He springs backwards, fast enough to get out of the way and give him time to draw his own sword, bring it up in a defensive stance.
But only a defensive stance, because despite all the frustration and venom and the way Souji's lashed out at him for his entire adult life and then some, despite that Souji's clearly unhinged and there's something wrong here that ought to be nipped in the bud before anyone else can be hurt by it -
Despite all of that, Souji is Souji.
A pain in the ass, a constant annoyance...
...a brother as much as any of Hijikata's own blood - and in a way, perhaps more of one, because his own blood were never part of anything that happened in Kyoto, and there's a huge span in Hijikata's life that he knows none of them would ever truly be able to understand or touch.
no subject
But only a defensive stance, because despite all the frustration and venom and the way Souji's lashed out at him for his entire adult life and then some, despite that Souji's clearly unhinged and there's something wrong here that ought to be nipped in the bud before anyone else can be hurt by it -
Despite all of that, Souji is Souji.
A pain in the ass, a constant annoyance...
...a brother as much as any of Hijikata's own blood - and in a way, perhaps more of one, because his own blood were never part of anything that happened in Kyoto, and there's a huge span in Hijikata's life that he knows none of them would ever truly be able to understand or touch.
Souji's the last person he has, now.