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Chapter 51: The Enemy of My Enemy

"Retreat! Don't look back!" Shinpachi ordered his men, evacuating them from the frontlines. "Run!" He turned when he heard the sound of war cries approaching from the other side. "Fresh forces?" He thought aloud, furrowing his brow. Is that why the enemy had pulled back?

–∞–

Meanwhile, Kazama was calmly observing the battle from afar, sitting atop a tree on the side of one of the surrounding hills so he could have a bird's eye view of the entire affair. So far, there was no sign of Koudou, just more humans and their foolishness, bringing death and destruction.

"Hm?" He said, glancing over to the side, away from the battle when he caught something moving out the corner of his eye. He looked down and saw that Nagumo Kaoru was running along a path through the woods. If that brat was working with Koudou, then he might be able to follow him to his location…

–∞–

"Hah!" Sano shouted as he thrust his spear at Shiranui. Shiranui dodged and fired two shots at Sano.

BANG! BANG!

Sano dodged them both and attacked again without hesitation. Shiranui fired another round as he had to jump up and flip out if the way of his spear.

"Man, can you move!" Shiranui commented as he landed at a safe distance to reload his gun. "Looks like you've been trainin' some."

"Thanks to you." Sano retorted as he shifted his position, getting ready to attack again.

BANG!

A bullet whizzed past Sano's face from off to the side. He turned to see who had fired, and saw that they had company, lots of it. And unfortunately for him, the troop of new arrivals were all clad in the uniform of the Imperial Army. The first line of men drew their swords and charged.

"Tch!" Shiranui clicked his tongue in annoyance and furrowed his brow, irritated that their fight had been interrupted. "And this was just gettin' good!"

"Don't mess with me!" Sano shouted as he charged in to meet his new opponents, slashing and stabbing them with his spear. "Hunh!" Sano turned and thrust his spear into the belly of a man trying to sneak up on him from behind. "!" He gasped in astonishment when the man not only grabbed onto his spear, but began pulling it to the side with extraordinary, widening the cut, until it the blade had been completely dragged out from his side. The man yanked the spear from Sano's hand despite the tight grip he had on his weapon and threw it away. Sano gasped as he took a step back and prepared to draw his sword. "What the hell are these guys!?" He demanded as the gutted man raised his sword to attack, moving as if his mortal wound were nothing, while another soldier that he had just cut down started to stand back up behind him. His eyes widened as he watched the wound in the advancing man's side heal almost instantaneously.

–∞–

"Eh! Hah!" Shinpachi shouted as he proceeded to cut down the new soldiers that had just arrived, trying to buy more time for his men to escape. "What!?" He exclaimed, shocked when the supposedly mortally wounded men he had just attacked suddenly got back up again. One of them raised their heads and stared back at him with glowing red eyes. "They're rasetsus!?"

–∞–

SLASH!

"Go!" Saito urged Chizuru and Kondo as he cut down some of the rasetsus that had come to surround them, locking swords with another.

"H-Hai!" Chizuru said determinedly, glancing at the commander, whom she was standing back to back with. "Kondo-san!"

"Nn!" Kondo nodded in understanding, and they both hurried away so Saito could focus on fighting and not have to worry about their safety while doing so.

–∞–

SLASH! THRUST! SLICE! SLASH!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Shiranui, what's going on!?" Sano demanded as he and the oni fought to fend off the indiscriminate attacks from the Imperial rasetsus. "What are rasetsus doing out in broad daylight!?"

"Like I know!" Shiranui retorted sharply as he took out another one. "I didn't bring these guys with me! I only know of one person who'd make freaks like these!"

"Hehhehheh!" They both looked up when they heard laughter. "What wonderful results! I've been waiting for this day to come for so very long." Koudou said with a smirk as he observed the fight safely from behind the lines of his new rasetsus.

"Bastard!" Shiranui cursed.

"Koudou-san!" Sano said, shocked. "Why… are you here!?"

"Heheh." Koudou just laughed again at the stunned expressions on their faces.

"Why the hell did you bring these monsters here!?" Shiranui demanded angrily. "Koudou!"

"Hmph. It is hardly proper to refer to them as 'monsters'." Koudou replied sardonically with a smirk. "Rasetsus have become the species that will surpass humans."

"What?" Shiranui said, furrowing his brow.

"I have finally fixed their defects!" Koudou explained. "They are a new breed that can work under the light of the sun!"

"!" Shiranui and Sano gasped when they realized how high the sun had risen in the sky. Most normal rasetsus would be really suffering just to stand at this time of day, but these were fighting at full strength!

"With my Rasetsu Corps, reviving the Yukimura clan will not end as a dream." Koudou said.

"You created these soldiers?" Sano asked.

"Well, I had some help from Sumiko." Koudou admitted to his shock. "Though, at the time, she thought I was helping her find a cure for your friends. I don't think it ever crossed her mind that I would use her theories for this, but I couldn't have done it without her."

"Koudou, damn you!" Shiranui said, furrowing his brow as he grit his teeth.

"The age of a new breed of oni is upon us." Koudou declared.

–∞–

Chizuru panted as she ran with Kondo through the woods, but they suddenly had to stop short when they saw a young man standing in the middle of the path, surrounded by the dead bodies he had slain while waiting for them.

"A tracker?" Kondo said, drawing his sword.

"Ah, please wait!" Chizuru said after taking a second look. "You're…"

"I finally get to see you again, Chizuru." Kaoru said with a small smile as he looked at his twin sister.

"Yukimura-kun, do you know him?" Kondo asked.

"Hai. We met back in the capital." She replied. "But, Kaoru-san, why are you dressed like that? What are you doing here?"

"I see… So Okita never told you." Kaoru said, closing his eyes. Neither had Sumiko, apparently. Did they think they were protecting her by doing so? "This is my true form." He explained. "Everything I have done, from hiding my gender to coming here, it was all for one purpose. Yes, I have come to save my younger sister."

"Your sister?" Chizuru asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"I'm talking about you, Chizuru."

Chizuru gasped as her eyes widened. Kondo glanced at her in surprise as she stared up at her twin brother.

"My face isn't proof enough for you?" Kaoru asked her. It hurt that she was still looking at him with doubt when strangers who meant nothing to him had easily been able to spot the family resemblance. "Then, let me use this Katana as evidence." He said, removing his sword so he could hold it up for her to see. "My Daitsuren is the mate to your Shotsuren."

"!" Chizuru gasped when she saw that what he was saying was true. His katana matched her kodachi perfectly, as if they were meant to be part of the same set.

"You should be aware that these swords have been passed down through the Yukimura clan for generations." Kaoru added.

"But I… father never told me." Chizuru said, looking down. Kaoru sighed.

" 'Father', huh?" He said, closing his eyes briefly before looking at her with pity for the depth of her ignorance. "Koudou is not our true father."

"Huh?" Chizuru gasped with wide eyes, shocked to the core.

–∞–

Koudou laughed, smirking as he watched Sano and Shiranui continue their struggle against his new and improved rasetsus. Yes. It was all going according to plan.

"Damn monsters!" Sano cursed as he stabbed another through the heart with his sword. He was staring to get winded.

"No matter how many I kill, it doesn't put a dent in their numbers!" Shinpachi shouted in frustration. He was much closer to the others now. They were all being penned in by the rasetsus that had surrounded them.

BANG!

"The age of a new kind of oni?" Shiranui asked incredulously as he put down another rasetsu with a bullet to the brain, which turned out to work about just as well as one to the heart. He kicked yet another away when it charged at him and shot it. "Japan's screwed if we have monsters like this running out and about. Harada! Time for a temporary truce! We gotta deal with these fakes!" He shouted, taking out the one Sano was currently locked in battle with for him. The moment the rasetsu was down, Sano turned and hurled his sword in Shiranui's direction. Shiranui didn't even flinch as it soared right past his head and stabbed the rasetsu that had been trying to sneak up on him from behind.

"No objections here." Sano told him.

"Heh." Shiranui smirked as they both turned and began devoting their full attention to battling the new rasetsus while backing each other up this time. Koudou turned his back on the fight and quietly slipped away.

–∞–

"After the Yukimura clan of oni was obliterated for refusing to aid an anti-Bakufu faction, you were taken in by Koudou, who was from a branch off of our clan." Kaoru continued to explain to Chizuru. "That is when I was taken away by the Nagumo clan of Tosa. We were torn away from each other. See, currently I am trying to revive the Yukimura clan with Uncle Koudou."

Chizuru gasped again at mention of her father's name. She didn't want to believe what Kaoru was saying. She didn't want to believe her kind father had been lying to her all these years. She didn't want to believe he had anything to do with this…

"If he uses the modified Ochimizu, he can create a Rasetsu Corp that has overcome their weaknesses. We can use them to exterminate humans and create a world of oni." Kaoru stated.

"!" Chizuru and Kondo gasped, horrified. Kondo grit his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword.

"By now, your buddies are probably all dead." Kaoru said loftily.

"What did you say…?" Chizuru asked, looking extremely wounded.

Kaoru smirked slightly. Yes. That was the expression he had wanted so much to see. His smirk fell when Kondo stepped protectively in front of Chizuru.

"Kondo-san!" Chizuru said.

"Yukimura-kun, run!" Kondo told her.

"No… I can't!" She objected. She had promised Hijikata she would stay with him.

"Do it! Hurry!" Kondo ordered urgently, equally determined not to let anything happen to her. Kaoru furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes dangerously at the man in front of him.

"I won't hold back on any who stand between Chizuru and I." Kaoru said darkly. "Even if you are the commander of the Shinsengumi." Kondo let out a yell and charged, but Kaoru easily read his movements and dodged hi attack.

"!" Kondo grit his teeth as he struggled to keep ahold of his sword when Kaoru tried to use the sheath of his own to knock it from his hands. Failing that, Kaoru thrust his sheathed sword hard into Kondo's diaphragm, sending him reeling backwards.

"Kondo-san!" Chizuru cried out in alarm, rushing over to check on him.

"Now do you understand?" Kaoru asked as he approached them. "I'm the only one who can protect you. Come! Join me. Chizuru…" She stared up at him with wide eyes, trembling, as he reached out his hand to her. "Come now."

SMACK!

"!" Kaoru gasped, staring at the hand Chizuru had just slapped away, stunned. "Chizuru?"

"Stop it, Kaoru-san." Chizuru said solemnly, remaining by Kondo's side. "I made a promise. I swore to protect Kondo-san and survive. We may be siblings, but I will fight you!" She said determinedly, steeling her resolve as she stood up and drew her short sword. Kaoru took a step back in shock, looking stricken. Her hands trembled as she pointed her sword at her long lost brother.

"You… would draw your blade against your brother who shares your blood?" Kaoru asked, furrowing his brow.

"Sumiko-san said you don't have to be blood to be family. Please step aside, Kaoru-san." Chizuru said resolutely, tightening her grip on her short sword. She didn't know Kaoru. She didn't remember him. What she did know was the kind father who had raised her, and the brave men from the Shinsengumi who had become her friends and protected her. And she wasn't about to betray Hijikata-san by abandoning Kondo-san! She made a promise, and she was going to keep it.

"Do you realize how hard I worked to find you?" Kaoru asked. "Chizuru, I love you…" He said passionately. As much as he hated her and envied her for forgetting him and being the only one to be protected all these years, he still loved her. He loved her just as much as he hated her. "Don't you realize? And here you… You would rather protect those humans than your own oni clan!?" He demanded as his voice trembled, drawing his sword.

CLANG!

He charged forth, locking swords with Chizuru. The force of his blow sent Chizuru stumbling back, but she corrected her stance and stood firm, furrowing her brow with grim determination as Kaoru charged at her again.

CLANG! CLASH! CLANG!

"Nng!" Chizuru grit her teeth as she struggled to keep up with her brother and block the attacks from his long sword with her short sword. "Ah!" She cried out when the next blow knocked her sword from her hands and sent her tumbling onto her back. Chizuru pushed herself back up into a sitting positing, breathing heavily. "!" She gasped when Kaoru she looked up and found Kaoru's sword in her face, only an inch away.

"I'll only say this once more. Chizuru, come with me!" He pleaded earnestly.

"I can't. I… made a promise." She said nervously as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

"I see…" Kaoru said. "In that case… I will…" He straightened up and raised his sword. I he couldn't have her, no one could. "With my own two hands, I will…!"

SWISH—CLANG!

Chizuru gasped as Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise when they realized who had just suddenly jumped in to block the finishing blow.

"Okita-san!" Chizuru exclaimed. It was Okita-san in his rasetsu form, and he was wearing the Western clothing Hijikata-san had left for him once he got better!

"You're awfully persistent." Okita commented, narrowing his red eyes at Kaoru, grinning, as he forced him back.

"Back at you, Okita." Kaoru said, furrowing his brow as he retreated to a safer distance. A really troublesome guy had showed up. "You're doing well for being under the sun." He remarked with a dark smirk. "It must be hell."

"Hnh! That's why I've got to be quick about killing you!" Okita retorted, matching his smirk as he charged forward.