Chapter 10 (Final)
Rating: K
Ah, this is the final chapter of Once Upon A Time Girl. For those of you who have read all the installments of this story, I offer my most sincere gratitude. This story has been a lot of fun to write, and I am sad to see it ending. I never got into the details of the setting and what have you, something I hope to address in future stories. Just because this story is done, does not mean this setting will not be revisited. It was just a lot of fun to write, so I may do a sequel. Anyway, hope you enjoy the conclusion to the story.
Clasping her hands together beneath her head, the young red head turned onto her side, staring blankly at the opposite side of the bed. Her lips showed no emotion, simply a straight line stretching across her unusually harsh features. Crystal blue eyes hung open lazily, none of her usual spark present as she simply stared at the spot where he should be.
With a heavy sigh, the young girl turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, she stretched her right arm up towards the sky, watching the small lines in the ceiling through her open fingers. The white fabric of his kimono slipped down her arm, pooling around her shoulder as she held her arm outstretched.
"Gin-chan…" she whispered, a hoarse, worn quality to her voice as the words creaked out. Images of his carefree smile, his mess of silver hair, and his unusual behavior brought the familiar sting to the back of her eyes, a dry, humorless laugh escaping her lips. She knew that if he were there, he would have smacked her in the head for being so mopey, so silly. She knew that Gintoki wouldn't want to see her being so depressed, lacking all of her trademark energy.
As she slowly willed herself into a sitting position, Kagura could almost hear her body creaking with the effort, the atmosphere around her seeming so dreary, so utterly oppressive. Bringing her right hand to her face, she covered her mouth as a yawn sounded through the room, a sign that the new day had indeed begun.
Shaking the sting from her eyes, the red head looked about the room, hesitant at its state of cleanliness. Turning her gaze back to herself, she felt an involuntary smile creep its way onto her pale features, watching the white kimono fall open a bit as she slumped forward a bit. She wondered idly what Gintoki would think if he were to see her wearing his own kimono, especially as sleepwear.
Feeling a burst of positive energy with her smile, the girl tossed the covers aside, slipping easily from the large bed. A light shiver ran up her spine as her bare feet came into contact with the cold wood floor, and she wrapped her arms around her for more warmth.
"Damn it, it's so cold," she muttered to herself, wishing deeply that she could simply curl up next to Gintoki, let his warmth fill her entire being. Gradually, her mind began to drift, from thoughts of simple warmth, to the kind of warmth that came with a deep blush, the kind felt beneath the touch of a lover. The soft smile on her face slipped into something more resembling a leer, a dreamy look overtaking her face.
"Ah, can't think of that," she chided herself, lightly clasping her hands to the flushed cheeks of her face as she shook the thoughts from her mind. "I guess I should figure out something for breakfast," she continued, tightening the kimono around her small frame.
Forcing her feet to move, each step brought another small shiver through her body as warm feet came into contact with new tracts of cool wood. The entire house seemed oddly empty, a feeling she had noticed ever since he had left.
A dangerous thought crept into her mind, but she shook it off. Kagura was in no mood to be thinking of even the possibility of him not returning. It simply was not an option to be considered.
Taking in a deep breath, the red head tried to calm herself, to shake any doubts from her mind. As she exhaled, she opened her eyes, realizing that she had made her way into the small kitchen. Reaching out, she opened the refrigerator, wincing at the sight of its seemingly cavernous emptiness.
Despite its empty appearance, Kagura felt no inclination to go out and replenish its stores of sustenance. Grumbling to herself, the girl let the door fall closed, listening to the light vacuum sound as she turned back towards the living room. The corners of her lips pulled into a dissatisfied frown as she trudged towards the blue sofa, the small television growing slightly larger as she approached it.
Plopping herself down on the velvety material coating the couch, she reached for the remote control, flipping through the channels idly. Each channel barely had a chance to appear on the screen before she flipped to the next, paying no real attention to the material appearing on them. Each one that passed increased her tension, until she reached the beginning channel once more and simply clicked the power off.
Tossing the remote aside, Kagura leaned against the back of the sofa, her head hanging lazily over the edge as she had seen Gintoki do so often. Letting her eyes drift towards the floor in her now nearly upside down position, she noticed that her red hair had grown a bit, and could see it hanging teasingly towards the ground.
Somehow the sight of the dark brown of the floor brought her mind back to the silver haired young man, as everything seemed to now that he was gone. She imagined what kind of lecture she might get from him if she were to munch on any of his sweets, how she would tease him in return, and they would eventually both end up smiling like idiots at the end of it.
Once he got back, she would have to remember to take some of his strawberry milk for herself, especially if it were the last traces of it in the house. Her mind drifted to the empty refrigerator, and how little she felt like going out to replenish it. It had only been a few weeks since he had left, but somehow she had not felt like going out, opting to either sleep in, or laze about on the sofa.
Rolling her head from side to side, Kagura surveyed the living room from her upside down position, eyes finally resting on a few scattered clothes. A light blush crept on her cheeks at the sight of her lacy pink underwear strewn carelessly on the floor. Another turn of the eyes revealed similarly discarded garments, both male and female all across the floor.
"Guess I should do some laundry," she whispered to herself, throat feeling oddly dry. Letting a bit of saliva pool in her mouth, she let it drip down her throat, cooling the scratchy feeling a bit. Popping onto her feet, Kagura padded towards the bathroom, figuring it would be a good idea to gather the clothes from the hamper for cleaning while she was at it.
Slipping into the bathroom, Kagura stopped in front of the mirror, barely noticing herself beneath the loose fitting white fabric of the kimono. She snickered a bit to herself at the silly appearance, his clothes obviously too large for her to wear in public. But at home, it was the only thing that seemed to offer her some peace of mind. Give her some reminder of him, some measure of his presence.
A smile graced her lips as she recalled the first night she had attempted to sleep in the bed without him, how uncomfortable it had seemed. Tossing and turning as she attempted to fall asleep, her eyes had simply refused to stay closed. No amount of counting or pleasant thoughts did the trick, and it seemed that sleep would never grace her with its recuperative effect after Gin had left.
But finally she had gotten a sight of one of his spare kimonos, its white fabric almost shining in the pale moonlight. A twang of pain in her heart at the sight, she had slipped from the bed, almost in a trance as she reached for the kimono. Before she had truly realized what she was doing, slender arms had been encased in the soft fabric, and all the tension in her chest had simply disappeared.
Closing the garment around her body, she had felt an indescribable warmth deep in her stomach, similar to the one she felt the first night she had slept on the sofa with Gintoki. She could still remember the soft scent of chocolate that wafted from the kimono, making her giggle at the thought of his addiction to sweets.
Slipping back into the soft bed, she had almost been able to fully recall the feeling of his strong arms wrapped caringly around her stomach, holding her slight frame against his own lean body. Sleep had found her easily after that, and she had made it a habit to slip into his kimono before bed each night.
Bringing herself back to the task at hand, Kagura slipped the kimono from her slender frame, revealing her usual red Chinese attire beneath it. Tossing it into the pile, she gathered the dirty articles of clothing in her arms, before making her way back into the living room. Tossing it all onto the floor, she went back towards the bathroom, veering towards the small closet that held the cleaning supplies.
Popping open the door, she produced the wash basin, the washboard resting against one of the sides. Taking a grip of the cool metal, the young girl turned back towards the living room once more, pacing her way towards the entranceway of the small home. As cool as the wood had felt against her bare feet, the stone of the entryway seemed much more so, and she hoped it would warm up soon if only to save her cold feet.
Sliding open the front door, Kagura shivered a bit at the cool feel of the air, watching her breath waft upwards in the cold air. It always amused her the way that breath became visible in cold weather, and she smiled at the sight. Quickly the amused feeling of seeing her breath dissipated, as the cold began to nip at her still bare toes.
Kagura made her way towards the faucet quickly, pumping the basin filled with water before dashing back into the house. The relative warmth of the small structure comforted her, rubbing her arms harshly with her palms in an attempt to warm up. With a groan of annoyance, she set the metallic basin down on the stone entryway, watching the water sway to and fro from the gesture.
Turning her attention back into the living room, she made her way to the various locations of the discarded undergarments, each one grabbed bringing forth another memory of a lust filled moment of passion. Images of her slender frame pinned beneath his muscular body, sounds of ecstasy escaping her lips with each movement flashed in her mind. Desperately trying to lose the images, Kagura hastened the gathering of the stray garments, before making her way back towards the entryway.
Tossing them onto the pile with the rest of the clothing, she added the bits of soap that would be needed for cleaning, trying to ignore the cold of the water biting at her fingertips. Once the water was at the desired levels of soapiness, she set about organizing the clothing, figuring there was no point in ruining all of the material.
Sorting the fabrics into the necessary separate pile did not take very long, and so she set all the whites into the basin, save for a single white kimono. As much as she knew it needed to be cleaned, she could not bring herself to erase the still remaining hints of his calming scent from the cloth. An odd smirk crossed her lips as she thought of whether or not she was strange, if it was weird to enjoy the mere scent of the man she knew she loved so deeply.
But she did not care what others might think, as the kimono helped her sleep, with its reassuring warmth. Almost as though his presence filled the garment, offering her some measure of peace. Taking hold of the kimono, she tossed it to the side, apart from any of the other piles of clothes. Smiling to herself, Kagura set back to her task, milling the clothes around in the soapy water, letting them soak in the cleansing liquid.
"Eh, better be careful there, Kagura. Don't want to ruin the clothes now," her body tensed up, and her breathing nearly ceased entirely. She dared not turn around, dared not place her gaze in the direction of the caring voice. Was she going crazy? Had her grief stricken mind created some illusion to comfort her? Or just maybe…
She wanted desperately to turn around, to see the sight of those deep crimson orbs focused reassuringly on her.
But she knew in her heart that if she were to look behind her, the illusion would disappear, leaving her alone once more. So she simply smiled, grasping a single garment from within the basin. Rubbing it carefully yet firmly against the washboard, she watched the soapy water run off of the shirt, draining back into the metallic basin.
"Geez, why do you have to use an umbrella like this? It is such a pain to fix it," his voice showed his frustration, and Kagura's smile deepened a bit. She remembered to when they had shared this kind of moment, her washing the clothes while he grudgingly attempted to fix a tear in her purple umbrella. It always amazed her how he was fairly skilled in nearly any endeavor.
"Damn it! What the hell?!" his aggravation reaching the breaking point as he began to stream complaints about the fickle material he was working with, all following a single tear and snap as some of the items used to fix the umbrella broke beneath his forceful efforts to jam it into correct positioning. Yet, he had continued to work on the purple item, each curse and dissatisfied grumbling brightening the girl's smile.
The subtle sound of water passing through cloth began to take over, as she scrubbed the soapy water from the white garments, eventually drowning out the memorable sounds of Gintoki's annoyed complaints. Her smile began to falter, and the familiar sting began to poke at the backs of her eyes.
"Kagura-chan?" A familiar, soft voice brought her attention towards the front door, unaware that it had even opened. Just inside of the doorway stood her onetime sister in law, and always big-sis, eyes widened in surprise.
"Big-sis? What are you doing here?" Kagura asked weakly, sniffling as she wiped at the salty liquid dripping from her eyes.
"I just wanted to check up on you. Everyone is worried, since you've just been shutting yourself in," she answered, kneeling in front of the young red head. Reaching into her dark blue kimono, the brunette produced a handkerchief, handing it to the young girl.
"Thanks, big-sis," Kagura answered in gratitude, dabbing at the clear fluid with the piece of cloth. Handing it back to the young brunette, Kagura felt herself smile at Tae's reassuring presence, her warm brown eyes offering an unspoken comfort.
"No problem. Is everything alright?" Kagura laughed a mirthless laugh at that, torn between spilling all her loneliness and just making up some excuse. The look on the older woman's face showed that she knew full well what was wrong, and so Kagura knew she had no reason to make something up.
"I miss him," she answered, as Tae wrapped the younger girl in a warm embrace. Feeling the tears rising again, Kagura threw her arms around the warm frame of the older girl, just before the tears began to fall once more.
"I'm sorry, big-sis. It seems like I keep messing up your kimonos," Kagura apologized, to which Tae simply shook her head.
"It's alright, Kagura-chan. I understand what it must be like for you," she answered, pulling the girl to her feet before ushering her towards the sofa. As silly as Kagura felt about it, she instinctively grabbed for the white kimono she had tossed to the side earlier, earning a raised brow from the brunette to her right.
Almost like a young child and their favorite blanket, Kagura clutched the white garment to her tightly, Tae's confused quirk turning to a knowing grin at the sight of the young girl. As they took their seats on the sofa, Kagura noticed the knowing look on the face of the older woman, and asked what was so amusing.
"Oh, it's nothing, Kagura-chan. I was just thinking that Gin-san really found a cute girl this time," she answered honestly, earning a blush from the red-head. Casting her gaze down towards the floor, Kagura let her hair cascade down around her face, hopefully hiding the embarrassed expression from the gaze of the older woman.
"I-I'm not that cute, am I?" she asked innocently, carefully turning her gaze towards Otae, who simply leaned down to hug the girl once more.
"Of course you are, Kagura-chan. Why, if Shin-chan hadn't taken you for himself, I would have just eaten you up," At this, Kagura's light blush darkened heavily, wondering if the older girl was serious or just teasing.
"Geez, no fair to tease me, big-sis," Kagura responded sheepishly, as Tae laughed teasingly. The young girl could not help the smile that found its way on her soft features, as she listened to the amused laughter.
"I'm sorry, Kagura-chan. But you really are just too cute. It's no surprise Gin-san is so helpless around you," Tae spoke, turning her teasing to the absent party.
"Big-sis?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks a lot, for coming to visit and all," Kagura spoke honestly, straightening in her seat.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. Everyone was just worried about you, Kagura-chan."
"Everyone?"
"Yeah. All Gin-san's friends really like you, Kagura, so it's not fair to worry them, right? Bad enough that Gin-san gets them all worried," Tae's teasing tone remained in place, but Kagura felt an odd happiness fill her chest, realizing the depth of Gin's gift to her.
Not only had he given her a place in his heart, but he had given her a place in the hearts of all those he knew. Pulling her knees up towards her chest, the young girl rested her forehead on the joints, smiling broadly as she thought of the silver haired idiot.
"He's really not fair, is he big-sis?" she asked, turning her head as Tae cocked her head slightly to the side.
"Not fair?"
"Mm. When he took me clothes shopping, he let me meet all the people he knew, and I didn't even realize it. Has he always been like that?"
"Yeah. That sounds like Gin-san, alright. He's always taking the burden on himself, and doing things the roundabout way. But it always gets the job done," Kagura for all her lack of experience with love could determine the dreamy quality in Tae's voice as she spoke of Gintoki, and her heart began to ache just a bit for her oldest friend.
"Big-sis?"
"Oh, yes Kagura-chan?" she responded, forcing a smile as she looked at the younger girl.
"You love him, don't you?" Kagura asked directly, her mind torn as the words passed through her lips. Part of her wanted to know how the brunette felt, wanted to satiate her curiosity. But another part of her didn't want to know, figured that it was none of her business. That part of her immediately felt bad for asking, as she noticed the forlorn look on the older brunette's face.
"Hmm. I suppose I do," she answered with seeming ease, but Kagura could tell the difficulty behind each syllable. Squeezing her legs tightly with her arms, the young girl wished she knew what to say to comfort the young woman.
"I'm sorry, big-sis."
"Whatever for, Kagura-chan?" Tae asked, honest surprise in her voice as she looked at the younger girl.
"For taking Gin-chan from you," she answered, turning her gaze away from the older woman. Tae simply blinked a few times at the statement, processing the words through her mind. It did not take long for the brunette to burst out into a fit of laughter, clasping her right hand over her mouth as she laughed.
"Oh my, Kagura-chan. How could you come up with something like that?" she managed to choke out between laughs, Kagura's brows quirking up as her eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"Well, you love him, but me and him are together, so isn't that like me taking him from you?" Kagura's innocence made Tae's heart swell a bit, ruffling the younger girl's hair as she calmed down.
"Oh, we have been broken up for a while," she responded, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her right eye as she leaned back against the sofa, focus drifting far away, as though recalling some memory.
"What happened?" Silence passed for a moment. Kagura thought for a minute that she had asked something wrong. But finally Tae sucked in a deep breath, letting it out as she let her hands rest in her lap.
"I think I was just not the right girl for Gin-san."
"Not the right girl?" Kagura clearly did not understand what she meant. The brunette turned her focus back to the young girl, her ponytail swaying gently with the gesture.
"I was not always the kindest, brightest girl in town, as I am now," Kagura suppressed the urge to argue with that statement, remembering all the violent acts that had been attributed to Tae over the years. She was well known among the residents of Kabuki-cho as one woman never to be crossed.
"When we were together, I was often violent with him, making an attempt to get him to act right. I never noticed that he was always thinking of others, if it was in his own unique way," That same dreamy quality to her voice, this time laced with something like sadness. A definite melancholy.
"So, before too long, he decided he had had enough, and we went our separate ways. I think I was always subconsciously jealous of his attention on everyone else, wanting that for myself. Selfish, right?"
"No, that's not selfish, big-sis," Kagura answered, shaking her head in a knowing manner. "That's just how I felt when I saw him talking to Tsukuyo that day, and all those other girls," Kagura admitted, clutching the white kimono to her once again as she thought about all the girls in Gin's life. What were they to him?
"But you know what, Kagura-chan?" Tae asked, a sweet, tender tone to her voice that Kagura had only heard when she had spoken to Shinpachi, and those on very rare occasions.
"What is it, big-sis?"
"I think you have something that all the girls in Kabuki-cho would be jealous of."
"What would I have that anyone would be jealous of?" Kagura asked, nervous at the prospect. So many of the girls she had met there had so much in their lives, what would they need to be jealous of in any girl, much less one in her position?
"You have Gin-san," Tae's answer caused Kagura's eyes to widen just a fraction more, wondering what she was talking about.
"W-what do you mean, big-sis? Gin-chan loves everybody, right?"
"Yes, he really does. But, I have seen the way he acts with you, and you definitely have something that all the other girls, including myself would be jealous of."
"What is that?" her curiosity got the best of her, her heart beating at the prospect of knowing such a thing. She truly enjoyed being with Gintoki, and wondered just how deeply their connection was.
"You have his smile. Not the one he gives to everyone, the one that comforts and warms those around him. You have the one that a guy gives to the girl he truly loves, and even if everyone moves on, any guy they meet will be compared to Gin-san in the end," The brunette's answer left Kagura speechless. It had never occurred to her that he acted differently around her than others. He just seemed the kind to be nice to everyone.
"But, you must have gotten that, or even Tsukki," Kagura mused, trying to convince herself that it was not true. Yet, even as she tried to convince herself, she knew that the thought made her heart swell. It made her happy to think that she was so important, so special to her favorite person.
"No, not like he smiles for you, Kagura," Tae finished, sniffling just a bit as she pulled her hands back to her lap.
"Geez, what's going on in here? I leave for a little while and everyone just helps themselves?" Gintoki's unmistakable muttering filled the room, both girls turning their heads towards the front door.
Kagura and Tae blinked in unison, confused on what to make of the sight. Gintoki raised a brow in curiosity at the sight, turning his gaze behind him, wondering if someone had followed him home or something.
"What's wrong, you guys look like you've-" his sentence broke off half way as Kagura seemed to leap from the sofa onto his chest in one motion, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Gin-chan! You're back!" she exclaimed, arms tightly squeezing his neck as she buried her face in his chest. Gintoki shot Tae a confused look, watching as the brunette simply smirked her usual teasing look, as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't ask me. It's your fault for leaving," she answered, slowly making her way towards the front door. The soft scrape of sandals on stone scratched in his ears as he lay at Kagura's mercy, watching as the young brunette stopped just outside the door.
"It's nice to see you, Gin-san," she spoke, voice barely a whisper before bowing away from him and moving on. He watched as best he could as she walked down the small stone path into town, wondering what was happening.
'Is everything alright?' he wondered to himself, catching the hint of almost sadness on the young woman's face as she left. Tossing that notion aside, he felt the world around him beginning to grow blurry.
"Umm… Kagura….chan… you need to … let… go…" he muttered between sputtering breaths, sucking in a deep breath as the young girl pulled her arms from their resting position around his neck.
"Ah, sorry Gin-chan. I-I guess I was just happy to see you," she responded, smiling warmly as he ruffled her soft red hair with his hand.
"W-well, it's good to see you as well, Kagura," he added, smiling warmly as she gazed into his eyes.
"Wait, what are you doing back here, Gin-chan?" Kagura asked, remembering that the conflict had not been resolved. Gintoki's face seemed to contort into one of concentration as he considered his words.
"Well, I was having trouble sleeping. So, once I realized what the problem was, I decided to get out of there, so here I am," he answered, his roguish smirk glued on his face. Kagura's heart skipped a beat at his answer, as it had mirrored her own discomfort.
"A-and, what was the reason you couldn't sleep?" she asked, a bit of hesitance in her voice.
"Well, because I didn't have you there, of course," he answered, wrapping his hands around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. She wondered for a moment if he could feel her heart beating through her chest, but lost her train of thought as he pressed his lips against hers.
"What a stupid reason, Gin-chan," she answered as she pulled away, blushing as she realized their position. Biting her lip, she noticed that her body had taken up a position right on his lap, feeling a certain part of his anatomy responding to her body pressing down on him.
"Well, it's just my own reason," he responded, looking straight into her deep blue eyes as he leaned forward again.
"Mm, Gin-chan. I missed you," she cooed in his ear, throwing her arms carelessly around his neck again.
"I know," he responded, pressing his lips against hers once more. He had been apart from her for only a few weeks, but it had seemed almost a short eternity. With a smirk, he rose to his feet, sweeping her into his arms as he shut the front door. Kagura returned his smirk, and knew exactly what he had in mind. It was really the same thing she had been thinking.
They would definitely be making up for lost time, and they would probably not see the light of day for quite a while.
Mixed feelings about this chapter in particular. It was such a pain to get started on for some reason. I had all the ideas in my head, but when it came to type, it all just vanished. So, it is probably not as good as it could be. Any ways I could fix it would be appreciated, and I am not opposed to a bit of editing on this if it is in need. The happy ending aspect is something I just love, so that is how it went. This is the first completed continuous story for any series I have written, so hopefully future attempts will be better. Hope you enjoyed this story, and look forward to more GinKagu fics in the future.
A side note, however. Not sure when the final chapter of Family Affair will be published, possibly after I take a break from Gintama fics. I have recently gotten the fires goin again for writing One Piece fics, especially Luffy x Nojiko and Luffy x Boa Hancock. But I might make my first attempt at a non-anime fic first. Again, thanks for the support in writing this, and hope you enjoyed it. For GinKagu fans, do support my buddy Midori-chan's story "Fears of the Heart". She is just starting out, but definite potential. A nice read so far ^_^