Ah - did any of us tell you about our performances?
[ it's uh. it's been a while. he hasn't been thinking about it with all the demons happening. ]
I haven't found who wrote it yet, but I've found a few more who didn't. [ there's a note of frustration in his voice, because most people find it a little weird to ask for writing samples. he's trying. ] As for what I've got...
There's a new note, but it isn't handwritten. And I have the notebook from the office we broke into - as well as the keys to the cell. I want to try them on the ones on this floor, too, when I get the chance.
I must've missed that part. I didn't realize you guys performed at all. [Which in and of itself is kind of funny but somehow fitting. ] You'll have to show us sometime.
Nice going though. [He does sound pleased because keys are a big step.] If there's some kind of master key that could help with future break-ins. What'd the new note say? And the notebook? If you can remember off the top of your head.
[ there's a nod, but he... doesn't look very enthusiastic about it at the moment. ]
Our master said it was the way to do battle in one of the eras they liked sending us to. It's singing and dancing, mostly. I... promised Escha I would show her sometime.
[ but that's... well, that's done, for now. so kanesan gives himself a good mental shake and moves on. ]
I don't know if it's a master key, but it's worth trying, at least. Though we'll have to be careful that there aren't more knife incidents.
[ not to talk bad about your fox wife, junpei, but that was a dumb move. anyway! instead of answering immediately, he pulls two things from his kimono - a badly water-damaged notebook and a small note to hand to junpei. if he knows kanesan's writing (and let's say he does because i never thought that far), he'll recognize it. ]
The note wasn't handwritten - but I wasn't sure if you'd be able to read it or not, since it appeared the same way as the last one.
[ there are only two entries in the notebook that are anything approaching legible - but the note reads:
I never really thought about performing arts as a battle strategy, but if it helped you blend in...maybe that makes sense. [A frown.] I wonder if they can still see us even after they're off the ship. It seems weird that they couldn't.
I think most of us would be fine. [He. Knows. He loves Tamamo for being the way she is but he's also well aware she doesn't think things through like that when she's in the moment. Still, there are two things going on here. He'll take both items, comparing them and reading everything over. The note gets his attention first though because:]
What the hell does any of this mean? Another game of Hang Man? [He knows Kanesada doesn't know but ???] How did this show up? And when?
There's no way of knowing what the dead can or can't see, is there? Though I do wonder about the new ruins that appear outside when we lose someone.
[ he'll just give a shrug. ]
No idea. It appeared on Friday morning - it was in the room when I woke up. I don't think Taako noticed it. My guess is that it's some sort of code, but I couldn't tell you what. As for the notebook, it looks like a journal, doesn't it? Maybe from one of the last people who went through what we're doing?
[ the entries in it are dated and span about seven weeks, but it's definitely seen better days. several pages have been torn out, and others are too water-damaged to be legible. the first entry that junpei will be able to read is dated to last week - the same day kanesan had brought an injured tamamo to his door. it reads:
DAY 20 SPOKE TO: █████, █████████, NE██A, M█████
- Did not find th████████ shoes - Task still pending for A. Where the fuck am I going t███████████████████████ - ██████████████████████ █V██████████████████████ - M███████████████ moron who cannot stop breaking into places. This is the last time I pop his arm back in its socket!!!! ]
I don't know if there are. Maybe somebody can send messages back and forth with our hosts. The ruins are always linked back to whoever dies though.
[There's a nod because it does look like a journal. On the other hand, he's reading and he's like. Hm. The fuck?
This...is really interesting and he blinks in surprise as he scans over the page.]
So whoever wrote this was probably kind of a spy of some sort. Interesting, isn't it? [How does this all work...?] Hold onto this. We'll keep a collection of the logs we find. I'm curious what shoes they're looking for though. But I'd like to borrow this to make a copy if that's okay.
[...he's still tied up about Kanesada's mystery note.] It's your other note I'm still concerned about if people keep sending them to you. Have you spoken to our hosts about it...? There must be a reason it's only you so far.
It's worth asking about. It's possible they might have information we don't. It's better to account for all possibilities we can than miss something that might help us.
[ but. yeah. he's nodding. ]
That's what I was thinking, too. But whoever they were, it didn't end well for them. Look at the last entry.
[ it's the only other legible entry, heavily smudged with water and pink stains. it reads:
██y 49 ███████████████████████████████████████ORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I want to █████████████████████████████████████████████ Why aren't I dead why why why why why wh█████████ I███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
so yeah. not great! ]
I've been keeping it with me, outside of the trial. I've been trying to keep it quiet, so it isn't damaged further or stolen, in case it turns out that we need it - but you can borrow it for now.
[ he does look a bit surprised at the last question, though. ]
Is it only me? I thought others had been receiving things, too. Wasn't your box like that?
You and I are in sync then. [There's a grin. But that grin fades when he flips to the last entry and...freezes a little. Day 49, huh?]
...what happened to them? Rhetorical question, I know we don't know. It's a good idea to keep it with you but not enough to draw attention. I appreciate it though. It...should help with some things I'm working on.
[He shakes his head though.] The box was different. I know others who've received it but I didn't get anything last week. You've been getting notes consistently. [...] I'd like to ask you something. It's based on some rumors I've heard, and I'd appreciate it if this stayed between us.
Are you aware of special rules given out in this game? I don't believe this is a coincidence.
I'm still waiting for you to tell me what those things are.
[ a gentle reminder, but he won't pry further than that. at the next question, he hums thoughtfully, crossing his arms as they walk. ]
Maybe it isn't a coincidence, but if someone is trying to tell me something, I couldn't say what it is. They could have chosen someone who'd understand what "doxxing" is, for one thing.
[ he looks a bit grumpy at that, eventually shaking his head. ]
I can't say that I know about any special rules, but they've already given us so many to work within - what good is it if they keep giving us more? Besides, the only rumors I've heard are that some of us are receiving things from home.
What? [He looks surprised because, like, he's actually not sure which part Kanesada means. He could use a more forceful reminder to be honest, he's had a lot on his mind lately. But it's a curious hum that follows even as they pass a patch of purple flowers.]
Maybe they don't get a choice in the message. Otherwise why send you a puzzle, too? [He shakes his head...but.] You could just be a target of someone with a different part in this game. But then you have to think, like, why you? What does that really mean?
But I don't have prove that's what it means. I haven't heard of anyone receiving things from home recently though. Just the one week. You can see why I think you getting hit twice is the outlier.
[ but he'll give a wave of his hand. it's not important right this second, probably. ]
By that logic, maybe they didn't even choose me to receive them. For all we know, they have as much a choice in it as we do - I could just be the messenger chosen as random, and now we're all stuck with it.
It's hard to say, when we can't even figure out what the messages themselves are meant to say. All I know is that finding who wrote the first one might help us somehow. That's all Chuuya could tell me.
Oh. Yeah, I can debrief you when you have the time. I've been putting together all of the notes from everyone.
If that's true...can it really be random if it's twice? I guess we won't know until later this week because they say that thrice is a pattern or something. It seems weird is all.
I'll see if I can decode some of the messages and let you know my thoughts. It, in theory, should be easy enough to solve if they're being sent in the first place. Maybe I'll ask Chuuya myself, too.
[He stops though because he's busy squinting at that patch of flowers a little harder before something seems amiss.] ...what the? [Excuse him, he's going to step forward and reach down to pluck out a purple hair scrunchie. He turns it in his hand, but without warning a barrier comes, surrounding both him and Kanesada among the flowers as the scrunchie turns to dust.]
You're seeing this, right? What the hell? [The memory will come in the next tag because this barrier is probably going to be a problem in and of itself.]
[ but maybe after junpei has some time to figure out the note or the journal entries. or… after they get out of this barrier. the relaxed posture is gone as soon as it goes up, and his hand goes to his sword. to junpei, he simply nods as his eyes scan the garden for potential threats. ]
But I haven’t heard of any attacks coming earlier than Thursday night.
Are we sure this is an attack? [He's trying to push at the barrier himself with no luck. It's...it's something, maybe, because for a moment the barrier shimmers, and then Kanesada finds himself looking through someone else's eyes until everything goes dark at 34:20.]
[ it takes a moment for kanesan to come out of it, blinking in surprise when he does. he doesn’t… really understand what just happened, not immediately, except -
[The problem is that Junpei's blindsided by the memory which means Kanesada gets to see a quick flicker of hurt and discomfort in his expression before it's gone. Instead, he fixes him with a neutral gaze.]
You knew Carlos and I came from the same place, didn't you? [He starts with the obvious here. It's fine.]
...[How to explain...] Do you remember what I said about different histories? And how sometimes we had to jump to save ourselves and change things? It was something like that. That history was one where a virus outbreak was going to destroy six billion people because of how things worked out.
[ kanesan opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, the barrier flickers again, and junpei will find himself standing in the rain, all three layers of his clothes soaked through as the adrenaline of battle and the shock of seeing okita souji finally begin to fade. before him, a man gracefully sinks to his knees, heedless of the mud. it wouldn't matter, anyway - the white funeral clothes he wears, a stark difference from the dignified samurai clothing and blue haori he's known for, are already dirty from holding comforting a friend mere minutes ago.
he turns to request a favor from the nearest of them, but with the pose he's assumed, there can be no mistaking what he means to say. junpei's gaze moves from kondo to nagasone, a storm of resigned concern burning in his heart even before kondo speaks.
"Please take my life."
despite knowing it was coming, it's still a blow. junpei finds himself taking a step back, but all the same…
"It can't be helped," he says with kanesan's voice, heart heavy as he sets a hand on the hilt of his sword. "It's what's supposed to happen."
history calls for it, but it doesn't make it any easier. he worries for nagasone, their leader and kondo isami's own sword - but nagasone himself doesn't hesitate. he's been dedicated to protecting history from the start, no matter the cost, even when it means carving into his own heart to protect a fate that he would never wish upon his former master. so nagason draws his sword, pausing only to ask kondo the questions that have weighed on his mind for so many years. why did kondo give up, even with his strength? why, when he didn't have to surrender…
"The reason I fought with the Shinsengumi was to make a better future," kondo interrupts, speaking firmly, "and for that cause, I will gladly give my life. Right from the start, I meant for Toshi to inherit my spirit." junpei takes another half-step backward, breath caught in his throat. "That's all. That's how the Shinsengumi fights."
in return, kondo asks the six of them a question of his own: what will become of the shinsengumi in the future? it sends a shockwave through the team, but kondo merely looks pleased at being right as nagasone steps forward to answer.
"They'll be a ray of hope that illuminates the darkness," he says, the answer simple but firm. there's another wave of emotion at that, this time a flurry of immeasurable pride and sadness. it isn’t completely true, and they all know it. but all the same... it's how each of them feels, and it’s hard not to believe every word, when they know the impact this man and his followers had on history. and kondo himself appears happier than any man awaiting his death should be, smiling through tears of joy as he tells nagasone to do it. and after only a moment of hesitation, he rests his sword against kondo's neck briefly before raising it to strike -
there comes an angry, wordless yell, and junpei can only watch as one of their own, hachisuka kotetsu, comes forward to roughly shove nagasone to the ground.
"I think I finally understand why I hate you." a surge of worry brings junpei a step forward, but no further as hachisuka continues to speak. “You always try to do everything by yourself. That’s what I hate about you!”
nagasone and the others can only watch in mute silence as he continues angrily, “You’ve shouldered everything by yourself! You’ve suffered all by yourself! Why don’t you get it?”
and suddenly, he kneels in the mud, dirtying the glistening gold armor as he meets nagasone’s eyes. his voice, when he speaks again, is soft - moreso than it’s ever been, in speaking to his brother. through the veil of concern for nagasone, for their relationship, junpei feels a spark of relief.
“You can rely on us.”
it’s not what any of them expected hachisuka to say, but the effect is immediate. nagasone’s expression, always so steadfast and focused on the mission, breaks as tears well up in his eyes, and for once, he doesn’t hold anything back. as they all watch, he curls in on himself on the ground, still clutching his sword a little tighter with each fresh sob.
leaving him there, hachisuka stands and, drawing his sword, turns to kondo isami where he still awaits his execution. after only a moment of hesitation, hachisuka speaks two words, and swings his blade.
[Intense is the word that Junpei would describe it as later. It's rough and a gripping sort of awareness that means he's fully immersed in this memory, watching through Kanesada's eyes. He's a little out of touch with Japanese history but he knows enough of the Shinsengumi and he understands what's happening here.
And he wonders, briefly, if Nagasone is who Kanesada thinks of here. As the memory fades when the blade swings to strike Kondo, the barrier breaks and Junpei's left to stare at Kanesada with open uncertainty.]
...I think I suddenly see why you're very invested in teamwork. [Steady and firm, he lets those words hang first rather than focus on the emotions he can't quite shake off.]
[ when the memory fades, all kanesan can do is let out a heavy sigh. that is not a memory he appreciates being forced to relive. ]
You mean Hachisuka. [ it's not a question. his arms cross, eyes closing as he tries to find the words to explain. ] He is not of the Shinsengumi - but he wasn't wrong, was he? Moving as a team is how the Shinsengumi operated, and it's how we work best. I suppose it can be hard to remember that, when you're facing a loss like Nagasone's.
I guess he wasn't wrong, no. [But teamwork is still a dicey thing in and of itself.] Sometimes you want to take one for the team though and make sure whatever you're doing will benefit them even if it's hurting yourself. Isn't that still part of teamwork, if you think about it?
If you have a hard choice to make...I think I understand why you would want to do it yourself. Even if it's not the right one to make.
It is - I won’t argue with you on that. But I still stand by what I said before. [ he watches junpei carefully as he continues. ] The team that can rely on each other when things get difficult is the team that works best. I could never say so to Nagasone himself, but I believe that to be true.
He takes care of us as well as Kondo Isami did with our masters, but all the same… A burden is harder to bear alone, isn’t it?
Not to be contradictory, but it depends on the burden, I think. It becomes a question of what will hurt your teammates less, letting them shoulder it with you or doing it to protect them. But I get it. A team that can rely on each other means a team that knows what to do next and how to prepare for situations where the burden's too heavy.
Sometimes I just think teams are harder to manage than managing yourself. That's all.
Oh, undoubtedly. To be an effective commander, you must understand your teammates well enough to know where best to use them and where not to use them at all, who they work best with or not, what motivates them or what discourages them most. There are many things to consider as a leader of many, as opposed to leading only yourself, where you will know your own strengths and weaknesses well enough to survive or die trying.
[ that's a little extreme but okay ]
It isn't an easy skill to learn. But I think you are beginning to understand what it means, to be a true leader.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ it's uh. it's been a while. he hasn't been thinking about it with all the demons happening. ]
I haven't found who wrote it yet, but I've found a few more who didn't. [ there's a note of frustration in his voice, because most people find it a little weird to ask for writing samples. he's trying. ] As for what I've got...
There's a new note, but it isn't handwritten. And I have the notebook from the office we broke into - as well as the keys to the cell. I want to try them on the ones on this floor, too, when I get the chance.
[ he's the police ]
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Nice going though. [He does sound pleased because keys are a big step.] If there's some kind of master key that could help with future break-ins. What'd the new note say? And the notebook? If you can remember off the top of your head.
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Our master said it was the way to do battle in one of the eras they liked sending us to. It's singing and dancing, mostly. I... promised Escha I would show her sometime.
[ but that's... well, that's done, for now. so kanesan gives himself a good mental shake and moves on. ]
I don't know if it's a master key, but it's worth trying, at least. Though we'll have to be careful that there aren't more knife incidents.
[ not to talk bad about your fox wife, junpei, but that was a dumb move. anyway! instead of answering immediately, he pulls two things from his kimono - a badly water-damaged notebook and a small note to hand to junpei. if he knows kanesan's writing (and let's say he does because i never thought that far), he'll recognize it. ]
The note wasn't handwritten - but I wasn't sure if you'd be able to read it or not, since it appeared the same way as the last one.
[ there are only two entries in the notebook that are anything approaching legible - but the note reads:
C------: 1
--------: 1
-u--- ----y: 2
---t- ------: 2
----b------: 3
-----r: 4
please don't ask him what any of that means; he doesn't have a damn clue. ]
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I think most of us would be fine. [He. Knows. He loves Tamamo for being the way she is but he's also well aware she doesn't think things through like that when she's in the moment. Still, there are two things going on here. He'll take both items, comparing them and reading everything over. The note gets his attention first though because:]
What the hell does any of this mean? Another game of Hang Man? [He knows Kanesada doesn't know but ???] How did this show up? And when?
[He's also going to look in the notebook now.]
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[ he'll just give a shrug. ]
No idea. It appeared on Friday morning - it was in the room when I woke up. I don't think Taako noticed it. My guess is that it's some sort of code, but I couldn't tell you what. As for the notebook, it looks like a journal, doesn't it? Maybe from one of the last people who went through what we're doing?
[ the entries in it are dated and span about seven weeks, but it's definitely seen better days. several pages have been torn out, and others are too water-damaged to be legible. the first entry that junpei will be able to read is dated to last week - the same day kanesan had brought an injured tamamo to his door. it reads:
DAY 20
SPOKE TO: █████, █████████, NE██A, M█████
- Did not find th████████ shoes
- Task still pending for A. Where the fuck am I going t███████████████████████
- ██████████████████████ █V██████████████████████
- M███████████████ moron who cannot stop breaking into places. This is the last time I pop his arm back in its socket!!!! ]
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[There's a nod because it does look like a journal. On the other hand, he's reading and he's like. Hm. The fuck?
This...is really interesting and he blinks in surprise as he scans over the page.]
So whoever wrote this was probably kind of a spy of some sort. Interesting, isn't it? [How does this all work...?] Hold onto this. We'll keep a collection of the logs we find. I'm curious what shoes they're looking for though. But I'd like to borrow this to make a copy if that's okay.
[...he's still tied up about Kanesada's mystery note.] It's your other note I'm still concerned about if people keep sending them to you. Have you spoken to our hosts about it...? There must be a reason it's only you so far.
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[ but. yeah. he's nodding. ]
That's what I was thinking, too. But whoever they were, it didn't end well for them. Look at the last entry.
[ it's the only other legible entry, heavily smudged with water and pink stains. it reads:
██y 49
███████████████████████████████████████ORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry
I'm so sorry
I'm so sorry
I want to █████████████████████████████████████████████
Why aren't I dead why why why why why wh█████████
I███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
so yeah. not great! ]
I've been keeping it with me, outside of the trial. I've been trying to keep it quiet, so it isn't damaged further or stolen, in case it turns out that we need it - but you can borrow it for now.
[ he does look a bit surprised at the last question, though. ]
Is it only me? I thought others had been receiving things, too. Wasn't your box like that?
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...what happened to them? Rhetorical question, I know we don't know. It's a good idea to keep it with you but not enough to draw attention. I appreciate it though. It...should help with some things I'm working on.
[He shakes his head though.] The box was different. I know others who've received it but I didn't get anything last week. You've been getting notes consistently. [...] I'd like to ask you something. It's based on some rumors I've heard, and I'd appreciate it if this stayed between us.
Are you aware of special rules given out in this game? I don't believe this is a coincidence.
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[ a gentle reminder, but he won't pry further than that. at the next question, he hums thoughtfully, crossing his arms as they walk. ]
Maybe it isn't a coincidence, but if someone is trying to tell me something, I couldn't say what it is. They could have chosen someone who'd understand what "doxxing" is, for one thing.
[ he looks a bit grumpy at that, eventually shaking his head. ]
I can't say that I know about any special rules, but they've already given us so many to work within - what good is it if they keep giving us more? Besides, the only rumors I've heard are that some of us are receiving things from home.
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Maybe they don't get a choice in the message. Otherwise why send you a puzzle, too? [He shakes his head...but.] You could just be a target of someone with a different part in this game. But then you have to think, like, why you? What does that really mean?
But I don't have prove that's what it means. I haven't heard of anyone receiving things from home recently though. Just the one week. You can see why I think you getting hit twice is the outlier.
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[ but he'll give a wave of his hand. it's not important right this second, probably. ]
By that logic, maybe they didn't even choose me to receive them. For all we know, they have as much a choice in it as we do - I could just be the messenger chosen as random, and now we're all stuck with it.
It's hard to say, when we can't even figure out what the messages themselves are meant to say. All I know is that finding who wrote the first one might help us somehow. That's all Chuuya could tell me.
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If that's true...can it really be random if it's twice? I guess we won't know until later this week because they say that thrice is a pattern or something. It seems weird is all.
I'll see if I can decode some of the messages and let you know my thoughts. It, in theory, should be easy enough to solve if they're being sent in the first place. Maybe I'll ask Chuuya myself, too.
[He stops though because he's busy squinting at that patch of flowers a little harder before something seems amiss.] ...what the? [Excuse him, he's going to step forward and reach down to pluck out a purple hair scrunchie. He turns it in his hand, but without warning a barrier comes, surrounding both him and Kanesada among the flowers as the scrunchie turns to dust.]
You're seeing this, right? What the hell? [The memory will come in the next tag because this barrier is probably going to be a problem in and of itself.]
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[ but maybe after junpei has some time to figure out the note or the journal entries. or… after they get out of this barrier. the relaxed posture is gone as soon as it goes up, and his hand goes to his sword. to junpei, he simply nods as his eyes scan the garden for potential threats. ]
But I haven’t heard of any attacks coming earlier than Thursday night.
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he turns to junpei questioningly. ]
Junpei, was that…?
[ carlos? junpei himself? what? ]
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You knew Carlos and I came from the same place, didn't you? [He starts with the obvious here. It's fine.]
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I know. But... what was going on? What were you talking about that... that made you feel like that?
[ the human heart... it really is difficult, sometimes. it's no wonder junpei and so many others struggle to manage it. ]
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he turns to request a favor from the nearest of them, but with the pose he's assumed, there can be no mistaking what he means to say. junpei's gaze moves from kondo to nagasone, a storm of resigned concern burning in his heart even before kondo speaks.
"Please take my life."
despite knowing it was coming, it's still a blow. junpei finds himself taking a step back, but all the same…
"It can't be helped," he says with kanesan's voice, heart heavy as he sets a hand on the hilt of his sword. "It's what's supposed to happen."
history calls for it, but it doesn't make it any easier. he worries for nagasone, their leader and kondo isami's own sword - but nagasone himself doesn't hesitate. he's been dedicated to protecting history from the start, no matter the cost, even when it means carving into his own heart to protect a fate that he would never wish upon his former master. so nagason draws his sword, pausing only to ask kondo the questions that have weighed on his mind for so many years. why did kondo give up, even with his strength? why, when he didn't have to surrender…
"The reason I fought with the Shinsengumi was to make a better future," kondo interrupts, speaking firmly, "and for that cause, I will gladly give my life. Right from the start, I meant for Toshi to inherit my spirit." junpei takes another half-step backward, breath caught in his throat. "That's all. That's how the Shinsengumi fights."
in return, kondo asks the six of them a question of his own: what will become of the shinsengumi in the future? it sends a shockwave through the team, but kondo merely looks pleased at being right as nagasone steps forward to answer.
"They'll be a ray of hope that illuminates the darkness," he says, the answer simple but firm. there's another wave of emotion at that, this time a flurry of immeasurable pride and sadness. it isn’t completely true, and they all know it. but all the same... it's how each of them feels, and it’s hard not to believe every word, when they know the impact this man and his followers had on history. and kondo himself appears happier than any man awaiting his death should be, smiling through tears of joy as he tells nagasone to do it. and after only a moment of hesitation, he rests his sword against kondo's neck briefly before raising it to strike -
there comes an angry, wordless yell, and junpei can only watch as one of their own, hachisuka kotetsu, comes forward to roughly shove nagasone to the ground.
"I think I finally understand why I hate you." a surge of worry brings junpei a step forward, but no further as hachisuka continues to speak. “You always try to do everything by yourself. That’s what I hate about you!”
nagasone and the others can only watch in mute silence as he continues angrily, “You’ve shouldered everything by yourself! You’ve suffered all by yourself! Why don’t you get it?”
and suddenly, he kneels in the mud, dirtying the glistening gold armor as he meets nagasone’s eyes. his voice, when he speaks again, is soft - moreso than it’s ever been, in speaking to his brother. through the veil of concern for nagasone, for their relationship, junpei feels a spark of relief.
“You can rely on us.”
it’s not what any of them expected hachisuka to say, but the effect is immediate. nagasone’s expression, always so steadfast and focused on the mission, breaks as tears well up in his eyes, and for once, he doesn’t hold anything back. as they all watch, he curls in on himself on the ground, still clutching his sword a little tighter with each fresh sob.
leaving him there, hachisuka stands and, drawing his sword, turns to kondo isami where he still awaits his execution. after only a moment of hesitation, hachisuka speaks two words, and swings his blade.
“I’m sorry.” ]
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And he wonders, briefly, if Nagasone is who Kanesada thinks of here. As the memory fades when the blade swings to strike Kondo, the barrier breaks and Junpei's left to stare at Kanesada with open uncertainty.]
...I think I suddenly see why you're very invested in teamwork. [Steady and firm, he lets those words hang first rather than focus on the emotions he can't quite shake off.]
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You mean Hachisuka. [ it's not a question. his arms cross, eyes closing as he tries to find the words to explain. ] He is not of the Shinsengumi - but he wasn't wrong, was he? Moving as a team is how the Shinsengumi operated, and it's how we work best. I suppose it can be hard to remember that, when you're facing a loss like Nagasone's.
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If you have a hard choice to make...I think I understand why you would want to do it yourself. Even if it's not the right one to make.
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It is - I won’t argue with you on that. But I still stand by what I said before. [ he watches junpei carefully as he continues. ] The team that can rely on each other when things get difficult is the team that works best. I could never say so to Nagasone himself, but I believe that to be true.
He takes care of us as well as Kondo Isami did with our masters, but all the same… A burden is harder to bear alone, isn’t it?
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Sometimes I just think teams are harder to manage than managing yourself. That's all.
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[ that's a little extreme but okay ]
It isn't an easy skill to learn. But I think you are beginning to understand what it means, to be a true leader.
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