Warning: My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned
Disclaimer: Gorilla, I miss you…
She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me
Extract 10
The Words Won't Come Out To Tell You How It All Began
'So?' Hijikata tapped his finger on the wooden low table impatiently. He began to look for the cigarette in his jacket pocket, but after realizing that she had took it off him, he asked her for his jacket back.
'No.' She frowned. 'Smoking is banned in this house. Be satisfied with this.' She shoved into his mouth a stick of strawberry-flavoured Pocky. He coughed in surprise.
He eyed the packet of Pocky that she had brought out on the table but decided to ignore it. As he cleared his throat, he crossed his arm, and reiterate his earlier question.
'So what happened in the last 10 years? You owe me an explanation.' He glared with an intense expression on his face. It made her uncomfortable.
She paused to mull over on what she should tell him. The hesitation that she tried to conceal was clear to his eyes.
'Well, Toshirou-kun, …do you remember the day that we saved the nightingale?' she uncomfortably smiled as she averted her gaze. Sitting across from him, she fidgeted her hands under the low table, out of sight of Hijikata's gaze but she had underestimated him. He is more perceptive than she had credited him for.
'Yeah, I remember. What about it?'
'Do you remember the days that happened after that?' She searched in his eyes for signs of pain and suffering; the result of remembrance of a painful past. 'The day that led to my disappearance?'
Hijikata scrunched his face. Of course he remembered the day that everything was taken away from him, the day that he lost his happy childhood and simple innocence. Why is she asking these things? All he wanted is an explanation of what happened afterwards.
'Yeah. Is your disappearance related to the fire?' He tried to piece it together but he lacked most of the pieces to complete the puzzle.
'Toushirou-kun.' She uttered his name sombrely. Hijikata could only stare at the mesmerizing fire in her eyes.
'Toushirou-kun. I'm sorry. The fire,… it was all my fault.'
The days after they have scattered of what was left of the nightingale sad remain, little Hijikata was gloomy and sullen. It must have been hard for him to lose his only friend; after all, he never had a friend of his own age. The village children refused to associate with him because of his suspicious origin, and the children of the main house are just plain bullies. He was used to playing in the forest on his own, but the baby nightingale changed all that.
It takes time for him to accept the reality- that he had failed his first friend.
Yuzuki was not surprised to find him on the bank of the river one day, absorbed in staring at his reflection.
'What are you doing, Tou-shi-rou-kun?' She called out to him cheerfully. 'It's getting dark, so we should go back soon.'
'Himura-san, is it my fault that I'm unwanted? Is there something that I can do so that they'll want me?' The voice reflected on the water resound sadness beyond his years. Her heart constricted out of sympathy.
'Don't be silly.' She thumped his back. 'Who said you're unwanted? Your brother loves you, sister-in-law too.' She hugged him from behind. 'And of course, I do too.'
He closed his eyes to savour the warmth on his back. 'But they said…' he trailed.
'Toushirou-kun, why are you taking the words of others over the words of the person who loves you?' She pinched his cheek until he begged for forgiveness.
'Ow! I'm sorry, Himura-san!' He tried to pinch her back in return but she avoided at the last second.
'Ok. Enough of moping around, shall we? Toushirou-kun, I know that nowadays you've practiced much harder in your kendo training.' He looked at her in surprise. 'Because I know you tried your hardest to become strong, I'm sure that others will then see you in a new light. For now, you have us that love you but soon, I know that the people who love you for who you are will increase so don't give up.'
Hijikata gave a reluctant smile. He is grateful for the support that she has shown and there is a tiny hope alighting in his heart. Surely, she's right, he thought. 'Thank you, Yuzuki-…'
'FIRE!' Someone in the distance screamed and the bell tolled its' harsh cry to warn the ignorant. 'Someone! Bring water, quickly!'
'Over here!' another man screamed. 'This way!'
Both, Hijikata and Yuzuki, sharply turned their heads towards the source of the noise. They can see the crimson flickered, covering the setting sun. The red creeps up the wood, licking the houses as it swallows the wooden structures and the building rumble as it collapsed.
In a rush, Yuzuki grabbed his hand and the two ran back towards home. As they neared the nameplate that carved the name Hijikata Household, they can hear the consecutive blood-curling screams; screams that convey someone's last breath in this world.
The two saw the paper door to the main house open and saw the injured. The children and wives were hiding, their silhouettes trembled in the orange flicker, and there were shouts from the back of the side house.
When they've arrived, a knife was pointed on the neck of Tamegoro's wife.
The Hijikata family members were frozen in their place. The men were shouting and the bandits asked for the location of the valuables. The rest of the villagers were too occupied about the fire and the shouts carry to mingle with the already hectic situation.
There are only 5 bandits in front of them and Tamegoro and the other relatives can easily overwhelm them with number. If only they didn't have a hostage…
Yuzuki ran back into the side house with Hijikata in tow. 'Listen, Toushirou-kun. I want you to hide here.' She pointed into the futon closet in his room. 'Don't make a sound, ok. And also, please let me borrow this.' She took the wooden sword that he used for practice and left after giving him a little pat on the head.
Hijikata did not have the chance to let out his protest, and as soon as she disappeared outside, he left the room and went to the back of the house by another way- through the shrubs that would only fit him. From the shadows, he watched the situation unfold.
He saw her charged towards the bandits and took the man holding Tamegoro's wife by surprise. The rest of the family and Tamegoro took this chance to challenge them and chaos ensued.
She knocked away the knife from his hand and injured his head but was soon overpowered. The bandit immobilized her movement and took her away. Hijikata was about to follow and save her but then he heard a familiar cry.
Tamegoro is on the ground, clutching his face as blood seeps through the gap and drip furiously, absorbed by the brown soil. It seems that another bandit had regained the knife and used it to slash at Tamegoro's eyes. They were all too late to prevent it.
Something inside him snapped. And everything that flashed through Hijikata's eyes passed by in a blur. The next thing he knew, his hands were sticky and the knife that the bandit had was in his left hand. The bandit himself have collapsed on the ground, his eyes suffered the same injury that Tamegoro experienced and not only that, there are deep slash marks on his chest and thighs.
Everyone watched him in horror; bandits and family alike.
There is sadness in his heart as he acknowledged that he had now lost it,… the chance that his family will accept him and love him. It is now completely out of his grasp as it is replaced by their fear of him.
Suddenly, he can hear the echo of a voice from his memory, Don't give up.
He shouldn't give up now, he thought. If he lost it, then he'll gain another one in the future. Someone kind and understanding, someone who will accept him for who he is.
That's what she assured him after all.
He remembered how one of the bandit took Himura-san away and so this time, he'll be the one to save her. He ran to the direction the bandit had taken her…
But there was no trace of her for him to follow.
The sliding door opened with much force than necessary. The noise made the two in the room looked up, and they find themselves to meet the red eyes of a demon, towering over them with accusing eyes.
'You…!' Gintoki cheerfully gave a forced smiled as he trudged closer to Hijikata who is sitting on the cushion.
'How dare you sit here, eating Pocky with a Miko, while everyone's worried about you!' Gintoki wrestled him to the ground and arm-locked him as he struggled to no avail. 'Seriously, what kind of a useless cop are you!? How can you be missing when you're trying to find a missing person!' Gintoki shouted as his (forced) cheerful mask fell through.
As Hijikata finds himself locked in Gintoki's grasp, he tried to shift his weight and overthrow Gintoki's arm to the side with little success. 'Shut up! You perm-head! Why are you here!?' Hijikata gasped.
'Who's the stupid tax-robber that made me come here!?' Gintoki knuckled his temples. Hijikata squirmed and all the flailing made him hit Gintoki's nose. The pale skin turned as red as a tomato.
The two men heard a soft giggle and it was then that Gintoki noticed that there was someone else in the room.
'You two get along well…' she smiled.
Hijikata straightened his clothes and gruffly introduced him to her. 'This is the Yorozuya's, Sakata Gintoki. …We became acquainted through …circumstances…' He muttered towards the end.
'Haha, Toushirou-kun… you've changed. You've become so awkward to say that he's your best friend.'
'Wh- whaaa… He's NOT!' Hijikata coughed.
'Yeah, lady. Don't go around assuming disgusting like that,' said Gintoki expressionlessly. 'There's no way this guy is my best friend. He's more like, …uh… my enemy?... rival? … arch-nemesis that the protagonist will later fall in lov-…'
SMACK!
'WH… WHAT RUBBISH ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY!?' Hijikata slapped the back of Gintoki's head unreservedly. Himura Yuzuki laughed at the two's comedic routine.
'I'm Himura. Himura Yuzuki. You can say I was Toushirou-kun's childhood friend. Thank you for taking care of Toshirou-kun all this while.' She bowed to Gintoki to convey her gratitude.
'So, was it you? The one who sent that text…' Gintoki scrutinized the woman in front of her and he was taken aback as she smiled at him, …as if she knows the thoughts that crossed his mind.
Hijikata frowned, 'What text-...'
The kettle whistled in another room.
Yuzuki stood up. 'Toushirou-kun, I'm sorry, but I'm taking this back.' She picked up the book that she had given him a long time ago. The faded silver cover of The Silver Soul Series by Nobunaga Sorachi -that had contained the map to this shrine- is now in Yuzuki's hands.
Hijikata was surprised. He followed her into the kitchen as she clutched the book in hand, took a towel to remove the kettle from the stove, and burned the book with the stove flame in front of his eyes.
Hijikata yelled, 'No!' and rushed forward to stop her but it was too late. The book was quickly engulfed by the fire, and as quickly it turned into ash.
Gintoki rushed into the kitchen as he heard all the commotion. Upon seeing the despondent look in their faces, he asked 'What happened?' but only Yuzuki would look at him in the eyes.
'Sakata-san, from now on, I hope that you will continue taking care of Toshirou-kun.'
'Wha-!... Himu-…!-…'
'Toushirou-kun, please arrest me. I am responsible for the death of my Father, Himura Yoru, the most skilled artisan of the Shogun's aide. He was responsible as the first to create a portable lighter, and as the first to create the Scarlet Match…-
…And I killed him.'
She offered her hands towards Hijikata, waiting for the click of the handcuffs. 'Arrest me, Officer Hijikata Toushirou, for I am guilty.'
A/N: Ah, yeah… Sorry for the long hiatus… I feel like I keep saying sorry but I keep doing it again anyway (the whole –long-time-no-update thing). Oh well, you understand… life is always in the way. Haha… well, see you in a bit again ^^