CHAPTER 4: The Shinsengumi Organization

Saito watched him chew, then began his explanation.

"This is the headquarters of the Shinsengumi Organization; a secret society of agents who fight against demons. The Shinsengumi Organization was formed by Isami Kondou to stop these demons from killing the citizens of Tokyo and the people of Japan. We have ten squads of about 100 people each who patrol the city making sure that all the demons are under control. Sometimes, we are given special missions that we must complete on our own.

The world is filled with many different kinds of demons, but we of the Shinsengumi are after a group of them whose strength far surpasses any other. The group is known as the Juppongatana. The Demons of the Juppongatana are confined to Japan. There are many Demons, but there are ten main ones: Chou Sawagejou, Anji Yuukyuzan, Soujirou Seta, Hennya Kariwa, Iwambo, Kamatari Hanjou, Houji Satojima, Fuji, Usui Uonuma, and Roujin Saidzuchi. The strongest one and the leader of the group is Makoto Shishio. He has a woman; her name is Yumi Komagata.

The Demons have various powers. Chou can change his hands into any type of sword. Usui can hear the quietest of noises, Soujirou is faster than the speed of light, Anji has limitless strength, Fuji can grow to the size of two buildings and so on. However, their most dangerous power is that they can all take the form of or possess a human.

The Shinsengumi has yet to find any of the demons of the Juppongatana and apprehend them, but I have met Shishio at the Akabeko and hurt him badly. It will be a while until he recovers. We are hoping to use this time to capture some of the Juppongatana," Saito said. Sano stayed silent.

"I had no idea," Sano said in wonder. Then, he looked up. "Hey, who's on our side?! The Demons sound really tough and everything! The Shinsengumi can't be fighting alone! You'd all be slaughtered!!"

"You're right," Saito said. "We can't defeat them alone. There are too many. We have two groups of… allies: The Secret Police Force Ishin Shishi, and the Undercover Oniwabanshuu. The Ishin Shishi is a secret group of policemen who also patrol the streets. Their leader is Katsura Kogoro. They, however, aren't completely friendly with us and the only thing that keeps our friendship is our common enemy—the Juppongatana. There is a fighter named Himura Battousai who is the strongest in their group.

The Oniwabanshuu are also not completely friends, but they will stick by the Ishin Shishi. Their leader is Aoshi Shinomori. He is the strongest, but he has weaknesses within his friends. If they should get hurt, we could lose Aoshi's friendship." Sano finished his pizza. He licked his fingers in thought.

"So what you're saying is… that… we are alone in this except for a few 'friends,'" Sano guessed. Saito nodded. Sano digested that, too. Just then, a younger man walked into the cafeteria.

"Oh, hello, Saito-san!" he called, running over.

"Okita," Saito said. Sano looked at him.

"Who are you? A member of the Shinsengumi Organization?" Sano asked. Okita nodded, smiling.

"Yup. Leader of the first squad. Who're you? Friend of Saito-san?" Okita asked. Sano shook his head.

"I don't know why I'm here. Saito here still has to tell me why…" Sano said, glancing Saito's way. Saito sighed.

"He's a recruit. He saw me defeat Shishio, didn't faint, and made it through The Elevator," Saito said. "He could be an addition…" Okita nodded his approval.

"He looks strong enough. You should take him to the testing room," Okita suggested. "I'm going to get a sandwich. PB&J is my favorite!" He rubbed his stomach and trotted happily off to the rows of microwave-like machines. Sano stared after the smaller man.

"He's a kid! He's a leader of a squad?!" Snao hissed to Saito. Saito nodded.

"He's better than I am. He might look like a naïve little boy, but he's really one of the best," Saito said. "He's defeated more demons than any of us. He has yet to fight Shishio, but he has fought every other of the Juppongatana." Sano stared at Okita, who was yelling at the microwave-like machine.

"PB&J!!!" Okita yelled. Saito and Sano sweatdropped.

"Don't mind him," Saito said. "Anyway, maybe I should go and test you. If you fail, I'll have to reject you. You'll just go back to your daily life." Sano looked at the taller man as he stood up.

"Okay," Sano said. "Test me! I'm ready for anything!" He followed Saito down a long silver tunnel and into a white room with round black and silver chairs. Saito motioned for Sano to sit down, so he did. Saito handed Sano a gun.

"I'm going to show you a series of pictures and you'll have to shoot the demon in the picture. They are pictures of Tokyo, so you'll be familiar with the places," Saito said. He turned off the lights and hit a button. A picture of the inside of the Akabeko was shown. There were several people in the picture; there was Tae, a tall, stocky man with a thick beard drinking Coke, a very thin boy eating a giant double cheeseburger sitting with his obese mother, the hairy chef, and a fat construction worker who was pigging out on pancakes. Sano didn't even think twice: he shot at the thin boy with the gun. Saito looked at him skeptically.

"Why did you shoot a kid?" Saito asked, smirking. Sano looked over at him.

"Well," he said. "First, the kid is really skinny… and… well… I don't think that a kid his size could eat a big burger like that. He looks nothing like his mother and… look, his skin's a yellowish color." Saito nodded.

"Actually, you got that correct," Saito said. "Okita snapped that picture right before apprehending the kid." Sano gulped. That wasn't so hard… Saito hit the button again. Now it was a picture of a river with a few people fishing. There was an old man running after a little girl, a man fishing by the river, and a man in a boat. There was also a woman on a picnic blanket with a sandwich halfway to her mouth. Sano thought a moment, then took careful aim and shot the projection of the old man playing with the girl. Saito sighed.

"Why'd you shoot the old geezer?" Saito asked. Sano looked over at him with uncertainty.

"He didn't fit in. And I don't think that he'd run around with that little girl with those pants," Sano said, pointing. "And what I know about old geezers is that they'd be the one fishing or sitting with the lady. They wouldn't naturally chase a little kid." Saito nodded.

"That was also correct. Hijikata shot that picture when he was going to get the old man," Saito said. Just then, Hijikata himself walked out of the concealed door at the far end of the room.

"Who are you testing, Saito?" Hijikata asked, closing the door. Sano stood up.

"I'm Sanosuke Sagara," Sano said to Hijikata. Saito sighed.

"He's pretty good, but he'll need to learn some of the basics," Saito told Hijikata. Hijikata nodded.

"He sounds good enough. He got the old guy. I barely found him when I took that picture," Hijikata said. "Have him decide." Saito nodded and looked at Sano.

"You've passed the tests," Saito said. "But there IS a… catch." Sano looked at him.

"What?"

"You will not exist," Saito said. Sano stared.

"What?" he asked. Had he heard correctly? How could he 'not exist?!'

"You won't be able so socialize with anyone outside of the Shinsengumi, and you will change your name to something else. Do you agree to those terms? I suggest you think long and hard about this. If you have anyone close to you, it will affect both of your lives greatly," Saito said. Sano thought about it. Both of his parents had passed away and he was girlfriend-less. Sano shrugged.

"Yes, I agree," Sano said. Hijikata nodded to Saito.

"I trust that you can help him…" Hijikata said.

"Yes, I can, Hijikata-dono," Saito said, walking out. Sano trailed behind. They walked past the door to the cafeteria where Okita was still yelling at the machines and to the end of the hall where there was a big door. It was locked. Saito hit a few buttons on a control pad to the side of the door and it slowly opened, revealing a large room with many people and even more computers and various screens. Saito walked in and wound his way through the maze of machines. He stopped at a small, clear laptop. Sano also stopped.

"So… what do I do?" Sano asked. Saito hit a few buttons, then turned to Sano.

"Type in your name," Saito ordered. Sano did.

"There," Sano said. "Now what?" Saito looked at the screen.

"Sanosuke Sagara, huh?" Saito asked, looking at Sano. "It was a good name. Say goodbye to it." He hit 'enter.' "Your name will be 'Zanza' now. The only people who will know you as 'Sanosuke' are the members of the Shinsengumi." Sano stared at the screen as his name was slowly deleted.

"Zanza?" Sano asked skeptically. "Why Zanza? Can't you give me something cooler?!" Saito shot him a look.

"You'd rather be called Rooster… or maybe Ahou?" Saito asked. Sano shook his head.

"Fine. So… in public, you'll call me Zanza?" Sano asked. Saito nodded. "Well if I have a nickname, then… what's yours?"

"Wolf," Saito replied.

"Okay," he said. "What about that Okita kid?"

"His name is 'Happy,'" Saito said. Sano tried to hold back a laugh, but didn't manage to.

"Happy!!" Sano sniggered. "Well… if he's the best… then why is his name… Happy?"

"Make the enemies underestimate him," Saito explained, standing and turning to leave the busy room. Just then, another man walked over.

"Who's that, Saito?" the man asked.

"A new recruit, Nagakura," Saito said. "His name's Sanosuke Sagara."

"Code name?"

"Zanza."

"Ah, I see," Nagakura said. He turned to Sano. "Nice to meet you, Zanza. I'm Shinpachi Nagakura, but my code name is Swordheart." Sano nodded politely. Then, Nagakura turned and disappeared into the maze of computers and machines. Saito headed for the exit. Sano followed.

"So… what do we do now?" Sano asked. Saito shrugged.

"I can show you where you'll sleep," he said. Sano nodded and followed down a series of tunnels and to another large door. Saito pushed a few buttons on the keypad. The door slid open and Saito sauntered in, Sano following.

"Hey… what's the password thing?" Sano asked. Saito hardly answered.

"Currently, it's 'Hijikata is the best,'" Saito said simply. The hall they were now walking down was lined with metal doors all donned with keypads. They stopped at a door a little way down the hall.

"This will be your room," Saito said. "Make up a password and don't forget it." He turned around and walked away. Sano stared after him.

"HOW?!" he called. Saito didn't answer. He turned back to the small keypad on the side of the door. He pushed the 'on' button. It read:

'Hello, Zanza. Please create a password." Sano looked at it for a while, then typed in: S-A-N-O-S-U-K-E. The keypad began to load.

'Thank you.' The pad said. 'Please confirm your password.' Sano typed it in again, and then the door slid open with a soft metallic sound. He walked into his room. The walls were all white. There was a bed with blue and white sheets and a metal desk. On the wall next to the door, there was a wood chest of drawers that was light in color. There was a closet with a sliding mirror door near the foot of the bed. The door slid closed behind Sano. He sat on his bed, then realized that he didn't have any extra clothes. As if to answer his thoughts, there was a knock at his door. Sano walked over to the door and opened it by pushing a small blue button near the metal door frame.

"Here you go, Sano-san," a cheery voice said. It belonged to Okita. Sano took the pile of neatly folded clothes from Okita's hands. "You'll have to wash them yourself, of course. Wow, nice room." Sano thanked him quietly.

"Um, Okita-san?" Sano asked. "How do I know where everything is? I mean, what if I get lost or something?" Okita looked at him.

"You won't. But in the desk drawer, there should be a map of the premises. Of course, if there isn't, I'll lend you mine. I know the base like the back of my hand!" He gave a small chuckle. "I'm also here to tell you that you'll be accompanying me and some other members to spy on Chou of the Juppongatana." Sano stared.

"What? But… I just…" Sano protested. Okita laughed.

"You won't be in any danger! It's just that none of the Juppongatana knows that you're a member of the Shinsengumi yet. You'll be perfect for helping us!" Okita said. "I'll come and get you right before we leave. Oh, and don't change into your Shinsengumi uniform yet. There is a set of casual clothes that you can change into, though." He waved goodbye and headed for his own room. Sano closed the door by pushing the blue button again. Sano began to sort his clothes. There were five pairs of socks, a pair of boots, a pair of sneakers, five pairs of pants, five pairs of underwear, five shirts, and two pairs of pajamas. There was also a sweatshirt, jacket, and raincoat. Sano hung the coats in the closet and put the boots in as well. The other clothes were neatly placed in a drawer.

"I guess the Shinsengumi really like blue…" Sano commented to himself as he examined the clothes in the drawers. The shirts were different shades of blue as were the jackets and pajamas. The boots were black and the socks and underwear were white. The pants varied from jeans to baggy sweats. They were blue as well. There was only one shirt that was white and one pair of pants that was black. He guessed that those were the 'casual' clothes. It was then that Sano found that he was tired. He checked his watch. It was only 6:30, but the events of the day had taken the energy out of him. He slipped his feet out of the sneakers and, not even bothering to change into the blue pajamas, Sano fell onto his new bed and fell asleep.

A/N: Hey… this might be the last update for a really long time again… I'm really busy. Sorry 'bout that. ; I'd be surprised if anyone's still reading this….

Kairi7: Hey again… my last update really was a long time ago… thanks for reviewing… a LONG time ago.

Sekihoutai: not forgotten, just not able to fit into my life. I'll try to post ASAP.

MissBehavin: You finally got the answers to Sano's questions. ………………

Miburo kid: I like your name. Heh… well… I've updated. Hope this satisfies your need to know what happens next. Maybe I'll update the other story soon… in like… a month. Maybe… maybe not.