a/n: This is turning to be longer than expected.
There is a plot hole in this chapter - Takasugi's memories also include memories he hasn't been conscious of remembering. But I wanted to depict Gintoki and Katsura for the kinder, less ruthless characters that they are.
Kamui will probably make a cameo next chapter.
Is this gonna be our end?
I can feel the light
Somewhere in the darkness
I'll follow you
I saw the sign of rust
And I read your name
Heard it fade into the past where
I'll follow you
- Nero, "Into The Past"
xiv.
"You've seen all of this before, haven't you Regulator-san?"
"Mm... well, truth be told, no. I don't really care for delving into others' memories, especially not the person who pays me. That'd be unfair collateral if they'd found out. I have the stories, so to speak, but I don't go out of my way to read them."
The Regulator stroked her chin thoughtfully. "We still have to keep up the illusion that you're under a spell for ten hours. Tokugawa-san - "
"Please, call me Soyo."
"Very well. Soyo, we'll have to go through ten hours of Takasugi's memories. Keep in mind that someone could wake you up at any moment, though from the looks of it, that'll be unlikely."
"Oh, they won't rescue me," the princess said, mildly undisturbed by this turn of events. "I'm the Shogun's sister. They won't forgive me for insulting Takasugi."
Truthfully, Soyo was intrigued by the accidental transgression into his mind. Deep down, she was aware that this was a privilege that not even his closest subordinates were privy to. From her limited observations, Takasugi was a private man who held few if any friends.
Shamefully, she admitted that she was interested in the psychology of his mind, though another part of her was conscious that he was... Well, perhaps that was the main question.
He was evil, she thought, but neither did he lack the ability to accomplish good. He was lurking in between phases, the indefinable edge between insanity and genius. Soyo wasn't fool enough to pretend that her family, who had held the imperialist throne for centuries, were completely innocent. Selling out their country had been necessary for the survival of the Japanese, but had incurred bloody costs in the process. Though her studies through history had been highly edited to paint a favorable picture of the past Shoguns, Soyo knew better. Talking to the ronin of Edo had been enough for her to see a different picture.
The white was seeping out of the ground she stood on, interrupting her quiet musings. "Where are we going now?" Soyo asked the Regulator.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Human beings remember a lot of mundane things, so we could be trapped in a continual loop of his childhood."
Soyo smiled. "That wouldn't be so bad." She remembered the warmth of Takasugi's smile as he looked at his teacher.
"But judging from the way he's destroyed Japan, I doubt that he dwells on his happy childhood."
"You think he had a happy childhood?"
"So far, I think so."
A thick blanket of snow materialized in front of them, and Soyo shivered. She had worn nothing but a cotton yukata.
"Oi, Zura!" A teenaged Gintoki walked up to a group of boys once more who seemed to be stealthily engaged in a snowball fight. "I challenge you to a duel!"
"Samurai don't engage in snowball duels!" Katsura said fiercely. He threw a snowball at Gintoki, yelling "It's not Zura, it's Katsura!"
Takasugi, strangely enough, materialized next to Soyo. They were the same height, she realized with a shock.
He smirked. "Idiots, the both of them," he muttered and began to form snowballs quickly, hiding behind a small hill that obscured his figure.
Gintoki and Katsura stopped their argument to listen in on potential movements. "Where was that shorty?" Gintoki whispered to Katsura.
"Must be hiding somewhere," Katsura said. The two of them were wearing woolen haoris that allowed them quick movement but still afforded them a warmth in the cold.
Next to her, Takasugi let a snowball fly, hitting Gintoki squarely in the shoulder.
"He's over there!" he roared, charging straight at Takasugi. "Let's get him, Zura!"
And in a decidedly un-samurai fashion, Gintoki tackled Takasugi to the ground, smushing snow into the other boy's face.
xv.
The next moment took place in the temple school, where Shinsuke - around the age of twelve, Soyo estimated - rose up from his bed, visibly horrified judging from his expression.
"Sensei?" he asked, sliding open a door. The man that she had seen in an earlier memory was reading a novel under the dim light of an oil lantern.
"Yes? What is it, Shinsuke?"
"I - I had a bad dream."
The man closed his book and beckoned the boy to come closer. "Tell me about it."
"They... they were going to kill you."
"Who?"
"I don't know. I don't - I don't remember."
The man took Takasugi's hand. "Shinsuke, I won't leave you. Not so easily like that."
"You promise?"
The man extended his pinky finger. "I promise."
xvi.
Soyo could smell smoke this time, and could feel the searing heat all the way to her fingers. She took care to walk away from the inferno that engulfed the area not too far away from her.
Coughing a little, she had reached a place that was far away from the smoke that stung her eyes. Gintoki was there, tied up in ropes, with a look of desolation in his eyes.
A scream of rage followed shortly after. Soyo whipped her head and found Takasugi on his knees in an unmistakable howl of anger.
"Sensei!" he cried. Getting up again, he raced to Gintoki and shook the boy. "What happened?"
"They burned... everything..."
"I can see that," Takasugi said, swearing foul words as he took out a sharp dagger to untie Gintoki's ropes. "What happened to Sensei?"
"Gone. They took him away..."
"Why didn't you stop them?" Takasugi yelled, and dropped his dagger. "You - you - !"
"Stop it, Shinsuke!" An older Katsura held him back. "He tried to stop them, didn't you Gintoki?"
The white-haired boy couldn't even answer, his eyes still in shock.
"You let them take him away?" Shinsuke roared. "How could you do this? They've burned everything! Let GO of me, Zura!"
He shook free of the other boy and punched Gintoki in the cheek.
"Shinsuke! Stop that! We mustn't be fighting at a time like this! We'll need to put out the fire."
Takasugi laughed darkly. "Zura, you're thinking about practical matters at a time like this? They're going to kill Shoyou-sensei and you don't give a damn. Figures, from such a traitor like you - "
"I do care!" Katsura argued. "I don't burn bridges, that's the only difference between you and me." He picked up the dagger and finished hacking away the ropes that bound Gintoki together.
"Thanks, Zura," the boy said, rubbing his wrists together.
"Where the hell did they take him, Gintoki?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," he finally said, averting his eyes from Takasugi's. "But you know why they did it - "
"Yes, and he had every goddamn right to teach it!" Takasugi snarled. "Don't you dare insinuate that they were RIGHT for taking him away!"
"I never said - " Gintoki began, and stopped at his friend's expression. "Maybe your father would know where they took him," he said, very softly.
"Never." Takasugi replied curtly, and walked away.
"Where are you going?" Katsura asked.
"I'm going to find him," he said.
A small drizzle began, before the sky opened up and started to pour its tears as if it mourned the loss of the school. Soyo followed Takasugi into the forest before he stopped abruptly.
"Sensei, wait for me," he whispered into the trees. "I will save you."
xvii.
"They've taken him to Edo, but at least he's alive," Takasugi said flatly. He had bags under his eyes and his clothes had looked worse for the wear. Nobody asked him where he'd been, but Gintoki had a suspicion that he'd spent all night knocking on doors to the politicians that resided in the countryside.
"How do you know this?" Katsura enquired.
He threw down a newspaper. Katsura picked it up, scanning the contents. "Oh no... this is a mistake. This can't be true."
"It's not a mistake. They're going to purge the rest of Hagi for what it's worth - burn down schools, destroy our crops, houses, take the children hostage. All because of Shoyou-sensei."
"Shoyou-sensei was under house arrest!" Katsura interrupted. "Surely we could negotiate his release."
Gintoki had been quietly observing the exchange between two of his oldest friends. "Zura, don't be so optimistic. The Amanto took him away and they're bloody well going to take over this country if they can't help it."
"I'm sure the Bakufu will oppose it. Choshu won't stand for this."
"We need to join the Jouishishi," Takasugi said. A steely determination took the other two by surprise. Gintoki nodded, while Katsura looked concerned.
"I - I suppose we should enable his teachings," Katsura said slowly. "He did promise Gintoki he'd come back."
"All the better when he comes back alive," Takasugi said. A savage-like joy had risen up in him like a lightning bolt.
xviii.
"You'd better get up on a higher plane," The Regulator said, taking Soyo's hand and lifting her up on the air.
The girl marveled at her ability. "We're standing in the sky! Solid air! How can you do this?"
Her companion only chuckled very softly. "You amuse me, Princess." She opened an umbrella. "I think we're at war, so it's best to cover our head from the bullets."
It seemed to be on the edge of ending. There were only a few Amanto left who were quickly pursued by a group of samurai. Soyo peered over curiously, asking the Regulator to go a bit closer.
The Amanto seemed to be reptilian in feature, speaking a harsh guttural language as they relayed commands. They split directions, leading the samurai to pursue them individually. From the sky Soyo could very clearly make out the brilliance of Gintoki's white uniform, even though it had been stained with blood. He moved with a fluidity that combined efficiency and deadly force to great effectiveness. Within a few seconds he had slain the alien with no problem whatsoever, running to his comrades as they struggled to conquer the hulking beasts.
"Die and leave this country!" he roared, striking his sword against another's. "This nation is not yours to conquer!"
Takasugi had been fighting with a particularly ferocious breed of Amanto until he was thrown back by the tremendous force of the monster's shield.
The alien laughed at his futile blows. "You think you can win?" it asked. "You samurai are pathetic."
With a spiteful gesture, he threw Takasugi a lumpy package, packed carelessly with old blood crusting through the white linen. To Soyo's horror, she could see the platinum blond hair spilling out from within, belonging to Shoyou-sensei. His head fell to the ground, still intact. He couldn't have been decapitated for more than a day.
She fell to her knees and so did Takasugi. "No..."
"Die, you monster," Katsura shrieked, lopping off the alien's head, effectively ending its life. Then he saw his teacher's head.
Dropping his sword he turned away and vomited. Gintoki was staring at it like he couldn't believe it.
The battlefield was dead silent - it was the three of them alone once more while they stood in a sea of corpses. The smell of blood and decay was overwhelming.
For a while Soyo couldn't see the expression of Takasugi. What was he thinking? she thought to herself. Without a word the Regulator lowered her to the ground for which Soyo was grateful. Still, his hair hung low over his eyes, obscuring his face.
Silently he pulled himself up from the ground, and carefully placed Shoyou's head on the middle of the linen, making sure to wipe away the dirt that had graced the lifeless physiognomy of the man who meant so much to him.
"Takasugi..."
"Gintoki, tend to Zura, why don't you?" His voice seemed detached, aimless.
"But - "
"JUST DO IT, OKAY?" Suddenly he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "Sensei, what did those fools do to you? They have taken away all the beauty in this world."
And, not caring one whit for his comrades, he howled his outrage for the world to hear. That was before Gintoki knocked him out with one decisive blow. Keeling over, Takasugi fell over, dead silent.
Katsura wiped his mouth. "The pain will be worse when he wakes up." Tears flowed from his eyes freely, though Gintoki pretended not to see them. "You know how much devotion he held towards Sensei."
"I know."
"If only we had enough time to walk to Hagi. He deserves to be buried next to the school."
"I know. We'll have to bury him around here before it rots."
Gintoki began to drag Takasugi's body back to camp, while Katsura folded the bundle tenderly with care, now weeping openly without any notion of samurai restraint.
There were no more words exchanged between them as the sun set. The sky was as red as the blood that stained their clothing. The crows came again to feast on the dead.
-x-
To be continued...
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