glowed intensely, blackening as the minutes were passing.

He wondered what he was doing here...

He had seen too many wars unfolding before his frightened eyes, too many mutilated bodies fell into his trembling hands, too much blood shed by hatred and cruelty... too much to faint in front of such a massacre, but certainly not enough not to feel responsible for it.

"I wonder where the others are… "

"Konnosuke, please record the faces of all the victims. " he murmured to regain his composure. It was the only thing he could do now. Record the faces of these innocent people sacrificed in the name of a war they knew nothing about. Honour them by allowing them to be part of the known history. What an irony!

"Understood. "

Shaking his head, he left his bitter thoughts behind him and approached Kanesada to state calmly:

"Our elite team is now scattered all over. Izuminokami, what would you do in this case? "

"For now, we don't know why the Time Retrograde Army attacked this castle. We need to protect the lives here whilst assessing our own situation. " replied the latter, his look vague as if trying to determine where the others could have gone.

"Indeed. I feel the same way. " he acquiesced with a slight smile, proud of his Toudan for his handle of the situation.

I couldn't make a better choice.

"All right, Izuminokami, I'd like for both of you to check the castle's east side. I'll head for the square under the castle tower. Let's meet up there. " he finally added, knowing perfectly that some of his swords were located near.

"Got it. Let's go, Kunihiro! "

"Right! "

Konnosuke let himself fall back on his hind legs once his task over, watching with curiosity as the two former blades of Hijikata Toshizou disappeared at an intersection before questioning the Saniwa hesitantly.

"Are you sure you picked the right ones for the job? I have some worries. "

"Really? I think the choices are excellent ones. " declared the Sage a bit surprised, the kitsune seeming to have the same reservations he previously had.

"I hope you're right. " he expressed with a pout, not convinced. "Aren't you going to tell them about the Time Retrograde Army's purpose? "

"You guessed it, isn't it? "

"Well, you do seem to give precise orders. "

"I'm not quite sure to be right. " revealed the cherry-haired boy as he squatted in front of the animal, stroking him behind the ear before lifting him off the ground.

"But you are right. " asserted the little hairball confidently, settling comfortably in his master's arms.

"They need to find the answers for themselves, otherwise what good can a Unit and a Commander do? " he indicated with a smile, starting to move forward. "Besides, I do not know the location of the attack. I can't decently tell them something that could cloud their minds. "

"If you say so. "

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Aruji-dono. " called a voice in his back, forcing him to turn around carefully.

"Tonbokiri, everyone. " he smiled softly as his Toudan gathered by his side. "Has anyone seen Mutsunokami somewhere? "

"No. He could have forestalled us by entering the castle first. " answered Yagen with a shrug.

"Yagen-san and Tonbokiri-san got two Retrogrades each. " declared Horikawa as they approached the castle plaza whilst remaining concealed by one of its walls.

"And we're sure there're no enemies left outside. " added Izuminokami as he leaned over the edge to judge the situation.

"How does it look? " asked the Yari, standing ready to fight.

"I don't know, but it's eerily quiet. "

"Two members of the Time Retrograde Army are still around. " announced the Saniwa with concern. "More likely, they're in that castle tower. "

"What'll it be? All of us going together, or separately? "

Despite the turmoil that the History Retrograding Force has instigated, the nascent dawn about to cover the midnight blue sky was accompanied by an almost unreal calm. And neither the corpses piled up along the alleyways in the distance or even the blood, probably turned black by now, having repainted the perimeter walls of the estate did not seem to have awakened the people of the castle, its guard or its overlord, thus leaving them ignorant of the crimes committed and that, until the sun would finally shine above the mountains.

But his Uchigatana in charge was right. It was one calm too good to be true. And the simple fact that he could hear the rustling of the leaves despite the absence of wind caught his attention all the more. Raising his head just as the sound of a tensing string was reaching his ears, he locked eyes on the opponent camouflaging himself on the roof facing them, bow in hand, and opened his mouth when Yagen suddenly shouted:

"Hey! Izuminokami! "

The gunshot resonated in a deafening echo, hitting their adversary with full force as he was prepared to shoot, making him miss his target of just a few millimetres as the arrow, practically invisible, had already started to split the air at high speed before inevitably crashing to the ground, his point sinking into the soil at his feet, and he watched with relief Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki standing in balance on a roof's tiles at the other side of the castle plaza.

"No need to thank me! " exclaimed the latter with pure delight, rejoiced to once again annoy his former rival. (*)

"Well done. " congratulated the Sage whilst getting out of his hideout with the others. "How many of the Time Retrograde Army did you defeat? "

"Including that guy, two. The castle's all clear. "

"That makes all eight of them! " expressed Kunihiro, rejoiced.

Nodding slightly, the cherry-haired boy shared a quick smile with his Touken Danshi and let an inaudible sigh escape from his mouth. Finally, they had stopped the Revisionists' offensive. At least for the moment.

Now what was left to do was to completely and definitively prevent them from launching an insurrection among the people, and especially the samurai of this time period. If such an uprising were not avoided, far more innocents than those of tonight would be doomed, and in his eyes, it was out of the question that they let it happen.

However, it was hardly a worry that he could easily share with his precious swords. Besides the fact that he had to remain steadfast in order for his Toudan to never doubt his effectiveness, he also had the duty to prove to them that, no matter what, they could always rely on him...

Such was his burden as a Saniwa…

Gathering in a circle, the Sage glanced at the little fox to indicate to him to open the timeline screen and began to explain, now inexpressive:

"When I had Konnosuke look into it, he found no record of the lord of this castle dying in this time. "

"Officially, the castle samurai repelled an invasion by extremists. " specified the hairball.

"Massive casualties were inflicted, but history is running its course, and nothing seems to have changed. "

"So, Taishō, that means we protected history, right? " questioned Yagen, looking for confirmation.

"Yeah, but I don't get it. I mean, it's strange, isn't it? " began to say Mutsunokami, annoyed. "I just don't see how destroying a castle out in the sticks could change history. "

"Then what was their reason for attacking this castle? "

"Oh man… that's what I don't get. "

Here we are... Now, they seem on the right track. thought the Saniwa, relieved.

Of course, he couldn't tell them a word about his suspicions, but he was pleased to see that it hadn't taken them long to realise that an attack of this stature was indisputably ridiculous, less important.

Now then, one last thing to do. he bethought before abruptly turning his head to the right under a slight pain, watching with a frown but yet unconcerned, as his arm was stroke by a bolt of electricity, rendering it translucent a few moments.

"Aruji-sama! " exclaimed Konnosuke with panic. "You must get back to the citadel! "

Closing his eyes for a second, the boy reopened them again on his Touken Danshi and with a firm look, announced in one breath:

"I'm very sorry about this, but due to the temporal pressure, I cannot stay for very long. Izuminokami Kanesada… Horikawa Kunihiro… Yagen Toushirou… Tonbokiri… Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki… The five of you will now comprise the Second Unit and I hereby appoint Izuminokami Kanesada as your Commander. "

"Who, me? " was surprised the aforesaid commander, clearly embarrassed.

"Kane-san! "

"Are you really up for the job? " Yoshiyuki asked playfully, squinting with suspicion as if spoiling for a fight.

"Well, at the very least I'm a better choice than you. " taunted the Uchigatana with undisguised pride.

"Now then, your first directive. " the Sage stated seriously, regaining the attention of his troop. "The Time Retrograde Army will appear again in this region. Just before the next sunset, at the earliest. "

"Again… "

"I want all of you to join forces to uncover the Historical Revisionists' plot, and preserve the course of history. " he implored solemnly before turning to the leader in charge. "I'm counting on you, Izuminokami Kanesada! "

"Leave it to me! I'll lead them to the best of my ability. "

"Good luck to you, too, Konnosuke. " he also wished to the kitsune, amused by the fact that the latter seemed completely upset by his nonchalant attitude although the time pressure was putting him in partial danger.

"A-All right, all right! Now please, hurry back to the citadel! "

"Until later, then… "

Xxxxxxxxxx

Molten metal releasing heavy clouds of black vapour, the room lit up with a bright, white, and smalt gleam before changing into a powerful gold-coloured deflagration, his body appearing in a cloud of particles, his golden eyes opening slowly on the strangely cold stone walls of the sanctuary.

Taking a deep breath, he took a minute to pull himself together, and letting his shoulders fall wearily, walked a few steps to reach the entrance. The night had been long and particularly painful, and it was therefore with a certain undisguised pleasure that he welcomed the warm rays of the sun bathing his face, offering him some comfort.

"How can you even know that? "

"Because! I'm the first arrived here, remember? I'm perfectly capable of anticipating this kind of thing after all this time. "

Turning his head to the sound of these voices which he would recognise anywhere, he smiled happily at the arrival of two of his swords, the latter, immersed in their discussion, not immediately noticing his presence.

"Huuuh? Aren't you exagge— " expressed the first doubtfully before stopping unexpectedly, the silhouette of the Saniwa finally entering his field of vision. "Aruji! "

"Aruji! See, told you he was about to come home! "

"Kiyomitsu, Yasusada… has anything happened during my absence? " he addressed warmly, although curious enough to know the reason for this umpteenth bickering between the two former blades of Okita Souji.

"Not at all! We just wanted to greet you welcome home. " assured Yamatonokami as he waved in hands in front of him in the negative.

"I wanted to! " corrected Kashuu with a frown before stating proudly: "It's almost as if I felt you've returned. "

"Heh? Didn't one of the kitsune simply warn you about it? " pointed out the boy teasingly, starting to move forward on the engawa.

"Ah! " gasped the red-dressed Uchigatana with embarrassment, his cheeks reddening noticeably.

"Pff! Hahaha! I knew it! " could not help guffawing Yasusada, a hand firmly pressed against his mouth as he quickly caught up with their master.

"Yasusada! Stop laughing, you bastard! " yelled Kiyomitsu angrily, though he seemed visibly less upset than he was willing to show.

"Ah, by the way. How did it go with Horikawa and the others? " ended up questioning the sword with the blue hakama, not in the least caring about his partner's state of mind.

"The Second Unit is appointed well, thanks for your concern. " replied the Saniwa. Then, stretching his lips into a smile that was both mysterious and amused, he declared whilst raising a hand in the air. "And as usual with each unit, they seem always reluctant to part with me... "

"That's grea— " began to say his Toudan before stopping himself halfway, taken aback. "Huh!? "

"So… What did I miss? " he just asked as he continued on his momentum, sniggering discreetly as he headed for the great hall.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Shall we look deeper into it? "

"No, I think that's enough. Besides, I'm more comfortable when I send you on expeditions. The field of research is wider and you have more time to prepare. Excursions are messy and constantly throw you into the middle of a battle with no plan in mind. "

"Yes, but at least we know exactly what the Revisionists are trying to attack… "

Closing his eyes in a silent agreement, the Sage grabbed his cup of tea and drank a mouthful, hundreds of thoughts in mind.

"The fact that the Revisionists have access to larger passages through the timeline, to the point where they can now literally attack an entire historical period and no longer just one particular event, is worrying! "

"I know. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they also gain in strength... if we can continue to contain them, regardless of the historical event or period they choose to attack, then there is nothing to fear. "

"This is what you don't understand, Shokudaikiri. They— "

"Enough, both of you. " interrupted the cherry-haired boy, suddenly feeling tired.

"But! "

"Hasebe-kun. "

"Very well. "

Exchanging a glance, the two Touken Danshi finally got up from their seats and, bowing ceremoniously, left the room in a hurry as they understood that their master had sufficiently spoken about the Time Retrograde Army's manoeuvres for the day.

"They want to ease your concerns, that's all. "

"Helping me doing my job is one thing, trying vainly to do it for me is another. "

"Hahaha! Assuredly, you're in a bad mood. "

Huffing softly, the Saniwa bit his lower lip with embarrassment and turned his head to the right.

"Sorry, Mikazuki. I didn't mean to… " he started to apologise only to stop abruptly, searching for his words.

"It's all right. You are under a lot of pressure, I understand. " simply replied the blue-haired Tachi, smiling. "If I have to be honest, what's I'm thinking of right now is not the Retrogrades' plan, but indeed the Second Unit. "

"About its members, you mean? "

"Could it be that I'm not the only one who have expressed doubts? " questioned Munechika curiously, head tilted to the side.

"Konnosuke asked me the same thing. " indicated the boy before explaining: "I know how badly Mutsunokami and Izuminokami get on with each other, but you are the most likely to know that a shared battlefield brings together even the worst enemies. "

"So, you're counting on that to draw closer these two? "

"Closer is a big word, but mutual respect is what I expect from them, yes. "

"What about Horikawa? You said it yourself, expeditions give us time to think, sometimes even a little too much… " revealed the sword, strangely hesitant. "Aren't you worried that he might try to do something other than protecting history? "

Grimacing slightly at these words, the Sage thought for a moment, his hands tightening tightly around his cup of tea before he finally let a preoccupied sigh escape him.

"Should something like this happen, what would you advise me to do, exactly? "

But pretending not to have heard, Mikazuki shifted from the wall against which he had hitherto leaned and grabbed the teapot resting on a round tray in the middle of the coffee table, making it hang in the air as a few drops of tea escaped from it to land in his empty cup.

"My… It seems we have drunk it all. " he announced, falsely disappointed.

"This is a serious matter, Mikazuki. " reprimanded the Saniwa, frowning.

"Well, all things are doomed to perish one day… " he finally declared, sombre. "As yet, you did your best for us to learn from our mistakes and accept that the past cannot be changed… Nonetheless, should Horikawa go too far, you'd have no other choice, would you? "

"…".

"However, we're speaking of a conscientious sword here. " he added impishly to his master's silence. "He has been by your side for so long, surely betrayal would be the last thing that would come to his mind. "

"If not, we can count on Izuminokami to remind him the hard way. " agreed the boy, more reassured.

"Hahaha… As always, you've put great attention to even the smallest details. " the Tachi stated, chuckling.

"Wouldn't that be precisely what a General is supposed to do? " the aforesaid general related knowingly.

"Certainly. " answered his Toudan with the same tone.

Endnote:

(*): Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki was once owned, as you probably know already, by Sakamoto Ryōma who was a member of the movement which tried and succeed in overthrowing the Shogunate government to re-settled the emperor in power instead. Now, as you also know, Izuminokami Kanesada belonged to Toshizō Hijikata who, himself, was part of the Shinsengumi, a "police force" tasked to protect the city in the name of the Shogunate. Thus, Hijikata and Ryōma were enemies to each other, and so were their swords, which explains why they really don't get on with each other. I wrote "former" because now that they belong both to the Saniwa, they're supposed to be allies... well, most of the time... XD