A Fine Line
Gin sat by himself at a table in the small café. Many strange aliens filled the seats around him. A few years ago the aliens had come down to Earth and taken over. The world renowned "Samurai Country" had been completely obliterated. Every Samurai was forced to hand over their swords and their honor. Now they were just a memory, the few that were left have now tired their best to blend in and live a somewhat normal life among the aliens.
Gin slowly ate his large parfait; his friends were off spending the small amount of money they had made in the last week.
"Finally some peace and quiet," Gin thought to himself.
Suddenly a huge crash filled the once quiet street. Everyone froze where they were, including Gin. The only movement was coming from a young girl and an alien who were standing across the street next to a broken flower vase.
"Don't you dare touch me again!" the girl screamed and then slapped the alien. To Gin the alien's features reminded him of an ape he had once seen in a zoo. As the girl started to walk away the alien grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his grasp. The alien smiled wickedly and looked around as if daring someone to come to her rescue. Gin looked down at his half eaten parfait and made a decision.
"Another good parfait gone to waste." He said as he slowly stood up and walked outside.
But the girl was gone. The ape-like man lay bleeding from the gut on the ground. No one rushed to help him but no one moved either.
Gin walked over to his scooter, pulled on his goggles that were hanging loosely around his neck. He grabbed the helmet off the seat and placed it on his head. He slowly sat down on the scooter, started it, and then sped off down the street away from the café, the fallen ape-man and his half eaten parfait.
The girl ran as fast as she could, away from the alien she had stabbed. The bloody sword was still in her hand and people were staring but she didn't care. Tears stained her cheeks and fear raced through her veins. Where could I possibly hide? Her thoughts raced as she heard sirens getting closer.
She dove into a dark ally, when she realized it was a dead end she hid behind a dumpster and tried to silence her sobs. She heard the sirens coming, slowly pass, and then fade away almost completely. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she let out a deep sigh.
"So this is where you ran off to."
The girl jumped up and pointed the tip of her sword to the stranger's chest. She was trembling still but at least the tears had stopped, she was grateful for that.
"I'll kill you, I swear I will." She whispered, she took a step closer just incase she had to attack. The boy standing in front of her slowly raised his hands to show her they were empty but his gaze never left her face.
"I'm not here to hurt you; I'm just simply wondering why a samurai like you would do something so reckless in front of so many people."
The girl relaxed a little but did not lower her sword. He wore a samurai's traditional clothing but she still didn't trust the strange boy. He had a strange helmet that contrasted horribly with his long, wavy silver hair. The goggles he wore on his face make him look like a dork. The girl lowered her sword and began to laugh but her laughter quickly changed to sobs and she collapsed onto the ground.
Gin stood there watching the girl crying. He wasn't sure about what he should do but he knew she wouldn't be safe here. Too many people knew her face because of her reckless stunt earlier. She would be put to death if they found her now. He shrugged out of his blue and white robe and draped it over her shoulders. He quickly helped her to her feet.
"Come on." He said as he quickly walked towards his scooter, pulling her behind him. He unclipped his helmet and placed it on her head. She didn't question him, she just continued to cry. He pulled his scooter out from where he had hidden it in the alley. He started it, then walked quickly back to where the girl stood.
"I'm not going to question your motive right now; I'm just going to take you somewhere safe. You need to trust me and keep your face hidden, that's all I ask." She looked up at him and just nodded because she couldn't trust herself to speak.
Gin pulled her onto the scooter behind himself and carefully pulled out of the alley. The streets were crowded with the lunch rush and the girl buried her face into Gin's back, sobbing silently but hard enough to rock both of their bodies. They crept slowly down the street, Gin was careful to try and not draw attention to them.
The landlady's going to kill me. He thought to himself.
He pulled up to the side of the building and as soon as he cut the engine he raced her up the stairs and into a small apartment. Gin poked his head out the door to check if they had been followed then quickly ducked his head back in and locked the door. His friends wouldn't be back for a while. Gin turned to the girl, she had her back towards him but he could tell she was still crying. He walked over and led her to the couch, where she collapsed.
She started blankly at Gin's legs; he was standing directly in front of her. Neither of them moved, the silence of the house somehow comforted the girl. Tears still poured from her eyes but she was numb now. Nothing mattered to her anymore. Gin stared down at the girl and wondered what he should do. He could not afford to house anyone else here when he was already five months behind in rent.
"So you're a samurai?" The girl whispered, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yes. My name is Gintoki Sakata."
The girl looked up to his face, without the helmet and goggles he looked very handsome. His dark eyes held many secrets and she wished to know more about him. Her eyes drifted from his face to her sword by the door. He must have picked it up; she had let it slip from her hand in the alley. Gin saw what she was looking at and he sighed.
"It was very stupid of you to have kept your sword. A true samurai's sword comes from the heart. By carrying that sword you have put yourself, and now me, in danger." His expression never changed.
"The sword was my father's. He committed seppuku with it the day the aliens told us we had to give them up."
Gin looked at the sword again. The blood on the tip had dried and now it looked a reddish-brown color. He looked back at the girl.
"What's your name?"
"Miso Sanji." The girl replied.
"Would you please explain to me what happened earlier?"
"It's a long story." Miso said, sitting up. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her white and red kimono.
"We have plenty of time and I think I deserve to know." Gin crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Miso stared down at Gin's robe that was lying on the couch beside her. It was all white except for on the end of the sleeves and along the bottom seam where there was what looked like blue clouds. She reached out and touched it softly, tracing the design with her finger tips.
"After my father died I was forced to live with my mother. She had always hated me; she left me with my father when I was three months old. He raised me by himself. When I moved in with her she thought she could use me to get on the aliens good side. She arranged a marriage between me and that alien I attacked earlier.
"I refused but she had him follow me today, to have him try and persuade me. When I refused again he grabbed me. That's when I stabbed him and ran. I can never return home." Miso felt a lump in her throat but she refused to shed anymore tears. Tears were a sign of weakness and she didn't want to cry in front of Gin again.
Gin wondered if she was going to cry again. He watched as her light brown eyes filled with tears but none ever spilled over. Gin took a closer look at her; she had shoulder length, dark brown hair. Her brown eyes were so clear he felt like he could look strait into her soul, definitely not the eyes of a samurai.
Just then Gin's door seemed to explode. Gin grabbed his wooden sword and stood between Miso and where his door had once been. He held his sword defensively, ready for an attack. A young girl walked in followed by a white dog that was four times her size. Miso froze, staring wide-eyed at the dog that took up most of the doorway. Gin relaxed and set down his sword.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Gin asked the girl, as he tried to control his anger.
"The door wouldn't open when Kagura pushed, so she pushed harder, uh huh." The girl replied calmly as she set a bag of food on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Gin, I tried to get my key out but she wouldn't listen." A young boy, just barely taller then the girl stepped out from behind the dog. He had short black hair and glasses.
"It's fine, but you two will fix my door now." Gin said, pointing to all the pieces that were scattered around the room.
"But Kagura's the one who broke it!" The boy yelled.
"Gin has a girlfriend, uh huh." The girl they were calling Kagura sat down on the couch next to Miso and looked suspiciously at Gin.
Miso tried to scoot to the other side of the couch, but she still couldn't escape the strange girl's gaze. She was so confused by what was happening and she looked to Gin for an explanation.
Gin had turned and was arguing loudly with the boy about the door. The huge dog had somehow fit itself into the apartment and was sitting obediently out of the way, watching the argument. The girl sitting beside Miso stood up and turned on the T.V. No one seemed to notice the added noise. Miso tried to figure out what Gin and the boy were fighting about. The door had just been the trigger, now they were yelling about her.
"What were you thinking?" The dark haired boy screamed. "We can't afford to feed the three of us. How can we afford four?"
"You think I don't know that?" Gin shouted back.
"She's on T.V." Kagura stated.
Everyone in the room froze and turned to stare at the screen. Sure enough there was a picture of Miso being shown. Gin moved quickly to the T.V., pushing Kagura aside as he turned up the volume.
"This girl is wanted by the Sensungumi for possession of a sword and the murder of a man from the planet Xarius. There is a cash reward for any information leading to her capture. Please call the number at the bottom of the screen."
They heard a phone being dialed. All eyes rested on Kagura who had the phone held up to her ear. Gin dove on her and grabbed it before she could speak.
"What are you doing?" He screamed.
"Money, we need, uh huh." Kagura told him.
Gin looked at Miso. "This is really bad." He told her.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" The black haired boy asked.
"Gin's girlfriend murdered him, uh huh." Kagura stated.
Gin grabbed her cheeks with his left hand and squeezed, causing her face to scrunch up. He put his face close to hers. "Your English is terrible, no one understands you, so shut up." He told her.
She dug her nails deep into the flesh on his hand. Gin yelped and pulled his hand away. "You treat girls not nice." She told him.
"Fighting is getting us no where." The dark haired boy pointed out.
Miso sat staring at the T.V. screen, unaware of Gin and Kagura's fight. Her face was emotionless and her body, unmoving. She just stared as a preview for some new action movie played across the screen. From where Gin was crouched he looked over at her. He was still nursing his injured hand but was concentrating fully on Miso.
"Miso?" He called to her softly.
Everyone in the room was completely silent. The black haired boy stood quietly behind the couch watching everything play out. Kagura sat on the floor, near the T.V., glaring at Gin. The giant dog had laid down and was sleeping in it's corner.
Gin stood up and walked over to the couch. "Miso?" He called to her again. He realized she was shaking, her head snapped quickly to face him and he watched as her eyes filled with tears.
"They're going to kill me, aren't they?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she choked out the words. The fear in her eyes struck something inside Gin and for a moment he didn't know what to do. He collapsed onto the couch beside her. Miso began sobbing into her hands.