From: serizawa@excite.com (part B-- see previous part for disclaimers) (and have you ever seen a chapter whose comments are as big as the chapter itself? Oh well... >_<) -------------------------------------------------- "Mikura-kun, Arakida-kun, could you honour us by sparing a little bit of time for a quick talk with us?" A sudden voice from behind Mikura and Arakida almost made them jump out of their skin as they hastily turned their heads, finding Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitou Hajime and Hayashi Nobutarou standing behind them. All three men were smiling and talking in a polite manner, but the gleam in their eyes told everything Mikura and Arakida needed to know. Mikura stroke first. Standing up quickly, he drew his sword. At the same time, Saitou drew his, driving Mikura's sword to the wooden wall of the chamber. "Ahou", Saitou said cooly. "Try such foolish acts right now and every Shinsengumi member will come to this chamber to tear the two of you to pieces. Follow us to the outside and there we will have our fight. Or do you prefer facing every Shinsengumi man? I don't mind that at all.", his lips curved up in a sarcastic grin. After a brief moment of silence, Mikura and Arakida exchanged quick glances. Both nodded slightly and hesitatingly grabbed their swords, following the three men to the street in front of the Shinsengumi's headquarters. Slowly walking towards their fate, their heads were bowed, yielding to the inevitable. Rain was softly falling outside, giving a gray color to the already darkening sky of a gloomy twilight. -------------------------------------------------- "So, shall we begin then?", Nagakura smirked, unsheathing his sword and holding it loosely with his right hand. His katana was pointing downwards, hanging at the right side of his body. Saitou also drew his sword and held it with both hands in front of him at the navel's height, the tip of the sword pointing to the neck of his opponent, in the traditional stance known as "seigan", although Saitou's right feet was much more forward than seigan needed. "On my right, Nagakura Shinpachi versus Mikura Isetake. On my left, Saitou Hajime against Arakida Samanosuke.", Hayashi Nobutarou casually observed the scene from the front gate, opening a small umbrella to protect himself from the rain. "The Captains of the Second and Third Units of the Shinsengumi against two dogs from the Ishin Shishi. It's clear who will be the winner." An easy job. Not a hard job. Theoretically speaking. Mikura and Arakida looked again at each other. Mikura bit his tongue, putting desperately his brain at work to devise some kind of plan. There had to be a way out of this -- never heard of a case of a person who survived an attempt of escape from the Wolves of Mibu -- but then they could be the first ones, couldn't they? -- useless to deny their relationship with the Choushuu fief -- talking no longer a suitable option -- fighting the only way left -- but a chasm between their sword techniques and the techniques of Nagakura and Saitou. Mikura sighed in distress and cast a look upon Arakida, who was the personification of listlessness, his sword sheathed and a sad look floating in his eyes. There was no time to waste. Walking back a few steps, Mikura stayed side by side with Arakida, as he unsheathed his sword unhurriedly. "Arakida, listen to me", whispered Mikura. "Only one survivor is necessary in order to warn the Choushuu Ishin Shishis about what happened to us and to tell them what we know. I will try to gain time while you flee from Saitou, do you understand? I will force Nagakura to leave an opening. You take advantage of that and run to the Choushuu fief house. To make matters easier, Nagakura's guard is completely open from head to hip due to the stance he chose. And the seigan stance will somewhat hinder the movements of Saitou, giving you the split second you need to run away. Got it?" Mikura looked at Arakida, who nodded nervously. A difficult job. Not an impossible job. Theoretically speaking. A mist started to surround the area as the warm rain started falling heavier... Suddenly Mikura dashed towards Nagakura, his sword wielded above his head, at the same time as Arakida started running desperately, trying to gain as much as time as possible in order to evade Saitou. With a loud cry, Mikura attacked, his sword describing a beautiful curve aiming at Nagakura's head. Nagakura smiled in contempt as a loud clash of steel was heard... -- RYUUBI NO KEN -- A deep gash ran from Mikura's head to his chest, as a torrent of blood gushed from the wound. Mikura fell on the ground without even uttering a word. Dead. One dead out of six. Watching Arakida run for his life, Saitou quickly aligned his sword horizontally at his shoulder's level as he skidded his right hand to the tip of the blade. In a swift motion, he lunged forward, in a speed much greater than Arakida could run... -- HIDARI KATATE HIRATSUKI -- The body of Arakida was split in two, his torso flying far from his legs as blood spurted abundantly, forming pools of red liquid that mixed with the dirt and the rain in the muddy street. Two dead out of six. Looking at his katana, Nagakura chuckled, "As Sonshi puts it, 'the safest castle is the castle with an opening', don't you agree, Saitou-kun?" Saitou grinned as he sheathed his sword, "That's all the more true with your technique." Opening the front gate of the headquarters, he added, "Now let's wait Okita-kun and Toudou-kun finish Echigo Saburou and Matsui Tatsusaburou." "Yeah, and Kusunoki and Matsunaga are in Harada-kun's and Inoue-san's hands. Kusunoki and Matsunaga are lucky if they die. Or else they will face Hijikata-sensei's wrath themselves.", Nagakura laughed, as he entered the headquarters followed by Saitou and Hayashi. ------------------------------------------------- "Iyadanaa... it's gonna rain...", said the ever-smiling Okita, as he looked up to the cloudy sky. Happily humming a tune, Okita looked at one of the two cornered men at the back yards of the headquarters, complaining in a cheerful voice, "You know, I don't like rain, Echigo-san. It drenches your clothes and your body, and you could even catch a cold! I prefer sunny days, they're much more brighter and happier, don't you agree, Echigo-san?" Echigo Saburou was astonished and fed up with all that babbling. How could a man talk in such a carefree way even in these tense moments before a fight to death? In a bored voice Echigo sighed, "Yeah, I agree, Okita. So, if you don't want to catch a cold, let's finish this soon. I and Matsui are ready to face you and Toudou, if we have to." His sword, already out of its sheath, was pointing menacingly to Okita, as Matsui Tatsusaburou set Toudou Heisuke as his target, the tip of the blade at the height of Toudou's chest. Toudou raised an eyebrow and noiselessly slid his katana out of the scabbard while Okita laughed, "Iyadanaa, Echigo-san, Matsui-san. Such agressive manners are not quite a civilized way to talk, ne?" "Oh, come on, Okita, I've had enough", burst out Matsui. "We all know why you and Toudou are here. So let's cut the shit, okay?" Raising his hands in a placating manner, Okita giggled, "Iyadanaa, ochitsuite kudasaiyo! Don't you know that nervousness only makes you lose your concentration?" "And isn't that exactly what are you trying to do?", snorted Echigo. Okita smiled sheepishly, "Who? Me?" "You're trying to ridicule us", cried Matsui with rage. "Let's go", he grasped his s word. Okita held his sword in front of him, in the seigan stance, the tip of his katana pointing not at Echigo's throat, but at his left shoulder. He glanced at Echigo, then at Matsui, and finally at the wall behind them. His smile widened. "Soredewa ikimasuyo, Echigo-san, Matsui-san. I hope you're ready." In a blur of motion, Okita vanished towards Echigo... -- SANKYOKU ITTAI ROUGA MEKKYAKU -- Three flashes of silver pierced Echigo as his body exploded in blood, his eyes wide open with surprise and pain. His body was hurled violently, crushing against the wall with a loud noise as Matsui turned himself, looking with awe and terror at a smiling Okita, who flew from the wall towards him... -- SANKYOKU ITTAI ROUGA MEKKYAKU -- Toudou Heisuke casually swinged his scabbard, parrying the lifeless body of Matsui that went flying towards him. Playing with his hair, the young and good-looking man sighed, "You make me feel useless, Okita-kun.", he smiled. Okita laughed, "Iyadanaa, Toudou-san. I didn't have such intention in my mind. I'm sorry if I offended you." "No, nevermind, Okita-kun. It's okay. I saw the prowess of the Captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi, the strongest among us, and I'm satisfied.", said Toudou, casting a slight glance at the rain that began falling silently. "Says the Captain of the Eighth Unit of the Shinsengumi, who has never lost to the Captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi", replied an amused Okita. "Obviously, since we've never fought each other", chortled Toudou. "Iyadanaa, you give too much importance to trifles, Toudou-san", giggled Okita. Four dead out of six. -------------------------------------------------- "Kusunoki Kojuurou, are you a hopeless ass or what?", shouted a repulsed Harada Sanosuke, as he wiped the drips of rain from his eyes. "If you had something called brain, you'd know that you can't defeat me and my yari. I don't even have to use my soujutsu of the Taneda Houzouin Style at full strength to kill you. Give up!" "Never!", screamed Kusunoki in sheer dispair, as he pointed his shaky sword towards Harada. "You're trying to kill me because you think I'm a Choushuu spy! I am NOT a spy, I swear to you!" "And you, Matsunaga Kazue? Do you also plead not guilty on espionage?", inquired Harada, turning his head to a young man who stayed at Kusunoki's side, his katana also drawn. Their backs were against the solid wall of the front yard, their bodies arched defensively and their eyes clapped on Harada Sanosuke and Inoue Genzaburou, the two Shinsengumi men who had trapped them. "Yeah, I dare you to prove I am a Choushuu spy as you say, Harada Sanosuke, Captain of the 10th Unit of the Shinsengumi", replied Matsunaga in a defiant voice. "Arrogance makes cowards of men, my friend", Inoue Genzaburou said with his slow and calm tone of voice. "You will regret that bitterly." "You're telling me that, old man?", scorned Matsunaga. "You're just too old and weak to stand against me. I heard that you were nothing but a "mokuroku" of the Tennen Rishin Style. Just because you're the Captain of the 6th Unit of the Shinsengumi you think you can beat me?" "No, I believe he won't. Instead of him, I will." Kusunoki and Matsunaga froze in terror at that voice. Dread - no, something much deeper than that - was clearly reflected in their faces, watching a tall, beautiful swordsman walk towards them. Rain was pouring heavily on him, his pitch-black bangs covering his murky eyes. He, Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo, was the Fukuchou - Executive Officer or Vice Commander - of the Shinsengumi, known as the "Demon among the Wolves of Mibu", whose excruciatingly pitiless acts and an unbendable will of iron made him no longer an ordinary man, but the worst nightmare alive of the Shinsengumi. A shiver of fright ran down through the spines of Kusunoki and Matsunaga. "Kusunoki Kojuurou and Matsunaga Kazue, both roushis of Kyoto.", began Hijikata. "Entered as Hira Taishi (Foot Soldier) of the Shinsengumi on August 27th, together with Mikura Isetake, Arakida Samanosuke and Echigo Saburou, these three also roushis of Kyoto, and Matsui Tatsusaburou, a roushi from Utsunomiya. These four ingressed as Kokuji Tanteigata, Operatives on National Affairs." "But two months later, Saeki Matasaburou, a roushi from Nagato fief (Choushuu), who was infiltrated in the Ishin Shishi ranks, brought up some interesting information." Looking nonchalantly to the two, Hijikata continued, "He discovered that Kusaka Genzui, one of the heads of the Choushuu Ishin Shishis along with Katsura Kogorou and Takasugi Shinsaku, was quite well informed about our moves. Just too well informed." "We had a plan, a plan that should be carried out in the utmost secrecy. However, thanks to his insight, our plan of laying our hands on Katsura Kogorou utterly botched. Not only that, I realized that no matter how elaborate or cunning were the plans I had devised, it seemed like the Choushuu Ishin Shishis flowed like water, easily escaping from our hands. Our patrolling no longer got as many Ishin Shishis as before, and most of the info we got was either misleading or paradoxical." "Then Yamazaki Susumu came up with a curious report: in the nights that preceded our raids on the Ishin Shishis, it was usual that at least one of you six were missing, either because you were off-duty or because you had to see the doctor because of some kind of illness. At the same time Saeki told me that some men used to meet with Kusaka Genzui before the raids. Oddly enough, there was a coincidence between the time of your absences and the time of such meetings. As I stated, a coincidence, of course." Taking a bit of breath, Hijikata looked at the sky as he kept on, "But nonetheless a curious sequence of coincidences, I believe. And yesterday another coincidence was added to the series: Kawashima Shouji found Saeki Matasaburou dead near the Kinkakuji. And near the Kinkakuji you were spotted by Kawashima ---" Hijikata raised slightly his eyebrow as Kusunoki started laughing loud,almost maniacally. "You lie, Hijikata!", cried Kusunoki. "How could he see us if it was already night when he was at the Kinkakuji?!" "Oh, so Kawashima was there at night? Thanks for clearing that up for me, Kusunoki.", smirked Hijikata. Suddenly realizing what he had done, Kusunoki opened his eyes wide, as Matsunaga bowed his head in disbelief and dismay. Matsunaga looked at Hijikata, then at the gate of the headquarters, as Nagakura, Saitou and Hayashi entered, and finally at the garden from where Okita and Toudou were approaching. The stains of blood on their clothes told Matsunaga what he had feared. The future he would face soon. Death. "I have a favor to ask, Hijikata.", said Matsunaga. Hijikata's voice was even as he asked, "Oh, and that is?" "I wish to commit seppuku here and now, and die not as a worthless animal, but rather as a man who did what he thought of right." "A worthless spy saying that. Amusing.", smirked Saitou. "Hijikata-sensei, will you grant his wish?" Also smirking, Hijikata answered, "Yes, I reckon I will. It's not proper of man to prevent a man from facing the fair death he deserves." -------------------------------------------------- Five dead out of six. -------------------------------------------------- "Wait, Hijikata!", Kusunoki's voice was shaky and firm at the same time, as fear and dispair mixed themselves inside his mind. "I'll tell you a very important thing, as an exchage for my life!" "The Choushuu fief is planning something big, and one of its main supporters is an owner of a secondhand store, called Masuya Kiemon! His real name is Furutaka Shuntarou Masayasu, one of the most active members of the Ishin Shishi. And he knows everything that the Ishin Shishis are up to! How about that?!" Pointing to the sword Kusunoki carried, Hijikata retorted, "Look at my answer." His lips curved slightly up as he said, "I didn't say a thing about accepting such exchange of yours. Act yourself as a man at least in your last moments and commit seppuku, or we will execute you as a vile criminal. You choose." Goggling his eyes, Kusunoki fell on his knees, bowing his head until he almost touched the ground with his forehead. With rain - or tears? - quietly running down on his face, he lifted his head, staring fiercely at Hijikata. Then, he cleaned his sword with a piece of cloth and, holding the sword backwards, he shouted, "Hijikata, this is how a man dies!" and plunged his sword on his abdomen. Blood gushed forth as Kusunoki gritted his teeth in pain. His sight became misty and his shrieks of agony were reduced to mere groans as he said, almost in a whisper, "Kill... me... Hijikata. And put ... an end... to all... this..." Narrowing his eyes, Hijikata turned to Saitou, "Saitou-kun. Take the sword from Kusunoki." Looking at the other members who were gathered at the headquarters, Hijikata said in an unemotional voice, "Kusunoki is to be left as is. I forbid everyone to help him in any way. He is to live until the very end." The eyes of Kusunoki grew to an impossible size as Saitou pulled out the sword from Kusunoki. His convulsive voice was punctuated with suffering and dispair, as he yelled in wrechedness, "Hijikata! Please... kill me! Kill... me! KILL ME!!! HIJIKATA!!!" Hijikata despised Kusunoki, "I refuse to do so. A man who betrays twice deserves not to be called as such, and therefore has no right to die as such." "Oh, and by the way, thank you for the information.", added Saitou. -------------------------------------------------- "It looks like the information Kusunoki provided us yesterday was true, after all", said Hijikata, sipping his tea. "I have just received news from Yamazaki-kun, and he says just the same. Masuya Kiemon, an owner of a furudougu-ya (secondhand store) in the Shijou Kobashi, is a very suspicious person, for many Choushuu and Tosa people are seen with him. I believe this is well worth an investigation, for there may be a chance that this man has something to do with the havoc the Ishin Shishi are planning." "Yes, I agree. Toshi, a war is coming, isn't it?", asked Kondo Isami, absently staring out of the window. Six dead out of six. -------------------------------------------------- (end of part 3) Translations: - Sakazuki: a sake cup - Choku (or Choko): also a sake cup. The difference is that Sakazuki is much bigger than choku. - Anata: Darling, Honey - Tennou Heika: it's how the Emperor is called. The Prince of Japan is called Koutashi Denka. For example, the Heisei Emperor (Lord Akihito) is now the Tennou Heika, and his successor is the Koutaishi Denka. - Ahou: Idiot. (needless to say, ne? ^_^) - Sonshi: the Japanese pronunciation of Sun Tzu. I guess many people know who was Sun Tzu, ne Elizabeth-san? ^_^ - Iyadanaa : there are many ways to translate this, depending on the context. It may mean, "Oh no, not at all", "Oh no", "Gee", "Gosh", etc. - "Iyadanaa, ochitsuite kudasaiyo!" : "Now, now, calm down, please!" - "Soredewa ikimasuyo" : "So, here I go, okay?" - Yari : spear - Soujutsu: the techniques with the spear, the same as kenjutsu are the techniques with the sword. FYI, Harada's style, the Taneda Houzouin Style, is real. (and this is the spear style that lost to a certain Miyamoto Musashi ^_^) And the real Harada was a master of the Taneda Houzouin Ryuu, as shown in this fic. If you want to know more about it, go to the city of Nara, Japan ^_^ There you can find a dojo of Houzouin. -Mokuroku: a status of proficiency with the sword. In Tennen Rishin Style, you had the following status (from lowest to highest): Kirigami -> Mokuroku -> Chuugokui Mokuroku -> Menkyo -> Inka ->Shinan Menkyo(Menkyo Kaiden). FYI, Kondou Isami and Okita Souji were Menkyo Kaiden, and Hijikata Toshizou and Inoue Genzaburou were Mokuroku. However, they developed almost a style of their own, so that even though they were relatively low ranked in the Tennen Rishin Style, they were superbly strong when they used the sword. And there's still a dojo of the Tennen Rishin Style in Japan, for those who wish to practise it ^_^ - Seppuku: harakiri, self-disembowelment. - Toshi: this is how Kondo Isami called Hijikata Toshizo in "Moeyo Ken". I'm using it here also. - Ryuubi no Ken: The "Sword of the Dragon's Tail". This is a real technique from the Tennen Rishin Style. Later it will evolve into Nagakura's technique. I'll explain it further in another part of the fic... ^_^ - Hidari Katate Hiratsuki: The "Horizontal Stab performed with the left hand". Another technique from the Tennen Rishin Style. As you may know, this evolves into Saitou's Gatotsu, and soon... ^_^ - Sankyoku Ittai Rouga Mekkyaku: "The Three-in-one Annihilation of the Wolf's Fang", the name of Okita's move. As of the two techniques above, also based on a real move. BTW, there are people who use it in fics in a much better way than I do... ne, Naga-san? ^__^ -------------------------------------------------- Comments: 1) First, let's give credit where credit's due. I took the translations of the manga, presented in this and in the next two chapters, from the site "End of Summer", and I corrected ^_^ / altered them a bit (especially that bit about the "three houses" ^_^). The site is http://welcome.to/end_of_summer 2) Just a note: in the previous part of the fic, I used the hassou stance. FYI, that's a kind of a variation on the stance, since in the original hassou stance the sword is not held horizontally, but rather vertically. I forgot to put this note in Part 2... -_-# Sorry! 3)I know this is an annoying comment by now -_-#, but in volume 7, page 15, of the manga you can see some of the men who appear in this part: in the back row, from left to right: Takeda Kanryuusai (character motif of Takeda Kanryuu), Yamazaki Susumu (the man with his head partly shaved, character motif of Hannya), Inoue Genzaburou, Hijikata Toshizou (character motif of Shinomori Aoshi), Nagakura Shinpachi (the one who's holding his sword in his left hand), Saitou Hajime, Shimada Kai (the bald one) in the front row, from left to right: Harada Sanosuke (character motif of Sagara Sanosuke), Kondou Isami (the one sitting with his arms crossed) and Okita Souji (character motif of Seta Soujirou). And in volume 20, when the Shinsengumi comes back from the Ikeda Inn, you can see Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizou , Nagakura Shinpachi and Shimada Kai. There are two others in the picture that I don't know who they are... ;_; Anybody help, please? 4) Nowadays, the Gion festival is held on July. The Gion festival was held originally in the Gion temple, now called Yasaka Jinja (Yasaka Temple/Shrine), and there are two Gion festivals: one, held on July 17th (at 9 o'clock), and the other one is held on July 24th. 5) All the info on Miyabe Teizou and Furutaka Shuntarou presented in this part is historically accurate, as is the stuff of the "Three Wise Men" of the Shoukason Juku and the stuff about Kitazoe Yoshimaro and Fumizuki Yoshisumi. Now you can see one of the reasons of the delay in releasing this part: plenty of stuff to read... (obviously, the main reason is my lack of abilities as a storyteller -_-# but that's another matter...). About the "Hachigatsu Juuhachinichi no Hen", you can see what that was in my website (shameless plug ^_^;;;) And both Miyabe and Furutaka appear a bit in the OVA (Volume 2), so that I hope this will add a bit more fun when you watch it ^_^. Miyabe is the guy that discusses with Katsura about the Ishin Shishi plans, and Furutaka is the one that gives the info about the Ishin Shishi plans after Hijikata's torture (no need of spoilers, I hope... ^_^::) 6) Certainly the way Miyabe and Furutaka talks is quite strange ^_^, if not wrong (someone told me it sounded like a bit "Master Yoda-ish" ^_^;;;). I tried to "emulate" (just for fun, you know ^_^;;) here a Japanese way of talking to a certain extent, but I don't know if it looks good or not. If I receive many complaints about that, I'll replace the talk with a more "natural" one. 7) I can't remember the exact location of the Choushuu fief house. I know that it's now an expensive hotel and it's near the Ikeda Inn. Looking at the Kyoto Guide ^_^, the one I found was exactly at Kawara district Sanjou-agaru, so I used it. ^_^ 8) If I were to cling to facts ^_^ , Yamazaki Susumu's espionage began on June 2nd and the arrest of Furutaka Shuntarou was on June, 5th, the day of the Ikeda Inn Affair. The Shinsengumi got him near dawn and after getting all the information about the plans of the Ishin Shishi in the afternoon, they launched the attack in the evening (all this in the same day!). I followed the Ruroken's timeline, although I found it wrong! Hey, how could Katsura invite Battousai for the Ikeda Inn meeting that would happen at night on the same day and the Ikeda Inn Affair happen only two weeks later???? >_< # Oh well... 9) The Yagi house is quite big, although its entrance is quite small nowadays. I've been there, so I think I can say that, ne? ^_^ I intended to attach a photo of the Ikeda Inn and a photo of the Shinsengumi HQ in Mibu, but that would be considered spamming, and as the ML rules allows NO attachments of images, I preferred to stay on the ML, rather than being wiped out ^_^ If there is anyone who wants to see them, e-mail me privately and I'll send you. 10) In fact, when the Ikeda Inn Affair took place, there was no captain of units, but a rank called "Fukuchou Jokin". So, Okita, Nagakura, Saitou, Inoue, Harada, Toudou, etc., etc., etc., would all be "Fukuchou Jokin", but I thought it was somewhat tasteless so I used the famous "Captain of xx Unit". 11) The espionage schema described in the fic is real, as real are the three men involved, Watanabe Kouemon, Yoshimura Kan-Ichirou and obviously Yamazaki Susumu, Fukuchou Jokin by then and the leader of the Shinsengumi spies. You could never trust a beggar nor a pharmacist those times... ^_^ 12) About the "Aku Soku Zan" stuff, there are plenty of different translations on this one (like "Sin Swift Slay" or "Kill Evil Instantly", etc.). I used "Evil Immediately Slain" because it's a bit more literal. If someone was to translate that completely, it would be something like "If something is evil, therefore it shall be slain/purged". But such translation doesn't bring the 'oomph' to the motto, ne? ^_^ 13) Mikura Isetake, Arakida Samanosuke, Echigo Saburou, Matsui Tatsusaburou, Kusunoki Kojuurou and Matsunaga Kazue were real spies working for Choushuu, as Saeki Matasaburou was a Shinsengumi spy. Most of the info I presented about them in the fic is historically correct. But in fact, the Choushuu spies were known as such since the very beginning, and have NO relation with the Ikeda Inn Affair - this treason episode happened in January, First Year of the Genji Era. For your information, what happened to them in fact (historically speaking): - Saeki and Arakida: killed by Saitou Hajime, Nagakura Shinpachi and Hayashi Nobutarou. - Echigo and Matsui: pursued by Toudou Heisuke, Okita Souji. They managed to escape. - Kusunoki Kojuurou and Matsunaga Kazue: they fled when they knew about the murder of Saeki and Arakida. Kusunoki was caught by Harada Sanosuke and was killed by Harada because he refused to provide information, and Matsunaga fled, although Inoue Genzaburou hurt him in the ass (ouch!). This episode of treason is featured in one of the stories in the Shinsengumi Keppuuroku, and they're quite a bit different from what they are in this fic...And Kusunoki Kojuurou was one of the five most beautiful members of the Shinsengumi (now this is an useless info... ^_^;;;). On the other hand... - Saeki: discovered and killed by Choushuu's Kusaka Genzui. (there's another theory that he was killed by Serizawa Kamo because he had lost Serizawa's "unicorn horn"... whatever that is.) 14) And at last, some of the books I use as a reference to write this fic: - "Shinsengumi Shimatsuki" ("The Particulars of the Shinsengumi"), by Shimozawa Kan - "Shinsengumi Ibun", ("The Posthumous Accounts of the Shinsengumi") also by Shimozawa Kan - "Shinsengumi Hyaku-wa" ("Hundred Stories about the Shinsengumi"), by Suzuki Tooru. The books I used for more data and (in vain) for inspiration: - "Shinsengumi Monogatari" ("The Tales of the Shinsengumi"), by Shimozawa Kan - "Moeyo Ken" ("Burn, oh Sword"), by Shiba Ryoutarou - "Shinsengumi Keppuuroku" ("The Record of the Shinsengumi Bloodshed"), also by Shiba Ryoutarou - "Bakumatsu", another book by Shiba Ryoutarou - "Kondou Isami Hakusho" ("A White Book on Kondou Isami"), by Ikenami Shoutarou. - "Shinsengumi Fukuchou Jokin Saitou Hajime", by Akama Shizuko. - "Hitokiri Hanjirou - The Bakumatsu Arc", also by Ikena --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- ONElist: your connection to people who share your interests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------