Chapter 9 - simultaneous attacks.
"A flower is picked because it is beautiful. But because of that, it ends up getting angry faster... It only took a few wilted flowers for the White Demon to finally show his nose..."
"Wow, you really have to be brave to pick on weak women, a good-for-nothing old man like me, and two puny kids, huh?" Gintoki asked, his neck bleeding a little more with every word he spoke. "Who are you, you coward? Are you the guy who went after all those women who disappeared?"
"All I did was pick beautiful flowers. It just so happens that this one had thorns..." Said the man while pointing to the young woman still hanging in the air at the end of the street. "But even though the customer had warned me in advance, I really didn't expect Shiroyasha to show up in person...
"The customer?" Grimaced the one called Shiroyasha. "What do you mean by that, you bastard?"
Had someone hired this guy? And if so, for what purpose?
He then felt a draft, and suddenly the criminal was right next to him, having magically slipped through the air. This stranger was so close, that he whispered in his ear:
"I only pick beautiful flowers. Also, I don't care about men and kids." He said, smiling with all his teeth. "Let's see... If the legendary Shiroyasha... Will manage to stop me."
Gintoki widened his eyes in surprise and horror.
He didn't mean...?
'He'll target Kagura and Shinpachi!'
And just as he finished thinking those words, he heard an impact behind him.
The stranger, some kind of ninja dressed in a black office worker's suit - with scars all over his face, and bleached blond mid-length hair - had reached out and hit Kagura, who had protected herself at the last minute with her purple umbrella.
"Kid, what do you say about going to enjoy life, far away from here?" Asked the man nonchalantly, holding out a small business card. "You're on your way to becoming a very beautiful flower!"
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" Kagura exclaimed, holding the man away with his parasol.
Shinpachi immediately arrived in support, wooden sword in hand; but was blown away in a gust of wind, hitting a wall hard. The strange man hadn't even touched him, though.
"Shinpachi!" Kagura shouted.
"You should be focusing on your opponent, rather than your pathetic allies, kiddo!" Laughed the stranger with a smile, already at Kagura's side. "But it would be easier for you to accept this gentleman's offer!"
He was about to deliver a direct blow to her stomach, lifting his arm back, when he felt a lightning pain in his arm. Sadaharu had just bitten him deeply, refusing to let go of his arm.
"Well done, Sadaharu!" Kagura exclaimed. "Eat that pervert!"
But the dog screamed in pain at the same moment. And a few seconds later, he was lying on the ground, motionless.
The strange man had thrown the dog away from him, again without touching him. As if he was controlling an invisible force.
"You bastard! What did you do to Sadaharu!?" Kagura snarled.
She managed to hit and throw back the stranger. But the latter, like a magician, rose vertically in the air, suspended a few centimeters from the ground. He seemed to be held in the air by something invisible.
"Ha, if I had known I would have to fight against men and a kid, I would have refused this job..." Sighs the stranger, while clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly.
However, this movement on the part of the criminal could finally allow Gintoki to understand how this guy moved so fast. Because of the same thing that was keeping him from moving himself.
He had now figured it out, having seen and faced this technique in the past. He just hoped that the similarity between this technique, and that of his past opponent, was only coincidental...
"Kagura! This guy is using invisible cables to move and attack us Mikasa Ackerman (1) style!" Gintoki shouted with difficulty. "Cut them!"
The Yato nodded, and began to make numerous wide attacks while swinging her parasol in large arcs. The weapon met resistance in the air, and near-invisible wires fell all around the girl; torn away by the prodigious strength of the young Yato.
But the criminal was not going to let her destroy his trap so easily. He clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"I would have used the name Captain Levi instead," he said fervently.
He positioned himself in front of Kagura, and suddenly pulled something invisible with his arms. Cables that he had left loose and lying on the ground until now, suddenly tightened under the strain, and rose into the air like a kind of net that struck Kagura head on, sending her backwards for several meters.
Disoriented, Kagura started to get up, when the strange man lunged at her, a short sword with a sharp edge pointed at her. The young Yato was about to take a direct hit, when Shinpachi stepped in with the force of desperation. The young man's sword came down and snapped the threatening blade the attacker was waving at Kagura in two parts.
"If you want to attack the Yorozuya Gin-chan, you're a hundred years too early!" Shinpachi shouted.
Once again full of energy, the heir to the Shimura Dojo made a quick strike to the side, hitting the attacker's left flank, and throwing him several meters away. Their opponent fell heavily to the ground this time, unable to use his cables to break his fall.
Meanwhile, Gintoki was still struggling in the cables that were holding him up, and that were tightening more and more with each movement.
"If you don't want to accept my offer, young lady, I guess I'll end it quickly, so..." Said the stranger, visibly disappointed, while rising from his fall.
Quickly, he approached the perm-head.
"I'm not paid to work overtime." He said. "So I'm afraid this interview must end now."
The two Yorozuya kids were on guard. They wondered what the criminal would do, after saying such words. Slowly, they saw him approaching their Boss, broken blade in hand.
Suddenly, there was a strange sound of torn fabric and liquid flowing out. Something had just been pierced. Or someone, rather.
"Arrrrg..." Gintoki let out in a gurgle.
They hadn't expected this seemingly unthreatening guy to come after Gintoki in this way.
"Gin-chan!" Kagura shouted.
The Yorozuya boss was barely moving. His stomach had been pierced by the blade broken in two, sunken about ten centimeters. Blood was already flowing from his wound, but not as much as if the blade had been removed from his body.
"Knowing that you have discovered my technique, I can't let you leave from here." Said the man... "And this, even though Master Bansai had ordered me not to hurt you..."
Gintoki's heart missed a beat. Had he heard correctly? What did that mean in the end? Were these two men really related?
The man who seemed to be a disciple of Kawakami Bansai came out of his state of disappointment, to be suddenly surprised.
He tried to pull out the blade stuck in the body of the samurai, but nothing made it. The blade did not move an inch. He looked up and saw a face full of rage. A real demon look.
"Say that again, you bastard?" Pronounced Gintoki with difficulty, while gritting his teeth. "Gin-san is getting a little deaf lately..."
The samurai held the katana blade tightly, determined not to let go no matter what.
Because if he dropped the blade, everyone would die, starting with him. This guy had suddenly become way too dangerous for him. And even more so because of his connection with a subordinate of Takasugi Shinsuke.
This is the moment that Kagura and Shinpachi chose to attack with all their strength the criminal, who refused to drop his weapon in spite of the grip of Gintoki on it. This moment, when it was impossible for him to move, allowed the two young Yorozuya to act.
"Release GIN-SAN/GIN-CHAN RIGHT NOW, BASTARD!" they shouted at the same time.
Their blow was successful, severely wounding the stranger, leaving a gaping gash in his back. But far from incapacitating him, this wound just forced him to abandon his sword in the body of his enemy, and to turn around while throwing small projectiles resembling arrow heads. The two yorozuyas avoided them with a disconcerting ease, but were suddenly surprised to find themselves immobilized in their turn.
The sharp projectiles that the criminal had thrown had embedded themselves in the walls around Shinpachi and Kagura, unknowingly creating a new trap in the alley. Those little arrowheads actually had thin metal wires hanging on them, which tightened all around the two kids, holding them back and preventing any movement on their part.
"Really pathetic... And to think I could have taken care of another annoying flower instead of wasting my time here... I'm really unlucky... But before I leave, I'll make sure you can't tell anyone about this" He said cruelly, taking out two short blades from the pockets of his suit.
But a laugh, albeit half broken by pauses and gurgles reached him. Gintoki was laughing.
"Have you finally lost your mind, Shiroyasha?" Asked the strange ninja.
"No, I'm just fucking with you... Do you really think I wasn't suspicious for a second when I heard about this case? Let me laugh... The other 'troublesome flower' you're talking about is in good custody!"
"So much for a surprise..." The stranger grinned. "You knew all along what was going to happen?"
"I remembered the symbol that was printed on the crates of a warehouse I recently 'visited' with an acquaintance... A case that happens so soon after that 'visit'? It couldn't be more suspicious..." Gintoki scoffed. "I just didn't expect Takasugi to be involved in this!"
"What are you talking about, Gin-san!?" Shinpachi exclaimed in surprise.
"None of your business right now, Pattsuan!" Gintoki shouted, finally undoing his bonds and dashing towards the unknown.
Surprised to see the legendary samurai move again, the disciple of Bansai was petrified with confusion.
This samurai had managed to cut his bonds, but how?
How could he free himself from such strong cables in such a short time?
And as if to answer his questions, he saw that the permanent man had in one hand the broken sword that he had left behind.
With the sword!
This guy had removed the sword that was piercing him, and had taken advantage of the distraction caused by the other two Yorozuyas to cut the wires and break away!
And in a precise gesture, Gintoki rushed at his opponent, thrusting the broken blade into the stomach of the Kihetai's henchman. The latter collapsed with a loud noise on the ground, at the doors of unconsciousness...
And Gintoki was about to follow him. His vision was beginning to blur, and he was about to fall to the ground, when a hand caught him by a whisker.
A well-known member of the Hyakka was supporting him, keeping him from falling any lower than his knees.
"Untie the others! Hurry!" Tsukuyo ordered.
Yoshiwara's guards had heard some commotion, and had then called for reinforcements to the area where the fight was raging. They had arrived a little late, but now they were taking control of the situation.
No longer concerned with his own health, Gintoki had one last anxious thought about what must be happening right now in another part of Edo. He hoped that a certain officer of the Shinsengumi was fulfilling his role perfectly. Then finally, he also passed out, unable to bear the pain.
GINTAMA
Meanwhile, the situation at Shimura dojo was not better...
Everything had gone very fast. The bushes had moved only for a moment, and the next moment, Kondo Isao, Commander of the Shinsengumi, found himself blocking with his sword two sharp blades held by a guy in a black outfit, under the dumbfounded eyes of Shimura Tae.
"Otae-san! Leave!" Kondo shouted.
Both his hands, holding his own sword, were shaking under the force his opponent was putting to make him let go. He was putting a lot of effort into keeping the blades from getting any closer to him, but minute by minute he was losing ground.
"Like I'm going to do that!" Tae then shouted, a spear in hand, and rushed at the attacker.
She pushed the assassin aside, but he wasn't about to give up. He ran towards Tae, and brought both his blades down on her.
However, his blades did not meet with something soft, but with something metallic. Kondo had narrowly interposed himself between the attacker and the older Shimura sister.
"If you think you can approach Otae-san so easily, you are mistaken! Trust my experience as a Love Stalker!" Kondo shouted.
"Gorilla..." dropped Tae, surprised.
"Step aside, Shinsengumi!" Ordered the assassin as he leapt to the side and necked Kondo, who fell heavily to the ground.
He had directed his two blades towards Tae, and was about to hit her full force, while his future victim remained motionless, probably terrified...
"OTAE-SAN!" Kondo shouted.
However, the assassin suddenly found himself crushed to the ground... Well, more exactly across the ground of the house, his body pushed vertically through the wooden floor, and his face bloody. Disarmed and stuck in this improbable posture, he wondered who could have hit him so hard, and painfully raised his eyes. He then saw a vision straight out of hell. In front of him was Tae, smiling (one of those smiles that precede the storm). However, the aura that emanated from her was not smiling at all. The young woman was giving off very bad vibes.
"What do you think you're doing... BASTARD?" She then asked with a murderous look and a devilish sneer stretching across her dark face.
This nameless assassin then had a one-way ticket to the hellish dimension known as "Tae-san's personal stalker hell", and was so traumatized by the forced ingestion of Dark Matter that he claimed to have lost all memory of the event afterwards...
"Otae-san! Are you okay?!" Kondo inquired as he ran to her to hug her.
But he hovered and went to plant himself in the garden head first, like the assassin.
"Who told you that you could touch me? You Gorilla!" Said Tae as she spat on the ground. "Go put that guy in jail and die!"
GINTAMA
At the same time, at the Shinsengumi, another attack was taking place. Hijikata and Sougo were still arguing head to head, when they heard a huge racket. They ran out of the room, katana in hand, and found that all the Shinsengumi members had done the same. It was impossible to know what was going on, with everyone out of the various rooms, completely occupying the corridors of the base.
Then another racket sounded, and this time smoke rose from one of the rooms at the back of the Headquarters.
"The dormitories!" Hijikata exclaimed.
Searching for the spy in the crowded corridors, the Vice Commander finally spotted him, half-eaten Anpan in his teeth.
"Yamazaki! What's going on!? Are we under attack?" He shouted.
Yamazaki then ran towards them, and shouted back:
"It's Vice Commander Kemono!" The spy quickly explained. "He's fighting an intruder!"
Hijikata and Sougo had a mixed expression of surprise and doubt displayed on their faces. An intruder? And against the new girl, no less?
They ran towards the area where the fight was taking place, when suddenly a big object flew in their direction at full speed, and brushed them, passing right between Sougo and Hijikata.
There was a huge noise of impact behind the two Shinsengumi officers, who, totally frozen on the spot, didn't dare to look back at what had just been thrown at them.
"Hey, Sougo..." Hijikata managed to say, sweating. " Is that what I think that just flew in our direction?"
"You bastard Hijikata, don't you want to go see what it was?" Sougo replied.
They then turned around at the same time, white as aspirin pills, and saw that a human had just been thrown towards the back of the garden, and slammed into the surrounding wall.
"If it was Kemono who did this, I won't answer for anything and I'll drop the case..." Hijikata stammered, large drops running down his forehead.
"Don't say that, vice-commander Hijikata-mayo..." Sougo added. "I'll be the first to let go of you."
"Tch!" Hijikata replied.
But already, the man who had been thrown into the wall began to move, and finally pulled himself out without any difficulty. And now he was running in their direction.
"He... He's coming towards us..." Hijikata managed to say.
"That guy has the same umbrella as the Chinese girl who's always running around with the Boss and the other Otaku..." Sougo observed in turn.
"Damn, you don't mean to tell me that he's another one of those monsters like Umibozu?" Hijikata laughed nervously.
"Die Hijikata. You'll be dead protecting your subordinates!" Said Sougo as he stood behind the mayo addict.
"Are you out of your mind!?" Shouted the Vice Commander.
The guy coming towards them had a red umbrella, long hair, and one arm missing, and it was clear that if they had already encountered him like the Yorozuyas, the Shinsengumi members would have started to flee without asking for help, knowing that their "visitor" was none other than Abuto, a Yato in the service of the Harusame. But the Shinsengumi members were both misinformed and proud; so it was only natural that they would rush to the intruder with their swords. However, as brave as they were, they had no time to act, as a black and white lightning bolt brushed past them at full speed, hitting the Yato head on. But that was not Abuto's first fight, and he parried the blow.
"I didn't know that such a strong fellow had joined those government dogs! I hate fighting people with strength comparable to mine, but unfortunately, you're getting in the way of our plans!" Said he as he kicked Kemono in the stomach with his umbrella.
The woman whose true identity was yet to be proven was thrown backwards; but instead of crashing into the Shinsengumi men who had remained petrified at the back of the garden as expected, she cartwheeled backwards and landed on her feet.
"Hey what are you all waiting for! The Vice Commander is in danger! Attack!" Yamazaki shouted, rushing to help her superior.
"The moron!" Hijikata exclaimed.
"He knows that Kemono is not clear, yet he rushes to his aid... What does that make us, huh?" Said Sougo before rushing to the intruder in turn.
They both had a point. For now, it didn't matter who she was. She was wearing the uniform of the Shinsengumi. And to attack one of them was to attack them all. So Hijikata sighed, before finally running forward to the intruder.
By now, a swarm of gold and black was rushing towards Abuto, and although he swept them away with the back of his umbrella, the soldiers kept coming back; like a cloud of angry bees. The war cries resounded throughout the military complex, giving courage to all those who had been thrown far away, and who then got up almost immediately to attack again.
Hijikata also participated in the battle, giving blow after blow, when he thought he saw a smile on the lips of Kemono, the mystery woman. This one then rushed towards Abuto, and struck with all her strength with the end of the handle of her sword in the ribs of her opponent, cutting off his breath momentarily.
But Yato had not said his last word, and was about to strike again, when a ringing sounded. Some kind of radio had just received a signal. With an angry look on his face, Abuto had no choice but to obey the signal, and run away, jumping over the surrounding wall.
"Don't let him escape!" Kemono shouted in a harsh and commanding voice, revealing her female voice to the entirety of the Shinsengumi men.
All of them looked at her dumbfounded, except for Sougo and Hijikata, and she had to repeat herself.
"Faster than that you maggots!" she shouted again.
There was no need for a third time. The men rushed out after the intruder, who was already far away, having assimilated the information that their new Vice Commander was probably a woman. And the said Vice Commander then turned to the only two people who had not moved an inch, Hijikata and Sougo, and staring at them with her piercing blue eyes through her bandages, ordered:
"You two! Come with me!"
She then left for the meeting room, followed by the two officers, wary and very worried about what would happen next. They were going to be alone against this monster... And while they were going to the room, the first members of the Shinsengumi were coming back from their useless pursuit, starting to discuss in an impossible racket.
"Did you hear that? Huh?! I'm not the only one, huh?"
"It's not a hallucination! I heard it too!"
"It's true then! Kemono is a woman!?"
"Vice Commander Kemono is a woman!?"
"Yep! And Vice Commander Hijikata has been sleeping in the same room as her for over a month!"
"So lucky! I'm really jealous! And where are they anyway!?"
"Kemono summoned them to the meeting room!"
"No way!"
The talk was going strong, and soon a clump of people formed around the meeting room to see what was being said. But strangely enough, no sound had filtered from inside since the three officers had entered.
The reason for this was simple: no one had said a word since then, Sougo and Hijikata staring seriously and wordlessly at the bandaged woman standing before them. Everyone had sat down quickly, their hands close to their swords. Neither of the two officers dared to speak first, and finally it was Kemono... Well, if that was his real name... Who spoke first.
"I am waiting for a good explanation." She said.
"An explanation for what?" Hijikata asked.
"To the surveillance you put on my head!" Elaborated the young woman.
"In that case, let me ask you something: You are not a member of the Matsudaira police force, are you?"
"On the contrary, I am indeed a part of it." She replied curtly.
The voice seemed to belong to a young woman between 20 and 30 years old, but it was a hard and authoritative voice, without flaws or hesitations. A voice that was straightforward and spoke without detours, seeming trustworthy... Yet...
"In that case, how do you explain the fact that there is no record of your name proving that you are indeed part of his staff?" Hijikata asked, a stern look on her face.
The question didn't seem to faze the young woman at all. She even seemed to be expecting this question to be asked of her.
"It's quite normal that my name doesn't appear in the paper files," she answered without any hesitation.
"Excuse me?" Sougo exclaimed, "I expect more explanation than that, from someone who has broken no less than a dozen rules of the Kyokuchû Hatto."
Kemono then turned to the Captain.
"You have nothing to expect from me, Okita Sougo." She said curtly. "I'm still your superior, so I don't have to take orders from you."
"Superior my ass!" Sougo exclaimed, losing his patience. "There is no police officer named Kemono in the police records, so who are you really? You hide your identity, and you seriously expect me to respect you as a superior?"
The young man had spoken with an aggressive and corrosive tone, clearly showing his exasperation with the situation.
"It's bad enough that he doesn't respect me under normal circumstances..." Hijikata sighed as he lowered his head.
Then, raising his head, he looked Kemono straight in the eyes.
"Are you aware that I could order you to commit seppukku on the spot?" Hijikata asked, his gaze sharp.
"It hadn't escaped my notice." She said, holding his gaze. "But I knew that I could expose myself to sanctions from you, by accepting this assignment."
Hijikata as well as Sougo did not understand anything anymore. She had knowingly broken the rules? Really?
"So you admit to having interviews with criminals in the city without putting them under arrest?" Sougo asked. "Which goes against Article 21 of the Kyokuchû Hatto. 'Any secret communication...'"
"With the enemy will be punished," she completed.
She definitely knew the rules of the Shinsengumi. No doubt about it. So why these actions?
"But I don't have any justification to give you about that," she added. "The letter I gave you when you arrived, it's definitely written in Matsudaira's hand, right?"
Indeed, now that the two men thought about it, the old man had a style that was quite difficult to imitate...
"I was sent here on a secret mission. Also, I'm not allowed to tell you what I'm investigating, or who I really am."
"Because you were investigating by going to talk to wanted criminals?" Sougo snarled.
She nodded her head in agreement. This made the two men in front of her frown.
What the hell was this? She was a policewoman, but on a secret mission? So secret, that even Kondo hadn't been told about it?
"I can't believe it." Hijikata finally said.
At first, he still thought that Kemono was hiding something, but that she wasn't evil. But observing her attitude for the past few minutes, he had started to doubt. Was this the same person he had been sharing a room with for the past few weeks? And what was that strength that had allowed her to throw a Yato in the air? And that burned skin on her neck? These were all too conspicuous features. It was so distinctive that he would surely have heard of a police officer with such distinctive features, even if it was just rumor.
But nothing at all. Not even police station gossip, or information exchanged between criminals.
"You refuse to tell us who you are, or what you're investigating." Hijikata fumed. "You're telling us to trust you, when you won't share any information with us?"
"Yet it was an official car that brought me here on the first day," Kemono replied.
"Just a trick," replied Hijikata. "Any crook could do that."
A huge sound of breaking wood rang out.
Kemono had just punched the floor, driving his arm elbow-deep through the tatami and the floor, into the crawl space beneath the building.
Then, slowly withdrawing her arm, she glared at Hijikata.
"You dare... Call me a crook?" She asked slowly.
Sougo remained silent and didn't dare to intervene, but Hijikata was not impressed.
"I dare, yes. If it's to protect this institution and its members, I'll do anything. Even to disobey an order from above." Said Hijikata firmly.
He even impressed Sougo with this attitude. But not the target in front of him. The policewoman currently Deputy Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi was totally calm. She was so calm and quiet, that the words she spoke next took time to register and be understood by Hijiata and Sougo.
"Hijikata Toshirou, born on May 5." Kemono began to say, under the increasingly surprised eyes of the two men in front of her. "Had an older brother named Hijikata Tamegorou, but he was actually your half-brother. You were among the first members of the Roshigumi, which would later become the Shinsengumi. You are a very loyal and proud person, so you have difficulty admitting that you were wrong. You also have a hard time asking for help, and as a result you were the victim of a cursed sword, which gave birth to a secondary personality called 'Tosshi' who liked to take pictures of a certain girl. You have a tendency to get angry easily, but this is because you don't want to show others your weaknesses, or the fact that you care about them more than you should. You're also afraid of ghosts and dentists. But what you're most afraid of right now is that I might be another Itou Kamotarou."
"This is... What the hell..." Hijikata managed to say.
He didn't have time to stay lost any longer by what he had just heard, that already, Kemono was turning to Sougo.
"Okita Sougo." Kemono continued to say. "Born on July 8th. Currently Captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi. Was raised by his older sister, Okita Mitsuba. Has since passed away from tuberculosis. You were only respectful to your older sister, and even though you are ruthless and impolite, you are a sensitive person at heart-"
She did not finish her sentence, as the blade of a katana was pressed against her neck.
"Dare to say one more word, and I swear your head will be off your body before you've even finished saying it." Sougo chided coldly.
Toshiro came to his senses quickly. He had just taken in his face a bunch of personal information about himself, some of which he had not shared with anyone, and his head was still spinning from this disturbing event. But there was a more pressing matter. Kemono had touched on a more than sensitive subject for Sougo. And he was not joking at all in the threat he had just made against this woman who seemed to know them too well to be honest.
And now she was in real danger of losing her head, if she spoke again.
"Sougo..." Said Hijikata.
The young man continued to press his sword against the bandaged neck of the young woman, without her making a single move, or even her eyes showing even a trace of panic. As if she was completely detached from the current situation.
"Sougo..." Hijikata repeated, more firmly.
The captain still didn't move. To come after him with personal information, especially about his sister, was really signing one's death warrant. Also, Hijikata was not sure if he could get him to lower his sword. So he decided to divert the conversation, to try to quickly forget the delicate subject that had been discussed.
"So if I understand correctly, your mission, whatever it is, is to work at the Shinsengumi in order to gather information," said Hijikata. "Hence the fact that you know so much about us. That would suggest that you are part of the general intelligence, and that would explain why you don't have a file with the police. Is that right?"
"Shall I explain to you the meaning of the word 'secret'?" She said, in a cold tone.
Sougo and Hijikata looked at each other. They didn't know what to think anymore... Was she telling the truth, or was this a ploy thought out in great detail? Because of a simple word like "secret", they were not allowed to know more? This word did not exonerate her at all. Even if the car that had brought her seemed to be official, it was easy to imitate. As for the letter from Matsudaira, there could also be an explanation...
But already, the young woman had stood up and turned her back on them to leave the room, leaving behind two SHinsengumi officers caught off guard.
"I don't want you to put me under surveillance anymore, understand? Or at least choose someone who doesn't have a strong smell of Anpan, cigarettes or sugar! I can't stand it!" She scoffed. "And in exchange, I'll try to fulfill the basic duties that have fallen to me as Deputy Vice Commander."
She opened one of the sliding doors, causing a tsunami of Shinsegumi men who had stuck to the door to listen to the conversation, Yamazaki leading the wave, to rush into the room. They moved aside with unprecedented speed to let their Vice Commander pass, and then rushed inside shouting and screaming to anyone who would listen that they wanted to know what was going on, or why Hijikata had the privilege of sleeping next to the only woman in the base. But the whole crowd was reduced to confetti by Sougo and his trusty bazooka.
"Back to your posts! And faster than that!" Screamed the sadist.
Still sitting on the tatami, Hijikata lit a cigarette.
"You didn't fall for her secret mission story at all, did you?" He asked.
"Of course not..." Sougo replied, "We could very well arrest her and torture her, but I don't think she would give in to torture."
Hijikata nodded. "She didn't even flinch with a sword at her throat..."
Nothing seemed to reach the young woman. Whether it was possible punishment for breaking the Shinsengumi rules, a Yato attacking them by surprise, or death threats from Sougo. And again, she knew too much about them, for someone who had never met them before.
Could it be that...?
"This letter, is it really written by Matsudaira?" Hijikata wondered aloud, while taking a puff of cigarette. "And if it really is from him, did he write it on his own?"
"That's what we'll have to find out... If even Kondo-san doesn't know about this mission, then the only one who does is Matsudaira..." Sougo added.
Hijikata exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Had she checked on them beforehand? Or had she been given such detailed information about her future colleagues, during her mission? And if so, why hadn't they been told about this mission, or at least Kondo-san? He would understand, if only Kondo-san knew. But this was all far too bizarre.
"Maybe she's also telling the truth..." He said, not addressing Sougo in particular.
"Maybe. But I don't like her at all." Said Sougo, also without really addressing Hijikata directly.
"We'll also have to keep watching her, being more discreet."
Hijikata agreed while taking an extra drag on his cigarette.
Meanwhile, a crowd was following the Vice Commander closely, asking her a lot of useless questions that she didn't bother to answer. It seemed that at that moment some of the men saw her smile, but not in contentment or to show her good mood, but instead, as if she was biting her lower lip trying to wipe a sad expression from her face. The cloud of Shinsengumi members didn't let her out of their sight, and soon the whole base began to talk about the latest news. It was at this moment that Kondo chose to return with his prisoner.
"Oh, Kondo-san. Who is it?" Sougo asked at the sight of a half beaten to death guy in handcuffs.
"I was at Otae-san's house, and this guy tried to assault her! But Otae-san and I taught him a good lesson!" Explained the commander. "But... What happened here?" He asked as he saw the state that the garden and the adjacent boundary wall were in.
"Ah... this? Ask your other Vice Commander..." Said Hijikata with a sigh.
To be continued...
Comprehension notes:
(1): reference to Shingeki No Kyojin.