Chapter Text
Being sent to investigate Tosa in an altered timeline was a nightmare.
Getting left to report to the government alone was a nightmare.
Having to return to the abandoned timeline to fetch Nankaitarou was a nightmare.
Being assigned to the citadel that aided them was a nightmare.
And yet, Hizen stood there, fully awake. Somehow, the shit of his life was a very waking nightmare and he was stuck living it. He could deal with having to work with Nankaitarou, since even in his oddness he was agreeable, but it came with the added bonus of Mutsunokami being there as well. He couldn’t escape if he wanted to. If there was any consolation, it was that Chougi had been assigned to audit this citadel, and so was stuck here as well.
They were introduced to the citadel’s saniwa, who was very different from their master at the government, but didn’t seem too bad. They introduced them to Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, who was their secretary at the moment. He pulled at his cloak when he was caught staring at Hizen’s bandages. He supposed it was someone like-minded. He appreciated that, at least.
He shuffled off to give them a tour of their new home, seeming nervous about it. Hizen followed behind and just nodded quietly, while Nankaitarou offered a whole slew of questions, to which only about half were answered. They were about to enter the tearoom when they heard shouting from inside it. Yamanbagiri closed his eyes as if he had a headache and slid open the door.
“Mikazuki, for the last time you can’t keep ignoring farming and cleaning duties because you don’t feel like doing it!”
“Now, now Hasebe, you’re going to get wrinkles if you keep that up.”
“Who cares! Everytime you don’t do your farming duties, Shokudaikiri has to pull double duties from there and the kitchen! And if I have to hear one more time from Kasen about something not getting cleaned I’ll-”
“Hello?” Yamanbagiri quickly interrupted them.
“Ah! Are these our new members?” The one who had been shouting quickly straightens up and bows low, hand over his chest proudly. “My name is Heshikiri Hasebe. I serve our master dutifully and with utmost care. Should you need any help filling any request asked of you by them, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“I’m Mikazuki Munechika! They say I’m one of the tenka goken, but right now I’m just a kindly old man enjoying tea in the afternoon sun.” He waves at them from where he was sitting on the floor.
“I’m Nankaitarou Choson. My companion here is Hizen Tadahiro. Thank you for having us in your citadel, I’m sure that things will be… exciting.” He smiles at them, moving slightly to show off Hizen, who was in the back.
“Ah, yes…” Hasebe gives the both of them a once over. “Mutsunokami told all about your investigation in Tosa. From what I understand, I won’t have to worry about either of you not fulfilling any mission objectives.”
“We promise to try our best.”
They said their farewells and Yamanbagiri apologized once they were out of earshot. They continued their tour, and Hizen just wanted to melt into the walls whenever they ran into someone they hadn’t met yet. They stopped eventually and Yamanbagiri pointed to a room, his cloak fluttering as he did.
“This will be your room.”
“Oho, are we sharing?”
“It - Master said so, but if it’s a problem, we can ask to change that…”
“It’s fine.” “No problem at all!” They spoke simultaneously, glancing at one another.
“Okay… Did you want to see if you could share with Mutsunokami?”
“Hizen, do you want that?”
“No.” Yes.
“Um, alright…” Yamanbagiri looks at him in confusion slightly, pulling at his hood. “You can stay here or take a look around. I’ll come get you when the welcoming party is ready.”
“That’s not necessary…”
“Too bad.” He shuts the door on them, leaving.
Hizen, remaining on edge the whole time, looks around the room, pushing things around and investigating the mostly empty space. Nankaitarou watches him with an amused expression until he stops and sits crossed legged on the floor, arms folded across his chest. He glowers back at his companion, frowning.
“Ponytail.”
“Yes! It’s easier to focus on reading and everything like that with it like this.”
“...I see.”
He sat and listened to the scholar compare their new living space to the one they stayed at for the government, until Yamanbagiri eventually reappeared to collect them. Nobody seemed especially thrilled at the idea, but they obliged and went to join the rest of the citadel. It wasn’t a terrible amount of other swords, but still most of the citadel being present.
“Oi, you two!” The loud, familiar voice lifted in excitement as they approached.
“Mutsunokami, it’s good to see you again.” Nankaitarou smiled at him politely, nudging Hizen with his foot.
“...Hey.”
“It’s so good that we’re able to be together again, but for good!” Mutsunokami grinned and wrapped his arms around the pair in excitement, squeezing eagerly.
“It was certainly an ordeal to get here.”
“Oh, Nankai, Hizen, hello!” A small, polite voice called over to them.
“Oho, if it isn’t Maeda. Thank you for your help back then, it’s good to see you’ve recovered so well.”
“Hey, hey Hizen!” Mutsunokami started pushing him. “You gotta try this! Shokudaikiri makes the best zunda mochi you’ll ever have!”
“...Fine.” He didn’t want to admit he was looking forward to trying all the food, so he just let himself be pushed around.
“You don’t need to exaggerate for my sake, Mutsunokami.” The taller sword wagged a finger, but his smile indicated that he was very pleased at being praised.
“Hey Sensei, you come over here too!”
“Hmm?” Looking up from where he was crouched talking to Maeda, Nankaitarou adjusts his glasses and bids farewell to the tantou. “What is it?”
“They made all this food ‘cause of you guys! So you gotta try it, okay?”
“I don’t always have the strongest appetite - that’s Hizen’s specialty - but I will use the abilities granted by this new form of mine to enjoy it fully.”
“Huh? What’s that mean?”
“...He’s looking forward to trying it.” Hizen grumbled, mouth full of mochi already.
“Ah! Then dig in, c’mon!”
He laughed as they were given a number of foods to sample and enjoy. Various swords came up to them to introduce themselves properly and wish them well. Chougi came to greet them, but didn’t seem too affected by their presence one way or the other. As Hizen was ripping into a piece of fried chicken, there was a voice behind him, calm and lazy.
“Hey, you.”
He turned to look at two other swords, neither particularly standing out as dangerously powerful to him. That was good, he could probably beat them. “...Hello.”
“You’re one of Mutsunokami's, right?”
“...What.”
“Ah, Kashuu! You can’t just say things like that!” The smaller of the pair grabbed his companions arm sternly, before dipping his head in apology. “He’s Kashuu Kiyomitsu, and I’m Horikawa Kunihiro. He was saying that you’re part of the same group as him, since-”
“You’re the Shinsengumi’s blades.”
“Y-yes!”
“Oh, what’s this?” Nankaitarou turned at the commotion, peering down his glasses at them. “I don’t recall seeing the two of you earlier.”
“We were on an expedition.”
“What I wanted to say,” Kashuu rolled his eyes, twirling his hair in his fingers. “Is that it’s nice to have someone Mutsunokami can spend time with. He’s outgoing, yeah, but like, he spends a lot of time around Horikawa and I.”
“He was very excited to hear that you’d be joining us.”
“Would not shut up. ” He corrected, shrugging. “Well, we just wanted to say hello. If you want to get the Master’s favour, you’ll have to aim to be cuter than me, alright?”
“...Huh?” Hizen stared from behind a piece of chicken being ripped with his teeth.
“That won’t be a problem, I see. Okay, have fun!”
“It was nice to meet you!” Horikawa waved politely as he followed Kashuu away, seeming to scold him for something as they left.
“What an interesting group this citadel is, Hizen.”
“...It’s sort of annoying.”
“You would think that. Give it time. Things work themselves out.”
“If you say so.” He scoffed, looking around for something else to eat. There was a small group standing by the table, but they were mainly focused on the chef, so he didn’t pay them any mind - despite his dandy appearance, Shokudaikiri seemed to pick up that Hizen wasn’t really interested in talking and left him alone for now. One of his two companions - Ookurikara, he remembered - caught him staring and stared back, face blank.
They stared at each other for some time, and Hizen wasn’t sure whether to feel threatened or not. But the taller sword simply raised a hand and pointed at something on the table, before turning his attention back to the tanto and tachi trying to get his attention. He looked at what was pointed at and felt his mouth water. He quickly put some pieces of seared bonito onto his plate. He smiled at the taste.
Yamanbagiri was someone he recognized and was nearby, so he stood close to him as he talked to Mikazuki about something or another. An event the citadel had in the past, he was guessing. As he was putting his chopsticks up to his mouth to take a bite, Mutsunokami ran up to him, eyes wide.
“Hey, Hizen! Need your help!”
“What is it?” He grumbled.
“Nankai, uh… Maybe you should come see.” He grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Mikazuki waved farewell as they disappeared into the evening.
“Oh. Ugh, stupid idiot. Alright.” Hizen put his plate down and rolled up the sleeves on his sweater slightly, marching up to the small group. “Who the hell gave him booze?”
“Uh… It might have been me…” Sitting on the ground, Fudou held up a hand, looking guilty.
“Geez… He has a negative alcohol tolerance.”
“It did seem like he said yes just to be polite…”
“Oi. Sensei. Come on.” Hizen marched up to his companion, who had a half cup of sake in his hand and was sputtering nearly incoherently. “Party’s over, we’re going to bed.”
“Hizen~” Nankaitarou looks down at him, his glasses askew. “Is it really?”
“Yes.” He growls. “Oi, Mutsunokami, give me a hand with him.”
“On it!” He bounds over and the two of them put a hand behind his back, balancing him between them. They say farewells as they drag him away. Hasebe stops them in something resembling concern and frustration, and when Hizen explains, he seems upset and stalks off to the group that had returned to drinking.
They find the correct room and dump the scholar on the floor. Hizen stands over him, arms crossed. Mutsunokami puts a hand on his shoulder and grins, laughing as he talks. “Well, ya’ve got a whole exciting story about your first day! Lucky you!”
“...Sure.”
“Ah, looks like he already fell asleep… Easy night ahead?” His smile doesn’t fade.
“...I guess.” He hesitates, almost asking him to stay with them, but just nods slowly as Mutsunokami makes to leave.
Groaning in frustration, Hizen was about to sink to the ground before he realized he couldn’t leave Nankaitarou passed out right there. He pushes open the closet to grab a futon and rolls the scholar’s dead weight onto it with a grunt. There’s an internal debate about going to find someone else to talk to for a while, but figures it isn’t worth the effort and pulls one out for himself, frowning.
He’d been an early riser, but even waking up early, Hizen couldn’t help but groan when he saw that Nankaitarou had gotten up even early and gone off somewhere. He dresses himself swiftly and shuffles off in search of him. It had barely been a day and it was already a pain getting assigned here. As he poked around a bit, he ran into Horikawa, who stared at him with big eyes.
“Ah, Hizen! Good morning.”
“Have you seen sensei anywhere?”
“Eh? Do you mean Nankaitarou? I haven’t, sorry.”
“...Damn, that’s annoying.” He scratched his head in frustration.
“Do you need help looking for him? I can take you to Mutsunokami if you don’t want my help.” Horikawa speaks politely, way too politely for what he thinks he deserves.
“Are there any places with a lot of books or papers?”
“Hmm… there’s the archive?”
“Take me there.”
“Oh, but we aren’t really allowed in there without permission or if we aren’t the secretary…”
“Fine, I’ll find it myself.”
“No, I’ll take you! Follow me!”
He smiles at him eagerly and turns and runs off. Hizen jogs after him, not as full of energy as him. They come across a large building resembling a shed just outside of where the citadel’s saniwa stayed. He couldn’t recall it from yesterday, but Yamanbagiri hadn’t pointed it out either. The pair approached and the door was slightly open, the sound of two voices inside. One seemed to belong to Chougi, and the other…
“Nankai!” Hizen barked from just outside the door.
“Oho, Hizen! You’re awake!” He peeked his head around the door, smiling.
“I could say the same to you - aren’t ya hungover or whatever?”
“Oh, yes, I am! But that doesn’t stop the power of curiosity.”
“If you say so.”
“Did Chougi let you in?” Horikawa leans around Hizen, waving hello.
“He did. Actually, I requested it of the master here, but they were willing to oblige! He just happened to be the only one awake who could help.”
“Don’t make it a habit,” Chougi said with an annoyed shake of his head.
“There’s no lack of interesting things in here, I expect it may be.”
“Great.” He deadpans with absolutely no expression on his face.
“That’s enough fun for the morning, sensei, let’s go.” Hizen pouts at him.
“Ah, we should get to know the rest of our new companions, right? What better time than breakfast! Let’s go, shall we?”
They trekked from the archives to the direction of the rest of the citadel. Horikawa had followed behind them, and knowing the citadel better, brought them around just as there was food being offered. Kashuu smirked at his friend with a look that seemed to imply he’d been on babysitting duty. Mutsunokami saw them and waved excitedly, calling them over.
“Oi! I saved you some spots!”
“Isn’t that nice of him, Hizen?”
“...Sure.”
The pair went over and joined him, sitting at the table. Fudou and Mukotsu were there as well. He had already grabbed some food for them, so he pushed it in front of them, grinning. The spear was staring at his smaller companion, who dipped his head guiltily.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you drink!”
“Oh? Why, it’s not a problem at all. You just wanted to invite me into the festivities, right?” Nankaitarou smiled around a cup full of tea, staring at him.
“Er, well… Someone useless like me shouldn’t be making others feel that way as well.” He frowns before looking up at his companion. “...Is that right?”
“...You are making progress.”
“A Yukimitsu and a Kanesada… Your former masters were siblings, weren’t they? How fortuitous that you should be able to meet up again here.”
“That’s-” Fudou sputters over his words. It wasn’t clear if he had been drinking this early in the morning, or was just taken aback by the statement.
“Both of your former masters were connected. It is such a thread of fate that we are able to meet each other in this way.” Mukotsu nods his head.
“With me, as well!” Mutsunokami grins. “So well connected in fact, if things’d gone a bit differently, Hizen ‘n I would have swapped places!”
“Is that your story, then?” The spear smiles.
“Jeez… can’t you all just focus on your food?” Hizen grumbles, halfway through his onigiri. It wasn’t a small detail that since they had met he had thought about him and Mutsunokami being in each other’s shoes. It didn’t really make him feel jealous, but it did give him a feeling that he wasn’t sure he was a fan of. But in the end, he wouldn’t have it any other way than it was now. When he thought about the life put on him but his former master and the radiance that shined from Mutsunokami, he knew there wasn’t a life he would force that onto him.
“Wah… you eat a lot.” Fudou stared at him with wide eyes, mouth agape. “I bet even if you weren’t drinking tea, you’d go to eat all the chagashi…”
“If there’s food, you should eat it.”
“Oh, maybe we should have ya help out in the kitchen today!” Mutsunokami reached over to pat his back.
“No thanks.”
“Oh, it’ll happen eventually, y’know, we all gotta help out around here. I’m sure that Shokudaikiri and Hyuuga would enjoy the help!”
“I’ll pass.”
“Then why not give me a hand?” Kasen had been collecting dirty plates and scooped down to their table. “Collecting all the old laundry might help you understand the citadel layout a bit better.”
“Uh…”
“I wouldn’t mind that. Even medial tasks can be rewarding and provide much time to think. What do you think, Hizen?” Nankaitarou looked at him gently.
“If sensei is going to help, I’ll go too.”
“Excellent! I shall see you later, then.” He smiles politely and hurries off with the dishes.
“Maybe I should come with ya, too!”
“Don’t you have farm duty today?” Fudou’s nose scrunched up.
“Ah, man, I do… Manba’s the secretary right now, yeah? I’ll go see him!” He stands and hurries off to find him.
“Should we be stopping this…?”
“Ah, Nankai, don’t worry about that.” The tanto leans back from where he was sitting and waves a hand dismissively. “Manba’ll probably just tell him to go ask Master. Or Hasebe’ll shout at him.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Nah, but enough it’s not weird or anything.”
They finished eating amidst a small amount of chit-chat and then Kasen came to collect the two Tosa swords. They were joined by Ichigo, who had a very kind smile, but something told Hizen it wasn’t fully reaching his eyes. That was a shame. He ended up following him around most of the day in laundry collection runs. It was boring, but Kasen was right in that it was useful in memorizing the citadel. A good asset to have.
They joined the other two as they were hanging some things, so they joined in that too. Kasen made a soft tutting noise and frowned at Hizen, which put him on edge.
“Oh, that’s right, Hizen, around your neck-”
“They’re just bandages. No need to wash them.”
“Ah… Another one.” Kasen looked up to the sky as if asking for help. “Would you like me to replace them for you?”
“No. I can do it if I need to.”
“I’m sure he’s plenty capable of getting new ones.” Ichigo stepped in, eyes full of concern.
“But if they’re dirty, then-!” He took a few steps towards Hizen, which caused him to bristle and brace himself. He would hit him if he needed to, if it avoided getting the bandages taken off.
“Now, now.” Nankaitarou gestured with his hand. “There’s no need for that, Kasen. If we get lost finding where the bandages are kept when he needs new ones, we can rely on Mutsunokami. No need to worry.”
“Alright. My apologies for being so disgraceful in my rudeness.”
“Well, that’s okay. We’re still new, after all.”
“All's well that ends well.” Ichigo mumbled but didn’t seem too enthused about Hizen remaining on guard.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” Hizen huffed and turned on his heel, retreating into the rest of the citadel. He didn’t intend to return, in any case, but in his frustration he walked straight into Hasebe and Chougi, causing them to dump their papers everywhere. He huffed and made a move to help them collect them.
“Wow, you’re more on edge than usual. Rough day?” Chougi eyed him in amusement.
“No.”
“...Are you causing trouble already?” Hasebe gave him a once over. “Is anyone causing trouble with you!? I can let Master know, and-”
“There is no problem.” Hizen growled.
“Yeah, sounds like it.” There’s an eye roll.
“Go on, then. Don’t let us stop you clearly enjoying your day.” The silver-haired sword lifted an eyebrow almost mockingly.
He didn’t even entertain a response, stalking off with his hands in his pockets. Mutsunokami didn’t end up joining them, so he must have been off doing work. He was probably up in the fields, and Hizen didn’t feel like doing that today, so he would probably just go steal some food and return to his room.
There wasn’t any noise in the kitchen, so he ducked his way in. Unfortunately, it was occupied. Maeda was frowning as he tried to reach a box on a high shelf. He assumed the box had been put there to avoid shorter swords from taking it, but that wasn’t his problem, so he came up behind the tanto and pulled the box down for him.
“Oh, it’s Hizen! Thank you!”
“What’ve you got there?”
“Have you ever had these before? They’re called ‘graham crackers’!”
“I haven’t.”
“Would you like to eat some with me? They’re sweet.” He stared up at him with a polite smile, hugging the box to his chest.
“...Sure, why not.”
“Oh, really? That’s great! Let’s go!” Maeda hummed and led Hizen away from the kitchen to the outside. It wasn’t the main courtyard, but a smaller one with a myriad of flower bushes and a small pond. He sat down and rummaged in the box before producing one of the crackers, and handing it over.
“I think you’re meant to break the pieces, but I always worry about crumbling it…”
“...Be gentle with it. Like this.” He held the cracker in his hand out and gently put pressure on the middle, splitting it in half without it breaking. The tanto’s eyes widened in delight.
While he was busy sharing a snack, Nankaitarou wandered around in search of his lost companion. He understood Hizen’s worries and concerns about his neck, but couldn’t always relate. Still, it helped that there was at least one person who knew. As he wandered the halls, he came across Hasebe and Chougi working on some reports.
“Hello, I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Not enough not to do it.” Chougi chuckled and rested his elbows on the table. “What is it?”
“Have either of you seen Hizen or Mutsunokami quite recently?”
“Ah, Nankai, is this-”
“Mutsunokami just returned from the fields.” Hasebe interrupted. “I believe he was bringing some produce to the kitchen. We saw Hizen earlier, in a rush. Nankaitarou, is there some sort of problem?”
“Oh, not at all! I just tend to get quite lonely without my dear friends.”
“Hm, well. You would do best to feel that way about the rest of the citadel. We’re all your comrades now, and to act differently would be going against the wishes of Master. Do I make myself clear?”
“This feeling will be passed on.” They exchanged a knowing look before Nankaitarou left them to do their work. He made his way to the kitchen and found Mutsunokami, dirt splattered across his nose and farming gloves balancing on over his shoulders.
He came up behind him, tapping him gently on the arm.
“Wah, hey! How’s it?” Turning with a smile, he gave the scholar a once over.
“Was Hizen here at all? I figured he might come to the kitchen, but…”
“Huh?” Mutsunokami’s eyes are wide. “Did you lose him or something?”
“He got a bit… overwhelmed and went off somewhere.” He puts a hand to his chin.
“Man… Alright! Let’s have a look around for him!” Smiling brightly, he grabs the scholar’s wrist and tugs him along. Nankaitarou didn’t feel it was an opportune time to tell him he was still covered in dirt.
They looked around some of the more quiet rooms, but had little luck. Mikazuki wanted to stop them and drink tea with them, but they dismissed him politely. As they were looking, they saw Kashuu, carrying a broom but not looking incredibly interested in doing any cleaning. He looked up at they approach, lifting a hand in greeting at the enthusiastic wave he received.
“What’s up?”
“Hey Kashuu! Ya seen Hizen around anywhere?”
“Sure. I’ll show you.” He gestures his hand for them to follow as if he’s unbothered, and wanders off. The duo follow behind closely. He leads them to the open space. Hizen and Maeda had been joined by Horikawa, and the three of them were sitting around with their crackers, the tanto swinging his legs back and forth.
They decided the three of them looked peaceful enough and let them be, retreating back to the hall. If he wasn’t off sulking in the corner, it was alright. Kashuu left them to do the work he was clearly going to continue putting off, and Mutsunokami put a hand on his hip.
“Say Nankai, what was the problem, exactly? If ya can tell me.”
“Hmm… It’s something he’ll have to bring up himself, but he possesses a certain insecurity about the form he manifested in. It is, perhaps, the only one he has about that.”
“Did someone bring it up!?”
“No, not quite…”
“Ah, well… He’s real strong ‘n clever, so I bet he’ll work it out!”
“For both of our sakes, I’m hoping that it is the truth.”
Mutsnonokami left him to go clear the dirt from himself, so Nankaitarou retreated to the room. He started a journal and planned to write his daily observations in it everyday. There were so many different swords and things happening, it was good for keeping his mind clear and thoughts together.
Eventually the door slid open and Hizen shuffled in, looking at least in a slightly better mood. For him, anyway. He yawned when he saw the scholar sitting writing, slumping down next to him. Nankaitarou gave him a curious look, studying him. It seemed his worried expression was simply replaced by a bored indifference, and he thought it was okay not to worry at the moment.
The next morning, they had breakfast with Mutsunokami again. Fudou wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but Mukotsu seemed keen to join them. His rather frightening appearance seemed to be just that - an appearance. He was quite soft spoken. As they ate, Honebami came up to their table, a piece of parchment in his hand. He was one of the ones who had been sent to Tosa, so his presence around them didn’t really bother them.
“Hello. I have deployment orders for you from Master.” He dips his head.
“For who now?” Mutsunokami looked up at him, eyes shining.
“Nankai and Hizen.”
“Whoa! Lucky you guys! Go get ready!” Grabbing both of them by their collars, he lifts them to their feet, giving them both a friendly push away.
Hizen wasn’t particularly thrilled, but killing was what he was good at, so it didn’t surprise him. He also had to keep an eye on his companion, who still wasn’t exactly the strongest among them. Of course, Mutsunokami came to see them off, eager to see who they’d be going out with. Honebami stood patiently, the orders in his hand.
“Today’s team is Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Hizen Tadahiro, Heshikiri Hasebe, Nankaitarou Choson. Team captain is Hasebe.” He read the list patiently.
“Only the four of us?” Yamanbagiri had joined them not long after, fidgeting with his cloak. Horikawa adjusted it for him.
“Where are they headed to, Honebami?”
“Aizu.”
“Huh. The enemy isn’t too strong there… maybe they just wanted to scope things out?” Mutsunokami tapped his foot in thought.
“Who knows with the way Master is.”
“It doesn’t matter why.” Hasebe fixed a glove and looked at three swords gathered around him. “We do what we are told, and then return. We complete the mission and our given orders.”
“No need to tell me twice.” Hizen huffed, crossing his arms.
“...That attitude is also unhelpful. Being uncooperative is also a detriment to our goal.”
“Be safe! Come back soon!” Horikawa called over and waved.
They were enveloped in a light and flurry of petals and suddenly they were at their destination. Hizen hung back slightly to see what was going on. Mutsunokami was right in that the enemy wasn’t particularly powerful here - even Nankaitarou only had a little bit of issue keeping up. He did miss a few strikes though, so Hizen charged in to prevent him from getting hurt. He could feel a scrutinizing look from Hasebe, so he ignored it and dove towards the next opponent.
Yamanbagiri tore through opponents, a flash and whirl of white. He seemed to want to hide himself with the cloak but it really stood out and was beautiful. Just as Hizen was about to finish off an enemy, Nankaitarou stopped him.
“Hizen, I want to get a look at this one. Hold off.”
“Ugh. Make it quick.”
The scholar crouched down to poke through the HRA’s personal space. It was defeated so didn’t do anything, but the whole thing was unnerving. He didn’t get what he was looking for, and found it strange, but if he thought it would help, that was fine. Hasebe didn’t seem to agree and stormed over to them, waving his sword in one hand.
“Hey! We don’t have time to be messing around with stupid things like this!”
“Don’t - sensei knows what he’s doing.”
“That doesn’t matter! You can’t just mess around whenever you want, we have a mission to focus on! If you want to do something like this, take it up with Master and ask them to make a dedicated team or something to that effect.”
“Ah…” Nankaitarou stood up, finishing off the enemy so as to not invoke any further wrath. “So this is the sort of swordsmith Hasebe Kunishige was.”
“That’s not - huh.”
He, for once, seemed taken aback. Mutsunokmai had warned them about Hasebe’s tendency to have very strong feelings - or lack thereof - about his former masters, but that wasn’t the topic here. Hizen was sure that nobody else had ever brought up his swordsmith in comparison to his personality.
He stood staring for a brief moment before Hizen ran forward and plunged his blade into the back of an approaching enemy. He sniffed and turned his back to Hasebe, who snapped back to the present and let the topic drop. The boss wasn’t incredibly difficult and they were able to return home in peace.
Of course, only Hizen had anything resembling a major injury, and he was in and out of repairs in no time. He asked Yagen if he knew where the rest of the team had gone, but didn’t receive a favourable response and trudged off to find them. His first stop was the kitchen - only for the purpose of finding them and not feeding himself, he was sure.
It worked out, however, as he found Hasebe in there, pacing back and forth and muttering to himself something incomprehensible. Kasen and Shokudaikiri watched him, their heads swiveling back and forth. He decided he didn’t want to deal with that and left before he was spotted.
“Hizen!” A cheerful voice called out to him and he turned.
“...Horikawa.” He responded, avoiding eye contact.
“There you are! They said that you would have been done with repairs by now, but we couldn’t find you!”
“Uh. Sorry…”
“My brother and I wanted to invite you to eat with us tonight. He thought you were really cool today, but don’t tell him I said that.” Horikawa leans in conspiratorially.
“I don’t know if… What about sensei?”
“Um, the second he was all taken care of, he ran off to your room to ‘record his findings’ and look up something? He’s been in there since…”
“That is like him. I can see if he will come…”
“Great! I had a fun time talking with you and Maeda yesterday!”
Hizen is very glad he is walking away because he feels very embarrassed. He marches off to their room, to find Nankaitarou surrounded by papers and journals. He really has no idea how the uchigatana managed to produce all of this in the hour or so it took Hizen to sit through repairs. He doesn’t look up as he hears the door open, but moves some things aside to make room.
“Hello, Hizen. Are you feeling better?”
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Ah. Are you recovered?” He looks over from his writing, a patient expression on his face.
“Yes.”
“Great! Could you give me a hand, then? I need to sort through these by date…”
“W-where did you even get all of this, sensei?”
“Chougi prepared them for me while we were out. Wasn’t that nice of him?”
“...Huh.” Was the only response he could offer. In Hizen’s mind, the only reason for Chougi to go out of his way to do something like that for them was so he could get something in return. He wasn’t sure what, but was certain it was the case.
The pair sorted through old reports and files, a good relaxer after having done battle earlier in the day. When it was time to meet in the hall for supper, Nankaitarou didn’t seem particularly interested in leaving his work, and Hizen had to physically drag him to his feet, pulling him along to the promised meeting.
He spotted Horikawa sitting with Yamanbagiri, laughing at something he had said. Kashuu sat at the other end of the table, Mutsunokami at his side, talking animatedly with his hands. They marched over and sat down.
“...Thanks for your hard work today.” Yamanbagiri inclined his head to the pair.
“No seriously.” Kashuu leaned in, smirking slightly. “What on earth did you say to Hasebe? He’s been less of a pain since you all came back. Kasen told me Shokudaikiri had to call Ookurikara to help him physically remove him from the kitchen.”
“I just made some of my regular observations.” Nankaitarou simply smiled in response.
“Ha, well.” He laughs. “Keep up the good work!”
They all sat together and talked over their dinner, the more outgoing of the group laughing as they did so. Hizen didn’t participate as much as the others, so he observed them all. He couldn’t help but notice that there was a loneliness that hung over Horikawa’s relatively chipper attitude. He knew he had a sword which was his partner sword, as he brought him up a few times, but he had yet to manifest at the citadel, so he figured it was only a matter of time.
They retired for the evening, the pair pushing books and papers aside to make room to sleep after a very long day.
The days stretched into a week.
The week turned into two.
There were a few things Hizen noticed from getting used to the citadel. Stable duty was not for him. He didn’t mind cleaning and fixing it, but the horses didn’t seem to care for him.
He assumed the citadel’s saniwa always stayed in their room, but he saw them in different places from time to time. He never saw them walking around, so it was a surprise to see them elsewhere, suddenly.
Nankaitarou was always up to some sort of reading - it was best to leave him be when he was really into it, since he would stop paying attention. Hizen sometimes hung around because his companion often forgot to check his surroundings when he was so absorbed in his work.
Mutsunokami was a good distraction, since he liked to see Hizen out and about, and seemed to, for whatever reason, like spending time with him. He was very good at helping procure snacks from the kitchen.
Horikawa and Kashuu were actually quite relaxed around them, for at least as far as he could tell. Although from time to time the latter made a few odd comments, neither seemed to mind the fact that the Shinsengumi were actively against the former masters of the three from Tosa. They just seemed to wish that the other members of their group would manifest, which he supposed was fair.
At least one sword was always drunk by noon, and that made Hasebe very obnoxious.
The food was good, and he appreciated that.
Hizen was crouched by the koi pond, feeding some of the fish, when he heard footsteps behind him. He was on edge instantly, of course, but the soft sound of Mukotsu’s voice allowed him to put his guard down. The spear looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“Deployment orders. It’s an expedition.”
“...Great. Understood.” If he were to be honest, he didn’t mind expeditions as much as the other’s thought he might. There wasn’t meant to be any fighting in them, but they were quite important. An assassin had to be aware of their enemies movements at all times, after all.
He rose and left for his room. It was empty, so he quickly prepared himself and retreated to the courtyard, sword in hand. He saw Fudou there already, looking slightly less drunk than usual, which he supposed was a plus. Doudanuki joined them quickly, face stoic. A horrible, garish flash of gold told them that Hachisuka would be there very shortly, and he arrived with a swish of his hair over his shoulder. Namazuo made it just before the time cutoff, quickly tying his hair up as he ran to join them.
“Just five?” He asked quickly, eyes wide.
“There are only five of you written as such.” Mukotsu held the paper up. “Hachisuka is the captain. You should look around Shirakawa Castle right before the start of the Boshin War. That is all.”
Hachisuka had the expression of someone deep in thought before he confirmed everyone was prepared and entered the date. Hizen still wasn’t used to the sudden light that overcame them when they traveled through time, but just accepted it.
“Why don’t we all stick together? There’s less of us than usual, so it should be a great asset to us.” Hachisuka turned to them when they arrived.
“That sounds good! We aren’t going to be doing any fighting, so we can just spend some time together, y’know!” Namazuo grinned in response, which didn’t seem to entertain the uchigatana in any way.
“Y’just wanna keep an eye on us, ‘cause everyone here isn’t up to your standards…” Fudou slurred from behind the group, but if it was heard, it wasn’t acknowledged. Hizen supposed he had a point there. He didn’t say anything though.
“Well, we better not, anyway.” Gaze slides over to Doudanuki who stares back at him blankly. “Let’s go.”
The group heads out to get a look around. Nothing seemed particularly out of place, and they found a handful of supplies they were able to bring back. As they left the immediate area of the castle and were going to investigate the outer parts of, Fudou slipped on one of the downward slopes and started sliding. Hizen reached out to grab him, but the momentum sent them both tumbling straight downwards.
They slammed into Namazuo, who wiped out. He started laughing though, helping the other two to their feet. Doudanuki was already at the bottom, and blinked at them in amusement.
“Someone useless like me is dragging you down… Literally in this case…” Fudou frowned deeply. Hizen found the fall a bit annoying but didn’t really care in the end.
“A trip during an expedition isn’t much, really!” Namazuo laughed. “At least it’s not during battle - isn’t that a nice plus?”
“Oh. I guess that’s true.”
“If you’re done messing around,” Hachisuka joined them at the bottom of the slope, frowning. “We only have about thirty minutes left before we’re expected back.”
“If you consider falling to be ‘messing around’.” Doudanuki didn’t seem thrilled at the insinuation.
“Well swords such as yourselves must not be used to the splendour of a true, genuine kotetsu like me, but playing around in the dirt is unbecoming and a waste of talent.”
“But… you do farming duties all the time?” Namazuo tilted his head to the side.
“He means we’re dirty and not as classy as him.” Fudou frowned, nudging him.
“I said no such thing.”
“You implied it?”
“No. I am simply saying that you should take care of yourselves and take pride in your status as works of art.”
“We’re swords. We stab. We kill.” Hizen spoke up finally, a hand on his hip.
“Well, I can see why you may think that.”
“What… what the hell does that mean!?”
“Hey, just because we’re made without a fancy name like Kotetsu doesn’t make us worse than you.” Fudou steps forward, seeming to have sobered even more. “Just ‘cause I couldn’t protect Lord Nobunaga doesn’t mean I was made as a failure - I just became one over time.”
“Stop hiding behind a name and hurry and prove yourself by doing your job.” Hizen sighed. He wasn’t a fan of this, and could do with less bickering, and just wanted to finish the expedition.
“It’s not just a name. It also has to do with honouring the Hachisuka family, as well as the legacy that being a kotetsu entails. Before you arrived at the citadel, I don’t suppose you ever had a master who cared about your well-being, what with selling parts of you bit by bit and letting you break in battle.” He snapped, frowning.
“Hey, isn’t that going too far!?” Namazuo stepped forward, hands out.
“It’s-” For what it was worth, Hachisuka seemed to regret what he had said immediately. He took pride in his name and legacy, which was fine, but the fear of being compared to what he saw as counterfeits led him to paranoia when those things were even questioned in the first place.
“...Let’s just finish the mission.” Hizen brushed past him, continuing on their path. Doudanuki was hot on his heels.
There was complete silence for the rest of the time. They returned and Hachisuka went to deliver the expedition report. Doudanuki and Fudou went to storage to drop off the supplies they’d found. Hizen stalked off to his room, almost slamming the door open and closed.
Nankaitarou jumped at the sudden and forceful noise. He looked up with a smile but it faded the moment he saw the more annoyed than useful look on Hizen’s face. “Did the expedition go poorly? Hizen?”
“...It was fine.” He huffed, tossing his sword down and beginning to change out of his clothes. He didn’t usually mind staying in them, but it was making him feel dirty after earlier. The uchigatana watched him with the air of studying something, an emotion akin to compassion reflecting back behind his glasses.
“What was Shirakawa like?”
“What?”
“Shirakawa Castle. It was a date close to when we were active, so I can’t help but find myself curious about it.”
“...Pretty boring. Not interesting in the way you like.”
“Ah, a shame. Hizen, if you’ll excuse me. I have to use the restroom.”
“You don’t need to tell me that, sensei.”
“I suppose not!” He smiles as he leaves, staring at Hizen’s clearly still on-edge form slink to the floor by the table, resting an elbow on it.
Nankaitarou leaves quietly, frowning in thought. Mutsunokami nearly runs into him, on the way to their room. He quickly grabs the other sword to stop him, gently shaking his head.
“Eh? Nankai, what’s up?”
“I believe something may have happened on the expedition - Hizen is… what’s the word you used? …He’s more ‘prickly’ than usual.”
“Oh, well…” He scratches his head, frowning. “Yeah, I guess we wouldn’t get a straight answer out of him… Let’s ask one of the others?”
“I’m not an expert but Namazuo seems to be agreeable?”
“Great idea! He’s probably with one of his siblings.” Mutsunokami smiled again and jogged off, leaving the scholar to catch up to him.
It wasn’t really hard to find him. Namazuo was dangling upside down from a tree while Honebami and Akita sat in the tree branches, watching him cautiously. He waved when they approached and almost fell trying to get down, to his brother’s worry.
“Namazuo! Hey!”
“Hi!” He brushes his pants off and slaps Mutsunokami a high five.
“How was the expedition? Anythin’ happen?”
“Oh! Well…” Namazuo tilts his head to the side, his ponytail bouncing as he did. He thought for a while before explaining the whole thing to them.
“That explains it.” Nankaitarou pushed up his glasses.
“That’s no good. I get losing’ yer cool n’ all, but…” Mutsunokami bounces back and forth on his feet. “Ah - I’ll go talk to Hachisuka! Thanks!”
“It’s - oh, he’s gone.” Namazuo watches him run off, shaking his head.
“Thank you for the help, Namazuo. Please, go return to your fun.” Nankaitarou dips his head and leaves the wakizashi to climb back up to his brothers, who were scolding him for jumping so recklessly in the first place.
Hizen doesn’t really seem to get into a better mood as the day comes to a close. Nobody else could really tell, given his generally reserved nature, but it was very obvious to the scholar. It didn’t seem any better by the next day, either. For what it was worth, he was actively trying to engage Nankaitarou in conversation when prompted, though his response usually ended up being a bit more terse than usual.
Since neither of them were busy with assignments on that day, Hizen found himself back at the pond, though not feeding the fish today. Just sitting and watching them.
“I finally found you, Hizen!”
“Horikawa.” He greets the other sword, eyes sliding over to gaze at him from where he sat.
“I know that you were out on expedition yesterday, so training probably isn’t on your mind, but Master arranged a bit of training for all of the wakizashi. I thought you might want to come over with me!”
“...Actually, training sounds great right now.” There’s a heaviness to his tone and he rises, already heading towards the training hall. The other follows right on his heels.
Compared to some of the other swords, there were only six of the wakizashi. It was a simple bit of training, and Kasen, who had been assigned to make sure they didn’t all end up hurting each other, arranged matches so everyone would have a chance to spar with everyone. Hizen didn’t particularly care for practice or practice matches, but with having no combat yesterday and the conversation still weighing on him, his blood roiled with instinct: he needed an out.
It wasn’t entirely bad, since they all had very different means of fighting. Kotegiri and Namazuo especially. His last match was with Nikkari, but it wasn’t for a while, so he leaned against one of the entrances, arms crossed and watched Kotegiri and Honebami face off. He heard a laugh passing by and turned to look out the door slightly.
Fudou was being chased by Shishiou’s nue, holding his drink in the air so as not to spill it. It didn’t seem all that serious, since he was laughing, but he was more focused on his drink and stumbled when the beast caught up to him, wiping out with a confused look on his face. It suddenly brought up the memory of the previous day and Hizen felt his hair stand on end, heart pumping in his chest.
It was such a distancing thought that he almost didn’t hear himself being called. He marched over to face Nikkari, who was slightly exhausted looking, but had that unnerving smile plastered across his face. He got into a low stance, the wooden sword gripped carefully in his hand.
“Have any spirits you need cut?” He grinned and rushed forward, swinging.
Hizen stepped back, ducking to dodge. He didn’t care about looking graceful or doing any fancy moves as long as he won. Taking a step forward, he swings with all the power in his arms, to which Nikkari catches, sliding backwards slightly as he does so. He pushes up, hair flowing behind him, causing Hizen to have to pull away, spinning to avoid falling over.
Trying to get in close, he takes a few running steps forward, holding the training sword in both hands. Nikkari catches it with the flat of his, hands shaking from the exertion. He swings a leg out as if making to catch Hizen off guard, but he leaps to the side, rolling away. The other wakizashi swings down to try and get the hit on him, but he deflects it hard, a hard wooden clacking sound echoing the hall. Honebami applauds silently at that.
Scrambling to his feet with ease, Hizen was suddenly on the defensive, with Nikkari swinging again and again and again, causing him to back up more and more to avoid the reach. He suddenly feels a heaviness at his back and understands completely. The other was trying to close off an exit he might have after watching the way he defended himself.
Nikkari presses an arm against Hizen’s chest to hold him there, laughing that weird laugh of his. He breathed heavily, raising the wooden sword up to get the hit in. He didn’t want to lose. He wasn’t going to lose - what else did he have except fighting to be better at killing?
Acting on instinct, Hizen reels his arm back against the wall and punches him in the face. Nikkari gasps and drops, holding his nose. He taps his own wooden sword against the other swords arm, winning.
“Hey, hey!” Kasen quickly runs over. “There was no need for that display of inelegance, it’s just training.”
“I-” Hizen looks down at the blood spattering his knuckles and seems to snap into reality, swiftly grabbing one of the cooling towels and pressing it up against the blood. “I didn’t mean-”
“Nikkari, are you okay?”
“I am golden.” His voice is muffled from the towel being pressed against his face. “Not the only thing that’s golden, however. Do you want to see?”
“What? No!”
“Let me take you to Yagen.” Hizen uses one hand to help him to his feet.
“...When Master asks me how things went, I'm not sure how to respond about this…”
“Perhaps that something has been exorcised?” Nikkari chuckles as they leave.
While Hizen was accidentally fighting for his life, Nankaitarou was enjoying tea with Mikazuki. It honoured him that one of the most beautiful swords of all Japan would deem him worthy of an afternoon of company. Of course, they both had alternative motives for one another, though neither could work them out.
They sat in the waning afternoon sun when there was the patter of footsteps behind them, and delighted laughter. Mikazuki turned to look.
“Ah, training must be complete. There go Namazuo and Honebami.”
“I should go collect Hizen before he disappears on me again.” Nankaitarou put his cup down and rose, brushing his sleeves slightly.
“I wonder if it’s too late for that.”
“Hm?”
“Just silly words from an old man.” He chuckles.
“Thank you for the tea, Mikazuki.” The scholar bows slightly, politely, before heading away. He would be lucky if he saw Hizen at all before he went to sleep. The kitchen was a good bet - he’d probably be more hungry than usual.
As he was mulling over his options, he slammed right into someone. Horikawa made a small gasp of surprise, catching himself.
“Ah, Nankai! Sorry, I’m still a bit tired from the training.”
“It’s my fault, Horikawa. Did you have an interesting time while training?”
“That’s… well, yes you could say it was interesting.” The wakizashi puts a hand to his chin.
“Why do you say that?”
“Um… Hizen seemed to get really upset towards the end and he ended up punching Nikkari…”
“Oh.”
“To be honest, I think Nikkari was sort of… uncomfortably fine with it.”
“What am I going to do with him…?”
“If it’s not too much for me to say this, Nankai, but I think maybe he just needs time. He has not just you, but Mutsunokami as well! You aren’t like Kashuu and I, waiting for someone to come.”
“Horikawa, this is quite an interesting situation… You’re very kind. Is that a result of your smith, or your former master…?”
“Uh?” He sort of stares up at him, confused at the change of topic.
He postulated a few things to the poor wakizashi, who didn’t seem to understand much of it. Hizen, who had made sure Yagen took proper care of Nikkari, couldn’t stand the thought of a lecture from Hasebe, and feared one from Nankaitarou, disappeared to find somewhere to escape from his thoughts. There was an area of the citadel that had been arranged into a small garden, mostly for Yagen to grow plants he might need for medicines that was away from the rest of the farm.
Someone had put a little table and chairs there, and he hid himself there, arms crossed over the table, leaning against it tiredly. Even when he heard some of the others heading over to dinner, he stayed put. He heard a pair of footsteps approaching and braced himself for something he really didn’t care about hearing, but felt his shoulders relax when the voice accompanying them spoke.
“I’m glad I managed to find you, Hizen.”
“Maeda.”
“Here you go.” The tanto wandered over to the table, two bowls in hand. He put them down and hopped up into the chair. “I know you really like to eat, but didn’t see you with the others!”
“Uh, thanks.” Hizen didn’t really know how to appreciate this sort of kindness, but he starts tucking into the noodles immediately anyway. “You didn’t need to go out of your way, though.”
“Huh? Oh, it’s not really any sort of issue.” Maeda clasps his hands together before carefully picking into his own bowl of soba. “Shokudaikiri doesn’t really mind. He’s always making separate dishes for Ookurikara. And sometimes Hasebe and Chougi when they’re busy…”
“Huh. I see.”
“Mhm! He gets a little worried, but don’t worry - he won’t bother you about it. As long as you eat!”
Hizen couldn’t help but laugh, putting his arm over his mouth. “Sorry.”
“What’s funny?”
“...You’re quite earnest. And very honest.”
“Huh?” He looks up from his noodles, not quite embarrassed, but his head tilting to the side.
“Er… Nevermind.” Embarrassed, Hizen just continues eating his soba. He had noticed it when Maeda was one of the ones to come to help investigate Tosa, but had just thought he was being polite to over-correct for the energy of his teammates, as a way to get a good word in to the government. No, he was just like that. And it was a bit overwhelming.
They finished their meal, and not wanting to feel indebted to Maeda, Hizen offers to take the dishes back. They return to the kitchen together, ready to clean their mess. Instead they find Shokudaikiri at the sink, with Taikogane and Ookurikara on either side of him, thanklessly scrubbing the dishes. He thought they usually had help doing this, which is why he supposed it was taking so long.
“Oh, you’re back!” The tachi smiles at them as they enter. His companions look up from their work. “Did you have a nice meal?”
“Good, thanks.” Hizen shrugs, as the bowl is taken from his hands by the uchigatana, who seems unamused.
“You like sweets, right Hizen? Over on the other counter there’s some candied fruit, please help yourself.”
“...Sure.” Who was he to deny free snacks? He picked up some of the cherries, and handed some over to Maeda, who followed behind him, eyes sparkling.
“Aren’t they great!?” Taikogane called over, waving with a wet bowl in hand.
“Really sweet.” He grunted.
“Mhm.” Shokudaikiri hummed in confirmation. “Hachisuka made them, and wanted to find you, but left them here in case you came by.”
“Hmm.” Was all he managed to verbalize.
“Oh! We helped him a bit, so you don’t have to worry about them being bad or anything.”
“...Right.” He shrugs and reaches up for a small container, putting some inside of it to take to his scholarly companion. He liked sweets when reading, so he’d enjoy them at least. “See y’around, Maeda. Thanks again for the meal, Shokudaikiri.”
Swiftly leaving with the container in hand, he retreats back to his room. It was dark by this point, but there was a light on in it, and he could hear a soft humming from inside accompanied by the flipping of pages. Hizen marched in to no reaction, and put the container down onto the table. He pointed at it with a soft grunt.
“Sweets.”
“Oh? Thank you.”
“Sure.” Hizen sighed and sat opposite the table from him, watching Nankaitarou work. Neither of them said anything, which was fine. After a while, the door slid open and Mutsunokami blinked in surprise to see them in there so casually. His normal shining smile was a bit dulled, which caused a slight sliver of worry.
“There you are.” He sighed.
“What is it, Mutsuno - oh.” The question died when he saw Hasebe lurking behind him, arms crossed in annoyance.
“Hasebe.” Nankaitarou looked up from his work to greet him, a protective smile on his face. They could all sense a lecture building.
“Hizen.” He huffed and pushed into the room, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I know what I did was unacceptable or whatever, so spare us.” He stands up to face him, bracing himself.
“No, that’s not it.” Hasebe waves a hand. “As much as I would love to give you a piece of my mind, I didn’t learn about what happened until just a moment ago. I’m here on behalf of Master.”
“Huh.”
“They were worried about the whole thing, and worried that something might be wrong, so I was sent to ask. So, is everything well?”
“Um. I guess so?” Hizen looked between the other two for help. They stare back.
“Are you having trouble settling in? Master trusted this to me, so I’d like your cooperation, please.”
“Everything is fine…?”
“Hizen just gets caught up in the moment sometimes, y’know! S’all.” Mutsunokami comes to his rescue.
“Hmm…” Hasebe doesn’t seem to buy everything, but just nods. “Alright. Should any issues arise, especially between any other members of the citadel, be sure to let me know. I can’t ensure that things are running smoothly if there’s personal issues between members.”
Once he had left, Mutsunokami rushes forward and grabs Hizen into a hug. He sputters a protest, kicking his feet as the larger sword picks him up tightly. The wakizashi punches at his arm to get him to let him go, pouting as he’s placed back down on the floor.
“Aah, Hizen, ya really avoided a headache with that.” He laughed, patting the smaller sword's shoulder. It was a bit surprising, since it was rare that Mutsunokami complained or had something not positive to say, but the intention was understood.
“Do you think?”
“Yeah! I think it’s ‘cause Master likes ya!”
“...Do you think?” He pales slightly.
“Yup!”
“...Great.” He just blinks and sits back down, resting his elbows on the table.
“I’m just glad it’s alright for ya, y’know. If anything goes wrong, just lemme know, okay?” Mutsunokami grinned before leaving the two of them alone.
The next day, Hizen did feel bad, so he made himself useful. As much as he could anyway. There was help needed in the stables, but unfortunately, the horses hated him, so he was more of a hindrance than help. Well, Kashuu and Souza seemed to appreciate the help anyway.
Fudou seemed happy to see him at mealtime, and offered him a drink, but Mukotsu gave the tanto a stern look, and he took back his offer. Hizen had noticed that they had a very odd relationship. Fudou didn’t seem to want to be friends with the spear, but the spear seemed keen to be a part of his day-to-day life. They didn’t appear to fight or argue that much, so it was maybe a weird connection they had. He couldn’t say he didn’t have anything like that himself.
Nankaitarou threw himself into his research over the next few days while not doing any duties or work around the citadel, so Hizen just followed him around to be helpful. Hachisuka seemed wary of approaching him, but when they were cleaning together, Hizen didn’t treat him any differently than he had previously, so the taller sword seemed relieved that there didn’t seem to be any lingering negative feelings about what happened.
There were some, but it was mostly directed at himself. These sort of things happened. He wasn’t too personable, but that didn’t mean he had to act like an ass about things like that.
At some point, Mutsunokami had convinced Hizen to help him gather up all the leaves and branches that had fallen in a recent storm. As they were working, Nankaitarou jogged up to them, waving.
“Hey Nankai! What’s up?”
“I’ve got deployment orders, so I may not be around to join you both later. My apologies.”
“...Be safe.” Hizen stared at him quietly.
“Of course.”
He left to go prepare himself, and the other two decided it was a good idea to see him off, and they gathered in the courtyard. A few others hung around, but that wasn’t too unusual either. Kasen had the deployment orders in hand, waiting patiently for everyone to arrive. When they did, there was another surprise: Nankaitarou had been made the team’s captain.
“Whoa, good on ya, Nankai!” Mutsunokami gave a thumbs up from where they were watching. “Mikatagahara better watch out! Here ya come!”
“Hahaha, I’m in your care again, Nankai!” Iwatooshi slapped his back enthusiastically.
“A-ah…” Nankaitarou flinched at the force. “I’m sure this won’t be as challenging as Tosa, but I am still trusting you to support me all the same.”
“You got it!”
The scholar took a quick look around at his team before inputting the date and location for the team to travel to. He looked up at Hizen briefly before the team was enveloped in light and they were gone.
“Ya look worried, Hizen.”
“...I’m not.” He sniffed absently.
“No, ya totally are!”
“...We don’t have time for this. We left a mess back there.” Scowling and walking off, he returns to his work.
“Hey! Don’t be so prickly! Ya can tell me yer feelings y’know!”
It was true that he was worried, but not for the reasons that Mutsunokami was probably thinking. Hizen knew that Nankaitarou had gotten so much stronger, but still had a distance between himself and fighting. But he was a quick and careful thinker. The problem was him getting carried away with his interests while in the middle of a battlefield.
He got rid of the restless feeling by doing more of the cleaning up. As they finished up, they carried the baskets they’d filled to the inside. Some of the swords who were more enthusiastic about farming wanted them to give them the leaves and branches, for whatever reason, so they dropped them off. Ichigo was in the space, trying to fix the door. One of his siblings must have broken it and he wanted to fix it before Hasebe found out.
“Oh, are you two all finished?” He smiled at them.
“Yup!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“What’s with that look, Ichigo?” Mutsunokami put a hand on his hip. “Ya look more sad than usual.”
“Ah… I always feel worried when one of my siblings is out on sortie.” Ichigo laughed quietly, shaking his head. “I know Honebami is plenty strong, but it just turns out that way…”
“I get it!”
“...Ichigo? Can I ask ya something?” Hizen had put his basket down, frowning.
“What is it?”
“Why’s Maeda so into lookin’ after me?”
“Huh?” He turns slightly to look down at him, smiling softly. “I recall hearing a tale of you saving his life while he was helping you investigate the abandoned world.”
“Well that’s - I was just doing my job…”
“I suppose so. But, he’s considerate as part of his nature. He cares about the wellbeing of others quite carefully. Sometimes… he has a tendency to misunderstand, but he always means well.”
“...I see.”
There wasn’t much else to say, so they left him to finish his work and go clean themselves up. Mutsunokami teased the wakizashi, laughing at his concern, to which he received a scowl only in response. He was not amused.
The rest of the day was a bit boring, until the team on sortie returned, after the sun had already set. Worry had set in at their time being away, but it disappeared when the group was standing safely in the courtyard. It didn’t seem as if they had taken any apparent damage, and Iwatooshi and Koryuu seemed pleased with Nankaitarou, praising him as others came to welcome them home.
“I’m off to go deliver my report, then.” He looked around at his team. “Imanotsurugi, be sure to go to repairs to fix up your leg, okay?”
“I’ve got him.” Iwatooshi hoisted the tanto up onto his shoulders and carried him off.
“Sensei.” Hizen wandered over to where he was leaving to find the saniwa.
“Ah, Hizen! I’m sorry about being so late. But it all worked out, see?” He smiled at him gently, a tiredness from battle creeping into his features.
“Mm.” The wakizashi stared at him, before tossing his head to the side. “Welcome back.”
There was a long silence before Nankaitarou did anything, but he gave his companion’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving.
The scholar was very tired, so he went to sleep immediately after delivering his report. The next day he had Hizen sit and help him organize his notes and research, and delve into some notes he had noticed from yesterday. Mutsunokami wanted to join them, but Chougi needed him to take some pictures for some project, so he was dragged off for the rest of the day, eager to show off his camera.
It was a long, boring day. It was better than worrying needlessly, he supposed. Nankaitarou was very enthusiastic regardless, having been given a very useful book from the citadel’s archives. His companion seemed bored out of his mind, but indulged anything he was asked of, and that made him feel very warm.
By the time they went to sleep, most of the mess in their room had been cleared and organized, and they finally had room to spread out. Hizen laid in the dark, listening to the soft breathing from the other futon. There was someone laughing elsewhere in the citadel, far in the distance. The heavy pull of sleep eventually dragged him under.
It was dark, but there was the sound of waves rolling gently in the distance, and a seabird crying overhead. Salt filled the air, he thought, but there was something stopping him from properly tasting it, and it seemed to cling to his very essence. There was a pair of voices talking.
“I can’t believe the sword broke in that fight…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I think it can be fixed. It’s a treasured work of art… and you like it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll see what I can do. After all, an assassin is not of any use without a weapon they trust, right?”
“...Okay.”
And then Hizen was being pulled apart. That’s what it felt like to him, anyway. His neck was severed, a raw open wound. It was like he was being forced apart and pulled together again, a burning sensation of stitches that didn’t exist and cauterizing that never stopped. He was gasping, choking, swallowing air -
His eyes flew open and he grabbed at his throat, finding nothing there but what was always there. The permanent reminder. He breathed heavily into the night, feeling stupid. There was a soft sound and he felt a weight on his shoulder.
“Hizen. Are you awake? You got over here in your sleep.” He could hear Nankaitarou protesting from half-way under him. Shit. He knew his companion didn’t mind, but they didn’t exactly keep their futons close together. He hoped nothing annoying was going to be said.
“Hnn.” Was the only sound he was capable of making, his hands not leaving his throat. He was worried that if he moved them, it might leave behind a bleeding hole.
“Hmm? Hizen?” Nankaitarou shifted to reach up and move the hands, as if there was something he could help with.
“Wait.” He gasped.
“It’s okay. I won’t do anything to hurt you.” He speaks quietly, pulling back and fumbling around for his glasses, not that they’d do much in the dark.
“...Sensei…”
“Yes?”
“I’m-”
“What is it?”
“...Nevermind.” The wakizashi huffs, moving his hands away and struggling to push himself up to return to his futon.
“Now, now, I’m not the kind of sword who takes a nevermind at face value.” The tiredness was lifting from his voice and he sighs softly as the weight on top of him lessens. He wished there was something he could in the face of an emotional wall. Before it was too late, he reaches over to Hizen’s waist and pulls him over, wrapping his arms around his middle.
“Agh, sensei, let go….” Hizen protests but doesn’t struggle. “...Whatever, it’s fine.”
“You’re free to go.” He lifts his hands.
“...It’s fine.”
“My, how generous of you.”
“Shut it.” There’s an uncharacteristic softness and wariness to his tone, and he settles into the warmth of the arms around him. “...Thanks.”
Hizen quickly falls back asleep. His breathing was not quite so peaceful, but much less ragged, so it was somewhat of a victory. The morning arrived, and Hizen kept sleeping, even after the time he’d usually wake up. It was fine, but Nankaitarou was stuck with an arm under him, and thus, unable to get up.
They must have been missed, since the door slowly slides open and Mutsunokami sticks his head in. He lifts an eyebrow at the scene, holding a hand out in question.
“ Nightmare,” Nankaitarou mouths to him, not keen to wake up the form on top of him.
There’s a nod of acknowledgement before the door closes again. Hizen eventually rolls over, and the scholar is free to get up and ready himself. He worries about making too much noise, so he leaves the room to find something else to do in the meantime.
Eventually, Hizen awakens. He feels groggy, but well-rested. He reaches beside him, but scowls when he realizes he’s alone in the room. It was annoying enough to have slept so late, but Nankaitarou didn’t even bother him about the morning meal. The single thing keeping him enthused about early mornings. He pulled his sweater on and shuffled out the door, fixing the bandages around his neck.
Yamanbagiri nearly slammed right into him, eyes wide. He waited and looked away until Hizen had fixed himself before speaking.
“Er, Hizen, I’ve been looking for you. We’ve just suddenly been given some duties.”
“Hah!? Why?”
“We have to clean the toolshed… I guess last night, Otegine made a mess of it without realizing in the dark.” He frowns from under his hood.
“Wow. Really cool.”
“Mmm… Hasebe seemed annoyed about it, but Master found it funny. And before you ask, they said Otegine shouldn’t clean it up himself, since he’ll probably just end up making a bigger mess.”
“Yeah, alright. Fine, let’s go.” Hizen rolled his eyes in annoyance. What a pain. He just wanted to grab something to eat. He guessed it’d have to wait.
“Sorry… I didn’t really ask for you to get called out…”
“It’s not your fault. Getting it over with is what we should do now.”
They marched out to the fields and found the toolshed. The door was open - it seemed incapable of closing properly as it were - and everything was knocked over. One of the boards making up the side was knocked loose. They had no idea how Otegine managed this.
Neither of them were particularly the best at handiwork, or cleaning for that matter, so they were both fairly annoyed at having to do this. Still, a bit of brute force popped the door back onto the frame and let it shut properly. They were both thoroughly unamused by the time they decided it was clean enough that Hasebe wouldn’t yell at them. They agreed to grab something to eat as a reward for being forced to do all of that.
Yamanbagiri made a beeline for a cabinet that was mostly unused, opening it and pulling down a box. At the lift of an eyebrow he shook his head, pulling a package out of the box and putting it back. “Chougi keeps chocolate fish up there. He doesn’t know I’m aware where he put them though.”
Hizen grabbed an orange and was busy peeling it apart - he liked the sensation - when he heard Taikogane’s laugh approaching the kitchen. He bristled and made a move to flee, but his companion remained there. Though, he did seem surprised to see the tanto was accompanied not by his usual cadre, but Mutsunokami and Nankaitarou. They both brightened at seeing the wakizashi scowling at them.
“I thought you’d be in here.” The scholar pushed his glasses up as he greeted him.
“We’ve got plans later!” Mutsunokami grinned. “Made ya a nice meal to bring, too.”
“No.”
“Oh, oh, I helped them, don’t worry about it being gross!” Taikogane held a hand up like he were whispering and winked.
“Where is Shokudaikiri?” It was hard to ask him for a meal when he wasn’t around.
“Micchan is… spending some time with Kara right now!”
“Huh.”
“So I’m in charge of the kitchen! Uh, well, not really! But Kasen was busy! And I’m pretty capable myself!”
“It wasn’t that hard...” The scholar sighs.
Yamanbagiri attempts to use the opportunity to sneak off, but Hizen grips his cloak. “Don’t you abandon me.” He hisses at him.
“I have somewhere to be.” He whispers back.
“Where!?”
“Over there.” He yanks his cloak and runs off, not even looking back.
“Hnn… Why’re you making meals to ‘bring’, anyway?” He looks back to the others.
“We’re going on a little trip!” Mutsunokami grins excitedly.
“Huh.”
“Master is real curious about the area around the citadel, and regularly has me take my camera to record the wildlife n’ stuff around it!”
“Huh? Why do we gotta go with you!?”
“I’m not allowed to go by myself anymore.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“Won’t it be nice to get away for a night?” Nankaitarou smiled encouragingly, which only made Hizen not want to go more.
“Not really… But if sensei is interested in it, I’ll go along with you.”
“Ya don’t always gotta do what Nankai says, y’know.”
“I know that.” He huffs.
“Do ya wanna go yourself? ”
“Hm.”
“Aah, I wish I could go!” Taikogane pouts, leaning against the counter. “The only time I go anywhere is helping Micchan get stuff at the general store…”
“Maybe if ya ask real nice, ya can go to the beach soon!”
“That’s a good idea, Mutsu! I’ll go find Master now!” The tanto grinned and ran off.
“What’s all this about?” Hizen narrowed his eyes, stuffing an orange slice in his mouth.
“Nothin’.”
“Just routine!”
“The two of you got this look to you… Aggh! I’m not built for figurin’ this kind of thing out.”
The two uchigatana shared a look before leading their smaller companion away. At least he had his orange. He wasn’t sure what sort of stupid thing they were doing, but was thoroughly unimpressed. They already had a pack ready and Mutsunokami led them out of the courtyard towards the fields.
Horikawa waved a greeting from where he was washing some vegetables as they passed. They went through the fields to the tree line just beyond. It wasn’t even considered how much nobody came this far until they were doing it. It was technically beyond the bounds of the citadel, and not protected by the saniwas magic, so it made sense.
Nankaitarou had an air of excitement about him. He was very eager to see what lay outside the boundaries of protection, of safety. None of it related to his research, but curiosity was all encompassing. Mutsunokami led them not terribly far, and pointed up to a wooden tree stand, almost similar to ones hunters use, positioned up in the branches of a large tree.
“Okay! This is our base for the night!”
“What do you need our help with?”
“Glad you asked, Nankai! Take this!” He hands over one of his cameras. “I just need ya to set this up at ground level not too far. We’re looking for nightlife!”
“I’ll do my best. This is the automatic switch, right? Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“Hizen!”
“What?”
“We don’t have much to do, but I need assistance.”
“No problem.” The wakizashi was surprisingly agreeable. He thought it was fair - he had already been dragged along, no point in making the experience even worse.
“Okay, come with me!” He climbed up the ladder to the tree stand, stopping almost at the top. Hizen followed. Shuffling along, the uchigatana reached a hand out for support, and when he felt it, swung off the ladder, reaching up to attach the other camera to the bottom of the stand. They climbed up the rest of the way and sat on the stand, waiting to be rejoined.
Nankaitarou eyed the ladder warily before making his way to the other two, sitting at the far side, so Mutsunokami was in the center. He dug into the pack they had brought and produced the food they’d brought along. Both uchigatana instantly offered their shorter companion food first.
“...Thanks.” He mumbled, already halfway through a rice ball.
“Killing and food, that’s what ya like the best, right?” Mutsunokami laughed, watching him.
“Mm…” He didn’t want to answer that.
“It’s odd - I have the body and mind of a swordsmith, and yet, making and enjoying a meal brings me great joy.”
“Sensei, it’s ‘cause your body needs it to live.”
“There may be more to it than that, I suspect.”
“Aah, I’m glad master said the three of us could come!”
“...Why?”
“I ain’t gonna lose ya again! I was so happy to meet ya both again in Tosa…”
“It’s a great blessing, isn’t it?” The scholar speaks only after making sure there was no food in his mouth.
“Isn’t it! I’m sure Ryoma would be happy to see us, Hizen, yeah?”
“I guess so.”
“C’mon! Ain’t ya happy to have been able to meet us again?”
He frowns into his riceball. Both of the other twos former masters caused him quite a bit of grief, and his own as well. That left him with some complicated feelings that he didn’t want to bother with, since it would just cloud his focus when he needed it. “...Yeah.”
“See! Nankai, see?”
“I heard him well, yes.” He laughs.
“We got to see a new world together…”
“There’s still plenty of fighting in it.” Hizen huffs.
“Nothin’ we can’t handle!” He squeezes both of their shoulders affectionately.
“...Quiet.”
“Jus’ bein’ shy now!”
“No, seriously. Shut up.” Shoving him with his foot, Hizen reaches for his sword - brought just in case of an emergency - and points down below them. A large bear lazily lumbered about, sniffing at the bushes on the forest floor for anything of interest.
“Hey, take it easy.”
“But-”
“It probably doesn’t even care that we’re up here. Why not leave it be?”
“We’re meant to be documenting the wildlife, not fightin’ it!”
“...Fine. I trust your judgement.” He drops the sword softly, pushing away from the edge so he didn’t have to see it anymore.
They finished their food quietly, not to disturb the bear, even after it had left. No use in causing it to come roaring back. Nankaitarou pulled some thin blankets from the pack and looked at them. There were only two, so they drew straws, and Hizen won, so he kept one to himself. It was already the evening, and he wasn’t made for wandering around in the woods, so Nankaitarou drifted off easily, slumped forward, but pressed against Mutsunokami.
“Geez, sensei…” Hizen huffed and crawled forward to take the scholar’s glasses.
“Does he do that a lot?” Mutsunokami managed to lower his voice. Not a lot, but there was a valiant effort being made.
“Mhm… Mostly ‘cause he falls asleep while reading.”
“Oh.”
They sat in the quiet for a while, listening to the breeze rustle leaves in the dark, and animals scurry about in the cover of night. A few bugs whizzed by.
“...I don’t like it, for the record.”
“Hmm?” The uchigatana blinked at him in confusion.
“Killing.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” Hizen mumbles, letting himself lean against Mutsunokami’s arm.
“Ya could never!”
“Doin’ something I hate, ‘cause I’m good at it… it’s all I’ve got, y’know?”
“I dunno ‘bout that. Ya have us, right?”
“Mm.”
“Ya might think the times is just killin’ the retrogradin’ forces, but if ya think ‘bout it, keepin’ up is a bit more than that! Well, I say that but… Hey, if ya ever get tired of the way of doing it, I can teach ya to shoot!” He laughs, smiling joyously. The wakizashi had already drifted off, his expression tired and annoyed even when he was sleeping. “Ah… Yer already gone!”