Miryu watched Algren, Gant and Graham entering the parade grounds in the Imperial Army's training facility with General Hasegawa, a seasoned warrior and soldier, who fought beside Miryu in the Bakamatsu, as one of her superiors and comrades in those dark days, and smiled. The conscripts did not stand a chance against what Algren had in store of them, she was sure. "Tsubasa-san, I have received word that you have been reassigned by the Emperor?" Hasegawa asked Miryu with a raised eyebrow. He had known this woman ever since she was a chirpy, ever-happy fifteen year-old assassin, and knew of the close relationship she came to have with the young Emperor Meiji. It was something that came to him as special, yet totally disregarding the ancient traditions of their people, but it was what the Emperor had wanted, a bodyguard, as young as he was, to be involved with him as a friend, if she wished not to be an Empress.
Looking at her old friend (no pun intended), she replied, "His Majesty has mercifully granted my freedom from the courts, Hasegawa-san," Her voice, it was filled with a simple joy that Hasegawa always knew would be in her. It was what made her, well, Tsubasa Miryu. "I am to protect the American instead, and I am also free to marry, according to the Emperor, of course." The General smiled. Men had always the strangest relationships with her, and the Emperor of Japan was not one who was able to escape from that fact. Most of her comrades in the Ishin-Ishishi looked upon her like their own daughter and younger sister, while those in closest proximity to her in age and in mind look upon her like a great friend, and not as a potential lover… Would it be so hard if she was to be a conventional woman for a moment?
She diverted her attention to the conscripts and tried to suppress a little chuckle. They were afraid, of course, what with the news of rebellion that Katsumoto Mori would instigate sooner or later, with the new so-called superior Western-training techniques that Algren would have brought. "Hasegawa-san, do you think that these boys can hold out on their own anytime soon?" she asked while Algren, Gant and Graham disembarked from their rickshaw. Hasegawa's answer was only a small, subtle snort, an answer that Miryu knew very well.
When Algren set his eyes on Miryu once again, he was more than surprised, dreadfully close to gawking at her to see her in her own personalized version of the Imperial Army's uniform, her long, straight hair braided and tied into an elegant bun, to keep it from obstructing her view. It was strange to see a woman in uniform, and stranger still to see a woman carry a katana as proudly as any man, along with a pair of whips attached to either side of her belt. She was also wearing leather boots with a slight heel, a complete turn from her more demure semblance in a traditional kimono as he had seen her in… He could have sworn that she gave him a slight smile when she turned towards him, walking next to a man with white hair and a white moustache, no doubt another soldier who had seen his fair share of battles and war.
"Gentlemen, may I present General Hasegawa," Graham said, while Miryu took her place next to Gant, as Algren's formal bodyguard. "He will assist you in the training the Imperial Army," The sight that followed next was ultimately one of awkwardness, as cultures clashed literally, with Algren offering his hand in a hand-shake, and Hasegawa bowing. It was not long before Miryu took the liberty of whispering into Algren's ear that the Japanese greeted one another by bowing did alterations to their greetings were made, and both men were properly introduced to one another. Hasegawa then told Algren that he greets the American with utmost courtesy, and invites him to look at the Imperial Army, translated by Graham, of course.
Gant then took the opportunity of their walking towards a platform which oversaw almost every single part of the training grounds to sneak a few words with Miryu. "So, Miss Tsubasa, why is it that you are surrounded by all those old, musty military men?" he asked her, with a brief nod towards Hasegawa's general direction. "Shouldn't you be in tea-houses with chaperones looking out for prospective husbands?" Naturally, he knew from Gant that she was no ordinary Japanese woman, but he would very much like to poke a little fun at her, to lighten the stiff mood of the military.
Miryu chuckled, and swatted his arm. "And look who is talking, Mr. Gant?" she asked in return with a mischievous smile, giving Gant a little mirror she retrieved from her pocket so that he could see his own graying hair. "I fought side by side men like Hasegawa more than a decade ago, they are like my fathers, uncles and brothers all rolled into one, so that is why, I still surround myself with them. Apart from my martial art's teacher who raised me, I have no one else." Defeated, Gant decided to leave the teasing for later, both joining Algren in his inspection of the soldiers in the training grounds.
The soldiers were all wearing uniforms too large for their own bodies, making them look too baggy, while the expressions of their faces were that of uncertainty and a little hint of fear. These were not what soldiers were meant to look like, and were far from Algren's expectations. Even the soldiers who received the poorest training in America could do better than they did, or so he thought. Hasegawa cleared his throat and asked for Algren's forgiveness, explaining that the new conscripts were mere peasants who held little responsibility or power. And when asked what training did the soldiers received, Hasegawa replied that they have trained the soldiers enough not to shoot their asses off. The look on the general's face was wry, and Algren sighed. What had he gotten himself into?
"May I interrupt, Algren?" Miryu asked, her sapphire eyes coming into direct contact with that of Algren's. "These mere boys will need more than just authority to be trained. They would need reinforcement on who is the boss, and be beaten into shape with a strong mallet."