I was in the mood for an update, so here's an early chapter 7.
Thank you once more to everyone who have read and review the previous chapters. :) you guys are the best!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.
Real
Chapter 7
Why isn't sadist well yet?
This was a question that has been running on her mind on the second day she had been staying in the tax robbers' compound. No matter how well she had been routinely doing her job by nursing him, feeding him (a task she seriously hated doing), and helping him change his outfit, his temperature had not gone down. In fact, he seemed to be getting worse, as he was barely able to sit up for his feedings and was coughing a lot harder than before.
She knew that if she didn't do anything immediately, he might end up suffering a sickness far worse than what he was going through right now.
… Not that she really gave a damn for his well-being.
On the contrary, if he didn't get well, she wouldn't be able to get her money. It was simple as that.
The huge amount of money was her sole driving force in making him better but…
Fate, it seems, was playing a trick on her, and was forcing her to spend more time with him that necessary.
The sooner he got better, the faster she would be able to leave this compound.
For some reason, the thought of her staying only for a shorter period than what she originally intended did not sit well with her. It was illogically, really, for her to feel that way, though she had an inkling that the reason behind it was because she wanted to spend more time with Okita Mitsuba, her most favorite person in the compound right now. She was a very lovely woman, and she liked spending time with her because it gave her an idea on how to act like a lady.
Despite the reasoning she told herself, she was still unconvinced.
What was wrong with her…?
"He's still not getting any better." She told Mitsuba later that noon while she and the female Okita had lunch together in one of the private rooms of the compound. As ordered by the doctor, her younger brother was to be quarantined in his own room, and Mitsuba was forbidden to see him. All she got was updates from his 'nurse', a.k.a. the female Yato who was paid to take care of her beloved brother.
"Oh my… why so…?" Mitsuba's face was filled with worry, and Kagura felt a pang of sadness upon seeing the older woman looking like she was about to cry. A part of her wished that Kamui would worry about her like what Mitsuba did, though she knew that was very unlikely to happen. That asshole was probably out in space, killing everything in sight.
"I… I don't know. I've been doing everything that was said in the manual but… what am I doing wrong?" she wondered.
Yamazaki, who happened to enter the room while they were having their meal, was quick to answer. "China-san, maybe it's because you… do it so… uhh, routinely?"
"What do you mean by that, jimi?" she demanded to know.
"W-well…" suddenly, he got nervously. "J-just like cooking, you… well… you need to… umm… put love in it to, you know… to make it… delicious."
"… I don't understand." She remarked bluntly.
"Like cooking… to make it taste more delicious, you need to put more love into it." He said, praying to some deity that she wouldn't kick him after he was done. "Just like with taking care of Okita-san, you need to… be more gentle and kind to him."
A dark aura had suddenly permeated the room, and Yamazaki was very much prepared to get abused by China-san, who looked like she wanted to pulverize him right then and there. Several seconds later, however, she pushed her tray away, muttered a 'thanks for the meal', and exited the room, clearly heading for the room of her charge. As soon as she was out of earshot, Mitsuba shot him a disheartened look. "… She didn't look very happy about that."
"I… I apologize for being too hasty with the advice." He bowed his head in shame. "Maybe I shouldn't have said it right away—"
"No, no, it's fine. The timing was just right. Sou-chan must get better soon before it turns for the worse…" Mitsuba sighed. "I know Kagura-chan can help him but… I guess they're too stubborn for their own good."
"… Hijikata-san plans to do more drastic measures."
"Oh really? Toushirou-san will?" she asked, her red-colored irises brightening all of a sudden. "What does he have in mind?"
"Well…"
That stupid jimi… who the hell does he think he is, giving me advice on how to take care of that sadistic brat?!
Truth to be told, she did lack the… compassion aspect, especially since at clockwork, she would feed him, give him his medicine, then leave, only to go back in his room to wake him up, feed him, and give him his medicine. Her temporary lodging was just beside sadist's room, just in case when he calls out for her, she would be able to get to his side immediately. So far, he hasn't exercised that right yet, though she didn't want him to. A sadist was still a sadist, after all, and he could use it against her.
A job's a job. Hang in there, Kagura…!
Patting herself on the cheeks, she slid open the fusuma leading to his room. "Oi sadist, are you awake already?!" she called out.
When she got no response, she smiled to herself, as she didn't want to see him wide-awake and looking at her while she did her job. With him awake, she was subjected to his staring, which made her very uncomfortable, and made her nervous. Kagura was not used to him looking at her so intently, and she wondered why he was doing such…
Hell, he hates her, right?
"Oi, wake up." She shook him awake, and got a grumbling in return. "Time to eat." Without waiting for his reply, she pulled him by his tomoeri, placed an arm at his back to support him, and took a spoonful of porridge from the bowl. "Open your mouth, idiot."
Sougo opened his mouth a bit, eyes still closed, and she shoved the food in his mouth. Choking a bit, he cracked one eye open. "… China, what the hell was that..." he muttered, his mouth full.
"Jerk, open your mouth wider, will you?!" she yelled. "Stop giving me a hard time!"
"Stop screaming, my head hurts…" he mumbled, coughing in her face accidentally, a grain of rice sticking to her cheek in the process. "Ah, so—" before he could even complete his sentence, she slammed him back against the futon, earning a yelp from the sick man.
"What the hell?! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
"No I didn't." he said truthfully, eyes closed.
He felt like shit right now, and the last thing he wanted to see was China looking at him with her eyes filled with hatred. Her revelation two days ago about her taking care of him all because of the money was still a sore topic for him, but he knew that she was doing it because danna was such a cheap-ass and refused to give her money.
But then again…
"Oh really? What makes you so sure?" she challenged him.
"Honestly, China, if it was my intention, I would've barfed at you whenever I get the chance to do so." He shot back. "Seeing as you're a terrible nurse, and I'm far from being well—"
"If you're so good, why don't you cure yourself? I'm tired of your complains—" she began, but he interrupted her.
"If you hate doing this so much, why don't you just quit?"
His statement had made her stop and stare at him, wondering if he was getting delirious for saying such a thing. At this point, both of his bloodshot and weary eyes were now opened and staring back at her in anger. "I already told you that I'm doing this for the money, not for you—" at the last word, she had faltered, and he took this chance to interrupt her once again.
"Cut the crap, China. How much did that bastard offer you?" his serious tone had made her stop mid-sentence, and Kagura tried her best not to gape at his sudden coldness. Taking a deep breath, she said the figure, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing that I can't match. Tell you what, I'll pay you that plus fifty-percent more, as long as you leave tomorrow. You can still keep up the pretense of taking care of me just for the sake of showing to my sister that you're very hard-working, but get your ass out of the compound before dawn tomorrow."
Before she could say anything else, the next line was enough to dampen her spirits. "I don't wanna see you tomorrow, China, so better get the hell out of my sight."
"… Fine." She said slowly, thinking of what she should say next. Her mind had suddenly went to 'cautious mode', since his mood had went from 'don't care' to 'fuck off'. "As for your food—"
"Throw that away. Not gonna eat anything from you." And with that, he turned his back on her. "Get out of here, China. I need to rest."
Sighing to herself and running a hand on the offended cheek to remove the grain of rice, Kagura took the tray beside the futon, slid the fusuma open with her foot, and made her way to the canteen of the compound. Right after handing it to the kitchen staff for them to wash, she then went back to the room adjacent to his, and as soon as she sat on the tatami did she feel tears run down her face.
What the… why am I crying…?
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her arm, she tried to stop the tears from flowing, but failed to do so. Kagura bit her lips to keep herself from crying out loud, though hiccups and sniffles had replaced it.
Better that than let him hear me cry, she thought to herself as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.
As for the tears, she'll figure it out soon enough.
