sorry for the wait...

CHAPTER 2-4

October 1865

After the dust cleared, following the Hamaguri Rebellion, the shogun set about cleaning house.
The Choshu Domain were declared enemies of the court, and the shogun gathered other domains and launched a military campaign known as the Choshu Expedition.
It was the intention of the shogunate to completely demolish the Choshu Domain, but intervention on the part of Satsuma and some of the other domains lead to an early end for the Expedition with no actual battles fought.
Perhaps feeling they'd dodged a bullet, the Choshu Domain fell silent for a time. Their obedience was short-lived, however, andbefore long their disrespect for the shogun became impossible to ignore.
Kondou was asked to accompany an envoy sent to the Choshu to investigate their behavior, but they refused to even meet with the envoy.
Fed up with their insubordination, the shogunate ordered the Second Choshu Expedition…

…
"Hey! Guys! Listen up!" shouted Nagakura.
"What is it, Nagakura? Is something wrong?"
Harada narrowed his eyes.
"What, you run into some outlaw ronin out there?"
Nagakura crossed his arms and turned to his friend.
"No, it's way worse than that. I heard that Lord Iemochi's dead!"
"What?!" I practically shrieked.
Lord Iemochi, the 14th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate?!
I could feel my chest tighten.
I'd never seen his face in person, and neither had most of the Shinsengumi.
Even so, the Shinsengumi had been assigned to guard him in the past, and he was the symbol of the shogunate.
"Are you sure," said Harada, just above a whisper, "Man, this has gotta be the worst time for something like this to happen…"
His brows furrowed in concern.
"What's gonna happen to the Choshu Expedition? Have they decided on a new shogun yet?"
"I don't really know any details…" said Nagakura.
"There's no way we can go to war without a leader," stated Harada, "It'd destroy morale."
Nagakura nodded.
"I know. I've got a real bad feeling about this. The Choshu got off easy. I'm hoping they'll get the pounding they deserve this time, but…"
"They're only a single domain…" I said, more to my self than to them.
I tried to convince myself that a single domain couldn't cause much of a problem, but I couldn't shake that feeling of dread.
Soon afterward, the shogunate lead a massive army against the Choshu, but the expense of war weighed heavily on the coffers of the other domains, and they fielded fewer troops than the shogunate had hoped for.
The death of Iemochi was another blow to army morale, and some domains withdrew from the war entirely.
So it was that the Second Choshu Expedition ended in a shocking defeat for the shogunate army.
That was the moment when the shogunate government, stable for 260 years, began to waver.

…
"It sure has been hot lately…"
I swept my hand across my face, wiping away several new beads of sweat.
Kyoto was a nice city, but I could have certainly done without the humid heat.
"...Indeed," was Saito's reply.
Beneath his usual calm there was a hint of alertness and carefully-restrained violence, and for good reason.
The Choshu had been declared enemies of the court after the Hamaguri Rebellion had driven out of Kyoto, but some feared remnants of their forces had remained behind, in hiding.
Now more than ever, Saito and the rest of the Shinsengumi had to be alert and focused when on patrol.
"I'll begin with this store."
He turned to me.
"Wait here. There is nothing for you to do inside."
"All right."
He gave me a short nod of confirmation, and stepped into the shop with his men.
His calm voice carried to me as he addressed the people inside.
"I'm from the Shinsengumi. I have come to inspect your store."
"Y-Yes, sir. Of course."
The store owner sounded nervous.
I'd been waiting for Saito and his division for a few minutes when I noticed a commotion nearby.
"Hey! Outta the way! You got a couple patriots comin' through here!"
A number of rather unpleasant-looking ronin were making their way in my general direction, yelling, threatening, and generally intimidating anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.
"Patriots"? Hardly. Perhaps they considered themselves loyal to the imperial court, but they looked like the lort who only used their supposed patriotism as an excuse to steal and kill.
These were just the sort of men whom the Shinsengumi was charged with subduing.
"Hey! You deaf?! I told you to move!"
The ronin tossed a poorly-aimed kick at a child playing in the street.
"Stop-!"
I'd barely taken a single step toward them, when-
"Desist, you hooligans!"
I didn't see where she'd come from, but a girl had run out to place herself between the ronin and the child.
"Wassis? You think you can tell us what to do, lady?!"
The head hooligan glared at the girl.
"Ha! Some broad wants to pick a fight with us?! Patriots loyal to the emperor?!"
The man's obviously short fuse had been lit. He made a grab for the girl and missed. I suspected his next attack wouldn't be quite so inaccurate.
I couldn't let that happen.
"Who're you?" said the thug. "You know this broad?"
"No, I don't."
"Then howsabout you keep your damn nose outta my goddamn business!"
Flecks of spit flew from his mouth as he roared at me, and my legs suddenly felt somewhat weaker than they had a moment ago.
But I was committed. I couldn't run now.
"If you truly love your country as you say…" I started. "…Then why do you abuse women and children?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"A samurai should protect common people, not attack them!"
"What did you say?!"
A suddenly self-confident bystander shouted, "That's right! You tell him, son!"
"How'dya like that, ya damn ronin! Patriot, my ass! Get outta my city!"
Something about my speech seemed to have struck a chord with the crowd that had begun to gather. With the cheers, my legs started to regain some of their usual steadiness.
"You son of a bitch!"
With the rough hiss of metal, the ronin's sword leapt from its scabbard. I suddenly discovered I had difficulty swallowing.
I could try to dodge, but if I did, he might hit the girl my actions had intended to protect.
…No, that wasn't an option. I shut my eyes-
"Gaagkh!"
"Huh?"
Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes.
"You needn't worry. I used the back of my sword."
"Saito!"
The thug groaned in pain but it appeared he would survive.
"Urgh…hnng… You…"
Saito turned to a few of his men.
"Take them to headquarters. They may be Choshu."
"Yes, sir!"
Working quickly, Saito's men set to work binding the ronin for transport.
Saito's cold eyes fell on me.
"That was reckless. Why didn't you call me?"
I blushed.
"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking…"
Suddenly the girl turned on me.
"The gentleman is right! You were dreadfully reckless! I had the situation quite well in hand."
"Ah… Um…"
A scolding from Saito was expected, but I hadn't thought that my erstwhile damsel in distress would contribute.
"I'm sorry I made you worry…"
I gave her a short, slightly confused bow, to which she blinked as if suddenly remembering something very important.
"Oh, but… You did save me, didn't you now?"
She smiled.
"And I haven't yet thanked you! How crude of me. Thank you."
She gave a little bow of her own.
"I must say, you're awfully courageous! Most people wouldn't dare confront a ronin so!"
"No, I didn't… I mean, Saito and his men saved me. I didn't really do anything…"
She raised a dainty hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle a giggle.
"He he. Oh, you needn't be so modest. I suspect that this, our meeting here, is providence. Young ladies must watch out for one another here in the city!"
"Uh…?"
Saito glanced from her to me, and an expression flickered across his face that I couldn't quite place.
"…You can't expect to fool everyone. There's no need to worry about it."
"Umm…"
"Oh dear. Was it supposed to be a secret? Perhaps I...shouldn't have mentioned it?"
"Well...ah…"
I wasn't entirely sure how to respond. How does a person respond to that sort of question?
She seemed to sense my confusion, and gracefully moved on.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't believe I've even asked your name! How terribly boorish of me! I should very much like to be friends, but it is difficult to become acquainted with the nameless. Might I inquire as to who you are, then?"
"Um, well, this is-"
It seemed only polite to introduce him first, being that he was a good deal more important than I, but the girl seemed to have other ideas.
"Oh, I know who he is. Mr. Saito, yes? The Shinsengumi is frightfully famous here."
She turned back to me.
"And you are?"
"My name is Chizuru Yukimura. It's nice to meet you."
The girl gave a kind smile.
"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Chizuru. You may call me Sen."
"Ms. Sen?"
"Oh goodness, you needn't be so uptight! You look to be about my age, so I see no reason for us not to speak as contemporaries."
"Um… So, just Sen, then?"
"Yes, I suppose that will do."
She grasped my hand between her own, her face open and earnest.
"We must meet again sometime, Chizuru."
She gave my hand a gentle squeeze, then turned and left, her kimono flapping behind her.
Our encounter was over before I'd had a chance to grasp what was even happening, and so I simply stood, stunned, for a moment or two.
"Um…"
I glanced up uncertainly at Saito.
"…Is my, um, disguise really so easy to see through?"
If it wasn't, then how had Sen, who'd I'd just met, been able to tell immediately that I was a girl? I had to admit I'd felt like it was a prety good disguise…
Saito looked down at me, a strange expression on his face.
"…Who knows?"
"What? Wait, what's that supposed to mean?!"
His only response was a flicker of a smile. I opened my mouth to protest-
"We should go," said Saito, all signs of amusement gone. "We've fallen behind already. We must hurry to complete our patrol on time."
He spun on his heel and marched off down the street.
"...Fine!"
It was clear he had given me all the answers I was going to receive, and so I hurried to catch up, albeit somewhat petulantly.

…
It felt like summer: Each day was hotter than the last.
On this particular sweltering day, I was bringing some tea to Kondou, who was relaxing on the veranda.
"Here's your tea, sir."
"Oh! Thank you…"
He had been deep in thought; arms crossed and face stern.
Things had been…bad since Lord Iemochi's death. Kondou especially was having a difficult time of it.
Perhaps it was best if I simply left him alone…
I turned, and had already begun to walk away when he spoke.
"Matsumoto is examining Souji right now."
His coughing had grown more violent and more frequent lately, perhaps…
"…What did he say?"
"He hasn't said anything yet. I hope it's nothing serious."
He suddenly got a strange look in his eyes.
"If something happened to Souji, I don't know how I'd be able to face her…"
"…Her?"
"Yes…"
Lines formed across his forehead, and his frown deepened.
"When we left for Kyoto, Mitsu, his older sister, asked me to look out for him."
He almost looked scared now.
"If I made her mad, I...well, I shudder to think what might happen to me. The very thought is terrifying."
"…What would she do to you?"
It wasn't exactly the sort of thing I'd ever thought I'd hear from Kondou of all people. As his descriptions of her behavior became more and more exaggerated, I found myself laughing.
"Hey, this isn't a laughing matter!"
He shuddered.
"I'd rather fight off ten ronin then try and argue with her. She's…quite something."
"That makes two of us."
"Hijikata?"
Kondou seemed to relax at the sight of his friend.
"I hope everything will turn out all right, but if something should happen to Souji, then I would like you to be the one to tell Mitsu, Toshi."
Hijikata grimaced then narrowed his eyes, "Like hell I will. That kinda crap is what we have a chief for, Chief."
Kondou frowned.
"Easy for you to say…"
Kondou's behavior had been strange enough, but Hijikata too? Just what sort of person was Okita's sister?
"Oh, right…"
Hijikata turned to Kondou.
"Did you hear about the notice board over by Sanjo Ohashi Bridge?"
The board he was talking about had been set up by the shogunate, to officially and publicly declare the Choshu enemies of the court.
"Some assholes pulled it out and tossed it into the Kamo."
Kondou nodded.
"Yes, of course I heard about that. Haven't they already replaced it?"
"They did. Same thing happened. I think they're gonna ask us to keep an eye on it pretty soon."
"It got torn down at night, didn't it? What do you say to using Sanan's Fury Corps, then?"
Hijikata frowned.
"The Fury Corps…"
"You think it's a bad idea?"
Hijikata chose his words carefully, his face grim.
"They work hard enough, but… They tend to get a little excited. Whatever we give them to do, they end up slaughtering the other side."
He gave a heavy sigh.
"That's not enough for 'em, though: They go in and hack the corpses to bits. Most of the time they're not even recognizable. Maybe they're doing it to try and hide the Shinsengumi's hand, but they're going too far."
His eyes narrowed.
"We're not just a pack of murderers. I told 'em to knock it off, but they won't listen. They just wanna play with their corpses. They keep this up, and we're no better than those night-cutters."
"Hm…"

I felt a shiver snake down my spine as he spoke.
Even more than a year later, I still remembered with terrifying clarity what I'd seen when I first arrived in Kyoto: the furies.
They'd behaved as if possessed by evil spirits; their swords hacking away mercilessly at men already dead.
It hadn't been hatred or fear that drove them, but some sort of twisted amusement. I didn't think I'd ever forget the half-mad smiles each had worn.
"…I've got a few other ideas."
"Good, good." said Kondou, "I'll leave the detailed to you then, Toshi. "Ah, yes… Have you heard about Lord Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, the old Guardian of the Shogun?"
Hijikata appeared angry again, "Yeah, what about him? I've heard a couple people say he's like Ieyasu reborn. I dunno about that, but I do hear he's pretty sharp…"
Before long, they'd started to discuss politics I couldn't begin to understand and I politely excused myself.

…
I thought back on what Hijikata had said. It was true that Sanan had been acting strange and the Fury Corps had been getting more and more violent.
There was a lot on my mind, but what worried me the most was the Notice Board.

…
Just as Hijikata had predicted, a few days later the order came down for the Shinsengumi to guard the notice board.
All divisions not on regular patrol rounds were directed to take turns on guard duty.
The first day was quiet, and the men on duty spent most of it simply standing around.
"*Yawn* You know I was up all night guarding a damn board? Tiring work, that's for sure."
He stretched his arms.
"Now, fighting off scores of Choshu punks-that I can do! But guarding a piece of wood? It's just hard to get pumped about that, you know?"
"Well, it's still an important job."
He opened his eyes and glanced at me.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still… Maybe something will happen tonight."
He folded his arms and turned to Harada.
"Tonight is...you, right Sano?"
Harada nodded.
"Sure is. I will discharge my duty with honor and enthusiasm."
Nagakura had just opened his mouth to respond when I heard footsteps approaching us.
"The whole shogunate army could not defeat a single domain. Do they really believe killing a few nameless ronin for defacing a piece of wood will do them any good?"
The footsteps belonged to Itou, the Shinsengumi's military advisor.
His tight smile had a twist of irony to it.
Harada glanced at him and narrowed his eyes.
"You got a problem with the Shinsengumi's duties?"
"Oh no, nothing of the sort. Even guarding a board is an important task."
He then turned so he faced all of us.
"Well, best of luck to you. If you'll excuse me…"
He picked his way deliberately out of the hall, giggling to himself.
As soon as his footsteps had faded out of hearing, Nagakura spat out a curse.
"As much of a pain in the ass as usual, huh?"
He scoffed.
"We get hired by the shogunate, and he goes around talking about how much better the emperor is."
Harada's eyes were still filled with anger even though the source of it had left the room.
"I've caught him sneaking around a couple times, trying to recruit some of our guys into well, something. Who knows what he's up to?"
He gave a heavy sigh.
"I still don't get why Kondou brought him here."
I wondered that too but said nothing.
It wasn't just Nagakura and Harada who didn't seem to like Itou much. I'd heard plenty of the other captains, and even some of the soldiers, talking about him in less than glowing terms.
There was no way Itou himself hadn't picked up on it, but he seemed to have larger concerns than his reputation, and had devoted his efforts to increasing his powerbase within the Shinsengumi.
Whatever was going on with him, I hoped it would resolve itself quickly. The Shinsengumi couldn't afford infighting.

…
Night came and it was time for Harada to go.
"Well, guess it's time. I'm off."
"Oh...um…"
"What, you wanna tag along?"
He paused.
"Probably not a good idea, kid. Those demons are still after you, right? I can't take you out on the streets at night."
"Ugh…"
Sitting around all day doing nothing was beginning to chafe. I wanted to help somehow, but Harada was right. If I went with him, I'd just end up getting in the way.
"Well, please be careful, okay Harada?"
He gave me one of his kind smiles.
"Sure thing. Thanks."

…
That night they struck, or at least tried to: Eight men from the Tosa Domain challenged Harada and his division in an attempt to tear down the notice board.
The fighting was furious but short. Harada managed to capture some of the perpetrators, although some of those he'd captured later managed to escape.
Harada and his division were honored by the Aizu Domain for their service to the shogunate and given a reward.
When he was asked how the captured men had managed to escape, he simply replied, "It was too dark to get a good look," and said no more.

…
Several days after Harada's encounter at the notice board, I accompanied the captains to a meal at Sumi.
"Well I'll be damned! You really did it, Sano!"
Nagakura was brimming with excitement.
"And to think you want to use that reward money to treat us all to some good food… Well!"
Okita rolled his eyes and glanced at him.
"If you're going to suck up, you might at least try to mention how he actually got that reward."
Nagakura's excitement remained uphased.
"I'll get to it! I'm just so touched that he's gonna pay the bill I think… I think I might cry!"
He turned to face us all.
"Tonight's on Sano, guys! Drink as much as you want! Forget your problems!"
Harada turned on him with narrowed eyes.
"Hey! Don't go nuts, all right?!"
Heisuke, however, was thinking like Nagakura.
"Thanks, Sano! I'm gonna drink myself stupid!"
Okita glanced at Hijikata then faced forward again.
"Not everyone here can drink, you know."
Hijikata smiled.
"There's more to do than drink, you know. Eat, for instance."
"…Yeah, guess you're right. Hell, if Sano's paying, why not?"
I wasn't entirely sure Sumi was the sort of place a girl should be, but… They were treating me like I was one of them; like I'd finally been accepted. It felt nice.
The door at the other end of the room slid open.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you for coming."
An oiran in a beautiful kimono stepped through to greet us with a smile that was somehow both dazzling and demure.
Her skin was as white as porcelain, with soft red highlights. Her lips looked soft and full, and her hair shone in the light like yards of fine silk.
For a moment I stared in awe of her beauty, my own sex forgotten.
Something flickered in her eyes, but it was gone almost immediately. Then she smiled, and it was like watching a flower bloom.
"I am Kimigiku, and I will be entertaining you tonight. Please, enjoy yourselves. Food will be arriving shortly."
Indeed it had, and once the food had arrived the party truly began.

…
Heisuke filled his glass yet again and took several sips.
"Man, expensive sake is way different! It just goes down so smooth!"
Nagakura glanced at Heisuke's plate.
"You haven't even touched your food, Heisuke."
He grinned.
"If you drink on an empty stomach, you'll get drunk before you even have a chance to enjoy it!"
Heisuke grinned back at him.
"Whatever. You know how often I get booze this good? Never! Filling up on food'd just be a waste of stomach space!"
Harada gave a bark of laughter.
"You sound like a bum. Just drink up."
Heisuke seemed unphased by his crude words.
"Hey, just 'cause you drink like there's a hole in you stomach doesn't mean the rest of us can."
Nagakura glanced at me.
"You havin' fun, Chizuru? Doesn't look like you're drinking much."
"Oh, I can't drink, so I'm just enjoying the food."
He smiled.
"Oh, right. Well, make sure you eat a lot of it, then! We're here to have a good time, so it'd be a damn shame if you didn't have fun."
"Thanks…"
Still, it was the first time I'd ever eaten anything so expensive. …Although to be honest, I couldn't' really taste much of a difference.
"I've heard rumors that the men of the Shinsengumi were like demons or monsters, but from where I sit you look a good deal more handsome than that. Almost like an actor."
"…Yeah, I get that a lot."
Kimigiku and Hijikata catted easily while she poured him his sake, looking almost too beautiful to be real-like they'd stepped out of a painting.
Next to someone like her, any woman would have felt rather plain. I was no exception, and dressing like a boy certainly wasn't helping.
Nagakura put down his chopsticks having finished his second serving.
"Still can't believe they gave all this cash just for protecting a board."
He smiled.
"I mean hell… Imagine how much you would've got if you'd caught all of 'em!"
He glanced at Harada quizzically.
"How did they get away, actually? you said there were only eight. That should've been pretty manageable."
Heisuke looked up and glanced over at him as well.
"Yeah! What's up with that?! I mean, you surrounded 'em, didn't you? How'd they get away? And how'd the guys you actually caught escape?"
Harada sighed and fell silent, his face slipping into a frown.
He stayed that way for a moment or two, then looked, inexplicably, at me.
"Chizuru, did you go anywhere that night?"
"What?"
I hesitated, unsure of what he was getting at.
"No, I didn't go anywhere… Why?"
"You're sure. You didn't go anywhere that night?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I've never left the compound alone, ever."
Again he fell silent, the same frown crossing his face.
Nagakura glanced at him curiously.
"Hey, what's worng?"
Harada didn't look up.
When he spoke, his voice was quiet.
"Maybe it was just a mistake. There wasn't a moon that night. It was dark."
He paused.
"No…no, I saw her up close. There's no way I made a mistake…"
"Um… Harada? What are you talking about?"
At last he looked up, straight into my eyes.
"After we'd surrounded the Tosa men who'd tried to take down the notice board… This…girl showed up. She looked just like you. Got in our way. Because of her, our whole formation fell apart."
"What?"
The whole room had gone silent. Harada barely spoke above a whisper, but every one of us could hear him perfectly.
A girl who looked just like me?
What did he mean?
"Well...like they say, shit happens! But tonight, Sano's payin', so let's drink till the sun comes up!"
Heisuke nodded in gleeful agreement.
"Seconded! Time to find out just how much of this stuff I can handle!"
In just a few minutes, Heisuke and Nagakura had the party back in full swing, but I couldn't get my mind off what Harada had said.
I'd never left the compound on my own since the time I'd first met the Shinsengumi.
Then…what had he seen?
I felt…complicated.
To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to feel.
I hadn't gotten in Harada's way, of course-there was no way I could have…
But I felt bad.
Someone who looked just like me had made things more difficult for the Shinsengumi. I didn't know who she was, but our shared appearance made me feel…responsible, somehow.
Who was this strange girl?
Okita glanced at me.
"You worried about what Sano said?"
"Oh! Um…yes, I am. I was wondering how someone could look just like me."
Maybe you got possessed."
He smirked.
"Whenever you're sleeping, a restless spirit takes over your body, and you wander the streets of Kyoto, totally oblivious."
"…Do you really think that's what happened?"
Maybe he was right; maybe I was the culprit. I was puzzling that over in my head, when he burst into peals of laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Oh man… I'm just joking, kid. People don't really get possessed."
"Wh-What? You were kidding…?"
His laughter grew even louder, and I watched with flustered indignation as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Oh man… I'm sorry. Seriously, though. Just think about what Sano said for a minute. You remember that girl we met out on patrol with Heisuke? The one who looked just like you?"
"Oh…"
Of course! The girl who Okita had said I bore a striking resemblance to. I'd almost forgotten about her.
Her name was Kaoru.
"Do you think she was the one who kept Harada from capturing all the Tosa men?"
"Well, I can't say for sure, but it seems a lot more likely than there being a third girl in Kyoto who looks just like you."
"But…she was just a normal girl. She didn't look like the kind of person who would try to sabotage the Shinengumi…"
"Haven't you ever heard you can't judge a book by it's cover? Maybe she just wanted you to think that. There's no way to know what she might be capable of. Besides, there isn't a person in Kyoto who doesn't know what the board represents."
There was no doubt in his voice.
"Wh-What would you do if the girl was the same one who Harada saw?"
"Oh, you already know the answer to that, don't you?"
He smirked again.
"I'd kill her, of course. She might be a girl, but an enemy is an enemy."

He was right, I had known that he would choose to kill her, but to actually hear the cold finality of his words…
"Um… I-I need to go use the, um, facilities…"
I just couldn't bear to stay in that room any longer.

…
Were the girl we'd seen and the one who'd interrupted Harada one and the same?
If she was interfering with the Shinsengumi on purpose, did that mean that she was an imperialist? Or was she simply doing it for her own enjoyment?
After all, there wasn't a person in Kyoto who didn't know the name of the Shinsengumi. She had to know what would happen to her if she challenged them.
"There you are. I'd wondered where you'd gone off to."
I turned to find Hijikata standing behind me. I said nothing and looked back out at the stars. "Something wrong? The food not your thing?"
"No, no, it's wonderful! The food, I mean! It's…it's something else."
"You're worried about the girl Harada saw."
"Er…"
There was no hiding my thoughts from him, it seemed.
"Don't worry about it, all right?"
He gave me one of his rare kind smiles.
"Anybody messes with us, and I'll make sure they pay for it, one way or another."
His words were as curt as always, of course, but I felt like I could sense a certain…kindness beneath them.
In his own way, he seemed to care about my feelings.
"…Of course. Thanks."
I could feel my tension begin to dissipate.
Without a word, he moved over next to me and sat down.
I could feel a warm breeze drifting in through the open window...as well as Nagakura's voice.
"All right, now it's time for the real party to start! You ready, Sano? We wanna see it!"
"Now you're talkin'!" came Heisuke's loud voice. "Can't have a party without Sano's unique performance!"
"Well, I guess I don't have a choice then, do I?" came Harada's reply. "How could I say no to you guts anyway."
"What A guy!" said Nagakura excitedly. "Can you get us a brush and some ink, ma'am?"
Their voices echoed out from the other room, drifting through the warm air.
The look on Hijikata's face was one I'd never seen before.
"…Man. Takes me back…"
"Um…I'm sorry?"
"We used to run this poor sword school back in Tama. We'd drink like this every night. This just reminds me of that."
He glanced at me a moment before turning back to the stars.
"There were a lot of men then who wanted to know how to swing a sword, in case we went to war or something, but not too many of 'em wanted to learn from a bunch of country hicks. We didn't have much in the way of money or students, but… It was still fun."

Hijikata's face as he spoke was warm and kind, not the sort of thing I would have expected from a commander whose men called him The Demon.
"Hm? Something up?"
"Oh, um… I was just surprised you used to, um, do that…"
"What do you mean?"
He smirked.
"You think I've spent my whole life being a cold-hearted bastard, knocking around idiot kids in an attempt to get them into some sort of order?"
"Uh, um, I…um…"
I could hardly tell him that was exactly what I'd thought, so I sputtered and mumbled desperately.
Instead of the irritated frown I'd expected, his tranquil, warm expression, remained, and he went on almost as if I'd said nothing.
"I still think about it, every so often. Wasn't so long ago I was just a street merchant selling my family's medicine. Now I wear swords and work for the shogun. Sometimes I wonder if this is just a long dream, and eventually I'm going to have to wake up."
By the time he finished, he seemed to be speaking more to himself than to me.
The moon had risen outside our window and as he looked up, its light washed over his face, the cool glow playing across his handsome features.
Just like kimigiku had said, he was as good-looking as an actor.
After her, though, a girl like myself had to seem awfully plain.
…Especially next to a man as beautiful as he.
"Gah! Oh, I can't take it! Stop it, Sano! I'm laughing so hard I can't breath!" came Nagakura's voice.
"C'mon, you're the idiot who got me up here in the first place! Now you want me to stop right in the middle of it?" Harada sounded more amused than annoyed.
"You're the greatest, Sano! One more time!" Heisuke's voice sounded hysterical.

…
The party lasted until morning.
There was the Fury Corps to worry about, and now a girl who looked just like me…
It was a lot to think about, but it was hard to feel down when everyone around me was having such a great time.

It was near years end, and I was outside in the cold weather, sweeping the compound.
"Phew… Well, that should do it."
I wanted to help out as much as I could, but since they still refused to let me out without an escort, there wasn't a great deal I could do.
Still, I had helped make our home clean, and that felt good. Hopefully they'd like it too.
"Cleaning, I see. You're certainly hard at work."
"Oh, hello Kondou. It's really gotten cold lately, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has indeed. I've been in Kyoto a while now, but I still can't get used to the weather."
He rubbed his hands together and blew on them, in a mostly vain attempt to warm them up.
"I've picked up a bunch of dead leaves, so I was thinking about roasting potatoes later."
I glanced at him.
"Would you like some? They'll warm you up."
Kondou gave me a little, wry smile.
"Roasted potatoes, huh? I used to enjoy that. A long time ago…"
"Oh…"
I flushed with embarrassment.
Kondou was a busy man-management of the Shinsengumi was not easy. A man like that didn't have time for roasting potatoes.
"…You've been really busy lately. I hope you're taking care of yourself."
"Hmm? Oh, right… Well, if I'm busy, then that means that the Shinsengumi is needed. it's an honor."
"True…"
In the last several weeks, Kondou and Hijikata had left the temple often to go meet with important shogunate officials.
They probably scarcely had time to breathe, let alone relax.
At that moment, almost as if my thoughts had summoned him, Hijikata appeared.
"There you are, Kondou."
"Oh, Toshi. Where were you? I was looking for you. They've chosen the next shogun. It's going to be Lord Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi."
Hijikata's brow furrowed to what I wouldn't have hesitated to describe as a glower.
"Him, huh? Well, let's hope he lives up to the rumors."
Kondou frowned.
"Must you find a dark side to everything?"
"Who's Lord Hitotsubashi."
I had a vague memory that he was the commander of the shogunate forces during the Battle of Hamaguri Gate, but Kondou gave me a quick explanation of the rest.
"They say he is very intelligent; some every going as far as to call him the second coming of Lord Ieyasu."
He glanced over at Hijikata, perhaps looking for corroboration.
He found none.
"At any rate, he has a quick mind, and the emperor trusts him. How could he be a poor choice?"
There was a certain pride in Kondou's voice, almost as if he were talking about a friend or brother.
If what he said was true, though, then perhaps the shogun would be able to unite the shogunate and the imperial court, and overcome the crisis that was destroying our nation.
"…All right, he's smart, I'll give him that." said Hijikata.
"Then what's the problem."
"Forget it. Doesn't really matter who the shogun is to us anyway. We're just here to fight for him."
Kondou nodded and smiled.
"That's right. If we do our best, that means the shogun and the shogunate are safe and secure."
He kept his tone carefully light, perhaps in an attempt to sway Hijikata, but to no avail.
Only twenty days after Lord Yoshinobu had been officially inaugurated as the new shogun, the emperor passed away.
It was especially hard on the emperor's younger sister, Kazunomiya, who had been married to Lord Iemochi and was intended to be a symbol of Imperial Unification, but everyone on both sides was shocked by his death.
He was succeeded by the Imperial Prince; a young boy of only 15 years.
In the turmoil, the activities of the Choshu Domain went uninvestigated…
The entire country of Japan found itself thrust into rapid motion.