Two Takasugis stood at the center of the warehouse surrounded by flames and corpses. They dressed in the same purple yukata, they had the same hairstyle, but their auras couldn't be more different.

Kondo and Hijikata stepped back. The Shinsengumi officers all held their katana in a defensive position, alert and focused on the enemy before them.

The real Takasugi pushed fake one aside, sending him crashing into the wall.

He squatted down in front of the corpse of one of his comrades. The dead Joui samurai stared into emptiness with bulging eyes that reflected the dancing flames.

"The men who died tonight, if no one will mourn them, then I will." Takasugi placed his hand over the corpse's eyes to close them. "What is it that makes them less important than characters like us? Because we don't know their names? What an unfair world this is."

Takasugi sighed and stood back up. He surveyed the room with his single narrowed eye, his pupil like a black hole that sucked the soul right in. "There's really no point in this battle anymore with all the Justaways lost to the flames."

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1713666]  

The Shinsengumi officers flinched when his gaze drifted past them.

Takasugi raised his chin and glared down at Hijikata. A thin wide grin appeared on his face. "But I'm curious. You bark so loud, but do you even know how to bite? Or is the Demonic Vice-Commander just an empty title like everything else in the world?"

"You're not afraid of dogs 'cause you've never been bitten by one." Hijikata fixed his demonic gaze on Takasugi. "Bring it on! I'll show you how much a dog bite can hurt."

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1834918]

"But Toshi... you're not a dog..."

Hijikata ignored Kondo's concern. He focused solely on the enemy before him.

He spotted an opening and charged at Takasugi. With one powerful swing of his blade, he slashed at him across the chest.

Takasugi moved too fast. He stepped to the side, evading the attack, and swung his sword at Hijikata while he was defenseless.

Hijikata's eyes opened wide. With a deafening clash of metal, he managed to meet Takasugi's blade with his own.

The impact sent him flying halfway across the room. He landed hard into a pile of empty crates at the edge of the room, crushing them into splintered wood.

"Above!!" Kondo started running over to help Hijikata.

Takasugi leapt at Hijikata, sword held overhead, about to slash down at Hijikata from above.

Before Kondo could reach him, a flurry of blond hair flew in front of him.

A young woman with blond hair stood before Kondo, pointing two pistols at him.

She flashed a cocky grin. "You're not going anywhere near Shinsuke-sama."

***

Hijikata didn't waste a moment. Just as he rolled up to his feet, Takasugi swung his katana downwards.

Hijikata wasn't quick enough to block the sword. The blade sliced him down his shoulder. He staggered back against the wall.

Before Hijikata could have a chance to recover, Takasugi delivered the final blow. He stabbed his sword into Hijikata's chest.

Drip.

Drip.

Droplets of blood fell to the floor.

Hijikata's lips curled up into a pained grin as the red liquid trickled down his skin. The blood from the gash on his shoulder soaked his uniform dark red.

He had blocked the blade with his arm. It penetrated the flesh of his forearm. With his own sword, he stabbed at Takasugi.

Takasugi pulled back. The blade only nicked him on the cheek. He wiped the cut on his face with his hand, smearing the blood. He glared at his enemy.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1396703]  

Hijikata met his glare, not backing away. He held his bloodstained katana tight in his hands.

"So this is a dog bite?" Takasugi glanced at the blood on his fingers. "I've had mosquito bites worse than this."

"What kind of mosquito bit you like that?!" Hijikata screamed in disbelief. "The lady in red?"

Hijikata raised his sword and stepped forward despite his wounds. Blood dripped to the ground, but he remained unfazed. He never took his eyes off his enemy.

They circled each other, swords held ready.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/969498]  

***

A hail of bullets clanked against the cement floor and the scrap metal that lined the walls, riddling this side of the warehouse with holes.

"Everyone! Take cover!" Kondo yelled to his men.

The Shinsengumi officers screamed in pain as bullets ripped through their flesh.

They dashed behind the piles of wooden crates to take shelter from the gunfire.

The firing came to a stop.

Kijima Matako stood at the center of the room holding two smoking guns. She kept her blond hair tied in a side ponytail. Her pink miniskirt revealed her long slender legs.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1324779]

A young Shinsengumi officer sat against the far wall, clutching a bullet wound on his leg.

A ruthless grin stretched across Matako's face. She pointed her gun at him.

The Shinsengumi officer stared at the nozzle of the gun with the wide eyes of a cornered deer, but was unable to move because of his wound.

"What kind of Commander are you, hiding away and leaving your men behind?" Matako glanced to the pile of crates where Kondo was hiding. "No one would protect a leader like you. If you got nothing to protect, you got no right to point your sword at Shinsuke-sama!"

With that said, Matako squeezed the trigger.

No bullet came out.

A metallic ringing sound echoed through the air. The nose of her revolver fell to the ground with a clatter, the solid metal sliced clean in half.

Matako leapt back, out of the range of his sword.

"I'm the same as you," said Kondo.

He stood before Matako, holding his katana near the ground after having swung it at the gun.

"I also have people I protect."

Matako only snickered. She didn't know her taunts could work so well at luring out the enemy leader. It was laughable to think that a commander would risk his life for a mere pawn.

She wondered if her Shinsuke-sama would do the same if her own life was in danger.

"Stupid..." She raised her remaining gun to point it at Kondo. "Shinsuke-sama isn't this stupid."

Kondo had no chance of dodging the bullet at this distance. It was her victory. There was no escape.

Before she could pull the trigger, she saw that Kondo wasn't facing her alone anymore.

All of the Shinsengumi officers had rushed out from their hiding spots. They stood, swords pointed at her, forming a shield between their Commander and the gun.

"Tch." Matako furrowed her brows. Were they not afraid of getting shot?

If they all came at her at once, she wouldn't be able to fight them off with only one revolver. Plus, she was running out of bullets. If she sacrificed herself for some mere pawns, she knew it would only bring her Shinsuke-sama more grief.

She raised her gun high in the air and shot straight up towards the ceiling. A single bullet ricocheted against the ceiling beams. It sent the lights crashing down in an explosion of sparks and shattered glass.

The Shinsengumi officers shielded their faces.

When the dust settled, Matako had vanished.

***

Hijikata and Takasugi faced each other, swords held ready, but neither of them moving in for attack. They stepped around each other like two stars locked in orbit, neither one able to overpower the other.

"How long have we been going around in circles?" said Hijikata with a scowl. "You getting dizzy yet?"

"It's your Commander's fault for taking so long in his fight."

Now that the Gorilla got his chance to act cool, the Author could finally get back to writing the main fight.

Hijikata glared at Takasugi without fear in his eyes.

Takasugi's lips curled up into a spine-chilling smile. The Shinsengumi Vice-Commander who stood before him was more of a wild beast than a dog, but he'd fought hundreds of battles against a beast of a similar kind, and this one wasn't nearly as strong.

"Be it my enemies or the whole world, I'll simply destroy all of it!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Takasugi charged at Hijikata.

Hijikata held his katana, ready to block Takasugi's attack.

Hijikata's eyes opened wide. Takasugi swept past him like a gust of wind.

Too fast.

He didn't have enough time to block Takasugi's blade. It was almost like the first time he fought Gintoki, except this wasn't Gintoki, but an enemy who wouldn't hesitate to cut him down.

A deafening clash split the air. A deafening metallic clash.

Hijikata glanced down, eyes wide in shock.

Kondo had rushed to his side and blocked Takasugi's blade with his own, not satisfied with being badass in only one scene. The blades pressed together, trembling as they tried to overpower each other in strength. Kondo gritted his teeth and pressed down on Takasugi. Takasugi leapt back.

Kondo stood with his sword held at his side, keeping Hijikata behind him. "He's too strong, Toshi. You can't fight him alone."

He faced Takasugi with his katana and his earnest but unyielding eyes.

A hungry smile appeared on Takasugi's face.

Hijikata stood by Kondo's side, sword held out, still ready to fight.

"What are you doing? You're the Commander!" said Hijikata without taking his eyes off his enemy. "You shouldn't be somewhere this dangerous."

Kondo smiled at Hijikata's concern, but didn't move from the spot. "Everyone's putting their lives on the line. If I stayed back, then I don't deserve to call myself a commander."

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/2121161]

Takasugi stared at Kondo. His smirk disappeared and the glare in his eye softened for just a split second.

Those words made him remember a man who once told him the same thing. A commander or a teacher, there was really not much difference.

If I stayed back, then I don't deserve to call myself a teacher. Those were the exact words that Shouyou-sensei once spoke.

***

Next time: A flashback of Takasugi's childhood, followed by an unexpected incident that pushes the Shinsengumi to the limit