A/N: Hi all! So, I recently received a review on this story and decided to look back on it. I know it's been forever, but I really enjoyed rereading, and want to finish this. I had previously written this up to chapter 62, and hadn't gotten to the ending yet, but I have written the ending separately, because I knew how it was going to happen. What I'd like to do is sift through everything I wrote, after what's been posted, preserve a few bits, and write this how I was planning.

Also, thank you for your review, marcessitia! It really means a lot that you fee like the transition was smooth with this one, because I tried to write in the regular universe twice before and it really didn't feel right to me. This is the third try, hahaha. I will assure you that I plan to stick to the romance genre requirement and give this a happy, but emotional ending. Thank you for the encouragement!

I hope you all enjoy, and that you're all safe and well out there! :)

A lone bottle of lotion rested beside Takasugi. As Kinu snapped a pocky stick between her teeth, he rubbed the cream into her pink skin. She'd been far more hesitant to lay across his lap after everything was said and done, but after being told that she wasn't allowed to just walk off, she complied. Slid her box of pocky beside the lotion as she looked back at Takasugi.

Getting her panties off had been easy the first time. The second, not so much.

After a minute of uncomfortable shifting, she resolved to only go along with him if she kept them on. Like they were magical chastity panties that would thwart any advances he made. Because he was a rabid animal, apparently.

They only served to block his view, but with a roll of his eye, the girl took the spot she'd been instructed. He wasn't exactly a gentleman, but he also wasn't cocky enough to let her go off without proper aftercare for a third time. Eventually, it would catch up to him, and he didn't want to deal with that.

So he took a simple aloe lotion, and worked it into what was bound to be a bruise. Nothing too intense, but a sure reminder for a few days.

After gaining their audience, Takasugi had been overly aware of Matako's wide blue eyes and the anticipatory flinch every time he raised his palm. Even if it wasn't to spank Kinu. The woman was visibly fascinated and repulsed. She hadn't known where to look at first, but after her first drink, she'd started to whisper to Kawakami behind the shield of her hand.

The deaf man had been writing most of the time, only occasionally glancing up and chuckling under his breath, especially when Matako leaned into his side. And Kinu let out an assortment of sounds and responses. Laughed. It was an interesting crowd.

Possibly more fun with the reactions Takasugi was getting. What had started as an awkward mood killer had turned more entertaining than he expected; thanks to Matako and her curiosity, and assisted by Kinu's spite.

"You know, I actually really like girl talk."

What the hell was she telling him for? He didn't care.

"Okay?" She didn't seem to notice the questioning tone. Kept her gaze fixed on him as she raised from his lap, and started to sit back. Then she paused. Very carefully, Kinu eased down, and he knowingly smirked at her.

"Do you think Matako-chan will ever..? You know..." Kinu gripped the fabric over her lap, frowning at him.

"It's the Sparkly Points, isn't it? You only want her to help woo your boyfriend."

Immediately grinning, Kinu flipped open her phone.

"I need twenty thousand more before he'll take me to Paris. Instead of breaking him out, he might initiate me into his gang."

"What, mine's not good enough for you?" Takasugi glanced at the fabric over Kinu's wrist. There was no proper way to approach it. Without waiting for whatever snarky remark was on the tip of her tongue, he took hold of her left wrist and lifted it. She easily slipped back into his lap, as he pulled her into himself. "You've done well."

Sighing, the girl stared at his hand.

"I guess. I didn't mean to. It just sort of…" Happened. She knew that sounded ridiculous.

"Does Gintoki know?'

"No." A hint of insult passed the girl, and she pulled her arm away, looking down at it.

"What if he did?" Was that a threat? Kinu frowned as Takasugi took hold of her pocky and stole a stick for himself as he leaned back against the table. "Aren't you worried? About what he would say if he found out?"

"A little..." Kinu couldn't decide if they were fighting again or not, but a pocky stick was held to her lips, and she took it. Considered it a peace offering.

"What if he is right about me, hm?" Smirking at the way the girl blinked and drew a breath in, Takasugi dragged his fingertips across her collarbone.

"I don't really care." In all honesty, she had no idea what she'd do if Gintoki was right. Cut Takasugi. Properly, this time. That sounded like her best bet, but it had the potential to just piss him off, in which, Kinu would probably have to come back from the afterlife and apologize to Gintoki a thousand times. Assuming he didn't lose his mind and flee at the sight of her disembodied form. "He probably is; he's good at that sort of thing."

The man clicked his teeth, and Kinu finally eased from her defensive posture to lean into his shoulder. If he was giving out affection she was stealing all of it. While she could. Eyes closed, Kinu listened to the sound of his breathing. Then his heart. Was it always that fast? Frowning to herself, the girl tried to decide if she was hearing her own heart beat. Maybe their bodies had done some strange thing and made an echo chamber. Dome body syndrome. Or maybe she was more nervous than she thought.

That didn't seem right, though. Takasugi's heartbeat was erratic, he spoke as if he was as relaxed as ever. Unfazed by her sudden change in position.

"And you're not concerned?"

"Wouldn't you have killed me already if you wanted to?" Murmuring back, Kinu snapped another pocky stick between her teeth. Was he nervous?

He didn't look like it; laxly draped against the short table with his jaw pressed into his knuckles. Looking down his nose at her. He looked bored.

Takasugi was never jumpy, or even on edge from what she could tell. Earlier, the ship being under attack hadn't bothered him in the slightest. He'd jumped right into responding, and ran out of the door without a hint of hesitation. Maybe she was wrong again. Her image was wrong. He wasn't impervious, or stone cold, he was just as anxious as the rest of them. Takasugi must have chosen not to be. Honed himself so finely that it didn't show. He was still human.

They weren't doing anything scary right now though… Or were they? Was this the talk? He'd sprung the talk on her without telling her? She felt like that's what was happening. The moment Kinu pushed herself up, her waist was snagged and she was pulled back down.

"Nuh uh." Takasugi left no room for her to refuse. She didn't think she had it in her to avoid any possible problems, because ignoring them clearly wasn't working. When she thought back on it, she didn't think it ever had. Turning to the side, Kinu folded her legs over his thigh. Must have looked exactly how she felt, because the man's mouth curved. As fate would have it, she had been right. It was the talk. A longer one than she'd anticipated. Her only saving grace was that she didn't have to do much of the actual talking.

The entire time, he'd been alternating between his pipe, pocky, and a bowl of sake. Takasugi didn't rush to finish, but the detailed parts had been so thoroughly rehearsed and well thought out that he'd sounded like one of the political figures he so claimed to hate.

"It may be mindless killing to you, but it needs to be done. If you can't accept that, you're more than free to leave." The man sighed, and Kinu almost felt the need to echo the sound. When it finally came to an end, she followed up with the only thing she could think to.

"All's fair, right?" Takasugi's olive eye fixed on her, and he set his bowl down. Graceful as he always was. "You may do terrible things, but I think you're probably doing them for a good reason." Takasugi balked at her words, and Kinu frowned up at him. "No, really. I'm not political, I haven't seen any of it for myself. How can I have a decent opinion? It sounds like a big conspiracy." When Takasugi narrowed his eye, Kinu puffed her cheeks, and spoke with the lowest voice she could muster. "The entire government is corrupt and run by Amanto. They're all trying to destroy us for big energy pools because Earth is special and-"

Smashing his palm into her face, the one eyed man felt his mouth twitch into a smirk.

"I don't sound like that." He forced the words though his tight jaw, and Kinu's darker eye gleamed back at him through the cracks of his fingers. "You made it sound like a conspiracy theory, not me." More like the rantings of a lunatic! Takasugi had been perfectly clear! Well spoken, and dignified, he knew what he sounded like and it wasn't that ridiculous voice she was using!

Kinu gripped his fingers and pried his hand down, grinning as her pinky curled around his.

"It's okay. I believe in you."

It was Takasugi's turn to look away. He didn't respond as Kinu placed her hands on his chest and leaned into his view. It probably hadn't been the right thing to say. He wouldn't even look at her.

"And if you two kill each other, that's fine. Temple school is a lot of history… but I'll be mad at the winner forever. Onii-chan doesn't want me to talk to Katsura-san, either."

It took him a while to reply, but Kinu waited in patient silence, going so far as to offer her open box of pocky as she propped a stick between her lips.

"Zura? Why? He's mostly harmless."

"Because making bombs for terrorists is bad. But Katsura-san is a good guy… And he says it's for a noble cause. He looks so determined when I say no I feel bad, so..." Kinu's voice drifted off as she sat back. "Sometimes… once in a while… I mean, he's probably responsible with them…"

That made Takasugi laugh. He couldn't help it. The image of Katsura using his lack of a brain to fool empathetic young girls into making bombs for him was too much for him, especially if it was happening behind Gintoki's back.

Kinu ran her finger up his knee, pausing halfway up his thigh.

"Don't punish me for..." He watched as the girl raised her wrist. Could have laughed again, because the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "I'm trying. It was a rough day."

He clicked his teeth. Though the man didn't say anything, Kinu got the distinct sense that something was just on the tip of his tongue. Just hanging there, weighing whether it wanted to be shared or not. He sank back into the table then, and stretched his legs. Nimbly plucking his pipe from the table Takasugi shook his head. As the smoke poured from his mouth, the man's head lazily draped back, and his hand skimmed Kinu's waist, just enough to make her jump.

"You missed me that badly, Kitten?" Grabbing the girl, he dragged her back into his lap. She saw his smirk and raised him a laugh; pushing away as he tried to hold her in place. "Came up with a plan to force me to come by more? What is it? I don't give you enough attention?"

"As if!" His teeth clamped down on her neck and she squeaked as her hands pressed into his chest. "You're a dirty old man!"

"And you love dirty old men, don't you?"

"No!"

Without warning, Takasugi let the girl go, and she flung onto the floor, barely catching herself with her elbow. He smirked down at her as her eyes narrowed. Then she came back.

"Shinsuke," At the sound of his name, the man looked up from his pipe. Met her sudden unease. "I think we need to be direct."

The man lowered his pipe, and the still burning match, frowning at the sudden shift.

"Alright." Intrigued, Takasugi waited as the girl shifted. Lips parted, Kinu sat back, visibly uneasy. Then she tilted her head from one side to the other.

"You're my boyfriend."

An exaggerated gasp slipped through the man, and his face twisted in shock. Then he smirked. As he was basking in the borderline sneer he received, Kinu set her pocky down. Signaled that it was serious. Takasugi frowned at her. He didn't move until heat reached his fingertips and he hissed, waving the match out and placing it in the ashtray on the table. The man brought his thumb and pointer finger to his mouth in an attempt at soothing the pain. "I mean it. Right? You're my boyfriend? We're doing this?"

"Looks like it." He said back, stretching out to curl around the girl and lean against the table. She smiled. A sweet little flicker, as smoke swirled around her. "I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

It was Kinu's turn to be surprised. She leaned against his stomach, peering up at him as he considered his words.

"You know I'm working on a deal right now. That's why we're on earth."

The girl prodded him on with a simple nod. She was frowning. Her eyes had focused on something across the room, to allow every ounce of her concentration to process whatever extra information he was willing to spare.

"There's been…" Pausing, Takasugi glanced towards the paper door. There was no easy way to say there's a psychopath obsessed with you because of me. He was convinced that if he thought it over hard enough, there were better words to use. "You've been mixed up in everything." He finally sighed the words, and his palm draped over his face.

Kinu sat up, brow still bunched.

"How?"

"A misunderstanding."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I wanna relocate you." His statement came out of nowhere. It took a moment for the words to fully make sense, and when they did, Kinu still wasn't sure she had enough information. "And your mother." Takasugi added quickly. "If you'll let me. There's a town not far from Edo. It's underground. Safe as either of us will ever get."

"Shinsuke, my shop has been in my family for… well, forever. My grandfather held patriot meetings in the tea room. It's-"

"It's exactly where somebody would look if they wanted to find you." A hand dragged up Kinu's side. "I'd pay for it. We could get Ai another shop later, and we could have our own apartment nearby."

Two wide eyes set on the man. Set and lingered as he took a careful drag of his pipe. He studied Kinu's face, carefully looking for any sign of her answer, but she was still in thought. "I'd know you were safe when I leave." He offered, hoping she was taking so long to weigh the pros and cons. He'd give her a few to consider. "And it'd be easier. When I'm on earth, I could stay some nights. And if I need to lay low for a while…"

"And my father?" She asked, suddenly quiet.

"There will be a cactus in the window. And a scratching post for Momo. Do you know how many scratching posts we could buy right now?" Intentionally ignoring the question, Takasugi squeezed the girl's hip. "We could get married." He tossed the idea out with a lazy grin, peeking at the girl from the corner of his eye. "Maybe not legally, but…"

"We haven't even been dating for three minutes." She said back, rolling her eyes. "But okay."

In one abrupt motion, Takasugi was sitting up. He stared down at the girl, curled against the table. Her finger traced a shape against the wood.

"Wait- which part?"

Cerulean eyes flicked up to the man, and as Kinu laid her head on the desk the dark hair fell away from her face.

"All of it. I don't want anything in particular. Just to play with my robots, and make a living."

"I have connections." He volunteered, and though Kinu had agreed, she managed to sink further into the table. As if she could bury her face altogether.

"I'm failing my class."

"Drop out. If you need paperwork, it can be arranged, but I have my doubts about your school."

Kinu wished it was that simple. Wished she could just drop out, but her family had already spent the money. If she quit, there were no refunds.

"Is... this too fast?" One by one, Kinu spoke the words. Slowly. As if Takasugi would need time to hear each one.

"Perhaps." He murmured back, pushing himself to his feet. "But how much time do either of us really have?" Takasugi offered his hand. A simple gesture to the woman staring up at him. He watched the devious curl of her lips. Felt the satisfaction ripple through him as she placed her hand in his and his offer was accepted. As he was accepted.

Takasugi closed the door to his room behind them as Kinu plopped onto the bed. He joined her and slid a novel from the shelf behind it.

"You can have one. Choose wisely."

The girl's face lit up as she lifted herself to the spot beside him and crawled to the display of novels. Her finger slid over the plethora of colorful spines, unsure of where to start if he was letting her actually take one.

"There's too many… What's your favorite?"

"I don't have one." Murmuring back, Takasugi glanced behind himself. "But…" From his position, the titles were upside down, but he had a good idea of what she'd like. Lighter gore. Nothing too political, or serious. She probably wanted fiction. Something that gave the illusion of gory details, but nothing too unprincipled. Kinu wanted to be disgusted, and wanted a hint of debauchery, but only enough for a shock factor that hooked her. Picking one of the lighter reads, Takasugi handed it over to the girl. She held it in both hands and studied the cover, turning it over once to read the summary.

"You like torture, right?"

A single light hum met the man and Kinu flopped down on her stomach, kicking her legs behind her. He had good taste, if the introduction on the back was to be trusted.

"I have two new choices tonight."

Takasugi glanced at the girl, only half interested, and she cracked the book.

"I have two types. White haired guys that are good with kids with self destructive tendencies. I love them." She couldn't be serious. Kinu was going to do this again? Why? He didn't understand! And didn't that sound just like Gintoki? "And then red haired guys that are maniac killers that you just wanna squeeze and tell them everything is gonna be okay." Kamui? Was this her way of saying she had a brother complex, and possibly the worst taste imaginable?

"Kakashi, or Gaara?"

"I'm not doing this." Glaring at the girl over the edge of his book, Takasugi met her gaze as she Grinned back at him. That little-

"You gotta." Why?! He didn't know what kind of dumb thoughts were rattling around that empty skull of hers, but he wasn't playing that game again! He hadn't even played it the first time!

"No."

The girl grasped his foot and he jerked back, dropping his book.

"Oi- " Who just did that?! Did she have some kind of fetish he needed to know about? Kinu's mouth curved as her arms straightened and she leaned up. Looked back at him. He saw her intention shining behind the devious crinkle at the edges of her eyes.

"Ticklish?"

"No." Grabbing for the book at his side, he tried to open it to the page he'd lost. Ignored Kinu's prying gaze as she slid closer to his foot, hand already outstretched. "I'll kill you, don't start with me."

"Tell me which one, then. And I'll guarantee the safety of your toes."

"Neither, why-"

Before he could complete his sentence, Kinu had his ankle, and a displaced laugh broke through Takasugi's snide tone. He leapt forward, grabbing her, but her assault continued. His forearm circled her waist and she raised onto all fours, trying to maintain her hold. Her palm jabbed into his chest as he managed to pull her off himself, and slammed her down on the mattress. Weight wasn't on her side in this fight. His fingers poked into her sides and Kinu turned, trying to shield herself as he started his own vicious attack.

Clearly, she hadn't learned her lesson.

"No!" The girl tried to turn again. Buried her face into the striped blue comforter under her, laughing uncontrollably as the man pushed further into the hand that was weakly pressing into his collarbone.

"How do you like it, huh?! You didn't stand a chance!"

"Please- I give up! I'm sorry! Tak- Taka- Shinsuke-"

At the sound of his name, the man dragged her back towards himself. Kinu looked up at him, brows raised, and from the look of it, entirely willing to be drawn in.

"You have to choose, it's a rule! Once the question has been asked, you're forced to pick!" Kinu continued, and the man pressed his mouth to hers, unable to stifle the snicker.

"Oh, I'll show you what I think…" Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Kinu laughed, as his fingers hooked under the collar of her borrowed yukata but a form crept over the foot of the bed, just beyond the edge. A set of hands grasped the covers on either side of her. Wide eyed, Takasugi met the dead black fish eyes and receded hairline hovering just behind Kinu's head.

"I prefer Hinata, but before the time skip. She was so puuure."

"What the-" Kinu whipped around towards the source of the voice, and shrieked when she found the third wheel of a man directly in front of her face. The girl went straight into Takasugi and he passed her, feeling the new pangs of annoyance being dredged up within him. There had also been another sound. It wasn't quite a shriek. It was a man roar. A startled battle cry. At least, that's what Takasugi told himself.

Takechi had been there the whole time?!

Kinu nearly rolled off the bed and Taksaugi grabbed her. Yanked her back up. Already at the edge of the bed, he smacked the intruder. Of all the times to pull his stupid stunts! As often as he did this, Takasugi should have known he was lurking under there! Should have checked under the bed.

Kinu was behind him, grasping his yukata as he held Takechi's limp form by the collar, smacking for all that he was worth. She was looking over his shoulder, asking what the hell was going on. Asking him why the degenerate was there, like he could answer.

"Shinsuke-sama!" Takasugi's door shot open, and everybody froze. Gaped at Matako and Kawakami as a blanket of silence covered the room. Again?! Kinu was still pressed into his back, and Takechi limply dangled in front of him, stretched forward by his collar.

It was his fate to hit everybody tonight, apparently.

"Erm… Shinsuke…" Kawakami started, and Takasugi released the intruder. Let him drop at the foot of the bed and lay there, hopefully feeling shame. He was fine. Didn't look any worse for wear. Matako's jaw hung and her brows pinched together as Kawakami passed her. "We just… the scream was different this time… Kinu-chan are you alright?"

"Y- Yeah..." When the girl finally moved from his back, Takasugi glanced at her only to find the neckband of her yukata dangerously suggestive and stretched open. He was quick to correct it. Spun Kinu around to face him as he tugged at the fabric, and her hands awkwardly fumbled alongside his. He hadn't meant to grab her that hard! She was fine a minute ago!

"I'm sorry, he just- does that sometimes."

"That's normal?" Kinu's hands fell back as Takasugi managed to secure the edges of the oversized collar under her belt.

Takechi picked himself up and Takasugi glared at him as he joined Matako in the doorway. This was entirely his fault! What the hell did he think he was doing, popping out at a time like that and luring everybody to the bedroom?! Now, it looked even worse, like Takasugi had been having his way with the girl when it had been entirely innocent!

He'd ruined it!

"So... we're gonna go… again..." Motioning over his shoulder, Kawakami briskly spun on his heel, and ushered everybody from the doorway. "Probably eat something. Since some insomniacs don't want anybody else to sleep."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Takasugi didn't even try to defend himself this time.

Matako was doing exactly as Kawakami had said when Kinu reached the kitchen. She didn't look at the girl. Only set out ingredients for a meal, and a cutting board with a chef's knife. The lack of greeting or speech was icier than expected. Kinu realized that it would have to be her job; initiating actual conversation, but she didn't know where to start.

"Hi…" This woman had just watched her get spanked and scolded. Kinu had said yes, but now she wasn't sure if there was a normal way to come back from that. Something that didn't scream I'm a weirdo or had a subtle hint of denying that.

The moment she spoke, Matako spun around to face her, knife still in hand.

"I don't like you."

"Hm." Eying the gleaming edge, and the fingers wrapped around the handle, Kinu tilted her head. Oh, so they weren't friends after they'd talked on the phone so many times, and she literally let this woman look at her ass? She begged to differ. "Is that why you lied to me?"

Passing the woman, Kinu opened the impossibly organized refrigerator.

The knife was set down. A series of expressions rippled across Matako's face. Confusion. Insult, then guilt. Then it disappeared.

"What does it matter? Doesn't seem like it stopped you at all."

Pulling a container of leftover rice from the fridge, Kinu kicked the door shut behind herself. She met the woman's gaze. After a stint of Kinu staring at her, Matako rolled her eyes. Kinu placed the rice on the counter beside her. As she set to chopping vegetables, she took another, slow breath. "It was pretty shitty of me, wasn't it?"

The woman averted her gaze and her blade slipped through a carrot. As if the weight of the world was on her shoulders, she let out a loud sigh. "Can you really blame me?"

"Maybe." Kinu murmured, with a little shrug. "Let's not, though." For a moment, Matako was waiting for more. It sounded as though Kinu had more to say, and she stared off for a moment, fingers drumming against her lower lip as she did. The mood shifted after that, thankfully. Matako let out a short laugh. One that lacked any hint of mirth or warmth, but she cracked a few eggs into the rice as if nothing had been said

Kinu took over with the rice, then. Added another egg, because that was the best part, and stirred it together. They worked in silence for a time, both in their own little worlds, considering their reconciliation. Kinu expected it to be that way until dinner was finished, but the woman had other plans.

"That looked really painful, earlier. I don't know how you laughed through all of that."

Feeling herself grin, Kinu oiled the frying pan.

"It kind of hurts, yeah. But it just looks bad, especially afterwards." As she turned to the heating stove top, Kinu took a ladle to measure out and pour Matako's creation. Set it aside in the wait for the pan to come to temperature.

"It leaves marks?"

"Yeah, wanna see?"

There was a pause that was laced with the question of decency. As Matako looked towards Kinu again, she set her knife in the sink, and made an unsure sound. A maybe, edging on a yes. Kinu set her tools down. She grasped the edge of Takasugi's yukata, and carefully pulled it around her hip. Raised it, feeling the fabric scrape against her as she slipped a thumb under the band of her underwear and exposed the pink welts underneath. Over her shoulder she could see Matako, deathly serious, mouth ajar.

She outright stared, but only for a few seconds.

"That looks… Painful…" She repeated, shades of pink slowly creeping up her face. "How could you sit there and let somebody do that?"

Kinu shook her head and fixed her clothes. She shrugged. Didn't really have an answer to that. It was nice. It meant he kind of cared, even if he wasn't saying that he did. Why else would he do it so passionately? People that didn't care or feel emotions didn't get jealous, and they certainly didn't exercise such care when spanking, or rub lotion on their Kittens afterwards while not making it gross or weird.

At least, that's what she wanted to think.

If Takasugi didn't care, he would have proceeded with the fake lines, and tried to emulate love for her. He would have switched over, automatically, but he hadn't. He'd been normal.

Kinu washed her hands, sighing as her mind raced for a decent answer.

If she felt like she didn't need to punish herself when he did it. She still got the rush of endorphins. Still got the satisfaction of feeling as though she had atoned for all of her shortcomings, and all of her tension melted away. It was a painful massage that washed away any perceived sins, and that was final.

Takasugi was final, if he was right. If he could judge whether people deserved to live or die, he could judge when she'd had enough, and was clean again.

She didn't know if anybody could understand that, or if she could sum it up in a way that sounded half-way decent. It sounded like she was in a cult.

"It's fun." She said, but she suspected that the genuine tone behind her voice was lost in the topic. Apparently it was. Matako let out a dry laugh, and shook her head as she took up her knife again. She started on a block of firm tofu, easily dicing it in the curve of her hand.

"Whatever you say…" A moment passed as Kinu took the bowl Matako offered. "I hate to actually say this, but I don't think I'd want that… I'd want a normal relationship. Shinsuke-sama deserves a normal relationship, and actual love. Not..."

Kinu poured the first batch of the mixture into the pan, and it sizzled as the edges hardened and turned yellow.

"Hm."