Tracing Footprints
~Okikagu Fanfiction~
Yush! Hello once again minna! For those who followed this story, THANK YOU! Now, now, I guess it's the time where I should bring you to the place where I've left you before… enjoy minna!
Note: GUYS! I DO NOT OWN GINTAMA AT ALL, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FOR SIR HIDEAKI SORACHI!
-#-
Chapter 2
X Misleading two years X
*Normal P.O.V*
Two years have passed through Edo like a rough breeze; the wind that used to be filled with smiles and laughs became as boring and dull like that of a gray canvas draped in a white colored wall, the streets that used to be so lively became as quiet as a feather falling silently from the sky to the ground, The screams, The cursing, The peculiar noises can be no longer heard loitering around.
Through this obscure scene, its funny how these certain people could still remain stoic and smile even if they're already drowning in apathetic waves of feels; But through that painful two years they've gone through, the only hindrance for keeping them from shedding tears is the will of keep going on, For they know that even her would do the same stupid thing like this when facing this kind of situation.
*Slurp*
"Ahhh… Another sip of bitter strawberry milk."
Gintoki eyed the box of his strawberry flavored milk drink and took a deep breath, releasing a shaky air out of his mouth, He threw his head back and looked at the sky, and he watched the clouds as they chase each other.
"Gin-chan!"
He was startled for a while as he remembered a voice that made his heart broke into pieces. He took another sip from his milk drink and put his right hand on his eyes,
"Ahhh… Another sip of bitter strawberry milk."
And a tear rolled down from his eyes,
"Sh*t that brat didn't even bother to tell us that she's going to die… didn't even… bother… to… say 'goodbye'…"
"Oi Perm-head-idiot; would you mind me slicing that damn tongue of yours?! You're babbling stupid shits and you're pissing me off!"
An annoying familiar voice interrupted Gin's thoughts,
"Stupid f*cking Mayora! Would you mind your own business!?"
Gin exclaimed looking at the guy in front of him,
"You look pathetic! Creating a scene in a public place; showing everyone how weak you are tss!"
Hijikata puffed a smoke out of his mouth,
"At least I'm crying over something that really matters unlike you who sheds useless tears to a movie that wasn't even worth crying for! Just who the f*ck would cry over an action movie like the "Yakuza vs. Alien" one!? Dumb psycho Mayo-Freak!"
He reprimanded making Hijikata's eyebrows meet each other,
"Don't you dare judge the heroic deed of the mighty Joe-nii!? Sh*tty diabetic perm-head!"
And he equally returned Gin's glare,
"Wanna go you retard!?"
Gin intimidated,
Just when they're about to brawl a familiar figure caught their very eyes, It was Sougo, walking absentmindedly as he passed through them without even saying "hi" to his "Danna" nor even drawing his cannon out of nowhere to kill his Superior; Their eyes follow him until he vanished from a slope, completely ignoring them,
Hijikata and Gin remained silent for a while and decided to quit that stupid fight and sat beside each other on a bench just behind them, Hijikata lit another cigarette while Gin continues to feast over his Strawberry milk drink,
"What happened to Souichirou, Mayora?"
Gin asked picturing the image of Sougo as he passed through them a while ago, Hijikata didn't look at him but still answers,
"Even if you ask me, I'm not really sure why he's been acting like that, all I know he began to lose his concentration a week after that China girl passed away…" He confessed,
Gin stared to the horizon Okita had disappeared to,
"Presumably, Young love… I guess?" he said out of the blue,
Hijikata exhaled,
"Who knows? But I think the most applicable reason is that, Sougo must be feeling 'empty' right now..."
He muttered, making Gin raised an eyebrow,
"Empty huh? Does his soul fly out of his body or something?"
As soon as Gin finished his sentence Hijikata landed a blow on his head,
"Oi! Teme! Why did you do that!?"
Gin shouted as he pressed his little bump,
"Just how dumb can you possibly get!? I know that your brain is as tiny as a soy bean, but man! Your stupidity is something! You stupid diabetic bastard, that's what you get from eating a lot of sweets!"
Gin shoved him making an opening for him to land a punch on Hijikata's stomach,
"You freak! Compared to that greasy salty-sour sh*t of yours, Sweets such as strawberry milk is far more nutritious!"
Gin didn't finish his sentence when Hijikata grab his leg and throw him on the mid-air,
"Don't you dare talk rubbish like that to "my" mayonnaise, you illiterate dumbass!"
Hijikata felt pain prickled on his back when Gin landed a kick on his rear,
"You're a million more illiterate than I am! Crazy bastard!"
Gin showed a triumphant grin, making Hijikata smirk in unison, they positioned themselves and was about to draw their swords (well wooden sword for Gintoki) when they saw another group of familiar faces walking down the road,
It was Otose-san, Shinpachi, Otae, Madao, Sadaharu, Tama, Kyuubei and other close friend of Kagura,
Gin and Hijikata were pinned in the same position as they first saw Okita walk down the slope, With them sighing once again, they swore that they'll just drop this stupid useless fight nor even start a new one, at least… for now
"Well, that's it I guess, let's just rest it for today, I'm done with this nonsense crap anyway…"
Hijikata sneered as he refrains from drawing his sword,
"That's my line you sh*tty throbby-vein-boy!"
"The heck did you call me!?"
And a tension begins to start again on their background, before it ended up to a "fight" they've immediately avert their eyes from one another and controlled their rages,
"Tch!"
They hissed,
"Let's quit now okay? For real!"
Gin breathes out and picks his nose,
"I just want some answers…" He added,
"Answers? Really? Tch! You just want to stick your nose unto something so in that way you could forget about Kagura for a while…"
Hijikata commented, releasing a cloud of smoke out of his mouth, Gin slid out a lollipop out of his yukata and crossed his arms,
"True enough, half of my intention was that, but by means of 'empty' it almost sounded like Kagura is someone important for that Souichirou-kun."
He blurted out, Hijikata paused for a while and rested his back on the wooden rear of the bench they're sitting,
"Ahh, Can't help then, By the way it is Sougo not Souichirou, Stupid…" He corrected,
"Yeah, Yeah… Whatever." Gin continues to pick his nose,
"The thing I meant form the word 'empty' is not as deep as what you're implying like he's in love or anything beyond that, I guess? But if somehow that is true, I could tell that he has not confirmed any romantic feelings for her yet. I mean, He may have the skills to pick up and learn things quickly but those kinds of feelings are just too crucial for him to understand, especially considering his one track sided set of mind…"
Gin remained silent as Hijikata continues,
"I'm pointing out here that because of the sudden death of his rival he must be feeling like there's something missing, I mean, doesn't it feel wrong if one day you'll learned that the gal you've used to brawl with every now and then was found there lying in a corner, blood dripping from her head, heart and stomach with no sign of breathing at all? With nothing to pull out as a clue why the hell she died? Argh! Do you get what I mean?"
Hijikata scratched his head, looking for the right words to explain his point, the silver haired guy just stare at the horizon,
"I know exactly what you mean…"
Hijikata stops as he made a face,
"Huh?"
Now it's his turn to ask, Gin cracked the lollipop in his mouth,
"You wouldn't know the value of something or even someone until it vanishes away from your grasp." He muttered,
"The very first time I saw Souichirou-kun like that was when his sister died, but compared to that I think I agree with you when you said that he must be feeling 'empty' right now, that guys sees Kagura as a very strong person, so if somehow we'll on conclusions, the 'emptiness' he's dealing must be the results of shock and disappointment…" Gin added,
"Disappointment?" Hijikata asked, Gin nods,
"Rivals intend to vow to defeat each other by their own hands right? So he must be feeling disappointed for the thought that he is not the one who finished Kagura, I think..?"
Now Gin began asking himself, as the words don't settle to the direction he's trying to go to,
"With some points, I admit I agree with you either, but I was quite unsure when it comes to the 'disappointed' part, I mean, for some few years I've been with him, Sougo is not the type of guy who'll carry such useless vow for someone, yet, maybe half of that is true, the thing that lingers through my mind is the thought that maybe, instead of feeling disappointed because he's not the one who defeated his sworn enemy, Sougo must be feeling guilty because even when up to the very end that he witnesses her fall, he didn't do anything to save her? I mean, we, the shinsengumi, just doesn't concentrate on the subject, we must also be there to protect the civilians-!"
Hijikata was cut off when Gin gave him a jab,
"OI NANDA TEME!"
He held Gin's collar, veins popping out of his head,
"She's no civilian for him, Dumbass…"
Gin said, as Hijikata showed him a "What-do-you-mean" look on his face,
"You're his superior; you must know him better…" Gin mumbled,
"Are you mocking me or something?" Hijikata sneered,
"If that's how you see it, But come on, that guy, even when he didn't admit it, he and Kagura have that kind of "Love and Hate" relationship between them, beneath their usual bickering, deep inside they see each other on a different angle than just 'rivals' and they are aware that they hold each other dearly…" Gin said,
Hijikata released him as those words traveled through his mind.
"How could you say so?"
"Through your words idiot! The problem about you, shinsengumi, is that you're so dedicated to your work, so these kind of things are becoming transparent and complicated to understand not just by your minds but also your hearts, If you'll ask me, If there is someone who is somewhat still normal to all of you, that would be that Gorilla Captain of yours, for even you'll ask him about this matter we're talking about right now, I swear he'll say these exact same words to you: 'I think Sougo now understands something he never thought he could'.."
Gin cracked a faint laugh and made his way through the road everyone is taking,
"Ne Mayora! I'm going! I have to buy sokunbo for Kagura, I don't want to be caught by another kanashibari, most especially done by her ghost or whatsoever, see ya later!"
And he vanishes before Hijikata could say a thing,
"Tch! Did that perm poop just lectured me?!" He hissed,
"Sougou understands something he never thought he could..?"
Those words made him paused for a while and scratch the back of his neck,
"What could be that sadistic bastard could possibly understand?!"
He thought, gritting his teeth as he remembered every killing intent Sougo have done to him, He closed his eyes and sighed, he recall Okita's face as they saw him an hour ago, his stoic expression mirrored his face as he loses his beloved, Mitsuba,
"…"
He took a minute of silence after those words came to his mind, he opened his eyes, clasped his hands together and put it below his chin, a playful smirk was formed on his lips as he finally connected all the dots and found a surprising conclusion about his subordinate,
"Who could have thought that, that sadistic bastard's heart could still honor those kinds of feelings…"
And he stood up on his feet and draw out another audible breath,
"I must go too and pay that China girl a visit, I don't want to suffer from any paranormal activities or anything related with ghosts…" He thought as he sets off.
-#-
*At the cemetery*
As everyone was still on their way, Okita stood in front of her gravestone looking like a total idiot as he continue to stare at her imprinted name for almost an hour now, he remembered when he first met her, how their rivalry starts and up until the last time he saw her annoyed face, making his lips form a bitter smile,
"You're unfair China…"
He muttered as he continued to stare at her gravestone,
"We didn't even settle a score yet, so why do you let this happen to you?" He mumbled,
"This may sound absurd but even if the chance is very low, I know from the back of my mind that you're still alive and kicking somewhere over this big universe, I just can't accept that you've passed away just like that, Tell me that it's just a dream, that you're just joking right now like you did when you've got a Summer fever then…" He smiled,
"Because I know that if I am at your state right now where I am the one who died instead of you, I know that you'll come here by yourself saying these stupid things to me, so please… China…"
Okita was interrupted when he heard footsteps slowly getting closer to where he is, He immediately climb up a tree as the silhouettes of Otose-san and the others are becoming vivid,
Why the heck am I hiding!?
He thought as he let out a sigh of astonishment,
"Eh? Gin-San isn't here..?"
Shinpachi wondered as his eyes traveled around the place,
"How unusual…"
Otose-san and the others placed their offering on Kagura's gravestone, with sad smiles on their faces,
"Ne, Kagura-chan, it's almost two years, How've you been doing there? Are you eating well? I hope you're okay…"
Otose said as she lit a couple of candles,
Okita remained silent as he carefully watched them offer a prayer for Kagura,
"She might have possibly ate all the food and even the stock pile in hell…"
He murmured, creating an image of Kagura with a big belly ready to swallow a bucket full of souls,
"I wish she didn't eat those poor souls yet…"
He continue to mumble and counter every praises Otae-san and the others will say to Kagura, Until a couple of familiar silhouettes began to appear on the horizon of both east and west, It was Gin and Hijikata,
"Eh? Hijikata-kun?"
Kondo was surprised to see his comrade coming closer to them,
"What brings you here?"
He asked, Hijikata lit another stick of cigarette,
"To pay a visit to friend..?"
He answered placing a bottle of mayonnaise on Kagura's gravestone,
"Teme! What do you think you're offering!?"
Gintoki slaps his head with a paper fan (the hell would I know where he get that) as Hijikata offered a prayer,
"Bastard! Are you blind?! The greatest condiment in the world, obviously grr!" He replied, sarcastically,
All of them showed a straight face and beat the hell out of Hijikata for good,
"You damn retards! Get off me!" He cried,
The argument was cut off when Professor Gengaii entered the scene,
"Eh? Jiji?! How very unusual for you to come out of you junkyard! What brings you here?" Gin asked,
The old man took a deep sigh and looks at them one by one until he finally breaks the silence and spoke,
"First and foremost I wanted to say 'I'm sorry' to all of you…"
He initiated, making Gin gulped as he felt the atmosphere becoming heavy,
"W-What do you mean, gramps?" He asked,
"I was comatose for over a year and a half that's why I didn't have the chance to tell you…"
Gin eyed him from toe to head, agreeing on the fact that he, indeed, loss a great amount of weight,
"Tell us what?" he asked, keeping the conversation on roll,
Okita feels the seriousness of the words coming out of Professor Gengai's mouth, making him turn his full attention and ears towards the old man,
Professor Gengai took a moment of tranquility to gain up another set of confidence and direct his thoughts as he let a couple of droplets flow from his forehead, making Gin and the others feel the tension of the background increased,
"Kagura chan is…"
He started, Gin could feel the immense pull of gravity as his breathing became heavy, but fighting through it, he managed to speak out,
"W-What's with K-Kagura?" He stuttered,
Professor Gengai looked straight to his eyes,
"She's still alive…"
To be continued….