Chapter One: Narrator, That's Just To Cliche
Authors Note: I'm not abandoning 'If Everything Was Sugar And Strawberry's Then There Wouldn't Be War', just having writers block so~ uploaded this one instead. Will continue the other one though, of course! Sorry if you're reading it and are still waiting for the fifth chapter.
The Yorozuya was quiet for once, but not just quiet, but empty. The only one on duty was none other then the lazy samurai, who had gone out for his weekly JUMP. Shinpachi was staying home sick after he'd been forced to eat his sisters cooking. Kagura, on the other hand, was out in the Shoguns castle with her friend Princess Soyo, the Shoguns younger sister. So, on this day, it was just Gintoki, since Sadaharu had followed his monster of a master.
As he grabbed the thankfully NOT last issue of JUMP he paid and left at a leisurely pace, Thank GOD I didn't have to fight for it with that idiot ninja! He'd have the day to himself, what could go wrong?
"Narrator, don't you know that in a manga that's when all the bad things begin to happen?" This isn't a manga, it's a fanfiction. "Same thing. Are you trying to curse me? What's gonna happen, huh?" Shut-up and just continue with the story, perm-head. "A perm isn't that bad!"-
Anyway, the man continued to walk down the street, reading as he did so, when suddenly someone ran into his legs, knocking them both down.
"Watch it-" the crimson eyes widened when he saw the kid that hit him. Carrying a rusted sword closely to his chest the two looked at each other. Gintoki was dumbfounded, but the child got up and ran into the crowd before he could say anything. Shit! He stood and searched the crowd, Isn't it my lucky day! "Dammit narrator!" he blurts out-loud
He walks, looking around for the small kid, he needed to find him. As he was searching, a loud crashing sound could be heard, followed by some yelling. Attracted to the noise, he saw none other then the boy and an amanto creating a ruckus.
"Hey, there's a sword-ban, don't you know?" The wolf-amanto snarled, the kids crimson eyes pierced at him. Gintoki couldn't let this go through. Stepping out from the crowd he got between them, hands raised.
"Oi, oi. Now why would a kid have a sword. It's fake, see?" He spoke with a slight smile.
"Hmm? Who're you, his dad?" Gintoki looked at the boy behind him who stared back with distrust in his eyes.
"Isn't that obvious? I'm sorry for what he's done but i'll be taking him home now."
"Tch, well make sure he learns his lesson." The amanto stalks off. Gintoki turns around to face the kid whose pointing his blade at him.
"I know you don't trust me," he went down on one knee and gently rested one hand on the tip of the blade. "But I have a home and food I can spare. I won't force you to do anything but I would like you to come to my place." The kid analyzed him then gave a nod. "Come along then. This way." He walked through the crowd at a brisk pace, he needed to get home now.
At the Yorozuya he didn't bother going to see Otose, he went straight up followed by the kid.
"Do you know how you got here?" the kid didn't answer, he just stared at him, then around the house. "Ah! That's right, food!" He stood up and went to the kitchen, leaving the frightened boy. Quickly he whipped up some rice and put an egg on top, carrying the plate back into the room he noticed the kid hadn't moved an inch.
"Well, sit." when he saw the food everything other than the demand 'devour' disappeared from thought. Greedily he took the bowl and ate the food, disregarding the chopsticks. Gintoki expected the kid to do exactly that, and wasn't surprised by his next action.
When the kid had finished he jumped from the couch, sword in hand. He still didn't trust him, Gintoki could read him like a book.
"There's a bedroom right there, you can sleep if you want." The kid didn't need to speak for Gintoki to know the kid hadn't slept for days. He knew because of... other, reasons. The kid took his offer and warily went into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Gintoki gave a long, deep sigh, that kid laced his killing intent through the air so sneakily. He could hide his presence and killing intent easily, which was why Gintoki had been on high alert. The kid would've seriously killed me...
A few hours passed and Gintoki had eaten his sugar for the day, when Shinpachi came in. Gintoki was in trouble now, how was he supposed to explain the look-alike kid? Even if it wasn't the same scenario as last time.
"Oh, Gin-san." He greeted him, Gintoki knew the kid wasn't healed yet, his face was a vibrant green.
"Was your sister about to feed you again?" The boy nodded and sat across from him. "Listen," Gintoki suddenly got serious,"you need to be quiet." This piqued the kids interest.
"Good luck telling Kagura the same thing when she gets back." Gintoki's face drained of color. What could make Gin-san so afraid of noise?
The door seemed to explode a moment after, followed by happy shouts and a 'woof'. Gintoki's head spun over and he looked towards his bedroom door. In there...? Shinpachi looked at the door also, Gintoki changed his focus to Kagura.
"Shaddup." He meant to say it as if he didn't care, but he put way to much force in it for it to be viewed that way.
"Aru?! What's wrong?" Kagura purposely spoke loudly, If it annoys Gin-san, I'll gladly do just that. Gintoki stared at the girl and was about to reply when the door to his room opened,and Gintoki brought out his bokuto just in time.
The kids sword was aimed at the Yato, eyes full of undeniable venom. Gintoki's bokuto balanced perfectly to block the sword so neither would break. The two looked at the kids venomous red eyes to their bosses dead-fish crimson ones.
"Gin-san! Why-" Shinpachi began until he saw the kid pull his sword away to hit his boss. This time, the bokuto stayed put, and blood splattered onto the samurai's face. His hand was stabbed clean through to the swords hilt. The stabbed man didn't flinch, he simply grabbed the rim of the hilt and turned to the boy, speaking softly but firmly.
"They won't hurt you, and neither will I. These jack-asses are gonna shut-up so go get some rest." Gintoki then gave the kid the bokuto and took the sword,"Sleep with that. It won't hurt you and it isn't bloody, okay?" The kid looked down at the bokuto in his hands, then to the bloodied sword, and lastly at the mans face. He didn't nod but simply backed away slowly into the room he had come from. Shutting the door behind him, Gintoki then pulled the sword out and grimaced.
"Gin-san!" Kagura exclaimed, gaining a stare from Gintoki.
"Be quiet." He hissed harshly as he assesed his hand wound. The two complied and stayed silent for a moment before continuing with the topic.
"Who is that kid?!" Shinpachi whisper-yelled.
"Yeah! He looks exactly like you! Perm-and-all!" Kagura whispered as well. Gintoki eyed the door one more time, then sighed.
"Lets talk somewhere else." He sighed, heading out the door, soon followed by two suspicious teens, Glasses grabbing a first-aid kit on the way out. They went into Otoses bar and sat at a table.
"Oi, you won't be getting anything for free unless you pay your rent." Otose stared at the trio.
"We wouldn't get anything free even if we payed our rent." Gintoki grumbled in return.
"So, Gin-san, whose the kid?" Shinpachi stares at him.
"Yeah, it can't be Gin-sans. No girl would want to curse their child with a natural perm, nope. No way." Kagura waved her hand in front of her face, her expression reading 'it's-a-fact'. The words she had spoken had caught Otoses ear.
"A kid with a perm? It's not like last time, is it?"
"No, old hag! Get your nose out of our business!" Gintoki whined in return. "I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I have enough proof to know my suspicion is right."
"Aru?" Kagura looked at him,"What suspicion?"
"I think he's me." The two looked at him, and the old woman gave him a stare from behind the counter.
"But he's a kid, in this time. And you're and adult in this time." Shinpachi pointed out.
"Yeah, he has a point." Otose took a drag from her cigarette. "How can you as a brat be here while you as an adult-brat lives here as well."
"Yeah that's the same- wait, WHAT! Did you just call me and adult-brat! Damn old hag!"
"The same what?" Shinpachi ignored Otose's remark and Gintoki's response.
"Same question. Some one sent him forward in time. I just need to figure out how to..." Gintoki droned off and Shinpachi and Kagura turned to look at the door. There stood little Gintoki, bokuto in hand.
"You're gonna send me back, aren't you." He spoke, his crimson, dead-fish eyes not moving from his adult counter-part. Otose stared at the kid shocked, she expected a look-alike but they were just to damn similar!
"Oi, oi, a kid shouldn't be in a bar." Gintoki stared at him, a small silence drifted before the child spoke again.
"Why are there amanto everywhere? Is it true, I was sent into the future? Then..." the kids eyes gleamed but his voice remained steady.
"This is what I wanted to prevent..." The adult-Gintoki ruffled his hair. "Come here." The kid didn't move, his eyes filled with distrust. "I'm your adult-version, what do you expect me to do to you?" This put sense into him and the kid decided the man was safe...enough.
He walked over and sat next to the man and they were obviously at least related. Exactly the same, except the kid was much more quiet and studied the two people that were sitting across from him.
"Name." Otose stared at the kid with bland eyes, the kid stared back. Unafraid of the older woman, but definitely on alert, only noticed by his adult self.
"Sakata Gintoki." The woman looked at him, This kid...
"Aru? We'll have to see about that!" Kagura gave a devious grin, the kid didn't like it. "Do you like sugar? Is your hair naturally like that? Who're your parents?" Even Gintoki froze at the question, same as his child-version.
"My parents..." The kid gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the bokuto, whitening his knuckles. "They're just greedy, selfish bastards!" The kid hissed out dangerously. This shocked the two teens, Didn't Gintoki say his parents died?
"Oi, oi, settle down." Gintoki placed a hand on the kids head, who looked up at him in return. They shared a moment as they stared at each other then the kid returned his attention to the Yato.
"I don't know if I like sugar, though I've heard about it and yes, my hair is all natural." The two questioners didn't care about those answers, they cared about his parents.
"Huh? I'm pretty sure I had my first sweet not long after..." Gintoki looked down at the child and sighed,"Hey, granny, you have candy or something?"
"That's not for yourself, correct?" He gave a half-hearted smile which gained him two candies thrown at his face. With a goofy grin Gintoki gave the kid one and devoured the other himself.
Kid Gintoki stared at the man as he grinned, the sweet in his mouth, he popped it into his own soon after. The sweetness blanketed his tongue as he ate, it was so good. The best thing he'd ever had in the short time hes been alive. It took him away from the world like a drug, took him away from the past and present, it was just to good.
"I think he likes it." Shinpachi chuckled as he saw the kid relax and drool slightly, gaining an angry look from his superior. The good feeling vanished as the boy was brought back to reality, and he held the bokuto even closer to his body.
"Here," Gintoki took another candy from his sleeve,"now go back to bed." He didn't object to the mans orders, he'd learned he was trust worthy. Not through his actions- but through his eyes- he saw himself buried deep in those crimson eyes. That man was indeed once the small boy.
With him gone Gintoki sighed and leaned his head back, damn... this is going to be hard.
"Gin-san, I thought you said you didn't have a family." Gintoki opened one eye and stared at Megan.
"I think you mis-heard me. I said something about not having a loving family and how that was all you really needed." He closed his eye again, praying- no, hoping- they'd let up. It was in vain.
"So you did have one?"
"Yeah."
"Who was in your family?" The Yato asked something Gintoki dreaded. He loathed to remember such things and this damn brat made it resurface.
"Just my parents and a sister and I." He could hear the two children gasp.
"You had a sister?" The teen pestered. Otose, who was something like Gintoki's mental gaurdian, noticed the mental break-down he was hiding.
"A bar is no place for children." The old woman pointed at the two,"Get."
Authors Note: Here you go, I have a feeling it'll be a while until I publish the second chapter, but I assure you it will have one. Til next time, see ya!
