I just had to get this story out of my brain (because I read a lot of AU fanfics recently) so I present to you an attempt at an Alternate Universe :D one-shot.
PS- Kamui here is also OOC. I hate that he's such a bad brother in the anime, so I want him to be a proper brother in my story lol
Kagura was in elementary school when she first met Okita Sougo. Kamui, her older brother, had always, without fail, picked her up after school on his own. That was Kagura's high light of the day; Kamui picking her up and walking home together. She felt as though her days in elementary school passed by so fast because she only ever noticed her life with her family. That's why Okita was effectively etched in her memory when he started showing up with Kamui whenever he came to pick her up. Kagura knew of Kamui's weirder friends, like Abuto, who oddly looked too old to be a student. But she never had the pleasure of seeing them on a daily basis like Okita. He'd often stay over at their apartment, studying or simply hanging out with Kamui. Okita apparently lived on the same street and was Kamui's batch mate so he just "happen to walk with Kamui" every day from school.
Another thing that made her remember him is how he would often tease her during elementary school. Kagura always wore her hair in twin buns which resulted into Okita calling him "China" and since he had always been mean to her, she called him "Sadist".
Although he was a sadist, he sometimes walked her home from school, even when she was old enough and more than capable of walking home on her own. It wasn't frequent, more like whenever they came across each other and Kamui was nowhere to be found. And in time, it had also become Kagura's high light of the day. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but, somehow, she always looked forward going home and would either be blessed with his company or cursed with Kamui's clinginess. Most of the time, both. Maybe she had developed a crush on Okita? Well, he is handsome, she couldn't argue with that, but she'd never admit it. It would be too awkward, especially while he and Kamui were still friends.
And so she was more determined to never admit it to anyone when she found out that Okita was romantically linked with someone else. Namely, Nobume, who was from his batch as well. It had hurt her to find out about it from other people but she kept quiet about it. What was it to her if he went out with other girls? She never asked him and he never really confirmed it. And so she was free to imagine that, during their rare walks together, she was the girlfriend and not Nobume. Even if it was just for forty-five minutes.
And, sometimes, she would get more than forty-five minutes. There were times when they would come across each other in school and they'd automatically tease each other, much to Kamui's annoyance. Sometimes Okita would leave his group of friends just to exchange insults with her. And if they came across each other without talking, she knew that he was looking at her, waiting for acknowledgement, which she only gave once since someone had urged her to.
"Kagura-chan," Soyo, her best friend called. "Okita-san has been looking at you for a while now."
Kagura didn't turn her head, as not to give the Sadist any satisfaction. "Maybe he's looking at you, Soyo." But Soyo denied the idea and argued that Okita would have acknowledged her by now because she had also been staring at him, deciphering who exactly the junior was staring at.
"Come on, try looking at him." Soyo pushed.
Kagura would have ignored the request if it were someone else, but since it was Soyo, she obliged. She composed herself and slowly turned her head to look at the Sadist. He gave her a smirk, which caused Soyo to squeal, and returned to his conversation with Nobume, his alleged girlfriend.
She felt a slight pang in her chest. It was one of those times where she wasn't sure if he actually liked her or if he was just racking her brain. It would occupy her brain for the whole day, even when she got home, because she would never ask him. Somehow, Kagura felt safe in her ignorance. Was it better to find out and get hurt or continue with an unbroken heart without knowing the truth? She chose the latter.
It went on like that for a while before his graduation as a senior. They'd trade insults whenever they could and they'd find ways to steal glances even when they couldn't. It felt tiring for her, though, that they were playing it like this. Surely they could talk about it? But there was something, a feeling, which Kagura always acknowledged whenever it came to that. Something stops her. Maybe it was because he was graduating and moving on to college while she would be left in high school for a few more years. Or maybe it was because of the fact that she was Kamui's sister and that they must have been honoring some sort of bro-code. But a few months before school ended, and their graduation practice had started, Okita left his group of friends one day to walk Kagura home.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, China. You'll be lonely when we graduate, I bet." Okita coolly said. He was walking beside her, but not too close to cause discomfort, but close enough for her heart to race.
"I'll only be lonely because Aniki won't be home all the time." She pouted. "But he'll make up for it by bringing me sweets when he does come home." She said, as though it was law. They had been walking for about thirty minutes now, which means they'd have to part ways soon. She felt a bit sad by that fact.
When they were about to turn around the corner where their apartments were, Okita stopped walking. "Hey, China." He called. She turned around to come closer only to be surprised to see that he was smiling. Not the usual annoying smile he gives her, but a genuine one. She was about to ask what he wanted when Okita cupped her face and gave Kagura her first kiss.
It was a simple kiss on the lips, it wasn't too long or passionate. But Kagura felt all sorts of emotions swirl in her body. When she broke the kiss, out of surprise, he gave a low laugh while still cupping her cheeks.
She quickly separated their bodies. "Let's go home. It's getting dark." Was all she could say. She thanked the gods that their apartments were already there because they didn't speak until she got their gate. She was confused. Wasn't he with Nobume? What would people think if they find about this, or worse, her brother? He'd be mad, she was sure of it. But more importantly, what did this mean? Okita was an illogical risk-taker, doing things for the hell of it, but he knew better than to provoke an overprotective brother. Was he doing this to vex Kamui?
"I'll see you tomorrow, then, China." He smiled. She gave him a shy smile and a nod as well, before going upstairs to their unit.
For the rest of the day, Kagura locked herself in her room, running the scene over and over again in her mind. Oh, how she loved and hated it at the same time. When she did come out, for dinner, Kamui asked her what was wrong. She simply replied:
"Nothing. Just promise me you'll walk me home until school ends." Kamui's ears practically flapped upon hearing those words. He hugged her by the neck, knocking out her air, while saying how he'd miss her as well once he was off to college.
And so that was the routine until the end of the school year. Kamui would always walk with her home and Okita would be there as well. She had expected this, the three of them would always do this when she was in elementary, but what she had not expected was for Okita to make advances even in Kamui's presence. Well, that's why she had arranged for her brother to chaperone her, to discourage Okita from doing anything else. But the sandy-haired boy was persistent. He'd casually come closer to her, in between talks, and would reach for her hand. All of this was under her brother's nose, of course, but Kagura would always retract her hand, placing it somewhere he couldn't reach.
Okita, unfortunately, took the hint in a very bad way. He stopped doing those silly things and completely ignored her. Though, he was still tagging along on the way home, he wouldn't speak to her at all, only to Kamui. When she did try to strike up a conversation, he would either give her a short, cold reply or pretend that he didn't hear her. This was more devastating for Kagura now. But wasn't this safer? She decided to just ride along with whatever Okita wanted and ignored him as well.
Well, not until the final day of school.
She was alone by the entrance of the school, clearly just coming in before the gates were closed. Kagura entered the room where she changed her shoes and heard his voice. She didn't have to ask who it was. She would always know that voice even if he hadn't talked to her in weeks.
He was behind her but she didn't turn around. "So what? We'll just keep on doing this until we never actually see each other again?" Okita asked.
She didn't shift. Her hands gripped the door of her locker tighter, she had missed his voice. And the thought of them never seeing each other scared her. "You started it. Ignoring me and all. I should ask you that." She tried to keep her voice composed and apathetic as possible. Even if she did miss him, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing her longing.
She heard him scoff. "Technically, you started ignoring me, you know?" He started "Even dragging your brother into it. Mind explaining?"
Kagura gulped. "No reason. Aniki just wants to spend more time together before he leaves." She lied. But in truth, she was just afraid of romantic relationships. Of course she liked him, but does that give him a reason to instigate a relationship? Kagura thought she was still too young, that she wouldn't know what to do as his "girlfriend".
"You could've told me you know." He started. "If you didn't want to, if there was someone else." She sensed that his voice was a bit hurt, even though he tried to keep it nonchalant. But he was wrong, there was no one else. He was the only one, always had been, and would probably always be the one.
She turned around, finally, to face him. His eyes were burrowed straight into her being, not paying attention to anything but her. And she felt that his stare was destroying her resolve. If Okita continued to look at her that way, then she would forget about how young she was and leap straight into his arms, declaring her love.
"I'm too young for you." She shyly started. "You should be with someone who thinks like you, who understands you."
He moved closer to her, an unconvinced expression. "That's not your real reason, is it?" He was about to grab her shoulders but she started to head for the door to the hallway.
"I'll see you when I see you, Sadist." She whispered, but enough for him to hear.
But she didn't see him after that and for the next few years.
X
Kagura stares down at the papers on her desks with a frustrated face.
Two years into college and she still isn't used to how different the work load was compared to high school. Even though she changed her behavior from being irresponsible to responsible, somehow she always finds herself cramming and failing most of her tests. She couldn't really ask her brother for help because he was out most of the time, just like now.
"It's so unfair that Aniki is the smart one." She said aloud. Kagura grabbed a small pillow from her bed, next to her desk, and screamed into it. Who would she ask for help in studying? She considered most of her friends as idiots like her so she never really bothered. She stood up to move to her bed, slumping down with matching exasperation. "I give up!"
"That's the spirit, brat. You know you can't do it." A voice from the living room said.
Kagura knew that wasn't her brother, but it sounded awfully familiar. She grabbed one of her pointier pens, a substitute for a knife, and was willing to stab anyone out there. But her determination was replaced with surprise when she found Okita Sougo come in her door and casually lean on the doorframe. "China, stupid as ever, I see."
"You bastard!" she shouted in surprise.
He still looked the same, with the exception that he grew a bit taller and that his features became sharper. Dare she say it, he became even more handsome than she remembered.
"Is that the way to greet someone you haven't seen in years?" he questioned. "You'll hurt my feelings, you know?"
"I don't care!" she replied. "How did you get in? What are you even doing here?"
Okita walked to sit down on Kagura's swivel chair. "Oh, you didn't tell me you're still studying this, shouldn't you be in your second year? This should have been in your recent term." He took one of the pencils on the desk and started writing things on a piece of paper. She stood above him, observing what he was writing, only to find out he was solving her homework.
Before Okita even finished with the final answer, Kagura pulled the paper under his pen and stared in awe. "Wow, this is right, isn't it? How did you do that?" He swiveled the chair to face her and gave her a smirk while tapping the pencil on his right temple. She suddenly grabbed his wrists, inspecting his arms. "You must've had a cheat sheet or something."
"It's because I have a brain, China." He explained. Kagura just gave him a grunt, not convinced and obviously pissed off at his answer. There was a painfully awkward moment of silence with Okita staring at her.
"I'll melt, you know?" she commented.
"How old are you now?"
She cocked him an eyebrow. What was that random question? "I'll be turning nineteen this year, why?"
He hummed in response and nodded his head. He stood up from the chair and headed to sit at the bed with her. "Nothing, really." He held one of her hands and placed used his other to cup her cheek. "It's just that you're old enough." The last words sounded like a tease and she realized what he meant. Her cheeks started to feel hot and she had half a mind to punch him.
As if by magic, Kamui appeared at the doorway with his usual "annoying" smile. "Who's old enough?"
She smiled in relief and ran towards her brother. "Aniki! There's a pervert in the house, he even harassed my homework." She hugged Kamui, acting like a victim.
"The only harassment I did was answering it, you idiot." He stood up to greet Kamui. "What's up, classmate?"
"Ah, Kagura, this pervert here will be studying with me here today." He looked down on Kagura. "You remember him, right?"
How could I forget? She pouted and let go of Kamui. It was clear that even at her age, Kamui's been spoiling her and when she didn't get what she wanted, she would pout. Kagura returned to her swivel chair to try and study once more.
"Whatever, just get the Sadist out of my sight." She said, annoyed. But Kamui wasn't going to leave his sister mad at him. So he completely ignored Okita for a moment and tried to get back in Kagura's good graces. But his sister wasn't really in the mood to forgive right now so he had to leave her room with a defeated expression.
"Oi, China." Okita, who was left behind with her, stood over her. "You better get ready to be mad at your brother every day. Now that I know you're here," he bent down so that his lips hovered over her ears. "I'll always be here. Especially when your brother's not around."
He bent down further to peck her cheek. She felt her whole body burn with embarrassment upon the contact. She took ahold of her pen, about to stab Okita, when he moved to the door so quick that she had no time.
"Remember, China, you're old enough now." He gave her a smirk before heading to where Kamui was sulking.
END.
I'm sorry, I don't know how old people are supposed to be (in Japan) when they are in high school and college. But in the Philippines a lot of people are too old and too young for their year. I'm just about to go to college so I don't really know the workload in college and how they deal with it when you fail a subject. LOL, anyway feel free to tell me how you thought about this attempt haha.