Head Trauma
Rating: K+
Pairing: Gintoki x Kagura
Don't know where the idea came from for this one, but I felt somehow compelled to write it. Seemed like it would be fun, and since I didn't write anything yesterday, I really wanted to write some GinKagu fluff. Well, here it is for your enjoyment. Comments always loved, as usual. Enjoy.
"Gin-chan…" A lazy, almost sleepy voice sounded from opposite the young samurai, the latest issue of Jump pasted to his face. Not bothering to move the magazine, he turned his head in the direction of the soft voice, as though he would be able to see through its pages.
"What is it, Kagura-chan?" he asked in an equally lazy tone, somewhat irritated at having been disturbed during his "reading" of his favorite manga.
"It's hot." The girl's words confused him, as he thought the temperature was rather comfortable. Finally moving the magazine from his face, Gintoki looked intently as the young Yato girl made her way into the living room. Her fingers had pinched the front of her red shirt, repeatedly moving it in a back and forth motion from her chest in an attempt to cool off.
Sitting up slowly, he looked quizzically at the young girl, praying silently that she was not suffering from some sort of sickness. As he gradually swung his legs over the edge of the sofa, he set the Jump down, watching his friend and partner trudge her way over towards him. Just from looking, she didn't seem well, but he couldn't be sure if she was sick or not until he gave her a quick check. Once she stood directly in front of him, Gin motioned for the girl to sit on the cushion next to him.
Looking her over intently, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to figure out what was wrong with the girl. Feeling her forehead, she did seem rather warm, but he still couldn't be sure if it was an illness or something else. It occurred to him, as it had many times before, that there was little he knew about this girl or her people outside of what she had told him. And even then, he had mostly been too lazy to pay attention.
"Hmm… you don't seem that bad. Maybe you should just have some milk and get some bedrest." Gintoki felt confident that she would be fine given the time necessary to recover. But as he watched her, she seemed to make no move to get up, her body going somewhat limp next to him. He watched as her eyes closed, a smile creeping its way across her face.
"Ara?" he questioned, his right brow quirking in curiosity. As soon as the question came from his lips, the girl's small body leaned forward, her forehead resting gently on his shoulders. Feeling his eyes blink a few times in confusion, Gin noticed the content expression on her face, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
"You brat!" he yelled, causing the girl's eyes to shoot open, a sort of "busted" look on her face. Slowly turning her gaze to meet his own, Kagura noticed the look of anger on his face.
"W-wait, Gin-chan. I-it's not what you think…" she tried to excuse, before feeling the familiar weight of his fist on the back of her head. It was not something that one would mistake for abuse, instead just his momentary expression of frustration or anger.
"You shouldn't make people worry about you like that. Damnit, brats these days." he mumbled, watching the girl rub the back of her head. Though he looked angry on the outside, he was inwardly glad that the young girl was fine. "Ah, since you're fine, you should clean up. I won a bit at the casino last night, so how about we celebrate?" he smirked, watching her face light up in excitement.
"Woof." Both their faces darkened, blinks exchanged as Gin looked intently at his young charge.
"What was that?" Turning their heads, the pair noticed the large white dog which lived there, resting comfortably in the far corner of the room. Bringing their gazes back at each other, that seemed to satisfy their concerns about the situation. "That damn dog needs to be quiet at bad times like that." Gintoki mumbled, his voice catching slightly in his throat.
"Woof, wooof woof-" Kagura nodded her head, before stopping statement. Their jaws both fell open, looks of utter shock on their faces. The young alien girl looked at Gintoki with panic and fear, grabbing him and shaking him roughly by the shirt collar.
"W-wait K-Kagura-chan, t-there must be s-something that can be d-done about this." His attempts to soothe the girl's agony proved fruitless, and for an instant the young samurai thought that she would snap and beat him senseless. But after a minute of intense shaking, the girl simply slumped back, hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth.
"Woo~f…" she muttered, drawing a sweat drop from the silver haired twenty something. Swallowing deeply, he tried to think of what she might be saying. His eyes shot wide in terror, the images of his fist impacting on her head playing in his mind. Gin felt his whole body shaking, images of his brutal death at the hands of any number of people joining the memory.
"Awoo?" the girl seemed to question, gently tilting her head to the side as she questioned the leader of their little operation. The innocence in her eyes only made his guilt feel worse, and knew that he had to find a way to fix her.
"Alright, first we gotta get you to a doctor, and fast. Who knows what would happen if-" No sooner had he thought it than the worst happened.
"Ah, good morning Gin-san. Kagura-chan." Gin's four eyed friend slipped easily into the small apartment, a pleasant smile on his face. As the teen made his way over to his two friends, Gintoki cursed the gods for forsaking him, promising retribution once he had become a Buddha.
"G-good morning, Shinpachi-kun." Gintoki tried and failed at sounding normal, drawing a suspicious glare from the bespectacled teen.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked quizzically, tilting his head closer to the young girl with the Chinese accent.
"Woof, wooof." The girl shook her head derisively, intending to mock the permed samurai, stopping as she remembered the condition that she seemed to be in.
"Eh?" Was all that Shinpachi could say, looking from the young red head to the permed idiot and back, trying to absorb the information as well as he could. Finally he rested his gaze on Gintoki for answers, an oddly hard look in his eyes as the pieces began to come together in his mind.
"So, that seems to be what happened, Shinpachi-kun." Gintoki finished a few minutes later, shivering at the cold looks from the pair of teens. Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he tried his best to sound unconcerned about the situation. "So, we were going to head to the hosp-" Gintoki could not finish his statement, the pair of enraged teens landing hard blows to his gut and face, sending him in agony to the floor.
"Agh, my nose, I think my nose is broken." Gin rubbed his face carefully, internally bracing for another blow from his friends. After a minute of nothing, he turned his attention back to the situation at hand, his fingers still carefully rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I suppose it's not entirely your fault, Gin-san." Shinpachi spoke, taking a seat next to the young Yato girl, his arms crossing on his chest. Kagura seemed a little less understanding, crossing her own arms on her chest as she huffed in his direction. Sighing heavily, Gintoki stood slowly, rubbing a kink out of his lower back as he started towards the front door.
Noticing the silence in the small apartment as he approached the sliding door, Gintoki stopped, turning his head back to the pair of teens. "Well, aren't you guys coming? It would be pretty pointless of me to go to the hospital myself." He joked, watching as Kagura and Shinpachi's moods seemed to instantly lighten, the girl taking one leap from the couch to his back, nearly sending him back to the floor.
"Oi, oi. What the heck?" he feigned annoyance, shifting the girl on his back, feeling her arms reach around his neck. "Well, I guess it's the least I can do since this is my fault." A smile crossed his face, feeling the girl lean happily into his back. The soft inhalations of breath seemed to soothe his body, as his hands rested on the girl's thighs to give her support.
The trio quickly made their way to the hospital, thankfully not running into any of their acquaintances on the way. Gin especially had a sneaking suspicion that an encounter with any of his associates with Kagura in her condition would prove… eventful, to say the least.
Once the trio had gotten in the queue to see the doctor, they could only sit and wait. Finding only a pair of empty seats, Gintoki and Shinpachi looked questioningly at one another, as though making some sort of decision. With a nod, Gintoki set Kagura down in one of the seats before making his way to the near wall, leaning lazily against the hard material. He only hoped the doctor would see them quickly.
As they waited, Shinpachi caught Kagura glancing in Gintoki's direction periodically, a look of near longing on her face. He wondered if something had happened between the two, but shook it off. No way even Gintoki would try anything with a girl as much younger than him as Kagura… would he? The thought somehow made him uncomfortable, especially realizing that Gintoki was the last person to care about how society viewed him.
But Shinpachi tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, focusing on the current problem before thinking of hopefully far off problems. Luckily the onus was taken from him, as a nurse appeared, ushering the trio into an examination room. As Gintoki made his way past Kagura, the girl leapt back onto his back, drawing curious expressions from all present, some with sly grins on their faces.
Making their way through the cool corridors, Gin and Shinpachi seemed to be thinking the same thing, wondering why Kagura kept finding her way onto Gin's back. He for one would not complain, rather enjoying the feel of her warm, soft body against his back, especially in the rather icy hospital.
As the entered the room to wait for the doctor, Gintoki slipped the girl once more from his back, motioning for her to sit upon the uncomfortable exam table. Shinpachi for his part caught what looked like sadness on the girl's face as she simply nodded, clearly trying to hide something as she idly kicked the air to pass the time.
Narrowing his eyes, Shinpachi moved his gaze from one to the other, watching as Gintoki nearly fell asleep in his seat. Whatever might have happened, if anything, Gintoki at least seemed completely unaffected by it. But as he moved his gaze back to Kagura, a thought occurred to him. Could she have a crush on Gin-san? The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He was just beginning to ponder it more in depth as the doctor made his way into the room.
"Ah, and how are we feeling this morning?" Gin and Shin looked at him as though he were crazy, Kagura giving a light bark in greeting, a hand waving gently in the air. 'She doesn't seem too bothered by it.' They thought simultaneously, Gintoki rubbing his temples in frustration.
"W-well, it seems the chart wasn't wrong. How unusual…" The doctor's words were not comforting, and the pair looked at one another. Without words, they seemed to be considering other options, expecting this to not work out well. Turning their attention back to Kagura, they watched as the doctor removed a small light from his pocket, shining it directly into the girl's deep blue eyes.
He seemed to be doing some sort of test, but for what neither of them had any idea. After a few moments, the doctor sat back, scribbling some notes into the patient chart before looking at the pair on the other side of the room.
"She'll be fine. It is just a light concussion, and it should go away in a day or two. But no more bumps on the head for a while, alright?" The doctor warned, shooting a piercing gaze in Gintoki's direction. Shinpachi wondered if it was even possible for Gin to listen to that advice correctly. With a sigh, they thanked the doctor as he made his way out of the room, leaving the trio alone in the cold, sterile room.
"Well, I guess you'll have to take it easy for a while, neh?" Shinpachi spoke, turning from Kagura to Gintoki, watching his older friend's lips twist in frustration. Shin couldn't help but smirk, knowing that whatever problems Gintoki had, he'd always be there for his friends. He knew that Kagura would be in good hands. "Ah, I forgot I have to pick up groceries for big-sis!" Shinpachi shouted, shooting up from his seat and out of the room, leaving Gin and Kagura to look at one another in confusion. Both shrugged at the realization, before Gintoki headed towards the door himself.
"Woof, awwooo." Kagura spoke, stopping the young man in his tracks as she once again leapt onto his back. She seemed to get rather comfortable, nuzzling her head gently against the back of his neck.
"Good grief, what a troublesome kid I got here." he mumbled in mock annoyance, once again glad to have the girl so close. It was something mysterious, but he always felt better when she was near him. With a slight shifting of her slender frame, Gintoki made his way out of the hospital, taking slight notice of the people's gazes upon him as he walked through the streets back towards their little shop.
"Ah, I wonder how we'll pass the time until you get better." he muttered, feeling his pace begin to slow a bit from carrying the girl for the majority of the day.
"We could have sex-" Both stopped their breathing simultaneously, Gintoki's head creaking slowly as her words worked through his head. His face was a tone of pink almost the same shade as the hair of her older brother. Kagura had not expected the concussion to wear off so quickly, and had anticipated her words being muffled by dog language. But as she said them, knowing they were her true feelings, she felt a surge of embarrassment, mixed with a twinge of fear. She wondered how Gintoki would respond to the suggestion.
"I guess you're all better already, eh Kagura-chan?" he spoke, feeling on the verge of steam coming from his ears. Leaping off of his back, the girl quickly made her way back to their little shop, her heart pounding steadily as she ran. At this moment, she was most unhappy with her quick healing, as well as her easygoing nature. Maybe she had been around Gintoki too long.
"You shouldn't make fun of your elders!" Gintoki yelled as he crashed through the door, watching the giggling Kagura on the opposite side of one of the couches.
"Well, you shouldn't make it so easy, baka!" She exclaimed, sticking her tongue out to mock the older man. With a shriek of surprise, she watched his large body fly over the sofa directly at her. For an instant she debated whether she should dodge and let him crash into the floor, or just catch him and toss him back onto the sofa.
As he came in contact with the girl, Gin quickly spun his body around, taking a lot of the impact as he pulled the girl atop him, resting gently on his stomach. "Ah, ah. You really are a troublesome kid." he groaned in frustration, but unable to hide the smirk on his face. "But you know, you should watch when you say things like that" he began, drawing her attention to him as he warned her, "because you can't just trust anyone."
Feeling a rush of happiness at his worriment over her wellbeing, Kagura collapsed upon the older man, hugging him tightly as he watched her. His crimson eyes trained on the locks of fire red hair that spilled over her face, Gintoki hoped his heart wasn't beating as fast and hard as it felt like.
"Don't worry, Gin-chan." the girl answered, startling him from a rather unfitting delusion. Tilting her head slightly, her sea blue eyes meeting his red orbs, she smiled her sweetest smile, darkening the light blush on his cheeks. "Gin-chan is the only one I want to tease." With that the girl gave him a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing deeper into the house, leaving him dumbstruck.
"Little brat…" he muttered in an oddly happy tone, his hand resting on the spot where she had kissed him, rubbing the spot gently. "Needs to learn some respect." With that, he chuckled a bit to himself, slowly working his way back onto the couch. Collapsing roughly onto the cushioned bench, Gintoki leaned his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Arms dangling over the back of the seat, he thought about the day's events, and felt a rush of exhaustion.
"Gin-chan?" the soft voice barely whispered, her red head peeking out around the corner of the hall.
"What is it, Kagura-chan?" he asked, looking lazily at the young girl. The girl seemed to fidget for a moment, biting her lower lip as she seemed to think about something. Turning his gaze more directly at the girl, Gin caught sight of a blush on her usually pale cheeks.
"Umm… can I sleep with you tonight?" The question barely escaped her lips, and as the words escaped, Gintoki sighed at the embarrassed looking alien. He pondered for a moment if he should, especially given her joke from only a short time earlier.
"Baka. Who would normally let you do something like that after such a joke." he spoke, smirking to himself mischievously at the girl's shaken reaction. "But, since I'm not normal, I guess it would be alright." The smile that crossed her face was priceless to him. The girl bounded carelessly towards the natural permed samurai, crashing into him as she gave him a bone crushing hug.
"Thank you, Gin-chan. But…" she whispered again, leaning so that her lips were nearly touching his right ear. Kagura took a deep breath, figuring that she had already been honest once, she might as well do it again. "I wasn't joking." Tilting her head downward slightly, she gave him the most innocent look she could imagine, barely holding in a giggle at his flustered reaction.
"Gah, you're too much for me to handle, Kagura." While he rubbed his temple with one hand, the other found its way to the girl's slender body, tickling her sides viciously, savoring the agonized laughs from the young girl. He couldn't help but join in, laughing along with her as his mind raced. He wondered if the girl in front of him was indeed serious.
'Oh well,' he thought to himself, 'guess we'll deal with that then.' Somehow, one way or another, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping well this night.
Weird how people can be so honest when they think nobody can hear/understand, eh? Good for Kagura that it came out, even if in such an awkward way. Another situation where I might do a sort of sequel, since I like publishing these oneshots independently. Thoughts appreciated, and as usual, look forward to more GinKagu fluff soon.
