Captain Toshishai Gesshin and Lieutenant Honami Shirai looked down at the map of the town. Even at night the tent was stuffy with summer heat. Toshishai brushed sweat from his eyes and said, "When the police officers get here we may get a better idea of what we're up against."
"I don't understand, sir," said Honami. "Why do we need the help of policemen? This is a military operation."
Toshishai shook his head. "I have been told these policemen can aid us somehow."
Honami frowned. "'Somehow?'"
Toshishai said, "We have our orders, Lieutenant."
One of the soldiers poked his head into the tent. "They're here, Captain."
"Send them in," said Toshishai.
Two men entered. The first was tall and powerful-looking. He wore a blue police uniform, but Toshishai noted the katana on his belt. Several long locks of hair fell over his face. Below that he wore a countenance as grim as any Toshishai had ever seen. His eyes were narrow and watchful.
The other's appearance was far stranger. His hair stood straight up and one eye was closed, as if he were constantly so amused by the world that he could not stop winking. His outfit was outlandish in the extreme, a red robe with what looked like purple flames on the edges. He had several katanas on his shoulders and waist.
Toshishai himself was the oldest man there, nearing fifty, as well as the shortest. He had a mustache. He wore an army uniform, as did Honami. Toshishai was portly but energetic, while the lieutenant was slim and handsome.
Toshishai said, "I am Captain Toshishai. This is my second-in-command, Lieutenant Honami. Is one of you Fujita Goro?"
"I am Fujita," said the one in the police uniform. "This is Chou, formerly of the Juppongatana."
"Juppongatana?" said Honami.
"The elite warriors of Shishio Makoto's organization," said Toshishai. Chou smirked. Toshishai waited for either policeman to say something more. When neither did, he cleared his throat. "Well, here is the map of the town." He gestured at the table. "We have estimated there are around fifty of the enemy, although we have no idea of their individual strengths."
The one called Chou said, "Most of the guys still wandering around are chumps. They were given assignments in places like this because they weren't good enough to serve Shishio directly in Kyoto. They're fanatics, though. Some of these guys were trained by Shishio himself. Then there's Ihara Denbe..."
"He was in charge of this town, was he not?" asked Honami.
"Yeah. He's just a swordsman, but he's skilled. Not skilled enough for the Juppongatana, but no pushover."
They all digested that for a moment. Toshishai said, "Based on long-range reconnaissance, we believe they are operating out of this large mansion here." He pointed at the map.
"I encountered one of these villages once before," said Fujita. "The enemy had placed themselves in the largest building in the area, just the same. I assume we will be attacking tonight.”
"No," said Toshishai. "Tomorrow we will evacuate the town. After that is seen to, we will go to the mansion to seek the enemy's surrender."
Chou barked out a laugh. "You can forget about surrender. Like I said, the guys still following Shishio are some of the most fanatical. They have to be, considering he's dead."
If Chou was amused, Fujita was angered. "If we evacuate the town first we will lose any element of surprise that may be left to us. We must attack immediately."
Toshishai's jaw tightened. Fujita was an intimidating man, but he would not be bullied. "I am not blind to the advantages of surprise, but I am not trying to surprise my own people. If we attack at night there is a chance some of the villagers could be injured or lost. I will not risk it."
Fujita said, "Perhaps you should worry less about what will happen to these few villagers and more about what will happen to all of Japan if these men escape."
Toshishai gazed at him levelly. "I am worrying about both."
Fujita glared at him for a moment longer, then turned and stalked out of the tent.
Chou caught up to him outside. "You sure do hate it when one of these army guys blows you off."
Saitou Hajime, former Captain of the Third Squad of the Shinsengumi, currently known as Fujita Goro, scowled characteristically. "He's going to get men killed."
The army moved out the next morning. Saitou and Chou were near the front of the column with Toshishai and Honami. The army officers were mounted; the rest were on foot. All had swords drawn.
The camp was about a mile south of the town. As soon as they came in view of the town they saw people, but no enemies. The townspeople stopped in their tracks and stared. Saitou had seen the look before. These people were dead to fear.
As they came close to the people soldiers went out to speak to them. Saitou, Chou, and the officers paid little attention. They scanned the roads and alleys, looking for danger, but they saw nothing.
Time passed as the soldiers moved from street to street, speaking to those outside and knocking on the doors of buildings. They escorted people in groups back to the camp. It was slow going. Many of the villagers were elderly. Saitou supposed many of the young had been killed. It made him angry, made him want to find this Ihara Denbe and do what needed to be done.
Toshishai apparently felt no such urgency. He paused to speak to many of the villagers, offering encouragement. It made Saitou angrier.
As noon approached a woman came running to Toshishai. Some of the soldiers made as if to stop her, but Toshishai told them to stand aside. The woman said, "Toshishai-san!"
"Someya-san!" Toshishai said as she came close. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Toshishai-san, but my children..."
"What? What about them?"
"They took them!" The woman looked close to tears.
"Who?"
"Men, some of the men from the mansion."
"How many?"
"I saw two, but there might have been more. One of them had a bunch of swords."
Toshishai and Saitou looked at Chou. He said, "Wha--? I didn't do it!"
"Do you have any idea who might have?" said Toshishai.
"Uh... I don't know. I never heard of anyone else who carried a lot of swords. Probably some chump Ihara found."
The woman said, "There was another, he had a bow and arrows..."
Chou smirked. "That's gotta be Tomokazu, Mishima Tomokazu. He's a loser, but he was one of the most loyal to Shishio."
"Please, Toshishai-san, you must help my children!" said Someya.
Toshishai considered. He turned to Chou. "Could you defeat this Tomokazu if you fought him?"
Chou said, "Hah! Of course I could!"
"Then will you find the children and bring them back?"
Chou appeared no less taken back than Saitou. "Uh... I don't know..."
"Please, Chou-kun, I beg you!" said Toshishai.
Chou and Saitou were looking at Toshishai as if he were crazy. Finally Chou said, "Well, I guess for the chance to fight some of these morons..."
"T-They went north," supplied Someya. "I think they might be following the river."
Toshishai was staring intently at Chou. Chou said, "All right, I'll go." He glanced at Saitou, clearly not understanding how he had gotten into this. Then he walked away, headed north.
Toshishai turned back to the woman, who watched Chou leave as if her very life depended on his success. And perhaps it did, Saitou thought. Toshishai said, "Do not worry, Someya-san. He will bring your children back safe."
Saitou was a good deal less convinced of that. He was confident that Chou would be able to handle the enemy; he had been an elite soldier in Shishio's army, after all. But whether he would do anything to actually protect the children, assuming he even found them, was another matter.
Toshishai led the woman over to a group of townspeople about to leave for the camp. The slow process went on.
Hours later everyone was back at the camp. They had evacuated everyone without incident, without even seeing the enemy. It had left Saitou in a dark mood.
He found Toshishai in the command tent, looking over some sort of roster. "When are we attacking the mansion?" he asked without preamble.
Toshishai looked up. "Tomorrow morning."
Saitou grimaced. "You are absolutely set on giving away all our advantages, aren't you?"
Toshishai set aside the paper he was looking at and said, "It is already mid-afternoon. The villagers need food. Some need medical attention. By the time we see to that, it will be almost dark. Night attacks are dangerous, and there are at least a few villagers who were taken as slaves in the mansion. I do not want to risk more deaths. Besides, there is still a chance that they will surrender."
"Even you don't believe that."
Toshishai sighed. "No, I don't. But it is a chance worth taking. Many of the young soldiers believe there is no such thing as a dishonorable battle, only battles you walk away from and battles you do not." He looked hard at Saitou. "Are you young, Fujita-san?"
Saitou's eyes narrowed. Then he turned and walked out.
Hours later Chou was still following the river. How the hell far did these jerks go with those kids? he thought, getting more and more perturbed by the whole business. He still wasn't quite sure how he had gotten talked into this. Killing his old comrades he could handle, but babysitting some brats...
Finally, close to midnight, he spotted a fire off to his right. He drew a sword and crept closer.
There were a few small logs burning in the center of a clearing about a hundred feet from the river. Nearby two children slept, huddled close together on the rocky ground. The smaller one, around six, was probably a boy. The older was a girl around ten.
There was also a man. He was young, maybe twenty. His hair was in a topknot. He wore black hakama pants and a blue kimono. Chou guessed he was the son of a samurai who died in the Revolution; they had had a number of men like that in Shishio's organization. Strapped to his back and waist were a multitude of swords, at least eight.
He's got more swords than me! Who the hell does he think he is!? Chou abandoned caution at that point and strode into the firelight.
The guy sprang to his feet and put his hand on a hilt. "Who..." he began. He squinted at Chou, trying to make him out in the dim glow. His expression changed to surprise. "You... You're Chou! Chou of the Juppongatana!"
"Yeah."
The guy seemed to relax. "W-We had heard you were all killed or captured!"
"We were."
Now he looked confused. "But... you're here..."
"Yeah, I'm here to take you in. I'm with the police now," Chou said, smiling.
"You --! You turned traitor?!"
Chou shrugged. "If that's what you want to call it. I call it realizing there was no chance for victory by remaining with Shishio."
The guy spat. "There's nothing I hate worse than those who betray their comrades..." he said, and drew his sword.
Chou already had his sword out. He held it up at the ready, but then he really looked at the guy's sword. It was hard to see, but the way it glinted in the firelight seemed strange. He said, "Is... Is that glass?" The guy said nothing, but Chou realized it was true from the look in his eyes. "How the hell are you going to fight with a glass sword?"
The guy remained silent but smiled. Then he came at Chou, swinging his sword in a sideways arc at Chou's left. Chou went to block, thinking the guy's sword would shatter against a true katana.
He was right. As soon as the swords connected the guy's broke into pieces. Chou had an instant to savor the knowledge that this swordsman was a complete idiot...
... before the shards of glass from the broken sword ripped into his skin. He barely managed to suppress a scream. Blood began to flow from his arms and chest. He had no idea how many separate wounds he had gotten from that one attack. Through the haze of pain he was dimly aware of the guy's triumphant smile. He noticed, barely, that the children had woken up.
Then he was out of time. The guy had immediately dropped the shattered sword and whipped out another one. Chou had the merest instant to decide whether he should block again. He did, and again the shards of glass tore his flesh, this time from his right. He ground his teeth against the blaze of pain that raced through his body.
The guy had again pulled out another sword. What do I do? Chou thought. I can't block, and I can't not block... Wait! The guy brought his sword down at Chou's head. Chou brought his sword up and blocked.
The glass sword did not shatter. "What?!" said the guy.
"Look close! I blocked with the flat of my blade instead of the edge! That dispersed the force of your attack so your sword didn't break! And now..." He brought his sword around to strike from his right. The guy instinctively blocked. The glass shattered, but this time the shards were propelled back at the sword's wielder. The guy apparently lacked Chou's fortitude; he screamed as the shards ripped into him.
The guy dropped his sword and jumped back. He reached to the swords on his back and drew one. It was a real katana, Chou saw. The guy roared and came at Chou. Chou went to meet him.
Then they were past each other. They both froze at the end of their attacks for a long instant. Then the guy fell to the ground, and blood began to pool around him. Chou walked back over to the body. "I knew you were a moron."
He looked over at the children. They were clearly terrified, but he did not have time for that. He walked over to them. They shrank back from him. "You kids need to come with me. I'm a policeman."
They did not move, obviously as scared of him as they might have been of the other guy. "I'm a policeman! Really! We have to go, now!" The boy was still shaking, but the girl looked like she was thinking it through. Chou spoke directly to her. "Your mother asked me to come get you. The other cops are freeing the people back at the town, and we have to get back there, okay?!"
Finally the girl nodded and said, "All right. Come on, Hisa." She stood and took the boy's hand. The boy stood up, still obviously terrified. Chou glanced around. He couldn't see any sign of other enemies. He decided not to follow the river back. If Tomokazu or whoever was out in the night somewhere, it would be far too easy for them to be found if they went that way. He walked into the forest, and heard the children coming after him.
An hour later he called a halt. The moon above was almost full, but little light penetrated the trees. The children were stumbling and clearly exhausted, and he had managed to trip and hurt his own knees a couple of times, even besides the pain in his upper body from the glass.
"You two get some sleep. We've got a long way to go tomorrow." He sat down on a rock and kept alert, ready in case of attack.
The girl got the boy settled in. Then she walked over to Chou. "I'm Chiyo," she said. "That's my brother, Hisamitsu."
"Yeah, right," Chou said absently.
"You're bleeding," she said.
"It's nothing." Why was this kid pestering him?
Chiyo reached into a pocket and took out a roll of bandages. Then she leaned close as if inspecting the wounds on his arms.
"W-What are you doing?!"
"We need to get these dressed," she said, as if that explained it.
"What do you have those bandages for?!"
"My mother is the town doctor. I'm learning her trade."
"I told you to go to sleep," Chou said, hoping she'd leave him alone.
"Right after I get this done."
Chou couldn't think of anything else to say. He did need his wounds tended, after all. He couldn't just bleed all over the place.
Chiyo began to pick the shards of glass out. "That hurts!" Chou complained.
She didn't acknowledge that he had said anything. After a while she said, "I wish we could light a fire, but with those others out there it wouldn't be safe."
"What others?" Chou said.
"The men from the mansion. The one with the bow and arrows, and the other with the knives."
"Knives?"
"Mm-hmm. Lots of them, hundreds, in pockets all over his clothes."
So Tomokazu was definitely here. This other one, with the knives... Chou didn't know who that was.
Toshishai stared out into the darkness. He didn't know what answers it might give him, but he looked all the same.
"What if they kill the villagers in the mansion tonight?"
Toshishai did not turn to regard the speaker, knowing who it was. "Then I will have more dead on my conscience."
He sensed Fujita coming up to stand next to him. "You talk like someone I know. A manslayer from the war. He is tortured by thoughts of those he killed. But you're not like that."
Now Toshishai turned to look at the tall man. "I'm not?"
"No. Something else keeps you going."
Toshishai looked back out at the darkness. It was several moments before he spoke. "I was born in this village. Did you know that?" Fujita said nothing. "I did not leave to fight in the war. I had no opinion on the Shogun or Imperialists, and I was no warrior anyway. I only left afterwards. I joined the new army, knowing Japan would need much help to heal the wounds of war. And then when I was gone, Shishio's men came. They enslaved people, killed. So I volunteered to lead this mission."
"But you're not looking for revenge."
"No. I only want to free my friends, and save as many as I can. There is meaning in that. There is no meaning in revenge." He turned back to Fujita. "And what about you? Why are you here, freeing a village you've never heard of from a dead tyrant?"
"I go wherever there is an opportunity to dispense my own justice, that of Aku Soku Zan. I go where there is evil to slay."
Chiyo woke the next morning to see Chou awake and watching their surroundings. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Did you go to sleep, Chou-san?" she asked.
He glanced at her. "No."
"Don't you think you should have?"
"I can't sleep right now. Get him up; we have to go."
She shook Hisamitsu. He opened his eyes blearily and said, "Sister?"
"We have to go now, Hisa."
They both stood up. Chou led the way as they started walking, his sword unsheathed and ready.
After a while Hisamitsu said, "Are you really a policeman?"
"Yeah," Chou replied brusquely. Chiyo thought maybe he didn't want to talk.
"You don't look like a policeman."
"Yeah, well, I am one, all right?" Chou shot back angrily.
Chiyo could tell that scared Hisa. Chou glanced back at him and Chiyo. He looked annoyed. Then he went back to ignoring them for a moment. Then he stopped walking. The children looked at him. He heaved a huge sigh. He took the empty sheath off his belt and held it out to Hisa. Hisa looked at it wide-eyed until Chou said, "I need someone to carry this for me." Hisa tentatively reached out and took the sheath. He held it carefully, as if he were worried he might not do it right. Chiyo smiled at Chou. Chou rolled his open eye and resumed walking.
The first platoon went through the eastern gate and set up along that wall, rifles at the ready. Saitou, Captain Toshishai, and Lieutenant Honami went through the gate next. Toshishai waved in the next platoon, which set up on the northern wall. When they were in position he waved in the third platoon. Up to that point they had still spotted no enemies.
The first two platoons would prevent escape. The third platoon was for the attack.
Honami took the point, followed by a squad of ten men. Toshishai came with the next squad. Saitou came with the third squad. He had no intention of remaining with them any longer than he had to, though.
The mansion was a large Western-style building, with several branches and wings and two stories. There were some smaller outlying buildings spread out among the grounds, which were several acres. Trees were everywhere. All of this made for a difficult operation. Saitou reluctantly admitted to himself that Toshishai might have been right in waiting for the day. Even with the sunlight, there were any number of hiding places in the area, and they had only a rough estimate of the number of enemy, based on long-range surveillance.
Honami went through the front door fast. The squad with him fanned out to either side. Saitou, in the rear, could not see inside very well. It looked at first as if there was still no resistance, until suddenly a gunshot rang out. Then they heard more gunshots, and the screams of men.
Toshishai wasted no time in ordering his squad forward into the building. Saitou did not technically have command of the squad he accompanied, so he simply charged in. The men followed.
It was a chaos of battle inside. Soldiers had discarded their rifles and drawn sabers to fight with black-clad men wielding katanas. Some of the soldiers pursued men down the hallways. Idiots, thought Saitou. Getting drawn away from the main group like that. He supposed that was as good a place to start as any, though. He charged down a hall after some of the soldiers.
In the darkness of the inner halls he came across a soldier and an enemy, sword and saber locked together. He cut down the enemy as he ran past.
As he continued on he came across slain bodies. A couple of enemies came out at him from side doors and hidden passages. He killed them and moved on.
He stopped and looked down a short side passage. There was a door at the end with sunlight showing through the cracks. Some sense pulled him towards it, and he did not resist. He had long since learned to trust senses like that.
The door opened onto a small courtyard. There was a small pond ringed by rocks in the center, and perfectly green grass surrounded it all. Between the rocks could be glimpsed colorful fish swimming lazily.
Seated on one of the larger rocks was a man. He wore peasant clothing and carried no weapons. At first glance many would think he was one of the villagers in the mansion. Saitou, though, noted the strangely serene smile on the man's face, and the muscles, relaxed but powerful, beneath his clothing.
"Who are you?" said Saitou.
"I am Akutagawa Yasushi," said the man with transcendent calmness. "I am a servant of Shishio-sama."
Saitou returned the smile then and said, "An unarmed servant of Shishio, I think you mean."
The man's smile did not falter. He stood up. Saitou was expecting a martial artist, like that moron the Battousai traveled with. But then Akutagawa reached down and picked up two stones, one in each hand. They were larger than his fists. He began to walk towards Saitou. Saitou did not know quite what to make of this. He waited for Akutagawa to get close and swung his sword in a sideways arc.
Akutagawa raised one of the stones and blocked easily. He thrust forward with the other stone. It slammed into Saitou's chest, pushing him back a step. Saitou stabbed at Akutagawa, but the man parried and punched again with a rock. Saitou jerked to the side and swung his sword again, only to find it again blocked.
"Now you see, do you not?" said Yasushi. "This is the fighting style Dokyo. It was developed by farmers who could not buy swords. It has been perfected over the centuries, and now I use it to topple the government that oppresses the common workers!"
They went back and forth. Saitou's one sword could not get past the two rocks Akutagawa carried. Akutagawa, however, was able to strike Saitou several times. Saitou's ribs felt like they might break if they were hit another time. He stabbed at Akutagawa's face, but again he was blocked. Akutagawa's other rock swung around and caught Saitou's shoulder. A grunt of pain escaped him then.
Akutagawa's smile had gone from serene to maniacal. "You see! You cannot stop us! The nation of Japan, the very ground beneath us rejects your tyranny!"
Saitou smiled. "I never thought I would regard Shishio as the smart one in your organization."
Akutagawa's face contorted in anger. He shoved a rock forward at Saitou's face. Saitou ducked and slashed at Akutagawa's legs. Akutagawa tried to get a rock down to block, but he was not fast enough and Saitou opened gashes on the front of both of Akutagawa's calves. Akutagawa gasped in pain and jumped back.
Saitou barked out a laugh. "You're such an idiot! As long as I kept attacking your upper body you were fine, but those rocks don't have the reach to guard your legs!" He came forward to attack again, but Akutagawa snarled and threw both rocks at exactly the same time. Saitou stopped and swung his sword sideways from the left. He knocked one rock to the side, which hit and deflected the other rock. He smiled at the again-unarmed Akutagawa.
Akutagawa held his angry expression a second longer, then returned to his maniacal grin. He suddenly leapt backwards, clearing the pond and landing on the other side. Saitou thought he was trying to run, but he did not. He grasped a very large stone, almost a boulder, in both hands. He lifted it out of the sucking mud on the pond's edge and held it over his head.
Then he laughed. "You will not feel so secure after you have been crushed by my Yamakuzure attack!" he roared. He leapt into the air, this time coming toward Saitou. At the top of the arc he brought the rock beneath him. He came down at Saitou with the rock leading the way, his entire body hidden from Saitou's view. "Die, dog of the government!" he screamed.
Saitou released his sword with his right hand. Pointing it up at the rapidly descending form with just his left hand, he shouted, "Gatotsu, Third Stance!" He jumped upward with superhuman force, propelling his sword with his arm as his legs propelled his body.
Akutagawa saw, for the merest instant, the rock beneath him shatter, followed by the tip of the sword.
They spoke little as they traveled. Chou scanned every tree, rock, and blade of grass they passed. Occasionally the kids pestered him with questions, which he answered as briefly as possible.
"How long have you been a policeman?" asked Chiyo.
"Not long," said Chou.
"Why did you become a policeman?"
It was the only way to stay out of jail, thought Chou. "The pay is good."
"Are there lots of policemen back in town?"
"No, mostly soldiers."
"You mean in the army?"
Chou froze. An instant later he jerked back. An arrow sped past where his head had been and hit a small tree.
The tree exploded. A few splinters hit Chou. The children screamed. He looked around wildly, seeing a man with a bow about fifty feet away. He was readying another arrow. Chou grabbed the children and pulled them behind a large tree. He heard a whistling noise, then a loud bang right on the other side of the tree. The tree held, though.
"Is that Chou of the Juppongatana?" called out a voice.
"You know it is, Tomokazu!" Chou shot back angrily.
"I knew there must have been someone other than common soldiers in the area when I found Hayato dead!"
"That moron with the glass swords? Even a common soldier could have taken him out, and you too!"
"Don't get stuck up just because you were in the Juppongatana!" Tomokazu roared. "Shishio-sama himself trained me! My explosive arrows are more than enough to take out a second-rate swordsman like you!"
"Why am I second-rate?" said Chou. "Because I lost to the Battousai? Even your precious Shishio-sama lost to him! And there's no way I'll lose to a fourth-rate idiot like you!"
In response Tomokazu sent another arrow their way. The children screamed again and clutched at Chou's legs as the explosion sounded, but the tree was thick and it still stood. Chou tried to think of a way to get close enough to attack Tomokazu. If he came out from behind the tree it was only a matter of time before an explosive arrow hit him. He was not particularly eager to find out what would happen then.
He looked up. There was a branch not far above him; if he could get up there, the leaves might conceal him.
He was just about to jump when he realized the children were still clutching at his legs. He looked down into their tear-filled eyes and wondered how he was going to manage this. He couldn't take them with him. He said to the girl, softly so it wouldn't carry to Tomokazu, "I have to leave you here so I can go fight this guy." She shook her head, too panicked to speak. "I have to! And you've gotta stay here! If you move, he'll see you and he might figure out what I'm doing! I'm depending on you!"
She was still shaking, but she nodded. He did not know if she would be able to handle it, but he didn't know what else to say. She pulled the boy away from him. Braver than any kid her age should have to be, Chou thought. He went to sheath his sword but remembered he had given the sheath to the boy. The boy did not have it; he must have dropped it when the explosions started. Chou shoved his sword into the ground. He would use another one when he got over there.
He looked at the children who watched him with terrified eyes. "I'll come back for you," he said simply. He jumped up and grabbed the branch with both hands. He swung himself up, pain assailing him as his wounds from the night before tore open again. Despite that, he almost felt like smiling. It had been a while since he had had some difficult opponents.
He climbed up to a higher branch just to be on the safe side. Then he looked around and saw another tree to his left, close enough that the branches mingled with the branches of the tree he was on. He could only hope that Tomokazu was watching the ground intently enough that he might not notice movement above. He ran along the branch he was on and jumped onto the next tree.
When he reached the trunk of that one he paused, waiting for any sign that Tomokazu had sensed him. There was nothing, so he circled the tree and looked for a place to jump to the next one.
He had to circle far enough to Tomokazu's right that Tomokazu would not see him when he jumped down. He jumped to the next tree, and the next. When he was there another explosion sounded, but it was back at the original tree; Tomokazu thought he was still there. He had to go fast before Tomokazu was disillusioned. He hoped the children stayed where they were.
He gave up considering his jumps and just went as fast as he could. It was dangerous and he almost fell on every jump, but finally he managed to get far enough around that he felt safe in climbing down. On the ground he ran as quickly but quietly as he could, circling the remaining distance to Tomokazu's back. He drew a sword and advanced slowly.
It had been a while since Chou had seen him up close, but Tomokazu had not changed. He was tall, taller than Chou or Saitou, and very slim. His head was shaved bare. He wore Western clothes, like Houji had; Chou did not know what they were called. Across his back was slung his quiver of explosive arrows, and in his hand he held the long bow he used.
Tomokazu called out, "Chou?" Chou did not answer, of course. He sensed Tomokazu was getting suspicious. Tomokazu sent another arrow at the tree. After the explosion died down Chou heard the children whimpering. He saw that the tree would not take another blast. There was a huge blackened hole in the trunk from the multiple blasts. He was not even sure it would not topple on its own, so before Tomokazu could get another arrow out he broke into a run.
He raised his sword as he ran, intending to bring it down at Tomokazu's head. Just before he reached the man, though, Tomokazu turned at some small noise. He was clearly surprised to see Chou. Chou yelled and brought the sword down to kill him, but Tomokazu raised his bow and blocked it cleanly.
Tomokazu laughed as Chou tried to push past the bow. "Surprised, Chou? My bow is made of steel, thin enough to bend but strong enough to fight with! I am not helpless when you get close to me!" He shoved against the sword with his bow and Chou had to take two steps back. Tomokazu held the bow in two hands, as if it were a staff. Chou swung again, from the left side this time, and again Tomokazu blocked. Tomokazu countered, stabbing the tip of the bow at Chou's eyes. Chou jerked back to avoid it. He swung his sword again half-heartedly, and Tomokazu blocked with little evident effort. Tomokazu laughed again and said, "Give up, Chou! You cannot strike me as long as I have this bow!"
Chou slashed again. Tomokazu moved to block but misjudged Chou's target. Chou was not aiming for Tomokazu himself this time. He cut the bowstring. The sudden release in tension made the bow snap straight so quickly it jumped from Tomokazu's hands. There was a frozen instant as Tomokazu stared at the bow, suspended in midair, in shock. Chou knocked the bow aside with his sword. Tomokazu looked at him with fear, and Chou smiled. But before Chou could do anything else, Tomokazu reached to the quiver at his back and pulled out an arrow. Chou had a split-second to see the large arrowhead that held the gunpowder or whatever. Then Tomokazu rammed it into Chou's stomach.
The explosion forced the men away from each other. Tomokazu fell to the ground, then sat up clutching his hand, which was a bloody ruin. He looked at Chou, who had kept his feet. "What the --?!" gasped Tomokazu.
Chou looked down. His shirt was a mess, with a charred black hole in the stomach. Beneath that, bands of metal gleamed. He was completely unharmed.
Chou laughed. "That is the Hakujin no Tachi, Tomokazu! My best sword! It has saved me many times, although never quite like that before!"
He advanced on Tomokazu. Tomokazu looked close to tears. "It's not fair," he whined. "I should have been in the Juppongatana! I could have beaten you, or that faggot Kamatari!"
"Could have beaten me?" Chou asked incredulously. "I just beat you, you moron!" He leaned close. "And Kamatari would have broken your bones and then cut you in half." He raised his sword and ended it.
He took a moment to savor the victory, then sank to his knees. He realized how tired he was. The blood loss from his wounds the night before, going without sleep, the shock of that first explosion, the intensity of combat…
But it wasn't over yet. He still had a long way to go. He struggled back to his feet and wiped his sword on Tomokazu's fancy Western clothes. He sheathed it, then walked back to where he had left the children.
When they heard him coming they looked up. Their terror-filled eyes changed to joy when they saw him. They rushed over and clutched at his legs, either laughing or crying; he couldn't tell which. "Hey, it's okay," he said. Damn, kids were emotional. "I got that guy. We're okay now."
Finally he was able to disengage them. Chiyo said, "Are you hurt?"
"Nah, I'm okay," he said. He went over and got the sword he had left behind when he climbed into the tree. He looked around and found the sheath Hisamitsu had dropped. He picked it up and held it out to the boy again.
Hisamitsu took it almost reverently. He smiled up at Chou, and Chou, not quite knowing why, smiled back. If Saitou saw me now I'd never hear the end of it, he thought.
Toshishai was on the second floor of the mansion. The chaos of the entryway had passed. The soldiers had defeated the enemy there, but Toshishai had no illusions that it was over. They were now forced to do a room-to-room search, a bit like the search of the town but rather more dangerous. He had out his sword, a saber with a metal basket hilt. He had only two soldiers with him. The others were searching different parts of the building. He had no idea where Fujita had gone. Honami had been wounded and went back out to the gate.
He went through a door into a small room. Inside was a man he at first took for one of his soldiers. He had on an army uniform, although the hat was at an angle and the shirt was unbuttoned. The sleeves were ripped off, as well, but his arms were not entirely bare. He wore large gloves that looked like leather. They covered his hands and forearms. Toshishai looked at his face and saw madness there. His skin was pale and his eyes gleamed with anger.
Toshishai said, "Are you one of my soldiers?" though he already knew the answer.
The man gave him a half-grin. "I am Jukodo Kyoshi. I was once a slave of the government, like you, but I have seen the truth. Shishio-sama has shown me Hell, and I will show it to you." He reached into a pocket with his left hand and pulled out a match. He struck it against a wall. He held his right hand in front of him so that his forearm was parallel to the ground. Then he held the match underneath his hand.
Toshishai watched, fascinated, as the tiny match-flame traveled around the gloved hand, then up the forearm until the entire glove was engulfed in flames. If Jukodo felt the heat of the fire he did not show it. He dropped the match and held his left forearm above the right. The left glove instantly ignited along its entire length. Then he held his arms out at his sides, flames dancing on them, his face split in an insane grin.
Behind Toshishai one of the soldiers said, "What in --?"
Toshishai said, "Stay back. I will handle him."
Jukodo laughed. "By all means, come forward and 'handle' me, slave of the Meiji government!"
"I intend to, slave of a ghost." Jukodo's face contorted in anger. He came toward Toshishai. Toshishai raised his saber and came forward. Jukodo punched at Toshishai. Toshishai jerked back but still felt the heat of the flames. He slashed at Jukodo. Jukodo blocked it with a forearm.
He laughed. "You are a fool, captain!" He spat out the rank, turning it into an insult. "My gloves are the strongest leather! Perhaps you could cut them with a true katana, but your cheap saber is worse than useless!"
Toshishai tried another cut, and another, but it appeared Jukodo was right. He couldn't get through the tough leather. Every time he tried, Jukodo countered with a punch that sent Toshishai scrambling back to avoid the flames. Jukodo laughed the whole time.
Toshishai shifted his strategy. He held his saber out straight in front of him. The next time Jukodo tried to punch at him, Toshishai jabbed at his chest. Jukodo jumped back to avoid getting impaled.
"O-ho," said Jukodo, clearly amused. "You are not as stupid as my old captain was. But that will not save you!" A look of concentration came over his features. Then, still standing clear of Toshishai's saber, he punched again. This punch seemed faster and more forceful than the others, but Toshishai was out of range.
That was what he thought, anyway. When Jukodo's fist stopped, flames leapt off and flared right in Toshishai's face. He beat at them wildly with his left hand, and managed not to get singed too badly.
Jukodo laughed. "That was my Choka attack, captain! I developed it myself after Shishio-sama taught me the secrets of fire! How long can you avoid it?" He punched again, and the flames reached for Toshishai. He hurled himself to the side. The flames missed but he felt their heat. Then Jukodo punched again.
Toshishai set his feet and punched back. The metal basket hilt of his saber dispersed the flames and crashed into Jukodo's fist. There was a sickening crunch as Jukodo's fingers broke. He roared with fury and punched with his other hand. Toshishai punched right back, with the same devastating results.
Jukodo staggered back, his crushed, still-flaming hands in front of him. Toshishai stepped after him, held his saber up to Jukodo's throat, and said, "Will you surrender?"
A multitude of emotions flashed across Jukodo's face, including anger, fear, confusion, and indecision. Finally his head sank and he nodded.
Fujita was going through a desk when Toshishai entered the room. "There you are," said Toshishai.
It was a big room, dominated by the large desk. To the side of the desk was a globe, Western-made Toshishai supposed. There were bookshelves along the walls and a large window at one end.
Fujita glanced up, then back down at the papers on the desk. "This seems to be Ihara's private study," he said.
"We didn't find him anywhere," said Toshishai.
"How many enemies were encountered?"
"About twenty."
"It's not over."
"If we are lucky Ihara has some troops hidden in the wilderness nearby and will attack us. If we are unlucky..."
"...he is already long gone, and dozens of men will be killed trying to take him in." Toshishai did not reply. "How many of your soldiers are left?"
"The third platoon was hit hard. There's not much more than a squad of them unhurt, but the other two are still full strength. It should be enough."
"Yes..." said Fujita, but his voice trailed off. Something in the desk had caught his eye. He reached down, then straightened and scattered a few small paper packets on the desktop. Toshishai stepped closer as Fujita unwrapped one. Inside there was a white powder. Fujita licked his finger, dabbed it in the powder, and licked it again, tentatively.
Toshishai couldn't read the expression on Fujita's face. "What is it? Opium?"
"No, medicine. Ishida Sanyaku."
Toshishai waited for him to say more. When he did not Toshishai said, "Is that important?"
Fujita did not answer for a long time. Finally he said, "Possibly."
After Fujita again did not elaborate, Toshishai said, "We have to move out, get back to the camp."
Fujita stood up. "Right." He was clearly deep in thought. He moved out the door without so much as a glance at Toshishai. Toshishai shook his head and went out after him.
The sun was setting as they came in sight of the town, turning the clouds to gold and the sky to fire. Chou said, "Hey, I need that sheath back." Hisamitsu handed it back, and didn't look too saddened by it. He was tired, Chou knew.
Chou hooked the sheath back to his belt and slid the sword he carried back into it. Then he took out the Hakujin no Tachi, holding it coiled in his right hand. There was no telling what they would encounter within the town.
"What's that?" asked Chiyo.
"It's a sword, my best sword. If we run into anybody here I'm gonna have to take them down fast." He left unsaid that he was too exhausted to get into any protracted sword-fight and expect to live.
They continued on and entered the town. It was utterly deserted. "Where is everyone?" said Hisamitsu.
"They got evacuated, like Chou-san said, remember?" said Chiyo. She looked at Chou.
"Yeah, that's right," said Chou. He wondered what to do next. "They've probably attacked the mansion by now, but I'm not sure if they'd still be there..."
"Where's our mother?" said Chiyo.
"She should still be at the camp." He saw the desire in the children's eyes. "I guess we'll try there first." They broke into happy grins. Chou hardly had the strength to smile back.
Then there was a piercing pain in his foot. He looked down and saw a small throwing dagger stuck there. He looked around wildly and saw a man about twenty feet away.
He was not large, shorter than Chou and quite slim. He wore a suit that looked like it was all leather. Sewn into it, covering every inch, were dozens of small pockets. In each pocket was a small dagger like the one stuck in Chou's foot.
His face was young, but with a cruel cast that Chou did not like. In a strange moment he realized that his own face had looked just like that back when he had been in the Juppongatana. Did he still look that way? For some reason he hoped he didn't.
The children had gotten behind him and were looking at the newcomer fearfully. Chou reached down and pulled the dagger out of his foot. It was more painful than he had imagined it would be, but he managed not to show it.
"You must be Chou, of the Juppongatana," said the man.
"Yeah, that's right. Who are you?"
"Godo Suketsune," he said, his face betraying no emotion.
Chou sneered. "Are you another moron who's going to praise the great Shishio-sama before I kill you?"
Now Godo laughed. "Shishio-sama? I never even met the man. I have no real loyalty to him, nor any great admiration for you shock-troopers, either."
Something about the way he said that caught Chou's attention. "What do you mean?"
Godo was smiling broadly. "You don't even know. You Juppongatana always thought you were the best, the strongest in the organization. But you were only chosen because you were fearsome. Psychopaths like Seta and Usui, freaks like Iwanbou and Fuji, guys who could fly and shatter boulders... even you, with your crazy swords. You were chosen because you inspired terror in the enemy. But you all weren't the best. Ihara-san is just a swordsman, but he could have beaten most of you."
Chou raised his eyebrows. "You never met Shishio... so I guess Ihara was the one who told you all that, right?"
Godo's smile disappeared, replaced by anger. "I would like to let you go, and let him have the pleasure of killing you, but he has others to take care of." With that, he reached to two of the pockets on his suit and took out daggers.
Chou let the coils of the Hakujin no Tachi fall from his hand. "Stay behind me," he said quietly to the children. He did not look to see if they obeyed. He just trusted them.
With frightening speed Godo threw one of the daggers. Chou whipped the Hakujin no Tachi around and knocked the dagger out of the air. He was about to send the tip of the whip-like sword at Godo when he noticed that the other dagger was coming at him. He tried to knock it down, too, but it got past the Hakujin no Tachi and stabbed into his shoulder. He grunted in pain, but had no time to pull it out. Another dagger was already coming his way.
Desperately he held the Hakujin no Tachi in front of him. He began to spin the hilt in a tight circle. The band of the sword radiated out from the hilt as he spun it. He went faster and faster until the sword was forming a large spiral in the air before him.
The dagger glanced off the sword, followed by another dagger that was likewise deflected. Chou looked through the gaps in the spiral and saw Godo's movements.
He was operating with both hands. One hand would draw a dagger as the other was throwing, resulting in a continuous stream. Godo did not look to see the knives he drew; his hands seemed to unerringly go to them. At first, Chou thought the knives were not aimed very well, since they did not all go to the same point. But then he realized Godo's aim was perfect. He aimed at different points to test the effectiveness of the shield. The knives ricocheted off the Hakujin no Tachi and flew in all directions. Chou felt the children quiver at every clang of metal-on-metal.
Suketsune laughed. "How do you like this, Chou-san? It is my Nikkojin attack! You have devised an impressive defense, but it is not perfect! There are gaps in that shield!" As if to prove the point, a dagger slipped past the Hakujin no Tachi. It did not stab him but slashed his arm as it went past.
Chou said to the children, "Grab on to my legs and don't let go! Don't let go for anything!" He felt them grab on. He wanted to time this right but he was too tired. He had to just do it.
He hurled himself to the side and collapsed the spiraling sword in the same instant. He felt that the children were still clinging to him desperately as he fell. A dagger stabbed into his thigh but the rest went through the air where he had been. He whipped the Hakujin no Tachi toward Godo as hard as he could. He was too exhausted to aim the paper-thin blade at any particular point, but for once he was lucky.
The blade tore through Godo's neck. Blood spurted out and he dropped instantly. He shuddered on the ground a couple of times, then lay still.
Chou weakly looked down at the kids. They were still clutching his legs tightly, hiding their faces against the cloth of his trousers. He said, "Hey, it's over."
They looked up at him. They seemed different somehow, like maybe they were not quite as surprised that he had once again proved victorious and kept them safe. Chiyo began to turn her head in the direction of Godo. Chou said, "Don't look." She looked back at him and nodded. He glanced at Godo himself. There was a growing pool of blood around him; no reason for the girl to see that.
Not that she hadn't seen quite a bit of blood on this journey already. Chou had new wounds in his foot, thigh, arm, and shoulder. When the children disengaged themselves he stood up. He immediately felt dizzy and fell down on his back. "Chou-san!" gasped Chiyo. She ran to help him sit up.
"Listen," he said. "That guy should have been the last one after us. It should be safe now, so go ahead to the camp. It's about a mile south of the town. You'll get there faster if you leave me here."
Chiyo looked stricken. "Th-That's crazy!" she said. "We can't leave you here!"
"You have to!" he said.
"No way!" She glared at him defiantly. "There's no way we'll leave you here after you protected us! Besides, my mother told me never to leave someone who was wounded without treating them."
He struggled to stand up. "I told you -"
Chiyo shoved him in the stomach and he went sprawling. Pain shot through him and he gasped. Chiyo looked like she regretted what she'd done. But then she set her jaw and took out her bundle of bandages.
He closed his eyes. A moment later she gently said, "I need you to sit up so I can bandage your shoulder." He opened his eyes. She was looking him no longer with anger, but determination. The two children helped him sit up.
Toshishai asked around and found out that Fujita was in the command tent. He went there and found the tall policeman studying the map.
"The final report on the mansion assault has been completed. Twenty-two enemy casualties, five captured. Fourteen casualties on our side, five dead."
"Villagers?"
"Three rescued, no other bodies found."
"Congratulations," said Fujita.
Toshishai could not tell if he was being sarcastic, so he simply said, "Thank you."
Toshishai waited a moment, then turned to go. Before he got outside, though, Fujita said, "You said you volunteered for this mission."
Toshishai turned back to him. "Yes."
"But that's not exactly true, is it? The mission originally proposed was an artillery bombing of the town and the mansion. You asked to be allowed to take men in and evacuate the town. I hold nothing in more contempt than I do those who cannot hold to their beliefs."
Toshishai approached him angrily. "And what about you? I was told about you before you got here. You were the one who originally proposed the bombing! You were the one who insisted that the remnants of Shishio Makoto's army be stamped out!"
Fujita almost seemed to smile. "I never said otherwise."
Toshishai met his gaze spark for spark. "There is nothing I hold in more contempt than those who throw away lives needlessly."
Then a look passed over Fujita's features that Toshishai had never seen there before. It wasn't anger or amusement. It was... He didn't know what it was.
Fujita looked down at the map again. "After Shishio was defeated, his forces were in ruins. The cowardly politicians no longer had to fear assassination, so it seemed the time was right. I proposed bombing the mansion. I never said the town should be bombed. Someone else made that decision."
"Then those three villagers we rescued from the mansion would be dead," said Toshishai.
"And the five soldiers who died there would be alive."
"Are we going to debate arithmetic? They were fighting men. They knew what the risks were, and I never ask my men to do anything I would not. Your justice - this 'Aku Soku Zan' - does it require that you survive your battles?"
"No," said Fujita.
He sounded tired. Toshishai wanted to ask him what it was like, being the last one still carrying the burden of that justice. But Fujita had never spoken of the Shinsengumi, so Toshishai said, "I am willing to die to defend the living, if need be. You are willing to die to destroy those who would kill the living. Are we really that different?"
Fujita opened his mouth as if to say something. Then a shot sounded outside.
They both rushed out, drawing katana and saber as they went. Night had fully descended but the moon was full. They could easily see men running north. Toshishai grabbed one. "What is going on?!" he yelled.
"C-Captain Toshishai!" the excited soldier gasped. "The enemy, they're attacking from the north!"
Fujita rushed past both of them, heading toward the mounting noise. Toshishai followed. More shots rang out, as well as yelled commands and screamed curses.
When they reached the fighting they saw perhaps two dozen soldiers trying desperately to hold off a good forty enemies. Toshishai saw Fujita crash into the fighting where it was thickest, cutting left and right. He moved so fluidly it was as if he was made of water, and cut through the enemy so easily it was as if they were.
Toshishai wondered, for just an instant, what the war had been like, that it forged men like that. But he quickly put aside the thought and moved in.
Chou wanted to curse when he heard the fighting start. They had been so close to the camp, and now battle lay across their path. He said to the children, "Stay close to me."
They went forward through the darkness slowly. When they were close enough he saw that the enemy was attacking, although it looked like more soldiers were arriving every second. He could not get involved with the children there, and he was too tired and wounded anyway. He moved to the side to try to sneak around them.
They had almost gotten around when one of the combatants, an enemy, noticed them. He yelled and rushed at them. Chou let loose the coils of the Hakujin no Tachi, wondering if he even had enough strength to wield the weapon.
Then a shout came from behind the man. He turned and something flashed in the moonlight. He went down screaming, revealing his killer, Captain Toshishai. "Ch-Chou-kun!" he said. Chou sank to one knee and Toshishai rushed over to steady him. Toshishai looked at the children, then back at Chou. He smiled. "I knew you would succeed."
Chou said, "I didn't even know I'd succeed."
"Nevertheless, I knew. You do look a bit worse for wear, though," he said, with a bit of mirth.
Chou was about to reply when Toshishai's face seemed to go slack. Then his eyes widened, and an instant later the tip of a katana burst from his chest. The children screamed as, before Chou's disbelieving eyes, Toshishai was lifted off his feet. He threw his head back as a fountain of blood came from his mouth.
Standing behind him was a large man. His face in the bright moonlight looked around forty and he had his hair in a topknot. He wore hakama pants and a kimono shirt, all in purest black. He smiled as he lifted Toshishai into the air with the katana. He only needed one hand to do it.
Then he whipped the katana around so that it tore out the side of Toshishai's chest. The old soldier landed in a heap on the ground, and Chou knew instantly that he was dead. The samurai looked at the body for an instant before turning to Chou.
"Ihara Denbe," Chou said in disgust.
"Chou the Sword-Collector," said Ihara. "I guess the rumors were true. You did turn traitor." He looked at the Hakujin no Tachi. "A pity. You would have made a wonderful addition to the Hebi Style."
"You can shove your Hebi Style."
Ihara smiled again, then looked past Chou. Chou couldn't help glancing behind himself. The children were still there, visibly terrified. How was he going to save them this time? He felt like he might pass out at any moment.
Ihara said, "So those are the brats Hayato, Tomokazu, and Suketsune took. I told them it was foolish. Did they really think the Meiji bastards cared about hostages?"
"That one did," said Chou, gesturing at Toshishai's body. "If you'd dealt with him instead of fighting you might have lived past tonight."
"Bold words..." said Ihara, and in an instant he was in motion. Chou tried to swing the Hakujin no Tachi at him but was too weak to put any force into it. He couldn't defend very well with it, either, so he could only backstep desperately as Ihara's sword swung. It caught him in the chest and sent him sprawling to the ground.
He could feel blood seeping from the wound, and wondered almost humorously how much more of that he had to lose. He shook his head, bringing himself back from the brink of shock. He struggled up onto his elbows to see Chiyo standing between him and Ihara, her arms outstretched to defend him. Ihara smiled at the ludicrous sight and raised his sword again. "N-No," Chou said weakly. It was all he could manage.
"So it was you after all," came a voice from behind Ihara.
Ihara turned and lowered his sword. The fighting had largely died down, the remaining soldiers on both sides perhaps sensing somehow that the critical battle was about to be joined.
Between the soldiers and Ihara stood Saitou Hajime. His police uniform and sword were stained with blood, none of which was probably his. His face was as unreadable as Chou had ever seen it.
"Tanuma Juro of the first squad of the Shinsengumi," said Saitou. "When I saw the Ishida Sanyaku in your desk, I wondered who you could be. But you disappeared after Toba Fushimi. How did you come to be allied with Shishio?"
"After Toba Fushimi," repeated Ihara. "After Toba Fushimi, you all laid down your swords to the Meiji bastards. I could never do that, never submit to them."
As quietly as he could, Chou took Chiyo's arm and drew her back from Ihara as much as he could. He was losing a lot of blood from the wound Ihara had given him, and he wanted her as far from this as possible.
"You never did understand, Tanuma," said Saitou, sounding almost regretful. "You never understood the creed of Aku Soku Zan. It matters not which group of politicians is in control. All that matters is that evil is slain. You, however, have betrayed that belief by joining with the greatest of evils."
"My name is Ihara now!" He sneered. "And I say that the Shinsengumi existed to serve the Shogun and fight the Imperialists! I say that our true creed was that, and not some childish notion of slaying evil!"
There was a long pause before Ihara spoke again. "You are welcome to fight me now, if you think I am so evil! And when I have slain you, I will be the last of the true Shinsengumi! I will bring down the Meiji dogs, and I will spit on the creed of Aku Soku Zan!"
Saitou's features remained calm, but Chou had learned to read him fairly well. He knew that the expression he saw now was one of pure hate. But that was all Chou saw. His blood loss became too extreme, and the world began to slip away. As he fell into unconsciousness, the last thing he heard was the sound of wolves.
Soldiers and enemies alike glanced around fearfully as the howling rose out of the night all around them. At the same time, they stepped back from the figure of Saitou Hajime, who suddenly seemed to loom larger in their vision. The howling, the light from the full moon, and Saitou himself almost seemed to resonate as, for the first time, the gathered men were confronted with a true fighting spirit.
Saitou shifted his sword to his left hand. He held the hilt next to his chest, the blade pointing at Ihara. He extended his right arm alongside the blade, spread his legs into a wide stance, and bent his knees.
Ihara lowered himself as well, holding his sword before him in a basic stance.
Saitou exploded forward with such force that many of the men looking on took another step back. He ran toward his opponent while at the same time pushing his blade forward with his left hand. This was his Gatotsu, a killing thrust that hit with the force of a cannonball. Ihara swung his sword to the side, trying to deflect the attack. The blades shrieked against each other, and Saitou felt the satisfying sensation of his sword slashing Ihara's skin.
He did not allow himself to assume that it was enough, though. Tanuma Juro had been one of the more skilled members of the Shinsengumi - he had actually survived an encounter with the Battousai - and as Ihara Denbe he was probably even better.
Ihara countered with a swing at Saitou's stomach that the policeman had to leap back to avoid. As their swords clashed Saitou saw that the Gatotsu had cut a six-inch gash in Ihara's shoulder, but if it slowed Ihara down it did not show. He matched Saitou as they went back and forth, the meeting of their katanas ringing out in the night.
Saitou swung from the right. Ihara caught the blow on his sword and forced Saitou's sword high. He stabbed at Saitou's chest. Saitou spun all the way around to the left and used the momentum to propel his sword into a slash. Ihara caught the blow again, the force making his feet skid across the grass. With their swords still locked together he let go with his left hand and punched Saitou in the face. Motes of light danced in Saitou's eyes, but he shook them away. He released his own sword with his right hand and grabbed Ihara's outstretched arm by the wrist. He yanked Ihara forward and brought his right knee up into the man's stomach. Ihara gasped in pain and doubled over as the wind was knocked from him. Saitou raised his sword to chop downward into Ihara's back, but Ihara hurled himself forward and past him.
Saitou spun to keep him in sight, but Ihara had gotten several feet away. He watched Saitou warily as he caught his breath.
"The years have not... diminished your ability, Saitou. I think now is the time to show you the true nature of the Hebi Style."
Saitou said, "If you want these men to speak admiringly of the skill you displayed in the minutes before your death, I have no objection."
Saitou moved to meet him, bringing his sword up and from the right toward Ihara's hip. Ihara did not block; he twisted his entire body in a way Saitou had never seen before. He crouched and swayed and seemed almost about to lose his feet, but he did not. Saitou's sword passed a hair's width from Ihara's body. Unconcerned with the need to block, Ihara brought his sword into a slash at Saitou's chest. Saitou stepped back as quickly as he could, but the sword still bit into him. It was not a bad wound, but he was annoyed nonetheless.
Ihara smiled and came forward again. Saitou watched his advance and tried to understand the strange posture he used. His arms were bent in odd directions. He held his sword in his right hand only. His torso and abdomen were bent at odd angles too.
Like a snake, Saitou realized. Then Ihara was upon him. Saitou let him make the first attack. Ihara's sword came from the right almost lazily. When Saitou went to block Ihara rapidly swung his sword around to come from the other side.
Saitou did not bother to try to shift his block. He burst forward and slammed his shoulder into the surprised Ihara's chest. Ihara almost lost his balance but leapt backwards. He flipped in the air and landed neatly on his feet, only to see Saitou coming at him in another full Gatotsu attack. He hurled himself to the right just in time, but Saitou instantly halted his charge. He swung his sword sideways at Ihara's head with just his left hand. Ihara twisted his neck in another of those maddeningly strange contortions. Saitou's sword cut only air, but Ihara's sword flashed and caught Saitou's thigh. Then Saitou's right hand punched him full in the face, shattering Ihara's nose. Ihara staggered back, but Saitou did not press.
The wound in Saitou's thigh was a long gash but did not seem to have gone deep enough to hit the muscle. He hated to admit it, but the strange body movements of this Hebi Style were distracting. He said, "These tricks of yours are pointless, Ihara. If you have not developed anything stronger you should surrender."
"These 'tricks' were enough to cut you, Saitou," Ihara said, smiling despite the blood running down over his lips and chin from his disfigured nose. "But all right, I will show you a stronger attack!" With that he got into position for an obvious thrusting attack... a thrusting attack Saitou knew almost as well as the Gatotsu.
"You're going to use the Hirazuki?" Saitou asked incredulously, naming the old Shinsengumi attack on which the Gatotsu was based. "You must be mad! You think I can't defend myself against that?"
"That is exactly what I think, Saitou," said Ihara. He began to wave the tip of his sword back and forth. Saitou tried to figure out the point of that, but before he could Ihara burst forward, shouting, "Hebi Style... Dakou!" His sword continued to weave back and forth as he surged toward Saitou.
Saitou swung his sword around to parry. But the instant their swords should have met, Ihara's waving blade changed position again and slid past Saitou's. Saitou jerked back but still felt the sword stab into his chest. It was shallow, but painful.
Ihara laughed. "This is my Hirazuki, the ultimate Hirazuki! Because of how I wave it back and forth, it is impossible to predict exactly where it will land! It is therefore impossible to defend against!"
"You must be joking," Saitou said contemptuously. "I have already found the way to defeat it!"
"Since it's you, I can almost believe it!" said Ihara. "But you will have to show me!"
He got into position again. When he surged forward, Saitou noticed the way the sword moved. In the moonlight the flashing of the blade looked like a slithering snake.
Saitou held his sword parallel to the ground. When Ihara reached him he pulled the sword upward but still level. The attack was neatly deflected.
He said, "It doesn't matter where the attack lands if it is always along a flat plane! If I block upwards instead of to the side it will always be defeated!" He slashed at Ihara's chest, but Ihara jumped back again. Saitou got into position for the Gatotsu and immediately burst forward.
Ihara held his ground. When Saitou got close Ihara's sword flashed. Saitou thought he was blocking until he felt Ihara's blade stab deep into his forearm.
Ihara was smiling as Saitou jumped back. He felt like he was losing his grip on his sword, so he immediately switched it to his right hand. His left hand was twitching oddly. He could tell the wound was bad.
"You're overconfident in the Gatotsu, Saitou!" said Ihara. "The defensive strength of that attack lies in the distance between the point of your katana and your body. An opponent must get past that distance to attack you. But your arm is much closer! It is your vulnerable point!"
He came at Saitou straight, wielding his sword with both hands and evincing none of the bizarre tactics of his Hebi Style. Saitou blocked the blows, but it was difficult to match Ihara's strength with only one arm.
Ihara laughed. "Is it getting difficult, Saitou? I think it is! Now you will see my strongest attack!" He hopped backwards a short distance and fell into a crouch. Both his feet were together. He held his sword horizontally, the tip out to his right, with the hilt close to his stomach. He shouted, "Hebi Style... Rinkou!" and suddenly burst forward, pushing his sword up and forward as his legs propelled his body, all of it blindingly fast. Saitou caught the blow, but found himself lifted off his feet by the force. He fell backwards and tumbled to the ground. He rolled away as quickly as he could.
It was not fast enough. He felt Ihara's sword slash across his back. He rolled further, then came to his feet and faced Ihara, who was grinning maniacally. "You may as well let the Rinkou hit you, Saitou! Even if you block it you will be lifted off your feet, and then you are mine!"
Ihara approached again. Saitou lowered his stance, his right foot far in front, his left far behind. Ihara saw this and laughed. "You think such a stance will save you, Saitou?" He wasted no time, simply crouched down in the position for the Rinkou. He laughed as he exploded forward once again.
Saitou did not bother to block. As Ihara's sword came at his chest, he lifted his left leg, which supported him in the rear.
He fell over backwards and caught himself on his left elbow. Ihara, committed to the Rinkou, came right over him. Saitou smiled at the look of shock on Ihara's face. "Your Rinkou is much like my Gatotsu, using all the muscles for power. And even if I had a wide stance you would still knock me off my feet, due to the rising action of your attack. But if my Gatotsu misses, I am not helpless. Like you are now." The smile disappeared, replaced by pure hate, as he rammed his sword upward into Ihara's chest.
Ihara did not scream. He just looked down at the sword and gasped, almost as if he were surprised rather than hurt. His own sword slipped from his fingers. Saitou was hurt all over but got his feet under him. He held on to the sword, still stuck in Ihara's chest. Ihara let out a choking groan as Saitou stood, and he knew Ihara was in pain then. Saitou braced himself and, with just his right hand, lifted Ihara off his feet and into the air. Ihara's whole body was shaking from the agony. He clutched at the sword blade so tightly blood ran down his hands.
His face was a mix of inhuman pain, shock, and fear, but Saitou had no pity. He said, "Does this seem familiar, Ihara? It should! BUT I DIDN'T STAB YOU IN THE BACK, DID I!!!" Then he ripped the sword around and a wave of blood followed it out the side of Ihara's chest. The body seemed to hang in the air for an instant, spinning with the force of the action, then fell wetly to the ground.
His awareness of the surroundings returned. He looked at the gathered men, their faces filled with awe, fear, or surprise. When he saw Lieutenant Honami, he gestured with his sword at the remaining enemies and said, "Place the rest of them under arrest, Lieutenant. If anyone resists, kill them."
The enemies glanced around fearfully at the soldiers and dropped their swords one by one. As the soldiers threw the men to the ground and tied them up, Saitou walked over to the prone body of Chou. For the first time he noticed the two children, a boy and a girl. They kneeled by Chou, expressions of worry on their faces. The girl held some bandages, bunched up in her little hands, against the wound is his chest.
Saitou nudged him in the ribs with his foot. "Are you alive?"
Chou's eyes slowly opened. "You're a real bastard, you know that?" he said weakly. "Is he dead?"
"Of course," said Saitou.
"These are the kids Toshishai wanted me to find. Take them back to their mom, will you?"
"All right," said Saitou.
Chou said to the children, "You go with this guy. He'll take you to your mother."
Chiyo and Hisamitsu glanced at each other. Then Chiyo looked at Saitou and asked, "Is our mother safe, sir?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Then we'll stay here with Chou-san."
Chou looked as though he might argue, but didn't. Saitou said, "Quite an affectionate little group you've got here." Chou did not reply, and his eyes slid shut again.
"Chou-san?!" the girl gasped.
Saitou noted the rise and fall of his chest. "He's just asleep." He turned to the soldiers, who were leading the captured enemies away and seeing to their own wounded. "I need a stretcher over here!" he shouted, and some of the men headed over.
Saitou's gaze fell on Lieutenant Honami, kneeling by the body of Captain Toshishai. He walked over there. Honami looked up at his approach. "He got married last year," said the lieutenant. "A woman he met in Tokyo. I'll have to tell her what happened. I'll say that he died bravely, of course, but it will be a lie. Stabbed in the back by a monster..."
Saitou said, "He lived bravely. In the end, that's all anyone can ask of us." Honami looked back at Toshishai and nodded. Saitou glanced down at his own wounds, decided they were not that bad after all, and went to help with the wounded.