Nirvana
Summary: AU. "Well, fuck you too," he had said it out of spite, despite his eyes sneaking brief glances over her body. Well, maybe he had another thing in mind when he said it. Okikagu.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama.
Chapter 11
It was odd for a defender of justice - a cop like him - to consider the possible murder methods he could attempt on a highly potential criminal of all people. But Okita Sougo found the cells in his brain working into an overdrive as they racked for some sort of excuse to shoot a bullet through Saitou's head.
The constant flirtatious endeavors that the drug ring leader slash part time waiter pulled on Kagura was beginning to get on his last nerve. The charming smiles clearly instigated with the aim of making her swoon and the rather coquettish winks Saitou incessantly sent at Kagura's direction was enough to prompt Okita into mulling over the chances of setting in motion his plans of attempted homicide. Despite continuously reminding him that he and Kagura were a couple - albeit a pretend one but Saitou didn't need to know that - Saitou made a point to pull various courting efforts regardless on the somewhat oblivious gluttonous girl currently devouring an abundance of food on the table. And even if she ascertained not to drop her temperamental facade, even Sougo could grasp the underlying embarrassment latent in Kagura's snide remarks as her cheeks more often than not flushed into a bright red hue.
Maybe he could come up with some kind of bluffing rationale to shower his superiors with so that he could offer a strong enough justification for the assassination attempts on Saitou he was speculating over. The notion of butchering the waiter was uplifting to more tempting heights whenever Saitou's fingers would "accidentally" brush against Kagura's smaller, softer ones. His rush of possessiveness mingled with the profuse frisson of green envy as the emotions puddled in his gut, the bitter jealousy further intensifying as Saitou ensured to shoot him down with mild-mannered but underlying taunts each time Okita even uttered a harsh berating or a subtle threat.
When Saitou got pulled aside by a large, well-built man in black, the newfound stranger looking like he was about to put his hands on the charismatic waiter - needless to say, Okita was more than cheering for Saitou's probable demise. Scrutinizing the death glare the man seemed to level Saitou with, the male officer could only presume that whatever schemes he was planning, they would be far from harmless and friendly. Okita tried his damndest not to let it show, but his insides had been inwardly bursting into a high-pitched set of sadistic laughter as he relished in the odds of Saitou meeting his death.
But of course reality had to rear its ugly head and Kagura had to chime in. "Shouldn't we help him?"
Okita paused in the idle sip of his wine that he was half-immersing himself in as he allowed only a fraction of a second for the taste to slither down his throat. Drawing apart the glass from his lips, Okita sounded a thoughtful hum as he sought to thwart the jealousy from his system once he discerned the concern palpable in her cerulean orbs. Envy fused with fermenting irritation as he caught the sight of the deep, fretful frown embedded on her forehead.
The corners of his lips inclined into a chilling smile as he proffered her with a lopsided, nonchalant shrug of his left shoulder. "I don't know," he responded with transparent indifference before throwing the question back at her, "Should we?"
Kagura's frown considerably deepened as she took into account the lack of interest in his offhanded answer, her mouth tugging into a tight grimace as she echoed a blunt rebuttal. "We're here to arrest him, not watch him get slaughtered in case you forgot. Stop acting like you just got dumped over another guy and start behaving like a cop again, you immature chihuahua."
Okita felt a sudden coaxing urge to rumble out a sarcastic interpose at how someone who had her own share of anger issues shouldn't be articulating such hypocrisy - and if it weren't for the recesses of his mind being more absorbed in dwelling on his negative musings, he probably would have yielded to the impulse. Sort of feels like he stole you from me. Sort of feels shitty too. The line of thought crossed his subconscious before he could stop it as he gave a mental shake of his head at himself in order to repudiate the introspection and decided against voicing the abrupt animosity-filled perceptions.
He drew his lips tight as he stifled the proprietorial billow coiling around his heart. His voice was awfully tight as he enunciated the ridiculing suggestion, "Personally, I think him getting his ass handed to him by that guy only makes our job easier. It helps if he ends up dead - I mean, unconscious - so that we can reprimand him and bring him to the station with no problem." He briskly corrected himself in a smooth, graceful manner as the disquieting slant on his lips further escalated in intensity.
Kagura pursed her lips forward, though he wasn't completely certain whether the gesture was an indication of her displeasure or simply an implicated thoughtful guise. Her bewilderment rippled out her throat in the form of a baffled interject. "Doesn't sound like you, sadist. Last time I checked, you enjoy almost reducing people into a deep coma with your own hands. Watching from the sidelines and letting someone else rob the sadistic pleasure you derive from pummeling everyone around doesn't suit you."
"You know me well," Okita clipped with barely contained sarcasm coupled with a scintilla of venom as the acidity in his timbre scratched the surface before he could even quell it. The scowl on his lips intensified into a single thin line of muted chagrin as he bubbled out a curt grouse under his breath, "Maybe if you want to save him so much, you can do it yourself instead of inviting me along."
He could tell from the icy glare she directed at him that his words had managed to struck a nerve. Seemingly half-hurt and half-offended at his brusque comment, Kagura almost vehemently pushed herself into a standing position as she audibly fumed at him, the chair nearly knocked down onto the red-carpeted floor from the impact of her brute force.
Okita suppressed the unexpected compulsion to entice her into staying as he observed her conferring him an indignant huff before stomping in her stride towards the back entrance where they had priorly watched Saitou step out with the man. His crimson pupils tried to dismiss the alluring sway of her hips as she ignored a single waitress' demand for her to pay the bill firsthand and levelled a steadfast gaze on her retreating back pottering towards the rear doorway. His lips flattened against each other in a taut glower as the silhouette of her figure completely disappeared from his line of sight.
And for what felt like an interminable amount of time, Okita had simply sat there with his mind boggling over the pros and cons of chasing after her. On one hand, he would be exposing his vulnerability towards her and that was something he couldn't afford to display in front of Kagura, of all people. On the other, however…
An image of Saitou with an arm hooked protectively around China's waist and a radiant, broad smile of pure glee on her pretty face as a pleasant fit of girlish giggles erupted from her throat instantly ruptured the cool depths of his composure.
He wasn't certain what immediately stripped off the remnants of male pride from his system first - was it the overbearing envy striking at the middle of his chest or was it the mere notion of not wanting to let another guy snatch her away from him? Either way, Okita decided to go out on a limb as he roused himself from the chair he was perched on after what felt like minutes of just ruminating over what his course of action should be. His subconscious reeled with lame excuses to justify his jealousy as he pulled various attempts to disregard the prospect of him harboring romantic sentiments for China.
I thought you hated her?
It was just sex. You're probably just getting riled up because the best fuck buddy you've ever had is paying attention to another man.
It doesn't mean anything. Just a territorial instinct to stake your claim on your casual sex partner is all… It doesn't mean anything, does it?
And he proceeded to shower himself with the not so convincing downpour of lies the entire time he was generously - uncharacteristically funny enough - paying for their meal. Most of which was thoroughly consumed by Kagura, he realized, when he looked back on it. He barely deliberated about the abnormal way her body retained its voluptuous physique nor did he pay any heed to the faint reflection he spared in regards with her monstrous and greedy appetite as he shoved his hands into the safety of his pockets and ambled his way towards the back entrance.
Turning the doorknob, Okita pushed the door open just in time to see the burly body of the muscle-bound man in black rendered into a battered, unrecognizable mess as Kagura propelled her leg to his chin in a sharp and ultimatum kick. The impact of her assault was vigorous enough to send the man flying against the wall of the dark alleyway as Okita expelled a deep, defeated sigh at the violent exhibit before booting the door shut behind him with the soles of his foot.
"Took you long enough," Kagura asserted the derogatory scoff as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her nose stuck up into the air as she threw her head back to regard him with a self-satisfied expression, the patronizing undertones of the guise flagrant in his view as she went on in her habitually cocky snort, "I took care of him by the time you got your ass of that stupid chair. Thanks for nothing, you so-called partner."
His lips slanted upwards into a patient smile, though the underlying touch of mirth was quiescent in the small grin as amusement danced in his ruby-tinctured orbs. Purposely ignoring Saitou's presence at his right, Okita swivelled his body around to survey the man in black's current condition. The sinewy man's shoulders slumped down in a limp manner as he appeared to lose consciousness after having been at the receiving end of Kagura's ruthless assault.
"Why is it that you always punch everyone into a coma, China?" The high-pitched, gladdened howl of guffaws rippled out of him as he echoed the snarky remark. He side-stepped just in time for Kagura to lunge a fist towards his left cheek, his chortles reaching a higher notch as he eyed Kagura almost staggering on her knees before instantly catching herself.
"You could have at least saved some of the fun for me," he proceeded with a crooked, playful grin grazing his lips as he basked in the admittedly endearing sight of her cheeks flushing a deep scarlet in amalgamated combination of shame and ire. "I was looking forward to manhandling someone, mind you." Preferably Saitou of course, he added in his thoughts but wisely opted to keep the hostile musing to himself.
Expertly omitting the resentment pooling in the depths of his stomach, he continued on his teasing, rather suggestive quips. "I think this calls for a punishment in bed. How does a mouth gag and overstimulation sound like?"
In the past, Kagura probably would have blanched out of sheer disgust. But at the present, he drank in the adorable display of her blush darkening in shades as she spat out the words in a feral growl, "How about you start thinking with your head for once, sadist?"
He cocked a single, well-sculpted brown eyebrow at her in a mischievous manner before deliberately skirting his gaze downwards to his pants.
There was a slow, perplexed blink before Kagura's eyes grew into the size of saucers, the girl cutely sputtering as more blood rushed to her head. She stumbled over her failed, half-formed attempts at jeering barbs before drawing her lips tight into an embarrassed grimace.
Her interpose lacked the regular bite that usually accompanied her snide remarks as she mumbled under her breath, "Not that head, you pig. Can't you stop thinking about sex for at least five minutes?"
"While I'm around a girl like you? Hm. No," came his brisk response as he blared out the riposte in a forged thoughtful murmur. He spared a brief, indulgent glance at the curve of her delicious derriere, another laugh bubbling out his throat as Kagura caught his short-lived perverted leer and rumbled a loud, allegedly repulsed snort through her chest.
When she grumbled something incoherent under her breath, Okita parted his lips and was about to articulate another string of seductive syllables - only to cut himself short as Saitou's voice chiselled in.
"I do apologize for interrupting your friendly banter," the supposed drug ring leader spoke through a guttural fit of low chuckles, though Okita could hear that his voice was far from apologetic and the sound of his chortles were the exact opposite of levity. "But it would appear that I am in need of some answers. I must say that this unforeseen turn of events were...confusing and surprising after all."
The male cop flattened his lips into a tight frown as the scowl crept its way to his countenance. But he once again brushed aside the urge to display his intense possessiveness over Kagura as he thwarted the growing impulse to pull her against him in an attempt to exhibit that she was his and his alone.
Instead, he shrewdly decided to sound out a disdainful scoff, "How about a no?" Flickers of antipathy were perceptible in his blood red pools as Okita proceeded to narrow his eyes into menacing slits. "I don't suppose a wanted drug ring leader like you would be unaware of your shitty crimes. Drop the dumb charade and yield to us police force, Saitou."
When Saitou's eyelids fluttered in a sluggish, befuddled blink, Okita's suppressed bouts of antagonism only fueled even more as the stupefied look on Saitou's well-proportioned features served as a propellant to his building irritation. He opened his mouth to let out an ill-tempered remark before he was immediately silenced by the feeling of Kagura's hand on his chest.
The sudden contact evoked a shiver of delight to travel down to the base of his spine as his heart inadvertently began to hammer in wild, deafening palpitations in his chest. He hoped that she wasn't able to feel the heavy thumping of his heart, somewhat glad and furious at the same time as her fingers lingered for only a brief couple of seconds before slowly sliding off his clothed skin. Even through the cotton fabric of his shirt, Okita could still relish in the remaining warmth that the pads of her digits left behind as he tried, at least, to regain his presence of mind. But his efforts proved to be futile as heat coursed to his cheeks instead, Okita whirling his head to the side in time to obscure the blush no doubt embellishing his face from China's line of sight.
However, both the reddening flesh of his visage and the equally rosy hue adorning the tips of his ears dwindled into nothing in the twinkling of an eye as Kagura's next words reverberated in his ears, "I know this might sound weird, but I don't think he's the one leading the drug ring, sadist."
The letters that passed her lips managed to prompt his heart into adopting a steadier and less high-pitched pace as absolute displeasure gripped at his sides. His profuse wave of envy returned in full force as the jealousy poured over him like a water splashed on top of his head.
Smothering an outraged growl from erupting from his throat, Okita managed to assume a somewhat composed enough baritone as he pivoted his gaze towards her once again. "What?" He conferred her a deep frown, the crease of his brows coupled with a confounded blink. "And how the hell would you know that?"
China simply gave him a light shrug of her shoulders. "Dunno. I guess it's because that dude I just pulverized is apparently a member of the drug ring," she elucidated in a crisp dulcet tone as she then tilted her head at the insentient, foaming man on the ground for added emphasis. "They were having an argument when I came barging out here. I don't know about you, chihuahua, but I don't reckon a mere minion like him would be brave enough to go against his boss."
He followed her ogle and would have laughed out loud or even kicked the man while he was down as he fleetingly noted the white, revulsive froth trickling down from one corner of the unconscious man's lips. But his fierce envy and equally omnipotent rancour merged with the budding disorientation perturbing his head as a long string of questions rose from the back of his mind.
"What was the fight about?" he asked her, somewhat angered by the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to throw Saitou into prison.
Another shrug, then Kagura's laid-back retort echoed in his hearing senses. "Can't hazard a clue really. Might be strange coming from a woman with keen intellect like me, but I haven't got the slightest idea - well, I got the gist of it, I think. Something about leaving the family or some dumb cliche like that."
And again, Okita would have keeled over laughing with tears in his eyes at her blatantly too confident gesture at herself as she rippled out the snobbish self-praise about her nonexistent sharp wits of all things. But he was unable to focus on the hilarity in the current situation as his mind started to overload with plausible enough notions that could possibly explain the confusing circumstances.
When he thought about it, it feasibly wasn't that bizarre to entertain the prospect of Saitou being not at all directly involved in the act of illegal drug activities. Okita wasn't the brightest among their fellow colleagues - in fact, he tended to take his own measures without putting much consideration on the consequences of his actions, with Hijikata usually bearing the brunt of his reckless streak. But he was no fool and he had caught wind of the increased cases of underground families indulging in a variety of criminal pursuit - call it their fucked up family tradition or whatnot, but such reports were not that unusual.
And from what Kagura had explained thus far, it didn't take him long to put two and two together and deduce that it was actually highly reasonable that Saitou had most likely fled from his family heritage - much to the officer's brewing displeasure. It would explain how Yamazaki failed to catch any suspicious conduct even with his abnormal observation skills and after a couple of months of keeping watch. It would, Okita realized with much annoyance, also clarify the reason behind Saitou living alone and the unsubstantial visit of his family relatives during the days Yamazaki was stalking in Saitou's rather huge apartment.
Of course, there was a lingering shred of a risk that it could have all been a bluff or a well-thought out charade instigated by Saitou in order to avoid igniting their skepticism. But could anyone have perpetrated the farce for two full months? Even Okita had a hard time believing in the fact that Saitou hadn't slipped up at least once if he had been trying to fool them the entire time.
The more he mulled over it, the more it became credible that Saitou had indeed refused to take after his family's business.
And yet, he clung to the faint fragment of doubt lurking in his system - mostly out of the sole rationale that he wanted Saitou in jail so that he wouldn't be able to land his filthy fingers on Kagura ever again. But that was his own selfish desires rearing their ugly heads, and Okita had to snub the jealousy still swirling in his chest in order to put forth his professionalism before his personal sentiments on the matter. He was a police officer after all - albeit a sadistic, perverse one but a police officer nonetheless. It wouldn't sit well with him if they were to apprehend Saitou without collecting more solid proof. Taking into custody a possibly innocent man was not something he was willing to do simply because he hated Saitou with all he was worth.
He did wish for the guy to leave Kagura alone though. Hopefully, Saitou would choke on something and die by the time he would go home tonight.
Then, as if on cue, Saitou's voice reached his ears, successfully bringing him out of his reverie. "You two are police officers, are you not?"
Okita almost scoffed at the question, but didn't manage in time to halt Kagura in her tracks as she swiftly conferred him a candid reply, "Yeah, we are, weirdly enough."
Saitou blinked at her straightforward response, dumbfounded for a moment before gaiety entered his aurelian irises as a short-lived bouts of amused chuckles rumbled through his chest. "I must say, I do appreciate how frank you are, um, miss…"
"Kagura," she instantly provided. China smiled a beautiful, almost too wide welcoming smile for Okita's taste. "My name is Kagura," she went on with her amicable introduction, blissfully ignorant to Okita's darkening features as impatience pooled in his gut at the sight of her friendly demeanor. Did she really have to be so...outgoing with Saitou?
...Okita suddenly found the notion of gagging her mouth to be awfully tempting.
"Kagura-san." Saitou nodded his head once as he affirmed her name. Okita could almost feel him sparing a mocking glance on him, but shrewdly opted to disregard the taunting glimpse. "And this young man is?"
Okita stifled the truculent bark threatening to crawl up his throat as he supplied in an acutely tight voice, "Okita-fucking-Sougo."
Saitou's smile was terribly forged as he inclined his lips upwards into a cordial, charming grin. Okita could have sworn he was bordering on dormantly laughing at his expense as he endorsed a fake pretense of benevolence. "I see. Okita-san then? A pleasure to meet the acquaintance of a man of your high caliber."
"Can't say the feeling's mutual," Okita snorted before immediately clamping his lips in silent chagrin as Kagura proffered him with a sharp nudge of her elbow at his ribcage, the gesture chiding him for his barely curbed aggression.
...Maybe he should include handcuffs and ankle cuffs the next time he would have sex with China. BDSM was becoming an appealing idea by the minute - not that he had never considered it before.
"Is it alright for you to expose your identity to me?" Saitou's inquiry blared out into the open, once again interrupting his line of thoughts. Okita was tempted to shoot him in the head, but expertly quelled the murderous impulse as Saitou continued, "With how the both of you came here - most likely with the intent of holding me accountable for the drug ring's activities - I would assume that there would be at least some conjecture behind the suspicion."
"Nah, it's fine," Kagura bubbled out the nonchalant scoff as she gave out a dismissive wave of her hand. "Even if you turned up to be the bad guy, I'm fully convinced that I'm more than capable of tackling you to the ground and cuffing you before you even try to escape. And, well," she paused as she pondered over the right choice of words before shrugging her shoulders for the umpteenth time that night as she decided to go out on a limb instead, "I guess you could say that some of our intel managed to snap some pictures of you in the act. So you're not fully off the hook, I think - unless you have a good reason in your sleeve."
Another fit of chuckles erupted from Saitou's throat as the light-hearted morsel moderately intensified in his molten gold orbs. His guffaws ebbed away shortly after though, replaced with a smile that resembled fondness that was too overwhelming for Okita's comfort.
Even in the dimly lit alley, Okita could detect the glimmer of attraction in Saitou's eyes as he asserted a good-natured riposte, "I would presume that your combat skills are proficient enough to stop me if I were to attempt such a thing, Kagura-san. Considering the effortless manner in which you rendered Keiichi unconscious, I would expect nothing less." There was a fleeting respite as he halted mid-sentence to seemingly consider something. "And just to put this out there so that I can clear up the misunderstanding, that's most likely my twin brother you saw carrying out the drug trafficking. Although I would understand if the story is unbelievable."
"Of course it is," Okita chimed in before Kagura could even offer a reply. He rolled his eyes in uninhibited disbelief coupled with enmity as he bluntly went on, "How convenient of you to have a twin brother that you can use as a scapegoat in case you need to cover your tracks."
He half-expected for Saitou to get offended at the accusing retort, but the other man simply raised a single, delicate eyebrow at him in an inquisitive manner. The grin on his lips spread ever so slightly as he allotted an infuriatingly level-headed proposition, "How about this, hm? I'm certain that the many capable individuals in charge of gathering information in the police force would be apt enough to figure out my family tree. You can go ahead and tell them to do a background check on me if you want."
Okita drew his lips tight at the brazen suggestion as Saitou's hands extended out towards him in a way that indicated the words: go ahead, I don't mind. He wondered for a moment if Saitou was really that bold - his expression was nothing short of the epitome of innocence at its finest after all. Would he really be that unflinching if he was responsible for the drug ring?
Okita loathed it, but he didn't enjoy how the guise simply reinforced his guilt-free bearing instead. Unless he was really in the clear and was actually a law-abiding citizen, Okita doubted he would be so unafraid in his propounded response. Nevertheless, Okita still decided to retrieve his phone from the safety of his right pocket as the need for confirmation became all the more potent. Dialing up Yamazaki's number, Okita made a mental account to shoot a stick so far up Yamazaki's ass if it winded up with him making a foolish error in his observation.
A couple of rings echoed in his ears as he waited for a few moments for Yamazaki to pick up. When Yamazaki's sleepy-sounding voice reverberated from the other line, Okita immediately bombarded him with a mountain-load of questions. The more he conversed with Yamazaki on the phone, the more powerful his irritation puddled at the middle of his chest.
"So it was an oversight? How the hell did you manage to miscalculate? So he does have a twin? So we've been chasing the wrong guy the entire time?" Okita's voice was habitually neutral as ever, but if one listened closely enough, one would be able to perceive the repressed discontent inert underneath his impassive tone. "And? What did China and me do all of this for? I ought to kill you myself, I swear. Yeah, yeah. I'm telling Kondo-san that you were too busy jerking off to Tama-san that you made such a stupid mistake. Whatever. Make sure you sleep with one eye open tonight, Yamazaki."
He disregarded the horrified string of protests he elicited from Yamazaki's side of the line once the threat rolled off his tongue as he furiously pressed on the hang up button. Not bothering to explain to the other two the context of their discussion, Okita was pretty positive that Kagura and Saitou were able to grasp the current situation just from the few words he had uttered. Nonetheless, he was still peeved over the fact that the notion of apprehending Saitou in the hopes of keeping Kagura to himself was slipping further away from his fingers.
...Maybe he should slip some sort of laxatives in Yamazaki's anpan tomorrow. He was already making a habit out of trying to poison Hijikata on a regular basis - what difference would another person make?
His newfound hatred for Yamazaki aside, Okita shot a warning glare at Saitou's direction before blaring out a deafening, menacing growl, "Fine. You're off the hook - for now. Our dumb intel might have gotten the information all wrong, but trust me when I say that I'll shoot you dead if I end up finding out about you lying to us the entire time. You're not completely free yet, asshole. Stop smirking." The snarl purled from the back of his throat in unbridled venom as he narrowed his eyes at the cocky-ish, lopsided grin latched on the edges of Saitou's lips.
Saitou raised his arms up to his chest in a form of defeat, but contrary to Okita's wishes, the smirk on his visage only broadened an inch. A goading glimmer lingered in his pools of gold as he feigned the set of tactful letters. "Goodness. Quite feisty, aren't you? Rest assured that I would not mind being under your watchful scrutiny even in the slightest. I do understand that it is a part of your duty after all. Though I do wish you would stop staring at me like you would skin me alive."
I might if you don't stop being annoying, Okita scoffed in his thoughts but decided against verbalizing his perceptions as he opted to calmly reply instead, "Wouldn't be too weird, considering you've been eyeing up my girlfriend the whole night."
"Oh, really?" There was a look Okita didn't exactly like in Saitou's gilded gaze. He couldn't put his finger on what it was though, but it did kindle a sense of animosity in him regardless. "And here I was somewhat hoping that it was an undercover or something of the sort. It is a recurring theme in movies, is it not?"
It was a transparent bluff, but Okita supplied the smooth lie anyway as the urge to repudiate any chances of Saitou trying to woo Kagura sprouted at the middle of his chest. "No. What are you, a kid? China and I are completely in love with each other, so you'd do well to stay the fuck away from her. You might as well respect our relationship-"
But of course, Kagura had to correct him. "What are you babbling about, sadist? We're not dating. This whole girlfriend-boyfriend thing was a farce from the start and you know it."
Okita wasn't sure what he hated more - the oblivious, plain-spoken way Kagura had blurted out the truth or the relief flitting across Saitou's features as he visibly beamed in joy. "Is that so? Then it wouldn't be entirely immoral for me to ask you out on a date, I presume?"
Kagura's confused cerulean pupils blinked in a startled manner. "A date?"
The moment he saw her considering the offer, Okita felt an inexplicable surge of panic assaulting his senses. A growl rumbled through his chest as he caved in to his possessive impulse for once and instantly wrapped one arm around her waist, tugging her firmly against him as he levelled a withering look on Saitou's form. "If you think I'm handing her to you, you'd be dead wrong, pretty boy. We might not be seeing each other, but I'd rather drop dead than give her up."
But then Kagura placed one hand on his chest, and with an insistent and almost rough push, wrenched herself out of his hold. A twinge of hurt prickled into his heart, but he endorsed a blank expression on his visage regardless as he peered down at her frowning face. Bewilderment mingled with a conflicting flurry of anger and glee in her sapphire blue irises as she shot him an icy glare and went to cross her arms over her chest.
"I think that's up to me, no?" Kagura snarled at him.
Okita parted his lips to oppose, but catching the ire brewing in the way she contorted her features into a wrathful guise, immediately opted to keep his mouth shut. He waited with pooling dread as Saitou's mouth slanted upwards into a pleased, almost complacent smirk at her response.
"Agreed." Saitou nodded his head once before opening his mouth to go on, only to cut himself short as he caught the muffled but distinct sound of his manager shouting out his name from the other side of the door.
Heaving a sigh, the waiter sounded a barely audible begrudging grouch under his breath, his smirk faltering for a second to tug into a small scowl before his gaze swept over Kagura once again. Almost instantly, the smile returned on his face. "I am afraid our conversation would have to be postponed to a later date, Kagura-san. Can I have your number, if you'd let me?"
Kagura blinked again as he slipped out a piece of paper from his back pocket and gracefully handed it to her.
"Uh, yeah, sure, I guess," she coolly murmured under her breath, but Okita discerned - with much irritation - the faintest hint of pink donning her cheeks as she proceeded to jot down her number on the flimsy paper before giving it to Saitou again.
The brown-haired cop tried but failed to ignore the needles of jealousy stabbing into his heart as Saitou's fingers brushed against Kagura's, a nauseating sensation building in his gut as Saitou seized a firm but gentle hold on her hand before bringing it to his lips. China's face flushed into a vivid crimson shade in the form of a full-blown blush when Saitou's molten gold eyes locked with hers, his gaze staying fixed on her tomato-colored visage as he leaned down to leave a chaste, demure kiss on the back of her hand.
If Okita wanted to bloody murder him before, now he was beginning to consider the prospect of torturing him instead.
When Kagura stammered cutely in return and Saitou laughed out loud in amusement at her adorable reaction, Okita could have sworn the snake coiling around his heart only seemed to tighten its grip at his chest. He turned away from the sight when it got to the point that he felt as if the air was leaving his lungs.
It wasn't until Saitou's timbre echoed in his ears again did he finally choose to look at him again. He didn't miss the touch of infatuation in Saitou's gilded orbs as he stared down at Kagura, a warm smile lingering at the corners of his lips. "I suppose I'll give you a call later? If you're not too busy that is."
Okita detested the blush on her cheeks - mostly because he knew he wasn't the source of it. "Um, okay."
Saitou then spared a final glance at him before nodding his head. Although, as he motioned to open the door, the fluorescent yellow light of the restaurant peeking through the cracks, Okita could catch a glimpse of a mocking speck in his shimmering golds. "I would like to reiterate that it's been a pleasure to meet you, Okita-san. I do hope for our next encounter to be less...messy of course." Or so he said, but Okita could tell from the brief self-satisfied smirk on his mouth that he was far from sincere.
He stifled a snide interpose as he watched the door shortly shutting tight once Saitou pottered into the restaurant once again. He waited for the sounds of Saitou's thudding footsteps to completely wane into nothing before finally throwing the question out in the air in a hushed whisper.
"Oi, China. Do you like him?"
His voice was at such a low octave he would be astonished if anyone had been capable of hearing him, but surprisingly enough, Kagura did. There was an odd expression comprising of a mixture of excitement and guilt as she quietly muttered her response, "I guess he's...okay? I wouldn't know, it's only been a day after all. But it's the first time any man has shown an interest in me as a woman," then she paused, "aside from the sex, mind you. So I guess I wouldn't mind getting to know him. It's not like you give a shit, right?"
He failed to discern the disappointment in her voice as he was more absorbed in his own forceful tide of pure, unadulterated jealousy. He felt a painful constriction around his heart as fear mingled with envy and brewing ire once her undermining her importance to him reverberated in the air.
The ambience around them suddenly grew tense as the words rippled out of him before he knew it,
"If you think I only care about fucking you, that's where you're wrong." He paused to quell the raw desire patent in his voice before slowly droning on, "If I told you to date me instead and stopped flirting with other girls, would you forget about him? No other woman really matters to me. I want you, Kagura."
But a car had sped past the alley in a fast, deafening screech just as the candid declaration bubbled out his throat. Her happy hum dissipated into thin air as she turned her head towards him, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering up and down in a baffled, curious blink.
And as fate tended to be a prick to him, Kagura failed to catch any of the meaningful syllables.
The question that passed her lips pained him a lot more than he was willing to admit. "Huh? Did you say something, sadist?" she asked him as she levelled him with an inquisitive gape.
But he decided against repeating the pseudo-confession as he shook his head. "Nothing. Only that you look fat and you owe me a lot of money."
A/N: I really do enjoy the support this fandom gives. You guys are all so sweet for leaving such long motivating reviews XD. It livens up my days.
That said though, I'm afraid this might be my last active update for this fic for the next few months. My internship program is around the corner and god knows the tedious process I have to settle as preparations for that. There are so many things to do and it doesn't help that higher ups like to inform important information at the last minute. Still, my updates will either become irregular or nonexistent until July, depending on how my schedule as an intern will be. I feel bad for my readers but I do appreciate it if you guys understand and be patient with the lack of continuation. Rest assured that I'm not planning on abandoning any of my fics including this one. After my internship program is over (maybe in mid-July), I promise I'll make it up to you guys XD
Also, this chapter came out pretty lengthier than the previous ones if you noticed. Mostly because I know I wouldn't be able to give you guys anything for a while, so I felt compelled to at least bestow this particularly long installment for my wonderful readers lol.
dwindydwindles- Lol, that's impeccable timing. Aw, you're welcome! And thank you as well for supporting my story XD.
JuneyOkikagu- Lmao, my thoughts exactly. Okita definitely catches on to romantic feelings a lot easier and faster than Kagura lol. And who wouldn't fall for Kagura's charms to be honest? Ah, expect a lot of drama and a lot of sweet, heart-thumping scenes between Okikagu for sure. I'm happy that you're enjoying the story so far, and well, can't say much about the new guy because of possible spoilers lol. And thank you! You made me happy and your words give me a lot of drive. You're such a sweet gal (or pal. I'm not sure if you're a man or a woman lol).
lightbattery- Of course he would be a tough competition XD. Gonna need a walking gentlemanly Adonis to match Okita's godly charms lol. And yes, I did make Okita seem pretty shitty, didn't I? Lol, but I feel like he'd be pretty clueless on how to handle his feelings as previously mentioned in the last chapter, it's the first time he's ever fallen for someone. I'm glad a lot of people seem to like Saitou so far XD. I purposely made him the exact opposite of Okita just to make Okita more insecure lol. But yes, we can't trust Saitou too much lol. Aw, thank you for the reassurance concern! I love how readers in this fandom are so cute and sweet, yourself included XD. And lmao, it's fine - we all procrastinate at some point.
Yiwako- I'm happy to see you liking the story so far! XD
Heatherishere- Saitou's the perfect husband material while Okita seems to give off the bad boy kind of vibe lol. I enjoyed writing the juxtaposition in their personalities. And lol, did you just prophesied Saitou asking her out on a date? XD. Thank you! I honestly wouldn't imagine Sougo being jealous and Kagura biting back at him any other way so I'm glad you liked it lol. We all know how straightforward Kagura can be. And it's true that sometimes you don't need insults to actually hurt a person, so I'm happy you mentioned that detail! Makes me feel appreciated.
Ah, I see that everyone is a pervert like myself lol. Everyone's wondering about the sex, though I wouldn't expect any less from the Gintama fandom XD.
Thank you! You're sweeter lol. I make sure to respond to reviews as much as I can because I love interacting with you guys. Everyone sounds pretty busy with exams so I wish you all good luck!
CheeryLola- Lmao, your support and love for this fic touches my heart so much XD. It's adorable to imagine one of my readers going to the cute extent of setting a timer to read this story. It really does help with my self-esteem as a writer. And thank you! I'm glad everyone's enjoying how I described Sougo's perspective on him catching feelings for her. Makes me think I didn't make a mistake somewhere so thank you for the kind words. Him falling for the first time with Kagura makes it easier to make him come across as a douche once someone comes along to steal her attention lol. As usual, I see that sex is on everyone's list of pondering XD. I wouldn't blame any of you though, lolololol. Everyone seems to love Saitou so far, so that's good. He's honestly the perfect guy...supposedly lol.
Aw, thank you! I'm happy to help make anyone's day better with my stories.
Guest- You proposed a good question, though you're gonna have to wait and see lmao XD. There's gonna be a good focus on the triangle though. And also, thank you for the support! I'm happy that you're loving this story.
P/S: I didn't expect the Gintama fandom to be this active, but hell I'm not complaining. I reread your reviews and smile to myself every time I do. They really do make me a lot happier, so I appreciate all the love and support everyone's given on Nirvana so far!
