HAKUOUKI: Back in Time

Chapter 71

~Why not listen to music while you read?~

"The time has finally come..." Saito stood and made ready to depart but...

"Hold on, Saito. This is a bad time to try and take Shirakawa. Let's say we bust ass and drive them out. They'll just call in reinforcements and take it back from us. We'd be sending our men to their deaths for nothing."

"But..."

"Better plan: head to Sendai, hook up with the other domain who're willing to fight, and continue with the war from there. Aizu's done a lot, but determination alone only gets you so far."

Saito said nothing. Silence was nothing strange for him, but usually, he would have responded to an order with a curt "Yes, sir."" and departed to do his duty. This time, however, it seemed clear that there was something he desperately wanted to say, but couldn't quite bring himself to do so.

"I apologize for my impertinence, Commander, but I believe the Shinsengumi owes the Aizu Domain a great deal. Without the Aizu, the Shinsengumi would never have existed. Indeed, even the name 'Shinsengumi' was given to us by the lord of the Aizu Domain. Now, the Aizu are a single domain fighting against armies of nearly half a nation. If ever there was a time to repay the debt we owe them, I believe that time would be now.

Hijikata's eyebrows went up and he cocked his head at Saito. After all, though he hadn't refused an order outright, it was likely as close to it as the commander had ever seen him come. Hijikata crossed his arms and stood awhile in thought before he finally spoke. "I understand what you are saying. Thing is, if we keep fighting small skirmishes, all we do is tire our men out. That's what happened at Utsunomiya. We busted our balls to take that castle and sat on it for all of a couple days before they took it back. I'd bet this'll be the same thing."

His argument made perfect sense. And from a strategic standpoint, there was no disputing that he was correct. But Saito said nothing. Instead, he stared down at the floor, his lips drawn tight. Hijikata sighed and gave Saito a sideways smile. "Alright Saito... Don't gimme this crap. We've known each other for how long? You got something to say, say it. I don't think all that junk about debt and owing people is what you're really trying to tell me here. Just spit it out.

Saito frowned and tightened his fists. "...It was you, Kondou, Souji, Shinpachi, Sano, and everyone else at Shiei Hall who showed me that it wasn't wrong to wear my sword on the right. It was the people of Shiei Hall who allowed me to rediscover the path of the warrior. They are my soul... my sword. When we moved to Kyoto... I had grown, but I still had no domain and no life as a warrior. It was the Shinsengumi and the Aizu who gave me the chance to make that life a reality once again. The Shinsengumi and the Aizu embodied all that it meant to be a warrior. It's only natural for a warrior to be with his sword... And a sword is always at one's hip...

His voice faded into silence. Perhaps he still had yet to find his answer. Hijikata looked at Saito and his smile seemed almost troubled. "...I guess we never thought we'd have to pick between the shogunate and the Aizu, huh. You really sure about this? Those guys out there, especially the Choshu, hate the Aizu's guts. They did even before all this started. Hell, I think they hate the Aizu more than the shogunate. They're gonna send as many men as they have and if you die in battle they'll treat our corpse like any other piece of trash.

Saito nodded silently. "I'm prepared for the worst." He looked up at Hijikata and I could see in his eyes that he had made his decision. "If I was forced to choose between being a sword that lost it's master, and a warrior without a sword and if both choices were right... Then I would choose to be a warrior without his sword. ...I would like to remain in Aizu."