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 19
"Yo, Shuu."
Saitou was not at all astonished when a Toyota Prius, its sapphire blue tinge and number plate familiar, parked right next to the spot he was situated at on the sidewalk. In fact, he had rather expected it. Nor was he confounded to find a similar face staring back at him.
He swerved his gaze downwards to check the time as described by his wristwatch for the umpteenth time that day. 12:00 p.m. His so-called date with Kagura had lasted for about a good hour and a half, with the slightly adorable dunce wasting a good sixty minutes on bad-mouthing another man who was supposedly the object of her affections in front of him. It was the shortest, worst, but most fun date he had ever had the pleasure and displeasure of experiencing.
He spent another half an hour simply wandering around on the modestly crowded sidewalk, no destination in mind as he merely let his feet take him wherever they wanted. Well, more like he had wished that the car following closely behind him would eventually sustain some boredom and leave him the peace of being alone. Yet his efforts proved to be futile as the day seemed to have a terrible knack of not going his way.
"Shun," he greeted back with a tight smile as the tinted window slid down in a slow but gradual manner to reveal the handsome man in the driver's seat.
Briefly, Saitou considered his chances of escape, only to immediately repudiate the slim opportunity as he felt like he couldn't be bothered to indulge himself in a wild goose chase at the moment. Although normally not minding the rather entertaining pastime as it helped ease his boredom at least a little, Saitou was currently suffering from a rarity in his life: he was exhausted and simply didn't feel like fleeing around the entire town.
This man, who had been irritatingly on his not-so-subtle pursuit for him for the past thirty minutes, was no one other than his own twin brother. Saitou Shun.
Their striking features matched each other, though their styles held in contempt to one another's sense of fashion. Whilst Saitou preferred to dress himself in casual but undeniably well-groomed attires, Shun tended to favour a more comfortable variety of clothes. Hoodies, slacks, and sneakers were his brother's trademark appearance.
Their hairstyles were the splitting image of each other though. Mostly because both of them were too lazy to actually change it up – partially because Saitou found it amusing and Shun found it a burden off his shoulders that so many officers more often than not were foolish enough to mistake him as Shun. Saitou was somewhat a vagabond himself – and wherever he went, there was regularly some kind of law enforcement on Shun's trail. Saitou had fun taking out his boredom on messing around with them, and Shun had the pleasure of getting the police off his back for a while.
"Stop standin' there like an idiot and get in the car," Shun simply told him, and he mulled over the pros and cons of saying no. After a good minute of Shun's detached stare regressing to that of an exasperated glare, and another good minute of Saitou purposely drawing out his thinking time just to push his buttons – he eventually concluded that there was no harm in playing along for now.
Hell, if he was lucky, the police could still be keeping him under observation and he could land Shun in hot water. And if he was even luckier, he could feast his eyes on the sight of his brother's arrest going down. But no luck, both because today was proving to be one of his unluckiest ones and due to the fact that Shun himself was quite slippery as an eel. Yet he went to open the passenger's seat regardless, flopping down in a cheery manner despite the thin line of muted chagrin on Shun's lips before he then shut the door close once he was inside.
"To what do I owe pleasure?" he asked in a feigned courteous voice. This kind of polite façade would habitually perform against other people, but not his twin at least. He enjoyed doing it on a regular basis anyway just to get on Shun's nerves though.
"Pleasure, my ass. Ya say that as if it's ever been a pleasure seeing yer ugly mug," Shun groused under his breath as he started the car up again. Saitou waited a few moments for them to reach the scarlet hue of the traffic light and for the car to halt in its tracks once again before offering a response.
"Good lord, dear brother," he faked a startled gasp and placed a hand over his chest in false hurt, contorting his face in a simulated shocked expression that he was certain would aggravate Shun even more, "How could you say that? And here I was looking forward to seeing you again."
"Why hasn't anyone run ya over yet? I swear if we weren't blood-related, I would've cut ya down with an axe or somethin' a long time ago," Shun grumbled for a moment with barely contained frustration in his voice, before the uncurbed agitation eventually dwindled to give access to a calmer baritone as he shrewdly went on before Saitou could even form another passively offensive remark, "And don't go thinkin' I can't see through yer bullshit. Ya can fool anyone, but not me, dear brother." The last few syllables erupted from him in a disgusted scoff.
Even their manner of speech diverged from each other. Saitou had long since stripped away his Kansai dialect, but Shun's only grew heavier-sounding.
"You already cut me off anyway," Saitou retorted, knowing full well the effect his words would have on his brother.
And true enough, Shun reacted exactly as he had predicted. His lips drawing tight in the way it would whenever he was trying to suppress a smart wisecrack before parting open to vocalize his bitter snap back regardless. "'Case it slipped yer stupid mind, but yer the one who cut us off first, Shuu. As if ya would've forgotten that already."
Just for added measure, Saitou pretended as if he actually did forget. "Oh- oh, yes. The recollections are coming to me now."
He could almost feel the animosity radiating off of Shun, but stifled his wholehearted laughter as the car began to advance once again when the red light turned a nearly blinding green. Shun paused before verbalizing the harsh spat, raw anger patent in his voice, "Why can't cha just die at this point, Shuu? Doesn't matter how, just freakin' drop dead right now. Please."
Saitou pursed his lips forward in the form of a pout, but the glint of mischief in his aurelians gave away his bluff as he simply supplied an attempt at masqueraded devastation, "My, that isn't exactly a nice thing to say to your own sibling, no? You could have rephrased that a tad better."
A snort was Shun's only riposte before he conferred the mocking answer, "I was polite enough to say please, wasn't I?"
There was a telltale sign of a patronizing smirk tugging at one edge of Saitou's lips. "You could stand to improve that god-awful dark sense of humors of yours, brother."
"Yeah?" Shun took an intentional particularly sharp turn around the corner of a tall building complex, chewing on the plump skin of his lower lip to bite back a satisfied guffaw when the sudden swift jerk managed to startle the usually collected Saitou for once. "Ya could stand to fix yer entire personality, Shuu, but ya ain't seeing me fuckin' complainin'."
This time, Saitou didn't bother to suppress the laughter slithering up the back of his throat. "Touche."
"Gotcha there, huh?" Shun appeared momentarily pleased before his playful grin faltered to a small line as his blue brows furrowed into a deep, baffled frown. His eyes blinked in fitting confusion as he asked, "This the first time ya got dumped, amirite? How did that happen?"
The thin, offended frown on Saitou's lips was genuine as the question seemed to have personally attacked his tremendously huge and inflated ego. For a second, he wasn't entirely certain what fermented his ire first – the fact that Shun was brave enough to inquire about the matter, or the fact that he sounded sincerely curious. In all likelihood, it was both.
"I am not one to be dumped," Saitou mithered under his breath before sounding an indignant huff. Shun briefly freed one hand from the steering wheel to nonchalantly shrug him off with a dismissive wave. He decided against acknowledging the taunting gesture and instead proceeded, this time with a cooler baritone, "I can perceive a hopeless case when I see one. And that dullard of a woman is the exact personification of that."
"She was kinda a hot lassie though," Shun muttered in return, momentarily sporting a judgemental look on his face that pertained the lines of: didja seriously let that piece of snack go? What, ya got shit for brains? But the expression dissipated, replaced with an awkward grin the moment Saitou shot him a fleeting but warning glance. His voice, however, still fostered a touch of repressed admiration and cheeky perversion as he unceremoniously continued, "Got a pretty big booty and huge tits too. What a waste. Ya could've let me have 'er if ya didn't want 'er."
"Your chances of wooing her is as slim as your risk of getting apprehended, dear brother." Saitou's mouth curled upwards into its ever-present condescending sneer. "She has someone else in mind."
"That impossible?" Shun incredulously probed for affirmation, instantly receiving it as Saitou mutely nodded his head once in confirmation. Almost immediately, a heavy, exasperated sigh echoed from between Shun's slightly parted lips. His brows creased into that of a disgruntled frown as his equally upset tonality resonated in the car, "Tch. All the freakin' bombshells I see in this here town are taken in some way or another. Guess it's time to move the business elsewhere."
"I tried approaching her out of interest at first," Saitou started, even though aware that his brother hadn't exactly asked for the details. Though, from the brief glimpses of Shun nervously sparing him not-so-discreet glances here and there, he could detect that his twin was at least attentive enough to ponder the reason for him making romantic advances on her if that was the case.
Shun tried to appear disengaged from the conversation as he emitted a painfully high-pitched yawn that was also painfully and quite conspicuously feigned. Saitou temporarily noted to himself to teach his brother a lesson or two in manipulation and deceit some other time – if he felt like it of course.
"And?" Shun's voice was stony, his features equally clinical despite the probing.
"I presume you've caught wind of Keiichi in a coma at one of the biggest hospitals here, no?" Saitou began, not even bothering to impede the amused smirk plastered on his face as Shun's equally gilded orbs broadened into the size of saucers in nonplussed recognition. "She's the selfless savior who was generous enough to assist and rescue me when your little minion came by the other day. You should have seen how she reduced him into a battered, unrecognizable mess of blood and broken cartilages with a mere couple of punches. She has the strength of a million men, if anything. Oddly enough, in the face of her colossal brawn, she has the timidity of an innocent little virgin. That contrast between her muscle mass and her admittedly endearing demeanor was what initially piqued my fascination in her."
A shame then she's already pinin' for someone else, the disappointment in Shun's train of thought was almost palpable as he released another loud and disheartened sigh from the prospect of such a rare find already saving herself for another man. He would have enjoyed having his way with her, probably even keeping her to himself if his fixation with her was deep-rooted enough to permit the possibility of actually making her his to become available. But if there was any ounce of decency remotely left in him – he had faith that his personality was ten times better whatever his heartless twin was made of at least – it was the sort of decency that would forbid him from going after a woman who was already head over heels for someone else. Strong and independent women who were surprisingly meek was his kryptonite, yes, but romance was his bigger weakness.
His mind instantly diverted to the other officer that had managed to garner Saitou's interest. "What about the other cop then? The good-lookin' one?"
"Oh, you mean Okita-san?" Shun inwardly mused to himself that it was a first he had ever seen such a tight scowl on his brother's lips as the letters left Saitou's throat in curbed resentment, "Yes, well, he is quite a mixture of annoying and intriguing at the same time, I suppose. I thought it would be comical to see how long he would be able to keep his composure and all that. Apparently, not long enough because he would react so strongly every time I even tried flirting with Kagura-san. It was hilarious. I would argue that he kept me more entertained than she did, in all honesty."
So the hot lassie's name is Kagura-chan. Shun momentarily noted down before he then prodded, knowing fully well that there was more, "But? What pissed ya off?"
"He possesses a nasty sadistic streak," Saitou grouched from under his breath, his aurelian gaze glaring daggers into the window shield before him as he went on, "If his coarse language did not serve to ruffle me first, his constant endeavors at taking my life surely would have. God knows how many threats he had thrown in my direction, and in such a short period of time as well. I honestly have to chew over how on earth such a menace to society managed to become a law enforcer to begin with."
To his amusement – but also distaste – Shun clicked his tongue in return before grousing the not-so-hushed remark, the words more to himself than to his brother as it was rather apparent he was attempting to speak at a lower volume. "Tch. Fuckin' useless cop for sure. Now I've gotta stand this here prick another year thanks to his vain efforts. Should've robbed the weight off my chest really."
Saitou's lips drew tight into a dry smile. His baritone was hauntingly sweet, harboring undertones of malice and vexation as he threw out the inquiry, "Forgive me if this is a misconception, but the bomb in my bedroom the other night…that wasn't your doing, was it?"
"'Course not. Yer an idiot or what? I might hate yer guts but I wouldn't go as far as killing my own family member, ya know? Ya can put a lie detector on me if ya want. I swear on Goku's grave that I'm not lyin'." Or so Shun said. But Saitou was terribly perceptible towards the barely hidden bluff as the slight convulsion at one edge of Shun's lips into a self-satisfied smirk confirmed his suspicions before Shun briskly collected himself and motioned his mouth into an offended frown.
Forget Okita Sougo. Saitou ought to be more careful with his own twin. He was obviously surrounded by a bunch of murderous lunatics.
But he wisely opted against continuing the conversation, not really in the mood to steer the chatter into a more dangerous territory as he diverted the subject back towards the matter of Kagura and Okita. He wasn't completely positive why he was divulging so much information regarding his latest endeavors, though he could possibly attribute it to the need to vanquish his own urge to strangle his lovely brother to death. That – and because he was weirdly enough in a good mood to feel like actually talking about his recent activities.
"Both saw through me." A short-lived chuckle rippled out of him before swiftly dying down, leaving in its wake only a chilling smile as he uttered in a thoughtful manner, "Although, I would argue the reason behind Okita-san's capability to read me like a book is only contributed by the fact that he's a little bit paranoid from his jealousy, you see. Kagura-san remained an ingenuous imbecile to the end, but I was careless enough to lose my composure and accidentally allowed her a tiny peek of who I am. Yet she's different from Okita-san who outrightly resents my very existence; she told me that she would prefer it better if I was true to myself. What a laughable notion."
"Kinda off. That's the first time I've seen anyone actually acceptin' of yer rotten personality," Shun scoffed, eyeing as his response only prompted the abrupt laughter breaking out of his brother to rise in tandem to that of a high-pitched, tear-inducing guffaw. Except Saitou was the only one laughing. Shun was deep in his train of thought.
Saitou was born more than a smidge smarter than him. His keen intellect and high IQ bestowed him with a plethora of skills that even Shun was incapable of mastering. However, it also caused him to harbor a rather pessimistic view towards the world around him. Because he was apt enough to figure out everything about everyone so effortlessly, Saitou was in a persistent state of boredom. Shun wasn't thoroughly sure if it was due to his genius mind or other feasible factors, but Saitou gave the impression of being unable to stand not having something to pick on. He liked finding out what made people tick, and he especially loved people – or prospects – that were rather abnormal and out of ordinary. They plagued him, piqued his interest and kept him on his toes for a while – but the minute he started having a grasp of what, or whom, the person or concept really was, he would grow tired and abandon them just like that.
In fact, Shun had lost count on how many women had bombarded his home and attempted assault on him just because his insane brother decided he wanted to play around with their hearts as some kind of sick pastime. There were more restraining orders against these women than the amount of drugs he actually succeeded in trafficking (this was an exaggeration of course, but still. The ladies obsessed with Saitou combined would at least result in a good dozen). And this didn't even include the numerous men that had tried attacking him whenever they mistook him for the bastard, Saitou, who had snatched away their significant others. Couples were really Saitou's favorite choice of 'toys' as he would call it. Shun wasn't a good person to begin with, especially if one were to take account that his profession revolved around being a drug ring leader, but Saitou was a worse lost cause. Shun at least had a shred of what could resemble a moral compass, but Saitou took pleasure in racking havoc in other people's lives just to satisfy his cruel whims. If he was a bad guy, then Saitou was the devil personified.
Saitou's sharp wit and compulsion to feed his curiosity and boredom were both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he could easily see through people, even ones who were deemed hard to crack down on. On the other hand, no one really knew or understood him. Even Saitou himself. Not to mention, he was a jumbled mess of contradictions. His desire to be seen and comprehended for who he was mismatched with his need to keep the truth of his identity to himself. He was bored whenever they couldn't read him, but he would get bored whenever they could as well. And that wasn't even scratching the surface of what a mass of clashing paradoxes that coexisted within the individual named Saitou Shuu.
And judging from the info Saitou had disclosed thus far, it was pretty clear-cut what the deciding factor behind him ending things was: both Okita and Kagura got to see the real him, and while that comforted him, it also bored him. So he left. That was his habitual routine. For whatever reasons, he would approach someone, and then for different reasons, he would leave. Saitou wasn't one to stay, if anything he was like a fluttering butterfly always flapping its wings over from one place to another. He wouldn't – or more like, couldn't keep still.
It was as if he couldn't be bothered to get attached. Bonds were nuisances to Saitou, and diverging from the people who wanted to get close to someone but couldn't, Saitou literally didn't want to bring himself to care about anyone. No one was of importance to him; not even his family. Shun was the closest to him, yet even he felt the scarce occasions where Saitou would sometimes let him near was because he was bored and wanted someone to humor. Even when Saitou were to blow the lid off on his personal feelings and opinions, he would never leak anything that actually mattered to him. Hell, what did matter to him anyway? Nothing. No one. Nada. The douche didn't care about anyone but himself. But Shun kept him around because he was good company once a while. That – and he was still his brother, despite his wicked persona.
"I reckoned you just started stalking me today, what with me noticing your car ever since the beginning of my little date. But after your mentioning of Okita-san, I presume you were already watching me way before then. And here I thought only the police was insistently trying to keep me under their hawk-eyed vision," Saitou's voice echoed in his ears, bringing him out of his reverie.
Shun's disdainful explanation came in an instant. He didn't even feel like denying the fact that he had been observing Saitou for the past few weeks as he fiercely spat out the retort, "Dad wanted me to keep watch on ya. For what it's worth, he really does give a shit about a son of a bitch like ya even though ya left yer own family."
"Hm." Saitou tilted his head in a thoughtful manner. It was the kind of posture Shun hated to see. Even more so when it was followed with a statement that came out as false mortification, in spite of the underlying hint of amusement. "You make me sound like a terrible person."
"That's because ya are," Shun scoffed. One thing he did like about his brother was the fact that he didn't need to hold back on his insults because he didn't have to feel bad for a scumbag like him. "Yer the worst asshat I know. And to think ya even like One Piece over Bleach. As if yer horrible personality ain't enough, ya also got horrible taste in anime."
"That's better than you drooling over 2D girls in To-Love Ru, no?" came Saitou's deadpanned remark, the ill-conceived jibe bringing a patronizing sneer to his lips as a deep-rooted scowl was now noticeable on Shun's full lips. But Shun shrewdly opted against continuing the conversation, suddenly not in the mood for small talk – especially when Saitou pulled out his phone to play the opening theme song of Jujutsu Kaisen, blasting the damn song to its maximum volumes as if he was purposefully trying to rupture his twin's ear drums.
"Fuckin' Satoru Gojo wannabe," Shun groused under his breath instead.
Saitou's lips curved into an impertinent grin. "I prefer Sukuna. Or Mahito if you'd will."
"Why am I not surprised?" Shun expelled the loud, exasperated sigh. "Figures a dipshit like ya would be a fan of the evil villains. At least Itadori and Fushiguro are likable dudes."
A barely audible chuckle bubbled out of Saitou's chest before it slowly but gradually subsided into thin air. There was a pause as he seemed to consider something – a pause that seemed to drag on forever. And for a while Shun assumed that it was simply due to him being immersed in the song blaring loudly in the car. That was, until he opened his shit-eating mouth to vocalize the abrupt and unforeseen proclamation:
"I was wondering, Shun…if I were to join the business as of now, would you and the rest of our lovable family members accept me back?"
That startled the living hell out of Shun to the point that he accidentally pulled the sudden break on his Toyota Prius. There was a deafening, ear-rupturing screech as his tires shrieked painfully against the concrete material of the road and the car swerved around in a circle before halting in its tracks dangerously close to a stop sign.
Shun shot his brother a withering look. "Yer a really selfish piece of shit, ya know that? Selfishly takin' your leave and makin' mom bawl 'er eyes out. Then selfishly comin' back like nothin' ever happened."
Saitou fingered the little Akiyama Mio keychain dangling from the rear-view mirror. He repressed the need to tell his brother that he preferred Hirasawa Yui as he formed a thoughtful response, "Was mother really that saddened by me leaving the family?" A crane of his head to the side before an awful charade in the form of a fake triumphant smile slanted at the corners of his mouth. "Well, then she would be extremely thrilled when I return, no?"
"Why the hell are ya suddenly interested in joinin' the business anyway?" Shun snarled, the sound low and animalistic. "Don't be tryin' to steal my thunder now, fucker. After ya left, the title of designated heir went to me, capiche?"
Another laugh fizzled out of Saitou's chest. "Goodness. I wasn't even planning to. I am simply bored is all. I need something to take my mind off how dull it suddenly is. Though, I might actually try to snatch away your throne if I feel like it. If I get bored to the point that it becomes a rather tempting thought, that is."
Shun wasn't sure chilled his blood more. The sheer bluntness in the way Saitou spoke, or the fact that he was coming off intimidating despite not even trying to threaten him. Saitou wasn't even trying to scare him off, and it appeared as though he was simply innocently considering it. Though, then again, his brother was far from all things nice and innocent.
And at that moment Shun was unceremoniously reminded of how annoying and terrifying Saitou really was.
He sighed. "Ya know. I got issues too but yer a lot worse than me."
"What's wrong, demon pig girl? Did your date run off on you?"
The familiar voice snapped Kagura out of her self-deprecating train of thoughts, the tears welling in her widening eyes clearing only slightly as she blinked in baffled astonishment before swivelling her head around to look at the owner of the rich and deep baritone.
Glee swelled in her heart at the same time guilt permeated the pit of her guts as her cerulean irises locked with an alluring shade of red. Her lips parted slowly but surely, mouth quivering as her voice broke before bubbling out of her, "Sadist, I-"
But she didn't manage to completely finish her sentence when Okita's leg jerked upwards to strike a swift and powerful kick at her rotund derriere. The tiniest nuance of a choked sob that failed to leave her was replaced by a high-pitched, pained shriek that sounded suspiciously like, "Psycho Pass!" as she collapsed face-first to the carpeted floor for the umpteenth time that day.
An immediate numbing pain travelled all the way from her rear end and up to her the top of her spine as Kagura's furious bellow resonated in a thunderous roar in the now clattered diner, "You sadist knucklehead! Is that how you greet a girl, you dumbass?! No wonder you're still single!"
"I can greet you however the hell I want. And I'm single because I chose to be mind you," Okita scoffed at her, despite the line of musing that soon crossed his mind. Although, I'm planning to change that later by making you officially mine today, you stupid brat. The undertones of determination laid dormant beneath the sadistic glint in his irises as an equally sadistic grin formed on his lips and he watched her kneeling body convulse in her struggle to get to her feet.
With her anger now expressed verbally, Kagura pushed herself off the ground before spinning to face him again. Neither were interested in justifying the complaints coming from the staff in the restaurant as her counterattack came in an instant heartbeat in the form of a sharp kick delivered at his shin. Okita's neutral features contorted into pure torment as he fell to his knees, clutching the poor thigh that she had mercilessly attacked.
"You rotten bitch!" he hollered in ill-temper as he shot a death glare in her direction. China was now sporting a triumphant and condescending smirk on her lips. A sudden but not surprising urge to wrench her close and kiss the living breath out of her pervaded his system, but he repressed the need – for now – in favor of shouting out his incredulous anger, "Are you trying to break my leg?! You could've held back a little, you know! As if breaking my heart wasn't enough, you're gonna break each and every bone in my entire body too, you crazed woman?!"
"What was that, you little shit?!" Her own irritation shone through, but only briefly as his indirect admission that she had hurt his feelings with her words the other day reverberated in the air.
The annoyance waned to give access to a stronger wave of remorse as her feisty posturing was reduced to that of welling tears and quavering lips, the woman appearing as if she was on the verge of breaking down from the guilt. Abruptly reminded of the self-shame that had been plaguing her before his arrival, Kagura readopted her incapability of looking at him in the eye as she whirled on her heels, back facing the sadist as averted her gaze to everywhere else but him.
"Why are you here?" she asked him in a barely audible voice, the hushed whisper rippling out of her in the midst of an admittedly adorable sniffle. Okita muttered a long string of curses that consisted mostly of poop-related name-calling before the sound of her snivelling reached his ears and garnered his attention. Almost instantly, his frustration evaporated just like that the moment the sight of her vulnerable side greeted his scrutiny.
A soft sigh poured out of his lips as he discerned her trembling shoulders, the reaction a telltale sign of her attempt at keeping her tears at bay as she refused to peer over at him. Dusting the debris off his pants and smoothing them out soon after, Okita then lurched himself off the floor before shoving both hands in the safety of his pockets as he ambled calm and steady footsteps towards her.
"Oi, China," he called to her and waited for a second before freeing one hand to seize a firm but gentle grip around her forearm when she was unresponsive in return. "You feeling bad? You, the insensitive little devil? The menace that's been a pain in my ass since she was in middle school?"
"S-shut up. You're pissing me off. Just go away," she tried to sound infuriated with the half-scream that she emitted, but whatever venomous bite that she was expecting to elicit lost its intended effect due to the crack in her spirited voice and the gasped out cry that accompanied the not-so-threatening riposte.
"Cut the crap, idiot. If even you feel remorse, then the world must be on the verge of ending. I'd like to at least kill Hijikata-san first before that happens. Now stop sniffling and turn around," Okita's voice was a harsh tone on the surface, but the gentle plea underneath was palpable as it scratched his voice. When she resulted to selective muting herself again, he expelled another sigh as he pulled an attempt at twirling her around by the arm in order to force her to look at him, though his efforts proved to be futile as the monster girl seemingly reinforced her stance by somehow gluing her feet to the floor.
"Leave me alone," she forced out the harsh spat. At this point, after spouting out such cruel words to him the other day, she couldn't even bring herself to think she deserved him. A shaky breath resonated out of her before the following syllables then escaped her in the midst of her snivelling and fiery outbursts, "You're always bullying me, always making fun of me. Stop treating me like a brat, alright? Be a little nicer to me, you dunce. I'm Kagura-san now, not Kagura-chan, okay? I'm not a kid anymore."
"What are you, a dummy? I'm treating you like a brat because you're acting like one, dummy," Okita snorted at her, annoyance shining through as she remained unmoving in spite of his constant tugging at her upper arm. "Women are really a lot of pain and trouble, I swear. Here I am, trying to comfort you but you're not even looking at me. What, you're scared of me seeing you crying like the ugly little piggie that you are? At this point, I think I've seen you cry more times than I keep count."
That managed to land a critical hit on her inflated ego, the sudden verbal abuse igniting her ire as the frisson of rage puddled in the depths of her stomach and effectively revoked her remorse from her system. "Huh?! What was that, dipshit?!" she clamoured, not realizing that she had involuntarily whirled her head around to meet his gaze in the midst of letting out her indignation as she tearfully but also angrily continued shouting, "I don't remember asking for you to give a damn, alright?! I never asked you to comfort me, so why are you being so mean?! Go away if I'm too much pain and trouble, stupid sadist!"
Her voice heightened a few notches, rising in tandem the more she went on. But Okita's features remained unreadable before softening ever so slightly when she eventually spun around, his love for her surfacing as his wine red irises locked with her tearful pools of ocean blue.
"You've finally looked at me, idiot," he sighed, but his baritone lacked any ounce of displeasure as what took its place was tender affection when he caught the tears cascading down her cheeks like slow but gradual waterfalls. Her lips quivered before her eyes broadened into the size of saucers as the revelation eventually settled in on her that she had accidentally pivoted around to face him again. Her heart did a somersault before endorsing a fast and deafening beat as he removed the hand from her arm to cup her face, his thumb softly and carefully wiping away the warm trail of tears from her cheeks and at the back of her eyes. Kagura sounded another sniffle before trying to divert her gaze again, only to be halted mid-way as the hold he had around her chin reinforced itself, his fingers now digging and squeezing into her cheeks as he forced her head still.
"Sorry, brat, but I ain't leaving you alone today," he started, his voice laughing but at the same time devoted and tender before his baritone eventually took a more resolute approach as he went on, "Not today, not ever." The unyielding glimmer patent underneath the fondness in his scarlet stare and the syllables leaving him in a manner similar to an oath-like promise that he had sworn to her both prompted her heart to accelerate to a louder and briskier rate and brought forth the flush to color her cheeks. She couldn't find it in herself to break free from his gaze, somewhat enchanted as he traced a doting finger over the bottom half of her mouth before going on, his voice a firmer edge this time, "That's what I've decided on. You made me this way so take responsibility, Kagura."
Kagura.
As she thought, her name sounded perfect, wonderful – almost ethereal, whenever it passed between the lips that belonged to Okita Sougo. It was a feeling no one had ever proffered her before.
Sadist's touch caused warmth to swell under her cheeks, unlike Saitou's that made her recoil back in both guilt and disgust.
His voice put her at ease, unlike Saitou's that regularly unnerved her.
The warm and affectionate flicker in his scarlet irises forced her heart to habitually either skip beats or adopt a dangerously high-pitched and dangerously swift rate of thumping, unlike the chilling flash of Saitou's aurelian ones that almost always seemed to never completely focus on her and made her uncomfortable.
Okita's tall looming form soothed her and made her feel safe, unlike Saitou's apparently faraway but frightening stature that regularly gave off the impression that he wanted to both push her away and consume her all at once.
The love she could feel radiating off of Sadist was genuine and deep-rooted, unlike Saitou's that was a well-put charade filled with a web of lies.
His hands, his eyes, his figure, his face, the way he carried himself, the way he treated her – everything about the man called Okita Sougo made her insides giddy, made her heart flutter and made her heart swell in both joy and unbearable affection. Whether it was his sadistic exterior that consistently took pleasure in making her life miserable, or the surprisingly ardent side of him that devoted his special treatment and attention only for her – everything about him only fueled the sparkles of romance budding in the middle of her chest. She loved everything about him, and adored all the twisted parts and lovable portions that made up his personality.
If she wasn't careful enough, Kagura felt as if the love in her heart would eventually – or even most likely already was – develop into an intense obsession with him, but something told her that Okita wouldn't mind it at all. If anything, she had him wrapped around her finger – and he was willingly letting her subject himself into such a thing.
…Was it really okay? Was it alright for her to be by his side? After all the horrible and hurtful things she had said to him, did she even deserve this fermenting surge of joy filling up her system? Did she deserve him?
"But I- I went out of line the other day and-" Kagura started, only to hush herself when he quickly but gently pushed her lower lip upwards with his thumb to press her mouth shut in muted command to be silent and listen.
"If you're really beating yourself over it that hard, then I guess you can make it up to me by giving me the honor of being your date for the day," he began, his voice a mixture of coy flirtation and playful but harmless taunting, "or the following dates after that for that matter," he continued with the romantic suggestion as he permitted himself another swipe over the soft, glossy texture of her lips before he eventually released the clutch around her jaw, reluctantly pulling away after a hesitating pause.
He caught the indication of her rosy lipstick leaving a mark on his thumb as telltale signs of light pink smeared the skin there, before the wolfish grin at the corners of his lips widened an inch as he then perceived the touch of disappointment in her cerulean orbs when he drew apart.
Her response came in the form of her lips jutting outward into a cute, sulking pout. "So what are you telling me? You're gonna go on dates with me so that I can repent for my sins? Is that the only reason behind it?" Or so she questioned, but she was already quite aware of his actual feelings towards her. At this point, if she was still as ignorant and dense as a harem male protagonist then she really did need to get her brain checked for damage. But of course, she couldn't resist the compulsion to make him lavish her with affection even more.
Her heart almost jumped in glee when he complied, learning down to grant her a chaste, featherlight peck on the lips before he broke off the lip-lock as soon as he initiated it. The fondness in his ruby gaze threatened to engulf her and swallow her down whole as he stared lovingly into her eyes, his passionate irises harboring undertones of mischief as he licked his lips before forming an answer,
"Then I'll be honest for once and say that it's because I want to." He gave her another smooch, this time on the forehead. "Going on a date with you is my own will, and I ain't planning on letting you off the hook with just one." A kiss on her right cheek. "I'll keep you by my side for as long as I want, and I ain't letting you go without forcing you to commit seppuku first." A kiss on her left cheek. "I'll only release you if you die in compensation, got that?" A kiss on the pointed tip of her nose. "You got yourself involved with a sadist like me, China, so you're gonna bear the cross of being mine for the rest of your life." A kiss on her chin. "Even if you try pushing me away again, I'm gonna persevere with the toughness of a cockroach."
His voice dropped to that of a whisper as he craned his head slightly to the side to hover his warm breath over the shell of her ear before bestowing her another peck on the flappy skin of her earlobe. His teeth grazed her before he proceeded with his declaration, "Be prepared for Kondo-san level of stalker-ism if you even try pulling that tsundere shit again, you little brat." Then, finally, his lips claimed hers in a hot, searing lip-lock, lasting way longer than the previous smooches he had conferred her as he mumbled the words against her mouth, "If you're gonna run away from me, I'll have to kill you like I've tried killing Hijikata-san. If you're ready for annoying assassination attempts then be my guest and try to flee from me right now." He pulled apart from her after digging the front of his teeth into the plump skin of her lower lip, relishing in the soft, contented sigh she emitted before he drew back. His features as decided as the steadfast look in his gaze as he swore, "Once I make you mine, you're mine until one of us dies. I love you and I'll love you until my last breath no matter how fucking annoying you are."
It was almost an oddity for a regularly aloof sadist like himself. For his stand-offish bearing, the raw emotion in his voice was nothing short of being so strong that it almost stole her breath away. Speechless, Kagura remained quiet for some time but kept her eyes locked with his as her mind processed all the surreal but delightful things he had told her.
At the end, all she could manage was a trembling gasp before her mouth parted to emit the timid response, "Figures a sadist like you would make a love confession sound like a life-threatening declaration of war. I'm not sure whether I should be feeling wooed or scared." Not that she minded, that was what she liked about him. She didn't need overt gestures, just him was enough. But admittedly, she was still too embarrassed to admit her own affections for him aloud.
He scoffed at her, but he tucked a tendril of vermillion hair behind her ear. "Well, deal with it. After all, with you adamantly keeping your tsundere act intact, I gotta do the extra work, you know? Not that I care, take as much time as you need." A familiar determined glint entered his eyes as they flashed meaningfully at her. One corner of his lips tugged upwards into his signature crooked and impish grin, the inklings of love and seduction palpable in the slant of his mouth as he once again promised her, "I'll make you say that you love me too by the time I'm done with you, Kagura. And when you do, I ain't gonna be satisfied with you just saying it once."
"Clingy much?" she snorted at him despite herself reaching one arm upwards to cup his left cheek in one hand. A slight purr vibrated through his chest, and a toothy grin found its way on her pretty features as he leaned in ever so slightly and nuzzled his nose against the bony structure of her wrist.
"Shuddup," he murmured against her skin as he tilted his head a different angle to place teasing but lazy kisses all over the skin of her palm. "If you're gonna have me, then you're gonna have all the bad and the good things about me. No complaining and no refund or I'll Kamehameha you out of Earth, got that?"
She laughed before conferring her equally light-hearted reply, "I'll Saitama punch you first, you prick. Besides, you don't have to worry about that. I'm immune to the kind of idiot you are. Been immune for a long time now actually."
Her response brought forth a sound that resonated in between a low, amused chuckle and a feigned huff. "That's good then. Because I don't give a damn even if you complain," he playfully retorted, his eyes catching the meaningful look in hers before he leaned down to steal her lips again-
-only to stop himself half-way, his mouth a hair's breadth distance from her when a feminine throat-clearing noise interrupted their moment.
Kagura grabbed at his wrist before he could retrieve the gun that was tucked in his pants underneath his shirt. The withering glare that she sent him managed to repudiate splinters of the homicidal nuances in his bloodthirsty scarlet orbs before the couple then turned to face the waitress that had been trying to garner their attention for the past few minutes.
"I'm sorry to impose on such a…er, romantic moment between the two of you, but…well, ma'am, you broke our table and some expensive plates so..." the female staff paused as her mouth twitched for a good second before she collected herself and slipped on another courteous smile. "Um, I'm sorry to inform you of this, but you will have to pay us back for the damage you caused."
There was a pause as both Okita and Kagura blinked their eyes slowly at her. Once, twice, thrice, before the pair then exchanged a fleeting glance at one another.
"China, you got any money with you?"
"…Is 100 yen enough?"
A moment later, the sounds of shrieking, angry waitresses and cursing waiters echoed loudly in the air as the duo then sprinted out of the restaurant, nimble on their feet as they fled away from the scene. Yet, despite the furious mob of diner staff hot on their heels, wholehearted laughters erupted from their throats as adrenaline pumped through their veins and cheap thrills travelled down their spines. It had been a while since they got into trouble together.
But what made it better was the fact that Okita's hand had never left hers throughout the entire chase, their fingers interlocking with each other in a tight embrace as wide, happy smiles spread on their faces.
A/N: Last appearance of Saitou this time (for Nirvana at least), and first and last scene with his twin, Shun. I rarely ever include OCs in my fics because I prefer to write about canon characters, but there are few situations where I would consider putting them in my stories. A) I need some characters to take on the role of the antagonists, but the entirety of the anime cast are all lovable dorks to the point I can't imagine making any of them to be assholes. B) to move the plot forward. C) a not-gonna-win love interest that I slid in because there's no one else that would suit one of my pairing. In the case of Okikagu, I don't see anyone other than Okita who could potentially romance her. Gin and Shinpachi are like family to her if anything. That said though, there's gonna be another story where the twins are gonna play a larger role in. I would argue that Shun is the better twin for being a morally ambiguous character, different than Saitou who's just outrightly evil.
P/S: I hope you guys enjoyed that last Okikagu bit in this chapter. That was my favorite part to write in this update (though tbh, any scene revolving around them are my immediate favorites. Both anime-wise and fanfic-wise). There's gonna be an abundance of fluff between them from here on out, so I hope the wait was worth it lolololol XD
alcaponieeee, Heatherishere, JuneyOkikagu, CheeryLola- lol, I see everyone's excited that Saitou's out of the picture. Is it weird that I'm elated that people hate him so much? Lmao. I sort of made him to be hated but yeah he's kinda a mood when he's not busy being an asshole. And I'm glad to see that everyone loves Kagura to bits, she deserves all the attention and appreciation she can get. I'm also happy that you would think that the whole process of Kagura realizing her feelings for Sougo was well-done. I was worried about that part tbh. And yayyyy, their relationship can finally get kickstarted lmao. Hope I didn't make things to cringy or cliche between them in this update. Everything from here on out is just Okikagu fluff (and later smut) so brace your hearts XD. (I had to stop and blush and gush over what I was writing too a few times lol). Oh and yeah, I definitely think that it's possible for them to be canon in Sorachi's own style of writing. There weren't any official pairings in the anime either, excluding Sacchan and Tsukki who were quite obviously in love with Gin (emphasis on Sacchan). Though no one ended up with anyone and I think that's sort of beautiful and good in its own way. It definitely leaves a lot of room for imagination for one. But anyways, again, thanks for all the love and support! I'm sad to see this work ending soon, but I'm also happy that it's near completion. Reading all my readers' reviews, you guys really make me smile and happy in ways not even a boyfriend could.
