A/N Be sure to read Part 1 before reading this one!

True to Sougo's words, when Matsudaira visited the Shinsengumi compound the day after the festival, he had nothing but praise for all their efforts. Takasugi could always be caught when he next came to Edo, if he had even been there this time, so the mission was closed as a success. Matsudaira had also insisted that Kagura remain attached to the Shinsengumi for the time being, since word had come from Umibozu that he wouldn't be able to return to Earth for another three months, having taken a mission in a far-off colonised star system.

So, Kagura's stay in Edo became longer, not that she was complaining. After Matsudaira left, she found Sougo sitting out in the yard with a small campfire while he burned pages of what looked like an official report in it. Yamazaki was dangling upside down from the tree next to him. Kagura just raised an eyebrow and went about her day.

That evening, Hijikata invited her to speak to him after dinner.

"Sougo mentioned that Takasugi was likely there yesterday," he began, without preamble.

In a way, Kagura appreciated his direct attitude. "I didn't see him myself, but yes," she said, honestly.

He surveyed her through narrowed gunmetal blue eyes and lit a cigarette. "I can't say I understand your Yato instincts, but they seem to be right," he said. "If they tell you something, even if you think it will be hard for us to understand, I want you to share them. If not with everyone, then me or Kondo-san or Sougo, at least."

"It wasn't like I was trying to hide it," said Kagura, slightly defensively. "It's hard to explain to people, not to mention private, and I don't know how humans feel about Amanto yet."

"That's why I'm telling you now," he said. "This is me trying to ease your worries, so be grateful."

Kagura raised an eyebrow at his gruff tone in contrast to his slightly embarrassed face, and she was inexplicably reminded of times when her father tried his best to relate to things she liked. "I understand," she nodded, hiding her smile. "I will do my best to do that from now on."

He nodded and then took a long drag of his cigarette. "I also spoke to Kondo-san on how best to use your skills while you're here with us," he said. "We can leave finding Takasugi to our spies, so we can't have you just sitting here doing nothing."

"Makes sense," nodded Kagura.

"I want you to start training with the troops," he said. "They will benefit from having a stronger foe to spar with. They train with the sword in the morning which I supervise, so evenings will be your responsibility."

"That's fine with me," said Kagura.

Hijikata blew out smoke and nodded. "Apart from that, I want you to shadow Sougo on his patrol," he said.

"Huh?" she asked, not expecting that.

"He's the First Division's captain, which is our foremost unit," said Hijikata, without flinching at her displeasure. "While the guy is a pain in the ass, he's also the best fighter we have. You two made a good team during the previous mission, and Kondo-san feels like your partnership will benefit you both."

Kagura noted his choice of words and glared. "Did the Chief forget that we also hate each other and are always about one second away from breaking out into a fight that will level Edo if we decide to take it seriously?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, Kondo-san doesn't realise it," said Hijikata, and met her gaze squarely. "But I do."

"Then I don't have to partner with the Sadist?" asked Kagura, hopefully.

"No, Kondo-san's orders are absolute," he said.

"What the hell?" she asked, irritated.

He shrugged and continued smoking. "I'm hoping you will keep him out of trouble," he said.

"I'm not his babysitter," snapped Kagura.

"Funny, he said the exact same thing about you when I told him about this," said Hijikata. "But like I told him, Kondo-san's orders are absolute. We all have to follow them, including you."

Which was how Kagura found herself working with the person she disliked the most on the entire planet. Well, working was putting it generously, since he just mostly spent his time lazing around when he was supposed to be patrolling, so Kagura took to wandering around on her own to see more of Edo. He would inevitably join her, somehow able to find her even when she tried deliberately to get away from him. When asked about it, he said he had put a tracking device on her, and she was left wondering if he was telling the truth, but she found nothing on her of the sort after checking thoroughly.

Between wandering Edo all day with the Sadist and training troops in the evening, a month had passed before Kagura had realised.

On that particular morning, she skipped over to Kabukicho to visit the Yorozuya, but mostly just to see Sadaharu. She loved the critter with all her heart, and had been the one to name him after she'd heard Gintoki only refer to him as 'dog' ever since he'd had him.

"A cute little dog like him needs a name," she'd declared.

"You can take him home if you want," he'd said. "Keep him with the Shinsengumi."

"We're not allowed pets at the Shinsengumi compound," she'd said sadly. "It's one of the Kyokuchuu Hatto."

Gintoki had gone off on a rant about Hijikata after that, while Kagura had played with Sadaharu. Like visiting Otae, trying out various snacks around Edo, and dealing with the annoying Sadist, going to see Gintoki, Shinpachi and Sadaharu at Yorozuya Gin-chan had also become a part of her life here in Edo. Besides, if she picked her moment, it could be the day when Otose, Gintoki's landlady, took them all out for yakiniku like she had been promising.

However, when she got to the Yorozuya, she saw a prone Gintoki just inside the front door, groaning in pain and mumbling that he was never going to drink again.

Kagura stepped over him without missing a beat and went inside to fetch a blanket from his room. It wasn't an uncommon sight at all, and as she covered him the blanket, he grunted out his thanks, which turned into a yelp when the front door opened again and Shinpachi walked in.

"You still haven't moved?" asked Shinpachi, crossing his arms like an irate wife.

"You should really do a better job of raising him," said Kagura.

Shinpachi almost smiled at that. "It's difficult being a single parent," he said. "Thankfully, you seem to be taking care of him as much as I do."

Kagura laughed. "I came here to take Sadaharu out for a walk, but I guess you already walked him, huh?" she asked, noticing the bite marks and dirt on him.

Shinpachi sighed and went to the bathroom to wash up. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry I can't spend time here today, Kagura-chan," he said, emerging out moments later. "Gin-san and I have been hired to do a job. It's from a rich family and since the permed idiot over that drank away the last of my salary, we need this one."

"I didn't spend all of it," slurred Gintoki, still lying prone.

"You can get up and make yourself presentable," said Shinpachi, glaring at him sternly. "We are expected in twenty minutes."

Gintoki crawled onto all fours and went to the bathroom, and moments later, Shinpachi and Kagura heard him throwing up. Shinpachi sighed and shook his head.

"Kagura-chan, can I ask a favour?" he asked.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can you feed Sadaharu and stay with him until he eats?" he asked, pleadingly. "He's recently started gulping down food all at once and then throwing it all up later, so we have to keep an eye on him as he eats."

"Oh, yeah, I can do that," said Kagura, always happy to spend time with Sadaharu.

"Thank you," smiled Shinpachi, gratefully. "Just bop him on the nose if he starts eating too fast."

"Sure!" said Kagura. "Come on, Sadaharu, let's go eat."

Sadaharu barked and followed her inside. While Kagura poured food into his bowl, she heard Gintoki and Shinpachi call out a goodbye as they left for their appointment.

"Wan!" Sadaharu barked in approval once she placed a full bowl of food in front of him.

Kagura hummed to herself as she sat down on the sofa, swinging her legs happily, occasionally swatting Sadaharu if he got too aggressive with his meal. The peacefulness of the house, the light filtering through the windows, the sounds of Kabukicho outside, it all felt wonderful to someone like her, who was more used to the silence of space and the cries of the monsters.

"If I'm not careful, I will fall in love with this planet," she murmured, out loud. Sadaharu barked in reply, and she smiled at him. "I already love you, though."

Once he was done eating, Kagura picked up the bowl and went to put it away. While she was in the kitchen, she heard a knock on the door.

"Pardon me!" called the visitor, a man judging by his voice. "Is Gintoki here?"

Kagura was in the process of putting away the bag of dog food, so she looked at Sadaharu. "Go answer the door, Sadaharu," she said.

Sadaharu barked once, and Kagura heard him slide open the door a moment later. She was pleasantly surprised that it had worked. Well, to an extent anyway, when she went to see who it was and found his head being gnawed on by Sadaharu.

"Let him go, Sadaharu," she said, pulling the dog off the man. "Can I help you?"

Despite being all bloody, his facial expression was one of calm. Dressed neatly in a navy blue kimono with a pale blue haori on top, the long-haired man looked at her in quiet surprise. Kagura, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. His smell, so easy for her senses to register because he was bleeding, was the sort she had smelled before.

"Are you a friend of Gin-chan's?" she asked warily, knowing he could easily be allied with either Gintoki or Takasugi.

He seemed to shake off the shock. "Gin-chan?" he repeated slowly, as if he'd never heard him referred to in that way, even though that was the name of his business. "Gintoki, you bastard, did you turn into a lolicon while I wasn't looking?" he murmured to himself, though Kagura heard it clearly.

"Oi, didn't I ask you something?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh, pardon me, Miss," he said, politely. "Is that dishonourable lolicon around?"

"I don't know if Gin-chan's a lolicon, but I just came here to feed Sadaharu," she said.

At that, the man sighed in relief. "That's good to know," he said. "I apologise for my rudeness. I'm Katsura Kotarou, a friend of Gintoki's."

"Kagura," she said. "Gin-chan and Shinpachi are out on a job, though, and aren't here."

"Oh, that's a problem," said Katsura, sounding genuinely distressed though his face was as calm as ever. "It's a matter of urgency, you see."

"Come in," said Kagura, still on guard but curious all the same.

He nodded and walked in behind her. It took all of her willpower to turn her back to lead him inside without attacking him.

Katsura sat down on a sofa, leaving Kagura to sit opposite him on the other sofa with the coffee table between them. The two of them stared at each other, the atmosphere in the room as tense as could be, and the two of them apparently equally wary of each other. Sadaharu bounded in and plopped down next to Kagura to take a nap, a fact which Katsura seemed to take a note of, since he cleared his throat and broke the oppressive silence.

"Kagura-dono," he said. "Are you an Amanto?"

"Yes," she said. The silence returned, and Kagura decided to get some answers of her own once it became apparent that Katsura was waiting for her move. "My turn to ask you a question then. Did you know Gin-chan and Takasugi when you were a child?"

A brief widening of his eyes was the only indication of his shock, and Kagura could feel how much more stifling the atmosphere was getting.

"What kind of an Amanto are you exactly, Kagura-dono?" he asked.

"You answer first," she said, stubbornly.

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Yes, I grew up with those idiots," he said.

"I'm a Yato," she said.

He nodded slowly. "So, you're the one hired by the Shinsengumi," he said. "I had heard they'd brought in a Yato alien hunter to root out the Jouishishi in Edo."

"Not Jouishishi, just Takasugi," corrected Kagura, and appraised him thoughtfully. "Besides, if that's all you heard about me, you would have attacked me already."

He chuckled a little. "I heard the Yato hired by the Bakufu dogs helped take down the robots during the festival last month," he said, and then met her gaze. "There wasn't a single civilian casualty. I am glad. Takasugi and I might have history, but we don't want the same things anymore."

"What do you want?" asked Kagura. "Are you like Gin-chan? Someone who's left all of that behind?"

"No," he said, as if she had insulted him. "I still believe in reclaiming our country from the incompetent Bakufu who bowed to the Amanto and threw away our pride. But that doesn't mean I am a rampaging beast like Takasugi, intent on destroying even the innocents in his way."

"Then where does this leave us?" she asked. "I am attached to the Bakufu dogs, and I won't be surprised if you're wanted by them. On the other hand, we are both friends with Gin-chan."

"It is a quandary indeed," he nodded, and then reached into his sleeve to pull out a clear plastic baggie filled with a white powder. "Do you know what this is?"

Kagura looked at it curiously, and Katsura placed it on the table between them. Kagura waited until he sat back to lean forward and pick it up. She noticed as his eyes watched her every movement sharply, and knew that the two of them were in an uncomfortable truce held by the tiniest of threads waiting to snap at the slightest wrong move. To an untrained eye, he probably looked delicate, even effeminate, but Kagura knew powerful people when she saw them. It would not be easy to beat Katsura in a fight, and it was a fact she felt down to her very bones.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Kagura opened the bag and sniffed it slightly, recoiling instantly as a look of horror crossed her face. "This is Paradise," she said, looking at Katsura in shock. "How did you get this?"

He didn't look surprised that she knew about it. "As I suspected," he said. "Our intelligence suggested it's a well-known drug in space."

"It's dangerous," said Kagura, setting it down quickly. "Even for someone like me. Not to mention what it can do to humans."

"Unfortunately, more and more people in Edo have been falling victim to it," said Katsura, crossing his arms once more.

"You got this in Edo? How?" she demanded. "That should be impossible. Paradise is only made on one remote planet and only one crime syndicate controls all supply of it."

Katsura nodded. "Yes, the Harusame pirates," he said.

Kagura felt a chill down her spine. "T-they're not here, are they?" she asked, her voice trembling just the slightest. At Katsura's nod, she felt the colour drain from her face. "Where?" she asked, getting to her feet quickly which startled Katsura.

His hand flew to his sword, though he stopped before he pulled it out. "Have you dealt with Harusame pirates before?" he asked instead, relaxing slowly once more.

Kagura had gripped her umbrella tighter when he'd gone for his sword, but seeing him withdraw, she relaxed her stance as well. It was like the worst game of chicken she had ever played.

"I have dealt with them before," said Kagura, focusing on their conversation. "They're dangerous, but I thought they hadn't dared to come to Earth. I have to stop them."

"Harusame have the Bakufu in their pockets," he said. "Doesn't that go against your allegiance?"

Kagura met his gaze fiercely. "I am an alien hunter, first and foremost," she said, her voice firm and steady. "The Harusame are the worst kinds of monsters. I don't care if they're buddies with the Shogun himself. Does that answer your question?"

Katsura chuckled and stood up. "I suggest a truce, then," he said. "Until we dispose of the common enemy."

Kagura nodded. "Until the enemy is disposed," she agreed.

The last thing Gintoki remembered was carrying Hamiko...er, their client's daughter, out of the club's restroom, and then falling and falling before he woke back up on the battlefield, carrying his comrade through a sea of corpses.

"There's nothing you can protect!"

With a gasp he woke up, his breathing laboured as his whole body ached in pain, and sweat gathered on his brow.

"Nightmare?"

He jumped at the voice and saw Kagura sitting at his bedside, her eyes far more understanding than they had any right to be for someone as young as her.

Gintoki lay back down, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. "Where am I?" he asked.

"One of our safehouses," he heard, and looked to the side to see Katsura entering the room.

"Zura!" he said, shocked.

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," he snapped, sitting down next to Kagura at Gintoki's bedside.

"Oi, isn't this dangerous?" asked Gintoki, looking between the two of them.

"We have reached a temporary truce until we deal with the Harusame," said Kagura.

"Harusame?" asked Gintoki, and his memories came back in a flash, most importantly the one where an unconscious Shinpachi was carried off by those drug-dealing Amanto. He sat up quickly and collapsed just as immediately due to the pain that hit him.

"Don't move," said Katsura. "I'm told you can't move your left arm and you also broke several ribs."

"The girl's fine, from physical injuries because of the fall, at least," Kagura told him. "But the drugs have ravaged her system. She'll need extensive treatment after this."

Gintoki sighed. "What the hell is that drug?" he asked.

"It's called Paradise," said Kagura. "It's used by many warmongering races to subdue civilian populace after conquest. The drug enslaves you to the sensation of the temporary pleasure it brings, making it easier to control you. But in the long term, it destroys your mind and body like any drug would."

"Kagura-dono has a history with the Harusame, which is why she agreed to help," said Katsura. "We were on our way to find you when one of my men reported they'd found you half dead in the alley behind a known Harusame establishment."

"I have to go," said Gintoki, tired of listening to them talk. He didn't give a damn about the Harusame or their drug. He stumbled over to where his clothes were sitting in a neat pile and started getting dressed.

"Oi, are you listening?" asked Katsura, irritated.

"I don't care," said Gintoki. "They have Shinpachi."

He heard Kagura stand up and walk up to him. "We know where their ship is," she said, seriously. "I can get you both in, so we can save Shinpachi and put an end to their operation in one swoop."

"How are you getting us in?" asked Gintoki.

Kagura smirked and reached for her umbrella. "I'm going to offer them a Yato as a recruit," she said. "The two of you have just got to disguise yourselves."

Katsura walked up to Gintoki, and handed him a pile of different clothes. "Take these instead, especially if they have seen your ugly mug already," said Katsura.

Gintoki accepted the disguise and glared at him for that remark. Kagura nodded at them and left, so he and Katsura could get changed. Katsura waited until she was gone to turn to Gintoki.

"How much do you trust her?" he asked, bluntly.

Gintoki raised his gaze to him. "Just about as much as you seem to do," he said. "Bringing her to a safe house and all, agreeing to work with her too."

"I don't trust her at all," he lied, crossing his arms. Gintoki smirked, and Katsura supposed it was the curse of being old friends that you couldn't lie to one another. "She's just a child," he sighed, dropping the pretense. "A sincere and determined person, but a child just the same."

"I think she had just about as much choice as we did about walking this path," said Gintoki, looking away. "What about you? You said you had a truce, but what happens after that?"

"The Shinsengumi may be a thorn in my side, but I won't be going after her," he said, firmly. He had better principles than going after an ally who was willingly helping them to take down a threat to Edo.

"Because she's a child?" asked Gintoki, wincing slightly as he pulled on the new clothes.

"No, because she wants the same thing as we do," he said truthfully.

"Oi, did you recruit her to your cause or something?" asked Gintoki, disapproval evident in his tone.

"She wants to protect people who are innocent in all of this," said Katsura, remembering her determined gaze and serious demeanour when faced with the possibility of the Harusame being in Edo. "Someone like that would be an excellent addition to our cause, but even if she fights on the side of the Bakufu, knowing someone like her is still a part of them is only a good thing."

Gintoki smiled at him. "She could still choose to arrest you, you know," he said.

"I would be honoured," said Katsura. "I'd rather be arrested by someone like her with her own values and principles than dogs of the Bakufu who only know to do what their masters order them to do."

"Zura," began Gintoki. "I think you might be turning into a lolicon. What's wrong? You got tired of chasing after married women?"

Without caring he was injured, Katsura punched Gintoki's good shoulder hard enough to make him yelp. "If you weren't injured, I would have done worse for saying such disrespectful words to a samurai," he said, with dignity. "And it's Katsura, not Zura. Come on, let's go save Shinpachi-kun. I'll be your left arm in this fight, as I promised."

"First apologise for injuring my right shoulder right now, you bastard," grumbled Gintoki.

"Oi, are you two done?" asked Kagura, walking back into the room. "We should leave as soon as possible. If they have Shinpachi, we have to be quick."

"Who made you leader?" grumbled Gintoki, but followed her just the same.

"I agree, I should be the leader," said Katsura.

"No, I'm wearing the most red, which makes me the leader," said Kagura, pointing to the piping and fastenings on her white cheongsam that were red, along with the red flower pattern on the hem.

"I don't really understand, but if that's what that means, then it can't be helped," said Katsura. "I'll do as you say, Leader."

"Good," nodded Kagura. "Zura, you said you have explosives, right? Fill two travel cases with explosives and follow me."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," he said, but went to do as she said.

"What exactly are you planning?" asked Gintoki.

"You're going there to save Shinpachi," she said. "But my mission is to put an end to their operation."

Katsura paused what he was doing and glanced at Gintoki, whose eyes had widened just briefly, and for a moment, he expected him to stop her, but then an inscrutable look passed over his face.

"And what will you be protecting when you do that?" he asked, his voice grave.

Kagura looked sad, the most vulnerable Katsura had seen her since meeting her. "Who knows?" she asked, her voice small. "I'm still new to this protecting thing, but I have been good at hunting for a while now. That's what I'll be doing. I'm an alien hunter, after all."

Gintoki cast an almost helpless look towards Katsura, but then sighed and nodded when he looked back at Kagura. "Alright," he said. "Let's get this over with."

Kagura nodded back, and the walk down to the docks where the Harusame ship was anchored was entirely silent, with all three of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the toad-like Amanto guarding the entrance of the ship.

Katsura noticed the way Kagura kept her face partially blocked by the open umbrella she was holding. He also noticed how the Amanto paled a little when he saw the umbrella.

"I'm here to join," she said. "Out of the way."

"Er, are you a…?" the Amanto began and she reached out a hand and crushed his weapon in her fist, turning the metal staff into broken bits.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"Y-yes," stammered the Amanto. "Who are these two?" he asked, looking at Katsura and Gintoki.

"We want to be pirates to find the One Park," said Gintoki. "Right, Zura?"

"It's not Zura, it's Captain Katsura," he retorted.

"One Park?" asked the Amanto. "What's that?"

"It's none of your business. Can't you see the bags they're carrying?" asked Kagura, speaking like he was an imbecile. "They're my servants. You don't expect me to carry my own things, do you?"

"N-no, of course not," he said, and turned around to let them in.

In a blink, Kagura reached up and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head, and the Amanto fell forward inside the ship. She stepped over him and turned around to look at Katsura and Gintoki.

"Gin-chan, find Shinpachi and get him out," she said, taking the bag of explosives that he had been holding. "Zura, you take the explosives you have with you and set them to blow up the drugs."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," he said, wondering how she'd picked up Gintoki's habit so quickly.

She ignored him, and continued speaking. "Make sure to get everything," she said. "Don't worry about the rest of the pirates. They're mine to deal with."

Her orders were calm, her demeanour and voice steady. It was eerie when coming from a teenage girl. Still, it was said with enough authority to make them obey. Besides, Katsura remembered how that Amanto had trembled at the mere sight of her, and it hadn't been her face he had been afraid of. He glanced down briefly at the weapon she had crushed, and knew she wasn't to be underestimated, not that he had to begin with.

As Gintoki took off towards the bow of the ship, Katsura went inside to find the drugs. The stash was easy to find, and he set the explosives, disposing of the few pirates who tried to stop him. The interior of the ship was largely empty, but he could hear the commotion from the bow of the ship where Gintoki had gone, and he knew Kagura would have headed there as well. Once he had set up all the explosives, he ran to the front of the ship, in time to see Gintoki take down the leader with a deadly move of his bokuto. The pirates surrounding them watched in horror as their leader went down.

Katsura was about to jump into the fray to lend assistance, when he saw Kagura jump down right next to Gintoki.

"Take Shinpachi and go," he heard her say to him, and Gintoki only hesitated briefly before grabbing Shinpachi.

Katsura watched in amazement as she stayed perfectly still while Gintoki and Shinpachi escaped, but what amazed him more was how none of the pirates moved either, and the faces that he could see were looking at the umbrella with fear. That fear only intensified when she lifted the umbrella slightly and they caught a glimpse of her face.

"Zura, you need to leave."

Those were the words she said, before Kagura was nothing more than a blur of white, slicing and shooting her way through the pirates, whose self-preservation finally kicked in as they began attacking her. Unable to move, Katsura could only stare at the carnage she wrought, turning the pristine white deck of the ship red with blood.

"Zura!" she yelled, and for a terrifying moment their gazes met.

Katsura felt his body move without permission, as he followed Gintoki and Shinpachi in escaping. He stopped when he reached the two of them on the docks, both of them looking at him in shock.

"Don't," said Katsura, when Gintoki turned to go back. "Gintoki, she's...she's like you."

That made him stop, and he turned away but not before Katsura saw the shocked and pained look on his face.

"What are you talking about, Katsura-san?" asked Shinpachi, and Katsura noticed that he was injured, obviously having taken a beating at the hands of the pirates. "That was Kagura-chan, wasn't it? We should be going back for her. Right, Gin-san?" When Gintoki didn't respond, Shinpachi struggled to get to his feet, even though his expression told Katsura that it was not easy for him to do. "Gin-san?" he asked.

"You're injured, Shinpachi-kun," said Katsura, knowing that Gintoki was in no state to respond. "Kagura-dono is fine. She is merely finishing up back there."

"Finishing up what, exactly?" asked Shinpachi. "She can't fight all of them by herself!"

The spirit of a samurai was what Katsura saw in his eyes, and it made things feel even worse. The shouts and cries on the ship fell silent at last, and all three of them looked at the ship as the sun began to set.

"S-she's okay, right?" Shinpachi was the first one to break the silence.

A loud explosion rang through the air as the entire ship erupted, destroying it completely and sinking its remains into the water.

"Gintoki, you should get Shinpachi-kun to the doctor," said Katsura. "Get his injuries treated." The implication lingered in the air, but Gintoki understood.

Ignoring Shinpachi's protests, Gintoki picked him up and carried him on his back, walking away without another word. Katsura waited in the shadows, and only when Gintoki and Shinpachi had left the area completely, did Kagura emerge.

He had prepared himself for the sight, but it had still been a while since he had seen a sight like that. Her white cheongsam was stained red, there was blood on her arms, face and hair, but only a little of it belonged to her. Her umbrella was covered in blood, and she was favouring her left side just a little as she limped over.

"Thank you for sending them away," she said, when she saw him. "I don't think I would have been able to look them in the eye again if they'd seen me like this."

"Gintoki might understand better than you think," he said, as she collapsed to sit down on the ground, leaning her back against the shipping container they were hiding near.

"Right now, I doubt anyone can understand what I did," she said, her voice flat. "Gin-chan was right, wasn't he? There was nothing I was protecting just now."

"Leader," he said, ignoring it when she flinched at the title. "You led two of your comrades into the enemy territory where they were holding a hostage, and all of them survived. I would say you protected what you were meant to protect."

"That would have been true if I had escaped after ensuring the safety of my comrades and the hostage," she said. "What happened next wasn't protecting anyone."

"With respect, I disagree with your assessment, Leader," said Katsura. "You destroyed the scum who were poisoning our children. The cowardly Bakufu lined their pockets and gave them free reign to ravage our land and our citizens, and you brought them rightful justice. The way I see it, you protected a lot more than just your comrades and the hostage."

She stood up using her umbrella as a crutch and sighed. "I'm sure your assessment isn't completely flawless either," she said. "Besides, I don't like people making excuses for me. I did what was expected of me, and I have no right to demand justification for my actions."

"Maybe not, but I still believe you acted like a true samurai and protected Edo," he said.

Kagura finally raised her gaze to his, and Katsura saw that there was no sign of tears, and her gaze was calm and collected. "I think our truce is at an end, isn't it?" she asked. "I have to report my actions to the Shinsengumi, so it would be a real shame if you should escape before that."

"What will you tell them?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I went after the Harusame by myself, of course," she said. "Alien hunters always work solo. And if I come across the wanted Jouishishi Katsura Kotarou, I will be rushing to arrest him with the Shinsengumi."

Katsura smiled and bowed deeply. "Then I, Katsura Kotarou, will run away now," he said. "Away from the dogs of the Bakufu, as always."

"You should do that," she said, and for a moment a small smile crossed her face.

Katsura raised his head and smiled slightly before disappearing into the twilight. He glanced back only once, and saw Kagura square her shoulders as she headed to meet justice.