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Okita Souji, captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi of Kyoto, and assistant to Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizou. I was born in Edo, though.

[...]

And I'm twenty-two. Funny how I never figured that out.

There are a lot of people who are important to me here, but there are a lot of people important to me at home, too. And promises I made - to my friends, to my superiors, to myself - that I can't break. So I'm going to go back, and I'm going to bring Digit with me. I hope he and Saizo don't fight. But I'll be back, I'll come to visit everyone. And if you want to come to Kyoto, there'll be rooms, and I'll show you around the city. I know where all the best sweets shops are, too ♥

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Whoa, Captain? You're a real important guy then, aren't you, Souji? And twenty-two... you look really young for your age.

Don't leave without saying good bye, okay?

Well, I'm not the only captain! There are a bunch of us, and they're all important too. I guess I do look pretty young, though.

I won't!

Even if there's a bunch of you, Captain's a pretty important title.

[...he wants to ask about treating his TB, but maybe not on the journals. In person. Instead,] It's probably a big job. Make sure to stay healthy.

I guess. But there's Hijikata-san and Kondou-san above us.

And I will!

[This response comes a few hours later, once he wakes up from his memory-sleep.]

Okita-san. If you haven't left yet, I'd like to speak with you.

I haven't left yet! I'm at the candy store right now.

I'll be there shortly.

[Yamazaki had only just woken, sprawled out in the middle of the floor of his room with the dog licking his face, from a sleep he hadn't intended to have. And he'd woken as himself. Fully himself, with all of his memories prior to Edensphere restored. A look at his journal made it clear that the same thing was happening to others--Okita included. And Okita, like many others, was going home... but before that happened, they needed to talk.

Because, unless there were severe gaps in Yamazaki's recollections (and he was sure there weren't)... he might be going home to a younger Okita who hadn't yet come to Edensphere. This could be his last chance, for some time, to speak with Okita as he knew the man here.

He paused only to feed the dog and straighten his sleep-rumpled clothing, then made his way to the candy store.]

[Souji was sitting behind the register, as usual, with his journal out and open - and a pile of neatly organized candy in front of him, along with a somewhat smaller, less organized pile of wrappers. When the bell on the door rang, he glanced up, and gave Yamazaki a cheerful wave.]

Okita-san. [Yamazaki bowed--it was only appropriate. Okita outranked him, he now knew. He hesitated slightly before speaking, but then got right to the point.]

We've both recovered our memories, it seems. And... I suspect that you remember things that, from my perspective, haven't yet happened. [He paused, looking Okita in the eyes.] We're from different points in time, aren't we?

[It explained why some of Okita's memories that they'd discussed had seemed so odd. It explained why Yamazaki had no recollection of the man being ill. He hadn't been ill... at least not enough for it to have been apparent.]

[Souji returned the bow - though it was more of a headbob from behind the counter]

Mmm... Yeah, I guess so. You don't remember leaving, to train as a doctor, right?

[Okita's question, posed so casually, nevertheless rendered Yamazaki speechless for several moments. Training as... a doctor? Him? It would explain their apparent relationship in a couple of Okita's memories that the man had shared, true, but the notion seemed barely short of absurd to the shinobi. Perhaps even more alarming, though...]

...Leaving? [Surely he wasn't going to desert the Shinsengumi in the future... that couldn't be what Okita meant. It couldn't.]

[A lot of people wouldn't notice the surprise on Yamazaki's face - but Souji could read it. And he knew enough from Hijikata to take a guess as to why, in this case]

Not leaving-leaving! But you went to study with Matsumoto-sensei - Kondou-san said it was fine.

[Well, that was a relief, at least. The idea still seemed very strange to him, but if the Commander was behind it... Yamazaki supposed it wasn't his place to question it too much. He exhaled softly, then shook his head.]

I didn't actually mean for us to discuss my future. I probably know far more than I should. [Okita's memories concerning Vice Commander Yamanami came specifically to mind. But knowing about it... Yamazaki couldn't help but wonder if, returning to a time before it had happened, he could prevent it. And if he could change other things for the better. He paused.]

...I don't know how going home will work--whether we can return together or whether we'll each return to the respective points in time we were taken from. If it's the former... [He bowed his head to Okita.] ...I request that we return to my time, if possible.

[Souji frowned thoughfully, and chewed on his lower lip a little]

Would that... work? Or would there be two mes?

I don't know. [Yamazaki glanced down thoughtfully. He had to admit, he had no idea how any of this worked. Even free of Fugue's influence, even without so much of the strangeness that had made this place what it was... it still made absolutely no logical sense.] We can only speculate about what might happen when we leave... about what might be possible. Until we've gone, I don't think we'll know.

However... I know that I can't go to your time. I, at least, need to return to where I left off. [He looked back at Okita.] Having learned what I've learned about the future from you, there are some things I would like to attempt to change.

[Speaking of which...] ...You're not sick yet, in my time. [Not as far as Yamazaki knew, in any case.] I wonder... if I were to take this place's medicine back with me, if you could be prevented from ever becoming sick, or at least treated before it becomes serious.

[...Ah. He hadn't thought about that, in a while. But it looked like what Sniper had suggested might be right - that he might be able to change things, bring things back with him. Though...]

For you... what year is it?

[He should have thought to establish just how far apart in time they were, of course... just how much time, or how little, he would have before he caught up to Okita.]

It's the first year of Genji, shortly after the events at Ikedaya. The Gion festival has just concluded.

[There's a small, sad smile at that.]

...I was still sick, then. Just that nobody knew. Though I think Hijikata-san suspected.

It's been about three years since that, for me.

[That Okita had actually been sick for that long honestly didn't surprise Yamazaki overly much. The man had hidden it well... but he was good at that sort of thing, after all. Good at saying he was fine when he wasn't.

Three years, though... that was longer than Yamazaki had expected, seeing as Okita hardly seemed to have aged at all. But a lot could potentially be changed, in three years. A lot could be improved, and a lot could be averted. He found that bit of information rather encouraging. And Okita couldn't have been very sick yet, if he'd carried on for that length of time. Yamazaki regarded him stoically.]

Whether it would work or not, I can't say. But I'd like to try, if you'll permit it. [And he'd prefer to have Okita's permission. Even after so many months of the two of them interacting as equals here, thinking of Okita as a superior officer again felt natural to Yamazaki. It felt right.]

[He thinks about it, and then nods]

I don't mind. I can tell you how the medicines are supposed to be taken, and what the side effects are.

[Yamazaki returned the nod.] I'll write it down, before we go. [He didn't have anything to write in at that moment except for his journal, but he'd be taking all of his notebooks with him.

As for actually getting Okita to take the medicines, if the man wasn't able to go back to that time with him... perhaps Yamazaki could talk to the Vice Commander about that, if he already suspected. Or perhaps he could work something out with Ichimura to slip it into his tea. Or... distract Ichimura. That might be the easiest.

He'd figure it out. He was a shinobi, after all--he was trained in various ways to secretly poison people, and the same tactics could probably be applied to secretly medicating them.]

...When are you planning on leaving?

Umm... probably tomorrow. Maybe the day after. I still have to say goodbye to everyone, and make sure the shop is taken care of.

[He pauses thoughtfully]

...Do you think it would be alright to bring Digit home, too?

[He nodded once again.] That's reasonable. [Yamazaki himself could have probably been ready to go within a couple hours; it was just a matter of collecting what possessions he wanted to take. There were only a small handful of people that he was at all concerned with saying goodbye to. But he'd wait for the other man.

At Okita's question he hesitated, then glanced away momentarily.] ...I'm taking Taichou.

[Souji grinned a little at that]

I'll take Digit too, then. We can tell Hijikata-san we found them as strays. I know he won't argue with me. And I'll keep them from fighting with Saizo.

[Yamazaki hmph-ed slightly in amusement.] I don't think he'd believe I willingly brought a stray home. Perhaps you should claim responsibility for both of them.

[...And if he and Okita ended up separated by three years again, well, he'd just have to tell the Vice Commander that a dog followed him home and wouldn't leave. Which would in fact be entirely true.]

[Souji laughed - it did seem a little unbelievable.]

I guess I could~ He'd probably kind of angry, though.

[...Not that... that thought particularly fazed him]

[He'd been half-teasing, but if Okita was willing to take on the brunt of the blame, Yamazaki wasn't going to argue. And the Vice Commander was normally kind of angry, but he didn't feel it was necessary to point that out.]

...Please let me know when you're ready to leave, then.

[...Teasing? From Yamazaki? Of course Souji didn't catch it. He nodded, though]

I will. And I'll get everything ready to give to you, too.

I thought you were sixteen!

We'll see each other on our visits back, then. Good.

I thought I was younger, too!

I'm glad~

You've aged well, that's for sure. I'll bring some rock candy from Bal for you.

Edited 2011-10-27 04:03 (UTC)

I'd like that a lot ♥

I wonder what it'd be like to visit. I mean, I've been to Kyoto, only much later.

Stay safe, Souji-san.

Come to visit sometime, if you can. Once things are better in your world.

You too, Inoue-san.

That would be an adventure. Though I've heard it's dangerous to visit your own past, but... I'm not positive how this works. It's like there are lots of very similar worlds that are still separate from each other.

Well, it wouldn't really be your past, would it? It's a lot farther back than that.

Yes, I suppose so. Hopefully I'd still speak the language, though I'd have to wear something appropriate.

I hope people remember that! I mean, visiting other worlds is all well and good, but maybe we should try not to stick out too much.

Well, I could read all signs in - Tokyo, I think it was? Even though it didn't look anything like the cities I'm used to.

That's a good point - it'd probably cause less trouble for everyone that way.

Yes. That would be a good thing, at least.

I think so, too.

I still want people to come and visit, though ♥

Yes, so do I. I'm sure we can arrange something so everyone can drop by.

Hey, I'd like to see your version of Kyoto one day, if you don't mind.

I'm sure that'd be fine~

[His pen lingers over the page for a moment. Souji speaks of visiting, but he spoke of coming back to...]

It is the honorable choice, to return to one's duty.

It is. But maybe - not the right one for everyone.

I wouldn't leave Hijikata-san alone, though ♥

[A long pause, then:]

Will you be well, a-Souji?

[There's a pause from Souji's side, too. He had... not be expecting that honorific. But he doesn't mind it in the least]

I will - thank you. You will be fine too?

[It seems honest - he'd like to think that it is honest. Perhaps something has changed?

Perhaps. People change.]

I shall. I am already home.

[It is~ In so much as Souji is ever honest, anyway]

Very true~

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