Chapter 5 – Red Eyes, Blue Eyes.
"So, if I get it right, this jerk got coaxed by a tube of mayo? Truly unredeemable!" Gintoki scoffed.
"Hey, maybe it's true that I let my guard down more than once, but I was sick okay?!" Hijikata defended himself.
"Yeah, but as it is right now, I don't see what's the problem with this guy; huh?" Said Kagura.
"The problem is that we still don't know anything about this guy's schemes. We haven't figured out what his exchange with the Yakuza was about, or what he does all day. He was nowhere to be found for several days in a row, probably up to no good outside the headquarters." Said Sougo in a serious tone. "Besides, Yamazaki didn't do his job properly. Every time, he ended up losing track of this guy."
"Okay, okay, so what we need to do is try to follow this guy, and find out what he's up to, right?" Said Gintoki. "And to discover if he's not hiding more about his own identity?"
"Y-yes." Said Hijikata, nervously.
"Huh? What's wrong, Toshi?" Kondo asked.
"Ah, nothing: It's nothing! It's nothing at all!" Tried Mayora, waving his arms in front of him.
"By the way Boss, we'll leave Hijibaka to you. Hopefully you'll be able to make him talk, because there's something he absolutely refused to tell us..." said Sougo. Said Sougo. "He knows something, but even if we press him, he won't say anything."
"Hey!? Hijikata, hiding something from his own colleagues?" Shinpachi asked. "This Hijikata Toshiro, who would rather commit sepukku than break the rules?!"
By now, all attention was focused on the demonic vice commander, who looked extremely embarrassed and livid.
"No way... Don't tell me he did that to you!?" Kondo exclaimed in shock.
"Huh? Did what?" Hijikata exclaimed.
"You know Toshi... XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX!" Kondo added with an embarrassed look.
"As if!" Hijikata exploded as he got up from the couch.
His face was now scarlet, and he didn't know who to look at in the room.
"Ah, that's why that bastard doesn't dare to go near the other bastard anymore..." Sougo said thoughtfully.
"Which bastard is which bastard!? Huh ?! Bastard !" Hijikata snapped. "I'm telling you, it's not that!"
"Ah, the way he's reacting, it must be... You know, (cover your ears Kagura!) when a man does XXXX to put his XXXX in XXXX" Gintoki added. "I can't believe it... After all these years of playing with the deranged minds of the Fujoshi (1) fangirls, Hijikata finally gave in and joined the Uke (2) side!"
"I'm telling you it's NOT THAT!" The Vice Commander shouted.
"Hey, why should I cover my ears!? Huh!?" Kagura protested. "You read magazines about this all the time, don't you Gin-chan?"
"Kagura-chan, don't say another word..." Said Shinpachi, about to cry in shame.
"You're in no position to lecture me, HUH? You obsessed otaku! SIMP-achi! (3)" Insulted the Yato. "I know you have a lot of dirty magazines at home!"
"KAGURA-CHAN!" Shinpachi shouted, horrified to see his private life displayed for all to see.
"Tsk tsk," Kagura said, clicking his tongue, "you make me sick Glasses stand, go to a hospital and die!"
The discussion was getting out of hand again, with Shinpachi as the scapegoat. It was even drifting so much far off the current topic at hand that Shinpachi wouldn't have been surprised to see Fujiwara Takumi (4) himself appearing at this point.
"Why? Why does it always happens to me? I'm not doing my role as Tsukkomi (5) well enough, is that it? The gorilla wants to kick me out of the show to put another character in my place in the next chapter? Is that it? I'm too secondary of a character, compared to the other Mazochist Ninja, right? I'd have to be a Mazochist too to stay? Or Sadist? And why am I thinking about this in the first place? I'd better leave right away, to another Jump series that will accept me, right? Yes, that's the best. But should I tell my big sister? No, if I leave her, the other gorilla will come after her again. Should I go with her then? And if we leave, which series is better for us? One Piece? Naruto? Toriko maybe? No, not the last one, that would be manslaughter with my sister's cooking skills..."
But everyone had stopped listening at Shinpachi's first word, refocusing on Hijikata, trying to get him to spill the beans. Anyway, once again, the glasses and its stand were totally ignored by everyone. Then the calm returned in a progressive way.
"Well, we'll take the job. But be careful, I'm very firm on my prices." Gintoki smiled mischievously.
"And how much more are you going to take from us, social benefit thief?" Hijikata asked, calm again.
"Um, tough question, tax thief!" Gintoki replied. Then he started to count on his fingers. "I have the rent to pay this month, and for the month's before. And also the one before that... Not to mention the agency's operating expenses, the food, the purchase of the Jump, and my pocket money!"
"It's okay, I get it..." Hijikata sighed. He then turned to his superior. "Kondo-san?"
"Ah, what Toshi? You want me to pay him out of my own pocket!?" The Gorilla took offense.
"After all, you are our commander, and this matter concerns the Shinsengumi in a professional manner," argued Hijikata. "So it's only logical that you should pay the expenses of hiring these three!"
Hijikata smiled, satisfied that he had found a way to not owe those three incompetents any coins.
"Hey? But... Wait!" Kondo protested. "It's true that I'm the commander, but..."
"Come on, come on," Sougo interrupted, "For once, I have to say that Hijikata-dogfood-eater is right..."
The Sadist also obviously wanted to avoid having to pay the Yorozuya himself.
"Well, then the matter is settled!" Smiled the permhead. "I'll send you my fee by the end of the week!"
Kondo shed a tear, lamenting that he wouldn't have enough left to buy new night vision goggles to spy on the older Shimura sibbling. And took a tray in his face.
Then, all these people ended up saying goodbye in a more or less courteous way; the Shinsengumi leaving on its side, and the Yorozuyas planning the job which had been entrusted to them. Finally, Gintoki had just sat down behind his desk, with Kagura and Shinpachi each sitting on a bench.
"So, you two..." Gintoki began.
The two kids were waiting for his instructions listening carefully.
"Did anyone understand what the person we were supposed to track looked like?" Asked the permenant at last.
"Gin-san, did you even listen to what those three were saying?" Shinpachi sighed in disgust.
"What are you talking about, Pattsuan? Of course I listened! Just that it was so long that I can't remember what this Keroro (6) looks like...
"It's Kemono..." Shinpachi corrected.
"He's a good person! Huh!" Kagura said. "After all, he blew up the Sadist!"
"That's true... but it's also true that there are still doubts about this guy," added Gintoki. "He's also someone who in the worst case may try to destroy the Shinsengumi from the inside."
"Gin-san..." Said Shinpachi.
The bespectacled young man was reassured to see that despite his nonchalance, his boss had understood the seriousness of the situation.
"And then, whether he's nice or not, it's going to be up to us to find out..." Gintoki finished. "But anyway, what does he look like again?"
GINTAMA
The next day, the Kabuki district resounded with the sounds of nearby construction sites and the shrieks of kids who didn't understand why Kagura (the queen of the Kabuki district) didn't come to play with them today. And for once, a certain permanent resident wasn't ruining himself in a Pachinko room, waiting for a fortune that would never come.
The Yorozuya trio was following a certain individual... Well, rather a duo, for the moment. The leader of the Yorozuyas had set up a system of rotation for the tailing, allowing to be less noticed. Shinpachi had then shouted in scandal, thinking that it was a way for their boss to escape their duties and go hang out in a corner.
But Gintoki had then explained with seriousness the steps of the tailing, removing any doubt to the otaku with glasses concerning the direction of this investigation. Kagura and Shinpachi began the first part of the job, while Gintoki followed at a distance, to then take over for the rest of the day. Thus, he quickly gobbled down a strawberry parfait, and took some sugar cubes with him to keep the pace. The sweet and sugary things he devoured every day had not been commonplace during his childhood.
In fact, his childhood itself had not been common, but poor and miserable. A little orphan boy standing among corpses with a chipped sword in his hand. But someone had finally pulled him out of that hell, before propelling him into another. A horrible thing had shaken the country at the time, something that few people still talk about, but it had happened. He had known only the red of blood. Again and again enemies took away what he cherished before his eyes. The white demon, Shiroyasha, had built his legend on a cruel existence.
Misfortune seemed to follow one man since his birth, not leaving him a single moment of respite. Yet he promised himself that he would not let anyone die again, that he would not let what he wanted to protect at all costs be destroyed. More than his soul and body, he knew how to go beyond the limits of what was possible. He was his own way of the Sword, his own destiny. What he was protecting had no definite form, for it was simply everything that was right and important.
A notion that was very paltry in today's world, where crime was more present than ever. Then, this demon had fallen asleep. But it only looked like it. He was waiting patiently. He was waiting for the day when he would have to wake up to come, to finish what he had started, even if it meant going against some of the people who had once been his comrades.
But for now, he was a lazy, laughing handyman, who did not fail to make everyone around him laugh. A handyman bound and supported by countless promises. He protected, without realizing that he himself was protected. He also had the annoying habit of not wanting to involve others in dangerous matters, in order to keep them out of harm's way.
But today's mission was only at its beginning. So he didn't know yet if there was any real danger to the two kids. So he kept a watchful eye in the shadows, just in case.
It was true that this new Vice-Commander Kemono was rather ordinary in his behavior, but his appearance was a stain in the landscape of colorful clothes and kimonos with various patterns. The new member of the Shinsengumi seemed to know the area well too, as he had been coming here for almost a month. But Yamazaki had never managed to track him as long as the three Yorozuyas.
And soon, a detail disturbed the investigation…
"Hey... kagura-chan... Is it me or... Are we back to our starting point? I mean... Our real starting point..." Shinpachi whispered, jaded.
"Hmm... That' s right..." She said. "We're back. Huh."
Kemono had gone all the way around the neighborhood, only to enter Otose's snack bar, just below the Yorozuyas' agency...
"Those Shinsengumi guys never did their job, huh?" Shinpachi sighed. "If they really did, they would never have asked for our help..."
"What are you talking about Shinpachi? It's easy money! Huh!" Said the Yato, delighted. "All we had to do was walk around the neighborhood!"
"Hey, don't start talking like Gin-san..." Said Shinpachi in a falsely pleading tone.
10 minutes passed... Then 20... Then 30... And finally a whole hour, before the Vice-Commander came out of there. The two kids then rushed inside.
"Hey, old hag! What did that guy order? Huh?" Kagura shouted. "Has he been coming for a long time!?"
"Otose-san!" Shinpachi interjected, surprised. "I thought you only opened the bar at night!"
The snack bar owner was indeed busy clearing several empty food bowls from the counter.
"Who are you calling old!? Snotty brat!" Otose retorted. "Calm down, both of you! If you don't, I'll double your rent, you brats!"
"Please, Otose-san!" Shinpachi begged. "We're on a job, and we really need to know who this guy is, and what he's doing here!"
The old barkeeper sighed heavily, figuring that there was no point in yelling at these two, since they were following this man's path. She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, and said to the two kids:
"This guy has been coming in for over a month, every lunchtime, and every time he orders almost my entire food supply... And then he leaves after having eaten everything and paid in full..." Explained the old woman. "I wasn't going to pass up a great opportunity like this to make a little more money..."
"Ah, so that's why my rice portions have been cut in half!" Kagura complained.
"Hmm... And what else can you tell us about him?" Shinpachi asked.
"Well, this guy never showed his face or said a word. But he seemed to know the store well." Otose continued. "I was going to offer him a drink, but he told me (Well, wrote on a piece of paper), that he didn't drink alcohol, let alone alcohol diluted by half..."
"He knew about your scam? I think all the regular customers have figured it out by now..." Shinpachi pointed out.
Otose preferred not to react to the criticism, and added:
"That's really strange... That guy looks strangely familiar, but I have no idea where I've come across him before..."
Shinpachi and Kagura stared at each other, not sure what to think. Otose had run into this guy before, but didn't remember where, and besides, she served him every day, without them or their boss knowing about it. The two kids came out of the snack bar and realized that they had spent more time there than they had planned.
Kemono was nowhere in sight, and all suggested that Gintoki had decided to continue following the man, since Kagura could no longer smell his sweet body odor.
"Shinpachi... Did Gin-chan leave us? Huh?" Kagura asked.
"He must have thought that we had dropped the case, and decided to continue the surveillance alone..." Deduced Shinpachi.
And indeed, several blocks away, our silver-haired samurai was cautiously following his target, standing in the shadows of the small alleys perpendicular to the main road leading away from Otose's snack bar. He didn't know why, but he felt that despite his precautions, he had already been spotted. But despite this possibility, he continued to follow the Vice Commander. Soon his efforts paid off, for he found himself near a place well known to the Yorozuya: a hideout of the Joui faction.
"Oi, oi... This guy hangs out with Yakuza, and now with guys from Zura's group?" Gintoki whispered. "What the hell is going on here..."
At the same time, Kemono entered the building.
'Does this guy want to work on all fronts or what?' thought Gintoki.
He waited, and nearly 45 minutes later, Kemono came out, greeted by the illustrious and much sought-after Katsura Kotaro himself.
'Look at that... An officer having a friendly talk with the head of the Joui warrior who's being relentlessly chased by the Shinsengumi...' Gintoki thought with disappointment. 'If the other kerks heard about that, they'd go out of their way to arrest him on the spot.'
The Vice-Commander was not done, however, and headed for the less populated areas on the edge of the wooded area, leaving the Kabuki district for good, and heading almost to the city's edge. He continued on his way until he came to a large, half-ruined building, which he entered.
Convinced that he was going to discover something important, Gintoki rushed in, only to discover a building full of wooden and metal boxes bearing an unknown symbol...
It seemed to him that he had already seen it somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. But one thing was sure, it didn't bode well. He suddenly heard footsteps and many voices. A dozen people were heading into the building, towards his position. He jumped to the side to take cover, and...
Landed on something soft and squishy. He slowly turned his head, suspecting what he had just stumbled upon, and began to sweat profusely: Facing him, Kemono himself was standing, his intense blue gaze fixed on the silver samurai, a finger in front of where his mouth should have been, if he hadn't had all those bandages.
"Ah... G-g-good evening..." Gintoki stammered.
But all he got in response was a finger pointing up to where the voices were coming from. He blinked for a moment, and felt a gust of air whip across his face. By the time he opened his eyes again, Kemono had disappeared, and screams were echoing throughout the building.
"Stop him! He's alone!" shouted one of the thugs.
"Do something, damn it! Protect the goods!" yelled another.
"You bastard!" shouted another man. "He's from the Shinsengumi! Arg!"
The shouting stopped. Silence, and two breaths, and the smell of blood, were all that remained. Gintoki looked up, and saw that a real carnage had taken place there. None of the scoundrels were apparently dead, but each of them had received more or less serious injuries. And Kemono was nowhere to be seen. He had probably already evacuated the place; and Gintoki did the same, moving away quickly.
He didn't understand the logic of this guy anymore... He was hanging out with two powerful criminal organizations, and killing a third one...
And wait a minute...
At that time...
Was that what Gintoki was thinking?
No... It couldn't be...
But what if...?
To Be Continued…
Comprehension Notes:
(1) Fujoshi: a derogatory term originally referring to the female yaoi/BL (boy love) audience. These stories feature a love and/or sexual relationship between male characters; where yuri features the same themes, but for female characters. Its male counterpart is the term "fudanshi". The word has since seen its meaning evolve in Japan, to designate " moldy " girls who are interested in old-fashioned things or fields reserved for older men and women. In the West, even if the term is still used for its original meaning (yaoi/BL fan), it is less pejorative, and is even used willingly by women to claim their love of the genre.
(2) Uke: A term derived from the verb "ukeru" which means "to receive/subdue". In manga and dojins (yaoi/boys love and yuri/girls love), the uke is the dominated character in a couple. Its opposite is the seme, the dominant character.
(3) SIMP-achi: a play on words between the name Shinpachi and the term "Simp", which designates a person (usually a man), desperate to obtain the attention and favors of a person, who is obsessed with them, a fan, and who idolizes them. The person in question can be a fictional character or a real person. The most common case is that of men who are obsessed with certain women on social networks.
(4) Fujiwara Takumi: main character of the manga and anime Initial D. He drives a Toyota AE86 with which he makes tofu deliveries while drifting on Mount Akina.
(5): Tsukkomi: serious, intelligent and rational character within the classic comedy duo of manzai (form of comedy in Japan). Its counterpart is the Boke, who is usually frustrated, outrageous and disorderly.
(6) Keroro: reference to the manga Sergeant Keroro.