Note: Small oversight: I didn't quite understand the transfer of power between Konnosuke and Konnosuke 2. Moreover, it doesn't seem very important to me, and in my opinion, only seeks to symbolise the appearance of a kitsune which until now was introduced into the anime only through the dialogues of the characters and some fast cameo in the landscapes scenes.

So, I decided to completely ignore this detail of the episode, frankly not seeing its utility. Thus, the Konnosuke of season 2 will remain the one of Season 1 and all the dialogues and appearances of Season 2 will become his. I don't think it makes a big difference even at a personality level. All kitsune are as crazy fans of fried tofu as Zoku's Konnosuke! XD

Good Reading!

Chapter Two: February - Kisaragi (如月): I wish tomorrow will be a good day too.

The year is 2205 A.D.

To annihilate the History Retrograde Army who schemes to alter history

Them, who were born from swords,

Engage in mortal combat as well!

Oh, Uguisumaru! In this case, let's drink it together!

Xxxxxxxxxx

His eyes opened in a jolt of surprise, his golden pupils fluttering in all directions as he rose with precipitation, his breath short and his heart pounding strongly in his chest.

Don't let them burn!

Inspiring several times in a row, he sighed with relief as he recognised the distinctive walls of his office and let himself fall back on the sofa behind him, unceremoniously, putting a hand to his forehead with fatigue. Perhaps it was due to the mission he wanted to assign to the Awataguchi today, but lately, he had felt particularly concerned. The idea of sending them to the very place where three of them had died did not please him, however, who better than those who had lived in Osaka Castle could discover its hidden treasure... Even so, this reflection does not help him feel less guilty.

Shifting his gaze to the half-open window, he watched the trees with emerald green leaves undulated in the light breeze of the February wind, the warmer air of this month warming him as intensely as the flames of his dream after the cold sweat he had just experienced.

Sighing again, he shook his head vigorously from right to left to clarify his thoughts and, leaning on the armrest of the settee, stood up slowly to head for the front door, closing it sharply behind him.

Walking through the alleys of the citadel, he smiled kindly as he noticed the presence of Uguisumaru and Hirano, comfortably seated on the engawa, a cup of tea in his hands, Hasebe arguing in a strangely panicked way with them.

"A problem? " he asked as he approached, intrigued.

"Yamabushi went to train in the mountains, and he involved a lot of people with him! " exclaimed Heshikiri, panicked.

Raising an eyebrow, the Saniwa crossed his arms, leaning against a pillar, puzzled.

"When you say, a lot of people, do you mean Doudanuki and Tonbokiri? Because I don't doubt that, knowing them, they'll manage very well to survive the most excessive exercises that could propose Yamabushi... "

"Doudanuki is part of the group, but apparently it's Kashuu-san, Nikkari-san and Juzumaru-san that are with him. " indicated the Toushirou with a worried pout.

"Huh? "

Suddenly opening his eyes, the Sage straightened himself in a quick gesture, taking in the information slowly.

"What?! " he said with dread, his limbs freezing as he imagined in which state he would find his Toudan when they would return. "But how long have they been gone?! "

"It must be a good twenty minutes now. " the green-haired Tachi replied, this time really worried.

"And do we know exactly where? " enquired the boy, watching the rocky peaks in the distance.

"Yamabushi-san did not specify it. " Hirano related, lowering his head. "Is it so bad? "

"Worse than that! " the Uchigatana and his master exclaimed in a single voice with dismay.

"Then, hopefully, everything will be fine for Kashuu-san and the others... " Uguisumaru decreed, looking up at the mountains as well.

Yes, that's it... Let's pray the Gods that they don't end up at the bottom of a ravine... or worse, that they get lost on the road... thought the Saniwa, biting his lip, worried.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Shining through the white cotton clouds, the star of the day was shining in the immensity of the early afternoon sky, dazzling the field with its imperial yellow rays and bathing the entire room with small circles of vaporous light that was reflecting through the rice paper of the shōji.

Resting his brush wearily, the Sage leaned on his hands and tilted back slightly whilst staring at the ceiling. Even though he had immersed himself in his reports relentlessly, he could not get out of his mind Yamabushi's training session, nor even the Awataguchi's excursion; both worrying him more than anything else.

"Aruji? "

"Hmm? "

Looking down at the Touken Danshi who had just called him, he tried to smile softly and, going back to work, enquired with indifference:

"What is it, Yamanbagiri? "

"Are you all right? " asked the Uchigatana, stopping to sort the papers he had in front of him to focus on the cherry-haired boy.

"Yes, I just hope the excursion goes well. "

And that your brother doesn't go too hard on the others...

"It may be difficult for some, but I'm sure Ichigo can take care of them. "

Raising back a dumbfounded gaze towards his Toudan, the boy stopped abruptly in his task, the memories of the discussion he had had with the Tachi the night of his invocation coming back in his mind.

" "It's an ally..." declared the boy, closing his eyelids a few moments before calmly opening them again on the ten thousand leaf cherry tree.

"What do you mean? "

"Time. Even if it doesn't seem obvious at first sight, time allows to face anything, and heal even the deepest wounds. You just have to be patient. " he continued to tell, offering a soft look to his Toudan. "One day, perhaps, even the flames of this night will mean nothing anymore to you... " "

It was true that he had placed his trust in Ichigo, without any fear that he might one day betray him. Besides, there was no reason for any of them to do so. He just had to let things go at their own pace. Yes, with time, all this suffering would have no more importance.

It was with this reasoning in mind that he let Yasusada left, and it was with it that he counted on the Toushirou brothers to succeed in their mission and return safely to the citadel.

"You're right. I can't wait to see what they will bring back! "

"Yes… "

Observing the Sage picking up his brush with new assurance, Yamanbagiri let a slight smile blossom on his lips, and, taking again the papers that he had in his hands, began to sort them with efficiency, happy to have managed to reassure his master.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Several giggles resounded in harmony with his own, and he leaned over the table, incurring the reproaches of his Toudan as he tried to give the right directions to the Tantou in front of him.

"Aruji, what are you trying to do?! "

"If you continue like this, you'll lose! "

"Aaaah, master is so mean! "

"Don't listen to them, Akita. " he chuckled, offering a false glare at his swords to tell them to shut up. "You're doing very well. "

"Y-Yes! " replied the pink-haired Toushirou, intimidated.

"Huh?! Not even true! "

"Akita, the master really wants you to lose! "

"He tells only nonsense! "

"He's a bad partner! "

"But what are you doing? "

Turning around with surprise toward the person who had just spoken these words, the group smiled kindly at the Tachi who was standing at the entrance of the room, imitating the Saniwa who gently tapped the Awataguchi's shoulder by his side, the latter quickly removing the blindfold he had on the eyes, thus signifying the end of the game.

"Tsurumaru-san! We play a game of Fukuwarai. " exclaimed Midare with excitation, still galvanised by the atmosphere of the game.

"W-We can play together if you want. " Gokotai added a little more calmly, holding back most of his tigers in his arms to prevent them from doing any damage.

"Hooo, I hadn't heard about this game for a long time! " Kuninaga declared, eyes wide. "Akita, your face is very successful! "

"Everyone wanted me to believe that the master's guidance was wrong, but I know that the master is too kind to do that. " timidly whispered the Tantou, his lips however stretched in a soft smile.

"That's the aim of the game, no? " laughed Imanotsurugi, raising his hands in the air innocently.

Replacing on the side of the table the cut papers on which were drawn twisted eyebrows, a misshapen nose, eyes of different colours and a disproportionate mouth, to leave only a large white head without any features on the middle, the Sage stood up and held out a hand towards the place he occupied a second before.

"Player or partner? "

"Aruji, aren't you playing anymore? "

"I promised Ichigo to take care of his brothers in his absence. So we decided all together to play a game. But now, it seems that there is a problem that requires my attention. " the boy related, pointing a finger at the floor near the half-open shōji, pushing Tsurumaru to turn around in surprise.

"Ryonosuke! "

"Sorry to disturb you. " said the kitsune with a pink scarf. "Saniwa-sama, there has been... hmm... an incident. "

"I'm coming right away. " the Sage revealed, nodding before stopping on the threshold, addressing the Tachi a final request. "Would you like to take my place until I return? "

"Of course. "

Slowly moving away after closing the door behind him, he frowned, seriously concerned, and walking in the animal's wake, questioned:

"What's the situation? "

Xxxxxxxxxx

"And you say that you found him fainted in front of the castle? "

"Yes... He must have mixed the machine controls and made a mistake whilst trying to join us. "

Sighing slightly and looking up at his sword, the Saniwa gently placed a hand against the forehead of the Wakizashi who was lying in front of him, pushing away the unruly locks that had come to stick against it before standing up again and dusting his clothes, offering a sweet smile to the other Touken Danshi present in the room with him.

"Ichigo and the rest of the team shouldn't be long in coming back, in the meantime, I'll warn the others. Will you be fine without me? "

"Yes... " Namazuo murmured, his voice strangled with worry.

"Don't worry. " the Sage revealed, stroking the hair of the second Wakizashi to reassure him. "He only lost consciousness, probably because of the shock. He'll wake up soon. "

"Okay… "

Tilting his head to one side and grabbing the panel of the door, he took one last look at the two Toushirou before going out, closing the shōji behind him and leaning against it, sighing a little harder.

"Is he all right? "

Turning to the hairball on his right, the boy crouched down to catch him between his arms, his fingers making his way through his fur as he got up, walking back to the outer courtyard in front of the time clock to wait for the team on the excursion.

"I don't know, Ryonosuke... Sometimes I wonder if I don't ask too much of them... " he said, tightening his grip on the animal as if he feared something would happen to him.

"I don't think that's the case, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way. " the kitsune sadly replied, coming to flatten his muzzle against the Saniwa's arm.

"Time will tell us… "

Xxxxxxxxxx

Stopping at the threshold of the torii, the Saniwa raised its golden pupils towards the dark sky of that night. In this heap black like ink that even the glittering light of the stars couldn't filter, he was waiting patiently for the return of his blessed swords.

Somewhere in the very heart of the metropolis of Osaka, the Awataguchi, went to recover one of theirs, must be facing the exact same picture. A picture bathed by the flames of the castle in ruins, collapsing into billions of pieces under the grey and dense smoke that must be rising above the sky in a macabre slowness... And if the decision not to warn anyone, to let the Toushirou settle that matter between them, had seemed a better idea at that moment, the sudden appearance of the Kebiishi he had felt earlier had only raised more doubts in him.

Not to mention the group left in a training session in the mountains which was still not coming back. Damn it! They will all end up driving him crazy!

Yamabushi's unmistakable laughter resonating in the distance reached his ears and he lowered his head with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest as he exclaimed with annoyance once they were within sight:

"There you are! I was worried sick! "

"Oh, Aruji! Sorry, it seems that we got lost on our way back! " Nikkari said with a contrite smile as he crossed the entrance with the others.

"That's an understatement... haha... " Kiyomitsu added wearily, the fatigue clearly flagrant on his features.

"Ka Ka Ka! That too is a way of the Buddha! "

Raising an eyebrow at these words, the boy half-turned toward the turquoise-haired Tachi, watching him with detachment.

Buddha is the last one who would have wanted you to get lost in the forest at the risk of dying...

"As long as you find a way back, I don't care about the path you take... " he ended up saying with a smile, finally reassured.

Crouching on his knees as he leaned all his weight against his travel bag put on the ground, Kashuu closed his eyes, half-asleep, and exclaimed with exasperation:

"Aaah... whatever, I just want to go to bed... "

Hearing again the usual complaints of the Uchigatana with red-painted nails relieved him more than he could tell and, giggling with amusement as he reached out to help him get up, he declared in a more calm tone:

"You worked well today. I'm proud of you! "

Joy suddenly coming to light their exhausted faces, the members of the group shared a fulfilled smile, the words of the Sage touching them deeply.

"I think we should go to the baths, to avoid stiffness... " Kiyomitsu suggested, putting up his bag back on his shoulders.

"Yes, taking a bath will do us good. My deepest apologies for distressing you, Aruji. "

"It's all fine, Juzumaru-san. "

And as if the sky itself had felt relieved by the return of his Toudan, one by one, the stars were coming to pierce the heavenly ink of their silver rays, shining more brilliantly than a dozen of diamonds.

Sighing one last time, the Saniwa turned away from this show, taking the opposite path of his Touken Danshi and heading towards the forge. While waiting for the return of the Toushirou, he could always take care of the new swords he was about to summon.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Remonstrances were heard more and more across the estate, and he tilted his head, laughing slightly. His attendant was really keeping a weather-eye open.

"Aaah, but why?! "

"That's enough, Hasebe. "

Turning abruptly, the light-brown-haired Uchigatana frowned as he watched, intrigued, the boy move toward him.

"Aruji. "

"Aruji... " Ichigo's anxious voice murmured like an echo.

"Fortunately, you're safe. " the Sage simply related as he stood in front of the six brothers.

"Aruji, I... " tried to explain the Wakizashi with lavender-coloured eyes before being interrupted by his master.

"How idiot you can be... " he said, crouching down in front of his Toudan, his lips pursed under the annoyance despite the calm air he was wearing.

"Huh? " Honebami wondered, taken aback.

"I really don't know where you got this stupid idea that you have no more memories... "

Observing his sword blink several times under the incomprehension, the Saniwa smiled softly and, settling more comfortably on his laps, pointed a finger in the centre of the chest of the latter, disclosing with aplomb:

"After all, the real memory is the one that your heart holds. "

"My heart? " repeated the Wakizashi, even more confused, his brothers, nearby, listening attentively.

"All the most important things in your memory are right here, deep in your soul. Each of your memories is linked to a feeling, an emotion that is etched in you forever. That you end up burned by the flames or drowned under the water, doesn't change anything. These feelings will be part of you no matter what your fate is. "

"I… "

"There is nothing in this world that can tarnish the memories of your heart. Your soul cannot forget. What makes you live, what gives you life, are your feelings, including those that you hide deep within yourself. "

Eyes widening with surprise, the Awataguchi brothers ended up smiling kindly as animated by new willpower.

"Aruji! " Midare and Atsushi shouted together, their eyes glowing with happiness.

"I've never seen things this way... " Honebami whispered, lost in his thoughts.

"You may not see it, but I know better than anyone that you don't act much differently today than the you from before the incident. "

"Really? "

"Of course. Your feelings have not changed since all these centuries. Honebami, you're still the same... "

His look softening a little more, the boy plunged his hand into the hair of the second Wakizashi, tousling them carelessly as he stated:

"And that goes for both of you too, all right? "

"Yes! " Namazuo and Ichigo both exclaimed, rejoiced.

"Now it's time to go to sleep, so join the others at the hot springs and go back to bed quickly. "

"Others? " Yagen asked, puzzled.

"Yes, you're not the only ones who have run straight to the unknown today. "

And I was right when thinking they were going to get lost on their way back...

Sighing tiredly, Hasebe, who had withdrawn during the Sage's speech, finally rejoined him in the middle of the courtyard, worried about his lack of reaction as the Toushirou hurriedly took the direction of the baths.

"Say, Hasebe... " the Saniwa suddenly asked as his attendant approached. "You certainly have memories that you'd like to forget sometimes, right? "

"I guess, yes... " the Uchigatana simply replied with a shrug.

"The Touken Danshi aren't the only ones, you know. Humans too would like to forget certain moments of their lives... Me too... "

"Master too? "

"Yes. Some of my memories, moments of my past to people I knew, everything that is linked to sadness, anger or disappointment in my memory... I sometimes wish to forget them more than anything in the world... "

"... ".

"But you know, if it ever happens, then I wouldn't be exactly the same either. "

"Hmm? "

"I certainly wouldn't be the person I am today. After all, it's the experiences of the past that make us grow, they quieten us down... Human beings or Tsukumogami, it has no importance, we all are forged in the same way, don't you think? "

"Yes… "

Smiling with sadness, Heshikiri nodded gently at his master's words, preferring to retreat into silence as they gazed together at the sky becoming brighter and brighter, dawn slowly making its appearance after the lightning visit of shooting stars realising even the most secret wishes...

Endnote:

Fukuwarai: or in English, "Lucky Laugh", is a Japanese game usually played around the Lunar New Year. The game is played by children, but adults may play also. The game is similar to that of Pin the Tail on the Donkey except for being performed on a table. The players of Fukuwarai put parts of the face (such as the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth) onto a blank face while being blindfolded. They can be helped by a second player who will guide them.