Chapter Text
“...So you’ve arrived.”
Izuminokami almost jumped out of his skin as the voice came seemingly from nowhere, and judging by the reactions of the other members of his team, they had been caught by surprise too.
The figure that came out of the shadows - almost having materialised out of them - was easily recognisable: the person who had spoken to the Citadel’s inhabitants through the video call. It was a young man, almost a boy, really: ragged brown clothing on a lithe body, dark hair with a splash of blood-red on one side, and a scarf covering his face which he was now reaching up to tug down and—
“I’m Hizen Tadahiro. I’m supervising this investigation under orders from the government...”
“Ohh, Hizen Tadahiro?!” Next to Izuminokami, Mutsunokami sounded joyous; he practically pushed past Izuminokami, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry at him, seeing how his eyes glowed with happiness. “So ya’ve finally manifested, huh?”
To Izuminokami’s surprise, Hizen scowled. He had a pretty sort of face, really, if not for how annoyed he looked. “Ah? ...Tch. It’s you, huh...Mutsunokami.”
Izuminokami’s eyes narrowed - why the hell was he so rude? - but Mutsunokami didn’t seem deterred. “Why wouldn’t ya let me see your face until now, huh? Ya know who I am, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
““Friends”, my ass. Shut the hell up, and get lost.”
Izuminokami exchanged a glance with Horikawa, who shrugged helplessly. Behind him, Taroutachi’s eyes were wide with surprise, and Ishikirimaru was scrutinising Hizen with a strange look, as if trying to see something past him. Hizen didn’t seem to notice though, and was still glaring at Mutsunokami, who only chuckled. “Yer a prickly one, aren’t ya?”
Hizen opened his mouth, and Izuminokami stepped forward quickly before he could reply. “Wait, hold up. Yu—Mutsunokami, you know this guy?”
“Well, yeah!” Mutsunokami beamed. “We grew up together, after all - Hizen and I were both Ryouma’s heirlooms!”
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. It was clear that none of them were too well-versed in Ryouma’s, let alone Tosa, history, and that this was new information to all of them - especially Izuminokami, whose mouth was open as he stared between a grinning Mutsunokami and a disgruntled Hizen.
“Sakamoto Ryouma’s...heirloom?” Horikawa echoed.
“Yeah! We’re—”
“Are you done jabbering?” Hizen interrupted. His voice was so rough that the smile slid off Mutsunokami’s face. “Can I finish what I was saying, or are you going to keep talking?”
When no one answered, Hizen glanced at Izuminokami. “Can I talk now?”
Izuminokami crossed his arms over his chest, and Hizen seemed to take it as an indication that he could continue. “As you all know already, this is Bunkyuu Tosa domain. However, unlike in the correct timeline of events in history, the Tosa Kinnoutou is ruling by fear instead. Your task is to find the central figure behind this and divert history back to its correct path. But first, in order to accomplish that goal, you’ll need more manpower from here on out.”
Nobody spoke. Hizen glanced around at them, the scowl still on his face. “What are you all spacing out for? Come on, let’s go!”
He turned away, and quickly the others followed - except Izuminokami, who grabbed Mutsunokami’s arm to hold him back, only giving Horikawa a quick nod to let him know they’d be there soon.
“Yuki, what the hell? You’ve never said anything about this guy. And why’s he being a jerk to you?”
Mutsunokami looked uncomfortable. “Well, it just...never came up, ya know? Master’s sorties and expeditions, none of them are to Tosa. And I’m the only Tosa sword in the Citadel, so I never thought...and Hizen, his sword was lost...”
“Lost swords can be tsukumogami, too,” Izuminokami insisted. “It’s not a reason. Something happened between you two. Why did you never talk about him? Is it why he hates you?”
Mutsunokami looked away. “...I don’t wanna talk about this right now. Can this wait till later?”
He looked so miserable that Izuminokami sighed. He pulled Mutsunokami into a hug and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. “Alright, if that’s what you want. I will fight him if he keeps on being rude to you, though.”
Mutsunokami smiled a little, though he still looked sad. “You can’t fight a government inspector, Kanesada.”
“Why not? I’ve fought Chougi before.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no? Oi, come back! I did fight him, and I won, didn’t I? Hey, Yuki, are you listening to me?”
Hizen joined their team to fight the Time Retrograde Army units that they encountered, completing their formation to six members, and making Izuminokami understand why they had to be deployed in a formation of five to begin with.
They fought their way through the enemy units, their progress slow but gradual day by day. According to Hizen, they were searching for a “sensei” in the Kochi castle town, someone that Mutsunokami seemed to know, too - a quick conversation with him revealed that it could be a Nankaitarou Chouson, but other than that he didn’t seem keen on saying any more about him until they found him: Izuminokami guessed that Mutsunokami may be afraid of what he could be like, too.
He couldn’t get any information about Hizen or Nankaitarou on his own - Konnosuke’s information database only extended to the information that the government had released to them at the moment, and further research would be back at the Citadel’s library that they could only access after they completed their mission here in Tosa. Mutsunokami clearly knew, obviously, but he wasn’t talking and Izuminokami respected his decision to only discuss it when he was ready to do so.
It didn’t stop Izuminokami from being disgruntled about it, though - Hizen continued being short with everyone who spoke to him, and quickly everyone seemed to realise it was easier to simply listen to whatever orders he had from the government and follow them: except for Mutsunokami, who was still trying to talk to him.
“Hey, by “sensei”, do you mean that one person that we know—?”
“Can you stop jabbering at every little thing? I’m going to leave you behind.”
“Still as prickly as ever…”
Izuminokami didn’t like it. No, he hated it. He hated how Mutsunokami was spending much more time trying to talk to Hizen than by Izuminokami’s side - yes, he was jealous, so what? - but more than that he hated how coldly Hizen was treating Mutsunokami. Despite Izuminokami’s agreement that he wouldn’t force Mutsunokami to say anything about their past until he was ready, it was really eating at him: what had happened between them that their relationship was like this? If they were both heirlooms of the Sakamoto clan, it made them childhood friends, if not practically brothers - and brothers didn’t treat each other like this. There was more going on and Izuminokami was itching to find out.
But first he wanted to deal with Hizen. As captain of the team that was deployed here, Izuminokami felt like he had a responsibility to keep everyone as cooperative as possible, and besides, he felt like he needed to stand up for Mutsunokami, being his boyfriend and all. Not that Hizen needed to know that, of course.
He waited until Mutsunokami had wandered off to scout ahead with Horikawa, and approached Hizen on his own, shoulders back and head held high to show that he meant business. “Hizen. Can I have a word?”
The wakizashi looked up at him from where he was polishing his blade across his lap, and his expression darkened. “What do you want?”
The nerve of him. “Look, we all fight for the same cause, for our master, whether we’re brothers or partners or enemies in the past. We’re all allies here now. And you’re being a jerk to Yu—Mutsunokami.”
“Yuki,” Hizen repeated quietly. He looked back down at his blade to continue polishing it as he spoke. “You keep accidentally calling him that, and changing it. Yuki - for Yoshiyuki. The name that that person gave him. I’ve noticed. I wouldn’t have expected you of all people to call him by such a name. Fraternising with the enemy, I see.”
“I—” The way Hizen said that person like he was spitting out a fish bone gave Izuminokami pause. So it was to do with Ryouma’s history personally. “This isn’t about me and him. This is about you.”
Hizen didn’t seem like he had heard him, or maybe he did, and he just didn’t care. “Well, whether you two have a thing going on or not is none of my business. I don’t want anything to do with that bastard, anyway.”
“What the hell’s he done to you?” Izuminokami demanded, losing his patience. “He’s been nothing but kind to you since you revealed yourself, and you just keep pushing him away. You’re Sakamoto Ryouma’s heirloom, just like him, right? So why are you—”
“Oh, if only.” Hizen gave a hollow laugh. “As I thought - you don’t know anything.” He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard with a decisive movement, and stood up. Even though he was shorter than Izuminokami, and arguably less intimidating, the Shinsengumi sword found himself taking a step back. “I don’t want to ever talk about this ever again - not with you, or anyone else. Just leave me alone.”
He stalked away, calling out to the other swords, including Mutsunokami and Horikawa who had just returned. “We’ve dawdled long enough. Let’s keep moving.”
Hizen sounded as gruff as ever, but Mutsunokami clearly noticed something was wrong, because he gave Izuminokami a concerned look and Izuminokami only shrugged. He didn’t want to admit to deliberately trying to rile Hizen up by mentioning Ryouma’s name. He’d promised not to stick his nose into their business, after all.
He should wait until Mutsunokami was ready to tell him. Even if it took ages to get to that point.
“I’m gonna tell ya what happened.”
Izuminokami choked on his food, almost spitting out rice. He coughed, rubbing his chest as Mutsunokami patted his back, and blinked at him, eyes still watering. “Why—where did this come from? I thought you weren’t ready.”
Mutsunokami sighed and glanced away, and Izuminokami followed his gaze towards Hizen, who sat alone apart from the group. “Probably this time tomorrow, we’ll meet Nankai-sensei. I want you to know before we see him. Whatever Sensei is like...I’d want someone with me to...just be there with me. Just in case...with Hizen being like this...”
Izuminokami supposed that “Nankai-sensei” was Nankaitarou Chouson, the person that Hizen was looking for here and whom Mutsunokami knew. “Nankai-sensei” seemed to be less of a mouthful, anyway. “Okay, I’m all ears.”
Mutsunokami took a deep breath. “Right. So, uh. It all starts with Ryouma. You know about how my history with him started - all those stories about how I was given to him by his sister, or that he begged his older brother to let him have me. Being an heirloom sword and all.”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, I wasn’t the only heirloom sword that the Sakamoto clan had. Hizen was one, too. We basically grew up together, like I said - but things happened, and we separated.”
Izuminokami wasn’t surprised. He’d surmised as much. “What happened?”
“Kohei - Ryouma’s older brother - knew that Ryouma wanted to leave Tosa. It wasn’t allowed back then, to leave your clan like that. And he knew Ryouma would need weapons to go travel, so Kohei took all the weapons he could from Ryouma to stop him from leaving. But Otome - Ryouma’s older sister - she helped Ryouma leave by giving him a sword. She was always the type to spoil him, y’know, she was practically his mother figure rather than a sister. One of the strongest women I’ve ever met...anyway, she gave Ryouma a sword and he left Tosa successfully, though illegally, of course. Kohei had a change of heart and I was given to Ryouma then.”
“Then...the first sword that Sakamoto Otome gave—?”
“Yep. That was Hizen.”
Izuminokami frowned. “So Hizen’s mad at you because Ryouma swapped him out for you after Kohei handed you over and he got stuck back at the house or something? Is that it?”
“No, it’s more complicated than that. After Ryouma got me, he gave Hizen to someone else - someone he grew up with. Ryouma’s childhood friend.” Here Mutsunokami shifted uneasily. “You know his name. Okada Izou.”
“Oka—” Izuminokami’s brow furrowed. “Wait, isn’t that...one of the four assassins of the Bakumatsu? Nagasone-san told me about them once. They’re the reason the Shinsengumi were formed, since there were so many assassins around wreaking havoc in Kyoto, with parties employing killers to get rid of their enemies left and right. Izou’s practically the most famous one of them...you’re telling me he and Ryouma were friends? And Hizen became Izou’s sword?”
“Yeah.” Mutsunokami cast his gaze down. “I think that’s why Hizen acts the way he does towards me. We both started out as heirlooms, priceless first-rate swords...and just out of fate, or favouritism, I don’t know - I was the one who ended up to be Ryouma’s protective talisman, and he was handed over to some uneducated kid just because he was Ryouma’s friend, and became an assassin’s sword. Izou didn’t exactly meet a noble end, either. He was caught and executed for his murders.”
Mutsunokami gestured vaguely towards Hizen. “You see those bandages around Hizen’s neck? I’m sure they’re hiding a scar. Scars on his neck that mirrors how Izou was beheaded...the same as my own scars from when Ryouma was killed.”
Mutsunokami’s hand drifted to the side of his hip, the way it always did whenever he talked about his scar. Izuminokami had seen it before: a mark like gouged-out flesh slashing across the right side of his abdomen.
Izuminokami reached over to take Mutsunokami’s hand, lifting it to press his lips gently to his knuckles. “None of it’s your fault. I’m sure it’s not Ryouma’s fault, either. And the past is in the past. Hizen’s the one who’s not accepting what’s already happened, but maybe you two meeting here like this is—”
“Don’t say it’s fate,” Mutsunokami grumbled.
“—fate,” Izuminokami finished firmly. “You two can make amends with each other.”
“It’s not that easy. Class hierarchy was huge in Tosa. Hizen basically got downgraded from an heirloom sword in a samurai family to...well, the son of a peasant who bought his way into the samurai hierarchy. Not to mention that Izou wasn’t even well-trained in swordsmanship to begin with: he killed cats in his own backyard as practice. And under Takechi Hanpeita’s orders, he moved on to killing people.” Mutsunokami’s fists clenched. “Of course Hizen would be angry. He spent his whole life killing, while I kept my hands clean. It’s only natural he would feel cheated.”
Izuminokami sat back, befuddled. “Okay, so what’s any of this got to do with Nankai-whatever-his-name is? Who’s his master? What happened with him? What’s his deal with you and Hizen?”
Mutsunokami bit his lip. “That’s…”
“Oi, are you two here to chat or to fight?”
Hizen’s shout caused Izuminokami and Mutsunokami to spring apart, and Izuminokami instinctively drew his sword as black mist flooded in from the alleyways, and he felt the reassuring warmth of Mutsunokami’s body against his back.
“Kunihiro, flank me!” Izuminokami yelled, ready to throw himself into the battle: but in a blur of brown, Hizen had dashed past him, faster than Izuminokami had expected, and fallen headlong into the fray.
They had fought together for days, and still, every time there was a battle, Izuminokami couldn’t help but be drawn to the way Hizen fought. He moved as if he had been born to do it, without any wasted movements and every strike true and calculated. Every slash was positioned to kill and decapitate instantly: the style of someone who was used to fighting alone, and to end the fight quickly.
“Kanesada, focus!” Mutsunokami shouted, pulling his gun to fire at the legs of an oncoming uchigatana. The enemy stumbled, falling to its knees, and hurriedly Izuminokami swept his blade down, lobbing off its head in a quick slash.
Thanks to Taroutachi and Ishikirimaru’s large blades, they made quick work of their enemies, though it was clear that it was only the five of them who worked together as a team.
As Izuminokami cut down a flying tantou, he could see Hizen taking on the last of the Time Retrograde Army warriors on his own: sidestepping the strike of a tachi, stabbing his sword through the creature’s neck, and he ducked behind the slack body, using it as a shield as he ran into the uchigatana behind it, practically bowling him over with the weight of the dying tachi.
“Right there!”
The uchigatana jerked - Hizen had thrust his blade through the body of its fallen comrade and into its chest, the point of the sword emerging from its back.
Hizen pulled his sword back, dismissively pushing the bodies to the ground, before wiping the blade on the end of his kimono, smearing the fabric with blood.
Mutsunokami took a step forward as if he was going to say something, but Izuminokami stopped him with an arm across his chest, shaking his head lightly.
Hizen’s action of wiping the blood off his blade was so familiar that it had made something click in Izuminokami’s head, and all of a sudden he understood how to get through to Hizen.
“Will you let me talk to him?” Izuminokami asked quietly. Mutsunokami blinked, looking startled.
“What are ya planning to say?”
Mutsunokami’s hand was tight upon his, and Izuminokami squeezed him back reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I just realised we might not be so different after all.”
That night, after they had eaten dinner and they were settling down at the inn, Izuminokami quietly left their room and made his way up to the top floor of the building. Sure enough, Hizen was there, sitting at the edge of the balcony, one leg dangling over the railing, motionless except for the movement of his fingers playing with the bandages that wound around his neck and draped over his shoulders.
Up here it was quiet, but Hizen didn’t act as though he was aware someone was here, so Izuminokami cleared his throat to let him know it was him.
“Before you tell me to leave you alone again - Mutsunokami told me a little bit about your past. How you were an heirloom, a treasured sword of the Sakamoto clan, but ended up being an assassin’s sword.”
Izuminokami knew he had to be careful of what to say. Clearly Mutsunokami had not yet given him the full story, and he still knew nothing about Nankaitarou, so he was mindful of avoiding that part.
Hizen said nothing, but he had stopped fiddling with the torn ends of his bandages. Izuminokami risked a step closer. “That’s why you’re angry at him, isn’t it? That he never took a life, kept his hands clean, while your blade was always covered in blood? But I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter anymore. Not here.”
“What the hell do you—”
“Whatever you did in your past - whatever happened in any of our pasts - here, in this Citadel, it doesn’t matter,” Izuminokami insisted. “Things are different now. We don’t obey different allegiances, have different loyalties. We all serve the same master. Our history has shaped us, but it doesn’t shape our future here.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hizen began with a snarl, but Izuminokami cut in, “Let me finish. I’ve seen you fight for the past few days. I’ve seen you when you’re in battle. You’re like me. We’re both killers: I killed for Hijikata-san, you killed for Izou. For the Shinsengumi cause, and for the Tosa Kinnoutou’s cause. We’re the same, Hizen. And you don’t see that interfering with me being with Mutsunokami.”
Hizen was quiet. Izuminokami wondered if he was actually getting through to him, and continued quickly, “Killing is in our blood, it’s our nature. Ryouma didn’t know Izou was going to use you to kill when he gave you to him, he gave you to him because he was his best friend. He couldn’t have known. There’s nothing you can do about what our masters used us for, or how we ended up. I’ve been there before, having nothing but sentimentality for the past. No good comes out of dwelling on what can’t be changed.” Izuminokami exhaled slowly. “So don’t. Stop being fixated on what Ryouma did, and make amends with Mutsunokami.”
Still, Hizen said nothing. Izuminokami peered at him, trying to see his expression.
“...You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Izuminokami blinked. “What?”
Hizen stood up and turned to glare at him, his scarlet eyes full of anger. “Don’t lump me in with the likes of you. You think I don’t know who you are?”
Izuminokami frowned. “What do you mean? Of course you know who I am.”
“Oh, I know exactly who you are. I’ve read about you from the government documents. You were sent to Tama from the Battle of Hakodate, kept and treasured for generations. Taken out for display once a year, people from all over Japan flocking to see you. Do you see where I’m getting at, Izuminokami?”
Izuminokami flinched, but Hizen went on ruthlessly, ““We’re the same”? Don’t make me laugh. You’re your master’s legacy - just like that bastard is his master’s legacy. Izuminokami Kanesada, the blade of the great Hijikata Toushizou, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, the sword belonging to Sakamoto Ryouma, the man who brought about Japan’s modern age. Blah blah blah. I’m sick of hearing it all the time.”
“Just because our masters are famous doesn’t mean—”
“Jeez, you still don’t get it? I’m not just talking about fame or popularity. What do you see Izou as, huh? Ryouma’s friend? The owner of Hizen Tadahiro? Tell me.”
He looked so fierce that Izuminokami had to look away. “One of the four assassins of the Bakumatsu.”
“Exactly.” Hizen sounded derisive. “A killer. That’s all he’s known to be. That’s all I am. You may be a killer, too, but that’s not what people see you as. You’re a memento, a treasure. You and that bastard both - you’re remembered, you’ll forever be admired, and loved for what you are.”
He looked so hostile that Izuminokami didn’t even know what to say. He remained quiet as the wakizashi stalked away, then looked up when Hizen stopped to face him again, and Izuminokami’s breath caught in his throat.
“You’ll never understand. Neither of you will. You’ll never know what it’s like to be forgotten, and never loved.”
As if aware that his voice was trembling, Hizen’s statement was short and abrupt, and he walked away into the shadows, melting into the darkness like he was a part of it.