Chapter 3 - Sadist VS Monster.

"You want us to investigate someone who was nice enough to treat you just because he snores too loud, huh? You jerk!" Kagura shouted, spitting on the floor of the Yorozuya's agency.

"Hijibaka, I hate to say this, but China is right! You're really a nasty piece of crap!" Said Sougo while spitting on the floor as well.

"HEY! Whose house do you think you're spitting in, you bastard?" Gintoki shouted.

"Come on, come on, Gin-san, for once those two get along..." Shinpachi began.

Sougo spat on the ground again.

"Oi! Don't spit on the ground again you bastard!" Shinpachi shouted.

"Tch! That's not it!" Hijikata defended himself, seeing that the situation was getting out of hand. "It was after that, that things started to get messy. Right, Sougo?"

Everyone then looked at the sadist, who for once seemed to be angry at someone other than Hijikata.

Sougo and Hijikata then picked up the story where it had left off.

It was the day after the 'nocturnal disturbance' incident. It was still snowing outside, but the troops were not going to miss another day of daily training. Well, almost all of them. The meeting room had turned into a dojo, with everyone practicing swordplay, while others struggled to run the wooden walkways that connected the various buildings. But there were several people missing among these groups.

Kondo-san had gone to practice his favorite activity (spying and harassing Otae-san), and a certain demonic Vice Commander who had not been able to sleep all night was sorely lacking in sleep; his eyes as blank and inexpressive as the dead fish eyes of a certain permhead.

He thought that for once he could make an exception, and sleep during the day, knowing that he was sick. But Sougo would not hear of it. He suddenly opened the door, and fired his bazooka at Hijikata, who was left with an afro.

"You bastard... While I'm sick... you're gonna pay for this..." Hijikafro grimaced.

"Oh, that's right, this morning it's double the serving!" Sougo said innocently, ignoring Hijikata royally.

He aimed his bazooka at Vice Commander Kemono, who was still sleeping in his futon, but more quietly than the last few hours.

He was about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden, without him being able to see anything, a shadow stood in front of him; with a katana blade pressed against his sadistic throat. Stunned, Sougo did not know what to do. It was Kemono, who had risen from his bed in less than a fraction of a second, and who like a mirage, had appeared before him. A sharp and shining look was staring at him between two pieces of bandages. A monster's look. He expected to be torn to shreds, but nothing happened. Kemono sheathed his sword and went back to his futon to start putting it away.

"Hey, you bastard, where do you think you're going? You defy me, and then you sneak away like nothing happened?!" Sougo snarled.

"Sougo, stop." Hijikata tried. "Just take care of yourself. You're a mess."

At the same time, the sadist's beloved bazooka shattered into a thousand pieces on the ground, falling in a scattered concert of metal.

How? How in a few seconds could this guy do that? Like a ghost, he had left no trace of his passage. But that wasn't enough to calm Sougo, quite the contrary. He now saw this intruder as a new adversary.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Sougo said. "I challenge you!"

"Sougo, calm down..." Hijikata interjected. "I told you-"

Hijikata was cut off by a piece of paper held up by Kemono.

'After training.'

"Tch! Don't try to back out!" Sougo shouted before leaving the room.

Sougo really hated to find someone who could compete with him. Hijikata knew this perfectly well. So someone who humiliated him? That was like signing your own death warrant.

"I'm sorry about my subordinate's misbehavior," Toshiro said, "He's always like that, but don't take what he just said seriously..."

He didn't want Sougo to get into a fight with a superior, and risk getting disciplined. After all, this was a man from Matsudaira's close guard, and what's more, He was someone who had been more than helpful last night. But a new note written on paper put an end to the situation.

'He wants to challenge me. That's his choice. So let him do so.'

"You... Are you sure? It was a subordinate who disrespected you!" Toshiro justified.

'Absolutely. Anyway, I intend to teach him a good lesson...'

A lesson? Was this guy more terrifying than what he had already shown a few minutes ago?

Now Kemono sat on the edge of the room, from which he had just opened a panel to see the inner courtyard; his black katana still and always within reach.

"Weren't you supposed to go practice?" Hijikata inquired.

'No. I never said I was going to go train. I just wanted to give your subordinate time to prepare.'

Hijikata was about to answer again, when a second leaf flew at his feet.

'It's a beautiful day to look at the sky... Right?'

'What sky? It's still full of clouds, and there's really nothing interesting to see in there...' Hijikata thought.

But, as if Kemono had heard his thoughts, he answered again in writing.

'This sky, it may look evenly gray to some. But to me, it is a multiplicity of different grays. All this gray soothes my mind.'

"'I see. You don't really dwell on the sky, but on what's covering it, right?" Hijikata observed.

But all of a sudden, a thunderous snore was heard.

"Ah!? Don't tell me you're sleeping around again! Especially after you gave me such an emotional speech! What's wrong with you?!" Hijikata exclaimed.

But it was useless. Nothing woke up Kemono, until it was time for lunch. He then suddenly left for town, only to return two hours later.

Hijikata, like any other normal person, thought this was to avoid the duel with Sougo. However, the new Vice Commander did show up at the appointed time.

Curious people had gathered around the room, but none of them dared to enter for fear of incurring Sougo's wrath. All except Kemono and Kondo, who was going to be the referee. And what made Sougo mad was that Kemono was still wearing his bandages, not letting anything show about his behavior. Surely he would have a hard time predicting his movements.

"In position, please." Said Kondo-san.

The two opponents then stood ten paces apart from each other, under the eyes of the small crowd of onlookers gathering on either side of the large room where the panels had all been opened to the garden. But neither of the two opponents drew their katana. Kemono then took out a note from one of his pockets.

'Five minutes.'

"What's the matter? You think you can beat me in the first five minutes? Don't underestimate me, 'white beast'..." Said Sougo. "It will take me only one minute to finish you off!"

Kemono didn't answer, and the moment Kondo gave the starting signal, Sougo rushed at him in a flash, drawing his sword in a split second. He wanted to teach a lesson to that idiot superior who had dodged his attack and destroyed his brand new bazooka, and began to harass Kemono with blows. Almost immediately, drops of blood started to be sprayed everywhere.

"This is not good! The Vice Commander is going to die at this rate!" A member of the Shinsengumi shouted, worried at the sight of the blood that was gradually covering the tatami of the room.

But the latter seemed to be able to take and parry almost all the attacks, except for the ones that he deflected very slightly, and that cut his skin in some places. Hijikata was also observing with attention the fight which was taking place under his eyes. And very quickly, an obvious fact occurred to him. He bit his lips in frustration.

The battle was raging, and soon, Kemono was actively responding to Sougo's attacks, without touching him.

'This guy is actually quite weak!' Sougo thought with confidence.

Hijikata seemed to have noticed the First Division Captain's confidence as well, and squinted his eyes.

'You really think you can beat him, don't you, Sougo?' Thought Hijikata.

But as the sadistic man continued to strike, he noticed something. As time passed, it seemed to Sougo that his opponent's level was increasing exponentially.

'You really think you can beat him... But Sougo, let me address this thought to you...' Hijikata continued to think.

'Impossible...' Sougo thought, 'That guy...'

Suddenly, someone pointed out that the 5 minutes had passed, and that Kemono really didn't have the skills, after all.

But against all odds, this was the trigger. Suddenly, Sougo felt that something had changed in the air. A threatening aura was emanating from his opponent, like that brief moment earlier in the day. And before he knew it, Kemono was behind him, ready to strike.

'... You're wrong...' Hijikata said mentally.

" What The-!?" Sougo exclaimed.

But it was too late. The members of the Shinsengumi watched in horror as their captain was stabbed in the neck from behind and then slammed to the ground, motionless.

"Captain! Captain Okita!" shouted the men who were present.

"You! What did you do?! That wasn't a fight to the death!" Kondo shouted in shock at what he had just seen. "Why did you do that!?"

'The five minutes are up.' Kemono wrote, while pulling his sword from the tatami in which it was planted.

He put it back in its sheath, and wrote again.

'He's not dead. At least, not physically.'

'... You can't beat this guy...' Hijikata thought one last time.

Then Kemono left the room, to go back to his room, followed shortly after by a pensive and still sick Hijikata. Yamazaki then chased away all the spectators who had gathered around the room, then came back to Sougo, whom Kondo was already examining.

"He didn't miss you, did he?" Kondo asked.

Sougo then stood up, still alive, and sat down cross-legged before examining the condition of his uniform's collar.

"That bastard." Sougo swore. "Those five minutes were the time he gave me to try to defeat him, before he showed his true level... He could have killed me, but instead he pierced my collar..."

"Ah, I'm glad! I really thought he'd killed you on the spot!" Kondo laughed nervously.

Nevertheless, Sougo wouldn't give up... This guy was more than suspicious...How had he not heard of this outstanding fighter before, who was surpassing him in a fight? Sougo was definitely on edge.

How about taking out his nerves on China?

To Be Continued...