Lol this story is M rated. Also, the tone will darken quite a bit starting next chapter.

/

Okita hid further under the shadows of the tree, tipping his hat down as some bakufu officers strolled by, laughing at something one of them had said. He remained there inconspicuously hidden until he felt that they'd gone enough of a distance. It was already dark out so the risk of getting caught was low plus Okita knew he could take them if he did get caught, but he wasn't supposed to take unnecessary risks or bring attention to himself. He already had a notorious reputation as is. He didn't need to make it any worse with the potential deaths of other bakufu members. Especially since a high bounty on his head would make it more difficult to carry out the plan with Kagura.

Placing the blade of wheat back into his mouth, he continued on his way to Yorozuya to relay the information he'd confirmed that day. He and Hijikata had spent the better part of three days scoping out Lotus and the neighbouring brothels to give Kagura as much information as they could before she went undercover. On her side of the operation, she'd been preparing for the infiltration mission. The first day, she'd spent with Tsukuyo going over what to expect in a brothel, logistics, and how to navigate the customs and politics of brothels—in other words, how not to get kicked out. The next, Soyo had helped her work on manners and being graceful and feminine—in other words, everything Kagura was lacking. And today, the final day, apparently Otae was working on some secret stuff with her that they refused to share. They'd even told him not to stop by with any information for the plan until dusk had fallen. And he'd done so, but now it was late evening so he figured now was as good a time as any to come. By this point, she had to be ready, right?

He'd gotten an update from Soyo the day before that Kagura was making a lot of progress, but it had been said with a degree of hesitation and a look in her eyes that made Okita wonder if she was bending the truth a little. Did she mean "a lot of progress" in general or "a lot of progress" for Kagura? Sure, Kagura was no longer that gangly teen she'd been years ago—and arguably, someone he would buy from a brothel at first glance if he didn't know what kind of person she was and as long as she didn't talk—but she was far from graceful. Okita knew from experience, having fought her and argued with her time and time ago.

But then again, that was the Kagura of the past before Gintoki disappeared and she took off to outer space to become an alien hunter. That loudmouthed, sukonbu-obsessed, cheerful girl he remembered was now cold, closed off, with a deep, lingering sadness in her gaze. There were times when he caught a glimpse of that old girl every once in a while when he riled her up, but for the most part, she kept herself firmly guarded and stoic. Even her giant demon dog couldn't get her to crack a smile or adopt her old attitude towards the people who she used to talk to. She was long gone, and a much as he didn't want to admit it, Okita kind of missed that wild girl. No matter how annoying, she'd brought certain energy to his life in the past.

Sadaharu's head perked up as soon as Okita climbed the stairway to the Yorozuya balcony, but once he saw who it was, he rested his head back on his paws and closed his eyes. Okita slipped into the door with a frown, wondering why the women had left the dog outside. As he ambled down the darkened hall to the living room, he heard Otae's bark of outrage.

"Wrong! Kagura, addressing men to entice them is more subtle. Your intent to seduce must be clear, but not forceful. You can't scare them away. Say it again."

"But do I have to wear this?" Kagura groaned.

"The sexier you look and feel, the easier it is to act sexy," Soyo responded.

He turned the corner to the living room just as Kagura spoke in a high-pitched slow whine that was supposed to be sultry.

"Nee… do you want to play a game?"

Okita froze in place, staring at her, brows raised at what he was seeing. Never in his life would he ever have thought he would see the Yato girl bent over slightly, her ass poking out, one finger on her slightly parted lips and eyes hooded in an attempt to look seductive. He'd remembered her acting goofy in the past and pretending to be seductive, but doing it now had a totally different effect. Especially since all she was wearing was some sheer nightgown that clung to her curves in a way that made it hard to turn his gaze away. She definitely had the looks and attitude down, but the way she'd said the line sounded so comical and unbelievable. He couldn't reconcile the contradictions, and before he knew it, he found his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh. But he couldn't hold it in even if he tried.

He burst out laughing then, announcing his presence to the three women who spun around and turned to look at him in surprise. Kagura gasped, her cheeks bursting into flame as she scrambled to grab the kimono hanging on the back of the couch. She yanked it on and held it shut, glaring daggers at his head.

"What are you doing here?!" she spluttered, looking flustered and dare he say it: almost cute. "How long have you been hiding in the shadows, you creep?!"

"Calm down, China," Okita chuckled, walking fully into the living room and nodding in greeting to Otae and Soyo. "You don't nearly have enough sex appeal to excite me anyway."

The blush on her face grew more pronounced. "Soyo, I'm going to strangle him."

"Now, now," the ex-princess replied, sitting on the couch to take a languid sip of her tea. She was also clearly hiding snickers behind the rim of her cup. "Take this… pfft… as a learning experience that what you did just now…pfft… will make a normal man laugh."

"He's not a normal man though! He's a super shitty sadist!"

"And just when we'd gotten her to loosen up more…" Otae sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here, Okita?"

"I just came here to relay some final information." He pulled out the picture in his kimono that he'd gotten from Zaki and handed it to Kagura. She snatched it from his hand with eyes narrowed in distrust. "This man—Seiji Tomohiro—is our biggest suspect. In the past two months, he's become one of Lotus' regulars and highest paying customers. And in that same time, he's been spotted near many loading docks and warehouses. This is around the same time the disappearances of the women began. That's all we have on him though."

Kagura scrutinised the photo with furrowed brows. "Is this guy my ultimate target?"

Okita nodded, taking the photo back when she put it in his hands. "Your goal, yes. It's not a lot to go on, but I have it on good authority that he can be pretty volatile and dangerous to some of the women. Try not to attract his attention right now."

"Won't you attract attention if you show up though? You were the first division captain of the Shinsengumi. Won't they get suspicious if you keep coming to the Lotus?"

He could understand where she was coming from, but he found it odd that she had reservations about something that he hadn't really been associated with in half a decade. In fact, his infamy stemmed more from his notoriety in how brutally he dealt with malicious threats to Edo than his past as an officer in the Shinsengumi.

"I haven't had that title for five years. It doesn't carry much weight anymore. Besides, Yoshiwara is neutral territory especially if I'm not there to make trouble." He smirked. "Every man understands the need for sex. Why would anyone try to make trouble in a paradise?"

By the way her nose wrinkled in disgust, he could tell she'd been displeased by his explanation, though she didn't say anything.

"It'll look like I'm just there to have a good time," he added since she still looked unconvinced. "I've gone to pleasure quarters before. It's not anything out of the ordinary. My presence won't breed suspicion."

"…Are you sure?"

"Worried about me?" he muttered, leaning down into her personal space and enjoying the way she bristled slightly. But she refused to back down nonetheless, glowering up at him with a spark of ferocity in those dimmed oceanic eyes. He duly noted the subtle clench of her right fist by her side and knew any other moves would result in her punching him.

"I'm worried about myself," she spat. "If I'm seen with you, I'll end up in danger, and I don't want to get attacked because of you."

Okita shook his head in amusement, backing away when her eyes flashed a promise of pain. "Relax. At most, they'll see me paying the matron for a night with you. There is a lot of customer confidentiality. Brothels are very private about the customers they have, especially since a lot of them are government officials or tend to be married."

"If I get pulled into a fight because of you, I'm kicking your ass," Kagura said at length, though he noted the anxious look in her gaze had just about dissipated.

"Yeah, yeah." Okita waved her off. "Just don't screw up."

"I have it handled."

That definitely wasn't the impression he got when he'd walked into Yorozuya… But despite that, he knew one way or another, Kagura would probably get the job done. The one of the past had been messy, destructive, and impetuous but she seemed wiser now and patient and more reliable. Maybe that was the reason most of them had opted to ask her to partake in this mission.

"I believe you," he said seriously. "But it's not going to be an easy mission. Lotus is one of the harshest of the brothels we've seen. Take care of yourself, Kagura."

He could have sworn she had a blush on her face as she stared up at him, but she nodded in response and turned away before he could really see if it was true.

"We're busy, so if that's all you had to say, I need to prepare for tomorrow."

Okita bid the women farewell and left Yorozuya to go do his own preparations for the next step. Kagura would have a good handle on her side of things, which meant he had to do his part too to make sure this mission went the way it was supposed to. And to make sure that Kagura would be safe by the time it ended. Gintoki would want her safe, so Okita would do his best to make sure she wouldn't get hurt.

Kagura knew her ears must have been playing tricks on her, because there was no way that stupid sadist had called her by her actual name before he'd gone. His expression had been so serious that it had caught her off guard and she'd barely managed to keep her blush at bay. When she glanced at her companions' faces though, she knew she must not have imagined it because they also had the same surprised looks on their faces and were staring at the entrance where Okita had just left.

"Shall we continue on?" Otae finally said, sitting down gingerly on the couch and rubbing her abdomen. Now that Kagura looked a little more closely, she could definitely see the slight bump protruding from her kimono. She felt bad. Otae had taken a risk to come here to help her when she should have been resting and preparing for her baby.

"No. Who knows what other interruptions we might have?"

Plus Kagura refused to practice any more of the stupid seduction techniques. It was bad enough that Okita had caught her unawares and she hadn't even noticed, but to see her in such little clothing, trying to be sexy was more embarrassing than anything she could have ever imagined. She just knew he would never let her live it down.

"Well," Soyo said with a yawn, "we have basically covered everything. Everything except enticing a man and sex appeal, which is how you'll make yourself seem desirable when the time comes."

When the time comes. Kagura loathed the thought of that time when she would have to use feminine wiles to get a customer to buy her. And then trust her enough to confide in her.

"Okita was right though, Kagura." Kagura threw Soyo a warning look, but Soyo just shrugged innocently. "I meant in the sense that your sex appeal is a little lacking. Have you ever seduced a man before?"

She felt her cheeks heat again, and she grew annoyed with the trajectory of this conversation. Did they really need to be discussing this embarrassing topic? Kagura knew her feminine growth was stilted because of the way she'd grown up, but this conversation made her uncomfortable.

"…I've never had to before."

Otae smiled kindly. "Kagura, just remember: the best way to seduce any man is to pretend the man you're with is someone you are attracted to. When you replace whoever you're with with that image, the words and actions come more naturally."

Easier said than done. "I'm not attracted to anyone."

Soyo and Otae glanced at each other dubiously before looking back at Kagura. Kagura didn't like the look they had given each other, like she was an idiot lying to herself.

"Maybe by the time the mission gets fully underway, you will be."

"I doubt it," Kagura muttered, scratching her arm uncomfortably. Why did she get the feeling that they were talking about someone specific?

"Just think of someone you know who is attractive, even if you aren't attracted to them. It'll help your comfort level. Like… Sougo for example," Soyo said innocently enough. Kagura knew her friend was cackling in her mind though. She could see the corners of her mouth starting to creep up into a sadistic smile.

"Okita is not attractive," Kagura said sharply, just to spite someone.

But even she knew how much of a damn lie that was. If Okita the boy had been cute, Okita the man was undeniably handsome with a dangerous, disarming charm about him, and his smile was definitely enough to throw people's hearts into a fit. Not hers, though. She considered him vile, like a cockroach that just wouldn't die. And she would rather eat a thousand cockroaches before she uttered any words about Okita being attractive.

Before Soyo could continue teasing Kagura, Tsukuyo thankfully entered the living room. "Otae, Kondo is worried about you since you've been away for three days. He insisted I escort you home. And since you're staying with them, Soyo, he wishes you to return as well."

"Dumbass Gorilla…" Otae said fondly. She stood up with a soft grunt, stretching out her limbs as she moved to get the things she'd left in Shinpachi's room. "I believe this is our cue to go home then. Let me go get my stuff. Come, Soyo."

The two left the living room, and Kagura let out a relieved breath she didn't realise she had been holding. Those two could and probably would have become menaces about the last step to their plan.

Tsukuyo turned to Kagura. "Kagura, I want to properly apologise for asking you to do this for us. I would have done it myself if I could, but my Hyakka and I are too infamous and can't be found anywhere near this case otherwise we will tip off whoever is the mastermind. It should be my problem to take care of, especially since it's in Yoshiwara and now I'm putting a huge burden on you. I'm sorry for not doing my job."

Kagura really felt for the woman. She was genuinely remorseful, and it was a touching apology. Tsukuyo honestly would have had no qualms putting herself on the frontlines if she could, despite the fact that she'd probably been dealing with a lot these past few years, especially with Yoshiwara basically becoming the playground for NobuNobu's asshole regime.

"It's okay." Kagura patted her shoulder with a gentle smile. "Gin would have wanted to help you in any way he could. This is the least I can do."

Tsukuyo nodded, though she stiffened the slightest, and it wasn't lost on Kagura how Tsukuyo's expression dimmed a bit at the mention of Gintoki. With reason, of course. Tsukuyo had been his lover before he disappeared off the face of the earth. No one knew where he was or what had happened to him, but they all assumed he'd died. It still pained them to think about the important person they'd all lost in their lives. Kagura had dealt with her issues by leaving Earth to destroy aliens, but Tsukuyo continued to push on with her duties through it all, even though her heart must have been utterly broken.

"Kagura, if you need me to help you, do your best to find a way to leave me a message. I will have Hyakka stationed near Lotus."

"I will."

Tsukuyo's shoulders relaxed and she smiled, relieved. "And please be careful at Lotus. He'd never forgive me if something happened to you."

Otae and Soyo returned, bags in hand and hats on their heads to shield their faces from any bakufu walking around at night.

"Do you feel ready, Kagura?" Soyo asked her.

Kagura blew out a long breath, scratching the back of her head uneasily. "At this point, I either have it or I don't."

But their plan was to take place a little after dawn which was in only a handful of hours. There was nothing she could do to get better—but plenty she could do that could make her get worse—and she needed to start focusing on the plan and her objectives. They would commence tomorrow, and she would need plenty of time to psych herself up for her incoming duties.

"In that case, we will see you tomorrow at the rendezvous point," Otae said, wrapping her haori around her for extra warmth in the cool night. "Get some rest, Kagura."

"Thank you."

The trio left Kagura after they said their goodnights, and shortly after, Sadaharu bounded in, yipping and curling up beside her with a happy look on his face. She rubbed the spot behind his ears absentmindedly, staring at the nameplate on Gintoki's desk wistfully.

"I'm the doing the right thing, right Gin?"

She imagined if he were here, he would whip around in his chair, an enigmatic smile on his face and give her some obscure life lesson that ultimately told her that helping the people she cared about was the right thing to do. Kagura sighed, sat down, leaning back against the cushions of the couch.

"Guess it's time to prepare for tomorrow then."