33

33. Red & White

Not long after, on the twenty-second day of the twelfth month of 1864 (Keiou 1), Force Captain Kondou Isami finally returned from Geishuu. The men who had accompanied him, Itou Kashitarou, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Ogata Shuntarou, also filed into the new HQ in Kashouchou, covered in traveler's dust.

"Good job holding down the fort, Toshi!" Kondou patted Toshizou hard on the back. It seemed as if the Force Captain had changed, somehow. In only one month, the eyes with which he looked at his vice had grown a bit colder.

'Strange.' And so, the sensitive wheels of Toshizou's mind began churning.

That night, there was a banquet for all the officers. Kondou quickly downed a few shots, becoming beet red in no time at all. Despite being usually temperate, he kept commenting on how delicious the alcohol tasted.

"The old capital really does have the best sake!" However, the man would drink no more, content to gobble down anything his eyes came across on the trays in front of him, yet feverishly discussing as if he was actually drunk. "On the outside, Choushuu is swearing allegiance to both the Emperor and the government, but they're just like wolves in sheep's clothing! They're actually piling up weapons behind our backs!"

"Hoh..." the officers present were all surprised.

The Aizu clan vehemently hated Choushuu, so of course Kondou looked upon the clan with similar eyes.

'They must be planning to conquer the entire country,' Kondou thought. The Mouri house wanted to rise up to become shogun, take the Emperor and create a new government themselves. To Choushuu, the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" ideology was merely a tool, Kondou believed, filled with repugnance. It wasn't just him, though -- everyone from the Aizu clan felt the same way, and even the Satsuma clan, who later allied with Choushuu, strongly agreed on this point.

As proof, during the time of the Satsuma-Choushuu alliance, Saigou Yoshinosuke (Takamori) from Satsuma did not easily agree to anything, most likely because he held these doubts in his heart.

"The government is weak," Kondou spat out. "If they don't send soldiers into Suono and Nagato soon, crush the Mouri house, and put the land under government control, who knows what'll happen."

"But, Kondou-san..." Itou raised his pale face. He had a different way of thinking. "Just last year, Choushuu vowed to revere the emperor and expel the barbarians, even in the face of enemy ships from four different countries in Shimonoseki. Loyalists all around the country applauded the clan's fearless deed. Kondou-sensei, you too are a believer of revering the Emperor and expelling the barbarians, are you not?"

"Indeed, I am."Without a doubt, it was one of the founding ideals of the Shinsengumi.

"In that case, you should possess a more flexible way of looking at Choushuu. They were merely attempting to carry out their Imperial orders. The foreign barbarian's artillery proved far too powerful, however, so all their cannons on the shore were destroyed -- and in addition to that, they were later punished by their own government. Choushuu has been wounded so badly, they're on the verge of death. Regardless of any other crimes they have committed, further attacking them at this point would not be the choice of a true warrior."

"The choice of a true warrior..."Kondou dropped his chopsticks. "Itou-san, are you implying that I am not a true warrior?"

"Yes," Itou stared straight into Kondou's eyes, then laughed and continued the discussion.

The clever Itou already had Kondou completely figured out. He possessed a simple mind, one that argued for principles based on his own emotional standing rather than pure knowledge.

"The question of whether or not a warrior is a true warrior can be answered simply by whether or not he possesses compassion. To put it simply, he must feel sympathy for his fellow warriors."

"You don't need to put it simply," Kondou snatched up a piece of sashimi. "I understand." He placed it into his mouth with a bitter expression.

Kondou had already become a big fish in the sea of Kyou politics, and the man intended to carry himself as so. Being seen as uneducated by Itou was painful.

"Itou-san. I understand everything. There is no reason to talk excessively."

"I agree. And especially, on this recent trip, I think you truly came to understand my humble opinions, to a profound level—Hijikata-san," Itou suddenly turned to Toshizou, who was sitting opposite kneed with Kondou.

From the beginning, the Vice-Captain had been sitting and drinking in silence.

"It's true, Hijikata-san."

"What is?" Toshizou asked listlessly.

"You see, what I mean to say is," Itou stammered. He wasn't very good at dealing with Toshizou. "Kondou-sensei...I believe, having come to understand the state of affairs for Choushuu has widened his outlook an additional level. I fear that the only entity left capable of bringing order to this chaotic capital is our very own Kondou-sensei, now equipped with the ability to drink down both the purities and impurities of a situation."

"Oh really?" Kondou, you dumbass, is what Toshizou was really thinking. Eating up flattery like this would only bring the man trouble in the end.

"What do you think, Hijikata-san?"

"About what?"

"This problem."

"I have absolutely no interest in it," Toshizou answered curtly.

When the time comes, all that really matters is the character of a man and what he can do on his own, Toshizou believed. The Shinsengumi may have been a group formed to "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians," but there was still a wide variety of different ideologies throwing that motto around. Choushuu was a mess, had their political rights taken away from them, and were still trying to follow through with that mission. Unlike them, however, the Aizu clan was planning to protect the Emperor and expel the barbarians by strengthening the government. Toshizou simply believed that as long as the Aizu clan sat above the Shinsengumi, they had a right to follow that way of thinking. That was enough for him as a man.

'After all, deep down, I'm a fighting master,' Toshizou smiled to himself.

Whether or not it was because Itou found that smile oddly unsettling, the man had been silenced. After that moment, his mood was dampened, and he didn't seem as enthusiastic in his talking.

The next year soon came: 1865 (Keiou 2).

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month, Kondou accompanied the Chief Delegate for the government, Kasahara Iki-no-Kami to Hiroshima, Geishuu in order to continue negotiations with Choushuu.

"Again?" Toshizou approached Kondou before his departure.

"Toshi, I'm counting on you to keep the fort down here. This time I'll be heading directly into Choushuu territory. I want to witness the true state of Choushuu with my own eyes, and talk with actual Choushuu men. After discussing politics with them, I will finally be able to determine whether the plan to restore order to the nation will be one of arms or one of harmony."

'Gimme a break,' Toshizou thought, but said nothing of the sort. "And you'll be going with Itou, I assume?" Just to make sure.

"He is my Military Advisor," Kondou answered. "Of course I will be taking him."

"Advisor?"

"Yes."

"You don't even have a clue as to who the hell that bastard's been advising."

"Toshi, there's no reason to talk so vulgarly like that. We are patriots now, no longer the sons of farmers from Tama we once were. Itou is just a means to an end. Regardless of the way the man talks and portrays himself, it is irrefutable that his intelligence and service adds clout."

"Adds clout?" Toshizou snickered. "And just what is he adding clout to?"

"To the Shinsengumi."

"Kondou-san. I assume you know that the men Itou often hangs around with have been talking about how the Shinsengumi is virtually under the control of Choushuu?"

"Impossible."

"Or is that what you meant by adding clout?"

"This is just your bad side coming out," Kondou said. "Toshi, ever since I can remember, you've always had a mean streak about you."

"Maybe it's just because of my background, but every time I see a bastard like that, I can't help but feel like puking."

And so, Itou accompanied Kondou to negotiate with Choushuu. This time, Itou brought his leading man, the spy Shinohara Tainoshin along with him.

After entering Hiroshima, Itou and Shinohara accompanied Kondou for a bit. Gradually, however, they secretly separated from the man, going to meet up with Hirosawa Heisuke (later known as Saneomi. He rose up to become another councillor of the Meiji government alongside Kido Takayoshi) and enter Choushuu. The Choushuu clan was pleased with this.

The duo searched out radicals within Choushuu and exchanged ideas. This was about the time when Itou became resolved in his heart to topple the government.

He had a reason.

Itou took his first step towards betrayal because he came across a very important piece of secret information during his visit to Choushuu. This information detailed the mutual alliance that had been signed between Choushuu and Satsuma, two clans that had previously been like cats and dogs, and the latter of the two being a trusted ally of Aizu.

This secret alliance, which brought a sudden change to the history of the Meiji Restoration, was signed on the twentieth day of this month by Choushuu's Katsura Kogorou, Satsuma's Saigou Yoshinosuke, and their mediator from Doshuu, Sakamoto Ryouma. The meeting took place in the Satsuma estate on Nishiki Lane in Kyou.

No one in the government, Aizu clan, or the Shinsengumi had any knowledge of this.

That was no surprise. In order to keep the meeting as secret as possible, neither Katsura nor Saigou had told any of their subordinates, preventing the news from getting out.

"If Satsuma and Choushuu ever joined hands..." No one at the time thought such a thing was even possible. "Militarily, the government would be no match for them."

The myriad of vassal warriors the government boasted were weak and useless. Aside from the three royal families, the Tokugawa house themselves, Aizu, and Kuwana, no other daimyo was likely to rise to the occassion. Even government officials admitted to this.

And so, the two great clans joined hands. It's safe to say that from this moment, the government was defeated --but unfortunately, Toshizou had no knowledge of this.

And neither did Force Captain Kondou.

The only man of the Shinsengumi who did know was the Military Advisor, Itou Kashitarou. "See you soon, in Kyou." Itou announced to the Choushuu men, before taking his leave. "I intend to build up a righteous army to aid your cause. Naturally, I will be cutting ties with Kondou and Hijikata."

The Choushuu clan was pleased.

Itou was given a warm reception, and remained there for fifty days.

Kondou came back from his trip to Hiroshima with little delay, but managed to gain something from his time as well. The elder Kasahara Iki-No-Kami Nagamichi, who Kondou accompanied, ended up falling in love with the Force Capatain's character.

More than love, Ikinokami truly felt moved by Kondou. There was not a more praiseworthy man he knew than this masterless samurai, who had cast away his status and continued to sacrifice himself for the sake of the government.

"Sensei," Iki-No-Kami respectfully referred to the man. This big-nosed, yet weak-hearted 45-year old heir to the Karatsu clan couldn't help but love the stubborn, brash nature of Kondou. To be honest, though, it was probably the first time he had ever encountered such a person.

"Men like you, sensei, are the cornerstones of our nation," the elder said, as if worshiping some monolith. "I'm sure you're familiar with the current state of the vassals who have been the so-called protectors of our country for over three hundred years. I have a tendency to take a pessimistic view on things, but I believe that sooner or later, the time will come when our Lord has no choice but to call upon the Shinsengumi. Well?" Iki-No-Kami asked Kondou. "All the better, why don't you simply become under direct control of the Lord himself? I imagine you will be pleased with the financial benefits."

"--sir." But Kondou managed to suppress his excitement, remembering that the Shinsengumi was a band of allies, and nothing more. His soldiers were not his servants, but his comrades. It would not be fair for him to profit from their work.

'I can't. Itou Kashitarou and his men would most likely be against it, anyway.'

They were of a different breed than Kondou, men who had moved from their respective domains to become radical loyalists in Kyou. If they were really after some sort of government-serving positions, they wouldn't have left their homes in the first place. And besides, rising up to direct service under the Tokugawa would be like a slap in the face to their original clan leaders.

'Itou Kashitarou...he's in my way.' This was the first time Kondou had ever felt such a thing.

He had no intention of discarding Itou and his group, though. Thanks to the presence of that man, Kondou had gotten in contact with officials from various clans, and had become a much better orator. The Shinsengumi had changed from a mere band of courageous swordsmen to an organization with political ideology in the eyes of many clans.

"Upon returning to my squad and discussing this matter with my comrades, I shall give you an answer," he replied.

After coming back to the HQ and thinking for several days, Kondou finally mustered up the resolve to part with Itou, and went to discuss things with Toshizou.

"Actually, I already heard about this a few hours ago," Toshizou said. The truth was, on the way home, Kondou had shared his thoughts with Ogata Shuntarou, who then quickly transmitted the information to the entire squad.

"This is your fault too, Toshi. Why didn't you immediately inform me after hearing such good news?"

"Is this good news, I wonder?" Toshizou smirked. "If I had to bet, I'd say the Shinsengumi will split into two groups. The Itou group is already preparing for this. Certain sources also tell me that Utsumi Jirou has apparently begun meeting with someone from Choushuu. You sure it's alright to let the squad split like this?"

"For justice," Kondou declared. "Not for personal fame. It will be easier for us to manuever as direct servants, it will be good for the sake of the country, as well as the Emperor."

"You've really been into reasoning lately," Toshizou smiled dryly. "But I, Kondou-san, haven't thought of anything except strengthening the Shinsengumi. If you want us to become direct servants in order to strengthen us, then I will gladly accept."

"Toshi, you truly are in bliss with your simplicity, aren't you?"

"Haha..." Toshizou simply stared fixedly at Kondou, as if he had gotten tired of discussing things. It seemed like this "loyalist" who was always running around with elders had recently started to think of politics as complex. "I'm not so sure about that. I like to think I've put a considerable amount of thought and dedication into my goal here."

"No, no, you're a very admirable man," Kondou laughed heartily. "I wish I could feel what it's like to be you for a day."

"That's because you have a lot to be troubled over."

"Yes, I do."

Toshizou burst out laughing. Regardless of what he said, he loved this aspect of Kondou. "Incidentally," Toshizou returned to his stern expression. "Isn't there something you need to do before taking that offer?"

"You're talking about Itou?"

"Yes," Toshizou nodded.

Upon becoming direct servants, the Shinsengumi would receive the label of a government-affiliated group along with their fame. Out of all the masterless samurai in the nation, they would be the only ones waving government flags. Of course, the Itou group wouldn't go for it.

The Commandments of the Squad still existed, however. Would they quietly eject the men? Or, would they refuse to bend the iron rules they had instated, and force them upon Itou?

"What will we do?" Toshizou asked.

Kondou was silent. Finally, when it seemed that he had killed off his emotions, he opened his mouth once more, with a sleepy expression. "They must follow the Commandments of the Squad. We've been able to bring the Shinsengumi as far as we have thanks to those rules, and in order to continue on from here, we must not allow them to bend."

"As expected of my Captain. It's reassuring to see you haven't lost those guts of yours."

"By the way," Kondou peered toward Toshizou's face. "I heard you found yourself a woman."

"No," Toshizou panicked. The truth was, he had only returned to O-Yuki's house two times since then, and still had yet to lay a finger on her.

"Hohoh, you're getting red. I can't think of a rarer sight than this," Kondou laughed quietly.

Next: Yohei's Shop