Bully, a gintama fanfic

Author's note: I just love Okita and Kagura's relationship. I tried to keep them as in character as possible. Hope I did anyway.

Characters aren't mine. Just borrowed them - for a while.

If you ask Okita what his top five favorite things to do in the world are, he'd answer: 1. Annoy Hijikata-san 2.Plot Hijikata-san's demise 3. Sleep 4. Make Hijikata-san's life a living hell 5. Annoy China Girl.

Kagura often wondered what she'd done to earn a place in Okita's prestigious to-do list. From making lewd jokes to fighting her to killing her precious Sadamaru 28 (and no, she didn't kill it, the death of the poor beetle was decided the moment the bastard opened his mouth), Okita seemed to stop at nothing when it came to getting on her nerves. She'd had enough (she'd also never mention, at least out loud, how much some of his jibes were doing a number on her self esteem). She was going to get to the bottom of this.

"He likes you." Ane-go would theorize. "You know how boys would pull the pigtail of the girl he likes just to get her attention – Okita-san is the same, he just wants you to notice him."

"He's 18 not 8." Kagura would counter back whilst making a face.

"Well.. uhm.. he might be a late bloomer." Ane-go would finish lamely.

"Bah! It's because he's a no good sadistic bastard." Hijikata-san would say between bites of mayonnaise covered takoyaki- or rather a big fat glob of mayonnaise with takoyaki balls floating on top. "It's in his nature."

Kagura could hardly argue with that logic. In fact, she agrees with it whole-heartedly. However, somewhere deep, deep, deep, DEEP inside her (so deep that she hadn't even known that that part of her exists – she blames Gin-chan for somehow indirectly influencing her into thinking that there is some good in everyone, that certain circumstances just have a way of changing people and embittering them) she feels that there must be a more profound reason for Okita's bastardness. She needed to ask someone who knew Okita very well and was sensitive enough to perhaps enlighten her to the possible motives he had.

"…a victim of the cruelties and harsh realities of life, sob sob, left alone with no parents and just a sickly sister left to look after him… socially inept – he had no friends to play with, children his age feared him just because he was a little different than they, adults didn't want any of their children to associate with him because he had a tendency of pulling insect's wings and torturing them – which was not so! He was just in awe of the world and curious of how things work – I've always told Toshi that had Sougo not been a police officer he would most likely become a scientist …" Gorilla-san blubbered on and on emphatically.

Almost from the moment he had opened his mouth, Kagura realized her mistake.

Too sensitive. Not to mention overdramatic.

Kagura did what Gin-chan would've done in that situation – walk away. She could still hear that big Gorilla wailing a few kilometers away.

"Oh! I could not possibly imagine how he would've turned out had I not been there to save him! Probably lying dead in some gutter …"

Puh-lease, there would be a better chance that Okita would be standing over some dead guy lying in some gutter.

"…"

"Ne, ne, Gin-chan, why do you think he's so mean to me, huh?"

"…snore, snore…"

"I know you're awake! I can see you picking your nose under that Jump magazine, you disgustoid!"

"Kagura-chan, you pick your nose in public, too." Shinpachi commented mildly.

"Mou! But it's okay coz I'm cute."

"…snore, snore…"

"You know what I think –" Shinpachi began.

"…snore, snore…"

"OIII! Don't imitate him!"

"But as a megane-kun –"

"WHAT! AS A MEGANE-KUN WHAT!" Shinpachi interrupted rather indignantly.

"Your opinions don't matter."

"Kagura, just ask him yourself." Gintoki mumbled before the two could kill each other off or more likely, Kagura could accidentally kill Shinpachi.

Kagura blinked before gradually loosening her grip on the choking Shinpachi's neck.

It was a beautiful, clear day where birds were singing, kids were happily playing a game of tag and a gray kitty lay fast asleep on top of a picnic table. In other words, a day where something was bound to go wrong – a day of epic disasters if you will. Sure enough, a few minutes later this picturesque scene was ruined by the sound of what suspiciously sounded like a bazooka going off and bullets being shot following it not long after. Birds flew off into the distance screeching incessantly, the kids went crying and scampered off to their respective homes (having been already warned once by their mothers to immediately ran into the opposite direction once they see the crazy blonde man and the equally crazy red headed girl together) and the kitty yowled, its fur standing on end.

"Bastards like you should just keel over and die."

"China, that's just like a pot calling the kettle black."

"You can't call me a bastard. I'm a girl, you idiot!"

"Girls have boobs."

Kagura snarled angrily before suddenly launching herself into Okita. Caught off guard, he lost his balance and they both tumbled down the slightly sloping path together. Okita groaned before rolling away and disentangling himself from her in the process.

"I rest my case; girls are graceful creatures who do not just randomly attack other people."

When he got no response from Kagura, Okita turned to glance over at the girl who was still lying on the ground with her head turned away from him.

"Hey, China, you still alive there? You better be or it'll be a ton of paperwork for me."

Just as he was about to nudge her prone form with his foot, Kagura drew herself into a sitting position still facing away from him, her head down and bangs covering her eyes. Okita thought he might have heard a sniffle but figured he was just becoming deaf from being constantly around Kondo-san.

Sniff.

For some strange reason, he felt an unfamiliar sinking feeling in his stomach that he only felt whenever he disappointed his sister.

Sniff.

"Oi. You're not crying are you?"

"N-no I'm not, I just got something in my eye." Kagura sniffled.

"Idiot, then you shouldn't be sniffling."

"I just - I just smell something delicious!" Kagura practically wailed.

Okita sighed and crouched down in front of her. He tried peering into her face but she just turned her face away, one hand rubbing against her eyes.

"Monsters shouldn't cry," Okita mumbled, "Otherwise, I'd have no one to talk to."

Startled, Kagura couldn't help but face him, mouth slightly agape; but he wasn't looking at her – he was staring at the ground somewhere beside her right foot.

"Huh? What are you talking about? We don't talk. Besides, you have Kondo-san and Hiji-"

"Oh, you know what I mean China. Don't pretend you don't." He muttered.

It was true, now that she thought about it. She'd heard from Gin-chan that Okita had lost his sister sometime ago. She'd felt a slight pang of sorrow and perhaps even a little pity when she remembered how she'd lost her own mother. Kondo-san, though they got on well with each other and probably had a brother-like relationship with each other, was years older than him and most likely couldn't relate to him. For Hijikata-san, well, let's just say that for some untold reason, Okita didn't exactly hold him in high esteem. The other shinsengumi, she noticed, though they obviously respected Okita, also seemed slightly wary of their unpredictable captain – not that she could blame them. So in reality, she was quite possibly the closest thing to a best friend he had.

Okay, maybe a best friend was going too far.

And, maybe, he too was someone she considered as a friend – at least not exactly in the conventional sense of the word – or in another universe where friend meant rival for life. But, she guessed, she did enjoy their "sparring" and constant repartee – something that she couldn't have with Gin-chan who would likely just ignore her and Shinpachi who was a megane-kun and couldn't hold his own against her barrage of insults.

Unexpectedly, she let out a small giggle. This was just way too weird and twisted. She never ever thought she'd consider him as a "friend".

Okita glanced sharply at her in surprise, half-expecting her to be laughing at him. His face was starting to close off and she imagined him getting into a defensive position.

She didn't know what exactly prompted her to do it – maybe it was because she didn't think that the situation could get any sillier than it already was and was challenged by it. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before turning around and running all the way home – her cheeks still burning even as she lay on her bed in Gin-chan's closet that night.

The next time they had their regular banter and fights, they both acted as if the kiss never happened. But, on one particular occasion after a rather nasty fight, she had sat on a partially destroyed bench to rest for a while before returning home. Strangely enough, Okita disappeared without saying a word. He returned a few moments later with three takoyaki sticks in his hand which he held out to her while rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand not quite meeting her surprised gaze.

Later, as they sat in companiable silence, Okita mumbled, "Don't get used to it China, I just felt sorry for kicking your ass."

Kagura sighed – guess he hadn't changed much after all. He was still the jerk he always was. Somehow though, she relented, he wasn't as much a bastard as before.

Maybe just the jackass in her life instead.

AN: Thanks for taking the time to read my story – I'd love some reviews )