Chapter 20- The Division of the Shinsengumi

Shinsuke shut his eyes and contemplated. The room around him was silent, waiting on his word to start the deliberation.

At last, he spoke. "The Harusame are becoming bolder. They've put the blame of their loss against Gintoki and Katsura on us. They want us to make up for it by becoming their contact on Edo."

Shinsuke said, "The pirates require our help on their latest conquest. They're a truly greedy bunch of misfits. First they accept our offer to wreck the Bakufu. Now they want to form a secret pact with government players. If it should succeed the Bakufu would turn a blind eye on their illegal activities. In return, they receive a cut of the bounty. But their admiral forgot a crucial detail. The government appointed and is closely monitored by the Shinsengumi. The space pirates would likely be caught if they partook in negotiations at the Shinsengumi's backdoor. The Bakufu would be investigated and the traitors executed once word gets out."

"So I suggested the Kiheitai distract the Shinsengumi while they make their run. You see we have a proxy to cause the initial conflict. A man named Kamotarou Itou, the dogs' most useful advisor."

Matako was greatly interested to hear this. To have an ally within the ranks of their greatest enemy was miraculous and advantageous.

Shinsuke continued, "He's planned a coup that will take place seventeen days from now. He already has half of the ranks loyal to him. On the day of the coup, we will send fifty of our unused members to aid him. Commander Kondo and his loyalists will be killed, as will the rest of the Shinsengumi."

Takechi asked, "You mean to betray them?"

"Itou would never join our cause. Can you imagine his reaction if he were to learn we meant to destroy Edo? His rebellion itself is doomed to fail. Kijima, tell me, if a faction splits, holds a civil war, and neither benefit, who is the true victor?"

Matako blinked and searched for an answer. She said, "Their enemies? The Kiheitai?"

He smiled at her slightly. "Correct. The division will leave them with minimal members. In their moment of weakness, we will cut them down. If things go according to plan, we'll be rid of those pests. And the Harusame will be happy a little longer. We'll be able to continue this sickening bond. But… eventually it will erode. The Kiheitai and the Harusame both have different goals. To obtain them, we rely on each other. It's destined to fail."

"And when it does?" asked Takechi.

"We'll have to be prepared for the scenario. It'll take time, but we may find an ally in their ranks. Or perhaps, we can plant one of our own to monitor them."

"This is unsettling I daresay." said Kawakami, "When I was first introduced to them, they were adamantly against the Bakufu and grateful to be allied with us. Why are they getting so gluttonous all of the sudden?"

"Their new admiral is to blame." said Shinsuke, "At the time, the Kiheitai's services were too attractive to ignore. But it wasn't enough. He's been securing mountainous deals lately. Edo, to him, is the grand prize."

"Perhaps he's regretting it now, his recklessness. If he allies with the Bakufu, he allies with our enemy. Soon he will realize we are not some yakuza faction. And then he will come from our heads."

Bansai said, "So the relationship will end on a sour note… Even by reinforcing our trustworthiness by helping aid our enemy, it ensures we become incompatible. Just what use is the Harusame now?"

Shinsuke said, "None. They'll never attack the Bakufu now. The Kiheitai is in danger, but there's no leaving an alliance with the Harusame. Our power is enough at least for them to show caution against. But pitted against every division, we'll eventually be destroyed. Let's not use such clumsy impulsions. We'll first remove the one responsible for this- the admiral himself. We can also ally with rival pirate factions and recruit more powerful members to the Kiheitai."

Shinsuke sighed. "It's still too early to polish such a plan. For now, focus simply on the elimination of the Shinsengumi."

"Bansai, you will lead the strike."

Bansai said, "I daresay this will be interesting."

"Be ready." said Shinsuke, "The unpredictable is exactly why you'll be leading."


The strike against the Shinsengumi was only the beginning. Even though the Kiheitai was unable to completely eliminate them, half of their enemy's troops were killed. Itou was gunned down near the end of the battle. However the Harusame themselves were becoming unsettled upon rumors of the Kiheitai's purpose. Even though their allies were alive and well, they wouldn't wait any longer to eliminate Shinsuke. Shinsuke however was prepared to counter attack.

Takasugi had devised a simple but brilliant plan. Several Bakufu officials sent inquirers to the Shinsengumi which the Kiheitai trailed back to their ships. Bansai reconciled his failure with the Shinsengumi rebellion by personally dispatching the higher ups. Meanwhile, Shinsuke hired several pricey Amanto assassins to infiltrate the Harusame ranks. They were able to get in close enough to assassinate the pirate's admiral. They declared before they fled that the attack was the vengeance of a rival pirate coalition. The space pirates turned their attention from the Kiheitai to wiping out their old enemy. Shinsuke offered his assistance and sent Matako to help wipe out the unfortunate pirates. Their success would strengthen the alliance and allow Shinsuke to hold off the Harusame a little longer. Meanwhile, he would recover his losses from the last battle.


"Fuck off!"

A pirate frantically fired his machinegun. He managed to kill a Harusame but received two bullets in return. The Harusame rushed into the room and began to wipe out the pirates. Afterwards they stormed the rest of the base and cleared each dormitory. The unready enemy was no match against their ferocity or their numbers.

Matako put a bullet hole through a pirate before he could notice her. A party of Kiheitai, directly under her command, flanked her. Her men hacked at anyone that stepped too close for comfort. The larger majority of members were mixed in with the Harusame hunting parties.

"AAAAGGGGHHHH!"

She heard this crazed scream from the next room. The door was kicked open as the remaining survivors orchestrated their death charge. In their rush of adrenaline, they managed to cut a path through the Harusame. The other hunting parties fearfully retreated.

Kijima signaled for her Kiheitai to wait silently by the door. Several friendly pirates ran past them, some missing arms or stuck with katanas. She shut her eyes and took a deep breathe. Enemies were nearby, but not upon her just yet.

A grenade rolled in. Its owner laughed hysterically. Matako's eyes filled with surprise. She had only a few seconds to escape. Even if she survived the initial blast, she'd be lucky not be torn to shreds by the shrapnel.

She said, "Everyone move!"

Three seconds later it went off. Matako's ears were ringing. She glanced over her body, searching for puncture wounds. Not having found any, she aimed a pistol at the doorway.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

The men began to groan simultaneously. They muttered groggily that they were unharmed.

Phew! We didn't explode.

Matako jumped to her feet and went for the door. She fired off a single round and killed the head of the charge. Her foot kicked the door shut. She locked it and sprinted back to her troops.

"All right, let's go!"

The metal door groaned as a massive dent was imprinted in it. Screams of agony were meshed with the sound of machine gun fire. Matako saw blood leaking in from underneath the door. She turned and led her men out of the room.

It sounds like the seventh division was dispatched as well.

It was a quick but safe assumption. Their umbrellas, like Kagura's, were equipped with machine guns. Matako recognized that unique ring anywhere. It had been unclear whether or not they would be sent for a low risk mission. The Harusame must have decided on swift vengeance to avenge the fallen admiral.

The joint effort quickly paid off. The seventh division made short work of the enemy pirates. Matako and the Kiheitai regrouped to catch the pirates fleeing for the escape pods.

"Crush them!" she shouted as she led the charge, guns blazing.

Not a single one was left alive. This was the sacrifice for the Kiheitai's actions. Shinsuke's plans were now moving forward smoothly. The world he had promised was at last becoming possible.


Author's Note: As I am big fan of his, I think it would have been cool to show Kamui in this chapter. However, I think I'll save him for another work I have in mind should I get around to creating it.

As you can see, things are going smoothly for Shinsuke. While this story still shares similarities with the canon story, there are some major differences now. There are some big twists soon to arrive in the following chapters so please look forward to them!