Tales From Edo High - A Modern Retelling of Bakumatsu Era Japan

Chapter Ten - The Mibu

I stirred awake, feeling a weight on my chest as the bright light of the morning sun pierced through the window of the hotel room.  

I looked down, seeing the wide-eyed face of Ryo, her head resting on my bare chest and looking back at me. Slowly but surely last night's activities came flowing back to me.

We'd confessed hidden feelings to each other, and for one night, it felt as if what had been going on wasn't even happening.  

For the first time since I'd come to Edo, I'd felt like everything was normal.

...

...

"Ryoma..." she spoke softly, as if we were in a whole other world. 

I shook my head, breaking my train of thought, and bringing me back to the now. 

I chuckled lightly, "Hey you." I looked down at Ryo, who'd gotten up and thrown her clothes back on. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty in the morning." 

"Shit." I grunted, reaching into my suitcase and throwing on a cheap white t-shirt and leather jacket. "I'm late for the student government meeting."

"Wait!" Ryo called; I turned to look at her, "Ryoma..." she hesitated, "Have you ever thought about leaving?"

"Leaving what?"

She hesitated again, "The Choshu, The Student Government. All of it. Maybe even Edo High itself."

I swallowed, "I don't know."

...

...

The meeting was held in Matsudaira's room, downstairs from mine, I could smell the incense he'd been burning for the meeting. 

Upon my entrance, I made my way to a seat next to Tokugawa and Matsudaira, surrounded by about fifty students who'd joined the Roshigumi. 

"Now that Secretary Sakamoto has arrived, we can commence the meeting." Matsudaira cleared his throat, and stood up "Hachiro Kiyokawa has betrayed us. A Choshu informant, and thus wished to use the Roshigumi as a means of rising against us and giving Principal Komei a force of his own. He has been expelled." Matsudaira walked around, gazing at each of the students, "This brings us to our foremost issue, without a head, the Roshigumi cannot function. Where Kiyokawa fell, one of you must rise."

In the corner of my eye, I could see the burly student from before beginning to rise, Isami Kondo, if I'd remembered right. "I am Isami Kondo, and I will lead you." He grunted. "Though, some changes will be made. The first being, the Roshigumi were traitors, the Shinsengumi are loyal to Yoshinobu Tokugawa and his administration. We are the Roshigumi, no more." 

With the raise of a fist, Kondo's deep voice boomed throughout the Teradaya Inn, "For the Shinsengumi!" The room erupted in a burst of cheer, as all fifty students followed Kondo out of the room. Their marching echoing like a cacophony of drums. 

I raised an eyebrow at Matsudaira, "You're really going to allow this, Katamori?"

The treasurer scoffed, "Why not?" he smirked, "The worst that could happen is they rough up what's left of Choshu over at Ikedaya. They're sanctioned by the Student Government, so they can't be expelled." Matsudaira turned back to his papers, "In fact, you ought to accompany them. A raid on Ikedaya would cripple the Choshu. Kondo's been talking about it since last night."

...

...

...

...

I could feel the cold Kyoto night air on my forehead as I made my way to Ikedaya. The smell of burning incense in the various buildings that had dotted the sides of the street graced my nose as I adjusted the Shinsengumi pin, a gift from Matsudaira, on my chest. 

"Oh? Sakamoto? I didn't expect you to join us." I turned to see the innocent face of Soji Okita "You'll be with me." Okita smiled. 

I nodded, following Okita to the meeting spot, whereupon we were met with the striking faces of Kondo and Hijikata. 

"So. Okita. You and Sakamoto enter first." Kondo grunted, "Me and Hijikata will follow you in once Nagakura arrives."

I sighed, "Alright. I guess we'll go through the back." With that Okita and I made our way around the side of the Ikedaya Inn, and through the back garden, sliding open the paper shoji screen, and silently stepping in. 

The place reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke; Shelves were wrecked, and remains of shattered drinking glasses laid on the floor. Anyone could tell that once the Choshu had arrived in Kyoto, they'd partied heavily. 

"So Satow, you're saying you and what's left of your school club would be willing to aid us in our fight against our student government?" I could hear the muffled voice of Katsura coming from upstairs, it seemed like he was meeting with someone from another school. 

I huffed, "Okita. Upstairs. You hear them?"

"Indeed, I am." another voice said softly, "Provided of course, you and Mr. Miyabe here are willing to help repair the damages to our main building." 

Okita nodded, "I do. From what I hear, that sounds like Kogoro Katsura. But there's another person. An Englishman, one whose voice I haven't heard before."

As we continued the journey upstairs, we heard one of the shoji screens move behind us, and a cold breeze come through, indicating that Kondo and the rest made it in. 

"WE ARE THE SHINSENGUMI!" Kondo called, charging right past me and Okita like a raging wolf. "KOGORO KATSURA AND TEIZO MIYABE. IN THE NAME OF TOKUGAWA, YOU WILL FACE RETRIBUTION FOR YOUR TREACHERY!"

Just like that, in a storm of dust and shattered pottery, Kondo charged through the shoji screen door where the meeting was being held, and straight through the shelf barring the door. 

When the dust cleared, I found Okita on his hands and knees, coughing like a sick dog. I turned to find Kondo with his foot on the neck a brown-haired, mustached man, while Katsura and another man held him back. 

"Go..." Okita coughed weakly. "Do whatever's necessary... I'll be fine."

"Do whatever is necessary" Katsu's voice rang through my mind. 

Without a second thought, I forced Kondo off the brunette man, "STOP!" I yelled, "You want to soil our school's reputation by killing this man? Okita is down. Retreat back to Matsudaira and tell him you succeeded." 

Kondo huffed, "What's gonna stop me, Sakamoto?"

I quickly reached into my pocket, grabbing the switchblade Katsu had given me, quickly extending the blade and holding it to his neck. "You heard me, Kondo." I seethed, "As a member of the Student Body, I have authority over you."

Kondo sighed, walking over to Okita and hoisting him up over his shoulders, carrying him out like a wounded soldier.

The brunette man took a breath. "You saved my life." he smiled weakly, his english accent was smooth like silk "You're an enemy to these men, yet you saved them." he held out a hand. "Ernest Mason Satow, I'm a year 11 at what was British Exchange School in Tokyo."

"Enough with the introductions." Katsura piped in. "Why did you step in, Ryoma? Nakaoka said you'd sworn us off."

"I have yet to forget what happened while I was with the Choshu." I turned my back to Katsura. "I've seen what both sides are capable of. Genzui burnt buildings just as Ii physically beat students." I turned my head, giving Katsura and Satow a side-eye. "It's one thing to protest, and advocate in the name of a cause. It's another to hurt and destroy for the sake of that cause." I continued. 

"I will not be part of that anymore."