Chapter 17: Bottles and stones can break your bones, but words can also stun you

It really looked like nothing would happen in the club. The Shinsengumi officer took his orders and left. Matsudaira shouted for the waiter to bring more champagne and only because Sakamoto was a seasoned trader, used to reading people's emotions, did he hear the note of annoyance in his voice. He promptly ignored it and whisked out two bottles from the fridge, putting them on Shinpachi's tray with more ease than his short practice as bartender that evening could account for.

'Keep your eyes open and stay focused,' he muttered to the teenager. He knew, from the information Katsura managed to get, that the Yakuza were only supposed to cause trouble outside and under no circumstances enter the club. However, he knew just as well, from experience, that Yakuza could hardly be trusted, especially when you were dealing with the groups willing to attack the Shinsengumi openly.

As Shinpachi walked towards the only occupied table, Sakamoto cast a glance towards the far end of the club. Kiheitai's Bansai Kawakami was sitting immobile in the same place as before, but there was a minute tension in his shoulders, which hasn't been there before. Was he getting ready to attack? Was he worried for the same reasons as Sakamoto? If something did happen, would he be an enemy to cut down or the ally to protect the Shogun with?

The Kiheitai glanced his was as well and Sakamoto realized that he has been recognized. Was it good or bad? Should he watch his back now? Also: did the Kiheitai realize that Shinpachi was with him? He really wished he could read minds.

Of course reading minds was such a problematic skill. If he could read minds, he would know at all times what Mutsu was thinking and he wasn't sure he could stand the level of violence at all times. He would also know about all the pretty women's dirty secrets and he didn't mean the good dirty, but the toilet kind of dirty and that was completely uninteresting. He would also know what Shinpachi was thinking, coming back red-faced and-

Sakamoto laughed. Knowing what Shinpachi was thinking right then could make for good entertainment, if he thought about it carefully. The teenager was such a shy and polite boy, but surely that blush, after a close meeting with his idol, was not because he was considering how pretty her smile was. Unless he imagined her smile while she was-

Ah, he was getting distracted again.

Thankfully nothing happened in the meantime. Matsudaira was laughing excessively, pouring champagne to all the hostesses, spilling considerable amounts of the expensive drink. The Shogun refused the drink with a polite but firm gesture and Sakamoto wondered whether they have even told him about the plan to attack the castle that evening. The man was impossible to read, so he couldn't tell whether he was stressed at all or even slightly worried about what might be happening outside or in the castle.

'Do you think they're ok, Mister Sakamoto?' Shinpachi asked quietly, putting the tray on the bar, brow furrowed in a worried expression. Sakamoto laughed.

'It's Kintoki and Zura we're talking about, there's nothing they can't do,' he pointed out cheerfully, although mindful to speak quietly. Nobody would gain anything if he got Matsudaira's attention prematurely and even less if the boss of the police suspected who Sakamoto and Shinpachi were. The teenager smiled and countered that what "Gin-san and Mister Katsura" mainly did was wreak havoc wherever they went.

It made Sakamoto laugh and think fondly that Shinpachi didn't even know the half of it.

The peaceful atmosphere shattered suddenly with a sound of broken glass. Literally. As Sakamoto turned sharply to the source of disturbance, he could see a stone flying through the air, shards of glass around it. Sounds of the fight outside followed, the most prominent among them the shouts of "stop them".

Sakamoto didn't wait. With a confident move, he reached under the bar and unstrapped the bokutou, handing it to Shinpachi. The teenager looked conflicted for a moment, but then determination hardened his expression and Sakamoto nodded to himself in satisfaction. Next, from the same place, he took two guns and from the small storage cupboard, the ammunition. It took him a split of a second to load the guns and slip the spare ammunition into his pockets.

With the corner of his eye, he saw the Kiheitai jump up from his seat, a shamisen in his hands. A curious choice, Sakamoto thought briefly. At the table, Matsudaira got up somewhat unsteadily and stood in front of the Shogun, hand on the hilt of his katana. The hostesses looked scared.

A feral yell from the direction of the entrance announced the new arrival: a Yakuza rushing, with a Shinsengumi officer speared on his katana in front of him. He barely took two steps into the club before Sakamoto aimed and fired, getting the attention of Matsudaira and the Shogun, who both looked shocked. He paid them no heed. His shot got the enemy, but the Yakuza was only the herald of the assault.

As the Yakuza's head exploded from the shot, blood and grey matter splattering, more barged into the club. Sakamoto shot two more times, taking down two enemies. Shinpachi rushed towards the Shogun's table. Running, he swung the bokutou and felled one enemy. Immediately, he found himself facing half a dozen of angry men and Sakamoto cursed.

He was too far. He couldn't protect the teenager and the Shogun at the same time and he knew whom he should choose. Perhaps if he got closer, he could do something about both, but somebody needed to keep an eye on the Kiheitai as well. There was no telling as to what Bansai would do, what he was supposed to do.

Suddenly, there was a sound of music and the assailants froze. Literally, mid-step, mid-swing, as though something was holding them in place, an invisible string perhaps. A thought of the shamisen made Sakamoto glance at the Kiheitai. Bansai Kawakami stood not far from him, a plectrum-wielding hand poised over the strings.

'I told Shinsuke that Yakuza could not be trusted,' he muttered with distaste. Sakamoto winced. 'Please dispose of them, Tatsuma Sakamoto. We may fight on the opposing sides, but tonight our goal is common. It might be to different ends, but we both wish for the Shogun to survive, I dare say,' Bansai added, making Sakamoto flinch at being addressed directly.

All the same, he didn't hesitate. While Bansai apparently held the enemy immobile, he emptied both guns in a fast succession of shots. Further towards the Shogun, Shinpachi got the hint and hacked at the immobilized opponents.

More came running, but this time brought the Shinsengumi on their heels.

Mid-reloading, Sakamoto ducked a swing of a katana and grabbed the first thing he found: a bottle of the most expensive champagne the club had to offer. Without a second thought, he swung it at the Yakuza and finished reloading the guns.

'Tell Takachibi that if he wants to spend time together, he doesn't have to do such stupid things. A call would have gotten our attention just as well,' he told Bansai. Without waiting for an answer, he vaulted over the bar and ran towards the enemies. He knew that, this one night, just like ten years ago, he could trust his back to a Kiheitai.

The Yakuza never knew what hit them.

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Focused on the single task of slicing Takasugi apart, Gintoki paid no heed to the quiet conversation between his target and Katsura. Raising his katana to strike, he barely registered the fact that Katsura's eyes closed, the previously tense body loosening and starting to fall. Takasugi startled and that Gintoki noticed, but it was too late for him. Even if he jerked to the side, brutally ripping the katana out from Katsura's shoulder, Gintoki was already mid-swing.

Jarred by Takasugi's sudden movements, Katsura fell forward, blood gushing from the shoulder wound. In his haste and probably afraid in the face of sudden death, Takasugi tripped. Gintoki's blow, which would have sliced him in half normally, cut parallel to his spine rather than diagonally across the back. The edge of the katana sunk deep where the ribcage finished and blood splattered.

Both Takasugi and Katsura fell to the floor with a dull thud and Takasugi's katana clattered between them moments later. Gintoki leaned forward, pressing one hand to his abdomen, where the gunshot wound was burning with pain. He cursed between shallow pants, because they were not out of the woods yet.

On the floor, Takasugi groaned in pain, curling up on himself slightly. Gintoki allowed himself another curse. Slowly, he trudged towards his wounded ex-comrade and, just as Takasugi started sitting up, hit him on the head with the hilt of the katana, muttering that delusional idiots needed to sleep. So much for killing the bastard next time they meet, he thought angrily.

Takasugi crumbled back to the ground, unconscious.

Sheathing the katana with a well-practiced move, Gintoki went up to Katsura and kneeled next to him. Gently, he turned his friend around and checked for pulse. It was too faint for his liking, but there was no helping it for the moment. At least the bleeding, both from his shoulder and his side, has slowed already.

'Oi, Zura,' he tapped Katsura's pale cheek lightly, not really hoping it would wake him up. 'This wasn't part of the plan, you idiot. I can't carry you with this gunshot wound and this is no place to rest. The next person coming-'

'Could just as well relieve you from your burden,' finished a voice he didn't really want to hear right then. Startled, Gintoki looked up into the blazing angry eyes of the demonic vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. It was marginally better than the Kiheitai, who would have probably attacked right off the bat, but hardly ideal. 'I'll even throw in an award for helping the Shinsengumi get a hold of two terrorist lead-'

There was a dull thump and Hijikata paused with a surprised expression on his face. A split of a second later, he crumbled to the ground, revealing Katsura's alien duck, the signboard still raised above its head. If it was a head anyway. Gintoki felt his mouth open in shock and didn't even attempt to right himself.

"Are you alright, Odd Jobs?"read Elizabeth's sign. Gintoki blinked, taking in the bloodied appearance of the thing, and the sign changed into an exclamation of "Katsura!" The creature rushed to them, its webbed feet making plopping sounds with every step it took. It barely spared a glance at Takasugi, pushing him away with its foot to have space to kneel on Katsura's other side.

Human footsteps alerted Gintoki to the fact that Elizabeth hasn't come alone. He looked up again to see a bloodied samurai. He immediately identified him as one of Katsura's most trusted men, Yoichi, and one of the very few whom Katsura has taken to the castle. Unlike Elizabeth, Yoichi didn't ignore Takasugi. He glared, his right hand flying to the hilt of his katana. Gintoki tensed.

Before either of them could move, Elizabeth lifted her signboard. It said "relax" on the side Gintoki could see. From the way Yoichi glared at it, he figured it said something else and he couldn't help a small spike of curiosity. Whatever it was, Yoichi released the katana and looked at Gintoki, who looked on with feigned indifference.

'We need to get going White Demon,' Yoichi said seriously. If he wasn't kneeling with Katsura half on his lap, Gintoki would be tempted to punch him. 'The Kiheitai are almost fully defeated and the Shinsengumi will come here soon. Can you walk?' the rebel asked. Gintoki sighed. Getting angry at being called what everybody has called him once would get him nowhere and he knew that it was an expression of respect from the rebel.

'I'll have to, won't I?' he grumbled. He helped Elizabeth pick Katsura up. He was about to get up himself, when leisurely footsteps alerted him to the arrival of another person. His hand was on the hilt of his katana before he even thought about it. Yoichi turned around, blade half-drawn. He obscured part of Gintoki's view, but was not enough to hide the identity of the arriving group.

The Yato.

Gintoki cursed and sprang to his feet. He had his katana drawn in a flash and stood next to Yoichi. Over his shoulder, Yoichi told Elizabeth to get going.

'Oh, he only got this far?' spoke the Yato walking in the front, eyes trained on Takasugi, ignoring the two enemies in front of him. Gintoki narrowed his eyes when he realized that the Yato was carrying an unconscious Kamui. Did Kagura and Okita manage in that case? But the Yato didn't look upset at all.

'So much trouble for nothing,' he added, before turning his gaze to Gintoki and Yoichi. Gintoki remembered his name: Abuto, the vice-captain of what used to be the Harusame's seventh division. 'Don't get your knickers in a twist, boys. The Shinsengumi reinforcements from the club are arriving, so we're leaving. There is no point to risk arrest if nothing is gained. It's in your best interest to go as well.'

With that, he nodded at one of his comrades. The Yato went to pick Takasugi up. When he moved, Gintoki noticed another of them carrying the sniper. Nobody paid attention to them anymore and the group left as it arrived: at a leisurely pace. Reluctantly, Gintoki sheathed his katana, noting that Yoichi didn't. Well, that wasn't his problem.

'Go,' he said. 'I don't think Zura's in shape to escape the detention facility right now.'

'What about you?' Yoichi asked. Gintoki nodded his head towards the fallen Hijikata and the rebel scowled with distaste. 'You'll take care of the enemy?' he asked, outrage audible in his voice. Gintoki snorted.

'He's your enemy, not mine,' he pointed out. 'Remember? I'm just an Odd Jobs man, hired by some shady men to fight other shady man. Fishy business, that. Don't forget to remind Zura I'll be sure to collect my payment,' he added for the sake of talking, as he went up to Hijikata. They both knew there was no payment to be made.

'We will not come to save you, if you get arrested. We have no men to do so,' Yoichi warned, but when Gintoki looked at him he realized that it was as empty a threat as his about the payment. He smirked and nodded, before turning back to Hijikata. The demon vice-commander chose that moment to groan and wake up, which was for the best, because Gintoki was sure he couldn't carry them both far.

Funnily enough, Hijikata said nothing about the obvious absence of Takasugi and Katsura, nor did he mention Gintoki's obvious involvement in the business. It was only later, when they got to the reception hall, where Kondo was shouting orders to search the castle for the Kiheitai and Katsura, that Gintoki's presence was questioned. His story was not and he decided to not test his luck, going to find Kagura instead.