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 18

Oddly enough, in spite of the fact she tried to come up with different topics to steer her mind away from the subject of Okita Sougo, her mouth went on a spree revolving around him regardless. A plethora of Okita-related chatters left through her muffled chewing as she wolfed down on the mouth-watering meal presented in front of her:

"Did I ever tell you about the time the sadist gave me bruises and a hospital visit on my 16th birthday as a present? He's a dick, I swear."

"And not to mention, he's got this really nasty streak where he tries to pull various assassination attempts on the mayo freak. Sometimes when he's bored, he includes poor Yamazaki in there as well. I feel bad for them, almost. Well, not really. And I think 99% of our brawls, he's usually trying to kill me."

"Oh, yeah, and he even stole tons of my JUMP magazines a few times! That prick, does he think money grows out assholes or something?"

"Oh, and he bleached my hair in a lot of instances too! It was so hard trying to get the white dye out of my hair, you know? And that's not even one of his worst pranks…"

"That reminds me about the time he put a dead fish in my mailbox. And a picture of my name written in what seemed like a surprisingly well-done copy of the Death Note he bought online too. Wait, come to think of it, he likes putting a lot of things in my mailbox. The other day he smudged everything in there in tomato sauce as if it's some kind of joke. Probably is for the sick bastard. Well…looking back on it though, he really does like coming by my house a lot."

"And get this, he had this really weird idea to just put tabasco in my 18th birthday cake! Can you imagine that? What kind of asshole would even think to ruin a poor girl's birthday for a stupid prank like that?!"

One of Saitou's dark blue eyebrows twitched ever so slightly as the right corner of his mouth suffered a hairline fracture and almost faltered in a few jerks before he briskly collected himself and recouped his never wavering gallant bearing.

The girl before him had been ceaselessly including incessant sprinkles of Okita Sougo in their conversations, and he hadn't exactly minded it – at first. In fact, he had even deemed it rather endearing (not to mention, hilarious) the first few times she involuntarily mentioned the sadist. But after a full hour of her bad-mouthing (in his eyes, however, he saw it as a wife complaining about her good-for-nothing husband) him, Saitou's patience was understandably running thin. In spite of his simply miniscule interest in her, Saitou still harbored a rather engorged pride after all, and to have his date talk continuously about another man right before him was more than damaging to his inflated male ego.

Yet he kept at it with his mask of composure, never even once taking off the congenial façade from the exterior of his handsome features as his courteous smile remained intact. He inwardly noted the rather large amounts of stacked up plates on the table as Kagura practically drank up her food instead of properly chewing on it, and mused to himself what a gluttonous pig this seemingly petite woman was. Idly, he wondered where all that fat went in her body, though considering her quite noticeable curves, he probably needn't ponder that long to figure it out. Not that he would ever say these rather insulting but inappropriate thoughts out loud of course.

"Is that so? How awful that entire experience must have been for you." He had to clear his throat to vanquish the tinge of annoyance threatening to scratch the surface before it was swiftly repudiated by his cool voice. "It would appear that Okita-san has been quite a…troublemaker since he was young. I see that it is not something he just picked up a while ago," or so he verbalized, but his train of musings went more among the lines of: evidently, he's a pest, a nuisance, and a thorn at everyone's side, followed with a long list of other patronizing name-callings that he would never vocalize aloud. Regardless, he calmly went on, "I am not at all astonished by this. Although, I must say, you two have known each other for a relatively extended time. I am ashamed to admit that I am somewhat envious or your close relations with him."

He was not nonplussed at all when a familiar flush of embarrassment rushed to imbue itself on her now heated cheeks. Nor was he confounded when she refused to acknowledge his direct declaration of feigned jealousy as she supplied a fumbling response,

"W-well, I'm not that close with him. It's just that we so happen to be around one another a lot, okay? It's not what you think at all, it doesn't mean…" she paused, pressing her lips tight. It doesn't mean anything, her pride implored her, but a certain part of her was terribly aware of the lie behind the egoistic words.

She cleared her throat rather violently and rapidly changed the subject in an effort to temporarily push away her feelings for him before continuing, "In any case, yeah. He's always been a huge blockhead. He's disgusting, a deviant, a sadist, and a dipstick. But…" Memories of Okita's affectionate murmurs of her name, and recollections of his tender fingers ghosting a warm shadow over her flesh as he gently brushed her bangs away and trailed lazy, soothing circles on the skin of her plump cheeks resurfaced from somewhere in the depths of her mind. Her lips trembled before she eventually mumbled, her voice barely audible, "I don't exactly hate it. In fact, I kinda like those things about him. And he's not so bad, really. Even if he is a dummy."

The words left her before she could halt them in their tracks, and she briefly hoped that Saitou didn't catch them. Although, a stronger part of her wished he did so that he could understand.

Wait. Understand what? What are you on about, Kagura?

The confused musing occurred in her, but she quickly opted to shrug it aside. No matter, it wasn't as if Saitou could have heard what she had uttered to begin with anyway. Her hushed syllables resonated at a horribly low octave that even she had to strain her own ears to actually make out the letters.

Contrary to her beliefs, however, Saitou perceived her pseudo-confession even though the sounds came off indistinct as they reverberated in his keen hearing senses. For a moment, his fascination in her dwindled an ounce as the recognizable feeling of boredom loomed over his head like a dark grey and murky cloud. Well, this was getting a little bit predictable.

"Hm," he hummed more to himself than to her, as he took a sip of his jasmine tea. The warm beverage melted on his tongue and conferred an almost soothing effect as it slithered down the back of his suddenly dry throat. But before he could even fully appreciate the taste, an abrupt prickling pain erupted in a torturous burst in his mouth. Alarmed by the unexpected sensation of needles bristling into his soft tongue, he began convulsing almost ferociously as he audibly wheezed, coughing rather forcefully in a desperate endeavor to relieve the spasm of pain.

Droplets of blood splattered all over the polyester tablecloth adorning their table, the spurting beads of ichor tainting the once unsullied white of the fabric a group of bright, large-sized dots of scarlets as he continued to croak out what seemed to be a bunch of thumbtacks from the insides of his mouth. That fucking douche! The rare coarse language reverberated in his thoughts as his head swiftly conjured up the possible perpetrator behind the assault.

Despite his bouts of frustration and brewing animosity, however, Saitou had to give a round of applause to Okita for managing to not only ignite the scarcity of him emitting unbecoming curses in his head, but also for his accomplishment of eliciting his ire and bloodlust. He didn't bother mulling over the exact timing when the sadist had tampered with his drink as he raised his right hand upwards in a muted message at Kagura to not concern herself about him when she nearly stood from her seat to help.

"I'm fine, Kagura-san. This is nothing compared to all those long hours of working overtime at a rundown restaurant," his raspy baritone quivered, rupturing little bits and pieces of the collected approach he was trying to endorse as he tried to swallow once. Only to silently wince to himself and inwardly shriek profanities in his subconscious when the action was accompanied with a terrible surge of discomfort.

At that moment, he decided that Okita Sougo could afford to go to hell for all he cared.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked him once again, patent worry perceptible in her feminine voice. She reached a hand forward as if to assist him, and he took that opportunity to put his plans into action.

Then, as if in an act of revenge, his own hand shot up just as hers was mid-way from his face, his fist seizing a grip around her wrist and ignoring her startled yelp and subtle attempt at pulling away as he wrenched her hand closer and leaned in to plant a firm but featherlight kiss on her knuckles. Her fingers gave out instinctive jerks at this, though it wasn't the kind of reaction that he would regularly garner from his previous conquests. It was the first time that anyone had ever been so openly repulsed by his touch, he supposed in a mixture of silent amusement and being outrightly offended, and let her when she slowly and awkwardly tugged her tiny wrist out of his grasp.

"Well." He cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to recoup his tattered pride and equally destroyed presence of mind. Outwardly, though, he offered the slightest hints of a warm and charming – albeit bloody, thanks to a certain asshole of a sadist – smile at the rather perturbed girl. "At least I got a small peck as a result of that. Getting my throat reduced into nothing but torn shreds from being prickled by thumbtacks pales in comparison to the well-deserving prize of kissing your lovely hand. Although, I apologize for catching you off guard with the sudden gesture."

Kagura appeared to be unable to directly meet his playful gaze as hers diverted to everywhere else but him. "Yeah, exactly," she huffed in a splinter of infuriation, the indignation blending with a wave of discomfort as the girl shot him a nervous look from her peripheral vision. "You really gotta stop sneaking in little kisses here and there. I'm not a fan of them. At least ask if it's okay to touch me before actually getting your grubby little fingers over me. I know I'm hot, but control yourself," she finished with the teasing remark, the arrogant posturing an attempt at shrouding her own anxiety as she tried not to come across as if she had been unnerved by the unwelcome contact.

An abrupt frisson of annoyance permeated Saitou's insides. He wasn't sure what irritated him, whether it was the fact that it was a first that any woman had ever recoiled from his advances, or the fact that he had put up with hours of her chattering about some other guy when she had someone of his class in front of her – but he was surprisingly more volatile than he expected. Before he knew it, the friendly mask that had never left him scurried inside to reveal the ugly monster dormant underneath.

A single eyebrow quirked at her, the tiny raise possessing undertones of sarcasm as the sinister implications sentient in his rich baritone sounded when the words passed his lips, "Hm. Is that so? You didn't seem to mind Okita-san's arm wrapped around you the other day, nor were you bothered by any of his perverted advances. If anything, I would even go as far as to say that you enjoy them. I must say, for someone who had violently denied her attraction towards him, you are quite attached to him, Kagura-san. Oh, I don't suppose I have to mention that rather scandalous call either, do I?"

He wasn't jealous. Far from that actually. If anything, he was getting tired of keeping up the pretense as he was becoming more and more bored as time flittered by between them. He didn't feel anything for her, and it had only been out of the sheer urge to satisfy both his curiosity and need for entertainment. He had always known that, and for the first time, Kagura came to recognize it as well.

For a brief second, Kagura caught on to the short-lasting glimpses of a wolfish, almost disdainful sneer tugging at one corner of his lips. She also eventually perceived the loss of humanity in his once shimmering aurelians, the forced emotion in there subsiding to give away to an empty canvas as he stared blankly at nothing in particular. Although fleeting, the simple slant and the sudden disconnect in his eyes were enough to send chills down her spine. It was different from the sadist's shit-eating grin, and a direct contrast to the annoying smiles she had ever earned from any other men around her. And Saitou's robotic irises held in contempt the feistiness behind the aloofness of Okita Sougo as they looked directly into hers. His smile, his eyes – they seemed angry, terrifying and cold. Chillingly cold, in fact. Almost as if he wasn't human. Almost as if he was nothing but a doll, barred from any attachments.

And even though it had only been a short-lasting moment, Kagura finally comprehended the enigma that was Saitou Shuu: He didn't care for anyone. No one but himself served as any importance to him. This was the true him, not the prince-like front he had continually wore before her. The revelation frightened her, but oddly enough, it tugged at her heartstrings and comforted her and brought forth her sympathy all at once.

Then, as if it just occurred to him that he was revealing too much of himself, the false semblance of chivalry returned on his face as his once forbidding sneer was now replaced with a warm, alluring smile. Before, he would have her fooled by his polite persona, but now that she had seen what laid beneath, she was able to detect how remarkably fake the quirk of his lips were.

"My apologies," Even his feigned honeyed voice irked her, "that was rather out of line. It was not in my intention to offend you in any way-"

"Why-" Kagura cut him short, sounding an audible gulp as she hesitated before staring straight into his eyes and echoed the hushed murmur, "-are you pretending? You don't need to put up a front, you know? I don't like it. Just say what you're really thinking. That makes me feel better." The words escaped her before she could stop them, but the minute they fluttered out of her, Saitou's smile wavered. An unreadable expression was now plastered on his features as his blank golden pools fixed a long, steadfast gape on her.

But this time he didn't seem upset. If anything, he looked a little confused.

On the other hand, Saitou's mind was reeling with a jumbled mess of odd thoughts that had never crossed his head before. He comprehended that it was his temporary lapse in judgement and his momentary loss of cool that had disclosed the truth behind his ugly personality to her now hawk-eyed scrutiny. Yet out of the reactions he had anticipated, her entreating him to act like himself was the last thing he had foreseen on his long list of predictions.

There was an undeniable remnant of bewilderment, the emotion mingling with a fermenting trace of miniscule fear as it danced in her cerulean orbs. But there was also an insinuation of exasperation, of pity, and most importantly, feistiness. It was almost as if she was demanding him instead of asking.

How laughable.

He was always the one able to see through everyone else around him. He knew what kind of person someone was just with a single glance, yet no one was aware of his true colors. But for some reason, while she was reading through him right now, he found himself suddenly unable to read through another person for once in his life thus far. Oh, how the tables have turned indeed.

Even so, while her request to lay bare his true self further fueled his interest in her, the fact that he was now incapable of seeing through her also invited his boredom. A laugh erupted from his chest at the same time he finally decided: well, it was time to force an abrupt end to this poor charade. He was getting tired of this game as well.

Therefore, for the sake of summing up the finale of their pretend relationship, and to also fulfill her strange bidding to be honest with his conceptions, he blurted out everything he had repressed during these few weeks of knowing her:

"You are quite undignified for such an attractive lady. You lack any manners at the table, and your unhealthy food consumption is worrying at best, and hideous at worst. The way you spit out your food and obsess over sukonbu gets on my nerves, the way you talk infuriates me just because of how deeply unsophisticated you sound every time you open your mouth, and your revealing manner of dressing yourself hurts my poor eyeballs. I could list about a million other things I found distasteful about you, but that would go on for hours on end, so I'll refrain myself from reducing my vocal chords into smithereens and settle with this: you are quite unbecoming, and we are not fitting with one another. Not that I mind, I never liked you with sincerity from the first place."

By the time his blabberings was over and done with, Saitou was already cringing at the fact that those sentences were the longest exclamations he had ever had the displeasure of proclaiming. Yet, it was the first time the words that left his lips harbored even a touch of genuinity – and that both embarrassed but comforted him all at once. But of course, she didn't need to know that. And so, just as Kagura sat flabbergasted with her mouth wide ajar from the long list of complaints he had poured over her, Saitou began smoothing out his shirt and started to make for his leave.

The moment the screeching noise of him pulling back his chair was the second Kagura eventually sputtered out of her shock. "Wait- are you leaving already? After all those shitty things you've said about me?"

"Offensive as they may be, they were my actual opinions towards you," Saitou bluntly answered her with the tart reply, checking the time described on his wristwatch as he unceremoniously went on, "You were the one who wanted to know my honest feelings, yes? So there you have it. And yes, I've had enough of this date, so I'm leaving."

"There you have it, my ass!" Saitou side-stepped just in time to elude Kagura's sharp kick as her leg shot up to jab at his ribcage. His composed aurelians bore into her angry ocean blues as she proceeded with an outraged snarl, "Y-you little shit! So why were you making moves on me to begin with?! Because of you, sadist and I…"

"I wanted to ease my boredom. My daily routine was becoming borderline tiresome after all," he replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world, crouching in the nick of time when she lunged forward to pummel a tight fist to his face. Neither of them paid any heed to the high-pitched thud of her chair toppling over as the girl collapsed on the carpeted floor, and he didn't even bother to offer her a hand as she staggered before getting back to her feet.

Instead, he continued, "Furthermore, I was not responsible for your relationship with Okita-san drifting apart. In case you have forgotten, you were the one who hurt him with all those exaggerated remarks you made the other day." Although, I was the one who incited you into saying them in the first place, he added in his thoughts but shrewdly opted to keep the musings to himself.

"Huh?!" Blood surged to her head, probably out of both shame at herself and fury at him for calling her out. "W-who said it was my fault?! It's yours for assuming there was even anything remotely romantic going on between us."

"That tsundere front of yours is getting stale as well," he remarked drily, once again effortlessly but briskly swerving to the right to avoid another kick as she practically launched herself at him. A short-lived laughter rippled out of him as the plates fell to the floor, the sounds of glass breaking and the waiters shouting a blessing to his ears as he took in the amusing sight of her slumping face-first into their table, crumbling it into splinters from the impact as she crushed it under the force of her fall.

"Because you two are a pair of befuddled buffoons, let me give you a hint, Bakagura-san," he told her with an impish grin on his features as he shoved his hands into the safety of his pockets. His chin held up high as he cocked his head back and looked down at her with cocky posturing.

"Who the hell are you calling Bakagura, you scum?!" Kagura hollered at him in pure, unadulterated rage before immediately jolting upwards to a standing position once more.

He wisely chose to ignore her. "Since you're so deep in your female ego to admit it yourself, I'll ask you this question: if there's nothing going on between you and Okita-san, then what is he exactly to you?" Brushing his fringe from his eyes, he idly noted to himself that it was time to trim his bangs before he then uttered, "Think hard and long about it, you silly ignoramus. I'm willing to reckon that even your lack of brain cells are capable of working themselves to the point of entering overdrive mode to conjure up the conclusion. The fact is quite blatantly under your nose after all, only that you're irritatingly trying to disregard it."

"What are you even on about…" she tried, but failed as the words failed to leave her throat. Bewilderment mingled with a sudden spasm of ache as his question resonated in her head in loud, repeating echos. The minute she tried to put some thought into it, her heart constricted almost painfully in her chest. Her mouth parted open in muted shock as her eyes widened into saucers in silent recognition.

He granted her a perfect inquiry that pushed her thoughts into a state of chaos as she mused: What was Okita Sougo to her, actually?

It was supposed to be simple really.

The first time she had approached him, she was fourteen and he was eighteen. She had heard about his sister's passing, and for some reason the sight of his depressed self reminded her too much of her brother and herself. That thought alone prompted her need to beat some sense into him, if only to rile him up to the point that she could get his mind off of Mitsuba's death. And he hadn't reacted much at first, only to cave and start his own assaults against her when her constant pestering at him for a brawl eventually pushed the last of his buttons. She heard from a few of his friends that he began acting like himself again right after.

That was what started everything between them. The beginning of their convoluted relationship. After that, they pulled numerous ill-conceived pranks towards one another; hair-bleaching, tampering with each other's alarm clocks so the other would miss school and get into trouble, placing odd, disgusting objects in one another's mailboxes – whatever anyone could think of, they had done it. Done it and milked each prank to the full extreme, in fact. They had engaged themselves in their daily routine of petty fights and insulting jibes, had even gotten suspended at the same time when their antics landed the entire school in jeopardy on more than a few occassions. They were a pair that was a constant pain in the ass not only for their circle of friends, but the teachers and principal as well. And even after they had aged up a little, their rivalry remained the same. Their childish escapades remained the same.

Yet despite their apparent animosity towards each other, there was no doubt a strong sense of camaraderie between them. Whenever anyone made her cry, he would be the first to beat them into a pulp before never failing to utter those exact words every time: "only I getto bully her. This girl is my prey. Find your own plaything."

Whenever he was sick, she would be the first to visit and take care of him because she knew he had no actual female figure in his life to spoil him. Though her caring for him almost regularly took place after she had her fill with laughing at his expense.

Whenever she was admitted to the hospital (because she was such a troublemaker who liked to pick fights with practically everyone she came across), he was the first to come by, if only to poke fun at her and make her day a little bit better with their usual banter.

Whenever he pulled his murderous endeavors to take Hijikata's life, she was the first to either join or stop him – depending on her mood at the moment. She was also the first person to throw out the suggestion that he should always keep a bazooka at hand in case he needed to blow Hijikata out into space.

Despite everything, they were the firsts of a lot of prospects for each other. Her first draw, her first loss, his first draw, his first loss, the first person to be able to keep up with her strength, the first person to remain unafraid of him in spite of his sadistic tendencies. Each other's first actual rivals, one another's first best friends that were anywhere close to being around their age before either Soyo or Nobume came into the picture. The first person to pull him out of his angst and depression after his sister's death, the first person to offer her some sort of semblance of familiarity after her mami's passing. There were too many firsts to list, but after everything was said and done, they remained as first and foremost to each other. As much as they hated to acknowledge it as a fact, a fact was a fact nonetheless. And this was a fact that had remained a part of their complicated relationship from the very beginning.

Whenever he wasn't around, she felt uneasy. Whenever she couldn't see him, she felt the urge to go and see him. Whenever she was bored, his face was the first thing that would cross her mind. She had always shrugged it off as her being attached to him as her rival. But looking back on it, there could have possibly been more to her feelings than she had expected.

A lot of things passed her subconscious at that moment. He was her rival, her ever-present thorn at her side, the most annoying and exasperating man in her life, the best fuck she had ever had…and yet he was also more. He meant a lot more to her than she wanted to admit.

Love.

She loved the tenderness in his voice that he only saved for her and her alone. She loved the gentle touches of his fingers whenever they met with her skin. She loved the touch of adoration in his once detached scarlets whenever they locked eyes with each other. She loved his subtle but also not so subtle need to be around her, no matter how pesky or annoying she might find him to be.

She loved Okita-fucking-Sougo.

But right at the second the realization finally settled in on her skin, the harsh words that she had spouted at him a few days prior also came to mind.

"I hate him, okay?! That's never gonna change! We're never gonna be more than what we are right now! I-I don't like him at all, alright?!"

"I'd never, never, never ever date him! Hell, I'll never fall for him. Even if the world ends, I'll never, never, like him for more than just sex!"

"It's just sex and it's never gonna be more than that, alright?!"

It was supposed to be simple. But the problem with her and Okita Sougo's relationship was that it was anything but simple. Yet for the sake of clinging to her foolish pride and because of the lingering fear of losing what they shared with one another, she had unknowingly refused to acknowledge her feelings for him without even realizing it.

…She really was an idiot. She went and ruined her chances at romance before she could even start anything with him.

The sound of Saitou's shoes shuffling against the carpeted floor brought her out of her reverie.

"I'm gonna kick your ass the next time I see you," she murmured under her breath, the threat holding a dangerous edge despite the hushed manner in which she vocalized the syllables as it resounded in the midst of the sounds of Saitou's footsteps trudging away from her. He stopped, but didn't bother to spare even a fleeting glance at her. Not that she cared, she couldn't bear to look him or anyone in the eye at the moment either.

"Of course. Try and catch me if you can," Saitou's almost laughing voice crackled at her. She could almost feel the infuriating smirk spreading on his features as he spoke, "Although, whether I let you anywhere near me solely depends on my own whims, so do not hope to be able to satiate your bloodlust that easily, Kagura-san."

With an uncaring wave of his right hand, Saitou then loudly proclaimed, "Send my regards to the other ignoramus, Okita-san, if you will. Then again, that's only if you can keep a straight enough face to talk to him of course. You disgusting lovebirds could perish for all I care."

Then, with those final words to her, he left. As abruptly as he had entered their lives, Saitou sprinted out of the picture in an equally swift fashion. Racking havoc in their relationship whenever he wanted, and sparing them the terrible possibility of successfully tearing them apart at the last minute just for the hell of it. Kagura had presumed that Okita was the personification of evil itself, but after meeting the individual called Saitou Shuu, she stood corrected.

But if there was anything that Saitou managed to do for them was this: altering their relationship to a point that they could no longer return to just being frenemies anymore. Forcing them to forgo their respective prides and realize their actual feelings for one another. Either he was the devil or an angel, Kagura couldn't comprehend. Nor did she think Saitou understood it either.


Kondo's gorilla voice echoed. "Why is China talking incessantly about you, Sougo? All she's ever said for the past hour is sadist this, sadist that."

"Dunno," came his seemingly stand-offish response. But inside, he was quite a happy bastard. If the sight of the flush of his cheeks darkening ever so slightly with each mention of him passing through China's lips echoing from the hearing device in his hands was anything to go by, the miniscule glint of joy in his ruby red eyes certainly gave it away.

"How the hell did you manage to slip in thumbtacks inside his tea, Sougo?"

"Magic, Hijikata-san. Duh," came his blunt reply, as if it was a normal answer. In truth he had slid in those dangerous things in the stock of jasmine tea in the restaurant's store the night before. But at the moment, he was more than a tad exhilarated to see Saitou choking on the thumbtacks.

"Oi, chill," Hijikata's gun pointed at him the minute he retrieved his bazooka from out of nowhere when Saitou kissed Kagura's fingers. Although, the jealousy was short-lasting and was briskly replaced with a surge of glee when she recoiled and pulled back almost instantly.

The more they observed the date, the more messy it got. Okita was more than relieved when Saitou revealed the ugly shit-weasel that he was, but that relief subsided to give way to a stronger wave of triumph when Kagura seemed more than slightly disgusted with Saitou's actual personality.

But nothing could actually top what happened next.

The second Saitou asked her the question, "What is he exactly to you?" his heart had almost stopped before starting again with accelerated thumps in his chest as he nervously awaited Kagura's answer.

Yet it never came. She simply didn't offer anything in response.

And although rather frustrated at first, Okita had soon understood the reason behind her silence. The silence was a response in and of itself, the silence was a confession in and of itself. And the rather faraway view of her eyes widening in shocked realization was enough to confirm his suspicions.

Oh, right. He forgot the rotten bitch was also a rotten tsundere bitch.

…She really was an idiot. But he wasn't one to talk either, considering how stupidly insecure he had been this entire time. Why were they so blind to one another's affections, even though it was so easy for them to understand their ongoing rivalry? They were both idiots, him and China. But it didn't matter. It was fine now. He was fine now. He was a hopelessly happy and hopelessly in love idiot right now, so it was more than fine actually.

He didn't notice when and where to Saitou had disappeared, but he couldn't care less as a gladdened fit of guffaws vibrated through his chest. When was the first time he had ever felt this happy? It felt like his heart would burst out just from the sheer joy swelling in it like a rapid forest fire spreading everywhere.

"Oi, Sougo. What are you laughing about? That's creepy."

He was in cloud nine, but of course Hijikata Toshirou being the man that he was, just had to almost ruin the moment. Almost.

Not even Hijikata's freaked out expression managed to hamper his happiness as he simply conferred a laughing but murderous remark,

"Shut up, Hijikata-san. Want me to shove the butt of my bazooka up your ass?"

Now that he was finally aware of her real feelings towards him, Okita Sougo couldn't possibly be a happier man than this until the moment they would eventually get together. And somewhere in his heart, he swore to himself to never let her go once he got her in his grasp.

With that resolve set in mind, Okita then stood from the bushes and began ambling his way towards the restaurant.

"Hey, wait, Sougo! What do you think you're doing, she'll kill you if she finds out we've been staking out their date the entire time!" Hijikata attempted to halt him in his tracks, but to no avail as he kept marching forward nevertheless.

With a single peace-sign at his two closest peers, Okita simply said, "Gotta go make fun of and comfort a pathetic little piggie who just got dumped, ya know? See ya."

Then as the bell chime signalling a customer's entrance and exit through the restaurant resonated in a distinct hum in their ears, Hijikata and Kondo could only watch from afar as the once immature brat – who had now grown to be quite a man himself without them even realizing and noticing it, eventually approached the only demonic woman who could even come close to being his life partner.

"Toshi."

"Yeah?"

"Now we've got a monster duo in our hands. What are we gonna do?"

"…Well." There was a puff of smoke as Hijikata exhaled the intake of breath that he had inhaled earlier. "Before we congratulate them, I guess we gotta ask the perm boy and four eyes to commit seppuku first. It's gonna be hell on earth from here on out, Kondo-san. Gotta brace ourselves."

"Toshi."

"What is it now?"

"…I think that's the first time I've seen such a big, toothy grin on Sougo's face. It sorta creeps me out."

"…Yeah."


A/N: There you have it, the end of…Kagura's and Saitou's messy date lmao. It isn't the end of the fic just yet. There are about four other chapters left (all of which pertains a plethora of Okikagu moments that you've been waiting for) but I'm kinda sad to see this story nearing its finale. That said though, I hope you guys will stay for the rest of the ride.

JuneyOkikagu, alcaponieeee, CheeryLola, Heatherishere- Aw, don't worry about missing out reviews on any chapters, I'm appreciative of any feedback at all ;) I'm so glad I managed to make everyone hate Saitou in the reviews lolol I guess that means he's sort of a well-written villain if I got what I was trying to achieve??? And yes, there is no way Sougo is gonna give up on Kagura that easily. I mean, he's one of the most persistent characters I've ever come across (though then again the entire Gintama cast are persistent crackheads so). I'm also so happy that I finally got Kagura's and Saitou's 'date' out of the way, I love Okikagu so much that I made a mess out of it as much as possible lmao. But yeah, after this chapter, expect a lot of Okikagu fluff and cuteness (maybe some sprinkles of humor too). And yeah, the entire Shinsengumi are such bros lololol. Of course they're gonna back him up on his love. Ohhh, and look forward to smut in later chapters too he-he. That's probably gonna be the last smut for this fic, so I'll try to make it as steamy as possible XD. I'm glad that I managed to describe Kagura's charms so perfectly, she's one of my favorite anime girls tbh. The fact that Sorachi didn't make them canon still leaves an empty void in my Okikagu heart T.T Thank you for being so worried about my well-being. You guys are so lovely really. And you're welcome, I'm happy to be able to make anyone's day. Hope that whatever is getting my readers down or/and keeping you guys busy goes away soon, and I appreciate all the time and effort spent into reading and giving feedbacks to this story. In any case, I'm hoping you guys have a wonderful rest of your days. Take care as well! And love and hugs to you all too! :3