Not-Lesson 4: No use grieving over spilled spices
Sekishin never did understand why people tortured themselves to wake up at ungodly hours of the day. As she brushed her teeth and looked in the mirror, all she could focus on were the heavy bags under her eyes. She really did look like her brother in the morning.
The time was five in the morning. It was so early that even the sun was still sleeping. So why did she have to be up?
She rinsed out her mouth, washed her face, combed her hair, and went on her merry way to work.
"'Morning, Fox Eyes."
"'Morning, Hiji-jii."
The superior and the subordinate greeted each other like always. And then the superior dragged his subordinate to the dojo for a morning spar.
"You look like shit."
"Eh~? Whose fault do you think that is!"
"Is it my fault your brother destroyed a Harusame ship, making us have to protect an Amanto from the Jouishishi?"
"Brother? Akatsuki has no brother!"
"Cut the bullcrap, you goddamn fox eyes! I'm not talking to you!"
"Oh I see. You're talking to Seki aren't you? Well sorry to say, but Seki is sleeping because do you realize how early it is!?"
With each blow, words were exchanged, sparks flew, and everything was right in the world. A day without a spar or argument between Hijikata and Akatsuki—when they were both present—would be the day the Shinsengumi crumbled to pieces.
Or so was the joke shared between many of the Shinsengumi members.
The spar ended when Okita showed up and shot a bazooka at the two of them.
"You bastard, Sougo! What's the big idea?!" Hijikata demanded as he pulled himself off the ground and wiped the soot off his uniform. On the other side of the room, Akatsuki was fixing his wig.
"The meeting's about to start," Okita stated simply.
"Right, the meeting that's at six in the morning," Akatsuki recalled tiredly.
"I have a spare sleep mask if you want it," Okita offered.
"Oh, that would be perfect!"
"Don't you dare sleep!" Hijikata ordered.
"Just kidding, Hiji-jiji. We wouldn't dream of sleeping when Kondou-san's talking."
"Right. The only one who'll be sleeping is you," Okita proclaimed, pointing the bazooka at him again and shooting.
"Sougo, you…!"
Afterwards, the two problem children sat in the meeting room, rubbing the newly-formed bumps on their heads.
"Hijikata-san is cruel, making me sit here when I could be working on paperwork. What are we going to do if it multiplies?"
"Hijikata-san is cruel, making me sit here when I could be sleeping. Should I kill him?"
It was only a coincidence that Hijikata used the bazooka he confiscated from Okita at that moment. And with a glare from him that clearly said, "If you don't want to listen, then commit seppuku," all the chatter died down as their commander repeated himself.
"Ok, I'm sure everyone knows this already. Yesterday, the pirate ship Harusame was sunk. And you fools will be shocked to hear that apparently, they were only taken down by two samurai."
"Wha!? No way!" the audience exclaimed.
Hijikata stood up. "That was too obvious. Can't you asses make it sound more natural?"
"That's enough, Toshi. Let me continue. If you keep blowing them up, I won't be able to finish." Reluctantly, the Demon Vice Commander sat back down.
"Intelligence says that one of the two was Katsura. And the other one was...that guy."
Confusion spread through the new recruits as they wondered who that guy referred to. The veterans, as in, the men who had been with the Shinsengumi with its founding, either sighed, groaned, banged their heads, or did something else to express their frustration at the antics of that guy.
Another explosion shut them up again.
"The crew of Harusame has been convicted of smuggling large amounts of drugs into Edo. We can agree with the Jouishishi that that kind of business is unforgivable. But the problem is from here on. It's a common rumor that some Bakufu bureaucrats get a share of the profits from the pirates in return for helping the drug trade run smoothly. We're not sure how true these allegations are, but when the Jouishishi around Edo heard the rumor, they started plotting an assassination. That's where we come in!"
"In other words, we have to protect a slimy little toad from the Jouishishi while this slimy little toad gets off scot-free for his cooperation in the drug trade," Akatsuki summarized as he signed papers and Kondou sat in front of him.
"Now, Akatsuki. It's not like he really is guilty of that. It's just a rumor," Kondou reasoned.
The blonde smiled. "Like it's a rumor that our commander is stalking a woman?"
"Ah, well, what can I say? Otae-san is just so pretty," Kondou said.
"Pretty scary, if you ask Seki."
"That woman doesn't understand the charm of other women."
"But people say that all the beautiful flowers have their bees."
Akatsuki's hand stopped writing, and he used the back of it to cover his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. "It's thorns, not bees. Now, don't you have a job to do? Why are you chatting with a lowly member such as me? Come to push more paperwork onto me again? Just because I can forge your signature doesn't mean I have to do all your work."
He pointed at Kondou with a brush, flicking droplets of ink on the commander's jacket, shoulders trembling with laughter that threatened to spill out of his throat. Seeing this, Kondou adopted a wide grin.
"What are you talking about? It's always been like this, hasn't it?" And with that, he left. Later, Akatsuki could hear him scolding someone and being scolded by the Bakufu bureaucrat for being too loud.
It was the noisiest times that seemed the most relaxing, though, in Akatsuki's opinion. The chaos suited the Shinsengumi, who were a group of country bumpkins that couldn't be bothered with manners. Or common sense.
They were definitely lacking in the common sense department.
As he signed the bottom of a paper, Akatsuki nodded to himself, agreeing to the thought. Especially with a stalker for a commander, a demon vice commander that loved mayonnaise, a sadistic captain of the First Division, and a couple more.
The sound of a gunshot caused the blonde to knock down a bottle of ink on accident. But before he could worry about the ink staining the papers, table, and floor, the lively ruckus had changed into a panicked one.
The shout of "Commander!" reached Akatsuki's ears clearly. He jumped to his feet and slid open the door. Blood stained the engawa where mostly everyone was gathered. After getting closer, Akatsuki could see Kondou on the ground, a bullet wound on his shoulder.
Standing a short distance away from the Shinsengumi officers who were worrying over their commander was the Amanto, wearing a smirk. His voice somehow made it over all the others' voices.
"Hmph. Looks like even a monkey can take a bullet."
By that time, Akatsuki was running, and Hijikata stopped Okita from harming their amphibian charge.
"Calm down. Now isn't the time for that," he said. He started to issue orders, one to get Kondou treated, another to take care of Kinya, the toad, and one to stand watch over the premises.
Akatsuki and Okita were one of the many that were left to their own devices. Before Okita could think of lashing out at the toad again, Akatsuki forced the younger boy to accompany him to his room of paperwork.
"Tea?"
"No."
"Here you go." A tea cup was placed in front of Okita, but the boy didn't touch it. "Hey, Captain, if you don't drink your tea, you'll make me look like someone who can't even brew tea right," Akatsuki said as he sat down in front of his ink-stained desk. Though he wore a smile, he was frowning internally at the mess.
"It's not like you can do anything right."
"You're completely right." Okita looked up, curious about the blonde's expression. However, he was unable to discern any change from the normal Akatsuki.
"It's boring to tease you."
The fox-like smile only widened. "I'm a boring person, after all."
For a moment, Okita recalled seeing listless red eyes staring up at the sky as if in a trance. He remembered the stranger sitting right outside the dojo doors who didn't react to anything he said or did. In other words, a boring person.
"Your personality's a bit different, but you haven't changed at all."
"Well, fundamentally, no." Akatsuki took a sip of his own tea. "Hey, do you think if I start wearing glasses, I'll be smarter?"
"Are you an idiot?"
"What else would I be?"
Okita picked up his cup and took a sip. Akatsuki's grin grew wider.
"I thought you said you weren't going to drink it."
Okita looked down at the cup and back at the fox. He did say something about that, didn't he?
Meanwhile, Akatsuki was glaring at his new black desk as if that would cause all the ink to disappear.
There was no use crying over spilled milk, and there was no use yelling over spilled ink.
...He'd have to remember to tell Hijikata that when the mayo lover started yelling at the mess.
Night had fallen over the Shinsengumi headquarters. Akatsuki opened the sliding door and peered inside. In the center was Kondou, sleeping in a futon. Surrounding the commander were his subordinates, who glanced at the new arrival but ignored him soon after. Quietly, the blonde sat down in a corner of the room.
Yamazaki opened his mouth and for once, all attention was on him. "The culprits are a group of Jouishishi called the Kaiten Party. It's different than Katsura's group but just as organized, devoted, and violent."
Hijikata lit a cigarette. "I see. I take full responsibility for what happened. Looks like we were too lax on everything from the line of command to the guard duty. Time to reorganize everything."
As the man stood up, he noticed the faces of displeasure. The captain of the fifth division, Harada spoke up. "Vice Commander, didn't you hear what that toad said?! He said that crap and we still have to protect him? That bastard only thinks of humans as garbage. He doesn't even accept Kondou-san, who took a bullet for him!"
Yamazaki pulled out a bag of white powder from his pocket. "Vice-Commander, I know I shouldn't have done this, but I searched around this place. There are piles of drugs in the storehouse. There's no doubt about it. He's in league with the pirates."
After hearing those words, the rest began to voice their own protests.
"Oh? Now I see. This explains a lot." Everyone turned to face the owner of the voice.
"Yorozuya! Why are you here?" Hijikata demanded. Standing at the door was the silver-haired boss of the Yorozuya.
"Because someone's staying up past their curfew, and I'm here to drag that person back home," replied Gintoki as he picked his nose.
Akatsuki briefly wondered when the man decided to impose such a thing.
"Why the hell do you have a curfew at your house?!"
"Don't you remember the last time that person went out late at night?! I'm not having a repeat of that!"
"This coming from the person who doesn't come home until morning after drinking and gambling all night!"
"How the hell do you know about that!? That goddamn—he told you! Just wait to I get my hands and that bastard!" Gintoki started cracking his knuckles, a fearsome smile forming across his face.
Before the argument could escalate any further, Yamazaki timidly raised a hand. "Vice-Commander, I think I smell smoke. And it's not the one coming from your cigarette."
"It's just one thing after another!" Hijikata groaned as he ran to the source of the smoke. Moments later, they could hear him yelling. "What the hell are you doing, Sougo? Quit burning the toad!"
"Hmph. Serves him right. The toad that is," Harada quickly clarified.
"Yeah. I still don't know why Vice-Commander is going out of his way to protect him," muttered a different member.
Gintoki cast a sidelong glance at the blonde sitting in a corner of the room, trying to appear as small and unnoticeable as possible. When everyone else was either bald or had black hair, it was not very effective. An eye conversation was exchanged between the two, and with a silent promise of "I'll buy you a parfait," Gintoki sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"I don't really get this, but your boss— this gorilla here and not Oogushi-kun over somewhere else— told you to protect that frog, didn't he? Then I'd protect him because it wasn't the Bakufu's orders but your boss's orders. Isn't that how you should repay him?"
"Repay him?"
"Shouldn't you? Or are you the kind of disgusting humans who don't repay their debts?" Though coming from a person who still had yet to pay his half of the rent for eight months straight, it wasn't convincing. Of course, only Akatsuki knew that part.
The Shinsengumi looked at each other, wondering what this debt was. Gintoki decided that an outsider shouldn't be the one explaining to them their debt and glared at his sister in disguise.
With a resigned sigh, the man in the corner spoke up. "Hmm, I don't know about everyone else, but I owe Kondou-san for giving me a second chance at life. I used to be a Jouishishi, so I wasn't expecting to be a part of the Shinsengumi. It was a big shock!"
It seemed the listeners were more shocked. "What?!"
"Oh, wait. That was supposed to be a secret." And yet Akatsuki still wore a smile. Gintoki really wanted to rip it off his face.
"Not that it matters. You could be a piece of shit, and Kondou-san would still let you join. Sure, we're still pieces of shit, but in his eyes, we're a bunch of stray cats and dogs," Akatsuki continued. "You're not going to find another boss like Kondou-san easily. Am I right?"
Several of the Shinsengumi voiced their agreements, and a familiar laugh rang out in the room.
"I couldn't have said it better myself! You don't have to follow the Bakufu. Just follow me," Kondou proclaimed.
"Now that that's settled, you guys might want to get outside before roasted frog gets added on the menu," Gintoki advised.
Someone informed Kondou that Okita was burning Kinya, last they heard, and Hijikata ran out to stop him. The next moment, they could hear someone shouting, "Divine retribution." More likely than not, the Jouishishi were being idiots and actually charged straight in their enemies stronghold.
And they were even polite enough to use the front door.
"You don't need to walk me home," Sekishin grumbled as the twins walked back to Kabuki-chou.
"Yes I do."
"No you don't."
"Yes."
"No."
They stopped and stared at each other. In the end, Sekishin was the first to blink. She threw up her right arm in defeat and muttered a curse as she walked away. Gintoki walked alongside her, matching her pace.
"Goddamn dead fish eyes. They're so creepy to stare at."
"At least they aren't puppy eyes."
"Oh, that would be downright horrific. I don't know how we'd deal with a puppy-eyed Shiroyasha." The woman tried to imagine it, but the only thing that popped into her mind was the body of Shiroyasha with the head of a Maltese. It was hilarious at first, but once she added the other aspects of Shiroyasha—the sword and blood, for example—it looked to be from one messed-up horror movie.
It was absolutely horrific.
And if she replaced the dog head with a fish head…
Sekishin stopped again. Her twin turned around with eyes that asked what was wrong.
"I think...I just traumatized myself."
Gintoki shook his head tiredly. "I'm not even going to ask."
It was a long time before the female twin could look at a fish head properly.
It was a beautiful day outside. Perfect weather to go flower viewing. In fact, Shinpachi had invited the rest of the Yorozuya to go flower viewing with him and his sister. And them the Shinsengumi dropped by, requesting that they choose another place to sit. Well, Hijikata did, but his coworkers didn't really care about it much.
But it was a perfect chance, and Okita took it and proposed a game.
Or so the story went. Sekishin appeared from behind the group of watching Shinsengumi, effectively giving them heart attacks. And the new recruits marveled at her resemblance to the man currently in a drinking contest with their vice commander.
"This is Sannan," Yamazaki introduced, temporarily taking a break from being a judge. He suddenly had the urge to play badminton.
"And this right here is Jimmy, formerly known as Yamazaki. And before that, he called himself Moun—" Before she could finish, a sausage was shoved into her mouth.
"Uh..." Shinpachi was confused.
"Long story."
"Don't ask."
The two nodded their heads.
"Can I ask where you were this morning?" The boy was going to invite the twin of his boss, but she was nowhere to be found even though he remembered her saying that she had the day off.
"Somewhere," she replied vaguely as usual. Shinpachi learned long ago that he wouldn't get a proper answer no matter how much he asked.
Much to his surprise, Yamazaki provided him with an answer. "Probably at the cemetery."
Sekishin clamped her hand over his mouth too late. The words left his lips, and Shinpachi was wondering whose grave she would visit. Gintoki hadn't visited a grave recently, at least, not that he knew of.
Shinpachi turned to Gintoki questioningly, but the silver-haired was vomiting into the ground, a result from his drinking contest with Hijikata, who was in the same situation.
"How are we supposed to finish the competition now?" Shinpachi exclaimed.
Otae ignored the rules and knocked Kondou out. Okita and Kagura were only interested in fighting each other, rules be damned. Gintoki and Hijikata were clearly too drunk to do anything. So what was going to happen now?
And the next thing he knew, he was sitting opposite from Yamazaki with a table between them. And on that table was a helmet and a mallet. In other words...
"And now it's the moment you all have been waiting for. Normal versus normal. They're basically counterparts of each other. Now who will win?" Sekishin had appointed herself as the announcer.
What the hell.
"The winner has the privilege of being known as the guy who lead his team to victory while the other remains as the guy who is too normal to be a main character. Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!"
Out of reflex, the two formed one of the three items with their hands. It was rock against rock. A tie.
"One more time! Rock, paper, scissors!"
Scissors against paper. Shinpachi hurriedly put on the helmet. The next round began.
Some time after the following six rounds, spectators grew tired of watching the game. Instead, some began to sabotage the competitors by nudging them or offering them sips of alcohol between rounds. ("Rust, poker, simmers," Shinpachi found himself saying before holding up three fingers against Yamazaki's two. He laughed because three fingers beat two. Then Yamazaki objected, saying, "Racket beats birdie. Hijikata beats racket. Nothing beats Hijikata." And he looked around for a moment to find his vice commander. Shinpachi was a step ahead of him, dragging his drunk boss, saying that Gintoki could beat Hijikata.)
Some started a betting pool. Some tried to get their superior to sober up (before said superiors could be used instead of the rock, paper, or scissors hand gestures). One was taken advantage of Hijikata's drunkenness and tried assassinating him without causing too much damage to the surroundings (or maybe not because there was a bazooka in his hands, the one Hijikata had confiscated from him weeks ago, and he didn't seem to care too much about the people caught in the crossfire).
Eventually, the competition was abandoned after twenty or so rounds. There was no winner or loser. Just a group of men and women who were sharing drinks and laughing.
At some point, Hijikata was sprawled on the roof of a vending machine, and Gintoki had his head stuck inside the same machine. Both were drunk and were sure to feel the effects of it the next morning.
The two leaders felt someone walk over but heard no footsteps. Coins were inserted in a slot, a button was pushed, and a can of something cool rolled next to Gintoki's head. The action was repeated twice more, and a left hand slipped through a gap between Gintoki's head and the vending machine to take out all three cans.
The buyer took two of the cans, placed one next to Hijikata, and opened the other one. Hijikata forced his eyes to open and turned his head. Sekishin was sitting on the ground seiza-style, a can of cold fruit juice in her right hand. Peach juice.
"Evening," he slurred.
"Good evening, Hijikata-san," the woman replied, sipping her can. Polite. Respectful. Everything Akatsuki wasn't.
Yet the two were one and the same. The fact baffled still him.
"You're not drunk," he noted despite his failing vision. It was hard not to notice the lack of giggles that were the tell-tale signs of her drunkenness. Hijikata was many things, but he was not deaf.
"I like to stay sober when the cherry blossoms are in bloom." She glanced upwards, her red eyes reflecting the moon.
Late at night, only the moonlight illuminated the streets. The samurai were drunk and unguarded. Vulnerable. In the shadow of a building, a blade glinted menacingly as it inched closer and closer…
Hijikata shook his head. His imagination was getting the better of him. He took his can, not looking at the words printed on its red label, and opened it without a thought.
The woman looked back at the rest of the Shinsengumi and Yorozuya, who were sleeping after a day of partying. She put the can to her lips and leaned her head back, emptying it. In the corner of her vision, she saw Gintoki finally getting his head out after moments of struggling.
"You bastard!" Hijikata yelled after opening the can. Coca Cola was printed on its side, becoming obscured by the froth spilling from the top and staining Hijikata's clothes.
Rage marred the man's features, turning him into the demon. Luckily, he was still drunk. He descended from the vending machine, face red.
It was anticlimactic, really. He got angered and wasted his energy when he rolled off the roof…
...on top of one silver-haired samurai, who grunted.
"My everything hurts," he complained, shoving the unconscious Hijikata on the ground.
"That's karma for you," the woman remarked with a slight smile. "Maybe next time, you shouldn't shake soda cans."
"Shut up."
The one who retrieved the cans was Gintoki. The one who shook the can was also him. Yet the one who took the blame for it was her.
A breeze blew across the land, carrying with it pale pink petals. A long, red sleeve flapped like a flag. Gintoki squinted at the sight, making sure he wasn't imagining it.
"Where is it?" he asked.
Sekishin shrugged. "Somewhere. I'll find it later."
"You better or else someone is going to scream because there's a severed arm on the ground."
"Oh my. Someone's cutting off people's limbs? At this time of year? Scary, scary."
Gintoki gulped down his can of strawberry juice. There was no strawberry milk in the vending machine, much to his dismay.
"If that's scary, then what are you?"
"Me? Let me think about that."
But for now, she had to search for her lost property.
Days later, the Shinsengumi found Akatsuki staring at the TV, gaping like a fish. It was a rare expression to see on him, so they looked over his shoulder.
"The first Universal Weird Pet Grand Prix? What the hell?"
"Akatsuki, shouldn't you be doing paperwork?"
"No, forget paperwork for a moment. Aren't those guys the guys from Yorozuya?"
"Sakata Family? There's only one Sakata!"
"Hey, look at the other guy. He's dressed like a space pirate."
"A crew member of the Harusame?"
"No way. The Harusame's all Amanto."
"Let's see. His name's Captain Katsuura."
"Hey, doesn't that sound a lot like Katsura."
"Don't be ridiculous. Katsura doesn't wear an eye patch, and he doesn't have that scar on his cheek. And he definitely wouldn't have an Amanto as a pet."
"Eh? That...duck thing's an Amanto? Not some guy in a duck costume?"
"Idiot! That's not a pet!"
"Shut up, I'm trying to watch the race!"
"Can't we watch something el—Holy shit! That dog's eating his owner."
"Hey look, it's the girl who fought with Captain Okita."
They watched the girl throw her boss and paled.
"She's a sadist."
"Mini female Okita."
"Look at Elizabeth! Something's strange!"
"Something's coming out!"
"Is it crap?"
"Is it a baby?"
"Wait a sec. Is Elizabeth a boy or a girl?"
Before the big reveal, the show stopped airing.
"Noo! Elizabeth! What happened?!"
"I told you it was a guy in a duck costume!"
"Shut up!"
A mob of enraged samurai ganged up on their comrade.
"What the hell are you guys doing!?" Hijikata, who was passing by, yelled.
"Ah! Vice Commander, Akatsuki fainted!"
"It's just one thing after another with you bastards, isn't it!?"
"Hijikata-san, there's been an arsonist running around recently. Shouldn't we be tracking him down?"
"The Fire Department's taking care of it and refuses any help from us."
"Maybe they don't want to deal with the collateral damage that comes with us."
"Fox Eyes, go back to doing your paperwork."
"You know, you haven't taken a break in a while, Akatsuki."
"It's because Natural Perm's been resolving so many things for us, and Hiji-nyan's getting mad at me for it."
"Just because he's your brother?"
"And because Hiji-pyon's angry about the spilled ink."
"That was a mess."
"And maybe because Hiji-wan's still holding a grudge for what happened at the flower viewing party."
"Uh-huh."
"And then I did hide some of Hiji-buta's—"
"Who are you calling a pig!? Commit sepukku right now, Fox Eyes!"
"Now, Toshi. Just calm down. And Akatsuki, just take a vacation. We got you a ticket for a trip to space."
Akatsuki stared at the offered slip of paper. "Should I be worried?"
A/N: Yay! I finished! And Gintama anime is back! And Yamazaki, what the hell are you doing in Chapter 536?! And yay for 537 because I finally know when the Shinsengumi was established (probably)!
And that's at least ten chapters out of the way. Next chapter is the Sakata's reunion with Sakamoto. The chapter after that is the reunion with Takasugi. And then after that...I'm considering skipping a few more chapters. If there's anything you don't want to skip, speak now or forever hold your peace.
To hooligansss: Yes, a couple of the Shinsengumi, including Hijikata, know that Akatsuki is Seki. Yes, Seki will reveal herself to Katsura soon. At the very latest, at the beginning of the Benizakura arc, which I really want to write.
On a side note, I am so horrible with inserting subtle foreshadowing. This chapter reveals a bit about Seki (I think). So what the heck. Here's an omake.
Enter Akatsuki!
The day Akatsuki joined the Shinsengumi, it was uncharacteristically quiet. The men seemed to lack energy, and even Hijikata wasn't yelling at them.
"Um, hello? I'd like to join," he said to one of the men at the entrance. The man sighed and looked away.
The melancholic atmosphere didn't suit the Shinsengumi. It was like Akatsuki had intruded on a funeral. Maybe he was. According to the papers, one Shinsengumi had died after confronting a tsujigiri. Luckily, the tsujigiri died as well, making that one's death a noble sacrifice. At least, that was what the paper from six weeks ago said.
"It's been weeks. After seeing faces like yours, no one's going to be able to rest in peace."
"What do you know?!" One member stomped up to the blonde and grabbed him by the collar, raising him above the ground. "If you're going to insult our fallen comrade, don't bother joining!"
"Let him down," Hijikata ordered.
"But—!"
"Did you not hear me? Let him down," he repeated, his tone darkening. Reluctantly, the man complied. "You, come with me."
"Roger."
Hijikata led him to the dojo and tossed him a shinai. "To join the Shinsengumi, you have to pass a test," he explained, holding a shinai himself.
"Huh? You misunderstand me. I'm not applying to become a comba—Whoa!" Akatsuki quickly jumped out of the way of Hijikata's swing. "Um, Vice Commander?" Another dodge. "Hijikata-san?" Again and again, Hijikata came at him, a fierce glint in his eyes. He saw the test as a way to release some of his pent-up stress
Akatsuki managed to avoid each blow, but that only served to anger the other man more.
"Take your stance," he growled. "You're not going to pass just by running away."
Akatsuki was never planning on becoming a combatant. He just wanted to help with the more intellectual tasks, like budgeting and negotiations. But negotiations sometimes required a show of force. Exhaling, Akatsuki gripped the shinai with one hand.
And then the dojo exploded.
"Sougo!" Hijikata raged, knowing full well that no one else had the guts to shoot a bazooka at him, especially when he was in the middle of a fight.
"Ow, now Gin's going to call me a hypocrite."
Hearing the name of the man in charge of the Yorozuya, both officers turned to stare at the potential recruit who lied down on the dojo floor, looking up at the ceiling, red eyes wide open. He made no move to get up. Shock, bewilderment, disbelief. Eyes showing all three emotions, Okita turned to Hijikata, whose fury was focused on the person. If looks could kill, Okita would have fulfilled his desire to kill him already, and Hijikata could get rid of Akatsuki.
Either fortunately or unfortunately, looks could not kill.