Chapter 1 – RUN

She was running. And never stopped doing so.

She was running. Without looking back.

She didn't really know what was chasing her, but she certainly knew that if she ever stopped running, these things would catch up with her. And she would be so done for. She knew that more than anyone else. She had wandered for a long time, and now she was sweating heavily. It wasn't in her nature to run away, especially if it involved fighting. But Papi once told her that when a fight was clearly going to be your loss, You'd better run away, as fast as possible. It wasn't so bad if, deep down, you were losing the fight by giving up like this. Papi had told her that, in some rare occurrences, all that mattered was to stay alive.

She then started to run. Not quite knowing where she was running; as long as it was far enough away from that threat. Shadows were closing in. She was running faster and faster. But it looked like it was all in vain.

A hand grabbed her, gripping her shoulder, and tipping her back with force. She screamed, and then suddenly woke up on one of these benches in the park located near Kabuki district, panting, pale as a sheet, and with the hand of the Sadist Okita Sougo on her shoulder. A Sadist who stared at her with a shocked face, not used to seeing the young girl in this panicked state.

"Hey, are you that scared of seeing me now?" The Captain of the Shinsengumi's First division wondered.

Kagura stared at him for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. Her glance then shifted to the young man's hand, which was still resting on her shoulder, and which he still hadn't withdrawn. Recovering from this event, she pointed out this 'oversight' to him.

"Hey Sadist, take back your hand! It's disgusting! I'm going to be infected by your disease!"

She swept the young man's hand away from her shoulder, making him step back a bit, and having him regain that usual smug face.

"My disease? What's that again? Unless you're speaking about my natural handsomeness and kindness; stuff a monster like you is in dire need of, on top of manners and a brain!" He taunted.

"Hey?! Aren't you mistaking something somewhere?! If there's anyone needing to learn manners here, it's you, asshole!" Threatened Kagura as she grabbed her umbrella.

The young man's eyes began to sparkle with mischief, his palms opening and closing, ready to unsheathe his katana like those cowboys and their guns in some of these Spaghetti Western.

"Oh? Then, you won't mind elaborating in detail your opinion, Chinese sow" He teased.

Kagura had had enough. This guy was pissing her off. She was going to settle things by wacking him for good, then head home. She also got into a fighting stance, ready to return every of the Unanimously Elected Sadist's blows. He was taking the piss out of her so hard it triggered her a massive headache. No, wait, there was more to it. She had a really bad headache, and in the end, even kicking that asshole's butt wouldn't relieve her of the pain. But it was already too late, the two facing each other, ready to kick each other's asses. She winced. Better be over with settling this as soon as possible, so as to not waste any time going to bed.

They suddenly both rushed at each other, and in about ten minutes or so, the surroundings were blown to pieces, and the two of them were now even more tired and sweaty in this hot day than before. Kagura felt a shiver, and her gaze fell upon her arm. There was a small gash at her elbow crease, where the Sadist must have hit her while as she tried to smash his head to the ground. Another shiver. Someone was right behind her, watching them; she could feel it. She sharply turned her head around, looking away from the Sadist, who was also visibly intrigued by something. Someone was observing them from a distance, without revealing themselves. A thrilling sensation, wandered on her back, accompanied by cold sweat. It was very unpleasant. And the worst part of it all was that the headache just didn't want to stop. Bloody hell of a day. She looked away from the supposed spot the observer she couldn't see was hiding in, and after staring at the Sadist, simply left him stranded in the middle of the park.

She walked all the way to the Yorozuya Agency; and after emptying several boxes of sukonbu while waiting for a meal yet to be prepared by a late Shinpachi, went to sleep in the closet serving as her bedroom; under the astonished faces of Gintoki and a young man with glasses. They'd never seen the young girl go to bed without having emptied in the evening at least two pressure cookers of rice beforehand.

And bad news for Kagura, her nightmare didn't want to let go. She was running again as if her life depended on it.

"Kagura!" Called a voice from afar.

She was a bit taken aback hearing someone calling her, but it was only for a fleeting moment since her stopping meant that her enemies would catch up with her. She had to run for her life, in this dream that felt as real as the reality in which she was awake.

"Kagura!" Called another voice.

If she wasn't mistaken, it had to be Shinpachi's voice. And in this case, the one she had heard just before had to be Gintoki's. She was praying she had misheard. She really prayed, even though she believed in nothing but her own strength and that of those close to her. They couldn't be there, near her. She didn't want to be alone, but she was running for her life. Which implied she might be dying very soon. She didn't want that to happen to the two people dear to her heart. For that matter, she didn't want that to happen, to anyone she knew. Finding oneself like this, running until the lungs start to burn, the skin slippery, and the eyesight blurred.

"Kagura!"

This time, she had heard right; it was Gin-chan who had called her. She gritted her teeth. She shouldn't drag them into this. Whatever it takes. The Shadows surrounded her. She didn't know what to do anymore. She was trapped. And when all seemed lost… She awoke.

It was fairly early enough, and she was amazed that she had been able to wake up at such an early hour, a time she would have usually never experienced, to begin with. Six in the morning. That was damn early. She rubbed her eyes and let out a small yawn. Her hair, dishevelled by her more than real night fright, was going all over the place. That good-for-nothing Gin-san was still asleep, that was obvious. Still, she sensed someone was watching her, and she felt again a shiver run through her body. Someone, in the dark, was touching her hand. She raised her hand quickly, ready to retaliate, but there was no one there. Although the room itself had no lights on, the window to the outside provided some light; yet she couldn't see anyone. Sadaharu was snoring peacefully, as was the perm-head. Yet she still felt observed. Maybe her dream made her believe so. It was quite possible.

She couldn't know, however. She absolutely couldn't have known.

To Be Continued...

Author's note:

Hello everybody!

I finally got some more time to start translating my stories in English, to make then available to the greater number of people.

I'm sorry for the time it took, but having a consistent update schedule AND translating at the same time is not really viable. Hence, updates on translations might not be as regular as I'd like, but it's a start!

I choose to start with this story because it's finished and quite polished.

Translation will be cross-posted between this account and our main account on AO3 (Eternal Yorozuya).

Don't forget to subscribe/follow to keep up with future updates, and thank you again for your patience and support. m(-_-)m