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Saito shivered, there was something watching him from the darkness. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and continued on with his patrol. It was an unusually quiet night. As he approached the edge of town the feeling of being watched got worse; it became the feeling of being followed. Saito stopped to light a cigarette but forgot the cigarette when the flare of the match revealed a pair of gold eyes in the field next to him.
A large black wolf stared at him with surprising intelligence. Saito stayed perfectly still as the wolf walked calmly towards him; keeping eye contact the entire time. The wolf stopped a few feet in front of him and tilted its head from side to side, studying him. Then the wolf turned and walked back towards the field, looking back to see if he was following.
Saito tossed the forgotten cigarette to the ground, he didn't need it anymore. He followed the wolf into the field and then into the woods beyond. The wolf picked up its pace, glancing back over its shoulder every few minutes to make sure Saito was still following. Saito followed the wolf for what felt like hours through the woods; a feeling he couldn't explain pushing him forwards.
He came to a sudden stop when the wolf led him into a clearing with a massive tree at its center. The wolf walked up to the tree and glanced back at Saito; obviously wanting him to keep moving. The wolf stayed still until Saito started forward again and then disappeared into the woods, leaving Saito alone in eerie silence.
Saito walked carefully towards the tree. The roots were thick, weaving in and out of themselves and between huge boulders. He slipped on one root and his left leg slid into the gap up to his thigh. He pulled himself up and continued on.
At the base of the tree were two swords, buried blade down into a gap in the roots. Wrapped around the hilts were a Shinsengumi headband and a braided length of shockingly red hair.
Saito's breath caught in his throat at the sight. He reached forward to grab the hilt of the nearest sword and fell back on the roots in surprise and horror when his hand passed right through it. He sat there and stared at the swords for a few minutes before he heard a familiar chuckle. He looked around and saw Kenshin leaning against the trunk of the tree.
"It’s about time you found your way here." Kenshin said walking over and offering Saito his hand. "We've been waiting an long time for you."
"We?"
"Yes, we've all been waiting for you for a long time." Kenshin answered gesturing with his free hand to the clearing around them. Saito glanced around them and his eyes went wide. Surrounding them were men and women that he had known during the Revolution. Men and women who had all passed away either on the battlefield or in the years after. Saito squeezed Kenshin's hand and turned his eyes back to Kenshin's violet eyes.
The sounds of swords clashing and men screaming, the smell of gunpowder and blood, and the sight of blood red hair and gold eyes flooded his mind. Saito staggered back against the tree, still holding Kenshin's hand. Then everything changed. Laughter, good food and sake, the warmth of Kenshin's body held against his own on cold nights.
Saito fell to his knees and everything changed again. The creaking of an empty house, incense placed on a grave and the ache that fills you when your entire reason for living has been ripped away from you by something you cannot fight. Old age.
Saito squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Kenshin to him hard. Saito opened his eyes again when he felt Kenshin wiping the tears from his face. Kenshin pressed his forehead against Saito's before kissing him gently. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Kenshin pulled him to his feet. Saito wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close.
"Ten years. I lived without you for ten years." Saito whispered into Kenshin's hair.
"Yes and I waited for you, we all did. You are the last of us to find your way here. Now it's time to go home." Kenshin said with a smile. Saito squeezed him tighter and smiled when Okita and several other members of the Shinsengumi came forward.
"Yes, let's go home."