Disclaimer: Gintama is Sorachi Hideaki's, I own nothing.

Note: Yep, I went there... ehehe apologies in advance.

Also, would like to give special thanks to xtatarax! Haha. Thank you for the support. :)

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Chapter 9.

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They eventually reached a wider area that seemed to be a dead end in the maze. The place was dank and dark with a heavy scent of rot in the air, there were several cages lining the walls. The young boy was placed in one that kept several other children. Sougo and Kagura were shoved into another and secured with heavy metal chains protruding from the wall.

Only when the clinking of the metal and the stomping of the amanto ceased was it silent enough that they could hear a soft chuckling coming from inside the cave where it was too dark to see.

They peered into the darkness but could only make out a small crumpled figure.

"Huhuhuu kekekeekkee. To think that those idiots would actually be able to get their hands on you. They weren't completely useless after all. Heheheheheh. All this time with their annoying worshipping and grovelling, preaching and propaganda," He spat. "Made me sick. But the fools not only caught the yorozuya girl, they even managed to lure the Shinsengumi's first division captain here. Not bad, not bad. Now what should I do with you? Send you back to those dogs in pieces? Heheheheh. That'll teach them. They've been annoying lately, snooping around my territory."

Sougo eyed the children in the other cage, no doubt about it, all the children were in the cases of abduction within the last few months. "What is your purpose for doing all this?"

The man was silent for a moment.

"For revenge. Revenge on that cursed man. That one entity that destroyed us, thereby destroying the very nature of the universe. He'll pay. Him and all he cherishes. Even gone, that man had things he loved. It's in my right to see those things destroyed, fair payment to all that was done to me. It'll only be a matter of time now, heheheheh. I'll start with that cursed man's favourite pupil, that damned Shiroyasha, I'll break him first. Heheheheh." The shadow of his hand could vaguely be seen pointing toward Kagura. "Do you understand why you're here now? Hehehehhehe."

Sougo was getting the idea.

"What?" Kagura stated bluntly. "No, I don't get it."

The other two sweat-dropped.

But instead of answering her, Sougo gave out a bark of laughter. Starting off with slight chuckles, soon he was in full blown hysterics. Kagura was sure he'd lost his marbles. In amidst his laughter, he faced the dark figure.

"You're one of the Tendoushuu. All these years you've been hiding down here, in this labyrinth you created? Like a little insect crawling around in the dirt playing dead. You used to rule the Bakufu, you used to rule Naraku and Harusame, you guys used to rule the whole universe. And look at you now, how pathetic! You even sunk as low as to capture and torment defenceless children to use as safeguards. That's even lower than patheti- ughhh"

A loud shot rang out, Sougo's right shoulder was hit with a bullet from a large rifle. The impact lifted him off his feet and drove him into the bars behind him. Collapsing down again however caused the chains to catch and he hung there, the damaged arm being pulled and inflicting more pain.

"SOUGO!" Kagura screamed. Sougo was momentarily startled by the use of his first name and even forgot his pain for a second. He looked up and caught her anxious eyes. "Stop spouting that crap when you're in this kind of situation, stupid sadist!"

He chuckled again, wincing at the movement it caused. "Right back at you, idiot china" He murmured.

"You'd do well to listen to the girl, Shinsengumi. I didn't want you and I certainly don't need you. So I can dispose of you at any instance, you should shut your mouth before I choose to shut it forever. When the revival of the new Tendoushuu emerges with me as the head," Sougo scoffed, Kagura eyed him warningly, "those fools think that they'll become my new lackeys. Hah, imbeciles, they would do all of my bidding. Too bad they're worse than useless, the fact that they managed to capture you simply showcases your own truly outstanding lack of ability." This time, Sougo glanced pointedly at Kagura while she diverted her gaze.

He clicked his fingers and one of the burly amanto walked into the darkness and was seen to pick him up? With the ex-Tendoushuu is his arms, the amanto slowly made his way toward the cage.

As they got closer, all Kagura and Sougo could see of the figure was covered in a grey hooded cloak. He appeared very disproportionate, the body tiny compared to the head.

The stench was the first thing that hit Kagura, she had thought it was the room itself, maybe others that had died here, but as the amanto came closer, the smell magnified hundredfold. It was all she could do to try and stave off her tears and try to get a whiff of anything that wasn't an overwhelming stench of decay.

The figure in the amanto's arms shifted to get a look at her and that's when she clearly saw him. Horrifying was the only word she could use to describe him, he was essentially a skeleton with the barest amount of mottled flesh hanging off him, the right side of his face was literally melting as she stared. She had seen these men before, the Tendoushuu that had fed immortal blood into their own mortal bodies. Even then, she had smelt the death on them, these extra years have certainly not been kind.

The man shifted his face into a somewhat grotesque image of a smile. "I will have such fun with you. I can't wait to see the look upon the Shiroyasha after we're finished with you hehheehheeh." He chuckled. The amanto unsheathed the sword attached to his belt.

She didn't feel scared or angry at the man in front of her. She didn't feel hatred for the all the crimes he had spent his life committing including the terrified children kept in a cell nearby. Neither did she feel disgust, at his deformation, the smell surrounding him. All she felt was a staggering sense of pity for this living-dead man.

She stared intensely at his decomposing eyes with her crystal clear blue ones and whispered, "Aren't you tired, Mr. Corpse-san? Don't you want to rest now? Stop struggling? I think... I think it's past time."

Better than any insult or contradiction, though, her pity seemed to trigger his ire the most. Unexpectedly, he grabbed the weapon from the amanto holding him and plunged it into Kagura's stomach. He wasn't very powerful, given his fragile form, but the point penetrated, and he was stubborn, twisting the sword to get it deeper.

Kagura screamed.