Here I am again!

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This happens before the other chapters.


It was raining pretty hard the night she found him. Heavy drops of water fell from the cloudy sky relentlessly and the streets were deserted. Days were getting colder and shorter, giving into nights where no one would have wanted to be outside.

It reminded her of times when she had lived with her family in her home planet, and it only brought sad and painful memories back.

She fastened her pace, clutching her umbrella tightly and Sadaharu jogging behind her when something caught her eye.

It had been about three months since the last time she had seen him, and it was in a completely different situation. The man in front of her had nothing to do with the proud Shinsengumi Captain he used to be. He was leaning in the wall of a dark alley, gasping for air and using his scarf to stop the blood coming from his abdomen.

With eyes as big as saucers, she realised he was trying really hard to stay upright and when he coughed blood she run to catch him in mid fall, her umbrella hitting the wet soil. Being a samurai, however, had taught him not to let his guard down, so he raised his other arm and tried to slice her with his katana. She dodged and watched him fall to his knees.

"What the hell, Sadist."

The man raised his gaze to meet hers. Recognition filled his features and he tried to smirk, but it came out as a grimace.

"My, my, China... Wh- what a fancy meeting. But I don't have time to deal with you today, so you'd better leave now."

"What are you talking about? You'll be dead in less than an hour if a leave you here. What has happened to you?"

"This is what happens when you're ambushed by seven men because you're one of the most wanted samurais of the city. Now go. Your face is making this more painful than it should be."

"I don't really feel like helping you at all, but I don't wanna see your stupid face in every newspaper tomorrow when they found you lying on the ground."

"I won't die here, brat. I can take care of-" A new fit of coughs ended in more blood spilling on the floor.

"Yeah, sure."

She crouched to grab one of his arms, pushing him up effortlessly, and placing it behind her neck. He flinched when his side collided with hers and Kagura adjusted his weight.

"I said-"

"Shut up now, stupid. I'm thinking."

"Uh? Are you sure? I didn't know pigs could use their brains."

She glared at him, raising her arm to punch him in the belly, and he cursed.

"Way to treat a wounded person, China."

She wasn't listening anymore. She was drenched, and the last thing she needed was an ill, wounded jerk to take care of. She couldn't take him with her to Yoshiwara, where she was actually living with Tsukuyo. If she entered the place with Okita Sougo in her arms, bleeding, unable to stand, soaking wet and panting, the girls would get crazy. She was aware of his reputation in the Red Light District. Hell, she had to listen to around ten conversations per day that involved the luckiest women and that bastard doing all kinds of everythings to them. He was some kind of deity there. Not that he went there every single night, but still... And not only that, for some strange reason she still couldn't understand, it just didn't sit well with her. The last thing she wanted was a dozen of courtesans taking care of him.

The problem was that she couldn't think of another place to go. Unless...

She hadn't set a foot in the Yorozuya since Gintoki had disappeared three years ago. She didn't want to change that, but a look to her left made her heart twist. He was starting to lose his conscience, and she could tell by the way his body was going limp. She didn't want to think about the other possibility...

Kagura waved her hand towards Sadaharu and the dog approached them, bending his legs to let her place the man on his back. He didn't say a thing. When she was done, the dog got back up and followed her owner, who had grabbed her umbrella and was heading for the Kabuki District.

The way was short and she climbed the stairs quickly, stopping at the door. Her heart was beating hard in her ribcage and she breathed a few times, calming herself, before reaching for the doorknob. She grabbed it with trembling hands and slided it softly, the door opening. She was received with a deafening silence that made her cringe and want to run. The house had never been so silent.

Sadaharu nudged her with his head and she was reminded of the reason why she was there in the first place. She took off her boots and placed them on the floor, turning around to do the same with the man's. She proceeded then to lift and drag him to the room that had once belonged to her surrogate father.

She placed him on the wall, putting his katana aside, and Sougo opened his eyes, regarding the room. There was dust everywhere. Kagura disappeared from the room only to come back a few moments later with bandages, some jars, rags and a basin filled with water. She didn't turn on any light.

"China," his voice was hoarse, and it seemed like he was struggling to get the words out "do you even know how to take care of a wound? I'll do it myself."

"Of course I know how to take care of wounds. Who do you think I am?" She placed the objects on the floor and kneeled in front of him.

"You're a Yato, and that means that you'd never taken care of your body. It heals on its own."

'A Yato that took care of her sick mother and his father when he lost his arm.'

The girl shook her head. She wasn't about to think of that at the moment. Instead, she used both her hands to remove the scarf and the uwagi from his body, leaving his torso exposed. The girl blushed and cursed inwardly.

'Don't give me this now, Kagura. He's a samurai. What else did you expect?'

She had thought she would be immune to things like this at this point. She had seen male bare torsos during her whole life, more now that she was living in Yoshiwara. Drunk men were a sight to behold. She laughed at them whenever she could, and they loved to take their clothes off even before getting a room with a courtesan. However, all of this didn't stop the red from spreading across her cheeks.

She had seen him before, when they had gone to the beach or when they had been with the Shōgun in the public pool, but he had been still growing. Right now, she had understood why there was so much talk about him in Yoshiwara.

His skin was covered with rain and sweet. He was lean and slim, his muscles well defined. All those years training and fighting had led to pectorals and abs that were well known among the girls she lived with. His arms were strong, biceps well developed. He had some scars scattered around, which only added more charm to him.

She cringed at the words she had just used to describe him, but she had to give him some credit.

"Are you done staring? You have volunteered to take care of my wound, you know."

Kagura averted her eyes from his body, mortified, and held his gaze. He wasn't smirking, as she had expected him to be. Was it that bad?

"I wasn't, you jerk. I was gauging the wound."

The wound. Yes, exactly. She had completely obviated it. There was a long cut on his right side, besides his belly button it wasn't too deep, but it still bled. Damn her if it didn't bleed. He had somehow managed to reduce the hemorrhage with the scarf, but now that the wound was exposed, the blood was starting to stain his skin again.

She sank a cloth on the water and drained it, applying pressure on his reddened flesh. He hissed and bit his cheeks to keep from making another sound. She would have enjoyed it if she weren't in her skin. She was cold and she wasn't sure about what she was doing. He was right. She had never taken care of a wound like that, though she had seen others do it.

Kagura repeated the action, rinsing the cloth, draining it and pressing it against the skin during some time. The water turned red and the smell of blood filled her nostrils, making her sick. She pressed her lips together. When the wound stopped bleeding she proceeded to open one of the jars and empty some of its content in a gauze. The girl pressed it cautiously on the wound, and this time he cursed.

"Damn those bastards."

Paying him no mind, she unrolled one of the bandages and straightened him, resting his head on her shoulder and getting access to his back to wrap the fabrics around him. His breath fanned her skin, and she felt goosebumps all around. Putting the bandages around his torso carefully, she tried to keep her hands steady. She laid him back down when she was almost done and made a knot, letting out a sigh.

"Done. Now wait here and don't you dare to leave this room, you hear me? I'm gonna get changed."

"Haha, very funny, brat. Like there's something to see."

She kicked him on the arm and went for the wardrobe. She didn't have clothes left in her old house, so she opted for one of Gin's kimonos.

After entering the bathroom and locking the door behind her, she got rid of her red top and skirt. Her underwear was wet, but nothing she couldn't handle. She tried the kimono. It was far too big for her, with the sleeves touching the floor and the front part completely saggy. She adjusted it with a belt the best she could and she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

The young woman staring back at her had nothing to do with the girl that had left three years ago. Her hair was now longer and she let it loose, reaching the middle of her back. Other times she used two ponytails. Her breasts had developed and her hips had gotten wider. Big, blue eyes once filled with life were now clouded with a veil of sadness she didn't like to think about. Seeing the kimono reminded her of Gintoki again and she sighed. Her heart ached numbly. She had got used to it.

She wondered what he would say. Maybe he would comment on how she was taller. Maybe ask if she was doing well, if she had become a worthy woman. Or simply tell her how big his clothes looked on her and how she was still a girl. She compared herself with the women in Yoshiwara. They were grown up, gorgeous and she knew she would never be like them. Not that she wanted to work as a courtesan, that was out of the question, and Tsukuyo would kill her before, but she wished she had that beautiful, long, dark hair. She wished she could dance and sing gracefully. She wished people would respect her, not fear her, like some did. She wished she could love like some of them did, and she wished there was someone waiting for her during the cold nights when she felt alone.

A knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"What on earth is taking you so long? I'm leaving, China."

She opened the door and stepped outside.

"Leave? What are you talking about? You couldn't even stand less than a hour ago and now you want to leave?"

"I'm used of these kind of wounds. I was the Captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi. How many times do you think I have had injuries like this?"

"I don't care, but the next time I found you half dead on the floor I'll ignore you. I haven't taken care of you for you to walk away and drop dead in some random place in a few hours because you can't walk anymore. You'll bleed to death. Now get lost."

"If you're so worried about me I will spend the night with you next time as a reward. If you know what I mean."

"Just get lost you bastard!" Red stained her cheeks for the second time and she felt her blood boil. How did he dare? She approached him with her arm raised, ready to punch him. But he was faster this time.

"Bye then, China."

He grabbed her arm to prevent her from hitting him and poked her on the forehead, leaving hurriedly after. The girl shook her head and turned towards the living room, looking for a futon in her old closet. She was staying the night. It was already late, and she wasn't about to walk all the way to Yoshiwara with the weather like that. After saying goodnight to her dog, she laid on her provisional bed and covered herself up till the chin.

"Someday I'll figure him out."

'Along with this stupid feeling in my chest.'