A/N As always, please read the previous parts of the series before reading this one.
For the Benizakura Arc, I combined elements of the TV episodes, the animated movie, and the live action movie, particularly since I wanted to incorporate the Shinsengumi more prominently like they were in the live action. I hope you all enjoy!
Dear Papi,
I hope my letters have been reaching you and that they will find you in good health and spirits. It's been almost a month since you left Edo and two weeks since my last letter so I thought I would fill you in on what I have been up to all this time.
Last week, there was an incident with Sadaharu. I know I never got to introduce you to him, but he's an amazing giant dog, who can play with me without getting hurt. It turns out, he's something called an Inugami. Even Gin-chan and Shinpachi had no idea about it, but after he drank some of Gin-chan's strawberry milk, he turned into a giant monster. I was keeping an eye on him, but some of the people here in Edo got scared and tried to hurt him. I tried to stop it but I got hit instead, and then Sadaharu turned into a really scary monster to protect me. We managed to fix it though, and Sadaharu is now fine and a lot gentler than he used to be.
Only a day later, the Shinsengumi had a bad raid, so the Chief had some ideas to improve our image in the public eye. He hired Otsu-chan, who is a top idol here in Edo, and asked her to be the Chief for the day yesterday to lift the spirit of the troops and bring up our image. I don't understand the whole PR thing really, but Otsu-chan was nice, and she has a weird way of speaking which I really like, necromancer! It was fun to have her as the Chief, until some Joushishi decided to kidnap her and other women to get back at the Shinsengumi. Fortunately, we managed to stop them, before things got too out of hand as they usually do when the Shinsengumi gets involved.
I had my final checkup with Dr. Nishimura as well, and she has now given me a completely clean bill of health, even though I have been fine for a while. I think she's just a bit of a worrywart. I am working hard at my new job with the Shinsengumi.. I even have a salary and a proper bank account. It's actually a little fun to be a productive member of society. I am glad I decided to stay, and I am really happy that you trust me enough to get stronger, even when I am away from you. I am sorry if I said anything that was out of line when you were here, and I know you don't think that I am like Kamui. I intend to get stronger and protect those that need my help, and I will never harm anyone if I can help it. I promise you that, Papi.
I will write more when I get the chance. I hope you are having fun with your missions and are keeping safe. Please don't lose any more of your hair.
Your loving daughter,
Kagura.
Yuusuke was only a recent recruit to the Shinsengumi, so it went without saying that there was still a lot he was unaware of. He had trained in a small dojo outside of Kyo, and come to Edo specifically to join the Shinsengumi. Only a week since he had moved into the compound, he was barely getting used to being around so many different kinds of people.
"Yuu-kun, are you doing well?" asked Inuyama, one of the senior members in his squad. The older man had taken Yuusuke under his wing and he could not have been happier about having the quiet, thoughtful man as his mentor.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you, Inuyama-san," said Yuusuke, with a bright smile. "How was your day?"
Inuyama sighed as he took a seat at the same table as Yuusuke with his tray of dinner. "Hectic, as it always is, when we train with the First Division," he answered.
"Eh, I'm jealous," said Yuusuke. "To get to work with Okita-taichou must be like a dream come true." He missed Inuyama's look of pity since he looked down to take a bite of his dinner. "I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to train with the First Division."
"All in good time, Yuu-kun," said Inuyama, starting his dinner.
"I'm so glad I get to be here in time for dinner this once," said Yuusuke. "I have been on the second shift since I started."
"Don't overwork yourself," said Inuyama. "It's only your first week. Be sure to eat and sleep well, or it will bite you later."
Yuusuke opened his mouth to assure his mentor he would be fine, when he saw a few of the people in the mess hall start whispering and leaving quickly. At first, he thought it must have been an emergency of some kind, but then he noticed that they were from different divisions and included several officers and spies as well as regular members.
"What's going on?" he wondered out loud.
Inuyama glanced back and then checked his watch. "Ah, it's almost time," he said, finishing his dinner with such haste that he might as well have inhaled it.
"Time for what?" asked Yuusuke, bewildered.
Inuyama smiled at him, his eyes glinting. "You should see for yourself," he said. "Especially if you want to work with Okita-taichou so badly."
That made no sense to Yuusuke but he quickly finished his dinner and cleared up the tray before running after Inuyama. Most of the crowd seemed to be going to the dojo, and when he followed them, he realised that they were sitting outside the dojo. All the doors of the dojo had been thrown open to allow them an unhindered glimpse inside.
"Yuu-kun, over here," called Inuyama, beckoning him to where he was sitting with some of the officers, and members of the First Division.
Yuusuke joined him, still confused. "Inuyama-san, what's going on?" he asked.
"Shh," said a man on Inuyama's right whom he recognised as the Tenth Division Captain Harada. "It's starting."
"Wha-?" he began asking, when he noticed that there were people inside the dojo.
One of them was easily recognisable to him as Okita Sougo, the First Division Captain. The other was someone Yuusuke had never seen before.
"Is that a-a g-girl?" he asked, staring at the really beautiful vermillion-haired girl dressed like a china doll.
She and Okita were stood facing each other, their expressions calm though he had his sword out, while she only had an umbrella in her hand.
"That's Kagura-san," Inuyama muttered to him in a low voice.
"Are they going to fight?" asked Yuusuke, righteous indignation filling his tone. "The First Division Captain is going up against an unarmed girl?"
His words made the people around him laugh and shake their heads, which confused him further. How were they all alright with this? He'd thought the Shinsengumi would have more honour than men claiming to be samurai enjoying an innocent, defenceless girl being pitted in a duel against a trained prodigy.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud clap of weapons clashing, and whatever words he was going to say evaporated from his mind when he saw Okita Sougo get nearly brought down to his knees by a single blow dealt by the girl's umbrella. His jaw dropped as the Captain pushed back and the two began sparring in earnest, their movements so sharp and fast that Yuusuke felt he couldn't blink or he would miss something vital happening.
"Kagura-san is a Yato," he heard Inuyama whisper to him. "She and Okita-taichou spar like this almost every day, so, last month a few of us asked them if it would be alright to observe them. He's about the only one who can keep up with her."
Yuusuke could believe it. The two were incredibly matched in their skill, despite their vastly different weapons. He didn't know much about Yato, except they were very, very strong, and Kagura seemed to be no exception. Yuusuke couldn't believe that only moments ago he had thought the fierce hellcat giving Shinsengumi's best such a difficult time to be similar to a china doll.
"Did I miss much?"
Yuusuke glanced back as Kamiyama from the First Division slipped into an empty spot behind him.
"No, it's just started," Inuyama answered. "They've only been going for ten minutes."
"Oh, good, I have plenty more time," said Kamiyama.
"H-how long do they spar?" asked Yuusuke, almost afraid to ask but curious just the same.
"Depends," answered Kamiyama. "I think the record is two and a half hours."
"They went for four hours last week," said Yamazaki, whom Yuusuke hadn't noticed before.
"Four hours, really?" asked Harada, sounding impressed.
Yuusuke was more than impressed at that too. He certainly didn't have that sort of a stamina, and suddenly Inuyama's tiredness after training with Okita all day made more sense. The man was a monster if he could keep up with an Amanto from the strongest race in the galaxy.
The next two hours passed in almost a daze for Yuusuke, whose jaw had dropped lower and lower as time had gone on, and Okita and Kagura had continued to beat the ever loving hell out of one another until they were both bruised and bleeding. Somewhere along the way, the weapons had been tossed away for a brutal hand-to-hand fight, and Yuusuke had to hold back a wince at every hit, especially when Okita got hit because it looked truly painful. He couldn't believe he had started this fight being concerned for Kagura, when he clearly should have been worrying for the First Division Captain.
Okita, though, showed no signs of backing down. If anything, Yuusuke thought he was rather enjoying the fight. Kagura too, since she had not stopped smiling for the last hour, despite how vicious the fight was getting. Yuusuke had no experience with romance or even friendship with a girl, having been around boys at the dojo all his life, but he thought the two of them had to be really close to be able to fight each other while smiling like that.
When the fight finally ended and everyone began to disperse, Yuusuke remained behind as he observed the two people. He couldn't hear what they were saying before, but now as he moved in closer, he could listen to their conversation clearly.
"...almost had you too, you damn piggy," Okita was saying.
"Hah, in your dreams, you sadistic chihuahua," Kagura shot back. "Be grateful I didn't break your arm that time I…"
"Really? You're just going to ignore the time I could have stabbed you through the heart, you damn brat?" he demanded.
"Only if you are pretending to ignore the time I could have kicked you straight in the teeth so you would be on-"
They walked right past Yuusuke as they left the dojo together, exchanging insults and breaking down the specifics of their fight, being so absorbed with one another that they didn't even notice him. Yuusuke blinked in confusion after they disappeared towards the back of the compound which he'd been told was out of bounds and he now understood had to be near Kagura's room. What confused him further was that Okita went with her, and it made Yuusuke blush.
Just how close were these two supposed to be again?
"It's actually getting a little colder now, eh?" asked Kagura, as she and Sougo walked together down the side of the river. It was part of their beat and they were on patrol that day.
"Yeah," said Sougo. "It's almost November."
They heard footsteps running up to them and rounded the corner just in time to run into Gintoki, who stopped suddenly in his tracks.
"Gin-chan, what are you doing?" asked Kagura, surprised at his dishevelled appearance.
"Oh, good, here," he said, handing her what seemed like a bundle of clothes. "Keep him safe until I come to get him."
Without pausing, he kept running, leaving Kagura with the bundle in her arms. The bundle then moved slightly, and she almost shrieked when she saw that there was a baby in there.
"Oi, wait!" called Kagura, but Gintoki had already vanished. "What are we supposed to do?" she asked Sougo, who looked just as bewildered as her.
Sougo shrugged. "Throw it into the river, I guess," he said. Kagura made an outraged sound and pulled the baby closer to her and away from Sougo, which made him roll his eyes. "I was joking, China." He looked at the baby closely and frowned. "Is it just me or does this look exactly like danna?"
"Huh?" asked Kagura confused, but when she saw the baby properly there was no mistaking the silver curly hair and the dead-fish eyes that were exactly like Gintoki's. "I didn't know Gin-chan had a baby," she murmured, shocked.
"I don't think he did either if he just ditched it with us," said Sougo.
"Gin-chan wouldn't do that," snapped Kagura, and then rocked the baby gently. "He was running like someone was after him."
"Probably the baby's mother since it was unlikely he was paying child support," said Sougo.
Unfortunately, their question was answered when they ran into a group of heavily armed men around the next corner. They looked shocked to see her and Sougo, but when they realised she was holding the baby, they advanced on her, only to be met with the glint of steel as Sougo drew his sword.
"Audacious, aren't we?" he said, his voice lazy though you would be stupid to miss the threat in it. "Attacking a girl and a baby in broad daylight in front of a policeman, no less."
"You're outnumbered," said one of the men, clearly the one with a deathwish. "Give us the baby."
Kagura gave the baby a small smile and held him securely to herself. "No chance in hell," she said, plainly.
"See what you did?" asked Sougo. "Now she is going all maternal."
"You Bakufu dogs don't scare us," said another, probably even stupider than the first one. "You scum who bowed down to Amanto have no right to call yourselves samurai."
"Hear that, China?" asked Sougo, a small smirk blooming on his face.
"They're Jouishishi," realised Kagura.
"And proud of it," said the first man. "Cutting down someone from the Shinsengumi is only the cherry on top."
"Do you remember your lessons, China?" asked Sougo, getting into his fighting stance.
Kagura didn't miss a beat. "The special powers granted to Shinsengumi by the Shogun," she said. "When confronted by Jouishishi, deadly force is authorised."
"Very good," said Sougo.
It was over quickly after that. Sougo cut through the men with a scary speed and accuracy. Kagura kept out of the way out of concern for the child, kicking the errant opponent if they managed to stumble past Sougo's attacks.
"That's that," said Sougo, once the last man had fallen. "I'll call it in."
"You think this is who Gin-chan was running from?" asked Kagura.
"Maybe," he said.
"What do you mean, maybe?" she asked, surprised.
"They weren't much of a challenge to me, so I'm sure danna would have no trouble dealing with them," he said.
"Yeah, but he was probably thinking of the baby," said Kagura, noticing that he seemed to be unperturbed and wasn't crying or fussing at all. "Are all human babies so calm?"
"Why are you asking me? How should I know?" asked Sougo.
"You're human, aren't you?" she asked. "Or were, anyway, before you turned into a sadistic demon?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "I have no experience with children," he said. "What about you? What are Yato babies like?"
"Very strong," said Kagura. "Papi told stories of how I broke his jaw once when I accidentally kicked him. My Mami said it was because he was gone so often that I'd forgotten what he looked like and decided to kick him when he took me from Kamui."
"Kamui?" he asked, curiously. "That's your brother, huh?"
At his look of surprise, she smiled a little. "He wasn't always a criminal, you know," she said. "He looked after me most when I was young because Papi was always away and Mami was sick."
There was an odd expression on his face, and Kagura wondered what he was thinking. "How did he go from raising you to a space criminal?" he asked, finally.
Kagura looked shocked at his blunt question, and even Sougo seemed briefly taken aback at his own audaciousness, but she shrugged and decided to answer.
"Do you remember my Papi's arm?" she asked.
"Yeah, the prosthetic one, right?" asked Sougo, leaning against the alley wall opposite her as they waited for the cleanup crew to arrive.
"Mm," nodded Kagura. "Kamui took Papi's real arm when we were kids."
"Not in an accident, I presume?" he asked, his voice level.
"No," said Kagura. "Papi told me later that there is an old Yato tradition where you're supposed to kill your parents to prove you are strong. No one practices it anymore, but Kamui...I guess, he just…" She trailed off, wondering why she was telling Sougo, of all people.
She heard him sigh and looked up. He was rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. "Sorry to hear that," he mumbled.
Kagura blinked in shock. "Thanks," she said, taken aback. "Anyway, he didn't manage to kill any of us, and Papi didn't kill him, so I guess it could have been worse."
"What do you mean?" asked Sougo. "Your father would have killed him?"
Kagura went red at her slip of tongue, but then sighed. "Remember when we first worked together I told you about Yato instinct?" she asked, deciding to give him the answers honestly now that it had come up. At his nod, she continued. "I didn't know this myself until recently, but Papi told me that when Kamui took his arm, they had both been consumed by the Yato blood. They would have killed each other. I was too young to remember everything, but I remember holding onto Papi so he wouldn't hurt Kamui. Papi told me last year that if I hadn't stopped him, he would have killed Kamui right then and there."
She jumped in shock when she felt Sougo take the baby from her arms and hold it. She looked at him in surprise, but he avoided her gaze.
"You're shaking and I don't want you to drop the baby," he muttered.
Kagura glanced down at her hands and realised that they were indeed shaking. Clenching her fists, she crossed her arms and looked away in embarrassment. They stood in the alleyway full of fallen Jouishishi, holding a baby and looking away from each other in silence for a few long moments, before they heard the ninth squad arriving.
Leaving the cleanup to them and dodging any questions about the baby, Kagura and Sougo left and returned to a bench by the riverside. Sougo set the baby down on the bench between them, and the two sat in awkward silence for a few moments.
"Is your mother-?" he asked, finally and Kagura jumped a little.
"Yeah, she died a while back from illness," she admitted softly.
"Sorry," he said. "I don't really remember my parents, but I know it has to be hard."
"I'm sorry about your parents," said Kagura, feeling a bit at ease now that she wasn't the only one opening up. "So, who raised you?"
"My older sister," he said, and she was surprised to see a smile of such genuine emotion on his face that she quickly had to look away because it made him look (and she wanted to knock herself out for even thinking it) really handsome.
"D-does she live in Bushu still?" asked Kagura, after clearing her throat.
"Yeah," he said, and then hesitated briefly. "Her health is weak, so the country is better for her."
"What is she like?" asked Kagura, curiously.
"She's the best person in the world," he said, like he was stating an unshakeable fact.
Kagura felt her lips twitch into a smile, though there was a part of her that ached to know how it felt to have an older sibling who didn't hate their younger sibling. Sougo seemed to love his sister immensely and she was curious about the woman who had raised him.
There was the sound of someone jumping out from behind them and they both turned around quickly. Kagura held her umbrella in one hand, ready to attack, while her free hand hovered protectively over the baby. She was surprised to see that Sougo was almost like a mirror reflection of her as he held his sword in one hand and had his other hand near hers to protect the baby.
Thankfully, it was only Gintoki, and they both relaxed their stances. "Gin-chan, what's going on?" asked Kagura.
"That's what I'd like to know too," he sighed, picking up the baby and sitting down on the bench with them. He briefly explained how the baby had been left on his doorstep and the men chasing him to get to the baby for some reason.
"They were Jouishishi and shouldn't be a problem anymore, danna," said Sougo.
Gintoki looked a little surprised, but nodded. "I think I know where the trail leads, so I'm going to take him back to his mother now," he said, getting to his feet. "Thanks for looking after him."
"Is it something we should be officially getting involved in?" asked Sougo, raising an eyebrow.
"Best to not do it," said Gintoki. "It was enough that you took care of those henchmen."
Kagura wanted to protest, but stopped when she remembered what Sougo had told her. Clearly, he put a lot of stock in Gintoki's strength and fighting prowess, and Kagura herself had to admit that the few times she had seen him in action, Gintoki had been unstoppable. It was a little funny how she kept forgetting how her instincts had responded to him when they had first met. Now that she knew him better as a person, Kagura had to keep reminding herself that Gintoki was one of the few people in Edo who was likely stronger than her.
The matter ended there and when she saw Gintoki next, he assured her that the baby hadn't been his, and was now safe with the proper family. He had been a little bandaged up and told her that there had been a particularly tough opponent he'd had to defeat in the process of getting young Kanshichirou back to his mother.
Edo continued to grow colder as October came to an end, and Kagura had to marvel at the fact that she had been there for nearly four months already. Now that she was there to stay, she no longer had to worry about falling in love with the city and could embrace it, quirks and all, into her heart.
Unbeknownst to her, things were about to get dangerous once again.
Kawakami Bansai played the shamisen almost listlessly and everyone, except the people who knew him best, would have thought he was not paying attention to his surroundings at all. A pair of blue headphones blasted Terakado Tsu's latest single into his ears, the tune mimicked by his own shamisen. Behind the dark sunglasses, the shrewd light brown eyes took stock of his target.
It made him want to sigh, really. Such an interesting tune, but a dangerous one, without question. He stopped playing the shamisen and stood up slowly, returning to give his report. Evening had fallen by the time he reached the ship, and he found the man he was looking for out on the deck, smoking lightly in the moonlight. The moon wasn't quite full yet, but would be in a day or two.
"So?" asked the man, blowing smoke from his lips.
"It is a night rabbit, indeed," said Bansai. "Shinsuke, there is no doubt in my mind that she is capable of destroying the Harusame ship that blew up here in Edo a few months ago."
Takasugi Shinsuke turned around, lips curling into a smirk. "Ah," he said. "That should be enough to convince them, shouldn't it?"
Bansai nodded firmly. "The Harusame could only gather that a single Amanto destroyed their ship, and if we go to them with the confirmation of the culprit's identity, they would stand with us when the Benizakura swords are ready," he said.
Takasugi chuckled. "Very well," he said. "Go on and convince them."
Bansai bowed in acceptance. "I'll leave at once, then," he said.
"Bansai," called Takasugi, when he turned to leave. "What did you think of the night rabbit?"
Bansai contemplated his response carefully. "As if she were Kaguya-hime of the moon, frolicking among the Earthlings and pretending to be one of them," he said. "A ballad doomed to end in nothing but tragedy."
Takasugi said nothing to it and just continued smoking, and Bansai took it to mean that he was dismissed. He readied himself for his voyage, ready to do his duty for Shinsuke and the Kiheitai.
"Another one cut down in the streets last night," said Hijikata.
"How many does that make now?" asked Kondo, practicing his sword in the courtyard. While it was something he usually preferred to do naked, he was dressed today out of consideration for Kagura.
"Eight," said Hijikata, smoking out on the engawa. "We haven't been asked to step in yet, but if the Tsujigiri continues…"
"What is it exactly?" asked Kagura, from where she was sitting next to Hijikata.
"It's a practice banned a long time ago," said Sougo. He was taking a nap inside the meeting room, his creepy mask covering his eyes as usual. "Samurai would cut down people to test a new blade."
"If the Tsujigiri isn't enough of a pain, we have another problem," said Hijikata, and sighed a little. "There's intel that Takasugi has come to Edo, this time with the intention of going to war."
Kagura sat up at the mention of Takasugi, and even Sougo took off his eye mask.
"Finally," said Sougo, sitting up and drawing his sword. "My blood's been itching to cut him down since he escaped us the last time."
"Do we know what he plans to do?" asked Kondo, sharply.
Hijikata exhaled. "Rumour has it that he recruited Hitokiri Nizou," he said. "Along with the sharpshooter Kijima Matako, strategist Takechi Henpeita, and that mysterious Kawakami Bansai. I'd bet he is trying to rebuild the Kiheitai."
"His army from the old Joui war?" asked Kondo.
"If he did indeed recruit all these people, it's safe to say he will be making a move soon, and it will be a big one," said Hijikata, gravely. "The worst case scenario is that he unites all the Joui factions in Edo to stage a coup d'etat."
"Does he really have that much of an influence?" asked Sougo.
"It's said that Takasugi and Katsura were two of the Joui Shitennou," said Hijikata. "Katsura's faction is more moderate, but if the war buddies were to team up, it will be bad for all of us. Kondo-san, Takasugi is a dangerous one."
"I see," said Kondo. "Use all the resources we can on this one and dispatch the spies. Since the Tsujigiri matter is being handled by the local cops, we should focus on Takasugi instead."
"China, you got any ideas?" asked Sougo, noticing that Kagura had been quiet.
Kagura jumped a little as if startled out of a reverie. "I'm not sure yet," she answered slowly. "I'll start investigating."
"Say, Abuto, what is that, exactly?"
Abuto glanced to where their beloved captain was looking and suppressed a sigh. "They're called samurai, dancho," he said. "They come from a part of Earth."
"Eh, really?" intoned Kamui, his gaze fixed on the man with the teal hair, dressed in green and carrying a strange weapon that looked like some sort of a musical instrument. "And what's he doing here?"
"He said he came to offer valuable intelligence," said Abuto.
"Such a boring reason for someone who looks so interesting," said Kamui, eyes glittering.
Abuto smirked to himself and leaned in to speak. "I heard Admiral Abo mentioning it had something to do with the incident in Edo, the land of samurai," he said. "Do you remember? They had the whole incident a couple of months ago when their ship, crew and all merchandise was destroyed."
"Again, not interesting," shrugged Kamui. "So these samurai are just a little daring, are they?"
"Who knows?" shrugged Abuto. "But the rumour was that only a single Amanto was responsible."
He knew it would work like a spell, and immediately, Kamui's ahoge twitched like an antenna as he sat up. "By one person?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Abuto. "Apparently, that samurai over there is here to offer up information on who the Amanto is."
Kamui tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. "Abuto," he said, seriously. "I want to know that information. And tell Admiral Aho-I mean, Abo, that the Seventh Division is willing to deal with this if the need arises."
Abuto nodded, having expected something of the sort already. "I'll do that, dancho," he said. "In the meantime, keep your head down and don't get into a fight with our guests."
Kamui only gave him a bright smile in response.