Chapter Eight: Rekishi o mamoru - (歴史を守る): Protect History.

Early afternoon. Half a day had already passed, another about to follow. Within the citadel, summer was slowly setting in, June turning to August, a sun shining endlessly in the cloudless sky.

The warbling of crickets echoed through his open window from the pond near his room. It was quite a relaxing sound. The whole world seemed to have withdrawn into silence, allowing him to catch his breath, to enjoy long, dreamless nights. Despite the slight troubles some of his swords were facing, and from which he was sure they would cope easily, he now felt more at peace.

Closing the book in his lap, he placed it beside him and rested his head against the wall behind him with a sigh.

It was a meeting he couldn't delay any longer anymore, no matter how much he apprehended it. Not out of fear, but out of disappointment. He knew for a fact that there was a possibility that he had gone wrong until now. Like playing heads or tails... even he was hardly safe from a mistake. And it could well be that deciding to let his Toudans deal with their feelings on their own rather than confront them directly would prove to be a misstep on his part.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

On the chest of drawers to his right, the hands of the clock continued to move flawlessly. Time never stopped. Not even for a single second. Its race was indefinite. Time never took sides. Impartial and neutral. Whether to hurt or to heal, to live or die. A blessing in disguise.

Tick-tock.

It was time now. All hopes gone in order to avoid some bitter feelings, he got up and left his room in a hurry, feverishly joining his office. The sooner he was done with this, the sooner he could focus on other matters that needed his attention.

Xxxxxxxxxx

A heavy silence reigned in the office as he was browsing the report once more, his mind filled with thousands of questions. He hadn't expected much when he started reading, of course, but the information it contained was nonetheless unsettling… and he didn't even take into account the last hours of the mission before he ended up being forced to repatriate his entire team by force because of fatal injuries.

A map suddenly popped up on the writing desk to his right, the red dot indicating a time-space distortion caused by the Retrogrades slowly fading away. That was one thing out of the way. He could therefore safely give the First Unit a few more hours in the past to complete their usual routine, which would give him ample time to sort out the current situation.

"As expected from the First Unit. Looks like they were successful. " he smiled slightly, his gaze drifting toward the kitsune standing tensed face to him. "I've looked at the Second Unit's data that you sent me, along with the video footage. "

"As for the map data and others, I've added them to the server. " the latter informed in a neutral tone, clearly more preoccupied with the discussion to follow.

"Thank you. " the Sage nodded before crossing his hands over the report, frowning. "Still, regarding the Second Unit's last battle… Even though they preserved history, it was only by a very thin margin. I'm concerned about the effects going forward. "

In front of him, the little fox seemed to be in the grip of sorrow as if he had expected such a verdict but refused to accept its inevitable consequence, pushing him to lower his head without saying anything.

"Additionally, the Touken Danshi were injured so gravely… It was quite a fierce battle for the Second Unit. " he added before finally leaning back against his chair with a delighted smile, delivering his final observations. "That said, they accomplished more than I ever hoped. Thank you for your hard work, too, Konnosuke. "

Sighing in relief, Konnosuke finally relaxed as if released of a weight. Looking up at the Saniwa, he tilted his head to the side with curiosity, knowing that the latter had not quite finished.

"So, how is Izuminokami doing? "

"Physically, he's on the mend, but he seems to be blaming himself for his comrades' injuries. "

"He's still suffering from psychological damage? "

"Yes. "

"In your eyes, Konnosuke, how would you evaluate Izuminokami? " the cherry-haired boy asked suddenly, interested.

"He's reckless, rough, inexperienced, quick to fight, and in some ways, he seems very unstable. " the hairball declared somewhat hesitantly, his tirade eliciting a nervous laugh from his master before his eyes widened in surprise as he commented: "However, I do sense there's something more to him. "

"I can see that you've taken a liking to the Second Unit, Konnosuke. " the Sage related, a broad smile blooming on his lips as the kitsune lowered his head again, this time in embarrassment.

The alarm sounded loudly in the office, surprising its two occupants. The map appeared on the wall, a new time-space distortion emerging.

"Aruji-sama! "

"Yes, the Historical Revisionists are at it again with their plotting, huh? "

Deciding that it was not by procrastinating within the citadel enclosure that his Toudan would regain confidence in himself and in his beliefs, the Saniwa resolved to act beforehand and, calling out the animal, announced firmly:

"Konnosuke. Could you summon Izuminokami here, please? "

Xxxxxxxxxx

The setting sun, bathing the estate and its surroundings with its honey-coloured rays, was plunging the office into a semi-darkness that was both warm and reassuring. The Western-style door opened with a distinctive faint click, making him look up from the book he had immersed himself in as the kitsune he had sent a few minutes earlier in search of the leader of the Second Unit returned with a nonchalant step, settling with an agile jump on the coffee table.

"Izuminokami-san shouldn't be long. "

"Very well. "

Closing the book, he put it on the little dresser near the sofas and sat on one of them, calmly awaiting the arrival of his Toudan.

"Did something delay you on the way? It took you time. "

"Well… " mumbled the creature, pouting. "Something happened, indeed... "

"Ah? "

"When I finally spotted Izuminokami-san, he was with Horikawa-san and Mutsunokami-san at the stables. He was asking Yagen-san if he wanted to go on an expedition with him as the commander again. "

"Really? " the Sage was surprised, narrowing his eyes in interest as he tilted his head to the side.

"Yes. And that's not all. They headed to the gardens afterward to ask Tsurumaru-san the same. " the creature continued before looking away with embarrassment. "And actually, I kind of lost sight of them after that because I heard Shokudaikiri-san talk about tonight dinner and how he was going to make inarizushi… "

"Konnosuke! " lectured the boy, barely holding a desperate sigh.

"Sorry! " the hairball exclaimed humbly before ending his story. "So I thought I would find them in the resting room with Tonbokiri-san… "

"And I guess that was exactly where they were all. "

"Yes. "

Two knocks then sounded suddenly against the panel of the door remained open, the Uchigatana standing now in the doorway and clearing his throat insistently to signal his presence.

"Come in, Izuminokami. " the Saniwa pronounced without even turning around, inviting the sword to sit down in front of him.

"You… you've decided to send the Second Unit back on an expedition? " right away questioned the latter although with hesitation.

"You wouldn't be here otherwise, am I wrong? " the boy teased with a smile, the relieved look that his Touken Danshi was now wearing amusing him greatly.

"Thank you... " Kanesada solemnly whispered whilst closing his eyes for a second, delighted. Then, raising his head with seriousness, he ended up saying: "Right, I'm listening. "

"A temporal anomaly appeared around the year 1886, near Fushimi in Kyoto. According to the data I have noted, the Retrograding Force is expected to appear there between the dates of January 23 and 25. "

"I see. 1866... could this be related to the Teradaya incident? "

"It will be up to you and your team to find out, but considering the era, I don't see anything else. "

"Good. "

Remaining quiet for a moment, the Sage indulged in gazing at the former blade of Hijikata Toshizou as he seemed to already be hatching plans in his mind, his brow furrowed and a scowl on his face. Obviously, this mission would mean more to him than all the previous ones put together. A way to clear the confusion still in his heart and to finally move forward...

"That's the gist regarding your next mobilisation. " he added at last, attentive. "Do you have any questions? "

"I'm good. " Izuminokami indicated confidently.

"I heard from Konnosuke. That you'd approached each of the members of the Second Unit, asking them to join you in battle. " the Saniwa suddenly stated before questioning with curiosity. "Why did you do that? "

"I just realised that I needed to confront what it meant to protect history again. "

"I see. "

"And to do that, I'd need those guys, and if I had to fight, I wanted to fight with them. I wanted to tell them that. That's all. " Kanesada explained at length, clearly more serene. "Do you have any objections, Aruji? "

"No. " murmured the cherry-haired boy as he shook his head negatively, delighted at such awareness from his Toudan. "Protect history. I have high hopes for you. "

"Yeah. "

Izuminokami wasted no more time and jumping up from his seat, greeted the Sage respectfully before hurrying through the entrance, eager to brief the members of his unit on the details of the mission.

"Thank you, Aruji-sama. " the little fox whispered suddenly as he nodded, his muzzle down.

"Hmm? " his master gasped, looking at him with puzzlement.

"I am glad that I am allowed to dispatch with the Second Unit again. " he declared simply, causing the appearance of a bright smile on the boy's lips who gripped him gently in his arms.

"To me, every one of them is a precious member of this citadel, and a valuable trump card to be played… I feel the same way you do, Konnosuke. I believe in them. "

Xxxxxxxxxx

The night seemed to have passed faster than usual, the members of the Second Unit knocking on his office door at seven o'clock sharp, suited up, confident, and ready to be dispatched.

To the rhythm of the frantic movements of their chests filled with pride and joy, passed the seconds which separated them from the battlefield, the adrenaline of the fights, and the clash of colliding blades. After all, they were swords. It was a fact that was easy to forget with this human appearance, but his precious Touken Danshi were above all objects created for fighting, and it was in the field of wars that they remained most at ease.

"Everyone in the Second Unit, it's time to mobilise. " he announced with a smile, turning slightly to the team's leader and nodding with conviction. "Izuminokami Kanesada, I'm counting on you to look after the Second Unit as its Commander. "

"Leave it to me. " the Uchigatana assured with aplomb, impatient.

"Horikawa Kunihiro, Yagen Toushirou, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, Tonbokiri, Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki. All of you, please protect history from the Time Retrograde Army. " he demanded one last time before heading for the exit, escorting the Second Unit on the path to the sanctuary and leaving them at its entrance as the First Unit was appearing in a cloud of golden particles.

I trust you all. I know you won't fail me. he asserted without a doubt as Yamanbagiri and the others presented themselves to him, and he welcomed them with a rejoiced smile.

"Welcome back! "