4.
"How is your son?" Kamui asked casually a day after Abuto had arrived back from his trip.
The older Yato fell into step with his commander. "Healthy and strong."
"I see." Kamui paused when Abuto produced a photo of the child and thrust it in his face.
The young man took the piece of glossy paper and eyed it suspiciously. The child looked nothing like his right hand man, but Kamui guessed that the child merely took after its mother. But he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling tugging at the pit of his stomach. He handed the photo back and continued his stroll down the ships hall.
X
As the days went by, Kabuki grew into a toddler with monster strength only his aunt knew how to control. Since Oiwa was sick in bed for a few months rather than weeks as originally thought, the Yorozuya were tasked with looking after the child.
The baby Yato had managed to break Gin's pinky finger when he absentmindedly gave it to the child to suck on. All the baby had to do was grab ahold of the appendage and grip it with all his strength for the bone to snap like a carrot.
In a fit of anger at having a dangerous object taken away from him, Kabuki threw his rattle. The projectile went through several walls of the apartment above Otose's Snacks and landed somewhere else in the city. After that Gin began to write up a bill of different expenses the baby Yato was costing him. Only Kagura "accidentally" spilt his strawberry milk on it when he wasn't looking.
It wasn't helping Gin's nerves any when he realized just what Oiwa meant when she said her son would be the perfect combination. He often found himself wondering if the grandfather of the child would come hunting for the "perfect weapon". Kabuki showed strength that rivaled Kagura's and his ability to avoid harm was past a level he had ever seen. Though, he wasn't even sure at what level Oiwa herself was at, since he had yet to see her in battle.
That time came barely a year later. Oiwa had recovered her strength after childbirth and took over the care of her son once more. Kagura was welcome to help as much as she wanted, so long as she stopped telling everyone who the baby's father was.
It was one of those odd time that Gin found himself walking alongside Oiwa back towards that strange yet familiar place above Otose's. They had left Shinpachi's as the sun was beginning to set and Kagura had gone off to walk Sadaharu and said she would be back later. Oiwa had been acting strange the entire day, sticking to the ex-samurai like glue.
When the turned down a vacant alley he finally understood why. Three of Naraku's men appeared from the shadows. Gin stepped in front of her, knowing that they were probably after him and not the woman by his side. But Oiwa placed a small hand on his shoulder.
"Teke had a feeling you and Umibuzu's son had procreated." Said one of the men, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. "Give us the promised child and we-"
The man barely had time to finish before Oiwa's smooth tone stopped him.
"I will not hand you my son. Instead, you will turn your weapon on yourself."
Gintoki watched in horror as the man's eyes turned blank and a hollow look appeared on his gaze. Then the man rammed the sharp end of his staff into his jugular and pressed until blood poored down his black and white robes. Another man rushed at her with his staff but she rammed her forehead into the brass circle and pushed the wooden rod back into the mans shoulder and through flesh.
Gin snapped back into reality when Kabuki began to wail from his spot on Oiwa's back. It was then that he stepped in and finished off the two remaining men. Despite using her head as a blunt weapon, the purple haired Yato didn't seem to have a scratch on her nor did it seem to cause her any pain or discomfort. Instead, she smiled up at him and thanked him.
"She's tricky," he's remembered Kagura saying. "so if you have to fight her try to avoid it."
Now he understood why.
X
As children Oiwa never left Kamui's side. She would walk with him to and from town, help him cook dinner for his family, play with Kagura for him. Everything. To be honest Kamui didn't mind having her around, she was a good friend and the only one he had. She'd stand up for him against the bullies that tormented him- she'd later learnt that she wasn't the only one that the other kids teased.
While Kagura loved her brother and chose to stand up for him once, she was kicked and sent flying towards a brick wall as a reward.
"Gotcha!"
And it was Oiwa who had jumped in to catch the girl, shielding her from the impact of the wall with her own unbreakable body. That was also the same day that they had met Abuto; if only briefly.
"Oh, they must be the Harusame." Oiwa appeared next to him, holding an unconscious Kagura.
Kamui turned back to the purple haired girl and heaved a sigh. He plucked a bit of rubble from her curls and she smiled warmly at him. Oiwa told him that she could only shield the girl so much and she may have had a few bumps and bruises.
"What about you?" He'd asked, picking out the last of the brickwork from her hair. It annoyed him that it was cut short due to the neighborhood girls.
"Don't worry about me." Her smile was bright and wide and it was the last time he'd see it reach her eyes.