28

28. The First Month of Keiou 1

After returning from Edo, Kondou seemed strangely restless.

'He's changed,' Toshizou thought. 'Just what happened to him?'

The Vice-Captain became temporarily perplexed, staring upon Kondou as he always did, except this time with cold eyes.

"Hey, Souji." One time, on the second floor of a small restaurant in Kiyamachi that he often frequented, Toshizou discussed the matter with Okita Souji. For some reason, he felt like he could tell the young man anything that was on his mind. "Talk of this should stay within these walls, got it? Lately...don't you think Kondou-san's been acting a bit unusual?"

"Yes," Okita snickered. He seemed to be in agreement. Since they got here, Okita had been eating nothing but the garnish around the sashimi. He had a very unbalanced diet, and would not eat raw things.

"Humans are fragile when it comes to honor. Kondou met with a bunch of elders in Edo, so that must be the source of why he's acting like this."

"Well..." obviously, that's what Okita thought in the back of his mind. Kondou had been born the son of a farmer in Tama, with no background or even a family name. But now, that very same Kondou was mingling with court elders and taking part in political discussions.

After first hearing news of this, Okita was dubious. He even thought that Kondou may have merely sat in a guard room next to the entranceway, spoke to one of the elders, and was now just making a big deal out of it.

From the day he came back, Kondou had been going on and on about "Sir Izu," repeating the name as if it was some kind of a Buddhist prayer. He wouldn't say Elder Master Matsumae Izu-No-Kami, instead referring to the man as if they were well-acquainted.

"The Force Captain of the Shinsengumi is just like an actual daimyo..." some of the recent Shinsengumi recruits remarked in admiration.

He also went to Nijou Castle at least once every three days. This castle was something that the father of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Ieyasu, had built to be used by the shogun whenever he came to the capital. Currently, it was occupied by the "Supreme Guardian of the Royal Palace," Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu (who later became the 15th shogun).

Here, Kondou engaged in talks with officials from the Kyou Office of Protection, as well as discussed the state of the nation with Yoshinobu's aides.

After returning from Edo, Kondou's procession to the castle became almost exactly the same as a daimyo's. He would not use a palanquin, but ride a horse. Twenty to thirty soldiers would also accompany him, making the captain seem like the leader of a small nation.

"He is no longer some run-of-the-mill patriot from the country." Okita had heard this insulting phrase come from the mouth of Yamanami Keisuke shortly after the union.

"But, Hijikata-san..." Okita began. "Aren't you the one who secretly built Kondou-san up and pushed for him to become more daimyo-like in the first place?"

"Mmm..." Toshizou shifted his eyes away. "That's right."

"So it's your fault, then."

"No. All I said was that I wanted the power of the Shinsengumi to become equal to that of big clans like Aizu, Satsuma, Choushuu, and Doshuu. I still intend to do that now. Now of course, in the twilight of this plan, Kondou-san will receive an honored name and rise to become a daimyo, the leader of this entity...but the feeling is different."

"I dunno..." Okita cocked his head.

"What?"

"You can't except Kondou-san to understand all the intricacies behind what you tell him. After all, unlike you, Hijikata-san, that man is very soft-hearted."

"--what do you mean 'unlike' me, Souji?!"

"Ufu..."

Toshizou poked at his fish with some chopsticks. Okita was clever, so he would say no more. As for the humorous nature of the new Kondou, and the true mental state of Toshizou, he had everything figured out.

One of the reasons for Kondou's daimyo act was due to the rapidly increasing members of the Shinsengumi. Just recently, they had gathered up 50 new men from Edo, who had already gone into service.

The union with the Itou group also had a lot to do with it. They were all masters of both the pen and the sword, and were of a different breed than the recruits so far. Itou was a first-rate politician. Whether it was debate or scholarship, Kondou wouldn't even be able to catch up with the likes of Itou Kashitarou. It was even possible that Kondou couldn't keep up in a fight with Itou, either.

In truth, since the union with Itou happened, the popularity coming from the soldiers had changed greatly. The shadow of the Vice-Captain had become thinner, and even the popularity of Kondou was a bit lacking.

'Therefore Kondou is trying to beat him out in terms of class,' Okita assessed.

If he couldn't match Itou in any area, then Kondou had no choice to become "daimyo-class." He was attempting to show not only Itou, but the entire squad that "only I have a special class." All in all, it was just the kind of thing a country bumpkin from Tama would try to do.

"However," Yamanami Keisuke had once said to Okita, "we are not Kondou's vassals. Since we first bound together, we all came to Edo and pledged to work hard towards revering the Emperor and expelling the barbarians. The Shinsengumi is a band of allies, without a system of lord and retainer, and Kondou is an equal to the rest of his men...so it really makes one wonder what he's trying to accomplish by acting like a daimyo ever time he makes a visit to the castle."

'Exactly,' In his mind, Okita was in full agreement. 'Kondou-san is getting a little too carried away here. This might end up being the very thing that allows Itou Kashitarou to trip him up.'

"Souji," Toshizou spoke up. "It's still too early for Kondou-san to be acting like a daimyo. That should be saved for until the rebellion is suppressed. At the very least, we should take out Choushuu, and then move into occupy at least half of their land."

'Ah,' Okita suddenly though. Even for Okita Souji, this was the first time he realized what Toshizou's true plans for the Shinsengumi were.

"Hijikata-san..." Okita set down his chopsticks. "Are you serious about that?"

"About what?"

"Taking half of Choushuu's land."

"That was just an example. Taking land through military force is one of the most customary practices of a warrior. Once the rebellion is suppressed, I doubt the government will stay quiet."

"I'm shocked." It was like the thought process of a general from the Warring States Period. More than simple, it seemed old-fashioned...which would make it a frighteningly out-of-date strategy. "Hijikata-san, are you saying that you want to become a daimyo as well?"

"You dumbass!" Toshizou yelled in a low voice. "Of course I don't!"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. You think the fighting genius from Bushuu, Hijikata Toshizou, would ever stand to become something like that? I want to do my job. Advancement in this world doesn't mean..."

"Doesn't mean...?"

"I never think about anything like that. I'm a craftsman. Not a patriot, not a loyalist, none of that shit. I don't even care about the fate of the nation. All I want to do is build the Shinsengumi to be the strongest fighting machine this world has ever seen. I know my own self-worth."

"Well, that's a relief!" Okita laughed happily. "But what about Kondou-san?"

"His true feelings?"

"Yes."

"How should I know? Whether he manages to ride on the fortune of the times and become a daimyo, or whether his luck turns sour and he reverts to just another bumpkin swordsman from Tama, my job remains the same: to assist him in his endeavors. With that said, it is my belief that when and if that man decides to abandon the Shinsengumi, we will separate."

'This is Hijikata-san at his best,' Okita thought, staring fondly at the man. In a way, Toshizou was a madman. If this type of madman hadn't existed, however, the Shinsengumi would have almost surely broken up by now.

"That's why..." Toshizou said, with a Tama drawl, "it's still too early for Kondou to become a daimyo. Itou's here now, and he's gaining popularity. But if Kondou tries to float up as a daimyo by himself, the squad will rupture."

What Toshizou was saying now was in clear contradiction with his previous order to Kondou to "act like a daimyo." However, the past was the past, and this was the present. The Itou union had changed everything. Because a man like Itou was so capable of stealing the reins of the Shinsengumi, Toshizou was actually looking upon the entire situation with a feeling closer to fear.

Around this time, something occurred that appeared utterly ridiculous in Toshizou's eyes.

That year, when the era changed to the first month of 1864 (Keiou 1), Toshizou had gone to Osaka on business.

When he returned, the New Year's pine decorations had already been taken down around Kyou. He walked through the gate into the headquarters, only to see some soldiers making noise in the garden.

'What's going on?'

Kondou came walking down the hallway. As unbelievable as it seemed, his face had been daubed white as a ghost in a makeup disaster that would embarrass even a court noble.

'That jackass...has he finally gone completely insane?!' Toshizou flared up, leaping from one walkway to the next, and ran after Kondou.

"Oh, you're back!" Itou Kashitarou stepped out from his room halfway through Toshizou's chase, giving the man a courteous greeting.

Itou's face was as white as a woman's, and his eyebrows had been cleanly shaved, making for a truly handsome appearance. He smiled as any actor playing the hero would.

'It can't be...there's no way Kondou would paint his face white and go walking around like that, all for the purpose of competing with this guy...'

Toshizou slid open the screen to Kondou's room, and was jolted into an upright position with a gasp.

Sitting in the center was Kondou, with that white face of his.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Oh, this?" Kondou obliviously pointed to his own face. "I was going for a portrait."

'Goddammit...' Toshizou sat down with a grim expression. In the capital, did everyone put on makeup for portraits or something? "I'm just going to tell it to you straight today. Don't you think your actions have been a little strange lately?" Toshizou bluntly explained everything he had told Okita. "They say when people ascend to seats of honor, they lose a bit of themselves. That's exactly what happened to you. And I sure as hell didn't come all the way up here to Kyou just to watch you turn yourself into a disgusting white-headed monster."

"Toshi, watch your language. Hearing you go on and on in that Tama dialect makes my head hurt."

With a sullen look on his face, Kondou went out to the garden. There was a matting in the center, which he walked over and sat on to continue pouting. After a bit, what looked like a Confucianist followed by three doctors carrying medicine cases appeared and began to surround Kondou.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Toshizou asked the nearby soldiers what was going on. Apparently, things had been busy since morning, and by now everyone knew all the details as to what was going to happen.

"It's for a portrait."

Current photograph technology utilized dull wet plates, so subjects would often put a light layer of white powder over their faces and sit in front of a white curtain in order to improve the exposure.

The famous Ueno Hikoma from Oomura studied chemistry in a Nagasaki laboratory from the Dutch Chemist Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort. The first photograph Ueno ever shot was at Nagasaki's Nanking Temple, of a man who later became an ally of Kondou, Matsumoto Ryoujun (who studied Dutch medicine and later became the court physician of the shogun Iemochi. Until the end of the Tokugawa era, he expressed much favor toward the Shinsengumi. After the Restoration, he changed his name to Jun, became the Surgeon General, and later a Baron).

Despite the man's protest, Ueno Hikoma had applied white powder to Ryoujun's face. His face was naturally tan, and so he had needed and extra heavy amount of powder to make it white. On top of that, Ryoujun had very rugged features. After all was said and done, he had turned into something monstrous.

"But it's all for the sake of science," he convinced himself, enduring the ordeal.

In order to improve exposure even more, Ueno Hikoma climbed onto the roof of the big temple, holding still for long hours in order to take the best possible shot. Townspeople who saw this mistook him for a new statue that had been fixated there, and large crowds were said to have gathered.

The one who was scheduled to photograph Kondou today was that very man.

From what Toshizou gathered, Ueno Hikoma had recently been sent to Nijou Castle. On top of that, the Supreme Guardian of the Royal Palace, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, had directly ordered him to "photograph Kondou." Yoshinobu was a fan of photography, and would always catch any daimyo who came to the castle and have them take a portrait. Toshizou had also heard rumors that these portraits were used as treats to earn the favor from various leaders.

'Now I get it...so Kondou's become that great of a daimyo, huh?'

Indeed, the captain was no longer a run-of-the-mill samurai. Out of Toshizou's sight, Kondou was in the process of becoming abnormally eminent in the world.

"Please, hold your breath for a moment," the technician said.

"Like this?"

"Exactly."

The technician opened the lens. Then, inside the large, black box, Kondou's figure began to be reflected.

"..." Kondou continued to hold his breath.

The technician did not allow even the slightest gasp for air.

Gradually, Kondou's veins grew fuller. His normally intimidating eyebrows became even more threatening. As he continued to suffer from holding his breath, Kondou's teeth began to groan.

Finally, the technician closed the lens.

"Go ahead," he said.

Kondou took a deep breath.

Toshizou became perturbed. This photograph of Kondou Isami, a man deeply connected to Kyou politics, would last forever. That image of him struggling to hold his breath and ending up with the face of a demon would be etched in history.

"Toshi, how about you?"

"No thank you." He returned to the hallway. As Toshizou walked back down, he realized that in the crowd of gawking soldiers, Itou Kashitarou was not present.

It wasn't just Itou, though. All of the men from the Itou group were absent. Toshizou was probably the only one who noticed this.

'They should be in his room, but...'

The Itou men must have purposefully not looked upon the spectacle. To them, something which any other man would have seen as a rare and interesting event was not even worth a glance.

'Disrespectful bastards,' Toshizou thought in irritation.

He could imagine the reason why. Itou was a political scholar, and a radical orator. Although he was also a believer in the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" movement, men of his school of thought believed Japan to be a land that was close to a holy paradise, which was not to be defiled by Western things and alien footprints. If asked to watch a photograph be taken, they were most likey to decline, claiming "your eyes will be corrupted."

All the absent men were gathered in Itou's room.

Toshizou deliberately passed by, finding that the paper screen had been left slightly ajar. He peeked inside, seeing that everyone was gathered around a large brazier, discussing something.

Itou was smiling gently. Sitting around him were his followers, Shinohara, Hattori, Kano, Nakanishi, Utsumi, along with other soldiers... and Yamanami Keisuke.

'Yamanami, that son of a bitch!' Toshizou unconsciously roared in his gut.

Since the moment Itou joined the squad, Yamanami had been giving the man unusually special treatment. Despite being the General Captain, it seemed like Yamanami had abandoned his post and simply become another one of Itou's followers.

"Does he intend to completely turn his back on Kondou?"

It was truly odd.

With this new development, Toshizou's enmity toward Yamanami Keisuke for the man's defection became far more profound than what he felt towards the outsider Itou Kashitarou.

Toshizou passed by the room. After he did so, throes of laughter suddenly burst out behind him. It's not like they were laughing at Toshizou. The man's face, however, turned a pale blue color as he stared back at the room from the other side of the hallway. At this rate, while Kondou was having fun with his makeup, this group of laughing men would soon come to grip the reigns of the Shinsengumi in no time at all.

'How can I be sure, though?' For now, it was only a premonition.

Strangely enough, however, Toshizou's premonition became reality in a very unexpected manner.

Yamanami Keisuke fled.

Next: Toshizou, Hated