He found her standing on a soft loamy soil in the garden at the backyard during a grey afternoon rainfall. A girl with vermillion hair in buns side by side under her purple umbrella, wearing a plain red dress and boots. While he was in the living room, standing on tatami in his kosode and hakama. The connection between their eye-to-eye contact was an open door.

A stranger rather than a guest in Okita Sougo's eyes, slowly unsheathing his katana while saying, "Little red cap seems to have visited the wolf's den, you lost your way to your grandma?"

"Stupid brat! How could you mistook me as someone of that level!? I'm not even a human."

"Then what are you? An amanto cosplayer?" He sheathed his sword down and turned away, exiting the living room. "You should just go somewhere else. I don't accept lost children."

He left her there. Alone. And annoyed.

Seriously, this girl wants to get arrested for trespassing and even dared to enter his room! Sougo thought. She was wearing a grumpy face while arms crossed on her chest, legs folded sitting proud on tatami. Like a grandpa ready to scold his idiot grandson.

"I'm a sadist for your information." He glanced at the direction where her wet purple umbrella laid on soaked tatami near the door. "You don't know how many maidservants have I frightened from my attitude. They all ran away."

Her brow raised.

"So I'm giving you the chance to escape from your misery. And tell Hijibaka the next time he sends off another maidservant I'll come down to the city to cut his head off."

She tilted her head sideways, wondering what he was talking about. "Hijibaka?"

"Hijikata, I mean."

"I don't know anyone by that name. AND HOW DARE YOU MISTOOK ME AS YOUR MAIDSERVANT! I'm not anyone's servant, idiot!"

She, as the center of curiosity, little by little the questions were painting the room. "What are you trying pull then?" Was the first issue he raised and strangely hoping to be answered with all honesty, or he had no choice but to kill her before he gets killed, if ever this stranger came to actually assassinate him, the former First Division Captain of Shinsengumi.

"Okita Sougo. I came to fulfill the wish of someone who was dear to you."

What the hell?

"And," From the grumpy one, her expression brightened with a smile. "I'm Kagura, your goddess neighbor."

Huh? What? She's not an assassin, neither amanto nor a maidservant... but a goddess?

"From now on to be able to fulfi-" It was so sudden she didn't notice she was already being dragged out of the room. She raised her arms to grab his wrist trying to escape from his clutch at the back of her collar. "You insolent human!"

"I've got no time playing with a child-"

She felt she had been released... and heard a loud thud on the wooden floor. Then came the bloody coughs.

Kagura looked back and watched him suffer from heavy breathing. "That's what you get for being so stubborn, stupid brat."

I'm a goddess...

The words echoed along the sonorous raindrops from the roof. Just like when he had a cold where his small body had been trapped in futon and unconsciousness. Though he could still hear vague conversations from his aneue and voice of someone who seemed like a little girl. He was still a child to understand the meaning of what he had heard, but as long as he can remember, Kondo-san told him goddesses will grant any kind of wish as long as he has strong faith in them. If his aneue was talking to a goddess, then he can wish to come back to beat Hijikata-san!

Though he tried to release his voice, but no good-he rather wished in dreams to be cured. Hopefully, it will be granted soon.

Except for the fact it won't be granted soon anymore in his case today. Truth he had grown into a skillful samurai but little did he know he will acquire a disease that will slowly turn his strength into vapor day by day. Actually he can't fathom yet how he can still survive his every day. And how he was able to move his eyelids open and saw the same strange girl who proclaimed she was a goddess.

"Do you feel cold?"

Supposedly it had to feel warm from the thickness of the futon that embraced him but the temperature kept dropping caused by the unstoppable rain.

"I'm sorry. It's raining because of me. You see, the rain won't leave wherever I go."

"Then you're supposed to be a youkai."

"I'm not like them!" With adamant did she protest, the provocative receded right away though, tilting her head with gloom. "Or... maybe I'm the same as them after all, since all I do now is bring rain."

"You see," He closed his eyes and released a big sigh, never thought he's about to say something unimaginable towards a stranger. "I don't mind the rain but could you stay with me? Uh well I don't know until when but I think as long as I'm still breathing." Perhaps being alone while facing death was what he feared of , he just had to enclose himself from the world because that's the way he does.

"You lonely bastard. Even if you didn't ask, I won't leave as much as I can." She gave her a smile of pledge. "I'm here to protect you after all."

His droopy sight witnessed her gesture. "So that's the wish." Once again, he closed his eyes but this time he offered his weak hand. "This is the payment then."

It took Kagura a minute before she came to a conclusion, that she didn't need his hand chopped or something like that.

"Stupid China. I meant hold hands with me."

"My hand? The sun never touched me, you'll only feel uncomfortable with my cold hands."

"But once we clasp our hands, the warmth will be trapped. Use your head at least."

"I always use my head!"

And so Kagura's right hand took the offer of Sougo's left hand, clasping and receiving crawling shivers into each other's skin as they felt a different kind of sensation.

It just happened Mitsuba-san wished to the wrong creature when her little brother was sick. I don't cure humans but her faith in me was strong enough I was able to fulfill that wish at the time. After that I never showed myself to them, yet my powers to protect him even got stronger when he also believed in me the day he was cured. So I watched them all this time. Though I got weak when Mitsuba-san died and Sougo's faith in me was gradually disappearing... that sadist...

It still rained even if the morning woke up. They were sitting on tatami, wrapped in futon together while his head was leaning on her shoulder. Kagura watched the veranda and the opened door being soaked with rain.

"Sougo." She called. His eyes were closed but she knew he was awake because he moaned. "The rain. It's about to stop."

He didn't reply.

"Are you, somehow, happy you lived on Earth even if it hurts like this?" She felt his bristle against her cheeks as she felt him nodded.

His pale lips were stained with dry blood. "Thank you, Kagura."

She tightened her clasp in his hand.

I still want to protect you tomorrow or the other day, but many humans have forgotten me, I'm too weak now...

Her feet were turning into fragments of light that soon vanished.

...but you who believed in me until now, it is enough for me to protect you when we see each other again.

Slowly, everything about her completely dissipated in the air. While his head hit the itatami/i by the absence of her shoulder, numb and breathless.

The rain finally stopped.

Author's notes:

According to my research, youkai appear to be corrupted creatures while the gods/goddesses are in the benevolent side. Particularly, Kagura is portrayed here as ameonna, or "rain woman" who brings rain wherever she goes. Originally she was a goddess from Mount Wushan, China, but some turned corrupted and became youkai.

Thank you for reading and sorry for passing this late (◎_◎;)