Chapter Ten: Chūgi no Mukau saki - (忠義の向かう先): Where Loyalty Leads.

"I was wondering… "

"Hmm? "

"When you think about it. Could the Shinsengumi have continued to be, in one way or another, after the Meiji Restoration? "

Three startled pairs of eyes turned to him at the sound of his words, abruptly interrupting what they were doing. The question had obviously taken them by surprise, leaving them speechless for a few seconds as they tried to come to their senses. He himself was not sure why he had asked such a question. Ideas were mingling in his head, and as his Toudan finally got ready to answer him, he clarified his thought:

"After living the way they had all these years, would its members have so easily been able to adjust to new beliefs, to offer their loyalty to another? "

"I don't believe it would have been possible. " Kiyomitsu finally declared as he approached the Saniwa to huddle against him, a benevolent smile on his lips and his eyelids closed. "If Okita-kun had survived, I really don't think he would have liked to live in a world where warriors have no place. He might not have had the best of ends, but at least he lived the life he had always yearned for, right Yasusada? "

"Yeah… " confirmed the blue-dressed Uchigatana, sharing his partner's smile without a hint of hesitation. "It took me time to realise it, but it would have been too difficult for him to continue to exist in a world where he was not needed anymore. In an era that was no longer his. "

"The Shinsengumi… they were doomed to disappear. " Nagasone added calmly, nonchalantly resuming his activity. "Whether it's Okita, Kondou or Hijikata, or even the others… They have had the life they intended. And if they have had any regrets, that of seeing the birth of the next era was not one of them. If they regretted anything, it's really to not have been able to fight all together until the very end. "

Recognising the pertinence of what they were saying, the Sage nodded in agreement and slipped a hand between his cherry wicks as he huffed.

"It's probably true. I don't see any reason to worry. "

"Everything's fine? " Kashuu enquired as he straightened up, an anxious pout twisting his delicate features.

"I don't know. Strictly speaking, I'm not really worried, it's just… " the boy mumbled, uncertain, before shaking his head vigorously which drew the attention of his swords. "No. It's nothing. "

"If you say so. "

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Aruji-sama. "

"Keisuke? "

"Konnosuke sent a notification. They request a return order. " announced the little fox with a completely orange fur, forcing the Sage to put his cup of tea down on the coffee table and get up to join him at the desk and look at the preliminary report sent to him by the kitsune attached to the Second Unit. "The mission is a success. Sakamoto Ryōma is safe and sound at the Satsuma Residence and the Retrogrades have been defeated. "

"Something is wrong. " the Saniwa indicated as he sat down, looking at some data on the holographic screen with a frown.

"How so? "

"Look, although the Retrograding Force has been defeated, the time axis remains disrupted. "

"But, despite the slight interferences due to the actions of the Historical Revisionists, history is, for the most part, the same. " the creature related, not understanding.

"Then, for what reason is the time-space flow still unstable…? " asked rhetorically the Sage, preoccupied. "No. I'll rather prefer the Second Unit to stay there for now. I'll need to look into this. "

Immersing themselves in a lot of research and data detection, it was only after several hours spent in a silence only broken from time to time by the few aloud reflections of the kitsune and his master, that the anomalies finally made sense, the notification of a new message suddenly echoing in the room in a near-perfect timing.

"Konnosuke sent more news. An unforeseen fire broke out in the city no later than after you asked the Second Unit to stay in 1866. "

"A fire? " enquired the Saniwa, more and more concerned.

"Yes. Izuminokami and the others think that it was merely a distraction for a successful assassination attempt. " revealed Keisuke, scrolling up the message.

Eyes widening in shock, the cherry-haired boy abruptly rose from his seat and began rummaging frantically through the bookshelves behind him, exclaiming scathingly:

"Who was murdered?! "

"Ah! Huh… Sumiya Toranosuke of the Mito clan… " replied the animal, slightly scared. "Konnosuke says the historical details match except for the date of his death… Sumiya was supposed to die a year later, on the 13th of June, 1867. "

"And the numbers don't add up. " the Sage added, finally finding what he was looking for and settling back into his desk.

"The numbers? What do you mean? "

Flipping through the pages of a book whilst keeping an eye on the data displayed on a white window next to him, he spotted the errors he had noticed a second earlier, and wincing, communicated:

"According to the data collected before the Second Unit's deployment, there're at least three units of Retrogrades still on the loose. "

"Eh?! That's mean that about twenty of them are still lurking around… But for what reason? "

"Hmm… " he thought for a moment before asserting as he bit his lower lip, seeing no other solution: "What about Sakamoto Ryōma? "

"But he's in safety in the Satsuma Residence, right? " questioned his kitsune, sceptic.

"Perhaps… " he pretended, starting to write on the keyboard of the holographic screen his new orders for the Second Unit. "It is better not to make assumptions just yet. Let them process the information we have for now, they shall decide on how to act. "

"Very well. "

Xxxxxxxxxx

They crossed the entrance to the citadel without haste, walking calmly towards the engawa before sitting on it and lifting their heads to watch the sky turn from blue to grey, the colours slowly fading as night was falling.

The weather was cold, humid, and biting, the clouds gathering indistinguishably, a fairly fine fog starting to form around them, the harbinger of a storm coming soon. Tightening his haori against himself, the Sage took a deep breath, the scent of summer lingering in the air despite tonight's appearance making it seem like autumn had already begun.

"Thanks for accompanying me today. "

"No need to thank me. I hadn't visited a shrine in a while. It was nice. "

It was no coincidence that he had suddenly decided to drop his paperwork to join the shrine and pray there. For what? He wasn't sure. It was a strange feeling that gripped him. A mixture of nostalgia and acceptance, like when you resolve to move on without being able to help but feel sad. He was uncertain, filled with regret, and lost in the twists and turns of his memories. What did it mean? He didn't know, but time would give him the answers to his questions.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? " asked his Toudan, head tilted to the side as he looked at his master affectionately.

"No. " replied the latter with a chuckle. "No, you've done enough, Mikazuki. Thank you. "

Squinting whilst still observing the boy, the Tachi shifted his gaze back to the sky, mysteriously declaring:

"It feels like it was yesterday that we were talking about the implication of modifying history for the sake of oneself or others. "

"Huh? Do you mean when the Second Unit went to its first expedition? "

"Time sure flies, hahaha. "

Smiling softly, the Saniwa acquiesced with a nod and leaned against a pillar near him, the fog growing thicker as the minutes passed.

"What about you? " he questioned then, interested.

"Me? "

"Is there no era of history that you'd be tempted to change? "

"Hahaha! I don't think so. " Munechika asserted, guffawing shamelessly. "You know, the older you are, the less you feel attached to one master in particular. It's even more true for swords like me which have known far too many owners. "

"Is that so…? "

"Ah, but I do have a certain tenderness when I think back of my time with Nei-kun or Yoshifuji. " (*)

"That's a good thing. "

Rising to his feet, the blue-haired Tenka Goken walked a few steps away, his silhouette almost disappearing into the fog, and revealed in a strangely hesitant tone:

"Should a thousand of years pass, and my time by your side was coming to an end, I'd like to believe that I'd have the choice of not wanting to know a new master. As I have often been given the opportunity to hear humans say, I've lived long enough. Regrets? I do not have any, for I was only a sword and therefore unable to change anything. Sorrows? My heart certainly counts a lot of them, but I do not wallow in my grief. Memories? Oh, I have so many that I sometimes feel like I have none... But what's the point of remembering if it's mainly to dwell on the bad ones? My only wish now is to serve my last master until the end. I can go through any history you would like me to if that means I can continue to be useful to you. "

Eyes widened with amazement, the cherry-haired boy remained still for a second before finally standing up in his turn, joining his Touken Danshi in the middle of the entrance courtyard. There, he smiled again and whispered knowingly:

"Good thing the Retrogrades are so numerous then. I might need you for a very, very long time. "

"Brilliant, brilliant. "

Endnote:

(*): Respectively the nicknames of Nene/Kōdai-in (Nei-kun) and the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru (Yoshifuji), both owners of Mikazuki Munechika. Considering the fact that multiple Touken Danshi call their former masters by a nickname or an honorific designation, I supposed that Mikazuki would do the same. Also, since Mikazuki always has been in the hands of great lords, he is not the type to really care about honorific designations, so I choose to use familiar nicknames instead.