Nagakura was one dropped jaw among many. "So . . . what just happened?"

In his best dad voice, however with a nervous laugh, Isami said, "I'm sure that's quite enough excitement for now. You all are dismissed."

"But Kondō-san—"

"It's lunchtime. Go eat, Shinpachi-kun."

"Just gonna keep leaving us out of the loop, okay."

"Shinpachi," warned Harada.

"What the hell, Sano." He frowned pointedly before stalking off, leaving Harada to sigh unhappily. Tōshirō made a mental note that something was going on there.

"Where's everyone else?" asked Kondō-san.

Isami looked up. "Hmmm?" He was standing with his hands at his hips, mouth pressed closed as though he had clearly heard and understood the question and rather wished to strike it from reality.

"There weren't enough captains here," Tōshirō pressed, sensing shenanigans. "There should be ten and some officials, right?"

"Otherwise occupied," Harada shrugged. "The night patrol's been brutal lately. Even Souji wouldn't be so cruel as to wake them."

Sougo made a nasal sound of comprehension, seeming satisfied. "So he's an S, too."

"A what?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned with, danna."

"It's everything for you to be concerned with," Tōshirō insisted. He wasn't really finished with the matter of the other captains' whereabouts—Harada's answer was good but Isami's reaction was just too suspicious—but he let it go for the time being. "Souji shouldn't know that word yet. Just keep them apart and you might be safe."

"Whether you know the word or not, you can have sadism in your heart."

"You know what, Sougo, you're right. It'd be better to eliminate all men named Okita outright."

"Fukuchou." Toshizō started; the quiet man had simply appeared behind his shoulder—so quiet that his vowels were barely audible, the word coming out more like a whisper of voiceless consonants than a real utterance. "I urge you to make time to confer with—"

"Oh, you'll get your conference, just—fuck, just be patient, okay?"

"Sir."

"Wait for me in the common room."

"Sir."

Tōshirō watched as he gracefully turned on his heel, despite Toshizō's harsh tone. "He's not related to shinobi-noby boy, is he?" he asked, mouth bunched conspiratorially to one side.

"No. Will I regret asking why?"

"They seem alike somehow. That guy a ninja too?"

"Neither of them are ninja."

"Whatever. Maybe just a plain old spy, then."

Must have hit the mark on that one, if Toshizō's clenching fists were any indication. "Gods you piss me off."

"I share the sentiment."

"Harada," the man growled. The remaining few captains promptly evacuated, and Tōshirō had to hold back a snort. Pretty familiar sight, from his perspective.

"Hijikata-san?"

"Take a break."

"From what, exactly?"

"From—this. Souji's—hell knows where, so you might as well have some time too."

"And leave only you and Kondō-san alone with this barrel of laughs? I don't think so."

"Take Sagaru with you."

Harada grimaced. "I'm not really taking a break, am I?"

"I just need somebody out of my face, and you're the best option I can afford."

"Why me?" Yamazaki asked carefully.

"He trusts you the most," said Tōshirō; he shrugged upon receipt of a how the fuck do you figure look from Toshizō. "It's okay, Yamazaki, I trust Harada too. You guys'll be fine."

He still seemed unsure. "Chin up," said Harada. "Let's get some dango, eh?"

With an unvoiced protest on his lips, Kondō-san watched Harada drag Yamazaki off by the arm, muttering appeasements about stress and sour moods and fukuchou's time of the month; Tōshirō could claim trust in Harada until the end of time, but it wouldn't erase the chief's concern for his young subordinate. Admittedly Tōshirō didn't like being separated either, but here, Toshizō's command was law. That was just like home, too.

"Hijikata-san."

Sougo's voice was low beneath the cover of Nagakura's belligerent arguing (he'd returned to air some complaints after seeing Harada and Yamazaki in the halls together), so soft that he might not have heard it, had he not been hearing that voice for years. Tōshirō hummed discreetly; I'm listening.

"Something's wrong."

His eyelids tensed just enough to say, No shit.

"I shouldn't have won."

A held breath: What?

Sougo shook his head. "Let's talk."

/ / / / /

Toshizō rarely felt the urge to drink, but the urge today was raging.

After more half-empty promises to Saitō, he left the three remaining captives with him and Shimada. Toshizō's crew was stretched thin as it was, but luckily the two available for guard duty were the most likely to keep their mouths shut. Shimada's brute size and Saitō's unsettling placidity were likely to intimidate the captives—or at least intrigue them—away from taking action while Toshizō snatched a much-needed opportunity for discussion with his peers. He dragged Kondō-san to Souji's room, where he was currently being fussed at by Yamazaki.

Toshizō tossed Souji's sword at his feet, bouncing a time or two across the tatami.

"Thank goodness you're here, Hijikata-san," he said flatly. "Oh my. Didn't think I'd ever have a use for that sentence."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Okita-san—"

"Thank you, Yamazaki-kun," said Toshizō, "but I feel you're just wasting your breath."

"Damn straight."

Souji was simultaneously fighting off Yamazaki's attempts at first aid and changing into a fresh hakamashita. He was looking so thin these days. It was possible to recover from this illness, but you had to fucking try to take care of yourself. Was it really alright to let him continue living here? Was solidarity, so-called honor, more important than his health?

These weren't new concerns for Toshizō; normally they rolled around in his head so incessantly, he was sure that if he took them out they'd shine like polished stones. (Oi . . . that's pretty good. I'll have to write that one down.) But thanks to the tama debacle, Toshizō had been able for a time to push away his worries for Souji. Now, the sight of his pale, slim body brought them all flooding back at once.

"Toshi—we still haven't heard about the interviews."

He blinked back into present concerns. "Yes. We were . . . distracted."

"Well excuse me, Hijikata-san. I thought it would be cleanest to attack our problems head-on, you see?"

"Clean? You made a goddamn mess of things, Souji." In the corner of his eye, a small shadow was quietly slipping toward the exit. "Oi."

Yamazaki paused midstep, an animal of prey remaining still to avoid being spotted.

"Yes, you. Just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm quite certain I don't wish to be involved, sir."

"Tough shit. Sit down."

He sighed dejectedly before taking his seat among them. "Hit me."

"We ran into our four 'guests' last night in town. They believe that they are officers of the Shinsengumi, and claim to have the same family names as the four of us sitting here."

"Not their given names?"

"That's a long story, but no, those are slightly different."

"And you spent the morning interviewing them. With what results?"

"Ah . . . inconclusive results."

"Ehh?" Souji pinched his chin. "This is interesting. No inclinations either way?"

"I'm inclined to . . . not . . . disbelieve them."

"What the hell's that mean?"

"It doesn't mean I believe their story."

"And what is their story, if not that we're the fakes."

"Well—one of them gave me the stink eye for forty-five minutes, and another alternately wept, plead innocence, and begged clemency for his men in exchange for his own life."

"Sounds about right."

"For something more constructive—uh. As Tōshirō puts it, they. . . ." He rolled his eyes and sighed. I can't believe he's making me repeat this dumb shit. "They may have come from another 'universe'."

"Again, what the hell does that mean."

"Fuck should I know? But I've seen liars, and either he's a really good one, or he's telling the truth to the best of his ability."

"Do they seem infirm?" asked Yamazaki.

Kondō-san shook his head. "On the contrary, they're quite sharp."

"So they're actively liars and cheats and we should have ended them immediately, like I said in the first place."

"Okita-san. . . ."

"What? You weren't there, Yamazaki, they do have the sword skills of Shinsengumi captains."

"And yet we haven't heard of such men previously?"

"Correct," said Toshizō. "Nor do we recognize their faces."

"So they're good swordsmen who aren't from around here and can tell a pretty story. Big deal."

"Souji, please try to take this seriously."

"I am. They're a threat, they piss me off, and I want them gone. That's all there is to it. I also think it was reckless of you to send that kid off with Sano-san, we don't know enough about their abilities yet. Just because he says he's Yamazaki doesn't mean he doesn't have Okita-level skill with a katana."

"I, for once, agree with Okita-san."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, there, friend."

Yamazaki was sitting with his arms crossed, face drawn in intense thought. "What are their names?"

"Tōshirō, Sougo. Isao, and Sagaru."

He frowned warily, screwing up one brow. "It sounds like a prank."

Toshizō snorted. "If only it were."

"You don't think it is?"

"Rather elaborate for a prank. Souji challenged Sougo and lost, does that sound like a fucking joke to you?"

Yamazaki's eyes went wide. "Is that what happened to your face, Okita-san?" Souji turned up his nose; the loss was still too fresh for discussion.

"There's the more pressing matter of where to board them," said Kondō-san uneasily.

Toshizō shook his head. "I don't really care who goes where, I just don't want them all together."

"I want Sougo," said Souji.

"Alright, so I definitely care who goes where. I also don't want to involve any more people than necessary."

"Yet so eager to drag me into things."

"Hush, Yamazaki."

Kondō rubbed his chin. "So putting them all in one room with one guard is off the table?"

"If so, none of us get a break," said Souji.

"Only at night. There are more eyes to spare during the day, so we'll get some peace from them during the waking hours. If Yamazaki is unwilling t—"

"Nope."

"Okay, that unfortunately leaves only three of us to babysit four men."

"Hijikata-san," Souji whispered loudly. "You're forgetting someone."

"You'll not be involved."

"Come again? You're going to complain about manpower with one side of your mouth—"

"We don't need you causing any more friction with them, nor do we need one of them in your private quarters."

"I agree," said Yamazaki, "you need as much isolation and rest as can be managed."

"But Hijik—"

"Denied, Souji. I think Isao and Sagaru are our best bet for doubling up," he said, stanching further rebuttal. "Tōshirō is too smart and Sougo is too unpredictable, it's dangerous to give either of them the advantage of a partner."

"That's reasonable," said Kondō. "But most troublesome is Sougo. Where do you want him, Toshi?"

"With me, honestly, but put him with Sanosuke. I don't trust Tōshirō with anyone but myself. I find him more troublesome."

"Wait, wait," Souji said, "this makes no sense. Sano-san's the weakest swordsman of us all, you want to put him in charge of the one that stopped our strongest?"

"It makes fine sense, they've already admitted to trusting him. They'll have little reason to rebel against him."

"Or all the reason, if they figure out he's shite with a sword and want to take a chance to escape."

"And go where?"

"Back to whatever hole-in-the-wall dōjō they came from."

"That teaches Tennen Rishin?"

"Isao-san would've had to be a long-term student, as thoroughly as he knows the style," Kondō-san countered. "Meaning I would've had to teach him, or at least meet him, at some point. And I didn't."

"I don't believe this." Souji shook his head several times. "You two actually believe them, don't you?" Kondō stared at the floor.

"The more we talk about it," said Toshizō, "the more it seems to check out."

"With all due respect, fukuchou, you're a fucking idiot."

"It seems to check out. I'm not letting my guard down. That's why we're having these discussions at all."

"Nah, I'm done here." With that he disappeared from the room, leaving Yamazaki to grouse about medical duties and Toshizō squeezing his temples.

"I'll have Shimada pursue the ryū angle. It's always possible that students of former Shiei masters established pockets of Tennen Rishin that we don't know about."

"Allow me," said Yamazaki. "Shimada knows less about the situation, and it's only fair for the inspector to be fully disclosed."

"He's already in the room guarding them, who knows what poison they're pouring in his ears. It might even be abusive to leave him in the dark after exposing him to those fools. Besides, you're far too busy here."

Kondō-san frowned uncertainly. "If you think it's worth it to put a man on that job, I can't argue."

"You disagree?"

"Not exactly. I just have a feeling it won't yield any results."

"It will yield results. Either we confirm that they came from some other dōjō, or we don't. That's all we're looking for."

"What if those remaining at this supposed other dōjō know not to say anything?" Yamazaki asked.

"With the Shinsengumi lurking about? All the more reason to talk."

"Or all the more reason to keep their mouths shut, especially with equally-skilled swordsmen on their side."

"Would you people quit arguing with me? I know it's not perfect, I'm not banking on this thing. I just want to know what's out there."

"But what will this even tell us in the end?" asked Kondō.

Ah, that's the real kicker. "We'll see, when the end comes."