Once the idea to change samurai history formed in Hijikata's mind, he couldn't stop thinking about it. William and Star spent hours in the Museum talking with each other and trying to mend their relationship. From what Hijikata knew, Star was still unhappy with William's decision. Hijikata understood where William had come from. After all, he had successfully saved his family - according to records, they had moved to the colonies and lived there for a long time, so long that their family name survived for hundreds of years - without changing history too drastically or destroying the timeline. More importantly, William had done it all and was still alive.

This meant Hijikata could too.

Yet he was not one to be reckless. All his years as the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi and later, the Commander, taught him patience and strategy in wartime. Granted, this wasn't war, but Hijikata looked at everything as if it was war. He approached his plan the same way. Starting with all the research he could. Even though it was his own time period he would be returning to, he wanted to know anything and everything possible. Knowledge could change everything in a battle, after all.

Days later, he acquired all the information he thought he would need about the Boshin War. Back then, he had known only the basic, more common information that other samurai in his position had. Then, there were many things that had been learned from rumors and speculation. Knowing what the historical records had to say about why the Boshin War started and why they lost would help him. At the same time, Hijikata was also aware that history was written by the victors, which was where his personal experience came into play. In the end, he decided that he needed to balance the two in order to change things so that the Shinsengumi and the Bakufu won and that the samurai way of life never died.

Fortunately, he had watched Joel and Leo control the time machine enough that he was fairly confident he could do so himself. At least, he thought so. The next few parts of his plan were ensuring he chose a time when their time machine wasn't being used so that he could successfully sneak off without being caught like William was; Hijikata learned from past mistakes. That and he would need to fit in with his time period and fortunately, the Museum hadn't gotten rid of his old clothing.

After a warm shower, he changed into a samurai's traditional kimono and slipped the hakama over the top of that, securing them around his waist. From there, he put tabi socks on his feet and found a comfortable pair of setta sandals. Overtop his chest, he wore a haori. Much to his surprise, the Museum had a specially designed, original Shinsengumi haori, which was blue in color with white mountain designs on the sleeves. He grabbed the headgear, which was similar to a bandana with a protective section over his forehead. On the front of it was the kanji symbol Makoto, which meant sincerity; the Shinsengumi motto.

Looking at himself in the mirror, a strange, warm feeling settled itself deep within his chest. He felt like a true samurai again. As the Boshin War dragged on, he and the other samurai had been forced to wear western clothing and slowly abandon their own traditions and way of life. Now, he could be himself again.

He made his way to the weapon's room where he found a beautiful katana made from fine, layered steel, hand-forged as if it had been made in the 1800s. It rested inside its saya, which was made of wood, lacquered black. At the bottom was a gold leaf design, which meant it originated from Edo, Hijikata's hometown. The saya also had a loophole at the top, which was used for the saego - the cord - that he used to leash the sword to the inside of his belt sash around his hakama on his left hip. Samurai wore their sayas on their left hips if they were right-handed; it made for more efficient movements when unsheathing. Hijikata smiled at the thought; Saito, one of his friends in the Shinsengumi, had been left-handed, which wasn't a popular idea at the time. Despite that, he was one of the best warriors in the Shinsengumi.

He found a wakizashi which was similar to a katana but shorter, used for seppuku ceremonies, and if a samurai lost his weapon. It felt right to have a true katana on his hip again and not one of the Museum forged ones; as if Hijikata had been missing a limb that had finally been restored to him. Knowing that they had been banned in his home country made his chest ache; katanas were made for killing and the two-handed weapons received their power from the hard cutting, single edge, and broad back. They were made over the course of years to perfect and fine-tune the steel. Many katanas did not survive the forging process, at least not back in Hijikata's time. But if one did, it became powerful, able to slice through three human bodies in the hands of a proper swordsman.

A samurai's soul lived within his katana. Taking that away... Hijikata could not comprehend a world where the samurai did not exist. Bushido - the Way of the Warrior - was about honor and loyalty, obeying the daimyo one served, protecting the people and a samurai's fellow comrades. Without that, where did that leave the world?

For Hijikata, the Shinsengumi and the Shogun gave him a reason to follow Bushido, to live his life by its code.

At least, until it had all been ripped away from him, from them all.

As he stared at his reflection in the glass of the time machine, Hijikata's hand lightly clenched his katana hilt. I will change the outcome of the Boshin War. Our way of life will survive the ages, Hijikata silently vowed.

Ensuring no one was watching, he shifted his hands on the controls and turned the machine on. Colors swirled outside the glass as it flew through space and time.

For the first time in many years, Hijikata was going home.

*****

"Has anyone seen Hijikata?" Joel's eyes traced over the cots where Star sat near Zhen, leaving William, Leo, and Khutulun at a makeshift table where some of the people in the Museum had picked up a game or two. Khutulun wasn't quite sure how it worked, but William and Leo made learning the card games easy.

Khutulun glanced up at Joel with a frown. He had always despised Hijikata, so why was he concerned with Hijikata's whereabouts? When Joel met her gaze, Khutulun shook her head. "I no see him," she said with a shrug. In truth, he'd been distant lately and she'd tried to speak to him - or at least, her way of speaking - several times but it was as if he was in a completely different world than she was. She thought maybe he needed his distance, so that was what she gave him.

"I'll help you look for him, mate." Leo stood and stretched out his muscles before he followed Joel up the steps and into the main section of the Museum.

Khutulun smiled at William. "I go. Find Hijikata," she said, still hating how childish she sounded. As she climbed the stairs and entered the Museum, her mind drifted, not quite understanding how she could pick up on what people said in English and yet, still not formulate the words correctly herself.

The weapon's room was the first place Khutulun searched. She found several of the bows she liked and grabbed one, in particular, she was fond of. A few times, she had shown it to Hijikata and the two had been able to talk in more ways than with just their words - with their weapons.

Beneath the shelf where her bow rested was one of the tablet devices. That's odd, Khutulun thought. They usually aren't kept here.

She picked it up and when her fingers touched the mysterious, strange black screen, it suddenly burst to life with a bright, blue hue. Appearing on the screen, like magic, was her name written in Ancient Mongolian.

Khutulun.

Licking her lips, she touched her name. More letters in her language appeared and her eyes widened.

My dear Khutulun,

If I did it right, then this device should have translated to your language, along with my letter. I hope it works. By the time you're reading this, I am probably already gone.

I hope you know how much you mean to me. I may not be a man of many sweet words, but then again, neither are you. Somehow, you and I fit together that way. I've come to care about you, more than words can describe. For this reason, I've chosen to leave you behind, as much as you may hate me for it.

I must go back to my time period. Not just to return home, but... to change it. To change history. I have to save the samurai way of life, to change the entire outcome of the Boshin War. I know that this will have a drastic effect on the timeline and because of this, I may never see you again. There is a chance I could disappear. My past self was supposed to die at the war's end. I see no reason to change that outcome should I fail.

I want you to know that I love you and I hope - I hope you can forgive me.

Goodbye,

Hijikata.

Pain and anger clenched Khutulun's stomach as her fingers gripped the device tightly enough to nearly break it. If it had been a real letter, she would have crumpled it. How could he do this to her? Just abandon her, knowing he would never see her again? She was a warrior and could protect herself just fine. The idiot... Tears burned her eyes but she shoved them back, slamming her fists into the wall.

Someone cleared their throat, making Khutulun jump.

Zhen stood behind her in the doorway. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. Do you need to talk?"

Even if Khutulun couldn't speak English very well, she had to tell someone. Her heart felt as if it would break and in all honesty, she didn't want it to break alone.

*****

William caught Star's arm as she made her way across the Museum to one of the time machines. "Och, where do ye think ye're goin', lass?" William furrowed his eyebrows at her.

Star wanted to smile at him, but her heart was heavy. "I do not wish to change things."

A flash of hurt flew across his face, but it was gone, like a gentle breeze across the prairie. "Wha' is it ye plan on doin', then?"

Star wrapped her hands around her stomach as if that would hold back the pain, only it did not. Nothing would. "I - I must see the end of my people."

William blinked many times and stared at her as if she were a spirit. "Och, ye're aff yer heid, lass!"

Star did not understand his words but she knew their meaning well enough. Quietly, she exhaled as if she was breathing water from a river or stream. "I do not know what happens to my people af - after the wasichu here took me. I must see. I have to know."

William ran his hand through his curly red hair and slowly nodded. "Aye. Tha' I ken, lass. I'll take ye ta one o' t'devices, then. It will let ye read in yer own language."

"Read?" Star cocked her head at him.

"Och... Dinna fash. I can read it ta ye."

Star shook her head. "No! This is something that I must see with my own eyes. I - I owe it to my people. William... Will you come with me?"

For a moment, William met her gaze and his green irises softened on hers. "Ye will no' try ta change anythin'? No matter t'outcome? Ye'd give me yer word?"

Star nodded, holding out her hand. He slipped his fingers in hers and she placed her other hand over her heart. "I vow to the Great Spirit that I will not change what has happened. Wakan Tanka made His choice and now... Now I must see what has been done to my people."

*****

When Hijikata arrived, it wasn't quite the date that he wanted. According to the time machine, he had landed in 1864. He needed a few years later, in 1868.

The Boshin War was an era where everyone could have a hundred different opinions and none of them would be wrong. Japan - Nihon - was divided into two political factions. The first were those who supported the Bakufu, that was, the Shogun, who was a military leader. Currently, it was ruled by Tokugawa and the country had known two hundred years of peace under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Then there were those who believed the Emperor should have more political power - the pro-imperialists. The Emperor himself seemed weak to his own people for not dispelling foreigners outside the country. It was those foreigners who wanted to come in and modernize Japan, which was the backbone of the Imperialists - the Ishin Shishi. They wanted to change the entire structure of the government and how it had worked. The Ishin Shishi at first was just made up of a few samurai clans - the Satsuma and Choshu were just two of the main ones, especially the Satsuma who had several run-ins with foreigners and dealings with them as well.

Shogun Iemochi Tokugawa was a man that Hijikata had admired and looked up to. Hijikata had once been a medicine peddler with nothing to his name and it was his dream to become a samurai, to rise in rank, serve a worthy daimyo, and support Shogun Iemochi. Isami Kondou was a man who shared Hijikata's dream and had also come from nothing. The two became fast friends and had started the Shinsengumi in Kyoto to serve as a police force and protect citizens from ronin - samurai without masters - who stirred up trouble for the Ishin Shishi in hopes of overthrowing the Shogunate.

Oftentimes, the Shinsengumi had to do many unpleasant things to protect the Shogun and the people from the ronin. They became known as the Wolves of Mibu. Every time Hijikata heard the derogatory term, anger gripped him furiously. The Shinsengumi served the Shogun loyally and even protected the Emperor himself on more than one occasion.

Then, in 1866, Shogun Iemochi died and was succeeded by his incompetent heir, Yoshinobu. Soon, the Emperor died and gave way to a new Emperor - Emperor Meiji. In 1867 and 1868, Yoshinobu continued acting as Shogun despite the trouble and how the Satsuma-Choshu alliance was spearheading the Ishin Shishi movement to wrest control from the Shogunate and restore power to the Emperor - something that hadn't been done in over 700 years.

After all Hijikata's research, he believed that the turning point for the Boshin War, and what had led to their defeat, in the end, was the morning of January 3, 1868. Satsuma samurai led by a man named Takamori managed to take over the imperial palace and essentially, kidnapped Emperor Meiji. They forced him to read out a new plan for the Japanese government underneath Imperial rule.

After that, the battle lines had been drawn and the war began. The very next day, January 4, 1868, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi began. The Shinsengumi joined up with pro-Bakufu supporters and fought bravely but during the battle, because of the forced edict by Emperor Meiji, the Satsuma-Choshu alliance and the samurai on their side raised the Emperor's banners. This terrified everyone and it meant that the Shinsengumi and Bakufu, the ones who had protected Japan and the Emperor himself, were now enemies of the country. Most of their allies turned on them and betrayed them.

After that, their loss was inevitable.

January 3rd was the key to Hijikata's plan. If he could move the time machine forward just enough so that he landed on hours before, then he could stop the Satsuma from forcing Emperor Meiji from making that edict. If he stopped them, then the Emperor's banners wouldn't be raised during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. That would keep their allies from leaving and it could give the Shinsengumi the victory they needed. The Satsuma-Choshu would still be the enemies of Nihon... Essentially, it could change their history completely.

Hijikata turned back to the time machine's console to shift it forward in time just a few years, but something gave him pause. This was his home. How long had it been since he'd been here, seen familiar faces?

With that, he left the time machine and decided taking an hour wouldn't cause any trouble. It wasn't strategic or logical, but he couldn't help himself; it was as if his body acted on his own accord. The only trouble he could foresee was if he saw or interacted with his past self, so he would simply stay out of sight.

He made his way through the busy and crowded streets of Kyoto. Street vendors sold dango and rice balls. Hijikata's stomach growled but he needed to keep from interacting with the timeline as much as possible. Two boys darted down the street to his left, hitting at each other with bokutos - wooden katanas.

It didn't take him long to reach the Shinsengumi Headquarters. All his memories came rushing back to him in a rush, which nearly brought a smile to his face. He knew where he had posted guards at this time, so he easily evaded them and sneaked inside.

For reasons beyond his understanding, he found his way to the training yard and hid behind a group of cherry blossom trees. Their beautiful alluring pink petals cascaded to the ground as the samurai gathered to learn and train.

Several new recruits were learning the basics - properly drawing the katana from its saya, which had to be perfected in order for the rest of the techniques to work. Next, they would learn the overhead cut, which started a recruit properly learning how a katana was meant for slashing and cutting rather than stabbing. Guard postures, defensive and offensive stances, the sideways swing... Hijikata's eyes spotted it all.

His thumb flicked up beneath the tsuba of his katana - the handguard that protected the hand from the blade. His fingers and heart itched and yearned to be out there with them, but he was forced to restrain himself.

To the right, other samurai were learning more advanced techniques. That was when he saw them.

Souji Okita, the first unit captain. He was the youngest samurai in their group but widely known to be the most skilled swordsman. Currently, he grinned and battled against Saito - the two were often hand-in-hand with each other; both had won fights against each other at some point. Nagakura, the second unit captain, was more than likely eating. The man loved food far too much. He had left the Shinsengumi after the war took a turn for the worst. Back then, Hijikata had heard he still fought for the Bakufu, but Nagakura clashed with Kondou in the later years too much for them to both stay and fight together. Hijikata wished he could speak to Nagakura one more time - to tell him that he was no longer angry at him for leaving.

He glanced back at Souji and Saito, who were both still sparring with quick and efficient movements. Hajime Saito, third unit captain, was a loyal samurai who fought bravely. From what Hijikata had read, there were rumors he had survived the Boshin War, but none that had been confirmed.

Genzaburo Inuoe was an older man, captain of the sixth unit. He marched onto the training yard and called Souji and Saito inside. Hijikata couldn't hear from the distance he was at, but it was probably for a meeting of some type. Inuoe was a man that Hijikata felt like he had known forever. He had been with Kondou when Hijikata had joined up with Kondou's dojo back in Edo. And it was he who had given his life and died in the battle of Toba-Fushimi.

Heisuke Todo, the eighth unit captain, and Sanosuke Harada, the tenth unit captain, both jogged from across the grounds, where they had been patrolling the nearby area. The two friends joined up with Souji and Saito, who followed Genzaburo to the edge of the engawa where they took off their shoes, bowed at the paper shoji, slid it open, and walked on inside. In the brief glimpse Hijikata saw of the room inside, he could barely make out three figures sitting inside in seizo on tatami mats - with their legs tucked beneath them as per tradition.

There is no more time to reminisce, Hijikata thought. He mentally scolded himself and rushed back through the streets of Kyoto back toward the time machine. Fortunately, it stayed right where he left it, hidden between two shops and a Buddhist Temple.

Closing the door behind him, Hijikata quickly went up to the main control console and pressed the buttons to move him forward in time. He only wanted to go another four years and he didn't want to miss it, so he tried sliding a finger on the holos but the machine beeped loudly at him. With a furrowed brow, he cursed; something was wrong.

Through the glass that surrounded the machine, Hijikata could see the streets of Kyoto on either side of him moving and slipping by. He had already pre-programed the location he needed to go to, but as the time machine moved through time and space, it was far slower than he wanted. That, and it wouldn't stop.

Hijikata darted to the door, trying to pry it open, but a voice shouted from the speakers at him. "Door will remain locked while the time machine is traveling," the voice said.

"No!"

Back outside, the images of the events around him flew by faster than it would have been to relive it all but slow enough that he could see glimpses of his memories. He returned to the console, but it had also locked down. It was in some sort of mode and there was nothing he could do to change it.

The location also seemed to change but he couldn't figure out why.

"No..." Hijikata whispered.

Outside, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi began. The time machine had settled on a hill overlooking the battle, which lasted for four days. The four days passed by in a few hours. No matter what Hijikata did, he couldn't change the time machine's course and he couldn't step out of it either. All he could do was watch through the windows at the horror, forced to relive it a second time.

Forced to fail his mission to change history.

*****

Joel shouldn't have been surprised when he found out that the dirty Jap had stolen their time machine. The tablets had some sort of security that alerted Joel's device when the time machine left, or at least, the one that Joel and their team used the most.

Joel cursed.

"What's wrong?" Leo casually leaned against the wall as if he had no care in the world.

"That dirty Jap's gone back!" Joel

"To return home or...?" Leo lifted an eyebrow as he used one of his daggers to clean his fingernails.

Joel shook his head. "I don't know but I think we can find out. If we go to the control center in Kenneth's office, I think he had access to all the time machines in use. That's how he kept track of them all."

Leo nodded and they jogged down the hallway and up to the second floor, above the Ancient Egyptian station. Briefly, Joel wondered where Caesarion was or what had happened to the kid, but he brushed it off as he shoved open the door to Kenneth's office.

The holos in there had a much easier way to access the time machines than Joel had realized. After a few minutes of scrolling through the security films, he found the machine their team typically used.

The film appeared in the air, similar to the one Kenneth had in the message he had left them when this whole mess had started.

Hijikata stood in the center of the time machine, slamming his body up against the door. From what Joel read, security measures had been activated as it had been set to slowly travel through time, which meant the door was locked and it was gonna stay that way. The glass on the outside of the machine revealed the events passing by at a quick enough pace that they could see events happening at high speed but not too fast that it blurred, like their trips often did.

Anger and desperation were evident on the dirty Jap's expression as he returned to the time machine's console to try to fix the problem. Trouble was, Joel knew he wouldn't be able to stop it. Not from there.

"Can you bring it back?" Leo asked from over his shoulder.

Joel's fingers slid across the holo buttons as quickly as he could but he shook his head. "I don't - I don't know. This is above my paygrade."

*****

More than anything, Star was grateful that William came with her. He became her rock and support that she desperately needed at a time such as this. Though it brought her heart much pain, she told him when and where to tell the time machine to go.

To show Joel the respect he deserved, Star and William had informed him that they planned to use the time machine to return only so that Star could watch. He had been busy with Hijikata, who had also gone back and from what Star understood, was trying to change his own personal history.

With Joel's blessing, Star and William used another machine to travel back.

They landed on the barren, snowy, frozen landscape of Wounded Knee Creek on December 30, 1890. On the previous day, December 29th, the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry had fired on Star's people there, none of whom had been armed. The washichu had used their sweet words to convince many of them to give up their weapons, so most of them had.

Seeing the place again, Star did not feel the cold. Her heart was far colder as her eyes stared at the scene of horror. She had been one of the few to survive. At the time, she had been hurt, so she had never been able to return and see the sight for herself.

Bile rose in the back of her throat as Star's knees collapsed from beneath her. William's strong arms caught her and she clung to him as sobs wracked her body and she began to dry-heave. Hundreds of her people were frozen in the snow, their last expressions twisted in horror and terror, pain and heartache.

Star's entire body began to violently shake as William dragged her back into the time machine. Several minutes of silence went by, but Star could not force herself to move or speak. "Lass? Will ye return wi' me... ta t'Museum?"

Star shook her head. "I must see the rest of it. What happened after?" Her voice sounded lifeless and dead - as dead as her people.

William clutched her tightly, kissing her head as his voice lowered to a whisper. "Star... Ye dinna have ta do this... I - I ken the pain ye're in. Colluden left me... broken. I dinna wantae see ye broken as well. I - I love ye."

The same pain she felt within her heart swelled within his gaze as he stared at her, pleading with her. Finally, she nodded.

William only released her long enough to use the time machine to return to the Museum. Even after it arrived, they stayed there.

"What happened after that?" Star's voice was barely above a whisper.

William grabbed one of the strange devices and changed it to his own tongue. After reading the strange markings, he cleared his throat and used his free hand to draw her into his chest. "T'Americans forced yer people into schools where they taught ta children ta be white. Their words, language, hair, clothing... Everything, lass. Yer people eventually gained their freedom but their descendants became... less. They tried ta keep their traditions alive, but... There was too much white in 'em. Eventually... A few years ago, accordin' ta Kenneth's logs, yer people... they - " William choked. "They died off, lass..."

Star sobbed, a horrible gut-wrenching sound that was the personification of her pain. It was raw and rough, tearing her apart until it felt as if her very heart had been ripped from her chest. William held her as she cried, for there was nothing else he could do.

Her eyes landed on the markings on his device as he changed it back to the washichu tongue. Their markings brought her pain as her eyes landed on an article. She did recognize the date and it was shortly after the Wounded Knee Massacre. Though she could not understand the markings, her heart knew what they said just the same.

"The Pioneer has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extermination of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries, we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe out these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth. In this lies the future safety for our settlers and the soldiers who are under incompetent commands. Otherwise, we may expect future years to be as full of trouble with the redskins as those have been in the past."

*****

Hijikata's chest constricted as he watched the slaughter. The Shinsengumi and pro-Bakufu forces mostly used katanas and traditional samurai weapons such as the yajiri, the yari, and a few slower and far older models of rifles such as the arquebus and a few modern rifles. Most of them didn't use them, however. Their traditional samurai weapons were no match against the Armstrong howitzers and minie rifles, which shot down dozens of samurai at a time.

Many of the Shinsengumi squads were completely killed. In total, they lost over 100 men, not counting the samurai lost from the other Bakufu loyalists. They were overrun, forced to retreat back to where their allies were waiting, but their allies betrayed them. This left them in a corner and a state of confusion. Inoue Genzaburo was shot down by a howitzer as he and Hijikata made their escape with a squadron of twelve men.

Genzaburo collapsed onto the ground with seven bullet holes in his body as his blood flowed onto the grass beneath them. In the machine, Hijikata's eyes burned with unshed tears and his body trembled. By the time he blinked, it was gone as the machine continued moving onward and forward.

Shogun Yoshinobu fled to Edo, abandoning the Shinsengumi that had so loyally followed him. This kick-started the long series of defeats as the Bakufu-loyalists were enemies of Japan who lost and were pushed further and further back. It was a lost cause, but Hijikata and the Shinsengumi had fought to the bitter end.

Just two months later, in March of 1868, Nagakura and Harada left the Shinsengumi. The time machine didn't show him this part, fortunately, but as the date passed by, Hijikata remembered it with clarity. The angry words exchanged, how he and Nagakura and Harada fought and never had a chance to make things right between them.

In April, a month later, the castle where they stayed, was surrounded. From where the time machine was at, Hijikata could see a glimpse of it in the far distance - several miles away.

"No!" he screamed and pounded on the door, not wanting to see this, but nothing he did worked. The time machine had him locked in. As his eyes stared at the distant castle that looked no bigger than a toy from this distance, his stomach lurched. He collapsed to his knees, clenching his fists as his body trembled. He recalled every moment inside that wretched place.

"Kondou-san, I will stay behind to give you a chance to escape with the Shinsengumi!" Hijikata's hand clenched his katana as he met his old friend's eyes.

Kondou placed a hand upon his shoulder. "No, Toshi-kun."

Hijikata's breathing halted at the nickname.

"I will use my other name and hand myself over to them peacefully," Kondou said.

Hijikata growled. "They'll never believe that, Kondou-san!"

Kondou's gaze softened on his. "I, Kondou Isami, Commander of the Shinsengumi, hereby order you - Hijikata Toshizo, to flee with our remaining troops."

Hijikata backed up as if he had been punched. "You're - you're ordering me?" His voice cracked. Never - never before had Kondou ever given him an order. They were friends, brothers, equals. Especially not an order such as this, one that tormented him to obey.

Kondou simply nodded. "Hai. After I'm gone, you'll take command of the Shinsengumi. They need you, Toshi."

Hijikata flinched. Kondou dead? What was life like without Kondou, the brother that had always been around?

"Prepare the troops to escape. That's an order."

Hijikata's closed eyes did nothing to stop the tears that fell across his cheeks. "Kondou-san," he whispered through the salty tears, "Gomen.... Gomen'nasai..." Sobs wracked his body but time waited for no one and nothing. It continued onward, constant and unwavering.

Never-ending, never-changing.

Hijikata couldn't stop it. He couldn't change it. The Shinsengumi, their fate, everything that happened to them... There was nothing he could do. Kondou had been executed like a criminal without even the honor to commit seppuku as a true samurai should have.

In just another month's time, Hijikata had received word that Harada had died in battle. He never had a chance to tell Harada how sorry he was, that he still saw him as a brother, that he understood why he left. That very same month, Souji's doctor came and told Hijikata that Souji had died of tuberculosis.

Then, by the next year, Hijikata had become the commander of the Bakufu Army - what little remained of them. He prepared for his final battle, knowing, believing, that he was going to die. His trembling hands found the death poem in the saya of his katana. Before fighting in battle they believed they would die in, samurai wrote death poems. So that morning, Hijikata had written his own.

"Watashi no karada wa ezo no shima ni hokai suru kamo shiremasenga, watashi no seishin wa shinsengu ni kizoku shimasu. Tsuneni." - Hijikata Toshizo.

"Though my body may decay on the Island of Ezo, my spirit remains with the Shinsengumi. Always."

*****

Joel was too late. Witnessing the war and all the loss Hijikata had faced... Reading the death dates of men he fought with, his comrades and brothers-in-arms... The Shinsengumi...

They weren't so different from Joel and his squad buddies.

What would Joel have been like if his own squad buddies had all died and then eventually, almost him too? It let Joel see Hijikata in a whole new light. Joel had hated him, despised him even, for the cruel things the Japs had done. They had no honor and they were monsters, not men.

Those same Japs had destroyed Hijikata's way of life.

By the time Joel figured out how to bring the time machine back, it was too late. Hijikata had already relived it all. Every gut-wrenching, horrible second of it. Leo was right behind him as Joel tore open the doors to the time machine.

Inside, Hijikata knelt on his knees, hands clenched around his sword as he prepared to slice it across his stomach.

"NO!" Joel shouted. He darted toward him and wrenched the blade out of Hijikata's hands. He threw it to Leo, who kept it far away from Hijikata.

Hijikata's bloodshot, tear-filled eyes looked up at Joel with such grief that it made his own chest clench. He swallowed back a lump in his throat as Hijikata spoke. "You hate me so much that you would stop me from dying as I was supposed to? This is all I have left!"

Joel shook his head, kneeling in front of Hijikata. "Not true. You've got Khutulun. She misses you."

Hijikata's jaw clenched. "I have already said goodbye to her."

Joel gritted his teeth. "You have us. We're a team."

Hijikata shook his head. "You hate me. I've never understood why. This - this is not a team."

"Yes, it is! I hated you because I fought through a war too, one where the Japanese were cruel and sadistic, where they killed and hurt a lot of others. I - I thought you were one of them, but now... Now I know that you're not. The same Japs I fought were the descendents of the ones who destroyed everything you cared about. I - I'm sorry." The words tumbled from Joel faster than he could keep up, but he meant them. He realized how wrong he'd been and he wanted Hijikata to know that too.

"I know the Shinsengumi and the samurai are gone. But now, we have a timeline and innocent people to save. That's what the Shinsengumi did, right? You can honor their memory and they live on through you. This team, we might not be the Shinsengumi, but we... We're still comrades." Joel held out his hand to Hijikata, hoping the man understood.

He did. Hijikata shook his hand and Joel helped him to his feet. "Arigatou'gozamashita, Joel-san. F - for everything and I -"

The door to the time machine burst open.

*****

Khutulun and Zhen were both walking down the hallway as Khutulun did her best to tell Zhen how Hijikata had left her and how much it hurt.

Suddenly, a Mongolian warrior leapt toward Zhen and threw a liquid on her face. Khutulun hopped back as Zhen collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony.

"Zhen!" Khutulun sprinted toward her and turned her over, but her body violently thrashed and jerked, and her skin was severely burned. Khutulun had never seen a weapon like this before. Zhen's screams tore through Khutulun's heart until they quieted and her friend was dead.

Tears fell from Khutulun's eyes, tears of anger and pain as she whirled around on the warrior. "Why did you kill her? Monster!" Khutulun drew her bow and nocked an arrow at him.

"Mongolian warriors do not talk with the Chinese. It is our duty to kill them! You have become one of them and betrayed your own people! It's a disgrace!" he screamed at her.

"No. You are!" With that, Khutulun released the arrow. It flew into his chest and the warrior collapsed onto the ground, dead. More Mongolian warriors rushed out of the same hallway. Two of them tackled her to the ground and they were soon joined by four others. Khutulun managed to snap one of their necks with her feet.

They held her arms and legs down and no matter how hard she fought, Khutulun couldn't escape them. The warriors threw her onto her stomach and chained her hands and feet.

"Khutulun!" Caesarion charged into them, khopesh raised.

"No! Do not! Caesarion!" she cried.

As they wrenched Khutulun to her feet, one of the warriors stabbed Caesarion's leg. "This is because you killed one of us. Traitor! Now you will lose two of your friends and the rest won't be far behind!" Two of them, including the one who had spoken - the same one who had stabbed Caesarion's leg - grabbed Caesarion's arms and dragged him to the window at the end of the hall.

"No. Do not do this! Leave him be. Your fight is with me! Cowards!" Khutulun screamed at them in fury, unintelligible sounds of fury and grief and pain and revenge.

The guards threw Caesarion out the window.

The last thing Khutulun heard before they knocked her out was his body crunch as it slammed against the ground.

*****

Leo, Joel, and Hijikata whirled around as the doors burst open and several guards wearing armor from multiple time periods burst in. "We're here to arrest the man who took the machine," one of the guards said.

Joel and Leo both glared at the guards and Leo unsheathed his cutlass. "Under whose orders?" Joel demanded.

"It's time that this Museum has a little order. Too many people have tried going back and thus, have risked the timeline even further. Anyone who has gone back with the intention of changing the timeline will be arrested." A man in the back wearing king-like robes crossed his arms. The guards filed into the room, completely surrounding them.

Hijikata shook his head at Joel and Leo. "There are too many of them," he muttered under his breath. "I will go."

Joel and Leo both shot him a look. "You sure?"

Hijikata nodded. "Yes."

Two guards came up and grabbed Hijikata on either side of him. As they hauled him out of the machine, Joel and Leo followed. "Hey!" Joel called. "Where do you think you're taking him?"

The king turned and smiled and it made Joel uneasy. "Kenneth had plenty of cells for those who often got out of line. We'll keep him there, under guard at all times. Don't even think of trying to help him escape. He must face his punishment as will anyone who doesn't do their job."

"Who do you think you are to order us about, mate?" Leo demanded furiously. His hands shook as they held his cutlass.

Joel hoped he didn't attack. They couldn't face them all.

"I told you. There are hundreds of us banding together to restore order. From now on, we will ensure that everyone does their jobs - fixing the timeline and nothing more."

The guards dragged Hijikata down the stairs and into the unknown sections of the basement, where Kenneth had tortured many of them to get them in line.

Joel cursed. "What are we going to do now?"