Valentine's Day Treats
Rating: K+
Pairing: Gintoki x Kagura (did you expect something else from me? :P )
Kagura sneaks out early on V-Day to make a treat for her guy, Gin. Will he accept it graciously, or hesitate? Pure fluff, which I just love. Reviews are always welcome. Enjoy the V-Day fluff.
Peeking her head around the corner of the small hallway, Kagura looked for any signs that the lazy samurai that was her partner was awake. 'Not very likely.' she thought to herself, a light snicker escaping her lips. Better safe than sorry was a motto she had learned through a few hardships and life, and decided it was a good idea to apply it here.
Seeing that the coast was clear, the small teen made her way carefully down the hall, tensing each time a footstep was harder than intended. Slowly making her way along the cool wooden panels, she finally reached her destination. Taking a quick breath, Kagura slid open the door to Gin's room, mentally wincing with each click of the wheels on the track.
Once the door was open, the girl looked intensely into the room, waiting for a sign that he was awake. Hearing only the soft, even breathing interspersed with the occasional snore, Kagura took it as 'coast is clear' and slowly tiptoed into the room. Each step she took brought a glance around the room before homing in on her target.
A mischievous grin on her face, she made her way towards his pants, lying unceremoniously strewn on the floor. Figuring that he had been drinking the night before, the girl rolled her eyes, keeping her vision trained on the spread out garment. Out of the corner of her eyes, Kagura could see an occasional twitch from the older man, incoherent grumbling as he talked in his sleep. He could be quite an amusing person to watch, but she didn't have time for it now.
Rummaging through the black garment, lips drawn in concentration, she looked intently for the object of her search. After a moment of looking, her face lit up in a bright smile, producing a brown wallet from one of the pockets, noticing an odd bulge where usually it was very flat. Apparently he had had a good night. 'That'll help be a lot.' she smirked, opening the wallet to… "liberate" a little cash for the day's plans.
Slipping a few pieces of the colored paper from their hold, she then folded the piece of worn leather up again, slipping it back into its home in his pocket. Cash in hand, the girl stood up quickly, casting a glance in Gin's direction before tiptoeing out of the room. Just as she was crossing the threshold into the hall, a loud creak echoed through the room, freezing her dead in her tracks. Standing perfectly still, she waited for signs of retribution.
After a moment of nothing, Kagura gently slid the door closed again, nearly laughing out loud at some mumbled saying about strawberry milk. Not wanting to risk it, the girl left the door open just an inch before making her way silently through the ret of the hall and into the living room.
Slipping her shoes and coat on, the Yato girl made her way out of the apartment, shivering a bit at the cool morning air. Normally she would join Gintoki at sleeping in on such a morning, not one to enjoy the cold atmosphere of winter. But this was a special day. As she considered the day ahead, Kagura felt a pleasant spring find its way into her step, a smile crossing her face sweetly as she nearly skipped to the nearby convenience store.
The normally cool air of the small shop was a bit warmer compared to outside, and as she slipped into the small multi purpose structure Kagura looked around, hoping that they had what she was looking for. A frown found its way onto her face as she looked, not finding what she had been seeking.
"Hey, kid." she called out to the cashier in her usual blunt tone, drawing the slightly older teen's attention. "Do you guys have any chocolate?" she asked, drawing a confused eyebrow raise from the clerk at the register.
"What do you mean?" he asked, clearly indicating the large amount of candy bars lining the front counter. A realization dawned on him as the girl stared at him dumbly. "Ah, you mean that kind of chocolate. No, we don't have any left. I think they have some at one of the other shops." At that, Kagura bounded over to the young man, eagerly asking for directions to said shop.
Once she had established her new destination, Kagura made her way towards the shop, shivering a bit with each light breeze of cool air. She was glad that it wasn't snowing yet, and instead was just cold. The spring in her step had disappeared, replaced with a feel of apprehension, hoping that her search would not be too long.
After a few minutes of walking, she found herself standing in front of the next store, a bit larger than the first, and she could tell it had a good deal more products on its shelves. 'This place better have it.' she thought dangerously, agitated with the first shop's lack of the necessary supply. Crossing through the sliding doors into the shop, the girl looked around carefully, catching sight of her target on the third row down from her.
Catching a few stray shoppers in the place, the girl made her way quickly towards the target, gathering a few package of the sweet substance in her arms. A smirk of triumphant satisfaction on her lips, the girl then looked for the other item she needed. Eyes narrowed in concentration, she scanned the aisles, looking for something that would work for her purposes. Finally she spotted a good size mold, making her way over towards it. With a nod of satisfaction, Kagura made her way to the front, placing the items on the top of the counter.
"Will that be all?" The young Yato nearly choked at the sight of this clerk, nearly identical to the one in the other shop she had visited. The same loosely combed brown hair and utterly normal looking face on each, giving Kagura a very unpleasant feeling. After all her time dealing with actual characters, seeing generic people was a rather strange feeling.
"O-oh, yeah. That's all." she answered, noticing the man staring at her, realizing she must have stood still for a bit longer than necessary. Watching as the clerk scanned and rung up the items, Kagura then produced the funds she had "procured" earlier, smiling pleasantly as she ended up with some extra.
The bag containing the items hanging from her strong grip, Kagura made her way towards her next destination. Slowly heading towards the Shimura dojo, the girl said a silent prayer that things would go well. The last thing she needed to do was give Gin another case of amnesia from bad food. Looking into the sky, the girl could see a few clouds beginning to gather, giving the town around her a dark, overcast look.
Figuring it would be a good idea to hurry this up, the girl broke into a sprint, reaching the dojo a little earlier than she had originally planned. Shinpachi greeted the girl as she made her way inside, hesitantly casting a glance towards the kitchen. Kagura knew what he was so worried about, and tried to reassure him that things would be fine. She hoped…
"Ah, Kagura-chan. You're early." That soft, flowery voice rang from inside the kitchen. Kagura turned towards the source of the words, watching the form of her so-called "big sis" emerge. Her brunette hair was pulled into the trademark ponytail, pink kimono covered by a white apron used for cooking. In her hand rested another apron, and Kagura took a few steps towards the older girl.
"Yeah. It looks like it's going to snow, so I figured I should get it done sooner." she mumbled, taking the frilly garment from her older friend, slipping it carelessly over her head. Kagura normally didn't like wearing stuff like that, but figured it was better than getting chocolate on he normal clothes. As Tae motioned to follow her into the kitchen, Kagura nodded weakly, glancing over at Shinpachi.
His face held all the emotions that Kagura was feeling, and suddenly she wondered if this was indeed a good idea. The glasses wearing teen quickly disappeared from view, leaving the girl at the hands of his older sister. With a sigh, Kagura made her way into the cozy kitchen, dropping the bag of chocolate onto a nearby countertop.
She watched as Tae produced a series of pans, and Kagura felt much more nervous about the idea. "Don't worry. It's really simple." the older girl had tried to comfort her younger friend, eliciting a weak nod from the young alien. "First, you need to break the chocolates into equal sized chunks."
That sounded simple enough, and so Kagura set about the task. It was almost fun to break the chocolate, but found it somewhat difficult to get them into similarly sized pieces. Figuring it didn't need to be exactly equal made it easier, and before long the task was done.
"Well done. Now, we just need to set it in a heat proof bowl." Tae nodded towards a set of bowls, and Kagura nodded, grabbing one and handing the other to the older brunette. "Next, we fill a saucepan with water and let it simmer." At that, the brunette turned the dials for the stove, a pair of flames popping out seemingly from nowhere.
As Kagura set the chocolate into the bowl, she wondered if this was really a good idea. She knew he liked chocolate, and anything sweet for that matter. But would he eat chocolate made by her? Especially if he figured that Tae had had a hand in creating it? With a frustrated sigh, she figured she might as well go for it.
After a few minute, the water seemed to be adequately set, and so Kagura set the bowl atop the pan, watching the bits of heat from the water disappear beneath the bowl. "Now we are supposed to let it sit like that, stirring it over low to medium heat until it's melted."
Turning the dials a bit, Kagura realized why Tae's food was always so burned. She apparently had a hard time distinguishing "low heat", the flame from her section of stovetop nearly max, tongues of flame lashing out from beneath the pan. The girl felt sorry for whoever was getting the chocolate that her friend was making, turning the heat down a good deal on hers.
Producing a pair of metal spoons, Tae handed one to her younger friend, indicating that they were to stir regularly to give a smooth texture. With a nod, Kagura noticed that Otae's chocolate seemed to melt a good deal quicker, wondering if that was normal. Shrugging it off, the girl idly set herself to spooning the liquefying chocolate.
As the heat began to dissolve the solid into a near liquid, the girl's mind began to wander, slipping through memories of past events. The clang of metal against metal soon lost in the thoughts of what had come, and what might yet happen. She thought about his reaction to getting the chocolate, wondering if he would be happy, or hesitant, or something else entirely. The tension began to show in her body, unconsciously stirring the chocolate faster.
She was awoken from the daydream by a splatter of the dark liquid on her cheek and forehead. Wiping a few strands from her porcelain skin, the girl turned the heat off on the stove. Taking the bowl carefully with gloved hands, the girl set to pouring the brown substance into the mold, watching it spread out in the heart shaped mold. Taking the more pleasant thought of what might happen, she smiled brightly as she set the mold to the side to harden.
"So, who's it for?" her older friend asked. Turning her head towards the brunette, Kagura saw that normal smile on her face. The one that looked sweet and innocent, but still held a sense of command and force. Looking into the older girl's eyes, the Yato girl wondered about the result of telling her.
She knew that Tae, along with most other people she knew, would be very surprised and probably give her a lecture if they learned who she wanted to make chocolate for. She also knew that word had a way of getting around, and that they would probably find out anyway.
"It's for Gin-san, isn't it?" the older girl had seemingly read her thoughts, giggling at the embarrassed reaction of the younger girl. A weak nod of her head, accompanied by a light blush. Kagura felt so girly, something she normally did not experience. "Ah, how cute." Tae spoke, wrapping the younger girl in a warm embrace.
The smell of chocolate filled the room, yet over that Kagura could smell a pleasant hint of vanilla and lilac, probably from the older girl's perfume. Unsure how to react, the girl simply stood there, waiting for Tae to break the contact,
As they waited for the chocolate to harden, Kagura and Tae made their way into the living room. Kagura felt a bit uncomfortable with the older girl knowing the object of her affections, but figured that was something inevitable. The time didn't move fast enough, and the young alien girl was fully ready to leave, but had to wait for the chocolate to harden. Suddenly an idea came to her and she turned to the older girl.
"So, Big Sis, who is yours for?" she asked in a teasing tone, her face showing her curiosity. Tae seemed to tense a bit before turning her face away from her younger friend. Kagura smirked triumphantly at the softness that graced her features, making her look even more feminine than usual.
"Kyuu-chan, right?" Kagura took her turn to read a mind, watching the surprised and flustered reaction of the older girl as she turned towards the alien, face showing her full surprise. But the flustered reaction had died down a bit, replaced with a more serene, pleasant look.
The brunette could only nod a bit, a happy smile on her face as the brown hair moved a bit with the gesture. Even with what had happened, Kagura knew that the two were very close, maybe a bit too close. Maybe that was why she could so comfortably work in a place like she did. With an amused grin, Kagura looked at the clock, her blue eyes sparkling as she realized that enough time had passed.
Darting from the seat she had been occupying, the girl made her way back to the kitchen, grabbing the heart shaped mold. Looking at it, the chocolate did seem hardened enough, and flipped it over. With a few light taps, the chocolate dropped onto a little pile of paper towels, and Kagura beamed, quite pleased with herself.
The chocolate had come out nearly perfectly, and so set about wrapping and preparing the sweet treat. Once it was done, the girl held the results in front of her, looking intently at the red ribbon she had used to secure the wrapping over it. Now there was only one thing left, and that had left her with some raw nerves. She hoped he would like it.
"Thanks a bunch, Big Sis." Kagura spoke, hugging her older friend before making her way quickly out of the dojo.
"No problem, Kagura-chan. Just be careful, and don't give him too much." the suggestion clear in her words, Kagura couldn't help but blush at that, nodding weakly as she made her way out into the streets back towards the Yorozuya shop.
"Ah. I hope Gin-san doesn't mess it up." Shinpachi spoke, taking a position next to his sister. He admired Gintoki, but knew he had a penchant for messing up important moments.
"Don't worry, Shin-chan." Tae spoke sweetly, watching where Kagura had disappeared to. "It'll all work out in the end." Shinpachi was a little confused at her words, wondering how she could be so confident.
"How do you know, sis?" he asked, his voice showing his curiosity.
"Well, Gin-san always comes through when it counts." The answer was simple, but as Shinpachi turned his head to follow his sister's gaze, he knew it was true. While normally lazy and crude and generally worthless, Gintoki always managed to come through in the end.
"That's true." he admitted, smiling as he thought about Gin's no doubt flustered reaction to the chocolate. He wished he could see it, as Gin was not one to be flustered normally.
"Besides," the girl spoke again, her eyes narrowing as she gave her usual smile, "if he messes it up, he'll be sorry." At that, Shinpachi found himself truly hoping Gintoki didn't do anything wrong. He didn't feel like attending a wake so early in the year.
"A-ah." he would have to be sure to check on them later in the day, before word could reach his sister, good or bad. With a nod, he made his way back into the home, shivering a bit from the cold. As he turned, he could tell that it would snow very soon, and felt a smile cross his face. "Snow, huh?" With that, he made his way inside, sighing at the comfortable warmth.
"Oh, Shin-chan, could you come here for a second?" his sister's voice echoed in his ear, a sense of foreboding in his mind. "I want you to taste this really quick." Certainly Gintoki's luck would be better than his own.
Sitting up from his seat, Gintoki yawned heavily, rubbing the back of his head as the cold of the day crept through his body. An involuntary shiver ran through him, clutching at his body with his arms in a vain attempt to get warm.
It being such a cold day, Gin had woken and simply decided to stay in bed, clutching the large comforter around him as he had tried to find comfort. It had helped, allowing him to sleep in quite late. But once it hit around noon, sleep would no longer come to him, and the lazy samurai had gotten out of bed.
As he sat down to a simple breakfast, he was curious about a particular absense, Kagura's usual frenzy not present at the meal. Blinking a few times in confusion, he had simply shrugged it off, figuring that she was spending the day with a guy she liked. "Ah, to be young again." he had lamented, exaggerating his own age greatly in the process.
Once he had finished the breakfast, he had made his way into the room where Kagura slept, figuring it to be a good idea to be sure she was gone. Sliding open the closet door, he had seen her messy futon and comforter, snickering at her normal messiness. Once he had been sure that the girl was gone, he had made his way back to his room, gathering his clothes before heading to the shower.
But as he picked up his pants, the wallet had simply slid out, opening his eyes in surprise. Dropping the black garment, he then leaned down, picking up the worn leather in his hand. Opening it, he screamed in agony, his crimson eyes lighting with anger and frustration. "Kagura-chan! You're going to pay for this!" he had exclaimed, his temper getting the best of him.
Tossing the wallet down onto the ground, he made his way towards the shower. The hot water calmed him down a bit, but he was still frustrated. How could she steal from him? Sure, their pay was usually slow in coming, but stealing was wrong.
Ok, he had stolen on a couple of occasions, but that was different. Those were total strangers, not his roommate. His mind seemed to argue the rest of the day, all the while knowing he didn't have the cash to go anywhere. So, pulling the kotatsu from its storage place, Gin had been forced to settle for that.
Taking his seat at the small table, Gintoki let its warmth seep through his muscles to the bones, completely washing away the feeling of cold from the day. With a sigh, he picked up the remote, spending a while flipping through channels. Everything was tinted with a romantic feel, each one deepening the frown on his face.
Finally he had been fed up, and flipped the button to turn off the television. Relaxing his back, the silver haired samurai let his arms flop onto the table, hands barely reaching the opposite edge. Whenever Kagura managed to get home, he would be sure to give her a good lecture. He just hoped she wouldn't catch onto his own deficiencies during such a time.
Time had passed quickly, and without realizing it, he had fallen asleep in position. Giving the window a good look, he winced at the look of the clouds in the sky. They were quite dark, and he was glad he had decided, or rather been forced, to stay in. He did not enjoy the prospect of being out in the snow.
"Ah, it's so late already?" he muttered, making his way out from under the small table. Stretching his arms out above his head, he leaned back, letting his back crack loudly with the gesture. He turned from side to side a few times, attempting to soothe the ache in his back. Falling asleep in that position had not been good for him, and he kept his hands on the lower back as he made his way to the bathroom.
Just as the door to the bathroom had closed, he had heard the light sound of the front door opening. He listened intently over the sounds of nature taking its course as it closed, a seemingly small set of footsteps making their way through the living room. With a small sigh, Gintoki finished his business, washing his hands before making his way out into the living room.
There he saw Kagura, occupying his previous seat at the kotatsu, looking quite like the amused little kitten. He could not help but smile at the sight, revelling in the warm smile that seemed set on her face. As he approached her, Gin thought he saw a bit of light brown on her cheek, just at the left corner of her mouth.
"Ah, where have you been today, Kagura-chan?" the girl almost jumped from her seat, her body tensing at the question. She fidgeted a bit, almost trying to slink further underneath the warm table. Gintoki took a bit of pleasure in her flustered expression, taking a seat to her left at the table, letting the warmth seep into him again.
"G-Gin-chan, h-how was your day?" she seemed rather guilty about something, and Gin could not quite place it. Shaking it off, he simply looked idly at the young girl, noticing her hands converging under the table.
"What do you have there?" he asked, watching her tense up again. She seemed to take a breath, trying to calm her nerves for something. He watched as the girl produced a decent sized heart shape. Red ribbons held a bit of pink paper over it, and he looked curiously as she pushed the object in his direction.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Gin-chan." It was his turn to be surprised. Gin felt his body tense just a bit, his face warming slightly as he realized what was happening. He simply sat there for a moment, watching the face of his younger partner. He had figured she had spent the day with a guy she liked but, hadn't thought it would be for him.
"W-what are you saying Kagura-chan?" he tried to play along as though it were a joke, feeling a catch in his throat as her face fell into one of sadness, and he realized it was no joke. With a sigh, he muttered a weak apology before taking the object in hand. Opening his nostrils, his face pulled into a smile at the smell of chocolate. Quickly he set about opening the gift, his mouth nearly watering at the sight of the brown candy.
"I hope it's alright…" she fidgeted a bit, eyes turned downward along with her face, but he could tell she was smiling. Breaking off a piece of the substance, he popped it into his mouth, letting it melt in his mouth.
"It's delicious." he answered honestly, breaking off another piece. As he popped it into his mouth, he noticed her gaze focus on him intently, and he saw that same brown mark on her face. Realizing where she had probably gotten it, he smiled mischievously as he gulped down the last of the second piece.
"I-I'm glad you-" she stopped as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her cheeks. Her body felt like it would simply explode, feeling his tongue brush against the soft skin just to the corner of her lips. Her eyes closed and a surge of happiness passed through her. The best case scenario had seemingly passed.
"Mmm. It really is good. You had a little on you, there." he spoke, licking his lips of the last of the traces of sweetness, a teasing tone to his voice. The words took a minute to truly register, the girl's mind racing with memories of the kiss. It had taken her breath away, and wondered what it would be like for a real kiss.
"Uh-huh…" was all she could say, vaguely aware that he had spoken. Kagura didn't notice as Gintoki scooted a bit closer to the girl, taking a seat right next to her.
"Thanks, Kagura." he said simply, watching as the girl's eyes blinked in recognition, attention coming back to the present. But she nearly fainted as he leaned in again, this time capturing her lips with his, the sweetness of the chocolate still lingering on the surprisingly soft skin. Her body tensed momentarily before melting into it, her front molding against his as she leaned forward.
He tasted as sweet as she had often thought, a mix of sugar and sake that she knew she could get addicted to. Reaching around, the girl clutched at his green sleepwear, trying desperately to deepen the kiss. She never wanted it to end, the feeling of bliss passing through her from where their lips met.
But all too soon, he pulled back, leaving them both breathing harder than usual, but only she was flustered. "Mmmm…." she mumbled incoherently, her crystal blue eyes hazed over in lust, her hands slowly loosening their grip on his shirt.
Leaning in so that his lips were against her right ear, he spoke, letting the breath brush against the sensitive skin. "Next time just ask, instead of stealing." Pulling back, he shot the girl a teasing look, before standing to make his way to bed.
Kagura was left with a dreamy look on her face, touching her lips with her fingers as the memory played in her mind. Slowly the world came back into view, and she looked out the window. The first traces of snow began to fall, the pure white flakes passing by the clear window. The bright color against the dark sky brought images of Gintoki, her own light in the darkness.
There, at the warm table, Kagura felt unbelievably hot, and not from the small heater under the table. Holding a hand to her chest, she felt her heart beating fast, her mind refusing to let go of the memory of his lips against hers. The gamble had worked, and she smiled in satisfaction before his voice rang from his own room.
"Aren't you coming, Kagura?" he asked in a teasing tone, rubbing those silver locks through his fingers. With no audible answer, the girl was nearly leaping towards him before jumping into his arms.
Whatever else happened that night, Kagura was glad for one thing. Thank God for consumer based holidays.
Aww, sweet possibilities. Gin is so sweet for Kagura, eh? Such a fun pairing to write fluff for. Next update will be another GinKagu, with a tad more angst. Specifically, Gintoki having an ethical debate with himself about his feelings regarding a certain red head. Not true angst, but you get the idea. Look forward to that soon, GinKagu fans. Also, update to Family Affairs and the close to Temporary Insanity coming soon. Happy Valentine's Day to those out there.