Hello everyone! C: I tried doing a Gintama Oneshot this time! But it's too long. It was originally 16 pages on Word and I tried shortening it, but it's still a bit long. But please bear with me and read until the end!
I'd also like to thank my friend Sam (she doesn't have a fanfic account) because she suggested this plot and helped me edit it, etc. So thanks, Sam :P
I'd appreciate reviews because I really need to know ways to improve my writing. I hope it's not too cheesy (lol) There's a reference to Star Driver (anime) in here, so don't sue me if you see it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama (I wish I did though). My favourite anime/manga ever.
Please enjoy!
The Most Sincere Feelings Are the Hardest to be Expressed by Words
"No." A certain orange-head said firmly.
"You don't have a choice," A bored, sadistic tone replied.
"I do, and I chose no."
"Just for a day." The so-called policeman scratched his head. "Go out with me."
"I think I'm gonna hurllll-" Too late. Vomit with bits of sukonbu regurgitated itself.
Stop. Pause. Rewind.
Let's all go back to how the confession came to be, because as we all know, it's highly unlikely that Sougo Okita, the Sadistic King, a.k.a. Sweet, adorable, amazing Sadistic Sougo would ask out Kagura, The Queen of Kabukicho, his fated rival.
It was a bright, sunny morning when everything started. The birds were up early and chirping, the town of Kabukicho was striving and everything was peaceful. Happy. The ideal morning for the normal person.
"SHUT UP!" Kagura screamed, kicking the side of the small cupboard repeatedly. "Stupid birds!"
"Megane, go kill them for me," She demanded from inside her cupboard/bed. "I need my beauty sleep!"
"Heh, it's not 'beauty sleep' when it comes to you. It's more like 'beast sleep'." The snide remark came from outside the cupboard.
Kagura recognised the voice immediately, and took a second to think about the consequences of smashing the door to bits or, in her eyes, opening it angrily.
"It can't be any more hideous than when you sleep, with your drooling and snoring!" She screeched.
"Please remember that you're talking to a policeman. You don't want to get yourself arrested, do you?" The Sadistic King sat there, one leg crossed over the other, with a smirk on his face.
"What brings your ugly butt here so early in the morning? You ruined the peaceful day," Kagura sighed dramatically.
"My peaceful day was ruined the moment I heard your snoring and saw your drool come out of the cupboards. Poor Megane here had to clean it all up," Sougo mocked a look of horror.
"Uh, my name isn't Megane, it's Shinpa-"
"Shut up Megane," The Sadistic King and apparent Queen of Kabukicho snapped at the same time.
Poor Megane was forced into silence, tears streaming down his eyes as he swept the floor.
"So, what do you want, you sadist?" Kagura crossed her arms and looked at Sougo through narrowed eyes.
"I have an Odd Job, China," Sougo spread his arms out on the old couch.
"Great. We're not taking it," Kagura said, seething in anger.
"You guys are Odd Jobs; you have to take it," Sougo responded, happy that his nickname had gotten through to its victim.
"I don't care whether we're Odd Jobs or not; we're never gonna do anything for a sadist like you," Kagura smirked. She liked calling Sougo a sadist, because it fit so perfectly.
"Or rather, it's an Odd Job for you. Specifically," Sougo flashed Kagura a smile.
Kagura only shuddered in response, trying to keep down the vomit that threatened to come up. "No way."
"Let's at least talk about it. Outside. Privately," He waved his arms, bored. "Megane, get outside."
"But you just said that you wanted to go out-"
"Oh, just get out, Megane." Kagura and Sougo said at the same time again. Although they were rivals, they both found immense pleasure from teasing poor Shinpachi.
"Gin is still sleeping," Kagura said suddenly, springing up. "I'll go call him up."
"He's out buying JUMP."
Kagura sat back down. "So what do you want, sadist?" She picked a booger out of her nose in a very unladylike manner. The slime trailed from her nose until it finally broke.
"That's so like you, you ape. Why don't you try to act like a girl instead of being a beast?" Sougo frowned.
"I am a girl – I've got these fantastic curves to prove it," Kagura beamed, showing off her 'curves'.
"You've got no sex appeal at all. No boobs, no huge ass – gosh I wouldn't do you even if you paid me."
Kagura turned beet red. "Y-YOU SEXUAL HARRASSER!" Kagura jumped up from her seat yet again, bouncing back and forth with her fists held in front of her. "You wanna go, huh, huh?!"
"What, with a little baby like you? I don't do babies, especially those who don't even try."
That was it. Kagura sprang forward, sparing no time for Sougo to get up. Kagura grabbed him by the collar and successfully landed a punch on his face. But at the same time, he brought up his knee and hit Kagura in the stomach.
She doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. "You bastard… using under-handed techniques…"
"It wasn't under-handed – it was smart!" Sougo praised himself.
Kagura tried again, this time going for his balls with her foot. Sougo jumped backwards behind the couch before she could.
"Ha, you're so slow," He smirked, pissing Kagura off even more.
Off they went, faster than any normal human ever could, punching, kicking, pulling, tugging, anything.
Kagura pulled open a window. "Who's the slow one now, huh?" She shouted. She jumped out of the window and landed safely on a roof, then continued running.
Sougo followed her a second later, shouting, "Get back here!"
They left Odd Jobs in quite a messy state.
Poor Megane.
"Wow, look at them, all bruised up and stuff…" A whisper from one to another.
"… Must've been involved in a fight…"
"It's that, isn't it?"
"Yeah, definitely 'that'…"
"…Lover's Quarrel, I swear…"
"Ah, gosh, I wish you hadn't punched me that hard. I'm hurting all over now, thanks to you," Kagura said loudly. "And you call yourself a policeman? You just bullied a little, sweet, innocent girl!"
"Oh please, what 'sweet, little, innocent girl'? I see none – all I see is an ugly witch all bruised and battered up!" Sougo replied, also in an unusually loud voice. "Instead, I got bashed – me, who has not committed any crimes and was just going my own way, patrolling the streets of Kabukicho to ensure safety for all!"
When he didn't receive any immediate reply, he turned around to find China staring at the ground, fringe covering her eyes, a few steps back. He saw a droplet of water drop from her face and he immediately froze.
Rule #32348 of the Shinsengumi: Never make a girl cry unless she is the enemy. Seppuku is ensured if you break this rule.
And although China wasn't exactly a girl and she wasn't exactly someone who Sougo would call a 'friend' (because he has next to none of those), it still caused a small, unsteady ripple through his heart.
"H-hey? China?" Sougo stepped back cautiously. He saw her shoulders shaking slightly and for the first time, he felt a need to apologise to someone other than Mitsuba-neesan.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING SADIST! YOU'RE GONNA DIE TODAY!" She screamed, jumping at Sougo. He immediately raised an arm to protect his face. Kagura bit into Sougo's arm, hanging on like a feral dog. There wasn't even an ounce of apology.
'Now how am I going to tell her?' Sougo sighed inwardly.
Lots of hateful glares and a horrible bandage job later, Sougo and Kagura were seated in a small café, Kagura with glasses and a wide brim hat on. She was hiding suspiciously behind a menu.
"What are you doing, China?" Sougo sighed.
"I've got a disguise on, duh."
"And why do you need a disguise?"
"Because, being seen in town with a sadist like you would ruin my reputation," Kagura whispered.
"Okay, so, your Odd Job," Sougo said. "I need you to-"
"How much?" Kagura interrupted.
Sougo tsked and said, "You're so greedy. If you're really that desperate, it's ¥10,000."
"HIGHER!" Kagura slammed a fist on the table to prove her point. A waiter shot a worried look in their direction.
"Stop being such a child. My last offer is ¥15,000."
"Cheh, you stingy sadist," Kagura spat.
"You up for it or not, China?" Sougo asked, staring straight into Kagura's eyes. She felt her face heating up and she raised both hands to her face.
"Fine. So what's the job?"
To be honest, Kagura was expecting something that the sadist usually said, like, "An SM play." Or something dirty like that. But no, he said, "Go out with me for a day."
It was as if time stopped and the café just went completely silent. Kagura felt an even darker blush cross her face.
"Y-YOU SADIST!"
Five broken tables, lots of money and a café later, Sougo brought her to a park and they sat down on a bench.
Kagura was fidgeting with her red dress, her face equally as red.
"Just so you know, China, I don't like you or anything. You're as annoying as a teenage girl right now," Sougo said tiredly.
"Then what is it?" Kagura demanded. "I think you actually like me, uh-huh."
"No way in hell, China. It's something my sister wants."
Kagura went quiet. She knew of the relationship between the sadist and Mitsuba-san, but for some reason, she always felt slightly uncomfortable when he mentioned it.
"You see, she thinks that I'm not 'living my life to the fullest', and she thinks I should get a girlfriend. I told her I already had one because I didn't want her to get worried, and now I need one. Which brings me to the conclusion: please pretend to be my girlfriend for a day only, and go out with me on a date."
"For a day only? Won't we have to keep it up if we tell her that lie?"
"No, I've planned it so that our date will be a day before she leaves. Then on the last day, I can just say you had something to do," Sougo said. "She's really good at detecting lies, so at least try at acting, yeah? You up for it?"
And so, we come back to where we started. Except this time, let's change things a bit so Kagura doesn't vomit all over the place. For health and safety reasons. Because a grown man can drown in Kagura's puke.
"Whatever," Kagura replied, using the same tone Sougo used with her. "As long as you pay me what it's worth, Sadist. Oh, and on the date, you're paying for everything."
"Do you want to rob a poor policeman of his money?" Sougo looked at Kagura with his best attempt of a puppy look.
"Tax robber," Kagura corrected. "I don't mind robbing a tax robber of his money, because he got it from other people in the first place."
"Cheh. Cheapskate," Sougo muttered darkly.
"What was that?" Kagura leaned closer to Sougo, a wide smile on her face. "I didn't quite catch it, because I was considering cancelling this thing."
"Nothing," Sougo mumbled.
Kagura beamed and waved to Sougo. "Call me when you need me."
"Come back here this Saturday, 10 am sharp!" Sougo called as Kagura leapt away. She didn't reply, leaving Sougo to wonder whether his message reached her ears.
"Hey, Kagura, get your lazy butt up and help m-"
There was no one there. Shinpachi stared at the space in the cupboard Kagura usually took up. It was now empty. Shinpachi glanced at his watch, which read 9:30 am.
"It must be broken or something… she'd never wake up this early…" He mumbled to himself. Sadaharu was also missing.
He went to wake up Gin-chan next, sliding the door open without a moment's hesitation.
And walked straight into a private 'session'.
"A-ah… sorry for disturbing you, O Great Sadaharu-sama…" Shinpachi whispered, closing the door again. He paused outside the door, saying his prayers under his breath.
"Poor Gin-chan."
Yes, Gin-chan was very unfortunate, as it looked like he was dying under a fresh mound of poo.
Right before Shinpachi had gone to wake Kagura up, she was already up, scoffing down the little rice they had in the rice pot. She finished it all, burped loudly and went to change her clothes.
She wasn't sure what to wear – her normal red cheongsam or the red shirt and pants. As she rifled through her closet, she found one thing that had definitely been forgotten. She hadn't even worn it once since she got it.
"This." She decided. Just for a change.
Kagura rocked up at the meeting spot five seconds to meeting time.
"It's a safe!" She said, relieved.
But, to her surprise, her date the sadist wasn't there. So she sat down, staring at the cloudless blue sky. It was beautiful, but it hurt her eyes a little.
Sougo wasn't in his Shinsengumi uniform. Instead, he was in his casual day-off clothes, surprising Kagura and causing a light blush to go over her cheeks when he arrived.
On the other hand, Sougo was also studying his date rival. Her normal red cheongsam… except it was different. It fell just above her knees, with the normal yellow piping. There were three small flowers embodied onto the cheongsam. Although it didn't stand out in an obvious way, Sougo wondered why she had changed her outfit, even slightly. And he hated to admit it, but her pale white legs looked sexy against the red.
His sadistic side was definitely taking over. He knew Mitsuba-neesan was watching from somewhere, even though the doctors had given her strict orders to rest in the Shinsengumi headquarters.
"Let's go," Sougo said gruffly.
"H-hey! Wait up, sadist!" Kagura shouted, reaching out a hand and grasping Sougo's elbow. "This isn't what you're supposed to do! You have you say the words!"
"What words?" Sougo pulled from his side.
"The… question!"
Sougo had no idea what China was talking about. "What question?"
"You know! 'Have you been waiting here long?'" Kagura stopped pulling all of a sudden. "You have to ask me that."
"Why, what's the point?"
"Just… just do it!" She said agitatedly.
"Where did you see it from? You've been reading way too much shoujo manga," Sougo sighed. "Nobody says that, little girl."
"D-don't avoid the question! Just ask me, hurry up! Or else we can't start the date."
Sougo rolled his eyes. 'Cheesiest moment of my life, ever. Please forgive and forget this.'
And so, Sougo said it. A little sarcastic and in a monotone, but it was the best he could muster. Kagura wasn't exactly satisfied, but she took it.
Then they started their date.
Meanwhile, back at Yorozuya, Gin-chan woke up with a start. He couldn't breathe and was gasping for air. He smelt a strong waft of… dog's poo.
"SADAHARU!"
"Where are we going?" Kagura asked.
"Don't know, don't care," Sougo answered in a bored tone.
"Oh come on!" Kagura stopped dead in her tracks. "If you don't put in a bigger effort, I'll leave you!"
"Don't care," Sougo repeated.
"Gosh… after I put in all the effort, too…" Kagura went silent. Sougo heard sniffs and again, he froze, alarmed. He had to admit; China did look pretty today. But then again, she looked pretty ever-
'No.'
"Fine, whatever, come on," He sighed. He grabbed Kagura's wrist and took her into a gaming arcade. "Play to your heart's content. I'll pay for it all."
"Yay!" Kagura leapt literally three meters high, making a hole in the roof. She ignored it and went onto her first game.
Kagura beat all the high scores without even breaking a sweat. Sougo just watched, getting restless as each game past. He needed to do something, not just watch a little girl break everyone's high scores without a challenge.
"Next," Sougo said after she got five out of five basketballs in a hoop.
"Why are you just standing there?" Kagura queried.
"What do you mean?" Sougo frowned.
"You're not doing anything; it's like you're a useless doll," Kagura added quickly, "No change there."
"Because it's a date," He replied simply. 'And dates are boring. This is boring, which means that we're following the rulebooks correctly.'
"Stupid sadist, a date doesn't necessarily mean you don't do anything. You're meant to have fun and enjoy yourself with the person you love! Just looking at you makes me feel bored," Kagura yawned. She took Sougo by the hand and dragged him over to a Whack-A-Mole world. It was a little unnoticed area. You had a choice of whacking the classic mole, hitting Mario, hitting snakes or the average sadist/masochist.
Kagura chose hitting the sadist, because of course, it reminded her of Sougo. Sougo took the masochist, because he was, well, a sadist. Typical.
Off they went. Every time Sougo hit a masochist, a moan would come out of the machine.
Sadist mode: ON.
Their hands flew all over the place, faster than the speed of light, hitting all the 'moles' that came up. But of course, there was a downside, since the moans were non-stop. It turned Kagura off her game, and she missed one mole.
That one mole was her downfall, with her hitting 14582 moles in the timeframe while Sougo hit 14583 moles. He shot her a triumphant smirk but she just blamed it all on his machine.
Nonetheless, they beat the highest scores easily.
They then proceeded to every game station, Kagura winning some, Sougo winning some. They blew heaps of money.
The last thing they went into was a purikura booth, Sougo being dragged mercilessly by Kagura. She had insisted that they needed photos together, as proof of the day.
"This is a fake date," Sougo reminded her. "Unless you want more than that, China?"
"N-no way! This is for me to remember the time we spent together. I did the same with Soyo-chan when we first met," Kagura gave him a light punch, which for Sougo, hurt a little bit. Just a little.
"What is this thing?" Sougo peered straight into the camera, and it snapped a photo. A second later, the same photo appeared up the screen.
"Wahahaha, what's up with that face and photo?" Kagura screamed with laughter, clutching her stomach. "If you add this… it's perfect!" She dragged a moustache over to his face, editing the photo.
They snapped lots of photos and printed them all. Kagura stuck one onto her phone – it was one of her favourites with both of them doing the same pose purely by coincidence.
"What are you doing?" Sougo asked, slightly pleased but making sure not to show it.
"What am I doing? I'm obviously sticking a photo on my phone." Kagura answered. "You have to do it too!"
She pestered him until he gave in. He made sure Kagura wasn't looking and stuck it onto his phone, tucking it into his pocket before she could see.
"Whew, that was fun!" Kagura stretched outside the game arcade. "We spent half a day in there already!"
"We also spent more than half of my money," Sougo muttered.
"Alright, I'm feeling hungry," Kagura declared just as her tummy let out a huge thunder roll. "Time to eat!"
"Already? You hardly lost any weight in there and you look fat," Sougo said plainly.
"You should never comment on a girl's weight, sadist," Kagura retorted. "She'll come to hate you."
"Don't you hate me already?" Sougo sighed.
There was a pause. "O-of course!"
So they went to a restaurant, where Kagura cruelly decided to order the most expensive item on the list: a 60 finger-food platter. Sougo didn't order anything because he thought he would share with Kagura.
Well, he thought wrong, because Kagura ate everything in one go, emptying the huge platter into her mouth. The waiter hadn't even taken one step before Kagura gave him the empty platter. He looked positively terrified.
They exited the café, Sougo's stomach grumbling.
"Why didn't you eat anything?" Kagura asked.
"Because I'm not fat like you, China," Sougo snapped.
"Better fat than skinny and dead," Kagura replied. "Let's go get you something to eat."
"Don't say that, since I'll be the one paying," Sougo sighed.
They went into another café, Sougo snatching up the menu before Kagura could look at it. He ordered the most delicious smelling thing on the menu, enjoying her face as he savoured the taste.
He was too busy smirking and commenting at Kagura's disgusting habits to notice a woman with a wide-brimmed hat and purple sunglasses sneak out of the café, a small smile playing on her lips.
'Sou-chan…'
After the meal, Kagura sulked in the middle of a busy street.
Sougo sighed and started walking, and she followed reluctantly, still mad but not wanting to get left behind. He heard a splash behind him and turned around to see Kagura's beautiful cheongsam stained with orange. A person next to her apologised once and ran away.
Kagura's eyes glazed over and she scrunched her face up. Sougo sighed. 'She's so bothersome.'
"Come on, let's find something new to wear. Can't even take care of yourself when I turn around for one second, stupid China," Sougo cursed.
But for some reason, he felt anger rising up inside him. Not at China – no, at the person who split juice over her dress.
Sougo grabbed Kagura roughly by the hand and pulled her through the crowds into the nearest clothes shop he could see.
"Find something cheap and get changed."
It was extremely embarrassing for the 1st Division Caption of the Shinsengumi, someone so highly regarded in the community, to be standing in a clothes shop. On top of that, a clothes shop for women specifically. Not that China was a woman.
Kagura's eyes lit up as she scanned the contents of the shop. No cheongsams could be seen, so Sougo was interested to see what she would pick.
"Keep in mind that this is Japan, not China," Sougo said.
"What about this?" Kagura pulled out a cat costume with a huge, childish grin on her face.
"Looks like something used for SM play," Sougo chuckled.
"Al-right, what about this?" This time it was a skimpy, black dress.
"You'd look like a slut – no change, but at least now you don't look slutty even though you are," Sougo smirked.
"Well, I'm so sorry that you had to go on a date with this 'slut'," She scoffed.
Sougo 'hmm'ed a reply and Kagura went on searching for the right clothes. She asked for Sougo's opinion, but he always related it to SM play until she finally screamed, "Stop relating it to dirty things!" Causing the shop assistants to avoid them completely.
In the end, Kagura chose a floral-print shirt and shorts. Since her flats hadn't been damaged, she wore that.
Sougo had eyed the shorts sceptically the moment she chose it. "That would hardly cover your butt."
"It does!" She had flared, so Sougo backed down. But he bought an oversized jumper just in case.
Kagura changed in public toilets while Sougo waited outside. She took such a long time, he thought she had done a runner. But no, she came back out twenty minutes later.
Sougo didn't recognise her.
Her hair, usually in two buns at the side, was now cascading past her shoulders in gorgeous orange locks. Her fringe was swept the side slightly and of course, she was wearing her new clothes.
"Let's go!" This stranger had said. Sougo squinted at her, trying to suss out who she was.
"C-China?"
"Am I so beautiful I got your tongue tied?" She beamed, doing a twirl.
"No way." Sougo replied immediately, a light shade of pink highlighting his face. 'She's beautiful.'
"Gosh, you could at least compliment me," Kagura grumbled. "Let's go."
Sougo ordered her to wear the jumper, and when she asked why in a whingey tone, he refused to tell her. He treated her to more food, buying her ice-cream and sweets at the local confectionary store. The man behind the counter had whistled.
"Sweet babe you got there," He winked at Kagura, who giggled.
The moment she turned her back, Sougo unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the man's neck with a deadly look in his eye. The man raised both his hands and gulped.
Sougo, convinced he had got the point across, sheathed his sword and followed the unsuspecting Kagura.
"There's something wrong with this ice-cream," Kagura frowned, twisting the ice-cream cone around to check for anything out of place.
Sougo reached around and took a big bite out of the ice-cream thoughtlessly. "No, it tastes alright."
"W-wha-what did you just do?!" Kagura shrieked, her face bright red.
"I just took a bite." Sougo shrugged.
"T-this is classified as an 'indirect kiss'! A-a maiden such as me, who hasn't even experienced her first kiss yet, ca-can't eat this anymore!" She held the ice-cream out to Sougo, eyes shut tightly.
"You sure?" Sougo was unimpressed by all the commotion.
"O-of course!" She thrust it at Sougo again.
"Whatever. What a waste of perfectly good food," He sighed again, taking another big bite. The first signs of tears appeared. "Look, just forget about your 'first kiss' rules or whatever." Without thinking, Sougo tugged, hard, at Kagura's arm, causing her to topple a bit. She regained her footing, but before she could, Sougo reached up and pecked her lightly on the lips.
"There." He said huffily. "Now you can eat it. I need to go to the toilet, so hold it for me. China." He added the last part a bit too late, and practically threw the ice-cream onto Kagura. She didn't catch it but he was already halfway across the park before she bag him out for littering.
Not that she could – she sunk onto the park bench with a defeated look on her face, shocked and unable to move. Her heart was pounding dangerously fast in her chest, which was strange since it was the sadist they were talking about.
No ounce of feelings other than hate for him, whatsoever. At least that's what she thought.
"…What?"
'What. Did. I. Just. Do.' Sougo banged his head over and over on the cubicle wall, cursing himself for his thoughtlessness. Blood was trickling down his head at an alarming rate.
That is why, readers, you should always think things through before you do it. Especially when it concerns somebody else's first kiss.
Oh, your own too, of course. Because this happened to be Sougo Okita's first kiss too. Yes, the 1st Division Captain had never shared a kiss on the lips with anyone else, not even for a second, not even with the countless female fans he had in the world. (Not me either, unfortunately.)
An hour of endless chanting, rumours of a doll-like girl sitting on a park bench and lots of blood (so much that it made it look like someone had committed suicide in a public toilet) later, Sougo finally returned to Kagura.
"Sorry." Was all Sougo said. He received no reply, he checked his watch. "It's a bit late. Let's go see Mitsuba-neesan."
"Ah, okay," Kagura said, a bit quieter than usual. They started walking.
They entered the busy street again, and this time, Sougo held out his hand. He didn't want the bother of having to look for a lost little China girl.
Kagura stared at his outstretched hand before realising what it was for. Hiding behind her fringe, she took up on his offer. She allowed him to guide her through the street, always hiding behind that fringe.
"Hey, isn't that-" You could never underestimate the eyes of a guy with glasses. He nudged his silver-haired companion, who leaned over to have a look.
"You're right," Gintoki Sakata exclaimed, staring at the couple from the other side of the street. "What the hell is Souichiro-kun doing with my daughter?! He must be kidnapping her – look at how he's dragging her by her hand! She's crying – look, her head's down! Pachi-boy, we have to rescue our beloved daughter!" He stood in a grand pose, holding a loaf of French bread in his hand majestically.
"Um, Gin-san, please don't use tomorrow's breakfast as a sword…"
"Off we go!" Gin-chan sang, marching off and completely ignoring Pachi-boy.
"Not again…"
Kagura couldn't forget the kiss. It was her first; the sacred kiss. And if you got that stolen by a sadist, then your life would be doomed. And you wouldn't get married, ever, except to sadists.
But for some reason, she didn't feel as bothered by it as she thought she would. In fact, she found herself repeating that moment over and over, to relive it. She only wished that it had been longer. She mentally slapped herself for being so weak.
Halfway through, she heard the shouting from two people she recognised very well: Gin-chan and Megane. She stopped and turned her head and saw them.
'Run.'
Kagura didn't know why that was her first thought. 'Maybe it's to run to them, and away from this sadist?' But that wasn't quite right either. Kagura was normally one to follow her heart, so she just ran. Straight. She didn't even know where she was going because Sougo was meant to be the one who was leading, but she took the lead and ran.
They powered through the crowd, leaving Gin-chan and Megane (who was a slow runner) behind. But then they went the wrong way and ended up in the wrong neighbourhood.
So they had lost Gin-chan and Megane, but they had gained a few more kilometres to walk.
"Thanks, China." Sougo said dryly.
But they arrived at the Shinsengumi headquarters safe and sound. Arguing, of course, but they toned it down to a whisper just in case Mitsuba-san heard.
Yamazaki saw them and offered a greeting, where Kagura replied, "It's the Shinsengumi's Shinpachi!"
That sent Yamazaki into a depressed state. He informed Mitsuba-san of their arrival, then disappeared, chanting 'Anpan' over and over again.
Mitsuba-san sat up on the futon the Shinsengumi had prepared for her in the extra room. She propped her pillows up, hid her fiery snacks and took out a small book.
"Mitsuba-neesan!" Sougo exclaimed, a joyful look enlightening his face the moment he saw her. He let go of Kagura's hands and practically leapt onto Mitsuba-san's lap, giving her a tight hug.
"Sou-chan!" Mitsuba-san smiled gently. Kagura hovered at the door, looking on anxiously. She felt out of place; even more so now that Sougo had let go of her hand. Kagura flexed her right hand unconsciously, feeling as if something was missing.
"Ah, you must be Sou-chan's-" Mitsuba-san giggled. "Girlfriend. Come in, come in! Why are you just waiting?"
She also saw Hijikata and waved him over. "Toushiro-san! Come in and join us!" Kagura saw the look of hatred pass over Sougo's features before he resumed a happy expression.
'What's his problem with Mayora?' She thought, frowning. Everybody hated Mayora of course, but Sougo's hate resembled the urge to kill.
"So, Sougo's girlfriend – ah, what should I call you?" Mitsuba-san turned to Kagura.
"K-Kagura would be fine," Kagura answered.
"Kagura-chan, what do you see in Sougo?" Mitsuba-san said with that smile on her face. The question seemed harsh but she made it sound soft.
"A-ah…" This had not been a part of the agreement. She shot a look at Sougo, who shrugged. "Um… I-I like that he's… nice?"
"No, really, what do you like about him?" Mitsuba-san said.
Kagura thought about it. She really did. "I… like that he's weird. And different, but nice and considerate sometimes. He also has a sister complex-" Sougo glared at her- "But he's just…" Kagura struggled to think of the word. It all bubbled up inside her like a water fountain. She found herself speechless.
Mitsuba-san's smile only grew wider. "I… see." She then turned to Sougo, saying, "And Sou-chan, what about you? What do you love about your girlfriend?"
Sougo answered with ease. "She's different from normal girls. She does what she wants, she doesn't pretend to act cute. Because she could never manage that."
"Why you-!" Kagura felt the immense urge to leap at him and claw his face out, but she couldn't – not in Mitsuba-san's presence.
"You love her, right?" Mitsuba-san nudged him.
Sougo chose to look at the tatami mats in the room. "I love her." Even though she knew it was all just an act, Kagura couldn't supress a grin from breaking out onto her face.
Before anything else happened, Sougo's phone beeped. "Danna wants you back," Sougo deadpanned.
"A-ah…" Kagura stood up and bowed to Mitsuba-san. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mitsuba-san."
Mitsuba-san simply nodded and smiled. "You too, Kagura-chan."
Sougo gave Mitsuba-san a hug before he left with Kagura. They didn't hold hands like Kagura wanted to, but they walked very closely. Mitsuba-san watched them with a smile and a tear in her eye.
"He's growing up too fast," She wiped the tear.
"I'm surprised Kagura managed to sit for such a long time. You should see the two when they're fighting – two absolute beasts," Hijikata took out a cigarette and lit it. "They hate each other. Was that an act to please you – a lie?"
"Ah, really? Why do you think it was a lie?" She asked inquisitively, a fond look crossing her face.
"…Eh?"
"Ah, so you love me, do you?" Kagura grinned. "I see how it is."
"That was a part of the act," Sougo smirked. "Besides, I'm 'nice and considerate' now, am I? And to think, two hours ago you hated my guts! My charm finally reached you, has it?"
"N-no way! Nothing has changed – I still hate you, stupid sadist!" Kagura insisted. "I'm different from other girls in what way, by the way?"
"You're fat, you're a gluttonous pig who doesn't hesitate to eat anything that's up for offer. You'd do anything for a substantial amount of money. You always wear the same things every day and you don't bother to look pretty," Sougo sighed. "It's a wonder I-" He cut himself short, looking shocked – at himself.
"Oh, is that so?!" Kagura screamed. "Well, sorry for that! SORRY I'M MYSELF!" She was furious, but more than that – she was embarrassed.
Because it was all too late to change her feelings now. And when you're conscious of something, you're conscious of it. It doesn't go away, no matter how much you try to push it into the corner of your mind.
She whirled around and started running, unsure of where to go but just running.
'So much for trying to look pretty.'
A hand shot out wordlessly and stopped the running girl. In the setting of the sun, a figure lent over and two lips met.
Sorry.
"You didn't see that photo on his phone, did you?"
"What photo?"
"Stop smoking, Toushiro. It's not good for your health." A pause. "He had a first, real honest smile I've seen in a while. All because of that girl."
"Love can never work out when you're in the Shinsengumi."
"It's because you're like that, Toushiro. Love can always works out; you only need to try. And I can see that he has reached her, too. In his own, crooked ways."