TITLE: Of Mothers and their Children
PART: One-Shot
AUTHOR: Simply Kim
WORD COUNT: 999
CHARACTERS: Katsura Kotarou. Sakata Gintoki. Elizabeth.
GENRE: Filler/ (A bit of) Humour
DISCLAIMER/S: I make a mean strawberry milkshake, unfortunately, the Gintoki I want to personally hand it to do not belong to me. The series and all its cosplaying tendencies belong to its author and no one else. XD
NOTE#1: Blah or Blah is for emphasis. /Blah/is for conversations over the phone or flashbacks (if any). /Blah/ is for the conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking. Blah is for thoughts or random Japanese words.
OF MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN
It was another normal day in the relatively abnormal life of Sakata Gintoki.
Or at least, a normal day if not for the monstrosity standing before him as he sat, trying to look undaunted, on one of the nearby park's endless line of benches.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your master?" He asked, giving the other the most baleful look he could muster.
The huge white blob, or to be more accurate, the thing walking around in a poorly-made duck suit, just stared at him as if dumb, eyes round and uncannily creepy – boring deep into his own.
If Gintoki didn't know any better, he would have deduced the stupid pet ran away or something. However, considering the fact that it stuck to its master almost twenty-four-seven, well…
He sighed, ruffling his own hair in irritation. Why was he even talking to it? And why was it that even with that dumb look, it seemed like it understood him completely? What has the world come to?
Groaning, he scooted over, patting the empty space beside him in invitation. "Here, sit down. You look stupid standing up. Seriously…"
And the thing sat down. Gintoki was right, it did understand him. Sweat beaded his brow in realisation that what he imagine to be the worst thing that could ever happen was now here. He was going to have to be careful of his words or else this thing's master would have his head.
Blown up and on a silver plate.
The silver-haired samurai shuddered at the thought. Upon calming down, he immediately let out a huge pent-up breath and slouched. The silence was eating him. He swore, he would rather have the evil dog god Sadaharu with him, gnawing painfully on his head rather than this strange amanto-like creature observing him with an unblinking gaze.
At least, with the huge dog, there was some sort of noise, some sort of sound to turn over in his head. Now that it was silent, he could hear different voices trying to reach up to his consciousness, reminding him of the past. Gintoki closed his eyes and opened them slowly, staring to a far-off space, seeing everything but seeing nothing.
"Na," He started, tone wistful and regretful. "You got lost didn't you? That's why you're alone now…" He murmured. "I guess we're on the same boat." A small smile stole into his face.
"Although I still have my parents, even if I have new friends, I still feel as if I'm standing alone." He mused. "Weird huh?"
He turned to his silent companion and gave it a small smile. "I got lost after the war, you know, and until now, I'm still trying to find myself." He took a deep breath and his smile faded. "But the past keeps coming after me. First Zura, then the bastard Takasugi. Seriously, I can never find any peace."
"Don't you think that's pretty unfair, eh, Elizabeth, is it?" Red eyes stared right at huge ones, as if trying to find the answers to life's questions. Then, giving up, he sighed once again and turned away, failing to notice the slight cocking of Elizabeth's head… or where the head was supposed to be.
A small chuckle escaped his throat.
"You know, you're a lot like Zura in many ways." He laughed. "You're both too quiet when someone's in need of good advice. I guess what they say about pets and owners being alike are true, huh? Zura's sort of like your mother and you follow him around, must be difficult, since he's in, like, a thousand places at a time… Good thing you don't nag like he does, or –"
"Or what, Gintoki?"
Surprised, he looked up and met the glare directed solely upon him. With a wry smile, he held up a hand and vaguely waved. "Yo, Zura."
A fist shot out and boxed an ear, sending him flying out of his seat sideways, landing haphazardly on the ground, blood oozing out of the side of his face where it met rough soil. "What are you doing?!" He glowered, stomping towards the newcomer with a vengeance, shaking his fist in supplication.
"It's not Zura. It's Katsura!" Came the furious tone… from the place he just vacated. "And I do not nag, you jerk!"
"Stop calling me a jerk, you idiot! And you're the one who goes about stealing people's seats – are you the devil?!"
"That has absolutely no grounds whatsoever. And aren't you the devil, look, you're sprouting horns as we speak."
"Those aren't horns, they're just tufts of my naturally permed hair." Nodding in self-satisfaction, he pushed the two who had invaded his spot with his butt, settling on the wooden bench nicely. "Move!"
And as they continued squabbling like an old married couple, Gintoki couldn't help noticing Elizabeth staring at them as if absorbed in their verbal sparring. For a short moment, he thought master and pet were alike, observing the world around them with much gusto and intensity.
Maybe Elizabeth wasn't such a bad creature after all, no matter how weirdly appalling the outside features were.
If he was indeed anything like Zura, it wouldn't be so bad, would it?
ENDE
A/N: My first Gintama fan fiction. Feedbacks are greatly appreciated!