Where small random stuff in a bunny-patterned silk wrapping formed into a ball fitted on a palm, she handed it over as carefully as not to untie its knot. Just as her friend's instruction when the time has to come, Tae gave the wrapped stuff to Sougo. It was inevitable—for him to stare at the bunny patterns; for him to understand why he had to accept it; for him to hardly absorb the scenario he was in with his deadpan eyes turned curious; and for him to realize his sight was slightly heavy with beaded tears that were stuck in his eyes but strictly stayed in place as not to show to others his process of being broken piece by piece. The moment he accepted the wrapped stuff, was accepting the last thing that could preserve his Kagura's presence.

"You sure you really have no idea? Danna?" Yamazaki in chicken mascot disguise was sitting back-to-back with the silver haired samurai under one big parasol. The leader of the Yorozuya was munching a sticky ball of dango while gazing upon the clear blue sky.

"I tell you like a hundredth time now," Gintoki raised his tone with a gist of annoyance while he swallowed his dango. "I'm not hiding Kagura." He tried to explain for so many times since last month, to whoever asked if he knew something about the sudden disappearance of the Kabuki-cho's Yato girl. That she came to their lives in a random kind of way, so presuming she was the kind of random girl who chose to leave them when she decidedly got bored or something. Who knows what's in that girl's mind? Even though he substituted as her earthling mother, he's just a mere leader in the end, who should be aware when not to step out on other's boundaries.

"You don't care anymore even if there are rumors she's already dead?"

"Dead or not, she'll end up in the same path if you were able to catch her, right?" Gintoki stood up and left the last words he'd always wanted to say. "Wondering around here won't lead you to your suspect. Just give it up. Your investigation might lead to somewhere else, you know?"

And that was the last report of the day according to Yamazaki, who was facing down the floor the whole time while sitting a few distant away from his superior, Hijikata. He was already used to the scent of cigarettes or the squirt sound of bottle of mayo whenever he delivered news to the Vice Commander, but he wasn't sure about the predictions that kept bothering him involving this investigation will make the atmosphere any better. Wherever this prediction might lead to, he had to share it by any means because this is his duty as a loyal spy of the Shinsengumi.

Honestly, he had gathered enough evidences pertaining to Yorozuya danna being not the mastermind of Kagura's disappearance in the middle of a serial murder case (where the prime suspect was the Yato girl herself), but someone who was less imaginable figure that no one in this Edo period would ever believe. Yamazaki hardly exposed his name—Okita Sougo. Yamazaki, as someone who witnessed the growth of everyone together until the formation of Shinsengumi, he grasped the sleeves of his pants along with the frustrations he had been keeping behind his clenching teeth. This presumption entered him when he noticed the First Division Captain started skipping on his daytime patrol on a certain time since last week. Ten thirty in the morning to be exact. It's as if he has a fixed schedule to meet up with someone everyday. So he spied on him during that time to discover Sougo was actually visiting another town to come over an old rental house. Yamazaki always put in mind to keep great distance from him—every Shinsengumi member was aware of the First Division Captain's sensitivity regarding the presence of the environment and around it. He always watched from afar the seemingly abandoned rental house when Sougo had left to return to their town. What made him more confused was when he received information that the owner was Sougo himself since a month away. Thinking his spying really needed progress and convinced this has something to do with the serial murder case, with courage did he look closer at the small house, taking a view by the window he saw a folded yukata on the futon—the particular red yukata which reminded him of the townspeople of Kabuki-cho's hearsay: the last time they've seen the pale skinned girl with a violet parasol was wearing the exact description of yukata instead of her usual Chinese outfit.

He might lead to somewhere else, was echoing in Yamazaki's mind after his conversation with danna. Like gooseflesh crawling all over his body.

"I see, you've done well today, Yamazaki." Hijikata signalled a "dismissed" gesture where the latter quietly stood up and paid a respectful bow before leaving the room.

Hijikata exhaled a cloud of smoke with his cigarette between two fingers. You've really fallen for her in the wrong time, eh?

Slow sound of friction between wood and wood as Sougo slid the door open. The sound ended when he got himself passed the doorsill and shut the remaining line of light from the outside across the shadowed room.

"Tadaima." Deadpan echoed. No reply.

He headed towards the room, where he had always convinced himself the room only contained a folded red yukata laid on futon and a bunny-patterned silk wrapping of unknown small stuff beside a calligraphy brush and a bottle of ink on the study table. Nothing more. He reached the drawer beneath the study table, pulled it open to find a piece of letter. He took and unfolded it then read the inscribed words, where he sat on the chair in the process. It took him quite time before ending the content because he enjoyed it, interested enough making his elbow unconsciously laid on the tabletop with his arm upright, where the spaces in between his fingers showed smirking lips when he tried to cover the strange happiness yet embarrassing feeling in front of the letter.

He hid the three-fold letter under his jacket then reached for a new clean paper and the calligraphy brush, started writing strokes with a pitch black ink. He wasn't sure how many working hours did he skip just to finish the content of his letter with satisfaction, and just to place it inside the drawer beneath the study table after writing. There, the three-fold letter written by himself was the lone item, where in the middle of the white sheet surfaced black ink kanji.

"TO: KAGURA"

So… I think I'm (once again) infected by writing OkiKagu feels after two years. Not that I replaced their spot as my OTP after writing other fanfics from other fandoms, I just quietly shipped them through the manga

(｀･ω･´)ゞ

I apologize if I failed to continue "Swearing is Sinful" . and just decided to abandon it along the way. Honestly, I really enjoyed writing that fanfic and even attempted to construct it into 5-chapter series when originally it was a one-shot. The original story of "Reaching Beyond the Line" was supposedly part of "Swearing is Sinful" compilation as the sequel. But yeah, I just decided to separate them and came up with a new plot for a new fanfic.

I promise you I will finish this fanfic till the very end~ I won't let laziness win over my OkiKagu passion this time! ヾ(;▽;)ﾉ

So… constructive criticisms/ comments are love ┐(´ɛ｀┐) and don't hesitate to ask me anything about this post~